The door to the Gayens’ private suite slid open with a luxurious swoosh. Alwin ducked in, eyes darting to every corner and then dragged me in after him.
I couldn’t stop shaking as I took in the huge main room. It looked bigger than the whole of Alwin’s ship. Pale, soft floor coverings went right up to the huge floor-to-ceiling view port. Large sofas, a piano, a whole wall-sized entertainment unit with screen dominated the far wall. We stepped down in the sunken lounge and faced the row of doors on one side. Alwin dropped my hand and tried each one, three on one side and two on the other side of the entertainment unit.
‘Locked,’ he said, running his hand over his head. With a glance at me, he stared out the view port.
‘What do we do now?’ I asked, moving up behind him. He was nervous. I could tell. I wished he would confide in me.
‘Wait and hope for the best. It’s the best I can do. Sorry.’
‘I don’t believe that. You’re way too smart. You’re planning something.’
‘I wish I was, Rae. But I really don’t know what will happen next. I’m completely stumped. I’ve tried to figure it out but I just can’t make sense of it.’
‘And a good thing, too,’ said a familiar male voice.
We both swung round to face Stroder pointing a gun at us. I stared at him, astounded, at first, then puzzled. He looked identical to Stroder but he was in much better shape. His hair was clean and trim and dark. His face looked fairly young compared to Stroder, but it was the same man.
‘Dad? Stroder?’ Those eyes stared at me without warmth. Alwin stepped in front of me, so I peered around him.
‘No, Rae, be careful.’ He tried to push me back. To the man with the gun, he said, ‘Mr Gayens, I presume.’ There was something akin to triumph in his voice.
Those cold eyes shifted to Alwin. Gayens sneered. ‘I’ll deal with you later, meddler. But first I have to get rid of her.’ The gun lifted higher, straight for Alwin. I stepped back and into my father’s line of sight.
‘You’re my Dad? But you look like Stroder. Please tell me what’s going on.’ My brain was seriously overloaded.
‘Oh, I think I get it now,’ Alwin said, squaring his shoulders, seemingly unperturbed by Gayens’ gun.
‘Shut up twerp or you’ll get it before she does.’
‘One of you is a clone. I’m thinking Captain Stroder was your clone.’
‘So what. There wasn’t a law against it at the time. Bloody stupid bastard he was, traitorous, stinking pirate. Who’d have thought my clone would turn out like that blackmailing brigand.’
The gun moved to me again. I couldn’t speak. Alwin edged closer to me, keeping his eye on Gayens at the same time. I could tell he was ready to jump Gayens at any moment. His muscles were tensed and his jaws clenched so tight I could hear his teeth grinding.
‘How did he blackmail you, Gayens? Was it with Rae?’ Alwin looked at me, concern evident in his dark eyes.
‘Rae? Her? Bastard was supposed to kill her for me. But he chose to keep her and blackmailed me instead.’
‘So you’re the one,’ Alwin said, the company auditor again. He seemed happy to solve that riddle. ‘The payments to Stroder. It won’t look good you know—financing pirates.’
Alwin was very close to me. I could feel the heat radiating from his body. He was going to shield me. That made me feel so uneasy. Why did he have to do that? I wanted to be angry at him for rejecting me but now he had to be noble and make me feel guilty for being angry.
‘Don’t worry “wonder” brat,’ Gayens said to Alwin. ‘I’ve got the money to cover it up, to buy my way out.’
‘I get it now,’ Alwin replied, nodding his head. ‘The Clone’s Rights Act of 2044 meant Stroder got a new identity and a substitute gen record. That’s why he didn’t match up as Rae biological father.’
‘Shut up. I know you, recognise you. Your family is washed up aren’t they? Used to be up there with the rest of us elite, but not anymore. There will be no help for you when you’re charged with her murder.’
‘No,’ I shouted and darted in front of Alwin. ‘You can’t do it to him. If you want me dead you have to kill me.’
Alwin sighed audibly. ‘Rae.’
Gayens laughed. ‘I intend to,’ he said. ‘But I won’t take the rap. You should have been dealt with a long time ago. You’ve outlived your usefulness. You’re nothing but a pathetic scrap of genetic material.’
Gayens was sweating and his fingers moved nervously on the gun. He wasn’t used to this, I thought. I’d seen cold-blooded pirates before, seen how they acted. They weren’t like Gayens. He was an amateur.
‘You’re saying she’s a clone?’ Alwin’s bellow nearly parted my hair.
Gayens hacked out a laugh. ‘Oh, yes, just that. She’s is evidence I want destroyed, nothing more.’
That jarred me. ‘I’m a…clone?’ I was flabbergasted. I couldn’t speak for spluttering. What did that mean for me? Was I less than a person? A thing, property? How I wished I’d paid attention to what Alwin had said about the riot. I don’t know what the outcome was. Oh yes, he said something about an Act.
‘No.’ Alwin shouted back, standing up to Gayens. ‘You’re a liar and a cheat. I know she’s not a clone. I did the gen scan. She had no flag on her DNA.’
Gayens frowned, then laughed again. His eyes began to water. ‘I didn’t put a flag on her. You can’t tell if she’s the original or not. No one can.’
‘Why would you do that? You made a clone of yourself and your daughter. Is your wife an original or a copy?’
That made Gayens step forward and jerk his gun at Alwin again. ‘Damn straight the bitch is herself. She found her clone and destroyed it before I animated it. But I’d already made Rae’s replacement by then. She never knew.’
‘Replacement?’ I choked. My head was swimming. I was having a real identity crisis.
‘Yes, he made a replacement after the kidnap, hence, the news codex reporting you had returned. He did it for the money.’
‘Oh you know so much whiz kid,’ Gayens snarled, baring his teeth. ‘But I know all about you, Alwin Anton. How sure are you that your own parents didn’t have you manipulated in vitro? Clever kid, sporty, almost perfect. No way you’re a pure breed.’
‘But it’s not about me, Gayens. It’s about the money. Your wife has all the money. Clones rioted and kidnapped your daughter. You hid the fact and replaced her. Only Stroder’s a dirty, betraying bastard just like you. He didn’t get rid of her to save your skin. He milked you for all he could get. I’m not surprised your clone turned out that way.’
Gayens struck Alwin across the face with the gun. My scream was cut off when Alwin fell sideways leaving me exposed. He lay on the floor dazed.
I looked around for a way out. My eyes flew forward as Gayens’ gun pressed against my forehead.
‘I just have to squeeze,’ he said, though his hand was shaking.
‘Why Dad?’ My tears started to fall. ‘Please, don’t kill me…Daddy,’ I said brokenly.
‘You’re in the way, honey. Sorry.’ His finger squeezed.