Perfect Copy

by Judith Gaines

  “Open up.” It was Russ.

  He was frowning as she let him in, with his hair sticking out at odds and his eyes sunken. She handed him the picture and told him about the email.

  He gave a low whistle. “It’s a Mathew, isn’t it?”

  “Could he have killed our Mathew?” she asked.

  “Possible.” Then he thought about it for a beat. “Likely.”

  “What took you so long?” She had closed the door and refastened the lock.

  “Edward,” he replied. “I ran a few tests twice, trying to figure out what caused this attack.”

  “I can tell you: doughnuts and stress.”

  “No, more specific. Edward is on medication for high blood pressure, and that’s it. Sometimes he has chest pains, so he keeps nitroglycerin on hand, but that’s purely a precaution. I doubt he ever used it before today.”

  “So what does that mean?”

  “Edward is not sick enough to have a heart attack. Something else is going on.”

  “So, you have any ideas?”

  Russ shook his head. “I do have a few clues, though. His white blood count is down. Since a heart condition wouldn’t cause that, and an infection would have the opposite effect, that leaves a handful of blood disorders.”

  “Which one?”

  “I would have to run more tests, but I don’t think that’s it, either. Nothing I can screen for would explain the vomiting or the irregular breathing.”

  Brina looked at her watch. It was 2 a.m. “It sounds like there’s nothing we can do for him, at least not until we can take him to a hospital.”

  “Tell me about this.” He held up the photo.

  “I heard a noise, and when I looked in the hall, it was stuck to the door.”

  Russ studied it. “I never heard anything downstairs. I didn’t see anything or anyone when I came up, either. I want to know how he got in.”

  Brina was after something more important. “I want to know if he’s dangerous.”

  Russ hesitated. “Edward told the truth when he said they came out bad. It’s like something was short-circuiting in them, and there was no way to fix it without starting all over again.”

  Brina gave him a questioning nod. “And . . . there’s more that you’re both not telling me.”

  “Edward had them terminated. As soon as he knew the combination didn’t work, he had them destroyed.”

  She digested the information. “Roman works and that’s why he’s still here, but Edward still planned to get rid of him?”

  Russ nodded.

  “Why?” Somehow, she’d always known, but she had blocked her mind from believing it.

  “Because to the world he is a threat. Engineered humans are banned. You know that.”

  “But Roman’s not engineered to kill or go to war. Or—how about on the opposite side—he wasn’t created for servitude. How could anyone object to a little boy that just so happens to be very smart and unusually healthy?”

  “It doesn’t matter. To the outside, he can only exist on paper. Edward and Mathew just had to be sure it really worked before they could lobby for the rights to legally market the service.”

  “To desperate parents?”

  “To anyone with money. They didn’t care what the reason would be.”

  “Do you know what a fucking mess this is?” She slashed the photo through the air between them. “There’s a cost for every action we take.”

  “Don’t pass judgment,” Russ replied with a dead tone.

  “I don’t have to. He’s doing it for me,” said Brina, casting a look at Roman.

  Roman stirred and sat up. “What’s going on?” His stare locked onto the picture in Brina’s hand. “Was Mathew here?”

  “Christ,” said Russ. “That’s the Mathew he’s been referring to all this time.” He turned.

  “Where are you going?” Brina asked.

  “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Russ reappeared as promised, carrying a gun and a box of bullets. The gun, a CZ 75 B pistol, was still in the box in which it was bought, along with a manual for loading, cleaning, and maintenance. Russ seemed unsure about the .40-calilber S&W bullets he spilled out onto the bed.

  “You’ve never even used this. Do you even know how?”

  “How hard can it be? Once I get it loaded, all I have to do is pull the trigger.” Russ set the manual aside and began piecing the hardware together, clicking switches, and looking for the clip release.

  She pulled a sheet of paper from the box and unfolded it. “You bought this off the Internet? Don’t you need a license first to own a gun?”

  “This place sells them no questions asked, which is good. How would I explain wanting a combat pistol?”

  “This is America. You don’t have to explain why you need an Uzi to take out a squirrel pooping on your porch. I thought they have to do background checks before sending you the gun.”

  “Not this place.”

  Roman watched, taking in their discussion and the contents of the box. He picked up the manual and flipped page after page, looking at diagrams. “You’re doing it wrong.” He laid the manual so Russ could see. “You need to assemble this first, and then the bullets go in here, like this.”

  Russ looked at Brina. “Please tell me you let him watch inappropriate television.”

  She shook her head no. “I bet he’s right, though.”

  Russ studied the diagram that Roman had indicated and, sure enough, he was right. Roman kept up a steady stream of commentary, making logical connections on how to load the magazine and enable the safety with a flick of his thumb. When they had finished, Russ slid an extra box of bullets in one pants pocket and tucked the gun in the other.

  He turned his attention to his new assistant, who let out a yawn that caught and was repeated around the circle.

  “Roman, I’d like for you to go back to sleep. Tomorrow we’re going for a long ride.”

  Roman stood and ambled obediently to the bed. “Where to?”

  “I don’t know, maybe somewhere fun with toys to play with and things to see and do.”

