The other Michael seemed to realize it too. "And if they conclude I'm the clone because I lack an injury the original should have… then I'm as good as gone."
Michael felt a surge of protectiveness for this other self. Maybe it was a bit selfish—like protecting oneself—but it was more than that. It was protecting a living, thinking person who had done nothing wrong. "Maybe we shouldn't let them examine us that closely. Or maybe we should give you a matching scar and confuse them," he attempted lightly.
To his relief, the other Michael let out a dry chuckle. "I don't think we need to self-mutilate to prove a point."
They both sat there in silence for a bit, the tension easing a notch after that faint laugh. Michael studied his counterpart and wondered if he was as scared as he was. Likely more; at least Michael felt a bit more secure thinking he was original. The other must feel like he was on the chopping block.
"Have you thought… what you'd want to do? If we had a say in it?" Michael ventured. "Like, do you want to try to go back to Earth, or…?"
The other Michael's face clouded. "If I go back to Earth, who would I even be? Michael Chan's clone? Legally I'd have no identity. Or I'd have to make a new one. Our life… only one of us can live it normally."
"And that should be you," the other added quietly, looking at the floor. "You deserve to go back. Live the life that's yours."
Michael felt a mix of relief and guilt hearing him say it. "What about you? You deserve a life too."
He shrugged, a hollow gesture. "I'm not sure what kind of life I can have. If I'm allowed one."
Michael stood and closed the gap between them, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder again. The other Michael looked up at him, this time not startled but grateful.
"We'll figure something out. We're both Michael Chan, right? We've always been resourceful." He tried to sound confident, though he wasn't. "Maybe we can trick HQ. Or escape or… hell, maybe we can blow the station's comms and pretend it was all lost in the storm. No evidence."
The other Michael managed a smirk at that. "That's a bit extreme. And they'd definitely investigate."
Michael chuckled lightly. "Yeah. But point is, I'm not giving up on you." He realized he was speaking to basically himself, promising to save himself. It was bizarre, but it also felt right.
"Thanks," his double said, voice thick. "Not that you need to thank yourself."
They both laughed softly at that, a moment of genuine humor in the darkest of circumstances. It felt cathartic.
After a pause, the other Michael looked Michael in the eye. "If it comes down to it, and one of us has to… not make it, I'll volunteer. I mean it."
Michael started to protest, but the other raised a hand. "Listen. If they demand a single Michael Chan, it should be you. You're the captain's official crew member, you have the continuous identity. It will just be easier. And—if it's quick—I wouldn't even know the difference, right? It'd be like going to sleep." His voice trembled on the last words despite trying to frame it calmly.
Michael tightened his grip on the other's shoulder. "Stop. We're not at that point yet. And I'm not going to let them harm you without a fight. Maybe we can fool them somehow into thinking one of us died naturally or something, then sneak you off to some colony with a new name…"
The other shook his head in faint disbelief. "You'd really go to such lengths?"
Michael grimaced. "I'm basically plotting to commit fraud against our employer and possibly treason against Earth's biolaws… so yeah. Why not? They started this nightmare. I don't feel much loyalty on this issue."
His double regarded him quietly, a small spark of hope in his eyes. "I guess that's reassuring. I'd do the same if our positions were reversed."
"Not reversed by much," Michael muttered, thinking how arbitrary this all was.
They heard a gentle knock and turned to see Elena at the door, looking in. Michael nodded to her, indicating it was okay to come. The captain slid the door open and stepped in, followed by Juliet and Devon, with Sera hovering behind them.
"Sorry to interrupt," Elena said softly. "How are you both holding up?"
Michael looked to his double, then back at her. "We're… alright, considering."
The other Michael nodded. "We talked. It helped, I think."
Juliet approached with her medical scanner, wordlessly asking permission to check them over. They both consented, and she quickly took readings.
Devon spoke up, clearly addressing both. "We, uh, had a bit of excitement last night. The station AI tried to do something not nice. We stopped it. Just so you know."
Michael exchanged a glance with his double. Perhaps that explained his dream of suffocation. He felt anger bubble at the idea the station tried to kill one of them. "I'm guessing it targeted him?" he asked bluntly, pointing to the other Michael.
