- The Control Voice: Humans appear to be the only animals aware of their own mortality. When death comes, we console ourselves with its inevitability. But when the unthinkable happens, and a child dies before a parent, the natural order is turned upside down... as are the lives left behind.
Graham and Rebecca Highfield are devastated when their four year old son Justin is killed from falling down the stairs. One day, Graham, a powerful politician, reveals he has contracted a research company to clone their son. Rebecca is horrified and repulsed, but eventually agrees to be impregnated with the embryo, giving the couple a second chance to raise Justin. The procedure is performed by Dr. Lucy Cole.
Six months later, Rebecca begins to have flashes of Justin's memories. She discusses this with Lucy, and the two conclude that the baby growing inside her is more than just a clone, but has Justin's memories. One day, she sees the way Justin died. Justin asked Graham to play with him, but Graham was busy and eventually lost patience with the boy. He roughly pulled Justin's toy away, and that was what caused him to fall and hit his head.
Graham had earlier lied to her about what had happened to their son, so she angrily tells him to stay away from her. He begs her for a second chance, but she becomes afraid that he'll kill her too and retreats to the attic. She finds a shotgun and kills him when he follows her, even though he wasn't trying to hurt her.
Three months later, Rebecca brings her newborn son for a check-up. Lucy avoids her and stares at her from behind a corner. Lucy is pregnant, and when the baby kicks, she soothingly tells Graham to calm down. This implies that Lucy impregnated herself with Graham's clone, and she likely saw Graham's memories of being killed by Rebecca.
- The Control Voice: The will to live is part of our biology. It exists in every cell, in our very DNA. Of course, sheer will can't keep us alive forever. But sometimes, it can give us... a second chance.
Re-troperation:
- Genetic Memory: Justin and Graham's clones can both remember how the original died.
