[Wilson Estate] [Poolside Workspace]
Alex stared at the reward description for a few seconds before reading it again.
Two magical clones. Twelve-hour limit. No cooldown. Shared memories once they disappeared. He could see through their eyes, feel what they felt, or let the System guide them according to his instructions.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"This might be the second most useful thing you've ever given me. The first goes to danger alert eyes closed."
The System didn't respond.
Alex looked around the poolside. Nobody from the family seemed to be nearby. Papers covered the long table beneath the shaded patio, with production schedules stacked beside scripts and unfinished reports.
It wasn't the best place to test something that probably needed an explanation first. But he was too excited, and since the girls already knew about his power, he didn't have to worry about them.
"Create both clones."
Two flashes of pale light appeared several feet in front of him.
The light faded quickly, leaving two identical versions of Alex standing near the pool. Same clothes, same hair, same face. Even their posture matched his usual relaxed stance.
Neither clone moved.
They stared straight ahead with empty expressions, waiting.
Alex slowly stepped toward them and looked from one face to the other. "Okay, that's creepy."
Neither reacted.
He moved closer to the first clone and waved a hand in front of its eyes. Nothing happened. The clone didn't blink, turn its head, or acknowledge him.
Alex snapped his fingers. "Look at me."
The clone immediately turned toward him.
"Raise your left hand."
It obeyed.
"Spin around."
The clone turned once and returned to its original position.
Alex looked toward the second one. "Walk to the table."
The second clone crossed the poolside, stopped beside the chair, then waited for another order.
There was no hesitation or curiosity. Without a command, they were little more than perfect copies standing on pause.
Alex walked around the first clone, studying it from every angle. "Say something."
The clone answered in Alex's exact voice. "What should I say?"
Alex stopped for a moment.
"Still feels weird."
The clone said nothing else.
Alex pointed toward the pool. "Jump in and swim two laps."
The clone turned, walked to the edge, and jumped into the water without removing its shoes. The clone surfaced and started swimming. It crossed the pool with smooth strokes, turned at the other end, and came back without slowing down.
When it finished the second lap, it remained in the water because Alex hadn't told it to climb out.
"Get out."
The clone pulled itself onto the edge and stood there dripping, its shirt clinging to its body.
Alex walked closer and looked at its blank face. "You really don't care that you're soaked, do you?"
The clone stayed silent.
"Answer me."
"I don't have feelings or preferences."
Alex nodded slowly. "Right. You only do what I tell you."
"Yes."
That made things easier. There would be no arguments, no independent choices, and no clone deciding it wanted its own life after spending twelve hours pretending to be him.
He focused on the connection.
The moment he opened it, his vision lurched.
Alex saw the wet clone standing beside the pool while also seeing himself through the clone's eyes. For a second, both views crashed together, and his sense of direction vanished. He grabbed the back of a chair before he fell.
"Damn."
A separate screen appeared at the edge of his vision, showing everything the clone saw.
Alex raised his right hand.
The clone's hand rose at the same time.
He took control more carefully and made the clone walk toward the table. The movement felt strange, though it became easier once he stopped treating the clone like someone else.
It was an extra body connected directly to him.
Alex stepped backward with his real body while making the clone walk forward. He watched himself from the clone's view and saw the clone through his own eyes at the same time.
"Alright," he muttered. "That's going to take practice."
He released the direct control.
The clone stopped instantly.
Alex looked toward the second copy waiting beside the table. "Your turn."
He connected to both.
Two screens opened before his eyes.
One showed the pool from the wet clone's position. The other showed the scattered scripts and production calendar from beside the table. The sudden flood of different images and sounds hit him all at once.
Alex closed his eyes and pressed two fingers against his forehead. "Okay, slow down."
The System lowered the sensory connection, leaving the two visual screens floating separately in his sight.
That was better.
He could check what either clone was doing without fully sharing everything they experienced. When he needed more control, he could step into one of them directly.
Alex opened his eyes and looked at the three versions of himself reflected in the poolside glass.
The possibilities became obvious almost immediately.
One clone could sit at the estate and handle studio paperwork, production plans, script notes, and calls that didn't require Alex to be physically present.
The second clone could direct Iron Man.
Alex could remain at the estate with the children while still guiding every scene through the clone. When Robert needed direction, or the crew ran into a problem, Alex could share the clone's mind and take control. To everyone on set, it would simply look like Alex doing his job. Heck, the default System should be able to handle all that work without any problem.
The only rule was keeping the clones from creating impossible sightings.
He couldn't let one Alex direct a movie in Los Angeles while another appeared live at a public event across town. A body-double excuse might cover a strange photograph or distant sighting, though using it too often would bring attention he didn't need.
Private work was easy.
Public appearances needed planning.
Alex walked toward the second clone and tapped the production calendar. "Sit down and organize the 2009 schedule. Review every project for conflicts, mark anything that needs my approval, and prepare a clean summary. Don't change release dates or budgets."
The clone sat and immediately began working.
Its empty expression shifted into focused concentration as it opened the first folder. It scanned pages, made notes, and sorted the documents with the same habits Alex used.
Alex watched it for several seconds.
"Good."
He turned toward the wet clone. "Go upstairs through the private entrance. Change into dry clothes, then return here. Avoid the family until I figure out how I'm going to explain this."
The clone started walking toward the mansion.
Alex checked the two screens again. One showed pages moving across the table. The other showed the garden path leading toward the house.
He sat down and leaned back in his chair and smiled.
