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dizi
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The Three
by Dizi
Chapter 5
"I don't like it." Laying on her bed looking at records, Beth was still hung up on the meeting from several hours ago. "We came across as too cold."
"Geez, Beth, how many times do we have to bring it up?" Amy threw her pencil at her. "We agreed on the tack we should take and we did it."
"You're the one who started it last time, so leave her alone," Carrie ordered, from her position on the floor. More than eighteen months worth of records for students, teachers, staff, and X-Men was too much. Going through them was like looking for a needle in a haystack. However, it was a starting point and they could get lucky. It was also tedious and she couldn't understand why a place so technologically advanced kept their files on paper.
Beth wasn't ready to let go of the subject. "We didn't even explain that the 'memory loss' would be if they were just placed or one of the symptoms indicating they were reaching the end of their shortened life-span. You know they're going to suspect everyone who says they forgot something."
"We didn't tell them a lot of things, we don't know how much to say and how much not to." Amy sighed. "If we worry about it constantly we'll never get anything done. How much help are we going to be then?"
"I know, I even said that earlier, but I just don't like that we seemed like we didn't care." Groaning, Beth handed the pencil back to Amy. "Why do I come up with these things?"
"It's not like you did it alone," Carrie pointed out. She didn't want to open another file anyway. This rehash was a good enough reason as any to put it off. "We all thought we should be as open as we could while trying to be professional. You were just the first to voice it, any one of us could have been the one to do that. I was the worst of the three of us." Making a face, she paraphrased sarcastically, "'We haven't decided whether or not to tell you which of the people you care about most in the world have been replaced by clones who are at worst evil and at best misguided. Sorry.' How much more of a bitch could I have been?"
"You were honest!" Amy protested hotly. "I would have said the same thing. It was that or lie, and we decided not to lie if we didn't have to."
"It was the way I said it. I could have been nicer about it. I could have..." She shrugged. "Just said it differently, I guess."
"Yeah, well, it might not have been very politic of me to say we thought about taking out everyone in this place." Rolling her eyes, Amy got up from the corner of the bed where she had been sitting to pace. "They didn't like that, I could tell."
"That wasn't even our idea, we're the ones who decided against it." Beth sat up, stacking the folders she was done with beside her before they fell. "Warren, Forge, and Hank would have instantly been persona non grata around here if we had gone along with it and the other X-Men found out about their involvement."
"Which we couldn't say without getting the three of them in trouble," Carrie finished. "No, Amy, you shouldn't have said it, but maybe it can help us. There's some people here who don't like authority and I'm sure Scott Summers isn't going to like us for a while."
"I was just thinking that," Beth and Amy both agreed at the same time, making all three smile.
"We should probably call and let the bosses know how we're doing," Beth suggested. "Hank may have already done that, but we want to keep them updated."
"Forge did say he wants to know everything." Carrie personally thought the man was brilliant but he could also be a control freak.
"Oh... I was thinking I would report to Warren." A slight blush she couldn't control pinkened Beth's cheeks. "Technically, he is THE boss. I mean, he's the one paying us, right?"
"If that's the reasoning, how 'bout I call?" Amy mused. "Just the sound of his voice..."
Now self-conscious, Beth twisted her hair around a finger. It was a nervous gesture they all had but only expressed when they were together. Seeing it, her sisters moved closer.
"I'm sorry. You can call him, Beth. I just... I don't want you to give too much to him when you haven't even gotten any encouragement." Amy put an arm around Beth's shoulders. "This is a guy who used to date nothing but models."
"Not that you're not beautiful," Carrie joked, taking the hair out of her sister's hand and putting it over her ear. "Warren is good at business, but in his personal life he's been a little shallow. Everyone refers to him as a playboy."
"And if he really was serious about little Miss Paige, then he could be on the rebound which is never a good bet," Amy finished with her usual warning about that sort of situation.
After being quiet for a moment under their ministrations, Beth finally responded, "I'm interested, not ready to propose marriage. With us being so close to the finish with doing this kind of thing, I want to be ready. I want to have all my little ducks in a row." She took Carrie's hand in one of hers and reached up with the other to touch Amy's bare arm. 'I want to start our life. Even if nothing comes of this feeling I have for Warren, he's offered me a place in his computer department. I'll be able to use my degree.'
'I want this over with too. I've got loads of ideas ready for Karen.' There was a dreamy expression on Amy's face as she gloried in this little taste of their power being used. Until they were ready to reveal all, connecting by tactile contact was the only way they could safely use their limited telepathic abilities without being detected by other telepaths. Limited because it only worked between them. It wasn't what they all wanted but it was enough for now. 'She can't wait to put me to work. Just think, you might be seeing my advertising campaign on the TV in six months. Have you decided what you're going to do, Carrie?'
'I have some choices, but before I make a firm decision I want things settled, everything done. Might go on a month long vacation first.' Squeezing both of them in a quick hug, Carrie wondered how they would be able to live without this every day. But that was part of the reason they had chosen to develop separate lives, they had become too dependent on each other. One of the reasons anyway. 'We should get back to work.'
