Later that night, Greg and his friends got together at Tessa's place. Greg talked about his time in the transmutation chamber a bit, telling a few stories of his more amusing attempts to keep himself entertained, such as the time he decided that he'd build himself an entire house by hand, hanging from the ceiling. Then they told a few stories about what they'd been up to, giving Greg a bit more insight into what it was like to be a mage. Finally, Greg dropped the bomb that was the commander's beliefs about mana and why it was dangerous.

"So there's no way to avoid fighting?" Jake asked, a desperate edge to his voice.

Greg shook his head. "Nope. They view the very existence of mana as a threat. Which, you know, I get. If someone was out there spreading something that had a fifty-fifty chance of either giving me superpowers or turning me into a monster, I'd be a bit hesitant too. Particularly when they're doing it in a way that guarantees at least half the people I know will have to die."

Jake blinked. "Well when you put it that way…"

"So, when you say monsters…" Victor interjected.

"Probably talking about the real feral ferals back on Earth." Greg nodded. "The ones out during the day, who couldn't be reasoned with and just fought everything."

Victor tsked. "Yeah, no, that would be a problem."

"Plus, it's clear that mana disrupts technology." Casey pointed out. "For a race that relies on technology as much as the… United Technopoloy?"

"Technocracy." Greg corrected.

"Right, if they rely on technology as much as they clearly do, that alone would put mana up there as a severe threat." Casey continued. "I mean, look at what happened to us. When technology fell apart, so did we. The best we had was a benevolent dictator! No offense." She quickly added, turning to Tessa.

"No, you have a point." Tessa agreed with a shrug. "My dad kept things going by controlling everyone with an iron fist. I would argue it was necessary for the situation, but I can't say that for certain."

Greg nodded. "Leadership is hard. I've been listening to the Generals argue all freaking day! And they still haven't made any major decisions! If only one of them was making all the decisions, we would have gotten a lot more done. The problem is, we'd probably also have done a lot of things we shouldn't have. Kind of a trade off, that."

"In an emergency, doing something is usually better than doing nothing." Tessa pointed out, somewhat defensively. "Plus, if the person in charge is a good leader, then they'll listen to other people's advice before making a decision, which helps prevent bad decisions."

"Oh, I agree. I'm more pointing out that none of the Generals seem to actually be good leaders… sort of disappointing, honestly. Well, except for maybe the goth… she seems to have her head on straight, though she doesn't seem to have any actual opinions herself… She just tries to keep everyone else on track." Greg commented.

"Yeah, Bianca is more suited to supporting leadership, rather than leading herself." Tessa nodded with a sigh.

Greg frowned. "Why does that name sound familiar?" He muttered.

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Spider girl."

Greg snapped his fingers. "Right! Her name was Bianca too, wasn't it?"

"No, her name is Bianca." Tessa replied.

Greg blinked. "She's still around?"

"She's Bianca." Tessa stressed.

"Yes?" Greg replied hesitantly, wondering why she was saying her name like that.

"The goth!" Tessa exclaimed, throwing up her hands in exasperation.

Greg frowned, before his eyes widened. "Oh! That explains that weird always comment! I wonder why she didn't-" Greg paused as he remembered interrupting her introduction. "Oh… but didn't you say they got their jobs by being powerful?"

"Bianca is powerful." Tessa replied. "Her ability to study and manipulate mana is daunting. No one can pick apart spells quite like she can." Tessa sighed, a hint of envy creeping into her voice.

"So, it'd be good to talk to her when I start learning how to cast spells?" Greg asked. "She already wants to study my smoke, so we could do a little exchange. She studies me, I learn spells from her."

Tessa shook her head. "That isn't how spells work. You need to develop them yourself, since your mana is unique and only you can figure out how to properly adjust the spell to get the best results. It's a mix of intuition and constant experimentation."

Greg scowled. "Well that just sounds tedious."

"It is." Victor grumbled. "It's like homework that never ends!"

"Yeah, but it's homework that lets you send burning spears of fire through a two inch piece of steel." Casey commented.

