The Perfect Clone

by M. L. Stephens

  Matt glanced around to reassure himself that everything had been as he’d left it. He hoped nothing had been forgotten. Mr. Avery had secured this employee himself and he didn’t want anything to go wrong during her initial introduction to the space.

  Unimpressed with yet another work area, Cara leaned against a vacant spot on the wall and waited for the ‘oohhs’ and ‘aahhs’ to start. She would be disappointed.

  Laura glanced around for a few moments before stepping further into the lab. Taking quick stock of the space, Laura turned to the group and took a deep breath before saying everything she had to say. She was ready to take complete charge of this new environment and had a deadline to meet.

  “I’ll want to get started immediately. Matt, I’ll need sample DNA to play with, it doesn’t matter who it’s from as long as it’s male. I’ll also need fertile eggs to recreate my process. I don’t want to proceed with the actual project until I’ve reassured myself that there won’t be any oversights on my end. Cara, I’ll need a device that can verbally and visually record my work. Based on the importance of this project, I don’t want to leave any room for doubt when we are successful. For prosperity’s sake, everything will need to be documented. Richard, I’ll need living quarters here at the facility. The trivial commute will be a waste of precious time that can be spent here, doing my work.”

  Not receiving a reply, Laura raised her eyebrows and jutted her head forward, hands opened in front of her. Had they gone deaf? All three of them were just standing around with slack jawed expressions. “I’m sorry. Is there a problem?”

  Matt and Cara exchanged confused glances as Richard was again reminded of how tough the Greggario family was. Laura was perfect. She was a trooper when it came to her work.

  Cara pushed herself away from the wall. “I’ll be damned. The woman does have balls,” she blurted out, saying what the two men were still too astounded and too polite to say. As far as Cara was concerned, Ms. Greggario’s approval rating had just gone up.

  “My sentiments exactly,” Matt patted Richard on the shoulder. “Damn good find Richard, damn good.”

  He directed his next words to the latest member of the community. “Welcome aboard Ms. Greggario. We’ll see that you have everything you need.”

  Laura moved over to the door and held it open. “If the two of you don’t mind, I’d like a few minutes alone with Mr. Avery. There are a few minor details I’d like to discuss—privately.”

  Matt wasn’t about to ask questions. If things weren’t up to par, Mr. Avery would let him know later. “The meet and greet with Dr. Hamstein is scheduled within a half hour. Cara and I will head to his office and wait for the two of you there.”

  As soon as the door shut Laura moved away from Richard and exploded with pent up emotion. Weaving around the work table, she ran her hands along the cool, smooth surface. “This is absolutely incredible Richard.”

  Richard snapped a mental photo. He never wanted to forget the way Laura looked at that moment. She was radiant. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “Like it? I’m floored! I had no idea such things existed. How could you not have told me about this? Never mind, I know why. All this time I worked upstairs and never knew. The time and energy that your family has put into this place is unbelievable. I feel like my entire world has been remapped and I’ve just stepped onto planet ‘Avery’. Is there more that you haven’t told me? I want to see everything. I want to understand the context of your life’s work, your family’s work. Did my dad know about all of this? Did he come here?”

  “Yes, he came here a lot before the Alzheimer’s set in. It was his little diversion. He would be so proud of you Laura, in regards to the work you‘re doing; the work you’re about to do.”

  “I miss him Richard.”

  “I know I miss him too.”

  Shaking her head to dismiss the sad thoughts starting to take over, Laura moved to stand in front of her employer, her lover. “It’s going to be very difficult not to fall in love with you.”

  “You’re already in love with me. You just haven’t admitted it to yourself yet.”

  “You think so?” Laura giggled.

  “I know so.”

  “What was that back there in the hall? You told Matt that I was your woman. Am I?”

  The sensuality in her eyes didn’t go unnoticed. Richard pulled her against his body. “Do you want to be?”

