The Wasabi Warriors: Were Shocked.
Reaction: Noise Explosion.
Miss Mohindra waited ten seconds before letting loose a piercing whistle.
"That is quite enough," she stated firmly.
"Enough?!" Jerry was enraged. "Chica, you put me and my friends in danger because you couldn't control your science experiment!"
"Clones are people too! You can't infringe on their rights like this!" Milton added hotly.
"Those policies are still under development," Miss Mohindra retorted. A small expression of distaste flitted across her face. "I recognize clones as people capable of thought and that they require basic rights. Yet at the same time, they aren't real humans. They weren't born like us. These girls were grown in the lab."
"Aren't you a moralistic paragon." Disdain dripped from Kim's mouth.
"The clones were prepared for reconditioning but they launched a successful escape attempt almost a month ago," Miss Mohindra disclosed, ignoring their contempt. "We were unable to reason with them. They're extremely angry."
Eddie glared. "For good reason! You dissected their lives! You manipulated their memories and mentalities! How could they not be angry?!"
"I did no such thing, Branca did," Miss Mohindra emphasized icily. "Branca conditioned Subjects A through O long before I arrived."
"And you want us to help drag them back into captivity?" Jerry scoffed. "Like we'd help you!"
The Wasabi Warriors were resolute in their anger.
"You seem to have, once again, made a wrong assumption." Miss Mohindra scorned. "Since I'm the only one you can see, the one who was ordered to reach out to you, I became the face of the enemy. Unfortunately, children, it's not as simple as that. I'm here to do my job."
"Destroying lives?!"
"Protecting my country," The woman was calm faced with Rudy's passion.
"Whenever patriotism is used to justify cruelty, it's not right!" Milton burst.
Miss Mohindra smirked. "So you won't help us? Not even to save Juliana?"

A siren blared, cutting their conversation short.
"CODE BLUE. CODE BLUE. ROGUE. CODE BLUE. CODE BLUE. ROGUE." A mechanical voice announced.
Jack plugged his ears. "What's that?!"
Miss Mohindra stood as something slammed against the door.
"Get away!" She warned. The Wasabi Warriors sprinted to the other side of the room.
The office door exploded. Everyone ducked as wood and metal debris flew in every direction. A blur in brown sped forward and whacked the inspector with a long stick.
Mohindra's eyes rolled back and she collapsed.
The stranger was about to pass them when she paused.
"Eddie?" The person whispered.
He gasped. "What are you doing here?"
The person was completely covered from head to toe. The voice seemed feminine but it was a mystery how Eddie had recognized them.
"Follow me!" The attacker grabbed his hand and they ran, the gang stumbling behind them. "And stay quiet!"

The peculiar figure led them underground to an unmarked silver SUV. After boarding the Wasabi Warriors were blindfolded and warned to remain silent. Jerry tried to talk but someone duct-taped his mouth.
Once they reached their destination, the group were rushed into a building.
"Take it off!" Someone ordered.
Jerry screeched as they ripped off the tape. At the same time the blindfolds were removed.
Blinking at the bright lighting, the gang found themselves in a rectangular room with grey walls and a cement floor. Boxes and random pieces of furniture were scattered around them.
Meanwhile, they'd been surrounded by the masked fighters in brown. One stepped towards them and removed her mask.
It was Madame Riker.

