The Clone Paradox (The Ark Project, Book I)

by J. W. Elliot

  Kaiden sank into the chair again and bowed his head. This must be why he had never been able to choose Willow over Jade. In his subconscious, he had known she was using him. He had known she was the source of his pain.

  What else had she done? Would he ever be able to trust the memories that clogged his brain? The memories, which he thought made him human, had, in fact, led him to murder his own mother in a futile attempt to stop her. He had allowed himself to be manipulated by two of the women he had cared about the most. Both of them had been willing to sacrifice him to achieve their goals. Willow had failed. His mother had succeeded. She had outsmarted them all in the end. Maybe Willow’s goals had been less evil, and he had come to share them in the end—but she had still used him.

  His mother had even managed to frustrate Kaiden’s desperate attempts to save at least a few natural humans. She had been thorough. The map at TAP indicated that all the space stations had Trees of Life of their own. So far as Kaiden knew, no natural human on earth or in space had survived the catastrophe. Their bodies lay rotting beneath the burning sun in great heaps and piles that would make all the megacities uninhabitable.

  His mother had cleansed the earth of its inhabitants in one fell swoop. Her flood had destroyed millions of years of evolution and genetic diversity. Would her crop of eight to ten million clones be enough? Could they survive this final holocaust?

  The last entry in Willow’s diary was a photograph of Kaiden with his family. His heart raced, and tears sprang to his eyes. His mother sported a fancy, red dress, and the bright, red lipstick. His father dressed in a dark suit and flashed a big, toothy grin. Rose wore the frilly, pink dress she liked so much. Her smile showed the little dimples on her cheeks. He stood between them, gangly in his teenage skin, all legs and no muscle. Kaiden’s heart ached. Tears dripped from his chin. This must have been how Willow finally understood who Kaiden was. Why hadn’t she told him? She said she was unsure, and she did try to convince him not to go hunting for Noah.

  The bitter irony burned in his throat. He had started down this path to find the family he had lost. And rather than finding the love and acceptance he so longed for, he’d found a woman who had already sacrificed him—not once, but many times—and who had just tried to kill him again.

  He had murdered the clone of his mother to save humanity, all for nothing. How could he live with himself after what he’d done? He wasn’t a monster because he was a clone. That had all been nonsense dredged up in the confusion when his identity had been stripped from him. He was a monster because he had done the unthinkable.

  Voices approached. Kaiden rubbed the tears from his eyes and clicked back to the part of the diary where Willow explained what she had done to him. He might as well show it to the others. They had a right to know.

  Jade entered with the three Roses in tow. She gave him a sad smile as the three girls came to sit beside him on the bench. They cast wary glances at Willow’s silent prostrate form, so Jade reached to tug the blanket over Willow’s face.

  Each girl had changed from their dresses to the more military-style dress of TAP security. Their hair was combed back in ponytails, and they eyed him curiously. They were close in age. Without the pink dresses, he realized that they were between nine and eleven years old.

  When Kaiden didn’t smile back at Jade, she laid a hand on his arm. “How are you doing?”

  Kaiden glanced up at her and saw the concern in her eyes. He wanted to explain to her what had happened, that he had realized how much he cared for her. But with Willow lying dead beside him and his little sisters looking on, now was not the time. Besides, after learning how Willow and his mother had used him, he wasn’t feeling particularly charitable toward women in general at the moment. Did they all use men like this? He didn’t think Birch did, but she had never been interested in him. He had never been a lady’s man like Greyson, and now he was more convinced than ever that women were way above his pay grade.

  When he didn’t say anything, Jade settled down beside him and placed a cool hand on his.

  “I’m sorry I had to shoot them,” she said.

  Kaiden glanced at her as the stab of loss punched into his chest. Tears welled up in his eyes but didn’t fall.

  “You did what I couldn’t do,” he said.

  “I did what you never should have had to do,” she said.

  Maybe she was right. “Thanks,” he said.

