Chapter 11 - Subject EightThe words stared back at me.
WELCOME BACK, SUBJECT EIGHT.
I couldn't look away.
Ariel held the black device in her tiny hand.
“Where did you get that?”
She shrugged.
“Daddy gave it to me.”
I looked at the original Glen.
He shook his head.
“Not me.”
The artificial Glen stepped forward.
“What did you do?”
The original stared at him.
“I gave her nothing.”
Mara appeared at the top of the stairs.
“We have company.”
My mother came behind her.
Then my father.
Then Clara.
Everyone was finally in the room.
My mother looked at the screen.
Her face collapsed.
“They activated her.”
I turned.
“What does Subject Eight mean?”
She looked at Ariel.
Then at me.
“You were Subject Seven.”
My heart stopped.
I laughed.
“No.”
“You don't remember because they erased it.”
“I was fourteen.”
“You were their first successful memory-transfer subject.”
I shook my head.
“This is insane.”
My mother stepped closer.
“When you were fourteen, Orion discovered that certain memories could be passed genetically.”
“Through pregnancy?”
“Yes.”
“And Ariel inherited mine?”
“Not only yours.”
She looked at the second girl.
“And hers.”
The second Ariel stepped forward.
“She is my sister.”
I stared.
“What?”
The girl pointed at herself.
“I was born first.”
Ariel grabbed my hand.
“We're both Mommy.”
I felt dizzy.
My mother continued.
“The twin who disappeared was genetically modified.”
“For what?”
“To store information.”
I stared at my daughter.
“You made a child into a hard drive?”
My mother began crying.
“They did.”
“Who?”
“Your father.”
Everyone turned toward my dad.
He looked devastated.
“I was working for Orion.”
Silence.
“You knew?”
He nodded.
“Your mother discovered it.”
“And you let them take my sister?”
“No.”
He fell to his knees.
“I thought I could stop them.”
“You didn't.”
“I tried.”
“And Mom?”
“They threatened you.”
I stared at him.
“So you let her die.”
He shook his head.
“She escaped.”
My mother nodded.
“I did.”
I looked at Ariel.
“What happens now?”
My mother said:
“Orion will come for both girls.”
“Why?”
“Because together they can unlock the archive completely.”
Mara checked her weapon.
“How long?”
“Minutes.”
A loud boom shook the chamber.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
“They're here.”
We had seconds.
The original Glen turned toward the servers.
“There's another exit.”
Mara stopped him.
“How do we know you're not working for Orion?”
“I’m not.”
“Proof?”
He pointed at the artificial Glen.
“Ask him what happened six years ago.”
I looked at my husband.
He struggled to speak.
“The original was taken.”
“And?”
“I was activated.”
“Where?”
“In a laboratory.”
“Who activated you?”
He looked at me.
“My mother.”
Silence.
My mother closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
The artificial Glen stared at her.
“You made me.”
“I saved you.”
“You used me.”
“I gave you a life.”
“You gave me hers.”
He pointed at me.
“You gave me her memories.”
My mother whispered:
“You were supposed to protect her.”
“And I did.”
The original Glen laughed.
“You fell in love.”
The artificial Glen looked at me.
“Yes.”
The room went silent.
Then the servers began screaming.
Data flooded across the screens.
A message appeared:
ARCHIVE OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS.
Mara shouted:
“Someone is deleting everything!”
My mother ran to the computer.
“No!”
She typed furiously.
“We need the master key.”
I looked at Ariel.
She was staring at the keyboard.
Then she reached out.
Tapped three numbers.
8-1-7.
The entire archive stopped.
My mother stared.
“How did you know that?”
Ariel smiled.
“Daddy told me.”
“Which Daddy?”
She pointed toward the server.
A voice came through the speakers.
Not Glen.
Not my father.
Not anyone in the room.
It was my own voice.
Older.
Colder.
And it said:
“You've finally found me.”
I stopped breathing.
The voice continued.
“I've been waiting seventeen years.”
Then every monitor displayed an image of me.
Not now.
Me at fourteen.
Standing in a laboratory.
Smiling.
Beside the original Glen.
My younger self looked directly into the camera.
May you like
And whispered:
“Remember me.”
