I Do Believe In Egos

A New Hint

Jack leapt out of his seat as Mark emerged from the back of the hospital. "So?"

Mark shrugged. "He said I have the flu."

Jack frowned. "Did you tell him-"

"That I have a bunch of seriously ill clones? No. Didn't come up." Mark groaned, rubbing his head. "I want to lay down."

"Yeah." Jack nodded. "We'll get you home." He lead Mark to sit down in the waiting room chairs again as he messaged for an Uber. "Do you think it's really the flu?"

"I don't know." Mark sighed. "I want it to be the flu."

Jack stared at his phone, watching the Uber. "Maybe... they have the flu? Have yours ever been sick before?"

"Maybe?" Mark sighed. "I don't know if they would have told me." He coughed a bit, slumping back in the chair. "I feel like I'm dying." When he noticed the panic on Jack's face, he sighed. "Not actually. I'm fine, Sean."

Jack hesitantly nodded, getting Mark up and moved him to the car when it arrived. He helped the man back to his bedroom, and hovered beside the bed as Mark got in. "Can I get you anything?"

"Uh..." Mark wrapped himself in blankets before he melted into the bed, closing his eyes. "Soup? Maybe? But..." He coughed a bit. "Don't... come in here too much. If you're not sick... I don't want you getting sick."

"I'm not quarantining you. What if you get worse? If this isn't the flu... we're going back to that hospital and making them pay attention." Jack grumbled, then sighed. "I'll get you soup."

Mark half opened his eyes and shook his head slightly as he watched Jack leave the room. He closed his eyes again until he felt the bed shift, and then weight on his chest. His eyes shot open just in time to see Chica before she began licking his face. "Beaka no!" Mark whined, pushing her face with his hands. "I might be contagious!"

Henry let out a whine, sitting on the floor beside the bed, wagging his tail. Mark looked down at him as Chica scooted off his chest and curled up next to him in the bed. "You're good dogs." He sighed.

Meanwhile, Dr. Iplier had woken up and was reminiscing with Dark about good times, when flickering caught their attention. Dark slowly crossed the room. "Anti?" He asked, stopping in front of Robbie's cot. He frowned slightly as he watched the zombie's form flicker, glitch and light up with static.

Dr. Iplier got up, slowly making his way over. "He... hasn't done that before."

"Not ever." Dr. Schneeplestein muttered, watching from his seat on the couch.

As they watched the unconscious zombie's form destabilizing and re-stabilizing, Anti walked in, grinning as he stretched. Dr. Schneeplestein huffed. "Speak of ze devil."

"I feel fantastic!" Anti smirked.

Dr. Schneeplestein tilted his head. "Vhat did you do to Robbie?"

"What?" Anti hissed.

Dark cleared his throat, pointing to the zombie. "What did you do?"

Anti stared for a moment before slowly making his way closer. "Whoa... he's... glitching." Anti giggled, his own form twitching between realities. "How long's he been doing that?"

"How long have you been feeling better?" Dr. Iplier asked, eyeing Anti closely.

Anti shrugged. "Couple min-" He looked at Dr. Iplier, then Dark, and then back to Robbie. "Oh no." He growled. "You are NOT pinning this weirdness on me. I didn't do ANYTHING." He hissed.

"You start feeling better, just as Robbie starts glitching? You think that's a coincidence?" Dr. Iplier asked. "No one's been recovering, then suddenly you are?"