XVI

Two hours later, we were back at HQ.

Baldr and Xibalba were downstairs in the holding cells. Baldr was insisting we were setting the study of neurological teaching methods back by thirty years and Xibalba was screaming that the serpent goddess was going to eat our hearts and devour our souls. Neither of these had happened yet and both were also demanding their lawyers. Zeus and Ishtar had been formally cautioned for misuse of a time machine, but Zeus didn't seemed too bothered by it as he was convinced the whole story was perfect for his next documentary. He had used his legally-required comcall to call his producer rather than a lawyer and Mirabi and I were back in Horus's office, being debriefed.

"So let me see if I've got this right, Midgard," said Horus, resting his forehead on his fist. "You arrive at Oxbridge Luna to find the perpetrators of the attack on us already there and working as a security team. You then fail to recognise them, for over three hours, and when you finally do, you still manage to let them escape, probably to Free Mars, where we will never be able to get our hands on them. Is that about the scale of it?"

"We tried our best, sir," I said. "And they were just mercenaries. We found the man who hired them."

"Ah, yes. This Julian Ra," said Horus. "Who you also fail to arrest or prevent from being killed by some local witch doctor in the 15th century. Hax it all, Midgard! I needed prisoners! Putting the perpetrators in the dock and then sending them to Hektor until the end of eternity was the only way we were going to come out of this without looking like idiots!"

"Oh, really? So finding out who they were, why they did it and getting back what they stole was just a side benefit?" said Mirabi.

Hades and Baal had agreed to co-operate with our investigation - and give up their temporal artefact smuggling contacts - in exchange for reduced sentences. The only person who wasn't at HQ with us was Chernobog. When we'd gone through Xibalba's crates before we moved the weapons for disposal, I'd taken the time to find the rifle recharger that matched the serial number of the one Hades had dug up. Chernobog was making one more trip back to the Yucatan to hide it in Tutal Xiu, at the co-ordinates where Hades could dig it up in more than sixteen hundred years.

"Watch your tone, Arjuna," said Horus. "I am trying to maintain the reputation of this agency. We're going to be the laughing stock of Solar law enforcement once this gets out."

"Well, you could always mention to Imperia Intelligence that we know what happened to them on Io," I said. "And we didn't have a lot of options, sir. The place - and the time - was high paradox risk. We had to deal with that."

"Oh, yes. By - let me see if I've got this right," said Horus, looking at my report on his deskcom screen, "backstepping so you can clone this Miss Umuze, or whatever her name is, before she died, using that daxing J.I. mind gadget to record her memories, then coming back here and sulking in the medical wing for 18 hours while the clone grows and then giving it her memories so you can find out the password to the safe this Xibalba lunatic has planted a bomb in."

"And to preserve the time flow, sir," I said. "I'd seen Megan in the future, later than when she died. If she hadn't been there, we would have had a paradox reaction."

"That's your excuse for everything, Midgard," said Horus. "You go on and on about how much you hate your predicted future, and then it's the reason every time you see fit to break every rule in the manual."

"If he hadn't done it, the moon would be the new Mercury," said Mirabi. "The manual says preventing that takes priority over everything else."

"Yes, I know," said Horus. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it. Especially when you've just let six of our most wanted escape."

"Don't worry. We're bound to get another chance," said Mirabi.

"Really?" Horus and I looked at her.

"Anubis likes challenges," said Mirabi. "And he's now the man who raided ChronOps and Imperia Intelligence in the same week. That's a reputation he'll have to live up to. He'll start taking more dangerous jobs. And taking more risks. He'll show his face again. We'll get another shot."

"You had better be right, Arjuna," said Horus. He ground his teeth. "But in the meantime... Well done. Case solved. Criminals in custody. Time stream saved. A good day's work."

"Thank you, sir," I said.

"Thanks," said Mirabi.

"Wrap up whatever's left of the paperwork and you can sign off early," said Horus. "Oh, and one more thing, Midgard. What are you going to do about Miss Uzume?"

"I've... been asking myself the same thing, sir," I said. He wouldn't need to polygraph me to tell I was telling the truth.

_ _ _ _ _

On the top floor of ChronOps HQ, a wall of windows looked out over the Ocean of Storms. The sun was setting in the distance. The Solar corona blazed like gold and purple fire around the silhouettes of the mountain ranges. I absently reflected, as I climbed up the stairs, that this must have been one of the places Anubis had considered when he was going over the schematics, working out how he was going to break into ChronOps.

