Leona walked down to the end of the long corridor and carefully opened the door. The man who was there was busy with the archiving of the latest DNA analysis processes. It had been a long time since anyone, apart from him and the lab chief, had come in that part of the building. The man raised his head and met the familiar smiling face of the exquisite looking woman, his sister. He spoke in the official language of that world, to the Anno Domini of 4697.
- Well, well. What are you doing here, in this place so little treaded on by the people of the warmer areas? It must be a very serious thing, to have taken you out of the comfort of your life and come on such an unusual journey.
- Don’t be ironic. Things are not as they used to be. We've had a lot of changes since you were gotten out of there. You should be grateful to have your life saved.
- I've never asked for anything. It was better if I was left to die...
Leona pretended not to hear that last comment and ignored her brother's irony.
- I need your help. This is really serious.
- I understand it must be. But I do not know if I'm willing to get involved in your problems. Don’t count on me or my help...
- In the name of our father...
- Don’t talk about our father. He died because of you. What I´ve been through was also because of you. And being here, in this meaningless life, is also your fault, so don’t involve our father's name in this and do not you ever ask for anything in his name. You have no right to do so.
- We've talked about this already. I know the impression I left was that I went away, when I was most helpful to our father, but that was not what really happened...
- I don’t want to know. You can go back to the place you came from, as there is nothing remaining in me that could be considered as empathy or solidarity... neither with you nor with anyone else. Go away from here.
- I cannot leave without telling you what's going on.
- Damn, woman! Haven’t I told you I don’t want to hear it. Go away. I went through hard times to save you and what did I get out of it? Exile and contempt! Do you think I have any reason to help you?
- Save me, killing the man I loved? Is that your idea of salvation?
- It was the only way to save you from that spell, for a man so very different from us: a freak! I don’t regret what I did and would do it again if necessary...
The woman turned pale and dryly swallowed her disappointment and anguish. She turned around to leave the room, but stopped at the door and said, low, almost as if to justify herself.
- He has the same reaction you did when our father started testing the first vaccines on us... I thought you could be sympathetic to it, so we could solve the case, but I was mistaken... for a change...
She left without looking back. The man stared at the emptiness, thinking of a time that existed in his past and in another era, in another place and in another circumstance.
He got up slowly and went through the corridor in the direction of the main lab. His sister was no longer in sight.
***
- You should have known better. What were you expecting him to do?
- I hoped he could at least hear me or help us sort this out…
- It's not his function to help or solve any problem. He's fine where he is. He has learned other things besides his work. We must deal with it, without his or anyone else's help...
- I know that, now. It was a stupid mistake...
- Maybe not. It was just naivety or, perhaps, the deceiving hope to solve things in an unreasonable way. This romanticism no longer fits in this age and in this place... We have more urgent things to solve.
The woman lowered her head. She recognized that she was being impractical. She also admitted that she was behaving like a romantic and inadequate scientist. She thought about how she ended up in that place and the most important person in her life, as well as her father and brother. She was about to collapse in tears, but she had to be strong for her own sake.
The little man pretended not to notice that Leona was struggling to fight her own ghosts. She was now a very different woman from the one who had come to that place a long time ago.
She took a deep breath and decided to leave the matter with who could deal with. It was time to go back to her place. She entered the transport terminal and waited for the portal to open. She still took one last look at the chief scientist, who was seriously looking where he was dematerializing.
She did not realize that the door to the laboratory was open at that very moment, and that a man, very different from the one she had been talking to, was coming into the room.
***
Leona arrived at the Stellar Station a few seconds after leaving the Glacial. She was serious and tired. The conversation had been nothing like what she had thought and planned to be and she felt cheated by her own naivety.
After a few minutes, she would contact the two scientists to report on what she had accomplished as a result of her journey.
The two arrived in a few minutes. They were anxious to know what was new about the conversation with the chief scientist, but they did not expect that they would have to wait until the report was sent from the Glacial Station. They had to control their apprehension, until they knew more.
Leona did not tell them everything she did or how badly the conversation with her brother ran. She decided that she had to keep that matter in the family, only.
She knew, too, that the Supreme would want to talk to her... If she did not solve that matter soon, she would not be in peace... or sleep...
At that right moment, however, she would not be able to talk to him, anyway.
It was already late and she decided to wait until the next day. She would have to think about what she was going to say. In that case, maybe it was better to tell him the truth, anyway... just the part that mattered, obviously. She had already exposed herself too much and did not want to hear any reprimand about her attitude or her foolishness.
