SWRC: Too Soon... (Book 3)

Chapter 19 Unwanted Visitors.

"And what does that really make you?" asked a new voice that sounded exactly like Neeran's.

The seven whirled around and came face to face with those they'd just been trying to track down.

Their seven doppelgängers.

The ten A.I flashed on and off again as they returned to their hosts, of whom were preparing to get the hell out of there. With the mind link they shared, they could all tell that the ten A.I's had all returned safely and they were ready to go.

All except for Neeran.

Neeran continued to stare at her doppelgänger and only her doppelgänger.
'And what does that really make you?'
The words burned into Neeran's mind over and over again as she already knew.

They were both exactly the same.
In every way, shape or form.

"Scatter!" ordered Neeran and the seven originals spread out and ran in seven different directions.

After numerous twists and turns, Neeran finally came upon an exit in the form of a window which she shattered with a simple Force-Push.

Only she wasn't alone.

The click of a firearm was all that alerted Neeran to the presence of her counterpart as she turned around. But whilst running through the maze of the Imperial outpost, Neeran had had time to think about what the clone had said.
'And what does that really make you?'

"I never forgave you for what you did in the Clone Wars under my name," said Neeran. "Or for what you did to my company, to my families! I never forgave you. And I never will."
"I don't need your forgiveness," snarled the doppelgänger. "I did what needed to be done. I know who I am! It's what you would have done!"

"But you don't know what I am!" yelled Neeran. "I don't know what I am! And I wouldn't have done any of the things you did! But I do know this."
The doppelgänger was silent.
"I'm more than just the original of you," said Neeran as she stared down the other. "I'm better than you."

The doppelgänger froze at Neeran's words as Neeran turned and leapt out of the shattered window behind her and into the dark and gloomy depths of the city.
None of former Squad A realised that all around the building where they'd run to, each of them had had the exact same conversation with their own doppelgängers.

Upon reaching the designated meeting point for the group, the team sat or stood in silence. Each were replaying what had happened to them in the outpost they'd just escaped from.
"All of the pieces are coming together," said Jyuo as he stood and looked out over the city.
"I'm just not sure we'll like how it ends," replied Neeran as the seven of them looked out into the distance of Gorse's mining city.