Running Like Water

Chapter 8

Daylight streamed through the foyer. A woman with shimmering scales on her legs and forearms arranged plants on the concrete. Clear, sticky liquid clung to the gills on her neck. When she wiped her forehead with the scarf, a shadow fell across the concrete steps behind her.

C-137 Morty appeared in the entrance. "Hey," he said. "How's it going?"

She blinked slowly without taking her hands off the pot. "Hi," she said.

"Sorry. Do you speak English?"

"A little. I'm not very good."

"That's fine. I'm Morty. I don't know if you've seen me around. My grandpa and I got stuck on this planet."

She nodded with a vaguely confused look on her face.

"So, uh—I actually had a favor I wanted to ask you. Do you know what a favor is? Like, a request?"

"Yes."

"Okay. So, uh—" He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Funny story. There's actually a clone of me that got loose. Do you know what a clone is? A double grown in a lab?"

"Yes. I know what a clone is."

"Okay. Great. He looks just like me, and he says that he's Morty Smith. But you'll know he's a clone because he's wearing a black jacket. If you see him walking around, try to flag me down, okay? Or if I'm not around, just tell someone around here that you saw him. It'll probably get back to me."

She studied him as if she didn't understand what he was saying.

"Okay," she said.

"Okay! Great. Thanks so much. Have a good day, okay?"

"Okay. Have a good day."

She waved awkwardly, then turned back to the potted plant. Footsteps sounded on the steps a moment later. She turned around and squinted her slitted eyes in the sunlight.

"Hey," X-216 Morty said. "How's it going?"

His black jacket turned his figure into a silhouette in the doorway. The woman's eyes widened.

"Hello," she said cautiously.

"Hey. Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"What? About what?"

"So, uh—okay, I know this is going to sound crazy, but there's a clone of me running around. Like, a double. Kind of like an identical twin, but evil?"

"I thought you were the clone."

Morty's face blanched. "What? You talked to him?"

"I saw—there was a version of you. Yes."

"Holy shit." Morty looked around. "And he said I was the clone?"

"Yes. He said the clone wore a black jacket."

"Oh, shit." Morty clapped a hand to his forehead. "When was he here? Was it a while ago?"

"No. It was one minute."

"Oh my God—shit. All right. I think I need to go out and—"

C-137 Morty appeared in the doorway. X-216 jumped back.

"There you are, you son of a bitch!" C-137 shouted.

"You're the clone! Not me!"

C-137 howled and lunged forward. They fought and struggled as they stumbled down the stairs and burst into the bright sunlight. The woman shrieked when C-137 faked a punch. X-216 jerked his head back as if he'd been hit.