Clone

by Todd Young

  He span the faucet to cool, peeled off his clothes and stepped in. A moment later he was surprised to see Theo in the room. He was wearing the same underpants from last night, but he shucked these off and walked toward the glass doors of the shower.

  Riley gulped.

  He had a massive erection. Whatever that doctor had given him obviously worked.

  Theo opened the door to the shower and stepped in. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  Riley shook his head.

  “I’ll lather you up,” Theo said, “But first this shower needs to be warm. He adjusted the faucet and took the shower gel from the shelf. He began with Riley’s shoulders and back and worked his way down to his ass and thighs. “Now turn around,” he said.

  He lathered Riley’s neck and pecs and abs and worked lower, very quickly using it on his cock. Then he was working on his thighs and his feet.

  “Here, you do me,” he then said.

  Riley followed suit. Starting with Theo’s back, but by the time he got to his asshole, he found he’d slipped a finger in. He pushed it in further, and then added a second finger.

  “Just do it, dude,” Theo said.

  Riley’s cock found Theo’s hole like it was made for it. He bent a little, and then straightened up, and his cock slipped up to the hilt.

  Theo groaned.

  “Oh, man,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for that forever.”

  Riley slid in and out a few times, just slowly at first, then he began to pump. It wasn’t long before he was coming.

  “I can feel that,” Theo said. “You’re pumping a load into me.”

  “Oh, well. I’m clean. We’re both clean, aren’t we.”

  [] [] []

  It was almost three p.m. before Akam got a chance to speak to July on her own. During that time, Erran went out again. He considered following him, but wanted to tell July what he had found.

  “Taylor?” she said.

  “That’s right.”

  “But why would Erran want Taylor to win?”

  “I asked myself the same question and there’s only one answer — only one that makes sense. The FBI want Taylor to win, therefore …

  She bit her bottom lip, and then shook her head ruefully. “Don’t think it’s the first time I’ve had suspicions about him. There was something a few months back. He explained himself well … but still, an FBI plant. Erran.”

  “You know I don’t like him.”

  “You make that clear.”

  “Yeah, but it’s more than that. The people I don’t like, they’re the people I don’t trust.”

  [] [] []

  Theo and Riley flopped onto the bed naked.

  “We should do it again,” Theo said. “Let me do you.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Riley said, still feeling the effects of the drug. “You should take some of this stuff,” he said, reaching for the boxes on the dresser.

  “What is it?”

  “It makes you feel sexy. But only take two of each.”

  Theo pushed the tablets out of the foil and took two of each.

  “We need lube,” Riley said. “I’ll get that shower gel.”

  He came back a moment later with a smile on his face, and his smile was answered by one of Theo’s own.

  “I’ve got an erection already,” he said.

  “Well, I want to lie on my side, with one leg up.”

  “Whatever floats your boat.”

  Riley turned onto his side and lifted a leg until it was pressed against his chest. The next thing he felt was the gel being pushed into his hole. First there was one finger, and then two.

  “Okay, okay,” he said. “Just do it or I’ll come.”

  A moment later he felt the head of Theo’s cock butting against his hole. He didn’t expect it to be painful, but it was painful. It seemed to take forever for Theo to push his way in, and then he was working his way back and forth steadily.

  A moment later, Riley came, and this was answered by a groan from Theo.

  26

  “Uh, oh,” Riley said

  “What?”

  “Susen’s across the street, looking up at the building. Did she bring you home last night?”

  Theo nodded.

  “Hell.”

  “You better not let her see you. If she thinks I have a brother, we’re in big trouble.”

  Theo turned and walked into the bedroom. Riley stayed by the curtains, watching Susen. A moment later he was surprised to see Creig walk up to her and begin speaking to her like they were old pals. Then Susen left in the direction of 9th Avenue, and Creig trotted across the street.

  He came in, hung his coat up, and then called out for Riley.

  “In here,” Riley said, speaking from the living room.

  “Theo home?”

  “Yeah. In the bedroom.”

  Creig had a strange glitter in his eye. He took a seat on an armchair, and a moment later, the front doorbell rang. It was Erran. Riley pulled his head back, surprised to see someone he’d never met before, but only heard about.

  Erran introduced himself and said he needed to speak to Theo.

  “He’s in the bedroom,” Riley said.

  Erran walked through as though he owned the place, opening the bedroom door and closing it behind him.

  [] [] []

  “Hey, Theo,” Erran said.

  “Hey.”

  “I need to move you.”

  “Move me?”

  “You’re not safe here.”

  “Why am I not safe?”

  “Let’s just say there’s people who know you’re here. You need to come with me. Put some clothes on, huh?”

  Theo got up languidly and got dressed, wearing the same jockstrap Riley had put on. When he’d tied his laces, Erran said, “Come on.”

  “I need to tell Riley.”

  “I’ll tell Riley when I can. He’s with his roommate now.”

  “Will I be coming back here?”

  “Most likely. All we need to do is eliminate someone. Hopefully it won’t be me.”

  [] [] []

  Theo and Erran left the apartment without a word. Riley stared after them, wondering where Erran was taking Theo. Then again, Erran was with the resistance. It had to be okay.

