CHAPTER 37

PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN

There were two men in the room. Well-dressed and well-mannered men, but also big. One stood by each side of Ephraim’s chair, the entire party opposite Fiona’s desk. To an outside observer, the men might look like Ephraim’s escorts, but he knew them for what they actually were: Guards. Not for him, but to protect Fiona from him. 

She was behind her desk with Maria beside her. The black-haired receptionist, Victoria, stood on Fiona’s other side. A perfect mirror. Three women facing the trio of men across the desk.

Victoria didn’t say that she was only following orders. 

She didn’t say anything that might, in any universe, be construed as an explanation. Accusing people of abduction wasn’t in most receptionists’ job descriptions, but Victoria sure didn’t seem to think doing so was odd. Who knew what else Fiona asked of her?  

 Ephraim’s body kept telling him to shout. But he knew if he did, he’d stand — and if he stood between these two big guards, he’d be knocked back down. Because Fiona was fragile, and all were here to protect the queen.

Ephraim said nothing as his accuser finished her not-really-an-apology and walked back out to her reception desk. He said nothing as Maria told him Riverbed’s story: how sneaking Victoria in through his apartment window to pretend he’d locked her up was a necessary deception, because Wood had been waiting outside.

“The police were already on their way,” Maria told him. “No matter what, you were going to have to face them. It was a temporary ruse. We’d always planned to tell you.”

Controlling his temper, Ephraim asked the obvious question. “I understood why you broke in while I was sleeping to take the clone. But why put Victoria in her place?”

“We couldn’t have the cops barging in to find your bedroom empty.” 

“Why not?”

“Because you were asleep. You didn’t know we’d taken her. It was a split-second decision. When they forced their way in, we knew you’d insist that you had a clone, putting another woman there instead was the least of evils. Wood can’t pursue Eden if he thinks you’re crazy. It’s better if he thinks you’re a lying criminal instead.” 

That didn’t sound right to Ephraim. For one, if Fiona wanted Wood to believe Ephraim’s story and pursue action against Eden, she should release the MyLife and all its damning evidence. And for two, how was being a rapist better than being insane?

Well, the joke’s on you, Maria, he thought, because I’m pretty sure I’m crazy anyway. Nuttier than a squirrel turd. Too many bats in my belfry. The lights are on, but no one’s home. 

“Ephraim? Do you understand?” Fiona said. “We’re sorry. I’m sorry. But this was necessary because you’re a terrible liar. If you’d known you’d wake to find your Sophie clone gone with or without Victoria in her place, Hershel would’ve taken one look at you and known it was a ruse. He knows you and I are in this together. GEM has been all over Riverbed, sniffing around. If you’d reacted as you definitely would have if we’d kept you in the loop, he’d have come right for me. It’d be a short leap, and this time it’d stick.” 

Ephraim’s control snapped like a twig. Fiona wanted to cut the connection between Riverbed and Ephraim? Then why had she used her receptionist to play his accuser? 

He stood. Both men’s hands were immediately on him, holding him in place. 

“You used your goddamn secretary! You sent the most visible fucking person here over to my place!” 

“Calm down, Ephraim.” 

“It doesn’t make any goddamn sense, Fiona! For once, tell me the fucking truth!” 

“I am telling you the truth. Maybe Wood didn’t tell you Victoria’s story, but according to what she told them, you went after her because you saw her here and liked her. She even told GEM that you seemed confused, that you kept asking her if she was Sophie Norris.” 

“What? Why?” 

“Look. I’m sorry. Maybe we could have included you. But we didn’t have time to think; this all happened way too fast. It was all necessary for the greater good.” 

Ephraim shook free of the men, who immediately grabbed him again — harder this time. “‘The greater good’? You mean for your good!”

“This isn’t about me. It’s not even about protecting Riverbed.” 

“BULL FUCKING SHIT.” 

“It’s about protecting the whole,” Fiona persisted, uncharacteristically flustered, talking fast. “You’re not seeing the whole picture. When you messaged me that you’d found what you were searching for, I assumed you meant the clone you’d ordered against my advice. If you recall, I had concerns about how easy it was for you to find a dealer — like the whole thing was a setup.” 

