The helicopter clued into my position even quicker than I’d expected. A warm spotlight focused on my body, and I closed my eyes, ready to receive my fate.
The shots came as I expected but, instead of bullets opening holes in my body, sharp barbs dug deep into my skin, ripping cleanly through my shirt and pants. I whirled around to see my assailants, but the darkness obscured my view. I ripped one of the devices from my leg and with it skin, fat and muscle. Four tines held onto my tissue like the claw of death, connected to a flashing gun a good hundred yards away. I went for the other in my arm, but as I did, a shock of electricity rammed through me from arm to arm. My arms shot out straight to the sides then collapsed onto my chest. My heart fluttered a few times and then stopped. That’s when the pain surged. The one still attached made a whirling sound followed by a click. A needle dropped down from a small canister and jerked into my arm. Why are they bothering to sedate me? My heart has stopped; I’ll be out soon anyway. I thought. Surprisingly, the chemical didn’t make me sleep but seemed to clear my mind and wipe the pain away. The anxiety I’d felt just a second before seemed to dissolve into the shallow water I lay in.
My chest tightened, and my mind felt lofty and I knew I’d lose consciousness soon. I focused on the cool water on my skin, dribbling past, tickling as it streamed. I could feel and breathe and think for the time being, unlike everyone I loved and cared about. No dose of medication could take that reality away. Nothing mattered anymore. Who am I trying to save now? I felt silly for even running away; why not face the inevitable fate and die where my friends and family died? Somatotech had won; I just didn’t think it’d be because of a friend’s betrayal.
They descended on me all at once from the helicopters, suspended by wires. I expected a severe beat down or a few thousand bullets ripping through my body. Instead, they surrounded me and placed their arms under my back and legs, lifting me onto a stretcher that had descended behind them. They were careful, calculating, as if they didn't want to hurt me. Thick Velcro straps flopped down onto me and then tightened.
The men had full body armor and face shields made of a metallic material. My limp and fixated body reflected back at me in the face shield of a man who bent down to me.
“This has been a long time coming, soldier. Welcome back,” he whispered into my ear. I could recognize that voice anywhere. Col. Stevens.
He stepped back and the helicopter raised me above the ditch and into the air. I felt weightless like when I’d died; when I’d been carried to somewhere, somewhere distant. Am I dying again? I thought. My mind held onto my confusion as it succumbed to unconsciousness.
40 Controlled Freedom
I woke in a window-lined room high in Somatotech headquarters. Classical music boomed in my ears, making it hard to think of anything else. I tried to plug them, but my arms and legs were restrained to the table I lay on. My arms were propped up on metal rests.
“Oh! Fantastic, you’re awake!” said someone behind me, out of my view. I strained my neck to see him. “Now don’t hurt yourself, it’s only me, your friend, Dr. Gerter.”
Rage surged through me at the sight of anyone from Somatotech, especially someone who pretended to by my “friend.” I tightened my hand on the armrest and squeezed, expecting it to crumple under my grip. Instead, my skin sloughed off my fingers leaving the muscles and bone exposed. I screamed in pain, my voice echoing in off the glass room.
“Oh dear, AM1 don’t do that!” he said and rushed to my side.
Someone else chuckled behind me. “Impressive, eh?” said Dr. Tessel. “We’ve had our engineering team work on that material. Stronger than titanium and coated with a bonding agent. Heat and moisture activate the material, so, given your angry, sweaty grip, you catalyzed the reaction. We made it just for you.” He winked, accentuating the wrinkles around his eye.
I tried to lift my hands off but found my remaining skin of my palms stuck to the metal as if they were super-glued together. I stopped resisting and let my arms and legs go limp. The pain remained, pulsating from my exposed flesh.
“How? How did you find us?” I asked with my eyes closed to avoid seeing my arms and adding to the pain.
