“Murray, I’ve meant to ask you, what’s it been like to come close to death?”
“Close to death? I died dude. I just came back to life.”
“That’s not how Dr. B explained it.”
“I lost my physical body. If that’s not death, I don’t know what is.”
“But your body never completely died. How do you know your spirit left it?”
“I don’t know if it was my spirit leaving my body but I didn’t have a physical form anymore. I was transported to some place high. I wasn’t alone…” I trailed off, not knowing if I should spring it on him.
“Who was there? Your mom?”
“No, my other.”
“Did you guys get into it? I would’ve ripped him to shreds.”
“Again, I had no body. We just talked.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me the truth, at least part of it,” I said and turned onto the main highway.
“Your clone who tried to rape Jamie, who killed Dr. Strayer, who is a creation of an evil company, he told you the truth? Ha!”
I looked him in the eyes and spoke clearly, “He told me I’m a clone.”
“Ha ha, that’s freakin’ ridiculous.”
“Is it? Roxanne told me the same thing.”
“She’s mistaken, dude.”
“She’s a clone, too, dude. They’re all clones.”
Aedan went silent and stared ahead into the darkness outside the car.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, dude. Believe me; I’m still coming to grips with it.”
“But dude, you didn’t die. You didn’t experience the white light, that pathway to Heaven because your spirit didn’t leave your dead body. All that stuff you thought you experienced with your clone was your oxygen-starved brain. It made that crap up. You can’t trust it.”
“Maybe so, dude. But, Roxanne and her crew know how Somatotech operates. They don’t release the originators, only the clones. I’m a freakin’ clone.”
“Nah—,” he waved my comment away.
“Aedan, you said it yourself! Something is different about me. It’s because I’m not who you think I am. I’m not the friend you saved at that skate park.”
“I said there was something different about you, yeah. They freakin’ messed with your soul that’s what they did. They made a copy of you and that clone died.”
“How could I be so damn perfect, Aedan? Huh? How could they do that with who Coyle was? A scrawny punk who could barely manage a B- average turned into a damned muscular genius? That’s freakin’ impossible, man!” I yelled.
“You explained it to me. They replaced your cells with improved cells, your own cells. That’s how they cured your cancer.”
“They didn’t cure his cancer. That’s one of their great lies. They don’t cure anyone; they just replace them.”
“C’mon, dude. Someone would find that crap out. Someone would notice. I would notice.”
“Apparently, they are good at what they do.”
“None of this makes sense. Why would you have so much hate for Somatotech then, Coyle? They made you. They would be your parents. And, they made you a perfect specimen. Why revolt against someone who gave you so much, even life itself?”
“Because, even though I’m a clone, I understand humanity and what they are doing is wrong. Your friend understood that as well.” I pulled the car into the hacienda’s driveway.
“You are my friend, Coyle.” He turned to me and stared directly into my eyes.
“I am now, yes. Me, Coyle’s clone.” I put my hand on his shoulder.
“Whatever dude. You can believe whatever you want,” he said, shook my hand off his shoulder with a quick jerk, and got out of the car. He walked straight to the hacienda without looking back.
That was about the response I expected. It would be even worse with Jamie, and I seriously dreaded it.
22 Contact
Aedan and Jamie needed a break from me. So we avoided each other, mainly sticking to our personal rooms. The halls of the hacienda became awkwardly quiet. Only my conversations with Dr. B, Stefan and Talon echoed in the halls. The Doña stuck around Jamie, attending to her needs. She knew who really needed comfort right then.
Talon recovered enough to help me plan, so we spent the day planning my dad’s extraction. He actually had some great ideas and even volunteered for the more risky tasks. After we had laid it all out, I drove to the public library in Castle Rock and contacted Angelfire.I flipped up the hood of my sweatshirt, ran into the library, and sat down at a computer in the corner near large bookcases.
