by S J Taylor
Our new friends would all help, too. Some of them would go off their own way, but I felt confident most of the clones would stay with us. At least, until they found their place in the world. If anyone ever doubted the images they had seen on that broadcast, then seeing a group of girls all with the same face would probably be enough to convince them.
I knew Jadran was telling the truth. The broadcast had gone out to every corner of the world. Even though I knew that the only people still capable of seeing a Restored Society subchannel vid broadcast were almost exclusively the people living on the Colonies, it still meant the truth was out there. Let’s see the Restored Society keep their control now. Let’s see them stop the disease of curiosity now.
It would spread from Colony to Colony, until everyone knew the truth. The Restored Society had broken the Earth. They could not be allowed to stitch it back together again however they saw fit.
I’d won my battle.
“So you tell me,” one of the clones asked me, folding her long legs down to sit in front of me and Jadran. “What happens next?”
Her green eyes held a challenge for me, but there was something else. I looked into her face, and I saw my own. It looked older than I expected. Had I grown up that much so quickly? Yes. I guess I had. I wasn’t the same girl that had been raised in Colony 41. I’d changed, and in the process, I’d changed the whole world.
The clone arched an eyebrow at me. “Well? What’s next?”
“Now,” I told her, “we figure it out. We do what we can to take care of each other. We… Hellfire, I don’t know. We figure it out.”
The clone’s lips twitched in that little sarcastic smile that I wore so often on my own face. “I like that,” she told me. “You’re so certain of yourself, but uncertain, all at the same time. It makes you sound… real.”
“I’m just doing the best I can,” I told her.
“That,” Jadran said, “is the best anyone can do.”
“Because that’s life,” the clone and I added at the same time.
She smirked at me again, and then moved off to talk to the others, to tell them my brilliant strategy of figuring things out as we went.
Life was certainly going to be strange from now on. It was going to take a lot of getting used to. And, maybe I didn’t know what came next. That was all right. Life would happen, and we would deal with it.
Jadran snuggled into me at that exact moment as if he could read my thoughts.
We would figure it out. Together.
Era’s Journal, Entry #3180
The end.
For now.
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About the Author
S.J. Taylor (Steven James) is a dedicated, 40-something Science Fiction Author who was born and currently resides in the beautiful Adelaide (also known as South Australia’s cosmopolitan coastal capital).
Passionate about all-things creativity, S.J. Taylor also delves in the art of photography. He is the proud owner of a brand new go pro hero 4 camera and even has a harness for his wonderful dog, Jack (Jackson when he’s being mischievous), so he can join in on the fun. Additionally, S.J. Taylor has an avid interest in technology (drones in particular).
When he isn’t writing or taking pictures, S.J. Taylor likes to immerse himself in books and movies—sci fi, thriller, and mystery being his all-time favourite genres. He also is an Italian food and occasional champagne aficionado and plans to travel to the United Kingdom, France, and Italy someday.
One of S.J. Taylor’s favourite early morning activities is taking long, meditative walks along the South Australian shoreline with his best friend in German Shepard form.
To find out more, visit his official website: http://www.stevenjtaylor.com. Also be sure to follow him on Facebook for updates: https://www.facebook.com/sjtaylorauthor