“From the least likely source, our arch nemesis in business, Medital. Not only did they deliver you to us unexpectedly, they gave us the coordinates and told us the precise time when to target the compound since you escaped us, again. Now, how they knew where you were is something you would have to fill me in on.”
My mind locked on an image of Roxanne. She betrayed me. She killed everyone. Their faces flashed before my eyes like a flipbook. Each one lifeless and pale. That familiar anger began to grow. It surged through my heart and spread to my mind. Grief and anger met and coalesced, resulting in a dark, execrable despair. My body urged me to react, to weep, to tear something apart, to disregard the pastor’s word and avenge and kill. But the pain from the previous moment stayed my rage, I had to hold still, or more of my flesh would be ripped off. They knew me too well.
Instead, I screamed, “Why? Why would they do that?”
“AM1, I’m surprised you hadn’t picked up on it before. Medital is working on the very same projects as we. Their clones are no way near ours, but they didn’t want the cat out of the bag as you nearly accomplished. The public, and eventually the parts of the government who don’t already fund us, would have ripped both our companies to shreds. They couldn’t afford that, so they called us. And we were more than happy to oblige.”
“You’re all so freakin’ evil.”
“Evil? Nah, we’re enterprising.” He smirked and nodded at Dr. Gerter.
Dr. Gerter carried a silver tray with a white paste and began slopping it on my exposed wounds. It stung for a few seconds and then a cool sensation spread up my arm, replacing the pain. He winked at me and grinned before returning to the computer console.
“I wouldn’t call creating and taking life enterprising,” I said, straining to look at the Snake.
“I would call it divinity,” he retorted.
“Don’t you have a conscience? Something inside that tells you this is all freakin’ wrong?”
“Does God? He supposedly plays by his own rules. Gives and takes without explanation, all in his supposed wisdom. Do you think he feels guilty when he lets life slip away? You wanna know why he doesn’t? Because he sees the greater plan, the greater vision. I possess that same vision, Coyle.”
“God is god. You’re a man, a weak, selfish, delusional man.”
“I create and take life. That alone makes me a god.”
“No, you’re a monster praying on the weak.”
“I give new life to the weak, Coyle. Besides, I’m just making sure we profit from the next stage of human evolution. You do understand that our clones will soon make up ninety percent of the military. They’ll take over every branch of the US government within a year. Heck, we already have a Supreme Court justice clone. Medital has a few embedded in some low-lying government positions as well, but we’ll replace them soon. These clones are expensive to create but in the long run they’re much less expensive than our lobbying campaign. Now with your breakthrough with telepathic neural dominance, we can control them remotely without any further intervention. For that, we thank you, Coyle.” He bowed slightly, not out of respect but out of dominance.
“Glad I could be of so much help,” I said and glared at him. “Why, if you created me, do I feel such hate for you?”
“The humanity we implanted in you was Coyle’s, his emotions, his drive, what made him tick. Your originator had, what you would call, goodness, stemming from his late mother.”
“Then why did my other not revolt?”
“Alpha male two, or Jimmy, he had only the memories, without the emotional connection. As a soldier, his skills far surpassed yours because of his ability to detach. It was all an experiment, to see if humanity would prove beneficial. Now, as it is abundantly clear, there’s obviously no benefit. All it brings is insubordination and pain. P
ain to us and to those you irrationally hold dear.”
Dr. Gerter shuffled over to me and inspected my arms once more.
“That’s pain you created when you made us,” I said and watched Dr. Gerter. His shifting gaze and perpetual smile made me nervous.
“Partly true, yes,” Dr. Gerter interjected and sauntered over to his desk. His fingers made quick work on the keyboard and a graphic of Coyle, AM2, and me popped up on a screen directly above me. All the same facial features but AM2’s lips were pulled tight, and his eyes lacked light. Coyle and I had the same look; our eyes were soft, and we both bared our teeth in exactly the same way. Identical.
