by Melissa Faye
“Ok, so he’s just cloning himself, then cloning the next clone, then the next one.” I pictured an assembly line in my head. One Lorenzo passing his genes to the next in line.
“That should be how it works, and that’s the process that could allow mutations. But at some point, there was an original Lorenzo. The first one who decided to take over the country. He cloned himself again and again, all from his own genetic material.”
“What’s the difference?” I asked. “Either way, it’s another Lorenzo. And he’s probably, but not definitely, the exact same every time.”
“There’s a few things I’m thinking about here,” Etta said. “First, all that cloning leaves a physical trace. Somewhere there’s a cloning lab where the Chancellor goes for all his self-cloning needs. And the labs have high level security, and he’s not a cloning major. He needs help.”
“That makes sense.” Breck had to speak up over a particularly loud yell from Hope. She either agreed or was trying to voice a dissenting opinion. “He can’t be working alone. He has to have other people helping him, and a place to do it.”
“Well that’s another way we get to him!” Etta exclaimed. “If we find out who’s cloning him, we can stop the cloning. Maybe find out more about how he made this happen.”
“We could also find out who the first Chancellor was. Is he still alive?” Breck added.
“There’s a second part,” Etta said. “When we did cloning at Young Woods, the system was set up very precisely. We created a clone, and once it reached a certain point in development, we took and stored a sample of the new clone’s genetic materials. We did that purposefully. Publicly, it makes sense to take someone’s genetic materials before they’re old enough to complain. But this Chancellor must have been, let’s say, forty or fifty before he began his work. He was making a clone of a fifty year old. And scientifically, that could be a problem.”
I looked at Breck, who gave me another shrug.
“Sometimes, that messes with the cell’s aging process. It makes cells think they’re older than they are, so they die sooner. It would decrease his lifespan. But mostly, it just means he’s not inviting in any helpful mutations. All the clones are more exact than any of our lines are.”
“Shorter life span. Exact cloning.” I nodded slowly, still in the dark.
“Research from cloning, I mean the very first clones from years and years ago, showed that the cell aging process is rarely affected. But it’s been posited that it becomes more of an issue as cloning like this keeps happening. But more than that, I’m curious about the social implications.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Social or scientific?”
“Social.” Etta was smiling now. “Think of all those clones growing up together. They’re identical. Nature versus nurture. If the clones are exactly the same, the only differences are in how they’re raised. The Chancellor probably thinks that means they’re even more alike, because he’s raising himself over and over again. But I’m guessing the opposite could be true.”
“He changes over time?” Breck asked, wiggling Hope’s arms around until she couldn’t stop cackling with laughter.
“Kind of. And it’s just a guess. But I think it’s like a ticking time bomb. Ready to explode. Teenagers are supposed to rebel. If you’re being raised by yourself, what does rebellion look like? I bet there are some Chancellors in that big group of them who are dying to get out. Who could turn on the whole lot of them. Maybe there’s infighting going on already. Or maybe it’ll happen soon!”
If the Chancellor’s lifespan was decreasing over time, we could expect him to be defeated in about another three hundred years. But if the Chancellor’s army of clones was ready to implode on itself, maybe we had a chance to beat him much sooner.
WHEN I GOT BACK TO the barracks, I found my supervisor Vince waiting for me. Stanley, the soldier who was irritated by my evening chats, stood behind him and I knew what happened immediately: Stanley told someone what I was up to. I looked at Vince pathetically in a silent apology. I hoped that at least he wouldn’t get in trouble, just me.
“I’m sorry, Vince, I shouldn’t have asked you to do that,” I whispered as he led be towards a building near the entrance to the camp. “I hope you blamed it all on me. There’s no reason you should get in trouble for this!”
“It’s a little late for that, Yami,” he said. He opened a door for me and waited on the outside while it closed shut in my face. I turned around slowly. Ever since my first conversation with Etta when I arrived at the Family Camp, this felt inevitable.
It was Chancellor Lorenzo.
He sat comfortably at a long metal table with his hands on his crossed legs. He looked younger than I’d ever seen him before – maybe because he was so thrilled, or maybe because this was the youngest version of him I’d ever interacted with. He was probably happy to see a version of Other Yami in trouble and under his control.
“Yami, it’s been too long,” he said. “Take a seat.”
I sat across from him in a hard metal folding chair. I wondered if he was messing with me – had I seen this version of the Chancellor before? I reminded myself that it didn’t matter. They were all different, but all the same.
“It looks like you’ve ended up as a soldier working for the government. Well done! It’s not the career path I expected for you, of course.”
I smiled. Something about it was funny to me. He and I both knew I wasn’t here to support the government. So he had to know I was working with Other Yami.
“I decided a while ago to stop worrying about what you were up to, Yami,” he continued. “We decided, at least. Though most of our decisions are unanimous!” He laughed at his annoying clone joke. “But really, you’re not the leader Yami is. You’re a younger, weaker copy. You’re too emotional. Too quick to act.”
He smiled, watching me closely. The words were painful to hear. It reflected what I sometimes thought about ever since I met Other Yami.