'Don't let go yet, I want to discuss this so there's no possibility anyone might hear.' Amy tightened her hand briefly. 'Let’s change the way we're searching the files. We should leave the students for now, the staff and X-Men are the most likely targets.'
'It would cut down our work some and makes sense.' The first was Beth's main agreement. There were a lot of students. 'Even if one of the kids is a clone they would have trouble handling the thefts. They'd probably be more for spying on the school.'
'We can't forget that will leave them in a position to watch us now.' Letting go, Carrie smiled and said aloud, "Go ahead and call Warren, Beth. You can be our official liaison with the big guys."
In another part of the mansion, a young woman was about to get into bed but a soft knock on the door startled her. The person she was expecting, her usual bedmate, would not knock. Frowning, she threw on a robe before cracking the door open, then quickly jerked the visitor inside. "Are you insane? He'll be here any minute!"
"No, he won't. I checked first and he's busy." His quick smile didn't meet his eyes. "I bring word from the Creator. The women, they were sent to find and kill us. We all need to be careful not to attract suspicion and, if one of us gets caught, try to make them think there's less of us then there really is to keep the others safe."
"You're telling this to everyone? Some of them can't handle it! And how do we know it's true? You have to feel as I do, we can't trust all the Creator says. Maybe they'll help us."
"I'm not willing to chance it. The Creator offers the best opportunity to live since we were created with stolen technology, and I don't want to die." He paused, looked away to avoid her gaze. "Someone's being brought in for reconditioning."
"Who?" Fear made her voice unnaturally high. More than any, she knew what it meant for one of them to be 'reconditioned'. It was another kind of death.
"I don't know. We'll figure it out, we always do. In the meantime, be smart and do what I said." As though to make up for the harshness of his tone, he touched her arm gently as he turned to go.
"Wait!" Her mind racing, she grabbed at him frantically, stopping him. "Do you really believe they'll kill us or is that what the Creator told you to say?"
"I don't know anymore, I don't know what to believe or what is right." His shoulders drooping, he sighed. "If what the Creator said is even partially true, I plan to stay away from those women."
She nodded understanding. It was the one truth they all had: they didn't have long to live. "I've been thinking. I won't do anything right away, but... We all know this isn't right, taking someone else's place, their life. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if these women were to discover us, find the Creator..."
He stared at her with an unreadable expression. "Do you realize what you're saying?"
"I-I'm saying if there's a chance they will help us, will stop this from going on..." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, finishing with, "I'm going to take it."
"What?!" There wasn't the least bit of gentleness in him as he took hold of her upper arms and shook. "You don't have the right!"
"What right do we have to steal someone else's life?" she demanded. "What right did the Creator have to steal the device in the first place? Worse, what right did the Creator have to make us, to KEEP making more of us, when we're going to die? This is a chance to stop it."
"You'll put us all in danger!" Again he shook her, this time causing her head to snap back. "It's not your decision to make!"
"Stop it!" With a sudden move, she pulled out of his grip. "I'm not going to walk into Xavier's office and confess all in the next five minutes. I've been here longer than you, I can't have much time left before I'm called for reconditioning myself. I'm not going."
Shocked, his mouth dropped open.
"Don't look so surprised, I made that decision weeks ago. I've been a good little clone and did what I was told when I was told to do it, but not anymore." Saying it made her feel strong, in control. "I told you I've been thinking, and I have. It seems as though that was the first thing I decided on my own. When these women came by way of Worthington, it was like a sign. I believe they're going to find the Creator, I believe they'll find the people whose lives we've been living, and I believe they will find all of us here in the mansion. If not these women, then someone else. I believe it because at this point, I have to."
"I know you feel guilty, we all do." He changed tactics, speaking placatingly. "But to throw your life away-"
"I'm not throwing anything away," she interrupted forcefully. "I'm giving my death meaning. What difference does it make if they kill us or we die the way we're meant to? We were all told how bad it is. With the time I have left, I'll be watching them to see what kind of people they are. The rest of you will be able to see what happens with me. If they help, then you can get help too... and if not, nothing's changed. All of you will be in the same position. I'm not doing anything right away, but I think it's a good plan."
"You've really put some thought into this." He was silent a moment, taking it all in. "You don't think you have much time at all, do you?"
"No, I don't. I was one of the first." She shrugged, acting as if it didn't matter. "Maybe that's why I'm willing to try."
"Have you had any symptoms?" He hesitated, finding it morbid but needing to know. "Any indication it's begun?"
"I... I don't think so." She pulled her robe tighter around her body. Not for the warmth it provided, wanting the comfort. "There are instances when I think I don't feel right, but... I just don't know."
"I should tell the Creator, but I won't." He'd felt like she was a mainstay to his limited existence and didn't like talking about her death. It was too close to talking about his own. "I couldn't do what you're planning. Something might not have come across to me properly because I don't like chances. I'll do what I'm told."
"You do what you have to and so will I. Not immediately, just sometime soon." She stepped away from the door so he could leave. "You better go, you have to finish giving the Creator's instruction to the rest."
