Lost Again (Astra Lost in Space Fanfic)

Lost Again

Clones.

Making a clone was illegal.

It was that illegal thing, though, that nobody talked about, as if it were that thing nobody dared doing, even though there were every so often whispers of someone rich and powerful making a clone of themselves, or a clone of a beloved child, all for the sake of spare organs, or the possibility of a new body if someone could find a way to transfer their minds to the new body.

They weren't human.

Not that Ulgar ever felt human before finding out, but then—

Then the puzzle pieces fell together, and there was that understanding of why everyone in his family other than Finn treated him as if he were less than human, although knowing what he now knew didn't make any of it better, didn't erase his past. The only positive was finding a place he finally belonged, with others like him as they brought the teens home to Astra.

And then he was separated, pulled away from the others for some strange reason, although he wondered if they would be interviewing them individually, when the officer said, "Your mother is here to get you."

Ulgar stared, given how he, like everyone else sent on that disastrous school trip, learned they were purposefully sent there by their parents to hide the fact they'd illegally created clones—clones to serve as new bodies as one of the so-called parents did, in fact, learn of a way to transfer minds to the new body, thus killing themselves off. "What do you mean?"

"What else could I mean?" the officer said before leaving.

Ulgar looked at the table, frowning. There was never any attachment between them, even if she never learned the truth—which was surprising that she'd not want anything to do with the child she'd not given birth to. The door opened, and he didn't look up. "Ulgar?"

"What do you want?"

"You don't have to be so scathing in your remarks," she said. "It's bad enough that your father's been arrested."

"He's not my father."

He heard the chair across from his scrape. "Why do you have to be so—I don't know. Always rebellious? He's your father."

Ulgar looked up, glaring. "Do you even know why he was arrested?"

She looked him in the eye, frowning. "The reason why he was arrested?"

"Don't you know? Didn't they tell you?"

"Something to do with some of the parents' children being clones of themselves and him helping to cover it up."

Ulgar's hands clenched at his side as he looked down at the table. "And what about me? Why did he try to get rid of me?"

Silence.

He looked up, watching her frown. "I'm a clone as well."

She stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise. "No, you're not."

"What do you mean I'm not? Where do you think I came from?" Ulgar asked. "You didn't give birth to me."

"I know, but you're not a clone. You aren't his clone," she said, still watching him.

"What do you mean I'm not his clone? My DNA," Ulgar took a deep breath.

"He's your paternal match," she said. "And he wouldn't have done that."

"You mean clone himself so he could live forever without you?" Ulgar said.

Again, silence.

He watched her, then looked away, jamming his hands into his pockets before muttering, "Sorry."