  Jade shook her head. “That’s not the kind of thing you thank someone for, but it had to be done. I wish things were different.” Her gazed strayed to Willow’s still form. “I’m sorry you lost Willow. I know you cared for her.”

  Kaiden swallowed the knot in his throat. How did he explain to her how his conflicting emotions had resolved? She probably thought he had rejected her for good. “I did—as a friend.”

  Jade studied him curiously.

  Why was this so difficult? “I’m glad you weren’t hurt,” he added and reached out to take both her hands. “I’m sorry for…” He trailed off and peered at her with a desperation that boiled in his chest. Their gazes met, and Jade gave him a sad smile. She patted his hand. The Roses fidgeted, and Kaiden reluctantly drew his gaze away from Jade’s beautiful dark eyes.

  “How are you three?” Kaiden said. They peered at him shyly but didn’t reply.

  “I’m still trying to process it,” Jade said. “I mean, billions of people were just murdered, and we couldn’t stop it.”

  Kaiden grunted. “Yeah. Looks like it was all for nothing.”

  “You know,” Jade said. “I was never opposed to cloning because I was sure we were the only real chance humanity had to survive either on this planet or in the stars somewhere.” She shook her head. “But TAP wasn’t giving humanity a second chance. We were just destroying them. Genetically improved doesn’t mean more valuable.” She glanced at the three Roses. “All those innocent children. What a waste.”

  Kaiden sighed, withdrew his hand, and handed her Willow’s computer. “You’ll want to read this.”

  Jade gave the computer an annoyed glance but sat back to read.

  “Where are we going?” one of the Roses asked. They peered up at him shyly.

  “We’ve got to do something about your names,” Kaiden said. “I can’t keep calling you all, Rose.”

  The girls giggled. “I always wanted to be called Jasmine,” the older one said. The other two glanced at each other.

  “How about Rose 1 and Rose 2?” Kaiden said.

  The girls giggled again. “That’s silly,” the middle one said. “You can call me Lily.”

  “All right,” Kaiden said. He glanced at the youngest. “That means you’re Rose.”

  She smiled shyly and stepped over to hug him. He squeezed her and blinked rapidly to keep the tears from falling.

  Jade clicked her tongue in annoyance. “I don’t believe this.”

  Kaiden turned to find her gaze fixed on the computer. He gave her a sad smile. “It seems I can’t trust women.”

  Jade scowled at him. “Don’t paint us all with the same brush.”

  “Who’s Kaiden painting?” Birch said as she stepped into the room. “His paintings would look like Picangelo.”

  Kaiden shook his head. “Birch,” he said, “how do you manage to mix words up in your head?”

  “What?” she said with wide eyes.

  “It’s Picasso,” Jade said, “or Michelangelo. Not sure which one you were shooting for.”

  “Same diff,” Birch said. “So, why is Kaiden painting you?” Birch wiggled her eyebrows at them. “I mean, you’d make a great model, but I’d pick someone else to do the painting if I were you.”

  Jasmine, Rose, and Lily giggled.

  Before Kaiden could respond, Flint’s voice crackled over the mic. “I’ve got a man on the line looking for the leader of the resistance.”

  “What resistan
ce?” Kaiden asked.

  “He means you,” Jade said.

  Kaiden groaned. “There is no resistance. What does he want?”

  “How would I know, boss man?”

  “All right, I’ll talk to him.”

  “I’m putting him through,” Flint said. “You’re on, sir.”

  “Hello?”

  “Yeah. This is Kaiden.”

  “Are you the leader of the clone resistance?”

  “There is no clone resistance,” Kaiden said. “There’s nothing left to resist in case you haven’t noticed.”

  “My name is Omar,” the man said. “I am one of the clones Noah inserted into the government. We are sorry for what you have experienced, and we have orders from Noah to invite you to join us as we rebuild our planet.”

  Kaiden was stunned. “Orders?” he asked.

  “Yes. Just prior to The Flood, Noah sent the Council of Clones her final orders. You and your team are to oversee global security.”

