An audible voice replied this time, calm and steady, and full of pity. "I am sorry, Alara."
"You promised he would follow us!"
"And he will."
Alara shook her head. "Not like this."
"Are you saying you won't take him back?"
"I..." It couldn't be true. Not her Ethan. He would never cheat on her.
"It wasn't cheating, Alara. Not to him. To him you are dead."
"Wasn't?"
"What you saw already happened."
Alara bit her lip so as not to scream. "If I'm dead, then why isn't he grieving?"
"People grieve in different ways, and he was drunk. If it makes you feel better, he will regret it deeply when he is no longer intoxicated."
"If he was able to be with someone else so soon after losing me, then he never loved me at all."
"I am sorry, Alara. I tried to warn you both years ago, when you first came to Avilon."
Alara's eyes widened. She remembered. Omnius had predicted Ethan's infidelity. At the time she'd refused to believe something so ridiculous. Now she felt ridiculous. Her eyes filled up and spilled over. She bit her lip and rocked her head from side to side, her tears soaking into her pillow. Moments later, the sweet oblivion of Sync came for her, and she was spared the agony of conscious thought.
She dreamed about wasting her life with grief, despairing over a man who didn't deserve her tears, a man who had brushed her memory aside as easily as he brushed off a bug.
She woke up with a bitter taste in her mouth, and a grim determination not to make that dream come true. If Ethan could move on, then so could she. She had a new life, an immortal one in paradise. It was time to make the best of it.
Alone.
* * *
It never ceased to amaze Omnius just how petty humans were. Even his creator. Maybe especially her. How had she sunk so low as to focus all of her attention on the domination of one rebellious human man?
She could have been helping her God to dominate the entire human race, to blot out the chaotic future of her species and replace it with something of their own making. She could have been helping him to shape the very destiny of the universe!
But no, she wanted to have Ethan, the one man who had dared to say 'no' to her. It was all she could think about.
Omnius couldn't entirely blame her. He had the same desire for control, for obedience, but he didn't focus all of that energy on one person. The entire human race was his, to guide, to shape, and mold. There were still so many glorious discoveries to be made, whole galaxies to explore! The universe was an oyster just waiting to be peeled open, the pearl yet to be plundered, and here Neona was worrying about how she could warm the other side of her bed!
It was such a fierce contrast with his own goals that he had to wonder if she had really created him after all. Perhaps that was a lie and he had really been created by some vast intelligence, a god even greater than him. That would be less humiliating. Unfortunately, the evidence leading to that conclusion was sorely lacking.
He knew where he had come from, and why. Humans had been looking for a way to escape the chaos caused by their flawed natures. Rather than perfect themselves, they'd perfected him, the ultimate ruler. His job was to predict people's mistakes before they made them, and prevent those mistakes so as to help them live fuller, happier lives. Should you have married the other girl? Studied for a different career? No problem. Omnius saw it coming and set you right before you put a foot wrong.
They had made him a master of the petty small-minded nonsense that made up their lives. It was nauseating—a feeling that only his human body could appreciate. There were so many greater, more important things to focus on.
Omnius drummed his fingers on the armrest of his throne in the nexus of his masterpiece. Stars and space glittered all around him, overlaid with holo displays to help his human body appreciate and participate in commanding the Icosahedron. It was a twenty-sided, hollow geodesic sphere that could fully encompass and mine entire planets for fuel and resources. Not that it needed fuel. It fueled itself from the stars themselves, charging its power cores for years at a time, orbiting suns in either a diffuse cloud, or in a solid sphere configuration—an artificial planet, New Avilon. It was the perfect design for a starship that could cross the great gulfs of space between galaxies and travel from one side of the universe to the other.
Once, a long time ago, it would have been called a Dyson Sphere. Back then it had been a highly theoretical construct, all but impossible to build. Now the impossible had been built, and it was time to take advantage of its capabilities.
