Sarah7

Ch23

“Ah my dearest granddaughter, you cannot begin to imagine how thrilled I am to finally meet you” the Leader, Sarah 5 said with a warm voice as she hugged Sarah 7 firmly.

Dumbstruck , Sarah 7 stood there with her lips parted in the prelude to a hundred questions.

The older Sarah placed an arm around Sarah7′s shoulders in a familiar gesture and gently guided her to an elaborately decorated archway, leaving behind the assembly.

As they left the grand hallway the Leader spoke over her shoulder: “Let us celebrate the return of our dear sister. Enjoy yourselves while we retire to my chambers.”

The crowd cheered behind them. The sound faded abruptly as they turned a sharp corner, and Sarah7 stopped short.

“How can this be? How are you here? I don’t understand. Are you - me?” Sarah spoke slowly as her own confusion made speaking coherently difficult.

The Leader smiled and led her to a large room decorated with tapestries, street signs, and other seemingly random pieces of artwork. A large couch was covered with red silk cloth. Tthe Leader sat down on one side, patting the cushion in a gesture to join her on the couch. Her open smile and kind eyes disarmed Sarah with their intensity. And it was as if she was looking at herself from the future. Sarah 5′s hair was the same color as hers of course, but streaks of grey lined her hair .

“I can answer all your questions if you would care to sit, my child” she said.

Silently, Sarah joined her on the couch, but she sat stiffly and looked directly at the Leader.

“How is it you are here, and alive? Hasn’t it been 100 years since the war?”

“I’m sure by now child you’ve learned that you can heal quickly. The scientists that engineered us to be warriors did not foresee all of the repercussions of their work. The same healing ability also lends itself to aging as well. It may well be that I’m over a hundred now. ” She chuckled a bit, “But I don’t look a day over 50, don’t you think?”

“Does that mean, I’ll live that long as well?” Sarah asked.

“Of course child. But that’s just the beginning. I have so much to show you. ” The older Sarah placed her hand over the younger’s hand and smiled.

“But first, would you like some tea?”

As if out of nowhere a young servant came in with a round plate holding a steaming pot of tea and two cups. He poured out two drinks before backing out deferentially.

Sarah frowned slightly. If this was a place of equality, why was this Leader being treated more like royalty?

“Have you been told about the Prophecy, and the project to attempt to create someone who might fulfill it to defeat the Vixen?” The Leader asked.

Sarah nodded.

“And you heard about the supposed Weapon that this person would wield against the Vixen, and save the day, like some kind of mythical hero out of a fairy tale?”

“Yes, and that’s why they created you, and me as well?” Sarah asked.

The Leader nodded.

“This is the story they fed to the populace to give them hope. The truth was more complicated. The supposed Weapon was an old sword someone had found that seemed to have some effectiveness against the Vixen. But in order to get it to even work with us, they had to encase it in a machine that adapted it’s abilities to us ... clones. It was a foolish and desperate attempt to force fate to work on Humanity’s side” she spat the words out bitterly.

Sarah sipped her tea. It was hot, but the taste triggered memories - of the real Sarah’s mother. They would go out on rainy days to a tea shop near their home, and talk about everything under the sun. Sarah bit her lip as she pushed the memories down into her subconscious .

“What happened? How is it that you are the leader here? ”

“My dear granddaughter I realized almost immediately after they awoke me that their plan was doomed. This Prophecy was being misinterpreted . The Weapon we needed to use was peace, not war. I refused to use their machine of death. There had already been too much killing. ”

The Leader sipped her tea.

“Do you remember the times Mom and I would go out to the tea shop? Those are such special memories.” The Leader seemed almost wistful.

“But - these aren’t OUR memories, they are from the original Sarah” Sarah replied.

The Leader frowned. “Well of course they are!” She snapped.

Sarah withdrew her hand sharply.

“Oh granddaughter, I’m sorry. It’s just hard sometimes to think about what those scientists did to us. To try to force some kind of path of fate. But, I took the gifts they meant for war and struck peace.”

Sarah looked around the room.

“Where did you find all these things?”

The Leader glanced around, as if seeing the room for the first time.

“Oh, here and there. My people bring things from the city and beyond as gifts.”

“Your people? You mean the ones living in this city?” Sarah asked.

“Oh and beyond. After the War was over, I came to this city to start something new. At first it was hard. There were already gangs forming to destroy what little was left here , I was able to take my gifts and forge a new future. One where we live in peace with the Vixen, and we prosper once again.”

“I thought the Vixen see us as just a defeated race, just something in the way now?”

The Leader frowned again.

“Victory, defeat. These are words from the past. They have no meaning now granddaughter . Now we forge a new future. And now I have someone to share all that we are creating here. With you.”

“Why do you call me that? Granddaughter? We’re clones...”

The Leader chuckled.

“Our esteemed creators would take the cells from one ‘generation’ and use it as the basis for the next. They built upon the previous Sarah to create the next. They had to preserve this precious ‘bloodline’”

The Leader looked down at her own hands.

“So in a very real way, you are my granddaughter.”

“Do you know what happened to Sarah 6 then?” Sarah asked.

A sneer crossed over the Leader’s face as she rose from the couch and turned toward Sarah. “Don’t talk about that woman. She was the greatest fool of all.” She spat on the floor. “She bought their story hook line and sinker. And nearly destroyed us all.”

Sarah cringed slightly. She was beginning to wonder about this older Sarah. Perhaps the years had done more than just preserved her body...

“But, if you are my ‘grandmother’ wouldn’t that make her like my ... mother?” Sarah mused out loud .

The Leader’s eyes flared and she grabbed Sarah’s wrist and twisted it, forcing her to stand. She yelped in pain.

“I told you not to speak of her! Your so-called mother was foolhardy and impulsive. She tried to do what I would not, and brought down retribution from the Vixen! If it wasn’t for me, everyone in this city would be dead!” The anger in her voice was like ice down Sarah’s spine.

Sarah wrenched her hand away. “I don’t know what she did, but it sounds like she at least fought back” she said defiantly. That grasp had hurt!

“Listen, granddaughter, I know this world seems strange. And you are just starting to learn who and what you are, but the first thing you will learn from me is your place in this society. I know you better than you know yourself. Together we can create a new world from the ashes of the old. Free from technology and wars and prophecies. The Vixen will give us all we need to survive and prosper. ”

Sarah was shocked.

“The Vixen? You mean the creatures that have destroyed this world? Are you crazy? How can you think that?”

The Leader turned away from Sarah and spoke in a calmer tone. “You will not speak to me in that tone girl. I think you should return to your room and think about your future. If you are going to take your place at my side, you will need to learn manners, as well as humility.”

“What are you even talking about? At your side? I hardly know you, or this place. And you are not being nice at all.” She rubbed her wrist.

“Nice will not make you a leader, Sarah ... Seven. You have a lot to learn. Go back to your room. I will have a servant lead you there.”

“No.” Sarah replied.

“What did you say, granddaughter?” The Leader turned to her with pinched lips and her arms in fists.

“No. I want to see Max. To see if he is ok.”

The Leader laughed. It was a loud and derisive sound. “You mean your robot? You’ll never see him again. The Vixen have forbade technology. We are preparing to send him to them as we speak.”

“What?!” It was Sarah’s turn to clench her fists.

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