“I’m nart! I’m nart a badly copy!” Tynan slurred.

  “Alright. Convince me. Explain to me how you’re not inferior.”

  Tynan appeared startled, as if unsure of how to take this sudden olive branch. He moved back up onto his platform – back to the high ground – and his arm stopped shaking. I’d given him a metaphorical length of rope, so now he once again felt like he had command of the room. Now I just had to make him hang himself.

  “I …” he cleared his throat. “I am you. I came … from you. If you’re saying I’m a bad copy … it’s because you’ve got bad data.”

  “Why would I have bad data?”

  “Because the Insurgency used the conversion device on you. It … it must’ve scrambled your brain.”

  “I see. Scrambled my brain, you say. Surely you would’ve had protection against that?”

  “Well, I did attempt to build a defence against that – the SANE program – but I only got to experiment with it on Ichirō here,” Tynan said as he indicated to his side with a slight jerk of his thumb.

  Ichirō, who had paid very close attention to the unfolding conversation, turned and glared at Tynan. The stool had been positioned – now I just needed Tynan to climb onto it.

  “You experimented on my only son?”

  Ichirō and Tynan’s faces twitched at the same time.

  “Yeah, like I just sai –” Tynan’s words stopped abruptly as he realised the trap he’d walked into, but it was already too late. “No, wait! It was –”

  “What the hell, arsehole!” Ichirō snapped as he stood up. “What did you do to me?”

  “It’s not like that! I didn’t … I wasn’t … it wasn’t me … hang on.”

  Tighten that noose, Tynan.

  “What did you do to me?” Ichirō demanded.

  “Come on, Tynan. Answer the boy.”

  Tynan glanced between me and Ichirō, looking like a cornered animal.

  “Please … he’s tricking us … I wasn’t the one … it wasn’t me!”

  Tynan’s arm trembled once more as he looked at Ichirō with desperate eyes.

  “Tell me what you did to me!”

  “Fine!” Tynan snapped. “I ran an experimental conversion profile on you! One that was intended to alter your mind and protect it from further alterations. That’s what it was called after all – SANE – short for Sanctuary Against Neural Encoding.”

  “So, it was your fault,” Ichirō growled. “Because of you I have been in a living hell for the past several years! While everyone around me forgot you, forgot the Empire, forgot everything – I remembered – I remembered all of it! In fact, I couldn’t forget. The world that everyone else moved on from was permanently seared into my brain!”

  The corners of my mouth curled up slightly. Now the metaphorical noose was tight around Tynan’s neck. He just needed one final push to kick the chair out from under him.

  “I bet it was easy for you to carry out such an experiment on your own child.”

  Tynan and Ichirō both turned to look at me.

  “What?” Tynan asked, his voice cracking.

  “When you experimented on Ichirō. I bet you didn’t feel a thing. You just wanted results. And now, look at all the anguish it caused him … but you don’t care, do you? It doesn’t weigh you down at all.”

  Tynan’s breathing quickened again, and I slowly approached him.

  “The quickening of one’s heart as you struggle for air. Feeling hot and flustered as you notice all the pressure sitting atop of you, compressing your chest. I mean, you couldn’t even begin to imagine what that feels like.”

  Sweat had broken out across Tynan’s forehead, and his breathing had grown quicker still.

  “To be … guiltless … completely unashamed of your actions and the consequences. It’s a joy, isn’t it. Makes it so much easier to run an empire, doesn’t it? You can make the hard calls, give the tough orders, and still sleep soundly at night.”

  Tynan’s hands shook as he clasped and unclasped them. His flight-or-fight response frantically searched for danger as adrenaline flooded through his body.

  “I mean, can you imagine all the things you could do … and live with afterwards? Experimenting on people, torturing them for months on end, destroying entire fleets of ships and murdering the thousands of crew onboard … and that’s probably just scratching the surface.”

  Tynan reached up and grasped his head between his hands, squeezing his head between them.

  “Stop … please … stop!”

  “And just as well you couldn’t feel remorse for all those actions, because if you did, there’d be no getting rid of it. Imagine spending every single day of your life living with the burden of those actions … that would be so hard.”

