THE GENETIC DUPLICATE—Day 9 Part 5

Minutes after Kim and Seth returned to the Solar Flare, they were walking through the corridor towards the classroom.

Inside the classroom, Kyra was helping Dirk with his lesson. When Kyra heard the door to the classroom opening, Kyra looked up. When she saw that it was Kim, she gestured for her to wait and went back at helping Dirk. After Kyra was done helping Dirk, she and Kim joined Seth in the corridor.

Seth was standing just outside the door and just after the door was shut behind Kyra and Kim, Kyra asked, "Kim, what did the doctor say?"

Kim pulled out the paper Dr. Cottel gave her and said, "Dr. Cottel said that I was fine."

"You met Dr. Cottel?" asked Kyra. Kim just nodded. "How did that encounter go?"

"It went okay," said Kim. "I found out that Dr. Cottel will be my medical school instructor. I'm not sure, but I think he is going to give me an unpleasant job detail when I join his class as a punishment."

"And what did you do for you to think that?" asked Kyra.

"He came in and puff his cigarette right in my face," said Kim. "I thought that was rude so I snatched his cigarette from his mouth and I threw it in the floor. That was when he told me that he would be the one to teach me medicine."

"Dr. Cottel actually told Kim what he did to prove that Kim was not untouchable as being punished by him," said Seth. "It worked too because Kim took his warning to heart and he lit another cigarette."

"He also back up too so he wouldn't blow it in my face," said Kim.

As Kyra grinned and shook her head at Kim, Kyra asked, "Kim, what am I going to do with you?"

In almost a loud manner, Kim said, "Well, I didn't like him blowing it in my face."

"Kim, not so loud," said Kyra.

"Well, I didn't," said Kim.

"No one does, and you actually did what many people thought about doing," said Kyra. Kim just grinned. "So what did Dr. Cottel say that you have?"

"He said that it is the picallas virus, but that I'm not contagious and that my own antibodies are doing an excellent job at keeping the virus from getting a foothold and making me sicker with more than a slight fever," said Kim.

When Seth saw a confused expression on Kyra's face, he added, "Dr. Cottel believes that Kim had come into contact with a similar virus on Earth that gave her a partial immunity to the picallas virus."

"That's interesting," said Kyra.

Kim held up the paper and said, "Dr. Cottel gave me this to give to Dr. Randall."

"Give me the paper and I'll take it to him when I get a chance," said Kyra.

Kim grinned and said, "Okay." She then held out the paper for Kyra to take.

As Kyra was taking the paper, she asked, "Is there anything else you want or need to tell me?"

"I met Ms. Demetree and Theodora Kimball," said Kim. Kyra looked at Kim in a curious manner. "I like Theodora okay, but Ms. Demetree is a criticizing jerk."

"Kimberly…" Kyra said in a warning manner.

"Well, she is," said Kim.

Seth looked at Kim in a confused manner and asked, "Kim, you didn't interact with her all that much, so what gave you that impression of her?"

Kim looked at Seth and said, "I interacted long enough with her to know that she is just like my mother, Valerie O'Brian."

"You think of your mother as being a criticizing jerk?" asked Seth.

"She's very much so," said Kim. "The day I decided to be a doctor I told my mother and she practically laughed at me." Kyra noticed Kim getting emotional as Kim continued to say. "She also wrongfully assumed things like Ms. Demetree did and tried to make me feel stupid for correcting her when I actually knew what I was talking about, and she never once apologized for it."

"Kim, calm down," said Kyra.

In the same emotional tone, Kim said, "Well, the thought of how my mother is just irks me."

"I see that, but you need to calm down," said Kyra.

"Kim, you definitely have an Irish temper," said Seth.

Kim just gave Seth a distasteful smirk.

"Kim, please be nice," said Kyra. Kim gave Kyra a timid grin. "Now is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"Seth threatened to ground me," said Kim.

Seth slightly grinned as Kyra looked at Kim in a curious manner and said, "I'm a bit surprise that you came forward with that, that easily."

"Well, I thought it would be better if you heard it from me and not from Seth," said Kim.

"Kim did obey me once I mention that you would support me if I would have to ground her," said Seth.

"I'll get the details on that later," said Kyra. "Is there anything else?"

