Clone Secrets_Book 2 of the Clone Crisis Trilogy

by Melissa Faye

  He didn’t need to say it. Without the shipments a community received regularly, Gentle Acres would be in trouble. They wouldn’t be able to keep the town fed and wouldn’t have babies arriving to maintain the population. Plus, their citizens wouldn’t be cloned anymore. They were effectively “retired,” as the government called it when they shut down the cloning of a particular person.

  “We can connect you with our camp,” Sven said. “Yami will connect you with the leader of the Underground from her former community.”

  “That will help a lot,” Ann said with a diplomatic smile. “Meanwhile, I’d like to take you all to the F-Lab. I know that two of you conceived a child successfully, and I believe that some of you were in medicine and fertility?” We nodded.

  “We aren’t here just for research, though,” Etta said. It was the first time she spoke. “Our child is missing. We’re hoping you have information about kids who’ve been taken. Someone said it’s more than just our kids. There are bio kids being born across the country in secret, and someone’s been stealing them.”

  Ann pursed her lips. “Sven mentioned that as well. I’d like to help you as much as we can, but I haven’t heard anything about kids being taken. We haven’t seen pregnancies around this area to my knowledge. I believe I would have heard about that. Still, I’ll ask around.” Was that it? They didn’t know anything? I frowned. This couldn’t be another dead end. These people must know something.

  Sven returned to Matana in the Med, and the rest of us followed Ann to the lab.

  ANN TOOK US ON A LONG route around town before we went to the lab. It was set up very similarly to Young Woods, except they didn’t have a cloning lab. Ann took us to see the manufacturing plant.

  “We initially spent time trying to get it back in working order,” Ann said. “But we quickly realized it wasn’t worthwhile. The building is useless, and the supplies we were making weren’t as important as getting enough food for all the citizens.”

  I had only seen a factory like this in pictures. It was an enormous building, covering half of a city block and several stories tall. That was, of course, before the explosion. It was in ruins now. A small part of the building was intact, showing how tall it had been, but mostly it was a pile of rubble. We could tell the clean up that had taken place because while the footprint of the former building was covered in broken glass, piping, and burnt bricks, the space around it was as immaculate as the other parts of the community. I imagined what it would be like to be trapped on the highest floor when something exploded. The panic and terror, knowing you wouldn’t be able to get out.

  Ann seemed to read my thoughts. “It was horrific,” she said. “There are no other words. So many deaths all at once. You could hear the explosion from the other side of the town. I was working as a councilwoman – an advantage for the Underground – and there was no way to hide my disgust when we saw just how bad it was. All those Grays...”

  “How did the leadership team respond?” Breck asked. I looked at his face and read a similar disgust to what I was feeling.

  “I fought hard for significant changes to the way we supported the Gray community,” Ann explained. “I wanted them to have more training and better safety plans. I proposed an initiative to review each building containing dangerous materials to ensure safety protocols were in place, and to adjust Gray shifts to decrease the impact of worker fatigue.”

  “I’m sure the Chancellor liked that,” Charlie said.

  “No one else on the team was in the Underground, of course,” Ann said. “Most of the so-called ‘work’ we did was around maintaining control. Of our own power, of the people, of people’s thoughts even. My proposals would show a level of care and decency, but it would mean more work for people in upper echelons and a shift in the way we treated Grays. A change to the status quo. Of course, I was shot down again and again.”

  Ann lead us away from the manufacturing plant towards a Bronze neighborhood.

  “We’re still struggling,” she said. She pointed to the houses around the block. Like most Bronze areas, the houses were smaller and more rundown than in Silver or Gray blocks. “We initially tried to make things more fair by improving the quality of resources for Bronzes and Grays. But it wasn’t sustainable. Golds and Silvers needed wage decreases. Cut off from the UCA, inflation became a problem.”

  “People are upset that they don’t have what they used to,” I said. “That would happen anywhere. When you treat Golds and Silvers like they’re better, then tell them they’re not, it’s going to be a hard adjustment.”

  Ann nodded. “The opposite is true as well. When you give Grays and Bronzes more, but still can’t even things out, it causes more resentment. They’re still in more challenging jobs with more manual labor and longer hours. We’ve tried a few things, but the problem is far from solved.”

  We walked in silence through the neighborhood towards the center of town. Here the streets were busier as people bustled to and from work and community centers. I watched people’s interactions carefully.

  Without insignias, there was no clear identifier for people’s color assignments. Still, you could read people through small differences, like the quality and style of their clothing and the way they held themselves. People still seemed to walk in similar color groups. It made sense – they stayed friendly with the people they spent the most time with even before the uprising.

  “What did you do when people fought back?” I asked. “Not against the leaders, but against the Underground?”

  Ann shook her head. “We don’t have many options. We don’t banish anyone. If they want to stay, they can stay, and we’ll give them a job and money and food. Around fifty people left in the first week after the uprising; I’m not sure where they went. They may have gone to other communities. More people left over time. Many people stayed, even if they’re unhappy. The tension ebbs and flows.”

  “How do you defend yourself against the government?” Charlie asked. “You said the armory was closed off.”