  Tynan’s heart-wrenching wail echoed throughout the chamber as he toppled from his throne, curling up into a foetal position on the ground. I walked up the steps and stood over Tynan’s diminutive form.

  “If you could see yourself right now,” I said, shaking my head. “I asked you to explain to me how you’re not inferior. Consider me unconvinced. These feelings … they are your weakness. They make you guilty of being imperfect.”

  “I’m sorry …”

  “You’re sorry, aye?” I said, kneeling down. “Tell me, how does it feel to be at the mercy of another?”

  Tynan only loosed a whimper and shrunk tighter into himself.

  I reached out, grabbed a handful of Tynan’s hair, pulled his head back, and leaned close to his ear. The stool had been kicked out.

  “I told you the darkness was asleep within me,” I whispered for only Tynan to hear. “I warned you … push me far enough, hurt those I love, and I would let that darkness out to play.”

  Tynan looked at me out of the corner of his eye. His face was ashen and dripping with sweat. He closed his eyes and let his head slump, defeated.

  I let go of Tynan’s head, letting it hit the floor with a satisfying thud. A short drop and a sudden stop. I stood back up, knowing that my work here was done.

  [)
  “Tynan?” I asked, looking down at my doppelgänger. “How did I get here?”

  Tynan’s eyes shot open, and he twisted his head to stare up at me. “Raith?” he breathed; the word barely audible.

  “Yeah. Who else would I be?” I said with a shrug.

  His eyes widened and I could read the emotional turmoil rushing through him. Fear that it wasn’t real, confusion at what had passed, worry that it would happen again, and relief that I seemed to be Raith again.

  “Oh, thank fuck,” Tynan replied. “You’re back!”

  “I went somewhere?”

  “Yeah. The other guy came out.”

  “The other … oh – oh! Shit … um, is everyone okay?”

  “Yeah,” Tynan muttered as he stumbled to his feet.

  “What happened?”

  Tynan glared at me as his eyes searched my face, looking for something. “We had a … conversation.”

  “Okay. What about? What was the outcome?”

  “You really don’t remember anything?”

  I shook my head. “Nope … the last thing I remember was watching Zavis die … then I was here.”

  Tynan scowled and returned to his throne, giving his still red cheek a rub.

  “You’ve got a little … mark … just here,” I said, pointing to my cheek.

  “Shut the fuck up,” Tynan snapped.

  I raised my hand in an apologetic gesture. “Sorry.”

  No one said a word – the only sound was the collective breath held by everyone in the room, processing what they had all just witnessed. I glanced around the room, wondering if everyone else was thinking the same thing as me: What was Tynan going to do next? After a full fifteen minutes of silence, Tynan finally spoke up, his voice breaking the stillness of the room.

  “You and I, Raith – perhaps we are more alike than I previously thought. Neither of us is an original. You, of course, are the usurper – a parasitic personality that took over its host. I am … a lesser version of both you and Tynan.”

  “That’s … certainly one way of looking at things.”

  “Shush – I wasn’t finished,” Tynan snapped again, holding up his left hand. “As I was saying … we are not Tynan. We are not the real deal. So, neither of us has a full claim to the Empire.”

  “I mean …”

  Tynan’s jaw clenched and his eyes squinted at me, warning me to keep quiet.

  “So, I believe it’s only reasonable for a decision to be made regarding who the Empire should be given to, and how our fate will be determined accordingly afterwards.”

  Tynan watched me as if waiting for an acknowledgement. I nodded and he continued.

  “Here’s the choice and outcome I propose. If you get chosen, I will cede the Empire and all its power, resources – everything – to you, including this device,” Tynan explained, pointing to the prototype mass conversion machine. “And if I get chosen, I will maintain control of the Empire and its riches. You and your allies will be prisoners, kept alive and forced to watch as I burn down humanity and then rebuild it from the ashes. I may not be the original, but you can be damn sure I’ll keep Tynan’s Empire alive and well and pass it down to the next generation in due course. Do you agree with these outcomes?”

