Clone Girls

“…” Licia stared at Ticia’s wound from behind, as the two of them were advancing through the forest.

“Err, Licia, I'm fine, you can stop looking at me like that…” Ticia said, wanting to reassure her daughter. However, Licia continued to stare at her silently.

“…”

What’s with this pressure… Ticia thought as the awkward silence continued, until Licia finally mumbled an answer.

“…You are not fine, you just got injured to the head…”

“I told you, it's just a scratch, nothing much.” Ticia replied, waving her hand. The wound truly was not that grave. It tinged a bit, but she would live through that. There were more important things to do, like getting Licia’s side of the events, or getting away from the Ionian soldier’s reach.

“But you still bled quite a bit.” Licia pointed out to Ticia’s left shoulder, where traces of blood were visible. Her instance finally made Ticia concede.

“Agh geez!” Ticia sighed, she really wanted to continue moving, but Licia was going slower, and it’s not like she could just leave her behind after finally finding her and reconciling (?) with her. “I get it, we can rest a bit here, we've gone far enough anyway…”

She sat on a tree stump, and patted next to her for Licia to sit there with her. Lcia however, preferred to sit on the ground, staring at Ticia.

Aww, too bad… Ticia made a dejected remark in her mind. I guess she is still a bit reticent… Still, I just want to spoil her!

Despite the situation, Ticia wanted to take some time to bond with Licia and show her affection, but because Licia was so much on guard, she held back, not wanting to scare her daughter away from her.

Well then, time to move. Ticia got up, and declared to Licia.

“Alright, now that we've rested for a bit, let's get back on track.”

“Hey!” Licia however, disagreed. “We only paused for thirty seconds!”

“And that's already enough. I feel better now.” Ticia said with a serious face. Resting a bit was alright, but she still needed to get her other daughters.

“I don't believe it!” Licia denied, grabbing Ticia’s left hand with both hands, and trying to pull her back to her seat. The action was childish, but Ticia relented, seeing that Licia was just worried about her.

What is she? A second Nicia? She ended up thinking.

“…Alright, alright, but you'll answer some questions I have for you, alright?” She said as she sat back on the tree stump, and her favorite daughter nodded.

“If it can help you stay still…” The girl said weakly.

Seeing her daughter in this state, a thought crossed Ticia’s mind. 

“…You know, there's actually a way to make me recuperate faster.” She said, a small, impish smile forming on her face.

“R-really?! What is it? Please tell me!” Licia reacted innocently, truly wanting to help Ticia, but the latter’s answer was not what she expected.

“If you call me mother, I’ll heal faster.” She said, eyeing her daughter with expectations in her eyes. 

“No.”

“Denied so fast!?”  Ticia was dejected by the quick denial. Licia wasn’t dumb and had seen through her trick.

“You think I would fall for such an obvious trap? Please, I can tell what you're thinking just by looking at your face.” Her daughter said, shaking her head as if exasperated.

“You can?” Ticia first said, surprised, then, she let out a sudden gasp of realization, looking warmly at Licia. “To be able to tell what your mother is thinking with just a look, as expected of my daughter! If only you could just be honest though…”

“…While you finish your little play, I'll watch the surroundings from over there…” Licia said, beginning to walk away, which made Ticia panic.

“W-wait, Licia! That's not a play, I really want you to call me like this…” She said honestly, but her daughter was stubborn.

“And I don't want to call you like that.” She replied, wanting to end the conversation.

“Aww come on! Just once!” Ticia said, acting childishly, but Licia was not moved.

“No.”

Ticia gave up at this point, insisting more would only end up angering Licia, something Ticia did not want to do.

It’s still sad though, is it that hard for her to call me mom? She thought, feeling sad and guilty about her past actions. The reason why Licia was not calling her like this was because she did not recognize her as her daughter from the very beginning.

Seeing Ticia in such a state however, Licia, who was observing her reaction, said weakly.

“… Fine…”

“!!!” Ticia immediately reacted to the single word. My mind did not play a trick on me, right!? She just agreed to it, right?! She directed an expectant gaze towards her daughter.

“J-just once, alright? It's definitely not because I don't want you to look sad!” Licia blurted out, as her face reddened and she looked away.

“Licia…” Ticia was touched by her daughter’s words, she definitely was worried about her! Her gaze softened, and she looked at her daughter very warmly. Which only made Licia shy away more.

