2313-29

She looked up from her microscope, meeting with Jimmy's eyes in the pool of light emanating from the apparatus. Her eyes felt itchy and sore. It was late and the only light in the room was the microscope and the MrDad fabricating new bonemarrow for Rachel. She had been checking out the antibodies for hours now, inserting each isolated antigene into a smear of blood, isolating yet another and repeating the operation. Each uncontaminated antibody she found and would be able to fabricate meant increased chance for Rachel's survival. But it was a time consuming process, and they had very little of that. And all her work would be for nothing if Rachel didn't survive the transfusion to begin with. After a week of high fever and heavy medication her friend was very likely not to survive. But she didn't even want to think about that, let alone saying it out loud. "I don't know Jimmy, what's Kid and Noah saying?"

"They'll start the procedure tomorrow morning, Kid insisted that Noah needed at least one night of good sleep before the whole thing," Jimmy slumped down on the chair at her side. His hand coming over to rub her tense back. "You okay Lou?"

"Yeah," she nodded, looking down into the apparatus once again, checking for alarming alterations in the blood. Any clogging, cell death or signs of agranulocytosis, spontaneous mutations or abnormal leucocyte change in the samples and they'd have to abort the whole project and watch Rachel die. "I've tried all the antibodies out and know which ones we can reuse, but some are affected. She will remain slightly exposed for some weeks after this. There's nothing else I can do."

"You've done plenty Lou," Jimmy said and ruffled her hair. "Kid told me to tell you to get some sleep too, he'll probably be needing you tomorrow."

Lou didn't look at Jimmy, she remain looking into the microscope, the MrDad humming softly. "And Noah?"

Lou looked up at him, not seeing very clearly at first. The tiredness was taking it's toll on her too. Then his features got clearer. "How is he taking the fact that Kid is operating?"

"What can he do? The fact is that Kid has more experience with surgery, most vets have. And he was in the research team that developed the BRC, he's more qualified. He's been carving in all kinds of bones and bone marrows. We voted on it and Noah understands that. There's no other choice. And Noah's too emotionally attached anyway."

"But if something goes wrong?" Lou peered at Jimmy, really wanting to know what Jimmy's reaction would be if Kid failed and something happened to Rachel.

Lou couldn't help but smile while shaking her head at Jimmy's face. But she was torn, Noah's words, Kid's silence during the past days and their distance had all gotten to her. Somehow it felt like the team was splitting up, people taking sides against one or the other. Their daily duties gone and only problems left to solve, it was starting to take its toll on everyone. Wearing them down, bringing up personality traits that was all but flattering to anyone of them.

"But Jimmy, what he's about to do is illegal. And you're a protor. If something goes wrong then you'll be in the middle too, ever think of that?"

Jimmy rose and extended her his arm in an exxaggerated manner, waiting for her to take it and follow him out of the somber room. "I know what I'm doing Lou."

She finally rose and took the arm offered, looking at Jimmy, waiting for him to continue. She wanted to know why Jimmy was so confident, how he knew Kid would do just fine? Why he spoke like he truly knew. It was so blatantly contradicting their usual antagonism. "What'ya mean, you know Kid, I know Kid, but I ain't so sure!"

Jimmy was dragging her behind him, making his way to the door. At her words he turned his head to look at her. Seeing the doubt in her eyes he smiled sadly and shook his head while opening the door to let her pass. "I think the two of you need to talk," he said.

Lou pouted at Jimmy's leer, then she caught sight of Kid emerging from the sickbay. He spotted her and smiled shyly, remaining where he was, waiting for her to come to him. Like always, Lou thought.

Kid smiled and extended his hand to her. Without thinking she took it. Jimmy laughed and walked past them, leaving them alone in the dark hallway.

"You're working!" Amanda said, "without anybody telling you to, reason enough to ask, don't you think."

Cody couldn't help but feel a little hurt from her words. And for a moment he contemplated not telling her what he just had found out, but he soon changed his mind, he had to share what he'd found with somebody. He wanted somebody to tell him he was wrong, that the documents he'd found was a big joke. That someone here was in to get him, he wouldn't put it past them, after this he wouldn't put anything past anybody. But if it was them they had gotten him good, and he wouldn't blame them, he probably had it coming.

