"You don't need to worry about this at all. The consciousness hedge will cause mania only the first time. Now that we have it under control, it's all good," one of the clones said. "As long as we aren't too far away from it, we can maintain the relative control over it."
"Relative control?" Chang was confused.
"Yes, relative control. We can fight its mind, but we can't replace it - after all, the brain is its," Qing explained. "I know it's pretty retarded, but its brain is still the central control system, the creature executes commands that come from there. What we are capable is to interfere, not replace."
"So what kind of interference can you apply?" Chang asked.
"Well, we told it that we are the same kind," Qing answered honestly.
"We also told it that we are its mother," Shui Qing added.
"Three mothers?" Chang pointed at the clones, bursting into laughter.
"That's correct." Shui nodded.
...
At the campsite.
