Her Brother's Keeper: A Story of Alpha Centauri

The Experiment is a Success 1

The two women watched as the girl left the restaurant. As she was going through the door, she turned and gave them a friendly wave, which the duo returned with enormous grins on their faces.

Once she finally exited the dark-haired woman 'Miss Coop' faced 'Miss Harrison' and began speaking, "You're right."

"I'm right about what?" Christy Harris retorted.

"After talking to her I realized she is more like Mary than you when you were that age," Commodore Cooper answered.

"Yes, she has a few unconscious mannerisms that are identical to my big sister's," Christy responded.

"You mean the way she won't meet your eyes when she's trying to be evasive?" Cooper pointed out.

"Exactly."
"Did you notice she did it every time she mentioned Haruhi?" Cooper enquired.

"Oh, yeah."

"What's so wrong with admitting that she loves her sister? Is that a 'modern' societal thing?" Cooper asked, unsure of the situation.

"No, from what I've seen it isn't. I think it's one of her personality quirks."

"Interesting," came Cooper's measured response. "At least she cherishes Haruhi as much as you loved Mary. That part of the experiment was definitely a success."

"Yes. Plus, judging from their latest, and most honest test scores they won't ever have to be separated," Christy replied with a radiant smile. "Not by death nor by the ravages of time."

"Indeed, Duflot was ecstatic because of those results. Haruhi scored five points higher than Keiko did at that age," Cooper pointed out. "Meanwhile, Christiana only achieved three points below your score."

"We both know that people can fluctuate ten points from day to day. In other words, the marks are essentially a perfect match. Psychogenesis?" Christy enquired.

"Psychogenesis," Cooper agreed.

"I never thought that it would work on our genetic children. With a cloned embryo, perhaps, but not on our offspring," Christy Harris revealed sheepishly.

"Duflot hypothesizes that with replicated embryos we can not only duplicate the basic mental abilities but also the personality traits as well," Cooper pointed out.

"I wouldn't mind having a few more Christianas running around. She's a truly nice kid," Christy said with a wistful smile.

"It seems you will not have long to wait for that. Duflot already has plans to do a second run," Cooper revealed. "After all, unless you can replicate your results, then you cannot truly say that your experiment was a success."

"But she hasn't reached adulthood," Harris pointed out. "Until then, we won't know if she'll even agree to be turned."

"As attached as she is to Haruhi and as connected as they will be to you by that time I believe we can already guess the answer to that." Cooper pointed out. "After all, unlike with you and Mary, we'll be able to offer her the chance to have a child or two before we change her. The same for Haruhi. If Mary had that choice what do you think she would have chosen?"

"She'd still be here," Christy said in a very sad voice. "She wanted children so badly, but she didn't want to have them on the cramped ship. In the end, that was why she chose to age and fade away while I lingered on." After wiping the tear that fell from her left eye, she continued. "Besides, it's all up to Admiral Duflot. Without his agreement, I can't even think about offering her my blood."

"Oh, that's not a problem," Cooper revealed with a grin. "I already got permission from Christoph."

"What!?!?!" Christy Harris exclaimed as if she were a child herself. Then she positively bounced up and down as she rushed out of her chair and bear-hugged her companion. "I love you, Mommy!"

"I love you too short stuff!" Cooper asserted for the entire room to hear. Then, after Christy pulled away, she said in a normal voice, "You haven't called me that in decades."

"I realize that," Christy responded with a laugh.

"I miss hearing you call me that." Cooper said in a wistful voice. "While I'm not your biological parent, I all but raised you on that voyage."

"I know. You were the first person other than Aunt Krystal who ever looked after us," Christy revealed. "With you around, Mary didn't have to look out for me so much and could finally be a kid."

"I wish I could have been there for you more often."

"Please, you had a STARSHIP to run. The fact that you watched over us the way you did was wonderful." Christy said with a smile. "I mean we got to see you almost every other day to eat and talk and just be silly. That was more than enough."

"Thank you, sweety. Those were some of the happiest days of my... unlife," Cooper said as she reached out her hand and took hold of her daughter's. "Then after I raised you I became your sire, so I turned into your mother in another way when you drank my blood. I was incredibly happy."

"I was delighted too, and Mary looked so sad," Christy responded as a teardrop fell down her cheek.

"Well, from here on out, you will be like a parent to Christiana and Haruhi," Cooper said in a cheerful tone. "Then, when the time rolls around, you'll also become a mom to your biological daughter in a second way."

"I can't believe I'll have to live in this Hotel for the next six years," Christy groused despite the smirk on her face.

"Now do not start. That's the entire reason we built this tower here in this backwater town," then with an ironic smile Cooper continued. "After all, they get enough business a Year to keep Château Duflot afloat for a full month. Still, it was the best idea we could concoct to explain why they can't stay with you when they want to. Well, that and the fact that you will be traveling in and out of the area every few days. Otherwise, the kids would wonder why you don't simply buy a house where they could visit regularly."

"Yep, just like we always wanted to stop by your quarters to bed down there," Harris said with a giggle. "We didn't realize that you did not need to sleep in deep space and it would blow your human cover."

"Yeah, that made the 'vampiric bonus' of interstellar travel into a real nuisance," Cooper revealed. "No sun nearby equals no requirement to go catatonic every twelve-ish hours."

"So Duflot plans to keep the experiment running until we turn them," Harris replied, as if the truth of the situation had not fully registered. "I mean, I wouldn't have to replicate your role so closely if we planned to discontinue the project."

"Yes, that's what Christoph decided," Cooper responded. "In his own words, 'Right now we have girls with their mothers' potential when they first boarded the ships. Let's see if we're capable of transforming our little prodigies into the super-geniuses their parents eventually became.'"

"Sure," Harris said in a disparaging manner.

"Sure what?" came Cooper's prompt response.

"The super-genius label. Keiko and I are bright, but we are not on Duflot's level," Harris pointed out. "Compared to him we can barely keep up."

"Christoph was the best mind of his century," Cooper said matter-of-factly. "No one can truly compete with him."

"Christoph this, Christoph that," Harris said teasingly. "When are you going to admit it?"

"Admit what?" Cooper responded, her confusion clear on her face.

"That you're his favorite child," Harris revealed. "Who else is allowed to call the Admiral by his first name?"

"Well, there's Rose...."

"Oh please, she's known Duflot for the better part of a millennium, and they've been lovers off and on for half of that," Harris replied with a playful grin. "Is there anyone other than the two of you who call him Christoph?"

"He told Simmons that he could refer to him that way during our initial return trip to Sol."

"Does Simmons actually call him Christoph?" Harris retorted.

"No, but..."

Before she could finish her sentence Cooper's com' beeped a very specific manner.