by Todd Young
“Have you heard this?” Tom said.
“No.”
Following the raid on Schenectady last week, a military contact had disappeared. It seemed one of the clones they’d rescued was a decent soldier. He hadn’t been scheduled for termination, and was discovered AWOL on the 3rd. An investigation followed, according to Tom, who was conducting his own surveillance, and the military was making a lot of noise, a lot more noise than might have been expected.
“So,” Tom said. “I began to wonder why. Why would it matter? Whoever the soldier was, he’d be dispensable. He couldn’t be that good.”
“Mmm. I don’t know. Clones are expensive. Those incubators churn solidly for a good eighteen months.”
“Just wait. You’re not going to like this.” He cleared his throat, and then lowered his voice. “He’s Marlow Matthews’ son.”
“Who?”
“The clone. He’s a clone of Matthews’ son.”
“Oh, hell.”
“Tell me about it.”
“But why …?”
“Why would they clone Matthews’ son?”
“I’m wondering.” Xavier glanced at the clock. He was expecting a call from Antony, a young man he’d been seeing for a couple weeks now, a very attractive young man with dark hair and an alert mind.
“My guess’d be someone in the FBI, someone hoping to topple Matthews.”
“That’s not likely, Tom. No one in the FBI has that sort of military clout. Much more likely to be the CPF. Someone there. Maybe even Matthews himself.”
“Matthews?”
“Who else? He’s the boss. Most likely has some sick reason for wanting a clone of his son.”
“You really think so?”
“He’s one twisted character, Tom. Believe me. No one sits at the top of an organization like that and does the recluse thing. Only a paranoid psychopath.”
He paused for a moment. This was likely to cause a problem. The CPF’d be on the surveillance networks. There’d be officers listening in. Xavier had a lot of expensive technology out in the field, in particular, his surveillance motes, which had been supplied by the British Secret Service.
The motes were worth more than a hundred million each, self-propelled surveillance drones complete with cameras and sound and onboard quantum computers. They resembled specks of dust, hence the name, were solar powered, and could travel virtually anywhere.
The technology was light years ahead of the equipment the CPF was using, which, like most things in America, was sadly out of date. Until now, they’d gone undetected, one reason why ORAD had such a clear picture of things. But they couldn’t transmit without leaving a trace. The CPF relied on AI systems to filter its surveillance. The drones pingbacked these systems in order to transmit, but with human ears and eyes on the feeds, they’d have to sit silent. Which was a shame. He’d like to know what was happening in the Matthews’ household. He’d have to tell Rogers to put Matthews’ mote to sleep. He’d have to let a lot of motes sit idle.
He sighed. “Where’s the clone?”
“This is the thing. He’s embedded with Matthews’ son.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No. But from the sound of it, he’s safe enough. That Erran character has the place bugged.”
“You got any closer to him?”
“Not a lot.”
“What about the talent? The one you said had potential. Akam, is it?”
“Yeah. Akam Smith. Not sure yet. But I think we could use him.” He wouldn’t be the first agent Xavier had pilfered from the resistance. He snaffled quite a few agents that way. Tom had mentioned Akam the last time he phoned. “He has the surveillance loopholes sussed out. Well, he’s thinking, at any rate. He knows it can’t possibly be as easy as they think it is.”
It was good to hear someone in that organization wasn’t complacent. “Okay. Well, keep an eye on him. And if you get a definite fix on Erran, let me know. People like that need weeding out.”
“Sure, Xavier. Thanks for listening.”
“No problem.”
He ended the call.
A few minutes later, Antony phoned. He said he could make the dinner party Saturday, and agreed to come early, at six-thirty or so. He had to go, however. He was due in court. Defending a deviant, apparently.
[] [] []
Susen didn’t really feel like going to work. Working in a flower store was a bit of a bore. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining. It would be cold outside, but she wasn’t planning on leaving her apartment, at least not until tonight. She phoned Marte at half past nine and told her she was ill. Well, she said she had cramps. Marte said fine, told her to take care of herself, and hoped she’d see her tomorrow night. It did sound as though she hoped to see her.
Susen got back into bed and turned the 3TV on. She projected it over the bed, and then lay back and watched a very nice movie, a romance about a young woman and a lawyer. He had dark hair, a handsome face and a strong build. They met when she was accused of shoplifting. He agreed to defend her, even though she told him she was guilty. She had taken the houseplant, an aspidistra, she said. Her bathroom needed a little brightening up. She was found guilty, which surprised Susen, but she was given a suspended sentence. Even so, you would have expected the lawyer to get her off. He felt as though he’d failed her, but they worked through it. He admitted he loved her, and in the end they got together.
As it finished, Susen sighed. They were such a nice young couple. They would have a struggle, however. He was disbarred in a surprise twist at the end for having offered her false testimony to the court. The stupid thing was that this was her fault. She’d told her mother what he’d done, and her mother reported him to the bar association.
