[DarkStar]

Chapter 4: Ability

When the need is high enough, one can change their appearance, their personality. They can change who they are. If such is the case, drastic things will happen.

Karras sat inside the helicopter, the silent hum of the blades soothed his soul. It was true that he was also known as the one called Freya, but if need be Freya could become Karras. There was no mistake; he was still Freya, just as she was still Karras.

He looked at the box that the Head Mistress had given him. He had opened it when he was still Freya, and inside was a portable PC and a letter. It read:

Dear Freya,

It's about time that I had given in. I talked it over with mom and we have agreed to surrender to your relentless nagging and have gotten you that portable computer you wanted.
Think of it as a departing gift.

From your loving Parents.

What had troubled Karras was that they mentioned departing gift. Maybe they knew they were being targeted. He didn't know, which was bad, as his entire existence was to be able to answer questions Freya couldn't. He delved deep into his mind and saw no answer. It was torture.

"Miss Freya?" said one of the soldiers.

"I'm not Freya," he said, in his own voice, not Freya's.

"Well, whoever. Just strap in, were going to land soon." The soldier turned away.

"Good, just leave me to think."

He pulled on the strap to secure himself to the chair and then pondered on everything. He couldn't find the answer, he couldn't find it. It wasn't there, of all the maths equations and scientific explanations he could come up with, he still couldn't work out what was going to happen. All he could determine was that Freya was important. She was needed in something, but what?

His head was suddenly in piercing pain. All this thinking had used up his limited time. The pain forced him out; he was gripping at his head to stay in. He didn't want to leave just yet. Freya let out a piercing scream as she was once back to her normal self. She looked up at the men busy unhooking themselves from their chairs to try and help her.

"I'm fine," she said loudly, "It was nothing! Really!"

They all looked confused.

"Are you sure? That was a really loud scream you had there," one of them said.

"I'm fine. Please, just forget about it. I'm okay!" she said, giving a cheerful smile. Then she continued in a voice only audible to her, "But why did I have to become him at a time like this? I'm Karras, and he's Freya. Yes, I have questions that need answering, but why now? Especially when there is no answer for those questions?"

There was the sound of the helicopter busy landing and the door slid open. She unclipped herself and jumped out the aircraft, the soldier behind her holding her box. She noticed that it wasn't snowing outside, and that it was rather sunny. She was met by a man that was almost twice her height. He had short brown hair and black eyes. He wore a tight-fitting vest and long white pants. His face was round in a calming way and a gentle smile touched his face.

"It is my pleasure to greet you," he said, "I am Axon. Please follow me, the Supervisor wishes to see you." Freya followed the man into a concrete building. Inside they went down an elevator.

"Um, could we stop off somewhere else first?" Freya asked the tall man.

"Where is it that you wish to stop off?"

"M - My shoulder is in a lot of pain right now," she said, biting back another pang of pain.

"I see. I shall confirm with the Supervisor," he said. He paused for a second, and then continued, "It is confirmed. He shall meet you inside the medical stations,"

"Th - thank you," she said, bearing with the pain.

"So, our guest is here?" James Jerrod said to his subordinate.

"Yes, sir. It is confirmed,"

"I know that. Make sure she's treated well. I'll be up there shortly," he said again, and the man left.

He looked at the giant iron wall in front of him. He walked up to it and pressed a button only he knew. The wall separated and parted, revealing a large glass cylinder.

"She's here, mother. Maybe soon we'll have what we want. For now, just rest,"

He closed the large doors and left his quarters.

"You can't be serious," Freya said, looking at the fourteen year old boy standing in front of her. He had dark blond hair and fresh blue eyes. He had a simple green shirt on and long pants.

"I'm being serious. I'm James Jerrod, the Supervisor of this entire facility. Axon, please explain," he said.

"My Master and creator has been chosen to control and direct all operations inside this base. Mainly due to the fact that his mind has the appropriate workings for the efficient operations of this base, and is therefore suited best as Supervisor and Head of Technical Divisions," Axon said in a manner of fact way.

