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Never did I realize that I am standing in front of a gun in front of my friend. He's frantic, trembling, asking me and this clone next to mine.

Adam threatened, "All right, bucko, you better give me a good reason that you are the real Clive, or I swear to God, I will blast your brains off!"

The clone trembled, looking at me with tears in his eyes. I sighed, and decided to take the lead. "Look, Adam, who cares?"

Adam blinked, and pointed the gun at me. "Is it your idea of a joke? I want my friend back! I don't need a fake one impersonating him."

I scoffed. "Really, Adam? That's just not fair with the clone. In fact, he has a name, you know? Cliff is his name, he's not just a "fake." Besides, don't think that I didn't notice you having fun playing games with him when I entered the house and saw you two."

Adam scoffed, "Fine, Cliff, Clive, whoever you are. Why are you so calm about all of this anyway? If you are the real Clive, why aren't you feeling offended over someone else taking over your life?"

"Because he saved my life, Adam. And, well... we actually talked a lot during my capture. Not just him either, I had conversations with the other captives and clones there. I asked Cliff to lay low after discovering a secret passage out of the place, pretending to be me until the plan is finalized. That, and... You know, it's better if you listen to Cliff here. With your gun down, please? For your best friend?"

Adam sighed, "This is a stupid idea, but fine. I'll listen to you this time," and lowered his gun. I immediately put my hand on Cliff's back, patting him as an attempt to calm him down. "There, there, bud. So, care to explain to Adam what you said to me yesterday?"

Cliff took a deep breath, and faced Adam, trembling. "W-well, I... I was surprised when I saw Clive there and I... didn't know how to feel. The ones who masterminded all this must have m-messed up and placed the o-original and the c-clone in the same building, since Clive looked way different than me with his longer hair and that facial hair. I don't know why, but they m-must have been in a hurry with the cloning process as well. Might have cloned him back when he was way younger or something."

"I considered that my entire life is a lie all along, b-but I didn't want to follow orders to take Cliff's place either. We had a talk, and h-he sent me to know what his life is all about for the time being. He wanted m-me to assure that his family and friends know that he's back home, safe, and I-I..."

"I f-feel awful, I want to be myself, not being seen as Clive! B-but I had to stick to the plan, a-and I promised Clive that I will be honest about my true nature once we captured everyone involved. And t-that's why I hung out with you today, Adam. I want to make sure I enjoy all this treatment for the last time before I have to leave, or getting shot like this."

Adam felt lost after hearing all this, "Y-you have to leave? But..." I intervened, "Look, Adam, we decided to talk about this with you first since we have been friends since we were kids. I didn't you know you had a gun, though, damn, where the hell did you get that?" I chuckled. "Regardless, these clones are still people, and I want Cliff settled here as well. He's been in that building for all his life, and I don't want him to be in the list of clones where the government assigns them to live somewhere. Sure, they are well taken care of, I'm sure of that, but I got a feeling that Cliff will fit well here."

10 minutes passed, and none of us moved an inch. Cliff can't stand the awkward silence anymore, and decided to ask the most important question, "A-adam, will you be fine with me staying? A-and help me and Clive out by e-explaining this to other people? I-I can get a different clothing style and change my hair to make it easier for everyone to know who is who!"

I smirked, "Also, don't deny the fact that he's way more skilled in cooking and playing games than I am. You sure enjoyed his meals too, huh?"

Adam sighed, put the gun back in the safe, and smiled. "All right, fiiiineee, you both win. Yes, Cliff, you can stay. We'll deal with the appearance and job stuff soon enough, but now, how about a group hug? I didn't mean to say harsh things about you earlier, I was just... desperate." Cliff smiled brightly, "Oh, thank you, thank you so much, Adam! You won't regret this, I promise."

The three of us hugged, happy that no one has to get hurt. Cliff will be a new addition here, and he will fit in quite well, I believe.

"Oh, and Clive? I'm really glad you're back, safe and sound!" Adam remarked. "Me too, bud, me too."