Exposed (7 page)

     “I’m sorry about that. Please don’t judge me by him. I’m not like my father. I really do care about Alyson.”

     “Of course you do. Why would you feel the need to justify your interest in my daughter?”

     “I have a confession and I want you to hear it from me first.”

     “What could you have possibly done? Did you hurt my daughter?”

     “I would never. I love her. I love Alyson. It just didn’t start out that way.”

     “What do you mean?”

     “Please don’t interrupt me. It’s hard enough forming the words of what I’ve done.”

     Jake cleared his throat before speaking.

     “My dad has been keeping tabs on you for years. He’s been obsessed with getting revenge ever since he lost Samantha to you. When he found out you had a daughter -- Alyson, he asked me to get close to her. To spy on her. He thought she would give me information about your research. She never did. I never found out anything, and over time, I did fall genuinely in love with Alyson. She’s an amazing girl.”

     “Does Alyson know?”

     “I would never hurt her like that. It’s better if she never finds out the truth.”

     “I thought the same thing. That’s why I kept my secret from her. The truth always has a strange way of surfacing, though.”

     “You have to believe I never meant to hurt her.”

     “I do, Jake. I never meant to hurt her either. None of that matters now, though. The only thing that matters is finding her.”

     “Do you have any idea where she might be?”

     “I hate to admit it, but I didn’t know her very well. I mean don’t. I don’t know her very well. I’m sure you would have a better idea of where she would go.”

     “I’ll try calling some of our friends. Maybe she’s staying with one of them. I’ll be in touch.”

     “We’ll talk later. If I find out anything, I’ll let you know.”

     “Same here.”

     Jake couldn’t shake the feeling that his father knew something, but what?

     “What is he hiding? Does he know where Alyson is? How could he? He only met her the one time. Didn’t he? And why is he so determined to have me forget about her? He was just trying to get us back together a week ago and now...now he acts like she’s some kind of...I don’t know what? All I do know is he’s hiding something. Whatever it is, I’ll find it.”

     Jake searched the drawers in his father’s bedroom. He checked every scrap of paper, but came up empty. His suspicions didn’t lessen. On the contrary. Jake was more determined than ever to find out what his father was hiding. Downstairs, the tumbler clicked as his father’s key turned in the lock.

     “What the heck is he doing home so early? First, he doesn’t come home for days, now he’s home before lunch? He’s definitely up to something, but what?”

     The creak of the stairs alerted Jake. He ducked into his father’s closet and crouched down behind a moth-eaten windbreaker. Howard was almost to the top when the phone rang. Before he could pick up, the answering machine came on.

     “Howard, it’s Leonard. We have a situation at the lab. One of the subjects is not doing well. She’s...”

     Howard dashed into the study and grabbed the phone before Leonard could say another word.

     “Why are you calling me at home? You should have called my cell phone.”

     “I tried. The call wouldn’t go through.”

     “Well, you reached me now. What is it?” Howard said, pacing back and forth.

     “It’s Cassie. She had a severe asthma attack and had to be put on a ventilator. I barely got to her in time. The other one was screaming so I had to sedate her. It was complete chaos.”

     “You can handle it. I can’t be there every minute.”

     “I need you here, Howard. This project was your idea, not mine. I would just as soon set them loose.”

     “Do not let them go! Do you understand me? Not under any circumstance. You are just as deep in this as I am. Don’t think otherwise. If I go down, you’re coming with me.”

     “Just get down here, Howard.”

     “I’ll be there soon.”

     Howard slammed the phone down on the receiver. He shuffled through a stack of documents, then swiped his arm across the desk sending all the papers flying.

     “How can I work like this? All I asked him to do was keep an eye on a couple of clones.”

     “Did he just say what I thought he said?” Jake whispered to himself.

     He held his position until he heard the front door slam shut. One thing his father was not, was quiet. After Howard headed back to the lab, Jake called Alyson’s father.

     “Mr. Pierce?”

     “Jake, I’m so glad you called. Did you find out anything?”

     “I’m not sure yet. I might have a lead on where Alyson and Cassie are.”

     “How did you find out?”

     “I..I’d rather not say. I’ll call again when I know more.”

