"You see," Aquarius says, "with the boy in my possession, I knew that you would need someone to help you keep the Andromeda Key safe, with possible foes on every side. So…I created a clone Geo."
"You what?" Omega-Xis says.
"I created a clone of the boy and sent it to Earth," Aquarius says, "to a different country, of course. Don't want Lyra getting suspicious. I watched his growth, and when he croaked, I watched his direct descendants…but a terrible accident struck the direct descendants fifteen years ago, ending the line until I found a family needing a child…so I created another clone, a female this time…the girl known as Layla."
I feel the blood rushing from my face.
"Wait, so…I'm a fake?" I say.
Aquarius nods and says, "I kept some of the tissue, but I knew that it wasn't enough in case you croaked. To prevent the end of the pure line, I sent Taurus to take a blood sample from you. Crown killed your sibling, as I knew that if Omega-Xis found it wasn't like you, he would assume the worst…and I made a clone of your sibling."
"Why go through all this trouble?" Omega-Xis says, "I'm sure it's not merely for the Andromeda Key."
"It's not," Aquarius says, "It's to keep my throne intact. At least, the first clone. After that, I found that human life was fascinating, a brilliant cycle which FM-ians and AM-ians don't experience. Birth, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, middle age, old age, death. Somewhere in the equation, another life is born. However, the clones before Layla were male, and so I was curious to try a female. Hence, your partner, Omega-Xis."
Omega-Xis falls silent.
This…this can't be real…I'm really a clone of Geo Stelar, created for Aquarius' whims?
"You…you mean…you're not going to kill us?" I say.
"Of course not," Aquarius says, "I just wanted to meet you at last, merely to see the results of human growth. However…I still need the Andromeda Key. Cygnus, Gemini, and Crown are all trying to take the throne, and I need to destroy the Key. Otherwise Earth will be nothing more than a memory and some rock."
I don't say anything.
"Aquarius," a new voice says.
I turn and see Thalia.
"Thalia," Aquarius says, "or is it Gemini? So easy to forget."
"I'm Thalia," Thalia says reassuringly, "I need to warn you: Cygnus and Crown are getting ready to siege the throne room. They've got Taurus and a few others, but I'd advise you to escape to Earth and let Cygnus take over."
Aquarius looks at Thalia hard and says, "Why would I escape to Earth? I'm in a dead body, and I'm sure Layla's parents wouldn't trust me in their home."
Thalia's face grows stern as she says, "They plan to fix the controller and use the Andromeda Key when you 'finish off' Layla and Omega-Xis. I suggest you run to Earth and wait until they finish the controller, and they'll go after you since you have the Key."
"What about you, Thalia?" I ask.
Thalia looks at me and smiles a sad smile, saying, "I can't go. Gemini won't let me go with you, but I convinced him that I should at least warn you."
Aquarius nods and says, "I understand now. Gemini prefers me as king, and wants me to live to return to the throne. Is that what I'm hearing?"
Thalia nods.
Aquarius turns to me and says, "Then we must go to Earth, Layla and Omega-Xis. I hope that won't be too much trouble?"
I shake my head and say, "No! Not at all!"
"And you, Omega-Xis?" Aquarius says.
"All right," Omega-Xis says, "Since you're not going to destroy Earth like the old FM king destroyed AM, then I guess you can come."
Aquarius turns to Thalia and says, "That's that. Tell Cancer that Ophiuca's not after him, and try and become the new king's right hand man. Got it?"
Thalia nods.
Aquarius turns back to us and says, "Let's go, then."