Madame Riker's hair was still in a stiff bun, but besides that her appearance had changed. She'd traded her ballet shoes for runners and her cane for a bo staff. Still, it didn't make her seem any less dangerous.
"Welcome," Her accent had faded since she wasn't screaming. "I'm sorry if I scared you, but I couldn't leave you in Branca's clutches. I was…not happy to see you, but Juliana would never forgive me if something happened to Eddie."
"Hold your horses!" Milton screeched. "My brain's about to implode! What's going on?!"
The others were in similar stages of mental breakdown.
"Wait, so you're evil?" Jerry shook his head like a dog, blinking rapidly. "No wait, Mohindra's evil…then is Ella evil?!"
Rudy chewed his fingernails madly.
"I'm calm! Fine! One hundred percent fine!" he chattered with agitation.
Kim and Jack were close to flipping but still had their wits about them. Eddie stiffened, an uncharacteristic scowl embedded on his face.
Madame Riker levelled her staff at Milton.
"You. Brain boy. What did the paper say?"
He gulped. "Uh…the Troubles' official casualty record is 3532, then doubled, it's 7064. The fountain pen in the play Doubt was used to symbolize the rigidity of the antagonist. In the song by Bob Dylan—"
"Get to the point before ballet mama kicks your head!" Jerry hissed.
"Time appears six times in the song while the rhymes are in an odd pattern, there are twenty that are in the second, fourth, sixth, and tenth lines, while fifteen in lyrics eight, nine and eleven." Milton coughed, having used one breath the whole time.
"So what does it mean?" Jack encouraged him.
"7064, Hard Six, 24610:20, 8911:15," Milton recited. "We aren't sure about the meaning, but the last part's from an address."
Madame Riker's face relaxed.
Another teen rushed in, a girl in brown. However, she wasn't wearing a mask.
"Commander, we've completed the scans—"
Everyone froze. "Ella?!" Kim exclaimed.
It was Ella Wong…except this girl had blonde hair in a bob cut. She stared at them, uncomprehending, then saluted. "I'm Klon 13, Mella," She introduced herself. "You've met my sister?"
Rudy fainted. Jack's head suddenly ached. Milton and Jerry were already melting down. Eddie stared while Kim gave up.
"Sure, why not?" She said to the sky. "I didn't think things could get crazier, then they did! Thanks universe! What are the odds?"
During the gang's reactions, the older woman signalled Mella to leave for now, as well as the other guards.
"I guess it's time you learned the truth." Madame Riker spoke heavily. "The whole truth."

When I was young, I was determined to become a ballerina. Both my parents were involved with the military, and dance was one way I felt I could be free. My brother followed in their footsteps, becoming a general, which left me to pursue my dreams.
At first, everything was perfect. I became a principal dancer. I fell in love, and got married. I was happy.
But within a few months, my husband was killed. Someone pushed him off a building. The police were convinced it was suicide, but I knew different. He had been murdered.
I met with some of my husband's contacts and learned he was not a simple road manager. He'd been a secret agent for the American government, and I'd been part of his cover.
That wasn't the end. My husband had been investigating a kidnapping revolving around a girl. I took over from him and destroyed it while searching for his killer. I adopted the child and named her Juliana.
I became a part time ballerina, part time secret agent, and part time mother. Then my brother contacted me for help. He was working with Interpol and heard rumours about illegal experimentation with human test subjects. At his request I left the industry and came to Seaford to observe Branca Corp, while hoping to give Juliana a better life.
However, my brother vanished afterwards.
I discovered Branca was producing clones, and though I reported it, no one was ever arrested. I was ordered to give up the mission, and when I refused I was fired.
I realized the government was working with Branca instead.
So I rebelled. I pretended to retire while arranging for the clones' escape, and unearthed the data on the Cryptographer Operation. As well as a different project…one connected to Juliana.

"Branca has been developing enhanced humans for years," Madame Riker told them. "Some of their failures were exiled instead of terminated. Juliana was a failure…at first."
"At first? What is Juliana?" Eddie demanded.
Madame Riker watched him hesitantly. "She is part robot, part human," she revealed abruptly. "She's a cyborg."

The Wasabi Warriors blinked. They were no longer surprised by the sudden developments but this was really pushing it. "That came out of nowhere," Jerry remarked.
"So wait, how did she evolve?" Kim scratched her head.
Madame Riker sighed. "Her robotic parts were initially designed to augment her natural abilities, but they failed to meet the goal. However, after puberty Juliana began to comprehend things without having ever studied them."
"That's how she knew four languages," Eddie mumbled to himself.
She gave a curt nod. "Yes. She also experienced crippling headaches due to her robotic parts. I was able to recover Ella's sisters but Juliana escaped Branca's custody on her own, and is currently AWOL with Ella. I suspect they've partnered up to take down the corporation, but they don't realize how unmatched they are. They'll be trapped."
"So what do you want from us?" Jack asked.
Madame Riker met each of their eyes, resolute.
"I'm sorry to drop the bombs on you like this, but we need to save Ella and Juliana. We need to destroy Branca before they destroy us."

