Counterparts

by Kanti

The spies are sent to invesitgate a string of vandalized fashion shows and uncover the perpetrator. But the only thing more unsettling than the perpetrator's identity may be their origin.

11. The Convent

The Convent

Alex and Clover surveyed the room in awe. They were a plaza of sorts with many doors leading out of it. The high vaulted ceilings arched down the walls in gentle curves. The décor consisted of warm, natural colors that gave the whole room a feeling of life and growth. A fountain in the center of the room filled the room with the constant trickle of water. The floors were made of polished stone and there were even trees growing by the window's light. Comfortable-looking benches were scattered liberally about the plaza and lamps stood at regular intervals.

Clover finally found the words to answer Alex with. "I don't know, Alex."

Alex stepped toward the fountain while Clover went to investigate one of the doors on the periphery of the room.

Alex found the fountain running pure, clear water in a constant but gentle flow. She noticed that the lowest basin was divided into two circular chambers. The inner one only held water, but Alex found the outer basin contained several goldfish.

"Alex! Check this out!" Clover called from across the room. Alex left the fountain and walked over to Clover.

"What is it?"

"Watch."

The door was labeled with a green number. Clover touched the doorknob and turned it, but it was locked fast.

"Okay, it's a locked door. So what?"

Clover walked over to a door labeled with a red number and touched the doorknob. Alex heard a "click" and Clover turned the knob and opened the door a little.

"Whoa, cool! What's inside?"

"You're not gonna believe this." Clover pushed the door open and Alex gasped. Inside was a bedroom. It was sparsely decorated, but it still looked comfortable. A desk was inside, along with a closet, dresser, and a simple but inviting bed. Alex stepped inside for a closer look. She tested the bed and found it soft, but not too much so. The dresser and closet were empty, and she looked up to find shelves lining the walls.

"I guess this is where one of the clones was going to stay," said Clover.

Alex looked at her. "Stay? You mean, this was going to be their home?"

"Looks that way."

Alex stepped out of the room and looked around the plaza. Despite its inviting warmth, she felt like an intruder in a preacher's house.

"I don't think they were planning on going anywhere," Clover continued. "I think they were going to settle down right here."

Alex turned to a large door opposite the window.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Alex stopped and faced Clover. "To stop the clones, of course."

Clover started. There was ferocity in Alex's voice that she wasn't used to hearing. "Alex, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not." Alex absent-mindedly rubbed her arm where her clone had electrocuted her. "That clone of mine is a total psycho. I can't let someone like that run around unleashed. Can you imagine what she'd do if she got a hold of Jerry? You saw what she almost did to Macker."

Clover walked over to her. "I don't know about Jerry, since he can hold his own, but you're right about one thing; we can't let them destroy WOOHP."

"So you're going to help me?"

Clover glanced around the room. "I don't know for sure, but I'm not letting you take them on all by yourself, girl."

They walked to the large double doors, which opened silently when they approached them. They stopped and stared at the corridor beyond.

"Well," said Clover, "You ready?"

Alex nodded. "Let's go."

---

Sam stood perfectly still while a Nemesis clone walked past her hiding spot. The clone entered another room and Sam released her breath. Her little stunt in the hangar had the entire wing on the alert and sent the clones on a headhunt. Hers, to be precise. Sam leaned against the wall and opened her Compowder to call the others. After a few moments, Alex and Clover appeared on the screen.

"Sam! You're okay!" exclaimed Alex.

Sam put her finger to her lips. "Shh! Not so loud! They're after my head over here!"

"Oops, sorry. Where are you?"

"Somewhere near the hangar. It's been slow going ever since my flashy entrance. How about you girls?"

"We're in some kind of living area," said Clover. "We just left some kind of dorm, and it's pretty amazing. You'd have to see it to believe it."

"I guess they were planning for the long haul."

"Probably. Think you can make your way over here?"

Sam checked the hallway. "Yeah, I think so. We need to find a way to shut this place down."

Clover looked somewhat upset when Sam said those words.

"Something bothering you, Clover?"

She kept her eyes averted. "No, not really." She looked back at Sam and said, "Okay, we'll wait for you over here. Be careful, Sammie."

"Thanks, you too." She put her Compowder away and checked the hall again. Not a guard in site. She quickly crossed it to the door and stepped onto a catwalk above a large room. It was filled with heavy equipment and more clones were patrolling it. Sam cautiously crossed the catwalk, careful not to make any noise. She stopped and crouched every time a clone turned in her direction. Their weapons were polished and gleaming, and they paced about anxiously, checking and re-checking every nook and cranny below. Eventually, Sam crossed the room and entered the first door she found. She quietly opened and closed it, and found herself in a long stairwell leading down. Not knowing where else to go, Sam followed the stairs down to the door below. She entered the next room and thought for a moment she'd stepped into another dimension.

Sam found herself in a well-stocked library. It was mostly unused, as only a few books were lying on the tables. Sam walked down one of the rows and found books on physics, astronomy, geography, chemistry, history, and countless other subjects lining the shelves. She walked down another row and found authors like Faulkner, Morrison, Chopin, and many, many more. She stopped and gazed around her in awe.

"Just what is going on here?" she wondered aloud.

She exited the library and traversed a series of hallways before finding Alex and Clover waiting for her.

"Sam! There you are!" said Alex.

"Glad to see you two! What's the sitch?"

Clover indicated the area they were in. "Look around you. Notice anything unusual?"

Sam looked to her left and saw a darkened room behind a window. She stepped closer to the window and peered inside. The room was a gym, stocked with exercise equipment from wall to wall.

"A gym?"

Clover nodded. "Uh-huh. And that's not all." Clover walked over to a panel to Sam's right and flipped a switch. The room on Sam's left lit up, revealing an set of tennis courts beneath a retractable ceiling.

"Man, this place has everything! You should have seen the library!"

"Well there aren't any shopping malls, so if you want to stay, you're welcome to it. Me, on the other hand, would much rather spend the rest of my days in Beverly Hills."

Sam's Compowder chimed and she answered it. Jerry's image appeared and said "Hello, girls. How goes the mission?"

"Jerry, this place isn't just a fortress, it's a giant condo! Looks like the clones were planning on staying here for a while."

"Yeah, they've got kitchens, and bedrooms, and gyms and everything!" said Alex.

"I see," said Jerry. "At any rate, you've got to disable the Convent's defenses. We've been building a map of the structure since you've been inside, and I think we have a solution." Jerry's image was replaced by a 3D map with three areas highlighted. "There are three areas you'll need to disable to completely shut down the Convent; the Steamworks, the Transmitter, and the Generator Room."

"Gotcha," they responded in unison.

"Good luck, spies. I'll pick you up after you've completed the mission." Jerry vanished and Sam put away the Compowder.

"Well, this doesn't sound so difficult. Those clones aren't too hard to avoid."

"You know what's really weird about this place?" asked Alex.

"What?"

"I haven't seen a single security camera since we got here. Places like this are usually loaded with 'em."

Sam and Clover looked around. "Yeah, that is weird. Why do you think that is?"

Alex's lips didn't move, but her voice answered Sam's question: "Simple, really. We shouldn't have needed them. We were going to live here in peace, but it looks like you've brought a war to our home."

It took a moment for everyone to realize that Alex wasn't speaking. They turned around to find her clone standing beside a trio of Nemesis.

"You!"

"Nice to see you three again. But, I'm afraid this will be the last time."

"How did you find us?" asked Sam.

Alex's clone tapped her head. "When we started losing mental contact with our sisters, we knew something was up. The fact that I can't hear my sisters right now means that you've got something to do with it."

The Nemesis clones fidgeted anxiously. They drooled with bloodlust and pawed their weapons.

"You three are trespassers in our home. All trespassers will be dealt with harshly."

The clones were on the verge of frenzy. The girls took a hesitant step back.

"Tear them apart. But make sure you leave enough for Sam's research."

The clones energized their weapons and charged.

"RUUUUNN!" yelled Sam as the girls went into a full retreat. The clones followed hot on their heels, hopping over one another and bouncing off the walls as they pursued the girls.

Alex-Athena picked up her radio and called Sam. "They're here alright. What next?"

"They'll try to cripple the Convent. Clover's heading to the transmitter. I'll take the Steamworks and you can wait for them at the Generator room."

"And when they get there?"

"Do what you like"

"You mean…"

"Yes, feel free to."

Alex fingered one of the knives on her hips. "I knew you'd see it my way, Sammie."

"Sammie? Isn't that a term your mother uses?"

"True, but once they're gone, we'll be the only real Sam, Alex, and Clover."

"Whatever. Just make sure there's a body I can work with, okay?"

Alex started walking down the hall. "Oh, there's gonna be a body, alright." She put the radio away. "And plenty more after that one."

---

The clones chased the girls into an open area composed of multiple levels. The girls jumped down to the next level as the clones emerged. The Sam and Alex variants jumped down after them while the Clover one stayed up top and started shooting at them with her arm cannon. The girls continued running for their lives as white-hot bolts rained down on them and peppered the steel floor. Sam looked around and saw more clones running in from every direction and closing in on them, snarling intelligible threats and brandishing their high-tech weaponry.

"We've got to lose these clones!" Sam exclaimed as they ran towards a large cargo door.

"How?" said Clover. "They're everywhere!"

"Then we'll just have to be everywhere, too! We've got to split up!"

Just as those words escaped her lungs, a Sam-Nemesis appeared from behind the door wielding its deadly energy sword and blocking their path. The girls skidded to a halt and the creature lunged. The girls activated their jetpacks and flew away just before the creature could slice them in two and they aimed for the top level.

Alex looked down as they ascended to see the area being flooded with clones, all focused on them.

"Sammie! How do we get out of this mess?"

"I'm working on it! We've got to stop the Athena clones!"

Just before they reached the top level, an Alex clone appeared and swung its scimitar back for a wide sweep. The girls ducked into the level below her and barely avoided her swipe. The clone swung down and lunged at them. Alex drew her hairdryer and jammed it into the clone's mouth. The clone's eyes narrowed in confusion, and then widened in alarm as Alex pulled the trigger and blasted the clone off the balcony.

Sam turned to the door behind them. "Nice going Alex, now let's move!"

They entered the door and ran down a narrow corridor. They rounded a corner to find six more clones waiting for them. The girls stopped and sweatdropped while the clones grinned and charged them. The girls ducked, rolled, jumped and somersaulted through the thicket of mutants, barely avoiding several unpleasant ends on a scimitar or energy sword. Clover took the chance to stick a grenade on one clone's foot as she rolled by, and the girls retreated down the hall as the clones spun around to pursue them. Before they could take one step, however, they heard a high-pitched whine followed by a loud report. The grenade exploded, spraying a powerful adhesive all over the clones, causing them to stick to everything they touched; the floor, walls, and each other. Soon the clones were huddled in a sticky mess, snarling and glaring at the girls.

"Now that's what I call a sticky situation!" said Alex.

"Yeah, I really stuck it to them!" said Clover.

Sam almost fainted from the horrible double-pun and grabbed her friends. "Come on you jokers, we've got work to do."

"Yeah, we don't want to stick around too long," said Alex.

"Aleex!"

"Sorry!"

They hurried down the corridor and passed through another steel door into a large cavern. The ocean was far below, and a catwalk and a large pipe led across the chasm to the other rock face and the door therein. The girls hurried across the catwalk and were halfway over when a trio of clones appeared overhead. The Sam-Nemesis barked something to the others, who commenced firing upon the girls.

"Duck!" yelled Sam as plasma bolts rained down around them, but not near them. The bridge shuddered as the bolts pulverized the metal and it began to sway.

"They're taking out the bridge!" exclaimed Alex.