"I just have a question and that's it," said Kim. Kyra just gave Kim an inquisitive look. "I bumped into someone on the Rising Star and I had a vision of a Battlestar Pegasus, and I was wondering if there were more than one battlestar among the fleet in the beginning."

Kyra looked at her watch and said, "Kim, I will tell you everything about the Battlestar Pegasus later, but right now we have about thirty minutes left of class. You don't have enough time to start any lessons, so I want you to go to your seat and work on your history and arithmetic assignments."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Kim. She then turned and walked into the classroom.

As the door was closing behind Kim, Seth said, "Kim doesn't seem to like her mother very well."

"Kim actually loves her mother," said Kyra.

Seth looked at Kyra in a confused manner and asked, "You heard Kim's opinion of her mother just like I did, so how can you say that?"

"If Kim didn't love her mother then she wouldn't be as frustrated with her like she is," said Kyra.

"I'm not picking a fight with you, but I think you're wrong about that," said Seth

Kyra slightly grinned and said, "I'm not a person who gets mad just because you don't have the same opinion as I do." Seth just grinned. "Anyway, Seth, thank you for taking Kim to the Rising Star for me."

"You don't have to thank me, Kyra; I was happy to do it," said Seth. Kyra grinned and nodded. Seth then stepped up and gave Kyra a kiss.

Kyra allowed the kiss for a couple of seconds and then as she pulled away she smiled and said, "Okay, behave yourself."

Seth smiled back. He then asked, "Will you be in the mess hall in thirty minutes?"

"I will be," said Kyra. "Will I see you there?"

"I'll be there; bye," said Seth.

"Bye," said Kyra. She then turned and entered the classroom.

After the class ended, Kyra locked up the classroom as usual. As Kyra, Kim and Adonis were walking to the mess hall, Kyra told Kim as to how the Pegasus had joined the fleet a year after fleeing the colonies and how the commander of the Pegasus and his crew broke off from the fleet. Kyra also told Kim on how Cmdr. Adama, Apollo, Starbuck and a few other military personnel were promoted and then demoted several different times during the past fives years.

Kyra, Kim and Adonis were going through the food line when Kyra got done with telling Kim about the Battlestar Pegasus. Immediately after finishing her story, she said, "Now I like to hear why Seth was going to ground you."

"Oh that," said Kim. "It was nothing biggie, but when we were waiting for a shuttle to leave the Rising Star, I wanted to change seats because there was this one boy who wouldn't quit smiling at me; except the waiting room was full and there were no two empty seats that were close to each other to where Seth and I could sit together. I still wanted to move, and I got up to move, but Seth wouldn't let me sit away from him."

"Seth was right not to allow you to sit by yourself," said Kyra.

"Actually, now I'm glad I didn't move," said Kim.

"Why is that?" asked Kyra.

"I met Theodora right after Seth made me sit back down," said Kim.

Kyra grinned. She then said, "Kim, when we get back in the classroom, I'm going to start your science lesson, so you don't get behind on that."

"What about my typing lesson?" asked Kim.

"I'm not concern about you missing that," said Kyra. "I don't want you to fall behind in your science lesson though and you still should have time to finish your assignment papers."

"What about my essay?" asked Kim.

"You can work on that in our quarters, before you go to bed," said Kim.

"That will work," said Kim.

Kyra just grinned.

"Hey Kim, did the doctor say as to why you have a fever?" asked Adonis.

"I was exposed to the picallas virus," said Kim.

"And you are not violently sick from it?" asked Adonis.

"Dr. Cottel thinks that I had been exposed to a similar virus on Earth and that gave me a partial immunity to the picallas virus," said Kim.

"What virus was you expose to on Earth?" asked Adonis.

"I had all the childhood diseases, so may it was one of those," said Kim.

"There are childhood diseases?" asked Adonis.

"Adonis, I'm pretty sure Kim is referring to the diseases that are most common with kids," said Kyra. "I can name a few diseases in the colonies that can easily be referred to as childhood diseases."

"I heard that a childhood diseases are worst to have if you get them as a grown-up instead as a child," said Kim. "Oh and there's one disease in particular is not a big deal to have as a child, but if a grown-up gets the disease, there a chance that, that grown-up will become sterile afterwards."

