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There is Another by Chris Reebe
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There is Another (Chapter 1)
Date: 4 July 2002, 3:53 pm
"Rock, paper, scissors, says...shoot...Oh, man! Your turn to win...but you know what this means John, I win next game" said Chris, disappointed that the game wasn't set up in his favor this time.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go takeover the hill!" was John's only reply. He loved to win and was thrilled that he and his best friend had made the deal. Since they both knew they were the best, they would take turns winning games against their less fortunate friends.
They both began climbing the hill, Chris leading. He would clear the way for John and once at the top they acted to struggle. Since John had won the 'rock, paper, scissors' game earlier, Chris fell from the hill giving the impression that John was the best. No other kid seemed to realize that John and Chris were the only two to win any game.
"Can I speak with you please?" asked an unfamiliar woman. Normally, Chris would have went too; John and Chris were inseparable; but this time Chris saw this as his chance to take the hill... and on John's turn to win, too! This means he can win twice in a row now!
"Have fun, John" Chris said, with a wide grin on his face.
"This is your turn...I win next" said John, knowing exactly what Chris had on his mind.
Suddenly, the grin faded and Chris nodded, feeling foolish for thinking John would allow two consecutive victories in King of the Hill.
Chris shrugged off the minor disappointment as he saw another kid dive at him.
He sidestepped just as he was about to be hit, sending the kid over the top of the hill and on his way back down the other end. Chris grabbed his ankles to prevent his friend from rolling down the hill and immediately turned his attention back to the game.
There were no immediate threats to him on the hill so he glanced over to John and the woman. He saw a coin flip and John pick it out of the air. He heard John say, "I always win". Chris then yelled "Not always!" with a smile on his face.
The woman turned to her partner and pointed to Chris. A moment later, she smiled and sent John on his way.
As soon as Chris saw his best friend start walking back, he immediately rolled down the hill. He reached the bottom and popped up to his feet. He would much rather hear what was going on than play a silly game that hew could win anytime.
"What was that all about?" asked Chris, eager to know.
"Look at this" John said, showing the shiny coin, a smile on his face the whole time.
"Cool! She gave you that?"
"Yeah. She seemed nice" John answered, flipping the silver quarter in his hand.
"But what did she say?" asked Chris, showing his interest in his friend rather than the coin.
"Nothing" John answered. Let's go."
"You sure? I saw she had a data pad. Something's up."
"Don't worry about it" John said, reassuringly. If anything happens, you know you would be the first to know.
A whistle sounded, interrupting their conversation. The two boys ran towards their school for the rest of their lessons.
The school was small. One floor, white, weathered bricks, and a sign above the front double doors read 'Learning Grounds 8/66'. Perhaps, the school wasn't so small after all...
They took a shortcut to the school. A few hops and they were over the five-meter tall hill. It was a hot and humid day. Sweat could be seen dripping off of their faces as the two raced each other. The two boys were close in speed but Chris always won. It could have been because of his size. Chris stood one and a half meters tall and weighed seventy-five pounds. He had blue eyes and dirty blonde hair, showing signs of turning to complete brown. He had his hair in spikes, but not the usual style of spikes. Perhaps his most unique feature was his hair. It seemed as if his hair was alive, growing wildly in different directions while staying in the spike form.
His strides were longer than John's. John never complained, though. He was the type of kid who always thought of something. Sometimes he would tackle Chris on the way up the hill and use the extra time to take the lead, but today he was too hot to fool around like that.
A normal school day after recess consisted of flight training, math, and science. Since Earth's colonies have been on the brink of civil war recently, each colony tried their best to train worthy pilots at early ages.
There is Another (Chapter 2)
Date: 6 July 2002, 7:16 am
A normal school day after recess consisted of flight training, math, and science. Since Earth's colonies have been on the brink of civil war recently, each colony tried their best to train worthy pilots at early ages.
John had always hated flight class. He enjoyed recess the most. Not just because he wasn't overcrowded by schoolwork, and studies but also because he had a chance to run around and act on his feet. Not a day went by when John didn't join in on a game of King of the Hill or Man Hunt; depending on what he decided to play that day. He never had to worry about a lack of members in the game he chose, though. It seemed that whatever he wanted to do automatically satisfied the group. He had that 'leader' quality.
