They ended up in a silent room and found himself giving in to temptation. His papers on the floor, their clothes are thrown everywhere, and his alarm keeps on ringing, but not even once did they bother to listen to its call.
“Oh. That was fun!” The woman laughed, but he did not.
“It wasn’t. It was warm,” he complimented and blushed when he recoiled in his head what he had just said. “I mean—”
“I get it. No need to explain.” She smiled and stood up.
“Where are you going now?”
“Nowhere. I will just get this.” She raised the envelope with the money he is lending her, to which she has just keep on declining, insisting that she might be looking to have no conscience at all, but she acknowledges guilt.
“I did not bring you here just for the pleasure.”
“Oh? Are you saying that you have just availed my service for free, or are you asking for another trip?” She grinned, though her forehead is creased.
He sat down and shook his head in dismay; looked away from her bareness that she is just flaunting in front of him.
He took a lungful of air and reached for his alarm to turned it off and faced the woman, however, still looking at the other way.
“Are you happy with what you are doing?”
“Should I? As long as this is giving me a decent amount of money I need that doesn’t matter if this makes me happy—”
“That matters. And no, you should not and never be happy with this.”
The moment his eyes landed on hers, it feels like he had just hit the right question to ask. Her smiles faded for a while and her orbs get filled with stirred up emotions.
“Can you get me out of this life then?”
“I can help you, but it is up to you whether to get out of that mess or not.”
Her face lightened up. She went to bed and pushed him back. As she leaned closer and stared at him, they have understood each other without uttering anything.
Eunice’s heartbeat raised when the scene changed, as if she leaped through time and was brought from the past to the latest year; disregarding the things happened in between.
Henry is standing next to a huge cylinder tank made of glass, staring at the name engraved at the bottom.
“I never really thought that that was all your fault,” he whispered. “I have found it too late. I want to get mad at you, but I just can’t. Besides, somehow, I have made your dreams come true. May not be exactly as you have imagined, but your clones made it for you. And the one left made the best out of it. She is a lot like you. I just wished that she will not end up doing the same mistakes. The world might perish if ever that happens.”
‘Program Anne, she is already at her limit,’ Jasper spoke to his superior, but the conditioning bed isn’t responding to his command.
‘We can’t do anything about it. She has found a way to control it.’
‘Are we going to let her die here then?’ Jasper gave up trying.
‘Captain Henry had always known that she will go against his words. He already knows that this will surely happen.’
The two holograms stared at the monitors, indicating that the person inside the capsule is in grave danger.
Anne looked at the woman she has been keeping safe for a long time, hoping for her to get back already, and faced the truth that there are things that she should not be meddling in.
“Anne!” Eunice gasped, banging the glass restraining her to get out.
The program was in relief upon seeing her awaken. And much more when the countdown stopped and the capsule unlocked itself automatically.
Once up, she catches for her breath, as if she was drowned and was out of air for hours. She feels dizzy, but her mind remained conscious; playing everything in her head on repeat.
“He knows it all, Anne.” She turned to the program.
‘Of course, he does.’
“Are you going to erase those memories in my head now?”
‘Should I?’
“Please, don’t. I am afraid that I might end up doing the things that she did if I were to lose these memories.”
Program Anne meet her gaze and observed her for minutes. She then nodded, though looking not persuaded enough.
‘Just always remember that you have a different life, different mind, and different memories. Don’t let theirs ruin yours.’
“I promise.”
—
‘Is it really just fine to let her have their memories, Jasper?’
‘I saw it, Program Anne. She is becoming different. Indeed, she is a special clone.’
Hologram Anne turned to the man behind them. Like them, he is staring at the fleeing Eunice as well. He can feel nothing but excitement for what will happen next.
‘What can you say about it?’
“Let her. She knows what she is doing, and she is very aware of it.”
‘So, what made you stay longer here?’
“To evaluate her progress, of course.” The man turned around after he gets a copy of the woman’s current status.
About to leave, the program called for his name; made him looked back and raised a brow on her.
‘Why not just tell her about you coming here every now and then?’
“She will surely get on our way. Remember the news I have shown you last time? In no time, the Space Administration will certainly send a team to study the newly discovered planet. I have to do everything I can to stop them.”
‘Do you think you are still fit to travel to outer space?’
“Either I am or not, who else would, except for me?”