  “We were the ones to close it off,” Ann said with a smirk. “We know few communities have armories, and we know how dangerous weapons would be when the uprising began. We used a lot of manpower to lock down the building. It was the only way to keep the death count so low.”

  I wondered what it would be like to have an armory in Young Woods. To have grown up near weapons. Did people there use the weapons? If not, who did? Were the weapons being stored so that the UCA could defend itself against other countries, or against their own people?

  WE TREKKED BACK TOWARDS the F-Lab after touring the town center and Chancellor’s mansion. I was used to seeing an empty, beautifully-kept lawn outside the mansion. It was only used for special occasions. Now it was full of people eating lunch or meeting friends.

  “I was in fertility,” Breck told Ann. He had leapt ahead to walk next to her, curious about the state of their research. “I haven’t had access to an F-Lab since Etta became pregnant. I’d like to provide you with some samples, and I’d like to be part of the research if I can.”

  “And what can we do to find out more about the missing children?” I asked. I noticed Alexis wouldn’t make eye contact with me when they were mentioned, and I wanted to test my theory. Sure enough, she slipped back from me when I spoke, now walking beside Charlie.

  “I’ll look into it like I said, Yami,” Ann said. Her smile was wearing on me.

  We arrived at the F-Lab. “It’s just like ours,” Breck whispered. That was no surprise; all of the communities I’d been in so far looked just about the same. It was reassuring to see the updated technology. If the F-Lab was still in such good shape, the Med must have the best equipment necessary to help Matana’s head injury.

  Breck’s face lit up like a child’s at the circus when we got to the main lab area. Researchers crowded the space. I noticed some were training each other; career changes were possible here where they weren’t elsewhere. It made me notice something else. There were no insignias in
sight, but some people still had Gold bands around their TekCasts. I looked carefully at the faces, and could see the hint of tension I noticed earlier. Not everyone was happy with the new system.

  “This is where most of our research takes place,” said Ann, gesturing around the main lab space. “While I would like to see more community leaders overthrown and our nation’s government returned to a democracy, I believe the best step forward is to solve the fertility crisis. Etta, if we can figure out how it was that you got pregnant when no one else can, we’ll have a better way to convince people to join our side. With an end to the crisis, we’ll see a change in people’s mindsets. We won’t need community structures or career assignments, and will show people there’s a better way.”

  I doubted that. This wasn’t a better way, exactly, just a different one. Until the people of Gentle Acres could sort out their new systems, they didn’t have much of a leg to stand on. Charlie smirked; I had probably rolled my eyes involuntarily.

  Plus, now that we had Etta, Breck, and Hope as samples, we were one step closer to finding a cure. But how many steps were there altogether? Ten? Twenty? A thousand? We couldn’t simply wait for a solution we may never find.

  “That all sounds good,” Charlie broke in. “We’d like to help you find the solution if we can. But we’d also like to connect you with our Underground leader, Omer, to discuss how he can help overthrow our own Chancellor. And the most important thing is for us to leave here with the information we need to find Etta and Breck’s daughter.”

  Ann smiled, but her body tensed up. “Of course, Charlie. I can talk with Omer, or one of our council members can. As I told you, though, I don’t have the information that you’re looking for. I will work on it.” She spoke slowly, as if she was frustrated to have to keep repeating herself.

  “Meanwhile, why don’t you all settle down? Breck, we could use your help in the fertility lab. And Yami and Charlie, we can always use more hands in the Med. Why don’t you work with us while giving me a few days to find what you’re looking for?”

  Ann walked away, ending the conversation without so much as a smile. Alexis took Breck and Etta to meet more of the F-Lab researchers. Javi showed Charlie and me to the Med.

  Javi walked ahead and I finally found myself with a little extra space to talk to Charlie. “Did you see her face?” I whispered. “She does not care at all about Hope.”

  “She said she doesn’t know, Yami,” Charlie replied. “At least she can help Matana for now.”

  We passed the town center. It was a little like the other times I had visited new communities. There was a strange otherworldly feeling seeing all the new faces. But unlike those other towns, people in Gentle Acres weren’t fazed by our unfamiliar faces, and merely regarded us with curiosity. There was no danger in showing ourselves. I did wonder if Charlie was right, and if I was being too negative. Maybe this could work for now.

  As we passed through a crowd, I stopped at the sound of shouting.

  “You don’t know what you’re doing, Joel!” a woman yelled. She stood near a man carrying a box of wires and circuit boards. “You can’t just move to the tech building and expect to have a new job waiting for you. We’ve all had training –“

  “Yeah, you had training while I was cleaning toilets, Sasha,” the man said. He must have been a former Gray. “Really lucky you had that cushy job, isn’t it?”

  Someone else joined in. “I’m still doing vending cylinder maintenance, Joel,” he said. “At least you figured out how to make the career change. Just yesterday I was arguing with one of your technicians to update my apartment’s main screen. I don’t have the money for it. Lucky you that you get to work with Sasha now. You got, what? A 45% salary increase?”

