The Head of the team closed his eyes after a whole night figuring out how to deal with their new problem to deal with again. One after another, troubles are just knocking by their office’s door and piling up in the corner.
“Have you already found a lead about the anonymous organization who dealt with the asteroids last time?” He turned to the one who just came back from making them a coffee.
“Not yet, Sir.”
“They will be a great help if ever they think of helping us out.” He massaged his forehead. “Make sure to find them before we run out of time.”
The man gulped, yet nodded. “ I will do everything I can to find them, Sir.”
“Do you think that one—the team that blasted those asteroids, have something to do with Henry and his team?” one meddled.
“That is impossible. Euvy has forbidden their group to get back to Earth. If it wasn’t for her, that should have not happened.” He recoiled the time that they are in turmoil, wondering why their spaceship initiated self-destruction just when it is about to enter the Earth’s atmosphere. And just recently, upon reinvestigating it themselves, they have found out that it was her who did it.
“What about Zimmerman? What can you say about her?”
He shook his head and fixed his eyeglasses. They eyed on each other, waiting for everyone’s statement.
“I don’t think she is related to anyone of them. Just because she looked like her, we already have the right to doubt her. The background checking has proven it,” he denied. “Stop involving anyone, unless proven. Are we clear?”
Everyone is silenced, neither agreed nor disagreed with him. They continued working, while he enjoyed his coffee first before it gets cold.
He pulled his drawer and picked up the picture of the team that they have sent that year. They are the reason that he no longer wants to handle such missions again. Not to send anyone from his team anymore at least; that if only possible, he no longer wants to accept younger individuals to be in their team. But the organization was kind enough to give them two, to make things a bit easier for them: Peter Hopps and Eunice Zimmerman.
“Why you did not tell the Administration about it? Why did you take all the blame?”
“Henry surely has nothing to do with what she did. But, being the Captain, he was the one they had put all the faults on to. And we all know how upright he is. How can I let him be blamed even in his unfortunate death?”
“Poor man. It just happened that he wasted his everything for that cunning woman, Sir.”
“I can’t agree to that. After what we have learned about her? There is a different kind of impact on a person who has an unwanted upbringing. However, she was wrong to let her madness consumed her. Anyway, this is not we should be discussing these hours. I am already drained.” He breathes out, tiredly. “What do you think we should suggest for this mission to not have the same fate as theirs?”
“Not to take along a woman astronaut, maybe?” his office mate joked. “Kidding aside, I honestly don’t know. We don’t even know the origin of this black hole. Good thing it isn’t as big as the first one. But if we don’t take care of it now, we might end up dealing with a bigger problem in the future.”
“But that is the problem. How can we deal with the unknown nothingness? We can always conduct further studies with this, but we will never get near to understand how it exists from nothing, and how it disappears out of nowhere.”
Someone yawned, made him realized that they are already working non-stop. The sun is already gleaming on the mountains and peeking at the glass walls. He stood up and went to them, checking what they have accomplished.
“We deserve some rest too, team. You can go home now.” He peeked at his watch. “Besides, it is our day off. Okay, turn off everything that must be turned off. Unplug everything that must be unplugged. Pack your things. Leave your working place proper and in order.”
Given the cue, they stood up in unison, to which made them laugh. Obviously, they are just waiting for him to free them. He doubled check his seat, made sure that he did not miss anything.
As everyone left one by one, the office became silent at last. Once alone, he reminisced his first encounter with Henry and how he convinced him to take in to their team Euvy as well.
“Okay. Just remember to be professional at all times. You can be lovey-dovey outside, but not in here.”
“Thank you, Sir! I assure you, she deserves to be in our team.”
He scanned the woman’s record after the man left. Her marks are not impressive, not remarkable. Normally, with that resume and records, it will be disregarded and will be put straight to the bin. But Henry is a long-time friend of his, after the young lad impressed him with his capabilities and credentials, and his unparalleled uprightness.
“You called me, Sir?” his secretary entered his office.
“Yes. If a certain Euvy Swan came, please take her to me.”
“Didn’t you turned down her application, Sir?”
“Yes, I did. But I just changed my mind. We have always giving chances to the undoubtedly competitive ones. Why not try those who don’t that much this time?” He glanced at the man.
“As expected from you, Sir Deallo. I, myself, will not be here today if it wasn’t because of you.”
He wiped his glasses after a teary remembering. Who would have thought that his genuineness will one day take lives? That was what have taught him that the saying, ‘You can never go wrong with kindness,’ isn’t applicable in all cases at all times. For there he is, a living proof for that.
He packed his things and went to Zimmerman’s cubicle; paste a note on her computer: ‘This seat was long vacated. Don’t leave it empty again.’
He wiped the fine dirt on the corner of her keyboard. The woman really looks like Euvy. And even though he doesn’t want to have younger ones in his team, having her around feels like their lost team has back. He will retire in peace if the woman stays and keep the rest motivated—as Euvy once did.
—
Walking back here and there, she can no longer count how many times did the doctor walked past by her and heaved a sigh from time to time. Her eyes are focused on the news being aired.
“Have I already told you the latest update?” she opened up and put down the remote.
“You always have something to say whenever we talk over the phone, Eunice. I don’t know which of which you are referring to. So, which one exactly?”
“I maybe haven’t told you yet then. The Space Administration had found a black hole near Earth again. The thing is, just like before, it appeared out of nowhere. Imagine how fearsome the universe gets as time goes by. Why do you think it is happening?” She turned to the man, but he is just looking at her seriously and seems to be not listening at all. “Doctor Dean?”
“I'm not very knowledgeable about heavenly bodies and anything related to such, Eunice. Certainly, I will never be able to give you a certain explanation for that. But whatever they are up to, don’t meddle with them.” He placed her papers in front of her. “Look, you should be focusing on yourself more than that.”
The smile on his face made her do the same. Sure, she doesn’t know what he is doing it for, but that simply means he is happy with the results.
“Eunice, I don’t want to give you false hope, okay? You are a human, clone or not, you are.” He held her shoulders, forcing her to agree to his statement. “And this is just normal for some humans. However, your case is different.”
“Because I am a different kind of human.”
The old man nodded and sat down on the settee. “Indeed. I cannot say it yet, but based on the results, you are getting well. Your body system is getting resistant to the common illness that you used to be prone to. Well, your immune system might be just boosted or—”
“Or what?”
“You are becoming a hundred percent human.”
Her eyes widened and literally held her breath for seconds, waiting for the man to take it back, but he did not. Instead, he stood up again and went to his laboratory room.
She catches for her breath as she has finally realized that she’s been holding it for minutes already. Her hands are shaking and beads of sweat stream down to her face: ‘I am becoming a hundred percent human.’
“Dean! Dean!” She searched for the man, yet as expected, he will not let himself be bothered once he gets started doing his work. “How did you know that I might be—”
She stopped when she saw at the corner, looking at the piece of paper while silently crying. He looked up at her, and she saw, it wasn’t for lamenting.
“I am a human. The real one.” He gazed back at the paper. “See this? I really am!”
She was out of words for seconds. It must be really fulfilling to know that you are not a half-baked human, she thought.
Sat down beside him and looked at the paper confirming he isn’t like her, she wondered how it feels to be really free from being a clone.
“Should you have known it sooner, would you get back home back then?”
“Oh, darling, that is the very reason why I have never tried to know that before. I was so afraid that my wife might get involved in the mess I am into.”
“You can never tell. You can never know.”
The man looked away as he wiped his tears; halted from telling her furthermore. Hence, she left instead and let him have a moment for himself.
“I will be back. Remember to call me if you need anything,” she bade goodbye.