Replication: A Kid Sensation Novel (Kid Sensation #6)

by Kevin Hardman

  “Whoa…” I muttered as my evil twin doubled over in pain. A moment later, he vanished – teleported somewhere.

  “Uh, maybe you don’t know this, AP,” Mouse said as he stopped the video, “but it’s illegal to use deadly force to protect property. To protect yourself, yes, but not things you own.”

  “I know that,” my father said testily.

  “So why are your automatic defenses trying to ventilate this guy?” my mentor asked.

  “It was only supposed to give a light shock – like a stun gun,” Alpha Prime explained. “The laser setting shouldn’t have even been turned on. I’m guessing it was some kind of malfunction.”

  Mouse and I exchanged a glance, but didn’t say anything.

  “Anyway,” my father continued, “once I viewed the footage I thought it was Jim and… Well, I guess I sort of panicked.”

  “No kidding,” Mouse joked, nodding his head towards the double doors. After calming my father down, we had pulled them from the walls and put them back in place as best we could, but they no longer fit together quite perfectly. They’d need some work before they were fully functional again, but in the meantime the lab was made secure by a solid metal barrier wall that extended down from the ceiling behind the now-damaged doors.

  “Anyway,” Alpha Prime went on, ignoring Mouse’s comment, “I made an emergency request for Jim’s location to the League’s computer system and was told that he was here. I came as fast as I could and the rest is history. Now, can someone tell me what’s going on?”

  Chapter 45

  I let Mouse explain the current situation to my father in succinct fashion. When it was over, we had a quick Q&A with Alpha Prime to confirm that my double hadn’t made contact with him. (From everything we could discern, he hadn’t.) Then, after making us promise to keep him apprised, my father left.

  Once he was gone, Mouse turned to me, asking, “Thoughts?”

  “Yeah – lots of them,” I said. “For starters, Alpha Prime mentioned making a request to track me down.”

  “That’s through your cell phone,” Mouse said. “However, it’s only for emergencies. You’re not supposed to use it to see if some super teen is out partying when he should be studying, or to see if a League member you’re dating is two-timing you, or anything like that.”

  “Well, as luck would have it, I’m not asking about it for any of those reasons. I’m asking because I could still use an alibi, and if my phone were being tracked, maybe that opens the door.”

  Mouse shook his head. “That doesn’t do anything for you. You could have left the phone at the party, teleported to put the kibosh on Incendia, then come back and retrieved your phone with no one the wiser.”

  “Okay, let’s move on to Alpha Prime’s mansion. Why go there?”

  Mouse shrugged. “Don’t know. But I have a theory about how your double got gutshot.”

  “Yeah – whatever ‘malfunction’ caused Paramount’s old buddies to get injured in their cells happened at my father’s place. But if my doppelganger’s the cause, it doesn’t make sense. I mean, why would he turn laser-fire on himself?”

  “I’m not sure he did,” Mouse said. “Or rather, I don’t think that was his intent. You saw his face. Was that the look of a guy who expected to get shot?”

  “No. He looked more like a guy who just got shoved into the water on an alligator farm.”

  “Right,” Mouse said with a nod. “I think maybe he tried to disarm the system and somehow it backfired on him.”

  “So, you think he’s in a hospital somewhere right now, getting treated?”

  “Don’t know,” Mouse admitted, his brow wrinkled in thought. “But it’s worth checking out. I’ll ask BT to look into it.”

  “What should I do?” I asked.

  “Go home. Get some rest. From what I’ve seen, you’ve been running around all morning. Have you even had breakfast yet?”

  I had to admit that food had not been a high priority, but also stated that it wasn’t an issue because I’d altered my systems so that I wouldn’t get hungry. Mouse, of course, didn’t care about any of that. He ordered me out of his lab, saying he didn’t want to see or hear from me again until I’d had something to eat. Reluctantly, I teleported home.

  Chapter 46

  I popped up in the kitchen. No one was there, but when I reached out telepathically, I could sense that everyone was awake. Mom was in her office typing, my grandparents were in the breakfast area, and Myshtal was in her room.

  I switched my bodily systems back to normal and suddenly realized I was famished. I went to the refrigerator and rooted around for a moment before pulling out some cheese and cold cuts. A minute later, after getting my hands on a loaf of bread, I’d whipped together a sandwich, which I promptly began devouring while heading to the breakfast area.

  My grandparents were seated at the table when I entered the room; Gramps was reading the paper while Indigo nestled next to him, her head resting on his shoulder. She sat up when I came in, and my grandfather folded the newspaper and set it aside.

  “Anything good in there?” I asked, nodding towards the newspaper before finishing off my sandwich.

  “A couple of articles about our party the other night,” Indigo said, “which is great for your grandfather, since he likes seeing his name in the paper.”

  Gramps grunted in fake annoyance at her teasing, then turned to me and muttered, “Got your note.”

  For a moment, I didn’t know what he was talking about, then I remembered the piece of paper I had hurriedly scribbled on when I’d left earlier.