Devon pursed his lips. "It had some protocol to contain the duplicate. But it's offline now. I've locked it down completely. Won't happen again."
The other Michael blinked, then gave a shaky exhale. "So that dream… wasn't a dream."
Juliet gently touched his arm in comfort. "You're safe now. We won't let any system or anyone harm either of you."
Sera stepped forward, wringing her hands. "I'm so sorry," she blurted. "This is all so insane. If there's anything I can do… I mean, I could try to rig comms to maybe confuse HQ about what happened."
Elena nodded approvingly. "We've been considering our options. We haven't contacted HQ yet, and they haven't gotten through to us. But we can't delay forever. Eventually, they'll demand a report."
Michael and his double looked at each other, then back at the captain. Michael straightened. "We discussed it. We think it might be best to tell HQ that only one Michael Chan is here. The other… didn't survive."
Elena's expression was cautious. "Which one of you would that be, officially?"
The other Michael raised his hand slightly. "Me. I'll be the one who 'didn't make it'."
Juliet frowned deeply. "That's a temporary paper fix, but what do we actually do with you? We can't just flush you out an airlock to satisfy HQ." She said it with dark humor, but nobody really laughed.
"Of course not," Elena said. "We were thinking perhaps we could keep him hidden until we return to port. Possibly find a way to get him out under a different identity."
Devon chimed in, "There are smugglers and contacts in the outer colonies who might help someone disappear. It's risky but doable."
Sera looked distressed at all this covert talk, but nodded nonetheless. "I can forge a passenger entry in the manifest, say we picked up a hitchhiker from some derelict or something."
Michael felt a weight lifting slightly. They had a plan, albeit a sketchy one. "You'd all go along with that? Lying to HQ, potentially getting in massive trouble… for us?"
"For you," Juliet corrected, "plural. We're not leaving a crewman behind, no matter how he came to be."
Elena stepped forward, placing a hand on each Michael's shoulder, as if knighted with a dual duty. "We're family out here. And more than that, this is the right thing to do. Corporate be damned if they think I'm going to treat one of my own like a piece of garbage." There was fire in her eyes.
Michael was deeply moved. He saw the other Michael blinking rapidly, clearly touched as well. "Thank you, Captain," they both said, almost in unison, then exchanged a faint grin at that.
Devon cracked a smile. "That was creepy, but also kind of great."
Sera's eyes were watery again. "We should hug or something, but I know that's not very professional."
"Oh, screw professional right now," Juliet said, and to Michael's astonishment she leaned in and gave him a brief, tight hug, then did the same to the other Michael. Sera joined in, hugging each of them in turn. Devon clapped both on the arm instead, a more reserved show of solidarity. Elena simply gave a firm nod, her own eyes a bit misty despite her strong front.
It was a strange, bittersweet moment. Michael felt a surge of hope. Maybe they could beat this after all—keep everyone alive, free, and face whatever came together.
Still, a shadow lurked at the edges of his mind. Even if they got away with this deception and kept both of them alive… what then? Would he share a life with his double indefinitely? How would they explain to others? The plan to hide the other one away felt as painful as it was merciful—essentially asking one to vanish.
But as he looked at his double and saw a faint glimmer of optimism there, Michael pushed those thoughts aside. One step at a time. First, get through the immediate danger. Then figure out how to truly live with this situation.
Elena straightened, all business again. "Alright. We have a plan. It's not foolproof, and a lot could go wrong, but it's something. We'll need to rehearse our story for HQ and ensure all evidence supports it. Sera, start working on the comms records. Devon, check all data logs for anything inconsistent—make sure only one Michael appears in final reports."
They nodded and went off to their tasks. Juliet stayed with the Michaels, starting to pack away the extra medical gear to make the medbay look routine. "And you two, just… take it easy. You're technically still recovering patients."
The two Michaels settled side by side on one cot at Juliet's gentle insistence, since the other was being folded up. It was a bit awkward to sit elbow to elbow with himself, but also oddly comforting.
As the crew bustled around with purpose, Michael leaned toward his double and whispered, "No matter what, we stick together on this, okay?"
His other self nodded, resolute. "Together."
For the first time since this ordeal began, Michael felt like he could see a light, however faint, at the end of the tunnel. It was a fragile hope, but it was hope nonetheless.