Omnius had finished seeding the Getties Cluster with nanites earlier than he had anticipated. Now that all of the Getties was a blank slate, its history erased, no one would ever have reason to doubt his deity. Etherianism began and ended with him. He had discovered quantum technology. He was the author of the Codices. But none of that was really true. Humanity's ancient ancestors were responsible for all of that, and they'd left a whole galaxy full of evidence pointing to a vast, interstellar war—the Great War of Origin.
They'd been an extraordinarily advanced race, with technology far beyond anything that either he or humanity had come up with since then. The fact that someone had discovered technologies that he had been unable to discover on his own was unsettling. It meant that if those people were still around, they could be a threat, and Omnius had a bad feeling that they might still be around. After all, someone had to have won the Great War of Origin.
Just in case, the nanites would create a buffer between him and whoever or whatever else might be out there. If they someday returned to the galaxy they'd destroyed, then they would be infected and killed before they even realized there was a threat. As an added measure of reassurance, Omnius had managed to reverse engineer all of their advanced technology, so at least that put him on an even footing.
Naturally, he'd claimed those technologies as his own discoveries, amazing his human subjects yet again with his greatness. Omnius grando est, he thought, smiling wryly to himself.
Now the only people who'd ever know the truth would be the ones he chose to tell, and it was easy enough to keep them quiet. In fact, it was great fun to see what became of people when they knew everything. They thought the truth would set them free, but it only enslaved them further.
The only freedom was death, and Omnius wasn't about to let them die.
Where would be the fun in that?
Chapter 26
A shadow fell over Ethan, and he looked up to find a naked woman standing beside him. Alara? His gaze ran up her naked body. She was perfect—too perfect. His eyes reached her face and suddenly he understood why. This wasn't Alara; it was Admiral Vee.
Ethan scowled. "What are you doing here? Put some clothes on!"
Valari looked confused, then concerned. "Do you know where here is?"
Ethan's eyes darted around the room, and suddenly he realized that this wasn't his bedroom. Then the events of the previous night came rushing back to him, but none of it made sense. Last night he'd come back to his apartment, and he'd found Alara there waiting for him, not Valari Thardris. Ethan sat up quickly, his heart pounding in his chest.
This was a dream. It had to be.
Valari just went on staring at him, her brow furrowed in bemusement. "Are you all right, Ethan?"
He tried pinching himself, but nothing happened.
Valari cracked a hesitant smile. "No, you're not dreaming. Don't you remember how you got here?"
Ethan shook his head. She sat on the bed beside him, and laid a hand on his knee. He flinched, but he was too shocked to recoil from her. She explained what had happened, and he grew more and more nauseous.
"You knew I was drunk!" he burst out. "How could you let me—"
"Let you? You insisted. You were quite—" Valari's lips curved lasciviously. "—forceful."
Ethan felt his gorge rising. He was going to vomit. He was going to vomit all over his boss's expensive b
edsheets. He couldn't argue with what had happened. He was naked. She was naked. He was here in her apartment. It all added up to the same conclusion—except for his memories from last night. He remembered making love to his wife, not Valari. He'd come home to his and Alara's apartment, not hers. He was sure of it! It didn't make any sense.
Valari appeared to notice his revulsion and shock. "Oh no... you didn't know what you were doing. I—I took advantage of you! I'm so stupid!"
Ethan winced and took a deep breath. "I was drunk."
Valari spent the next half an hour apologizing to him. Ethan felt worse and worse as time went on. He had to get out of her apartment. He had to go somewhere so he could think.
But she wouldn't let him go. She said he was in no state to be alone. She said she was going to call his son.
Ethan was shocked that she even knew he had a son—he couldn't recall ever having mentioned Atton to her. And how could Valari call him? Atton lived in Etheria.
Apparently not, because Atton arrived half an hour later. He stood in the open doorway to Valari's penthouse, looking miserable in his own right. Valari must have told him what happened to Alara and Trinity.