Clover glanced around and saw the pipe running next to the bridge. "The pipe!" She jumped onto the pipe and the others followed her just as the bridge fell away and crashed into the sea below them. The girls ran along the pipe to the other side as the clones jumped down and followed them. Alex looked back to find the clones gaining on them. She selected the nitroglycerine cap from her Multi-tool Bracelet and dropped it behind her. The clones were right on top of the tiny explosive when it detonated, flipping the clones into the air, cutting the pipe in two, and sending everything plunging into the sea. The pipe groaned as it bent and started tearing away from its moorings, and the girls jumped off just as it broke off and plunged into the water. They entered the next room and paused to catch their breath.

"We can't…fight them all," said an exhausted Sam.

"Yeah…there's too…many," said Alex between breaths.

"So what…do we…do now?" Clover asked.

Sam waited until her breathing calmed down. "We have to get WOOHP here, and fast. Those things will tear us apart if we stay here too long."

Clover looked up. "And that means?"

"We'll have to split up and hit those weak spots Jerry told us about."

"Split up?" asked a concerned Alex. "We barely survived those things together. How are we supposed to beat them by ourselves?"

"If we stay together they'll be able to track us easier. If we split up, then that means they'll have three targets to keep track of instead of one, so they'll have to split their forces up, too."

Clover counted on her fingers. "Hello, there's still like thirty of them running around. Ten to one is not my favorite kind of odds, especially against genetically engineered killing machines."

"And then there's the Athena clones, and they're even more dangerous!" said Alex.

"Thanks for the reminder, not."

"Look, I know it's dangerous, but staying together is just as dangerous as splitting up. If we stay together, there's a greater chance they'll catch us all at once before we can shut this place down. If we split up, we have a better chance of success because we'll be hitting all three places at once. It's risky, but we have to try."

Sam looked at her friends, and they looked back. They could see the uncertainty in Sam's face, but they could also see her undaunted courage right alongside her doubt. Alex and Clover felt their spirits rise and stood up straight.

"Alright, let's do it!" said Clover. "We'll either win or fail either way, right?"

"I'm all set," said Alex. "Where should we go?"

Sam smiled and felt her heart swell at her friends' display of courage. "I'll take the generator room. Alex, the steamworks. And Clover, the transmitter is all yours."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Then we're agreed?"

"You bet," they responded.

Sam took a moment to brush a strand of hair back and take a deep breath. "Okay then, let's go."

Alex and Clover followed her out of the room and into a corridor that forked in three directions. Sam opened her Compowder and checked the map.

"Okay, the generator room is this way." She pointed straight ahead, and then to the right. "The transmitter is that way," she pointed to the left, "And the Steamworks is that way." She closed the Compowder and looked down the corridor before her. She turned to Alex and Clover and said with not a little trepidation, "See you guys on the flipside."

Alex and Clover turned to their respective paths. "Take care, Sammie."

They parted ways.

---

Sometime later, a trio of Nemesis clones was chasing Clover up a flight of stairs.

"Don't these things…ever give up?" she wondered as she ascended the stairs. She reached a landing and ducked as they peppered her location with plasma. One of the clones barked something at the others and she heard one of them racing up the stairs. Clover pulled out her Laser Nail File and began cutting the staircase away from the walls. The staircase shuddered with each support she cut away, and soon a Sam-Nemesis appeared on the landing.

"Sayonara!"

Clover cut the last critical support away and the staircase collapsed The clone fell with it and the others scattered as the whole structure fell, taking out half the staircase with a cacophony of twisting metal and alarmed shrieks from the clones. As the noise died down, Clover peeked over the edge of her landing and found the clones standing on isolated landings that were still attached to the walls. They looked up at her maliciously and the Clover and Alex clones began firing on Clover again. Clover got back up and kept her head down as she ascended the stairs. She ascended several more flights and looked down as she paused to catch her breath. The clones were far below and had ceased shooting at her. Then they did something that made Clover redouble her efforts up the stairs.

The Sam clone braced herself and leaped at the opposite wall. She rebounded off the wall and aimed for the opposite one, and then repeated the move again to land on the first part of the stairs that hadn't been cut away. Clover shrieked and dashed up the stairs as the other two began copying the gesture, and Clover soon heard the sound of heavy feet racing up the stairs.

"Why don't…bad guys…ever use…elevators!"

Clover heard her pursuers closing the gap between them, and then she heard the sound of more clones descending the stairs from above. Clover decided then it was time to get off the staircase. A door was at the next landing and she took it. She ran down the hall a short ways and ducked into what she thought was a closet. She hid while several clones ran past her hiding spot. One of them briefly stuck her head into the room and looked around, but her investigation was cut short by a sharp order from another clone. She followed them down the hall and Clover heaved a sigh of relief before looking around.

It turned out it wasn't a closet at all. She was actually in an airlock of sorts. A door with a scanner attached to it sat opposite her, and Clover walked over to it. When she approached the door, the scanner activated and looked her over. A light over the door turned green after a moment and the door opened for her. Clover cautiously stepped into the room and looked around.

Clover found herself in a lab of some sort. Upon closer inspection, she found she was in a weapons lab. The tables were littered with parts of various devices, primarily the ones of the clones' weapons. Clover wandered around the tables and spotted a notebook lying on a desk atop a mountain of papers. She opened it and immediately recognized her own handwriting. She flipped to a random page and read the entry:

I gotta hand it to the benefactors, this technology is top-notch! WOOHP really knows how to build their weapons. I still can't believe they rejected all these designs! Actually, I'm not really surprised. Chylopsin is way too toxic to be handled by normal humans. Good thing our sisters are immune to toxins, hehe.

Clover flipped ahead a few more pages:

Initial tests runs have proven more than promising. I've managed to improve upon WOOHP's designs, making the weapons more efficient and more powerful at the same time. Unfortunately, I can't get the Shield Vulcan system to work like I want it. The shield and the cannon use too much power to run them simultaneously, so the clones will just have to adjust their tactics accordingly. I should have the final versions of all the systems ready by the end of the month. I can' t wait to see the old man's face when we start carving up his agency with his own weapons.

Clover threw the journal down in disgust. She couldn't stand the idea of herself designing weapons for the sole purpose of destruction. She couldn't see herself designing anything that didn't involve silk, satin, or cotton, for that matter. She was about to turn away when she noticed a lone entry on an open page near the back of the journal:

Sam says they'll be here in hours. Even though we outclass them in every manner, I'm still scared. The Navy is right on our doorstep, and WOOHP will follow mother close behind. We can't fight them both! I've never felt fear like this. I can sense it in all my sisters as well. It pervades the air here, and our conversations are tainted with it. The Nemesis are checking and re-checking their weapons. They're hungry for a fight. I'm not taking this lying down, either. This is my home, and I will defend it!

There was a long passage after that, but it had been completely scribbled out and replaced with a short passage.

Why were we created? What is our purpose? Are we even alive?

The page was marred by water damage. Apparently the clone was under a lot of stress when she wrote the entry. Clover closed the journal and set it down. She sighed and shook her head. She left the lab via another door that led to a larger room with an elevator on the far end. The skeletal structure along the walls and the din of electrical machines told her that she was right underneath the transmitter. She resolutely crossed the room and pressed the elevator button. The huge cargo gate opened up and Clover stepped inside. She pressed the button for the top floor and the gate closed before the elevator started with a jolt. The cargo lift slowly ascended through the ceiling and then flooded with sunlight as it ascended into open air.

Clover squinted and cupped her hand over her eyes as the doors opened and she stepped into the sunlight. The main transmitter towered overhead, and the rest of the area was a metal platform littered with equipment. The wind whistled through the transmitter tower, and a flock of seagulls circled the area placidly. Otherwise, all was quiet.

The tranquility was shattered by the sound of something small and heavy landing next to her. Clover looked to the right and saw a grenade bouncing up and coming level with her head. She shrieked and dove behind a forklift as the grenade exploded. Clover waited for the ringing in her ears to fade before leaning out from behind the forklift and looking around. She couldn't see anyone on the platform, but the gulls had scattered. She looked up and searched the tower's framework. She followed the gleaming metal bars until her eyes picked up a spot of yellow among the gray metal. Clover-Athena was standing high up on the tower, beckoning her to come up.

Clover activated her Jetpack and flew up to meet her. She alighted on the tower and faced her clone.

Clover-Athena was armed as before, but now wore a red jumpsuit and a silver vest. They stared at each other wordlessly, their hair flowing in the wind. They stared into each other's blue eyes, not yet ready to finish their fight.

"I like the change of wardrobe," said Clover.

"Thanks," said Clover-Athena. "I decided to pay at least some respect to you this day."

They stared at each other for a few more moments.

"I read your diary."

"Really? What do you think?"

"First, I'm wondering how you got your hands on WOOHP technology. Your ship should have been the kicker. I don't know why I didn't see it before."

"That's something I have to take to my grave, Clover. Sorry, but that's just how it is when you accept help from high places."

Another moment of silence passed.

"You asked what your purpose is in your diary. Have you figured that out yet?"

Clover-Athena's face fell a little. "No, I haven't. None of us can figure out why we were created."

"Any ideas?"

"No. Only our creator – not Macker, our real creator – knows that, and he won't tell us."

"Then why do you bother? Just come with us. I'm sure WOOHP can arrange…something."

Clover-Athena looked right at her genetic mother. "Forget it, Clover," she said softly. "There's nothing left for us back there."

"You're just not trying."

"We have tried. This whole miserable existence of ours; there's nothing for us. Not in your world."

"So you were just going to create your own little world right here?"

"Yeah, that's about it. We were going to settle down here and live in peace. We could farm out the Nemesis clones for mercenary work for money. We already had some buyers with some serious contracts lined up. Now, it's all going to hell."

"Don't say that."

"I won't turn a blind eye to the truth, Clover." Her voice became harder and bolder. "You've come here to bring us down and break up our organization. And I won't let you."

Clover furrowed her brow. "So that's it, then? This is how it's gonna be?"

Clover-Athena nodded "Yep."

Clover unfolded her TIQ to full length and spread her feet. "If we're going to fight, then let's make it a good one."

Clover-Athena swung her submachine gun from her back and jacked the bolt. "That's the kind of talk I've been waiting for!" She held the gun in one hand and pointed it at Clover. "Let's finish this!"

Clover shed every pretense about her opponent and attacked.

---

Sam cart wheeled to safety as a heavy crate sailed past her and slammed into the wall. She had been caught by one of her Nemesis clones and she had taken to throwing very heavy objects at Sam at high velocities. Sam was passing through an unfinished area of the Convent when she bumped into the clone.

The clone grabbed a metal pole and heaved it at Sam spear-fashion. Sam barely avoided it and the pole embedded itself in the wall. The clone turned to a large dumpster to her right and grabbed a corner. She strained at first, and then the dumpster began moving. She grunted and snarled and heaved the dumpster at Sam. It slid along the ground, its girth blocking Sam's escape route. Sam looked around in desperation.

Ceiling's too low for the jetpack. Plan B!

She fired her buckle at the ceiling and pulled herself up as fast as she could. The dumpster passed under her and crashed into a stack of crates, overturning and spilling its contents onto the floor.

Sam dropped to the floor and faced the clone. She had finally run out of things to throw, and they were both panting. The clone drew her energy sword and it crackled to life with a flick of her wrist. Sam braced herself as the clone crouched and tensed her body for a lunge, and lunge she did.

The clone came at Sam with frightening speed, and Sam barely rolled out of a decapitation. The clone turned and thrust at Sam, who ducked to one knee and swiped the clone's feet out from under her. The clone hit the floor with a heavy "thud," and Sam put a few steps between them as the clone sprang back up to her feet and lunged again, this time aiming to disembowel Sam. Sam dodged the attack and the sword sank into the side of a steel crate. Sam hastily retreated as the clone snarled and tore the sword out of the crate with a vertical draw. The now-weakened crate buckled where the sword had cut it, and the other crates stacked atop it fell onto the astonished clone and buried it.