"What disease is that?" asked Adonis.

"It's called the mumps," said Kim. "When a person gets the mumps, that person will get a high fever and the glands that make a person salivate will swell up. I was nine when I had the mumps and my Aunt April told me that I looked like a hamster storing food."

"What do you mean?" asked Adonis.

"Hamsters have pouches on the inside of their cheeks to carry food back to their nest and their cheeks would look huge when it's full of food," said Kim.

"Ah," said Adonis. "Kim, a person can only get the picallas virus by coming into contact with another person who has it, but as far as I know, no on this ship has the picallas virus."

As they were approaching the end of the line, Kim said, "According to Dr. Randall, flowers can carry the picallas virus for about twelve hours."

"The flowers I gave you yesterday made you sick?" asked Adonis.

"That's right, and if I would have died from it, I would have haunted you as a ghost for you getting me sick," said Kim.

Adonis looked at Kim as if to ask, "Are you serious?"

Kim saw the look she got and slightly laughed. She then quickly said, "I'm totally kidding. I love the flowers you gave me and I wouldn't have blamed you even I would have gotten seriously sick."

As they were getting out of the food line, Kyra said, "Kim, if your overly joking mood is the result of having a slight fever then I hope you don't get sick like this too often."

Kim smiled at Kyra. Kim then saw Seth sitting at a table with his rations. Kim gestured and said, "There's Seth."

Kyra grinned and said, "I see that. Let's go sit with him."

On board the Electronic ship, Herbert and Wilbur were working hard to clean up another erroneous signal that they were receiving. They were working for a couple of hours when they began getting a moderate clean signal of a black and white show of a man wearing a loincloth and swinging on a vine while making an unusual yell.

"What the frak is that?" asked Wilbur.

"Just some entertainment," said Herbert. "We should record what we can and send it to Cmdr. Adama."

Herbert and Wilber watched the show for several minutes as the man in the loincloth was protecting large and what they thought were unusual looking four-legged animals with tusks against poachers. As they continued to watch the show, they learn that the man in the loincloth was called Tarzan. Herbert and Wilbert believed that they had recorded most of the movie and when the movie ended, they were able to record the first few minutes of a three stooges show before they lost the signal.

Cmdr. Adama got the disc thirty minutes after it was recorded and after seeing it, he called Jess to his quarters to explain on what he was seeing.

As the hours continued to pass, Kyra and Kim were escorted to Dr. Atkins' science lab. After Beth astral projected to the lab, she was able to remain for an hour before she was pulled back to her body.

After Kyra and Kim returned to the Solar Flare, Kim went to the recreation room while Kyra went to her quarters.

When Kim stepped into the recreation room, she saw Diamond sitting by herself and writing on a piece of paper. Adonis, Taundra and Tiara were playing pi-chello. Hilton and Julian were playing Squares. Several adults who Kim saw before, but never got to know were scattered throughout the room also.

Kim walked up to Hilton and Julian first and said, "Hi."

"Hi," Hilton and Julian said.

"I'm beating my dad at Squares," Julian continued to say.

Kim smiled and said, "Good job." Hilton just grinned. Kim gestured towards Adonis, Taundra and Tiara. "I'm going over there."

"Bye," said Julian.

Kim grinned and said, "I'm just going to be over there." She then walked away from Hilton and Julian. .

Tiara saw Kim stepping up and asked, "Hey Kim, after we get done with this game do you want to play cross-colors?"

"Sure, I'll play," said Kim. Kim then looked around the room again. "Where's everyone else?"

"Diamond has away of clearing out a room," said Tiara.

"Cleona, Wiley, Nathan and a few others were here earlier, but they left about five minutes after Diamond walked in," Taundra added.

"As long as there are adults here to keep the peace, I don't see what the big deal is about Diamond being here," said Kim.

"Diamond never cared about the adults being present or obeying the rules of the ship," said Adonis. "She would threaten anyone who she had a problem with and she didn't care who was present."

"Well, she seems to be okay now," said Kim. "Hey, how far along are you three into the game?'

"We actually just started," said Adonis. "We will try to hurry though."

"Go ahead and take your time," said Kim. "I'm going to see if Diamond will play me a game of Squares."