Susen got up and made herself a chocolate smoothie. She was looking forward to seeing Riley tonight. She enjoyed dancing, but could never find a man interested in taking her more than once or twice. Riley struck her as the sort of boy who’d be good at it. She had her dress picked out already, a rose pink tulle. They were going to look great together. People would be turning their heads all night. Hopefully, he understood that he needed to wear a suit. A man couldn’t walk into Dennison’s in a pair of jeans.
It’d be a little bit sad if Riley turned out to be a deviant. With all her previous cases she’d felt a small rush at the thought of turning them in. But with Riley, she didn’t quite feel that. He was very kind.
Xavier was a different prospect altogether. After their initial meeting yesterday, she’d watched him walk through the store with his sister. It was quite clear to her that it was as she’d originally thought. They were a pair of sibling deviants, which meant she’d have to file on the sister as well. But there was something else about him, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. He was very confident, almost arrogant, the way he held himself, the way he walked and talked. He certainly wasn’t effeminate. Not in the slightest.
As she stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room, sipping her smoothie, the house phone rang. It was Kristin.
“Damn it to hell,” she said.
If the dipsy bitch had any sense, she wouldn’t have called here. She was supposed to be at the flower store.
It would have been nice to take the call blind, it would have been nice not to have to see the stupid whore’s face, but as it was work, Kristin would expect to see her. She glanced at what she was wearing. Track pants and a sweatshirt. It would have to do.
“Kristin!” she said, and took a seat. Her supervisor’s desk materialized in front of her. On the wall behind it was a window, and beyond it the dark clouds of a Washington winter’s day.
“Susen. How’re you?” Kristin looked bleary-eyed. Her hair was a mess, as though she’d been out in the wind. She was wearing red again, a sweater that was flattening her breasts. Did she think that looked good — with red hair?
“I’m fine,” Susen said. “Doing very well, I think.”
“Yes, I read yesterday’s report. A s
troke of luck.”
Well, not exactly, she felt like saying. She’d worked hard to convince Marte she was interested in her. If she hadn’t done that, she never would have been invited to Xavier’s damn party.
“Right into the lion’s den,” Kristin said.
Susen smiled. Not exactly a lion. She wasn’t going to let Xavier faze her. She’d send him to the surgeon, just like all the others. That’d put paid to his arrogant manner.
“When are you seeing the other one?” Kristin asked.
“Riley? Tonight.”
“Yes, well, look. Something’s come up. I wouldn’t ordinarily share this type of thing with someone in the field. But I think it might be called for. Now it’s Riley Matthews, isn’t it? Riley Jordan Matthews.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Okay. Well, this is for your ears only. I don’t want you sharing this with Bud or Tina or anyone else.”
She nodded.
“It seems this Riley’s father works for the CPF. Has he told you that?”
“No. No, that’s news to me.”
“Well, look. Apparently, he’s someone very important in the CPF. We’re not exactly sure who, but there’s a lot of noise at the moment. We can’t quite get our finger on what’s going on. You know how things are.”
Kristin was referring to the ongoing “war” between the FBI and the CPF. When the CPF had taken charge of the FBI’s national security responsibilities, the FBI had vowed to get them back. Each organization had influence with its own set of people in the government, and each lobbied hard. The feud was long-standing and bitter. As far as people in the FBI were concerned, the CPF was arrogant and inept, the FBI historically better suited to the task and so on. Susen was as committed to it as any other FBI agent. It was part of the organizational fabric. And when she was promoted, which would have to happen soon, the opportunities would be greater if the FBI had its powers back. Taylor was fighting the cause at the moment. If he happened to get in, which was unlikely, then it just might happen.
“Anyway,” Kristin said, “it might be in our interests if Riley does turn out to be a deviant. It wouldn’t look good for his father. We might be able to use that.”
Kristin had an annoying habit of putting stress on certain words, a habit that made her sound like a demented, overly anxious mother. As though Susen was her retarded daughter. “I see,” Susen said, but she felt troubled. She really quite liked Riley. “So you want me to …?”
“If you could.”
“But how do you want me to …? He’ll have to go to court. I can’t just make it up.”
“No. No, and I wouldn’t expect you to. The point is that he is a deviant. We know that now. All you need is the evidence.”
Susen nodded.
“Do you want me to advance you some funds? It couldn’t be that hard to find some young man willing to … well, to get together with him.”
“Right. Well. Yes, okay. I see. How long do I have?”
“Let’s say a week. That’s plenty of time, isn’t it? A week?”
Hell, a week? Send Riley to the surgeon in a week? All of a sudden, her throat felt tight. Her face twisted. She struggled to get a hold on what she would have to do, and then, without really thinking, said, “Wouldn’t it be better if I really did have the evidence? Incontrovertible evidence?”
“Well, of course.”
“If you give me two or three weeks I might be able to get that.”
“Let’s say two, then. Two at the outside. If things aren’t looking promising, I want you to have a boy ready for him. Ready to go.”
Susen nodded.
“I hope you’re voting for Taylor,” Kristin said.
“Of course.”
“Right. Well, I have to go. I’d like to hear from you soon, Susen. Sooner rather than later. This Marlow Matthews character could certainly do with a shock.”