Amanda grunted something in protest at his choice of name but did as told. "What you got Billy?"

Without a word he flicked the second EA on and set it to visualize. The document dated 2279 appeared and Cody watched Amanda's face while she read the text. First her eyes grew wider in surprise and with a gasp she leaned in closer. Her eyes rapidly flew over the noppo. Then her expression changed and she smiled wickedly.

"Good work Cody, looks authentic, damned good work. But I'm not falling for it."

Baffled Cody leaned in towards her; "What'ya mean you're not falling for it? You didn't do this?"

Amanda shook her head in denial, her eyes turning back to the noppo. "No, I swear. Where'd you find it?"

"Buck asked me to look at some signs he found on another document, asked if it was some loggers' special encryptings. Well it wasn't so I started looking. And came across this."

Cody smiled; "I'm a logger Manda. I too know my way around things. You just never bothered to ask me."

"But I don't understand! All your names are there, but human cloning is forbidden by law! Always has been, And this document says you're all cloned. And from the 1860? That can't be can true, it's just ridiculous."

"There's more," Cody said and changed the frame on the wall. A long list of names appeared, but he made the list stop at the name Amanda O'Connoll. The signs that followed her own name made Amanda turn to Cody for further explanations.

"This sign," a new frame with '‡' emerged, "means the person is cloned." Cody spoke the words silently, like if he said them out loud it might somehow seem more true. And because looking at Amanda he saw genuine shock.

Amanda's eyes flew over to Cody, her face had taken on a faint pallor. "Tell me you're kiddin' Cody. I have a mother and a father, well at least I had before they died."

"Lou's father died not so long ago, she only has her mother left. Kid's and Jimmy's folks are dead, Buck's too. I only have my father left in life and you have nobody. Ike and Sam are the exceptions. Rachel's and Emma's parents are dead too. Don't you think that's odd? Most of us are all alone in this world. We're not that old, we all should have our parents in life if things were normal."

"And that all has to do with this sign," Cody continued, changing the frame again. An 'a' emerged. "That's the Greek symbol for a, Alfa," he continued. "And all of us, except Ike and Sam, carry that sign after our names. It has to mean something. The most names on that list carry..." He pointed to the screen where yet another sign emerged 'c,'. "I don't know what it means," he continued, "but I strongly suspect that Alfa means that the bearers are controlled variables in some research project. It's often used in science. Going through the files I've come to the conclusion that the people on the list with alfa paired to their names have been subjected to manipulations. Most probably tampering with the conditions in their lives, maybe the environment, who knows? Maybe all of it together. That would explain the high percentage of deaths in the immediate family. Maybe they wanted to know how we'd make it all on our own?"

Amanda stared at the sign on the wall. For the longest time she sat there in the semi-darkness and stared at the pale greenish sign on the wall. Not even moving. Cody extended a hand and laid it on her shoulder in a bleak effort to acknowledge her confusion. He didn't know what to think himself now that it was evident it wasn't a hoax. He had been hoping it would be until now. But the more he thought about it, the more pieces fell into place and it seemed rather logical, albeit cruel beyond belief.

Amanda finally rose and took his hand in hers, like needing to sense if he was the old Cody. She squeezed it hard, and Cody flinched. "Manda?"

"Clones?" she said, "I'm a clone? I've walked this earth before? Is that even possible?"

Their eyes met and they both knew it was. The technology was there and used every day on animals. But on humans? Why? And who? The questions were too many.

Cody nodded and remain looking at the hand she had released. He looked at it, trying to pick out signs that it was his and nobody elses. That the hand was truly unique and hadn't belonged to somebody else before him. William F. Cody, the famous man he had admired. If it was true he was him, then there was nothing left for him to admire any longer. William Cody of the nineteenth century had fought Indians, did that mean he had to dislike Buck? But he liked Buck, he had nothing against Native Americans. William F. Cody was married, did that mean he would meet a woman named Louisa and have a son named Kit someday too? Was the woman he would fall in love with cloned too? He didn't dare to find out. Would his life be like the nineteenth century William F. Cody's? Whose life was this really? His hand started shaking and he let it rest on his knee.