  “I’ve got a flask of vodka,” Creig suddenly said, producing it from his jacket pocket. “You feel like a drink?”

  After everything that had happened today, nothing could be more welcome. A few moments later, the two of them were sitting at the table with tumblers. Riley tossed his first back and Creig poured him another. It vaguely occurred to him that he shouldn’t be taking alcohol with the prescription medication, but hell, he was going to have to have sex with Susen tonight, and not just sex, proper sex.

  He tossed the second tumbler back and Creig grinned.

  “Not having a good day?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Theo being weird?”

  “As usual.”

  Creig grinned.

  Whatever Creig was, he wasn’t straight. He had a thing for Theo, and he made that pretty clear.

  “Who was the guy?” he said.

  “Oh, a friend of Theo’s.”

  “Can’t say I liked him much.”

  “No. He’s one of those silent types.”

  There was silence for a few minutes, and then they were drinking again. Within half an hour or so the bottle was empty.

  “You should have got more,” Riley said.

  “There’s an inch of whiskey.”

  “Give me that.”

  Creig got up and returned with the whiskey. They shared it, and then began a bizarre conversation about deviance and how Creig thought it wasn’t such a big deal. “I mean, in the degenerate years, it was nothing. You could even marry.”

  Riley nodded noncommittally.

  “I sometimes think I’m a bit of a deviant.”

  “You?”

  Creig shrugged. He paused for a moment, his eyes on the table, and the
n said, “Why don’t we dance, like your brother and you the other night?”

  Riley was too far gone to say no. A few moments later, the radio was on and they were dancing. Creig wasn’t very good, but it didn’t seem to matter. Riley felt as though he was floating. Then Creig grabbed Riley’s wrist, and Riley was reminded all over again of the way he’d grabbed Creig’s wrist that one time.

  Before he knew it, Creig was leading him to his bedroom. It seemed impossible to resist. Creig laid him on his back and pulled his pants down. He’d had an erection all day, since the visit to the doctor, and now Creig had his mouth over his cock. He tossed his head from side to side, but it was impossible to resist. In a moment, he was coming. Creig pulled away, letting the semen flail into the air. Then he got up very quickly and straightened himself up.

  He glanced toward the ceiling, where there seemed to be something, something not quite visible, but there all the same, a speck of something. Then Riley realized what it was, a hovercamera.

  Creig moved very quickly. He opened the door to the room, let the hovercamera out. A moment later the front door opened and closed.

  Creig reappeared again.

  “You’re gonna regret that, Riley. I’m being paid three hundred k for that. You’re gone, bud. I knew you were a deviant, and now I’ve proved it.

  27

  “What is this?”

  “What?”

  “What exactly do you think this proves, Creig.”

  Creig and Susen were sitting at the cafe on the Upper West Side.

  “It proves he’s a deviant.” He took a sip of water. “Doesn’t it?”

  She studied the laptop carefully. “I don’t think so, Creig. I think it proves the opposite. I mean, you got him drunk, you led him to your bedroom, and performed oral sex on him. If anyone’s the deviant in this scenario, it’s you, Creig.”

  “What?”

  “I’m afraid my hands are tied. You’ve really dropped yourself in it. You can forget the rest of the money, and you see that black car. That’s here for you.”

  Creig turned his head and saw a black SUV with four guys in suits looking ominously at him. He moved quickly, turning over the chair and sprinting up the street. At school, he was a state champion. There was no way they could catch him. Melody’s place was only three blocks away. If he could make it there, then he had a chance.

  Susen watched on from the table as the men in suits stumbled after him. He had it all over them, obviously, but where did he think he could go?

  She frowned, and then said, “Shit.”

  She thought Creig had Riley sorted out. She thought that was it. Now she was going to have to meet him tonight and go through some absurd charade.

  [] [] []

  Erran led Theo to an open square with tables, a cafe.

  “Well, Theo, looks like I’m done for.”

  “Done for?”

  “I doubt I’ve got long to live. But before I go, I just want to clue you in on a few things. Firstly, Marlow Matthews, Riley’s father, had you cloned. He did it deliberately, which is why you think you’re special. You never were going to fight. You were supposed to replace Riley, because Marlow is a fuck, and he knows his son’s a deviant.

  The irony there is that you’re a deviant too. Is that right?

  Theo hung his head.

  Okay, well don’t think I’m a total fuck, because I’m not. Go and appeal to Marlow. He ought to be able to get you out of the country, you and Riley.

  Don’t ask me why I care — or do. I’ve been listening in the two of you, and if you ask me this deviant thing stinks. It really stinks.

  Second thing you need to know is that the day after tomorrow, Taylor is going to win the election. It’ll be a landslide victory, which will change everything. It’ll mean the end of the CPF and the reinstatement of the FBI. Not that you care, I suppose.

  He took a sip of coffee and replaced it on the table. Then a red hole appeared in his forehead quite suddenly, almost instantly. His head slumped to one side and he fell off the chair.

  Theo got up to help him. He was on the ground, but obviously dead. Theo had seen enough dead holograms to know when someone was dead.