  Laura tilted her face up. She was glowing with delight. “I’d like that.”

  Richard kissed her hard. “Good because I claimed you as mine that first night. Do you remember Laura?”

  Passion coursed through her body. Now it made sense. She’d thought he’d meant just sexually, but he’d meant as a couple. That’s why he hadn’t left her side. He’d promised to be there for her during her father’s funeral arrangements, but he’d hardly left her alone at all. He was going to stick around and she couldn’t be happier about it. “Yes, I do. But know this Richard Avery; I won’t jeopardize this project, regardless of our relationship status. If you slept with me just to get me here—”

  “I slept with you because I’ve wanted to since we you were a teenager and finally the opportunity presented itself.” Using her previous words to make his point stick, he concluded. “Know this Laura Greggario, I don’t default on anything. I meant what I said. You’re mine.”

  Laura cocked an eyebrow as she reached for the door handle. “Now that those minor details have been worked out, I believe we have a meeting to attend.”

  Chapter 19

  The apartment was roomy enough to serve her needs. From what she could tell, it had everything deemed essential for day to day living. The space was equipped with a small cooking area, fridge, microwave, coffee pot, bathroom, cable T.V., small table with two chairs, dresser, closet, cabinets, and a bed.

  There was also a small washer and dryer stack behind a door when you first entered the bathroom. The marble tile floors in the bathroom were squared off with half inch tiles that acted as floor trim and another piece that you had to step over to get into the bathroom. There was a drain in both the bathroom floor and the laundry closet. It was safe to assume that this was to protect against any overflows that might occur, minimizing water damage. The engineers had thought of everything.

  The floor around the tiny kitchen area hosted the same tiles. The rest of the flooring was carpet. There wasn’t any need for drapes since there weren’t any windows underground. Instead there were framed pictures of outdoor seasonal shots, which beat the heck out of the floral print back at the hotel. She’d never been a high maintenance kind of girl, so she found it sufficient.

  The neutral color décor was easy on the eyes, but she’d probably paint the walls with muted beach colors if allowed.

  Since room and board were free, she’d make sure to ask Luke about food. She had seen a cafeteria on the ground level, but she’d want to cook some things of her own, especially once she was pregnant. She’d always heard that late night snacks were at the top of every pregnant woman’s list and she wanted to be stocked and ready.

  Plopping down on the queen sized bed, Sarah thought about everything she’d seen on her way into the compound. She’d found comfort in the fact that Luke had been there with her. If he hadn’t been she probably would have high tailed it out of there. The security alone was enough to make her head spin. NWL obviously didn’t do anything half-assed.

  Sarah was thrilled that she’d been chosen as the main subject of one of NWL’s many research projects. She was about to become a part of science, scratch that, she was a part of science.

  A doctor by the name of Hamstein had retrieved eggs from her ovaries via abdominal scope six days ago. As far as she knew, abdominal scoping wasn’t a typical retrieval method. Sarah pulled up her shirt and looked at her stomach. The small entry wound above her belly button had almost healed. She’d taken a dose of antibiotics after the surgery, but had not been given pain medication, which was fine with her, she hadn’t needed
them.

  The ringing phone on the night stand startled her. Picking up the receiver she answered, “Hello?”

  “Sarah, it’s me, Luke.”

  “Hey. You sound cheerful.” His voice was comforting.

  “It must be because you answered the phone. How’s the unpacking coming along?”

  “When you travel as lightly as I do, it doesn’t take long. I’ve been finished for a while now.”

  “Good. That means you’re not busy.”

  “Not unless you consider staring at the wall busy.”

  “Listen, I was thinking about grabbing a bite to eat and wondered if you’d like to come with me.” Luke had been directed to keep Sarah occupied and out of trouble, so this was as good an excuse as any he thought.

  “Actually, that sounds great. I was just wondering how I’d go about getting something to eat. Is there a grocery store in this city of yours?”

