This devastates the girl. She changed, was given grace, and yet this new joy of, not one, but two daughters, is taken as soon as she’s given them. “I deserve worse. I’ll take it, sir.”
Having this ring in his ears, the Director smiles and teasingly taps her on the shoulder. “I just so happen to be assigning a few losers to be your officers in captivity. No, not the girls. They have work to do. I’m talking about AB and his sister Cici. If anyone understands this kind of sentence, it’s those two. Just give me seventy years of your life, and that’s all I’ll require, fair enough?”
This sounds like forever to you and me, but when you’re in a civilization that lives for centuries and can keep themselves as young as they want, a measly Earth-based life sentence is very gracious, indeed.
“Can I do it instead?” Abbie volunteers. “I’ve never killed anyone, or at least not without proper authorization, heh heh, but I’ve blown some pretty big opportunities in my life. I’d like to share your burden, if that’s okay.”
This new arrangement, however, is quickly protested by the younger Sky sister. “Abbie, you can’t do that. That’s something I can’t ask of you. Ally is my big sister, and this is our mess. I think it would be best for us both if I stopped being so selfish and accept her apology.” Cat turns to her restored friend who is crying once again and lovingly says, “I once had a big sister who reached out to me during a dark time in my life. I’d like the chance to extend that love to you, Ally.” Oh, there’s some huggin’ going on!
AB gladly concludes, “So, it’s settled then. Sis and I get to skip this one while muh grandkid does the work for me. Great! I love it!” Of course, he’s teasing. In truth, he couldn’t be prouder of his descendant for her decision.
“Grandpa?!” Tiffany asks, having a light bulb go off in her inquisitive, quick-learning mind.
This slowly forming logic reaches the creative brain of her barely older sister, causing Faye to deduce, “Mr. System Director, sir, since you’re the author and you made my mommy, doesn’t that kind of make you my grandpa?”
“No.”
“I love you, Gramps!” Tiffany says with a happy shout.
“No.” While now surrounded by two self-appointed grandchildren, the embarrassed System Director commands, as nicely as possible, “Don’t ever call me that again in public. It’s just weird, man!”
While everyone else is laughing, Cat bursts into a big, traumatized gasp and points to the Director, then to AB, then back to the Director. “NO! You didn’t! Did you?”
As the two look-alikes wait for her to say it, they mimic her by looking and pointing at each other. For the record, AB simply resembles the System Director. They’re obviously different folks, or else SD wouldn’t be here. That was a freebie to dispel any theological misunderstands there. No charge!
“So,” Cat figures out, “at any given time when I was hanging out with Gramps, I could’ve been hanging out with you, sir?”
While giving the Worley Twins “the glare,” SD remarks, “Makes for a fun plot point in retrospect, but don’t call me that. I ain’tcha grandpa!!”
“Back to the matter at hand, sir,” Ally says, ready to get her sentence over with so she can hurry and be with her girls. As the Director agrees that the time approaches, Ally hugs both of her girls, giving them as much love and advice as she can in these fleeting minutes.
Once Ally and her daughters are ready to part, Duplica takes her by the hand and says, “Are you ready, big sis?” But these words feel so wrong. Cat knows something is missing. “Hey, Airhead, you have some time to kill…hero?” And with this, Abigail Sky is recruited for the long journey of, not two, but three sisters. Cat made this gesture because she knows how significant it is to Abbie that she be the one to help Ally since this was supposed to be the reason she was made. She forfeited it, and yet her sister included her. In this one gesture, Cat has volunteered herself to restore both of the sisters whom she loves so dearly.
Inner Man Theatre 