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Scene 1: Aftermath of Lynch II's attack on Tom and Sloan. Same evening. Adrenaline was pumping through Attwood's veins as he hurriedly drove out to the cabin to where Tom and Sloan had been escorted by security officers earlier that day. He was worried about Sloan, dumbfounded, and above all he was furious. He had just spoken with his contact when Tom phoned the Lab to inform him about what had happened. The news stunned him. How could this be? It was a safehouse, he was assured of this, and the men guarding the cabin were the best trained officers in the business. No one knew about this operation outside his division - it was classified - so there was no conceivable way that Lynch's clone could have learned about Tom and Sloan's whereabouts. But he did. And seven men were dead. He knew that members of the new species were smarter and had surpassed humans in their command of technology. They were physically stronger and possessed a sixth sense that gave them quite an advantage over homo sapiens. But how and where did they obtain all their information? Besides, Tom had said that the Lynch's were rogues, outcasts, that their actions were not condoned even by the most radical and violent of the new species. So if the Lynch's were operating outside of the master plan and independently from their species' social structure, then they should be without power, without information. But power they most certainly had. The human body count was proof of that. As he drove away from the University, his mind racing with ideas, suspicions and questions, Attwood once again began to feel like a pawn in a twisted and evil game - as if he were living through an episode of the X-Files. "Special Agent Walter Attwood," he said cynically to himself as he drove towards the mountains. He didn't realize that he was driving almost ninety miles per hour. "Alias Dupe Extraordinaire." He was annoyed with himself and very frustrated with what had become of his life, which of late, had come to mirror nothing but chaos and confusion. Working for the government wasn't supposed to be this way. Being a scientist wasn't supposed to be this way. Perhaps he never really knew what to expect, but he certainly didn't sign up for any of this bullshit! He was supposed to be one of the good guys, but now he wasn't sure who the good guys were anymore. If there were any at all. Then of course there was his boss... his beautiful, enigmatic and ever so annoying contact. He had always suspected her motives and allegiance - integrity was definitely never part of her character. He didn't like or respect her much - not at all, quite frankly - but he nevertheless obediently did as he was told. Good old Walter... always knew his place, always dutiful. But he had just about had it with her and the whole damn group he was working for - the camel's back was near breaking point. One more straw....... He was driving outside the city now and was only twenty minutes away from the cabin. It would've been faster if he had taken a chopper out, but he would have had to authorize the transport and secure a pilot to do so. He decided to drive the full hour and a half instead so to avoid having to call his contact. Police cars had already begun to assemble in front of the cabin when Attwood finally arrived. He was greeted by Ray Petersen as he stepped out of his vehicle. "Where's Sloan?" Attwood asked worriedly as Ray approached him. "She's inside with Tom," Ray answered. "She's in shock, but she's all right. Apparently, Lynch.... his clone .... whatever he was ... held an axe to her neck." "What's happening here...." Attwood said as he surveyed the police officers and paramedics shuffling about. "Clean up time," Petersen said sarcastically. "Tom called me before he called you....and I called the precinct. There are many dead men here, Walter, and I hope that you and your 'contact' are prepared to answer a lot of questions." The tone of his voice was incriminating, suspicious. Ignoring Ray's probing, Attwood turned away and proceeded towards the cabin. He and the former detective had not always played on the same team, and Attwood hadn't yet decided if he liked him. But he did respect and trust Petersen - and that was saying a lot. Attwood found Sloan in the cabin living room sitting next to Tom. She had a blanket wrapped around her, and her eyes were still red and swollen from all her crying. "What happened?" Attwood asked as he knelt in front of Sloan. "Just as I told you," Tom said dryly. "I was hoping that you could tell us more." Tom's gaze was piercing, accusing. He waited for Attwood to respond, perhaps to defend himself. "I'm just as shocked at all of this as the both of you," Attwood explained. "I can't understand how Lynch could've found out where you were." "It's only obvious," Tom replied. "There's a leak from the inside." "You're saying that someone from our side gave Lynch information," Attwood said. "I've considered that too...." "Ever consider that it may be your boss?" Tom asked. But his comment was more a declaration than a question. "Perhaps she wants us dead." "But