‘If I will ask you to do something as important as keeping her safe, will you consider not going?’
“I have no other choice, but to listen to your suggestions, believe your judgements, and follow your orders.”
Anne stared at the closed door as the man leaves. The sole one who, despite what happened, he is still dedicating his life doing his beloved sworn job.
‘Aren’t we asking for too much from him?’
‘Program Jasper, this is what we are here for. To ensure Eunice’s safety, and make sure that no one will do the same things again.’
—
She looked back at the island as she reached the shore; was so consumed by thoughts when the device given to her by Henry beeped consecutively.
Eunice read the emails, but was dismayed when she saw that it was just a multiple sent copy of the last update she was informed.
“Come on! What matters is that the four members of your team are confirmed alive.” She comforted to herself.
The thoroughfares are heavily trafficked when she reached the city. And when she is about to go as the streetlight gave a go signal, her eyes shifted from the front to the man walking at the side nearby a store.
He took off his hat and bow a little as soon as their gazes meet. She hardly gulped as she recalled how Randall came to her, and confessed that it was him who has shot Lux and Eula that time.
How can she judge him? The woman is bearing his child’s looks, and having her mom’s memories. That must be really hard for him. Even more, that he had to put her to rest with his own hands.
She took a deep breath as she gets going and him took the other way. She calmed down herself and remembered Program Anne’s words: ‘Just always remember that you have a different life, different mind, and different memories. Don’t let theirs ruin yours.’
Thus, she doesn’t have to carry Euvy’s burdens.
“Hello?” she answered to the unknown number calling; smiling ear to ear, finally, the man has decided to reach her.
[“Have you already understood the results yet?”]
She chuckled as she heard a yelling at the background, calling for the doctor, to which made the latter complained. However, sounded cheerful as his door squeaked.
[“That was Jamie and a few neighbors. You know, we do a little feast here during harvest seasons. So, I am kind of busy these days.”]
Just by hearing the man’s claim, she can already imagine the scene. And that is already enough to put her in peace after what she has gone through earlier.
“Regards to the results, thank you for not giving up on conducting your studies, Doctor Dean.”
[“So, you have understood it at last?!”]
She smiled awkwardly as the image of the man appeared in her mind: impatiently waiting for a positive response.
“Of course! Though, it took me time. Sorry, my bad.”
[“What exactly did you understand? Please, darling, give me not a headache this time.”]
Her grin grew even wider. For her former members, she was the one who seems to be the nicest one to be with. But for this man, she was the main source of his head work back then. Well, she just doesn’t understand men! She thought.
“I have always wanted to be a functioning hundred percent human—it doesn’t matter to me anymore if I am the real, the origin of the life I have, or not. And seeing the results, it is probably the first step to being one. May not lead to a fully developed being, but, at least, I am a bit nearer to it. Right?”
[“I am not saying that it is unlikely to be, but I am not concluding that it is highly possible to happen either. I have not examined everyone, but among the ones I have, you are the only one who has improvement. Eunice, if ever you become a hundred percent human, let us find a way to turn the others to be a real one as well.”]
“That is my plan ever since I have found out about my situation, Dean. You have my yes. We will definitely do that.”
As the call ended, she went straight to the place where everything started. The bar is no longer there. Instead, it is now a coffee shop, and next to it is a vacant space with seats for those who wants to read.
She parked her car and have a look at the place where Euvy had dared herself to take a chance on Henry, hoped for a change—a change that may have indeed done wrongly, but she cannot blame her for thinking that it is the only choice she had.
“Please, give me your most craved ones,” she replied to the man who came to her.
There is no loud music, blinding lights, liquors, cigarettes, and noise. What it has are silence, peace, comfort, and bliss. She looked outside and see a placard hanged on the door across the street saying: ‘CLOSED’.
“Yeah. That part is already closed,” she agreed.
“Here is your coffee, Ma’am!”
“Thank you. Has anyone already told you that you look great today?”
The lad laughed amusedly. “You are actually the first one today, Ma’am. Has anyone yet told you that you look so refreshed?”
“I do?” Her eyes twinkled.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
A new customer came in, made the man take his leave and assisted the person. Eunice looked at her comfort cup and have a smell of its aroma.
‘Well, thanks to that man who fulfilled his promise,’ she talked inwardly.