Chapter 12: Calm Before the Storm

The kids (and an unconscious Rudy) were given time to rest and recover inside the clones' warehouse base. After Madame Riker covered for them by phoning their parents, the teens ate, slept, and mentally prepared for the battle ahead.
"Hi," a voice greeted Jack after he woke up from his nap.
He blinked. "Which one are you?"
It was another Ella clone. (Although she should just be called a clone, since Ella's not the original model.)
This teen had long black hair in a sinuous braid.
"I'm Aella." She smiled. "Is it that confusing?"
He sighed. "It'd be harder if you guys didn't have different hair colours."
She laughed. "You're funny," she winked flirtatiously. "You single?"
"He's taken," a quiet one scurried in, with a messy brown ponytail and spectacles. She grabbed her sister's arm. "He's Kim's boyfriend. Or he will be. I'm not sure if they're official."
Jack thought about contesting that statement but decided to abstain.
"She doesn't scare me, Bella!" Aella protested.
"Who doesn't?" Kim's voice caused both of them to jump and scamper away. She watched them leave, staring daggers into their backs.
"Are they all like this?" Jack wondered.
Kim shrugged.
"Their personalities are different." she divulged. "Some of the others are okay."
The pair sat together in companionable silence.
"Everything just got super strange," Kim muttered. "Within days, there was a secret organization, an evil corporation, clones, a cyborg, and now we're dealing with an international spy."
"Adventure is always fun," Jack joked.
"As long as we don't make a habit of this," Kim argued good-naturedly. "I'm actually craving some normal life right now."
The two friends paused, mulling over the recent events.
Jack grinned. "The moment this is all over, we should all go out—" he froze. "Actually, we'll have to finish all the homework we've missed first."
They laughed lightly, and the future didn't seem so bleak after all.

Eddie had been avoiding his friends' questions about what he did for Miss Mohindra. He couldn't bear lying to them more than he already had.
Eventually they'd accepted his vague explanation of something government related and left it at that. Despite this, the guilt was still eating him away inside.
"So you're Eddie," a familiar, yet unfamiliar voice interrupted his stupor. "You okay?"
He whirled and blinked. This clone had dark red hair tucked into a tight bun and sparkly makeup.
"I'm fine, um…?" Eddie waited.
"Lela," She introduced herself confidently. "I saw that look on your face. What's up?"
He sighed, sneaking another peek at Jack and Kim.
"I miss Juliana," he confessed.
"And…?" Lela prodded.
He hesitated.
"Ever since this began, I feel like maybe I never knew her at all." He rubbed his eyes. "We didn't know each other long, and I guess not well, but somehow we had this trust between us. Juliana and I clicked. She got me."
She sat beside him.
"Even if you know someone for a long time, it doesn't mean you necessarily understand each other," She spoke thoughtfully. "My sisters can be distant. I still don't know what goes on in some of their brains."
"What makes you say that?" Eddie stared at her.
Lela met his gaze steadily.
"We were products that were developed in solitary." Her candidness took him by surprise. "As you can probably tell, our personalities aren't the same. We have similar mannerisms and preferences, but we were raised differently. We don't remember everything Branca did to us, and frankly, some of my sisters don't want to remember. But it makes it harder to grow close."
He shuddered. "That's terrible."
"Friendship should be judged by its depth, not its length," She noted. "You were lucky to find someone with whom you have a mutual understanding. Even clones have a hard time getting along, so it's amazing how much Juliana trusted you. She must have a reason for it."
He frowned. "Can you get to the point?"
She giggled before laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Give her a chance when you see her again," she suggested. "Juliana was probably unaware of most of these secrets."
He hesitated.
"It's obvious she cares about you." Lela said. "I'm not saying you have to follow her around for the rest of your life, just…be ready to listen when she's ready to talk."
Eddie thought it over.
Lela smiled. "Any questions?"
"Are you a therapist?" he wondered.
She laughed again.
"I'm good at analyzing matters of the heart," Lela replied before standing. "Nice talking to you."