“W-what? Stop looking at me like that or I won't do it! Hmph!” Licia said, but there was no real threat behind her words, she was just being a tsundere, something that Ticia was beginning to like, strangely enough.

“…You ready?” She asked her daughter, who was fidgeting in front of her, clearly fighting her pride to let the words out.

“Y-yes.” Licia responded, and opened her mouth, but nothing came out and she closed it.

“…”

“…”

Both of them stared at each other. Licia tried to say the words, while Ticia observed her expectantly with a warm smile on her face. But the same action of Licia opening her mouth then closing it, repeated.

“I'm still waiting.” Ticia said as her patience was beginning to run low. she wasn’t angry or anything, just impatient to hear the words.

“I-I know, I'm doing my best, alright?” Licia replied, before closing her eyes, and taking a deep, long breath. Finally, sound came out of her mouth.

“Mo-” Ticia heard weakly, she repeated the word with a big smile.

“Mo?”

“Mom…” Licia finally said as her gaze met Ticia’s, who immediately froze when she heard it.

“…Can you repeat it?” Ticia asked, her face turning serious, and her daughter hesitated at first before saying the word louder.

“…Mom. Wha-!?” Just after she uttered the word for a second time, which appeared easier to Licia now, Ticia suddenly hugged her out of nowhere.

“Wh-What are you doing?! Release me!” Licia said, struggling to get out from Ticia's grip while blushing.

“I can't! That was too cute!” Ticia said as she rubbed her cheek against Licia’s, delighted. Hearing Licia call her ‘mom’ had made her feel a strong feeling of warmness inside her, and while her other daughters had made her feel the same way when they called her like this, it was not as strong as when Licia said it. That’s why she selfishly asked her daughter. “I want you to say it again and again!”

“I.will.not.do.that!” Licia replied strongly as she grinded her teeth, struggling to get out of the hug.

“Pretty please?” Ticia begged, making puppy eyes, her daughters weren’t the only ones who knew this tactic, she had learned!

“Ugh…” Licia’s expression immediately twisted as the girl received the raw impact of her mother’s begging face. She had received a critical hit!

In the end, she relented.

“Mom.”

“Again.” Ticia asked, her hug tightening.

“Mom.” Licia repeated, finding that each time she said the word, it became easier for her to say  it the next time.

“Again.” Ticia asked, not getting enough of this feeling, and Licia obeyed.

The both of them stayed like this for an unknown amount of time, repeating the same words again and again, like broken toys. Until finally, Ticia exploded into laughter.

“Fufu, hehe. Yes, that's it.” She said, nodding as a big smile appeared on her face, Licia remarked to herself that this was the first time she had seen her mother with a smile this big, and this happy. 

“I'm your mommy, and you're my daughter, my favorite daughter.” Ticia declared to Licia, but the last words made Licia’s eyes grow big.

“Your favorite?” How was she Ticia’s favorite daughter? She always thought it was Vinia!

“Yes, my favorite of all, and always has been.” Ticia affirmed with a serious face, wanting to make sure this information was deeply implanted into Licia’s mind. She wasn’t lying anyway, Licia was her favorite from all the clone girls.

“Why?” Licia asked since she did not understand. Her? The favorite? But she caused so many problems to everybody!

Ticia just tightened the hug, staring warmly at  her daughter as she said her reason.

“Because you are my first daughter, the very first one I met and greeted to this world, as well as the most similar to me.”

“...That’s it?” Licia said, surprised, she was expecting a deeper reason, but Ticia’s answer was rather simple.

“Yes, that’s it.” Ticia said. “You are the one I love the most out of all your sisters, and whatever you do, this will never change.”

“Ah.” That’s when a scene came back to Licia’s mind, the very first scene she had ever seen in fact, and that was when she awoke. At that time, the first thing she saw was Ticia, and what expression she had. Her mother had been overwhelmed with emotions at the time, so much so that she could not even utter a word until Ria awoke. But one thing was sure, the emotions that showed on Ticia's face at the time were all of happiness. 

This scene alone, now that she remembered it, was enough to prove Ticia’s words. She loved her as a daughter, not as a sister, nor a clone, but a real, pure blooded daughter.

“Mom.” She said again, burying her face between Ticia’s right shoulder and her neck, at a part where the armored skinsuit had no hard parts.

“Yes.” Ticia replied warmly, affirming that she was Licia’s mom, and caressing the girl’s back.

