Chapter 20-Underground
Ralya and Brekk were in complete darkness, in a prison cell that smelled like a wet wookiee. But that wasn't the worst of it.
The worst was the fear.
"Ralya?" Brekk whispered, feeling around for his friend in the dark.
"What?" she whispered back. She found his hand and held it tight.
"Why are they keeping us alive?"
"What is your problem?" she asked angrilly. "Do you seriously want to die?"
"I just don't understand. We know so much. If we ever escape, we'll be their biggest threat. So why did they go through the trouble of killing our clones? Why didn't they kill us?"
Silence. Then: "I don't know. I really don't know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They found out a short while later, when they were led out of the cell and into a light that, although dim, hurt their eyes that were so used to darkness.
"Wonderful to see you again," said Koori. She wasn't even trying to sound like she meant it.
"Yeah, long time no see," Ralya replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Couldn't we have kept it that way?"
"Shut up," Koori ordered. "You just be glad I don't have the final decision, because if it was up to me you'd both be dead by now!"
"Koori!" came a warning voice from somewhere across the room.
"I don't care what you say!" she shouted. "I want them to die!"
"You'd better be careful." The speaker, a tall man, came into view. "You are not irreplaceable. You know that, don't you?"
Koori hung her head, but Ralya could still glimpse a mutinous look in her eye.
"Why did you go through all of this trouble?" Brekk demanded of the
man. "You could have killed us a long time ago. So why didn't you?"
He smiled. There was no humor in it, only evilness. "My prisoners, making demands of me! Ha!" Then he laughed, and the laugh
was even worse than the smile. "You should know," he said eventually.
"What do you mean?" asked Ralya.
"Don't play dumb!" he ordered. "I know you're not really Ralya and Brekk. So where are they?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brekk stared. "Wha--" he began.
Ralya stepped on his foot, prompting him to shut up. "All right, you win," she said.
Brekk turned to her, his mouth dropped open in shock.
"I'm not really Ralya. She knew what you really were, Koori, and she sent me instead to keep herself out of danger. Don't bother looking for her, I'm sure she's far away by now, and safe."
"So who are you?" the man asked.
"You can call me Atta Nelde. I'm a first-class Human Replica Droid."
"I can see easily if you're lying, you know. I can take you apart and see if you die."
Ralya, or Atta Nelde, smiled. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, not if you don't want to die."
"What do you mean?"
"I have a self-destruct program. If you so much as touch me, I will set it off and kill everyone here. You will all die.
"And you won't be able to use either of us to break the other. I'm not
Ralya, so I don't care about Brekk, and he doesn't care about me."
She smiled again as the man realized how right she was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Minutes later, Brekk and Ralya were taken to separate cell, and Ralya felt like crying. She needed to talk to Brekk. She didn't want to lie to him like this, but she couldn't tell him anything, in case
there were bugs. Maybe it was a good thing they were no longer together.
She and Brekk could not collaborate on an escape plan. But she hoped Brekk could at least escape on his own. He would be more
likely to do this if he thought Ralya was already safe. Or else he would see through the bluff, knowing that Ralya would never
intentionally lead him into danger.
Either way, Brekk would be hurt, physically or mentally. And either way, she would probably die.
Ralya and Brekk were in complete darkness, in a prison cell that smelled like a wet wookiee. But that wasn't the worst of it.
The worst was the fear.
"Ralya?" Brekk whispered, feeling around for his friend in the dark.
"What?" she whispered back. She found his hand and held it tight.
"Why are they keeping us alive?"
"What is your problem?" she asked angrilly. "Do you seriously want to die?"
"I just don't understand. We know so much. If we ever escape, we'll be their biggest threat. So why did they go through the trouble of killing our clones? Why didn't they kill us?"
Silence. Then: "I don't know. I really don't know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They found out a short while later, when they were led out of the cell and into a light that, although dim, hurt their eyes that were so used to darkness.
"Wonderful to see you again," said Koori. She wasn't even trying to sound like she meant it.
"Yeah, long time no see," Ralya replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Couldn't we have kept it that way?"
"Shut up," Koori ordered. "You just be glad I don't have the final decision, because if it was up to me you'd both be dead by now!"
"Koori!" came a warning voice from somewhere across the room.
"I don't care what you say!" she shouted. "I want them to die!"
"You'd better be careful." The speaker, a tall man, came into view. "You are not irreplaceable. You know that, don't you?"
Koori hung her head, but Ralya could still glimpse a mutinous look in her eye.
"Why did you go through all of this trouble?" Brekk demanded of the
man. "You could have killed us a long time ago. So why didn't you?"
He smiled. There was no humor in it, only evilness. "My prisoners, making demands of me! Ha!" Then he laughed, and the laugh
was even worse than the smile. "You should know," he said eventually.
"What do you mean?" asked Ralya.
"Don't play dumb!" he ordered. "I know you're not really Ralya and Brekk. So where are they?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brekk stared. "Wha--" he began.
Ralya stepped on his foot, prompting him to shut up. "All right, you win," she said.
Brekk turned to her, his mouth dropped open in shock.
"I'm not really Ralya. She knew what you really were, Koori, and she sent me instead to keep herself out of danger. Don't bother looking for her, I'm sure she's far away by now, and safe."
"So who are you?" the man asked.
"You can call me Atta Nelde. I'm a first-class Human Replica Droid."
"I can see easily if you're lying, you know. I can take you apart and see if you die."
Ralya, or Atta Nelde, smiled. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, not if you don't want to die."
"What do you mean?"
"I have a self-destruct program. If you so much as touch me, I will set it off and kill everyone here. You will all die.
"And you won't be able to use either of us to break the other. I'm not
Ralya, so I don't care about Brekk, and he doesn't care about me."
She smiled again as the man realized how right she was.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Minutes later, Brekk and Ralya were taken to separate cell, and Ralya felt like crying. She needed to talk to Brekk. She didn't want to lie to him like this, but she couldn't tell him anything, in case
there were bugs. Maybe it was a good thing they were no longer together.
She and Brekk could not collaborate on an escape plan. But she hoped Brekk could at least escape on his own. He would be more
likely to do this if he thought Ralya was already safe. Or else he would see through the bluff, knowing that Ralya would never
intentionally lead him into danger.
Either way, Brekk would be hurt, physically or mentally. And either way, she would probably die.