"I do, yes." Turning the doorknob, he looked back at her. "It's because you love him, isn't it?"
"Yes." It was a simple answer to a complex emotion. "I hope when they find the Creator she's still alive. He'll need her when I'm gone."
"Hey, I think I found a prime candidate." Amy waived a sheet of paper in the air. "She went on vacation with her family ten months ago. About halfway through, she called and got permission for another week."
"Maybe she just wanted to spend more time with her family," Beth suggested without looking up.
"Or maybe they got a sample before she left and started the cloning process before she was even gone," Carrie countered.
"Exactly, depending on how far they'd gotten, the clone would have been able to follow simple instructions to make the call, as long as it didn't get complicated." Excited now, Amy continued with her theory, "Then they snatch the original when she comes back and complete the process in the extra week to give the finishing touches, make any necessary cosmetic changes. I think we should seriously consider her."
"I agree. Put her file with the others we're going to watch," Carrie gestured to the small stack by the door.
"I think it's a stretch," Beth said accusingly. "You're guessing."
"They're all guesses until we find a way to prove it." Amy stretched her body to get out the kinks from sitting in the same place so long. They had been going over the files for hours, most of the day and into the night. "Until one of them makes a mistake we can't reason away and they lead us where we want to go, that's all we can do."
"I think I just don't like this part, files don't tell us enough." Beth snapped the folder in her hands closed. "And I also think my eyes are starting to cross. Let's stop here and pick up in the morning."
"Good idea," Carrie approved. "We'll find more with fresh minds anyway."
Deep in the forest, during the darkest part of the night, a woman trekked to a preordained meeting place. She was scared and elated at the same time, emotions warring within. The reconditioning process was said to be quick but little else was known. Inside, there was the hope that it would extend her life beyond the usual three to four months. Afterall, that was what 'reconditioning' implied.
Her heart felt lodged in her throat at every sound, from her own footsteps to the wind in the trees. She pushed back the fear, telling herself she lived with it every day. Fear of discovery, fear of saying the wrong thing, fear of forgetting a common occurrence, and always fear of death. However, this was fear of the unknown. But even that wasn't new, it was how she began.
Slowing down her fast pace, she looked around for her contact - another unknown. It only now occurred to her to wonder what could possibly be done in the middle of the woods. Wouldn't the Creator need machines? Electricity? Perhaps this was a trap...
"Good. You're on time." Due to so little moonlight making its way through the foliage, she was unable to make out the features of the man stepping from behind a large tree. "Just over here..."
Forcing away her doubts, she moved in the direction he indicated.
Her unease was well founded, but she would never know it. The attack was two-fold and practiced. As she passed by him, the man's hand reached out to touch the bare skin of her arm. Immediately thoughts, emotions, memories, everything that made her a person drained from the clone. At the same instance the process started, someone ten feet away raised a long-barreled hand gun equipped with a silencer, took quick aim, and shot the clone in the chest. It had taken mere seconds but when the man let go, it was only a shell that fell to the ground as the second person moved closer, again took aim, and fired twice more, this time headshots.
Kicking the dead clone derisively, the man whispered, "I don't know why you insist on doing that. Your first bullet is always a mortal wound, more is just a waste."
"The follow-up is for mercy, finishing the kill so she doesn't suffer as she bleeds out." The answer was delivered without emotion, the feminine voice completely neutral.
Dismissing the response, he pointed out, "It doesn't feel anything, there's not enough left to suffer. I wiped it clean. The extra bullets are overkill, and you always do it."
"I give them mercy," she repeated in the same manner. "They suffer more than you will ever know. You can't understand, you don't assimilate what you take, just transfer it from one to the other."
"Whatever." He shrugged. "You're the weirdest clone I've ever seen."
When she didn't answer, he went silent, physically and mentally continuing on to the next phase of the 'reconditioning' cycle. Unaware of what had just transpired, an identical clone was a short distance away. It would replace the clone now disposed of.
Much more emotional than she let on, she followed and watched. She watched him greet the replacement genially. She watched him embed the knowledge of the old clone into the new. She watched him give his master's instruction and send the clone to the X-Men's mansion. Then she watched the clone take it's first real steps of life, knowing the first nigglings of fear was already starting.
"Time to go back." The man brushed off his hands, signaling the job was done. "You know, I think those extra shots aren't about mercy at all. You envy them and want to die yourself. If that's the case, I don't understand. You're trusted, you have a gun and can kill yourself. No one could stop you. Stop irritating me and just do it, if you want to die so bad."
Apparently ignoring him, she continued to watch the new clone, holding her position. Once he got tired of waiting for a response that wasn't coming, he walked away toward a vehicle hidden on a back road. It wasn't until he was out of her presence that she said quietly, "It's not time for me to die yet."
to be continued
I'm not done with chapter 6 yet, only about halfway, so the next posting will be moving on to the next story. Once I post what I have of each story, I plan to go back and post any new chapters in the same order (listed on my bio). So it may be a little while before more of this one is seen. I believe the wait will be worth it. Then again, I'm a little biased.
Thanks for reading and the support,
Dizi
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