ic contact; MoM

[coppelganger]

Hey, it's Sarah. Leave a message.

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text

[jacksonian]

This is Mark Vorkosigan. I spoke with Sarissa Theron. She referred me to you.

voice;

[coppelganger]

[ Yeah, she's not texting this conversation. She calls him back a minute after she gets his message. ]

What do you want, Mark?

voice;

[jacksonian]

[ He hesitates a moment, but...fine. He prefers texting, but...fine. ]

Don't play coy. I know Theron told you already exactly what I want.

permavoice;

[coppelganger]

I know you claim to want to help us, and that you've been speaking to Rachel Duncan. That's about it.

[jacksonian]

[ A grunt. ]

That second part is something Theron decided. I never said anything of the sort. Do you really think it requires an informant to figure out that you're clones?

[coppelganger]

No. [ She knows their cover story was shaky at best. ] But I notice you're not denying it.

[jacksonian]

Of course not. You can look on the network and see that I've spoken to her. That's a matter for public consumption, if you want to consume it. So the question in response: does that matter?

[coppelganger]

It matters. I don't want anything to do with her.

[jacksonian]

[ Abruptly: ]

Are you the progenitor?

[coppelganger]

[ She laughs incredulously. ]

Does that matter?

[jacksonian]

Yeah. It does.

[coppelganger]

Why?

[jacksonian]

Because Sarissa's treating you like some leader of your group. And it's one thing if you've earned it. But it's something else if it's just because you're their progenitor.

[coppelganger]

I'm not the original. I'm just another clone.

[jacksonian]

Why were you made?

[coppelganger]

Nature-nurture experiment.

[ There's no way she's going to mention anything else about why the clones might have been created. At least not now. ]

[jacksonian]

[ A hesitation, even as he feels a slight loosening of tension. That's barely even horrible. ]

That's it? Nothing worse than that?

[coppelganger]

I mean. Yes, that's what the intention was. The execution's been less pleasant.

[jacksonian]

[ ...Oh. Too much to hope for. ]

Go on.

[coppelganger]

Keeping clones in the dark about what they are, not telling 'em the truth about their health problems, having monitors spy and report back to headquarters about their behavior, that's not very ethical, is it.

[jacksonian]

[ And again, he relaxes a bit, letting out a breath that's faintly audible. ]

They didn't hurt you, though?

[coppelganger]

Oh, they've hurt me plenty. And Rachel's been right there with them.

[jacksonian]

[ He didn't come here to argue Rachel's case. But a defensiveness bubbles up in him - ]

Rachel was used by the people who made you, too.

[coppelganger]

Yeah, and now she's one of them.

[jacksonian]

That's not how it works. [ But that argument isn't going to fly, he knows - ] Do you think you wouldn't have been the same, if you were in her place?