Clone Killers

by Raylan Kane

  “So what do we do?”

  “You will travel to this sister planet our researchers have found – ZTR736. You will set up the remote technology we currently possess and we will transport everyone on Sydin to this new world by teleportation, just as you were teleported to us this morning. All we need is a receiving point set up on this new planet, and you will save the lives of everyone here.”

  “How long do we have to set up the receiving point?”

  “We will attempt to teleport a select few to the new planet one year after you are due to arrive – so, 70,420 years from now.”

  “And if it doesn’t work?”

  “Bramen Hold, I did not take you for a pessimist. If the teleportation does not work we will have no choice but to build as many ships as possible as quickly as possible and send all Sydinians to ZTR736. That would probably take 500 years or so to build enough ships.”

  “That cuts it close.”

  “Indeed.”

  “There are no closer planets?”

  “None that are hospitable to humans and that would not be caught in our sun’s supernova. The planet we’ve found appears as a pale blue color. The planet is mostly water – but there is also lots of land. You will travel to this place and build anew. Bramen, Milne, you and three other recruits with whom we’ve already spoken with will be in charge of one hundred women and men who have been selected for this mission.”

  The Chancellor waves his hand and floodlights around flash on and the room grows to an enormous size filled with hundreds of people all in blue and silver uniforms.

  “The Holocene is fully supplied with everything you need – including three massive biodomes where hay will be machine harvested and made into clone feed. Bramen, you will oversee this operation with your recruits at the beginning and end of your flight – the rest of the time the operation will be automated. There is also a large live holding area of clones that will be your food source for the entirety of your mission. There are over a thousand clones aboard who will undoubtedly procreate during the journey to the new planet and will be a more than sufficient food source for you and everyone involved once you arrive,” The Chancellor said.

  Trident comes back to and his helped to his feet. He looks around in awe at all of the people.

  “What do you mean by “once we arrive”? Will we not be eating clones on the way?”

  “Shortly after you depart you will make sure everything is running smoothly. You will then be in cryo-sleep for the entirety of your voyage. You will be woken three or four weeks before it is time to land on the new world – the true time line will become clearer the closer you are to the planet.”

  “What’s ‘cryo-sleep’?” Trident said.

  “Your mission Commander and Captain Marek may explain those particulars to you when the time comes.”

  “One more question, Chancellor,” I said. “For all the years I have been alive – most of them in Region Gust – I have never seen technology even remotely close to this advanced. Not in Region Jye either – in Hyll everyone drives cars and trucks and has regular jobs. All of this is like something out of a child’s storybook. Niona doesn’t even look real. Why have you not seen fit to tell all of Sydin about this mission? Or about what things are like in this place? Maybe even share this technology you have?”

  “And let me ask you, Bramen Hold. How long do you think people would remain in those regular jobs? How long do you think anyone would stay on their hay farms or their clone farms or would sit in their car or truck in traffic if they knew all of this was not only possible but actually existed? How many people would carry on in their meager existences knowing that this world will one day die and that another livable world for humans has been found?”

  “Don’t the people of Sydin have a right to know?”

  “They have the High Council for that. We know, and that is enough. The people of Sydin have a right to know what we tell them; their rights extend from us.”

  “With all due respect Chancellor Guile that is an awful way to govern.”

  “Duly noted, but it's no longer your problem - you're leaving. Now, if there isn’t anything else, these men will show you to your ship.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN

  We are three weeks removed from our long cryo-sleep; three days from entering the ZTR736’s orbit. My living quarters are a good distance away from any others on the Holocene. Milne lays beside me with a sly grin and pushes her hair out of her face.

  “So tell me again how this conversation started?” I said.

  Milne draws in a breath and lets out a long sigh. “Who cares? It was nothing.”

  “He’s clearly trying to draw you back to him.”

  “Rygart never had me to begin with.”

  “You used to see each other on and off.”

  “You were never this jealous before.”

  “I’m not jealous.”

  “Really?”

  “Okay, just forget it.”

  “Bramen, it isn’t my fault Marek co-assigned us to the same detail. Both our crews run the clone quarters – I don’t have a say.”

  “I’m fine with it, really.”

  “You weren’t just a minute ago.”

  “I am – I’m sorry – I know you didn’t choose that work detail.”

  “I do admit though, Rygart can be pushy.”

  “Pushy? Did he-“

  “No – he didn’t do anything to me – not in the way you’re thinking. He just likes to try and assert himself in our work. I know he’s thinking that by being overly assertive he is showing me how strong or masculine he is.”

  “Yeah.”

  “But he’s got nothing on you, Bramen Hold – Lord of the Hay Farmers.”

  “Hey, we provide an important service. If it wasn’t for me and my crew your clones would starve.”

  “And then so would we.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Only three more days until landing – you nervous?”

  “A little I guess. I am still amazed by everything – it’s all happened so fast. A year ago I couldn’t even imagine lying in a bed with a beautiful girl – a universe of stars flying by right next to me.”