why?" Sloan interjected. Her voice was weak, and she held tightly to one of Tom's hands. "I don't know." Tom's voice was gentler as he addressed Sloan. "There's clearly a master plan," he continued. "I've told you that before. I just don't know what it is. Only now I suspect that it isn't clear who's playing on which team anymore - and for what reasons." "You mean turncoats, " Sloan reasoned. "Like the school principal working alongside the new species?" "And like me," Tom said. Their hands were still linked. Tom attempted a smile but managed only an awkward smirk. Sloan rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm afraid it may be even more complicated than that," Attwood began. "I have reason to believe that this whole situation is much larger and much more complex than any of us had ever imagined." He knew that he was under suspicion as well, but he didn't blame them for doubting him. After all, he hadn't been upfront with any of them from the beginning. His position in the government required that he tell a few lies here and there, and that he withheld information from certain individuals- but Attwood truly believed that doing so was in the best interest of those around him. He only wanted to protect his colleagues in the Lab.... but he apparently wasn't doing a very good job of it. So now they mistrusted him.... and he doubted himself. It was almost midnight by the time Tom and Sloan finished giving their statements to the police. It was a very cold night, even in the cabin, once all the wood fuelling the heater-oven had burned out. Sloan remained close to Tom the whole evening. She needed to be near him, and much to her surprise he seemed to need her close to him too. As for Attwood... well, he was very supportive, Sloan thought, and was genuinely disturbed at what had happened. There was no sign of his contact, though, and Sloan was relieved that she didn't have to deal with that woman on top of everything else she had already suffered through. During the long drive home she drifted in and out of consciousness as exhaustion caught up with her. She was grateful that she had survived the most frightening ordeal of her life, but it wasn't Lynch she was thinking about. It was Tom. She thought about almost losing him. When she identified Tom's body... or that person who was a mirror image of Tom... she felt fear unlike she had experienced before.... the fear of never speaking to him again, of having to live without him. She realized that for the first time in her life she had come to depend on one man for everything - warmth, strength, comfort... survival. She found it ironic how the man who was supposed to kill her, instead not only saved her life, but also gave it a purpose. She loved him, he knew that, and although unable to love her back he had promised never to leave her. It was enough. 
Scene 2: Early next morning. Whitney University Research Lab. Ed awoke at the crack of dawn that morning and went straight to the Lab. He had so much work to catch up on, and he didn't want to lose any more time than he already had while he was cooped up in his hospital room fighting off that deadly Spanish influenza virus. "If it's war they want," he said to himself as he read through Sloan's lab notes, "it's war they will surely get! And we will give those 1.6 bastards one hell of a fight!" He was ready to work again, anxious really, and fully prepared to give everything he had to his team - and to his species. He missed being in the Lab, and he missed Sloan. He was seeing less and less of her these days. As he studied all the work Sloan and Attwood had done during his infirmary, Ed couldn't help but chuckle as he thumbed through Sloan's lab book. It was meticulously organized, every bit of data documented, and all her conclusions clearly outlined. Yup, same old Sloan.... compulsive, obsessed, brilliant. She had always been that way - even from the first moment they had met in 'Anthropology 101: Introduction to Physical Anthropology.' He remembered how even as an undergraduate Sloan was constantly bombarding professors with questions, correcting their lectures, and reading books like Leaky's 'Origins,' and Darwin's 'Origin of the Species' - for fun! For FUN...she was one sick puppy all right, but he loved her because of it. They became instant friends in college, having so much in common and all, and they even planned their course schedules together to ensure that they were enrolled in the same classes. She was the best 'study buddy' he ever had.... even if her incessant questioning and compulsion for details annoyed him at times. He remembered how fascinated she was with the DNA differential between humans and chimpanzees... only 1.1 percent different. "Just one amino acid separates us from them," she had once said to him. "Wow...that's one powerful protein, don't you think? Look at the differences one protein in our DNA double helix produced!" Ed smiled as he thought about how fitting it was that Sloan be the one to discover the new species. It couldn't have been anyone else. For a long time he had hoped that their friendship would progress and that they