THE LAST BORN

T H I R T Y T H R E E

ANA

Every twitch of his body excites me.

I watch as Malcolm is floating in a strange color fluid inside the tube. I'm barely left his side, still feeling surreal that he is here, and that we're fighting to save him. It has been more than thirty days since Lev found me. He and my supposedly sister-in-law, Mary, have been helping us a lot. Lev and Mary had been traveling with a compact pod, he told me he picked up a strange signal and decided to check it when he realized it was me.

"He is still unable to breathe independently, but his brain's activity is improving," Lev says in my head.

I don't answer to that, I don't think he needs any anyway.

"Ana," I feel Lev's hand on my shoulder. "I need to replicate him, I need to copy his consciousness and his memories, his body isn't capable of going further," He explains.

I don't care what he needs to do, as long as he can save him.

"There will be confusion, and this is the first time I will be doing this to a group of a complex organism, I just want you to know, there is a possibility he won't be able to remember you,"

I smile as I close my eyes.

I answer him with my emotion, my feeling of certainty is what Lev get as a respond. He might forget about everything else, but I know for sure that he will never forget me.

"Don't get your hope high, I don't want you to be disappointed," Lev says again.

I look to my side to my brother, then to the tube, I press my palm to the glass and we can see how his fingers twitch as if he is trying to move his limb.

I have been trying to reach his mind, and although I cannot speak to him telepathically, I still can try to send him my emotion, blanketing him with the relief I feel now that he is here, giving him the glimpse of my excitement knowing that my brother will do his best to safe him, excited waiting for the day I will have him in my arms again.

And he has been responding.

Lev's hand falls from my shoulder as he looks at us in disbelieve.

"Do what you must," I tell my brother telepathically, looking lovingly at the man floating in the fluid.

Soon, my love. I try to give him waves after waves of my feeling for him. Soon we will be in each other's arms.

"Lev!" Mary barges in with excitement on her face. "I think we found your brother,"

***

ANA

The ship cloaks us in invisibility as we approach Relish. It has been more than five years since we travel back to my home planet. I can't contain my excitement, the closer we are to the surface, the closer I'm getting to hold him in my arms again. Five years we spent duplicating Malcolm, cell by cell, Now every time I check on him, I see two of his bodies floating in a similar fluid.

Lev told me that although the skin looks identical to human skin, its texture is more of Ter-Zenirian's, just in a different color. The replicate he created is the exact duplicate of Malcolm, the architecture of his face, his height, the color of his hair, identical.

But when he wakes up in his new body, he will immediately feel the differences. I remember Lev's warning. There is a possibility he will need to learn how to walk from the start, how to speak, there is a possibility he will have sensitivity with the brightness until he can get used to his new body.

I listen to his words religiously, I will be next to him through it all.

"Everything is in position," Mary walks in and sits next to me. I smile at her, promising myself when this is all behind me, I will be more open to her, but right now, I only have Malcolm in my mind.

"Lev said some of the men will come and assist the human to breach the atmosphere, and we will take your boyfriends first,"

I look to my left and right, to Malcolm with a perfect body, with all of his limbs intact with no alteration but has no consciousness, and to the original Malcolm. I will miss his red-eye and I will miss his metal arm. But this is the only way we can save him. Lev is sure that his old body cannot sustain itself any longer.

I'm not surprised.

"You're ready?" I heard Lev's voice in my mind, I look back and nodded excitedly. I let Malcolm knows how I feel and I can see his fingers and toes twitched. He is excited too.

"Meet me on the warfare ship, I will put both bodies inside there in a minute," I nod and put my palm on the glass tube before walking out.

I walk looking for Jackie and Cara, I know I can find them at the ship hull.

"You better be right about Relish being the safest planet in the universe," Cara mumbles as she watches the black round that is Relish gets bigger and bigger.

It is safe.

I reassure him.

"You're going in first?" Jackie asks me.

I nod.

"Thank you, and your brother, we got our captain back," Jackie says. "And now it seems we're getting a new home,"

I put my hand on her shoulder, hugging her.

No more running away.

I tell both of them. I know it will be hard for them, living in a spaceship has been their thing for generations, and now they made their decision to build homes on the ground.

Thank you for agreeing with this. I tell them both again. I'm happy the human agreed to come to live with us in Relish. My people will be happy to have all of you.

"Is it going to be like... crazy men finally seeing women for the first time? Will I find myself on a stranger's shoulder as soon as I step on the ground?" Cara asks.

I frown, Would you like that?

"Good question," She replies frowning too.

"Go," Jackie smiles, pushing me to go to the smaller ship. "I will see you soon. Take care of him,"

I nod and hold the two strong women in a tight embrace. I'll see you on the ground. I tell them and walk to the smaller ship. Lev just finished securing the two tubes inside and I slide in.

"Take both bodies straight to my lab, I will instruct you from here," He says.

I look at him with appreciation.

"Come with me?" I ask him.

Lev smiles, "I would love to, but I need to pick up Dom, and this ship, although awfully slow, is perfect to bring the second batch of human,"

I reach him and give him a tight hug.

"I'm so proud of how you've become, Ana, so very proud." Lev whispers in my head. I can only hold him tighter as a reply. "Come, we need to wake up my brother-in-law,"

I nod and secure myself on the seat, watching as the door closed slowly until I can't see my brother again. Soon the robotic voice fills the smaller ship.

Launching in 10

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