Mother was moaning into her hands and Rae kept repeating, ‘Don’t listen to them’.
I frowned at Masher and was about to tell him to shove it where the sun didn’t shine, but stopped myself. I could buy time with this. His proposal was ridiculous, I couldn’t teach someone else. I had no idea who the clone was meant to be imitating, but if it got me out of the cell, it was worth a shot.
I struck pose, putting my hand on my hip. On the inside, I was laughing. They were ignorant about clones. Except for the memories from childhood transferred from Rae, I did it all on my own. Rae and I were very different. ‘Sure, if your clone has got what it takes, I may be able to help.’
He lifted his chin. ‘Bring it in.’
I didn’t look at my mother or Rae while we waited. Thorn slumped forward, leaning his head down. I stepped away, not daring to show concern — not here, not now. They needed to believe I was an ice-hearted clone, reared in the cold gels that nurtured my life, instead of being bathed in warm blood and the comfort of a mother’s love.
The door opened and everyone’s gaze arrowed to that spot. The dowdy woman who’d brought our food came in, head bowed. She was a clone? I chewed my lips as my gaze flicked back to Masher.
‘Meet Gayens’ insurance.’
The clone woman lifted her gaze. Now I knew why she was familiar. She was my mother’s clone, but not anywhere near as well kept as Opeia. She’d been damaged during her life.
Opeia tried to stand, but the guard thumped his hand down on her shoulder and her knees buckled. Rae’s eyes were large, brown and wet with tears. They wanted to replace Opeia with their puppet.
‘You want me to betray my family and help you steal my mother’s life, her company, her fortune?’
‘You are a smart clone, I’ll admit that.’ Masher lowered his eyelids, but still watched me. His thumb rubbed against his cheek as if he was feeling the bristles there.
I studied the clone and turned back to him. ‘What’s in it for me?’
I kept my gaze averted from my family. I needed to play it tough now, so tough they believed my loyalty was easily won.
‘Besides your life? You get to go free, provided we can ensure your silence. You will be paid well if it works out.’
That was hard to believe. I nodded. ‘That sounds interesting. Any sweeteners in there?’
Rae called out. ‘Essa don’t do this. We love you. You’re family. You’re my twin.’
I shook my head and looked at her with my sad brown eyes, eyes that exactly matched hers. ‘Rae, I’m a copy. I’ve known all along. Mother pined for you, wanted you. I could never be enough for her. I could do anything, be anything, be the perfect daughter, but it wasn’t enough. So I gave up trying.’
Thorn chose that moment to lift his head. Turning to me, he reached out. ‘Don’t listen to them. You are yourself.’
I dodged his hand. He closed his eyes, obviously fighting pain. I almost teared up.
‘No one can take that from you, Ess.’ He ceased trying to reach out to me and swallowed. ‘And you’re not a copy. You’re an original. You see, you’re taller than your sister. You’ve a scar here.’
‘Listen to him, Essa. You’re not a copy of me. Not really. We share the same DNA for sure. But you’re a better model than me. I studied the process Dad used. You’re smarter than me. Way smarter. Your brain was nourished by nutrients. The formula was scientifically balanced. I had a deficiency in my diet. I can never be as smart as you. Or as strong. You’re strong, Essa.’ Rae dropped her gaze to my legs and then lifted her gaze to me. ‘That’s why the cloning ended. Not because people wanted them to have equal rights, the world just didn’t want stronger, smarter people. They were afraid.’
My mother patted Rae on the shoulder and when she sat back, I had Opeia in my direct line of sight. ‘You choose what’s best for you, darling. Know that I have loved you since you have been in my life. You are mine, part of me, no matter how you were created.’
For some strange reason, I felt moved. Tears pricked my eyes. My biggest weakness was the fact that I was a copy, that I was less worthy than anyone else. It was the chip on my shoulder that made me hate the world, made me treat everyone with indifference. It’s what drove me. It was my foundation.
Only Rae had penetrated my defences. Thorn had crumbled them. I wished the circumstances were different. I wished I wasn’t who or what I was. I never wanted anyone to know, but being a copy made me feel less than I was. Now that secret fear had been ripped out of me by these pirates and exposed.