  “Lay off,” Joel said. “You’re just jealous I figured it out and you –“

  Alexis hurried us along. I turned back, but their faces were lost in the crowd. Gentle Acres may have new management, but they still hadn’t found a way to fix the flaws in the system itself. What’s best for the community was still not best for any of them.

  CHARLIE MESSAGED OMER after dinner. He set Javi up with the messaging program so Javi could work with Omer on planning something for Young Woods. They knew each other from years ago, and Javi’s whole energy changed when Charlie stepped back to let him take charge. They talked over Omer’s strategy, messaging back and forth among the three of them. I let them do their thing and messaged with Vonna.

  I was embarrassed to think about it, but I needed to be discrete. Charlie didn’t know I’d sent her the messaging program. I had to tell her about Alexis and the new community though.

  “I found my old mentor!”

  “How did you find her?” Vonna asked.

  “She’s here at Gentle Acres.”

  “And it’s all just Underground members? Where is it even located?”

  I sent her a map of the district. “I think there are others out here, but I don’t know where.”

  “Can I come join you?”

  “Yes! I want to get you out of there! Did you figure out where you are?”

  “Kind of.” Vonna seemed incapable of explaining exactly where her ACer camp was. I knew it was within walking distance of Young Woods, or at least a few days walking. She knew it was in the same region. It was like she was too shy to get more information from the adults. It was unusual for someone so young to be at an ACer camp, just like it had been strange when Teo arrived at ours.

  I challenged her to get more involved and learn more about the ACers, then signed out. I needed to go upstairs to talk to Alexis.

  Alexis and Javi had separate bedrooms, but I suspected they were sharing. Her bed was messy like her dorm room had been – bedsheets strewn around, piles of books on the nightstand, clothes falling off hangers in the closet – and I saw what must have been Javi’s shoes laying near the bed. Thick black boots with rubber soles.

  Everything was new – Alexis didn’t get to pack a suitcase before she was banished – but it was familiar, too. Alexis’s style was similar. Her clothes were mostly dark gray and black. She wore bangles on her wrists. She was missing her signature droopy necklace with the fake gem at the bottom. She had gotten a tattoo on her arm of the Underground symbol – the oval with the V in the center. An owl. I noticed it on a few other people while we walked around town. It was almost like it was in style.

  “I can’t believe you’re here!” Alexis said, cocking her head to the side. “You’re so much older but you’re exactly the same too.” I giggled. Besides the superficial things, being with Alexis felt the same. It was like I was fourteen again, listening to her talk about her life and impress me with everything she did. It felt like we were back home, meeting in the cafeteria under the middle class dorms. Only now the stakes were much higher.

  “Alexis, I have to ask you something,” I led. Alexis sat on her bed and her body clenched slightly. “It’s about Ann.”

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  “Ann knows more about the missing kids than she says,” I said. “I think she knows where they are, but won’t tell us.” Alexis didn’t answer. I had never seen her so nervous, except for the day she disappeared. She had definitely never seemed nervous to be talking to me of all people. “What do you know about it?”

  Alexis stood and shut the bedroom door, then sat next to me on the bed. She straightened the bedspread with her hand for a moment before answering.

  “She does. We do. I do,” she stuttered. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I can do about it.”

  I felt something shift in our relationship. This wasn’t the same as it had been years ago. I was as much involved in the Underground and the ACer community as Alexis was...maybe more. Alexis was almost stuck where she was, following Ann’s directions and staying in line. She wasn’t following the Chancellor, but she was still beholden to someone else’s priorities. I could still make choices for myself. I had a say when Sven made choices, and when I didn’t agree with something, there was noth
ing stopping me from trying things my own way.

  “What do you mean?” I asked slowly.

  “Several of us know,” Alexis said. “Maybe everyone, I don’t know. There’s a lot of gossip. But I’ve heard Ann talking about it before. There’s a sort of...school near here, not too far by car. It’s supposed to be where biological kids are taken. Most of them go as babies, I think, though it sounds like your friend’s child was much older. I bet Hope’s there, though.”

  I shot to my feet.

  “Why wouldn’t you do something about it?” I cried. I knew I was talking too loudly but didn’t care. Breck and Etta deserved to know too. “How could you know those kids were there but not do anything about it?”

  Alexis stood up and looked me in the eyes. “You don’t know what’s going on, Yami,” she snipped. “It’s not as simple as right versus wrong. Ann won’t let us use the resources to investigate because she wants to focus on research. We don’t have the supplies we need to split our focus. And Ann is in charge of more than she should be.”

  I didn’t care. I never had what I needed to do it right, but I protected Etta during and after her pregnancy.

  “Is that why there’s so much unrest?” I said. “Can no one figure out career assignments and training? What are you going to do when there aren’t new clones in the nursery and the education buildings have to shut down?”

  “Ann isn’t working on it,” Alexis said sadly. “Don’t get me wrong – I’m glad I’m here. Ann is good at encouraging everyone and rallying support. But it’s not perfect. Even without our insignia, people are stereotyped by what they used to be. No one forgot.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I said. “You don’t have to just follow what the Director says. You’ve been involved in Underground work before, haven’t you? Javi would help; you’ve worked together before. Even if you can’t do anything about fixing the town, you can go save those kids.”