“Managing,” he continued, “three beings with the same identity proved more difficult than we expected, you see. In simulations, Somatotech projected similar responses from both you and Coyle. But, at times your decisions strayed wildly. Despite having the exact same memories and emotions, you made very different decisions, unpredictable and extremely entertaining decisions. Coyle exhibited a more docile demeanor, and you, at times, resorted to unprovoked violence.”
“Hmmph, unprovoked?” I interrupted. “You’re missing data, Mr. Scientist. Yeah, I’ve been violent. I’ve killed people. But it’s always been provoked. Whether from the rage you implanted in me or from the goons you sent after me.” I paused, knowing I sounded like a guilty person trying to justify his crimes. “It’s something I’ve been working on. I’ve controlled it.” Although at that very moment I wanted to tear both these men to shreds.
“As we have seen. I commend you. No other clone has recovered and controlled their weakness like you. Quite impressive!” Dr. Gerter said and then chuckled with a deep goofy laugh.
“So, you did give it to me? Just like you gave Roxanne her photosensitivity?”
“Not yours or Roxanne’s. You and she were to be pure. Her ailment was an unforeseen side effect of a particular drug. Your aggression, on the other hand, is more complicated. Your originator had a good deal of pent up anger stemming from his mother’s passing. It could be that, in a more capable form, your anger feels justified to come out.”
My head began to ache. Likely not from the blow I took earlier but because the truth hurt.
“Well, as much as I’d like to see phase two, I’ve other matters to attend to. I’ll leave you in Dr. Gerter’s capable hands. It’s been a tremendously stressful time knowing you.” Dr. Tessel left the room with a slight nod to Dr. Gerter.
Dr. Gerter pulled up a stool and sat near enough for me to hear his high-pitched nasal breathing. “Coyle, you’ve caused a great deal of pain. Pain to your originator’s family, pain on Jamie, pain on the Medital crew, and most recently on your good friend Aedan. How does that make you feel?”
“Oh, now you’re a freakin shrink? Are ya going to charge me for this session?”
He shuffled close to me and dropped his head to my level. “I need to know there is humanity left in you,” he whispered. “Some smidgen hidden deep in your heart. If there is, then not all hope is lost.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I can reverse it, Coyle.”
“Don’t call me Coyle anymore, I’m not him.”
“Precisely my point. I can make you unique; your own person. You have goodness inside you, a potential to change the world for the better.” He grinned. “Choose a name; choose your likes and dislikes. Choose a hobby, a profession, a trade. I can give it to you. A unique set of knowledge and skills tailored for you as an individual to make the world a better place. You could be the greatest peacekeeper in the history of mankind,” he continued to whisper as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear.
“Or I could just live as Coyle before all this crap happened, a regular teenager, nothing special. I’m sure I could be quite good at it. Somewhere far from here and with my memory wiped of all this.” As I spoke the words, my heart ached because I knew that wasn’t true. The truth was; I didn’t want to feel the pain anymore.
He furrowed his brow, “You would prefer to forget those you loved?”
All I could manage was a simple, “No.”
“While the life you lived was a farce, you made true connections, something the researchers did not anticipate. I doubt you would want to throw that away, completely, your ability to connect.” His hand rested on my head, and I felt the warmth of his skin. “Just for my own curiosity, how did it feel to reveal yourself, come out, as they say, to those around you?”
I didn’t feel like divulging my deepest emotions to him, but something about him reminded me of Mr. Collins, someone who wanted to help, but couldn’t quite verbalize it. “To tell you the truth, once everyone knew, I felt comfortable.”
“And them?”
“They just didn’t believe me. I guess because of that humanity you gave me, I was too much like him. But, in the end, I think Jamie loved me as I am.”
He jerked up, and I flinched, ripping another chunk of skin from my forearms. He shook his head and spoke loudly, “Oh AM1, so interesting! Jamie loved Coyle and then Jamie loved you. You and she are the first case of human-clone love. It must’ve felt amazing. Did you use your telepathic powers?”
