Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars

by Melisse Aires

  "You can't seriously believe..." Seth shook his head.

  "Hmm." Mack frowned.

  "What is it?" Jackson asked.

  "She may be onto something...which is why she's missing," Mack said.

  "What? Onto what?" Seth questioned.

  "The only ones who can locate a clone are the agent and the Commander. So how would Megan have known about Maddie's whereabouts? I wouldn't have told her," Mack said.

  "She hated you. Couldn't she hack into the system?" Seth asked.

  "There's no way. Megan was a soldier, not a computer expert. Besides, any attempts to locate any clone other than her own would have alerted me and the Commander," Mack informed him.

  "The Gorium didn't attack us on Aurora until after we spoke with him," Jackson slowly stated.

  "That's what Maddie said." John nodded.

  "It broke several protocols bringing her here in the first place. Charlie told me it was to keep a closer eye on her," Mack said.

  "Are you out of your mind? Are you seriously accusing the Commander? Commander Charles Westlake? The same man who founded the ISC. The same man who hired each and every one of us. That man," Seth ranted.

  "Seth, think about it," John implored his brother.

  "Charlie told me when he ordered me to bring her in that he thought there was something special about her. That Maddie was more than just a clone," Mack added.

  "She is," John agreed.

  "So you think he took her?" Seth asked, his resolve wavering.

  Mack slowly nodded, tears creeping up in her eyes. Jackson grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  "I'm afraid she's right," a voice said behind them.

  "Will!" Mack called out.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't want to," Will stammered, his body shaking.

  "Didn't what?" Seth asked.

  "What did you do?" John demanded.

  "I helped the Commander escape with her," Will admitted.

  John rushed toward Will and punched him hard in the jaw. Will crumbled on the floor, holding his face. John jumped on him and began throwing punches.

  "That's enough!" Jackson yelled as he and Seth pulled John off of Will.

  Will wiped the blood from his face and readjusted his thick, black glasses.

  "It wasn't my fault! I didn't have any choice," Will protested.

  "Tell us what happened," Mack sternly ordered.

  "The Commander ordered us to knock Maddie out and place her in his ship," Will said.

  "Us? Who is ‘us’?” Jackson inquired.

  "Me and Nick Kicker. We tried to argue with him, but he's the Commander. What were we to do?" Will asked.

  "You could have come to us first," Mack said through gritted teeth.

  "And what would you have done? Fought Commander Westlake?" Will questioned.

  "We would have kept her safe," Jackson snapped.

  “I’m sorry.” Tears streamed down Will’s cheeks.

  "I never should have let her be alone." John shook his head.

  "Don't do that. It's not your fault." Seth gave his brother’s shoulder a soft squeeze.

  "Will, where did he go?" Mack asked.

  "To PK-2964," Will replied. “There used to be a research facility there, but it's been abandoned for years. Commander Westlake has been restoring it for a year now. He has an off-world team there."

  "Seth, get my cruiser ready to fly. Take Will with you," Mack ordered.

  "You got it," Seth said.

  Seth grabbed Will by the arm and pulled him out of the room.

  #

  Mack jumped on her computer and began pulling up information.

  "What are you doing? We need to get out of here." John tapped his foot impatiently.

  "It's going to be a few minutes before Seth has the ship ready. Something has been bugging me." Mack shrugged him off.

  Mack went through the back systems and searched for data information regarding either her or Maddie.

  "What are you doing?" John asked, looking over her shoulder.

  "Decrypting Charlie's files. I've got to know what he has planned," Mack explained.

  Mack wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but the files took her completely by surprise. There were recent pictures taken of her clone that Jackson said he hadn't taken and even some with him in the background. Tons of personal information on Maddie was stored in the files, including work records, Maddie's personal computer files, and medical tests that were run without her knowledge. The medical tests noted she tested at higher levels than usual for clones. The more Mack read, the sicker she felt.

  "What's wrong?" Jackson asked.

  "He's been watching her for a while. The orders to bring her to the ISC were dated before we got word the Gorium were planning on killing her," Mack solemnly said.

  The team fell silent; each of them wanted to ask the question but were afraid of the answer.

  "Megan didn't have anything to do with Maddie. She just got swept up in vengeance." Jackson’s voice began to crack with the understanding.

  "Yes," Mack agreed.

  "What's that file?" John pointed to an encrypted file different from the others.

  "Hold on," Mack said.

  It took Mack several minutes to break the encryption. She sat in silence for a few moments, rubbing her forehead before she spoke.

  "We were all set up from the beginning," she told them.

  "Explain," Jackson prompted.

  "The medical documents, her evaluations at work...Even the journal entries prove that she's exceptional. The Commander ordered a test to display it. Everyone at the agency can testify on how great she is. In fact, a lot of them have," Mack said.

  "What kind of test?" Jackson questioned.

  Instead of replying, Mack simply raised an eyebrow.

  "He put Gatewood up to the assault?" John asked in dismay.

  "There were journal entries in here for her, too, depicting her hatred of me. All it took was a spark to light the fire," Mack said.

  "There is more than you are telling." Jackson’s voice was uneven.