Sam heaved a sigh of relief and hopped over the mess to the other door. She was almost there when she heard a tremendous racket from behind her and turned around.

A crate that must have weighed close to six hundred pounds was suddenly tossed into the air like a cardboard box and smashed open on the floor. The clone hopped up onto the pile of crates and roared at Sam. Her armor was now cracked in a few places, but her sword still blazed fiercely as ever.

Sam panicked and opened the huge cargo door and ducked inside as the clone leaped into the air after her. She closed the door and felt safe for a second as she heard the clone land on the other side and bang on the door. But then the bright blue flame that was the energy sword penetrated the door and began cutting a hole in it, and Sam didn't feel so safe any longer.

Sam looked around and found herself in a dimly lit cargo passage that extended for some distance. Sam ran down the passage and soon heard the clone cut a hole in the door behind her, followed by the sound of pursuit. Sam ignored the footsteps behind her and focused on making her legs carry her as fast as they could. Soon the end of the corridor was in sight, and Sam could hear the sound of heavy machinery beyond.

The generator room!

The corridor ended in another large cargo door with a normal door beside it. Sam opened the small door and was greeted with a wall of sound. The room was lined with enormous dynamos on either side, with walkways crisscrossing overhead. The room was dank and smelled of diesel and grease, and the noise from the generators drowned out every other sound.

Sam quickly stepped inside and hid behind one of the enormous machines. The clone followed her inside and paused. She looked this way and that, her lips pulled back into a toothy grimace. She kept her sword lit as she stalked into the room, pausing every few steps as she searched the room. Sam edged farther back into the shadows as the clone drew closer to her hiding spot. Her back was toward Sam, and Sam could hear her agitated breathing over the clamor of the machinery.

They both heard the clank of a door open overhead and looked toward it. Across the room on the second level, a clone entered and growled at the one searching for Sam. They exchanged a few unintelligible words, and then the clone put her sword away and hurried after the other one. Sam waited a few seconds after the door closed before releasing her breath. She stepped into the aisle between the generators and looked around.

"Now how do I shut these things down?" she mused aloud. She considered using her grenades to gum up the machinery, and then spotted a switch across the room. She put on her magnifying shades and zoomed in on it. The switch was marked "Emergency Shutdown. Pull to Activate."

"Ah, well that's simple enough. Glad somebody was thinking right when they made this place!"

She strode resolutely toward the switch. She was just a few meters away from it when she noticed a yellow form sitting in a chair between two of the machines.

Sam jumped back and dropped into a fighting stance, but the clone didn't move.

"Hello Sam," said Alex-Athena.

Sam noticed she was holding a book on biology, and it was open near the beginning.

"I guess you're here to stop me from pulling that switch, an I right?"

"Absolutely. I'm not about to let you shut this place down." Alex-Athena stared at Sam, still unmoving.

"Well, aren't you going to fight me?"

They stared at each other for a moment. "Yeah, But first, I wanted to ask you something that's been bothering me."

Sam scrutinized the clone. "Okay, shoot."

"Tell me, Sam. You're supposed to be the smart one. What are the primary characteristics of a living organism?"

Sam relaxed a bit. "What?"

"You heard me. What are the basic biological functions that determine if an organism is alive or not?"

Sam searched her memory. Biology was last year. She'd been all over chemistry this year.

"Uhh, let me think…"

"Take your time. I won't hurt you. I'm not ready to fight you just yet."

"Living things…have complex cellular structures."

"Mm-hmm."

"They respond to stimuli."

"Good"

"They maintain their internal environment through homeostasis and use materials and energy from their environment and covert them into different forms."

"Correct. Go on."

"They grow and reproduce via DNA, and they have the capability to evolve."

Alex-Athena clapped sarcastically. "Good. Textbook answers, just as I expected from you. Now, let me pose another question: What if an organism fails to meet one of those requirements?"

Sam lowered her hands. "What? I don't follow."

"Yes you do. If an organism fails to meet one of the biological requirements for life, is it still considered alive?"

Sam continued to scrutinize Alex-Athena. "You look alive enough to me."

"And why's that?"

"You're breathing, talking to me, I'm sure you have to eat, you respond to my questions, and you're conscious. I'd say that's pretty alive."

Alex-Athena closed the book and leaned back in her chair. "You missed one."

"I don't think reproduction is a big factor at our age."

"Is it?" She crossed her legs. "Not too long ago, you and I would already be bearing our first children at this age. We're both biologically capable at this point. The only reason we aren't is because it's become a social faux pas."

"So what are you saying? You can't reproduce?"

"Oh, we're just as biologically complete as you are, Sammie. But what's bothering me is, am I meant to do such a basic function as passing on my genes?"

Sam scratched her head. "Okay, you lost me."

Alex-Athena leaned forward. "Oh, don't play dumb. The most basic biological function in the world is passing on one's genes. It's instinct. Nowadays the reproductive act has been transmuted into an act of pleasure thanks to society and the advent of contraceptive technology, but the impulse is unchanged. But suppose that I'm not designed for that? If I lack the instinctual desire to pass on my genes, what am I?"

"Reproduction doesn't define life, Alex."

"I know. But that's only part of it. You are natural, born of a man and a woman. I am artificial, created in a lab for an unknown purpose. I breathe and bleed like you, but I am still artificial. Does that mean I'm not human? Am I really alive? If I'm not alive, then what do my thoughts and feelings mean?"

"Now you're going back to where you started."

"Exactly. What is life, Sam? Is life just a combination of chemical cellular reactions? Are thought and consciousness just the net result of electrical relays in the brain, or is there something deeper, like a soul or a ghost or whatever you want to call it?"

"There are lots of things science can't answer. It can define the symptoms of life, but it can't answer exactly what it is."

"And that's why I worry about whether or not I am alive. Well, maybe I should reiterate. I know I am functional in terms of biology, but am I alive like a lowly beast – conscious only to the point of survival - or am I alive like you and Alex; individual, unique, working toward some higher definition of existence?"

Sam averted her eyes. "I…can't answer that."

"No, you can't. I'm the only one who can." She stared at her hand. "Maybe that's why I turned to violence. Maybe on some level I sought to understand life by studying death. After I was almost raped, I wanted to see for myself if there was something else to life than survival and passing on genetic material. Perhaps… I thought that if I killed you, I would somehow understand what it means to be truly alive."

An uneasy silence passed between them before Sam asked, "So are you still going to kill me? Is this the only way you think you can understand life?"

Alex-Athena stood up. "No, I think there are other ways to comprehend life. But I will still kill you. That much I am certain about."

Sam raised her hands and settled into a fighting stance. "Then come on and kill me. See for yourself if life is defined by non-life."

Alex-Athena closed her eyes. She lowered her hands to her hips and drew a pair of long, sharp daggers. She held one of them in a reverse grip and raised them in front of her as she tensed to strike. She opened her eyes and focused on Sam.

"Then die."

---

Alex opened a heavy hatch and climbed down into the maintenance shaft. So far she had seen very few clones. From what she gathered from various security terminals, they typically didn't patrol this area very often. She was thankful for that, but the steam down here was killing her hair! She knew she was getting closer to the Steamworks, whatever that was. Pipes were in abundance here, some of them hot to the touch and many had valves attached to them. The claustrophobic maintenance shaft forced Alex to crouch a lot as she crept forward, and the unbearably humid atmosphere caused her to sweat profusely.

"This place is worse than New Orleans!" she complained.

The shaft was also very dark, forcing Alex to rely on her infrared shades to see. She crouched to get through another tight spot and absent-mindedly placed her hand on a pipe for balance. The pipe burned her hand and she immediately withdrew it and shook it.

"Ouch! Whoever built this place should be shot!"

She continued forward until another hatch impeded her progress. She opened the lock and stepped into a refreshingly cool breeze. Everything suddenly became unbearably bright, which meant that this area was better lit. She raised the shades on to her head and whistled in admiration as she looked around. She found herself in a huge room that was filled with water at the bottom. A waterfall fell directly across from her, blowing a cool breeze in her direction. A complex network of pipes decorated the room, and a walkway extended across it high overhead.

Alex called up the map on her Compowder. "Okay, just need to get up there and the Steamworks is right around the corner." She removed her buckle and aimed it at the walkway. Just as she was about to fire, she heard a door open above and she hid behind a hot pipe.

Several clones walked across the walkway, searching intently and chatting with each other. Alex waited patiently as they made their way slowly across the walkway. Most of them left, except for two who remained at the entrance. Alex stared up hopelessly and slouched against the wall.

"Can't go up," she mused quietly, "Have to go across."

She spotted an outcropping on the other side of the room near the waterfall. She launched her buckle at a point above her and swung across. What she didn't notice about the ledge was that it was slightly higher up than the other side, which resulted in Alex slamming into the other side. She scrambled back up onto the ledge and pulled her line down. She watched the guards, but they hadn't noticed her.

Alex looked around and saw the ledge she sat on went behind the waterfall. Not knowing anything better to do, she carefully crept along it. The roar of the waterfall drowned out all other sound as she made her way behind it, and she took care not to lose her footing on the slick metal. She crawled out from behind the waterfall and found the ledge went around the next corner. She followed it around after making sure she hadn't been spotted, and found the ledge led to a platform with a ladder going up and a stairwell going all the way to the water below. Alex quietly climbed up the ladder and looked around when her head poked over the top. She ducked as a clone walked by and she waited for her to go around the corner before climbing up.

She spotted a lift to her left and quickly entered it. She pressed the "up" button and the door closed behind her. The door in front of her was transparent, allowing Alex to look up the slanted shaft. The lift started with a jolt and ascended.

A couple of minutes later, it stopped and the front door opened. Alex stepped out into another terribly humid room.

"Man, haven't they ever heard of air…conditioning…oh wow."

She found herself inside a massive cavern. Pipes lined and entered and exited the walls of the cavern. Steam-powered machines noisily cranked and hissed, performing whatever functions they were designed for. Walkways crisscrossed the cavern at various levels, some entering and exiting doors, and others leading to maintenance areas. Alex looked ahead and saw the walkway she was on led to a point where all the pipes converged into a single machine like a network of blood vessels to a heart.

She relaxed her shoulders, took a deep breath, and strode toward the machine on the far side of the cavern.

"I guess that's my target. This place is creepy. I can't help but feel like it's alive."

As she neared the machine, she started getting nervous. There were no signs of guards or engineers or anything in the cavern. Alex began to feel that someone was watching her, and her pace slackened as she drew closer to the machine. When she was within twenty paces of the machine, she heard a familiar voice say, "Hello, Alex."

Alex jumped and looked around. "Who…who's there?"

"Just little ole me."

Alex looked up and spotted her. Sam-Athena sat on top of the machine with one leg dangling off. She looked down at Alex with a mixture of scorn and anticipation.

"I thought this was going a little too easy," said Alex.

"Hmm. If you say so." Sam-Athena sounded distant and indifferent.

"What's the matter? Aren't you going to stop me?"

"Of course. I'm not letting you tamper with the Steam Core. It's the heart of this whole complex."

"So why don't you come down here already?"

"Because, to tell the truth, I don't want to fight you."

Alex blinked. "What?"

"Tell me Alex, why are you here?"

"To prevent you from destroying WOOHP."

"And why am I here?"

"Um, to destroy WOOHP?"

Sam-Athena snorted. "No, that's just something we have to do. What I meant was, why do I even exist? What is my greater purpose?"

Alex scratched her head. "Err, philosophy was never my bag."

"That's okay. I knew you weren't the smart one."

"Hey!"