“Yes, of course. You found Yami, the real Yami, and you joined her team right away, didn’t you? She sent you on a little mission of discovery. I can’t imagine it’s a very important mission. You’re walking around with little more freedom than the rest of the non-breeders out there. We trained you to quash a rebellion, then left you here with nothing to do. You haven’t accomplished anything. Yami is very disappointed in you, I’m sure.”
“So what are you going to do?” I didn’t know the Chancellor to use murder as a punishment. He wanted all the slave labor he could get. Then again, if he sent me to another work assignment as an NB, I could still break out. It wouldn’t keep me from trying to create an uprising.
“We haven’t had long to decide, but the idea we’ve landed on will work just fine.” He unfolded his legs and leaned forward on the table menacingly. I shifting backwards in my chair.
“The first thing we’re going to do is remove the tracker Yami had implanted in your arm.” My eyes bulged. It was my one lifeline. I hadn’t even thought about it; I was so used to it being there. I couldn’t imagine how the Chancellor knew it was there.
“We’ve removed those from operatives before. It’s an easy procedure, but if we do it without any anesthetic, I’ll enjoy it more.”
So far so good. Having something painfully ripped out of my arm was still much better than death.
“I could have you killed. Send your body back to the real Yami as a preview of her own future. I think that would be a good message for her to receive, don’t you? But I don’t want to murder you, Yami. I’d rather put you to use.”
“Like one of the NBs? With collars?”
“That’s what we haven’t been sure about. Is that a punishment for you? How long before you create more unrest, no matter where we put you? That’s where you and the real Yami are alike. If there’s a soapbox around, you’ll stand on it. Of course, she’s always been better at it than you.
“So if serving in a Breeding Camp isn’t enough, I’ll use your image to fuel the people�
��s anger. They’ll see you as the rebel who started all the violence and unrest that has plagued the country for years – even before most people knew about it. I think it’ll take no more than...one month. One month and you will be the most hated face in the nation. And I will provide the punishment the country demands, and be their hero for it.”
“How are you going to do all of that exactly?” I asked. “Aren’t you busy shipping citizens around and punishing the slaves you created?”
“Yami, you don’t give me enough credit. Of course I have a plan!”
Chapter 18 – Charlie
Breeders materialized around me no matter where I was, asking why I sometimes talked with Enzo. I brushed off their questions.
“He’s just being polite,” I said. “I got in trouble a few weeks ago. He wants me to stay in line.”
Jacob, the leader of the Chosen, approached me as well. It had been at least a week since I attended one of his meetings, and I expected a reprimand.
“Charlie, may I have a word in private?” he asked formally one day in the cafeteria. He looked around pointedly as his followers stared and they hurried away.
“Charlie, I heard what happened to Mallory.”
My heart skipped a beat thinking of her. I was so wrapped up with Vonna and the shock collars; I tried to keep my thoughts elsewhere. What happened to her was a horrendous, ugly act. I didn’t need more of those in my head these days.
“Charlie, I’m so sorry.”
I furrowed my brows. Jacob? Sorry? I didn’t know what to say.
“Charlie, you must think I’m a terrible person,” Jacob continued. “I know you don’t agree with my position. I know people feel like perhaps we have things wrong. That perhaps we haven’t earned our spots here.” He cleared his throat. “But that doesn’t mean I think Mallory should have been taken like that. It doesn’t mean I think anyone should be forced to...do anything they don’t want to do.”
“That’s something we agree on,” I said in a more acidic tone than I intended. “But...thank you.”
Jacob nodded. “Still, I see you walking around, talking in secret with your friends and the little NB girl. I don’t know why you have so much to say to the Chancellor, and I suspect you’re trying to get in the way of what the government is doing here. I won’t stand for you getting in the way of our progress. Do you understand?”
“No, I don’t believe I do.”
“I believe that it’s a bad sign that you have so much of the Chancellor’s attention. I believe you will use that power irresponsibly. He’s just a boy. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. And if you aim to turn him towards some sort of rebellion, we will all be in danger. Not just those of us at the Hideaway, but society as a whole.”
“I understand.” The message was clear. Jacob was threatened by my relationship with the Chancellor, and while he claimed to feel sympathy for Mallory’s disappearance, he still sided with the government’s forced breeding program. And he knew more about what I was working on than I liked. I packed away the information for future consideration. I would need to be more discrete moving forward.
Someone I didn’t know hustled over with more questions about the Chancellor and I sighed. It was harder these days to pick up a tray of food and sit and eat by myself. Jacob excused himself, and I wasn’t sorry to see him go.
It didn’t help that Enzo sought me out again a few days after the picnic. We were on the main lawn where someone was teaching a painting class to a hundred breeders strewn around on blankets. I was with Zheng, though she didn’t like talking to me as much now that I was spending more time with Jane. We dutifully followed the instructor’s directions to create a sunset landscape on thick paper using the paints and palettes the NBs had prepared out for us. The papers occasionally got out of their painters’ hands and flew across the air, and more and more paint landed on the grass. The person who finished first stood triumphantly and found some tape to hang the paper on the front of the mansion. A few minute later, a dozen other paintings were hung beside it.
