– Chapter Twenty –
All was quiet in Leoben for a while. Leigh was enjoying the company of her parents, and she often found herself forgetting about the threat of Helena and DYAD, especially when beer became involved. The other clones seemed more settled than Leigh had ever seen them too, but Aila had made herself busier than usual.
The doctor insisted on helping with any chores, going out to buy food and supplies, and taking over from Rat and Katja when they made calls to Beth and Janika. When she wasn't doing that, she was reading up on news from England about the murder of her monitor and how the police were still after her. When she wasn't doing that, she was researching Danielle, reading about her latest public appearances and ice skating events, and finding out where she was next expected to be.
"And vhen she is not doing that, she is fussing over me or going out running around," Katja told Leigh and Rat bluntly one evening after Leigh's parents decided to get an early night. "She ez turning into zee mother."
"She always was the mother," Leigh muttered.
"More so zan usual," Katja commented.
"She's just doing her job Katja, and I wish you'd let her!" Rat snapped at her sister. "She knows best when it comes to boosting your general health-"
"But she ez obsessive and only seems to stop moving ven it's sleepy time, and zen gets right back at it zee next day," Katja grunted. "Something ez not right."
"Have you thought to ask her?" Rat said dryly, lightly petting Bianca, who was curled up between her and Katja.
"Ja, but she alvays brushes me off vith excuses of being tired or busy...does zis not seem off to you? Ven does doctor ever just brush someone off? And ven has she ever tried so hard to keep busy zat she never has time for anyone anymore?" Katja pointed out.
Leigh frowned. She had to admit it had been awhile since Aila spent time with the rest of them, and Katja did have a point that it wasn't really like her to just brush people off, even if she was doing something.
"I can try talking to her," Leigh offered with a shrug, standing up and stretching. She had no idea what she was planning on saying when she located the doctor, who was in another room on Janet's laptop. Aila didn't seem to notice Leigh's presence immediately, seemingly absorbed in what she was doing.
"Hey. What're up to?" Leigh asked, walking over to sit beside her.
Aila glanced up and smiled. "Oh hi, Leigh. I was just trying to figure something out," she said, clicking out of a Google tab before Leigh could see what she was reading about. To her confused look, Aila explained, "I was just curious how someone like Danielle could be so famous yet not be recognised by other clones across Europe and Asia. It doesn't make any sense to me, but I can't really see how they're covering it up, and Google's not being helpful."
"Ah," Leigh nodded. She'd wondered about that herself as well. "Maybe if anyone notices the similarities, they're told they're just seeing things? It wouldn't surprise me if DYAD made clones think that to make sure they didn't try to see her in person. That, and I think Danielle's the only clone in France. I'm not sure she's globally famous. I'd certainly never heard of her before I found her file, anyway, so it's unlikely other clones in the world would unless they're into the ice skating tournaments."
Aila nodded. "Yeah that's a point. That'd be the easiest way to handle it," she agreed, thinking about it. The doctor stood and stretched, glancing down at Leigh again. "Anyway, did ya need something, or..?"
Leigh shrugged, smiling. "Not really. Just...wanted to see you. Feels like it's been a while since we talked."
Aila smirked. "We talk every day, ya silly arse." Stretching again, the doctor made her way over to the small inflatable bed lying on the floor. Instead of going through the hassle of getting real beds in, the family opted for portable inflatable ones to scatter in rooms throughout the house.
Leigh raised an eyebrow. "Heading to bed already? It's only eight."
Aila smiled and shrugged. "I'm tired, but we can still talk for a bit if ya like? Just let me get settled in first."
Leigh frowned and shook her head. "If you're tired, I'll let you sleep...night..." she said, making her way out of the room again.
"Alright, see you in the morning," Aila replied with a short wave as she watched Leigh leave.
Leigh pulled a face to herself and paused outside the room. Then she made her way back to the other clones.
"Vell?"
"Yeah, I think you're right, Katja," the hairdresser muttered as she flopped down next to Charles. The dog wagged his tail and rested his head in Leigh's lap. "Went straight for the bed pretty much as soon as I went in. She didn't look particularly tired, but..."
"I vill talk to her tomorrow if zis carries on," Katja said stubbornly. "Now, someone go fetch my cookies from zee kitchen. It has been a vile."
