“Well, that’s a short period considering Mom died not too long ago.” Sheena blew out a breath. “Fine. You’re right. I should meet them. If they’ve got you so confused, then I see no other choice.”
Bri smiled and leaned back in her chair. “If you want to test their DNA, just ask. They’ll probably go along with it just to put you at ease. But expect a lot of questions. They’re rather innocent about the world at the moment. Guess that was something else that didn’t get done correctly when they were cooking.”
Sheena rolled her eyes. “Cooking? That’s what Nate said earlier. You know I hate that analogy. Sometimes you’re just as naïve as you look, Bri. How did you ever survive as an agent?”
Bri chuckled and shrugged. “I ask myself that all the time. Being on the run kept me busy enough not to think about the fact that we were losing Mom and Dad every day.”
Sheena nodded. “I know. I’ve often wished they’d had us when they were younger. I never understood why they waited until the end of their lives. Mom would never really discuss the matter with me.”
“Me neither.”
Sheena sighed and closed her eyes. “All this trauma has made me tired. I think I need a nap before I meet anyone new.”
Bri drank until she found the bottom of her mug. She did feel better. “Okay. What are we supposed to do with your walking vibrators? Are you going to share the secret code to run the good stuff?” She inclined her head until it pointed at the wall.
Sheena laughed and closed her eyes. “Stop joking. They’re not programmed for anything sexual. I can’t believe I forgot about my special boys.”
“Are they really robots? They seem pretty lifelike.”
“Not robots… androids,” Sheena said softly. “They’re far more intelligent than robots. And they’ll be fine standing there. They can take turns shutting down and recharging while I nap.”
Bri nodded. “Okay. I’m going to head back to Erin. Angus is with the aliens. We’ll be back in a few hours.”
She smiled when her sister nodded and gathered her bags. She waited to leave until her sister had gone into the spare bedroom. Now she’d be able to torment Darcone into telling her why he’d kissed her. She opened the door and there stood a handsome giant with chocolate eyes and silky brown hair sweeping low over one eye.
“Berg is here.”
Damn the cowardly, pointed-ear bastard for running away. It was all Bri could do to be nice to the pleasant guard.
“Hi Berg. I need to go back to Erin.”
Nodding, the very polite giant walked silently beside her.
Chapter Two
Since Brianna’s quarters had limited space, Sheena sent the SDDs to the docking bay for the night. Even with the four giant male protection units now gone, the space was still too small for the four rather large people currently attempting to share it.
Sheena put a hand to her knotted up stomach and rubbed. Bri had predicted her reaction correctly. Seeing the copies of their parents unnerved her. If this was a nightmare, she wished she could wake up from it. She inwardly cringed when Brianna pointed to her for the introduction.
“This is my sister, Dr. Sheena McNamara.”
“Hello,” Sheena said formally, trying not to stare at them. Brianna had been right about their appearance. They were a perfect match for the picture her mother had put on the shelf in her sitting room at the castle.
“Goddess, I’m being rude, but I can’t help staring at ya.” Erin walked closer to the woman Brianna had brought to meet them. She held up a hand when she halted. “It’s just that ya look so much like me. It’s a bit more than my brain can handle believing, even though my eyes know it for truth.”
Angus walked up closer too. He looked at Sheena, then at Erin. His gaze went back and forth several times. “I can still tell the difference. It’s not all that hard. Ya could definitely pass for sisters though.”
“Or mother and daughter,” Erin said, revealing the twist her mind had taken. If she and Angus had ever conceived a child together, the girl might have looked just like Sheena McNamara.
Angus smacked her arm lightly and brought her back to reality. “Told ya Bri was a real McNamara. Looks like Sheena is an O’Shea. I knew the girls weren’t adopted. Nate’s lost his fecking mind.”
Erin snorted. “Go on with ya. This is not a fecking joke, Angus. These women came from our other selves. Doesn’t it make yer head spin?”
Sheena turned to look at Brianna who wickedly grinned and mouthed “See?” as she lifted a hand. Finally, she turned her gaze back to Angus and Erin. She needed to take control of this strange situation.
