Devon Alone IV: The Legacy of Tears by Nicole Mayer

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DEVON, ALONE. PART IV
The Legacy of Tears (9/9)
by Nicole Mayer

John Danziger was walking down a hall, deep in thought. His emotions were in turmoil and having Morgan temporarily staying in his and Kassidy's unit didn't help matters much. They had to get Morgan away soon, before the Council realised that their 'trusted' bureaucrat had gone AWOL.

Danziger was clinging to Kassidy as if she were a lifeline, for two major reasons. She helped to ease his guilt, and reminded Danziger of who he was and how much each and every sacrifice counted. Secondly, *he* wanted to keep her safe. He didn't know if he could face losing her, either to the Council, or to the waiting arms of Morgan Martin.

Danziger laughed bitterly. Morgan's interest in Kassidy was blatantly obvious to him, and while Danziger had many reasons to like and respect the man, he couldn't help but question Morgan's motivations.

But thoughts like this weren't getting Danziger anywhere. He sighed. How could he move on with his life, when nothing had truly been resolved? How could he be expected to forget Devon Adair, just like that? After all he now knew, Danziger had a higher regard for Devon than anyone else he'd ever met. She was a true hero.

He heard light footsteps, and wondered who else was walking the deep corridors so late at night. Danziger had never been in this part of the station before, but was investigating a new hiding place for Morgan.

He looked up, and froze. It couldn't be. It was impossible. Danziger blinked once, and then again, willing his mind to be rational. There had to be thousands of dark haired women out there. Hundreds who were that height, with that walk. It wasn't her, it couldn't be. She was dead!

But Devon Adair kept walking towards him. As if in a dream, Danziger stepped from the shadows. He saw the look of surprise cross her face as he appeared in her path, and held out one hand. "Devon..." he said.

She paused, and gave him an appraising glance. Her next words nearly cut his heart to shreds.

"Do I know you?"
Danziger was stunned. How could she *not* know him? It was impossible that she could forget, after everything she'd told him... "Devon, it's me!" he said uselessly. Now he *knew* how she had felt, chasing after Danziger himself when he didn't know Devon at all. It was a complete role reversal, and Danziger was suddenly afraid.

"I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else. Now if you'll excuse me," Devon said hurriedly, and made to move off. Danziger halted her with a hand on her arm as he stared into her blue eyes. They were empty.

"What did they do to you?" he gasped, his voice full of horror. "You're supposed to be dead!"

She laughed then, a chilling, mocking laugh as the face of Blalock surged across her features. "She is dead!" said the evil voice. "These are only my creations, they may have Devon's face, but they belong to me!"

Danziger backed away. "No," he whispered. A third Devon? Another Replica? "NO!" he shouted as the figure reached out to grab him. A wave of fear assaulted Danziger, and he struggled to free himself from the evil grasp. But fingers sharp as nails raked down the back of his head, and Danziger could feel his own skull being exposed.

"Seems like you've lost your mind, John," it laughed cruelly. "Maybe *you* should become one of us!"

Danziger fought to get away, but things were crawling into his head, or perhaps it was his own consciousness running away from him, but the last thing he remembered was the empty eyes of the evil thing who wasn't Devon...and then he woke up screaming.

"John!" Kassidy was shaking him, frightened by the obvious intensity of Danziger's dream. Finally, his eyes popped open in fright. Sweat drenched his body, and he was breathing heavily. "Hell..."

Beginning to realise that it was only a nightmare, Danziger put his head in his hands and groaned. "What a dream," he mumbled, trying to shake the horrible images from his mind.

"It'll be alright, John, you're safe," crooned Kassidy while stroking his head. She hadn't ever seen him have a nightmare like this before and she was extremely worried. "Do you want to tell me about it? Talking helps, you know."

"Nah," Danziger quickly said, beginning to feel embarrassed by his performance. Never had a dream had such an impact on him. "Just a stupid nightmare."

Kassidy took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. "Listen to me, John. You're under so much stress, and it's probably manifesting itself through your dreams. Talk to me! We can work through it together."

