Clone Earth : MELVIN
The Bribe/Epilogue

The sun had long disappeared, leaving behind a dark overcast sky. Streetlights hummed in the shadows, casting an eerie glow but offering no solace. Ari and her brother Trevon had been sitting on the porch, immersed in conversation, when Uncle Clint arrived. His uniform was slightly disheveled, the top button undone, signaling the conclusion of military business.

The porch was spacious, adorned with several chairs. As Ari settled into one, she was taken aback when the chair rocked back unexpectedly under her weight, prompting her to catch herself from being flung forward. Trevon found her reaction amusing, and they shared a hearty laugh at their similar reaction to the unexpected surprise.

After catching up on the most important events of the past few weeks or months—they knew they couldn’t cover it all in the few hours they’d been reunited—it was now Uncle Clint’s turn to explain. The siblings waited quietly, anticipation building in the air.

Uncle Clint shifted uncomfortably in his seat, tugging at his collar as if to ease the tension in the air. Ari anticipated an apology, her anger simmering beneath the surface, ready to erupt at the slightest provocation. But as Clint began to speak, his words took a surprising turn.

Clint’s fingers were laced tightly in front of him as he began, his voice carrying a weight of solemnity. “What I’m going to say will not satisfy your curiosity. Everything you want to know about why I did what I did is not officially classified, but simply put, if I were to utter it aloud, it would endanger more than just the three of us. So all I can say is, yes. I redirected Meckam. I convinced Trevon to ignore you on Midway and got you arrested and sent back. I had every intent on keeping you far away from the Academy and in the end, I put you in even deeper danger, and for that, I am sorry.”

Ari’s emotions churned like a tempest within her, a turbulent mix of frustration, comprehension, and a lingering sense of unease. Clint’s words had only added fuel to the fire. Yet, buried beneath her anger, she sensed a genuine sincerity in his voice, but it wasn’t good enough.

As she sat in silence, the weight of Clint’s admission settled heavily upon her shoulders. She knew there were no easy answers, no quick fixes to the mess they found themselves in. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the story than Clint was letting on.

Finally, unable to contain her frustration any longer, Ari spoke up. “That’s not fair!” Her voice cracked with emotion, the words tumbling out in a rush. “Your disclaimer basically removed everything I have to yell at you about. And rightfully so, you two left me! But now it’s useless to ask why because instead of answering my questions, you’re going to default to ‘That’s Classified’. Damn it, Uncle Clint, what the hell!”

The air grew heavy with tension as Ari awaited Clint’s response, her heart pounding in her chest.Ari’s emotions churned like a tempest within her, a turbulent mix of frustration, comprehension, and a lingering sense of unease. Clint’s words had only added fuel to the fire. Yet, buried beneath her anger, she sensed a genuine sincerity in his voice, but it wasn’t good enough.

Unable to contain her frustration any longer, Ari erupted. “That’s not fair!” Her voice cracked with emotion, the words tumbling out in a rush. “Your disclaimer basically removed everything I have to yell at you about. And rightfully so, you two left me! But now it’s useless to ask why because instead of answering my questions, you’re going to default to ‘That’s Classified’. Damn it, Uncle Clint, what the hell!”

The air grew heavy with tension as Ari awaited Clint’s response, her heart pounding in her chest.

Despite the accusations, Clint wore a solemn expression, acknowledging the weight of Ari’s words. “I know I deserve that, which is why I’m letting the cursing slide. I won’t make excuses, it’s my fault. I truly believed the best way to protect you was to keep you as far away as possible, but I know I’m wrong. Mackay was right. Instead of trying to keep you out of danger, we are going to make sure you’re prepared.”

Ari’s eyes narrowed, a mixture of anger and curiosity bubbling within her. “For what?”

Clint shrugged, a gesture laden with significance. “Unofficially Classified. But what we do next is going to get you where you want to be. So does it really matter?”

Leaning forward eagerly, Ari’s voice crackled with anticipation. “I’m going to the academy?”

Clint shook his head gently. “You’re too young for the academy. However, there is a six-month ROTC program that allows new Highly Capable Recruits to join Academy Squads in their on-world boot camp, leadership, and strategy training.”