  Kaiden glanced at Birch and Jade. Birch raised her eyebrows. Bitterness burned his throat. His mother had planned everything. And she was still trying to control his life. Well, he was done playing her games.

  “No, thanks,” Kaiden said. “You should know that there are those of us who understand what’s been happening. And we intend to make sure all the other clones know, as well.”

  “To what purpose?” Omar asked.

  Anger burst in Kaiden’s gut. “So you won’t be able to manipulate them anymore, you murderous swine,” he shouted.

  “You would fight against humanity’s last chance at survival just to spite your dead mother?” the man said.

  “No,” Kaiden snapped, “but I will fight any attempt by you or anyone else to control us. The clones have a right to be free. We’ve earned it.”

  “We seek the freedom of all clones,” the man said.

  “Don’t play politician with me,” Kaiden said. “My dad was a politician. My mother murdered billions of people because she couldn’t stand what she couldn’t control. And now, you ask me to help you impose your will on her lab rats? Go stuff your head in a test tube.”

  “You don’t want us as your enemies,” Omar said.

  “I’m not looking for enemies,” Kaiden said. “So long as you leave me alone, we won’t have any problems.”

  Omar was silent.

  “Oh, I see,” Kaiden said. “This isn’t about saving humanity, is it? It’s about controlling humanity. So much for my mother’s perfect, altruistic race. You’re just as greedy and power-hungry as she was.”

  “I would advise you not to interfere,” Omar said.

  “You won’t need me to interfere once the clones realize what you’re up to. You people who lust for power never get it, do you? People, whether they’re naturals or clones, don’t want to be saved and controlled. They want to be liberated. No amount of genetic manipulation is ever going to strip that innate desire from the human soul.”

  “I will relay your refusal to the Council,” Omar said.

  “You do that,” Kaiden said. “And, if we’re lucky, you and I will never meet or speak again.”

  The line fell silent.

  “I’m not sure he liked you,” Flint said over the intercom.

  Kaiden snorted.

  “Well,” Jade said, “I suppose that means we won’t be doing guard duty anymore.”

  “Look,” Kaiden said, “if any of you want to go join them, be my guest. I’m finished.” He glanced at his three little sisters. “I have a family to care for.”

  He hadn’t considered it until now, but that’s what he needed to do. The depopulated world would need to be rebuilt. Why not do it with what family was left to him? He glanced at Jade. She had been so gentle with the girl TAP had killed when they attacked them at the cavern. And she had taken his sisters under her wing. Maybe she would help him with his sisters. He had no idea how to raise three little girls.

  Birch and Jade exchanged glances.

  Birch pursed her lips. “I think a vacation sounds cool,” she said.

  “Sign me up,” Flint said.

  Jade smiled and laid a hand on Kaiden’s arm. Her black hair spilled over her shoulders, and her dark eyes glinted in the light of the cabin. Kaiden’s gut tightened. He had always found her so attractive. He respected her. She was spunky and a good soldier. She kept a cool head under pressure, and she had always been loyal.

  “I guess you have to accept that you’re fully human now,” Jade said. “Not many other options left.”

  The memory of her gentle kiss just after his memories had been restored made the heat rush into his face. It was true. His mother had seen to it that clones were the only humans left standing. “I was an idiot,” he said. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It never really mattered.”

  “That’s a nice change of tune,” Birch said. “I was starting to think you were going to start de-evolving into some kind of sludge. Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”

  “I don’t think de-evolving is a word,” Kaiden said.

  “It is,” Jade said. “It’s a nineteenth-century misconception of evolution because evolution cannot follow the same path twice, and it certainly doesn’t travel backward. Even if some previous trait reasserts itself, it is still just the process of evolution.”

  Kaiden watched Jade. She had a way of simplifying things that was refreshing. Listening to their banter helped ease his sense of loss. Jade met his gaze with a steady, searching gaze of her own. She was asking him what he would do now—trying to understand his intentions.

  “Where to now?” Birch asked. She patted her sidearm and batted her eyelashes at him. “We’re gonna need something fun to do now that all the excitement is over.”

