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I'm dying to know where the "new" Mark came from. Clone with memory transfer? I like the awkwardness between Princess and Mark, and with the centre staff. The only dissatisfaction as a reader is that I would love to see this expanded so we could experience the entire story (losing the original Mark, etc.), but that's a compliment to the author here.

I agree, it seems like there are a lot of questions left unanswered here, not the least of which are Tiny's and Keyop's eyre actions, not to mention Chief Anderson's. Or maybe the new Mark's POV. Not to mention what might happen with the Princess and Tiny clones! As far as we can tell, they are 'whole', so does that mean the real Tiny and Princess are 'expendable', and could be brought back like Mark was? Maybe this is how the other G-Force Team came to be? So many directions in which to go... A great read though, and I love the angst and romance!

thoroughly enjoyed it, I was pleased to see (new) Mark and Princess finally be together at the end, but couldn't help but feel sorry for Jason...... maybe the Princess clone could be animated just for him, eh?

I so enjoyed reading this story, too! So intricately written with so many ways left to be expanded and explained in more detail, maybe when given more time! I must admit that, albeit I always see myself as an Eagle/Swan shipper, I feel so sorry for Jason, too! When he finally have had the chance to let his emotional guard down towards Princess, he had to lose everything again ... he also returned a second, even though without complaining and with such an accepting manner. His always feeling like the one who's never been understood, especially by the Chief, is very heartbreaking and really true to his original character! I can also comprehend Princess's confusion upon accepting the other Mark ... I have to say that if it were me it would have been harder for me to accept him as a replacement, though! Yup ... I believe in the soul! This notwithstanding, I love the story from top to bottom ... its uniqueness, the humor amongst angst (the "boo" part and the play Keyop acted at the end most particularly!) and an ending which goes completely against the BotP nature! Bravo!

You know, I came back to take another look at this story after reading some of the other comments, and somehow there has to have been a glitch when I read it originally. The site didn't show me the start of the story! No wonder it felt so incomplete. It was! What a silly thing to have to admit but I wanted to update my comments. I can see now why folks felt sorry for Jason, but it was smart of him to do what he did. Imagine the drawn-out drama if he hadn't, as she waffled between them, which is great fodder for another story, heh. He ultimately saved himself more pain and destroyed friendships. Here's hoping he'll find the right woman for him soon. I'd have nightmares too if I found a copy of myself floating in a tank. Yet, it totally makes sense to me that the Federation did that (perhaps they should have been more honest up front with the team about it though). I'm surprised that they only had one clone of each, heh. I suspect the original Mark made the decision he did after lots of intense lectures from the Chief about responsibility and blahblahblah. This Mark was spared that particular fun. Glad I came back to re-read!

I'm going to have a wild stab in the dark here, and suggest TJ wrote this one.....

I loved this story. An unusual dilemma, drama, suspense, horror (yes, I never want to see a clone of myself after reading about Jason's clone missing part of its skull and brain due to Jason's need), shock and happiness, at least for Princess. I'm curious what the wish that generated this was.

He was dead, she was mourning him, and bonding with Jason -and then suddenly he's not dead, but he's not exactly "back" either... Though he is, in some ways, improved. Quite the dramatic scenario -action, drama, angst, romance, and some creepiness too! I feel for Jason, and glad his and Princess' growing connection didn't go too far before clone-Mark appeared. Or maybe if it had, she would have made a different decision... And I too can't help but wonder what will become of the remaining (non-brain damaged) clones, in the tanks. Interesting ethical situation there -if the clones are real people (and clone-Mark has been accepted now as such) then don't the other clones also deserve conscious existences, outside of the tanks?

I suppose the question is if they never had a conscious existence, are they considered truly alive, and therefore deserving? It doesn't seem like they ever had a consciousness. I'd imagine they could load Mark's mind into his clone because it didn't already have conscious neural patterns to begin with. In a lot of science fiction where cloning is highly possible, there are laws about having multiple copies of people walking around at the same time, usually against. Lots of complications. Mind you, they might choose to keep a bank of clones around in case there's another war later. Instant team.

