The Cimalian Princess: Clone
by AJ Marks
Part 28
Henry watched the admiral leave the room. The news he’d been given surprised more than he let on and had hoped Meia would have been destroyed by the 1st CF but she continued to have luck on her side. No, what angered him the most was who had helped her escape, Trina.
“So, even in death you manage to foil my plans Didi,” Henry said, spitting the name out with venom, Meia’s mother, who always seemed to know and understand things better. She was only an epsilon, not worthy of anything.
A slight laugh caused him to turn and in the shadows noticed the outline of a child who he knew.
“And what are you laughing at?” he snapped, wondering what she would find so amusing this time.
“Oh, nothing much, but I could have told you that Meia wouldn’t have accepted the location of the port to attack for the rebels, she understands how much control you have,” the child stated. “You’ll never beat her without learning more about her.”
“She is only a pilot, and her mother was an epsilon, what more should I know about her. I should have kept her closer, not allowed her to move up as a pilot,” Henry said, knowing that the combat skills she was trained in probably helped out tremendously. In a way he had trained Meia to escape. “Besides, she fears me still.”
“Perhaps she does, now, but if that changes then you’ll have lost for sure,” the girl said. “Then you’ll need me even more than you do now.”
Henry watched as with that she blended back into the shadows laughing. He quickly dismissed her from his thoughts, she was but a child and he had more pressing concerns to occupy his time.
Trina was an old friend of Didi and had known Meia. The fact Trina helped Meia meant she probably knew who Meia really was. If that news really got out it would be a disaster and help the rebellion. He sent out an order to have her eliminated and needed to know who else she might have told, was she part of the rebellion? He would need that information as quickly as possible to counter any damage this escape had done.
He sat back knowing he had one more clone, and if he executed her then anything Meia did later would be questioned heavily. They might even consider her part of his collection of spies and turn her in on their own.
He sent an inquiry to intelligence to gather as much information as possible about Trina that was the most important thing. He needed to know who might know.
*****
Meia felt better after the doctor mended her leg and slipped a flight suit back on before looking at the mirror and seeing her blue colored hair. The blonde was a bit different but it reminded her too much of when she had been a pilot at the academy and not all of those memories were pleasant considering her position as an Epsilon citizen.
She looked up at a knock at the door, walking over to open it only slightly surprised to see Randy standing there. He seemed to hesitate slightly and she wondered what had happened while she was gone.
“Well, come in,” she said, moving over to a chair and indicating the other chair for Randy to sit in. It was a bit strange seeing him so off balance when usually he seemed to confident in what he did. She decided to wait for him to speak first, they probably both had a lot of questions.
“Un, I’m not exactly sure what happened, perhaps you could fill in some blanks about everything,” Randy said to her.
“Victor betrayed me,” Meia stated. “He alerted the local enforcers of our position.”
“Victor? Was he one of them?” Randy asked sounding surprised by the name.
“No, he was still upset about the death of his sister, thought I was responsible,” Meia said quietly.
“Then what he knows is a threat to our security,” Randy said.
“No, the emperor had him killed shortly after I was delivered,” Meia said recalling that bit. “After that I was taken to a laboratory several times, not exactly sure what they were doing but I think it had to do with my DNA. I think it had to do with clones.”
“Clones that might explain a few things,” Randy said sitting back in the chair. “You seemed to be a couple of different people after you got back. You didn’t know Ben, then our relationship took several strange turns, one moment you’re acting like we’re married the next like I don’t’ exist, but how would they know all of that, did you tell them?”
“No, might be some sort of memory transfer, but incomplete,” Meia stated unsure, it might be why she kept going back and forth to the lab. “I don’t know what his goal was, but it seemed to confuse the Alliance.”
“Well, the conversation you had with the Emperor, I mean the other you, wasn’t like you at all,” Randy said.
“So you think I’m me?” Meia asked.
“Yeah, you’re acting more normal already,’ Randy said and Meia felt relief. “We’ll get more information later on.”
“We need to be careful, there could still be other clones of me out there, working against the Alliance,” Meia said, a bit unsure how they could protect against clones that had her memories. They could ruin her ability to work in the Alliance and the Empire.
“I’ll let my dad know about this, and he’ll want to know the rest as well,” Randy said.
“And when this is over, you still owe me that dinner,” Meia said looking at him.
“I guess so,” Randy replied.
“I’ll hold you to it after everything I went through,” Meia said noticing a slight smile come from Randy as well.
“So, what all happened?” Randy asked.
Meia gave a short version, retelling how she met a few people working in the rebellion, and then her betrayal at the hands of Victor.
If I ‘d had known he would have done that, he would have never went with you,” Randy said finally.
“He hid it well,” Meia said, never expecting it either as she continued on about the lab and her escape and getting to the rebellion.
“Do you think they will be able to help us?” Randy asked her, making her pause to think about it for a few seconds.
“Their leadership, no, I think they are with my uncle. He probably promised them some sort of freedom, or rise in ranks of the social system,” Meia said.
“That’s too bad,” Randy said. “Anything else we might use?”
“I don’t know, but I doubt talking will work anymore, he’s probably working to make sure no one believes the Alliance, or me, anymore,” Meia said.
“Then we work on a new strategy,” Randy said.
“So, there really was another me?” Meia asked.
“Um, yeah, if what you said is true, she was a clone. We did go to the restaurant after you, she, got back,” Randy stated. “Guess we need to think of another plan.”
“Yeah, my uncle won’t quit, he’ll continue to try to take over the Alliance and he’ll use any means possible,” Meia said.
“Then we’ll have to make sure he doesn’t succeed,” Randy said, standing up and heading to the door. He paused looking at her once more, he felt this was Meia but had no real way to know.
“You still don’t know if it’s me or not,” she said, surprising him.
“Well, you could be another clone,” Randy said.
“I’m not going to lie, I could be, but I’m not,” she said to him. “Then again, that’s exactly what a clone would say as well.”
“Don’t be surprised if people watch what you do more closely,” Randy said before walking out. He had a lot of things to do, but no idea what would happen next. He felt relieved that she was back, and hoped it really was her.
Deciding to head back to his office he wondered what his father would think about all of this, or his mother. Perhaps this time his mother would join them for dinner. He also felt, somewhere inside, that Meia was the real one this time. Sure the others acted similar, but there was always something different.
Only thing he knew for sure, the war against the Cimalian empire had yet to end.
The end.