Aila was the first to wake up the next morning. The house was silent as she crept through it to make herself something to eat. Weak daylight shone through the crack in the living room curtains when she pushed them aside to take in the beginning of the day. It looked like it would be bright out, and she hoped it would stay that way.
Aila turned and crossed the room to the kitchen, tutting in disapproval at Katja's empty cookie bags lying abandoned on the coffee table. A few crumbs were scattered. Aila made a mental note to clean the mess up before Janet and Spencer awoke. As the doctor found the kitchen, boiled the kettle, and looked for breakfast, thoughts of leaving the place entered her head.
Beth had a point. They still needed to get Danielle's samples, and Aila was starting to wonder if they were wasting time by simply staying put. Maybe it was time to take a risk and just confront the French clone already.
"Or maybe I just want out of this place," she thought to herself, but she snapped herself out of it instantly and shook her head. Janet and Spencer had made them all feel welcome, and everyone was happier than they had been since they started their journey. And yet, Aila felt restless.
She looked up at the sound of a door closing behind her. A sleepy Katja shuffled into view, yawning.
"What are you doing up so early?" Aila asked.
"Bianca slept in my room and voke me up vith smelly farts. I vill take her out for toilet."
Aila stared, bewildered for a moment, while Katja searched for Bianca's leash. Seconds later, the hyper dog scurried into the kitchen, wagging her tail happily to greet Aila.
"I'll take her out," Aila offered. "Go back to bed."
"I can manage taking doggy outside for two minutes, Aila," Katja said sternly. In her sleepy state, she came across harsher than she intended, causing Aila to step back and raise her eyebrows. "I am not dead yet."
"OK then," Aila said with a shrug. She forgot about breakfast and instead busied herself with finding a dustpan and brush to clean up the mess in the living room.
Katja frowned and followed her. "Vat ez it vith you lately?" she asked bluntly.
Aila glanced back over her shoulder as she worked. "Eh?"
"You are not yourself."
"Of course I am," Aila tried to assure her. "Though I'd take Bianca out sooner rather than later if I were you, unless you want to be cleaning up doggy doodoo in here."
Katja made a face at that, and quickly made her way to the door with the hyper Chow-Chow. Aila watched her leave, and then proceeded to finish cleaning the mess in the living room before returning to the kitchen. She made herself a small batch of scrambled eggs with cheese, along with some toast and a glass of milk.
Katja returned with Bianca just a few minutes after Aila sat down on the sofa and turned on the TV. She kept the volume low as she turned on the English subtitles, flipping through channels until she found an episode of a drama she often watched back home. She giggled a bit at the characters having a German dub rather than their real English voices.
It only took a few minutes to notice Katja had sat down on a chair nearby and was staring at her. Aila glanced at her and blinked. "Uh...what?" she asked, slightly unnerved by the look on the German clone's face. It may have been the fact she was still tired, but Katja's eyes seemed strangely dark and serious in the dim light of the room.
"Are you sick like I am?" she asked bluntly.
Aila's eyebrows shot up in stunned shock, having not expected that in the slightest. "What?! No, of course not! Why would you think that?"
Katja continued to stare at her. "Ven I started to become sick, I vanted to hide it, and did so by keeping myself busy and not interacting vith you all as much, denying anything vas vrong ven asked. Vee have all noticed your odd behaviour lately, Aila. You do not vant to be spending time vith anyone and are always doing somezing to make excuses not to hang out vith us over the past veeks. So I ask again, and I expect honesty. Are. You. Sick?"
"No! Honestly, that's not it at all," Aila insisted, feeling both stunned and guilty that the clones were thinking along those lines.
"Zen vat ez it, because vee are vorried about you. You are not yourself lately, as much as you try to be hiding it. Brushing us off vill not vork anymore," Katja told her, her tone and face softening slightly as she spoke. "I vant zee truth...haven't vee earned zat much by now?"
Aila frowned and fell silent before setting her plate aside. She knew Katja was right. They deserved to know what was going on, but she felt stupid and shallow even thinking of how to phrase her thoughts into words. Katja knew by the conflicted look on her face that she'd finally gotten through to the Scottish clone, and she allowed the doctor to work through her thoughts and speak in her own time.