  “Colorado,” Jade said. “My people came from Colorado.”

  Kaiden glanced at her. “I guess we don’t have to go to the stars for you to find a new homeland.”

  Jade frowned. “I’ll be returning home.” She squeezed his hand. “But this time, I won’t be alone.”

  A knot rose in Kaiden’s throat. This had been the thing that had troubled Jade the most, and perhaps it was inevitable that TAP’s programs would leave a person with a sense of isolation.

  “You won’t be alone,” Kaiden said. “Ever again.”

  Tears glistened in Jade’s eyes, and Birch sniffled.

  Lily, Jasmin, and Rose stepped up to them and wrapped their arms around Kaiden and Jade. Birch joined them, and Kaiden realized that Jade had been right all along. It was our values, emotions, and relationships that made us human, that defined the family. Biology mattered, but did not determine the value of human relationships.

  Kaiden tried to encircle them all in his arms as the tears slid down his cheeks. Could he create a new homeland for them? Why not? The original Noah and his three sons had colonized the world. Why shouldn’t he?

  The gunship banked to the left and Kaiden released them and stepped to the window. The dull brown of the rolling hill country passing underneath them was marbled with strips of blue and green, like a diseased organism. Kaiden had gone to Tallahassee to save humanity from his mother’s cure for the diseased earth, and he had failed. Eight million clones were all the hope humanity had left. It would have to be enough.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Survivors

  Forrest scrambled over the rocky rise. Hot stones scorched his hand, though he barely felt the pain anymore. Dust sprang up to burn his parched throat. The sun blazed down with unrelenting fury. He clutched his son, Cedar, to his chest with one hand as he collapsed to the ground panting. He was no longer sweating. It was only a matter of time before he lost all cognitive ability.

  Cedar moaned, and Forrest squeezed him tighter. It had been seven days since the horrible black cloud had swept over the land, slaying his family and friends. He had left their bodies to
bake in the sun as he set out to find some place to hide in case the cloud returned.

  He squinted down into the valley below where something glinted in the waning light of the sun. His eyes wouldn’t focus because he was so dehydrated. They were still sore and gritty from the attack of the virus. He tried to blink some moisture back into them, but his eyelids clung to his eyeballs. Wrestling with the despair and the certainty of coming death, he shifted so the sun wouldn’t shine directly on Cedar’s face. His poor boy. Robbed of his mother, perched on death’s doorstep. Forrest had given him the last of the water hours ago.

  There were only two choices. He could either lay here on the ridge and die, or he could push on. To lie down might be easier, but it would sentence his son to death, as well. He couldn’t do that. Not after everything they’d been through. So, he swung his legs over the stone, sat on his backside, and scooted down the rocky slope, using one hand and his feet to control his descent. He was too weak and dizzy to walk, but the promise of some shade or some water in that rocky vale drew him on.

  The wild buzzing was the first thing to penetrate the dull haze of his thoughts. Then, the stench and the blurred shapes of bodies stretched out on the ground, swollen in death, materialized from the heat waves rippling over the bare land. The bodies twitched as the mass of maggots wriggled beneath the skin. A woman clung to two children. A man had fallen over them as if trying to protect them. Several more bodies trailed off toward a hovercraft with a long tarp stretched out to one side. All of them had black eyes.

  Forrest crawled past them, barely giving them a glance. The burning desire for water shoved any pity from his mind. As soon as he entered the shade cast by the tarp, the temperature dropped twenty degrees. Green plants sprang from the earth beside a shallow pool of crystal clear water. Forrest set Cedar in the shade and scrambled to the water, plunging his head in.

  He sucked in the cool, delicious water as fast as he could, but the water hit his stomach like a sledgehammer, and he jerked away to retch. His stomach curled into a ball of pain, and he cursed and groaned until the cramping went away, and he could straighten. Wiser now, he took small sips before resting Cedar in his lap and splashing water over his face. The boy came around, and Forrest dribbled water into his mouth. For the first time in days, he experienced the spark of hope that they might survive.