The reactions of my family, of Thorn, surprised me. I thought they’d be shocked, recoil — hate me as much as I’d hated myself over the years. But it didn’t matter to them. They said it didn’t and I believed them.
I remembered Thorn’s words, ‘You can be who you want’. Having the fact that I was a clone out in the open liberated me from a lie.
I surveyed the pirates. Their eyes were glued to me, waiting for my answer. I was going to play this game — I needed time out of the cell. I wasn’t sure what I could accomplish, but it was better than being locked up with no ability to do anything. ‘I need time alone with your clone before I can tell if I can help you. She looks worn out, used. She may not pass as my mother no matter what I do.’
Masher nodded. ‘I’ll give you an hour.’
‘They stay unharmed until I give you my assessment?’
He nodded. ‘Snoop, take her and Vee to quarters on level two. Pit, see this lot goes back to the holding cell.’
Although groggy, Thorn resisted the guard, shaking off the grab for his shoulder. ‘Dad?’
His father looked back as he was leaving the room. ‘Later,’ he said and the door shut behind him.
Thorn shared a look with me before he was shoved into the corridor. Vee stood by the door. The look of hate I levelled at Alwin made him squirm.
He lifted his shoulders. ‘This way, ladies.’
Chapter Twelve
Turning the Coat
‘Keep your betraying, turncoat hands off me,’ I hissed at Alwin when he tried to hold me by the elbow.
‘Shut up and keep moving, Essa.’
Opeia’s dowdy clone said nothing as she walked ahead of us head down. Already, I could tell that she was a lost cause — she was so dispirited, lacking energy. It was hard to imagine her copying my mother, with her drive and intellect. As I descended the stairs, sandwiched between Vee and Alwin, I looked at his feet and had the urge to cut them out from under him. I couldn’t do it. It was hard to imagine Alwin turning on us, turning on Rae. Mother had given him a big promotion after he’d found those counterfeit pirate payments. What if it was an act, part of a bigger plan? I just didn’t know what to think. The scar, for example, wasn’t fake.
The pirates were a pretty vicious lot. Thorn’s father came to mind. I’d bet he hadn’t been mutilated before he joined them. Once they’d changed him, he couldn’t go back to his old life, not with that kind of prosthesis.
Thoughts of Thorn made my gut clench. I sympathised with his predicament. His father had betrayed him big time, left him alone in space and pretended he was dead. Yet, the old man had left a distress beacon allowing Thorn to be rescued, and had hid a message for him. So he did care about Thorn. The pirates had obviously maimed him, so maybe he wasn’t a willing participant. Who knew what was going through Thorn’s father’s head, particularly now he’d seen his son.
We reached level two. I must have been daydreaming as Alwin shoved me unexpectedly, and I nearly fell.
‘Keep moving. I don’t want any trouble from you.’
I gave him a filthy look, straightened my shoulders and then laughed. ‘Trouble is all you’re going to get, traitor.’
He punched the control that opened the doors to apparently empty quarters. The clone walked inside, hung her head and stood still in the middle of the floor. I turned to Alwin. ‘You’ve done your lapdog chore, now leave.’
‘Essa.’
I put up my hand. ‘I
don’t want to hear your excuses. You’re wasting time. I have to assess this clone and I only have an hour. Now, if you don’t mind.’
Alwin sighed. ‘Fine. I’m locking you in. Anything I can get you?’
Not one to knock back an offer like that, I said, ‘Sure, painkillers, a decent meal and my handheld. If you can manage that for the others too, that would be great.’
Alwin shook his head. ‘I can’t get near them, but I’ll see what I can do.’
The door slid shut before I could answer. I moved to the bed and crossed my legs. ‘So, clone, what’s your name?’
‘Vee,’ she said without looking up.
‘Look at me when you speak. Is Vee your whole name?’
