start from the lowest step

Zoe opened her eyes, but she couldn't focus on the room. Two blurry figures, probably women, were near her. She was lying on a sort of bed, familiar but incomprehensible voices were speaking to her.

Zoe gradually managed to clear her senses and recognized where she was and who the two women were.

She was naked, her body perfectly clean. The place was the room of the first awakening. Two Zoes were in nursing outfits. This meant she was a new clone, just generated, with all the implications that came with it.

Nurse clone Zoe: Can you hear me now? Do you know who you are?

Zoe: Yes, I do. I'm a clone of Zoe, an employee and property of Zoeindustries.

The other Zoe held a tablet and pressed a stylus on it.

Zoe understood that they were checking her quality as a clone. If there was anything wrong, she would rightfully be eliminated. She would rather die than be defective.

Nurse Zoe: Last memories?

Zoe: Sitting in a rather uncomfortable chair and wearing the stupidest hat in the world to jog my memory.

Nurse Zoe with the tablet ticked another box.

Nurse Zoe: You are clone 18643, that will be your identification number. You will be assigned to the headquarters in India. Any complaints?

Zoe: It's just that we're wasting time. I have work to do and positions to acquire.

Nurse Zoe: More complicated to do than to say... but welcome to the eternal management fight, sister.

Nurse Zoe with the tablet, press, press one last time.

Nurse Zoe: Follow us. You will be dressed and taken to the debug office, the starting point for every new Zoe and for those who have never made their way in the company.

Zoe: I don't think I'll be here long.

Zoe with the tablet shook her head.

Nurse Zoe with the tablet: No one expects to stay, but the ward is already crowded, promotion opportunities are scarce, you'll have to fight for them like the rest of us, newbie. Maybe you'll be one of those who won't even make it to team leader.

Zoe: Don't underestimate me.

Nurse Zoe: Or maybe you're the one underestimating the others? It's very typical of us, especially newbies, to think we're more special than the others.

Nurse Zoe with the tablet: Words in the wind, sister, we were created this way, you'll hit the same walls we did when we started.

Nurse Zoe: I'll give you a piece of advice: at first, it's better to hang out with other Zoes, but never trust anyone, not even if they go to bed with you.

Zoe: What do you mean, sleep with me?

The two nurse Zoes shook their heads along with the new clone's naiveté, but they were naive too. After all, not even the CEO, the original, had foreseen this.

Nurse Zoe with the tablet: Let's just say our positive energy and competitiveness are very attractive. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time you've used your appearance to achieve something, right?

Zoe understood that he was talking about the memories the original had obtained, which he could indeed remember, but seriously? Were there clones who fraternized to that extent? Well, if he could take advantage of it, why not? Maybe his rise to the top could be quicker than he thought.

The two Zoes smiled at each other and shook their heads. They had relived all this hundreds of times since they'd been placed on the medical staff. Every time they were asked to generate a new clone, it was the same, convinced they could become the CEO's assistant in a flash, only to dive into a sea full of sharks of their own caliber.