Chapter 1: Awakening: Double Vision
White ceiling. Blurry. The antiseptic smell assaulted her nostrils, sharp and clinical. A low hum vibrated through the bed. Roxanne-Prime blinked, her vision swimming in and out of focus. Where…?
Panic flared. Her heart hammered against her ribs, each beat echoing in her ears. She tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness slammed her back against the pillow. A strangled groan escaped her lips, raw and unfamiliar. Her hands trembled as she reached for the edge of the bed, grasping for something solid.
Her vision cleared slightly, though the room still spun. Wires snaked from her arm, disappearing into a machine blinking with green lights. A heart monitor beeped rhythmically, mockingly steady. The sound grated against her nerves, a reminder of her body’s betrayal. She clenched her fists, trying to anchor herself, but the room felt alien, cold.
Fragmented images flickered through her mind: a screech of tires, blinding headlights, shattering glass. A scream—was it hers? Then, nothing but darkness. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the memories to cohere, but they slipped away like smoke. Her chest tightened, a dull ache spreading through her ribs. What had happened to her?
She focused on the present, forcing herself to breathe. The room was small, sterile, devoid of personality. A single window was covered by a drawn blind, the faint outline of daylight barely visible. The starkness of it all made her skin crawl. She hated hospitals—always had—but this felt different. Wrong.
Movement caught her eye. In the next bed, someone sat, legs crossed, absorbed in a book. The person looked… identical to her.Impossible. Roxanne-Prime blinked, trying to clear the fog in her brain. It must be the drugs. A hallucination. But the figure remained, impossibly real, her short black hair and hazel eyes a perfect mirror.
The woman in the next bed looked up, a serene smile gracing her lips. Her eyes, the same hazel as Prime’s, sparkled with amusement. “Welcome back,” she said, her voice a perfect echo of what Roxanne-Prime imagined her own sounded like. “…both of us.”
Roxanne-Prime stared, speechless, trying to reconcile what she was seeing with any semblance of reality. This couldn’t be happening. Her mind raced, grasping for explanations, but all she could do was gape. The woman—her clone?—closed the book, marking the page with a slim finger. “It’s okay,” she said softly, misinterpreting Prime’s shock. “I know it’s a lot to take in.”
Prime managed to croak out a single word, her voice raspy and weak: “Who…?”
The clone’s smile widened, almost playful. “I’m Roxanne,” she replied, as if stating the most obvious thing in the world. “Or, I guess, you’re Roxanne too now. This is going to be confusing.”
Prime struggled to sit up again, ignoring the dizziness. “What the hell is going on?” she demanded, her voice gaining strength. “Where am I? What did you do to me?”
The clone watched her, her expression unreadable for the first time. “That,” she said, her voice dropping slightly, “is a very long story. And maybe not one you’re ready to hear.”
Roxanne-Prime’s eyes snapped open, the sterile ceiling above her swimming into focus. Her head throbbed, a dull ache that seemed to pulse in time with the faint beeping of a monitor nearby. She turned her head—slowly, carefully—and froze. There, in the adjacent bed, sat a mirror image of herself, flipping through a book with an unsettling calm. The woman looked up, her hazel eyes meeting Prime’s, and smiled. “Welcome back… both of us.”
Prime’s stomach churned, bile rising in her throat. She pushed herself up on the bed, wires tugging at her arm. “Not ready? I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” she snapped, her voice rough. “Start talking.”
Alpha sighed, marking her place in the book with a finger. “Alright, alright, easy tiger,” she said, her tone light but edged with caution. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She paused, tilting her head as if deciding where to begin. “You were in an accident.”
Prime let out a harsh laugh, her gaze flicking to the IV line snaking into her arm. “Obviously. I figured that much out from the wires sticking out of my arm.”
Alpha’s expression softened, a flicker of something like pity crossing her face. “It was bad, Roxanne. Really bad,” she said, her voice dropping. “They didn’t think you were going to make it.”
A cold knot tightened in Prime’s stomach. “They?” she asked, her voice sharp. “Who are ‘they’?”
Alpha hesitated, her eyes darting to the door as if expecting someone to walk in. “The people who saved you,” she said finally, her words measured.
“Saved me how?” Prime shot back, her voice rising. “By turning me into… this?” She gestured wildly between herself and Alpha, her hand trembling.
Alpha flinched, her calm facade cracking for a moment. “They used a new technology,” she said, her voice steady but quieter now. “Cloning. They were able to… replicate you.”
Prime stared at her, the words echoing in her skull like a bad dream. “Cloning?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “That’s… insane. Impossible.”
Alpha shrugged, a faint, wry smile playing on her lips. “Apparently not,” she said, gesturing to herself. “Here I am, proof.”
Prime shook her head, her thoughts spiraling. “But… why two of us?” she asked, her voice cracking. “Why not just one?”
