Mirrored Man: The Rob Tyler Chronicles Book 1

  “But it will have memories. How is that even possible? I mean, I kind of understand the cloning stuff. Well, I thought I did before you said that it's going to be an exact copy of me, all grown up and everything. But cloned memories?”

  “Everything within the human body is either chemical or electrical.” Don dumbed it down. “There are over a hundred elements in us.” He pointed at the tank again. “See those hoses that are connected to the ports on the wall?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Each one of them is ready to feed the necessary raw materials to an umbilical that you can't see inside the tank. It's the same process we used to produce the fluid and grow the umbilical.”

  “You've got an umbilical cord in there?” Rob’s concern was replaced with fascination.

  “We grew an umbilical in there, but it's not a cord. Your clone will start out attached to the umbilical and then grow from there, to put it much too simply. When his body is complete, it will detach itself, leaving an exact replica of your navel as it is now. The umbilical is ready to start the process of clone building any time now.”

  “But, I've only been here a little over two weeks. You haven't scanned me yet.” Rob’s confusion was growing again.

  “We grew it yesterday in a matter of hours using one of the DNA samples that we collected,” Don replied.

  “Then, why can't you do the whole thing like that? Why the scan?”

  “Because amniotic fluid and umbilicals are infinitely less complex than, oh, say your brain and nervous system and other organs.”

  Rob sighed again. “Makes sense I guess. If you grew the umbilical in hours, how long will it take to grow the clone?”

  “Like he said earlier, just under a week,” Jimmy answered. “Thanks to me.”

  “Thanks to you?” Rob asked doubtfully.

  “Believe it or not,” Don said with a smile, “Jimmy wrote and applied the program that integrated all of the computer systems, making the whole project possible.”

  Jimmy pulled his surgical mask down, then breathed on his gloved fingertips and pretended to polish his nails on the front of his plastic suit.

  “He even figured out a way to create this fog of computers—”

  “It's a cloud of computers. Not a fog,” Jimmy corrected. “And I didn’t create it, I just found a brilliant way to use it.”

  “This cloud of computers that draws on the computing power of the Internet to speed up the process. I don't understand it. But that’s what makes it all possible.”

  “Greater minds than yours have tried and failed, Doctor Cook. So don’t feel bad,” Jimmy chided him.

  “I knew that they must've had a reason for you being here other than comic relief,” Rob said, feeling a bit more like his old self again. “It's a good thing you have a real job, Bennett. Because if you tried to make a living on stage, you'd starve.”

  “Buh dum chi.” Jimmy timed the rim shot impeccably. He had to admit that there was something about Rob that he liked.

  “Without Jimmy, the professor might never have seen his work completed,” Don said appreciatively.

  Rob saw in Don a satisfaction in the knowledge that Yeoum would be rewarded for his decades of effort. He had noticed the father-son relationship the professor had with Don, and with the rest of the team as well. Including Doctors Juan Tiong and June Phillips, whose purpose in the facility precluded Rob from having an occasion to speak with since introductions were made.

  “That's about it,” Don concluded. “After we wake him up, the professor will interview him there”—he pointed to the recliners—“ to find out what he knows, whether he has any memories, if he can speak, that sort of thing.” Don patted Rob on the back and said with more than a little excitement, “Just think, Commander Robert Tyler. One week from tomorrow, you will be able to see yourself in a way that no other human being in history ever has, God willing.”

  God willing. To Don, it was just an expression, like saying “good luck.” A hopeful verbalization, meant only to invoke success in a particular undertaking.

  But Rob knew one thing beyond certainty. No matter what plans humans concoct, God's sovereign will always comes through.

  16 Monkey See, Monkey Do

  25 July 2010

  ROB SPENT THE NEXT few hours of his time exploring the complex. To his disappointment, he found no signs of life. The cloning team was busily making preparations for the coming day’s activities, and June and Tiong were tending to the chimps. Even the rotating pair of NCIS agents had made themselves scarce.

