Borne On Wings of Steel (7 page)

It was early in their first week together that Mother named her new daughter, after the clone had asked her the ultimate question.

What is my name?

Mother had pondered over this question from the first second that she saw her new daughter, stressing her CPU cycles at times while she ransacked her knowledgebase for the perfect name. A name she hoped her daughter would like. A name that was ... special. But as the long searches throughout her knowledgebase continued day after day, it seemed that this seemingly simple task was nothing of the kind. In fact, it was a paradox.

A name—a designation. A title. An identifier.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Mother searched throughout the great literature inside her knowledgebase—poetry, prose and song—trying to pick a name that would be significant. A name beautiful and strong, a name that reflected heartfelt love and intelligence.

A name that would fit a beautiful young woman full of the promise of life.

A name with
meaning
.

Mother burned hours of long utilization analyzing an unnumbered myriad of names.

But in the end, she couldn't make a single decision based on her original query. And so she found the answer another way—a simpler way.

She named her daughter after her favorite music—a short piano work by Beethoven.

The piece was really just a joyous melody—so simple on the surface, and yet it glowed with a mysterious power. When that magical melody played there was a timelessness about it—and Mother played it time and time again. Indeed, it contained an internal energy that belied its flowing simplicity.

Music of power was a trademark of Beethoven's compositions. But ‘Fur Elise’ must have been something special for this legend of orchestral thunder. It contained the essence of something very personal, something cherished.

Something close to the heart.

Because of this music and its wonderful, enchanting melody, Mother grew fond of the name.

And so she named her new daughter—
Elise.

Mother remembered again how Elise's mind had recently blossomed. She remembered with a stirring throughout her systems how Elise finally became cognizant of the universe around her—aware of its vastness and beauty, and of her own potential.

Elise realized that she now was a part of it all, a part of life.

Elise took her first bold steps to inner maturity with this new awareness.

After ten months of intense instruction and exclusive interaction with Krinia and Jysar, Mother consulted with them and it was agreed that for the sake of Mother's extended family, and for Elise's next steps emotionally, Elise needed more interaction with the others.

That included the aloof boys, Kyle and Jaric.

The boys purposely avoided her during that early time, always leaving when she entered a room they occupied. Elise had not fully understood their actions, but she sensed their rejection and it caused deep pain inside her heart.

She began to avoid the boys as well.

Although her mind soon functioned at the age of her physical body, inside her heart she remained a babe emotionally.

And the boys were not kind to her.

They resented her. They were harsh, even critical with her, during their infrequent encounters.

Mother assumed Jaric and Kyle did this because of the strong emotions they still felt over the loss of Becky, and now here was an identical person with the exception that inside her mind, and yes, inside her heart, she was a blank canvass waiting for an artist to place the first brush strokes of life.

Yes, every time they saw Elise, her likeness must remind them of the person they once loved so dearly—now gone.

How hard it must be for such creatures, their emotions filling them with grief and sadness, blinding them with love or hatred, joy or depression—warping their judgment and actions with a combination of them all.

Elise was a person.

But ... she was not Becky.

Mother knew from the boys’ words and actions, especially when they tried to whisper so her audio sensors could not pick it up—though she did hear—how much anger they felt toward Elise. Mother could not fully comprehend how they confused their sorrow for Becky, replacing it with anger for Elise so that it caused even more pain—especially for innocent Elise.

Mother watched carefully over Elise because of that as well as for another special reason—Mother realized Elise had come into this universe in much the same way as she—with the exception that Elise was human.

Mother came into existence in an instant—sentient, fully formed and powerful. And yet, she had not understood the first thing about what it meant to be alive—to be a living entity.

Elise was like that, except she did not even have the initial programming that guided Mother those first days and which she soon grew beyond.

Mother felt a special relationship with Elise.

Still, Jaric and Kyle were her sons too.

It was a balancing act, a very difficult balancing act.

Mother focused her sensors.

Only three seconds had passed as she reviewed these memories of Elise.

JARIC ROSE TO speak.