Alpha’s smile faded, replaced by a look of uncertainty. “The process wasn’t perfect,” she admitted. “They weren’t sure if the memory transfer would work. So they made two, to increase the odds.”
Prime’s breath caught, her chest tightening. “So I’m… a backup?” she said, her voice hollow. “A copy of a copy?”
Before she could spiral further, Alpha reached out, her hand hovering in the air for a moment before gently cupping Prime’s cheek. Her touch was warm, grounding. “Hey,” she said softly, her hazel eyes locking with Prime’s. “Don’t think of it like that. You’re not just a copy. You’re Roxanne. We both are.” Her thumb brushed Prime’s cheek, a gesture so familiar it made Prime’s chest ache. “We’re in this together,” Alpha whispered. “Both of us.”
The sterile silence of the room was broken by the soft click of the door. Both Roxannes turned their heads in unison, their movements eerily synchronized, like a pair of marionettes controlled by the same strings. A woman in a crisp white coat stepped in, her heels clicking against the polished floor.Dr. Evelyn Reed’s face was calm, professional, but her eyes flicked between the two women with a flicker of something—curiosity? Unease?—before she smoothed her expression.
“Good, you’re both awake,” she said, her voice smooth and practiced, like she’d delivered this line a thousand times before. She adjusted the clipboard in her hands, the pen clipped to it catching the harsh fluorescent light. “How are you feeling?”
Prime glared at her, suspicion hardening her features. “Like I was hit by a truck and then cloned,” she snapped, her voice laced with sarcasm. “How do you think I’m feeling?” She crossed her arms, the IV line tugging slightly at her skin, a reminder of her confinement.Dr. Reed’s lips tightened almost imperceptibly, a crack in her professional facade. “I understand this is a lot to process,” she said, her tone patient but firm, like she was talking to a particularly stubborn child. “But it’s important that we monitor your physical and psychological state.” She glanced at Alpha, who was sitting quietly, her hands folded in her lap.
Alpha offered a small, tentative smile, her hazel eyes soft but guarded. “I’m… okay,” she said, her voice quieter than Prime’s, almost hesitant. “A little disoriented, but mostly okay.” She shifted in the bed, the sheets rustling softly beneath her.Dr. Reed nodded, her gaze lingering on Alpha for a moment longer than necessary. “That’s good to hear,” she said, her voice warmer now, almost relieved. She turned her attention back to Prime, her expression shifting back to neutral. “Are you experiencing any pain?”
Prime shifted in the bed, wincing slightly as she adjusted her position. “My head hurts,” she admitted grudgingly, her fingers brushing against the bandage on her temple. “And my ribs feel like they’ve been through a meat grinder.” She shot Dr. Reed a pointed look, her jaw tight.Dr. Reed made a note on her clipboard, her pen scratching against the paper. “We can give you something for the pain,” she said, her tone clipped but not unkind. “But I want to run a few tests first, just to make sure everything is stable.” She glanced up, her gaze steady but not unyielding.
Prime rolled her eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh. “More tests?” she groaned, her voice rising in exasperation. “How many more needles are you planning on sticking in me?” She gestured to the IV line in her arm, her frustration palpable.
Alpha reached out and gently touched Prime’s arm, her touch light but grounding. Prime glanced at her, their eyes meeting for a brief moment, and something in her expression softened—just a flicker, but it was there. Alpha smiled faintly, her fingers lingering for a heartbeat before she pulled her hand back.Dr. Reed observed the interaction, her expression carefully neutral, but there was a hint of something in her eyes—curiosity, maybe, or something else entirely. “The tests are necessary, Roxanne,” she said, her voice unwavering, like she was reciting a well-rehearsed script. “We need to ensure that the cloning process didn’t have any unforeseen side effects.” She paused, her gaze flicking between the two women.
Prime scoffed, leaning back against the pillows with a look of disbelief. “Unforeseen side effects?” she retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Like creating two of me?” She gestured wildly between herself and Alpha, her frustration bubbling over.Dr. Reed ignored the jab, her expression unreadable as she turned toward the door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with the equipment,” she said, her tone clipped but not unkind. “In the meantime, try to relax.” She stepped out, the door clicking shut behind her with a finality that made Prime’s stomach twist.
As the sound of Dr. Reed’s footsteps faded down the hallway, Prime let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through her short black hair. “Relax?” she said, her voice incredulous. “How am I supposed to relax in this insane asylum?” She gestured to the sterile room, her frustration bubbling over.
Alpha looked at Prime, her eyes filled with a mixture of concern and understanding. She reached out again, her fingers brushing against Prime’s hand, her touch tentative but determined. “Maybe,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper, “we can relax together.” She squeezed Prime’s hand gently, her smile warm but tinged with uncertainty. “We’re in this together, remember?”
Prime stared at her for a moment, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. She didn’t pull her hand away. “Both of us,” she muttered, her voice quieter now, almost resigned.