So, very reluctantly, Danziger told her. "A third clone..." mused Kassidy. She had a sudden suspicion on where that dream image had arisen from. "Have you thought about that in real life?"

"I dunno, I guess I did think about it a little - I mean, a copy of her mind would *have* to be stored in the computer somewhere! My mind is. And so is yours." Kassidy shuddered at the memory his words brought close - it was another regret of the past.

"And what would you do, John? Could you really bring a clone into this world? Could you keep doing this to the original Devon, someone you never even knew?"

"I *did* know her!" Danziger protested. "And think...if we did this, then she could live again..."

"...and we would be nothing to her," concluded Kassidy wisely. "That's what your dream showed you. You have to let her go."

***

The problem with space was that the weather never changed. It could be the most glorious day of a person's life, or the most terrible, but none of this was ever reflected in the static environment of the space stations. The sterile lights still glared harshly, and the computer controlled day and night executed themselves with perfect, unchanging precision. No one except those affected would notice the sadness in the air.

Kassidy wistfully thought back to her days on Earth. Even in a world so polluted and grey, she had still revelled in the changing of the seasons. It wasn't much more than a slight hint on the wind, but it had meant so much to her.

She would never forget the angry storms - the violent furies that threatened to tear the world apart. Or the sultry, long days of summer where even Earth herself seemed to be sleepy. But most of all, Kassidy could not forget the rain.

Yes, it had been so dangerous as the poisons of centuries of abuse took their revenge on humanity. However, this meant little to Kassidy. She had always been intrigued by the uncanny ability of rain to appear just when things were darkest to enhance the gloomy mood.

It always rained at funerals. And that was why *this* memorial service seemed so empty. There was no rain.

A light flickered incessantly, and Kassidy felt the sudden urge to rip it from the wall. The light didn't care about death, neither did the empty recycled air or the low hum of thousands of minute machines working at keeping them all alive in the hostile environment of space. There was little caring to be found anywhere on the stations. Only three, three out of a population of billions, were present at this service, although Yale had requested they record it for him, just in case he ever had the opportunity to see it.

The three stood by the viewport - John Danziger, Kassidy Quinn, and Morgan Martin. A single imitation candle burned bright as they each said a few words in memory of Devon Adair.

They had found no traces of her. Danziger knew he would always listen to reports from teams working outside, just in case someone, somehow, found her remains. But he had to let her go.

He still felt so terribly, terribly guilty. Knowing what he knew now, that she was a clone being manipulated by the Council, and that she had little control over her actions, Danziger wished he had never lost his temper, and never told her to get out of his life.

Because she had done just that. For everyone. Devon'd had nothing, absolutely nothing, to live for. They could all clearly see that now, and appreciate how the Council had contributed to the raging battle in her mind.

Danziger admired her spirit for standing up to them for so long. Her personality, though cloned, was fiery and vibrant as all traces and memories of the *real* Devon Adair fought their way through the programming and allowed her to live on. In Danziger's mind, she was the only Devon he could ever imagine.

They no longer even considered the fact that she was a Replica. Devon was the only known Replica to have been able to stand up against the Council. And she had paid for it dearly - being put through a year of hell in VR as the Council tried to regain control, and then finally declared her a failure, subsequently driving Devon to her death.

She had given so much of herself, and lost her life in the process. When the truth about the Council was finally revealed, Danziger, Morgan and Kassidy vowed that the public would learn of Devon's sacrifice. They would make sure of it.

"I hope she's happy," concluded Morgan. Kassidy smiled through her tears.

"I know she is." Kassidy closed her eyes, and imagined, somewhere, she could hear a child's laughter, and the joyous voice shouting, "Mom!" And tears of happiness as the mother found a part of herself that she had lost.

But they were echoes of another place, one where the living did not belong. She took John's hand on the left, and Morgan's hand on the right. She did not know which hand would be hers to hold in the future, but was confident that there *was* a future, for all of them.

The three stared to the stars, and could almost see Devon's image in the heavens. A light, and a hope for the future. She would not be forgotten. And nevermore would she be alone.

...and so it continues...

-The End-

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