Exposed

by Maller, Andrea

  “Should we check on Samantha?” Charles asked, straightening his tie.

  “We just left her a short while ago. Let her rest. Besides, I hear a chicken salad sandwich calling to you.”

  Knowing Alex was right, Charles relented and followed him to the cafeteria. There would be plenty of time to see Samantha later. They had a lifetime ahead. An hour more or less wasn’t going to change that.

  Chapter Twenty - Three

  Hearing only the sound of the television, Charles’ eye twitched as he pushed open the door to Alyson and Cassie’s room. He peeked his head in as Alex stood behind him.

  “Is everyone okay in here?” Charles asked, dreading the answer.

  “It’s okay, Dad. You don’t have to worry. We’re not going to have another meltdown.”

  “I wasn’t worried about that, Alyson. I’m concerned for you. Youand Cassie. I’m sorry we left earlier. We didn’t want to intrude.”

  “I’m sorry we worried you. I guess it’s going to take some time before we’re back to our old selves. If we ever are.”

  “How are you feeling now?”

  “I think I can speak for both of us when I say we’re feeling a lot better than the last time you saw us,” Cassie said.

  “That’s good to hear,” Alex said, smiling at his daughter.

  “Are you feeling up to meeting someone?” Charles asked.

  “By someone, do you mean Samantha, Dad?”

  “You know me so well. If you’re ready, I think it’s time you see where you came from.”

  “We’re ready,” Alyson and Cassie said in unison.

  They looked at each other and laughed. The more time they spent together, the more in sync they became with one another.

  “Let’s get to it then. Shall we?” Charles said as he and Alex led the way to Samantha’s room.

  When they got there, they waited outside as Alyson, followed closely behind by Cassie, slowly pushed open the door. There, lying in the bed, was their donor. Alyson’s hands trembled and Cassie reached out to steady them. Their fingers tightly intertwined, they stood before Samantha. Cassie turned her head to face Alyson, waited for a nod of approval, and cleared her throat.

  “He...hello. I’m..Cassie. This is Alyson. We’re your...I’m not sure what we are, but...”

  “It’s okay. I understand you’re nervous. I’m a little nervous, too. It’s not everyday you meet someone who looks exactly like you. How about we just start off with, ‘It’s nice to meet you’ and go from there? I think we can all agree this isn’t a typical situation. I’m very grateful that you’re here. I’m sure things haven’t been easy for you. Mere words can’t express the gratitude I feel, but I do want to thank you...for everything. Without your generosity, I wouldn’t be alive right now.”

  “I guess we could say the same thing,” Alyson said, starting to relax.

  Alyson and Cassie looked at each other, then the three of them burst out laughing.

  “What did Charles tell you? About me? About how we’re connected?” Samantha asked.

  “We can talk about that later. You need your rest. And I guess so do we,” Alyson said, glancing over at Cassie mid-yawn.

  “You’re right. We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other after we’ve had a chance to recover. Waiting a few more days won’t make any difference,” Samantha said, fighting back a yawn.

  “We’ll come back tomorrow,” Cassie said.

  “Get some rest. We’ll do the same,” Alyson said, leading Cassie out of the room.

  Seeing Alyson and Cassie emerge from Samantha’s room, Charles and Alex approached, but said nothing. Charles tried to get a read on his daughter’s face before asking her any questions. She seemed calm. Almost serene. Cassie also had a quiet serenity in her expression.

  “Did...did Samantha answer all your questions?” Charles asked, nervous of the answer.

  “We had a very nice visit. It was...interesting. A little strange, but interesting,” Alyson said.

  “How about you, Cassie? How do you feel?”

  Cassie thought for a moment before answering.

  “Settled. I feel...connected.”

  “That’s good,” Alex said, feeling it a very odd answer, but not wanting to upset his daughter.

  “I think what Cassie means is we feel like we belong. Like there’s a place in this universe for us. It was very strange at first. I mean, she looks just like us, but older. I’m not sure what I was expecting when we went in there, but I did feel an instant connection to her that I can’t really explain.”

  “It’s okay, Alyson. There’s no need to explain. I’m very pleased that you like her.”

  Charles looked down at his feet, then up at Alyson.

  “There’s more that you want to say, isn’t there, Dad? Just tell me. What is it? No more secrets, remember?”

  “You’re right. No more secrets. Secrets are what almost destroyed our family. Never again.”

  “Stop stalling. Just say it.”

  “Right. I should just come out with it. Here goes. You know how I feel about Samantha?”

  “Yes, Dad. We all know how you feel about her. You love her. That’s why you went to such extremes to save her life. It’s pretty obvious how you feel. What are you trying to tell me?”

  “Before Samantha got sick. Before all of this started. We were supposed to get married.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “Well, I haven’t changed my mind. I still want to marry her. I plan to marry her. That is, if she’ll have me.”

  “And...”

  “And if she says yes, I want her to live with me...with us..as a family. The three of us. How do you feel about that?”

  “It sounds like the perfect family, but you’ve forgotten one very important thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “As long as Howard Parker is after me and Cassie, I can’t live with you and Samantha.”

