Borne On Wings of Steel (6 page)

Their vision blurred as the lights grew into one long line.

Without warning, the Bullet-Car braked with a hard jolt.

The line of light changed back to normal as their speed continued to slow.

A bright light at the end of the tunnel grew.

A few seconds later they stared out into another huge room filled with Bullet-Cars as their own slid out into the open air. This station was almost identical to the one they had left.

Kyle and Jaric turned as the force field relaxed its iron grip.

Behind them, another wall rose. It was also filled with tunnel openings.

The force field now fell completely away from their bodies as the Bullet-Car glided effortlessly toward a landing pad amid dozens of other cars.

Kyle turned his head, taking his first deep breath—
his first real breath
—since their ride started. He glanced at the time.

The entire journey had taken less than two minutes. They had traveled from the central section of the great city all the way to the outer docks located just inside the massive outer hull. It was here where all starships docked while visiting RahajMr.

"We have got to do that again!” Jaric shouted as he jumped out of the Bullet-Car, adrenaline pumping throughout his body like a laser cannon.

"You bet. I need to do it again just so I can figure out what we just experienced! It all happened so fast I don't really know what just happened!” Kyle laughed heartily.

The two ran joyously through the crowds of aliens. They made their way toward the dock where Mother waited. As their heart rate and adrenaline levels began to subside, they gradually slowed their pace.

"Hey,” Jaric said as a recent memory flashed. “I want to tell you something when we get back—an idea I have."

Kyle looked at his friend questioningly. “Sure, what's it about?"

"I have an answer for our girl troubles. Or rather, our
lack-of-girl
troubles.” Jaric smiled knowingly.

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THE TWO MEN approached the familiar manta-ray silhouette of the starship. The hull glowed with a purple sheen under the docking bay's harsh lights. Dozens of other starships stood in their own docking bays on either side, each starship's configuration different from the other—each an example of unique alien artisanship.

The two young men walked up the ramp and inside as the door slid silently open.

"Hello, boys. I hope your day has been one of enjoyment.” Mother's voice greeted them with a feminine tone from the nearest speaker.

"It sure was. This is a very cool place,” Kyle answered.

"We're hopeful their vast store of data will give us our first real lead on any human survivors,” Jaric said with gladness in his voice.

"Yes, their massive store of data is indeed amazing. I hope I may be able to interface with it directly soon,” Mother said.

"We asked about it when we left our Search-terminals today. The Mrad frown on it, afraid somebody might steal their data somehow. But, they said they'd at least consider it.” Jaric looked up at one of Mother's optical sensors.

"Mother, I'm going to show Kyle some of my research. Please give us some privacy for a while. Okay?"

"I will disable my sensors in the main library."

Jaric and Kyle ran down the lighted corridors of Mother. Kyle could sense Jaric's excitement now and he found it wonderfully contagious.

They stopped amid the huge room that housed the main source of entertainment in the ship. A huge display screen for old-fashioned two-dimensional programs dominated the center of the great oval room. On all the surrounding walls, holo-projectors were positioned for interactive programming. Audio speakers dotted the room everywhere, ready to fill it with sound.

At one end, a stage rose above the main floor filled with various musical instruments—some of them the exotic instruments of the Kraaqi, Hrono and Mewiis.

Minstrel's alien instrument dominated them all. Numerous pipes curled outward in all directions from its circular body while countless buttons, dials and keys covered the rest of its surface.

It was here that everyone gathered to play music.

Normally, Minstrel was not physically present playing on-stage, for a Minstrel's true instrument was its entire ship. For those concerts, the music of Minstrel was transmitted to the library to blend with the instruments of everyone else. But at times, Minstrel played on-stage with the others using this miniature version of its musical starship.

"Okay, so what's this answer to our girl troubles?” Kyle asked sarcastically, not really believing his friend. “Must be something pretty fantastic, seeing our problem is that there aren't any girls left in the universe—except for you-know-who."

Jaric looked around the empty room with a conspiratorial smile. “And that's our answer."