  “As a matter of fact, we do have a market. It’s not a Wal-Mart super store by any means, but it carries the essentials. Rumor has it that if you request certain items, they’ll stock it for you.”

  “If I eat with you, will you take me to it? There are a few things I’d like to pick up. A girl can never have too many snack foods.”

  “No problem. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “I’ll be here.” Sarah placed the receiver down and picked up the list of contacts lying by the phone. She ran a finger over Luke’s name. He was a nice guy. She wished she’d met him sooner though. Her future was pretty much cut and dry from here on out and she didn’t think having boyfriends was on that agenda.

  Standing at the cafeteria cash register, the clerk rang up their items and handed over a receipt. Luke signed both their names, adding their room numbers beside it and handed the receipt back to the clerk.

  Choosing a small table against the wall, he sat down facing the lobby, a residual by-product of his training. He liked to keep a visual on his surroundings. It minimized the possibility of sneak attacks and allowed him to prepare for any potential problems. Not that anything would ever happen here, it was just habit.

  “Why didn’t we have to pay for this? Are they billing it to our rooms?” Information she needed to know.

  “I guess you could call it that.” Punching a straw through the lid hole on his soda, Luke took a draw of the carbonated liquid. He only allowed himself one soda per day. This was that one. He intended to get a mouth full of flavor before breaking into an explanation of any sorts.

  After he downed the liquid, he explained. “All the workers that you’ll come across down here also live here. Most of the residents clock in and out of their jobs just like they would on the outside. Some of the residents, probably you included, are salaried. Room and board is deducted from that wage and you receive the remaining amount as your pay.”

  Luke tossed a curly fry into his mouth. The crunch was his favorite part. It made him think back to simpler days, when nothing else mattered except how much noise you could make while chewing your food.

  “But what if their pay doesn’t cover the cost of their room and board? Are they evicted?” Sarah knew the way room service worked in a hotel. You ordered what you wanted and it was billed to your room. You still had to pay for everything when checking out. What he was talking about was a concept she was unfamiliar with. This might affect her stay here, so she needed to understand.

  “No, at least not that I’ve ever heard of. See that clerk over there?” Luke pointed to the cashier. “Let’s say he makes ten bucks an hour and clocks forty hours per week. That’s four hundred bucks a week which makes his earnings sixteen hundred a month. Since rent is the same for everyone here, regardless of the job, I know that it runs nine hundred a month. That includes all the utilities. That leaves our clerk with seven hundred a month left over for food, entertainment, or whatever else he wants. Down here, you’ll find that seven hundred dollars goes a long way, being that its tax free.”

  “How can it be tax free? Don’t they have to report to the I.R.S. like everyone else?” She’d heard of people working ‘under the table’ for cash, but this was practically an entire city full of workers.

  “Well, most of the residents here don’t technically exist. If you don’t exist, why would you pay taxes?”

  “I’m not following. How can they not exist, they’re here?”

  “Most of the residents were born and raised here. They’ve never applied for a social security number, which means that they don’t exist to the United States government. Either that or they were loners that disappeared off main stream radar. They simply don’t exist to the world outside. There’s a prime example—” Luke motioned toward two ladies in the lobby whose heads were locked together in conversation. “Do you recognize either of the two women over there?”

  Sarah strained her eyes to gain better focus. “The lady wearing the brown shirt seems vaguely familiar. Why?”

  “Where have you seen her before?” Luke dropped another fry onto his tongue. He felt more relaxed sitting here with Sarah than he had ever felt before.

  “Maybe when I was having tests done? I don‘t know.”

  “No. She never leaves the compound. Take a closer look.”

  The two ladies in question turned toward them and waved before they started walking away. Luke waved back.

  “She looks like the woman that disappeared with her two kids several years back, but with different colored hair. She was all over the news. Her husband was a suspect in their disappearance but was cleared of any wrong doing.”