  “I think your window is bigger than mine.”

  “The whole wall is a window – same as in your room.”

  “Then your room must be larger.”

  “Could be – then again, I’m bigger than you.”

  “Yes,” she says with a sly smile, “you are bigger.” She presses her lips to mine. She pulls back. “Do you think there’s intelligent life there?”

  “Who knows? I’m more worried about the landing itself.”

  “Sounds pretty safe from what I’ve heard. Besides we have the emergency pods if needed.”

  “Have you seen those pods? They’re death traps. They look like transparent cocoons – fragile things.”

  “We have nothing to worry about,” Milne said.

  The buzzer sounds from my quarters’ main door. I press a red button over my bed. “Yes?”

  “It’s Trident.”

  “Come in.” I press the green button next to the red one. Trident walks in and is unfazed to see Milne lying next to me. “What’s going on? Is our friend okay?”

  “He’s good. He’s in the learning center. His training is coming along well.”

  “It will be nice to hear him use words other than no or yes.”

  “Indeed. But I wanted to tell you the latest.”

  “What is it now? Another crazy Captain Marek story?”

  “As usual,” Trident said.

  “How did they choose that man to lead this entire mission?” Milne said.

  “He’s too scary to say no to. I told you both – the man’s a changeling. He morphed himself right in front of me. I don’t think most people on board know that.”

  “The latest I’m hearing around the ship is about him and Rygart.”

  �
�What would we do without you? Our resident gossip monger,” I said. “You’re telling us something we already know – we know Marek and Rygart have formed a bond through their collective craziness.”

  “It does stand to reason they would become friends,” Milne said. “Rygart is his second-in-command.”

  “Don’t remind me,” I said.

  “Do you two want to hear this or not?” Trident said.

  “Sorry – go ahead.”

  “So, rumor has it, and I believe it – Marek and Rygart have been hunting in Biosphere 3.”

  “Hunting?”

  “Hunting.”

  “You mean, with weapons?”

  “Thorium rifles no less.”

  “Crazy fools,” Milne said. “Those biospheres are there to sustain us – all of us. I go in there sometimes to relax on my lunch break – the last thing I’d need is those maniacs running around shooting dontarcs and the like.”

  “Forget dontarcs,” Trident said. “Try clones.”

  “What?” I said.

  “Say again?”

  “That’s what I’m hearing. Rygart and Marek are purposely releasing clones into B-3 just to hunt and kill them – for sport.”

  “They can’t do that.”

  “I think they can. Who’s going to stop them?”

  “I will,” I said. “This should be reported to the High Council – they need to know.”

  “Bramen – you can’t get involved. Besides we don’t even know if the rumor is true,” Milne said. "And besides, what is the High Council going to do from a zillion light years away?"

  “I’d believe the rumor - those guys are crazy,” Trident said.

  “I think I would know if someone was sneaking clones out of the Harvest Bloc,” Milne said. “That’s my area.”

  “It’s Rygart,” I said. “He’s assigned to that area too – you’re not always there. You said it yourself, the man doesn’t have a lot of friends on board – he has no social life.”

  “I just – that’s not the Rygart I knew.”

  “You mean the same guy that put Bramen in the Wellness Center? The same guy who tried to knock him out of the Grim?” Trident said.

  Milne didn’t say anything. She stared out the window to the ocean of stars.

  “Anyway,” Trident said. “I suppose you two are in for the night. It’s ten o’clock Sydin time.”

  “Yes it is getting late. I was thinking of grabbing a drink at the lounge on Deck 8 – but maybe another night,” I said.

  “Deck 8 hey? I hear Deck 23 is where all the girls go to check you out,” Milne said looking at me with a smile.

  “Who told you that?”

  “Word gets around. I notice you never ask me to go with you two whenever you go there.”

  “Now who’s jealous?” I said grinning.

  “Well, that’s my cue to leave,” Trident said. He stands and walks to the door. “We’ll grab lunch at C-Mess tomorrow?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Good night.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT

  The simulated sunlight above the Holocene’s hay farm works its way slowly to simulated dusk; I cannot wait. I stroll through the tall grass and if it weren’t for the shiny white walls in the distance that surround this place I could easily forget I am flying through space toward a foreign planet at obscene speeds. My people – my crew busily harvest grass and hand feed it into the baler. The baling contraptions we use on this ship are unlike any I’d encountered on the family farm; they receive the dead grass and swirl it in less than a second and feed out a bundle of hay more tightly compacted than I could ever hope to achieve with what we thought was updated equipment back home.

  One of the great surprises my first day working this area of the ship was running into Ri, my bus seat partner from so many months ago in Thiel. She is assigned under my command at the hay farm – it’s been great to work with a familiar face these last few weeks.

  “I think we’re ahead of pace today,” Ri said.

  “Yes, I think you’re right. We keep this up we’ll be well ahead of our target for the week.”