Vee looked up. She had my mother’s eyes and the same shaped face, yet there was something fundamentally different. ‘Yes,’ she answered before lowering her head again. She’d obviously been maltreated. She’d been beaten, I was sure. The shape of one of her cheekbones was out, like it had been broken and badly repaired. Generally, there was an absence of spark, an absence of personality.
I patted the bed. ‘Take a seat and let’s talk, clone to clone.’
Vee said nothing but sat down as instructed. This wasn’t going well. There was no way I could turn this person into my mother, not unless I could get to the bottom of what was bothering her.
‘So have you been with the pirates long?’
She nodded. I glanced at the ceiling, schooled my patience and tried again. ‘Do you enjoy being with the pirates?’
She shook her head.
‘Tell me?’ I lifted her face using my finger under her chin.
The eyes that met mine were desolate. I could imagine her life in that one look and I didn’t really want to. I sat for a few minutes more, waiting, but she sat in silence and I let her.
The door swooshed open and a guard walked in with a tray. I spied painkillers and the aroma of the food was heavenly. There was enough for both of us.
The guard left and I pounced on the painkillers. A bottle of mild stim was on the tray and I downed a few mouthfuls to wash down the pills.
I lifted the cover on a plate and handed the food to her. Under the next cover was my handheld. Vee was focused on her food, so I slipped my handheld out of sight, trying to keep my breathing calm.
I was surprised he’d given me that. There was more to Alwin than first appeared.
‘Yummy food,’ I said, as Vee hunched over her plate. The food was disappearing at a fast rate, like she was used to it being taken.
While she was distracted, I took the chance to slip my handheld into my pouch and secure it in my suit before forking some of the meat into my mouth.
As I ate, I remembered my mother had said she’d destroyed her copy, but it looked like my dad had made another. This one didn’t appear to have mother’s memories or her personality. That didn’t explain the rest of her behaviour though. My bet was she’d been abused, used as a slave. Maybe this was what would have happened to Rae if she hadn’t been found — or to me if I hadn’t been swapped into Rae’s place.
Appalled, I digested that realisation. I cast a surreptitious glance at Vee and knew that her fate could have easily been mine. Clones had rights and lives, but obviously it didn’t apply to all of us. Some slipped through the fingers of the law, particularly if underhanded, low-life criminals were in control
I shook my head. What was I doing? I was identifying with clones. Why, for heaven’s sake?
Because I was one.
I wasn’t used to acknowledging it, but I was a copy. Not the real deal. I’ve known for an age and hid what I knew. Now it was out there. Rather than addressing my inability to bond or empathise, I’d squandered my privileged life. But, at least it had been privileged, not like Vee’s.
I watched Vee closely. Despite what my father was and the things he’d done, he had nurtured me well when he grew me, he made me into a superior copy. Compassion arose in me as I realised that had not been Vee’s fate. Mine wasn’t even a hard life, Vee had been abused and used and never valued.
After she ate her food, I reached out to Vee and touched her shoulder. She jerked and looked up at me with eyes that held wildness. ‘You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. We can work something out.’
Her gaze held mine and she nodded before picking up her bottle of stim. I regretted being away from the others, even though it was only an hour. Despite the painkillers and the food, I fretted.
‘You can rest if you want. I won’t hurt you.’
Vee slid off the bed, leaving her bowl on the tray. She sat on the chair and curled herself up into a ball. She faced the door and although she closed her eyes and appeared to sleep, I knew she was alert. Vee had lived in fear for too long to relax. There was no way I could make her into my mother. It would be hard enough if Vee was willing and able. I shook my head and lowered it. The painkillers were working and I felt drowsy.
The sound of the door opening roused me. Had I fallen asleep? Vee stood hunkered down by her chair. Alwin was there.
‘How did you go?’
My gaze slid to Vee. ‘You’ve seen her. What do you think? A no-brainer. How do they think they can treat someone like that and expect her to be…well pretend to be someone she isn’t.
Alwin lowered his brows, causing his scar to twist. He gasped and raised a hand to touch it. I wondered how he got it, but wasn’t going to ask. ‘I’ll take you back to the cell and let the boss know.’