Jerry was flirting with a few of the clones. They each had different hairstyles and colours, but at this moment all wore identical expressions of disdain. "What it do, girl?" Jerry sidled towards one.
She punched him in the chest, green bangs flying.
"Sorry, kid, but we're not looking to be in a relationship," she informed him coldly. "Ever."
Milton appeared from around the corner, discussing seriously with a blonde clone.
"That's why the theoretical manifestation of such an entity would—Jerry, what are you doing?"
The Hispanic boy was gasping as he held his chest, but he gestured weakly at the green-haired girl.
"Stop hitting on them, for Pete's sake!" Milton admonished. "You're not here to get a girlfriend!"
"I don't even know why I'm here!" He erupted.
A hush settled over the group.
"Guys, can you give us a moment?" He grabbed Jerry and took him aside, assuring himself they had a small degree of privacy before asking.
"What's with you?"
Jerry swung away in frustration. "It's just…I feel useless." His friend gaped.
"Jack and Kim are the best fighters, you're the brains, Rudy's our sensei, and Eddie's the main," he mumbled. "I'm a clown. I haven't done anything important like you guys."
"That's not true!" Milton admonished. "You're essential! Remember Don?"
"We found almost nothing that day!" He argued.
"You helped rescue Julie!"
"You saw how easily I got taken down!"
"You're still better than me!" He grabbed his shoulders. "So stop with your pity party! You don't need to prove anything—you're our friend, and you've earned your place in the Wasabi Warriors."
Someone sneezed behind them.
The boys whirled to see a clone dash away.
Jerry chuckled morosely. "She's probably gonna tell everyone what a loser I am."

In a very different base were two sleeping bags with two teens bundled inside them. The basement was cold and dark. A mini-fridge hummed nearby, while tools, gadgets, odds and ends were scattered all around them in no particular order.
One teen rolled back and forth, wiggling and trying to get comfortable.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" Her companion hissed at her. "We've got a busy schedule ahead of us!"
The fidgeting girl sat up and turned on a small lamp.
"Juliana, I can sense you're upset," Ella grumped. "But since I don't know why, I can't sleep. I'm not Violet, you need to tell me these things straight!"
The ballerina chewed her lip anxiously. "I'm worried about my mom. She's probably going insane."
"It's too dangerous to contact her," Ella reiterated hotly. "Besides, once we found out the Cryptographers were a big bad we knew we'd have to make sacrifices."
"But I'm scared," Juliana reiterated. "Eddie and his friends are in danger, and it's my fault!"
The Chinese girl softened her tone. "Juliana, it's not your fault. None of this is your fault, okay? We may not know much about Branca and their sci-fi projects, but we'll win. We have to."
"But you still think Eddie's—"
"I'd be lying to say I trust him," Ella cut her off. "But right now I can't trust anyone, especially since I seem to have a doppelgänger."
Juliana hesitated.
"Are you sure you don't have sisters?"
Ella shook her head slowly.
"I…I can't remember," she admitted. "I have these gaps in my head. Sometimes I get a glimpse, or a wisp of memory, feelings…but that's it. It's frustrating."
Juliana nodded when a jolt of pain radiated across her forehead. "Ah."
Ella scowled. "You're still getting those migraines. They've gotten worse since we've been working take down Branca."
"I'll be okay," Juliana smiled weakly. "Just…let's get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

A mysterious figure with dark hair sat in low light, a blue hoodie tossed casually on a nearby chair.
She tapped her fingers as she waited. One, two, three…one, two, three…
She recalled the events from the past few days, being Eddie's contact, smuggling him papers, and giving him that white envelope. She wondered how much he remembered of their brief encounters.
She'd had been watching him, observing him, as each new event threw a twist into his life. Eddie had handled some of it with admirable qualities, though he had failed miserably with other challenges.
He definitely possessed potential, as well as enthusiasm. Of course, his skills could use some polishing, but that was only if he survived the next day.
How could such a bright teenager have gotten tangled with such dark forces?
She shook her head, clucking at his misfortune. If she wasn't a professional, she might feel pity for the oblivious child.
A tablet beeped, and the adult reviewed it, sighing heavily afterwards.
She'd received her instructions. If Eddie Jones was proven to be a liability, he'd have to be neutralized.
One, two, three…It was as simple as one, two, three.