  “Are you worried about the landing?”

  “You’re not the first to ask me that.”

  “I think a lot of people are,” Ri said.

  “And you are?”

  “Yes. I am worried about winding up in an emergency pod – it incapacitates you, leaves you vulnerable to others.”

  “We all fear the unknown. Perhaps that’s not a comfort.”

  “I just don’t like the thought of potentially needing those pods and being left exposed to others suspended in that liquid,” Ri said.

  “The odds of emergency are slim and besides if that were to happen, everyone would be in pods at the same time,” I said.

  “I guess.”

  “Is there something wrong? Something specific you’re afraid of? Or someone?”

  “I don’t know,” Ri said.

  “Because if there is you know you can tell me, right?”

  “I wasn’t going to say anything. I don’t want to get you involved. I just – I fear being in one of those pods and having someone try something," Ri said.

  “Try something?”

  “Yes – like – you know? Something – use your imagination.”

  “Has someone hurt you?” I said.

  A tear wells under one of Ri’s eyes and trickles down onto her cheek. “I’m sorry.” She tucks her head down in shame and looks around the field for anyone that might be looking.

  “Hey, it’s okay. You can talk to me. Come – let’s go somewhere more private.” I bring her off to the end of the field as he wipes away tears. I look to the fields – “everyone please keep going, I will be right back.” I see a few nods of acknowledgement and I walk with Ri to my quarters. I offer her a seat at my dining table.

  “Tell me – what is this about? What’s going on?”

  “I’m sorry, Bramen, I shouldn’t be taking you away from work like this.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “It was two nights ago – I was leaving Deck 8 – heading back to my quarters. I was alone.”

  “Go on.”

  “I’d had too much to drink, I admit. I had been flirting with this guy. He works on the engineering decks. He and his friend – they followed me out. They attacked me in the corridor outside my quarters.”

  I could feel an ember of anger spark inside me. “Attacked you how, exactly? Did they-?”

  “No, not like that – I mean, they might have tried – but I got away. But they were so aggressive – they grabbed me and pushed me into the wall. I kneed one of them in the face, I spat on the other. He hit me back, with the back of his hand. It didn’t leave a mark. I pushed them and they were drunk too – drunker than me I think. The one guy fell over the other and I just ran. I got into my quarters and emergency sealed myself in the room. It was so scary – I’ve been looking over my shoulder ever since.”

  “Okay, so you got away, that’s good. And what about these men – did you report them to command? What did Captain Marek say?”

  “I did. I went to Commander Rygart and I told him what happened and he told me that I shouldn’t be out late at night looking for random men to sleep with – he basically made it out that I’d brought it on myself.”

  “He said that?”

  “Yes.”

  “And these two men? You say they both work on the engineering decks?”

  “Yes. And one of them has to have at least a huge black eye – I kneed him hard, I’m pretty sure I drew blood.”

  “Ri – everything’s going to be okay. Thank you for telling me.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE

  We decided on B-Mess for dinner tonight. B-Mess is the largest of the three dining halls. The place is packed; Milne, Trident, the clone and I walk with our trays to a table in the corner – the only empty table I can see in this section of the room. I have
a good vantage point of everything happening in the room; I watch as hundreds of people walk through the food line, get their clone meat and wade through the crowds to find a seat.

  “Fresh caught tonight,” Trident said.

  “Fresh caught?”

  “Voen – one of the kitchen workers – was speaking to him earlier,” Trident said. “Rumor has it this batch is hunted kills from Bio 3.”

  “Don’t tell me,” Milne said. “Rygart and Marek again?”

  “That’s the word. They wait for simulated Full Dark at Bio 3; release some of the clones and go. Voen says one time they took one of the navigators on Bridge Level – the guy told him that Marek and Rygart were laughing and jumping, running around going crazy the whole time. Could it be that our Captain and Commander have become unhinged?”

  “That would infer they were ever hinged to begin with,” I said. “Excuse me.” I see a man with a shiner walking with his tray full of meat to a table.

  “Where are you going?” Milne said.

  “Hey you,” I said to the man. The man turns and looks at me.

  “Can I help you?”

  “You work in the engineering deck, right?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “Ri sends her regards.” I punch down through the man’s tray; food explodes outward. I punch the man in the gut and slam an uppercut into his jaw. He flies backward onto the line of people waiting for food. Another man jumps up and grabs me from behind. I flip the man over me, put my shoe on his throat and twist his arm until I feel a snap. The man with the black eye runs at me with his head down, I time his movement just right and bring my knee up into his face when he gets close to me. His head snaps upward and he falls on his face in front of me.

  I grab the man’s hair and lift his head. “You ever go near Ri again, I will finish the job. You got it?”

  The man gargles something unintelligible and I drop his face to the floor. Another mister tackles me, I elbow him in the chest and another joins in the fight. Four misses and misters stand in front of me ready to fight when they suddenly back off.

  My feet are lifted off the ground and a bag goes over my head-