The Real You
Three guards in Black Mesa are faced with a dilemma- one of them now has a double!
Jade: Sorry, but we've decided.
[She stands behind Ditto.]
Jade: This is the real Josh.
[Ditto looks to Jade with tears in his eyes, sounding relieved.]
Ditto: Th-thank you...
Josh: N-no! No, that's- you're making a mistake!
[Josh's eyes dart around. He notices his gun in its holster. He grabs it and points it at Ditto.]
Josh: Move away from that thing or I'll shoot!!
[Ditto puts his hands up. The others do the same and step away.]
Florence: Please, we just- we just want Josh... Please let us go, don't kill him and we won't kill you.
Josh: I AM Josh! That thing is trying to catch you off guard and then you'll both die! Unless...
[He steadies his aim on Ditto.]
Ditto: ..... Try it. Shoot me.
Florence: Wh- Josh, no!
Ditto: It's okay Flo. Do it, imposter. Pull the trigger.
[Josh looks nervously between his friends, hands shaking. He pulls the trigger.]
[... Click. Josh retracts his finger, but the trigger sticks in place.]
Josh: Wh... It's stuck..!?
[Ditto smiles shakily.]
[Josh grabs the trigger between his fingers and tries to pull it out from where it's stuck. As he pulls, the trigger... stretches. Like putty, or dough.]
Josh: Wh-what the fuck..?
Ditto: I knew it... Don't act surprised, imposter.
Jade: What the hell!?
[The gun begins to lose shape in Josh's hands. His fingers leave dents in it as though he's shaping clay, and it starts to slowly melt.]
Ditto: ...Even his gun's a fake..
[Ditto removes his own gun from its holster and aims at Josh]
Ditto: ... But mine's not.
[He shoots Josh in the head who falls to the ground, dead as a doornail.]
[Jade flinches and looks away.]
Jade: Thank god that's over...
Florence: How did you know that would work..?
Ditto: Because if the faker had an identical outfit including my nametag, that must've meant that that was all part of its body. Including the gun...
Jade: Gross, but... That makes sense.. You're sharper than I am- I never would've thought of that...
[She lets out a shaky laugh.]
Florence: Yeah... I'm glad we chose well... Now the imposter won't come back and try to copy anyone els-
[A gunshot, and a thud.]
[Florence whips around to see Jade dead on the floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head. They look to Ditto, mortified.]
Florence: Wh- Why did you-!?
Ditto: You're completely right, Florence.
[Ditto's eyes are closed, in its hands a still-smoking pistol.]
Ditto: The imposter can't come back...
[Ditto opens its eyes, along with many, many others. It grins a sharp-toothed grin, and a long tongue unravels from within. Its gun is pointed at Florence.]
Ditto: 'Cause it never left.
[GUNSHOT]
[Thud.]