She ended the call and her office vanished.
Susen sat in silence for a moment. She thought of Riley and her stomach twisted. What was it about him? She’d never felt this way before, and she certainly wasn’t in love with him. Why should it matter to her if he were framed? If he lost his balls? Why should he matter to her? Perhaps, in a way, he was like a little brother, she decided. She’d never had a little brother.
“Hell,” she said, and then got up.
She began to pace. She’d simply have to do it. And it might be better to get it over with. What were testicles anyway? Eighteen months in a prison? It wasn’t the end of the world. Even so, her heart went out to him. She didn’t like the idea of him hating her. But then again, he didn’t need to know it was her. Not if she set things up right.
She walked up the hall and turned back again. She wondered about his father, and who he could be? Possibly someone very important, which would be a real blow for the CPF. An executive director with a deviant son? But then again, if he were an executive director, and if she got Riley on side, she might be able to advance her career that way.
She stepped back into the living room and gazed over the park. A few clouds were scudding along the horizon now. Perhaps later it would snow. Kristin had certainly put herself on the line. She’d more or less told Susen to frame someone. In fact she had. And if Susen … of course.
She turned quickly and checked her phone. As usual, she’d left it to record, which meant the entire conversation now belonged to her. If she showed it to the right people at the right time, then she might very easily cost Kristin her position. She smiled, and then copied the file onto her watch.
16
Riley was having an awful day at work. He’d slept badly. Theo had wanted to talk. He’d wanted to talk about the universe and what happened before the Big Bang. How everything came into being. Riley did his best, but in the end admitted he didn’t know, but that he thought there must be some intelligence behind it all.
Theo turned this over. He was very quiet.
They’d already discussed Days of Our Lives and why Riley had no idea what had happened before today’s episode. Firstly, because he’d never watched it. Secondly, because it had started long before he was born, more than a hundred years ago.
After discussing ice hockey, they’d gone back to what Erran had said, and gone over that again. They’d talked for hours. Then Riley had gone into the bathroom to brush his teeth. While he was doing that, Theo changed out of the overalls and into a pair of boxer briefs. Only he put on the same pair as Riley, the pair with the colorful limes and bananas.
Riley came out of the bathroom and looked at Theo warily. He wanted to ask him why he’d chosen the same pair. It felt odd. And the oddness was centered on his groin. Then it occurred to him that Theo was watching everything he did and using him as a model. Which was kind of touching. And in a way it felt comforting to be with someone who was the same in every way, right down to what they wore, as though they were a partner you could rely upon. As though they really were brothers.
Then Theo stepped toward him and kissed him. He slipped his hand onto Riley’s back as their lips met. Then Riley’s hands were touching his skin. But it was too much. They were almost naked. Riley pulled away and shook his head in confusion. He stared at the carpet. When he lifted his eyes to Theo’s, Theo looked puzzled, and maybe even a little hurt.
“Let’s sleep, huh?” Riley said. “It’s really late.”
It wasn’t easy to get to sleep, and in the morning he was hugging Theo. He woke with a start. Their yesterday positions were reversed. His cock was pressed against Theo’s ass. But it was hard.
As he was getting out of bed, Theo said, “I love you, Riley.”
Riley hurried out of the room. He ate breakfast in the kitchen. When he came back, Theo was facing the wall, asleep again. He showered quickly, dressed in the navy suit, with a white shirt and a red tie, and walked out of the apartment. On the landing, he stopped and shook his head. He wasn’t sure what he felt, but he didn’t want to be in love with Theo, not with someone who was his identical t
win. It was too strange.
As he stepped onto the street, he lifted his head and saw David and Melody, walking together. They’d just stepped out of the apartment next door and were coming toward him. It occurred to him instantly that they were brother and sister. Two blond heads. The same winsome features. She was wearing her school uniform, David a suit. As they passed him, David lifted his eyebrows. It was a greeting, but there was something more in it, as though he was reminding Riley of all that had happened yesterday. They passed him. Then David turned to his sister and said something. A moment later, they both glanced back at Riley.
Ordinarily, he would have walked in their direction, but he took the long way to the pool. Then, when he’d finished his laps, he saw them again. All three of them were naked and standing on the bleachers, drying off and preparing to change. He was standing a little higher than them, and his gaze had been attracted by the two blond heads. Neither of them had seen him. David was just at that moment putting his towel down. Riley took a covert glance at his penis. It was pale and uncircumcised and shriveled from the cold. He found himself staring at it, at how pale David’s pubic hair was. Then David looked up.
Riley changed quickly and hurried away. He took the subway to the office and all the way worried that David might report him for lewd behavior. He wondered if they always came to the pool and he’d simply never seen them before. He was so used to not looking at people. Then he remembered the twitching curtain last night. He wondered if that had been David. Perhaps he’d been in his sister’s room. Melody had seen him and Theo the previous evening. Hell. He was going to have to be careful.
He arrived at work in something of a daze.
“Do you work here?” Marion said.
“What?”