Chapter 59 The other me
Rafael
The meeting with the Russian authorities was scheduled for the following morning. I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw those seventeen embryos, frozen in time, waiting for someone to decide their fate.
Flora did not sleep either. I could feel her tossing and turning beside me, her mind racing with the same thoughts that haunted mine.
"Talk to me," I said finally, around three in the morning. "What are you thinking?"
She was quiet for a long moment. Then, "I am thinking about how easily it could have been me. Frozen for decades. Never given a chance. Just discarded when I was no longer useful."
I pulled her closer. "But it was not you. You are here. You are alive."
"By accident," she whispered. "Dr. Yuki saved me by accident. If she had chosen a different embryo, I would not exist."
"But you do exist," I said. "And because you do, you can save those others. You can give them what no one gave you. A real choice."
She turned in my arms to face me. Even in the darkness, I could see her eyes glistening with tears. "What if I am not strong enough? What if I cannot protect them the way they need?"
"You will not be alone," I reminded her. "We will do this together."
She kissed me softly, slowly. When she pulled back, her expression had shifted. "I want to meet them. Before we decide anything. I want to see those embryos."
"The facility is in Moscow," I said. "That is a long trip."
"I do not care," Flora said. "I need to see them with my own eyes. I need to know they are real."
"Okay," I said. "I will make the arrangements."
We landed in Moscow two days later. The city was gray and cold. Flora stood at the plane's window, staring out at the unfamiliar landscape.
"You okay?" I asked.
"No," she admitted. "But I need to do this anyway."
Catherine met us at the airport with a Russian official named Dmitri. He was tall, stern-faced, and spoke with a thick accent.
"Miss Marino," he greeted Flora with a slight bow. "It is an honor to meet you. You are a legend."
Flora flinched. "I am not a legend. I am a person."
"Of course," Dmitri said quickly. "I apologize."
"Can we see the facility?" I interjected.
"Yes, please follow me."
We drove for an hour outside the city. The facility was hidden in what looked like an abandoned factory complex, surrounded by high fences and security cameras.
"This was Project Genesis Eastern Division," Dmitri explained. "Run separately from the Western Division, but with the same goals."
Flora's hand found mine and squeezed tight.
Inside, the facility was pristine. White walls, fluorescent lights, the smell of disinfectant. It reminded me of a morgue.
"The embryos are kept in sub-level three," Dmitri said, leading us to an elevator.
The elevator descended slowly. Flora's breathing grew more rapid with each floor.
"Hey," I said softly. "We can turn back."
"Yes, I do," she said. But her voice shook.
The doors opened onto a long corridor. Dmitri led us to the last door, requiring three security clearances to enter.
Inside was a room filled with nitrogen tanks. Seventeen of them, each labeled with a code.
"Here," Dmitri said. "Seventeen viable embryos. All genetic matches, like you and Eva Morelli."
Flora approached the nearest tank slowly. She read the label: Subject E-18. Viability: 94%. Age: 26 years frozen.
"Twenty-six years," she whispered. "This embryo has existed for twenty-six years and never had a chance to become a person."
"Until now," Catherine said gently. "You can give them that chance."
Flora moved from tank to tank, reading each label. Her face grew paler with each one. Subject E-19. Viability: 91%. Subject E-20. Viability: 88%. Subject E-21. Viability: 95%. Seventeen lives suspended in time.
When she reached the last tank, she stopped. Her whole body went rigid.
"Flora?" I moved to her side. "What is it?"
She pointed at the label with a shaking finger. Subject L-02. Viability: 97%. Notes: Twin embryo to Subject L-01 (Flora Marino). Separated during initial division. Genetic match: 99.8%.
The room spun. "That is me," Flora breathed. "That is my twin."
Catherine came closer, reading the label. "Oh my God."
"I have a twin," Flora said, her voice rising with panic. "There is another me, frozen, waiting. Another version of me that might have lived if..."
She could not finish. She turned and ran from the room.
I chased after her, finding her in the corridor, her back against the wall, hyperventilating.
"Flora, breathe," I commanded, taking her shoulders. "Look at me. Breathe."
"There is another me," she gasped. "Another me that Dr. Yuki could have saved. Another me that could be living my life right now instead of me. How is that fair?"
"It is not," I said honestly. "None of it is fair. But Flora, you are you. That embryo, if it becomes a person, will be someone completely different. Different experiences, different choices."
"But same DNA," she said. "Same everything that makes me, me."
"DNA is not everything," I said firmly. "You and Eva had similar DNA and you were completely different people."
She slumped against the wall. "I do not know if I can do this, Rafael. I do not know if I can look at a person with my face and not see a replacement."
Catherine appeared in the corridor. "The authorities need an answer, Flora. What do you want to do?"
Flora closed her eyes. Took a deep breath. "I need time," she said finally. "I cannot decide this now."
"How much time?" Dmitri asked.
"A week," Flora said. "Give me one week to figure out what is right."
Dmitri nodded. "One week. Then we must decide."
We left the facility in silence. On the drive back, Flora stared out the window, lost in thought.
"What are you thinking?" I asked quietly.
"I am thinking," she said slowly, "that maybe this is not about what I want. Maybe it is about what those seventeen people deserve."
"And what do they deserve?" I asked.
She turned to look at me, her eyes haunted but determined. "A chance," she said. "Just like I got. A chance to live, to be more than an experiment."
"Even your twin?" I asked carefully.
She flinched but nodded. "Especially my twin. Because if our situations were reversed, I would want her to give me that chance too."
I took her hand. "You are the bravest person I know."
"I am terrified," she admitted.
"Brave people usually are," I said.
She leaned her head on my shoulder, and we rode the rest of the way in silence. But I could feel her mind working, planning, deciding.
Whatever choice she made, I would support her. Even if it meant bringing seventeen new lives into this already complicated world.
Even if it meant Flora having to face a genetic twin. Because she was right. They all deserved a chance.
Just like she had.