"Wait, you said he created you. How's that possible? Ouch! Be careful, it hurts!"

The medic working on her shoulder looked up at her and said.

"Sorry, miss, but it's rather hard to work on this. You must have high pain tolerance; your shoulder has been shattered into three pieces! Must have used a H.A. bullet,"

"I'll explain what an H.A. bullet is later. But first, Axon will answer your question," James said, motioning his hand towards Axon.

"Yes, I shall. I am Construct 13, a machine created by James Jerrod."

"You mean, you were made?"

"That is correct. I am based on the prototype A.I. known as ACSUN. Artificial Conclusion System based on Unsystematic Neuralatics. It is in basic terms a system that determines the way I function by a random system of dice. Since my first activation I had a set 'personality' that was chosen randomly by rolling seven-hundred-and-eighty-four twenty-sided dice, and then added together to calculate how I would act in certain situations."

"Which is why sometimes even I can't understand why he makes some of the decisions he does. Clever, isn't it?" James said.

Freya stared at the two. This boy was only a year or so older than her, and he was making things like robots that could think for themselves. This was crazy. Why did she come again?

"You're a bit too smart for your own good," Freya said in a little awe.

"I always get that from people. At least, now that the surgeon has finished on you, let's take you on a grand tour. But first, I want you to say three words for me. 'Ger -," he said, and then Freya cut him off.

"Gertainum, Kirestus, Retalias. I know the words off by heart now. I've had it asked to me twice. Three times including you. Why do people want to know that?" she said in an uninterested voice.

"Interesting. You see, the reason why we ask it is to determine the strength, training, and devotion of a Clone."

"A what?"

"A Clone. Just as it sounds, a replicate of another human being. You are such one of these beings. And by the look of that doctor behind you, you're extremely strong," James said, pointing to the surgeon behind Freya.

Freya looked and noticed that the man was in cold sweat.

"Tell me. How strong is she?" James said, "This is an order."

"Sh - sh - she's a monster! There's no one who could beat her power!" The doctor said in a terrified voice.

"How much training has she had?"

"N - not much at all. But her strength! I swear, she could defeat the United Colonies by herself!"

"And what is her devotion and to which allegiance?"

"She's got no devotion at all. It's like all she wants is peace and quiet. Can I leave now, sir?"

"Yes, good job. Dismissed." James said. When the doctor had left he turned to her. "Do you want to know more?"

Freya nodded. Her shoulder didn't hurt as much any more.

"Fine. Follow me. I'll take that box, don't worry," he said, helping Freya off the bed.

The two walked along a dimly lit corridor.

"Listen carefully. It's a long explanation as to why Clones exist, so I'll only tell you once.

"In the beginning there was a need for cheap, efficient soldiers. Conscription was at the moment the best way to do such a thing. But there was civil unrest and angry mobs assaulted the recruitment centres. Then a woman decided to come up with a theory that involved creating duplicates of a strong gene line. Her theory was perfect, and so her husband built the first cloning vat. It was a huge success. Ah - it's all rather complicated to tell the truth. Basically what happened was that these new 'Clones' replaced the current soldiers, etcetera etcetera."

"Who was this woman who designed the whole system?" Freya asked.

"Jenna Jerrod. The man who built it for her was Jonathan Jerrod." James said.

"You mean - your parents?" Freya said in shock.

"Yes. They're dead now. The new government killed them for the knowledge on how to operate the vats at full effectiveness. Well, to say the least, they killed my father. My mother had already died before that," he said in a grave manner.

"H - How did she die?"

James paused for a moment, apparently thinking of an appropriate answer. He looked at Freya and smiled.

"She gave her life to start the first clone. The first to be made, the last to be born. That's what my dad said when I was only two. He said that my mom's soul is inside the cloning vats, even now. I find it hard to believe," he said, starting to walk again.

"Master, are you sure that this information should be shared with a civilian?" Axon said.

"Of course it shouldn't be shared with a civilian. But who said that she was a civilian?" James said in a complicated manner.

"Yes, I understand." Axon said.