Angelfire ran me through different techniques to gain access to wired and wireless computer systems. He spoke quickly for twenty minutes and referred me to some articles. I read them in under a minute and memorized each technique and line of code. With my knowledge of the programming languages and networking as a base, the methods came easily.
“Well, you’ve surpassed my expectations… slightly,” said Angelfire as we ended the training. “You’ll do well if you stick to my instructions.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, AG. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
I grabbed a few books before heading out and devoured them quickly. A mom with her kid watched as I flipped the pages after a quick millisecond of reading. I finished three books in ten minutes. One titled, Mastering Ventriloquism, piqued my interest, especially the section on distant voice projection. I looked at the mom and kid, careful not to expose my face, but just enough to get their attention. When they saw me looking their way, the mom turned her son’s head away. I forced air through my larynx and trapped it in the back of my mouth with the back of my tongue lifted. A guttural sound escaped, and the boy looked across the room. I did it again, and he scanned the room looking for the sound’s source, knowing he wasn’t supposed to look at me. I couldn’t help but smile.
I only made it through the first few pages of the next book titled, Learning American Sign Language because too many people started noticing me making sounds and ripping through books.
After returning from the library, I went to Aedan’s room to see if he’d help me with the mission. I knew it might be a little early, things may be still raw, but I really needed his help. His door stood slightly ajar, so I pushed it open.
“Aedan?” I said before seeing him huddled up on his bed, holding his legs close to his body.
“Get out! Dude, don’t you know to knock?” he yelled at me with blood-shot eyes and tears streaming down his face.
“Whoa, dude. Are you OK?” I stepped towards him.
“I told you to get the heck outta here.”
“Aedan, I’m sorry for what I said.”
“No, you’re not because you think it’s the truth.”
“I’m sorry I made you upset, OK?”
“Coyle.” He stood up and came close to me, our faces a few inches apart. The tears streamed stronger now. “It better not be true. I almost lost my friend already. I’m not ready to lose him again.”
“I’m your friend, Aedan.”
“Yeah…”
“I don’t know what to say, man.”
“Don’t say anything. Let’s just ignore it for awhile. I just can’t deal with it right now. There’s just too much crap going on.” He wiped the tears slipping down his cheek.
“Speaking of crap going down, Talon and I are going to get my dad.”
“I’m helping then.”
“No, dude, we don’t need you—I mean, I don’t wanna risk your life for this.”
“Screw you, Coyle. I’m coming,” he said with a slight nod.
“OK, but it’s your life you’re risking. I’ll come get you when we’re ready this afternoon.”
Stefan met me at the door as I left and began walking at my side.
“Coyle. I’ve meant to talk to you about your friends.”
“Aedan and Jamie?”
“No, Talon and the others. Do you think it’s wise to bring them here again?” he said whi
le matching my stride.
“I’m not sure they’re my friends, but they’ve got a crap load of intel on Somatotech that I need. When they get here, I plan on getting it out of them and then kicking them out.”
“I just hope we aren’t opening ourselves up to unnecessary risk, my friend. We really don’t know them or their motivations.” He started walking away. “By the way, the Doña feels the same as I.”
It may be a risk, but I hardly saw it as unnecessary. I had to gather all the info I could about Somatotech, and frankly Medital as well before I could make a move against one or both of them. How great was the risk? They already knew our location so they could’ve wiped us out already. We’d have to be careful with what we said around them though, them being constant recorders.
I drove back to the library to get my hacking on. The Holiday Inn's database proved easier to hack than expected, even with the library’s rudimentary computers. The basic lessons by Angelfire were more than sufficient. After breaking down the low-level security, I placed a large order of sheets for the Littleton Holiday Inn at 4:30 p.m., just before my dad would get off. On a typical day, he would send all of his coworkers home by this time and go on the run himself.