“Could we talk about something?” Sheena asked.
“Sure, lass. Let’s all sit,” Angus suggested.
She was a bit alarmed when they immediately headed to the sofa to sit next to each other. As Brianna had said, it was like looking at a younger version of their parents—a version neither of them had known except through pictures.
Sheena exchanged a glance with her sister. Long ago, their parents had asked them to keep their birth stories private. When she’d met and married Nate in medical school, she’d told him the story her parents had insisted she tell everyone about her being a normal surrogate birth.
Bri’s creation over forty years later had allowed her to be part of the intricate process, at least in the sense of studying it at the time. The story they told about their births was the truth from a certain perspective, but she and Bri had always known they were more biologically McNamaras than the world would ever know. Her father had been more a genius than she could ever hope to be.
Sheena cleared her throat. “First, I will just ask my burning question. Are you two clones of my parents?”
“No,” Angus said, frowning. “We aren’t clones—at least not from what we read about clones in the tablet Toorg gave Erin. Isn’t the making of clones illegal here?”
Sheena nodded. “Yes. But it’s still done. Can I test you to make sure you’re not clones?”
“Will it hurt?” Erin asked.
Sheena shook her head. “No. I can do it with a mouth swab.”
At their blank looks, her gaze went to Bri who was looking concerned over their discomfort. She looked back at the couple. “A mouth swab is where I brush the inside of your jaw with a wad of cotton on a stick. The saliva and other material on the cotton will provide me with enough of a DNA sample to check if you’re clones.”
“And this test is important to you?” Angus asked.
Sheena paused, and then nodded. “Yes. If Nate has cloned our parents, Bri and I have a right to know.”
Angus looked down when Erin reached over and put a hand on his knee. He finally brought his gaze to Erin’s face. “What do ya think about doing this?” he asked.
Erin gave a half shrug. “Sheena is a scientist. I suppose it’s her nature to be looking for such answers.”
Angus nodded. “Okay. But I still think it’s a waste of time.”
“Why do you say that?” Sheena asked.
Angus shrugged. “What does yer gut tell ya about us, Sheena?”
“My gut?”
“He means your instincts, Sheena… your feelings,” Bri explained with a grin.
Sheena shook her head. “I don’t trust those any more, but I trust my mind. It says I need to test you so I can figure out what you are.”
When Angus sighed, he sounded so much like her father that Sheena found herself staring again. She swallowed hard as she waited for his answer.
“Yer test won’t tell ya the important stuff, but do what ya must,” Angus finally said.
Sheena disappeared into her room and moments later returned with her medical satchel. She dug around in the bag until she pulled out two swabbing kits. She had to give them credit for voluntarily going along with her.
Dropping each swab stick into a separate processing solution, she gave them both her full polite attention again. In fifteen minutes, she would have enough to know if they were clones. Giv
e her two weeks and some blood, and she could know everything about them.
“Thank you,” Sheena said. “Bri tells me you’re continuing the work our parents were doing.”
“If you mean the fecking alien matchmaking, yes that’s what we’re doing,” Erin said tightly. She nodded towards Brianna. “Yer sister is the next woman on our list.”
Sheena turned to glare. “You didn’t tell me that. Why did you come up so soon? How long have you been here?”
Bri crossed her arms. “Not long. Someone is obviously pushing me through the channels faster. And I’m here because this is my decision… which I did tell you, Sheena.”
Erin waved a hand between the sisters. “Are ya saying Bri has other options?”
Sheena turned back to Erin. “Yes,” she said tightly. “Bri has other options. She’s just too hard-headed to consider them.”
Angus chuckled and rose. “Before the three of ya gang up on me and start taking the McNamara name in vain, I’m getting us all some ale. Perhaps it will help lighten the mood.”
Sheena watched Angus leave. The resemblance to her father was uncanny. No clone could possibly have been created with so many subtle personality quirks.
“Told you,” Bri said solemnly, watching Sheena’s face as Angus disappeared into the kitchen.
