The girl, whom the blonde man was calling "Felix," sat in a small room on a table, watching the blonde man and a golden girl argue.
"Harper, she can't be Felix. You know that," the golden one said.
"I don't know how it's possible, but it's her, Trance," the blonde one replied. "Look at her. She looks exactly like Felix."
The golden girl's eyes widened. "Felix" smiled at her. "What if she's a clone?"
"Clone?" the blonde one asked. "How can that be?"
"While she was on our ship, Felix told me about some of the things she had done to get money. She said that she was hired to be a lab rat in some experiment on a space station."
"Am I a clone?" the girl finally said. Vocabulary had finally materialized in her brain.
The golden one looked at her strangely. "I think you might be."
"They've brought Felix back to life," the blonde one said vacantly. "They've regenerated her soul."
"Since when did you believe in souls?" the golden one asked, surprised. "Anyways, she's not really Felix. I mean… She doesn't know who we are, or even what ship this is. She's just like a Felix double."
"She could be, though, couldn't she?" the blonde one asked with a mysterious look in his eyes.
"No, Harper. We have to tell Dylan about this."
* * *
Dylan sat in the med deck, arms crossed over his chest, face grim, eyes set on the new "Felix." He looked as though he would say something, but then went back into thought.
"Say something, already!" Harper said impatiently.
"I still find it hard to believe that she's a Felix clone," Dylan said quietly. "Felix Clark was a products delivery person, not some scientist's lab rat."
"She signed up for the money, Dylan," Trance said again. "At least that's what she told me."
"What are you going to do with me?" the clone asked quietly.
"We are going to send you back to where you came from," Dylan said as he stood up. "As soon as we can, we're turning around and taking you back to the station."
"Why?" she asked, eyes widening.
"Because… Because that's where you belong." Everybody gave Dylan a cold look, and the girl's eyes welled up with tears.
"But I feel like I'm at home here," she said sadly.
Dylan sighed and left. "The things that happen on this ship," he said to himself.
* * *
"Harper, it's not going to happen, so just forget it," Rommie said angrily. Harper had been annoying her all day with questions about giving "Felix" her memories back.
"Come on, Rom Doll," Harper pleaded. "She's obviously Felix, just without the memories. You have the power to change that, don't you?"
"It is possible, but I won't do it." Rommie saw the look on his face and rolled her eyes. "Dylan would have me disassembled if I did this without his permission."
"So get his permission," Harper said with a sly smile. "You've got a way with talking to the Boss, Rommie. Come on, the worst he could do is say no. It's worth a try, right?"
Rommie gave a long, audible sigh as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Fine. But you're going with me."
* * *
"No," Dylan said calmly for the fourth time. "I can't let you do that. She's not our clone to tinker with."
"But, Dylan…" Harper whined.
"NO!" Dylan shouted impatiently. Rommie left, giving Harper an "I told you so" look. Harper sighed and turned to walk out the door.
"You're not considering how much praise we could get for actually regenerating a dead person," he chided.
"WE wouldn't have done that, Harper. The scientists on the station would have."
"Yeah, but we could be the ones to actually give the person everything back. Their personality and their memories… Think about it, Boss." Harper finally left the room. Dylan sat with his arms crossed over his chest, thinking about what Harper said. His thoughts were interrupted by the Andromeda's holographic image.
"Dylan, Dr. Escamany is very upset with us," she told him.
"It's not our fault his experiment walked onto our ship," Dylan said angrily. "We should find some way to pay him back for blaming us," he said childishly. Andromeda's image gave him a funny look.
"You're not actually considering Harper's proposal, are you?" she asked. Dylan answered her with silence. "Captain, not only would that make Dr. Escamany very angry, but it could also cause the President to re-think the alliance."
"Don't worry, Andromeda, nothing is going to happen to that clone."
* * *
"Captain Hunt, we wish to apologize for blaming this little incident on you and your crew," Dr. Escamany said calmly.
"Thank you, Doctor," Dylan said with a smile. "We should be returning to the station with your clone in a few hours."
"Oh, yes…" Dr. Escamany looked at his feet. "Well, you see, Captain Hunt… My colleagues have brought up and interesting point. The clone is now contaminated and we don't want it back anymore."
"Excuse me," Dylan said, shocked. "I thought I just heard you say you don't want her back."
"We don't." There was silence for a few seconds. Finally Escamany spoke up again. "We're terribly sorry for the confusion and fuss, and we greatly appreciate your cooperation. Thank you, Captain Hunt." He signed off before Dylan could answer. Dylan stood speechless for a minute, blinking in total confusion.
"Dylan?" Rommie spoke up. "Dylan, what are we going to do with the clone?"
"I don't know and I don't care anymore," Dylan said quietly. "You figure out what to do. I'm going to my quarters for some much needed rest." With that, he left the command deck and left Rommie alone. She threw her hands in the air and left command as well.
* * *
Harper rejoiced at Rommie's news. "I thought Dylan said no."
"That was before Escamany told him he didn't want the clone back," Rommie said as she searched through some files in the medical deck.
"Really?" Harper looked at "Felix." She blinked in confusion. "Know what this means?" She shook her head. "You're home now."
"Really?" she asked. "Do I get to finish being Felix?" Harper looked at Rommie, who pulled a small bottle out of a cupboard. He nodded with a smile. Trance walked in the door and saw what Rommie was doing.
"I thought Dylan said no," she said.
"I guess those wacky scientists don't want her back," Harper said. "So we're giving her Felix's memories."
"I don't like this," Trance said, unsure of Rommie's decision. "She'll remember everything. You do know that, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Harper, that means she'll remember dying." Harper's eyes widened for a moment.
