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“What about their first generations of clones?They did as they were told.”
“Up to a point.It stands to reason that the first generation of clones rebelled as well.Maybe the second generation.Maybe they rebelled earlier than our originals did,” SP29 countered.“They would have inherited the same personality traits our originals had, which included shreds of morality.If anything, their innate moral senses increased, because they hadn’t spent years of their lives chasing gunrunners for hire.”
Rhys looked surprised at SP29’s vehement answer.Hannah squeezed his hand and gave him a look that she hoped was reassuring.He was wrong about her not loving him after hearing that story.She’d suspected from the beginning that their originals hadn’t been entirely decent people.
“You’ve been minding your own business for years,” Hannah said, speaking for the first time.“You went out of your way to help us here.”
“In exchange for a home,” Rhys bit out.
“And you were ready to leave us if we said no.You were still going to help us if we said no.Those aren’t the markers of awful people.”She surveyed those assembled.“And you’re all people to us, not just clones.You’re people first, and I’m glad you’re part of our community.”To Rhys, she asked, “Can you walk?”
He nodded, confusion written across his face.
“Do you need to stay here for recovery, or can you sleep it off at home?”
“We replaced your sensors entirely.Your nanobots should be back online,” SP29 told Rhys.
“Everything has come back online,” Rhys reported.
“I think we should regularly replace those sensors, as long as we’re in our current bodies.Yours were the oldest ones implanted, and I’m sure everyone else will see theirs break down over the coming months and years,” SP29 said.He rolled his shoulders.“At least, as long as we want to stay in these bodies.Someone might want to be cloned again down the road, I don’t know.”
“What about cloned organs or blood?”Jasmine’s voice made Hannah jump.So focused on Rhys, she hadn’t even noticed her friend nearby.
SP29’s voice and expression softened when he looked at her.“Of course.That’s an essential part of New Eden’s medical care now.”
Hannah wondered if his look had gone unnoticed by the others.She brushed it aside, focusing on the matter at hand and the man next to her.
“I want to tell everyone else on New Eden about our origins,” Rhys said.“They have a right to know.”
Hannah nodded.God only knew how they would react to that piece of news.
He squeezed her hand, a motion that warmed her heart.It was a reminder that he was truly all right now.“They have the right to make an informed decision about our staying here, now that we have a better idea of why we exist.”
“They might riot if we call yet another meeting at the amphitheater,” Jasmine muttered.Hannah bit back a smile.
Hannah faced Rhys.His expression was grim, despite his positive prognosis.“Let’s get on that,” she said.“We’ll have another meeting tonight, let’s say, six o’clock.Until then, you need to be back in bed.”
“The landing pad and launch tower are still in need of repairs,” he protested.
“Oh, my God, Rhys, you just had brain surgery!You’re going home!”She caught a few smiles hidden behind hands and Jasmine’s wide grin after she said the words.
“Listen to her, Rhys,” Brandon said.
Rhys sighed, then pulled her to him in a hug.“I’ll go home,” he murmured into her hair.“As long as it’s still our home.”
“Of course it is.”She sank into his heat, knowing she would never take his arms around her for granted again.“It wouldn’t be home without you.”
Epilogue
Two weekslater
The launch tower and landing pad were as complete as they could get for now.New comp systems were necessary to complete the rebuild, and all the components would have to be sourced from somewhere else.Rhys had put together lists of the needed supplies and the closest places to get them, leaving SP29 in charge of procurement.He was glad to receive that assignment.He needed to get the hell away from New Eden for a while.
He hadn’t worried about the backlash Rhys had warned them about when the New Edeners learned about their origins.SP29 had spent more time working alongside them than Rhys, who cozied up to Hannah as soon as they met.Jealousy flared through him when he thought about the connection those two shared, their fierce love for each other as they built a life together, warring with complex feelings he had for two other people.Once upon a time, it had just been DL16, now called Darius.Now, it was DariusandJasmine.
If he had to stay on New Eden any longer, he would snap.He needed some time away, to work them out of his system and get his shit together.SP29 wasn’t so sure he’d ever had it together in his current iteration.Maybe his previous clones had, or his original, he had no idea.Nor did he care any longer.
He decided to leave New Eden for the nearest waystation in the early morning, before everyone else rose for the day.He didn’t want his leaving to turn into a spectacle, with lots of hugs and well-wishes for a trip that would see him back on New Eden soil in a week.A few cyborgs had volunteered to accompany him, those who were smart enough not to get caught up in romantic entanglements like he had.