"Um, tell me. What's wrong with this government? It seems fine to me." Freya said.

"Tell me, have you noticed any recent disappearances that haven't been reported by the media?"

Freya shook her head.

"Any soldier banging down your neighbours' doors?"

Again she shook her head.

"Nothing like that?"

She shook her head again.

"That makes life a little more difficult. Looks like you've been living life inside all this time," James said dismissively.

"I have. I found this game I liked and I just kept on playing it." Freya responded.

"I swear, you're hopeless. Well, they've been happening, alright? The government are okay in general, it's not like they don't stop freedom of speech, they just don't like people reacting against them."

"And tell me. Why's it that these Clones, they all look different. Aren't they supposed to duplicates of another person?" Freya asked.

"Well, I'm also having a hard time explaining that myself. It would seem that there's an error on the gene-generator, and it would seem that everyone that comes out is like a completely different person than the last. Also, it kind of makes sense. Think, if you had thirty million people who looked the same busy walking around, it would make people start questioning. At least with this so-called error the Clones can interact within society. My dad told me it was because of my mother and her soul being inside the vats. Axon still thinks it's an error inside the core programming.

"And what do you think?" Freya said, looking at James.

"I haven't decided yet. Like I said, the cause is still unknown. We don't dare delve into the core programming to see if it is an error, in case there're security programs installed. I really don' know," James said, his voice grave.

"Um - then - could you tell me who's genes' were selected to start up the process?" Freya asked, almost foreseeing the answer.

James stopped walking again and he looked up at the ceiling, apparently thinking of an answer again.

"My parents," he said, looking at her, "They used their own genetic structure. You see, they were ideal for the system. My dad was a strong, physical person. He was almost perfect body strength wise. My mom had the brains. Though she lacked in any real muscle, she made up with her brain power. Her theories of any scientific term are rarely wrong and always work out to be perfect. When you think about it, those two put together make a good combination."

He then paused and looked at Freya. Freya looked back at him confused.

"When one thinks about it, we're actually like brother and sister. I think the main reason they made the cloning vats was so that they could have a child," James said, now looking at the ceiling again.

"But aren't they your parents? If they can't have kids then how were you born?" Freya said, even more confused.

"I wasn't. Just to let you know, yesterday was my birthday. And yesterday, fourteen years ago, the first vats was officially declared in full operation. And just to let you know, the growth on the Clones have been accelerated. Which means most of them aren't much older than ten years. But I think that the first project was actually twins. My dad mentioned it once, I think. He said that there were two of us. All I know was that I was the first clone ever to be born. And since I wasn't 'cultured' like the others, I'm just like a normal human being. Except smarter, stronger and more. Well, not exactly, but you get the point. My dad was saying something about another Clone, one that would one day be able to end all this conflict," James said, sighing at the end.

Freya looked at him with wondering eyes.

"But I don't see any conflict"

"When last didn't you pay your bills? The very reason you've been left alone all this time was because you kept quiet and didn't cause trouble, just like a perfect citizen," James said, turning around and starting at her. "Well, let me tell you what happens when your bills aren't paid. They come for you, and they confiscate the total value that you haven't paid. Just as an example. There have been some extreme cases when they think you're busy scheming against them. As I said, all they want is their own little empire that runs perfectly. Ah, here we are."

The three stood at a shoddy elevator door, which looked like it had been unused in years. Freya watched James give her box to Axon and then put his hand on the elevator door. It opened cleanly and neatly, revealing a sparkling and well-maintained interior. James walked inside, followed by Axon.

"You see, if they see an elevator that doesn't work, then they won't bother trying to break through," James said.

"And one last thing," Freya said, walking into the elevator, "What's going to happen to the nursing home you found me at?"

"Well, we can't leave them there; they'll get captured and interrogated for sure. So I had them brought here to be kept under a watchful eye. You see, you won't be permanently separated from your friends. And tell me, what's in that box?" James said, his last question surprising Freya.

"It's just a portable PC, a gift from my parents. At least now I can put that disk to some use," she said, heaving a sigh.