  The facility had a cold sterile feel to it, similar to the atmosphere of an old hospital. He was about to give up and retire to his quarters when he happily stumbled upon the parlor and the computer center. And more importantly, the basketball goal, exercise equipment, and entertainment venues within the center.

  After working up a sweat shooting baskets, he toweled off and headed to the parlor. The room was half the size of the computer center, but its ceiling was lower at a standard eight feet. The walls were of cherry-colored wood paneling on the northern half, which was the living area. Stainless steel was on the south walls, which contained a well-equipped kitchen, including a cappuccino maker, popcorn machine, bread maker, and even a pizza oven. The stainless steel counter wrapped around the perimeter, where a wide variety of foods rested or were stored underneath. All of the appliances were stainless steel, as was the island in the center of the workspace where a six-burner stove and grill were located. Over it, surrounding the hood fan, was a frame where every kind of cooking utensil that Rob could imagine was hanging.

  Rob's eyes came to rest on the oversized, stacked refrigerator-freezer that beckoned to him. He was trying hard to maintain his discipline, remembering Yeoum's promise of “anything you want” after tomorrow’s scan.

  He turned his attention to the other half of the room. The focal point was hanging on the far wall above a narrow eight-foot-long table, which was decorated with an arrangement of flowers. From the 65-inch television, a news anchor cheerfully reported the day’s topics of interest, though the sound was muted. The floor was carpeted in a thick chocolate brown. Four brown leather loveseats and six matching recliners were spaced out to allow their occupants to have an unobstructed view of the screen. There were small, plain, dark wooden tables interspaced between them, one of which had a remote control resting on it. On either side of the tv were three six-and-a-half-foot high bookcases, each containing a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction titles by some of today’s most popular authors. On the floor was a plethora of gaming consoles, their controllers strewn about. The entire area was lit by recessed ceiling fixtures, which bathed it in a warm yellow light that completed the homey feel.

  “The only other thing this room needs is a fireplace. Don't you think?” He turned to face June and Don who had quietly entered the room.

  June nearly jumped out of her skin when Rob spoke, unaware that he was there. She closed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest in order to gather her composure.

  “We weren't trying to sneak up on you, Commander,” Don said.

  “It's after hours, Doctor. You can call me Rob.”

  “Have you met Doctor June Phillips?”

  “Like two ships passing in the night. When I arrived.” He nodded toward June. “Doctor.”

  “I thought we were dropping the titles,” she admonished him. “Call me June.”

  “June, then.”

  “I think it would look good under the tv,” she added, smiling.

  “What would?” Don asked.

  “The fireplace,” Rob explained. “There’s a decided lack of a woman's touch in here, June. Some art work would really spruce the place up.”

  June took a few steps toward Rob as Don turned on the lights in the kitchen and headed to the refrigerator. “Anybody want a water?”

  “Sure,” Rob said.

  “Yeah, I'll take one, too,” replied June. She turned back to Rob. “I don't plan on being around long enough
to have any further influence on the decor.”

  “'Further influence?” Rob asked.

  “Yeah. My contribution was the basketball goal.”

  “Nice, Doc. Maybe we can play a round of horse sometime,” Rob suggested.

  “Careful, Rob,” Don warned. “She's a ringer.”

  “Well, what's the point if there's no challenge?”

  “I may just take you up on that,” June replied, smiling widely.

  “Maybe we can recruit Jimmy and play some two-on-two,” Don said.

  Rob smirked. “I'll take June. Jimmy will be picking himself up off of the floor too much to be of any use to me.”

  The other two chuckled at the implied threat, and June asked, “Aww, has he been that bad?”

  “Worse,” Don confirmed.

  “He's nothing I can’t handle,” Rob said.

  Don joined them in the living room. He handed one of the bottles to June and tossed the other to Rob before plopping down into one of the loveseats nearest the table with the remote. As he reached for the controller, he munched on a handful of grapes and began flipping channels, but he left the sound muted.

  “I know how to handle Jimmy,” June stated with assurance.

  “So do I,” Rob grinned.