"Sorry. It's just that, we're not like you."

"Well that's obvious enough."

"No, not in the physical sense. I meant we were created in a lab. We were designed for a specific purpose. But, I can't see that purpose."

"So? Nobody knows where their lives will take them. I sure don't. Not even Sam knows where she'll be a year from now."

"That's part of it, Alex. But what I'm getting at is, you were born with infinite possibilities. Freedom was your heritage. Me? I was created with a specific purpose in mind. I am bound to that fate. Any attempts to break free of it will result in my death."

"That's not true! You're smart, there's so much you can do!"

Sam-Athena stared at Alex. "Is there?"

"Umm…"

"Half the US Navy is waiting for us. If you fail, they'll storm the place, kill us, and then cut us apart for research. If your mission succeeds, WOOHP will descend upon this place and put us back to sleep indefinitely. Either way, it's death for us."

"No it isn't! Just give up. I'm sure WOOHP can work something out. I'll vouch for you!"

"Will you vouch for your clone, too?"

Alex opened her mouth and closed it. Her arm was still sore from the burn. "I…don't know."

Sam-Athena reclined against the wall. "See? We are doomed. I've felt it ever since I woke up. We're freaks, Alex. We were never meant to be, and you are the proof that nature is trying to insure our destruction."

"Hey, I'm not going to kill you! I'd never do that, no matter how bad you are!"

"But you're here. Evidently, you want to put me away."

"You can't go around committing crimes without paying the consequences."

"Crime?" Sam-Athena looked away. "It was a crime we were ever created. That's why I wanted Macker dead. He deserved it for creating us with no intention of letting us live."

"You didn't have to do that. We put Macker away. He's not getting out for a long time."

"That was your justice, Alex. Tell me, how would you feel if you found out your parents gave birth do you for a specific purpose, and then planned on killing you once you'd accomplished that purpose?"

"I…guess I'd be pretty upset."

"Enough to kill them?"

"No! Look, where is this all going?"

Sam-Athena sighed. "I was hoping maybe talking with you would help me figure out why I was created. Guess not."

Alex looked at her for a moment. "You said you wanted to cure your sisters. Wouldn't that be a purpose?"

"A plan, yes. But I can't help but wonder what I'm meant to do after that. I still feel there's something more, something I can't comprehend. Something my creator is withholding from me."

"Then why do you even bother with these benefactors?"

"Because out of all the world, they're the only ones who wanted to help us."

"Then why not appeal to WOOHP? Their job is to help people."

"Would you consider me a person?"

"Wait, what?"

"Seriously, Alex. I'm a copy of your friend. Does that even make me human? A copy is just that; a copy. I'm not really human, so the rules of being human don't even apply to me, do they?"

"Well…"

"I'm just a thing as far as the rest of the world is concerned. I have no value as a human being. I'm just a thing to be studied and locked away. At least, that's what the rest of the world thinks."

"I don't think that."

"Oh?"

"I still think you're human, but, you've just made some bad choices, that's all."

"Thanks, Alex. You have no idea what that means to me." Sam-Athena jumped down between Alex and the Steam Core. She wore the same dress from before."So, what are you planning to do?"

"That depends on what you're planning to do. Are you still going to destroy WOOHP?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll have to destroy that Core and bring you in."

"Then I'll just have to stop you." She held her sword out straight with her left hand. "Please, Alex. I drew this sword once in self-defense. Don't make me draw it against you."

"You won't have to if you just give up."

"I can't do that. Please try to understand."

"I do. But I still can't let you harm WOOHP."

Sam-Athena closed her eyes and flicked the sword out of the scabbard with her thumb. She took hold of it with her right hand and drew it completely from the scabbard. The sword sang as it slid from its sheath, and the finely polished blade gleamed in the artificial light.

Sam-Athena tossed the scabbard away and held the sword in one hand. Alex unfolded her TIQ and held it in front of her.

"So sad," began Sam-Athena, "that it must end this way."

"Yeah, too bad things couldn't have been different," said Alex.

---

Clover back flipped several times and ran behind a column while her clone's bullets danced around her feet. The bullets stopped as Clover-Athena reloaded her gun.

"What's the matter?" she taunted. "Afraid of my little pop gun?"

"Pop gun?" Clover yelled back. "That's a machine gun in case you haven't noticed!"

"Huh, so it is!" She ran to the corner of the tower and jumped across to the adjacent beam, then ran to the corner where Clover was hiding. Clover stepped out to meet her and grabbed her gun with one hand and tried to chop with the other. Clover-Athena caught Clover's hand and started pushing against Clover. Clover resisted with all her strength, but her knees began bending and she started to go down on one knee. Clover-Athena pushed with her gun hand and the muzzle inched closer to Clover's head. Clover struggled to no avail against her foe, who showed no signs of remorse or enjoyment.

Man, if the guys ever find out I did this…

Clover spit in her Clone's eye, startling her and causing her to let go.

"You sick little…"

Clover took her chance and slipped out from under her clone's grasp, circled past her, and snatched her pistol from its holster. The clone turned around and they both pointed their guns at each other's heads. The two of them stood stock-still, not daring to move an inch. Sweat began beading up on their foreheads as they tightened their grip on their weapons. A lone gull flew by, riding the wind that whistled through the tower.

Finally, Clover swallowed and said, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Clover-Athena smiled. "For you to take the safety off."

Clover glanced at the gun and found the safety securely engaged. "Ohhh…" Without warning, Clover performed a back flip and tried to kick the gun out of the clone's hand, She held onto the gun and let off a burst of automatic fire as the kick knocked it over her head. She tried to level it at Clover again, but Clover jumped at her and kicked the gun out of her hand, sending it to the sea below.

Clover landed, took the safety off the gun, and aimed it at the Clone. Clover-Athena stepped in, brushed her hand aside, and stripped the gun out of Clover's hand. She spun and stepped around Clover, trying to get the gun against her head again. Clover turned, grabbed the gun, and then stepped past Clover-Athena in one move, pulling the gun from her hand and aiming it at her at the same time. Not to be outdone, Clover-Athena sidestepped behind Clover and stripped her of the gun again. Clover reached behind her as the clone turned around again and blocked her gun arm so she couldn't aim it at her. They both turned around and faced each other, Clover still holding Clover-Athena's arm. Clover-Athena went down on one knee and swept Clover's legs out from under her. Not to be outdone, Clover wrapped her legs around the clone's head, throwing her over Clover's head. The impact caused her to drop the gun, sending it skittering to the edge of the beam.

Clover jumped over her clone and dashed for the gun. Clover-Athena realized what was happening and rolled forward, grabbing Clover's ankle and tripping her. Clover-Athena leaped at the gun, scooped it up, and then sprang away from Clover.

While she was airborne, Clover activated her Jetpack and flew across the tower to a higher level. Clover-Athena landed and aimed her gun at where Clover was, only to find a trail of smoke where Clover had been. She followed the trail to find Clover ascending the tower. Clover-Athena held the gun in both hands, aimed, and fired a single shot at Clover.

The shot struck the Jetpack, kicking up a shower of sparks and a cloud of smoke as Clover went out of control. She flew in several great loops and spun wildly before she finally managed to slip the device off her shoulders. She dropped to the nearest beam and landed on the edge, knocking the wind from her as the Jetpack struck the tower and exploded in a shower of flames.

Clover pulled herself up and heard her clone call out from below, "I'll let you keep the Bungee Belt, but the Jetpack is cheating!"

Clover crawled to the edge of the beam. "Cheating? You're the one to talk, girl!" Clover called back.

Clover-Athena shrugged. "Hey, if I can't fly, you can't fly. I'm coming up!" She began quickly ascending the tower to where Clover knelt. Clover frantically looked around, trying to come up with a plan. Her eyes settled on the place where her Jetpack had blown up. The explosion had cut the beam it hit in two. Clover checked herself. The only gadgets she had left were her Laser Nail File and a Ninja Nail. Everything else had blown up with the Jetpack. A plan formulated in her mind as Clover-Athena hopped onto the beam. Clover stayed still as the clone aimed the gun at her.

"Tell me Clover," Clover-Athena began, "do you think what you're doing is right?"

Clover stared at her intently. "Yes." She's playing head games with me.

"Even if it means keeping hundreds of innocent people unlawfully locked away?"

"Hey, you guys tried to rob all those banks. You'd be in jail right now if it weren't for all that genetic tampering or whatever it was."

"But that wasn't our doing, Clover. We were under Macker's mind control at the time. No court in the world would hold us accountable for our actions. Yet most of us are imprisoned indefinitely, even if it is for their own good."

"So that gives you the right to destroy WOOHP and everyone who works there?"

"This isn't revenge, Clover. It's justice."

"So what about us? We work for WOOHP. Does that mean you'll kill us, too?"

Clover-Athena hesitated. "If it comes to that. I'd much rather you join us and help cure us, but it seems Alex was right all along. There's no way we can co-exist."

Clover stood up and faced her genetic daughter. "So, are you going to shoot me or not?"

Clover-Athena tightened her grip on the pistol, and then relaxed it before putting the gun away. "Yes, but I'd rather just toss you off the tower instead."

Clover swallowed. "Okay, fine with me!" she said weakly.

Clover-Athena raised her hands and quickly closed with Clover. Her speed and strength kept Clover on the defensive, driving her back toward one of the tower's main pillars, just like she wanted. Clover barely avoided being knocked off the tower several times before the clone finally backed her against the pillar. Clover-Athena drew her knife from her leg strap and held it up as she approached Clover.

"Such a pity," she said as she prepared to stab her.

"Yeah," said Clover. "Such a pity you didn't see this coming!" She armed her Ninja Nail and flicked it against the pillar. The explosion cut straight through the pillar, causing the entire tower to groan and sway as it lost one of its main supports. Clover-Athena looked around in alarm as the steel tower swayed and groaned, and then turned to Clover with a venomous look on her face.

"You…you…" she cracked up and started laughing. "Wow, you got me there. I didn't expect you to try something like that. Nice work!"

"You think so?"

"Oh yeah. Not like you'll live to try it again, though." She stabbed at Clover, but only hit metal as Clover ducked out of the way. Clover used her Bungee Belt to swing to the other side of the tower, and her clone followed close behind on foot. Clover armed her Laser Nail File and ran to the other pillar. Clover-Athena jumped in her path and attacked. Clover fell back as the clone attacked with calculated fury, alternately trying to grab Clover, knock her off the tower, and ventilate her with the knife. They dashed back and forth across the beam as they fought, Clover's quick, flexible style proving useless against her clone's close, defensive style. Try as she might, Clover couldn't penetrate Clover-Athena's defense. Clover-Athena was having a hard time staying close to Clover, but Clover was tiring, and her clone showed no signs of slowing down.

Clover quickly backed away to put some space between the two of them. She was breathing heavily, and sweat ran freely down her face. The clone, on the other hand, was cool as ever. Clover-Athena lunged at Clover. Clover vaulted over her clone and fired her buckle at the next level and pulled herself up before the clone could reach her.

Clover scrambled to the pillar and began cutting it with her nail file. The thick metal column resisted the laser, slowing Clover's progress as her clone climbed up to her.

"Come on, hurry up! Can't you tell she's coming?"

Clover-Athena jumped onto the beam and gasped when she saw what Clover was doing. She sprinted to the pillar, but was too late. The metal pillar snapped, and the entire tower swayed and screeched as it swung past its tolerance, and finally began to collapse.

"Yes!" Clover exclaimed.

"No!" exclaimed Clover-Athena.

The top half of the tower fell over, causing a horrific screeching noise as the metal bent and twisted. The remaining pillars stopped it from breaking completely off, but the weight of the tower was putting far too much stress on the pillars, and they began to tear out of their moorings.