I wanted to rant at him, to tell the boss pirate what I thought about how they’d treated Vee, but bit down on it. I had my handheld secreted away. There was no point in risking what I’d gained by being out of the cell.
I headed out, Vee hovered there.
Alwin noticed. ‘Stay put until someone calls you.’
The door slid shut and we walked down the corridor.
Facing Alwin I asked, ‘So Thorn’s dad—’
‘I don’t know anything.’
‘What happened to his eyes?’
He shrugged as he gestured for me to precede him. ‘You’re so smart. You figure it out.’
I turned and nearly stumbled when he shoved me from behind. I sneered at him. ‘Feel better now that you can beat up a defenceless woman? It’s what you pirates are good at.’
We neared the guards, holding their weapons as they stood in front of the now-familiar door.
Alwin leaned in close and hissed into my ear, ‘You’re not defenceless, Essa. You should listen to Rae sometimes.’
The door of the cell slid open and Alwin shoved me inside. It was so unexpected I barrelled into the room and sprawled on the floor.
The door slid shut.
Picking myself up, I looked around the room and sucked in a huge breath. ‘Where’s Thorn?’
Chapter Thirteen
Secrets and Lies
The room was too small to pace, but I was too anxious to sit still.
‘What are you going to do, Essa?’ Rae asked. ‘If you can’t train the clone, what will happen?’
I shook my head. Thorn had not returned and I was worried for him. He was in trouble because of me.
‘Essa, are you listening?’
Swinging around, I saw two sets of anxious eyes staring at me. ‘What can they do?’ I asked, thinking out loud. ‘Make you cooperate with them?’
My gaze centred on my mother. ‘That might mean more torture or…’ I had a nasty thought.
Opeia nodded. She’d known all along what the options were.
My gaze shifted to Rae. ‘Leverage. They’ll use one or both of us to force her cooperation.’
Without voicing my next thought, I sank down on my haunches. They only needed one of us to keep our mother in line. The other would be killed to show they meant business. I was the expendable one.
My stomach dropped to the floor and I had to kick my legs out to sit down before I toppled. The realisation that I would be killed was quite calming. In fact, I had to volunteer. It only seemed rig
ht. I had the life that Rae should have had, now it was time to let it go.
My head dropped to my chest. The next thing I knew, arms enfolded me.
‘We’ll work something out, Essa. We’ll all get out of here. Don’t you worry.’
I turned into my mother’s shoulder and sobbed. Her words didn’t comfort me. They only confirmed my worst fears. My mother may not have given them the codes they wanted while under torture, but she would not stand by and let them hurt one of us. And I couldn’t let her throw her life away.
When I quieted, I shifted away from my mother and stared into space. Eventually, my brain kicked in. My handheld was pressed against my chest. I could use it. I scanned the room, looking for some kind of access port. I had a means to get us out. I’d just climbed to my feet when the door zinged open.
Thorn was tossed through it, colliding with me. I grappled with him but we both ended up on the floor in a tangle.
Opeia and Rae were on their feet, calling out enquiries. ‘Is he all right?’
‘What happened?’ I asked him.
Thorn had a bandage on his head and his sky blue eyes met mine. ‘You’re okay?’
The fear fled out of me like air through cracked hull plating.
He nodded, giving my hand a squeeze before we both climbed to our feet. ‘I’ve had the head seen to and was given some top-of-the-line pain meds,’ he said, looking me over. ‘How did you get on with the clone?’
I shook my head. ‘A bit of a lost cause.’ My hands balled into fists just thinking about Vee. ‘Did you learn anything from…Ogle?’
I wasn’t about to call him ‘your dad’.
Thorn’s eyes widened and he rubbed his chin, which was now covered with stubble. ‘A little.’
Opeia came forward. ‘That’s informative. Is there anything concrete you can tell us?’ This was the Opeia from the boardroom, used to dealing with executives that gave her all the information she wanted, on demand.
Thorn turned towards her, eyes darkening. ‘Make an escape plan and be quick about it.’
‘I agree,’ Opeia said. ‘What are our assets?’
Rae and Essa’s Space Adventure Page 9