  “Good,” I replied. “Hope you didn’t worry.”

  “We always worry about you, Sxibbo,” Indigo chimed in. “It’s the privilege of being grandparents.”

  “You can worry if you want,” Gramps admonished. “I’m not going to fret over a kid who can outrun a bullet.”

  “Don’t pay any attention to him,” my grandmother said with a smile. “He worries about you more than anyone.”

  My grandfather merely grunted in response, causing us to laugh.

  “So,” Indigo continued, “how’s your day been?”

  She asked the question innocuously, but I could tell that she – along with my grandfather – were eager to hear my response. Unlike the day before, no one had bombarded me with questions upon my arrival. (Apparently a decision had been made to give me a little space in that regard.) Grateful for the short reprieve, I reached out telepathically to my grandparents and my mother and brought them up to speed. The only person I didn’t mentally share with was Myshtal, whom I sensed was preoccupied.

  When I finished, no one said anything – either verbally or telepathically. In terms of emotions, however, I could sense my family’s concern and unease over the situation with my evil twin. I tried to reassure them, stressing that this thing would get sorted out soon, but they didn’t appear convinced – especially Mom, who had left her office and joined us.

  “Look,” I finally said, “you guys are acting like I’ve been diagnosed with some deadly disease. This is serious, but it’s not fatal.”

  “It doesn’t have to be fatal,” Gramps declared. “It just needs to be bad enough for them to justify kicking you off the planet.”

  “Then I’ll travel the universe with you guys,” I stated. “Although you’re already dragging one bratty kid along.”

  As I uttered that last sentence, I cut my eyes at Mom, whose mouth dropped open in feigned shock as my grandparents started chuckling.

  “Who are you calling a brat?” my mother almost shouted, smiling. Then she turned to Indigo. “You want to hear about bratty behavior, Mom? Let me tell you about the time your grandson…”

  My mother then proceeded to tell the story of a temper tantrum I threw once while we were out shopping (and when I was much younger) that was so outrageous that it resulted in us being asked to leave the store. Although slightly embarrassing, it actually was kind of funny, and by the time she finished, we were all laughin
g. And just like that, the mood of the room lightened considerably, with the specter of my evil twin banished – at least temporarily.

  Chapter 47

  I spent a little time hanging out with my family, just laughing and joking for the most part. Maybe it was the fact that we were all telepaths (and were therefore able to connect profoundly on several levels), but we really enjoyed being around one another and had an exceptionally strong bond. It would be weird for me once they left the planet – assuming I wasn’t forced to go with them – and made it all the more important that I cherish the time we had together.

  We had been sitting around the table in the breakfast area for maybe thirty minutes when Myshtal entered the room. She was looking lovely, as always, wearing a charcoal-gray bell sleeve top and faux leather pants. She stopped short as all of our heads swiveled in her direction.

  “I’m sorry,” she began sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Indigo said. “Come sit down.”

  “Are you sure?” Myshtal asked as she tentatively stepped over and took a seat next to me. “It looked like you were having a family moment.”

  Mom pooh-poohed Myshtal’s concerns with a wave of her hand. “Assuming that were true, you’re part of this family now, so any family moments also include you.”

  “Thanks,” Myshtal said in a sincere tone, at the same time blushing mildly.

  Unexpectedly, I picked up on some quick telepathic chatter between my mother and grandparents. Not being part of the conversation, however, I didn’t know exactly what had been discussed.

  “Anyway,” Mom said, interrupting my thoughts, “I should get back to writing.”

  “And we’ve got some errands to run,” Gramps said, as he and Indigo rose to their feet almost simultaneously.

  “Do you need any help?” Myshtal asked.

  “No,” my grandmother stated, and then began to give a quick overview of what she and Gramps had on their agenda. I took advantage of the opportunity to have a quick mental chat with my grandfather.

  I asked telepathically.

  Gramps responded almost automatically.

 

  Gramps let out a mental sigh.

 

 

  My eyes narrowed as I considered his statement.

 

  Chapter 48

  With telepathy being a high-speed form of communication, my mental conversation with Gramps ended right around the time Indigo finished detailing for Myshtal the errands they had to run. Moments later, my mother and grandparents were gone, leaving me and Myshtal alone at the breakfast table.

  Frankly speaking, my grandfather’s words had embarrassed me. Having been the only Earthling on Caeles, I knew exactly how Myshtal probably felt as a Caelesian on Earth – and also how important it was to have friends in that situation. And while I had never been anything less than congenial towards her, I had been rather preoccupied of late, first with Electra and then because of the fake Jim. (The latter situation was obviously rather serious, but didn’t give me carte blanche to ignore Myshtal entirely.)

  “I hope this doesn’t sound too vain,” she abruptly said, interrupting my thoughts, “but how do I look?”

  “Uh…you look, uh…you look good,” I mumbled. “Most people would probably say beautiful.”

  I was a little surprised at the question. There was little doubt that Myshtal knew she was stunning, but she had never struck me as the type who solicited compliments on her appearance. In truth, I couldn’t quite figure out why she would even ask.