We set our respective roles. Aedan would provide the broken-down car on South Kipling Pkwy causing traffic to backup, this would force my dad, who knows Denver roads better than anyone, to take an alternate route on smaller roads. I would follow my dad in the mock police car until he would stop at a stop sign. Then I would turn on the lights and apprehend him. Talon would then jump in the van and drive it to the Holiday Inn. I would escort the van on its path, staying within the 25 ft. radius to not alert Somatotech. The GPS tracker’s range gave us that small buffer.
The plan started out perfectly. Aedan and Stefan wedged two cars together on South Kipling just north of Ken Caryl Avenue causing traffic to back up for a few blocks. Sure enough, my dad turned left on Geddes Avenue, into a residential area. I looked into my rearview mirror. A black SUV trailed a couple blocks behind.
“This has to be quick. I’ll pull up alongside; you jump out and arrest my dad. Don’t hurt him though.”
“These bad boys are hard to control, Coyle. You should know that.” He kissed his biceps.
I glared at him.
“Dude, c’mon. I’m kidding; he’ll be fine. But, I’m going to play the part.” He winked.
“All right, get ready.” My dad stopped at an intersection, so I flipped on the lights. I kept the siren off, not wanting the goons to hear it. I let out a slight honk, and he pulled onto the cross street. His taillights indicated he placed the van in park. The engine shut off. I stepped on the gas to pull up next to him and then screeched to a stop near his door. Talon jumped out, ripped open my dad’s door and started to pull my dad out.
“What the? Get your hands off me.” He fell to the ground, smacking his shoulder on the concrete. I almost tore through my door to help him, but I caught myself.
“Sir, you’re under arrest. Don’t resist.” Talon pushed him against the police car and snapped cuffs around his wrists.
“What for?”
“You have the right to remain silent… yada yada yada. Get in the car.”
Talon opened the car door and pushed my dad onto the seat. I glared at him to which he grinned. Talon was kinda a punk.
“Did you leave the keys in the van or on your person?” Talon asked before closing the door.
“In the van.” Talon slammed the door shut and hopped into the van cab. I waited for the van to pull in front before following close behind.
"Officer, what have I done? I demand an explanation." He leaned forward to the divider between us. “You can’t arrest someone without due cause.”
I remained silent. The Holiday Inn came into view a few lights ahead. Past the hotel was freedom for dad. His van stopped at the next light. My heart nearly stopped as I saw the black SUV pull up on the passenger side. Through the tint, I could see the driver extending his neck to see into the cab of the van. Frustrated, the man rolled down his window and stuck his head out. My hands began to sweat on the steering wheel. He continued to strain to get a better view.
“Talon you have a bogey on your right. Stay down.” I whispered into the radio.
“Gotcha. Thanks for the heads up, Coyle.” Talon practically yelled. I realized I should have turned down the radio, but it was too late.
“That was my son’s name.”
“Hmmph,”I said in as gruff of voice I could produce. A grin slipped onto my lips. I liked impersonating an officer.
“Who’s driving my truck?”
I didn’t respond, and my grin disappeared. The goon now opened his driver’s side door, stepped out and reached for the cab door of the truck.
“He’s at your door,” I whispered.
“Should I take him out?” Talon responded.
“Negative, not now. I’m on it.” I flipped on the lights and blared the siren. The man looked my way then reached the door and pulled it open, obviously not perturbed.
“Dang it,” I said under my breath.
A surprised look crossed the man’s face as he stepped up into the cab. Before I reacted, the goon flew out of the cab, his legs and arms flailing in the air. He landed on the top of the SUV, denting in the roof and flipping over to the road. Nice kick Talon! As if on cue, the three remaining goons exited the SUV with M16s clearly visible.
“GO!” I yelled into my earpiece.
The van lurched into the intersection just as a car ran through the yellow light. The shattering of glass and crumpling metal rang out, the sharpness of it bringing pain to my ears. The car struck the passenger side wheel well, bending the wheel and axle. Talon whipped the van in reverse to free himself but the van wouldn’t respond. A loud squeal escaped the engine compartment. The men approached the van, one from behind, one from the passenger side, and the other from behind the wrecked car. The man inside the mangled car managed to force his door open. I watched from my cruiser; my driver’s side window rolled down.