“Mommy!” Licia cried out as another dam broke within her. This time, she cried out of happiness, repeating the word multiple times.

“Fufu, yes, I am your mommy, you can call me like this as much as you want from now on.” Ticia declared, realizing she had finally made her daughter open to her.

This feeling… how could I even try to reject it? Ticia thought, thinking about her old self and questioning herself. If she had been honest with herself and faced her past, then things would have taken a very different turn. One where she could spoil Licia all day, just like for her other daughters.

Never am I going back to it!  She swore to herself. From now on, I’m gonna take care of all my daughters, and provide them with all they need to become excellent women!

A lot of ideas swirled through her mind as she thought of ways to educate her daughters and raise them in the best conditions. She would have to talk it out with them, of course, but she got all the time she needed. After she reunited with Lidia, Mia and Nia that is…

Finally, Licia’s sobbing clmed down.

“Feeling better?” Ticia asked.

“Yesh.” Licia answered, not getting her head out from Ticia’s shoulder. But Ticia needed her to stop now, they had things to do…

After both and mother ended the hug, they sat back on the tree stump. This time, Licia did sat next to Ticia, to her mother’s delight.

“Now, can you tell me what happened while I wasn't there?” Licia asked, going back to her serious face, and Licia began to tell her tale. How she had learned of the events, why she acted alone, how she met Lidia and Nicia in the hallways and her interactions with them, before going outside and finding her sisters with a bit of help from A-4, before attempting to free her sisters. She told all this, Licia not interrupting her, only listening, and nodding her head from time to time.

Once Licia had finally ended her story, Ticia finally opened her mouth.

“…I see, so you infiltrated the base and made sure Mia and Nia were alright. Thank god…” Was the first thing she said. She truly was relieved to learn that her daughters were alive and not fatally injured or worse, dead. 

“Yes, and I'm sure Lidia managed to get away with those two.” Licia added, feeling confident that her sister had managed to complete the escape.

“…” Ticia did not comment, staying silent. She truly wanted to be as positive as Ticia, but… experience told her otherwise. There was a high chance that Lidia did not manage to get away with Mia and Nia, and that either the Ionian Republic had evacuated them to another research center further in their territory, or that the Borian confederation, who, from Licia’s story, raided the Ionian camp around the same time…

It’s getting even more complicated… Ticia thought, but did not show her doubt, not wanting to destroy the mood she had just built with her favorite daughter. She just needed to think of a new solution in the background while listening to Licia.

“And, so,” Licia continued, seeing that Ticia was still listening. ‘While Lidia was rescuing them, I decided to make a diversion so that she would have an easier time escaping.”

“I see…” Ticia commented. Honestly, Licia’s plan was a bit hazardous and not thoroughly planned, but Ticia gave her credit for her efforts. At least she did not go straight into the camp, shooting everyone in sight. Something she was sure somebody like Willia would do.

Still, she was curious about one thing that Licia had been pretty vague about when she told her story, so she asked.

“How did you gather the attention of so many soldiers?”

That was something Ticia did not manage to understand, how did her daughter manage to make such a big diversion that a big number of enemy troops, including an inspector and commandos, chased after her.

“That…” Licia started fidgeting, hesitating to say what she had done to gather so much attention. This only roused Ticia’s curiosity.

“What? Is something wrong with what you've done?” She asked, getting closer to her daughter with a curious look. Licia shied away, blushing.

“No, but… Don't laugh, ok?” She asked, looking back at her mother, who smiled warmly.

“I won't, dear.”

After a period of silence in which Licia was glancing around, as if to make sure nobody was listening, she whispered into Ticia’s ear.

“…I shot the soldiers in their genital parts to provoke them…”

Ticia froze for a second, her eyes going wide, before bursting out laughing.

“…Pfu, hahaha!”

“H-hey! You said you wouldn't laugh!” Licia exclaimed as her face reddened even more, ashamed of what she did now, but Ticia’s laugh did not stop, which made her stare at her mother angrily. 

“I-I'm sorry.” Ticia managed to say as she took back her breath. “But that's just, pft.” And she continued laughing.

“Uuuu~ You're so mean, mom!” Licia said as tears began to appear in her eyes, she began to pout cutely.