  "There are orders to experiment on both of us.”

  "Experiment?" John's voice was rough with concern.

  "Basically attempt to duplicate her creation so there could be an army of clones just like the originals," Mack said.

  "That doesn't sound too terrible," John said, his voice lighter.

  "By dissecting her." Mack's voice was grave.

  "Oh God." John's worst fears were realized.

  Mack sighed, rolling her neck until she felt it pop.

  "He even admitted it to us, John. The last thing he said before we left his office was that Maddie wouldn't be alive soon. The Commander plans on killing her, dissecting every cell in her body to find out what makes her unique, and then attempt to duplicate it." Mack's face drained of its color upon confirmation.

  "But until the conflict with Gatewood, we were all under the impression that killing the clone would kill the agent," Jackson said.

  "Right. My obituary is in the documents as well," Mack nodded.

  “Truth be told, we don’t know it to be true. I hadn’t checked in on the clones lately to see if anything happened to Logan’s,” Seth noted.

  "I still don’t understand. What purpose does all this serve?" Jackson shook his head.

  Mack took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her next words hit her before continuing.

  "Think about having an army of disposable clones at your fingertips. All specially created, maybe even stronger than your average human. One dies, you can just create one in its place. No muss or fuss. It only takes two weeks to make a clone. So in two weeks, you can create an infinite army, medically and scientifically enhanced to be smarter, stronger, better than before."

  "That's what he wants the two of you for," Jackson slowly said.

  "To be his Jango Fett? Yeah." Mack nodded.

  "Okay, you'll have to explain that one to me," John said.

  "You know storm trooper
s in Star Wars? They were all clones, created from the bounty hunter Jango Fett," Mack explained. "He wanted us to be the base for his clone army."

  "Something isn't completely adding up to me," Jackson thought out loud.

  "What do you mean?" Mack asked.

  "All of this has been a ruse to get to Maddie? Why not just take her without involving all of us?"

  "It's not just Maddie. It's both of us. He's just starting with her."

  "There may be something more in his files. Dig a little deeper and see what you find," Jackson encouraged.

  Mack gave him a hard look before diving deeper into the encrypted files. Her brow scrunched up as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. Her fingers worked feverishly for several minutes.

  "Huh." Mack leaned back in her chair.

  "Find something?" Jackson asked.

  "Yes. My satellite system."

  Jackson arched his eyebrow in surprise. "Your defense system?"

  "Yeah. Curious," Mack said, leaning back in to her monitor.

  "What defense system?" John inquired.

  “It’s quite ingenious, if I do say so myself.” Mack grinned. “Every ship has an identification signature that gets broadcasted for sensors that are picked up through either another ship's sensors or through satellites. I’ve designed a new defense system that would use the satellites to pick up the signal from a greater distance and transmit to us, giving the Earth time to mobilize defenses.”

  "Sounds interesting," John cautiously said.

  "It is. But these plans show a means of turning the satellites into a weapon. It would channel the signal broadcasted from the enemy vessel and send an energy beam to destroy them."

  "But isn't that a good thing? That would give us more time to launch our other defenses."

  "If it was being used for Earth, yes. But according to these reports, once the system is ready, it was going to be sold."

  "Sold to whom?" John asked.

  Mack hesitated, not wanting to respond.

  "Mackenzie, to whom?" John repeated.

  "To the Jendi." She admitted unwillingly.

  The color drained quickly from Jackson’s face the moment she said the fearsome alien race.

  “The Jendi are nothing more than brutal, savage murders. They value a good fight to the death above all things. If Mack’s new satellite defense system can be mobilized and used by the Jendi that could spell trouble for the entire galaxy.” John’s voice shook as he ran a hand through his unruly hair.

  Jackson cursed under his breath. In that instant, the air in the room seemed to charge from the tension radiating out from everyone.

  "The Jendi are in a star system fifty light years from here," John pointed out.

  "But there have been reports recently the Jendi have been conquering worlds in their system. We've feared they may try to expand past their territory. This is just confirmation," Jackson said.

  "We should’ve done something about them before now," Mack despondently said.

  "That's not what we do. We don't go picking a fight with anyone. The Jendi haven't been aggressive toward any planet the ISC has an agreement with," Jackson countered.

  “Besides, we would only be out gunned,” John said.

  "Let me guess, the Commander authorized this sale?" Jackson asked.

  "Bingo." Mack nodded.

  "Alright, guys. The cruiser is ready to go." Seth bounced into the lab.

  John filled his brother in on the news. The more John spoke, the angrier Seth got.

  "So you mean to tell me the Commander is going to sell out his own planet to the Jendi, working with the Gorium, and plans on killing Maddie and Mack?" Seth fumed.

  "From what I gathered, yes," Mack muttered.

  "We've got to stop him. It's as simple as that," Jackson said.

  "Only it's not that simple." Mack chewed on the inside of her cheek.

  "Hopefully we can go rescue her and get some answers," John thought out loud.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Maddie woke up in a daze, not sure where she was. She tried to will her eyes to open but at that moment, she didn't seem to have control over herself.

  "She stirs," she vaguely heard a voice say.