"Which is why I'm actually doing it, rather than simply blowing it off like every other piece of homework I've ever received." Victor replied.

"Ha! I always knew it'd take some sort of magic to get you to actually study." Greg laughed.

They continued to chat a bit more, when there was a knock at the door. "Colonel Evans, you wished to see me?" A nervous looking Meredith asked, saluting sharply as Tessa opened the door.

Tessa grimaced as she looked her over. "Yes, please come in." She moved aside, gesturing for Meredith to enter.

"Hey Meredith!" Greg waved. "I'm back!"

Meredith waved back nervously. "H-Hello… it's good to see you again?" She added, glancing between Tessa and Greg hesitantly, as if she was making sure she wasn't offending anyone.

Greg cocked his head. "Are you okay? You're acting sort of weird."

Victor coughed, leaning in to whisper loudly into Greg's ear. "Meredith isn't very good at the whole magic thing. Really killed her confidence. Plus, she's at the bottom of almost every hierarchy, so she has to tread carefully."

Meredith flushed in embarrassment, looking down at the floor in shame as Brittany elbowed Victor with a scowl. "Don't be rude!"

Greg clicked his tongue. "Don't worry, I'm so weak a simple mana barrier can trap me. I get it." He commiserated.

"Yeah, but you literally can't die." Victor pointed out unhelpfully. "Not exactly a comparable situation."

"Dude, I'm just trying to be nice." Greg rolled his eyes at him.

"Why? You know you don't actually care." Victor retorted.

"Yeah, but she doesn't know that!" Greg countered. "It costs me literally nothing to be nice, and it might make her feel a bit better. Why not do it?"

"Because it's Meredith." Victor snorted. "She's a bitch." He added, before yelping as Brittany smacked him.

"Alright, enough!" Tessa snapped, glaring at Victor, before turning to Meredith. "Meredith, I asked you here because of a… development that occurred while Greg was trapped. You see, he believed that the human race had been completely destroyed, so he decided to… correct the problem. However, he only had a limited amount of human DNA to work with, and- how do I put this… you're pregnant."

Meredith blinked. "E-excuse me?" She asked, confused, until her doppelganger waltzed into the room, spreading her arms and her eyes widened in shock. "What the fuck?!?"

"Surprise!" Greg-Meredith announced at the same time.

"Damn, I wish I had a camera." Victor cursed.

"Oh, here you go." Greg made his phone out of smoke, handing it over.

Victor blinked at the offered phone before taking it and opening the camera, taking a picture of Meredith's still stunned face. "Much appreciated." Victor grinned at Greg. "When did you get this figured out?" He asked, playing with the phone.

"Few hours ago." Greg shrugged. "I really wish I'd downloaded more… stupid streaming services making things so damn convenient." He grumbled bitterly. "All I can really use are some stupid offline games, a few funny things I downloaded, and like half my music."

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Hey, better than you had before, right?" Victor pointed out.

"Oh, no doubt." Greg agreed. "I just wish I'd been able to figure it out in the transmutation chamber. I would have gotten into a lot less trouble." He gestured vaguely between the two Meredith's.

"I- I don't… you made a clone of me and got it pregnant!?!" Meredith asked incredulously, turning on Greg. "How-" Her expression twisted, her arms covering her body. "This is sick!"

Greg blinked. "How so?"

"You slept with me!" Meredith spat. "Without my consent! This is rape!"

"Whoa, hey, that's a little extreme, don't you think?" Greg replied, raising an eyebrow at her. "I mean, that's like saying it's rape if I slept with your twin sister. Don't get me wrong, I agree that it's a bit fucked up, but it's more like stealing naked pictures off your phone or peeking at you while you shower than rape. Still wrong, I agree, but not rape."

"You slept with a body that is genetically mine! That's much worse than just seeing me naked!" Meredith yelled back at him.

Greg paused. "Okay, yeah, I could see that. Still wouldn't call it rape though."

Meredith groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I just- why would you choose me! Why not Tessa!"

