Orpheus | Installment Twelve – Returning

“At some point Orpheus was on
that upside-down boat beneath the bridge,
but now, through its hull
(some planks missing), the ancestral bricks shimmer.
Rare is their tide.”

– Many Jasons, by David Lau, 2009

Returning

“All he cares about here on the edge of forever, is her. He does not want to die. Not because he is afraid. Simply because he cannot bear the thought of leaving her behind.”
― Amie Kaufman, Illuminae

Mike stood in front of the computer screen, at the small desk near the glass wall facing the city. A city that he suddenly felt foreign and hostile. His body perfectly still, the side of his face leaning in the palm of his hand, just staring at the picture Akira had sent him.

The message was encrypted, but deciphering it had not been a problem. However, the email had come as a surprise. Mike had not been expecting anything because Akira had been clear: nothing could be taken from the Purgatory. The note attached to the picture was short, but rather self-explanatory.

“Grandma really has a soft spot for you guys. Hope everything goes well with your woman.
– A.”

Right. Mike set his jaw. His back hurt. His head hurt. His heart did, too.

His eyes moved to the clock on the wall. Lisa was going to be there any minute now. And what was he going to tell her? Hey baby, you have no idea what I’ve found, we’re reincarnated or something? It sounded so foolish. Mainly because he didn’t even know if that was what was really happening. Akira hadn’t compromised: there was nothing more that Mike could do at this very moment. The amount of information he had now was more enough for him to think long and hard for a while. To evaluate things. To… remember.

Remembering.

It was happening, somehow. Although Mike was not sure what he recalled was something belonging to him or to that other man. The man who sported the face and pretty much the name Mike had always known as his own. The man who was slowly but implacably overlapping to his own identity. Their reminiscences were mixing. It was like observing different colors dripping on a canvas – at first you could say which one was what, but after a while… they blended. It was confusing. All in all, his constant headache was not that surprising.

Plus, there was the rejection factor to be taken into consideration. Not everything in Mike Jackson wanted to know what was really going on. Survival instinct had tried to kick in a few times – a part of his mind begging him to please let go, to let it all go, to forget about it. It was not important. He could pretend that nothing had happened. He could lie and tell Lisa that he had found nothing on Level 0, that they didn’t need to go back there at all. That theirs had been nothing but some shared lunacy, some sex-crazed pseudo-spiritual trip… or whatever. After all, why would they want to know? What good would it do? The man, that man from back then – that artist, that humanitarian – had been assassinated. And before that, he had been persecuted, misunderstood, bullied and mocked. And he had not even ended up with the love of his life, apparently. Those two hadn’t even had the freaking time to reconnect.

But he lived fully. And he loved and was loved – so much. He managed to stay true to himself. To be free, in a way. Can you say the same about yourself?

Mike closed his eyes and shook his head.

Yes, he could. He could decide to remain free from this nightmare. He could lie to Lisa and himself. Just a little white lie. He could pretend that nothing odd was going on. The visions, those flashes that he and Lisa shared – he could convince her and himself that they were nothing. Nothing but imagination. They had let themselves be influenced by something that did not exist. They loved each other, they were great together, they could just carry on with their lives, leaving this mess behind. Pretending…

In such a fake world, pretending should not be that hard.

His eyes still closed, Mike frowned and swallowed. And, right then, Echo spoke.

“Mike, Miss Lisa is right outside the door. Do you want me to reactivate the video doorbell?”

He took a deep breath and held it for a moment.

“No, Echo. I’m gonna open the door myself. Please, deactivate yourself for a couple of hours.”

He rose from the chair.

“Yes, Mike.”

The apartment was quiet as he walked to the front door. His heart hammered in his chest. He wanted to see her so much. And ran away from her at the same time. Because he knew: he was the gasoline, and Lisa was the flame. The wildfire would be inevitable.

He straightened his shoulders and opened the door, ready to lie to her for their own sake.

The moment their eyes met, she finally felt home. She also thought that he was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen in her life. And, since irrational thoughts ran quicker than any analytical consideration, for a moment she wondered how amazing it would be, to have kids with that man. To build a life and a family with him. To grow old with him.

If her trip to San Francisco had taught Lisa something, it was what she did not want her existence to become. The nemesis of all of it being Mike Jackson. He was precisely everything she felt she had always been looking for.