For the first time, he could direct movies without missing entire days with his children. He could manage Titan without spending every evening buried beneath paperwork. He could stay beside Max while she recovered, help Halle with Asher, and be present as the twins grew instead of hearing about everything after it happened. And he could also help Rachel decrease her workload. Also, bond with Trixie.
Work would still get done.
He simply wouldn't have to sacrifice every quiet moment to do it.
Alex looked toward the clone working at the table. "I can finally spend some quality time with Rachel."
The clone kept working.
Alex picked up his water and took a drink. "Max is probably going to make one carry snacks or give her a foot massage... Hmm... Nope. If anyone is doing any massaging, it's gonna be me."
A noise came from the garden walkway.
Alex turned.
Caroline entered the poolside area carrying a plate of cut fruit. She took two steps before freezing completely.
Her eyes landed on the real Alex sitting beside the pool.
Then she noticed the second Alex working at the table.
The third Alex returned from the mansion at that exact moment, now wearing dry clothes.
Caroline's gaze moved between all three of them.
The plate tilted in her hands as a piece of strawberry slid onto the ground.
"Huh?! I guess I am dreaming."
For several seconds, she didn't blink. She looked like her brain had stopped accepting new information and was now filing a complaint.
"Tell me I'm dreaming before I scream."
Alex broke into laughter and set his glass down. "You're not dreaming. I just unlocked a new power. I can create clones now. Pretty cool, huh?"
Caroline's lips parted, though nothing came out. She slowly lowered the plate onto the nearest chair before she dropped it.
"Clones," she repeated.
"Yep."
"Of yourself."
Alex glanced at the other two versions of himself. "That's usually how cloning works."
Caroline pointed at him without taking her eyes off the copies. "Don't get sarcastic with me right now. There are three of you standing beside the pool, and I'm trying very hard to remain a beautiful, mentally stable woman."
Alex smiled. "You're doing great so far."
She took one cautious step closer. Then another.
Her gaze moved across their faces, clothes, hair, and posture. They looked exactly like Alex. There wasn't a strange mark, a visible flaw, or even a bad haircut separating one from the others.
Caroline stopped in front of the nearest clone and leaned forward slightly. "Is that really you?"
The clone didn't answer.
Caroline immediately stepped back. "Why isn't he talking?"
"Because I didn't tell him to."
She turned toward Alex with a disturbed expression. "That somehow makes this much creepier."
Alex looked toward the clone. "Say hello to Caroline."
The clone faced her. "Hello, Caroline."
Caroline jumped and slapped one hand against her chest. "Oh my God. He even sounds like you."
"He is me."
"No, you're you," Caroline said, pointing at the real Alex. Then she pointed toward the clone. "That is deeply suspicious copy-you."
Alex folded his arms as she circled the clone carefully. "You can check him if that helps."
Caroline stopped behind the clone and stared at the back of his head. "I don't know what I'm supposed to check. Do clones have labels? Maybe a small warning sticker behind the ear?"
She reached up and pushed his hair aside, checking the back of his neck.
There was nothing.
Caroline moved around to face him again, then poked his cheek.
The skin felt real.
Her eyes narrowed. She poked his shoulder next, then pressed two fingers against his chest.
Alex watched her with growing amusement. "Are you checking whether he's inflatable?"
"I'm checking whether he's real."
"You already heard him speak."
"People on television speak, Alex. That doesn't mean I can grab them."
Caroline squeezed the clone's arm through his shirt. Her expression changed when she felt the muscle beneath the fabric.
She looked at the real Alex. "He has your body too."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Were you expecting me to clone myself with somebody else's body?"
"I wasn't expecting any of this today."
She turned back toward the clone and studied his face again. Then she looked at the second one, who stood near the table.
Caroline pointed between them. "So you can just make two extra Alexes whenever you feel like it?"
"Looks that way."
"That's insane."
"I know, right? I mean, I can make them do all the work and shooting, and we can go on dates and shopping sprees whenever we want," He replied. "How fun is that?"
"And sex," She added.
"Oh yeah. As many times as you want," Alex nodded with a knowing smile. He could already imagine certain situations where he could just fuck her silly.
Caroline took a deep breath and accepted the situation as it is. There's a talking pervy spatula in the kitchen, and a magic cookbook, and Alex already told the girls about his powers. So, at this point, no matter how hard it was, all she could do was accept the facts.
"You gonna tell the others?" She asked.
"Yes," Alex said.
"Okay, great... cool. Just promise me you won't use the clones to fuck me," She looked into his eyes. "I mean, it's all you and having a threesome with three of you filling all my holes.. Oh! It's like a gangbang, isn't it? And if everyone joins in, it'd become a big orgy. Ohhh~ That's kinda hot. What the hell am I even thinking?"
Alex walked over to her and put his palm over her mouth to stop her from spiraling anymore.
"Sushhh! Calm down, and I won't do anything you don't want me to do. You should know that by now. So, don't worry."
Caroline nodded.
"Well, since everyone is in the house, I guess I should announce it."
===[5th chapter of the week and still failed to get in top 20. I guess some of the stones went to Reborn in Castle ff. 😶😶]
[Spoilers. Upcoming chs names. Click to read.][1]
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[6 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] + [Streamer in Modern Family> 28 chs> All chs available for all tiers]
[1] Ch: 331 [The New Harem news & System reveal] Ch: 332 [Ironman Day 1 Shoot & Monopoly Rules] Ch: 333 & 334 [The Great Technological Leap] Ch: 335 [The shoot continues... & Angela White] Ch: 336 [Photoshoot & Dinner invitation] Ch: 337 [An Unexpectedly Sweet Night]