would become romantically involved. But Sloan was always too in love with her work and her career - so he had told himself, anyway. All her relationships during college and graduate school were fleeting, superficial. Even that one doctor, the geneticist, she had almost married turned out to be just another passing relationship. It gave Ed hope, though. He secretly carried a torch for Sloan all these years just waiting for the moment when she'd realize how right they were for each other. But that moment never came, and then Tom walked into the picture. Ed had always believed, or perhaps he wanted so much to believe, that Sloan was too much the scientist to ever really fall in love. But he was wrong. He had been wrong about her all along. Sloan was obviously in love with Tom - still very much the brilliant scientist she had always been, but now also deeply in love. There was nothing fleeting or superficial in the way she looked at their 1.6er friend, who, in the past few months had likewise demonstrated his devotion to her. It broke Ed's heart, but interestingly, he wasn't surprised at how things turned out. She was still his best friend, and that was enough for him. It had to be. "Yup, that's Sloan all right," Ed said to himself as he finished studying Sloan's lab book. "Only Sloan would find the man of her dreams outside of her own species! Her Mr. Right....not even human!" He chuckled at how befitting the whole situation was for Sloan. Strangely enough, he was happy for her .... and Tom. The front door of the Lab swung open suddenly, and Ed looked up to see Attwood entering with briefcase in hand and cellular phone in the other. He had just finished a phone call, and he didn't appear very happy. "You're here early, Ed," Attwood said as he proceeded towards his office. "Don't work yourself into a relapse, though. Try to take it easy until you've fully recovered." He entered his office, dropped his briefcase on the floor, then plopped down at his desk. He looked frustrated. Ed followed him into his office. "Tom and Sloan are ok, right?" Ed had heard about the attack on Sloan out at the cabin, and he wanted to make sure that everything was under control. "Yes," Attwood responded. "They're both fine." He sounded like he awoke on the wrong side of the bed that morning .... heck, like he woke up on the floor. "Hey, listen Walter," Ed began. "I've been going over Sloan's notes this morning, and I think she may have been on to something." "About what?" Attwood asked still obviously upset about something. "She had been studying the tick we extracted from Kelly's body, and she developed a really interesting theory based on her analyses." Ed was flipping through the pages of Sloan's lab book. "Well.... are you going to tell me or not?" Attwood voice was impatient. He had dark circles under his eyes - attributable no doubt to sleep deprivation - a common situation among compulsive scientists, and perhaps even more so to scientists working for the Feds. "Are you Ok, Walter," Ed asked. "You don't look so good..." "I'm fine, Ed," he responded abruptly. "I just haven't been sleeping much lately. I've had a lot on my mind, you know...." He stood up from his desk and grabbed Sloan's lab book from Ed. "Let me see that myself..." he said grumpily. "Sloan's analyses revealed that the tick was unlike any other tick known to..." Ed stopped as he fumbled for the correct words. ".... known to our science. It's a new strand of tick...a new species, really." "She wrote in her lab book that if global warming instigated the evolution of a new line of homo sapiens, then it would be logical that global warming would also give rise to other new species and life forms," Attwood said as he read Sloan's notes. "Yes, and this tick is evidence of that. If her theory is correct, we're going to be discovering a lot of genetically advanced critters in the coming years," Ed continued. "Looks like we're going to have to rewrite all our science books and redo all our phylogenic classifications." He was attempting to be funny, but the silence in Attwood's office testified to his failure. "Based on her data Sloan also hypothesized that the tick's secretions were not necessarily supposed to transform Kelly into one of them," Attwood read aloud from the lab book. "The tick's secretions behave like a virus in the host's system - a virus that systematically alters the human molecular structure, but in essence destroys it, which ultimately leads to the complete breakdown of the human physiological system - and death." Attwood was amazed at Sloan's alternate theory. "She wasn't sure that the intention was to transform Kelly into one of them after all, that Kelly was perhaps never supposed to get to 1.6," Attwood continued. "She was thinking that the tick was being used for the same purposes as were the nanites and the Spanish Influenza virus.... to wipe us out using biological weapons.... genocide." Attwood's eyes grew large with anxiety. "But she wasn't sure," Ed said. "She concluded that we didn't have enough data to draw any valid conclusions. She said that she could just as easily argue for our original