Although the Supreme was not much given to lecturing because of his respect for her, just one of his glances at her would be enough to know that she had not been able to reach her brother’s heart, She would have to keep her cool in front of him, or else she would lose the opportunity for the other things as well. If he asked a lot of questions, she did not know if she was going to be able to keep the whole conversation she had at the Station as a secret.
The woman with intense green eyes went to her room to try and rest. There was still a doubt in her mind that would not leave her mind at ease.
How, after all that time, did such effect appear in a random clone that was created in the normal line? Where did that mutation come from, after so many generations have been produced?
***
- I know it's not normal. Can it be reversed? Historically we know that it is possible.
- We know that it was possible in normal human beings. We do not know if we can do the same in clones.
- We are scientists. We must try our best.
- We're already trying, Leona. I have already studied and developed a prototype and I have already tested it too.
- And how did he respond?
- I have not seen any reaction yet, but it's early still. We both know the cure was not immediate in the pure human organism...
- My brother...
- Yes. He is helping me with that. We've been working together since that day that you came in to the Glacial Station. The prototype of the new vaccine was crafted from his blood and DNA... At least we know it worked with him in the past. If we are lucky, his blood already has natural antibodies, designed to correct the effect of a future occurrence. But the bad news is that we've already had another reported occurrence from the laboratory: another clone with the same reaction... We must rush the solution, or else...
Leona stood there, looking very serious at the lab chief. The last comment had not been not retained in her perception. She was more concerned about the information about her brother. She had no idea that, after all, her conversation with him had somehow worked. She, who had left the Station with the feeling of powerlessness, was now feeling unfair.
She needed to speak to her brother and tell him that she was grateful. She felt she should have been more patient, more confident, and perhaps more fair-minded. There was still something good, maybe a remnant of their father's inheritance, in him, after all.
She left the lab and went into the room down the hall. She was happy. She had not felt like that for a long time. She opened the door with energy and entered the room with a broad grin spsrkling on her face.
The emptiness of the room took her by surprise. Where could he be? The chief said he would be in the room, working with the research files and the clone blood tests. But he was not.
She hurried back to the main lab to speak to the chief, but in the middle of the corridor she found the man, who had a desperate look on his face. He seemed to be bewildered and extremely worried.
- The Thirteenth clone and the new vaccines are gone...
- As is my brother, too...
They looked at each other. They did not need much to figure out what had happened.
- What shall we do now?
- We need to check the settings of the transport terminal. They must have gone there, since other routes would be easily detectable....
The two entered the teleportation room and immediately realized that the terminal memory data had been erased, probably on purpose. The programming was not available.
To have access to the data, they would have to make a formal request to the Central, but that would entail a series of questions, generating special security procedures. Leona looked at the head of the laboratory and decided.
- We must know where they've gone to. No matter what that might entail.
The man, though very worried, acceded. It was the best thing to do.
- I'm going to speak to the Supreme. He should know the truth.
- This will put us all in a big problem. You know that.
- Yes. I do know it. But we ought to do what is right. In fact, it was a mistake not to have done it from the beginning. I will deal with the consequences if it is necessary...
***
The Supreme has given orders to check the database immediately after being told by Leona about what had happened. He was annoyed and disappointed by the attitude she and the scientists took, but now he had to be practical and act quickly.
When the report was delivered to him, he looked up, with obvious concern emblazoned on his serious face which had been almost always devoid of emotions. His face was less pale than usual.
- They went back to the past. This is very serious!
- But everyone knows this is not allowed! The consequences can be terrible and irreversible...
- And since when does your brother care about what is right or wrong? Look at this date. Does it say anything?
Leona looked at the man with a worried expression and did not know what to say. The Supreme was right. This was serious enough, and it was bound to have dangerous consequences. One way or another, she felt responsible for what had happened. She had to sort the situation out urgently.
- I must go after them and try to prevent a catastrophe from happening because of this inconsequential attitude.
- I cannot allow it! No way.
- I feel responsible for what happened. I must try, at least. It's our only chance. If we send another person, he will defend himself and become unpredictable and dangerous. I can at least try to control the situation before he makes another big mistake.
- He's always been unpredictable, but maybe you're right. Let's schedule your trip in the most appropriate way, but you will not have much time to remedy this situation. Any minute you're in the past will be extremely dangerous for the future.
- I know. And I'm prepared for that. We better get to the transport terminal now.