“Powers? No, I wouldn’t manipulate her, not that I could anyway.”
“You underestimate your powers, AM1. Maybe she loved you because you used your powers without knowing?”
“You know nothing about her love,” I said and closed my eyes. The pain of never seeing her again stung my heart and made breathing difficult.
“Well AM1, this we do know, her so-called love blinded her. She should’ve got as far away from you the moment you nearly killed her at that camp of hers.”
How they knew of my near-murder surprised me, but I had no argument. She should’ve dumped me many times. She’d be alive if she had.
Again, he spoke loudly as if he wanted someone to hear him. “Regardless, AM1, I’m now giving you a chance to erase everything. Start afresh. What would you like to be?”
“So you’ll erase my memories?”
“Your memories, parts of your personality, and all knowledge you gained. Then I’ll retrain you to be whatever you’d prefer.” He prepared syringes on a metal tray next to my bed. “So, what’ll it be?”
I closed my eyes and imagined starting over as if none of this terror had ever happened. If he wiped me clean maybe I wouldn’t feel the pain crushing my heart. But, that wouldn’t bring back Jamie, or Aedan, or Coyle’s dad. They’d remain dead, and I’d get a new life. The injustice of it sapped all of my energy as if my soul had been sucked dry.
“Surprise me,” I managed to say, closing my eyes.
“Good answer, AM1.” Dr. Tessel had returned. “I'd like to say it’s been a pleasure, but you’ve been a royal pain in the butt.”
“Enjoy your Nobel prize,” I snarled.
“That I will. Enjoy your trip to Neverland, AM1.”
Dr. Gerter slid the needle into a vein in my arm and depressed the plunger on the syringe. The liquid flowed easily into my bloodstream, spreading throughout my body. He then placed a cloth covered with a white cream over my lower face. Sharp barbs of pain shot into every inch where the cream contacted my skin. My face felt as if it were melting away. The pain subsided as the medication bathed my brain.
He bent down, seemingly inspecting his handiwork, and spoke. “Remember, she loved you.”
A few tears escaped my eyes as I slipped away into the dark.
41 Origins
I opened my eyes. They focused slowly on a swaying canopy of green leaves above. The sun’s rays shone down, slipping through the gaps. A bird chirped, followed by the call of a chimpanzee. I wiped my face of a heavy layer of sweat stinging my eyes.
“Rise and shine soldier.” A familiar voice, stern and clear shot out from somewhere close. “We’ve got work to do.” A man in full combat uniform walked up on a path leading through the jungle.
“Where am I?” I sat up in the hammock. My head throbbed, and I wiped some more sweat from my brow bef
ore it dripped into my eyes so I could get a better look at the man.
“Outside Granada, Nicaragua.” He stepped in front of me, giving me a full view of his uniform. The name tape on his left chest read Stevens.
“Stevens?”
“That’s Colonel Stevens, son. And, you are First Sergeant Rivers. I expect you to salute me next time you see me.”
Rivers? For the life of me I couldn’t remember my full name or how I got here. Nothing felt familiar, except for this man.
“What is my first name?”
“Jimmy. You’re Jimmy Rivers.”
“What am I doing here?”
“Serving your country, son. One week ago, you led your section into a firefight outside Managua. An insurgent with an RPG-32 grenade launcher flanked the section and let one fly. You threw your men to cover before the grenade hit the vehicle next to you. The blast seriously injured you and put you in a coma. But, true to your form, your recovery has been swift. Your memory will recover soon.” He gave me a hearty pat on the shoulder.
“How long have I been in the army?” My head swirled, trying to grasp my past.
“Son.” He pulled up a chair. “You enlisted two years ago. In that time, you have become one of the finest soldiers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. I expect that to continue.”
Two years? How do I not remember any of it? I gazed around, absorbing my surroundings. The Army? If I’d been injured so badly, how come I’m not at a hospital? I thought
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