  Deciding to break the ice in some way other than discussing Jimmy’s demise, June asked, “What hoops did you have to jump through to get furloughed from the labs?”

  “I had to promise not to break my promise,” Rob answered slyly.

  “What promise?”

  “My diet.”

  June cocked her head questioningly.

  “It seems the professor thinks I'm one of your chimps. He's had me on nothing but fruits, vegetables, and vitamin supplements. With a heavy emphasis on bananas.”

  “For potassium,” Don chimed in. “Because we don't want you cramping up during the scan tomorrow. And don't forget plenty of water, too.”

  June looked at Don as he popped another grape into his mouth. “Tomorrow? I thought it was going to be another week.”

  “You can give the credit to super stud over there. This man," he gestured toward Rob with a grape, "is in excellent physical condition for a man my age, let alone his.” He added with a wink.

  “Please, Doctor,” Rob said in mock embarrassment. “You're gonna make me blush.”

  June furrowed her brow and pursed her lips. “Ooh, a regular Arnold Schwarzenegger macho man, huh?”

  “I prefer to think of myself as an Audie Murphy type.”

  “I used to watch his movies with my parents when I was a kid,” she said, nodding approvingly.

  “What’s your favorite?”

  “The Red Badge of Courage.”

  “To Hell and Back.”

  Don frowned. “Who?”

  Rob's smile vanished, drawing laughter from June as she sat on the arm of the loveseat opposite Don. Realizing he would get no answer, he went back to his channel surfing.

  “So, do you work out a lot?” June asked.

  “Well, being in the military, I have to maintain myself physically. And over the past few months, I had occasion to put in a little extra time.” His smile returned as he remembered the excruciating five-day-a-week routine he had punished Danny Carter with.

  “Has Juan taken you to see the babies?”

  “Babies? Oh, you mean the chimps? No, I'm sorry to say that visiting with the babies hasn't been high on my list of priorities since I got here. I've been … busy.”

  “You've got some time tonight. I'd be happy to introduce you,” June suggested.

  “Maybe after I have dinner.” He started toward the kitchen. “Can't eat anything after six o'clock.”

  “That stinks,” June sympathized. “’Til when?”

  “Tomorrow night. Then it's party time,” Rob said, clapping and then rubbing his hands together. “There’s gonna be steak and a baked potato and—”

  “At the earliest, tomorrow night,” reminded Don. “So long as the scan is successful.”

  Rob stopped in his tracks. “What?”

  Don grimaced, “Didn't the professor tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “Well, if anything goes wrong with the scan—”

  “What could go wrong with the scan?” June and Rob asked simultaneously.

  June looked from Don to Rob and back again. “I thought you only needed to do the scan once. That's all it took with Paris and Charlie.”

  Don looked threateningly at June. “Thank you,” he mouthed.

  “Did we leave something out during my orientation, Doctor?” Rob asked turning toward him.

  Don had strict orders not to discuss the side effect with Rob under any circumstances. Don had protested at first, believing that the commander had a right to know. But Yeoum had reminded him that the unwanted effect had only manifested itself in the chimps. None of the other test animals had shown any sign of it. Even if the effect presented itself in the “human test subject,” as the professor had referred to Rob, they needed only to keep the donor and clone apart. Yeoum had emphasized that if it was made known to the powers-that-be that this “little wrinkle” exists, it could spell the end of their work and ruin them both. Once the human was cloned, they could revisit the issue of the side effect, if necessary.

  “The other subjects were under anesthesia during the scanning process.”

  “Why? Why them and not me?”

  Don needed an answer that would satisfy Rob but not send any red flags June's way. Before she and Tiong had arrived, Don and the professor had used some questionable techniques to advance their work. He wouldn't risk not being able to complete the project. At any cost. Finally, with an exasperated look, he said, “Did you ever try to make a chimp lay still for six hours?”

  June made a distasteful face. “Ugh! I forgot it takes six hours.”

  “And if something does go wrong tomorrow, how long will it take you to find out?” Rob asked with a menacing smile.

  “Oh, we'll know immediately. SIS will tell us.”