     “Stay in touch.”

     Jake hung up the phone and went into his father’s study.

  
 
“What a mess! What was he looking for in here?”

     He thought back on his father’s phone conversation.

  
 
“He asked Leonard to keep an eye on a couple of clones. It’s got to be Alyson and Cassie. Now how am I going to save them? Even if I can find what room he stashed them in, how am I going to get them out?”

     Jake thought for a while until he came up with a plan.

  
 “
I’ve got it. I’ll play him at his own game. I’ll tell him I want to help with his project. I just have to convince him that I don’t care about Alyson anymore. I’ll tell him he was right and there could never be a future for Alyson and me. It’s going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it’s the only way. I have no other option. This has to work.”

  Chapter Eleven

     Howard arrived at the lab to find Alyson unconscious and Cassie hooked up to a ventilator.

     “What happened here, Leonard? I wasn’t gone that long. Can’t you handle a simple situation.”

     “This was not a simple situation. I told you on the phone. Things got out of control and I had to do what I had to do.”

     “I don’t want them dead. I need them alive to find out how they were able to survive the process. Most clones don’t live past the first few weeks, if at all. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You must be more discerning when injecting them with the sedative. Only sedate them when necessary.”

     “It was necessary, Howard. She was screaming at the top of her lungs. What was I supposed to do?”

     “The room is soundproof. She’s strapped down. Nobody is going to hear her unless you leave the door open.”

     “I couldn’t take her shrieking anymore. It was getting to me.”

     “Next time, put in earplugs. We don’t have time to waste. Draw some blood and get tissue samples from each of them. We need to get started soon as possible. There are many tests to be run.”

     “Shouldn’t we wait? At least until Cassie is off the ventilator?”

     “Just do it. Now. Tick tock tick tock.”

     Against his better judgement, Leonard drew one pint of blood from each of them. First Alyson, then Cassie. While the blood drained from Cassie’s arm, Leonard heard her whimpering in pain. With every drop that passed through the tube, he winced a little. He never wanted this.

     “We’re going to need tissue samples now.  Take a scraping from the forehead first. We’ll work our way down,” Howard ordered.

     Leonard unlocked the metal cabinet in the corner of the room and removed a sealed package of scalpels. He tore and pulled back the wrapper, exposing a fresh blade.

     “Is this really necessary, Howard? At least let me apply some anesthetic.”

     “We don’t have time. Besides, I don’t want extra chemicals contaminating the tissue sample. It’s going to be difficult enough isolating the sedative out of their blood.”

     Leonard stood next to Cassie’s bed and pushed the ventilator to the side. Her tear-filled eyes stared up at him, silently begging him to stop. His throat tightened as he turned away from her gaze. He focused on the instrument in his hand, careful not to make eye contact. With his left hand trembling, he pushed her hair to the side. His right hand pressed the blade to her delicate ivory flesh, glistening beads of moisture matting down his hair.

     “Come on, Leonard. What’s the problem? Just do it.”

     Upon hearing Howard’s words, he dabbed the sweat with his forearm and gently as he could, sliced away the superficial layers of her epidermis. Tiny droplets of blood oozed with clots quickly forming. Even though his actions sickened him, he refused to be distracted from the task at hand. He blocked out her muffled cries and did as he was told. He placed the samples on glass slides, labelled them, then dabbed her forehead with antiseptic, carefully placing gauze over the open wound.

     After assuring himself Cassie was properly bandaged, he moved on to Alyson, still unconscious from the sedative. Leonard opened a fresh scalpel and leaned down to get the tissue sample. When the blade pierced Alyson’s flesh, her eyes shot open, pupils dilated. Shrieking and thrashing, her cries filled the room, resonating in Leonard’s ears. He stumbled back, dropped the scalpel, and without hesitation, Howard snatched it up and tossed it in the medical waste bin.

     “Be more careful, Leonard. Now we need to start over. Put some earplugs in or something. You’re too jumpy.”

     Leonard retrieved a fresh scalpel and again attempted to obtain the tissue sample from Alyson. He stood above her, trying not to make eye contact.