Aila sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't even know how to explain...honestly, I feel proper daft about this, but...yeah, you're right. I haven't been feeling well the past few weeks. Emotionally, not physically," she added quickly. "Physically, I'm fine. I swear."
Katja nodded, deciding to believe her, though she said nothing and waited for the doctor to explain.
Aila leaned back, absently looking up at the ceiling. "Do you remember when I told you what life was like for me growing up? Being shunted between orphanages and temporary families and the like?"
Katja nodded. "Ja, and zen ended up at bad place at zirteen."
Aila nodded. "Yeah...God, this is gonna sound so shallow, and I feel so stupid even thinking like this, but...being here with Leigh's parents...seeing how they are with her...they're exactly the type of parents I always dreamed of and hoped would come along...but they never did...I don't know... just...it bugs me and I KNOW it shouldn't. I can't explain what's gotten into me...that's why I've been trying to keep myself busy and think about anything else, since I know it's not on at all to even be thinking like this when they've been so lovely and welcoming, but...I just don't know what else to do about it..." Aila trailed off, shrugging helplessly as she fell silent.
Katja thought quietly to herself for a while. She blinked slowly every so often, and Aila wished she'd say something or stop staring.
"You are far too harsh on yourself," Katja said with a shrug. "It ez not like you hold it against Leigh; like you act jealous – but if you keep avoiding it, you vill start to feel bitter and may even take it out on her."
Aila was a little shocked at Katja's bluntness, and perhaps even quite offended. She opened her mouth to tell Katja that wasn't the case at all, but Katja spoke over her. "It is fine to talk about how you feel. Nobody vill hold that against you, especially not Leigh. But if you let yourself grow distant from her; from all of us...vell...different story."
"I just feel so childish," Aila whispered. "It's not like me."
"So? Ve all have our moments of unpredictability. Look at robot voman."
Aila couldn't help smirking a bit. "I won't become resentful of Leigh though, even with this. I know myself well enough to know I'd only ever resent someone if they did something really bad to me...like, on a personal level, y'know? I try not to hold grudges unless I feel really deeply hurt by something."
Katja nodded. "I understand, but still...I zink you should talk to Leigh. You are her closest friend in all of zis. She vill understand."
Katja offered the doctor a small smile, which Aila reluctantly returned. Then, Katja rose from her seat and exited the room with Bianca, fighting back a few coughs as she went.
Aila stayed where she was sitting, thinking over what Katja said, and then sighed, knowing she was probably right. This wasn't the right way to go about things, and she needed to make it right before she really went and screwed things over even by accident. If there was one thing she didn't want to lose, it was Leigh's friendship.
Later on in the day, Aila steeled her resolve and decided to do what Katja suggested. For better or worse, she knew the German woman usually gave very good advice, and she wanted to make things right.
Looking around the living room, she spotted the hairdresser sitting on the sofa reading something. "Leigh?"
"Hmm?" Leigh asked, glancing up at her, seemingly a bit surprised.
Aila smiled at her. "Wanna go for a walk?" she offered carefully, seeing it was a very sunny and warm day.
Leigh raised an eyebrow at the sudden request, and wondered if Katja did talk to her like she said she was going to. The hairdresser put her book down and stood, stretching a bit as she walked over towards the door.
The two walked outside into the shade of the trees, beams of light shining down between the branches. Aila found that breathing in the fresh air helped clear her head and allowed her to gather her thoughts as she walked.
Leigh glanced at Aila, silently wondering if there was something she wanted to talk about that she didn't want the others overhearing. After several minutes, the two came to a small clearing with a couple of large, mostly flat rocks at its centre.
Leigh raised an eyebrow. "Woah, those things are huge."
Aila smirked. "Yeah, I came across them the other week. Come on." She sprinted towards the rocks and climbed up onto them, skidding a bit as she landed before sitting down and waiting for Leigh to join her.
"So what's up?" Leigh asked, walking over and standing in front of the doctor.
Aila stared at her. "Who said anything's up?" Leigh raised her eyebrows, unimpressed. Aila looked away guiltily, stared at the ground, and shrugged. "Katja had words."
"Oh dear," Leigh began dramatically.
"Don't take the piss! She can be very...naggy and stern when she wants to be."