Ephraim tried to interrupt. If Fiona had bodily control, she’d have raised a hand to forestall him. She managed to do the same with her face and a slight rise in her voice. 

“I assumed the clone, if you’d gotten one, would be tracked. Maybe it had a hacked MyLife, and Eden would be watching you through it. Or maybe there was another monitoring system. I had to see so I could know for sure, but Hershel got to you first. I heard about your little chase through traffic. It’s not like we could just go up to your apartment and meet. He’d be watching. I had to send people to extract the clone, let him find you empty handed, and decide you were full of shit. He has to think that you’re wrong about all of this in some way, Ephraim — lying, hiding something, pulling a scam, something. Anything but ‘in possession of a clone.’” 

“The clone clears me! It proves to GEM that my story is true, and maybe I’m not the Eden saboteur everyone’s looking for!” 

“Settle down.” Fiona’s pacifying tone did nothing to soothe him. “Try to understand. I know you’re angry. I would be, too. But slow down for a second and think. Ask yourself what would happen if you gave the clone to Wood?” Then she answered her own question. “He’d have cut it apart. Studied it.” 

“There were cops as witnesses. He couldn’t just—” 

“And would the cops have stuck with him once you were taken in? No. Your Sophie Norris clone would have been a witness at first, maybe even some sort of suspect. But that’d only have gone on until GEM tests identified her as a genuine, unauthorized, highly illegal clone of a living person. At that point, she’d have stopped being a witness and started being genetic evidence — evidence that’s very much under the domain and administration of genetic machines. Once she was declared evidence, GEM could treat her like a hunk of meat if they wanted, just one more machine to study.”

Ephraim wanted to be furious, but what Fiona was saying sounded true. Ephraim doubted that she cared about the clone’s welfare, but her logic was sound. Once the Sophie clone’s identity was confirmed, she’d be Wood’s to do with as he pleased. He wouldn’t need to explain, justify, or report to anyone.

Calmer, but still agitated, Ephraim said, “Where is she? Where is the clone?” 

“We have her.” 

“I know you fucking have her! I asked where!” 

“At another site. She’s fine.” 

“What site?’ 

“A facility.” 

“You don’t have any other facilities in the city.” 

“It’s not a Riverbed facility. Hershel would arrive with a warrant. A slim chance, but possible.” 

“If you don’t tell me which fucking facility …” 

“EZ Store. On Route 15.” 

This took a moment to register. Then Ephraim practically bellowed, “She’s in a motherfucking storage unit?” 

“Take it easy. We’ll relocate her. This was easiest for now.” 

“How big is the unit?” 

The man to Ephraim’s right was easing him down. “Take a seat, sir. You need to take it easy.” 

“How big?” Ephraim insisted, begrudgingly finding his seat. 

Fiona glanced at Maria. Something passed between them; Fiona seemed to encourage Maria. Fine. Go ahead and tell him. 

Maria said, “Three by five.” 

“Three fucking feet?” 

“Calm down, Ephraim,” Fiona barked. “Be self-righteous on your own time. We can all feel sorry for you and your new toy later. For now, clear your goddamn head. Think. This was the only way. I’m sorry we couldn’t let you know in advance, but it had to be done. The clone couldn’t fall into GEM custody no matter what, and there was no way to warn you.” 

But that wasn’t true. Maybe he couldn’t have been trusted to lie convincingly, but they for damn sure could have warned him. Somehow, someone had spelunked into Ephraim’s apartment under Hershel’s nose and pulled Sophie out while inserting Victoria. That didn’t sound quick or easy. Had they come in through the fire escape? Gone up to Mr. Bellham’s apartment to drill a giant hole? Regardless, if they got to Sophie while she was sleeping, they could have gotten to Ephraim. A tap on the shoulder and a whisper would have been plenty.

Hey, Ephraim, we’re stealing your clone and framing you for assault, so roll with it, and Fiona’s bloodsuckers will rescue you from Wood’s interrogation room later. Thanks; see ya; been a pleasure. 

“What are you going to do with her?” Ephraim demanded.

“Nothing invasive. Nothing harmful.” 

“But something that benefits you, right? This isn’t just about keeping her out of GEM’s hands. It’s about your needs, too. Just like what you did with Jonathan’s MyLife.”