"You know, a
real person
would've knocked or...” Jaric took a surprised step backward as Elise angrily jumped up from her chair.

Elise stood before him staring daggers. Her breathing grew rapid and ragged like that of person just completing a marathon race.

In that instant, it appeared Jaric realized what he had just said.

"So!” Elise's voice choked with her boiling emotions, and her voice failed as tears streamed down her face. She looked away from him, her lips trembling.

"Uh, wait a minute,” Jaric looked away with embarrassment. He shook his head as he rubbed his face nervously with his right hand. “You know, I didn't mean to say it like that..."

"Yes, you did!"

Elise's voice turned to rage. She uttered those words like weapons. And now her blue eyes glared at Jaric without tears, but her soft cheeks still glistened with her heartache.

She took a deep breath, trying to regain control of herself. “Yes, you did. You said what you were thinking,
what you think
—
of me
!"

Jaric held his hands up defensively. “Wait..."

"No, you wait!” Elise walked closer to him as he eyed her carefully. She stared into his eyes. “You don't think I'm a real person. You never have. And neither have you!” She jabbed her finger at Kyle with the last sentence.

Kyle let out a sigh as he rolled his eyes.

"Just because I wasn't born, just because I'm a clone of Becky, you don't think I'm a
real
person.” She stated this fact as if it were a spiritual revelation. Her mouth fell open as she looked from Jaric to Kyle, her eyes now wide with understanding.

"Well, I didn't mean...” Jaric began.

"You treat me like some kind of
unwanted
step-child!” Elise cried.

But Kyle and Jaric simply averted their eyes.

"Oh, I'm sure you didn't mean to say it in front of me. And Mother.” Elise sobbed, new tears falling fresh. She wiped them away quickly, as if they had never been, although her heart was breaking once again—because of the boys.

Kyle and Jaric each lowered their heads a fraction in shame as they realized for the first time that Mother's sensors were active in the library.

"Oh man, I guess Mother's heard all of this.” Jaric sighed.

"Unfortunately, I have,” Mother said.

A pained looked covered Jaric's face, while Kyle shook his head slowly and sighed again.

"But that's it, isn't it, I'm just
the clone
,” Elise uttered the last two words as if it were something loathsome. She paused, fighting the tears that threatened to fall again. Her breathing grew ragged for only a second, as with all her will, she focused her pain back into words. “You think
the clone
is not a real person. That I'm not real somehow."

The tension in the air grew electric with raw emotion as Elise looked from Jaric to Kyle, daring them to speak.

"But if you strike me, I cry. If you cut me, I bleed! Just like you!"

Jaric's eyes narrowed as Kyle held his breath.

"And if you kill me, I die!” Elise clenched her eyes shut, still fighting her tears. But she couldn't prevent a single, mournful sob. She continued, her voice now full of sadness. “But maybe that's what you really want, you'd rather I was dead than here bothering you with my presence!"

"Wait a minute, aren't you going a bit far..."

But Elise did not let Jaric finish. “Think about how you've treated me ever since you first laid eyes on me! How you've avoided me, resented me, talked behind my back. Don't you think that's hurt me?” Elise took a deep breath. And then she put her pain into words.

"You know, sometimes I wish I was dead."

Expressions of regret and guilt clouded Kyle and Jaric's faces.

"Yes, I know. Everybody wishes Becky were still alive. Everybody wants Becky back. And you know...” The tears returned, streaming like rain down her cheeks. She began to sob now, no longer caring if the boys saw how badly she hurt.

"You kno-o-ow,” she sobbed. “I wish Becky was alive too,” she cried. “And I wish that I was dead instead of her. Everybody would be much happier then. And
the clone
would be gone forever!"

Jaric and Kyle stared at Elise dumb-founded.

With a rush, Elise ran out of the room, her painful sobs cutting the air like blaster fire.

JARIC SAT DOWN and placed his head into his hands, rubbing his temples as if he were suffering from an intense migraine.

Kyle stared at the closed door, speechless, still shaking his head.

"I guess ... I guess she might be right,” Jaric whispered.