"Bit like someone else I know," Leigh said innocently, but Aila pulled a face and shoved her. Leigh laughed loudly. "In all seriousness though, just say whatever it is you want to say. I know something's up."
"I just don't want you to think I'm daft, though I can't help feeling daft anyway," Aila mumbled.
Leigh stared. She couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Aila, look at me." Aila obeyed. "I'm the daftest one of all of us, and for some reason you all put up with me. I'm sure we can cope with whatever this is."
Aila looked down at her hands, biting her lip. "Did you ever read my DYAD file?" she asked, realizing she didn't know exactly what Leigh already knew about her past.
Leigh shook her head. "No...not in any detail anyway. I just read the bit about your phone number and where you lived. I was curious, but figured that'd be an invasion of privacy. I decided I'd only look into that stuff if I needed to. Plus I felt like I didn't have time anyway. These files are massive and I was a bit frantic to find you since the trend made it clear Helena was already in Scotland."
Aila nodded, then gave a small laugh. "I'm just not very...understanding, I suppose, when it comes to family."
"Family?" Leigh repeated.
Aila shrugged again. "OK, 'understanding' is the wrong word...this is hard."
"Do you miss your family?" Leigh asked, totally understanding it must be hard to have not seen or heard from them for so long.
Aila shook her head. "I never had a family. Not a proper one, anyway."
Leigh paused. Suddenly, she found herself back in the cafe in Scotland the first time she saw Aila. Upon revealing her face, the Scottish clone had commented something about her mother giving her up, and she remembered Aila saying something similar when they met Katja as well. Leigh cursed to herself inwardly. How could she forget that?
She wanted to say something, but she instead kept quiet while Aila reluctantly went into detail about her past, her childhood, and the things she'd been through, including the origin of her constant nightmares. She touched on everything she'd told Katja, telling the story without being overly specific about individual events. It was a lot for Leigh to take in. She hadn't imagined someone as wonderful as Aila having such a difficult upbringing.
"I don't think about it much, but when I do, it gets to me a lot," Aila finished with a shrug. "Because it's all I wanted. Just what you have with your family."
Aila was nervous for Leigh's reaction. She worried Leigh would think she was jealous or bitter, and she wasn't sure of the unusually blank look on the hairdresser's face as she let Aila's words sink in. Aila thought she resembled Rachel a lot suddenly.
But when Leigh spoke, Aila decided she must have been imagining it.
"I think that's natural, Aila," she told the doctor. "Everyone wants to feel like they belong. Like they're wanted. Anyone who claims they don't is kidding themselves."
Aila found herself nodding in agreement. Leigh was talking a lot of sense. She shifted a bit nearer to put an arm around Aila. "You do have a family," she spoke again, her tone of voice slightly louder and cheerier as a small grin appeared on her face. "At least now you do, anyway."
Aila stared at her for a moment, before smiling in relief, and hugging the hairdresser. Katja was right; they'd needed to have this talk. She allowed Leigh's words to really sink in, and realised she never really thought of the other clones as being family before now.
Leigh, Katja and Rat had always been Aila's friends in her mind, but really, they were so much more. Family meant having each other's backs, accepting differences, and supporting one another in times of need. Aila had gained all of that and more in the last few months without even realising it.
A few days later, Aila opened the Skype window on Rat's laptop to find several messages from Janika, telling them to call her as soon as possible. Though the doctor had been making more of an effort to re-establish a normal relationship with the other clones, she still took the responsibility of talking to Janika, because nobody else seemed to have the patience for her rambling.
Aila frowned and opened a video call with the Austrian clone. She had no chance to say a anything before the museum owner held up something to make Aila's blood turn to ice. It was a doll with blue hair, wearing a black dress.
"Weirdest thing, someone broke into me place earlier, door was jammed open an' all, but nothin' was ransacked or stolen, and I just found this sat on me bed. Kinda freaky innit? Looks a bit like me. Reckon I got some kinda weird stalker or somethin', dunno..." the Austrian clone spoke, looking puzzled as she absently tossed the doll up and down in one hand. "Reckoned I ought to show ya, since it's proper weird. Looked all over and ain't found any trace of nothin' else, and no one else is here..." she rambled on, before noticing the horrified look on Aila's face. "'Sup with you?"