Ephraim’s jaw rocked back and forth. His nerves and muscles were taut. His head was fuzzy; his eyes were restless. There were too many problems. Thousands. Millions. 

“It’s like I’ve been saying, over and over,” Fiona said, firmly back in control of this conversation, “the more I understand what Eden is doing, the better we’ll be able to fight them. It’s not enough to ‘expose’ something like this. There’s that piece, sure, but then what? People don’t care how the sausage is made; they just want to eat. There’ll be some uproar over the slave trade if you blow the whistle now, and some Hollywood types will get up in arms. But what are they going to do about it? 

“Eden is a sovereign territory in international waters. They’re militarized with partner nations offering them an ad hoc navy. You can bet we haven’t seen the last of Wallace’s crew; you saw how they escaped to a drilling platform as if they’d meant to jet over there all along. Eden will be back no matter how much stink you try to make over this one clone — but once everyone is tired of being angry, they’ll start wanting to be young again. 

“Maybe the PR machine will churn out an apology commercial featuring Granddaddy Connolly, hologram or not. He’ll promise to be good, then offer everyone half off prices for their return visits. Who will stop them? Can you convince the UN that Eden is hostile, that they should send troops? Nope. The only way to hit Eden permanently is in the wallet. We can’t just show the world what they’re doing. We have to either shut it down for good or offer them competition.” 

Ephraim’s lower lip parted from his top one, his mouth sagging open. This was the first time he’d heard this exact bit of Fiona’s plan so precisely spelled out. In so many ways, it made perfect sense. 

He failed to stifle a tiny, but-of-course laugh.

“You want their technology so you can offer the same services. Sell the same things.” 

“I don’t want to open a spa island in the middle of the ocean or duplicate people and sell them into the sex trade. But right now? Eden is Oz. People act like it’s magic. Whatever it takes to shut it down, we’ll do.” 

“It’s only ‘magic’ because of the smoke and mirrors. You said yourself that Evermore can’t turn back the clock. They’re making clones, then eliminating the originals. Those clones may not be perfect, but they’re close enough.” 

“That’s exactly my point, Ephraim. The idea isn’t for me to make a new Eden. It’s to pull back the curtain and show the world what the island does by doing the same things, but this time in public, under a microscope, in full view of entities like GEM, who will stick their noses into every inch of it. 

“If Riverbed can duplicate Eden’s procedures, it’ll strip the magic away from Connolly’s operation. People will see that there is no way to do the biggest of the things Wallace’s PR machine claims to do. The rest — without the lush setting, fancy spa rooms, and opulence — it’s just science. It’s downright medical. 

“We demystify what they do, and it stops being sexy. Even the services Eden can successfully offer will have to drop to half as expensive, maybe less. You might pay through the nose for a wizard’s work, not so for a medical tech. And without those ‘magical’ prices, how can Eden possibly survive with all the overhead it’s keeping out there on those islands? They’ll never be able to. They’ll crumble under their own weight.”

Ephraim tried to process. His mind wasn’t working right, but his gears were slowly turning. Like always, Fiona seemed to make sense. But while Ephraim believed it, he didn’t trust her motives. Fiona had a history of promising in one direction, then heading in another. 

“What now?” Ephraim asked, not knowing what else to say. 

“I’ll relocate the Sophie clone once my lawyers make sure Wood has no grounds to snoop. I understand that you may want to see her and make sure things are above board. As I said, I would’ve involved you before now, but you’re unstable. You’ve been a risk to everyone, including yourself. I even talked to Dr. Scully. He said that you haven’t checked in with his office, but that he’s been following the Eden story on the news and has tried to call you several times. He said that what’s been happening to you looks like classic breakdown — at least the stuff that’s public. I filled in a few blanks, and he said you needed help, fast. So that’s what I’m juggling: an enterprise on the one hand, and you, as a wild card, on the other. You’ve hardly been a reliable partner for me, Ephraim. Maybe it’s cruel to say, but it’s the truth. I’ve worried, many times, that you’re losing your goddamn mind.” 

“I’m fine.”