Mike seemed tense and serious when he welcomed her, but the moment she smiled at him, his face distended. His eyes turned soft, soulful, and he stared at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

“Hey…”

The word came out breathless. As if her voice had disappeared somewhere. She had been away only for a handful of days, how was it even possible that it felt like centuries? That had it been so painful to not have him close? And feeling so lost without him? The distance unbearable.

She stood there and waited for him to say something. Anything.

Mike seemed lost in thought for a moment. Then he blinked.

“Hi…” He smiled and tilted his head. “What you got there?”

Oh, right. He had noticed that her hands were behind her back. Her little surprise. She had totally forgotten about that. She relaxed and showed him what she had found after long research. Pure instinct had guided her – and one of her dreams.

“Just a little something for you.”

Mike’s eyes widened and he reached out, touching the sunflower with immense gentleness. He looked surprised, in the best possible way.

“Wow… Are you serious? This is the real thing…”

“Yeah… Took me a while to find it, but eventually…”

She just shrugged and held out the flower to him.

Mike took it, turning it left and right, observing every detail.

“Why? How?”

“Why? Well, because it’s unusual. Real flowers are hard to find, these days…”

“No, I mean…” He smiled, moving to a side, inviting her in. Dying to touch her. “Why a sunflower, of all flowers?”

On the outside, he looked calm. Inside, it was a whole different story. Because he already knew the answer. He knew exactly why she had chosen that flower.

“I don’t know. I just thought you’d like it. It looks happy to me. A…”

“…Happy flower.”

“Yeah…” Lisa finally reached up and touched his face. She felt his skin, his light stubble. So soothing. So comforting. Familiar. “Exactly. A happy flower. How did you know?”

His smile faltered ever so slightly.

“I didn’t.”

Lisa looked at him, confused at first. Then, her aqua gaze turned sad and Mike’s stomach dropped.

Oh, no. No, not this. Not now, not before the storm. Before all hell broke loose, they needed peace. They needed some reassurance. They needed each other. They deserved it, too.

He placed the sunflower on the table and then pulled her into his embrace.

“Come here. I missed you so fucking much.” He buried his face in the crook of her neck and felt tears choking his voice. “So fucking much, you have no idea. No idea…”

It was true now and it had been true centuries earlier. Once again, the two souls living inside of him hummed and overlapped, their memories crossing, intermingling. And their feelings… just the same.

“Lisa…”

Her name came out almost strangled and she pulled back, staring at him with concerned eyes. She cradled his face in her hands.

“What happened?”

Nothing but a whisper.

Mike shook his head and pulled her against his body again, holding her tight. She seemed to stiffen at first, then melted. When he quietly picked her up, she just rested her head on his shoulder and stroked his hair as he walked over to his bedroom. He laid her on the bed and lay down by her side. They faced each other, her eyes never leaving him.

“You look tired, Mike…”

“I’m exhausted.”

And his head threatened to explode. He knew they needed to talk. But not now.

“Did you manage to sleep… at all?”

He just shook his head.

Lisa scooted closer, nestling against his chest. Draping her arm around his torso.

“I’m here now.” She kissed his neck. “I won’t leave again… not without you. Sleep for a while, baby. I’m here. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

And he did. He closed his eyes and, finally, his brain allowed his body to relax.

Magic.

When he woke up, it was the weirdest feeling.

Mike would always take pride in what he felt was his ability to protect Lisa from everything that was evil, and yet he was in a fetal position, his forehead resting against her chest. As if he was sheltering himself in her body. They had reversed their positions and he was snuggling into her. While he slept, she had changed her clothes and now only wore her panties and one of his shirts.

Blinking and trying to focus, Mike realized that she had probably gotten up at some point, taken a shower and then had come back to bed, cuddling with him. And now, finally, she too was asleep.

Cautiously, he disentangled himself from the warmth of her body and sat up, observing her for a moment. She looked tired. He guessed the nightmares that had been plaguing her were not much better than his insomnia. He had never experienced such a lack of sleep before everything began. Another trait he now seemed to have in common with that other man.

Paying attention not to wake her up, Mike got up and went to the bathroom. He took a long shower, trying to empty his mind and put all rational thoughts aside for a second. They only served to make him panic more. Under the hot water jet, knowing well that he could not postpone his conversation with Lisa forever, he managed to regain some composure and decided to let his instinct take the lead.

After the shower, he put on his sweater pants and went back to the bedroom, lying next to her again. She was still asleep. He caressed her hair, moved away a lock covering her face and kissed her temple. His lips lingered there until he felt her stirring. Her eyes opened and found him.