  “How could I forget? I’m so... What was I thinking? I was so caught up in having a normal family moment, I completely pushed him out of my mind. I’m so sorry, Alyson.”

  “That’s okay, Dad. I wish we could live together as a normal family. Samantha seems really nice. I’m glad you have each other.”

  “You look a little tired. You and Cassie should get back to your room. Alex and I will check in on you tomorrow. Get a good night’s sleep. If you’re up to it, maybe I’ll take you outside tomorrow. Some fresh air will do you good.”

  “I really want to go home and sleep in my own bed.”

  “Maybe soon.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Cassie. I love you,” Alex said, giving his daughter a hug.

  “I love you, too.”

  “I’m going to head home now, Alex. Are you coming?” Charles asked, watching Alyson slowly walk back to her room.

  “I’ll be out shortly. I need to tie up a few loose ends in my office. I’ll meet you outside,” Alex said, watching Cassie and Alyson turn the corner and out of sight.

  Charles left the building and waited by the parking lot entrance for Alex. His mind started to wander as he felt the warm breeze on his face. He loosened his tie, let out a long breath, and closed his eyes for a moment.

  “So, we meet again. Finally. Face-to-face with the man who stole my life.”

  “Howard Parker. What are you doing here? You don’t belong on these premises.”

  “Are you going to stop me?”

  Charles’ eye started to twitch. He looked down at the ground to avoid eye contact with the man who tried to destroy his family.

  “I didn’t think so,” Howard said.

  Charles took a deep breath and raised his head, his eyes locking on Howard’s.

  “Get out before I call security.”

  “I don’t think you’re going to do that. I think you want to hear what I have to say.”

  “You’re insane. Why would I care about anything you have to say? You’ve never been anything more than a h
alf-rate scientist. That’s why you never received any recognition from the scientific community.”

  “And you think you’re better than me?”

  “It was never a contest. You’re the lunatic who was always trying to compete with me. Stay away from me. Stay away from my family.”

  “What do you mean your ‘family’? You only have the one daughter, don’t you? Alyson, isn’t it? We’ve met.”

  “Stay away from her!”

  “Are there more like her?”

  “You know very well what the answer to that question is. I know what you did. And if you don’t want anyone else finding out, you’ll...”

  “I’ll what, back off? Not a chance. Don’t forget. I, dear friend, know what you did. But don’t worry. I won’t tell your secret if you don’t tell mine.”

  “Now I know why Samantha never gave you a second glance.”

  “Leave Samantha out of this. If it wasn’t for you polluting her mind with all your theories, she would have been mine. She should have been mine.”

  “Samantha knew you were a self-absorbed, narcissistic, egomaniacal...”

  “Samantha loved me!” Howard blurted out.

  “What did you say?”

  “She should have loved me. She would have loved me if it wasn’t for you poisoning her mind against me.”

  “Face it, Howard. You’re a has been that never was. That’s why Samantha...”

  Howard lunged at Charles, his fingers clenched and tightening around Charles’ neck. Charles wheezed as he gasped for air.

  “You will not beat me again. I will win. People will be praising my name, not yours. My discoveries will be on the covers of every science magazine and the scientific community will be awed by my experiments. Not yours. I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner. I should have done this years ago,” Howard said as he squeezed his hands tighter around his neck.

  “Even...if you...kill me,...she will...never...love...you.”

  Charles started to black out, his body going limp. Howard loosened his grip and Charles fell to the ground. His eyes struggled to focus on Howard who was crouched down in front of him.

  “I believe I have your attention now. Listen up. I’m giving you twenty-four hours to turn them over to me. I want both of them delivered to my lab. I will get them one way or another. I’m giving you the opportunity to do this without me resorting to violence. I would hate it if something bad were to happen to them. We do live in such a dangerous world.”

  “I’ll...”

  “Oh, and if you’re thinking about calling the police, I’m sure they would love to know about how they came to be.”

  “You son-of-a...”

  “One way or another, those clones will be studied. It would be awfully hard to protect them from a prison cell. You’ve got until this time tomorrow. My lab. I’ll be waiting.”

  Howard walked off, smiling to himself as Charles struggled to stand up. He braced himself against the fence and watched as Howard disappeared around the corner. Once he was gone from sight, Charles slumped down to the ground, his head buried in his hands. Alex spotted him and ran over.

  “What happened? What happened to you?”

  “He was here. Howard was here. He gave us an ultimatum. Either we turn over the girls or...”

  “Or what?”

  “It doesn’t matter. We are not giving him our daughters.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “He gave us twenty-four hours so we have to act fast. There’s no time for lengthy elaborate plans. We need to come up with something now!”

  “We have to tell the girls. They need to know what’s happening. Let’s go back inside. Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be fine,” Charles said, rubbing the red handprint on his neck. “All that matters is getting them away from Howard and keeping them safe.”

  Alex and Charles nudged open the door to the girls’ room, peeking inside to see if they were awake.

  “Look, Cassie. Our dads are back again. You just left, Dad. Did you miss us already?”

  “I wish that were the only reason I had to come back. I don’t know how to tell you, so I’m just going to say it. He was here.”