“FBI! Get out of there!” the goon closest to the car yelled.
The dazed man ran in a serpentine path to the sidewalk and hid behind a bus stop bench.
“Get out of the van, now!” The men aimed their weapons at the cab.
I rammed the police car into gear and shot forward, aiming for the rear end of the incapacitated car. The man behind it looked over just before I made contact. He leaped up like a cat clearing my car as it clipped the side of the Civic. He landed directly where he had leaped, rotated toward us, and aimed the M16 for my head, as I whipped the car around toward the far side of the van. No normal human could react so perfectly. These goons had to be clones. Somatotech must be mass-producing them now.
The bullets came at me, breaking my millisecond of contemplation. A spray of glass struck my neck as one of the bullets shot through the rear view mirror. I glanced back at my dad. Gratefully, he hunkered down in the back seat. Talon rammed the gas pedal down, and the van accelerated. Accelerated is an exaggeration, as it actually crept forward, its bent wheel locking in the wheel well.
“I’m going nowhere dude,” Talon stated calmly.
“I’m coming for you,” I said as I continued my arc around the van. I made it to his side but kept on going. Talon’s eyes met mine as I passed him. We had to split up. With one vehicle, they’d have to choose who to follow. It would be better if they couldn’t follow us at all. Would I have to kill them all? There had to be a better way.
“Where are you going?”
I didn’t respond, keeping my focus on driving. I had to incapacitate their SUV. Two of the men waited for me on the far side. My mind had memorized the exact location of the SUV, so I dropped down on the seat and drove without sight, my left hand on the steering wheel. The windshield burst into a shower of glass as the two men unloaded on us. I aimed the car in my mind and targeted the back wheel well. This police car had better hold up, I thought.
“Hold on bac
k there!” I said to Coyle’s dad, a moment before impact.
I clipped the SUV at the back wheel well, sending debris into the air. My dad and I flew forward, my chest and face slamming into the steering wheel and dash. A few ribs snapped under the force. My car ricocheted to the right and kept on moving. The bumper now hung dangerously close to the ground. I couldn’t see the side of the SUV I had hit, I only hoped I had done enough damage. I forced my foot down on the pedal.
“You guys OK?” Talon’s voice came over the radio.
My chest struggled to expand to take in the air needed for speech. “Coming… on… your side,” I managed to say. I sat up cautiously to survey the scene. The two men ran out from the other side of the SUV toward me. The other man took cover behind the Civic, apparently waiting for me to come around again.
“Get…ready,” I whispered into the radio.
As I turned past the Civic, the man turned on me. Expecting him to shoot at me, I laid down on the seat. Only when I heard a loud bump on the top of my car did I realize, he had leaped on top. One of his hands gripped through the broken windshield holding onto the car frame. I jerked the car to the left and then to the right, trying to shake him. His grip held, despite the blood now dripping off his clenched grasp. I rammed on the brake sending him forward onto the hood. His grip held again. Before I could press the gas again, he kicked the remaining windshield onto me. The deluge of glass blinded me for a half a second, long enough for the goon to dive through the windshield feet first. Both of his feet struck directly into my chest, cracking more ribs and forcing all air out. I doubled over reflexively. He shifted to the passenger side and wrapped his legs around my neck. I grabbed his legs and wrenched outward, but they remained fastened around my neck. Already weak from the chest blow, my strength failed me, and he began to squeeze tightly.
“Some chosen one,” he muttered and squeezed tighter.
Why didn’t he just shoot me? I thought in the moment before the panic began to grow. I doubled over and then back, trying to weaken his grip, but his legs were just as strong as mine, and I could feel each muscle of his thigh contracting against me. My police cap and glasses flipped off in the scuffle.
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