     “Nooo!” Alyson screamed, causing Leonard to drop another scalpel.

     Thrashing her head side-to-side, she fought against the restraints, but was bound down too tightly to move. All her efforts were futile.

     “Step aside.”

     Howard placed an ether mask over her face. Screeching until her throat was raw, the vile taste of gas lingered on her tongue with each labored breath. Her head spinning, she saw darkness as her eyes were forced shut. Slowly, her hands and feet stopped thrashing about. She succumbed to the gas and fell unconscious again.

     “Okay, she’s quiet now. Get me the sample,” Howard demanded.

     Leonard opened a new package and removed the scalpel. He brushed Alyson’s hair aside and took several scrapings from her forehead. He smeared them on the glass slides and labelled them -- Alyson, forehead. Howard grabbed the slides, then carefully placed them in his lab coat pocket. Before he could say a word, Leonard handed him the two pints of blood.

     “I’ll be running tests on these samples if you need me. Try not to have any more calamities. At least not until I return.”

     Leonard slunk into the chair beside Cassie’s bed. He looked at her, laying there, barely able to breathe on her own. She looked so frail, tubes protruding from her mouth and nose.

     “What am I doing? Have I lost all sense of decency? How can I do this? How can I keep her here? Them here? This isn’t who I am. I’m a scientist, yes, but at what cost? Haven’t they been through enough? I should let them go. I should free them both right now. It’s the right thing to do. But I can’t. Howard’s right. This is once in a lifetime.” 

     He rose from his chair and checked the vitals monitor. Everything looked normal. Back and forth, he ambled between Alyson and Cassie’s bed, anxious for Howard’s return. Leonard hated being left alone with the girls. He didn’t want to stay, but was afraid to leave them unattended. He sat back down, turning the chair away from Cassie.

     The beeping of the monitors droned on. Exhaustion crept upon him as he stretched his back. He closed his eyes, but listened for any irregularities in the pattern of the beeps. After a while, the sound lulled him into a deep sleep.

     Cassie’s eyes darted back and forth across the room. Just a few short weeks ago, her life was simple. She had friends, knew who she was, or at least thought she did. Now, she was strapped down and hooked up to a machine with tubes up her nose and down her throat. She couldn’t understand how her life could get so complicated so quickly.

     She missed her friends. She missed her father, even if he did lie to her. She even missed school. But most of all, she missed her freedom. Cassie never felt so helpless before.

     She was afraid to close her eyes, but being on the ventilator drained her energy. She used her last bit of strength to force her eyelids open. Her forehead, still sore from where Leonard took the scrapings, was starting to scab. She watched him, peacefully sleeping in the chair beside her bed.

  
 
How dare he! I’m laying here, looking like an after photo in a horror movie and he’s sleeping like a baby! If I wasn’t tied down like a mental patient, he would be so sorry. I’ve got to find a way out of here. I can’t count on Alyson now. She’s still out cold. When I figure out how to escape, I’ll get both of us out of here and far away from this place.

     The monitors beeped on as Leonard slept. Cassie stayed quiet, patiently waiting for Alyson to awaken, hoping Howard wouldn’t return. She wracked her brain for ideas to escape. Faint moans from across the room broke her concentration. She turned her head to see Alyson coming out of her drug-induced sleep.

     “My head. Why is it throbbing? Where am I?” Alyson asked in a weak voice.

     She looked down at the faded brown leather straps that secured her to the bed. Then, she looked at Cassie, also in restraints.

     “Now I remember. Mr. Parker. He kidnapped us.”

     Alyson’s eyes searched the room. She spotted Leonard, sitting motionless in the chair. Before speaking again, she listened for a response, any kind of response from him. When she received none, she continued.

     “Cassie, are you okay? Wiggle your fingers if you can hear me.”

     The fingers on Cassie’s right hand slowly moved up and down.

     “Good, you can hear me. We’ve got to figure a way out of here before Mr. Parker comes back. I’m really sorry I got you involved in this.”

     Cassie nodded her head as if to say she understood and forgave Alyson. Before they could make any plans, the door lock clicked and Mr. Parker entered the room, stacks of glass slides in his hands. He closed the door behind him and gently placed the slides on the table beside Alyson’s bed.