Kyle looked at Jaric as if he'd lost his mind.

Jaric's smile grew wider.

"We could clone us some women!” Jaric shouted.

Kyle's face grew deadly serious as he shook his head sadly. A long silence settled between them.

"Have you completely flipped out, Jaric?"

"No! Think about it. Our problem is that our source of DNA is so small that we can't possibly clone enough different strains to recreate a human population.” Jaric grabbed Kyle by the shoulders and held him fast. “But, I've determined that with some minor modifications we can create enough variety to clone a woman who wouldn't be...” Jaric's eyebrows bunched up questioningly.

"Our sisters,” Kyle said for him, knowing the answer.

"Yes!” Jaric's voice erupted with excitement. “We could marry ‘em!” A wolfish smile spread over his face. “And we can decide
just
what we want! Brunette, redhead or blonde. Short or tall. Dark complexion or light complexion. Think of it! Just like ordering out for the latest holovid!"

Kyle's eyes grew wide.

"I passed this by Jysar, of course—kind of theoretically.” Jaric's face became serious. “Jysar thinks it best we not have children with them, if we do decide to do this.” Again his face switched to excitement. “But they could be our companions, our wives! You see that Becky's clone is ... well, er, almost like Becky."

"You mean our dear friend, Elise?” Kyle snorted sarcastically.

"Yes, she seems, er...” Jaric coughed nervously, trying to force the word. “
Human
,” he finally sputtered.

"Quacks like a duck, walks like a duck.” Kyle rolled his eyes.

Jaric smiled sheepishly. “Yes, she's human enough. I think."

Kyle became silent, an expression of intense concentration on his face. Long seconds passed as Kyle meditated about this alternative solution to their loneliness. His deep, slow breaths were the only sound audible in the room as he paced in circles while Jaric watched him intently.

"There are some ethical issues we need to consider,” Kyle said with an air of wisdom.

"Wow,” Jaric said, impressed. His mind whirled with thought. He had never anticipated Kyle answering like this. After all, the human race was only the two of them, and well, he was the usually the deep thinker of the two.

It seemed ethically fine to him if there was a way to clone a few more humans.

"Like what?” Jaric countered.

Kyle pursed his lips tight. “I mean, what if they turn out to be ugly? What do we do then?"

Jaric's mouth fell open in shock.

"Great galaxies, I hadn't thought of that!"

"See, we've got to think this thing through. We can't just go playing God here like it's a game. Creating another identical clone is one thing. But applying a few modifications here and there to get variety...” Kyle's voice trailed off as he nodded, pointing a finger at his temple for emphasis—to show his deep thoughts.

Jaric whistled.

The wisdom kept flowing from Kyle.

"And, what if she complained all the time? Or she was too short? Or too tall?"

Jaric's eyes widened.

"And worse. Think about this, man. What if she has the face of an angel, the body of a swimsuit model, but she's like ... well, we can't stand her!” Kyle placed his hands on his hips. “I mean, what would we do then? Just drop them off at the next planet we landed at and try again?"

A pained look came over Jaric's face.

"And more important, remember why humanity outlawed cloning humans way back in the twenty-first century.” Kyle's face became hard as rock with the dreadful memories from their childhood history lessons. “Remember the ...
accidents
. Playing God is not without its consequences."

Jaric's eyes grew distant. “But the Hrono seem to have perfected cloning, right?"

"Cloning an exact copy."

Now Kyle's eyes became far off with a more recent memory of Jysar bringing the Hrono
present
to Mother. His eyes narrowed as he pursed his mouth, remembering it like it was yesterday.

"Remember when El...” Kyle stopped in mid-word, his expression going from reflection to anger and then to puzzlement. He shook his head. With a deep sigh, he continued. “Remember when Becky's clone first showed up? Remember how we felt? And those first three months after we left the Three Kingdoms?"

"How could I ever forget?” A look of somber reflection swept across his face. After a few moments, Jaric looked at his friend with a newfound respect.