  “I’m not sure – who is going to make the choice?”

  “Doesn’t matter – do you agree to the outcomes?”

  “Well, it matters because –”

  “Nope – doesn’t matter. Do you agree?”

  “I’m not agreeing to anything until –”

  “You have to answer – yes or no?”

  “I told you I’m not –”

  “Give me an answer now or you will automatically forfeit the futures of you and everyone you care about!”

  All traces of fear had fled Tynan now. Now his nostrils were flared, and his breath was coming out in snorts. His speech was coming through increasingly clenched teeth.

  I sighed. After the breakdown I had forced on him, I didn’t know what would happen if I pushed his leniency too far.

  “Fine. I agree with those outcomes.”

  “Excellent!” Tynan said with an exaggerated grin, his eyes gleefully wide. “The person who will decide which outcome prevails – which reality will come to pass – is you!” Tynan said, turning to his right and pointing to Ichirō.

  “Me?” Ichirō exclaimed. “Why me?”

  “Yes, you, boy! As for why you, isn’t it obvious?”

  Ichirō shook his head.

  Tynan sighed. “Because you and you alone have the closest connection to the real Tynan. Not only are you his son, but you remember him the best – your recollection of him is, after all, unaltered and untarnished.”

  Ichirō glanced between me and Tynan. It was almost an impossible choice, and Tynan knew it. He, of course, represented the closest thing to Tynan’s actual personality, and me … well, I hoped that my love for Ichirō counted for something.

  “Well, come on! Don’t keep us waiting!” Tynan barked.

  “Perhaps,” I said, taking a step forward. “Perhaps we can each make a statement – to champion our respective outcomes – and help Ichirō make the choice? Say … thirty seconds each?”

  Tynan looked at me with a scowl, and then his expression turned contemplative.

  “That’s a good idea,” he said with a gleam in his eye. “I’ll go first!”

  “By all means,” I replied, motioning towards Ichirō.

  “Boy – choose me! Together, we will build the new Empire bigger, better, and stronger than it was before! We will rule, side by side – no ambition will be too grand, no luxury too expensive. We will dine on the galaxy’s best food, and we will lie with the most beautiful women – every desire, every wish, every fantasy – we shall have it all! We shall go down in history; our names will be synonymous with the likes of Caesar and Churchi –”

  “And that’s time, sorry – hate to cut you off.”

  “No, it’s fine.” Tynan waved away my sarcasm. “I said what needed to be said. Now, it’s your turn.”

  “Yes … yes, it is.”

  I inhaled and focused. I had one opportunity to convince Ichirō that Tynan was not worth it. I looked down and realised my palm was clammy and wiped it on my shirt.

  Let’s do this.

  “Son – this … hell of a choice, rightly or wrongly, is yours to make. And I know what it’s like to be given an impossible choice, to make a decision, and then live with the consequences. Whatever choice you make, I’ll respect it. But I hope that you and I, Amorina and your sisters, my mum and dad … that we’ll all be able to find a new home and just live the good life in our own little slice of paradise.”

  Tynan turned towards me and sneered. “Wow … that was pathetic. Oh, making hard choices, let’s go be a nuclear family. What kind of argument is tha –”

  “I choose Raith.”

  Tynan swung back around to face Ichirō.

  “What did you say?” he asked slowly.

  “I said,” Ichirō replied, standing up and leaning over Tynan. “I choose Raith!”

  “But … but … why? You’re giving up everything! All your potential! All that power!”

  “You asked me to choose. I chose. Deal with it … arsehole.”

  Tynan shoved Ichirō, sending him stumbling backwards.

  “No! I do not accept this!” he shouted and then turned to me. “You did something! You’ve rigged this! Or … or … you tricked me!”

  “It’s over, Tynan. By your own rules, you’ve been removed from power. Now move – you’re sitting in my seat.”

  “It’s my throne!” Tynan snapped. “I declare Ichiro’s decision void! Both he and Raith are traitors to the Empire. Seize them immediately! Take them away and lock them up!”

