Double Vision
Gene wanted head into his major event at once, so Alex didn't stop him. She now saw that he was a bit spooked by what happened to him as well. "Double Vision," He began, saying the name of the entry as customary.
I was back at the boardwalk from entries part. This time,
it was night. There were these little things on the stone
that had white globe Lights on them. I sat down on the
top of the banister, between two of the globes. I stared
for awhile, transfixed by the globe to my right. I reached
out to one of the lights.
"Don't touch it," A voice spoke up, sort of behind me,
making me jump. I looked back and saw Gene walking
near me. He caught me staring at him as he leaned against
the other part of the banister to look at the dark water. "If
you break that, it will be a loss of money to the public."
"yes sir," I stated as I did a handstand and stepped backwards,
doing a graceful step down to the platform. Gene was staring
at me, open mouthed.
"How did you manage that?" He asked. "I see that you are
obviously unfit."
"I just do, and actually, I was more unfit than this some time
ago. I helped my mom chop wood, so I am improving slowly
but getting better." Gene nodded and turned back to looking
at the horizon. I walked up next to him. "I know it's probably
none of my business, but what do you think of when you come
here to look at the water?"
A moment passed, Gene still having his back turned to me, facing
the Water, "My life, my wife, among other things."
I pondered, as I also stood close to gene and looking over the water
at what he said. I happen to see him take coming small out of his tan
colored coat. He was not paying attention to me as he frowned at the
object in his hands. He tossed it outwards, and as it sailed towards the
water, I swore it was a ring. After awhile, he faces me, then takes a cig
out and lights up.
"You want one?" He asks, the cig hanging from his lips.
"I tried one, along time ago. It was cool, but that's the
only one I could try. My mom doesn't want any of her
relatives to smoke. My Gran died of Emphysema."
He nodded, "the death of one close to you is about to effect
you." He stood there, smoking. He took the cig out of his mouth.
"I have to know something."
"What?"
"Every time we turn around, it seems like you vanish."
I stood in silence. "Like earlier in the pub, we were talking,
then we turned around and you'd already left. Not sound, anything."
I turned my head and looked over the water. "It's nothing really.
People get too involved with other stuff, and they don't pay attention
to me, and it only seems like I vanish."
He stood there, smoking, and taking all of this in. I walked from
The banister and faced him. I held my hand out for him to shake,
And after awhile, he shook it. I felt something just then, about
Something else about my surrounds. I quickly looked around.
"What is it?" Gene asked when we stopped shaking hands.
"Something…. doesn't feel right." Down the block, I'd noticed
a black car moving slowly past us. I noticed that the windows
were rolled down and I saw guns, lots of guns! "GENE," I
thundered, "GET DOWN!" I lunged at him, surprising him
as I thwacked into him, knocking us down.
There was the sound of gun fire and ricochets above and next
to us. I crouched over Gene to shield him. After awhile the shots
ceased. I looked over and saw the black car stop, it's back lights
coming on. I swore.
"They're stopping," I began. "Play dead," I whispered to Gene.
Gene played the part perfectly, spawrled out, eyes closed.
Three people got out of the car and walked to us. Two of the guys
I've never seen. Two of the guys incredibily looked exactly like Ray
Carling! Frank Morgan got out of the front of the car and walked over.
"What the hell did you do?" I said to Frank, almost screaming.
"I kidnapped Ray, then took tissue samples from him. Then I cloned
him."
I was gob-smacked. I recovered, thinking that in order to have a
Fresh supply of tissue for the cloning, he must have Ray alive
Somewhere! I curled my hand into a fist.
'So let me get this straight," I began in a brash manner not
unlike Gene, "You came from Hyde? Then screwed up their
lives?"
"That's correct," Frank said, as if he was my teacher! It took
all I had not to slug him then!
"And then you took Ray to Hyde-"
"his body," Frank interrupted, "I took his body to Hyde."
"And then you cloned him and brought back your 'Army'
from Hyde?"
Frank gestured to his Cadre as he added, "That's right,"
he added a smile.
"Well, Sam was right,"
"About what?"
"That you're a bloody madman!"
Everything exploded. The men tried shooting me and Gene leapt
up and attacked! Gene sent one guy toppling over the railing.
I hard his screams before he hit the water. Gene and I were
tag-teaming to defeat the opposition.
"I'm getting an adrenaline!" I yelled. I felt like 'power punching'
the last guy, but didn't want to blow my cover. Gene was watching
when I brought both my arms up savagely, nailing the guy in the chest.
The man sailed back, six feet away. He landed flat on his back, stunned
and unmoving. I ran at a low crouch to the still form in middle of the
street, fully intent on giving the guy even a worse beat down.
"SARA," Gene bellowed.
I glared up and down the street to see that Frank was no longer anywhere,
and the car started pulling away. I saw red and started running at it. It pulled
away with a squeal of tires! I yelled in anger. I walked back to Gene. I started
not feeling well and I swayed for a bit on my feet.
'Are you ok?" I could hear Gene asking.
I ran past him and only just managed to clear some
benches before I fell to my knees and got sick. I
heard Gene run up to me and I heard him swear as
he caught sight of me being sick. After I was done
getting sick, I felt Gene, as gently as he could, haul
me to my feet.
"What did he tell you?" Gene asked as we walked
away from the area.
"How he kidnapped Ray to make clones of him."
"Clones?"
"Yeah, physical copies; each one would be the same
flesh and blood."
I heard Gene swear softly, then he asked, "You don't
believe him, do you?"
I said, factually, "As messed up as his mind is, there's
no way of telling what he did or is going to do."
Gene agreed and we walked across a street I saw that
the building we were going to was the pub. It was lit up.
"It's still open," Gene said, noting my look. "Sam isn't
here thought, he's back at his place, sleeping and having
nightmares most likely."
Gene walked a bit faster then me, and pulled out in front
of me. I took this chance to pop out of it."
Alex could see that the night had jarred him to the bone. He almost died, and then learned that Frank was turning mad scientist and purportedly cloning Ray Carling! Even if he wasn't success, as he wanted Sara to think, Alex didn't want to imagine what medical cruelty Ray went through!
'No wonder Ray doesn't want ever to mention 73 again,"
"But what I can't get is that some of the stuff Ray told us about was stuff not from our time!"