Chapter 1: Set Up
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting the city in a warm golden glow as Thomas stepped out of the limousine. The driver held the door open for him, and Thomas gave him a nod of acknowledgment before striding into the opulent lobby of his high-rise apartment building. The doorman greeted him with a polite smile. "Good evening, Mr. Hawkins."
Thomas returned the smile. "Evening, Alfred." He loved the personal touch in this place. It was one of the perks of being a billionaire—people actually liked you when you had more zeros in your bank account than they could count.
Thomas stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the penthouse. The doors slid shut, and he was alone with his thoughts. Or so he thought.
The ding of the elevator announced his arrival on the top floor. As he stepped out, the grandeur of his home hit him like a tidal wave. Marble floors, towering columns, and a grand staircase that seemed to defy gravity. It was the kind of place you'd expect to see in a movie, not real life. But for Thomas, it was home.
He dropped his keys on the console table by the door and took a moment to appreciate the view.
The city lights twinkled like diamonds scattered across a vast, dark canvas. He loved this city, loved the energy, the chaos, and the constant hum of life.
But tonight, he was not here for the city's charms. He was here for Elizabeth.
Thomas found her in the study, tucked away in her favorite armchair, a glass of wine in hand and a book open on her lap. She looked up as he entered, her eyes reflecting the warm lamps around them.
"You're late," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.
He shrugged, "Work kept me." He leaned against the doorframe, watching her. "But I've got something that might make up for it."
She raised an eyebrow, setting her book aside. "Oh yeah? What's that?"
He grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"I bought something today. Something... special."
Elizabeth's curiosity piqued, she stood up, her wine glass still in hand. "What sort of special?"
Thomas walked over to a bookshelf, his fingers tracing along the spines of the books until they found a specific one. He pulled it out, revealing a hidden compartment behind it. Inside, nestled on a pedestal, was a gleaming, metallic device. It hummed softly, lights blinking in a rhythmic pattern.
"What's that?" Elizabeth asked, a mixture of fascination and apprehension in her voice.
"It's a cloning device," Thomas explained, a proud smile on his face. "I saw it in action, Elizabeth. It's real."
Elizabeth blinked, taken aback. "A cloning device?
Thomas, what are you talking about?" Elizabeth's eyes widened, the glass of wine trembling slightly in her hand. "You can't be serious."
"I am," Thomas said, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "I want to clone you, Elizabeth." He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low tone, as if sharing a secret. "Think about it—you're always so busy with work. With a clone, you could be in two places at once. You'd never miss out on anything again."
Elizabeth stared at him, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief. "You can't be serious, Thomas. Cloning? That's...that's science fiction."
Thomas chuckled, "Not anymore, it's not. I saw it with my own eyes.
Some guy at a tech conference—he showed me the prototype, and it was incredible. Before you could say 'jack Robinson,' he cloned a houseplant. A perfect copy, right out of the device."
Before Elizabeth could say anything more, he pointed the device at her and pressed a button. A beam of light shot out, enveloping her, and the room filled with a hum that seemed to vibrate through her very bones.
Elizabeth gasped, her eyes widening in shock. The cloning device hummed louder, and she felt a strange sensation, like every cell in her body was being replicated. It was disorienting, nauseating, and yet, there was a sense of exhilaration beneath it all.
The device pulsed one last time, and the beam of light faded. Elizabeth blinked, her vision swimming back into focus.
She looked down at her hands, rubbed her arms, and glanced around the room. "What just happened?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Thomas let out a relieved laugh, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. "You've just been cloned, darling!"
Elizabeth stared at him, her eyes wide with shock. "Cloned? You mean, like, that's a wholly separate...me?"
Thomas nodded eagerly, like a kid on Christmas morning. "Exactly! And you'll be amazed—she's identical to you in every way. Same memories, same personality...well, almost."
Elizabeth's mind was racing. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "Almost? Almost isn't good enough, Thomas. What do you mean, 'almost'?"
Thomas waved a hand dismissively.
"Oh, don't worry, it's just some minor quirks. Nothing you can't handle." He walked over to a door on the other side of the room, which opened to reveal a brightly lit chamber. Inside stood a woman who was the spitting image of Elizabeth—tall, elegant, with long blonde hair cascading down her back. She looked around the room, her eyes wide and slightly confused.
Elizabeth gasped, her wine glass slipping from her hand and shattering on the floor. "Thomas, what have you done?" she whispered, her gaze locked onto the figure that was her exact double. The clone—Elizabeth-clone—stared back at her, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. She took a step forward, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Thomas, what have you done?”
Thomas smiled, stepping aside to usher the clone into the room. “Meet your clone,” he said, gesturing to the clone. “She’s every bit the woman you are, but with a few tweaks. Nothing major, just some minor adjustments to make her... unique.”
Elizabeth’s clone—stepped into the room, her eyes darting between Thomas and the real Elizabeth. “Unique?” she echoed, her voice a softer, more tentative version of Elizabeth’s.
Elizabeth’s jaw clenched, her hands balling into fists. “Thomas, this is insane. You can’t just create a clone of me and expect me to be okay with it. What the hell were you thinking?”
Thomas sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Look, I'll be honest. I wanted a chance to have... more. A threesome, if you will." He avoided Elizabeth's gaze as he spoke, his voice low and cautious. "But don't worry, it's not what you think. I won't do anything with her—your clone—unless you're okay with it."
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed, her mouth set in a firm line. "Thomas, I'm not sure what part of 'no' you're not understanding. I don't want you to have sex with my clone. It's creepy, it's wrong, and it's just... no." She turned to the clone, her expression softening slightly. "I'm sorry." Elizabeth's clone said, her voice barely above a whisper, her eyes filled with uncertainty. She looked down at her hands, wringing them together nervously. Then, she cautiously met Elizabeth's gaze and offered a small, uncertain smile.
The room fell silent for a moment, the hum of the cloning device the only sound breaking the tension. Elizabeth looked at her clone, taken aback by the sincerity in those familiar eyes. She saw her own uncertainty and fear reflected back at her, and for the first time since the clone had appeared, she felt a spark of empathy.
"It's alright," Elizabeth said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned to Thomas, her expression stern. "But this changes nothing. I don't want you to have sex with my clone, Thomas. It's just... it's not right."
Thomas sighed, running a hand through his hair.