Chris, on the other hand, enjoyed flight class. He loved King of the Hill and Manhunt just as much as John, but he also respected the strength of a ship. He, also, had some 'leader' quality to him but it didn't show. He liked to fall into the crowd but also be noticed for his strengths. John sometimes joked around in calling him 'the leader of the sheep'.
John and Chris entered the classroom. It had that 'worn' kind of feeling to it. It gave a comfortable presence while a series of computers, grids, and maps on every wall reminded the students that they were here to learn.
At the far end of the classroom, their teacher, Mr. Kyle, sat at his desk.
He was 68 years old. He was 6'1", and weighed 190 pounds. He had gray hair, which, in certain light, looked almost silver. He was a fair teacher who respected all of his students, but was strict when it came to those who did not respect him in return. As for the students who did show him respect, his 'kind side' shown and he was almost like a friend.
He was hard at work on his computer.
They were the first to arrive. Chris pointed out that the rest of the class was bound to be late. John hated to see his friends in trouble... and he wanted to have a little fun while helping them, too. Chris decided to distract Mr. Kyle, while John would sneak the rest of the class in.
Chris strode up to Mr. Kyle's desk and casually said, "Ya' know, Mr. Kyle? I've been working on a new tactic. Would you like to see it?"
Chris was one of the students lucky enough to be a 'friend' of Mr. Kyle's.
"Of course, Chris" Mr. Kyle said, easily fooled by Chris' story. "I'm always open for new ideas. I even send the best to the UNSC...I've never had a reply though..."
Chris didn't want to hear Mr. Kyle's depressing story so he hurried him along.
"Well, here's how it goes" Chris said, trying to think up some bogus strategy. "May I sit at the computer?"
"Sure" Mr. Kyle said, rising from his black leather chair. It didn't seem to fit with the rest of the room but it made him feel important to sit in a chair of that sort.
Meanwhile, John was peering out of the window that overlooked the playground. He saw all but 2 of his classmates out there and gave a whistle. They turned and saw John waving them in. Trusting John, as everyone did, they each climbed through the window. Every now and then John had to glance back to make sure Mr. Kyle's full attention was with Chris.
Chris continued to babble on about his strategy to win a battle with only 1 destroyer. He told Mr. Kyle that the captain would have to be brave enough to ram his ship nearly head on with an enemy's, leaving just enough room for the trailing missile to hit the very ship that launched it. To both Chris' and Mr. Kyle's surprise, it didn't seem too far off...
John was having fun with his end of the game, too. He decided to look for the remaining 2 classmates with 90 seconds until the bell would ring. He slipped out of the back door just in time to see the 2 kids enter the hallway. He waved to them but they paid no attention; they were having a conversation of their own. John, anxious to fulfill the 'mission objective' (just to satisfy himself) ran down the hall. He reached his classmates, grabbed their wrists, and pulled them down the hall.
"What are you doing? Let go!" one kid yelled.
"I don't want to lose because of you" John said.
"Lose? What are you talking about?"
"Just get to class," John answered. He had realized that he was too serious about this. It was just class... but he had set a goal and he had to accomplish it.
There is Another (Chapter 3)
Date: 23 July 2002, 4:21 am
"Just get to class," John answered, releasing his grip on his friends. He had realized that he was too serious about this. It was just class... but he set a goal and he had to accomplish it.
Chris was lectured on how his tactic was 'an extreme threat to the crew with unlikely favorable outcomes'. He didn't care, though. He had done his job--------; distract Mr. Kyle.
After getting everyone to class on time, the rest of the lesson was a bore. Mr. Kyle preached about ship handling and how to give orders, as well as how to accept them. Chris sometimes became interested in the topic but John was always daydreaming; usually about a game he played during recess.
After flight class came math and science. Neither Chris nor John enjoyed these classes but they both did well. Once again, they both agreed that it's better to be on the battlefield than to be sitting behind a desk.
For the next month or so life was nothing special for the two friends. They went through the bore of school every day with the occasional break to run around during recess. After school they would stay late to play with their friends and sometimes invite each other over for dinner.
One day, though, was something special. John had invited Chris over for dinner and the two were playing outside.
A small truck rode up to John's house and stopped. The passenger door opened and a woman's head popped out.
"John?" asked a not-so-unfamiliar voice. "It's me, Dr. Halsey"
The two boys froze and looked up.
"I remember you" Chris said. "You're the one who gave John that coin"
"I remember you, too" she said. "You're the one who was on the top of the hill that day"
"So, what's up?" John asked.
"May I speak with you, please?"