Loved this story! Very creative! Very creepy though. It can't be easy to see yourself floating in a vat of goo, like a pod person, ready to be farmed for spare parts. *shudder* Honestly, I'm not so sure I would have been as accepting of the "new and improved" Mark as the rest of the team was. Though in the end, I don't think they had any choice in the matter. And placing stone Mark in the atrium....so very sad. And creepy too--it was great to honor him, but it was also upsetting. Poor Jason, the guy can never get a break.... Plus, how to do they really know none of them had already been fully replaced in the past? Tiny may not be "original" Tiny, etc.

I thought about that too, RB. My original thought when reading it was the one in the vat was the original Jason after he died during the brain surgery, being kept alive for the new Jason in case he needed something. But as I kept reading, I dismissed that.

Yeah I initially thought that about Keyop, that the original him was in the vat.

Originally posted by ChrisW I suppose the question is if they never had a conscious existence, are they considered truly alive, and therefore deserving? It doesn't seem like they ever had a consciousness. I'd imagine they could load Mark's mind into his clone because it didn't already have conscious neural patterns to begin with.

The fact that they could make the clone be Mark seems to mean it's capable of being someone -given the chance. Still, I can see the real advantages of having them there for emergency spare parts, however disturbing it is! It reminded me a bit of a planet in Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan universe, where cutting-edge labs will do anything for money, so wealthy and aging/ailing people have themselves cloned, and wait ten years, while their clone is fast-aged with hormones and what-not to be as if in late teens, then they have their brain transplanted into the clone's body (the clone's brain being discarded).

Richard K. Morgan has a series starting with "Altered Carbon," where people do interplanetary travel by leaving their bodies behind and zapping their minds to a body in their destination. The rich and powerful might bank clones for themselves that they rotate through to stay young and beautiful, have more beautiful bodies engineered/stolen/borrowed, and/or have augmentations added. Go to prison? Your mind goes into virtual space and your body becomes available for travellers. By the time you're let out at the end of your sentence you might be picked up by your grown grandchildren. It's a pretty fascinating series in that the main character is a highly-trained special forces guy with all the training necessary to land on a planet very far away in a very foreign body and quickly adapt to go into combat. Lots of philosophy and "how this affects society." That's one of the fictional worlds in which it's illegal to have multiple copies of yourself running around, as it would be so very easy to do, heh. This BOTP story feels like it's just at the cusp of starting toward a world like that, which I like. It really fits with the whole concept of the cerebomic implants.

Originally posted by Becky Rock I thought about that too, RB. My original thought when reading it was the one in the vat was the original Jason after he died during the brain surgery, being kept alive for the new Jason in case he needed something. But as I kept reading, I dismissed that.

Totally. You'd never know it because you'd probably head for a nap (or to surgery or whatever) and just wake up feeling better. You'd never realize you'd been "replaced".

Originally posted by ChrisW Yeah I initially thought that about Keyop, that the original him was in the vat.

I thought the same thing with Keyop too......

OMG! OMG! OMG! I'm finally back home where I can comment in peace! This was AMAZING!!!!! You took a really basic idea I had and made it great! I agree with all of the comments here- this story has all of the elements that really keep a reader on their toes. Having the clones in the vats was extra creepy, and it really makes total sense that they would have this as their backup plan. Now I'm wondering just how much of each team member is original- LOL! This is a fascinating story that I know I will read again and again! Great work on this and THANK YOU!!!

I found this one hard to put down and I echo many of the sentiments here - sorrow for Jason at having lost his Princess, dismay over the clones and worry that Keyop and possibly Jason might be clones instead of men (scars notwithstanding), sadness over losing Mark, and a guarded optimism over Princess' future with the resurrected Mark - not unlike loving someone with significant brain damage. It might have been revealed somewhere else by now, but I also suspect that TJ wrote it and I can see the growth in her as a writer with this piece. The characterizations were spot on and the tension ... woo ... let's just say this piece stayed heavily on my mind from start to finish. Great job!

You know, when I wrote this, the intent (and mood of the request) was to focus on the romantic tension and grief over losing Mark. So I brought in the clones idea as a way to bring Mark back (because there was no way I was going to let him stay dead!). Plus they created a connection between Jason and Princess (having seen them but not able to tell anyone + creepiness factor = emotional closeness). I did have some more ideas about it, including the thought that Jason went into the Chief's office after this was all over and forced him to destroy the Princess and Tiny clones (the only ones still whole, who could therefore be used as 'entire replacements') but it didn't fit into the story that I was writing, so I left it out. The intention was that the Chief had never planned to use the clones as 'entire replacements', but was forced to do so when Mark died. So yeah, in my mind, all of them are still the 'originals', save Mark. It wasn't until you guys started reading it that all of these other ideas about the clones came out, but I'm glad I could inspire such interesting conversation!