theory - that they plan to turn us into them." "But her thinking was definitely headed in that other direction," Attwood replied. He handed Sloan's lab book back to Ed. "I suppose so," Ed replied. "But I'd have to disagree with her. I think that it's to our benefit to assume the worst - that the new species plan on making Frankensteins of us all. So I say we fight fire with fire." "By all means," Attwood responded. "I assume you're still working on your gene therapy project?" He turned on his computer and pulled files out from his desk. He looked more awake now and prepared to work on his own projects. "Yes," Ed answered. "I'm still working on my computer models, but I'm close. If they can turn us into one of them, then we should be able to do the same with them." "Well," Attwood began. He was still thinking about Sloan's alternative hypothesis and ideas. She made sense, but Ed was right. Until they had more conclusive data, they had to continue on the path and direction on which they were already walking. "I'll resume my work with nanite technology," Attwood added changing the subject. "We know that a simple electric charge is enough to disable and incapacitate the nanites without harming their human hosts. But we need to develop a method to screen for them, to identify early on those who may be infected with the little bastards - before they start to break down their hosts' immune system. Get out of my office, Ed...we both have lots of work to do." Ed turned to walk out of Attwood's office. He wanted to call Sloan, but it was early and she was probably still asleep. She deserved to sleep in this morning after everything she had been through. He was actually glad that Tom was with her, watching over her and keeping her safe. "One more thing, Walter," Ed said before he closed the door to Attwood's office. "What happened to that school principal?" "After we burned down the orange grove and discontinued the supply of orange juice served in the school's cafeteria," Attwood began, "we relieved that principal of her duties." "What did you do with her?" Ed asked. "I'm not sure," Attwood sounded guilty in his ignorance. "My contact assured me that she was handed over to the proper authorities and that a more trustworthy individual was assigned to her position. So I assume she's in jail." He didn't look at Ed as he spoke. He kept his eyes fixed down at his desk. "You don't sound convinced that that's exactly what happened," Ed commented. "Perhaps because I'm not," Attwood replied still averting his gaze from Ed's. The truth was that he knew that everything he had just told Ed were lies. But he had been lied to as well. "Well that's reassuring," Ed said sarcastically. He turned and shut Attwood's office door. It was going to be a long day.... for the both of them.
Scene 3: Sloan's apartment. Same morning. She was running faster than she had ever run before but it was no use. He was catching up to her... Lynch...his clone.... was right behind her. She could feel his breath on her neck as he panted so close behind her, so close to overtaking her, too close.... she had to keep running, couldn't look back or he would surely catch up with her .... so many trees .... couldn't see where she was going ..... and it was dark! Dark woods .... Lynch chasing her.... where was Tom? Oh, God where was Tom? A sharp pain in her leg... bumped into something in the dark woods.... stumbled... couldn't breathe.... what, no Lynch behind her? Where'd he go? Tom? Where was Tom? She had to find Tom, had to get to Tom before they did.... before who did? ..... Running again... through the woods... still dark...pain in her ankle...she twisted it when she fell... but she had to keep running.... Voices! She heard voices up ahead! No more Lynch... he was gone... nobody chasing her... but she had to get to Tom.... get to Tom before they did...... Back at the cabin.... they had Tom! She was too late, they had Tom...taking him away...dragging him away....no, no, no... she was screaming, running towards the cabin as fast as she could, screaming, screaming, "Tommm....!!!" The sound of her own voice woke her from the nightmare. She had bolted upright in her bed, nightgown drenched in sweat, and she was gasping frantically for breath. Within seconds Tom was at her bedside holding her. "Sloan, Sloan," he said gently. "It's all right. It was just a bad dream. You're all right." He had been asleep on her couch and was still wearing his undershirt and sweats. It was early - just after 7am. "Tom?" Sloan said still trying to catch her breath. "He was after me, Lynch...he was chasing me through the woods..." she began to cry. "Shhhh," Tom was stroking her hair, still holding her close. "It was just a bad dream... Lynch is dead...they're both dead...." "I was looking for you," Sloan sobbed, "but I couldn't find you, I couldn't find you, Tom..." "I'm right here," he said. "I'll always be right here. I'll never leave you, Sloan, you know that." His gentleness and reassurance comforted her, but tears kept flowing from her eyes. "But they took you, Tom," she continued. "I was too late... I didn't get to you in time.... they