"Uh… I did?" He replied, pointing towards the door as the other three pregnant women walked out. "I was trying to repopulate the human race and I needed some genetic diversity. Technically the baby you're having is Jake's."

"Look, Meredith, none of us are happy about this, but what happened happened." Casey interjected with a sigh. "Greg didn't do this to hurt you. Obviously, he waited over a year to do anything! For Greg, that's a remarkable amount of restraint."

"Yeah, if I was going to sleep with anyone for fun, it was Tessa." Greg pointed out. "Though, I do have to admit that the only reason it took over a year is because I didn't figure out I could turn my smoke real until then… plus a bit of a delay while I experimented with suicide. Still impossible, which… well, kinda obvious at this point."

Everyone shot Greg a worried look. "Greg, suicide?" Tessa asked, sounding concerned.

Greg shrugged. "I thought I was the last human, that I'd lost everything that actually made life worth living. My only other options were to either to exist in eternal solitude, or make friends with the very people who killed my entire race… death seemed preferable."

"Greg…" Tessa sat down next to him, placing a hand on his back.

Greg gave her a weird look. "It's fine? Really, I'm over it now."

"Can we get back to the 'I'm pregnant' issue!?!" Meredith asked in exasperation.

"Yeah, sure." Greg nodded. "Look, this doesn't have to be an issue. You only have to be involved if you want to be involved. I did this on my own and I'm perfectly capable of dealing with the consequences on my own. It's just that these guys wanted to be involved after they learned about the kids, so we figured it'd be best to give you a chance as well."

Meredith groaned. "Look- ugh, it isn't that simple! I- I'm a virgin! This- it- it's like you stole that from me!"

Greg blinked at her, before turning to Tessa. "I don't get it."

Tessa frowned at Meredith. "I don't quite get it either… I get the sense of violation, but virginity? Seems like a stretch to me."

Greg turned to Casey. "How about you? Anything?"

Casey shrugged. "Not a clue, but I don't think anyone else here particularly cares about their virginity. Meredith probably has a unique perspective on it."

"I-I care about my virginity." Sarah interjected, raising her hand with a flush. "I- I want to save it for someone special. If- if I found out that someone had done something with someone who was essentially me… it would feel like it wasn't special anymore."

"Yes! Exactly!" Meredith exclaimed in agreement. "If all of the sudden, anyone who wants to sleep with me can just go see Greg to do it, what's the point of me maintaining my virginity!?! I've worked to stay a virgin! Plenty of men have offered, and I've turned them all down! And now- now you just get it?!? It isn't fair!"

Greg blinked. "Didn't you offer to sleep with me just so I'd join your squad?"

Meredith flushed brightly. "That- that was different. That was my choice! And I knew that if I was with you, you'd only be with me! You're- you were a good guy… I wouldn't have minded being with you."

Greg let out a breath, turning to Tessa. "Well, she has me there."

Tessa snorted. "She doesn't know you well enough."

"Obviously not if he could do something- something like this!" Meredith gestured towards her clone.

"Okay, again, I thought you were dead!" Greg retorted. "How was I going to ask permission?!?"

Meredith hesitated. "You- you could have waited…"

"In hindsight, yes, but why would I think that any of you would be spared? I didn't know about mana, and if we're talking about abilities, I have an ability. If I wasn't spared, who would be? Apparently there was just a glitch or something…" Greg replied, frowning slightly. Why had he been slated as a non-mage? Plus, the Technocracy didn't see him as a mage either… He shook his head. Thoughts for later. "Honestly, I did think that maybe, somehow, a portion of the population had been spared, but that seemed overly hopeful and unrealistic… Why kill half the population and save the other? Magic apparently. Who would have thought?"

Meredith grimaced. "I'm still not happy."

"Fair enough." Greg sighed, rubbing his temple. "All I need to know is if you care about the kid that is technically genetically yours or not. If you do, then you're welcome to help take care of it. If not, then we never need to see each other again. And don't worry, no one is going to be sleeping with your clone again. Unless the human race goes extinct at some point and I want to bring it back. But hopefully by that point I know enough about DNA to make unique people, so I don't need to straight copy anyone. No promises though… DNA is hard."