Clover saw this and turned to the clone. "Time to split!"

Clover-Athena looked at her mother distantly and nodded. She began hopping down the tower while Clover used her Bungee Belt to rappel down. They reached the ground at the same time and ran from the tower as the remaining pillars tore themselves from their moorings and the entire structure toppled off the island into the sea. Clover assumed a victory pose and cheered, "Score one for WOOHP!"

Clover-Athena sank to her knees and stared at the wreckage despondently. "That's it, then. We're finished. There's nothing to stop them now without the barrier."

Clover patted her on the shoulder. "Oh, cheer up! I'll make sure your cell is nice and comfortable. Heck, I'll even Feng Shui it for ya!"

Clover-Athena grabbed Clover's hand and started squeezing so hard Clover could hear the bones begin to crack.

"Ow! Let go! That hurts!"

"The barrier is down, but I'm not." She pressed her knife against Clover's stomach. "I'd say this calls for a nice evisceration, what do you think?"

Clover's eyes dilated with the realization that this person was about to kill her. Her hand was in an iron grip; she couldn't get away.

"Goodbye, mother. You put up a good fight."

She started to thrust the knife into Clover's belly, but stopped. Clover froze where she was. The slightest movement would cause the knife to penetrate her skin, and she had no intention of not wearing bikinis this summer. Then she heard something. The sound of metal bending under stress. Clover-Athena's face lit up with alarm when she realized what it was.

"Oh, craaAAAAAAHHH!"

The floor beneath them gave way, dropping both of them into the room below. Clover, who was standing up when the floor fell out, managed to leap to safety and land clear of the wreckage. She stood up and turned around. A huge pile of twisted junk now filled the room. The clone was nowhere in sight. Clover started climbing the piles of metal and looking around.

"Hello? You still there?"

Clover listened to the eerie silence. As the last few slabs of metal and concrete slid to a halt, she heard something. A faint moaning mixed with whimpering. She followed the sound and found the clone crawling out of the wreckage. The unnatural bending of her leg told Clover the whole story. She climbed down to her clone and knelt beside her. Clover-Athena looked up at her mother anxiously.

"So, you going to gloat over me now?"

"No, I'm going to help you up."

"I don't need your help. It's only a leg." She crawled forward and winced. "And a few ribs."

"Come on, you." Clover started to help her up.

"Let go of me!"

"I'm your mother remember? Mommy knows what's best for her little girl."

"Oh, shut up." Clover-Athena allowed Clover to help her up and leaned on Clover for support. Clover carried her to a small crate to sit Clover-Athena on and then went to find materials for a splint. When Clover returned with them, she began setting her Clone's leg.

"Why are you helping me? I did almost gut you."

"Because you won't try anymore."

"How do you know that?"

"All the energy is gone from your voice. You don't want to fight anymore."

Clover-Athena averted her eyes. "I guess you're right."

Clover finished setting the leg and stood back. "There! Not bad for my first time! Now let's get you out of here and into a hospital."

Clover-Athena stared at Clover apprehensively. "Why the heck are you being so nice to me?"

"Well, why not? It's only right that I take care of another person, especially when they're hurt."

Clover-Athena stared at her. "Another person…"

"Hmm?"

After a moment, her face lit up with the recognition of a mystery that had eluded her for a long time. "Maybe that's it. Maybe that's why I've been so miserable! She looked up at Clover, a warm, genuine smile illuminating her entire face. "I've been doing this all for myself this whole time, when I should have been doing it for others. It's not me that matters, it's them."

Clover smiled at her daughter. "Looks like there's hope for you after all. Let's get going, shall we?"

Clover-Athena opened her mouth to respond when the room was filled with the sound of twisting metal. She looked around to determine the cause and found it: One of the pillars had so violently ripped out of its moorings that the superstructure had been heavily damaged. She noticed a hairline fracture forming on their side of the room, which ran across the ceiling and down the walls. Clover-Athena realized this area was suspended over open air.

"Clover! Run! The place is about to break away!"

"What?"

A deafening roar filled the room, followed by a violent quake. Sunlight poured in as the wall fell away, taking part of the floor and Clover-Athena with it. Clover reached for her, and missed. They looked at each other helplessly for a moment, and then Clover-Athena was gone.

Clover sank to her knees and looked over the ledge. She caught a last glimpse of the debris hitting the sea far below and hung her head. She began to choke up.

"No…no fair."

---

Sam darted around one of the massive generators and quickly looked around. She couldn't see Alex-Athena anywhere, and the noise of the place was making it impossible to listen for her. Sam stood still, looking each way, until the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She leaped aside just as Alex-Athena landed and slashed at the air right where Sam was standing. She landed and wasted no time dashing at Sam. Sam dodged several slashes and then received a brutal kick to the sternum, launching her against the wall. Sam spun away as Alex-Athena launched another kick at her, striking the wall hard enough to crack it. Sam went down on one knee and kicked Alex's feet out from under her. Alex fell on her back, and then quickly sprang back up as Sam jumped away. Alex took a deep breath and rushed at Sam, determined to impale Sam on her knives.

Sam parried the first attack and dodged the next one, causing Alex to overextend her arm and throw her slightly off-balance. Sam's fist connected with Alex's face, causing her to stumble away from Sam, but she didn't fall down. Sam shook her hand and held her wrist.

"Ow, what are you made of? Concrete?"

Alex-Athena rubbed the side of her face. "No, but you'll wish you were in just a second."

Without warning, the clone charged Sam. Sam was just distracted by her hand enough to fail to prepare for the clone. Sam extended her arm, and Alex ducked under it and thrust one of her knives into Sam's stomach. Sam felt the wind escape from her lungs and a burning sensation fill her stomach. Alex-Athena backed away and smiled triumphantly. Sam knelt on the floor and placed her hand where she felt the knife hit. She held it up, but there was no blood on her hand.

She looked down and saw no blood, not even a scratch where the clone had struck her, although her stomach still hurt.

"W-what?"

Alex smiled and held up the knife she had struck Sam with. She was holding it backwards, meaning she had hit Sam with the butt of the handle.

"That…you tease!"

"The old bait-and-switch. I just love messing with people's heads." She switched her grip on the knife. "But no more joking around. Now I'm serious."

Sam recovered her breath and stood up. She unfolded her TIQ and held it behind her with one hand and signaled Alex with the other. "Okay, let's go."

Alex-Athena nodded and rushed at Sam. Sam managed to keep Alex away with her staff, while Alex jabbed and slashed with her daggers. Sam thrust one end at Alex, who trapped the TIQ with her daggers. She spun and sidestepped the staff and stepped close to Sam, raising one dagger in the air for a strike. Sam caught her arm with one hand and pivoted her feet to throw Alex over her shoulder. Alex landed lightly and immediately rushed at Sam again. She swiped at Sam with one knife, and Sam met it with her TIQ. The staff struck Alex's hand, causing her to drop the knife. Sam caught Alex and used her momentum to guide her around and away. Alex stumbled and stopped herself before turning around.

Sam walked over to the knife and kicked it under one of the massive generators, and then signaled Alex-Athena to continue.

Alex-Athena grinned and leaped at Sam. Sam blocked with her TIQ, but the force still caused her to take several steps back. Alex stepped up the pace and began forcing Sam back with her rapid assaults. She stepped close to Sam for some quick knife work and came dangerously close to cutting Sam wide open several times. Sam jumped on Alex's shoulders and leaped as far away as she could. Alex looked at her and smirked.

Sam raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked down. Her spysuit had been slashed in several places on her stomach, back, and legs. Steam shot from her ears as she fumed at the clone, who merely giggled at Sam's predicament.

"That's not funny!"

"Sure it is! You're a world-class spy, but you look like you traded your spysuit for a set of hobo clothes."

"I do NOT look like a hobo!"

Alex shifted her weight onto one leg and scrutinized Sam. "You're right. Your hair's far too neat." She flipped her knife into the air and caught it in a reverse grip. "It needs a nice messy trim. Then you'll look more like a hobo."

"Touch my hair and die."

Alex placed her knife hand on her chest. "So you've got it in you after all?"

"Hardly." Sam reached behind her back. "I won't sink to your level."

Alex shrugged. "In nature, those who don't kill are usually killed. That is the way of evolution. Only the strong survive. Nature declares that, as the weaker strain, you should die."

"Oh give me a break. Society has gone beyond the ways of Natural Selection."

"Precisely. Society has broken the natural order. We promote the unhealthy strains that pollute the human gene pool even as those who should pass their genes on refuse to do so for whatever snobbish reasons they have. Society continues to allow the human genome to weaken even as it praises itself for its achievements. We are the epitome of the human genome. We are what mankind could become."

"Frankly, I'm glad that's not the case if it means monsters like you will exist."

"What, are you still upset over what I did to your friend?"

"You think?"

Alex flexed her knees and held her weapon in front of her. "You'll join each other soon enough. Sam will take care of her easily."

"Of all of us, Alex is the one you should never underestimate."

"Exactly."

Alex rushed Sam, and Sam hurled her Sticky Grenade at Alex. Alex jumped straight up and arched her back, arcing over the grenade by inches. She landed gracefully and smirked at Sam. "You missed."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Look again."

Alex turned around and gasped. Sam's grenade was stuck to one of the generators. As soon as she realized this, it exploded, covering the machine with its sticky goop and gumming up the turbines. The room was filled with a horrible screeching noise as the internal workings of the generator ground to a halt and began grinding against the parts that still moved. Sam and Alex covered their ears as the noise grew louder and louder, and finally the generator exploded. A huge wheel was ejected from the machine, smashing into another generator and causing it to explode. The room shuddered as the machines began exploding in sequence, and Alex and Sam fell to their knees to keep from falling over. The room was filled with fire and smoke as the generators shredded themselves and blasted huge holes in the walls and floor. Alex and Sam stayed still as smoking machine parts rained down around them. The lights went out, throwing the room into total darkness. Only the bursts of flame and sparks briefly illuminated the room until the calamity died down and the emergency lights came on, flooding the room with red light.

Sam and Alex stood up slowly and looked around with trepidation. San noticed Alex was badly distracted by the destruction and took advantage of this. She kicked the knife from Alex's loose hand and aimed at her head with her TIQ. Alex turned around and knocked the TIQ out of Sam's hand with great force, sending it spinning into the shadows. Sam punched at Alex, but she merely dodged under her arm, stepped past Sam, and backhanded Sam in the back of her head. The blow slammed Sam against the side of a now-defunct generator and stunned her. Sam rubbed the back of her head and started to step away from the machine when a pair of powerful arms wrapped around her neck. Alex-Athena slipped one arm under Sam's chin and pulled it toward her, holding it firmly in place with her other arm.

"Now," she hissed into Sam's ear, "You die."

She tightened her lock on Sam's neck and began choking the life from her. Sam grabbed Alex's arm and pulled on it to no avail. Her throat was clenched shut and her lungs cried out for air. The rock-hard arms held fast, cutting off the air to her lungs and pinching her carotid arteries shut, cutting off the blood supply to Sam's brain. Sam struggled against the clone, but she held Sam fast, and Sam was getting weaker by the second. The edges of Sam's vision grew dark, and the darkness began encroaching on the rest of her field of vision. Her knees grew weak and her throat burned. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came from it.

No, I'm not going down now. Not like this!

Sam placed one foot on the metal wall in front of her and ran up the side of the generator. She wrenched free of the clone's grasp and air rushed into her lungs again. She ran up the side of the generator and flipped over Alex's head. Alex turned to meet her, and Sam planted a vicious kick across Alex-Athena's face and spun her back around. Sam landed and immediately kicked Alex-Athena in the middle of her back, hammering her between Sam's foot and the steel surface. Alex-Athena gasped as something in her back went "pop!" Sam backed off and prepared for Alex-Athena's counterattack, but it never came. Alex-Athena stood there for a moment, and then sank to her knees, gasping and clawing for air. She leaned back and fell on her back. Her fingers tensed and twitched, and she stared at the ceiling as she arched her back and convulsed.