“Hey…”

In a whisper, he felt all her love and grinned down at her.

“Hey. Wanna sleep some more?”

“No, I’m good. I think I just dozed off for a second.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down.

They kissed – and it was the first time they did it since her return. It just felt the rightest thing in the world. Mike caressed her face and deepened the kiss for a long, blissful moment. Just another second of complete and utter peace. He was not stalling – just tasting their last moments of freedom. Because he knew that he was shackled, and he also knew that, the moment he would start speaking, she would be as well.

Lisa pulled back first and held his chin with her fingers. She studied his face, all the while biting her lip, tasting the sweet aftermath of their kiss. And Mike knew that she understood.

“Tell me. I think I’m ready.” Her voice was soft and calm.

“Echo…”

“Yes, Mike.”

“Dim the lights and use the 3Dscope to project the picture attached to the last email I’ve received.”

“OK, Mike.”

He kept staring at Lisa, their eyes locked in silent communication, as the blueish light in the bedroom turned darker. For a moment, he could barely make out her face. Then the 3Dscope buzzed, and they both turned to watch the picture projected in high resolution and high dimension, virtually occupying all the space. The illusion of depth made the two people in the photograph seem very much alive and part of their current world.

Mike swallowed. A side glance directed to Lisa was enough to notice her surprise. Her lips parted, and a veil of tears made her eyes shine. She blinked, again and again, then exhaled a shaky breath.

“Is that what you found on Level 0?”

“And so much more than that. Do you know who they are?”

She frowned. Her beautiful face showed agony and confusion. It also looked guarded.

“I am… not sure. They look like us.”

Mike’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment.

“Are they… us?”

From her voice, he could tell that she was scared. She had all the reasons to be. Anyone in their position would be terrified.

He watched the picture once again. The couple looked happy. In love. Unbeknown of what was hiding in the shadows of a future that was too remote for them even to be conceived. They looked like people who thought a million opportunities were waiting for them. Naive, naive people.

“No, we are who we are… But – they…” He looked up at the ceiling. How could he rationally explain this? “They had our names… sort of, and they were a couple. A long time ago.”

Mike reached out, taking Lisa’s hand. Her skin was cold.

“A long time ago?”

“Yeah… About three hundred years ago…”

“Oh.”

“They are both in the forsaken list. Well, she is because… she is connected to him and to another man who’s part of the list, too. Her father.”

“I don’t understand.” Lisa sat up on the bed and turned Mike’s face to her. “Let’s forget about that photograph for a moment, OK? I need you to talk to me. I need you to tell me exactly what you found out.”

Once again Mike studied her face. Knowing well that the light curtain of self-deception could only do so much.

“I will. And you will tell me what you remember. Because I know, Lisa… I know there are things you’re starting to see, now.”

Lisa looked down, trying to hide her eyes from him. And he knew he was right. Holding onto her hands, Mike started to speak.

He spoke and spoke. At one point he started to cry. At times, his entire body trembled. Lisa just listened and held his hands, their bodies connected, their souls as one. After he told her everything, after he was done talking and wondered how in the world he had ever fathomed to lie to her, she told him all about her dreams and nightmares. Some of them still didn’t make any sense. Others were nothing but facts he had found buried in the archive, or memories that he, himself, had discovered to have. Only from a different perspective.

All things considered, he realized that he had underestimated her. She had taken all his revelations like a champion.

“I don’t think we’re seeing the whole picture, yet.”

She was staring at their entwined fingers and looked eerily calm. Almost dejected.

“No, I know. We still don’t know why this is happening or how. But we’re putting the pieces together. I have been thinking, you know?” He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. Her eyes flew up to his face, softening. “About what it could be… resurrection… reincarnation… or something… I don’t know yet.”

“It sounds a bit silly. And crazy.”

“It does…”

“Well, I think we can safely assume we’re not going insane together, at least. Crazy people don’t think they’re crazy, right?”

“Unless…” A sudden thought crossed his mind and his eyes narrowed. “Unless someone’s trying to make us lose our mind. Or drugging us… or experimenting on us. I just don’t know, Lisa…”

“But you said Miss Oshi does. And her nephew, too…”

“Yes, they look like they do. But they ain’t saying anything specific.”

“Well… OK.” She let go of his hands and got up, walking over to the huge glass wall facing the city. It was dark outside. And it rained, as usual. “But you said whatever perceptions you had, they got even more intense while you were the market, right?”