I’d already given up on my future as an artist when Enzo approached.
“I’ve been doing research,” Enzo said. “Like we talked about. Your story doesn’t match. I read that New Waves was established as a place to educate children of rebel parents who were trying to hide their fertility from the government. Their children were in danger.”
“Not really,” I explained. “The kids were kidnapped. And the parents were in hiding because they didn’t want to be experimented on or have their kids stolen.”
Enzo frowned. “What I read said that after a group of rebels attacked New Waves, we decided to show leniency. Children were returned to parents and rebel families were allowed into Family Camps. It was an act of kindness.”
I cleared my throat to cover my laugh. “That’s not what I saw.”
Enzo stared at my face, then continued. “And you said something about Gentle Acres. I read about them. Rebels took over, then we took the community back. The testing that went on there is the same testing that’s been happening everywhere. It’s for the best, and it ensures we find breeders and help them find suitable partners. No one was tested against their will unless they displayed violence.”
“I was there,” I said. “One of the rebels tested me and found that I was fertile. I was stolen from the camp by a harvester paid off by the government.”
“I heard about those. They’re paid to capture rebels trying to flee. I didn’t realize you were so involved, Charlie.”
“We’re not all evil, Enzo,” I said. “Just like not all of the Chanc – not all of the communities are evil.”
Enzo was silently. He looked to be steeling himself to say something. Finally, he spoke.
“Charlie, I need your help. And I need you to keep it private, just like I’ve kept our last conversation private from my – from everyone.”
This was more interesting. “What do you need, sir?” I asked innocently.
“That NB I saw. The one we discussed? Vonna? I would like to meet with her. I can’t meet with an NB unless there’s a severe infraction, but that would lead to a physical punishment. No, I need to see her outside of my official business.”
“What would you like me to do about that, Enzo?”
Enzo pulled his tablet towards me so I could see the NB master schedule. “I adjusted her schedule for this evening so she’ll be on a nighttime cleaning shift on your block. I’d like you to invite her to talk with you there. I’ll be there as well, although I don’t think you should tell her that.”
I smiled, my mouth open wide. “I can make that happen, sir. I’d be thrilled to help.”
AND THAT’S HOW I FOUND myself in my house that evening with mini Chancellor Enzo waiting in my kitchen, awkwardly playing with his hair and straightening his suit.
“Do I look, you know, do I look ok?” he asked.
“That suit’s a little...big. Kind of formal, don’t you think? Want to borrow something?”
Playing dress-up with a miniature Chancellor was the most fun I’d had in weeks, if not longer. My jeans were too long for him, but he fit into khaki shorts and a light blue t-shirt. My sneakers were too big, but he could walk around in them okay. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, tucking in the t-shirt and pulling it out again.
“Do you ever wear anything besides a suit?” I asked. It was a shocking sight. I wished Yami could see it. Wearing normal clothes made Enzo look like any other teenager his age. I could have gone to school with him. His dark hair was cut like the other Chancellors’, but I convinced him to mess with it until it looked more age-appropriate. With just those few changes, he looked like a real person. Not a tyrant at all.
“I mostly wear suits,” he said. He went to tuck the shirt in again but I pushed his arm away like I would to my mentee. “I haven’t worn jeans in several years. I – We’re – I’m supposed to look formal. Show that I’m a leader. All of that.”
“Well this looks good, too,” I said. “I
would think being informal when you’re still a kid should be fine.”
Enzo shrugged and ran his hands through his hair some more. “I don’t know. This is all I ever do! I don’t feel like a kid. And wearing a pair of jeans doesn’t change things.”
Vonna arrived a while later, out of breath. She tucked her cleaning supplies into a corner of my entryway. I greeter her at the door alone.
“Where’s Jane?” she asked. “I’ve been running around cleaning, trying to get ahead so you and I can work on stuff for a while. But Jane – is she here? What do you want to go over tonight? Did you figure out something with the collars? Did you find anyone else who knows about tech? Did you – oh.”
Enzo appeared, poking his head around the hallway corner. He was frozen in place. Vonna stared at him, and he stared back.
“I’m so sorry, sir,” she suddenly called out. “I shouldn’t be in here! It’s just, my friend here, my former friend, he wanted...something about the collars, he had a question, and he asked me...”
“It’s fine, Vonna,” said Enzo. He took small, hesitant steps towards us. “I asked Charlie to introduce us.”
Vonna gave me a look that promised retribution to be delivered at a later date.
“Why don’t you sit down in the living room and I’ll find some snacks?” I said. Enzo didn’t move, so I gave him a pointed look, cocking my head towards Vonna. He headed for the living room, avoiding Vonna’s eyes in passing.
I hid in the kitchen where I could eavesdrop without interfering. Enzo began by asing Vonna about where she grew up and what job she was studying for. He must not have seen the irony, since it was his clones who were prevented Vonna from ever having a career again. She answered politely, though I could tell by her clipped tone that she was struggling to maintain her composure. Her questions to him were more stilted; clearly she had no more idea than I did about what we could and couldn’t say to one of the Chancellor’s clone. Even when he wore sneakers and a t-shirt.