Sam covered her mouth in shock. "Oh, Alex. I'm sorry!"

Alex-Athena looked at Sam, still gasping for air. She was helpless. Dark memories began flooding back with the feeling of helplessness and she started hallucinating. Suddenly, she was back in WOOHP again, a weak little clone girl, captive of a huge organization and her sisters dying all around her. She didn't see Sam standing there. Instead, she saw a caretaker, his eyes filled with lust-induced madness.

Sam stepped forward to help Alex-Athena.

"St-stay away!" she cried. "Don't hurt me!"

"Alex, I'm not going to-"

"Stay back! Please, don't hurt me! Go away!" She tried to get up, but her injured back immobilized her.

Sam sensed real fear in Alex-Athena's voice. She must be re-living that incident.

Sam slowly stepped closer to Alex-Athena, who cowered helplessly on the floor.

"Don't hurt me," she whimpered.

Sam knelt next to Alex and picked her off the floor. Sam held her close and whispered softly, "It's okay. No one's going to hurt you. Not anymore."

Alex-Athena's breathing started to calm down. She still wasn't seeing straight, but she knew something was up. She tentatively placed her arms around Sam's neck and rested her chin on her shoulder.

"S-Sam? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me Alex. Everything's okay now."

Alex held her tighter and her pounding heart slowed down. Her breathing slowed down to a normal pace and her vision began clearing up.

"Sam, I was so scared. He wanted to hurt me."

"I know, but he's gone now. You'll never have to worry about him ever again."

"But there's so many more. What if they want to hurt me, too?"

"They won't. As long as you've got us, we won't let them hurt you."

Alex's vision completely cleared and she remembered where she was. She looked as Sam and found she wasn't hugging her best friend, but her best friend's gene mother. She gasped and pushed away from Sam, scrambling back against a large chunk of debris. She stared at Sam cautiously, and Sam smiled back at her.

Alex-Athena blushed. She had let her opponent catch her in a moment of weakness and was embarrassed for it. She averted her eyes and Sam smiled softer still.

"I always figured you were a big softie under that razor-sharp exterior."

"Don't mention it."

"What? That you've still got your humanity even after what happened to you?"

Alex looked at her inquisitively. "You…you knew?"

"My clone told me all about it. In light of all that, it's no wonder you're so mean."

"…"

"The whole time, you hid your fear through violence. You acted so tough, but deep down inside, you're still a scared little girl, haunted by a horrible event."

Alex-Athena lowered her gaze and stared at the floor. She had never felt so weak and vulnerable in her life.

"What you need to realize is that's all in the past now. Whoever tried to hurt you can never do that again. Not everyone wants to hurt you. You just need to open your eyes and realize that. Let someone else into your life for a change."

Alex-Athena shut her eyes to hold back the tears, but they came anyway.

"Th-thank y-you S-Sammie." She sobbed and wiped her tears away. "Thank you, for helping me see past my anger. I feel like a huge burden just fell off my shoulders. Thank you."

"There, see? That wasn't so bad."

"No, it really wasn't!" Alex-Athena raised one arm into the air and held the other arm out to her side. She leaned over and twisted her torso, causing a loud "pop!" in her back. "Ow!" she said as she sat back up and rubbed her back.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, it'll be sore for a while, but at least I can move again."

They stared at each other for a while, and Sam noticed the villainous gleam was still in Alex's eyes.

"Are you still going to destroy WOOHP?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, but not out of anger anymore. This will be strictly professional."

"Then I guess we'll still have to fight each other?"

"True, but it'll be even this time."

"Even? You're still way stronger than me, even with a hurt back."

"I meant we'd be even ideologically. This time I won't be blinded by old rage. Besides, now I owe you one for helping me."

"Really? Okay then, you can repay me by not attacking WOOHP."

Alex laughed. "I'm afraid that's still out of the question, Sammie. I'm still going to dismantle WOOHP. I'll have to repay you by some other means."

They wearily stood up. Sam was exhausted physically. Alex-Athena was exhausted emotionally. They stared into each other's eyes, waiting for someone to make the first move. A dull rumbling began building up from outside the room. They looked around in confusion.

"What the…?"

They felt the floor quake slightly at first, and then the tremors escalated until they were reaching for something to hold onto, and then the tremors stopped abruptly.

"Well that was odd," said Sam. "What do you suppose that was?"

"I don't-" Alex-Athena was cut off when a generator fell through the floor, dragging many meters of cable with it and a large chunk of the wall it was attached to. The cables tore from the wall and snaked their way up to the ceiling, and then tore a major support out of the ceiling. The support fell and landed on the walkway right above where Sam was standing.

"Sam!" Alex sprinted to Sam and shoved her down, catching the walkway and straining with all her might to hold it up. Sam stared in awe at her strength and courage, and Alex looked down at her and yelled, "What are you waiting for? Go!" Sam scrambled out from under the wreckage and assessed the situation. The ceiling was sagging without the support beam and was about to collapse on top of Alex.

"Alex, get out of there!"

Alex sank to one knee under the massive load. She looked at Sam and grinned. "I…guess we're even now." A deafening crash filled the room as the ceiling collapsed. Sam shielded her face and turned away as the mass of rock and metal buried Alex-Athena. When the rocks stopped falling, Sam looked back. A pile of rubble and dust now stood where Alex-Athena had been. An unnatural silence fell on the room. Sam stared at the pile of rock and twisted metal in disbelief, and then held her forehead in one hand and shook her head slowly.

"Oh, you stupid girl. Why'd you have to go and do that?"

---

Alex felt a shudder run up her arm as she blocked a strike from Sam-Athena. The TIQ was indestructible, but her hand wasn't. Sam-Athena's swift, precise strikes forced Alex back again and again. Sam struck at Alex again and Alex jumped back to avoid her sword. Alex counterattacked and Sam blocked her TIQ with impunity. Sam pushed Alex away, kicked her down, and then raised her sword overhead for a stabbing thrust. Alex scrambled out of the sword's path as it struck the metal walkway and tried to stand back up. Sam swung at her again and Alex dove aside to avoid the sword and hung onto the railing. She jumped away as Sam-Athena thrust at her and followed with a slash that Alex barely rolled away from.

Alex rolled to her feet and attacked with her TIQ. She swung at Sam with all her fury, but the clone blocked each swing effortlessly. Sam went down on one knee and swept Alex's legs out and then performed a forward flip toward Alex. She planted her feet in Alex's stomach, pinned her to the floor, and then performed another forward flip to dismount. Alex clutched her stomach as she sat up, and Sam looked down and smiled confidently.

"Give up, yet?" asked Sam-Athena.

Alex got up on one knee. "Not by…a long shot."

Sam let her stand back up and smiled again. "I really do admire your courage, Alex. It's such a shame I'll have to kill you."

"Is that your only option?"

"It's the one I've chosen."

"Really bad choice."

Sam-Athena raised her sword to her head and held it level with the tip pointing at Alex. She settled into a fighting stance and attacked. Her sword sang as it traced deadly arcs through the air, forcing Alex to retreat down the walkway. After several feints, she finally saw an opening and thrust her TIQ at Sam-Athena. The clone performed a forward flip and landed perfectly balanced on the railing. She held the point of her sword to Alex's throat and smiled smugly.

Alex swallowed. Her arm was still extended from the thrust. She was completely vulnerable.

"Your life is now in my hands," began Sam-Athena. "You might want to try begging."

Alex's eyes shifted to the clone. "I'll never beg to you."

"Then what will you do? It's kind of obvious you're no match for me."

"I've heard that line a lot." Alex swung at Sam-Athena's heels and the clone jumped into the air and landed behind Alex. Alex turned around and met the sword with her TIQ. Her hands almost went numb from the vibrations, but she held on. Sam-Athena twisted the sword and slid it past Alex's staff. Alex craned her head out of the blade's path and ducked as Sam snapped the sword across the space where her neck was a moment ago. She swept Sam's legs out with her foot and Sam caught her fall on one hand and sprang away, landing upright. She leaped at Alex with a quick overhead strike and Alex dodged as the sword struck the floor with a loud "ping!" She raised the sword with a quick vertical strike and then stabbed at Alex again. Alex turned her back to avoid the sword, but still felt the cold metal blade slide along her shoulders under her Jetpack. Sam flicked the sword and sliced the Jetpack off Alex's back. Alex quickly backed away.

"Can't have you cheating on me," said the clone.

"Cheating? Who's got the sword here?"

"Me."

Alex blinked. "Right, so you do!"

Sam-Athena ran at Alex and swung. Alex parried the strike, but Sam followed it up with a roundhouse kick that sent Alex over the railing and out of sight. Sam-Athena looked over the side to see where Alex had fallen, but couldn't see her anywhere. All she saw were the catwalks below, and the water reservoir below them. A bad feeling dawned on her, and she turned around just in time to catch Alex's foot in her face. She fell over the railing and grabbed onto the edge of the walkway with her free hand. Alex stood over her and leaned over. Sam-Athena glared up at her as she worked out a means out of this mess.

"Come on, Sam. I don't really want to hurt you. Just come with us. I won't let WOOHP hurt you either, even if I don't believe they would."

Sam-Athena hung from the walkway in silence. "You just don't understand, do you? I'll never go back. I can't go back. I've just gone too far to turn back now!" She swung at the walkway with great ferocity and sliced it in two. The walkway groaned and screeched as the two halves fell away from each other.

Alex hung on to the railing on one half and watched the clone recede from her as she ran up her half of the walkway. Alex jumped to a lower walkway as the now-broken bridge fell past it and slammed into the cavern wall with a thunderous crash. She stood up and looked to the other side for the clone. Alex looked up and found her standing at an entrance to the cavern. Her face was full of malice and her eyes flashed at Alex. She lowered her left hand and flicked her wrist. Three throwing knives appeared between her fingers and she held her hand in front of her face.

Alex swallowed and braced for a renewed assault. Sam wasted no time meeting her expectations. She jumped high into the air and flung the throwing knives at Alex with hair-splitting precision and inhuman speed. Alex jumped straight up and flipped backwards as the razor-sharp daggers passed so close she could hear the wind whistle off of them. The knives planted themselves in the metal surface and Alex landed. A strand of hair fell into her face and she puffed it away, only to see it fall to the floor.

"My hair!"

Sam landed and looked up at her. "Hmm?"

"My hair! You ruined my hair! It'll take months to grow back just the way I like it! It's not like all this humidity is bad enough!"

Sam-Athena stood up and looked puzzled. "Wait, I'm about to go William Wallace on you, and you're worried about your hair?"

Alex jabbed an angry finger at her. "Don't change the subject! I spend way too much time on this thing to let you ramble on about whatever you were planning on doing to me. Uhh, just what were you planning on doing to me?"

Sam-Athena let out an exasperated sigh. "Dismember you?"

"Oh. On second thought, maybe that is a little more important than a few strands of hair!"

"Gee, you think?" Sam raised her sword and dashed at Alex. Alex barely kept up with her swordsmanship, but every time she deflected the sword, a knee, fist, or foot was there to take its place. Sam-Athena quickly forced Alex back down the walkway with her unrelenting offence. She finally managed to knock Alex's TIQ from her hand and send it spinning into the waters below. She planted a vicious kick in Alex's torso and threw her to the floor. Alex clutched her chest where Sam-Athena had kicked her and watched the clone approach with murderous intent. Sam raised her sword as she neared Alex and prepared to strike Alex's head off.

