The water's black at Lake Vexon Clouds hanging low again Wind gently bending the grass Like an old familiar friend This is where I met you Skipping shifts and throwing stones You said the lake looked bigger When you weren't staring at your phone You laughed at your own bad jokes Smiled in such a silly way I rolled my eyes and walked away You followed me anyway Heh, I'm so glad you did by the way I still see your smile In the water tonight I still hear your voice When the wind gets it right Every step around this lake Feels like walking with a ghost I came here looking for goodbye God I miss you so Now I'm walking the same old trail Watching daylight fade away Thinking how we never got A chance to "seize the day" We coulda seen stars beyond this rock Beyond the mining lights Beyond the ships that came and went Every lonely night Halfway round the shore I stop and stare ahead Someone's walking toward me And I feel pounding in my chest Same height Same jacket Same crooked little grin For a second I stop breathing Cause it looks exactly like him "FT?" "Actually, PT69-72" "What are you? A clone?" "You look disappointed" "No. Just confused" "I get that pretty often. Most people do" "You look exactly like him" "I know" "That's weird" "It gets weirder" "How?" "Every clone remembers" "Remembers what?" "Everything. The missions. The fights. The people. The feelings" "What do you mean the feelings?" "I remember this lake. I remember skipping stones. I remember making terrible jokes" "No way" "I remember falling in love with you" "Cool! Cool!" I still see your smile But now it's standing here I still hear your voice Somehow crystal clear Lord, life is stranger Than anybody knows Maybe some things never die Maybe they just grow Or get cloned "Uh you're like a replacement?" "Something like that. I have all his memories. Every one of them. The good ones too" "The good ones?" "The lake. The guitar. You" "mmm... that's really sweet" "Maybe we should leave" "Leave?" "This colony. This whole system. Start over somewhere. Anywhere" "And do what?" "I don't know. We'll figure it out" "With what money?" "We'll steal a shuttle" "Oh really? Now, who's sounding like a criminal?" "Heh, heh. So are you in?" "Depends" "On what?" "Whether you mind traveling with classified corporate property" "What do you mean?" "Let's just say I know some things the mining company doesn't want published" "You have blackmail material?" "I prefer 'negotiating leverage'" "PT" "If they come after us, their secrets come with us" "That's quite an outrageous plan" "And yet" "And yet" Maybe it'll work Maybe we'll leave tonight Maybe we'll catch a ride Maybe we'll find a world On the other side I don't care where we go As long as you're there too The stars above Lake Vexon Suddenly look new "Hey Katrina?" "Yeah?" "I really did miss you" "Cool, cool! Me too!" The water shimmered The stars burned bright And for the first time Since Shaft Nine The future felt alive