Meredith scowled at him, before glancing at her copy, specifically towards her belly, her eyes softening slightly, before hardening, then softening again, and finally letting out a frustrated groan. "I-I don't- I need- I need some time to think about all this."

"Understandable." Greg shrugged. "You do you. Just wanted to make sure you knew, so you can make your own decision."

"I- ugh, thank you." Meredith muttered, shooting her copy one last look, before shaking her head and leaving.

The room was silent for a bit, everyone feeling a bit awkward, until Greg turned to Emily. "So, Erin, you aren't terrified of me anymore?"

"It's Emily!" Casey exclaimed, chucking a pillow at him.

*

As the night wore on, the rest of the group slowly trickled out, until it was just Tessa and Greg left. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Tessa shook her head. "I just- with everything that's been going on, all the new information… I didn't take the time to realize how hard these last two years must have been for you. I was more focused on how much I've missed you. I'm used to thinking of you as this invincible hero… even when things get tough, when nothing makes sense, you find a way to do the right thing. But this- this broke you, didn't it?" She asked, grabbing his hand and looking him deep in the eye.

Greg swallowed a lump. "I-" He coughed. "I wouldn't say it broke me…"

"Greg." Tessa gave him a soft, but firm look.

Greg hesitated, before letting out a sigh. "It was probably the most miserable experience of my life. The only hope I had was the kids, and even then… I'm still not sure how they'll turn out. They might just be me again. I've never felt so hopeless. But what am I going to do about it? It's over now. We're together again. Pretty much everything I wished was true, turns out to actually be true! Dwelling on how awful things were won't make anything better. I'd rather just enjoy it. It's only going to last so long."

"Greg, we will find a way to survive all this." Tessa assured him in a serious tone. "We won't leave you alone again."

Greg shook his head. "That isn't what I meant. I will do my best to make sure the only thing that will ever take you from me again is natural causes, but… look, I'm immortal. And not 'as long as I don't die' immortal, but 'I can't die' immortal. Nothing is going to outlast me, which means… eventually I'm going to be alone. I mean, if the kids work out, I'll be able to make new people whenever I want… as long as I have enough smoke to sustain a functioning planet… and sun… cause, you know, heat death of the universe and all that. But that'd mean all of them would be my descendants… I'm sure I'll get over it, but right now dating any of them would feel weird."

Tessa's expression twisted. She got that these were the kind of things Greg needed to consider, but the idea of Greg dating anyone else made her uncomfortable, let alone the idea of him dating his own kids. "You know… mana does extend a person's life. Maybe- maybe it will let me stick around? Plus, magic can probably combat the heat death of the universe. It's produced infinitely and can create something from nothing. If we do everything right… maybe I could be there for you."

Greg hesitated. "I-I really hope so. I do. I just- I don't want to waste time worrying about how long I'm going to be with you when I could spend it actually being with you. I'm not going to give up, but… I'm not going to pin all my hopes on it either. I'm already going to be bad enough if you get killed. I don't need to go insane if you die naturally too."

"Too?" Tessa asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, yeah, if someone kills you, bad things happen." Greg shook his head in apprehension. "Like, I don't even have a choice. It's gonna happen."

"Greg…" Tessa sighed in a pained tone. "You can't- I can't be the only thing keeping you sane!"

"I know." Greg sighed in defeat. "I am completely aware that it's wrong, that I need something else to stabilize me, but… I don't have it. Not anymore. Aliens can just appear out of nowhere and destroy everything I love. What's the point in not enjoying life in whatever way I want? I'm sure there is one, there has to be, but… I can't see it anymore, and I am tired of looking. Maybe that will change, because things tend to over time, and I've got tons, but right now… just stay safe, alright?" Greg finished, giving her a pained look.

Tessa stared at him for a moment, before pulling him into a hug, cuddling against his chest. "I'm not going anywhere." She muttered fiercely, squeezing him tight.