Who Am I?

Posted on Fri Jan 8th, 2016 @ 4:38am by Helena Marinos & Céline Valois

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Celine's Quarters

* * * Deck 175 - Celine’s Quarters * * *

The rest of the day with the children went by like a blur. Celine had retrieved them, ushered them back to the school and was relieved when the last child’s parent had picked them up. On occasion she would look at the picture again but tried to put it out of her mind until the kids were all gone and she was back in her own quarters. Once there, she sat on her bed, cross-legged, staring into the eyes of her very own doppelgänger, now long dead.

After forty minutes of just staring and a multitude of questions running through her mind, along with trying to come up with possible explanations, she finally made her way to the desk and sent a message to her mother to contact her immediately. The time on Verdanis would be around 2200 hours, so she hoped for a reply soon. She needed answers and wasn’t sure that she could wait, assuming they had any answers for her.

Twenty minutes went by before her console beeped. She almost ran from the kitchen to the desk and activated the monitor.

“Mother!” she said, glad to finally see her face.

“Celine, honey, how are you?” Evelyn smiled back at her daughter warmly. “Still liking 900? And your class?” One look at Celine’s face, however, told her something was amiss. “What is it?”

What a conversation to have with your own mother, Celine thought. “Something strange happened today, Mom, and I thought you or Dad might know something that could explain it. I’m not sure how you would, but it’s the only thing I could think of.”

“Something happened there?” Her mother looked puzzled. “”Of course we’ll help if we can but I’m not sure how. Shall I call your father?”

“I--I don’t know,” Celine said. Finally, she just held up the picture putting it squarely in front of the camera. “This was on a man’s desk. He says it’s his wife from about 150 years ago. His being here is a long story, but...well, you can see the issue.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened and she gasped aloud. “Why that’s -- that’s you. It was a man’s desk there? On 900? Oh dear.”

“Yes. Lieutenant Commander Louie Rousseau. He’s the satellite Academy Dean here, but I’d never met him until today and he was understandably shaken at seeing me. She died a long time ago.” She turned the picture around to look at it again. “Mom, this is just weird for me. How is this possible? She looks exactly like me--I mean, I’ve been staring at this picture for a long time. She is me, but not. And we have the same name, Mom!” She didn’t know whether to cry, be angry or just pull her hair out. “What is going on?”

Her mother seemed to be at a loss for words but something shifted in her expression, a subtle resignation appeared. “Bradley!” she called out. “I know it seems crazy Celine, but try not to worry. We’ll get to the bottom of it.” She frowned slightly. “Rousseau...seems I recall hearing about an officer who was lost….something about his ship vanishing and suddenly reappearing almost a century later. That the man?”

Celine nodded. “Yes. That’s him. He showed me the article after I essentially called him a perverted stalker.” She shrugged. “I feel kinda’ bad about that now.”

“Well, it’s understandable, given you saw what looked like your picture on his desk,” Evelyn answered. She seemed a little unsettled however, unlike her usual calm demeanor. Suddenly her father appeared at her side.

“Hello, honey, how are you?”

“Unsettled? Confused? Weirded out?”

“Has something happened?” he asked. “I thought everything was going so well.” He sat listening then, as Evelyn related the story Celine had told. He was quiet as the seconds drew out, then he licked his lips. “I see.” He glanced to Evelyn, then faced his daughter. “I can’t speak about the officer or his wife, but…..”

“But what? And what do you mean you can’t speak about it?” Celine asked a bit more forcefully than she meant. “Dad, if you know something I need to know! I’m freaking out here!”

“I don’t know anything about his wife, though I recognize his name from the news. But her name is….is familiar,” he admitted. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, a habit he did when he was agitated and trying to think of how to approach something.

“Because...it’s my name!?” she replied sarcastically. “My exact name, Dad! That cannot be a coincidence. I mean, how did you guys come up with my name? Or was it already given to me when you adopted me?”

“I meant aside from the fact that it’s yours,” her father answered gently. He looked back at Evelyn and a silent conversation seemed to flit between them. Finally, he nodded. “Your name came with you.”

Celine’s eyebrows vaulted to the top of her forehead upon seeing the exchange, then became as fierce as demons. “You had to check with Mom to see if I came with the name? You couldn’t remember if you named me or if someone else did?” She roared in anger. “Look at me right now, the both of you. This is not a game. If you know something, you need to tell me now because I am not giving up until I figure this out. And to be honest, you two are looking pretty damn guilty right about now and I am not happy with it!”

