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23:24 Saturday 28 September 2069
Karen’s mobile phone rang. She pulled it out of her jeans pocket and pressed the receive call button.
“Hi, Caitlin. I wasn’t expecting to see or hear from you until tomorrow.”
“I know. Sorry, mum. But my car has broken down and I need a lift.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know mum. It just kind of died on me.”
“OK. No problem. I’ll just lock into the coordinates of your location and I’ll come and get you.”
“Thanks, mum. How long will you be?”
‘Not sure. Maybe thirty minutes?”
“OK. I’ll be here. I can’t exactly go anywhere. See you in thirty. Bye, mum. And thanks again.”
Karen rushed out to her car and settled herself into the driving seat. She activated the self-drive function and entered the coordinates of where her daughter would be waiting for her. Pressing the ‘Drive’ icon on the control panel, the car suddenly accelerated and joined the main traffic flow, every vehicle driving at speeds that would have been unsafe for all except formula one drivers.
Exactly twenty-nine minutes later, she pulled up alongside her daughter’s new but crippled car.
“Hi, honey? I thought you’d be staying at Marcus’s place tonight.”
“I was planning to. But I had to get away from him.”
“I know, Caitlin. I hate it as much as you do. But it’s for a good cause.”
“Well, I’ll be glad when it’s over.”
Mother and daughter got into Karen’s car and sped off in the direction of the Boone family home. The journey was spent mainly in silence, except for a brief conversation about where to get the car repaired. The lack of conversation wasn’t because of any animosity, simply because Caitlin appeared to be weighing up something in her mind. About ten minutes away from home, Caitlin broke the most recent silence. She had been well briefed by Marcus.
“I think I might give it a bit longer than a week.”
“Really? I’m surprised. I thought you’d be dying to get away from him.”
“I was. I mean I am. But, as you said, it’s for a good cause. The longer I keep seeing him the more information I might be able to find out. Plus, he is a really good shag.”
“You’re still sleeping with him?”
“I have to. If I don’t, he’ll become suspicious and that could be even more dangerous for me. For all of us. So, I’ll have to keep lying on my back and thinking of England.”
“Can we stop talking about sex with Marcus, please? I don’t like the idea of you still having to be intimate with that man. And I don’t like the word ‘shag’.”
“That clone, you mean.”
“OK. That clone.”
“Mum, do you think it counts if you do it with a clone?”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, it’s not really human, is it? Isn’t it like using a large, sentient, organic vibrator?”
“As far as I understand, a clone is grown from a human cell. A human cell. So he’s human, isn’t he? He’s not built from components. He’s not plastic or metal.”
“So, in your opinion, it counts then. That’s a shame. I’m still going to think of it as a giant dildo. It’s easier to deal with like that.”
Karen was pleased when they arrived home and this awkward conversation could stop.
They entered the living room, where Maurice was sitting in an armchair watching re-runs of old movies on Netflix.
“Hi, honey. Hi Caitlin. I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.”
Caitlin ran over and gave her father a big hug.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you home so soon, either. When did they let you out?”
“Your mum fetched me this afternoon. But I’m under strict orders to take it easy and not exert myself. So, I can watch old movies all day and say that the doctor told me too. So what are you doing home so early?”
“My car broke down and mum came out to rescue me.”
“It shouldn’t break down that easily. It’s new.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Well, it’s nice to have you here for a change. Still, you don’t have to see Marcus for much longer, eh?”
“The clone, dad.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. I think he’s hiding something big. If I stay a bit longer I’ll stand more chance of finding out what he’s up to.”
“Are you sure? I mean, of course, if you can find out what he’s planning, then great. But I don’t want you to stay with him any longer than you have to. I don’t want you to take any unnecessary risks. Your sister gives us enough worries in that department. It’s a wonder I’ve never had a heart attack before.”
“I promise that, as soon as I can, I’ll be out of there. Don’t worry too much about me. I know what I’m doing.”
“It’s our job to worry about you, darling.”