Control | Moon Knight

16

Despite the influx of new information, Cleo finds herself to be extremely skeptically still.

She wants to believe... but there's a part of her that won't let her. A part of her that doesn't believe.

" Tell me everything."

The queen sighed as she rolled her eyes.

" Haven't I already?" The queen asked.

" I want to know... I want to know what is wrong with me," Cleo pleaded, " Please."

The queen sighed once more, that time with the slightest bit of sympathy.

" My poor child," The queen whispered, " It is unfortunate that your parents were not truthful, but allow me," Cleo stared intently, " When your mother was with child... there were... complications with her pregnancy. Modern medicine couldn't save her... so they paid a visit to a witch. She said that they were carrying a child... without a soul. Damned from the moment it was conceived. The witch did her best to give you a soul. She thought that she possessed the entirety of my soul... but she only had another to keep you alive. The sliver of my soul you've had is what's kept you from... from ending up in the Duat. If you heart was to be weighed, no matter how much good you've done... it would always be unbalanced."

Tears prickled Cleo's eyes, she felt as if reality around her was on the brink of collapse.

" The amulet you found contains the rest of my soul... which is why you're drawn to it. It's why it calls to you."

Cleo took a deep breath as she closed her eyes to find her composure.

" So you're telling me that I'm a copy cat of you?" Cleo asked as she opened her eyes, " That there's nothing original about me?"

" It's not that simple, my dear," The queen sighed, " You are who you are regardless of my soul... but sharing my soul is what makes us alike. You're not... a copy, but rather... an homage."

But as Cleo stared into the eyes of the Ancient Egyptian Queen, she couldn't help but feel as if she were staring at a mirror, back into her own eyes.

She hasn't touched the amulet since the queen's words were spoken. On the bright side, learning of her soulless origins have made her lost date slip her mind.

Meanwhile, one story beneath her, Steven frantically jolts awake, finding relief in the fact that he's in his bed. He looks behind him to be met with the mirror that splits his reflection three different ways. He checks the tether of his ankle restraint, and upon seeing that it's still connected, he lets out a sigh of relief. He can't help but laugh and cover his face with his hands and he figures that it was all just a dream.

And Steven goes about his day like it was. He removes the tape from the door and throws it into the overflowing rubbish bin. He makes himself a bowl of cereal and eats his breakfast while watching a documentary on the History Chanel.

" How we doin' Gus? You sleep alright?" Steven asks as he gazes over at the fish tank from his spot in his chair, " I wonder what fishes dream about."

But something sticks in his brain. Something isn't right. Steven's head slowly turns back towards the fish tank to get a better look at Gus. he narrows his eyes and leans forward in his chair, then gets up and walks towards the tank. His nose practically presses against the glass and he looks down in disbelief.

" What the--"

" Fish."

Steven holds up his fish in a blender filled with water for the pet store employee to see, but she only looks at him as if he's insane.