“Maybe. But this isn’t just about you. I’ll do what I can to make you feel … better. But we’re not going to build this all around you. It’s not practical or wise. You must be able to see that. But if you want to prove that you’re worth trusting? Then you can go all-in on this instead of hanging out in the middle. I’m doing my best to build our case against Eden, just as we’ve always agreed. Now you can do your part. If you don’t want to be accused of all that Hershel threatened you with, turn things around on him. Everyone at Riverbed believes you already. We’ve seen the clone. I can’t show it to the world just yet; there’s an advantage we need to gain first. But that doesn’t mean you’re helpless, Ephraim.” 

“What the hell can I do without the clone?”

“You can get inside Hershel’s head for me like I asked. See what he truly believes versus what he’s threatening. See if he has leads on Eden that we don’t have. Hershel could join us and help our cause if he weren’t so stubborn, so hell-bent on going against all that he and I agreed on. So that’s what you can do. Get that information out of his head so this can all end a lot sooner. Call his bluff before he calls yours.” 

“You mean, use the Quarry on him.” 

“That’s right. Exactly as planned,” she said it in a final sort of way, as if to underscore the idea that none of this was a surprise to those who’d been paying attention. Only Ephraim, she seemed to say, was confused or thought anything amiss.

“Are we in agreement?” 

After a long moment, Ephraim nodded. Barely. 

“Good.” Fiona looked at Maria. “Take him home. Ephraim, my lawyers have cleared you. GEM agents or police may be watching your apartment, but it’s not bugged or anything like that. Maybe you’re a suspect on the sly, but you’re not one on record. We’ve handled that. They didn’t search your place; my lawyers got in their faces just minutes after they took you and Victoria away. The Quarry will be where you left it. Go home, get the device, and make an appointment to talk to Wood when he calls. Not at GEM; meet on neutral territory. Then do whatever you can to get the Quarry on him. Get us what we need — and then you’ll finally be the one holding the aces.” 

Ephraim was numb, barely aware that he was being shuffled toward the door. He turned, halfway out of the room. “Fiona?” 

“Yes.” 

“What happened to Jonathan?” 

A pause. Then, “I don’t know.” 

“If Jonathan were here, would you have to explain all of this to him as you did to me? Or would your plans be obvious to him?” 

Fiona didn’t seem to understand. She blinked, looked to Maria for help, then finally said, “I’m sure he’d see the logic.” 

“And Fiona?”

“Yes?” 

“If you had a path and Wallace a similar path — and if you already had a relationship with Jonathan so it was probably more natural for him to keep working with you — why do you think he went to Eden to work with Wallace instead?” 

“I don’t know. I guess he had to leave the country after what happened at UCLA. I was in the country, but Wallace wasn’t.” Her answer was rote, but she was clearly disarmed. 

“Did you encourage him to run? Or to stay?” 

“I’m not sure I see where you’re going with the question.” 

Ephraim shrugged. “Never mind.” 

But by the time he was out in the parking lot, Ephraim had decided why that particular piece of the puzzle had been bugging him. 

Fiona had a way of telling anyone to do anything. She was beyond persuasive, almost bullying. The way Hershel told the story, Fiona was the mentor and Jonathan had been her protégée. Jonathan had looked up to her. If she’d wanted him to stay, he would have. 

And that meant she’d either told Jonathan to run to Wallace’s archipelago for reasons of her own, or she’d told him to stay, but he’d run to Eden anyway over her staunch protests. 

Either way, Fiona had lost, and Eden had gained an asset in her most important field of research. 

That must have pissed her off.

One of Fiona’s lawyers drove Ephraim all the way back to his apartment; their ride spent in silence. Dropped him off. Watched as he went inside. The entire time, Ephraim thought: Losing Jonathan must have set Fiona back five or ten years. If he hadn’t defected from Riverbed and run to Eden, it probably would’ve been Fiona, not Wallace, who’d have built paradise, made billions, and cured her own paralysis.

Sure seemed like Fiona would have hated Jonathan Todd a lot, right up until the day he died. And when Fiona hated someone, she had a way of doing something about it rather than just sulking. 

Jonathan was dead. 

And Fiona, he felt increasingly sure, had been behind it.  

Ephraim picked up his Doodad. He dialed. 

“Hershel Wood,” said a voice. 

And Ephraim said, “I’m in.”