Sheena turned back to her sister and made a growling sound under her breath. Erin snickered and broke her glaring contest with Bri. When she turned in the woman’s direction, Erin waved a hand at the two vials on the table.
“Ya can test whatever ya want, Dr. McNamara, but yar still going to come up as family… no matter how bad ya might be wishing not to be. Yer sister spouts some theory that gives her peace about it.”
“High Science,” Bri interjected, grinning at Sheena who was frowning at Erin. “Familial DNA. You remember, Sheena… from medical school. I know it’s been a while.” The glare her sister gave her had her grin widening across her entire face.
Erin nodded. “Yes. That’s the one. It’s sounds so educated. Explain it to yer sister so she can stop glaring at us. Bri.”
“I’m not glaring,” Sheena denied.
“Yes, ya are,” Bri argued, mocking Angus and Erin’s accent perfectly, which earned a giggle from Erin.
Angus came back to find two gigglers and Sheena frowning hard. He handed her a glass of ale first. “Don’t let them mess with ya, lass. I’m still in shock too, but there’s so fecking much strange shit here that Erin and I are starting to become immune.”
Sheena lifted the glass, sniffed it, and took a swallow. “Alien ale,” she said on a sigh. “I’d forgotten how good it tasted. What do they put in it?”
“Best ya don’t ask,” Angus said. He lifted his glass. “Just enjoy. Let’s drink to…”
“Familial DNA,” Bri interjected brightly.
Angus laughed. “I was going to say getting to know each other better, but if ya must drink to those words, so be it.” He lifted his glass and took a swallow. “Now that’s refreshing.”
Sheena chuckled and they all looked at her. “What? Can’t I laugh too?” Her gaze went to the table. “Look at that. Either my results are off or you’re not any kind of clone my test can identify.”
“Or you could just simply be wrong about them, Dr. McNamara. Don’t forget that option,” Bri said, hiding her smile behind her hand.
“Shut up, Brianna. I did not make a mistake.” Sheena started to drink and saw her glass was empty. She looked at Angus. “Did you fill my glass as full as the others?”
Erin covered her mouth to stifle a laugh as Angus fought to keep a straight face. He sipped his ale slowly, eyeing Sheena over his glass. “Are ya accusing me of something, lass? Or just asking for another in a less than charming way? I can’t tell.”
Sheena listened to her sister laughing at her rudeness. When she looked at Bri, really looked at her, she was startled to see her sister looking so relaxed and happy. Her troubled and always in trouble sister hadn’t been happy since she’d been twenty for real.
Whatever these two people were, they somehow made Bri happy. How could she begrudge her sister such a reprieve? She was tired of feeling like shit herself, and more tired of all the disappointments of her life. Tomorrow she’d get to the bottom of this clone mystery, but tonight watching Bri be happy seemed like the best idea all around.
Deciding to be a good sport, Sheena held out her glass. “I’m sorry, Angus. I must have been thirstier than I thought. Can I have another please?”
Angus rose. “Of course, Sheena my love. I’ll fetch it for ya right away.”
Erin and Bri’s giggling wrangled a reluctant laugh out of her. “You can both shut the hell up. It’s not that funny. I was thirsty and I like ale. There it is… you got me to admit it. I like alien ale. Are you happy now?”
Angus grinned over the laughing as he slid a full to the brim glass into Sheena’s hand. “Don’t worry, lass. They’ll remember none of their mischief in the morning. These two get like this after a couple sips.”
Sheena snorted. “Really? I haven’t even gotten a buzz yet, but it’s a refreshing drink despite that.”
Angus grinned wider. “Well, ya might look like an O’Shea, but I can see ya at least inherited a little something from the McNamara bloodline. Ya got the better part, if ya ask me.”
Sheena laughed and looked into her glass. It was already half-empty. Smiling, she tipped it to where Angus could see. “How many of these will it take to turn me into them?” she asked, motioning with her head to Erin and Bri who were laughing at nothing except the looks on each other’s faces.
Angus shrugged. “I don’t know, but it would probably do ya a world of good to find out.”