"Janika, get out of the house NOW. Get to somewhere public and safe!" Aila ordered her quickly, scared at the sight of the doll. By now she knew what that meant. Janika was in danger. Janika was next.
"Eh? W-What for?" Janika asked, though she stood and started looking around for a bag.
Aila trembled in her seat. "Don't bother grabbing anything! Get OUT of there, NOW! LEIGH! KATJA! RAT!" she called to the others in sheer panic. She waited for the other three to sprint into the room, all of them looking startled.
"Vat?" Katja asked.
Rat frowned at the distressed state of the doctor, as well as the distressed state of Janika. "What's happened?" she demanded.
"D-Doll!" Aila squeaked, pointing to where it was still visible on the screen.
"Oh for FUCK'S SAKE! Janika, leave your house! NOW! You're in danger and you need to come here as fast as you can!" Leigh gasped.
"I am going to meet her," Katja said, looking around for her coat.
"Are you crazy?" Rat shot at her. "OK, look, yes, Janika should come here, but-"
"Janika, just...get somewhere safe and call us again when you do," Aila instructed her, trying in vain to remain calm.
"It doesn't make sense for all of us to go and meet her," Leigh spoke up, staring fearfully at the laptop screen. "If she's next, it's stupid to risk the safety of us all. I'll go."
"Why you?" Rat snapped.
"Why not?" Leigh demanded. "Katja's not going in her condition."
"I am fine," Katja insisted, but all three clones glared at her.
"Just tell me where you guys are and I'll make me own way!" Janika shouted, flailing and rushing back and forth on screen. She didn't know what exactly the doll meant, but she wasn't stupid. She saw how freaked out everyone was. She flung all sorts of clothes and items across the room, apparently looking for something. "Friggin' hell! Where's the cover for Luca's travel cage!? I ain't leavin' me baby here by himself!"
"We're in Leoben," Aila told her hurriedly. "In the mountains off of St. George Road."
"Shit, I've gotta tell Mum and Dad," Leigh whispered as she hurried to leave the room, eager to put the doll well out of sight. "Aila, you and Janika decide on a meeting place, and I'll meet her."
Leigh left the room before any of the others could protest. Rat clenched her fists angrily at Leigh's stubbornness, but she knew now wasn't the time. She instead rushed over to help Aila.
Aila's breath caught in her throat as she looked at the webcam feed to see a door opening slowly while Janika was distracted. Walking out of the room was a person wearing a large, heavy coat. Aila recognised it as the same coat she'd seen on a person just hours before the attempt had been made on her own life.
"JANIKA, LOOK OUT!" Aila screeched, feeling completely helpless and numb.
She, Rat and Katja could only watch in horror as Janika turned around and screamed just as the unknown person raised their hand and fired a gun three times. Blood splattered over the screen, and Janika was gone.
"Mon Dieu..." Rat whispered, trembling as she continued to stare at the screen.
"No..." Aila whimpered, tears rolling down her face.
Leigh rushed back into the room when she heard Aila's yell, but froze when she took in the pale and horrified faces of the other clones, and she didn't need to ask to know what had happened.
She ran over to shut the laptop off, seeing that the others were too stunned to realise they needed to cut the feed...but the killer sat down on the sofa and looked at the laptop, pulling her hood back.
A mane of messy, bleach-blonde hair emerged from the darkness, along with the unmistakable face of a clone. The four of them took in the state of Helena. She was very pale, even more so than Rat, with dark eyes which seemed almost feral in their intensity.
Helena leaned in closer to the camera, and Leigh shook with fury and fear, staring right back.
"You vant to see your friend?" Helena spoke slowly and quietly, her voice rough and threatening. She tilted the camera to show the lifeless, bleeding form of Janika on the ground. Aila turned and ran from the room, unable to deal with or comprehend what had happened. The others barely listened to her sobbing as they stayed completely still. "I'm sorry, friend can't talk right now," Helena added.
Her face appeared on screen again, blocking Janika from view. Helena grinned widely, and Leigh forgot for a moment she was supposed to be ending the call. It was only when Helena let out a broken laugh, slammed down the laptop lid and the screen went blank that Katja finally fled the room to find Aila, while Leigh and Rat stood staring at each other, feeling sickened at what they just witnessed.
