Part Two

Duplicity

They arrived back at the Wanderer eight hours after they had left it, just as they had meant to. Using the monitor, they checked on all their prisoners - still unconscious - then Jim plucked the diminutive form of Dr Loveless out of the TARDIS and carried him into the parlor of the varnish car.

"Well," said Artie. "Now what? How do we contact the Ghex to let them know we have…"

"I think they already know, Artie," Jim interrupted. For a bright light flashed upon them as the floating space squid in its bubble swam into focus before their eyes, its skin strobing happily.

/Gentlemen! We congratulate you upon the completion of a job well done. Give us the prisoner./

"You have to keep your side of the bargain," Jim reminded the alien. "Where is the original Loveless?"

/As you were not certain you would have completed your task within the eight hours, we have not brought the specimen with us. Give us the prisoner, and we will return with the specimen shortly./

"Give you the… Ah, no offense," said Artie, "but how? I'm assuming that bubble of yours is some sort of protective suit. So how do we give you Loveless? If you open your bubble, won't that compromise your protective field?"

In response, the tentacles began to wave about. Gradually a bump appeared on the side of the space squid's bubble, growing larger and larger until it budded off like a daughter cell budding off an individual bit of yeast. The new and empty bubble, empty even of the liquid the original bubble contained, floated over to Dr Loveless and engulfed him, then took him up and returned to its parent, merging with it again, transferring the little doctor into the custody of the Ghex.

/And now, gentlemen, good day. I shall return shortly with the other Loveless./ The Ghex rapidly lost focus and faded from view, even as Dr Loveless regained consciousness, realized he was in an air bubble within the Ghex' liquid enclosure, and began to scream, "No! No! You can't! You mustn't! Help me! Help…!"

Both vanished, and with them the light. Jim and Artie each gave a long sigh.

"Well, I wonder how soon shortly will be," said Jim.

"There's a question," Artie replied. "Oh, and you know what we forgot?"

"Oh, right. We were going to ask if they wanted Voltaire and Antoinette as well."

"Oh well, I suppose we can just make the offer once Mr Ghex brings us the original. Considering that Voltaire is yet another replicant, the Ghex will likely be very interested in him."

The two men sat down and waited a few minutes.

"Artie?"

"Yeah, Jim?"

Jim frowned and shook his head. "It's… I don't know. It's just that… I've never seen Dr Loveless look so frightened before as when the Ghex took him away just now."

"Well, hey, Jim, if I woke up and found that I was stuck inside a bubble with a squid like that, I betcha I'd start screaming my head off too." He slapped his palms on his knees and got up. "Look. While we wait on Mr Ghex to keep his side of the bargain, I'm going to go let Lily know we're back," and he headed for the corridor.

"Good idea. I'll tell Orrin," said Jim, and he crossed to the fireplace to use the speaking tube.

Artie gave a wave and went on to his stateroom. "Lily?" he called gently as he opened the door. "Lily, we're back."

Curiously enough, she was lying in bed sound asleep. Asleep in the middle of the day? Ah, but she did have good reason she might do such a thing, he thought. Smiling, he came over and perched on the edge of the bed, then leaned down to give her a kiss.

She stirred. "Artemus?"

"We're back, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"Fine." She sat up and slipped her arms around him. "That didn't take long," she said.

"Not so very long, no. We were gone eight hours, just as we thought we'd be." He kissed her again, then leaned his forehead against hers and caressed her, his hands roaming over her back and arms and along her waist, lingering there as he checked on… on… Hmm… He frowned. Wait a minute!

Jim was just replacing the speaking tube and was wondering what was keeping the Ghex when Artie came storming back into the parlor car, dragging Lily by the wrist, and none to gently at that. "Jim, we've been had!"

"What's wrong, buddy?"

Artie all but flung the woman between himself and his partner. She stumbled and would have fallen if Jim hadn't been quick to catch her. "Artie?" she said plaintively, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. "Why are you treating me like this?"

"Yes, Artie, what on earth is wrong with you? You could have hurt Lily!"

"What's wrong with me is what's wrong with her!" Artie growled. "She's not Lily!"

"What?" said Jim.

Lily instantly burst into full fledged tears, whining, "How… how could you… how could you say that about me?"

"It's very simple," said Artie. "When I put my hand on your waist, I should have picked up a second consciousness there, but I didn't. The real Lily was pregnant with our first child. You, madam, are a fraud and a replicant!"

"No! No, of course not, Artie! I'm me! How can you say that?"

Jim pulled out the sonic screwdriver Artie had made for him and ran a scan on Lily. "Well, she is certainly not pregnant, but how can you be sure she didn't, ah…"

"Suffer a miscarriage while we were gone? I'd have felt her grief and pain over such a trauma as that as soon as I got into the same room with her. There's nothing like that in her. She's a blank slate. A replicant. I don't know what the Ghex are up to, but they just declared war on my family, and they're about to find out they've bitten off more than they can chew!"

"And if the Ghex showed up here while we were gone and replaced Lily, I think we can safely conclude that they won't be giving us back the original Loveless either."

"Right," said Artie. Between the two of them, they hustled the fake Lily over to the baggage car and into the TARDIS to take the battle straight to the Ghex.