Chapter Eighty Nine
"Yipe!" Frankie yelped when the first wave of the incoming tide touched her toes and she sat up, rolling Theta off of her. Quickly they gathered up the blanket and umbrella as they headed for the TARDIS and Adam opened the doors then leaned against the side of the doorframe.
"Got wet, did ya?" he asked as Theta glared at him and Adam laughed. The doors closed as he followed them inside and the soft sound of gears grinding filled the air while the TARDIS dematerialized.
The papers flew in small circles while the TARDIS materialized in an alleyway and several posters on the walls fluttered in the breeze. The doors opened while Theta walked outside and the rest of his family followed him. Turning, he closed and locked the doors then placed his arm around Frankie's waist and they walked down the alleyway. Both buildings on either side of them were stark white and a small creature with orange and black stripes sat watching them as they walked by a blue rubbish bin. The creature looked like a cat except for two curved antennae above its sky blue eyes and had six long legs.
"Nice kitty," Adam said as it yawned then closed its eyes and Adam smiled. Theta looked out from the alleyway when they headed down the pavement and Marion looked at the hover cars moving above them.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"This is Dalnami Four, home of the biggest indoor children's museum! There are hands on activities and an antigravity room!" Theta said and the children "ooo"ed.
"Boring!" Adam said then stretched his arms while yawning and Marion gently nudged him in the ribs. "What? It sounds boring."
"Playing in an antigravity room is boring?" she asked while they walked along when Zoe noticed a sign on one of the walls and frowned. A red circle with two black figures was on the sign and a red slash cut across the figures.
"Pa-paw, what does this mean?" she asked while pointing to the sign and Theta walked to her, looking at the sign.
"Now that's odd," he said then tapped a woman with blue skin and yellow eyes and she stopped, looking at him. "Excuse me, but what does that mean?"
"Oh, you must be new," she said when she eyed Adam and arched one eyebrow at him. "It says "No Clones"."
"What's wrong with clones?" Jenna asked and the woman looked at her.
"They are an abomination," the woman said then walked away and Adam walked to Theta, watching the woman walk into one of the shops.
"What should we do?" he asked and Theta turned, heading down the pavement. Shrugging, Adam and the others followed him and Jamie noticed the look in Jenna's eyes.
"Well, I happened tae think clones are dead sexy!" he thought as she smiled at him and Marion slid her arm around Adam's waist.
"And so do I!" she thought and Adam placed his head on top of her head. Theta checked the street map that was posted on one of the lamp poles when they heard a loud siren blaring and the people immediately ran inside buildings and shops.
"ATTENTION PLEASE, WE HAVE A CODE SEVEN IN PROGRESS. ALL CITIZENS ARE TO GO INSIDE IMMEDIATELY! REPEAT, WE HAVE A CODE SEVEN IN PROGRESS. PLEASE GO INSIDE THE NEAREST BUILDING IMMEDIATELY!" the voice said over the speaker on the top of the light pole and Theta led them into one of the shops. They watched as people cleared the streets when they saw someone running down the pavement and looked behind him with fear in his eyes. He was a tall man with long black hair and green eyes and was wearing tan overalls and brown work boots. Suddenly several people dressed in black body armor, black helmets and black boots ran by and the man screamed when one of the people dressed in black tackled him to the pavement.
"What is going on?" Theta demanded as he stormed to the information desk and the young, blonde haired girl simply sighed, looking at the screen.
"They're just catching a clone. No big deal," she said and Theta slammed his hands onto the counter.
"What do you mean it's no big deal? What are they going to do to him?"
"They're going to destroy it, what else?" she asked plainly and Theta's eyes went wide.
"What?" he shouted when a man with slicked back black hair walked closer and tapped him.
"Is there something wrong?" the man asked and Theta turned toward him, his eyes black and the man moved back.
"Did you know that they are going to kill someone just because they're a clone?" he asked and the man nodded. "And you're just going to let it happen?"
"It's the law," the man sighed with a shrug and Theta growled.
"But that's a living being!"