  Roman squirmed in under the covers, next to Edward.

  Russ started disconnecting the IV from Edward’s arm, which twitched in a spasm, sending a spray of blood over the sheet. “Damn.” He held a gauze pad over the puncture and taped it down.

  Brina looked at the red speckles that arced over the folds of white sheet. “No point crying over a little spilt DNA.”

  Chapter 30

  The lights of the room were dim. Brina rolled over on the floor and cradled a pillow under her neck. Russ was beside her, and they were both in front of the door so that it couldn’t be opened without them waking up. The gun lay within reach of them both. She heard him move, and then felt his finger trace her nose.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  She struggled to find something to say other than what was really on her mind. “I’m wondering if we’ll be able to get out of here. This alternate version of Mathew will just follow and find us again.”

  Russ leaned over, his breath warm on her cheek. “Not if we find him first,” he whispered. His body smelled male, and warm, and everything she had missed in the past year. She hoped he couldn’t see the tears filling the corners of her eyes.

  “Russ?”

  He pulled back. “It’s a lot to get used to. You could spend a lifetime wrapping your head around a kid like Roman and not understand the nuances of what we’ve done. I don’t think even Edward or Mathew knew what we’d get.”

  “What about the others? Do you know how they turned out?” she asked.

  “Edward told me some of it. I just didn’t believe him,” said Russ. “Until now.”

  “You never met the others?”

  He shook his head. “Roman was the first case I worked on. I had an idea to re-sequence the data, and that’s how we got Roman.”

  “In a test tube?”

  “Smaller than that.” He rolled onto his back,
stretching his arms over his head. “Do you really want to know what we did?”

  She propped an arm under her head and tried to look Russ in the eye, but his stare was aimed off at the wall. He looked as if he was trying to put it together as much for himself as for her benefit.

  “My doctorate research was to discover new ways of delivering gene therapy. What we ended up with was a better turn on the old method.” He turned his head to her.

  “What happened?”

  “Since the human genome’s been mapped, dozens of diseases and their causes have been discovered right down to the blueprint level. The trick was how to cure them.”

  “But you can’t when you have a bad gene.”

  “Right, so what do you do?”

  “Replace it?” She sat up, letting the information fall into a pattern. “But if you have a bad gene, your clone would also have the bad gene. How do you fix that?”

  “You find a compatible donor.”

  “Oh,” she said, as the pieces began to form a pattern. “The records in the attic. Mathew and Edward were looking for compatible donors to customize Roman’s DNA.”

  “You got it. Once they had that figured out, I came in with the rest. We hollowed out cells we took from Mathew and put in the new re-sequenced version with the donor gene. Once they’re put into the cytoplast, the new cells out replicate the original. The resulting embryo is the enhanced copy.”

  “Who’s Roman’s other half, then? Where did the replacement genes come from?”

  “That, I don’t know.” His knuckles tapped the floorboards twice, and he turned over to face her. “But if it were your project, who would you use?”

  “Someone I knew well, and who was close by.”

  Russ nodded. “I think it might have been Edward, but there’s no way to know for sure.”

  “How was Roman born?”

  “We paid a surrogate.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “I didn’t ask.” The likely truth sat unspoken.

  Brina wondered if she could have carried Roman, knowing what he was. She looked at Russ; blue eyes set in an ordinary face stared back. “You know they came after you? I saw it on Mathew’s computer.”

  Russ nodded. “I would have worked on this project anyway. They didn’t have to convince me.”

  She let the confession sink in. “I’m sorry about your brother. I didn’t mean to pry, but it was all there.”

  “It’s not your fault he was autistic. He has a pretty good life, and now I know how to help kids like him be normal.” He smiled. “If only it was legal.”

  “Who would arrest you for saving a kid’s life?”

  “The same kind of person that killed Mathew.”

  Chapter 31

  Brina awoke, feeling a small body curved in along her own. She reached her arm around and hugged Roman closer. Russ was still asleep, and for a moment, it all felt okay. It was as if their proximity had triggered a memory that she had buried. She closed her eyes again and tried to imagine the life she was supposed to be living. Roman’s face slipped through her thoughts, and she wasn’t sure whether she should feel grief or guilt.

  She so much wanted to open her eyes and be in her familiar bedroom, with the crib in the corner and Michael bringing her coffee. Josh would be just waking up, hungry for his breakfast and snuggle time.

  Russ had held her during the night. Every choice comes with a price, she reflected, knowing the price for Roman was very high. The images of Michael and Josh faded.

  Roman stirred and turned over. “The sun is out; it’s time to get up.”

  She smiled, “How long have you been down here?” He had brought his pillow and a blanket from the bed.

  “The sun’s been up an hour already. You sleep too much.”

  “Yeah, well, you will, too, in about ten years.” Brina sat up and combed her fingers through her hair; the room was incredibly chilly.

  “How did that get open again?” She crawled over and pulled the window sash down. “No wonder it’s freezing.” She rocked Russ’s shoulder, “Time to get out of here.”

  “What?” he asked, his eyes pressed shut against the daylight spilling through the drapes. He gradually sat up and fished about for his shoes, his shoulders tense and square as reality tempered his thoughts. He looked at her and then down at Roman encircled in her arms with the blanket around them both.