“But, as expected, you're really my daughter.” Ticia ended up saying once she calmed down a little. Licia’s tale had reminded her of her past. She too did the same thing in the past, but probably for another reason than Licia. Still, she could not say it had not become a habit at some point, and shot that place whenever she could against her enemies. She only stopped once Rika, exasperated by this, had ‘retrained’ her for a whole month with a cursus the woman had invented and called ‘Why it is bad to focus on your enemy's genital parts during a fight’. 

Ugh, definitely something I don’t want to do again.

Meanwhile, Licia was going tsundere again. “Hmph! Of course I am your daughter! Meanie mommy.”  She declared haughtily. “You even said I was your favorite! N-not like I care or anything…”

“Aww, my favorite tsundere is all worked up, it seems.” Ticia said, smiling warmly.

“Tsundere?” Licia repeated, tilting her head. That was one word that wasn’t part of her implanted knowledge…

“Err, it’s nothing important, just an affectionate term, yeah…” Ticia ended up blurting out while avoiding eye contact. there was no way she would tell Licia it was a term that signified that Licia was not being honest with her words!

She should get out of that phase soon anyway…  She thought, pretty sure Licia would go back to normal after a bit of time. but in the meantime, she had made Licia have a big misunderstanding.

“I see.” Licia nodded, registering the word, then she smiled and declared to Ticia. “T-then, mom is my tsundere!”

“Ugh!” A violent unexpected counterattack nearly made Ticia faal from her seat. She did not expect Licia to use the term like that!

But how can I correct her now? She looks so happy! She debated in her mind, seeing Licia giggle happily, mumbling things like, ‘I said it!’, to herself.

In the end, she chose not to correct Licia’s misunderstanding, for now…

Then a loud, grumbling noise was heard. Ticia immediately looked at her daughter, who blushed.

“…Someone is hungry too it seems.” Ticia said while looking warmly at her daughter.

“I-I'm not! It was just a bird!” Licia denied in a panic, and Ticia had another impish smile on her lips.

“Weird bird then. So I guess you don't want to eat this?” She said as she took out something from a can hanging to her belt. It was a soft piece of bread, that was still warm thanks to its container.

“!?!” Licia immediately reacted, and she began to drool, eyes fixated on the bread.

She was hungry, and that was normal. She had not eaten anything since yesterday, going outside immediately after she heard the news from A-4. And now that the situation was more calm, her stomach acted, manifesting his discontentment. 

“What a shame, really. Since I'm hungry, I'll eat it.” Ticia said, still smiling impishly, and Licia panicked again.

“W-wait a minute!” She said, grabbing the arm in which her mother was holding the bread.

“What is it, Licia? I thought you weren't hungry?” Ticia said, acting dumb, but she was thoroughly enjoying each reaction her favorite daughter had. 

“…I want to eat…” Licia declared, as if she had been defeated by an enemy. Nobody could resist hunger for long, much less a kid growing faster than normal…

“Hehe, in that case, here.” Ticia said, taking out another bread, to the surprise of her daughter.

“You have a second!?” She exclaimed, eyes going round.

“Of course I have.” Ticia said. “I just didn’t tell you, and you didn’t ask.”

“Mean…” Licia said as she grabbed the bread, and began pouting again while nibbling on the bread. The action was so cute it made Ticia feel a bit guilty about what she did. she’ll need to make sure she does not bully her favorite daughter too much.

“Let this be a lesson for you, Licia. When you go into an operation, always bring food for three days." Ticia ended up saying, wanting to sound like a proper, responsible adult talking to a child, and Licia nodded.

They enjoyed their bread, chatting a bit during the meal. It was nothing much, but still better than nothing. Cooking would have taken too much time, and it’s not like Ticia was a good cook, she was horrible, in fact.

Then once both finished, Licia got up.

“Then, we can go now.”  She declared, ready to go find her sisters, but was stopped by her mother.

“Now wait a minute, Licia.” Ticia said, grabbing Licia’s left arm. “Things around us are still upside down. If we make a move now, we'll be found out immediately.”

“B-but, the others…” Licia said, wanting to meet her sisters.

“I know, and don't worry. I know where Lidia is. Once the night is set, we'll go there. Right now, we'll sleep a bit to recover.” Ticia said to her daughter, reassuring her. She half lied about knowing Lidia’s location though. Her helmet was broken and unusable, so she could not track Lidia's position with it.

Fortunately, other interfaces had been installed on the armored skinsuit just in case, on both of her forearms. Albeit, both of them were weaker and less effective than the tech in her helmet, if Ticia tinkered a bit with them, she should be able to get the results she wanted. 