  “Sis?”

  “Remember, I told you that Jimmy integrated all of the computer systems together? SIS is the acronym for the command program. Short for Software Integrating System.”

  Rob digested the new information. “You’ll know immediately?”

  “Immediately, even before the scan is complete,” Don said reassuringly.

  Rob begrudgingly accepted the explanation and turned to the refrigerator. He opened the door and quickly slammed it shut again.

  “What's the matter?” June asked. “Are you alright?”

  Rob gave her a mournful look. “There's cheesecake in there. Strawberry cheesecake. No wonder I've been craving it.” He raised his voice. “One of you guys must've eaten some and then you came around me and it oozed out of your pores or something.”

  June couldn't help laughing. Reaching past him, she said with a curt smile, “If you're very, very good tomorrow, you can have some. Excuse me.”

  Rob took a couple of steps away. “Now, June we don't know each other very well, but if you take that you-know-what out of there, we are gonna have a problem.” Rob emphasized his point by pulling a paring knife from the wooden knife block.

  June frowned. “Relax. I just want some grapes.”

  Rob selected a honeydew melon from the basket on the counter and then grabbed a cutting board and started slicing through the fruit to begin preparing himself a fruit salad for dinner.

  June plucked a cluster of grapes from the crisper as she chomped on the one lone grape from the bottom of the drawer. She hadn't noticed that two of the grapes had fallen on the floor and rolled in Rob's direction. She turned on her heel and started back to the living area.

  Rob shifted his stance, crushing one of the grapes under his heel, which caused him to lose his footing enough to plunge the tip of the knife into the base of his left thumb. Reflexively, he pulled it out, causing it to bleed profusely.

  Ignoring the pain, he looked at the flo
or. “Um, Doctor Phillips. I think part of your snack escaped.”

  June stopped half way to her seat, turned and saw Rob reaching for a towel.

  “Oh, I'll do that,” June said, thinking that he intended to clean up whatever mess she made. She trotted back to the kitchen and looked at the floor where Rob was standing. She saw the grapes and a few drops of blood, and then watched as Rob wrapped his left hand with the towel. “Oh, Rob! Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry! Did you cut yourself?”

  “Just my thumb.”

  “Oh,” she groaned. “Is it bad?”

  “It's okay, I've got another one,” he smiled.

  June was so filled with concern and guilt that she got her hands tangled with his trying to help, so Rob gave up and let her do the work. Looking at the substantial cut, she stated flatly, “You're gonna see Doctor Mathers.” It wasn't a request. She wrapped his hand back up, took his other hand and dragged him all the way from the parlor to the major's sickbay, apologizing every few steps along the way.

  Don, intent on his channel surfing, was completely unaware that the incident had even happened.

  Just over an hour and twenty minutes later, after an x-ray of the injured appendage and satisfied that there was no nerve or tendon damage, Greg stitched up the wound as June squirmed uncomfortably at the sight. Rob had refused any kind of medication other than topical ointment, fearing that it might cause a delay in tomorrow's scan.

  “I’m so sorry, Rob,” June repeated, yet again.

  “It’s fine. I’ve suffered far worse, believe me. Besides, it was half my fault. I should have checked the floor for grapes,” he replied, still smiling. Then he turned to the doctor. “What about the sutures, Doc? Will they have any effect on the scan?”

  Greg checked his work again and thought for a moment, “From all that I have studied about the process in the short time that I've been here, none at all. I used polyglycolide thread.”

  “Polyglyco-who?”

  “Its absorbs into the body and the materiel is disposed of naturally. I'm sure that when it gets scanned, it'll just dissipate and get absorbed into the clone.”

  “Should you tell the professor what happened?” June asked.

  Greg smiled wide. “No. That won’t be necessary. I’d rather not upset the professor’s apple cart. Especially now that I’m on his good side.”

  “If I had wheels, I’d be an apple cart,” Rob joked. “And I'd rather not risk having to stay here any longer than is absolutely necessary. I have a family that I'd very much like to get home to.