I'm glad you've enjoyed our alternative rambling. (Well, mine was rambling anyway!) Sometimes when I speculate about another way things could have gone I worry the author is sitting there wanting to smack me over the head, but then I remember this is fanfic, and it's kinda the whole point. I can them being creeped out that the remaining "spares" are still there. If the war's over then they aren't really necessary. I suppose the Chief could argue that they might as well be kept just for medical purposes for Princess and Tiny's futures.

TJ - why only destroy the Tiny and Princess clones? Why not the Jason and Keyop ones too? The war is effectively over, so they don't need them anymore. I wonder if in 100 years this will become a norm, that we can commission clones of ourselves for that purpose to elongate our lives?

I was thinking that the Jason clone was missing part of its brain, and the Keyop one part of its leg. If they were animated, you'd be able to tell.

Originally posted by Transmute Jun I was thinking that the Jason clone was missing part of its brain, and the Keyop one part of its leg. If they were animated, you'd be able to tell.

You just know that someone on the team would mutter "with Jason, how could you tell?" (I'm not saying Jason is stupid, more that they probably pick on each other.)

Originally posted by Becky Rock I wonder if in 100 years this will become a norm, that we can commission clones of ourselves for that purpose to elongate our lives?

That is a truly creepy thought. I may have to ponder that for some science fiction poetry. I did have one published about clones: after you won -- riding the lift with your clones - first appeared in Focus (Winter 2012/2013)

I recall a Sliders episode (was I the only one who watched that show?) where all rich people had clones for these kinds of medical emergencies, and the clones had no legal rights as 'people'.

But the clones were up and moving with a knowledge of their existence? I think there was a book called the Patchwork Girl where if you were a criminal, your sentence was to give up body parts for people who needed them until you died from it. I'll have to go look that up. With the Jason and Keyop clones missing parts, I think that would really be a reason to dispose of them.

Originally posted by Becky Rock I think there was a book called the Patchwork Girl where if you were a criminal, your sentence was to give up body parts for people who needed them until you died from it. I'll have to go look that up. .

Larry Niven -I've read that one too. Me, I guess if I had a clone of me, it would feel both like my child (well, a child with one parent) but also a twin sibling (although younger than me -possibly much younger). Could open up a can of worms for weird custody laws -would my clone be my parents' legal responsibility (as they would be its genetic parents, as they are my parents) or would it be all my responsibility (it couldn't exist if I didn't exist first), or would it just depend on who decided to have the clone made?

I think it really hinges on whether the clone is ever allowed to attain consciousness. If it never does then it's never developed thought or really become a person, IMO. If it's allowed to wake up and walk around and be a person then it's a whole different ball game.

That's pretty much what I was working with in this fic. I believe I had Chief Anderson say that these clones were never intended to be 'activated'. Their brains were basically non-functional, and they were being kept alive by the machines and the liquid (which I imagined as being some sort of nutritive substance to allow for cell growth). So in my mind, the clones weren't sentient, which made them *not* real people. Hence Princess' revulsion when she realizes that the new Mark *is* a clone. I was thinking that the only way they were able to 'activate' him was because they could put in the implant and use that to activate the brain. At least, that's what I was thinking when I wrote this fic.

Works for me, TJ.

It's still scary. LB- if such a clone was living its life, would the question be make whoever authorized its existence the one legally responsible for it? If your parents didn't create it and/or you didn't cerate it, why should either be held responsible?

Originally posted by Transmute Jun I recall a Sliders episode (was I the only one who watched that show?) where all rich people had clones for these kinds of medical emergencies, and the clones had no legal rights as 'people'.

I watched that show when it first came out on regular broadcast TV, and I loved it! Then it moved to cable, never saw it again.

Originally posted by Redbird

Originally posted by Transmute Jun I recall a Sliders episode (was I the only one who watched that show?) where all rich people had clones for these kinds of medical emergencies, and the clones had no legal rights as 'people'.

I watched that show when it first came out on regular broadcast TV, and I loved it! Then it moved to cable, never saw it again.

It was my favorite show at the time. We got cable just so I could watch it on the SciFi channel, and the day after the last episode aired I walked into the cable office to bring back the box.