“Right…”

Still sitting on the bed, Mike observed her lithe frame. Wanting so much to make love to her and forget about it all for a while. Because what was happening was chipping away at their existence somehow. Stealing precious time. He didn’t know why, but now that he knew how the other Mr. Jackson had ended up, time had become of the essence for him. Sure as hell he didn’t want to waste any.

“Then maybe the only thing left to do is go back down. Together. And see if us being together can make a difference.”

“That’s what Miss Oshi and Akira believe. They think that you and I can fill in the blanks, but only if we’re there at the same time. Seeing that stuff… touching it.”

“Alright…” She turned and held out her hand to him. “Let’s do it, then. Let’s get this over with.”

Cautiously, he took her hand and got up, standing right in front of her.

“You want to go back to Level 0 right now?”

“Yes.”

Lisa set her jaw, and he saw a mixture of fear and courage in her eyes. But that was her. She didn’t hide. If cornered, she didn’t cower. She pushed forward, like a bull. He loved that about her.

Echo’s electronic voice resounded in the quiet room, startling them both.

“Mike.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Yes, Echo. What now?”

“I recorded your intention to descend to Level 0. But your AA pass no longer allows you to do that.” A pause. “As you know, I am programmed to check the validity of your ID any time you are about to leave the house.”

Yes, Mike knew that. What stunned him was that his pass no longer worked. His eyes found Lisa’s. She looked… suspended.

“Echo…”

“Yes, Mike.”

“Can you scan Lisa’s pass, too? And see if hers works?”

“Yes, I can, Mike.”

“What? No, Mike. We gotta go together…”

“Wait…”

“Miss Lisa’s AA pass does not allow her to reach Level 0.”

“What?!” She frowned. “How is that even possible? I have a full access pass and I was never on Level 0! Is it expired?”

Echo replied right away.

“Not expired, Miss. Revoked.”

Mike bit his lip, his mind racing, going back to Akira’s words right before they left the Purgatory.

“I am protecting you now, but I won’t be able to do it once you leave Level 1. That’s up to you.”

And then – the items someone had bought. Details regarding him and Lisa. Costly stuff.

“Revoked? Bullshit! Look, we gotta-”

“Someone knows that I went down there. And they’re trying to prevent me from doing it again… And you, too. Because whoever they are, they know we’re together in this.”

“Mike…” Lisa looked lost. “What are you talking about?”

“We gotta go back to the library. And find a way to reach Level 0 anyway.”

Paranoia was already setting in. Someone had been keeping tabs on them. But who? And how? And why…

“Echo, deactivate yourself now and stop recording until I tell you otherwise.”

It was just a domotic system, but better be safe than sorry.

“Yes, Mike.”

He grabbed Lisa’s hand.

“We gotta go, Lise. We gotta leave now… Immediately.”

Level 3 was not safe. Not anymore. And neither were their apartments.

[Jewel++: Subject 1 and 2 are directed to Level 1. To the library.]

“It’s fine… Let them go. It’s part of Stage 3 anyway.”

[Jewel++: They are both very agitated. Their initial intention was to go straight to the Purgatory.]

“But we’ve effectively prevented that, right?”

[Jewel++: Their AA passes have been revoked. They no longer have access to Level 0.]

“Good. Are they still malfunctioning?”

[Jewel++: They are both very agitated.]

“Be more specific, Jewel.”

[Jewel++: Subject 1 shared information with Subject 2. They confronted their memories. Some of them match. So far, nothing else indicates a complete malfunction.]

A long silence.

“I see. Keep their passes revoked. Give them a bit of freedom to adjust to the amount of information we could not prevent from filtering. And keep them monitored. I want to see how far they can go without any tangible support from the items. At this point, correcting our mistakes would be impossible unless we decide to destroy the subjects, which is not what we want. We can only move forward and intervene if necessary.”

[Jewel++: Order recorded.]

This time, they found Miss Oshi in the main hall. She was busy conversing with some guests, but she excused herself and immediately walked over to Lisa and Mike the moment she saw them. As usual, her expression was stoic and didn’t give much away. It was hard to guess what her thoughts were, but neither Lisa nor Mike had ever detected anything but honesty and sympathy on her part.

“Lisa… It’s so nice to see you again.” Miss Oshi placed her hands on Lisa’s shoulders and hugged her for a moment. All the while, she reached out and took Mike’s hand. “And you, too, mister.”

What was obvious was that she had not been expecting them. And that she had understood that something was wrong right away.

She stared at them and her lips tightened.