"Kim, Ms. Lockwood wants you to stay away from Diamond," said Adonis.

"That's just because she thinks that we can't get along," said Kim. "I'm going to attempt to make peace with her."

Adonis watched Kim in a curious manner as she walked away.

Diamond saw Kim approaching and when Kim stepped up, Diamond asked, "What do you what?"

Hilton was close enough to hear what Kim and Diamond were saying.

Kim gestured towards an empty game table and said, "I would like to challenge you to a game of Squares."

"I don't play Squares," said Diamond.

"Is there a game that you do play?" asked Kim.

"I'm just waiting here for my uncle and he should be here any minute," said Diamond. "I'm leaving right after that."

"You know if you are ever in here while I'm in here and like now, I'm not involve with playing a game, you can always ask me to play a game with you," said Kim.

"And where in the kingdom of the gods did you get the idea that I would ever ask you to play a game?" asked Diamond.

"Diamond, I'm attempting to bury the hatchet between us and…" said Kim.

Diamond interrupted with, "What the frak did you just say to me?"

"What I said means that I want to stop the hostilities towards each other," said Kim.

"You are stupid or crazy as I first thought if you think that we are gong to be friends," said Diamond.

"I never said anything about us being friends," said Kim. "I just thought that you might not want to be alone each and every time you stepped in here."

"Well, thanks for your false concern for me, but no thanks," said Diamond. "You can go back over to your friends now."

"I'm going, but before I leave, I want you know that I haven't change my mind," said Kim. "I'm in here a lot around this time if you ever decide that you want to play a game."

Diamond just gave Kim a cold stare. Kim then, without saying another word, turned towards her friends.

Alec walked in just as Kim was walking away from Diamond's table. Alex paused for a second when he saw Kim walking away. He then walked up to Diamond and asked, "What was Kim doing over here?"

"She actually asked me to play a game of Squares with her," said Diamond.

Tiara saw Alec looking in Kim's direction in an unpleasant manner and as she indicated towards Alec she said, "Kim, Mr. Smithers is giving you a hateful stare."

Kim turned and looked. He stared at Alec for a couple of seconds before facing Tiara again and saying, "All I did was asked her to play a game, so I don't know what his problem is."

"Well, this game is just about over, so we can play cross-colors in a few minutes," said Adonis.

"That's fine," said Kim. "Oh, mom told me to be home in two hours.

"I'll walk you home in two hours," said Adonis.

Kim grinned and said, "Okay." Kim then looked in Alec's direction for a brief moment and saw that he and Diamond were leaving the recreation room.

Ten minutes after Kim, Adonis, Tiara and Taundra began playing cross-colors, their other classmates began to trickle in.

Kim played for an hour and forty-five minutes. Adonis then walked Kim home and just before Adonis walked away he gave Kim a kiss.

Inside Kyra's quarters, Kyra and Seth were sitting on the couch and having a conversation. Kyra was sitting in the middle while Seth was sitting on the end. When Kim walked in, they paused their conversation. Kyra then patted the empty seat next to her and said, "Kim, have a seat."

Kim looked at Kyra in a curious manner and asked, "Why?"

"Just sit down and will please stop questioning me every time I tell you to do something," said Kim.

In an agitated manner, Kim said, "Fine."

Kyra just gave Kim a look as if to watch her attitude as Kim went to sit down. In return Kim gave Kyra a smirky grin.

"Kyra, Kim is actually mild compared to a lot of teenagers on Earth," said Seth. "There are a lot of teenagers and even kids younger than Kim, who are unruly."

As Kim was sitting down, Kyra said, "The colonies also have their fair share of unruly kids, but as I was growing up, I knew not to question my mother when she told me to do something. Of course my mother grew up in a military environment so that was why my mother was so strict with us." Kim slightly chuckled. "Okay, what was funny about that?"

"I was just thinking about what Earth military leaders say to their men and imagined that with your mom," said Kim.

"I'm a little bit scared to ask, but what do the military leaders say to their men?" asked Kyra.

"They say, 'when I tell you to jump, you are to ask how high, and when I tell you to… to have a bowel movement, you are to ask how much,'" said Kim. "The phrase bowel movement was used in place of a vulgar word that you don't want me using."