took you away from me!" She began to sob again. "Who took me, Sloan?" he said holding her face with both his hands. "No one did.... it was just a bad dream!" "No..." she cried. "It seemed so real...it felt so real!" "I'm right here," he said. "It's all right, it's all right..." As usual Tom was determined to comfort Sloan, to give her strength, to 'balance' her as she did him. She was shaking in his arms, sobbing still, and clinging tightly to him. "It's ok," Tom repeated. "It's ok." "I'm sorry," Sloan said composing herself. "It just seemed so real. I was so afraid when I couldn't find you...." "That will never happen," Tom said. He was smiling, and stroking her hair again. "You've been through a lot these past few weeks," he said. "I think you should take a couple days off." "I can't do that," Sloan replied. "We've got so much work to do..." "And Ed and Attwood can cover for you for awhile," Tom interrupted. "You're exhausted, Sloan, and you won't be much help in the Lab if you're that tired." He was right, and she knew it. So she wasn't going to argue with him. She felt better just looking into his eyes. "Ok, you win," she said with a smile. "I need a shower, though. Do you want to make us breakfast while I take a shower?" She leaned her head against his forehead playfully and stroked the side of his face. He was smiling, and Sloan loved it when he smiled at her like that. "I would," Tom began, "but I can't this morning. I told Ray that I'd meet with him to see if we could figure out where the leak in our operation is. We're going to talk to some of his connections on the street, maybe go back to the cabin and look around some more...." "Oh," Sloan said. She was disappointed that he had to leave, but she understood. "What about I take you to lunch?" Tom asked. "Pizza or Chinese, or both? My treat, your choice...." He was still smiling. "I love you, Tom," she said looking into his ocean blue eyes. He sat next to her motionless and silent, but obviously moved at her declaration of affection. "You don't have to say anything," she continued. "I know you're confused and that you don't understand what love is supposed to feel like." He held her hands in his. The expression on his face was serious, and his smile was gone. "Sloan," he began, "It's not that I don't have feelings for you, because I do. I just don't know what to call them, what to make of them. All I know is that what I feel for you is strong, stronger than me - stronger than who I am and who I'm supposed to be - and it's good." He stammered as he thought about how to explain what he was feeling. "Because of what I feel for you, whatever it means, I'm more complete. I'm whole." It was hard for him to find the words to explain his emotions to Sloan. No matter how hard he struggled to share his feelings with her, he couldn't get it exactly right - Tom didn't think so, anyway. But for Sloan, he had told her everything she needed and wanted to hear. She took her time in the shower. As she stood underneath the stream of warm water washing away all the ugliness that had slimed her and invaded her life during the last few weeks, Sloan played back in her mind Tom's declarations of loyalty and devotion to her. She relished his words and the look in his eyes as he stuttered and struggled to tell her how he felt about her, and the way he held her just before he left to meet with Ray that morning. She was really in love. She never thought she could love anyone as much as she loved Tom. Theirs was a relationship unlike any other she had experienced before.... so different even from her relationship with Bill. To think, she actually considered marrying that man - she actually thought she was in love with him. Tom was so different - so incredibly special. She stepped out of the shower feeling much better and more like herself again. She actually considered going to the Lab, but she had promised Tom that she'd stay at home and rest. She'd read a good book, she decided, until Tom came back. As she walked out into her living room she noticed Tom sitting on the sofa. Pleasantly surprised she asked, "That was quick! What are you doing back so soon?" He said nothing and slowly turned to face her. She noticed that he had changed clothes. He was wearing blue jeans and a black T-shirt now... but Tom didn't own any jeans or a...... Her heart stopped as she noticed the cold indifference in his eyes and countenance. The realization of who was sitting on her couch, of who it wasn't, sent chills up her spine. "Who are you?" she asked as she stepped away from him. "Hello, Dr. Parker," the stranger replied. He was the mirror image of Tom - almost indistinguishable from Tom except for the deadness in his eyes and face. "I've waited a long time to meet you." Sloan was terrified. Was he a clone, was he there to kill her, to kill Tom....was he like Tom and empathetic towards humans.... Her fear and shock kept her frozen and unable to speak. "Come now, Dr. Parker," he said tauntingly. "I've heard tales about your intelligence and courage...and about your great love for my brother." He cocked his head to one side, much like Tom did