     “Well, isn’t this a pretty picture. The clones are wide awake and my partner is fast asleep. Wake up, Leonard! Nap time is over. We have many slides that need to be filled.”

     Leonard jumped up out of the chair, stumbling toward Howard. His eyes still glazed with sleep, he tried to speak, but his words were slurred and jumbled.

     “When was the last time you slept, Leonard?”

     “About three days ago. It must have finally caught up to me.”

     “Go home. Get some real sleep. You’re useless to me in this condition. I’ll take over here. Meet me in this room tomorrow, 6am sharp.”

     Leonard straightened his tie, patted down his tousled hair, and went home to get some much needed rest.

     “Okay, clones. You’re all mine now.”

     “We have names. We’re human beings,” Alyson said, feeling her face grow hot.

     “Call yourselves whatever you like. I don’t have time for pleasantries. I have work to do.”

     “You can’t just dismiss us and you can’t ignore us. This isn’t right. You have to let us go.”

     Howard ignored Alyson’s protests and proceeded with his testing. First, he plucked several strands of hair, roots intact, from Cassie’s head. Next, he moved on to Alyson. He stared her straight in the face as he pulled the auburn strands from her head.

     “You can scream if you like, but no one will hear you. This room is soundproof. Unlike my partner, Leonard, your cries don’t affect me. Scream till your throat is raw. You won’t disturb me.”

     Tears started streaming down Alyson’s cheek. Mr. Parker reached for a pipette and suctioned her tears into a glass vial.

     “Thank you,” he said, labeling the vial with her name. “I’m sure it won’t be long before your fellow clone gives me a sample. Teenage girls cry so easily. Like taking candy from a baby.”

     Alyson sucked in her breath.

     “If I knew that’s what you wanted, I never would have... I’m not going to help you dissect and analyze us,” Alyson said defiantly.

     “You don’t seem to understand. You don’t have a choice. I’m the one calling the shots. When I’ve gotten all I need, I’ll let you go. Not a minute sooner.”

     “Why do you care so much? Why does it matter to you how we were created?” Alyson asked.

     “Your existence is revolutionary science. I need to be a part of it.”

     “Oh, so it’s your ego. You can’t accept that someone else figured out the answer to a problem that you couldn’t solve.”

     “You really talk too much. I don’t know what my son saw in you. Beside the obvious, I mean. He is a normal teenage boy with hormones.”

     “Jake is more than just hormones. You shouldn’t talk about your son like that. If he knew what you were doing... He would never...”

     “Isn’t that sweet? Even after he dumped you, you’re still defending him. How touching. I would love to continue this conversation, but I have real work to do.”

     He walked over to Cassie’s bed, pushed the tubes to the side and stared her down. She looked away. He grabbed her face, forcing it in his direction. She squeezed her eyes shut, but could feel his glare bore through her.

     “You know I’m going to get what I want. The longer it takes, the longer you remain here. Your choice. Cooperate and I’ll let you go sooner.”

     Cassie didn’t flinch. She tried imagining herself anywhere else, but couldn’t block out the sound of Howard’s voice. The smell of his breakfast sausage tested her gag reflex. The odor clinging tightly to her, she threw up a little, then swallowed it down. Her lids loosened just enough to see the glow of the monitor, then tightened again.

     Howard’s foot started tapping as he waited for the tears to come. His face grew hot. Beads of sweat formed on his upper lip, mingling with the remnants of an earlier meal. Cassie trembled as she felt his hot breath penetrate her nostrils. Fighting desperately, she used all her strength not to cry.

     Cassie hated feeling like a lab rat, trapped by leather restraints, expected to perform on command. She thought of happy things -- hanging out with Rachel, their first double date at a carnival. They ate so much cotton candy, their tongues stayed pink and blue for two days. They laughed about it for the next week. Their dates said they loved kissing alien girls. Cassie felt more like an alien now than when her tongue was multicolored.

     The harshness of reality came rushing back. She wasn’t at a carnival freak show anymore. She was the freak show. Her mind snapped back to the prison she was currently in. No more dates. No more goofing around with her best friend.