On the bridge, Rommie was reporting on the status of various projects to her Captain and First Officer. Her voice, unsurprisingly, didn't change as she mentioned to Dylan that his personal project had reached the next stage.

Beka was curious. "What's that, Dylan?"

"Nothing major, Beka. You know Rommie has various experiments going; this is one I suggested to her some time ago," Dylan replied.

At shift's end, when Harper returned to his quarters, he found a package on his bunk, with a note from Dylan.

Harper,

When you're done with this, I've got another one for you.

But you need to read this one first.

Dylan

Harper opened the package to find a book--a real, honest-to-god paper book, something he'd never actually seen before. He found some thin protective gloves to use so he wouldn't get skin oils on the book. When he opened it, carefully of course, one of the first things he noticed was a statement that the book was printed on archival acid-free paper with acid-free ink, which went some way to explaining why this book, if it wasn't an expensive replica, wasn't falling apart. Turning another page or two, he found the title page. It stated that the title of the book was So You Think You've Had a Past Life.

It was a good thing he was alone in the room, Harper thought absently as he slammed the book shut. He managed not to throw it across the room for fear of damaging it, but he was almost positive that the blood had drained from his face. How had Dylan known?

Irrelevant at this point, he decided. Opening the book once more, he found that it was very readable, informative, yet with a touch of humor in the style that would have kept him reading even had he not had such a personal interest in the subject. And the more he read, the more it became obvious that the author had either had the same experience he'd had, or been very close to someone who had. What he was reading about was far too close to his own experience for comfort.

Dreams, familiar people, waking memories . . .

He finished the book just in time to catch a little sleep before his shift. Sleep which was filled with yet more dreams . . . memories?

He had a lot to think about over the next waking period, and he caught Trance watching him again. Beka had something to say about his split attention, so he forced himself to pay attention to the engine updates he was working on. Fortunately, he wasn't working with Tyr on this project. He would never have allowed himself to let his attention drift with the Nietzschean around to notice.

When he got back to his bunk after his duty shift he found another package, with another book. The Uncensored Greek Mythology, volume 14; the Demigod Children of Zeus. It had a marker part way through the book and another note:

Harper,

Don't read any part of this one out loud, especially the names.

I have my reasons; if you don't figure them out by reading this,

I'll be very surprised.

Dylan

This turned out to be another very readable book; in fact, although the author's name was not the same, Harper thought that the style was extremely similar to the first book Dylan had sent. And after reading the section that began where the marker was, Harper thought that there might be a very good reason for that. He was also pretty sure he knew the reasons Dylan mentioned in his latest note.

That night, he dreamed again.

The next morning, he caught Dylan's eye and grinned at him in a way he knew the Dylan-lookalike in his dreams would recognize, in the way he would have in that earlier life. Dylan smiled back, and winked.

Hercules and Iolaus, together again.

Nothing could stop them now.