John strolled over to the truck.
She closed the door behind him and said, "How would you like to be able to play games for real?"
"I'd love to" he answered, then thought about the question again. "What do you mean?"
"Well, if you come with me, then you can play games just like the ones you love...with a little twist to them"
"Okay. Can Chris come?"
"No, I'm sorry, John, he can't" Dr. Halsey said, glancing at Chris. "I do have something in mind for him though"
"I don't think I want to go"
"I was afraid you were going to say that" Dr. Halsey said. She put her hand around his shoulder, concealing a syringe in her palm. John felt a prick and he fell unconscious.
"Send him out" Dr. Halsey said to someone in the back of the truck.
A clone of John stepped out of the truck. He looked exactly like the real John. He was even programmed to have similar memories and tendencies.
As Dr. Halsey rode off with John in the back, she thought to herself, "Why wasn't Chris selected?"
Then, wanting to know the answer, she opened a link to a ship orbiting Eridanus 2.
"Beginner's Luck Operator" a voice said.
"Halsey, here. Transfer me to Mathis"
"Yes, ma'am" said the voice, a bit worried. "Why would Dr. Halsey, first in command of her project, need help from the ship she would be boarding soon anyway?" he thought to himself.
"Mathis speaking. What's wrong, Dr. Halsey?"
"You are in charge of confirming candidates for my project, correct?" she asked, a bit irritated.
"Yes, ma'am"
"Then why wasn't a perfectly good child chosen?"
"I'll need more information on the individual to answer that question, ma'am"
"Chris Liiter, Eridanus 2, six years old"
"Give me a moment to search the records...Ah ha, another was chosen from that colony, ma'am"
"So, what?" she asked, not seeing the point.
"UNSC ordered no more than one from a given colony, ma'am"
"Why would they create such a restriction?"
"My guess is so that there aren't too many clones roaming the same streets, ma'am. Don't know how they react to each other"
"Damn it" she thought to herself. "Thanks for your time, Mathis" she said, this time out loud.
"No problem, Dr. Halsey"
The link died.
Dr. Halsey signaled to the marine who drove with her. He immediately removed another syringe and pierced John's arm, making sure he wouldn't regain consciousness too early. The marine carried him out and followed Dr. Halsey towards another vehicle.
"This way, Anderson" Dr. Halsey said to the marine. "This will bring us to the ship I contacted earlier, Beginner's Luck"
When the ship reached Beginner's Luck, she sent Anderson to bring John in with the other children they had already gathered for the project. She then sat down, finally getting a chance to rest...
A few years later, Dr. Halsey's project seemed to be going well. The children had grown strong and smart and seemed to be accepting their new lifestyle. She went to check up on the clones she used to replace the children in the previous habitats.
She went through a few security precautions and finally reached an isolated computer in a small room. She searched every clone and found that no complications had occurred. This was true for all except clone 117...John's clone. The information shows that he had been taken apart and reconfigured many times. He was currently operative but further research was needed.
"Damn" she thought to herself. "What could have happened?"
"I will be out of work for a while, keep working steadily and contact me only during an emergency" she said over a COM channel on the ship.
Dr. Halsey walked through the corridors for several minutes until she reached the docking bay. She was forced to present her ID many times before she could board a ship alone.
When she reached the location of the clone she immediately recognized her surroundings. Only years before, she had taken John, her favorite subject, and left Chris alone, a regret she had to live with until now.
She saw Chris playing with John's clone. It looked like a flashback of that same day.
"John, come her please" she said.
Chris glanced up at her but the clone did not react.
"This isn't John," he said. "This is my toy robot"
"Nonsense. You do remember me, do you not?"
"Yeah. You took John the last time you were here"
"No, no, no. John is right next to you. Now John, come here. I have to speak with you"
"I told you before. This is not John. This is a robot. Look" he said, pulling back a flab of plastic skin on the clone's neck, revealing a small control panel. "See, I can make him do anything"
"Oh my...How did you..." Dr. Halsey stopped herself and asked a more important question. "Does anyone else know about this robot?"
"Nope. I don't want anyone else to use it"
"How would you like to see the real John?"
"Really? Sure!"
"But first I'm going to have to ask you to return the robot back to the way he was before you changed him"
"Sure" Chris said. He hit a few switches, pulled a few wires and said, "All done"
Chris carelessly followed Dr. Halsey into the same truck that John walked into years earlier.
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