"Sir, please settle down, there is nothing we can do," the man said then walked away and Theta sighed. Walking to the window, he watched as the clone was picked up off the pavement when the people in black armor led him away and Theta balled his hands into fists. The all clear was sounded as they left the shop and Frankie held him to her side. One of the black armored people walked by with a scanner in her hand when she looked at Adam and Jenna, blinked, looked at the screen and walked away. Jenna watched her run to the others while Jamie gently nudged Jenna and they went around the corner.
Theta calmed down while they walked by some of the exhibits in the children's museum and Cam and Zoe were engrossed in some of the activities the museum offered. David and Donald were challenging Frankie and Marion to one of the games while Theta, Cameron and Jamie watched them and Adam and Jenna sat on the bench, sipping on the sweet juice from the juice stand.
"Are you bored?" Adam asked then sipped on the juice and burped.
"You are gross," Jenna said and he burped louder.
"I'm such a child!" he said with a grin and she laughed.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Sure," he said, taking another sip of the juice.
"I think we should get out of here," she said with a sigh and he slid his arm around her shoulder, causing her to lean her head on his arms.
"Pfft, don't let it get to you. No one knows that you and I are a part of the test tube set," he said with a grin and she gently shoved him. "Oi, I'm being serious, we are test tube babies."
"You are a nutter," she said and he nodded. He looked around when he saw two of the people in black armor and they were talking to one of the juice sellers. Tensing up, he looked at Theta when he set up a privacy block and his eyes went black.
"Brother, can you look after David for me?" he thought and Theta looked at him.
"What's wrong?" Theta thought.
"Two of those armored guys are here. I'm going to take Jenna and see if they follow us."
"And if they do?"
"Then we'll run like hell."
"Doesn't matter now, they're leaving," Theta thought as they watched the black armored people leaving and Adam sighed, nodding at him.
"I'm done," Jenna said as she wiggled the juice box in Adam's face and he gently swatted her hand away. Standing up, they headed over to the garbage can near the lift doors when she handed him the juice box and he slid it inside the slot. Before they could move, the lift doors opened as the two black armored people stepped out of the lift and fired their lasers. Adam and Jenna grunted while the black armored people caught them and dragged them into the lift.
"No!" Theta shouted when they felt Adam and Jenna's minds blink out and Frankie ran to him and he looked toward the lift doors.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Two of those people we saw chasing the clone just took Jenna and Adam," he said while Cameron held onto David and Marion held onto Jamie. Growling, Theta stormed toward the lift while the others followed and his eyes were jet black.
Adam softly moaned when he opened his eyes and looked up at the bright lights over his head. He was lying on his back on a metal table when he realized that his wrists and ankles were strapped down and he looked to his left. Jenna was lying on the metal table next to him as he saw her chest rising and falling and felt her mind creeping into his mind.
"Jenna, are you alright?" he thought and she wiggled her fingers.
"Uncle Adam?" she thought and he sent love into her mind.
"Can you move?"
"No," she thought as she shook her head and he sighed. The door opened when a tall man walked closer and was dressed in a white surgical jumpsuit and boots and a white surgical cap was on his head. The man walked to the table when he looked down at him and Adam glared at him.
"Ah, you are awake, that is good," the man said with a grin and his bright white teeth shimmered in the light.
"Who are you?" Adam asked.
"I am Doctor Connexs. Who are you?"
"I'm not going to tell you. Now, before this gets messy, let us up."
"Why do you clones always fight me?" Doctor Connexs asked with a sigh.
"You think I'm a clone?" Adam asked then laughed. "Oh, Mate, you are so wrong!"
"You were scanned by one of the patrol groups and were identified as one. That is why you and your clone mate were taken."
"She's my niece, you git!" Adam shouted and tried to get his wrists free.
"Of course she is," Doctor Connexs said when he walked to the tray that was sitting near the table and picked up a pair of scissors. Walking back to the table, he pulled the bottom of Adam's Incredible Hulk t-shirt and Adam's eyes went wide.
"Don't you dare!" Adam said when Doctor Connexs looked under the t-shirt and blinked. He folded the t-shirt back when his cold fingers moved along Adam's flat stomach and his finger dipped into Adam's belly button. "Whoa, you got cold fingers!"