“Settle down, honey,” her father admonished. “We raised you to have more respect for us than that.” He paused briefly before continuing. “Sometimes, details that don’t seem to matter are left aside. Like the fact that your name was part of you from the beginning. Does it matter that we didn’t choose it? If this woman had the same name, it’s possible she was a distant relative.”

Evelyn nodded, but she looked noticeably paler.

“Okay,” Celine replied, “I’ll accept that as a potential reason for this, but let’s put a pin in that and come back to it later. I would like to speak to the both of you about respect, something that is supposed to run both ways.” She was angry now, but beyond the yelling. It was obvious that they weren’t going to help her at all so she would figure it out on her own. “Something is going on over there between you two, I can see it even if you don't say it. So, I’m going to do a little digging myself. If I discover something I may or may not tell you what that is, since you two seem to be holding back on me as well.”

Both her father and mother began to say something but she cut the signal and the screen went dark. She wanted to throw something, but the only thing close was the picture and she had promised not to damage it.

“Computer, establish contact with Small Wonders adoption agency on Verdanis,” she said.

It took a few minutes but finally, the pleasant face of the agency’s director appeared. He looked to be about Celine’s age, with light brown hair cut short. “I am Judson Duran,” he said. “What may I do for you?”

“Hello, Mr. Duran,” Celine said, putting on her best smile. “My name is Celine Valois. I was adopted out of your agency a long time ago by Doctors Bradley and Evelyn Mitchell and I was hoping to discuss a few things with you. Would that be possible?”

His business-like composure remained steadfastly in place. “We don’t normally discuss the details of adoptions, Miss Valois. Once a child has been placed, the records are normally sealed, even to the child. I know that may sound a little strange, but without good reason, the records are not normally opened unless the adoptive parents go through the proper channels. I am curious, however. What was it you hoped to find out?”

“Nothing special,” she said, “only if I had already been given my name when I was left there. Oddly enough, my parents seem to be confused as to whether or not they named me or if I was already named.” She laughed. “I know it seems trivial, but that’s really it.”

“Well, if you were already named, then your records would be listed by that name. If you had not been named on arrival, we still would have gone back to add the name given you once you were placed. I don’t suppose it will hurt to check the name. I can at least tell you if you had it to begin with or if the record was amended to add it.” He smiled slightly. “Unofficially of course.”

“Of course. And thank you very much.”

Judson turned away from the viewscreen slightly as he began to tap on his computer panel. He paused, then continued tapping in commands. His brows drew together slightly. “What year did you say?”

“2359,” she replied. She had also ignored at least three requests for contact from her parents during her call to Mr. Duran. It would have been very bad to speak to them right now.

“2359,” he repeated. HIs fingers flew over the panel, but finally stopped. When he looked back at Celine, his expression was apologetic. “I’m sorry, MIss Valois. We have no record of anyone with your name passing through this agency. I even checked several years on either side of the one you gave me, as well as our satellite offices. I’m sorry. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Are...are you certain?” She scoffed then added, “Of course you are.” She let out a sigh. “Mr. Duran, I really do appreciate you taking the time to do this. I must have gotten the name of the agency wrong. Thank you.”

“My pleasure. Good luck to you.”


He closed the channel, leaving Celine in silence. The quiet lasted only a few minutes, soon disturbed by the beep of her terminal.

It kept beeping. Finally, out of frustration, she slammed her fist on the console and the screen lit up. Seeing her parents’ faces, she leaned back in her chair. “It looks like you two owe me an explanation,” she said, finally sitting upright again.

“You called the agency and they had no record of you did they?” Bradley asked.

“That’s exactly what happened,” she replied. She wanted to rant and yell, and despite her desire to do so, she just wasn’t that person. Her earlier outburst had been a flash in a pan. She was still angry and confused, but she wasn’t going to waste her breath yelling about it anymore. “He checked several years prior and after 2359. No record. So, spill it. Who am I?”

“We actually did adopt you but not through that agency, or any other,” her mother began.

“And to answer your last question…” her father sighed. “You are….Celine Valois. At least a version of her.” Bradley looked utterly exhausted suddenly.

“I know who I--” Celine stopped. “Wait, what do you mean a version of her? What does that even mean?”

“Years ago, before you were born, the lab acquired a shipment of equipment, specimens, some discarded experiments and the like. Packed away in one of the crates was a small sealed case that contained DNA samples and some research notes but no record of where they were from. They appeared to document some very early cloning research from the early 2200’s. It was all carefully stored away but a few years later, a team pulled it back out to see what the process had been like back then, and compare it to today.” He stopped to take a drink of water and give himself time to think how best to phrase what was coming.

“Dad…” she said softly, “what are you saying?”

