Hearts of Delmar 2... ( 2 many Nicoles)

Chapter 8: Playing God

Jack sat in the rather cozy dungeon living room, helping himself to some expensive brandy.

"Yea, just make yourself at home, Jack. Any bottle is all yours." Hyde sarcastically muttered.

"Sleeps in a tank of water, eyes open? Your Nicole got a heavy dose of Menace, didn't she?"

"You know helping yourself to my bar is a little bold, but spying on me while I tend to my girlfriend's medical needs is just shady and disrespectful."

"Cut the shit. You don't have photos, you just assume you know where I was."

"Reading my bluff like a real Jack of hearts. So why agree to stay here?"

"I feel safer watching you than assuming you won't start something. Your military lawyer...hell of a rack."

"Vicky not doing it for ya anymore?" Hyde smirked.

"I've seen fake tits before, but those are FAKE tits. Xeroxians have free cosmetic healthcare, and you would never know the difference if they had work done. You're is nothing BUT work. So...pleasure model, or android maid?"

"Well, both if you get the right outfit. You're good, Jack."

"Fake lawyer, fake woman even, you got a bomb you think will get past Delmar airport scans or you just recording the house layout for later?"

"Oh I wouldn't dream of a bomb that close to any Nicole. I don't wanna hurt her. She's too much like mine, and I'm starting a new life. Legal, turning over a new leaf. But that takes money, and my Nicole has nightmares too from what Gizzy put her through. She deserves some compensation. There's no plot to kill you all, or even Vinn. I'm trying to go straight and legit this time. The kraken is dead, and judging by the Nicoles you can see that cloning someone without their knowledge can change ya."

"So you're just a nice guy now, hu? Cloned out all the meanness conveniently?"

"Shit no, nice is a stretch, but compared to the other guy I'm a damn saint. That's a low bar to set, so I'm still a little bit of an asshole. But I'm learning, Nicole has really helped me change too. I rescued that girl, you know. She was a fish in an aquarium, and now she's free to live. Even if she's not your friend Nicole, doesn't that count for something?" Hyde said, offering a cigar. Jack waved it."

"You know it's not poison or anything. Well, I guess to humans it technically is if you smoke enough of them. So let's cut the anchor here and let the past drift away. Or am I always just a permanent villain to you because I look like one?" Hyde asked.

"I can tell when someone hates me, you're faking the hospitality."

"Of course I'm faking it, I don't like you. I don't have anything against your Nicole, or your friends or your girlfriend, but you rub me the wrong way and I have a very serious issue with your boss."

"So Gizzy is your target, and I'm the bonus that gets in your way."

"Jack, you defend her, but you don't really know her. I don't wanna hurt you, but I feel like you might get in between her and me, and that's a dangerous spot for a human. Don't make me move you, it won't be gentle."

"Why Gizzy?" Jack inquired.

"Because she toys with people, Jack. You know that more than most. She snaps her fingers, and you obey like a dog on a shock collar, and I'm familiar with that feeling intimately. She has something on you, and that's a shame. You're her plaything, and you're disposable, like all of us. Nicole, your friend, replaceable and stored for study, my hairy ass being played like a game of poker, ready to be cloned back if I die too early, And the old Jack of hearts himself. How many cards of you does she have in the deck, or does she just get a new deck when one wears out?"