"DAMNIT!" Leigh shouted, suddenly slamming her fists on the table, making Rat jump as she did. In the background, they could hear Katja explaining to Leigh's parents what had happened.
"Leigh..." Rat started, but fell silent as Leigh closed her eyes and sobbed, still looking angry.
"I TOLD HER TO COME WITH US AND SHE DIDN'T! WHY WOULDN'T SHE LISTEN?!"
Rat frowned but didn't know what she could say, and so instead she stayed quiet. She suddenly realised it was possible Helena could have heard that they were in Leoben. She quickly opened the laptop again, pulling up a map of Austria. She found their location and Helena's, and while she couldn't tell exactly how far away the two towns were, she didn't think it'd take too long to cover the distance.
"We need to leave," Rat said firmly, starting to look into properties in France to suit their needs.
Leigh was far too emotional to even hear Rat. She pulled at her own hair and paced restlessly. "FUCK!" she screeched just as her parents rushed into the room. They looked very pale and shocked. Spencer opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again quickly and instead approached his daughter to try and calm her down.
Meanwhile, Rat turned her attention to Janet, shaking slightly. "We need to leave," she said again, her voice breaking a bit as the realisation of Janika being dead hit her. "You...you need to go too...it's not safe-"
"Where are we supposed to go?"Spencer questioned, urging Leigh to sit down on the sofa. Leigh did not comply. She resumed her pacing, looking more distressed by the minute.
"I...I don't know," Rat almost whispered, glancing at her phone. "Somewhere...I don't know. Just away."
Katja and Aila reappeared in the room at that point. Aila was wiping tears away, and Katja looked quite scared.
"We can't just go!" Janet tried to reason. "We need a proper plan!"
"Helena just proved how dangerous she is," Katja managed to speak. "She von't stop until she's killed us all..."
"So we need to go NOW!" Leigh shouted.
"And go where exactly? Ashleigh, what use is just going? Think about it; we need to calm down and...and...and think about this; decide where we're going, otherwise we're just aimlessly running-"
"Why didn't Janika LISTEN TO ME?" Leigh shrieked, drowning out her mother completely. The hairdresser finally stopped and fell to her knees. She threw her head into her hands and choked back an angry sob.
Janet hurried to her daughter's side and put an arm around her. Aila crossed the room, zombie-like, and sat down carefully on the sofa, her body stiff and rigid. "We do need a plan," she whispered.
Rat nodded a few times. She pressed a few buttons on her phone, but she struggled to find anything that might help them. In any case, the information didn't seem to be sinking in. "Damn it," she whispered, finally tearing her eyes away from the phone and tossing it onto the sofa. She swallowed hard and trembled.
Katja hurried over to comfort her sister with a tight hug.
Several hours passed, but nobody was able to come up with a solid plan. They were too shocked and scared to think straight. When the clones calmed down enough to talk properly, the day was starting to fade into evening.
"We need to find a way to meet Danielle. We can't put it off anymore," Aila said quietly. "We can't risk giving Helena that much time to go at her. Shit...I can't believe we were right...she is one of us..."
"Yeah," Leigh nodded, staring down at her hands. She trembled a bit with grief and anger.
"Now wait a minute," Spencer spoke up, looking at Leigh. "You're still determined to carry on with this?"
"I am," Leigh said firmly, her eyes hardened slightly with resolve. "I know you think I'm crazy and stupid, but look around you. Any one of us could have been targeted months ago. One of us WAS targeted months ago. I'm not going to let Helena carry on like this when no one else is willing to do anything to save them. To save us. All of us."
Spencer frowned and glanced at his wife, who still looked worried as well. Janet spoke up then. "Maybe we should go back to DYAD then...we'd only slow you girls down on the run."
Leigh glared at her mother. She did not need to look at Rat to know she was glaring too. "Are you bloody serious?" Leigh snapped. "After Leekie was going to use you to get to me?"
"Rachel's there; she can help us-"
"NO!" Leigh shouted. She jumped to her feet and began pacing again. "Rachel can't help us anymore! She knows it's not safe in case Leekie's watching her every move; that's why she told me not to contact her again! Leave her out of it!"
"I...have to agree with Leigh," Aila mumbled quietly. She was still rather tense and rigid, though her tears had long since stopped. "I'm inclined to think DYAD would cause harm to you to try and get you to talk."