He sat as paralyzed, watching the noppo without really seeing, more and more questions popped into his mind. He read the protocol over and over again and the answers to some of his questions finally forced themselves through his initial denial. It was really all there, the why's and the how's. Restoring the human race by cloning individuals not genetetically tampered with.

They stood silent for a while, looking at each other, both hesitant on what to say or do.

Then Kid cleared his throat nervously and looked to the ground; "Lou, I didn't mean to scare you the other day. I'm sorry."

And it don't ever happen again, I promise, Lou thought, her father's voice echoing in her mind. The thought scared her, it scared her that she had fallen for a man capable of violence. Just like her mother before her had. For a moment she scanned for other signs of resemblance between her father and Kid. The silence was there, the introvert stubbornness, it was all there. But still, there was so much more.

"And you promise never to do it again?" Lou said, waiting for him to seal his own destiny, to prove he was not the man she thought he was. That he was just like her father. A liar and a manipulator.

Startled she looked at him. Her brow furrowing at the unexpected words. What was this all about? He should be promising her everything, all that she wanted. That was exactly how men like him operated.

He clutched her hand tighter, his thumb caressing her knuckles. "I thought he hurt you Lou, I didn't see but I was afraid he'd hurt you. I couldn't let that happen and I never will let that happen. I tried to get him away from you. If someone threatens or hurts you Lou, it will happen again, I can promise you that. But I never meant to scare you, really."

Finally she looked up at him, his nose still bluish from her treatment the other day, his chin still wearing evidence of the violent fight. It must have hurt like hell, she was sure about that. And she should be angry at him, she should be really pissed at his caveman reaction. But oddly she wasn't, she was both touched and enraged by his protectiveness. Nobody had ever fought for her before and nobody should have to. She was fully capable of fending for herself. But still, the fact that he was willing to do so touched her. And suddenly she felt ashamed for her own accusations. He wasn't like her father, this damned man stood there and told her he would do it again, even if she told him not to. He'd protect her, come whatever. That was not like her father, that was unlike anybody she'd ever met.

Kid smiled slightly and leaned in closer to her; "I know, but I wanna take care of you."

It was a promise and a warning all rolled up in one, a take it or leave it. He truly wanted to take care of her, and it made her see yet another side of him. For a moment she wondered if what had happen to him in his young years had forced him to grow up too soon? Or simply left a needing ache in him? Did his need for self-control come from a wish to be able to control the events around him? Had the loss of his parents brought forth the need to protect everybody else around him? If it had, he sure had made another choice than she had herself. She had opted on needing no-one, he had opted on saving everyone. She smiled at the thought of the impossibility of his choice. Looking up into his eyes she read the question and knew he needed an answer. Lou boxed him playfully, returning his smile.

"I'll do it all the same," Kid murmured, gaining enough courage by her grin to slide an arm around her waist. "It's a compulsion."

The tone of his voice made her laugh as she gave in totally and draped her arms around his neck and hugged him close. "You're such a fool."

"I know," Kid admitted and buried his face in her hair, "women keep telling me that."

He chuckled when she tilted her head and tried to assess exactly how many 'women' there were in his life that he had not told her about. She noticed him seem flattered by her jealous scrutiny. That made her poke her thumb into his side, just to remind him who she was.

"Oh shut up Kid and let's get some rest. You'll be trying to save Rach in less than eight hours." Freeing herself from his hold she grabbed him and dragged him to her room. Before entering she turned and looked at him. "Can you do it?"

He didn't reply but squeezed her hand slightly, his eyes calm yet oddly void of emotions. And Lou knew Jimmy was right, Kid would do his utmost, but he would not make a promise he couldn't keep. Right at this moment that felt safe.

As Teaspoon's voice rang out at the door he finally woke from the daze and turned to watch the small congregation at the door. Teaspoon looked haggard, too much problems had been laid on the team-leader's shoulders at once. He felt bad that he had to add this to it too. Sam behind him, his face stern. Jimmy, Ike and Buck all followed, filing in, Amanda last in line. Cody gathered they had left Kid, Noah and Lou alone, they had other problems to handle and Emma probably was watching over Rachel.