frequently, but his expression was menacing, challenging. "Oh, don't tell me that everything I heard was false, Dr. Parker. Are you as easily intimidated and as cowardly as the rest of your species?" He was standing now and walking slowly towards her. Sloan backed away from him. "What do you want?" she asked. She doubted that this mirror image of the man she loved was anything more than just that. It was obvious that he wasn't anything like Tom, that he felt no empathy towards humans, that he felt nothing at all. "What do you want?" she repeated. "Why, Dr. Parker," he said. "Do I frighten you? Do you think that I would ever hurt the woman who is the source and cause of my brother's betrayal - the reason for his destruction and downfall?" Sloan's pulse was racing. She had backed up against a wall. There was nowhere to run - it seemed pointless to scream - so she met his challenge. "Are you going to kill me," she said with a strong voice. "Or do you want me to help you plan a family reunion?" She remembered that the mummy she and Ed had examined had four uteruses. Tom probably had three siblings, one of whom was dead, and the other was standing in front of her. Great...she had yet to meet the third..... "Oh, Dr. Parker," he said as he laughed. "You truly are quite amusing. But I fail to see what my brother found so irresistible in you that he was willing to betray his own kind and forsake his calling." He had stopped advancing towards her and instead returned to his seat. "Not to worry," he continued. "I'm only here to chat with you, Dr. Parker. When we do finally kill you, and be sure that we will, brother dear will be around to watch. It's only fitting that he does, after all.... call it his just punishment." "We will fight you," Sloan said forcefully. "We will fight for our survival...." She was shaking but trying desperately to hide her fear from him. She knew that her efforts to do so were futile. He looked at her probingly, as if she were a monkey in a cage. "Amusing," he said coldly. "Pathetic, but amusing." He turned away from her and looked blankly at the wall. "You just don't know what you're up against, my dear Sloan....I can call you that, can't I, Sloan?" Sloan said nothing. She thought about running to her fire-escape, to the front door, anywhere just to get away from this...this..this mirror image of Tom...but she couldn't. She stood frozen, back still against a wall. "You can't fight the inevitable, Sloan," he continued. "And what exactly is the inevitable..." Sloan asked. Her voice was trembling, but she couldn't help it. "That we will reign in the kingdom of man," he responded. A smile crept onto his lips. "What you've seen...the tick, the nanites, the flu, the clones....it's only the beginning." "It won't be that easy to defeat us," she said desperately. "We'll defend ourselves no matter what it takes..." "Oh, yes of course you will," he said mockingly. "But using what weapons? Your minds?" He was laughing again. "Your courage? Your physical strength?" He was staring at her, laughing, probing, degrading. "With weapons like your friend's gene therapy?" "How did you know..." Sloan stopped mid-sentence as she recalled Tom's suspicions about there being a leak. "Perhaps you're not as intelligent as everyone says you are, Sloan," he said impatiently. "Are you so slow to figure things out? Don't you realize that converting us, or reverting us to a lower life form such as yours, isn't possible." "If you could do it to us, then..." Sloan began... "Oh, please..." he interrupted. "Do you actually think that we would want to transform the likes of your kind into one of us? You're not worthy....none of you are." "But..." Sloan stammered... "But what?" he interrupted again. "You truly underestimate us, Sloan, if you believe that we would resort to increasing our numbers by bothering to tinker with your inferior genetic structure." He walked to her kitchen and helped himself to an apple. "Mmmm, very sweet...care for one?" Sloan felt nauseous and faint. How she wished Tom were there with her. "No?" he asked as he swallowed a piece of apple. "Well, I'll tell you this, my dear Sloan.... we need not work so hard to secure our place in this world. Nature, evolution, scientific universal laws.... are on our side. We just help things along, but tinkering with your genetic structure is far too much work...and superfluous at that." He continued to munch at his fruit. "I don't understand," Sloan said. "Of course you don't," he began. "But let's see if you can use that brilliant mind of yours to figure things out. Think back, if you will, to your basic biology courses in college. Remember Mendel's early work with genetics....what happened when he crossed tall plants with short plants, Dr. Parker? And what would happen now if you crossed a brown eyed parent with a blue eyed parent?" He was condescending and Sloan hated him for it. "Well?" he asked as he threw out the apple core. "The tall plants, if their genes are homozygous or pure, would produce tall offspring even if they were crossed with short plants," Sloan explained hesitantly. But he did incite her curiosity, and she