Alex fumbled with her belt buckle and launched it straight up just as Sam-Athena was standing over her. She leaned back to avoid the grappling hook, and Alex raised her feet and activated the winch. The belt pulled her off the floor and her feet connected with Sam's chin. Alex hadn't seen where the buckle had attached, and when she did, she grinned. It had attached itself to the Steam Core, and Alex was heading straight for it. She pulled herself up as close as she could and climbed onto the remains of the platform. A control panel sat in front of the Core, and Alex could only think of one thing to do to it. She selected the explosive from her Mini-Charm Bracelet and placed it on the control panel. She stood back and covered her ears as the capsule exploded and shredded the control panel. A loud warning alarm suddenly went off, accompanied by flashing lights. Steam began to vent from the Core and Alex backed away from it. She then heard a sound even more frightening. A wild, furious cry rang from above, and Sam-Athena jumped onto the platform with her. Her lovely face was twisted by rage, and there was a hellish fire behind her eyes. Without a word, Sam stepped forward and backhanded Alex, knocking her off the platform and down to the nearest walkway. Alex bounced twice when she landed and got to her feet as the enraged Sam clone landed light as a feather.

"You've harmed my sisters, attacked my friends, invaded our sanctuary, and now you're going to destroy my home? You will suffer like no woman has ever suffered before!"

Alex stepped back into a fighting stance as Sam-Athena strode toward her. Alex threw her best kick, but Sam blocked it with her free hand and stepped in. She grabbed Alex's shoulder and drove her knee into Alex's stomach before slapping her across the face. Alex stumbled away, but Sam grabbed her arm and yanked her back. She caught Alex with a swift roundhouse kick and launched her down the walkway. Alex struggled to her feet as Sam-Athena approached. The clone raised her sword and swung at Alex just as she jumped off the walkway to the next one down. Alex landed heavily and fell down. Her breathing was ragged and she was soaked in sweat as she struggled to stand up. Her eyes found one of Sam-Athena's throwing knives embedded in the floor, and she absent-mindedly removed it and hid it. She heard a light tap as the clone jumped onto the walkway and strode to where Alex was still kneeling. She brought one foot back and slammed it into Alex's side, hurling her down the walkway. Alex rolled to a stop and fought to get to her knees.

"Get up!" commanded Sam-Athena. "When I cut you down, I want you to be standing as my equal!"

Alex struggled to her feet and stared at Sam and formulated one last plan.

Suddenly, the room shook violently. The disrupted Core was causing pressure to build in the steam pipes, and many were beginning to burst. Clouds of white-hot steam shot from the walls as the complex system began falling apart.

Sam pointed her sword at Alex and issued her silent challenge. Alex nodded slowly and ran straight at Sam's clone. Sam waited for Alex to get close and swung at her head. Alex got her second wind and jumped over Sam and ran to the other end of the walkway. Sam turned and let her get a head start before following. The other end of the walkway ended in a mass of pipes, many of which looked ready to burst from the mounting pressure. Alex focused on the end of the walkway and ran to it even as Sam-Athena's rapid footsteps grew louder and closer.

With about 20 meters to go, Sam-Athena sprang into the air and leaped ahead of Alex. Alex skidded to a halt, aimed low, and threw the knife at Sam as she landed in front of her. Sam landed and immediately felt a strange sensation in her leg. She looked down and found one of her own throwing knives stuck in her leg. A tiny trickle of blood began to flow from the wound and down her leg. Alex leaned against the railing and waited for whatever came next.

When Sam-Athena finally overcame her shock, she slowly leaned over and pulled the knife out of her leg. The blood started flowing a little faster and she stared at the knife, and then the thrower in astonishment.

"You…little…bitch!"

Alex started. No one had EVER called her that. She stared defiantly at Sam-Athena.

Sam strode to her and shoved her down. Alex was so exhausted she couldn't help but let her do it.

"On the ground! Grovel like the bitch you are!"

"Stop calling me that!"

Sam stooped over Alex and picked her up by the neck single-handedly.

"I didn't think you had it in you, Alex. Using a lethal weapon on someone? You're starting to act like your gene daughter."

Alex's voice remained steady and defiant. "I'm not like her. Sam's not like you. Clover's not like your Clover. You're just a copy of something good."

Sam held Alex's face close to hers and lowered her voice. "Are you implying I'm Sam's evil twin?"

"By the way you're acting, I'd say that's a pretty good guess."

Sam's face contorted with anger and she began squeezing Alex's neck. Alex looked behind Sam at the pipes and her eyes widened in alarm. A manifold was bulging and about to explode.

"Sam!" she choked. "The pipes!"

"Huh?" Sam relaxed her grip on Alex and looked behind her. The manifold exploded, spewing a powerful burst of steam that tore Alex from Sam-Athena's grip and flung her back several feet. Alex lay there for a few seconds and watched the steam die down. When it did, Sam-Athena was still standing there unharmed.

Except for the jagged piece of metal jutting from her chest.

Sam-Athena looked down at the metal shard in surprise. She brought her free hand to her mouth and retched. She took her hand away and found it covered in blood.

She looked at Alex in despair. "Alex…it hurts."

She dropped her sword, sank to her knees, and fell over.

Alex's emotions got the better of her. Even though the clone had just tried to kill her, she couldn't refuse aid to an injured person.
"Sammie!" She scrambled over to the clone and knelt beside her. She was still alive, but her eyes were glassy and her gaze distant. Her beautiful dress grew dark as it soaked up the blood from her wound, and the petals on the delicate floral design began turning red. Alex cradled Sam-Athena's head in her lap and stroked her hair.

"Alex, is that you?" she asked.

"Yes, it's me, Sam."

Sam looked up at Alex through misty eyes. "Oh, Alex. It's all over. Our home, our future, our lives. All gone."

"Shh, don't give up yet."

Sam smiled weakly. "Don't baby me. I'm no fool. This wound is mortal. I can feel the life seeping from my body even now."

Alex gently brushed Sam's hair back. "I'm so sorry, Sam. But you gave me no choice."

Sam-Athena smiled again. "I know. And you performed brilliantly, Alex. You really are Alex's gene mother. Even she would have been proud to call you that."

Alex returned the smile. "You really are a good person, you know that? You just made – no, you were forced to make some bad choices, that's all."

"Oh, hush."

"Serious!"

Sam closed her eyes. "Alex, how can you be so kind to someone like me?"

"Why shouldn't I be? The compassion we show even to our enemies is just one thing that proves we aren't just animals."

"That's pretty profound for you."

"Yeah, I read that someplace."

Sam-Athena coughed up a mouthful of blood. Alex found her handkerchief and wiped the blood from her lips.

"Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"You have to get to my lab right away."

"Why?"
"When I was freeing the other clones, I freed one I thought wasn't mutating. Basically, a normal clone. But after we got here, she started showing signs of terminal mutations. She volunteered to become a guinea pig for me so that I could research a cure. We put her in stasis to preserve her life."

"And she's in the lab?"

"Yes. The entrance is equipped with a bioscanner set to my biology. You'll need Sam to get in."

"Okay. We'll get the clone, and come back for you."

"No!" She coughed again and spit up more blood. "All of the Convent's systems are down. The lab is designed to self-destruct should that ever happen. The explosion will take out half the island. You've just barely got time to escape!"

"What about you? I can't just leave you here!"

Sam's voice weakened again. "You have no choice. I'm dying, Alex. I knew this day would come. We were never…meant to live."

"Don't say that. Don't ever say things like that!"

Sam-Athena's eyelids began closing and her voice weakened further. She reached into her sash and handed Alex a Zip disk. "Here. It's a copy of all my research. Maybe…someone can put it to good use. She shuddered as her death throes came on. "Please…save…my sister!"

"Sam!"

"Thank you…Alex. You're so sweet." She closed her eyes and exhaled one last time. Alex sat there with Sam-Athena's head in her lap and began to cry. She gently planted a kiss on Sam-Athena's head and laid her down on the floor. She placed Sam-Athena's hands on her chest and stood up. Her eyes brimming with tears, she turned away and ran to the nearest exit.

---

A few minutes later, the girls reunited at an intersection higher up in the facility. They stopped and stared at one another for a few moments, and then embraced each other. They shared a long group hug, overjoyed to be alive and back together.

When they finally broke, Sam spoke up first. "I think it's time to blow this place."

"About time!" said Clover. "I think we can 'borrow' one of the planes in the hangar."

"We can't leave yet!" Alex protested.

Sam and Clover looked Alex up and down and noticed she had seen better days. "Alex, did you get hit a little too hard or something?"

"No! Sam-Athena's lab is about to explode! It'll take out half the island!"

Sam and Clover jumped. "All the more reason to book it!"

"No, not yet! There's a clone locked up in there! We have to save her!"

Sam and Clover exchanged worried looks, and then sighed. "Man, I was hoping for a clean getaway," said Sam. "Let's go!"

They ran down the twisting corridors, following Sam's map to the lab. They climbed up several levels and were met with a very unusual sight.

Nemesis clones were running everywhere in a panic. Several of them saw the girls but paid them no attention in their flight.

"I guess they know what's up!" said Clover.

Sam watched the fleeing clones. "Yeah, no kidding. Come on, we're almost there!"

They ran down another long corridor. Alex was running next to Sam and noticed her tattered spysuit. "Sam, what hap-"

"DON'T bring it up."

Alex smiled and said, "okay!" before dropping back a little. Finally, they reached the lab entrance. They stopped in front of it and caught their breaths before Sam scanned the door with her Compowder.

"The clone said you're the only one who can open it," said Clover.

"Are you sure?" Sam stepped closer to the door and was immediately scanned by a laser. A mechanical voice said, "I.D. confirmed. Welcome back, Sam." The doors opened to a set of decontamination sprays. The girls used their Compowders to don containment suits and walked through the spray into the lab.

Sam gasped. The lab was filled with cutting-edge equipment. Everything was spotless, even the small greenhouse off to one side was clean. She was so distracted she didn't hear her friends calling her.

"SAM!"

"What?"

"We found her!"

"Oh, yeah! Sorry!"

She found her way to where Alex and Clover were and her mouth fell open. One of her clones, physically identical to her, was suspended in a glass chamber filled with a clear fluid. She was sound asleep. Sam examined the chamber and found a palm scanner on one side. She switched back to her spysuit and felt a draft. She looked down and was quite annoyed to find her suit still slashed up from the fight.

"What? This thing can replicate a suit of armor but it can't fix a spysuit?"

Alex changed out of her containment suit and giggled. "I guess not!"

Sam grumbled and placed her hand on the scanner. The mechanical voice said, "I.D. confirmed. Please input 10-digit passcode to unlock stasis chamber."

Sam and Clover stared in shock. "Oh no, not again!" Sam turned to Alex. "Alex, did my clone tell you-"

"I've got your security code right here!" Alex was charging at the chamber with an axe in hand. Sam and Clover dove out of her way as she smashed the chamber open. The glass shattered and the clone spilled out with the fluid onto the floor. She was still comatose, and Clover wrapped a blanket around her.

"Okay, let's get out of here!" said Sam. "Clover, carry the clone. We'll lead the way."

Clover knelt next to the soaking wet clone and picked her up. "Geez, Sam. You're heavy!"

Sam glared at Clover just before the building shook again. "Time to boogie!"

They hurried out of the lab and down the corridor. They entered a stairwell that lead down, and Sam skidded to a halt with her toes hanging over the edge. The stairwell was gone. It had collapsed and stranded the girls at the landing. Clover looked over Sam's shoulder.

"Oh yeah! I destroyed the staircase trying to get away from those nasty clones."

Sam and Alex sighed. The staircase leading up was still intact. "Okay then, up we go."

"What? You mean I've got to lug her all the way up those stairs?"

"YES!"

