Chapter 8: A Betrayal of Sorts
When Octavia came home, Jordan was waiting for her, wearing a self-satisfied smirk. "Ah yes, I saw it, if you didn't already know."
"What?" Octavia asked.
"Oh, come on! If you were going any farther up each other, you would have been arrested!"
"What! We're fellow clones! Of course we were being friendly! What do you expect—"
"Excuse me, but you weren't exactly acting like brother and sister when he was shoving his tongue down your throat. Oh, and Morgan canceled the date."
Octavia hung her head. Now Jordan was pissed at her. Then again, she couldn't say she didn't deserve it.
"Are you saying I need help doing what I do best?" Cypher was enraged.
"If Operation Apollo was an example of your best, I feel sorry for you." Nancy spat.
"Careful, Doctor." the Director said. "It's my job to say those things to the agents. All you have to worry about is the technical necessities. And Cypher, I'm afraid Nancy's right. We sent you in for one very simple mission, which you managed to fail spectacularly. Doctor, what is the means that you propose?"
"You know what they picked up from Roswell, New Mexico, way back in 1947?"
"I know what's in Area 51, Nancy. Even if hardly anyone else does. The Air Force picked up a flying saucer and three extraterrestrial entities. They put up a struggle."
"I just got word from Groom Lake, Director. They picked up something else off the saucer. It was clinging to the hull. They thought of it as waste or space debris, but it's more. Much more. I had it sent here so I could study it. This is gonna blow your mind."
"Couldn't they have studied—whatever it was—there?" Cypher asked.
"I don't think they could keep a lab as large, powerful, and sophisticated as ours secret for long. Besides, they thought it was useless. In 1947, they didn't even have the equipment to handle it."
"Cut the crap and show us your Roswell miracle."
They were in Nancy's lab; she escorted them to a table and pointed at what was sitting on it.
"What! Some black glop in a jar is your eighth wonder of the world?"
Nancy sighed. "Appearances are deceitful, Cindy. I wouldn't call it another form of space creature, but it seems to work like living armor. It's pliable but impervious. It can also turn itself invisible, or shape-shift. It seems to be a little sensitive to strong sonic vibrations and fire, though. Do you want to be my first test case?"
When Anthony found her, Octavia was sullenly munching leftover chicken at the table. "What's the matter?"
"I'm not telling you unless you promise not to put it on your blog."
"Okay. Some things just shouldn't come out, I know."
"There's another clone."
"I know, Octavia. Didn't you watch me read that e-mail?"
"Yes, but he's in love with me."
Anthony sighed. "That's a very bad idea, Octavia. If what you told me is true, then they're planning to use you to breed a master race…with the other clone."
"So you think I should go with Morgan?"
"He's a good kid, Octavia, and I think you hurt him. And Jordan. You know how close twins can be."
Octavia wasn't sure why Anthony thought she would know about twins. "Anthony…did you ever get the feeling where you know the shit is gonna hit the fan?"
"Sure. Every single time my tracking chip goes off." Anthony shoved his hand down his pants and once again started scratching his butt. Octavia sighed and left the room, throwing the chicken bones in the trash on the way out.
Nancy's Roswell black goo slowly expanded and spread over the body of Agent Cypher, who was clad only in underwear. The Director, ever conscious of possible lawsuits, had temporarily left the room.
"It's okay, Director," Nancy said. "She's covered now. How do you feel, Cindy?"
"Better. Stronger."
"You already know what to do, Cindy," said the Director. "Don't fail me again."