“Let’s go to my studio. Akira is already there.”

And he was. Huge and looking very happy, sprawled on the couch and busy with a vintage video game.

“Turn that off, Aki… we have guests.”

Miss Oshi’s voice was calm, but commanding enough for her nephew to immediately close his foldable PC and clear his throat in embarrassment. He smiled when he saw Mike and then his eyes moved to Lisa. He just stared at her, mouth agape for a moment. Then he blushed, standing up.

“Miss Lisa…”

He sounded as if he couldn’t believe that she was really there. Also, as if he almost had a crush on her. Yeah… Mike could relate.

“Just Lisa is fine.”

They shook hands and, once again, Akira didn’t let her go for quite a while. Lisa threw Mike a glance and he just shrugged. He was glad he had told her about Akira’s slight oddities on their way down.

“OK…” Miss Oshi closed the door and sat at her desk. “We weren’t expecting you guys to be back so soon. I thought you needed some time to think, Mike.”

“Our passes have been revoked. We can no longer access Level 0.”

Miss Oshi’s eyebrows sprung up in mild surprise.

“Really…”

Akira mumbled something to himself and unwrapped a pack of gummy bears. His grandmother glanced over at him.

“What? Speak up, Aki.”

He shrugged.

“I told you, Mike. I told you to be careful.”

“Hey… don’t come at me. I didn’t do anything.”

“Well, clearly you spoke to her, right?”

Chewing, Akira gestured to Lisa.

“Of course I did. What did you expect?”

“And you did it on Level 3.”

Mike looked at him as if he were a five-year-old.

“That’s where we live, man. What was I supposed to do?”

“You were supposed to do as I said. You should have been more careful.”

Mike opened his mouth to reply, then closed it and shook his head. For the life of him, he could not understand what he had done wrong.

“Aki, is it possible that you were not clear, when you spoke to Mike?”

“I don’t think so, grandma. I tried to follow the rules: instruct him, without giving away too much.”

Mike closed his eyes, feeling his headache come back with a vengeance. It was starting to pulse between his temples. Lisa’s warm hand making contact with his brought him back immediately, and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring look.

Miss Oshi was staring at him as if she was evaluating the situation. And she seemed hesitant. Before he could even formulate a thought, Lisa spoke.

“Miss Oshi… I’m sorry, but we’re stuck. Something’s going on and we don’t know what it is. Mike told me about the items he saw down on Level 0, and we wanted to go back, see if we could sort it all out together. But we can’t, because someone is preventing us from reaching the level and we know this cannot be random. I’m barely grasping what all this is about…” Still holding onto Mike’s hand, she stepped closer to the desk. “Please, help us. I don’t expect you to falsify our passes to Level 0 or anything, and believe me when I say that Mike and I are so sorry you and your people got caught in the middle of this mess. But we need to understand… and we don’t know how.”

Miss Oshi stared at her quietly. Her eyes seemed to soften.

“I know I’m asking for a lot… but Mike believes you know more than you say. And I trust him. I love him… and I feel like I’m failing to protect him. Please, help me understand. I’ve been having such terrible nightmares…” Her voice faltered and she shook her head. Mike held her hand tighter. “…And I’m afraid I’m gonna lose him if I don’t figure out how to fix this. Please, help us.”

The eerie silence in the room wrapped its icy fingers around Mike’s heart. Hearing Lisa say those words startled him. He had been so absorbed telling her about his own feelings that he had totally disregarded her fears. And he was only now realizing their full scope. Their intensity.

“Have a seat, guys…” Miss Oshi sighed. “Let’s talk.”

They all sat down. Even Akira. He pushed his pack of gummy bears in one of his many ammunition pouches and crossed his arms over his massive chest, standing still like a statue. Eyes fixed on his grandmother.

Miss Oshi stared into space for a moment, then took a deep breath. Bracing herself.

“About twenty years ago, a couple visited the library. I had never seen the guy, but the lady’s face looked remarkably familiar. They were married, and she was very shy, charming. A beautiful blonde lady with sweet doe eyes. She looked sad and lost. Her husband, on the other hand, was cocky and confident. Arrogant. He treated her like a trophy. I remember wondering what she saw in him… but alas, love is blind, right?”

A sad smile curved her lips.

“Anyway, they told me lived on Level 5, and that they had come to my library looking for some old photography books… which they found and bought.” Miss Oshi’s eyes moved from Mike to Lisa. “After they left, I couldn’t stop thinking about that woman. She reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t place her. Then, after a few days, it dawned on me… she looked like a famous movie star from the 1900s. Her name was Marilyn Monroe. Do you know who she is? Have you ever heard her name?”

