The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Planet Eleron)

(Elite Student Housing Complex – Mansion 456Y)

"Babe… breathe… I'm right here," Sophie gently whispered as she grabbed Cleo's palm and held it tightly in her palm.

Her girlfriend leaned against her shoulder and let out a heavy sigh. A conflicted expression flashed across her face as she continued her story.

"I mean… obviously the person behind this isn't the crown prince and I don't believe that my mother was actually caught but…" Cleo softly whispered.

"I… fuck… I hate her… she tried to kill me… but I don't want her dead. I just want to never see her again… does that make sense?"

"Seeing those photos… they make me sick to my stomach. I know that this is a trap but… but… damn it!"

Cleo's voice trailed off as her fingers curled up into a tight fist. Sophie gently rubbed her girlfriend's back and tried to get her to relax.

"Okay… let's think about this slowly," Sophie spoke in a serious tone.

"There are only two pieces of information that we can confirm. The first is that someone is being held hostage and the second is that a third party wants you to go to a specific place."

"Babe… I'm a selfish person. Even if the woman in the videos is your mother… I don't want you to put yourself in harm's way."

"And if I said I wanted to go?" Cleo asked in a small voice as she lowered her head and avoided Sophie's gaze.

"Well… I would call you an idiot and go with you," Sophie joked lightly as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss on the top of Cleo's head.

"But I was thinking of another plan…"

The princess raised her head and looked at Sophie who had a cunning look on her face. The hybrid girl got up from the bed and stretched out her arms.

"What if… we tricked them?" Sophie smiled with a wicked glint in her eyes.

Rsychosis!

Sophie's figure blurred and then one identical copy of herself appeared. Sophie smirked at her clone who just groaned and shook her head.

"I'm a bit confused…" Cleo truthfully admitted as she tilted her head.

"Well… basically she's going to use a technique that we haven't used since our time in the Unovan Syndicate…" Sophie's clone lazily replied.

"It's an evolution of the Rsychosis technique… I believe last time we mimicked Lily's appearance, right?"

"I wonder how the kid is doing?"

Sophie ignored the mirror image's question and closed her eyes. She focused on the bond between herself and her copy.

There was also energy flowing into her body from the bond connecting her heart to Cleo's and it was making the process easier.

It had been some time since she used this technique but the memory of changing her clones' forms still remained.

Maybe it was because she thought of Cleo all the time, but the process was much easier this time around.

When Sophie reopened her eyes, she saw that her mirror image had turned into an identical copy of Cleo's appearance.

"So, this is how it feels to be Cleo…" the clone mused thoughtfully as she admired her new form.

The voice coming out of her mouth was still Sophie's but if she remained silent then one could not tell the difference between herself and the real version.

"Brilliant!" Cleo exclaimed in shock as she quickly realised her girlfriend's plan.

"Yes, all we need to do is strap your wrist communicator to my clone and then she will go to the location specified by the kidnappers," Sophie confidently spoke.

"Wait… so you're sending me off to certain death?" the clone loudly complained.

"You know what… I hope I die… going to make sure it's a painful way as well…"

"Alright don't be such a drama queen… you know that I suffer as well when the memories flow back to me," Sophie replied calmly.

"Listen… I don't ask for much… and you do owe your existence to me so…"

"Got it! Got it! Sorry my dear creator that I questioned your infinite wisdom," the clone mockingly jeered as she made a rude gesture.

The clone scowled and then walked out of the bedroom towards the living space.

If she was going to die in the next few days, then she might as well catch up on the latest soap operas.

"How long do your clones last?" Cleo asked curiously.

"About a week? I'm not sure since I feel as though I've gotten stronger so they might stick around for even longer periods of time," Sophie thoughtfully spoke.

"When are you supposed to meet up?"

"In three days from now," Cleo replied as she mentally calculated the distance between planet Eleron and the meeting location.

Hmm… the clone would have to leave the day after tomorrow in order to make it in time. Those spatial coordinates…

Cleo tried to remember if there were any noteworthy locations in that region of space but could not recall any.

"Don't worry I'll give my clone some nasty toxins, powerful weaponry and some other tricks in order to make sure your mom comes home safe," Sophie promised solemnly.

"Of course… that's assuming that the hostage is your mother."

Sophie didn't want her clone to go in guns blazing but it would help that she was properly prepared if a fight did break out.

If the blackmailers assumed that the real Cleo was the one who came then they would soon experience an unpleasant surprise.

The two girls spent the rest of the night hashing out a plan together which Sophie relayed to the clone who was lounging on the couch with Moon.

The frostwing bat felt a bit confused as he stared at the woman who looked identical to Cleo but smelled like his mistress.

Squeak! Squeak!

(Who the heck are you?)

"I'm a mirror copy… look can you shift out of the way… I'm trying to watch my show," the clone rolled her eyes as she replied.

The clone flicked through the channels and finally stopped on a gay soap opera about a handsome young butler and his troublesome master.

It was called 'Sir… I cannot!'

The title was pretty shitty but having nothing better to do the clone pressed the option and the first episode appeared the screen.

The background was set in the ancient Earth era when tall castles were made out of stone and coloured plastics.

"My Lord you must go to the dance with your fiancée Lady Rosaline!" a slender young man with messy curly hair yelled.

He was dressed in a sharp black tuxedo and was speaking to a middle-aged man who wore a luxurious white suit.

"No! How many times must I tell you Emmanuel! I care not for that wench! My love for you burns with the might of a thousand suns!" the middle-aged man replied passionately.

"Oh… but sir…" the butler smiled weakly as tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

"Sir… I cannot!"

As he said those words the title card flashed on the screen and the theme song began to play loudly.

The clone sat on the couch and looked at Moon. The frostwing bat raised up his head and met her steely gaze.

"Moon…" the clone spoke in a serious tone.

"This show is clearly poorly acted, badly directed and the script sounds as though it was written by a child."

Squeak! Squeak!

(So, we're watching it right?)

The clone smiled and raised up the volume of the television.

It was going to be a long night.