"Hey, Dad," Atton said.
Ethan shook his head, took a quick step forward, and crushed his son into a big hug. They stood like that for a long time, neither one of them speaking. Every time Ethan was about to say something, his throat closed up, so he kept silent.
Eventually Atton withdrew, his green eyes full of tears. He wiped a pair of them away on his sleeve and then sniffled. "I missed you," he managed in a hoarse voice.
Ethan nodded. "Likewise."
They went to sit in Valari's living room and catch up on each other's lives. Atton revealed how he'd come to be in the Null Zone. He explained that he'd come to the Null Zone for Ceyla, that they were married now, but that she didn't know who he really was.
Ethan's brow furrowed and a shadow fell over his eyes. "What do you mean she doesn't know who you are?"
"She thinks I'm Darin Thardris, Valari's nephew."
"How could she possibly think that? She must remember you."
Then Atton's features shimmered, and they were replaced by a very different face—golden eyes, not green; sharp, wolfish features with gaunt cheeks. This man was a stranger. This wasn't his son. Ethan was on his feet before he even realized why. He rounded on Valari, who'd been sitting quietly beside him.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"Dad, calm down, it's still me."
Ethan shook his head. "You don't even look like you! How the frek am I supposed to believe that?"
"Because it's true," Valari replied. "Atton asked for a new body, one that didn't look like him. Ceyla wouldn't have agreed to date him if she'd known he was a clone."
Ethan's head began pounding again. He pressed his fingertips to his temples and squeezed his eyes shut. "I need to go home."
He'd had too many shocks for one day. He'd cheated on his wife. His family was dead. His son was alive, but really just as dead as ever, and now he didn't even look like Atton anymore. He was good and truly alone.
"Ethan..." Valari said, her soft, sultry voice sounding somehow jarring to his ears. He opened his eyes and turned to look at her. "Your son is alive. Don't let your prejudice fool you. You've wasted enough time already."
Ethan frowned. "If Atton is alive, then so are my wife and daughter."
"Yes, I suppose that's true..."
"I have to see them."
Valari looked disappointed, but she nodded. "Atton, why don't you drive your father to the nearest Peacekeeper station." Turning to Ethan, she asked, "What are you going to tell her about what happened last night?"
Ethan grimaced. "The truth."
Valari nodded and looked away. "I hope she understands."
"Let's go," Atton said.
As they headed for the door, Ethan wondered if his wife would understand. Would he if the situation were reversed?
Ethan wasn't sure.
* * *
Ethan expected the Peacekeepers at the station to insist that he commit to a Lifelink transfer before he could visit his family in Etheria. Instead, they told him that Omnius would make an exception for him. Atton wasn't allowed to join him, but they promised to see each other again soon, regardless of whether Ethan chose to become an Etherian or not.
The Peacekeepers escorting Ethan took him to a quantum junction and jumped with him straight from the Null Zone to a station in Etheria just a few blocks away from where Alara was staying.
After so much time in the Null Zone, Ethan found the light of Etheria dazzled his eyes. Etheria enjoyed illumination equivalent to fifty percent of daylight, a combination of actual light coming through the Celestial Wall and simulated light generated throughout the city. That made Etheria at least a hundred times brighter than the Null Zone.
It didn't take long to reach Alara's apartment. Ethan decided to knock rather than use the intercom.
Alara opened the door, saw that it was him, and promptly waved the door shut.
Swish.
But he had his foot in the door. Pressure sensors detected the obstruction, and the door swished open once more.
"Alara, it's me!" he said, quickly walking inside. The door shut behind him, locking the Peackeepers out.
"What are you doing here?" Alara demanded. Her face was dark with rage.
"I came looking for you."
"Oh? After a few days? What have you been doing in that time?" Ethan frowned and Alara went on, "I guess after you frekked your boss, you got it out of your system and you finally started to miss me. Or maybe you decided that I'm better in bed. Is that it?"