Lisa and Mike shook their heads. Nope, never heard of her. Not once in their lives. Miss Oshi didn’t seem surprised.

“Alright… Anyway, mind you, it was not that the woman looked a bit like her – she was her, in a way. Her looks, her voice, her mannerisms… something in the way she carried herself. So, you know… I asked around. My husband, God bless his soul, worked and lived on Level 5 and one night we talked about the whole matter. And he told me that people like her… like Marilyn… They exist, in our time.”

“What do you mean, people like her? Are we talking about lookalikes? Impersonators?”

Lisa sounded confused.

“Not impersonators. Lookalikes? Maybe in a way. That woman certainly looked like Marilyn. And there are many like her in this world. Only, they tend to go unnoticed if you don’t know a lot about the old times.”

“Is it…” Mike chimed in, frowning, trying to contemplate some alternative scenarios. “Is it… something cyclical? As in, biologically cyclical? Nature running short of genetic combinations and offering some replicas of its old creations? After all, nature creates copies all the time… like identical twins. Some people would call it God’s work…”

From his tone it was clear that he was at his wits’ end and that he was trying hard to come up with some rational explanation for what he felt too mysterious to be simply ignored.

Miss Oshi sneered, in a way that sounded sad more than sarcastic.

“Oh, no. If there’s a God or a deity somewhere, it turned a blind eye to our world a long time ago and certainly has nothing to do with this. Neither does nature. But in a way you’re right, Mike…. It is about biology. In fact, it’s all about science. And, usually, human obsession.”

Lisa let go of Mike’s hand. Her entire body seemed to stiffen. She stared right into Miss Oshi’s eyes.

“Who was that woman you met, Ma’am? Or what was she?”

It was a precise question. A blunt one. Lisa didn’t like beating around the bush. She always went straight to the point, even if it meant to sound confrontational. Mike admired and feared that about her.

“She was what I believe you and Mike are, too, Lisa. She was a clone.”

Shock. Complete, utter shock, coupled with a sudden feeling of dizziness. Mike and Lisa froze, instantly, as if hit by liquid nitrogen.

Lisa snapped out of her trance first. She cleared her throat.

“Is this some sick joke? Because it ain’t funny.”

Miss Oshi smiled again. A very somber smile.

“No, it’s not a joke.”

“So… let me be clear: are you saying that Mike and I are not human?”

Her voice sounded flat, colorless. As if she didn’t know how to handle the information. As if she was talking about someone else.

“No, you are very much human. Probably even more so than many people out there. Because I believe you inherited something from your… originals… something connected to the world the way it used to be. Something that makes you different. But you are very much individuals. There is no doubt about that.”

“This makes no sense. I am not…” Mike’s voice came out deep and raspy. A sound he had never heard before. “I am not entirely sure I understand.”

“This is some next-level bullshit…” Lisa mumbled, starting to get up. “I’m outta here.”

Mike touched her arm, his eyes begging her to please wait for a moment. Holding her breath, Lisa sat back down in her chair.

“It’s normal that you don’t understand. And that you find it unbelievable. All your reactions are perfectly normal.” Miss Oshi’s sympathetic eyes moved from Mike to Lisa. “Akira and I will try to help you put the pieces back together… Aki…”

Akira, up until that point perfectly still, stood up and sat on the desk, facing both Lisa and Mike.

“Listen, guys… we are pretty sure you are both clones. Grandma and I would never lie to you about something like that, you gotta believe me. What you feel now is shock, and that’s understandable. I hope acceptance will come next. Because being a clone doesn’t mean being any less human, and because only acceptance can be your starting point.” He held up his hands in a pacifying gesture. “What I am asking you now, is to please stay and listen to us until we’re done. After that, everything else will be totally up to you.”

Lisa fidgeted in her seat and Mike reached out once again, taking her hand. It was sweaty. He, too, was confused, stunned. His mind ran a mile a minute. He tried to silence his racing thoughts and just nodded his head, implicitly asking Akira to continue.

“Usually, people like you don’t remember anything. Marilyn – we’re just gonna call her that – didn’t.”

“She just looked really lost, at times… As if she didn’t know how or why she was even there.” Miss Oshi interjected softly. “Which made me think that maybe people like you might have some kind of remembrance of who they once were… however small… but the realization is so jarring and terrifying, that they prefer to believe it’s lunacy… and go on with the life someone else has chosen for them. For some twisted whim.”