  Myshtal laughed. “No, not my looks. The clothes.”

  To emphasize her point, she stood up and spun in a circle, arms outstretched.

  “Oh,” I muttered, now understanding. “They’re nice.”

  “Thanks. I made them myself.”

  I blinked in surprise. “You made this outfit?”

  “Yes,” she replied. “This morning.”

  “Is this what you were doing earlier?” I asked, suddenly recalling that I had sensed her being preoccupied when I had first teleported home.

  She nodded. “I’m still trying to get a handle on Earth fashions.”

  “Yes, but to make an outfit in a single morning is pretty impressive.”

  “Less than you think,” she stated, “in light of the fact that Caelesian clothing material is really more like malleable high-tech gear.”

  “Ahhh,” I droned in an enlightened manner as I remembered the “mood clothing” she’d worn a few nights ago. “Regardless, you did a great job.”

  “Thanks,” she said, beaming. “Well, now you know how my morning went. How was yours?”

  “It had peaks and valleys,” I remarked, and then went into detail about everything that had happened.

  Myshtal listened attentively to what I said, seeming to absorb every word. When I was done bringing her up to speed, she looked at me with a worried expression.

  “This double you have seems crafty,” she said. “Do you think he’ll try to fool me?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think he’d risk it. You spend a lot of time around my family, and they can read minds. Approaching you probably brings him too close to their proximity. I don’t think you’re in any danger.”

  “I wasn’t particularly troubled about being in harm’s way,” she said. “I was more worried that he might somehow get information from me that could be used against you.”

  “Oh,” I muttered, a little surprised. “Well, thanks. I appreciate the concern.”

  “No problem,” she assured me. “So what happens now?”

  “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I’ll probably go by League HQ to see if Mouse has come up with anything.”

  “League HQ?” she repeated, sounding excited. “Where I’ll be staying?”

  “Yeah, although you’ll actually only be there part-time,” I stated. And then I was hit with a sudden inspiration.

  “How’d you like to see it?” I asked. “Your future room, that is.”

  “I’d love to,” she declared with a grin.

  *****

  As Myshtal was essentially ready to go, I teleported us within seconds of her expressing a desire to see her quarters. Once at HQ, I did a little running around (i.e., called Mouse) to find out exactly where she’d be staying. Once that info was in hand, we made our way to her new digs.

  Upon reaching her door, I quickly realized I’d been neglectful in at least one area: we didn’t have a key to get in. That, however, barely qualified as an impediment. I phased the door, and we walked inside.

  Much to my surprise, Myshtal was incredibly excited about her quarters and eagerly went through the place, eyeballing everything like a kid in a candy store. Based on her enthusiasm, you would never have guessed that she had closets as big as a house back on Caeles. I suppose that it was a lot like someone going off to college: their dorm room might be smaller than the room they had at home, but there’s a certain thrill to being in a new place, being around different people, and adjusting to an unknown environment.

  I, on the other hand, didn’t get particularly excited initially. If my count was correct, this was the third teen suite that I’d visited in the past few hours. Even were that not the case, I was so thoroughly familiar with the teen quarters at this juncture that I could probably find my way through th
em blindfolded. I knew the layout, had a good idea of how they were furnished, and so on. In short, one would think that – with respect to me – any novelty associated with staying at Alpha League Headquarters had long since worn off.

  That said, the opposite actually turned out to be true. Just looking at the room where she’d be staying made Myshtal wildly elated, and her mood was infectious. Before long, I was almost as enthused as she was about her taking up residence at HQ.

  Her animated disposition continued after we finished looking over her new place, spilling over into a desire to see the rest of the facilities. With nothing else to do, I took her on a leisurely tour of Alpha League Headquarters.

  Being a teleporter and a speedster, it normally doesn’t take me very long to get where I’m going. However, one of the overlooked faults of having those talents is that you often lose awareness of things like space and distance. That had apparently happened to me, because as I began walking around with Myshtal, I garnered a newfound appreciation for just how sizeable HQ was. From the helipad on the roof to the training facilities to the rec area (which housed a pool and a weight room, among other things), the sheer number of amenities housed under one roof made it clear that the place was enormous – a fact that I should have remained cognizant of.

  On her part, Myshtal seemed fascinated by every part of the tour. Naturally, there were some things that I didn’t show her, like Command Central and Mouse’s lab – the former because it was the room that basically controlled all of Headquarters, and the latter because Mouse was probably working (and I didn’t want him distracted from the issue of my evil twin).

  All in all, the tour took a couple of hours, with us finishing up in the teen lounge. At that point, some of my peers had started showing up, which meant that school was out. I waved to a couple of them as I guided Myshtal to a table, and then – remembering that we had pretty much skipped lunch – I ran to the kitchen area to see what kind of goodies were on hand. After a quick review of what was available, I settled for a couple of bottles of water, some bananas, and a few power bars. As I was heading back, I saw that Smokey had joined Myshtal at our table.