When Felix came to, she felt like she'd been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. She sat up and let her eyes adjust to the light, taking in her surroundings. Then she remembered everything. Tears welled up in her eyes as all of the memories came rushing to her all at once. There was nobody else in the room with her, so she stood up and walked to the door. When she opened the door, she found Trance and Harper talking quietly.
"What have you done?" Felix asked angrily.
"Felix," Harper started. "Welcome back to the land of the living."
Felix looked at him with cold eyes. She balled up her fist and pulled her arm back, ready to punch Harper as hard as she could. Trance grabbed her fist to stop her. "Felix, before you hit somebody, listen to what we have to say." Felix hesitated, but finally put her hand down. "Remember the time you signed up to be in a science experiment?" Felix nodded after some thought. "They used your DNA to clone you, only you didn't have all your memories. You were just a Felix look-alike. Somehow, you managed to find your way onto the Andromeda while we were on an alliance mission on that same station you were on when you took part in the experiment. When we found you, we were going to take you back to the station, but the scientists told us they didn't want you. So Dylan decided to let Rommie decide what to do with you."
"And I talked her into giving you your memories back. See, when you died, we saved your DNA and RNA, so we injected the RNA into your clone self, and bing, bang, boom, there you were," Harper finished. Felix thought about everything they had said. She looked down at her feet, then noticed that she was wearing clothes that were too big for her.
"What am I wearing?" she asked, half laughing, half crying.
"My clothes," Beka said as she approached them. "You didn't even ask."
"I'm sure I would've if only I weren't an aimless clone," Felix joked. A tear rolled down her cheek and she sniffled. "This is going to take some adjusting. I still feel like I'm dead, and this is just my Paradise; my Elysium." She looked at Harper, Trance, and Beka. Suddenly she threw her arms around Harper and cried out, "Group hug!" Beka and Trance laughed and joined the group hug. Felix still cried, but now her tears were joyful.
* * *
"I just can't believe it actually worked," Dylan said after he had a short talk with Felix. She smiled and brushed her hair out of her face. "It's really you. I mean, I didn't know you all that well, but I knew you enough to know that this is really you." He thought about what he said. "Did that make sense?"
"It made enough sense," Felix laughed. She looked at Rommie, who gave her the same cold look she had given her in her previous visit to the Andromeda. "Are you still unsure of me, Rommie? I died and came back, and you're still suspicious of me?"
"Sorry," Rommie said with a smile. "It's instinct. Blame it on Harper. He's the one who programmed me."
"I'll make a note of that," Felix said. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"Where's my cat?"
Rommie smiled. "Machine shop."
"Go ahead," Dylan said. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."
"What have you done?" Felix asked angrily.
"Felix," Harper started. "Welcome back to the land of the living."
Felix looked at him with cold eyes. She balled up her fist and pulled her arm back, ready to punch Harper as hard as she could. Trance grabbed her fist to stop her. "Felix, before you hit somebody, listen to what we have to say." Felix hesitated, but finally put her hand down. "Remember the time you signed up to be in a science experiment?" Felix nodded after some thought. "They used your DNA to clone you, only you didn't have all your memories. You were just a Felix look-alike. Somehow, you managed to find your way onto the Andromeda while we were on an alliance mission on that same station you were on when you took part in the experiment. When we found you, we were going to take you back to the station, but the scientists told us they didn't want you. So Dylan decided to let Rommie decide what to do with you."
"And I talked her into giving you your memories back. See, when you died, we saved your DNA and RNA, so we injected the RNA into your clone self, and bing, bang, boom, there you were," Harper finished. Felix thought about everything they had said. She looked down at her feet, then noticed that she was wearing clothes that were too big for her.
"What am I wearing?" she asked, half laughing, half crying.
"My clothes," Beka said as she approached them. "You didn't even ask."
"I'm sure I would've if only I weren't an aimless clone," Felix joked. A tear rolled down her cheek and she sniffled. "This is going to take some adjusting. I still feel like I'm dead, and this is just my Paradise; my Elysium." She looked at Harper, Trance, and Beka. Suddenly she threw her arms around Harper and cried out, "Group hug!" Beka and Trance laughed and joined the group hug. Felix still cried, but now her tears were joyful.
* * *
"I just can't believe it actually worked," Dylan said after he had a short talk with Felix. She smiled and brushed her hair out of her face. "It's really you. I mean, I didn't know you all that well, but I knew you enough to know that this is really you." He thought about what he said. "Did that make sense?"
"It made enough sense," Felix laughed. She looked at Rommie, who gave her the same cold look she had given her in her previous visit to the Andromeda. "Are you still unsure of me, Rommie? I died and came back, and you're still suspicious of me?"
"Sorry," Rommie said with a smile. "It's instinct. Blame it on Harper. He's the one who programmed me."
"I'll make a note of that," Felix said. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"Where's my cat?"
Rommie smiled. "Machine shop."
"Go ahead," Dylan said. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."