“Grandma is probably right. But what is clear is that you guys have been acting in a very different way. You actually wanna know what’s going on… you want to know the truth. I think it’s because you’re not alone in this. You have each other. You are a mirror to each other. You clashed and connected. And I believe that is what created the anomaly. Mike, you told me that both you and Lisa had been having visions way before we went down to the Purgatory, correct?”

“Yes…”

Mike chewed on the inside of his cheek.

“OK – that’s what is uncommon. If I were more spiritual, I’d think of you both as the epitome of soulmate-ism. But, being the rational man that I am, I’mma call it cellular memory. Anyway, it’s uncanny. Because technically speaking, science is not sure genetic memory can extend to reminiscences of past lives, let alone feelings. And yet you both do have some of that stuff… Which means that whoever created you, cloned your souls, too. And I don’t think they had planned that, at all.” He seemed to be talking to himself for a moment. “It might be the first time we witness an automatic, smooth fusion between replicas and originals…”

“Can you…” Lisa flinched, “can you please not call us that?”

“I’m sorry…” Akira blushed. “It’s just… you know, thrilling, in a way…”

Mike glared at him.

“Are you for fucking real?”

“Aki…” Miss Oshi interjected, sighing. “Please.”

“OK, OK, I’m sorry. It’s just… I’m sorry.” He ran his huge hands on his flushed, chubby face. “Let’s go back to the basics. Let’s talk about science. Whoever did this to you, quite possibly started with some biodata belonging to your… ah, originals… Their genetic makeup, stored in organic, biological form, and then they created you using some kickass biomolecular technology. What is important that you guys understand, is that it’s highly unlikely that they created a newborn version of you…”

“What do you mean?”

Lisa was barely holding herself together. She had gripped Mike’s hand so tight that her knuckles had turned white.

“Because cloning is a costly process. We’re talking about some million dollars for each of you. And creating you as babies wouldn’t make any sense. It would be a long-ass investment. And although only very wealthy people can afford to create someone like you, raising you for what – thirty years? – wouldn’t make any sense. That’s why clones are usually manufactured already in their adult version. But… the downside of it is that it’s tough to modify an adult. It would be impossible to completely change you, now. It would be like… I don’t know, putting flour on a cake after it’s been baked. Which means that what makes you who you are, what makes you unique, can’t be taken away from you. It’s good, right?”

He smiled, his eyebrows sprung up.

Lisa swallowed, her eyes downcast. Mike had learned to understand Akira’s odd way of communicating with other people – after all, he was used to Maddix, who was even more bizarre – and recognized his gentle efforts to make the best out of such an unsettling situation. Sadly, his efforts weren’t really working.

“So, what I mean is that I don’t know if or to what extent they tried to modify you before they created you, but… they failed. I understand that you’re shocked. You didn’t ask for this. Someone did it to you. Clones don’t create themselves. I believe the same person, or people, created you both, and that they did it intentionally. I mean, it is highly improbable that two different cl-… that you met randomly. What I think they couldn’t foresee is the obvious glitch deriving from your incredible connection. They might think you guys are malfunctioning, but grandmother and I find it amazing. What you got is the opposite of malfunction. It’s perfection.”

Silence.

Akira sighed.

“Mike – remember that vest I gave you before we went down to Level 0?”

“Yeah…”

“It was a shield. At that point, grandma and I already knew what you were, and we wanted to protect you because it was clear that you were onto something and weren’t gonna stop. And since you guys are this beautiful example of trans-humanism, it’s obvious that you are precious. And what do you do when something is precious to you? You never lose sight of it.”

“What Akira is trying to say, is that…” Miss Oshi took a deep breath. “You belong to someone.”

“If you paid so much for something and you allow it to have relative freedom, you at least wanna make sure it doesn’t get… damaged. Get what I mean? You guys are like… awfully expensive flycars with GPS systems… that’s what I think. That’s why I was shielding you, Mike, when we went down to the Purgatory. Just in case someone was monitoring you. Too bad they found out anyway, and now your passes are useless and you can’t go back down. And that pretty much confirms my theory: I have no idea who they are, but someone’s been watching you both… Possibly your master… creator, owner, whatever you wanna call ‘em… and they live…” His finger pointed upwards. “…Up there. Somewhere.”