wanted to find out where he was going with his questioning. "Very good, my dear doctor!" he said mockingly. "And why would purely tall plants produce tall offspring?" "Because their genes are dominant," she replied. "Short plants, their genes are recessive...weaker." She was responding almost unconsciously, detached from her words and thoughts, and not really processing their conversation. "Most excellent!" he said with a smile. "And what about the eye colors... what color eyes would the offspring of blue-eyed and brown-eyed parents have?" "If the parents were homozygous, genetically purely blue and brown eyed, then their offspring would have brown eyes..." she explained. "And why?" he asked as he once again walked towards her. "Because the genes responsible for brown eyes are dominant..." she continued. "Bravo!" he said as he clapped his hands. "See, we have the laws of nature on our side, Dr. Parker. We need not work so hard or waste our technological expertise just to increase our numbers." Sloan still didn't quite understand. She was too tired, too scared, too overwhelmed to think clearly. He sensed her confusion and turned away in disgust. "You still don't understand, do you," he said. "No matter. In a short while you will understand. You will ALL understand just what you're up against." He turned suddenly to her kitchen window, sensing that someone had pulled up in front of her apartment building. "Well, looks like we'll be having company...." Within minutes Sloan heard Tom calling out her name from outside her front door. Tom had sensed she wasn't alone, sensed too, her fear and confusion. He was about to break down her door when it opened suddenly, and Tom found himself face to face with an image he had up until a few days ago only seen in a mirror. "Hello, Tom," the mirror image said to him. "It has been a long time. If your training wasn't a complete failure, you probably don't remember me." Tom stood motionless at Sloan's door. Then an episode from his childhood flashed briefly through his mind.... his mother...his home... "Kyle," he said. "You're Kyle." He looked at Sloan, wanted to go to her, to hold her, to make sure she was all right. But he didn't move. "Well, that proves it," Kyle began. "You're training was a complete washout. How disappointing.... you're disappointing, big brother." He stared coldly into Tom's eyes. "Tom..." Sloan finally cried out. The sound of her frantic voice brought Tom instantly to Sloan's side. He held her protectively, but diffidently. "Are you ok?" he asked. "He didn't hurt you..." He was trembling a little. "Oh, enough already," the voice behind them declared. "Lewis and the others were right about you, Tom," Kyle said. "You've turned out to be a coward and a weakling...completely unworthy of your calling as our leader. I would've never truly believed it unless I saw it with my own eyes. And here's my proof...." He stood at the front door shaking his head. A look of disgust settled on his face as he watched his brother. "If you harmed her in any way, Kyle," Tom said while still holding Sloan, "I promise.... I'll kill you...." He was angry, and his voice sounded just as menacing as his brother's. "Oooh...still have some killer instinct left in you, bro?" Kyle replied. "I think not! But then again, you did kill Lynch's clone the other night didn't you? Well perhaps all hope is not yet lost for you..." Kyle walked out the door but turned to look at them one last time. "I'll see you again, brother...and soon." He glanced at Sloan who was holding on desperately to Tom. "And Dr. Parker...it was a pleasure...a real pleasure." Kyle disappeared down the corridor and Tom considered for a moment going after him - but he didn't want to leave Sloan. He couldn't. "Did he hurt you?" he asked her. "Sloan, did he hurt you?" Worry and anxiety echoed in his voice. "No," she answered. "He just toyed with me, mocked me..." she felt tears coming. "Oh, Tom...at first I thought he was you...I couldn't tell the difference...I should've..." she started to cry again. It seemed like all she did lately was cry. "How could you have known, Sloan?" Tom said reassuringly. "We're mirror images of one another...just like my brother you identified in the alley....Lars...I think his name was Lars." Memories of his childhood had been slowly returning to him, but in fragments and without meaning. "Are you sure you're ok?" He asked again. Sloan nodded. "What did he want?" Tom asked. "I don't know," she answered. "He was talking about Mendel's research in genetics..pea plants...I didn't understand what he was talking about, really, what point he was trying to make..." she felt stupid, useless. "Had something to do with Ed's gene therapy, I think..." "It doesn't matter," Tom said. "He was probably only trying to intimidate you. Don't let him, Sloan....he's gone now." He kissed her sweetly but ardently on her lips. It was what she needed, what she wanted him to do. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked. "Yes," she responded. "Just hold me." And he did. And for that moment, the world was right and everything was just as it should be. |
The End 
