JP - Tzeitel does not take the News Well

“Canestone doesn’t deserve anything but a painful death and his clone should be killed on sight. He’s a fucking monster.” Tzeitel said fiercely. “I’m trying, I really am. It’s just- I grew up in MegaCorps hearing horror stories about him which you yourself backed up until the Timeline… whatever Riley did to it… Life was simpler when he was a rapist and we were trying to kill each other. And now Canestone is back. It’s too fucking much.”

Klaire just kept silent, that frown never leaving her face. It felt like a slap to the face had just happened to her. Did Tzeitel really think life was simpler in another timeline? The dog-eared woman never wanted to go back to a timeline where she could not have children. Ever. Yes, her twins may be from V, but their real father had become James, a man that cherished them as if they were his own.

Tzeitel read the silence and groaned. “I don’t mean it was better… It was just simpler when I knew who my enemies were. Now you’re with James and we’re taking in Loreen.”

"Our enemy is Thrane," Klaire informed, "And any other egotistical prick that is anti-mata."

"And Canestone's clone. There can't be a timeline where he or any of his clones are friends." Tzeitel said stiffly.

“It seems no matter the timeline he chooses a horrible path to follow.” Klaire shook her head in disappointment. “Why is someone like that allowed to…live again?”

"When I find out who cloned him I'm going to kill them. I should have killed the last person who brought him back." Tzeitel said bitterly.

“You mean Loreen?” Klaire asked.

Tzeitel shrugged. “It would be one less complication now.” Tzeitel admitted.

“That woman may look like Loreen, but she certainly is nothing like her.” Klaire said calmly. “It’s odd. She doesn’t exactly smell like the Loreen we knew either…”

“She smells differently?” Tzeitel asked with interest. She had always set a lot of store in Klaire’s enhanced senses, they had probably saved their lives hundreds of times. “How? Didn’t the other… clones… smell the same as the originals?”

“The original and her clones always smelled the same…like metal. This one smells…more human.” Klaire explained.

“But it is her- wait a minute-” Tzeitel read the text from Riley and frowned. “Riley’s taking Loreen to the Meta Underground. Is that a good idea, no matter what she smells like?” Before Klaire could answer Tzeitel got the call from Frisk. “It’s Frisk.” Tzeitel said before answering her phone. “Hi Frisk.”

“Hi Tzeitel. You’re not alone right now, are you?” Frisk asked.

“No. This cottage is a little on the crowded side and Klaire is right here.”

“Good. Hi Klaire.” Frisk did not even bother raising her voice and Tzeitel knew Klaire could hear the medic. “A video of one of the Canestone clones surfaced and is going viral-”

“Wait the fuck up- one of the clones? Those fuckers made more than one?” Tzeitel started pacing.

“Sit down, Tzeitel.” Frisk ordered but of course Tzeitel just kept on pacing. Frisk should have told Tzeitel to sit down from the beginning. “There are two, we’re hoping one won’t be as… dangerous. One was implanted with Canestone’s memories and the other wasn’t a blank slate except for genetics. They were experimenting to see if it’s nature or nurture that made Canestone the way he was.”

“How the fuck do you even know the one that has been hurting people isn’t the one without the memories?” Tzeitel was not taking this well.

Frisk sighed. “Because he has already recreated what he did to you to another victim, he had the memories. And looking at the transcript of this video that surfaced he refers to his victim as ‘Tzeitel’ three times.”

“Shit.” Tzeitel cursed, touching her neck scars as she paced.

“The video has been called ‘The Return of the Georgian Toughskin Man’ after that diner video of Canestone five years ago, or ‘I am Min Chang’. It’s going viral and anti-meta activists are probably going to use it. I advise you to not watch it. It’s really graphic and will probably only trigger you.”

Tzeitel shook her head. She did not want to see it. “Min Chang?” She asked, feeling like throwing up.

“It was, is, her name.” Frisk clarified. “The victim in the video.”

“He killed her?” Tzeitel asked.

Frisk hesitated. “We don’t know yet. She was still alive at the end of the video.”

“Dying slowly. Or died slowly.” Tzeitel wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

“We’re looking for her. If she’s alive we’ll save her, and kill that clone while we’re at it.” Frisk said. “Now, YOU are going to be okay. You’re safe, remember that. You have friends now. You're not alone. You’re stronger now than you were. He won’t get you.”

Tzeitel shook her head again. None of this should have happened again. She looked at Klaire, wishing this could all just be another nightmare she could wake up from.

Klaire just kept silent the entire time, watching her children as she listened to the conversation.

On the other end Frisk was wondering if she should call Cody and have him sedate her. “Sit down and breathe, Tzeitel.”

Tzeitel shook her head yet again, forgetting how phones work. “I need to hit the gym.” She felt like crawling out of her skin.

“Klaire?” Frisk called.

“She wants to go hurt herself, she can.” Klaire said seethingly, a frown on her face. “She won’t listen to any of us anyway. All she cares to do is push everyone away, get drunk, and work out until she passes out!” Frisk would be able to hear the hurt in Klaire’s voice.