Megan was sitting alone on one of the sofas in front of the windows. She wasn't watching the view, but instead was looking at her hands, turning them over slowly in front of her.

"How are you feeling?" I said, as I reached her.

"OK, I think," she said. "I just... I'm actually trying to work out if I do feel any different."

"I'm sorry," I said, sitting down opposite her.

"Oh, no! I'm not blaming you," said Megan. She reached out and touched my hand. "You saved us. You saved everyone. It wasn't just me. Isabel, Max, Bernard, Doctor Zeus. Even Dr. Hades and Mr Xibalba. And all my other friends and everyone else in the university. They all would have died if the bomb had gone off. Or if there'd been a paradox."

"Oh," I said. I was surprised, but relieved. "Thank you."

That was another monumental relief. Being a clone - and learning you were one - wasn't easy. I'd been there myself. Learning you were a copy of someone, who'd existed before you and for longer than you had, was an unsettling experience. It made you wonder if you really were who you thought you were, and whether or not you were really human.

"I don't think I feel any different," said Megan, looking at her hands again. "I can still remember everything..."

"Yes, I was worried about that," I said. "Are your memories... different? Is it just... facts and figures? I was worried the mind scanner might..."

"No. That's a Venusian climbing fern," said Megan, pointing to one of the large pot plants in the corner. "I first saw one on Ceres when I was about six. But I didn't learn their name until I was at school in the orphanage on Earth. I haven't thought about them in years, but when I saw that one, I remembered. It's exactly the same."

"Oh, good," I said. I mentally thanked Darwin. At least that was one part of her life I hadn't haxed up.

"I have been wondering about that," said Megan. "Even though I don't feel different, am I really different?"

"How do you mean?" I said.

"Well, I've got the same DNA and the same memories," said Megan. "I look the same. I'm the same age... Well, Doctor Ares says I'm technically seven months younger, but anyway... I'm wondering - if I am different from... her - what is it that makes me different?"

I had to think about this for a second. I had woken up with no memories from my "parent", who would eventually be myself. Horus and Mirabi had spent months telling me I had amnesia. When I'd believed that, I'd wanted my memories back desperately, not knowing that I'd never had any. I'd believed that I wasn't myself without them and I was worried that I might be changing because of the amnesia. At the same time though, I'd wondered if I really want them back. That I might not like the person I remembered if I did. But as Megan had all her memories - apart from a few minutes in which she been shot and died in my arms - what was the difference between her and her parent, the first Megan?

"Nothing," I said. "Nothing at all. You're the same person."

"I've been cloned," said Megan.

"Yes, but you have all your memories," I said. "What are we apart from our memories? They're what make us who we are. You've got a new body, but... It's like that ancient religious belief; reincarnation. You're still you."

Megan thought about this for a second. Then she slowly nodded.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you, Detective. That really helps."

"My name's Erik," I said. "And I really should be thanking you. Again."

"That's fine," said Megan, with a small laugh. Then she sat forwards. "There was something I wanted to ask. Doctor Ares said you made two backsteps. You went back to before you arrived to get my DNA. Then you went to before we went to find Mr Xibalba to record my memories. Why didn't you just do both at once? Surely it was more risky?"

"Ah. Yes, it was," I said. Mirabi had warned me about this. "But it was also before we met. I didn't want to have to waste time explaining who I was, what had happened, where we were and what was going on when you woke up. I needed to save as much of your memory - your recent memory - as possible."

"Oh," said Megan, frowning slightly. Either she thought there should be more to it than that or she could tell I was lying.

"And," I said. Mirabi had been right. I had to go for this or there would have been no point in making two trips. "I didn't want to have to get to know you all over again."

I'd been worried that she might feel differently about the strange man who'd woken her in a strange room, and I'd been frightened she might feel very differently about the man who'd cloned her.

"Oh," said Megan. "Good. I wouldn't have wanted to forget you."

We looked at each other. Something that I'd never felt before - but which felt very good - started growing inside me.

I looked at my wristcom clock with deliberate - but hopefully not exaggerated - casualness.

"I just got off duty," I said. "I know a couple of good restaurants in Tycho City if you feel like dinner."

"Yes," said Megan, sitting up. "Yes. I'd like that a lot."

We both smiled. We stood up. I hesitated for a second, then offered her my arm. Megan smiled and then nervously slid hers through it. We walked away towards the lifts. Mirabi was right. I'd done more than enough worrying about the future. It was time to start living in the present.