The next morning, after Jack had left for the clinic, I decided to make my way home and see if Adam was around to help me figure out my little computer. I didn’t want to be the freaky clone starting a new job not knowing how to operate a commonplace device. I also wanted to snoop around about my coworkers, find out if he knew anything about them. I was increasingly nervous about meeting them and also curious about their backgrounds. Were they all natural-born, or were any of them like me? What was their career experience, and would I be out of my element? I hoped Adam would have answers.
Once I arrived on my floor, I went to his door and knocked. He seemed to keep odd hours, and I was glad when he responded to my knock. He looked happy to see me, although his eyes were bleary, as if he’d been up all night.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” I said, hoping I sounded friendlier than I’d been the past couple of days, having been caught up in Jack’s presence.
“You got lucky.” Adam replied, a bit gruffly. He went on to explain that his research team at the Facility had been told to stay home that day, but that no one knew the reason why.
“I’m hearing rumors about something going down, though,” he said ominously, and I wasn’t sure what to make of that. He seemed restless every time I encountered him, and there wasn’t any explanation for it. What could possibly shut down a massive operation like the Facility?
I stayed cheerful, and took out my pocket computer with a questioning look on my face. “Help?” I asked, and he finally conceded a smile and nodded.
He took it from me and, with one deft move, opened it. I hadn’t seen how he’d done it, so I asked him to repeat the motion. There was a little button along the side but it didn’t need to be pressed; just running your finger along it was all that was required.
“Like most everything around here, this pretty much operates on voice commands, but also thought control. It’s fun to try and trip it up by asking bizarre questions, but it’s got an artificial intelligence operating it. You can’t really trick it. Although I do find it lacks a sense of humor.”
I was looking at the little screen, which was blank at the moment, and waited for it to do something. Adam explained that, like all the appliances in my apartment, this was activated by only my voice or my mind. He told me why my computer was separate from my communication device, going into detail as to why the computer had quantum computing circuits and the communicator had more conventional circuits. He took me through all the basic commands to compose notes, letters and documents, take video and pictures, and contact other people, much like my communication device, but with the ability to do multiple tasks at the same time.
I started to enjoy myself, despite never having enjoyed technology in my previous life and still being a bit suspicious of these new contraptions. But in spite of my trepidation, this was so much easier and more fun. And Adam was a good teacher. I could see why he made an ideal researcher.
I slyly began asking him questions about my coworkers on the new team, their education and background. He didn’t seem to mind answering all my questions, and I learned that all the other scientists were natural-born, or Originals as Eva called them; I’d be the only clone. And as such, I would be the de facto leader, having lived in an era before the Travelers arrived, which gave me the edge on how the world worked during its slow death. That put immense pressure on me, and I felt myself tense. No one had ever made me the leader of anything, not even the high school softball team. Adam was becoming quite chatty, and I learned some juicier gossip about the lives of his friends here in the city. Then the conversation turned to current events.
“Did you see the parades being broadcasted yesterday?” he asked me, and I said yes, I’d seen them on the television.
“Yeah well, my friends and I think this whole Travelers’ Appreciation Day is bullshit. Remember how I was telling you some of us want democracy back in the hands of the natural-borns?” His eyes shifted away from mine, as if he wasn’t quite sure yet if he could trust me. I nodded, encouraging him to continue. “We may be coming up with a plan … but …”
He trailed off, shutting up. He shook his head. His eyes made their way back to mine, and I gave a sympathetic smile, hoping he’d give me more details. “Well, see, we’re hearing about stuff happening out in the jungle that’s not normal.” His face scrunched up in a funny parody of contemplation, a peculiar habit of his I’d noticed.
This piqued my interest, as I recalled what Jack had said about the girl in his clinic claiming she had been attacked. “What stuff?” I prodded.
Adam needed no more encouragement at this point. “Some people are coming into the city saying there’s an animal out there that’s not supposed to be there. Or something.”
I’d be out there soon. Did I need to worry?
He seemed confused as to the particulars of the stories, and as a scientist I decided not to arrive at any conclusions without seeing proof of these claims. I still sympathized with what sounded like terrifying incidents for the people reporting them, and I let Adam vent his frustrations, his face continuing to make odd, exaggerated movements. “The Facility doesn’t tell us much, and what they do tell us is stuff meant to placate us into thinking they’ve got it all under control when clearly they don’t….”
While things on this planet certainly seemed utopian on the surface, it was clear there was trouble stirring beneath the shiny veneer of perfection. Still, I couldn’t let this troubled young man detract from my joy at being reunited with Jack and at starting my new job.
I’d learned enough information from Adam, and I decided to go back to my apartment and relax before Jack’s shift was over. He was coming over and had insisted it was his turn to cook dinner. Playing house with him had been the most fun I’d had in … well, ever. Turning Adam’s attention back to my gadget, I thanked him profusely for his tutelage on my device as well as dishing information on my team. It sounded like they’d be amenable to my helming their research, and I felt a little less like an intruder. For the second time since waking up in the Facility, my mind briefly touched on my telepathic ability, and I wondered if it was still intact, if those sorts of things somehow could translate to an entirely new body. If I still had the gift, it would come in handy here. But I decided not to worry too much about it.
Back in my apartment I found myself feeling bored pretty quickly and wondered if I should go for another run. I decided against it, and chose to nap instead. I wouldn’t have much opportunity for being lazy once my assignment began. It was also a good way to pass the time when I was away from Jack. I didn’t dream of my ocean cove, but that was OK. Everything in my real life was pretty perfect, and I didn’t need a subconscious escape.
Jack’s shift finally ended and upon entering my apartment, he called out, “Honey, I’m home!”
And I immediately felt whole again. As promised, Jack threw together a meal that was delicious; he actually had to prepare the stew a bit more than I would have expected, but it was a medley of herbs and spices mixed with the exotic vegetables that couldn’t have been easy to shop for.
We kept our hands to ourselves until after the meal, and then we were like teenagers once again. We ended up on my couch and were staring out the open window at the city that lay beyond, not speaking. I broke the silence when the memory of what Adam had said earlier surfaced in my mind. “That girl who was in shock, the one who was claiming an animal attacked her? What happened?”
Jack was sleepily playing with my hair, and I felt him shrug.
“Another doctor took over her case after I left. Why do you ask?”
“Well, doesn’t it strike you as a bit odd? I mean, we had plenty of close calls with wild animals out in the field, on our missions. It was my job to try and save their lives. But this seems unlike the behavior of anything indigenous to the region….”
I trailed off when I noticed Jack wasn’t really paying attention to my clinical analysis. He was focusing on my bare arm, and I didn’t protest his attentions. It was a while before we talked again.
The days before my assignment began flew by. We fell into a domestic rhythm that seemed completely natural to us. If we hadn’t been in love before in our time together, we were now. Even if we had never met in a previous life, we’d still have been a perfect match in this one. I found myself relying on Jack as my best friend, and it was clear he felt the same way. But all too soon my new job was about to start. And despite his steadfast support, I felt like a child approaching her first day of school. Jack chided me about my nerves, but I reminded him he’d had a number of months to perfect his approach to his work. I’d be dealing with wild animals and, even more frightening, human beings.