"Man, you're deep, Big K!"

Kyle rubbed the sides of his head as if he were trying to ease a throbbing migraine headache. “When it has to do with creating life, or cloning life, one has to think it through.
Really
think it through."

Jaric walked over to a chair and fell down onto it with an air of resignation. He placed his head in his hands as he spoke. “I just feel so lonely sometimes—so terribly lonely, man. And I thought if we can't find any others, you know, any women survivors. And well...” His voice began to shake with emotion. For a long time Jaric sat frozen in his melancholy pose.

The silence stretched on to eternity.

"Even if technology can give us the answer we want, is it the right thing to do? Do we have the right? Do we know right from wrong in the first place?” Kyle's voice rose with indignation. His eyes narrowed as more sparks of wisdom came to life inside his speeding mind. “I mean, what if we clone these women and decide
we just don't like them!
What do we do then? Just put ‘em out with the trash and start over?"

The two men locked eyes, a stern look of sudden insight in each.

Jaric slowly stood up. “You're right, Big K. This is wrong. I'd only thought of the biological and scientific side of it.” Jaric shook his head somberly. “And our selfish needs. I guess I'd better rethink this whole..."

"What are you two bozo-boys up to now?"

Jaric and Kyle turned suddenly, a surprised expression on their faces. Their surprise quickly changed to outright embarrassment as they realized who had just spoken as she entered the library.

It was Elise
.

She looked from one to the other as she walked inside.

"Looks like I just caught you in the middle of some kind of conspiracy.” She half-laughed. But her eyes were watchful as she waited for their reaction.

Elise knew how the boys felt about her.

"What are
you
doing here?” Kyle's tone was defensive and edged with anger.

Elise scowled at Kyle as she walked silently to the nearest chair and sat down at a display and keyboard. She began to browse for something on the console while the two young men continued to stare.

"It's a public place, right?” she said defensively. “And I have some research I need to do before dinner. After all, it is my first time playing in the band with you tonight.” She almost smiled with that happy thought, but the empty looks on the boy's faces washed her smile away before it could be fully born.

The air grew tense between them.

But it always did.

MOTHER'S OPTICAL SENSOR had come to life unnoticed by any of them as Elise first entered the library. Inside her circuits, Mother felt a surge in her processing cycles as she contemplated whether she should intervene. Yet, no easy solution presented itself as she scanned her knowledgebase a second time. Indeed, in the arena of human feelings and human relationships, there never seemed to be an easy answer.

And Mother doubted if there ever would be.

Mother's thoughts and memories flowed throughout her circuits, recalling the recent past with exact electronic clarity.

Those first three months after they left the Three Kingdoms were difficult for everyone.

Mother, Jysar and Krinia worked diligently with Becky's clone almost every minute of every day in those first months—teaching her, helping her.

The Hrono had created her to help ease Mother's dearest loss—the death of Becky in the final battle. The Hrono scientists also sped up the growth rate of the clone until it had reached the approximate age of Becky at her death—eighteen—before presenting her.

Mother accepted the clone instantly and whole-heartedly.

But not so the boys.

Mother was forced to keep the clone away from them as much as possible due to their angry reactions. Neither Jaric nor Kyle could stand to be in the same room with her, much less be civil to her.

All they saw in her was Becky. But the clone was not Becky, although physically she was her exact twin.

And this caused their anger to erupt each time they saw her.

Mother kept them separated those first months.

Jysar and Mother concentrated on teaching the newborn clone, giving her a basic education as a foundation on which they could build in order to bring her mental capacity equal to her physical age.

Her mind was like an empty sponge and the clone soaked up every bit of knowledge with eagerness, learning at an amazing pace. In fact, once she advanced past the very basics in math, science, history and literature, she begged Mother and Jysar to teach her faster, to double the sessions as the universe around her came alive with knowledge.

Krinia also helped. But her teaching was even more important, because she not only taught the clone academic knowledge, but what it meant to be a female—what it meant to be a young woman.