Silently he redid the whole procedure - the protocol from the meeting. All their names listed, the date of births to come, and those already occurred. The reasons why and the source to their existence. He waited until all of them had read the text on the screen before he changed the frame and let the list with the symbols show.

"What the hell..." Teaspoon grunted but Amanda laid an arm on his to shut him up. Teaspoon threw her a glance but obliged.

Cody changed to the next frame before he started talking. He told them everything he had found out, the facts that were visible on the protocol. That human race was dying out and that HuRec had worked for decades on restoring the habitat and different trials with clones. They had the why and the how. The official secret record of the reasons to the cloning. These facts were hard enough to swallow. But the rest was close to unimaginable, and furthermore there was no answers to the why's or the how's of what he was thinking. Somebody had simply taken upon themselves to pick out people on a list, manipulating everything about them. They had chosen their fate and the individuals had nothing to say about it. It was a crime so immense it seemed that nobody in their right minds would do a thing like that. But obviously somebody had. But how had it even been possible? That document wasn't a HuRec document, it was something totally different. A nameless piece of information that obviously had a bearing on most of them.

When he had finished the tale the silence in the room was so total it seemed to lay itself like a lid over all emotions.

Cody peered at his team members, meeting with Amanda's eyes briefly, recognizing the shock and slowly emerging anger in all of them. He had just gone through it himself.

"Who the hell would do a thing like this?" Teaspoon finally exploded, "you pulling our legs Billy? If you do, I promise it's the last thing you..."

"He's not Spoonie," Amanda replied, "if you think about it you'll realize something must have happened around 279, you know the history. And it wasn't because of better medical techniques like they said. This is it, they started cloning people."

Cody met with his gaze and shook his head in denial, he wished he would be able to take it upon himself, but he couldn't. This was the truth. Nothing but.

"She's right Teaspoon," Sam finally spoke up. "From 280 to 290 nativity is up with something like 500 percent, no medical equipment can do that. I don't know exactly why infertility was so common before but it sure took a turn right about that time. Makes sense don't it? They found fresher genes and took advantage of it. They did what they were told to do, they restored humanity."

"Without tellin' anybody?" Jimmy wheezed, "Cody go back to that first noppo, what does that all mean. What photo were they talking about? Where did they find it? And those names, I mean is that really us- them- I don't get it, who are these people, who are we?"

Cody returned to the first document, the origin of the cloning decision. "I don't know about the photo Jimmy, I can't find it, not even a trace. But the names are all there and the dates of birth. Awfully familiar, don't you think?"

Jimmy stared at the screen, his jaw line tight and the vein at his temple pulsating. "You mean I'm him? I'm that Hickok? The Hickok from the nineteenth century? You're telling me I'm not even me? What the hell ya mean Cody?"

"Jimmy," Cody groaned, "of course you're not him , not really, well in a way you are but in others you ain't. You never shared his history, that makes you your own person but you're him 'coz you got his genes. But that don't make you exactly the same so..."

Jimmy's steely gaze silenced him. Cody looked over to Teaspoon just to find him staring ardently at him too. He suddenly felt guilty for being the bearer of bad news. "I had nothing to do with this," he automatically excused himself.

His silly response launched a pandemonium in the small room. Jimmy kicked the chair before him hard, Teaspoon slammed a fist onto the table, muttering loudly while staring at the noppo. Buck fired a series of questions in his direction. Amanda answered in his place and her answers were all drowned in ulterior questions from the others. Teaspoon reached for Cody's EA and started flicking the frames back and forth, like trying to find something else in the files. Curses and invectives mingled with the questions and the answers.

Suddenly Cody felt like he was actually sitting in a rowdy saloon in a western town in the 1800. Only the pianola was missing.

|Prologue||Chapter 1||Chapter 2||Chapter 3||Chapter 4||Chapter 5||Chapter 6||Chapter 7||Chapter 8||Chapter 9||Chapter 10||Chapter11||Chapter 12||Chapter 13||Chapter 14*||Chapter 15||Chapter 16||Chapter 17||Chapter 18||Chapter 19||Chapter20*||Chapter 21||Chapter 22||Chapter 23||Chapter 24||Chapter 25||Chapter 26||Chapter 27||Chapter 28||Chapter 29||Chapter 30|