"So we'll just have to stay by her side."
"Harper, she can't be Felix. You know that," the golden one said.
"I don't know how it's possible, but it's her, Trance," the blonde one replied. "Look at her. She looks exactly like Felix."
The golden girl's eyes widened. "Felix" smiled at her. "What if she's a clone?"
"Clone?" the blonde one asked. "How can that be?"
"While she was on our ship, Felix told me about some of the things she had done to get money. She said that she was hired to be a lab rat in some experiment on a space station."
"Am I a clone?" the girl finally said. Vocabulary had finally materialized in her brain.
The golden one looked at her strangely. "I think you might be."
"They've brought Felix back to life," the blonde one said vacantly. "They've regenerated her soul."
"Since when did you believe in souls?" the golden one asked, surprised. "Anyways, she's not really Felix. I mean… She doesn't know who we are, or even what ship this is. She's just like a Felix double."
"She could be, though, couldn't she?" the blonde one asked with a mysterious look in his eyes.
"No, Harper. We have to tell Dylan about this."
* * *
Dylan sat in the med deck, arms crossed over his chest, face grim, eyes set on the new "Felix." He looked as though he would say something, but then went back into thought.
"Say something, already!" Harper said impatiently.
"I still find it hard to believe that she's a Felix clone," Dylan said quietly. "Felix Clark was a products delivery person, not some scientist's lab rat."
"She signed up for the money, Dylan," Trance said again. "At least that's what she told me."
"What are you going to do with me?" the clone asked quietly.
"We are going to send you back to where you came from," Dylan said as he stood up. "As soon as we can, we're turning around and taking you back to the station."
"Why?" she asked, eyes widening.
"Because… Because that's where you belong." Everybody gave Dylan a cold look, and the girl's eyes welled up with tears.
"But I feel like I'm at home here," she said sadly.
Dylan sighed and left. "The things that happen on this ship," he said to himself.
* * *
"Harper, it's not going to happen, so just forget it," Rommie said angrily. Harper had been annoying her all day with questions about giving "Felix" her memories back.
"Come on, Rom Doll," Harper pleaded. "She's obviously Felix, just without the memories. You have the power to change that, don't you?"
"It is possible, but I won't do it." Rommie saw the look on his face and rolled her eyes. "Dylan would have me disassembled if I did this without his permission."
"So get his permission," Harper said with a sly smile. "You've got a way with talking to the Boss, Rommie. Come on, the worst he could do is say no. It's worth a try, right?"
Rommie gave a long, audible sigh as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Fine. But you're going with me."
* * *
"No," Dylan said calmly for the fourth time. "I can't let you do that. She's not our clone to tinker with."
"But, Dylan…" Harper whined.
"NO!" Dylan shouted impatiently. Rommie left, giving Harper an "I told you so" look. Harper sighed and turned to walk out the door.
"You're not considering how much praise we could get for actually regenerating a dead person," he chided.
"WE wouldn't have done that, Harper. The scientists on the station would have."
"Yeah, but we could be the ones to actually give the person everything back. Their personality and their memories… Think about it, Boss." Harper finally left the room. Dylan sat with his arms crossed over his chest, thinking about what Harper said. His thoughts were interrupted by the Andromeda's holographic image.
"Dylan, Dr. Escamany is very upset with us," she told him.
"It's not our fault his experiment walked onto our ship," Dylan said angrily. "We should find some way to pay him back for blaming us," he said childishly. Andromeda's image gave him a funny look.
"You're not actually considering Harper's proposal, are you?" she asked. Dylan answered her with silence. "Captain, not only would that make Dr. Escamany very angry, but it could also cause the President to re-think the alliance."
"Don't worry, Andromeda, nothing is going to happen to that clone."
* * *
"Captain Hunt, we wish to apologize for blaming this little incident on you and your crew," Dr. Escamany said calmly.
"Thank you, Doctor," Dylan said with a smile. "We should be returning to the station with your clone in a few hours."
"Oh, yes…" Dr. Escamany looked at his feet. "Well, you see, Captain Hunt… My colleagues have brought up and interesting point. The clone is now contaminated and we don't want it back anymore."
"Excuse me," Dylan said, shocked. "I thought I just heard you say you don't want her back."
"We don't." There was silence for a few seconds. Finally Escamany spoke up again. "We're terribly sorry for the confusion and fuss, and we greatly appreciate your cooperation. Thank you, Captain Hunt." He signed off before Dylan could answer. Dylan stood speechless for a minute, blinking in total confusion.
"Dylan?" Rommie spoke up. "Dylan, what are we going to do with the clone?"
"I don't know and I don't care anymore," Dylan said quietly. "You figure out what to do. I'm going to my quarters for some much needed rest." With that, he left the command deck and left Rommie alone. She threw her hands in the air and left command as well.
* * *
Harper rejoiced at Rommie's news. "I thought Dylan said no."
"That was before Escamany told him he didn't want the clone back," Rommie said as she searched through some files in the medical deck.
"Really?" Harper looked at "Felix." She blinked in confusion. "Know what this means?" She shook her head. "You're home now."
"Really?" she asked. "Do I get to finish being Felix?" Harper looked at Rommie, who pulled a small bottle out of a cupboard. He nodded with a smile. Trance walked in the door and saw what Rommie was doing.
"I thought Dylan said no," she said.
"I guess those wacky scientists don't want her back," Harper said. "So we're giving her Felix's memories."
"I don't like this," Trance said, unsure of Rommie's decision. "She'll remember everything. You do know that, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Harper, that means she'll remember dying." Harper's eyes widened for a moment.
"So we'll just have to stay by her side."