Janet and Spencer were looking very troubled as they looked at each other. They couldn't deny Leigh and Aila were right.
"It's safer if we split up," Leigh continued. "If by some chance anyone finds us again, it's not safe for you two to be hanging around us."
"But-"
"No 'buts'," Leigh shot at her father. "I didn't mean to drag you and Mum into this! You need to go and find somewhere safe and bloody well stay there until this whole thing is over."
A silence followed. Leigh heard Rat sigh with relief when Janet finally nodded in agreement.
"We'll leave in the morning," she said quietly. "Let's decide where we're going to go."
Without a word, Rat reached down and picked up her laptop, opening her data files as she looked over the various DYAD locations across the world. Katja watched her sister work quietly as she pulled up a new window and cross-checked the word 'Prolethean' in the nearby countries not hosting DYAD facilities. Rat leaned back as the computer scanned through all books, papers, and anything else. After several minutes, the map was highlighted with all of the countries that were seemingly DYAD-free and Prolethean-free.
"Alright, you've got a few choices... South Africa is free of both DYAD and the Proletheans. Same thing with Madagascar...mostly DYAD seem to be focused in Northern Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. They have one place in Australia, though that can be avoided if need be...a lot of the smaller Asian countries are also in the clear," Rat told them, glancing up.
Janet and Spencer stared at her, bewildered. "How on earth do you know that?" Janet asked.
"Magic," Rat replied dryly. "Think it over and take your pick. In the meantime, I'll start looking into somewhere in France we can make a base camp," she murmured, typing away again.
Katja watched her pull up a map of France as well as Danielle's profile. She looked through her bio and found where the French clone lived when she wasn't on tour.
"The 19th Arrondissement of Paris?" Rat murmured quietly to Katja. "Fancy cow..."
"Ja...let's hope she is nice at least," Katja commented.
Rat spent a few minutes looking for places they could run to while everyone else sat around quietly. Charles, who had been curled up in an armchair by the fireplace, suddenly raised his head and stared at his owner. It took Rat a few moments to notice.
"What's up Charles?" she asked the dog. Charles flattened his ears and gave a small whimper. He hopped off the chair and trotted over to Rat. "Do you need to go out?" Charles tilted his head and stepped back excitedly. Rat heaved a sigh and passed the laptop to Katja. "Come on then."
The hacker got to her feet and beckoned the dog to follow her. Perhaps some air would do her some good anyway...
Katja continued looking for places in France in silence. She looked around curiously when Aila choked back a sob. The doctor had tears in her eyes again.
"Sorry," she gasped weakly. "Janika...we can't just leave her there like that...we should do something..."
"What can we do though?" Leigh tried to reason. She hurried over to sit by Aila's side. "Helena might still be hanging around...someone will find Janika, I'm sure of it..."
"But it's not right," Aila whimpered. "We should call someone...police...her monitor...I don't know!"
Leigh put an arm around her. She couldn't blame Aila for thinking like this. "I know it's not right," she said gently. "I don't think it's safe to contact anyone. It'd risk us being found, and we can't afford to be questioned by the police of all people... not that Leekie would let them get involved. You know what happened with Aryanna's murder..."
"Ja, vee need to get out of here and zen update Beth," Katja said wisely. "I am sure vee vill hear about it ven someone finds Janika."
Aila nodded, taking deep breaths to try to calm herself as Leigh continued to hug her. The clones lapsed into silence for several minutes. Aila managed to get herself under control again, trying to think of anything besides Janika.
From outside, Charles barked loudly at something. Leigh stood up, wondering if the dog had spotted a squirrel. She glanced at the window, though suddenly everyone's blood turned to ice as the dog's barks were drowned out by a blood-curdling scream.
Leigh stayed glued to the spot for a moment as she stared out the window. Everyone else seemed unable to move too, but Leigh swore under her breath when the figures of two people could be seen in the shadows outside, struggling with each other, while Charles barked and snarled and ran circles in his panicked state. A flash of blonde, curly hair caught the light from the house.
"It's Helena!" Leigh shouted, backing away instinctively.
"NEIN!" Katja shrieked in a panicked voice so unlike her own it sent Aila jumping into the air in shock. The German flew out of the room shouting Rat's name over and over, and Leigh turned and sprinted after her.