  “Doesn’t just ‘look like’ Sarah, she is that woman. She’s in charge of the cleaning crew and her children attend school here.”

  “But that’s impossible. She was declared dead. They found her bloodied clothes and her kids’ shoes in a garbage bag outside of Minnesota. Her husband had them declared dead based on that evidence.”

  “Exactly; mission accomplished. They are dead to the outside world, but you see for yourself that she’s alive and well. Technically they don’t exist.”

  “I don’t understand? Why cause her husband the heartache and grief.”

  “Ha! Heartache and grief my ass!” he barked. “Her and her kids had put up with enough abuse to last several lifetimes from what I hear. It was by the good graces of our resident psychologist, and pure fate alone, that she’s here now. Julia, whom you’ve met, volunteers for a domestic violence hotline. After several talks, the two women developed a friendship. Moved by her situation, Julia made arrangements to meet with her face to face and convinced the lady to disappear. Her and the kids are free from abuse and have stability now. Not everyone is as lucky.”

  “What about the bloodied clothes?”

  “Easily arranged; it’s amazing the things a person is capable of when it comes to survival Sarah.”

  “Does everyone here have such a dramatic story?”

  “Not everyone. Like I said, she was lucky. Most everyone else that comes here from the outside are either in a situation like your own, or they were recruited based on recommendations.”

  Sitting her hands beside the lunch tray, Sarah wasn’t sure whether or not she should be offended. “What do you mean…in a situation like my own?

  “Some of the residents here volunteered for research and chose to stay afterwards.”

  Picking up a curly fry, Sarah twirled it around in her ketchup. She wasn’t as hungry as she’d thought. “You know why I’m here, don’t you?”

  Luke leaned closer to her. “Yes. Does that bother you?”

  “Sort of; it seems personal, you know?”

  “Listen, Sarah. I’m not in a position to judge your reasons for wanting to do what you’re doing. I’m not even in a position to question whether it’s right or wrong. What I do know, is that if you hadn’t volunteered for this project we never would have met. I’m glad that we did meet.”

  Cara’s idea that he could have a relationship with this woman stuck in the back of his mind. Maybe Cara hadn’t been
so far off in thinking so. Luke decided to test the waters and reached out for Sarah’s hand. They’d spent a week together while she was recovering from the attack in the ditch. He had conflicting thoughts about getting emotionally involved, but a part of him wanted to play with the idea.

  “I’m not sure how you feel about it, but personally I’m glad you were chosen. I’m glad that I met you and I’m glad you’re sitting here with me now.” Wow, he’d relaxed his position for one minute and found himself spilling romantic crap everywhere. He couldn’t believe he’d used the word glad that many times in one conversation. Sure, he liked the girl and found her honest character interesting, but damn. He’d better slow it down. He didn’t see any possibility that the two of them could ever be anything but friends, and he wasn’t exactly sure ‘friend’ status was such a good idea.

  Sarah squeezed his hand. “I’m glad too.” Not that their relationship could progress past the point of friendship, she thought. The condition of her virginity was now the central focus of a lot of people, but she was honored to consider Luke a friend.

  Finishing off the last of his soda, Luke stood and gathered up their trays. “I promised you a trip to the market and I’m a man of my word. Are you ready?”

  Sarah’s smile lit up the room. Luke would almost swear there was a halo above this woman’s head. She was so pure, so untouched, and so darn likable.

  Cara’s words flashed in his mind. Just one year, if he could stick it out for one year. The project would be finished and he could go back to doing what he did best.

  “I’m always ready, or haven’t you noticed?”

  “Then let’s get to it.” Luke was determined not to let this girl get under his skin.

  Their light hearted conversation made the trip to the market seem short. Browsing through the aisles, she found everything she needed. Sarah signed the grocery receipt, added her room number like Luke had shown her and handed the receipt back to the cashier. With cloth bags in hand, the two made their way to the elevator. They were ready to drop their load and catch a movie.