  Now that she was up, Brina was ready for action. Mathew could scare them in the dark, but in broad daylight, it would be harder for him to sneak around and play on their fears.

  “How long will it take to get the truck ready?” she asked.

  “A few hours at least. It depends on the snow and whether the truck cranks at these temps.” He finished tying his shoes and stood, pulling Brina up with him. “Keep an eye on Edward; I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Russ left her with Roman in her arms, clinging to her neck. Edward slept heavily with small beads of sweat on his forehead. His face had continued to sink, leaving his eyes two darkened gullies.

  Brina took Roman across the hall and began pulling clothes out. “Here, let’s put on something warm.”

  He took the clothes she offered and dressed himself. “We need to be careful today,” he said. “Mathew doesn’t want me to go, but I want to stay with you.”

  Brina sat on the edge of the bed, watching him, remembering their earlier conversation. “Roman, it’s amazing that you can talk so well. Do you really hear the words in your head?” She held her breath, anticipating the answer.

  Roman sat on the floor, putting his shoes on. “Yes, Mathew talks to me. When I hear the words, he shows me pictures of what it is and all of a sudden, I just know what it is.” His reply sounded so simple.

  “How long has Mathew been helping you?” she asked.

  Roman chewed his lip, bobbing his head as though he were counting off in his mind. “About a week.”

  Brina knew Mathew Roman had disappeared two days ago. His date book’s last entry was two days before that. She pictured him at his desk. That was the last time she had seen him. Was that really Mathew Roman or the other Mathew? The latter seemed completely possible now.

  The more bizarre the situation got, the more plausible and normal it seemed. “Roman, you know Russ and I can’t hear Mathew?”

  “Why not?” His gaze was simple and curious, as though she’d announced the sky was not blue—a thing obvious to him but not true to the rest of the world.

  Brina paused, looking for a non-freakish way to say it. He was still young with a fragile self-esteem, and with his intellect advancing so quickly, she didn’t want to trigger something she couldn’t see coming. “You have a special talent. You need to tell us when Mathew is talking to you and tell us what he’s saying.”

  “He’s saying he wants me to go with him. He keeps calling me his brother, but I don’t understand what that is. He doesn’t explain it very well.”

  The light exploded in her head, as she finally understood. Roman deserved an explanation.

  “A brother, or a sister for that matter, is someone who’s made from the same parts as you. You have the same parent.”

  Roman’s face was serious and thoughtful. “I’m not like Mathew, though. He’s scary. And sometimes he doesn’t make sense when he talks.”

  “When’s the last time he spoke to you?” Brina was afraid she knew the answer. It had to be when he suddenly knew she was at the computer.

  “Last night, when I came to sleep with you.” He began walking around the room, piling his things onto the bed. His movements had purpose and coordination that had been absent two days ago. Brina noticed his face was more expressive and attentive. “I want to take my books and my drawings,” he said. “When can we go?”

  “Soon.” Her brain calculated the steps it would take to actually get them out.

  Brina dressed, and then dragged her suitcase, with Roman’s clothes added, to the hallway. Russ had also changed clothes and was in Edward’s room checking his vital sign
s. He pulled the stethoscope from his ears as they came in. The blood-pressure cuff was still attached to Edward’s arm when he looked up and shook his head. “He’s not doing so well.”

  Brina tried to remember the last time Edward had been awake. She had given him water and his blood pressure medicine during the night.

  “We’re ready to go,” she said. “Have you looked outside yet?”

  “It’s clear enough to start shoveling. It’ll be faster if we can all work together. I’d like to be out of here by noon so we have a few daylight hours to drive.”

  “And so we don’t get stuck halfway down the driveway in the dark?”

  Russ pulled the cuff off Edward. “I think he’s stable enough for a short ride. We’ll drop him off at the hospital.”

  “There’s still the problem of the”—she had a hard time saying it—“of the other one coming after us.”

  “He has a bone to pick with Edward.”

  “No,” she corrected, “he wants Roman.”

  Roman wrapped an arm around Brina’s leg. “I’m not going anywhere with him. Brina, you promised I could stay with you.”

  “I know I promised. You’re staying with me.” She looked at Russ. “Roman can hear Mathew speaking to him in his head. Can you explain the genes that did that?”

  Russ’s movements slowed as he absorbed the information. “I didn’t think that was possible. Nope, not possible,” he summarized. “We didn’t do that. I mean, I know it’s possible, there’s documentation that telepathy exists, but it’s rare. And, even so, it’s not like those who have it have mental conversations.” He looked at Roman, who gave him a knowing smile.

  “Edward did it,” said Roman. “That’s why he doesn’t like me.”

  “Can you hear other people?” asked Russ.

  Roman frowned. “Not really. I know when you’re scared or angry. Like now,” he said with a glance at Edward. Roman took Brina’s hand. “Brina is never angry.”

  She locked eyes with Russ. “At least we have our own portable alarm system. If Roman hears him, then we at least know when we’re in danger.”

  “What if Roman doesn’t consider him dangerous?”