"What disk?"

"I don't know. It's just a game that I liked. I remember that it was really fun."

"Aren't all games?"

The lift door opened again and Freya looked at the single desk in the middle of the room. She looked around. The room was empty except for the desk, which had nothing on it.

"This is my main office. In that wall is the door to my personal quarters. In that wall is the guest room. The last wall isn't for anything," James said, pointing to the left, right and centre respectively.

Freya walked out into the middle of the room. She twirled around on her feet, looking around at the smooth metal surfaces. She wondered how doors could be concealed in such flawless walls. Her question was answered when a portion of the wall on the right slid backwards into the wall itself and then lifted behind it. She felt her heart almost leap out of her chest as she saw three people walk out. Two were her friends, Rika and Melissa and Mistress Harkin. She ran up to them, and then stopped half-way in response to the pain in her shoulder.

"Hey! Freya's here!" Melissa said when she noticed Freya.

"Why are you guys here?" Freya said when she finally made it to them, "I thought you would have been at the girl's home!"

James walked up and spoke for them.

"Well, it's rather complicated. We couldn't risk leaving them where they were, you see. Well, I don't feel like explaining. Axon, would you please?" James said restlessly.

"Yes, of course. What my Master is trying to say is that if we had left the girls and the woman at the foster home, then the United Colonies would show interest and want to come and ask them more details about you. Eventually this asking for details will lead to interrogation, thumbscrews, stretching boards, and other torturous devices, including the 'White Originator.'" Axon said, keeping his voice level and calm. Freya heard James take a sharp intake of air and make a cringing sound.

"Ooh, not that," he said, "That thing's nasty, just a little too nasty."

"Why, what is it? What does it do?" Freya asked.

"Trust me, you don't want to know. Just leave it alone," James said in a pained manner.

"Oh, so you just brought everyone here so that they can be kept safe?" Freya said.

"Well, when you put it that way, yes."

"I hope you haven't forgotten about us!" Rika said behind Freya. Freya turned and looked at her friend.
"Well, of course not," Freya said apologetically.

Rika walked up next to her and looked at Axon.

"Amazing thing, isn't it?" she said, deciding to choose that exact moment to lean on Freya's left shoulder, "with this whole Dictionary Link System,"

Freya bit back a scream and a rather nasty comment. Her face was distorted with discomfort. Axon had his normal calm face, but his eyes widened a little. James seemed to almost start sweating with anxiety.

"I said, isn't it cool? Freya? Freya? Freya!" Rika said, looking at Freya. Then her voice changing drastically when she noticed what she was doing. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" she said, quickly removing her arm.

"It - it's okay. Just, let me recover for a moment," Freya said in a strained voice. Once she had taken a few deep breathes and blanked out the pain she spoke again, "What was that you mentioned about 'Dictionary Link System'?"

This time Axon decided to speak before anyone else had the chance to.

"It is also a part of my A.I. system. It utilises a five-hundred-thousand word dictionary that has all words linked to each other with data pathways," he said in his voice the same calm and level tone.

"Basically it works by looking up a word and then finds every other word that is in its definition, and then looks up those words etcetera. Which means even more flaws to find. I keep finding errors in the system when there's a dead link. I then have to perform a full restart on Axon, and then disassemble his core programming. I fix the problem and put it all back together. And to help with everything I include image referrals so that it can understand the whole word in more detail," James said, making hand gestures that suggested he was attempting to work out how to do everything.

Freya stared at him in awe. Maybe this was his mother's genes kicking in. It certainly had to be from what she had heard so far.

"I don't think that someone like you should be alive. You're way too smart for anyone's own good," she said.

"Well, I don't know. Maybe I should have been twins? Heh, just a little joke I make," he said, "You should get to bed. Some rest would do you good."

"You still never explained what an H.A. bullet is," Freya said promptly, "Tell me now, please."