“…Alright…” Licia agreed, her mother was the one who had more experience after all…

“Come here, let your mommy keep you warm.” Ticia said as she sat at the base of a tree this time, and patted for Licia to join her, which she did. Ticia then wrapped her left arm around Licia, keeping her daughter close.

She was lying about keeping Licia warm though, the armored skinsuit that the clone girl was wearing regulated the temperature anyway. but that’s a small detail that both mother and daughter had ‘forgotten’, just so they could have more time together.

“Mom?” Licia suddenly said, breaking the silence, her voice sounded very tired.

“Yes, dear?” Ticia asked back, concentrating on the interface that popped up on her right forearm.

“Was I wrong to do what I just did?” Licia asked, to which Ticia stopped what she was doing for a moment, before answering her daughter’s question while continuing what she was doing.

“Yes and no.” Ticia said, going to the end of her thoughts about all of this. “What you did was reckless as a kid, not only that, you also endangered Lidia too, but… Despite all this, and even though all of us were not in a good relationship with you. You still rushed out to save them.”

“That's…something obvious to do…I'm the eldest… after all…” The answer grew weaker and weaker, but Ticia nodded.

“Yes, and I'm proud and happy that you care about your sisters. Still, we need to talk about you knocking Nicia unconscious, that's not something you should do.”

“…” No answer came back however.

“Licia?” Ticia looked at her daughter, worried, only to sigh in relief and have a wry smile form on her face. Licia had fallen asleep, and was now leaning on Ticia’s shoulder.

That sure was faster than I thought. Ticia thought in her head, not letting words out in fear of waking her daughter up. But then again, a lot happened today.

She thought back about the story Licia told her. If she really had done so much in that period of time, then it was normal for a kid to be tired. Licia had obviously overdone herself, and now that a bit of calm had reappeared, tension had lessened. And with the appearance of someone she was sure she could rely on, her worries disappeared for a short period of time.

Have a good sleep, dear. Ticia said in her mind as she gave a small peck on Licia’s forehead. She felt like she needed to do those things more often from now on. While you sleep, mommy is going to work a bit.

Ticia could not rest like her daughter, unfortunately. While her talk with Licia had made her calm down a bit, and realize she was rushing into enemy territory without a plan, time still ticked. If she needed to gain time, then she would need to be more prepared for what’s coming next.

There you go, that should do the trick. She nodded to herself, happy about her work, as the signal on the interface on her right arm intensified. Now she could detect Lidia’s signal again, and deduce her position.

She’s North, which means… the Borkians.

Lidia was not around the Ionian Republic’s side anymore, which meant she wasn’t caught, at least by the Ionians.

She’s in the Borkian base now… Ticia thought, now sure that Lidia had not escaped from Borkian capture, and was now a prisoner, unlike what Licia affirmed.

What about Mia and Nia then? She thought. She first assumed that both daughters of hers were with Lidia, but she couldn’t be absolutely sure. She needed a proof.

That was then, as Ticia was thinking about what to do next, that a new, strong signal appeared on her interface.

Hm? This is… She interacted with it, wanting more information. The signal was at the same place as Lidia’s signal, and she quickly got what she wanted. A helmet signal? Don’t tell me… Mia’s helmet!?

Now she was sure Mia and Nia were with Lidia. The Borkians had three of her daughters captive. She now had to make plans on how to liberate them.

But as she did so, a thought crossed her mind, or more particularly, a person.

I hope she’s not there… Ticia said, thinking about Rika. If her old superior was present, then things would end up badly. Ticia wasn’t sure she could handle her while at the same time protecting her daughters.

Well, I don’t think she’s here anyway, so I should stop worrying about nothing. She said to reassure herself, but she did not know why, she had a bad premonition about all this.

That’s why we’ll move when it’s night. It’s not going to be that long anyway before night falls.

Ticia knew Borkian’s habits in the military, since she’s been part of it for so long. As such, she would be able to infiltrate the base without much effort. All she needed to do for now was rest, and prepare for the night. When she woke up, she had to brief Licia, because she would be coming too.

Ticia did not want to separate from Licia. She was sure the latter wouldn’t agree if she just brought her back to clone installation 3, which would be a big loss of time anyway. So, she chose to bring her along, and had to modify some parts of the plan because of it.

Whatever happens, I’ll be ready to face it. Ticia reminded herself of her determination. Tonight, I’m bringing my family back together.