  The room remained motionless and silent.

  “That overconfidence is a bitch, isn’t it?” I mused.

  “What?” Tynan asked.

  “That overconfidence … or, specifically, your overconfidence, is a bitch.”

  Tynan stared at me with a perplexed look on his face.

  “You know that thing that occurs when one's belief in one's ability exceeds reali-”

  “I know what fucking overconfidence is!” Tynan snapped. “I just don’t understand why the fuck you’re talking about it!”

  “I thought it was obvious – you were so confident in the bet that you gambled … everything.”

  The confused expression returned to Tynan’s face. “What are you going on about?”

  “Well, the bet was for Ichirō to decide who the Empire should be given to. If you got chosen, the Empire was yours, and if I got chosen, then the Empire was mine.”

  Tynan rolled his eyes. “Yes, and I declared Ichiro’s decision void, remember. And in my Empire, my word is law!”

  He glanced around the room at the soldiers.

  “Come on! What are you waiting for? I said seize them!”

  As the room remained motionless, I nodded. “Except for one little detail.”

  “What detail?” Tynan demanded.

  “Your words were, and I quote, ‘If you get chosen, I will cede the Empire and all its power, resources – everything – to you.’ That’s what you said when your word was law.”

  “And I voided those terms!” Tynan snapped.

  I shook my head. “Except it doesn’t work like that.”

  I turned and glanced around the room.

  “Would you all do a spin for me, please?”

  All at once, the clones in the room spun around, and a few of the loyalists attempted to follow suit, albeit not as seamlessly. I turned back and faced Tynan.

  “Your voiding of the terms means nothing if you’ve already ceded your power.”

  Tynan’s face fell as he looked around the room where every person he locked eyes with gave him a defiant glare.

  “No … no … no, no, no!” Tynan growled. “I am the emperor! And I said take them away! Lock them up!” he screamed desperately, but still, not a soul moved.

  “Please escort Tynan to an isolated cell so that he can think about his choices.”

  A dozen soldiers immediately moved forward, making a beeline for Tynan, who looked at me in sheer and utter shock.

  I smiled, baring my teeth slightly.

  Gotcha, bitch.

  Ichirō and I took a step back, and in that same moment, Tynan lunged forward and snatched two of the soldier’s weapons from their holsters. Shots rang out as Tynan started shooting and before the soldiers could react, their bodies jerked and fell, unmoving, to the floor. Shots continued to echo through the room. A few soldiers realised what was happening and attempted to flee, but Tynan had them in his line of fire.

  “This is my throne! This is my Empire!” Tynan yelled and shot them in the back.

  His eyes were wide, and his motions frenzied, covered in blood splatter, surrounded by the fallen soldiers. Satisfied that no one else was going to apprehend him, Tynan levelled his guns at Ichirō and I.

  “No one and nothing is going to take tha –”

  Bang!

  A gun fired from somewhere behind us; a bullet tore through Tynan’s right calf, and with a pained grunt, he crumpled to the ground, one of the guns flying from his hand. As he fell, he twisted to see who had had the audacity to shoot him. Almost all the other heads in the room swivelled as well, just as interested to see who the assailant was.

  “Phobus?” Tynan asked, betrayal evident in his pained tone. “Why?”

  Phobus let the gun he held drop to the floor, his head raised defiantly. “You’re a failed science experiment … not an emperor.”

  Tynan pushed himself up and lent against his throne, wincing at the pain he must have felt pulsing through his leg.

  “It took me a while to realise as much – too long, perhaps. But I’ve realised that you are toxic. Your imperfections have been poisoning the Empire, your loyalists, and –” Phobus looked at Lorcan beside him “– your advisors as well.”

  Phobus glanced towards me, then turned back to look at Tynan. “I realised it was time to administer the cure.”

  Tynan scowled. “Cure this, you maggot!”

  He lifted the gun still held in his grasp and fired two rounds into Phobus. Phobus slumped over in his wheelchair, his white advisor robes quickly turning red. Tynan slowly turned his gun towards Lorcan, struggling to hold the gun up.