  “What do you mean ‘he,’ Dad? He, who? Not...not Mr. Parker. Not Jake’s dad. Please, Dad. Please tell me that’s not it. Anybody else, but not...”

  Charles’ eye started twitching. Alyson had her answer.

  “No, no, no! It can’t be! You said we would be safe here. Now where are we going to go? There’s no place that’s safe. There’s no place...”

  “Calm down, Alyson. Your dad and I are going to get you and Cassie out of here. We have less than twenty-four hours so we need to brainstorm now and figure out what we’re going to do. Does anyone have any ideas? Cassie? You have that look on your face. What’s your idea?”

  “I don’t know if he can do it, but Rachel’s dad is a pilot. He flies out of the country all the time.”

  “You can’t go on a commercial flight. You’ll be too easy to track.”

  “He doesn’t fly a commercial plane. He flies a cargo plane. He transports shipments out of the country all the time. The last time I spoke to Rachel she said he was flying to France.”

  “Cassie, if you can get us on that plane, we wouldn’t be that far from Switzerland. We could go to Geneva.”

  “Geneva?” Charles asked. “Why Geneva?”

  “Wow! I can’t believe with everything that’s happened, I never got to tell you why I was in your office that day.”

  “Come to think of it, you were there unusually early.”

  “That’s because I was so excited, I couldn’t wait to tell you my news.”

  “You still haven’t told me.”

  “I was coming to tell you I got accepted for an internship in Geneva. It’s supposed to be starting some time around now. I’m sure it’s not too late for me to go.”

  “You got accepted to do research in Geneva? That’s amazing! I am so proud of you.”

  Alyson smiled, comforted by her father’s words.

  “Do they have lodging for you?”

  “There’s student housing for all the interns. Cassie can stay with me. Nobody would even know because we look alike.”

  “I’ll miss you, of course, but I’m relieved to know you’ll have a safe place to stay.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Just one question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Does Howard know about it?”

  “I’m sure he doesn’t. The only person I told is Jake. I can’t imagine he would have said something to his dad about it.”

  “Then we just need to get in touch with Rachel’s father. Alex, I think it would be best if you spoke to Rachel and her father in private. We can’t be too careful.”

  “I agree, Charles. Before you say anything, Cassie, I know you want to go with me, but you need to stay here. I’ll be back soon as I can. In the meantime, Charles will remove the locator chips from your neck and start preparing for your departure.”

  “Good luck, Dad.”

  Alex gave Cassie a quick hug and raced over to Rachel’s house to put the plan into action.

  Chapter Twenty - Four

  “I wonder what’s taking my dad so long. He must have talked to Rachel’s dad by now. Why hasn’t he called?”

  “Relax, Cassie. He’ll call soon. He’s not asking for a cup of flour. This is a huge favor. We need to give him time.”

  “I should have gone with him.”

  “You know that wasn’t possible.”

  “I know you’re right, Alyson. At least your dad got that microchip out of us. I feel a little safer now.”

  “It was really creepy having that thing in us.”

  The door to Alyson and Cassie’s room opened slowly.

  “Hello?”

  “Rachel! I’ve missed you so much. I didn’t think I was ever going to see you again,” Cassie said, hugging her friend tightly.

  “Hi, Rachel,” Alyson
said, trying not to interfere with their reunion.

  “Hello, Alyson. I’m really glad you’re okay. It’s good to see you again.”

  “Have you worked everything out with your dad? Is he going to be able to take us?” Cassie asked, still clinging to Rachel.

  “He has a flight scheduled four hours from now. We’re going to meet him on the tarmac. Your dad will drive me home after you leave.”

  “I wish we didn’t have to go. I’ve barely gotten my life back and now it’s going to be turned upside down again.”

  “It’s not like we’ll never see each other again. I know it’s really far, but maybe I can visit? I’m sure my dad wouldn’t mind me tagging along sometimes.”

  “It won’t be safe for anyone they know to visit,” Charles said.

  “Ever?” Rachel asked.

  Cassie already knew the answer before Charles said a word. She looked at Alyson, then hugged Rachel. Charles was silent. He hated giving bad news.

  “No, Rachel. We can’t take the chance. Not as long as Mr. Parker is around.”

  “I know he was holding you hostage, but is he really that dangerous? I mean, you’re still alive. It’s not like he killed anyone. He’s just an obsessed science geek.”

  “You don’t know everything, Rachel. We saw things while we were in that room.”

  Alyson took a deep breath before speaking.

  “Dad?”

  “What is it, Alyson?”

  “He did kill someone.”

  “What? He what? Who?”

  “His partner, Leonard. He killed him and then disposed of the body somehow. I don’t know what he did with it but I’m guessing he didn’t have a funeral for him. He probably buried him somewhere where he’ll never be found.”

  “He...he killed his partner? And you were...there? You saw it? You saw it happen? Oh my... Alyson, are you okay? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “I...I guess I blocked it out. I didn’t want to think about it or remember. I wish I could just forget everything that happened from the day I walked into that room in your lab. I wish I could just erase my memory and make things go back to normal.”

  “I wish I could do that for you, Alyson. I truly do. I would love to be able to take away all your pain, all your fears. All the bad memories that haunt your dreams at night.”