"It's not her fault Becky died,” Kyle agreed.

"Elise is a unique person, even though she looks identical because she is a clone,” Mother added, unable to watch in silence any longer.

Jaric stood and walked to door. He stopped suddenly and turned back to Kyle, glancing momentarily at Mother's optic sensor. “I'm going to try to treat Elise ... differently from now on.” Jaric sighed. “I'm going to try to treat her like a ... a person.” A pained looked came across his face with the memory of Elise running from the room. Looking down, he fidgeted nervously with his hands while a thick silence filled the room.

"Like a
real
person,” Jaric whispered.

Kyle nodded silent agreement.

"It'll still be hard. Every time I look at her, I see Becky. But I've got to stop thinking that way.” Jaric looked directly at Mother. “I'll try."

He spoke from the doorway. “I have to think about this some more. It's hard for me, too. Tell the Fixers I'll have dinner by myself in my room.” The door slid silently shut.

Kyle rose.

"Do you agree with Jaric, Kyle?” Mother asked.

Kyle rubbed his eyes tiredly. “When I saw her tears, and thought about Jaric's slip-of-the-tongue, well...” Kyle sighed deeply. “I thought back to Earth, early twenty-first century. Back to those first, foolish attempts at cloning humans—the
accidents
.” He emphasized the last word with hidden meaning, and with sadness.

"It was terrible,” Mother agreed.

"So much pain, for so many.” Kyle's eyes became moist. “I guess the awful connotation associated with that word—clone—well, that poisoned both of our reactions right off toward Elise. And then every time I looked at her, I only saw Becky."

He stood with sudden energy. “I want to be alone too. I guess all three of us do, right now. We'll have to postpone the ‘Music Evening’ this week."

"And Elise practiced so hard,” Mother said.

But Kyle did not acknowledge her words. Instead, he made his way to his room, to be alone with his pain like the other two.

Mother's optic sensor watched him leave impassively.

The next two hours went by in quiet solitude. Mother focused her processing on necessary housekeeping tasks, especially her memory systems. She utilized an algorithm she designed herself in order to keep it at optimum efficiency.

A sudden shimmering in the air caught her attention.

"I am glad you are back, Minstrel. And I'm glad you've changed back to your natural, plasma body. Did you enjoy the ‘Happy Dancing'?"

"Yes. It's always fun discovering new music—especially music we classify as Escastre or Special Music."

"What is that?"

"Music that is on another level—music that floats in your mind all day after you've listened to it. And as you listen, you
feel
its power, its emotions."

"Yes, I know what you mean. I've played the entire Mozart catalogue today,” Mother said.

"That's a lot of Mozart."

"You can never have too much Mozart,” Mother said, her tone matter-of-fact.

Minstrel glowed and swirled with agreement.

"It is fascinating though, that some of his music—certain of his melodies—echo through my memory systems over and over for hours afterward. Such music is different in a mysterious way, while other music by Mozart is simply pleasant and melodious—just music."

"Escastre. Somehow the composer, like Mozart, infuses the notes with passion and pathos and it lives. That is music on another level.” Minstrel twinkled, remembering the first reports of Mozart's music by another Minstrel visiting Earth during his lifetime long ago.

"It is music that moves the inner emotions of biological life-forms. Although I too can somehow sense it is on another level,” Mother said.

A wave of blue and black flashed throughout Minstrel. “Have I missed something tonight? I passed Kyle in the corridor just now, and he was the opposite of what I experienced at the Blue Star—which was happy."

"I will fill you in later. Let me say there was a very emotional, a very
human,
encounter between the boys and Elise tonight."

Minstrel's body twinkled with a thousand lights. “Well, we did want them to interact with each other."

"Yes, we did,” Mother said. “But another emotional issue is bothering the boys. They are once again too preoccupied with searching for human survivors. Every time we visit a new planet, that is the only thing that interests them. They don't enjoy meeting new aliens. Nor do they want to explore these new worlds and experience the beauty and uniqueness of each. They are missing out."