  I do? She thought. Maddie wasn't aware of any movement on her part.

  "Shit. She came out of it sooner than I expected," she recognized the voice of Commander Westlake.

  "What do you want me to do, sir?"

  "Put her back under."

  No! Wait! Maddie begged her voice to work.

  But it was no use. Her mind grew foggier as she slipped back into darkness.

  She saw flashes of images in her mind as the black consumed her. Images of John sitting at his table with a drawing pad in his hand, Mack in front of her computer, Jackson laughing, and Seth standing back, observing it all. She struggled to make the images stay but it was all too fleeting. More images came to her but they vanished before she could make sense of what they were. She tried to focus on one that slowly became clearer. She saw Commander Westlake sneering at her over his glasses.

  Maddie opened her eyes in shock, letting out a loud gasp as her eyes scanned the room. She tried to move but found herself strapped down to an examination table. It looked like she was in an operating room. White bare walls, grey cement floors, and the smell of sterile instruments from a nearby table filled her nose.

  "Ah! You are awake," she heard Commander Westlake to her right.

  "What's going on? Why am I here?" Her voice shook as she spoke.

  The Commander chuckled. "Ah yes, that is the question, isn't it? Why are you here?"

  "I don't understand."

  "I know."

  "Why am I tied down?" she demanded.

  "So you can't get away, of course. Not that it would matter. No one knows you are here. Even if you were to break free, there is no escape."

  The Commander leaned over her and shined a bright light into her eyes.

  "Pupil reflexes check," he said, backing up.

  "What are you planning to do?" Maddie asked, keeping her voice even.

  "Don't you worry your pretty head about it. You won't have it much longer."

  "Worries?" Maddie questioned hopefully.

  "No, no, my dear. Your head." The Commander chuckled again.

  Maddie pulled hard against her restraints, but nothing happened which only made the Commander laugh harder.

  "I know it is within your disposition to try, but you're only going to weaken your body faster than I want it to," he stated in a voice way too cheery for the context.

  "What are you planning to do?" Maddie watched him warily.

  "You, little one, are special," the Commander informed.

  "Special? What do you mean?" Maddie inquired.

  "That's what I'm going to find out," the Commander chillingly said.

  Maddie glared at him as he turned his attention away from her and to a computer. Restraints or not, she was not going down without a fight.

  "I have the test results for you," she heard someone say as they entered the room.

  "Will!" Maddie gasped as her friend, Will McCain, handed the Commander a data tablet.

  Will didn't even glance in her direction.

  “Will! It's me, Maddie!" she called out to him.

  "I am aware," Will turned to her, his voice and face expressionless.

  "You can't be Will," Maddie watched him in disbelief.

  "I am as much William McCain as you are Madison Rhodes," Will told her, emotionless.

  "I am Madison Rhodes," Maddie said emphatically.

  "Actually, she may be right," the Commander interjected.

  "Sir?" Will looked at the Commander confused.

  "These test results of her blood are off the charts, much stronger than a clone should be. She is as much Madison Rhodes as the agent is," the Commander informed.

  "Sir, how can that be? Clones are weak," Will stated.

  "Not this one." The Commander nodded toward her. "It'll be interesting to co
mpare her test results with the agent, once we bring her in."

  "Please don't speak as if I'm not in the room and understanding you." Maddie rolled her eyes.

  "My apologies, little one."

  "Do not call me that! Only Logan can," Maddie spat.

  The Commander chuckled again.

  "You think you know so much, but you know nothing," the Commander said.

  "So enlighten me," Maddie challenged.

  "In time, perhaps," the Commander fleered.

  Will walked over to her and started placing electrodes on her forehead.

  "Why are you doing this? We are friends. I've known you since we were nine years old. We played baseball together. We used to ride our bikes all over the park. Remember when we used to prank your little brother? We played paintball recently, for crying out loud!" Maddie reminded him.

  Will didn't say anything as he held her arm still and placed a line for an IV in her arm.

  "Ow." Maddie tried to pull away from him to no avail.

  "Resistance really is futile," Will told her.

  "Quoting Star Trek is not going to make me any less mad you for doing this to me." Maddie growled.

  Will smirked at her as he pushed his thick black frames on his nose. There was something not quite human to his voice that bothered her.

  "Your brain activity is highly unusual," Commander Westlake informed.

  "That's comforting to know." Maddie sighed.

  "What are you, exactly?" Will looked at the computer monitor and back to Maddie.

  "I'm Maddie, same as I always was," she told him.

  "Inaccurate," the Commander corrected her.

  "I don't know what you mean." Maddie shook her head slightly

  "Of course you don't. Maybe we should have brought Wayne Brody in to help us study you," the Commander said. “As head of the cloning department, maybe he’ll have some insight into these readings.”

  "It wouldn't have done us any good. I already questioned him as Mack," Will stated.

  Maddie looked confused at his statement but didn't say anything. How could Will have questioned Dr. Brody as Mack? None of it made any sense to her.

  "I don't know if the good doctor would have divulged any real information to Mack. His connection seems to be with this one." The Commander nodded toward Maddie.