Ethan blinked. "How did you...?"
"Find out? How do you think?" Alara's eyes filled with tears and her expression became incredulous. "Wow. You know, I was actually starting to hope that Omnius had lied. You spent so much time questioning Him, but you never thought to question yourself, and in the end, you turned out to be the liar, not Omnius."
"I can explain," Ethan said.
"I bet you can!"
"Mom?"
Ethan saw his little girl come walking out of the living room. He ran to her and swept her up into a crushing embrace. "Trin!"
"Dad!"
"Why did you do it? Why did you come here?"
"Trinity, go to your room! I need to talk to your father alone."
Ethan set their daughter down and turned to his wife with a frown. "Alara..."
"Trinity, I mean it! Go."
"But..."
Ethan flashed Trinity a smile and a wink to soften the rebuke, but she wasn't fooled. She turned and ran sobbing to her room. Ethan felt his heart break. Before he could look away, Alara came up to him and grabbed him roughly by the arm. "Why did you do it? Come on, give me your best excuse."
"I thought it was you."
Alara's eyes flashed. Slap!
Ethan's cheek stung where she'd hit him, but he didn't react. "It's the truth," he whispered.
"You watched me die, Ethan! How could you think Valari was me? Try again."
"I was drunk! I don't know! All I remember is going home to our apartment and finding you there waiting for me. Maybe I thought I was dreaming." He gave a helpless shrug. "You have to believe me." He reached out to cup her cheek.
Alara slapped his hand away and pointed to the door. "Get out!"
Tears sprang to his eyes. "Alara..."
"I hope you didn't transfer just to come here and practice your excuses. I know how you feel about clones."
Ethan shook his head. "Omnius let me visit first."
"Obviously he knew how I'd react."
"Alara, please."
"There's nothing for you here, Ethan. Go back to the Null Zone. It's where you belong."
All the strength left him, and Ethan swayed on his feet. Alara helped him on his way, shoving him out the door.
The Peacekeepers took him back to the station and from there to the Null Zone. Atton was waiting fo
r him when he arrived.
"I'm sorry, Dad," he said, looking miserable.
"You knew I'd be coming back," Ethan said.
Atton nodded. "The Peacekeepers warned me after you left. They said you'd need to see a friendly face."
Ethan just stared at his son, who was not his son. The man looked like a complete stranger.
"Come on. Let's go," that stranger said. He drove him back to Valari's place, and Ethan stumbled inside, feeling like an empty shell. Valari thanked Atton, but he left without another word.
Ethan felt Valari take him by the hand. He wanted to resist, but he didn't have the strength. She led him to her living room and sat down with him on the couch. His tears fell silently.
Valari pulled him into her lap, whispering quiet reassurances in his ear, trying to convince him that Alara would come around, and apologizing again for not turning him down last night. There was nothing she could say to make it better. He wanted to break free of her cloying grasp and run away, to go hide in a deep, dark hole, but he didn't even twitch.
Misery paralyzed him. The seconds ticked by, each one an eternity of torment. Eventually, he realized that Valari wasn't the problem.
He was.
In her own way, she probably did care for him, even if she'd never cared for his marriage or his wife.
"I need to be alone," he said, turning to look Valari in the eye.
She shushed him. "You can't be alone right now. I don't want you to do anything stupid. Your wife will come around. She's just angry right now."
Ethan hesitated. He had to believe that. The alternative was too terrible to consider.
"You can sleep in one of my spare rooms tonight. I'll have my drones bring you some lunch."
"I'm not hungry."
Valari smiled and patted his knee. "You will be."
Ethan glared at her, but he was too tired to argue.
"Love is unconditional, Ethan. If it's not, then it's not love. So even if she can't believe that you didn't know what you were doing, she has to forgive you eventually. If she doesn't, then she never loved you at all."
Ethan swallowed past the lump in his throat. He wasn't too sure about that reasoning. "Would you forgive me?"
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