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Chapter One
Eltrinia was learning how to knit at her new favourite place. The tubes were bubbling away, and she looked over at her cousins. She muttered, “This is harder than it looks. It would just be easier to get some fabric and make a scarf, but I have promised him that I would make him something for his birthday, and he was born in the middle of winter. It seems appropriate.”
She felt that one of the ladies was getting ready to make her entrance into the world, but she wasn’t sure which one. She kept knitting. She wanted to be nearby when the thrashing started. Getting out of the tank was tricky. Not everyone could be dropped into the ocean by a dragon in a storm. That kind of luck was once in a lifetime.
* * * *
The curator walked into storage and followed the pulse of energy she sensed. She opened the box that was radiating the energy, and the tiny sprite of a soul giggled and flew off.
The curator smiled. “I had wondered how that was going to work. Excellent.”
* * * *
Eltrinia returned to her little farm in the middle of nowhere. She was outside Breaker City but close enough to drive if she needed to, not that she needed to.
One of the monitor bots had sent her an alert. Someone was waking up.
Eltrinia went to the canisters and looked at the one that had the waker thrashing in it. She moved a rolling set of stairs to the side of the tank, lifted off the cover, and reached in to grab the woman by her slippery arms. It took a bit of a grip to get her out, but the problem was a lack of friction, not strength.
She got the woman out and carried her down to the waiting table. She flipped her to her stomach and massaged her back while angling the table to let a gush of fluid run out of her mouth and nose.
The woman started coughing, and Eltrinia rubbed her back. “Take it easy, breathe in, breathe out, and cough up anything you need to.”
The angled table had been a suggestion from the curator. Not everyone was set free and allowed to swim to shore, to vomit up the fluid and seawater on her own.
“When you are done coughing it up, raise your hand. I will get the table into a better position.”
Eltrinia covered the newly born woman with a sheet. It was difficult being a clone. The start was extremely rough.
The woman stopped coughing, raised her hand, and Eltrinia evened the table out.
The dark red was coming out of the nearly black of her wet hair. She looked at Eltrinia with red eyes. “Do you know who I am?”
“No, but it will be fun finding out.” Eltrinia extended her hand. “I am your cousin, Eltrinia, and not too long ago, I was in the same situation you are. It gets better and definitely less sticky.”
The woman smiled and looked at her. “When will I get a name?”
“You will have to figure it out. I have books, or I can read stuff to you for you to figure it out.” Eltrinia smiled. “Welcome to the world.”
The woman gave her a weak smile. “Thanks, cousin.”
Eltrinia beamed. Only two more to go.
* * * *
One walked around the farm and read from the book she had chosen on the elements. The more she read, the more she knew the name she wanted.
She turned and walked back to the house where Eltrinia was having tea with her friend Inoth.
They were looking through dossiers that looked like they would be fun to read when One walked in.
Eltrinia smiled, and Inoth looked surprised.
He got to his feet. “You look different since I last saw you.”
She smiled and walked toward him, extending her hand. “The last time you saw me, I was naked in a tank. I hope that the trousers and tunic are an improvement.”
He nodded and took her hand, bowing over it. “It is a definite improvement. You are looking well.”