  He turned, and was gripped by the elbow. It was Akam.

  “Come on, Theo, quick. We’ve got to move.”

  “He’s dead,” Theo said.

  “Yes. I shot him.”

  Pandemonium had broken out in the cafe. People were screaming and hiding under the tables. Akam led Theo away and down a side street. Five or ten minutes later they were back at Riley’s apartment.

  “Akam!” Riley said. “I’ve got your suit.”

  “Forget the suit, you have to get away.”

  “Away?”

  “Mexico, Canada, Australia, somewhere.”

  “Why, what’s happened?”

  In a strange voice, as though he could barely believe he’d heard it, Theo related what Erran had told him at the cafe, about Riley’s father, and the need to get away before the election.

  “That isn’t possible,” Riley said. “My father wouldn’t do that.”

  “How do you explain Theo, then,” Akam said.

  Riley hung his head for a moment in thought. Then his watch rang. He wandered into the bedroom as a very clear image of his mother appeared on the holoscreen.

  “Mum!”

  “Riley.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m in Canada. It’s safe here. I’ve spoken to your father. He’s agreed to organize a flight. You need to get to your father’s as quickly as possible.

  Riley nodded, but there were tears in his eyes. It was so long since he’d seen her, but she seemed just the same.

  “Everything’s going to blow up there, so you have to get out. This Taylor is bad news.”

  Riley nodded dumbly, thinking over again what Erran had told Theo.

  Then the call ended. His mother’s image faded.

  Riley called a cab.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To my dad’s.”

  “Will he help us? Erran got shot, you know. Akam shot him.”

  Akam spoke up. “He was an FBI plant.”

  Riley nodded, but felt a chill all the same. “Let’s go down onto the street,” he said. “We might pick up a cab.”

  They walked toward the door, but Akam remained. “I’m going to secure the place,” he said. “There’s bugs all over it. And your father has no love for me anyway.”

  “But what about you, Akam?”

  “I’ll survive.”

  28

  The ride in the car was short. They approached the gate in minutes, and it opened for them automatically. Marlow met them at the door, doing a double take when he saw Theo.

  “Come in, come in,” he said. He led the way into the house, a house that had been built for him among the skyscrapers.

  Riley was still trying to process what Theo had told him. It seemed incredible to him that Marlow would produce a clone to replace him.

  “It was around the time your friend Akam got caught,” Marlow explained. “I knew then you were a deviant, and I looked into doing something about it. Don’t think I don’t love you, son, but I’m the head of the CPF.”

  “The head of the CPF?” Riley said in something of a daze.

  “Yes, that’s right. I’ve done everything I can to keep it a secret. But your mother found out. That explains her disappearance.”

  Riley nodded dumbly.

  “Anyway, I’ve agreed to get the two of you away. You too, Theo. But you’ll have to be quick. The FBI are on their way now. You need to take the car, and make the way to the airfield. The pilot has instructions to take you to Canada.”

  Riley jolted. Canada. It hadn’t hit home before, but in Canada he and Theo could be together.

  His father handed him the car keys and Riley gripped Theo’s hand. “Come on,” he said. “We’ve got no time at all.”

  [] [] []

  “Marte?”

  “Y
es, Xavier.”

  “I’m afraid I have some bad news for you.”

  “Is it Susen?”

  “You’ve already guessed.”

  “She’s out at lunch at the moment, but she said something odd this morning. Something about deviants.”

  “Dear, she’s a skulker.”

  “I see. Well, I’ve got a very useful handheld gardening fork here.”

  “You think you’ll be all right?”

  “Well, I’ll have the element of surprise.”

  “I’m on my way, so don’t worry.”

  “You know I can handle myself, Xavier.”

  Susen arrived back from lunch about fifteen minutes later, late as usual.

  “Dear,” Marte said, “I wonder if you could help me with something.”

  “Sure.”

  “Now you see this pruning fork. I’ve spent all morning sharpening it, and now I’m going to thrust it into your neck.”

  Susen had no time to react. She had time to process the words, but as for moving to protect herself, that was a different matter. Marte thrust the pruning fork into her neck and hit her left jugular. She was on the ground in a matter of seconds.

  It occurred to Marte that she hadn’t closed the store, and she did this forthwith. Then it was simply a matter of shoveling out the compost heap, depositing Susen at the bottom of it, and reshovelling the compost back over the top. It was a temporary solution, but Xavier would no doubt come up with something better.

  She hosed the store, and then reopened just as Xavier arrived.

  [] [] []

  Marlow taught Riley to drive when he was fifteen. The Mercedes roared into life and he backed out of the garage. He turned, and saw three marked FBI vans blocking the gate. The Mercedes was capable of hovering over the gate. His father had done it once, but it was a bit risky. He put the car into hoverdrive and sped forward. Theo gripped his seat.

  “You’re gonna hit it,” he said.

  “Just you watch.”

  At seemingly the last minute the car took off into the air, scraped the bottom of the gate, and then continued on along East Sixty-Third Street. The FBI officers were left scratching their heads. But within seconds they were turning their SUVs around and following.

  “You know the way to the airport?”

  “Not really. We’ll need the sat nav.”