This team discovered that some of the samples were still viable and …” his voice hitched, “decided to pick up where the previous unknown scientists had left off. They ran into some of the same issues, however, and discovered that it was still not an easy process. They managed to succeed finally, but out of the several dozen samples they had, only five survived. You were one of those five, honey. The sample used for you was labeled as Celine Valois, so we kept the name. You were the first one to live and we convinced the lab to let us adopt you. You needed a home, and a family who cared what happened to you.” He stopped finally and rubbed his eyes. “You became ours and to us it didn’t matter how you came to be, only that you had.”

For Celine, it was like all of the air had been sucked out of the room. Her mouth kept opening, but no sounds would come out. She had been confused before, but now? This was life-shaking news. She was her own person, but she was the other Celine as well? How did she move on from this point?

“I’m a clone,” she finally managed to whisper. It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact. She looked up at the monitor, large tears in her eyes waiting to fall. “I’m...a clone?” She held up the picture. “I’m her?”

“That’s a difficult question to answer, darling.” It was her mother who spoke now. “The technical answer would be yes, but only physically. In every other way, you are you. You have had your own life and experiences that make you who you are, though aside from your looks, I suppose there might be other similarities if those traits were genetically based. It’s a little mind-blowing that you ended up in the same place as ….him.” She meant the original Celine’s husband.

The response was exactly what she had grown to expect. Her parents were scientists and their ability to just lay it out there in a clinical manner was something she was accustomed to. But this wasn’t an explanation of the flu. This was something entirely different.

“I just want to be your daughter,” she said, sniffling.

“You always have been and that isn’t going to change,” Bradley answered. “No matter what happens. When you get right down to the heart of the matter, that’s what you’ll find. Don’t ever think any different. We love you and have since the day we brought you home. Now? Well, you have some decisions to make.”

Wiping her face, she cleared her throat. “I need to tell the Dean. Commander Rousseau, I mean. He needs to know.” Her parents looked a bit alarmed. “I have to. But...are they going to lock me away? Aren’t clones illegal?”

“They were in this system when you were born, which is why we kept this secret. As for the Federation at large, I do not know. Perhaps this commander can help you with that but I don’t think you are in danger of being locked up.” A sudden thought occurred to Evelyn. “Have you been to the medical department for anything?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not actually part of Starfleet so it wasn’t required when I arrived. Why?”

“I would suggest you have them do a thorough check and send us the results,” Bradley said. “I can send them your history as well. They should have it on hand.”

“Should they be looking for something specific? Or just to see if I flag as a clone?”

“Nothing specific but we did do regular check-ups to make sure things are alright.” Evelyn frowned suddenly. “I’m not thrilled with what I am about to say but it’s important. Now that we know where you came from, there’s something else we need to know. Commander Rousseau should be consulted as to whether there were any serious health issues his wife faced, or any congenital problems. The medical staff will likely ask that.“

“I’ll ask him about it,” Celine replied. Her whole demeanor had changed. “I’m scared. What if this turns out to be a terrible thing?”

“Try to relax.” Bradley smiled for the first time in this conversation. “You are in perfect health and there is nothing to indicate any problems. This is just a precaution.”

“How is Commander Rousseau taking meeting you?” her mother asked. “And how do you think this news will affect him?”

“He is as confused as I am, or...was. And I’m fairly certain this won’t help.”

“Well, we will be glad to speak with him anytime if you think it will help?” Evelyn asked. “And I wish we were there for you. It would make it so much easier.”

“I wish you were too. But I need to get some rest, and probably call in to work tomorrow. This is a lot to process.”

“It is,” Bradley agreed. “ We probably should have told you but since we couldn’t in the early days, eventually it became a non-issue for us. For that we apologize and hope you will forgive us in time.”

Celine nodded. “I still love you guys. I’ll contact you again in a few days to keep you updated.”

They said their goodbyes but Celine was not headed to bed. She sent out a quick message to her boss that she wouldn’t be in and then called Helena.

When her face appeared, Celine didn’t wait. “I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

“Sure thing sweetie.” Helena smiled back at her. “Now? Or tomorrow? I’m done for the night if that matters.”

“Now. Please. If you don’t mind. I don’t have anyone else here to talk to.”

“Well, you know you can always bend my ear. Not to sound cliché, but your place or mine? I can bring the wine. You sound like you need some.”

“My place, please. And lots of wine might help. I’ll see you in a bit.”

She knew she could confide in Helena, but the whole idea still scared her a bit. She worried that she might even lose a friend, but didn’t think Helena would be like that.

She would soon find out.

-------------------------------------
Celine Valois
Bradley Mitchell
Evelyn Mitchell
Helena Marinos
Getting To The Heart Of The Matter