Sheena leaned back. “If you’re not a clone of my father, what are you?”
Angus grinned. “You best ask Nate that question.”
“If he bothered to answer at all, he would only lie to me. Nate’s an ass,” Sheena said, sipping her ale.
“Agreed, but ya should still take yer questions about us to him. If I told ya my version, ya wouldn’t believe me anyway. I don’t have the proper terms to explain it to someone as educated as ya are, especially when ya are so doubtful of yer instincts.”
“I don’t doubt myself,” Sheena denied.
Angus set his glass on the table. He’d not even finished half of his first one yet. He met Sheena’s direct gaze.
“Yer eyes find what they look to see, not what’s really there. Erin and I… well, we’re not yer parents, but yer parents knew about us. I can’t explain why they never told ya or Bri what was happening, or going to happen, after they were gone. The only reason I can figure is that the two of ya both seem to shut real life out as often as ya can. I well know what that’s like because I did it myself for nine years after I lost my Mary.”
Sheena lifted her glass. “Oh yes. Your dead wife. Bri told me. You know that’s really just a planted memory, Angus. They can do that to clones in vitro now. When a clone wakes up… BAM… they have a whole life they remember. It lasts for the entire year or two they live. You see that’s the problem with clones, they die very quickly. You may die soon.”
Angus pointed at the vials on the table. “Thought ya just said we weren’t clones, Dr. McNamara.”
Sheena frowned. “Maybe you’re a new type of clone that my saliva test doesn’t cover. Maybe Nate has come up with something new to replicate people. Bastard was just as good at genetics as I was, but all he ever wanted was this fucking airship. Well, he finally got her, but she didn’t make him very happy after all, now did she? Did you know he’s been married five fucking times?”
Angus nodded. “Yes. He confessed as much to Erin. I believe he was trying to woo her when he shared the story. Here. Instant refill.”
“Woo her?” Sheena asked, frowning down into her empty cup. Nate hit on Erin? A woman who looked like her? Angus handed her the rest of Erin’s drink. Barely two sips were missing. It made her laugh. “Thank you… I guess.”
&
nbsp; Angus nodded again. “My pleasure. Now as I was saying… I believe Nate was trying to win Erin away from me when he told her. If my Erin’s heart wasn’t so true, he might even have succeeded. Ya see… I well know I’m a bigger arse than yer Nate ever thought about being. But Erin and I? We’re not done with each other yet. In fact, we’re just getting started. It’s God’s truth that I can’t imagine what it would be like here without her.”
Sheena shook her head. “Your memories and experiences are fascinating. They’re as rich as any organic human’s. Multi-faceted even. I see what Bri means by your accents. How did that happen to both of you? It’s all fascinating. Just fascinating.”
Angus snorted at her rambling. “Are you feeling okay, lass?”
Sheena nodded and waved a hand. “I’m fine. Better than ever. My mind just doesn’t stop. I really wish I had someone to discuss this with who was involved with how you got here.”
Angus reached over and grabbed a giggling Brianna’s still nearly full glass. “I can help ya with that, but yer going to need a lot more ale first. Here. Drink yer sister’s. She’s over her quota already.”
Laughing, Sheena glanced at her sister’s ale. Tipping her head, she finished off Erin’s and handed the empty glass back to Angus who slid the empty in front of Erin then touched her arm.
“Do ya want some more ale, Erin?”
Erin peered into her glass and saw it was empty. “No. One’s my limit, Angus. Ya know what happens when I have two.”
“Some fancy water with bubbles then?” Angus asked.
“That would be lovely,” Erin answered.
Winking at a now snickering Sheena, Angus rose. Sheena caught his arm before he got passed the sofa.
“Bring Bri some water too, Angus. She’s full of nanos and they need to be flushed out.”
“Nanos? What kind of sickness is that?”
Sheena giggled at his worry. They really were innocent. Who didn’t have at least some understanding of modern technology and science? Their programmer must have been following some very specific orders to create them in this condition. She waved his worry away with her free hand.
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