They climbed the stairs as fast as they could, stopping every so often as explosions rocked the building. Eventually they reached the top and stepped out into brilliant sunlight. They were on a flat, open area which contained an anti-aircraft gun in one corner. The girls looked around, but found no means of escape.

"What are we going to do?" said Clover, still holding Sam's comatose clone. "We've only got one Jetpack between the four of us!"

"Hang on, I'll think of something," said Sam. She paused for a second and then admitted, "I'm all out of ideas."

Alex and Clover sighed and grumbled their aggravation. Sam turned to the wide-open vista and searched the sea and sky. Then she heard something big approaching. "What's that?"

A WOOHP dropship suddenly rose up into view. It faced them for a moment and then turned around. Jerry was standing at the ramp on the back of the ship with a loudspeaker.

"Jerry!" exclaimed the girls.

"Hello, spies! Didn't think I'd forget you, did you? Job well done, ladies!"

The girls climbed onto the dropship and Clover laid the clone on the bench as the aircraft pulled away from the Convent.

"Oh, I see you have a guest," joked Jerry.

"Yeah, sort of," said Sam.

Jerry noticed Sam's bedraggled appearance. "Sam, what-"

Sam placed a finger on his lips and glared at him. "Not now, Jerry. Now, I need a Cappuccino Cooler and a long, hot bath. Until then, do not speak to me."

Jerry nodded and Sam flopped down on the bench. She looked up after a moment and found herself looking into the clone's eyes.

"Hey, you're awake!"

The clone looked around wearily. Her hair was still soaking wet. She pulled the blanket closer to her flesh and looked at the girls with trepidation. Jerry closed the ramp to kill the wind that was whipping through the cabin. The clone looked to each person and asked weakly, "Where am I? Am I cured?"

The girls' countenances fell. The clone registered this reaction and began to tear up. "But, she promised. She promised when I woke up I'd be cured!"

Alex spoke slowly. "I'm…sorry."

"Where is she? Can I see her?"

"She's dead."

The clone turned away from the girls. "No, it's not fair! She said she was close to a cure! You monsters! Now I'll never be cured!" She glanced at Jerry and turned away again. "I'm just going to sleep forever!"

"That's not true!" said Alex. She produced the disk. "She gave us all her research. I know someone can pick up where she left off."

The clone looked at her with hopeful eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah, I think so."

The clone lay down on the bench and grew tired again. She closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Clover pulled the blanket up around her shoulders and then slumped onto the bench next to Sam. Alex sat down beside them and they leaned against one another.

"Good job, girls. I knew the odds were against you, but you came through as always."

Alex gave him a thumbs-up. "All in a day's work, Jer."

Clover also gave him a thumbs-up. "Just another day in the life of a secret agent."

"Glad to hear it. Get some rest, girls. You deserve it." No sooner had Jerry stepped out of the cabin than the girls fell fast asleep.

---

Jacob Ravask watched the whole thing go down through a pair of binoculars from the deck of the USS Kittyhawk. Ben Adams, a fellow agent, stood beside him and watched with his own binoculars. Ben towered over Jacob at 6'3", and packed a lot of muscle under his jacket.

"Dang, guess they didn't need our help after all," said Jacob.

"Nope, they sure didn't." Ben coughed and held out his hand. Jacob sighed and passed a hundred dollar bill into it, which Ben promptly pocketed.

They both went "whoa" as the main island suddenly burst into a massive fireball and WOOHP aircraft began swarming into the area.

"So," said Ben as he lowered his binoculars, "What now?"

"Well," said Jacob, "we go back down, play some cards, get some rest, and wait until we get back to Hawaii for our next assignment."

"What, again?"

Jacob snorted and grinned. "Yeah, seems like we never get any action these days."

"Personally I don't mind, but it does get really boring after a while."

"Amen to that."

They watched the activity for a few minutes before heading down below deck. Jacob stopped and looked back to the flaming ruins of the Convent."

"Hey," said Ben. "You look like you're thinking about something."

"I was just reminiscing, that's all."

"It's about those girls, isn't it?"

Jacob hid his embarrassment and Ben laughed. "Man, you're a lot of things, but I never took you for a cradle-robber!"

"Oh shut up! That's not how it is at all!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah!"

"Prove it."

"I can't!"

"Ha!" Ben turned around. "Just don't whine when I win the rest of your cash."

"I'd like to see you try!"

"And I will!" Ben descended the stairs and went out of sight. Jacob looked to the Convent again and shrugged. Maybe we'll cross paths again one day. Maybe.

---

Epilogue

The morning was crisp and bright as the girls strode confidently into school. Clover's portfolio was tucked securely under her arm, Alex held her books tight, and Sam was sucking peacefully at a Cappuccino Cooler. They turned down the hall and found a sizeable crowd gathered outside the office. They wandered over and found Arnold squeezing out of the pack.

"Hey Arnold, what's going on?" asked Clover.

"You haven't heard?" he said. "Mandy's in huge trouble!"

Clover's heart skipped a beat, but she maintained a calm, collected aura. "Really?"

"Yeah, you know that whole pageant mess?"

Clover placed her hand on her portfolio. "Yeah, what about it?"

"The whole thing was a sham. Mandy was trying to make you look like an idiot in front of the whole school, and the principal found out! Isn't that just crazy? Well, see you later. I gotta get to the newsroom!"

Clover was, for lack of a better word, petrified. Sam and Alex tapped on her and waved their hands in front of her face, but got no response.

"Should we call an ambulance?" asked Alex.

"A photographer might do more good," said Sam. Sam waved her Cappuccino Cooler under Clover's nose, but got no response. The first bell rang.

"We can't just leave her here!" said Alex.

"We won't have a choice if she doesn't move!"

Clover's lips began to move and she said something inaudible. Sam and Alex leaned closer. "What did you say?"

"My…big…break…all that work…for nothing…kill Mandy…"

Alex patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry Clover. Don't worry, I'm sure someone will notice you someday. Now we need to get to class. The first bell already rang!"

Sam and Alex dragged Clover – still muttering incoherently – to class. They dragged her to her desk, resorting to sort of leaning her against it, and took their seats.

The teacher stood from his desk and quieted the class. "Alright class, pass your homework forward." After collecting the homework he continued. "Now, who can tell me what the most important aspect of last week's assignment was?" He looked expectantly at Alex. "How about you, Alex?"

Alex stood up confidently. "Sure! The most important aspect of the assignment was..." in the blink of an eye, the answer left her. "The most important aspect…is…umm…" She placed one hand behind her head and plastered a huge grin across her face. "I forgot!"

The entire classroom fainted, and the noise of their collapse was followed by the steady rhythm of the teacher banging his head on the chalkboard. Alex blushed and sat back down. Sam leaned over and gave her a big squeeze. "It's okay Alex. You may not be the smartest person around, but I still love ya!"

Clover came out of her stupor and hugged her from the other side. "And you may not be the trendiest best friend ever, but I wouldn't have you any other way!"

"Aww, you guys are the best!"

---

Epilogue (cont.)

Dr. Parker breathed a sigh of relief as the last pod lowered into place and locked in. All the Nemesis clones were accounted for at last. He turned around and found Jerry standing beside his assistant.

"Geez, Jerry! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry, just checking up on your work. How's it going?"

"Well, all the Nemesis clones and the missing mutate are accounted for and back in hibernation. All that's left are the three Athena Clones."

Jerry raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean they're unaccounted for? The girls clearly stated in their report that they saw all three die right in front of them. I think 'dead' qualifies for a status."

"Okay, then where are the bodies?"

"We never recovered them. Most of the facility was destroyed, remember?"

"Did you, or did you not search for the bodies?"

"I don't like this tone, Doctor."

"Just answer my question, Jerry. This could be potentially very serious."

Jerry sighed. "No, we didn't find their bodies."

"Well that's just great!"

"Why?"

Dr. Parker leaned on the console. "I've been studying Dr. Beckham's notes, and I came across something really unsettling. You see, if the Athena clones are injured badly enough, their bodies will go into a kind of stasis-shock to prevent further damage. Beckham never got to test the theory, but he was sure they had this capacity."

Jerry's eyebrows rose. "And your point?"

"There is no doubt in my mind that all three escaped Athena clones are still alive and at large."

Jerry clasped his hands behind his back and stared at the rows of stasis pods. "So, what do you think they're up to now?"

"If I were them? Laying low and plotting my revenge."

Jerry turned back to Dr. Parker. "Well, if that is the case, when they resurface we'll be ready for them."

Parker gazed at the pods. "We've learned a lot from that Sam clone's research. You think they'll ever see the sun again?"

Jerry rolled the question around in his mind. "All I can say to that is, we'll see."

They turned out the lights and left the Legacy Room.

---

Epilogue ((cont.) last one, I swear!)

"Stasis fluid at 95, 98.50 degrees."

"Biosigns steady, no fluctuations detected. Brainwave activity nominal."

"Completing stasis fluid fill and initiating nutrient feed."

The huge spherical chamber filled with fluid and a pair of probes attached themselves to the sides of the tank. Sam-Athena, now horribly scarred and unconscious, floated in the clear fluid. Alex and Clover-Athena completed their operations and stepped back. The transparent sphere held their friend in stasis. The nutrient feed and the restoration machine would heal her, albeit very slowly. The lab was sterile and filled with machines and monitors. Sam would be here for a long time, and they had to be sure she'd be alright.

They heard the door open and turned around. A man in his 50s and an older woman entered the lab. The man wore a mask and a lab coat, while the woman was dressed regally.

"What news, ladies?" asked the man.

"The equipment is functioning flawlessly," said Alex-Athena. "We cannot thank you enough for your assistance, especially in light of her status."

The man stepped forward. "Yes, it is a great shame. We could not predict the explosion dropping her into the reservoir. She'd be conscious right now if it weren't for the asphyxiation and resulting brain damage."

"Some things can't be helped," said Clover-Athena.

"True, but I like to avoid these unfortunate circumstances as often as possible." He stepped forward and checked the equipment and monitors. "It could be years before we are able to resuscitate her, are you willing to wait that long?"

"If it takes years, we'll wait years for our friend," said Alex-Athena.

The man nodded. "Good." He went back to checking the monitors.

Clover-Athena looked around anxiously, and then addressed the man. "Doctor, are you ever going to tell us why you created us?"

The Doctor stopped his work and looked at her. "All in good time, my dear. You must have patience."

Clover looked down. "I will try, though the question will bother me day and night."

"All I ask is patience, my dear Clover. When your friend finally exits this chamber, everything will be crystal clear."

Clover bowed to the Doctor. Alex-Athena faced the old woman. "We are also in your debt, madame. We cannot thank you enough for providing us with this facility, though I will not forgive myself for the loss of the Convent."

The old woman spoke with a commanding, but kindly voice. "The loss of the Convent is lamentable, child, but it is not the end. I will ask you to repay that debt soon enough, but for now, rest, and await the day your friend walks again."

Alex and Clover-Athena bowed to her. The Doctor stepped away from the monitors. "Everything is perfect, just as I designed it to be."

"Excellent," said the woman.

"Sam's recovery will be slow, but it will be complete." He placed his hands on Alex and Clover's shoulders. "You are my finest creations. You have my word I will take very good care of you." He released their shoulders and walked to the woman. "Shall we adjourn, m'lady?"

"Yes, please." They turned to leave. "Just remember that the two of you are from now on effectively in my service. I do not know when I will need you, but await that day like it will be tomorrow." They left the lab and the door shut behind them.

Alex and Clover approached the spherical chamber and placed their hands on the glass.

"For putting our sisters to sleep, they will suffer," said Clover-Athena.

"For what they did to you, they will die," said Alex-Athena.

The faintest of smiles flickered across Sam-Athena's face, and she went to sleep.

THE END?