"Mum, Dad, get upstairs and hide!" she shouted. The hairdresser seized the first thing could; a pan from the kitchen and made to follow Katja.
"Leigh!" Aila began, trying to grab her.
Leigh shook Aila off of her desperately. "NO! HELENA'S OUT THERE AND SHE'S GOTTA BE STOPPED!" She pushed past Aila and fled out into the night, leaving Aila to make sure Janet and Spencer stayed out of sight.
Katja had already lunged herself at Helena and clung onto her mane of curly hair. She fought to wrestle the killer away from Rat, who had stumbled to the ground after her struggle.
Helena was holding a knife in her hand...in blind panic, Leigh rushed forward, raised the pan, and smacked it over Helena as hard as she could, hitting the side of her face and shoulder hard.
"AARRRGGHH!" Helena screamed. She let go of Katja instantly, who staggered and fell to her knees, but Helena still clung tightly to the knife as she attempted to stab Leigh. Leigh swung the pan at her again, but missed, and Helena punched her in the face.
Leigh hit the ground with a terrible thud. Her vision blurred a bit, and she felt disorientated...she was sure she could hear Aila's voice now, along with Charles' barking and the sounds of the others struggling with Helena. She felt hands on her arms, helping her back to her feet, and glanced over as she saw Aila watching the scene unfold with wide eyes.
Rat staggered to her feet slowly, her arm bleeding from a gash. She watched in horror as Katja jumped at Helena again, struggling as she attempted to subdue the killer clone. The hacker instinctively ran over to help her sister, trying to get the knife away from Helena as the blonde screeched in rage like a wild animal.
Helena kicked Katja in the stomach, forcing her away as the German woman gasped and coughed violently, momentarily winded. Helena then turned her wild eyes on Rat, easily forcing her away as well with a swift, hard punch to the side of the head.
The Ukrainian clone found the knife, which had fallen to the ground, and held it tightly as she quickly jumped up again. She looked between the four, making sounds almost like hissing as she glared.
"Dirty copies, less than parasites, abominations to God," Helena muttered.
Leigh glared at her venomously. "What the HELL are you on about?!" screamed at the blonde. "We're clones just like you! WHY are you going around killing your own?!"
"NOT my own!" Helena snarled. "I am the original, I am the light! You are NOTHING! Nothing but filthy shallow COPIES!"
Leigh remembered Lucas explaining how the Proletheans had brainwashed Helena into killing clones. Was this what they told her? That she was the original? That didn't dull the anger she felt towards the woman who had killed Aryanna and Janika, though...
"You're NOT the original. The Proletheans are LYING!" Rat shouted. She held the side of her head as she glared at Helena, though her words only seemed to enrage the blonde woman again.
"You can't take all four of us at once and you know it. Give up!" Aila shot. She wondered how they could possibly restrain the blonde, who seemed to be much physically stronger than the rest of them.
Helena glared at them all, seeming to be thinking for a moment. Then, she screamed in rage and lunged at Rat at incredible speeds, who was closest to her. Rat shrieked in shock as she hit the ground hard, suddenly finding Helena on top of her. She could only stare up in horror as an intense, burning pain pierced her throat, and then Helena vanished from view. Rat felt cold and light-headed, not understanding what had happened.
Leigh, Aila and Katja watched in confusion as Helena disappeared into the forest. Leigh made to run after her, but skidded to a halt when she heard a loud and horrified gasp from Katja, who had gone over to Rat. Leigh looked back and forth between the forest and the other clones.
"Fuck's sake!" the hairdresser growled before approaching the others. She paused in horror at the sight before her.
The hacker's throat had been slit. The gash bled out onto the ground. Aila wasted no time in shedding her hoody, pressing it against the wound. It wasn't exactly the most sanitary option in the world, but there was no choice. The doctor knew if she didn't stop the flow quickly enough, Rat would bleed to death, drown, or both.
"Leigh, go grab as many towels as you can carry and tell your parents to call for an ambulance, NOW!" Aila ordered, her voice firm but steady. She knew she should have Katja do something to help as well, but she found she didn't have the heart to pry the German woman away.
Katja held Rat's hand tightly, sobbing.