As Kyra grinned and shook her head, she said, "I actually realized that when you said it."

"So mom, why did you want me to sit here?" asked Kim.

"Mr. Smithers came by and paid me a visit…" said Kyra.

In an agitated tone, Kim asked, "And what did he say."

"Relax, Kim, you are not in trouble," said Kyra.

"I still want to know what he said," said Kim.

Kyra kissed Kim on the head and whispered in Kim's ear, "Patience, Kim. You will find that I'm going to tell you if you hush."

"Okay, I'm hushing," said Kim.

"You walked up and talked to Diamond while she was in the recreation room and he wants you to stay away from Diamond," said Kyra.

Again in an agitated tone, Kim said, "I was asking Diamond if she would like to play Squares with me."

"Kim, Mr. Smithers admitted to that effect, so calm down," said Kyra.

"So what's his problem then?" asked Kim.

Kyra closed her eyes and slightly shook her head. She then said, "Mr. Smithers thinks that your niceness was a ruse."

"I told Diamond that I wanted to bury the hatchet between us," said Kim.

"I might understand that saying if I knew what the word hatchet means," said Kyra.

Before Kim was able to explain Seth asked, "Do you know what an ax is?"

"Of course," said Kyra.

"Well, a hatchet is a short handle ax that was most often used in close hand to hand combat," said Seth.

"Ah, so I'm guessing that the phrase to bury the hatchet would figuratively mean to dispose of the weapons and to declare a truce," said Kyra.

"Exactly," said Seth.

"Kim, that was a nice gesture you made towards Diamond, but Mr. Smithers doesn't believe anyone can be that nice without an ulterior motive," said Kyra. "Now even though you want to bury the hatchet between you and Diamond, I want you to stay away from her."

Kyra saw that Kim wanted to speak her mind, but instead Kim let a frustrated sigh and said, "Fine."

"That didn't sound very convincing," said Kyra.

"I'll stay away from her," said Kim. "It's just that she was sitting there alone and I was telling her that she doesn't have to be alone. I would play games with her. A few days ago when Cleona was giving a hard time, I would have even asked her to play if I saw her sitting by herself."

"Well, as I said, it was a nice gesture, but Mr. Smithers and even Diamond thought you were up to something," said Kyra.

"They think that because the only time when they're nice is when they want something, but I'm not like that," said Kim.

Kyra grinned and said, "I know you're not. Now, are you ready to get something to eat?"

"I'm not really all that hungry," said Kim.

"Kim, you will be starving later if you don't eat," said Kyra. "So you need to go to the mess hall with me and eat."

"Fine; I guess I can eat some fruit or something," said Kim. She then stood up.

As Kyra and Seth stood up, Kyra said, "Kim, you are going to be starving when you wake up, if you don't eat a full meal."

"I'm not hungry though and I shouldn't have to eat if I'm not hungry," said Kim.

"Okay, Kim," said Kyra. "You are going to be starving tomorrow, but eat fruit if that is all you want."

"Thanks," said Kim.

In a patient tone, Kyra said, "You're welcome."

As Kyra, Kim and Seth were stepping into the corridor, Kyra said, "Kim, after we eat, I want you to start writing that essay when we get home."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Kim. Kyra turned to lock the door. "Can I go to the recreation room after I write for a little bit?"

"Kim, I want you to spend an hour on that essay and after that you and I are going to bed," said Kyra. Kyra then gestured for Kim to walk.

As everyone started walking Kim said, "I may not own a watch, but I pretty sure bedtime is not that soon."

"After getting up a couple hours early, I'm tired and I can't believe that you are not tired, so tonight bedtime is going to be that soon," said Kyra.

"I've have been tired all day, but I still want to go to the recreation room," said Kim.

"Kim, we are going to bed in about an hour and a half," said Kyra.

"Fine," said Kim.

After reaching the mess hall Kyra, Kim and Seth got their rations and then joined Casimir and Adonis at their table.

After the meal was over, Seth went to his quarters. Kyra and Kim went to their quarters. Just after Kyra and Kim were comfortable on the couch, Kim began her essay by writing about Genesis. Kyra picked up at where she had left off at grading papers. Kim had written out several pages before the hour was up and Kyra called time. After putting their work away, they said their goodnights and went to bed.