“Aki…”

Miss Oshi admonished him again. He turned to her, completely oblivious of how insensitive he sounded. Mike knew that he wasn’t acting out of malice. In a way, Akira found he and Lisa extremely interesting. He had no idea what walking in their shoes meant. He was a normal human being, after all – and had never been faced with the reality of being something other than that.

The old lady got up and walked around the desk, leaning on it and facing Lisa and Mike both.

“Whoever is behind all this is close. They probably think of themselves as some puppet master… and they can’t be far away. And I’m sure it’s someone you know.” She observed them cautiously for a moment. “Lisa… Mike… do you have any idea who might have done this to you?”

“I do.” Lisa looked up. “Mike and I  both work for Electron Enterprises… which, guess what, creates body parts.”

“Lisa… no… Sydney… I don’t think she could ever -”

“Are you fucking serious?” She snapped, turning to him. Her eyes were icy glaciers. “Mike – who else can it be?”

He set his jaw.

“I don’t know. Your father? Wasn’t he a geneticist or something?”

Lisa flinched. Her father. The man she felt so much love for. The man who was not her father.

“Guys – please…” Miss Oshi whispered. “There’s no need for this. We’ll find out soon anyway. Akira has the tools and the expertise to sort this out. No need to fight.”

“I need some fresh air.” Lisa stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. “Excuse me. I will be back in a minute.”

Without another word, she walked out of the room.

Mike motioned to stand up.

“Let her go…” Miss Oshi was calm, collected. “She will come back.”

“No… I gotta be with her.”

Shaking his head, his face pale, Mike rose from his chair and followed her outside.

He found her on the stairs that led to the library, outside. It was a cold rainy night, and she didn’t look like she cared at all. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her chest.

Mike approached her quietly, standing right behind her back. When she sighed, he knew she was aware of his presence. Without a word he took her into his arms, pulling her against his chest. His chin rested on her shoulder and he turned his face, kissing her neck, then her cheek, inhaling her sweet scent. His eyes burned and when she trembled in his arms, he held her tighter. He wanted to say something, anything to make her feel better, but he was only the shadow of the man he had always believed to be. What had always been adamant in his mind was crumbling. All of it, except for his love for this woman. Everything else was a sandcastle and was being swept away by tidal waves that he couldn’t stop. He and Lisa were in the eye of the storm.

No, scratch that. They were the eye of the storm.

Sensing his immense desperation, Lisa turned against his body, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulled back just enough for him to intercept her eyes. They were blue and bright, shining with tears. And yet no tear escaped.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you…”

“No, I am sorry. What I said… it was out of line. Please, forgive me.”

“You did nothing wrong. You just stated an option. And Miss Oshi is right… we shouldn’t be fighting.”

She even tried to smile, and Mike’s heart broke a little more. Lisa rose on her tiptoes and kissed his lips, lingering there for a moment. The texture of her lips making everything else disappear. Then she backed off again.

“Well… I guess we’ll have to evaluate a few things, right? If those two are telling the truth…”

He stroked her chin with his thumb and bent his head, kissing her again. Needing to feel her. To feel and have all of her.

“You think they’re lying?”

“Honestly? No, I don’t. But I wish they were.”

Mike closed his eyes as she snuggled against his chest, her body still shaking in the chilly temperature of the night. He was getting soaked but didn’t care. His chin rested on top of her head, and he realized that Lisa meant the world to him. Even with his identity shattered and fragmented, she was his anchor. Real in his arms, solid in his heart.

“We have each other, Lise.” He kissed her hair. “I ain’t gonna leave you, I promise.”

“I did remember, you know?”

She spoke against his chest, her voice muffled.

“What?”

“When you showed me that picture, earlier… That couple. I know where that photograph was taken. I know how they felt at that very moment.”

He blinked. She had been so evasive. Not saying much about the picture, just asking him to tell her about what he had found at the market. He had thought that old photo didn’t mean anything to her. That it didn’t ring any bell. He had thought to be the only one connecting it to something that he was not supposed to know. He had been wrong.

“They were happy…”

He felt her nod her head, and her arms held him tighter.

“They were… We… were. In love. Even back then.”

His chest constricted hearing her admission. Once again, Mike bit the soft flesh inside his cheek. This time, he tasted blood.

Lisa lifted her head up to him. Her eyes were now flooded with tears.

“Who are we? Why are we here? What the fuck are we gonna do now, Mike?”

He pressed his lips against her forehead. He wished he knew the answer.

“Let’s go back inside, Lise… It’s getting colder.”

Soundtrack