"Sorry, I forgot. H.A. stands for Hammer Action. You see, when it hits in sends out a burst of compressed air that acts like a hammer. Don't ask why they made it. Maybe it was only designed to break bones, I don't know. Go get some rest. That shoulder of yours needs it," James said. Once he finished he walked off into the elevator. Axon followed him after giving Freya's box to Mistress Harkin.

Freya didn't say anything. She simply turned and walked into the guests' room. Inside it was simple and neat. Everything was decorated in white, and it had comfortable looking chairs and sofas all around. Several doors were in the walls. Freya opened one and found a bedroom inside. It also, like the foster home, had multiple bunks. But at least they looked comfortable. She chose one that looked unoccupied and lay down in it. It even had a T.V. screen above her head. She could get used to this, she really could. She closed her eyes sleepily and yawned. Minutes later she was asleep.

[Lubesh]

Just a couple of things...

it’s about time that I had given in.....maybe 'It was about time I gave in'
“I’m not Freya,” he said, in his own voice, not Freya’s....you have already said in his own voice..to add 'not Freya's is abit superfluous i think

and devotion of a Clone,”..an example of where you use a comma at the end of sentances when a full stop is required..which I have changed.

[Ambrose]

Ah, I read this the other day and just now (today) I realize that it is a chapter in a story. That makes a whole lot more sense, because I was wondering how something this fleshed out could stand on its own. That's not to say you don't do a good job at connecting the happenings surrounding Fraya/other guy (can't remember name) with the politics of your fantasy world. But I do have a concern and that is that new people, like me, may have trouble getting into your story without having read the previous three chapters. Yeah, call me lazy for not sifting through the storiesmania archives to find said lost chapters, but it would be nice if we could get a quick recap as to has happened since the start at the beginning of the story just so we have a general understanding of what is actually going on.

And on to the critique...

Your descriptions were good, though a bit shallow. And by shallow I just mean you could have put in more detail in certain areas to captivate/interest the reader more. There were a few scenes here, like when Fraya is in the secret cloning compound chatting with the 14-year-old boy genius, that immediately jump out at the reader and cause him/her to expect further explication. Unfortunately, said explication is not really there, at least not detail-wise. You do a good job of telling us what the deal is, but this is really a shame because with such a fantastic background for a story you could really derive a lot of literary goodness by just playing more on the detail aspect of the story. If you give us a little detail to chew on, we can imagine the setting and the characters with the vividness afforded by the mind, and thereby further our own experience with your wonderfully creative story.

The narration was fine really. I just wouldn't say it was perfect, partly because it is confusing in some places. The conversations seem totally natural, as opposed to sounding contrived, which is a major plus. But sometimes I didn't follow exactly what you, or one your characters, was talking about. For instance, I didn't get the significance of why you made the main character really, really strong? And why, for that matter, is she a pacifist? While I admit, it's ironic, and that can be good, I think as an author you have to give the reader some sort of input to establish this. Out of curiosity, I wonder: Is Fraya going to come into her own later on in the story and defend the clones against the corrupt government that is trying to exploit them?

The characters were great. I especially like the precocious administrator of the cloning facility. However, I really really wanted to know more backstory about the characters. Yes I know, perhaps I should go back and read the first three chapters before I critique this aspect of your story (oops!), but honestly who has the time nowadays? Heh.

Voice was superb, and very natural sounding. This, I thought, was surprising considering the context which is obviously futuristic. I personally find it hard to talk out of character, especially when that particular character is out of time, or living in the future. So I have to give you props here. Great job.

I have to be frank, I didn't really understand the plot. But it was still very interesting. Now that I'm intrigued i'll probably go back and read the rest of your story. As a single installment though, I thought it possessed a movie quality air. While there wasn't very much action per se, you kept the reader's interest, or at least you kept my interest, out of sheer virtue of information, which you gave a lot of. I especially like the HA bullets, or "hammer action" bullets. Its creative innovations like these that give stories a special, personal flair and it really adds to the overall atmosphere and depth of the story.

You've shown great imagination and storytelling ability here.

[DarkStar]

Thanks a bundle.

Clone (Chapters 1 to 3)

There's the link to the first three chapters.