Ari’s excitement was palpable. “That’s field simulations and weapons!”

Clint raised a hand to silence her interruptions. “Stop interrupting. The difficulty level is far above what you are prepared for, but considering everything you just experienced… At least I’ll have you close by.”

Determined, Ari declared, “I’M IN! You’re not forgiven of course! But you get me into this program and I’ll stop questioning you!”

Turning to her brother, Ari waited for his input. “Trevon? She’s a minor, so I want you to have an opinion. What do you think?”

Trevon, ever the thoughtful one, sought clarity. “I get frequent updates?”

With a nod, Clint affirmed, “Weekend messages only.”

Trevon mulled it over briefly before asking, “When does it start?”

“In six days, she can stay here until then,” Clint replied.

Ari’s excitement was tempered by responsibility. “I still have to replace Farris. I promised to fix his ship!”

Clint assured her, “We know where the ship is. If you can coax the pilot out, I have my own gratitude to extend before we leave.”

Trevon chimed in, “Me too.”

Epilogue

As she approached, bright new part shining in hand, she couldn’t be sure, but Farris appeared happy to see her.

“You didn’t get eaten?” he quipped, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Ari chuckled nervously. “No, I did not. Sorry.” She shrugged, feeling a bit awkward.

Farris returned the shrug, his demeanor relaxed. “You brought people,” he observed darkly.

Ari nodded, gesturing towards Clint who had accompanied her. “Just the one. And he’s only here to thank you. If you’ll let him.”

Farris hesitated for a moment before reluctantly accepting the part from Ari. He examined it skeptically, his expression unreadable.

“It wasn’t a patch job,” Ari explained quickly. “Perfect reconstruction to what it used to be. Metal has memory or something... I don’t know but the mages seemed to know what they were talking about.”

Farris tucked the part under his arm, acknowledging Ari’s words with a nod. Uncomfortable with the situation, Ari glanced around, realizing that the other voices in her head weren’t coming out. She wondered if it was the situation or the fact that Clint was nearby.

“Thank you, Farris,” Ari said sincerely. “All three of you saved my life. So I was told that means I owe you. So…don’t run away.”

Clint stepped forward, handing Farris a device. The scavenger didn’t reach to accept it, but he didn’t run away either. “No tracking or inbound signal.” Uncle Clint explained, “If you ever get stuck or in trouble, turn it on. One ship will make contact. Don’t worry about people. We’ll send a robot if time permits but we’ll be there to help you. No questions, no strings attached. That is my promise and the promise of the Commander.”

His hand moved slowly to the object, hesitating multiple times before snatching it from the Generals fingers.

“Glad you didn’t kill me now?” Ari asked, hoping to lighten the air with a hint of humor.

Farris smirked, almost as if to say no. Without another word, he turned and left, leaving Ari standing there, contemplating the complexities of their relationship.

Clint looked bewildered. “You make the most peculiar friends,” he remarked.

Ari shrugged. “I don’t get it either.”

As they turned to walk back to their personal military-issued transport, Clint spoke again. “Three more days at the university, then I’ll be back to personally take you to Zayan. Get some rest because once we hit the ROTC, you’re going to see how ill-prepared you are for military life.”

Ari countered, “Or you might see how perfectly it fits into mine.”

There was a small twinge of hope in the corners of Clint’s mouth as he nodded. He hesitated, and Ari could sense his reluctance to leave her again. So she offered him some comfort.

“That is much appreciated,” Clint acknowledged gratefully. He opened the door for her. “Come on, I have to drop you off and then get back out to Melvin. Damage control waits for no man.”

He walked around to the other side of the transport and settled into the driver’s seat. The sound of Farris’ ship humming to life caught Ari’s attention, causing her to turn around and view it again with a newfound sense of accomplishment. After so many mistakes, she had finally fixed something. Pride swelled in her chest as her eyes drifted to the sky above the ship. A longing to be back among the stars tugged at her heart, the same longing she remembered having before everything went wrong the first time… or the second…

Clint’s voice called out, urging her to hurry. Ari pushed aside her thoughts and climbed into the transport’s passenger seat.

Thank you for reading!

..........Ari's story continues in Clone Earth: ZAYAN.........

COMING SOON!!