"You have a navel!"
"Of course I do!" Adam said, rolling his eyes.
"But clones don't have navels!" he said then saw something at the edge of Adam's jeans and pulled the top of the jeans down, seeing Adam's appendix scar. "What is this?"
"Gee, Mate, my eyes don't pop out. What is what?"
"What is this scar from?" he asked, running his fingers along the scar.
"Oh, that, it's my appendix scar," Adam said with a smile.
"You had your appendix out?"
"Yep, and I nearly died from it. Now, will you put my shirt down? It's bloody cold in here," Adam said while Doctor Connexs lowered the t-shirt and looked at Jenna. "Oi, she's as human as I am. Now let us up!"
"Yes, yes, I am so sorry," Doctor Connexs undid the straps and Adam slowly sat up, rubbing his wrists. Suddenly wheezing and grinding sounds filled the room when Adam smiled and crossed one leg over the other, looking at Doctor Connexs.
"You are in such deep doo-doo!" he said when the doors slammed open and Theta and Jamie came out of the TARDIS. "Well it's about time you got here. I'm getting bored."
"Yeah yeah yeah," Theta said while Jamie ran to the other table and looked at Jenna, who smiled up at him.
"Are you alright?" Jamie asked while he stroked her hair and Jenna smiled up at him.
"Aye," she said softly and he kissed her lips.
"Who are you?" Doctor Connexs asked and Theta walked closer, locking eyes with him.
"I'm the Doctor!" he growled and Doctor Connexs swallowed, his Adam's apple bopping up and down.
"And I'm his little brother," Adam said with a grin and Theta nodded.
"Now I am going to count to two. If my little brother and daughter are not released then you'll have to deal with him!" Theta said as he pointed to Jamie and Jamie growled. Nodding, Doctor Connexs ran to the other table when he released Jenna and Jamie picked her up off the table. Jenna wrapped her arms around Jamie's neck as he carried her to the TARDIS and Adam got off the table, standing next to Theta. "Right, I have alerted the Shadow Proclamation and told them about this little killing field of yours…"
"But I let them go!" Doctor Connexs shouted and Theta brushed some hair from his eyes.
"It's not just because you took my brother and daughter. It's because you are slaughtering living beings. It shouldn't matter if they were born inside a womb, a loom, an egg, a sack, a pouch or a test tube. They have a right to live as much as you or I."
"Would you believe he was stunned when he saw my belly button?" Adam said and Theta arched his eyebrow at him.
"He's never seen one before?"
"Well, I do have a cute belly button. It's got that little trial of hair that goes up to my chest," Adam said as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down. "And he was surprised to see my appendix scar."
"Ah, yes, that is a deep little dent, isn't it?" Theta said and Adam nodded. "Well, what say we go because I think the Judoon are here."
The room was shaking as Doctor Connexs ran out of the room and Adam smiled. Nodding, Theta and Adam walked into the TARDIS as Theta closed the doors behind them and the TARDIS dematerialized.
"And what happened after you left?" the Doctor said while he and Theta sat on the lounges and the children swam in the pool.
"The Architect told me that she's investigating them and would get back to me," Theta said with a shrug then nibbled on the Navajo taco that was on the plate on his lap. "It's funny. I wanted a nice holiday with my family and I end up fighting clone killers."
"Yeah, I hear you. I can never have just a plain old holiday without one of my family getting into some sort of trouble."
"At least I stopped being predictable," Theta said when Alan and Adam walked to the lounges and had plastic buckets in their hands.
"Hello," Alan said as they looked at him then at Adam and the Doctor frowned.
"And what are you going to do with those?" he asked and Alan grinned.
"This!" Alan and Adam shouted as they dumped the water on Theta and the Doctor and they looked at each other. Rain, Rose, Marion and Frankie jumped when they heard a loud scream and Adam and Alan ran passed them, going into the house.
"Close the door!" Adam shouted then yelped, closed the door and ran away.
"Drat, they got away," the Doctor said as Theta nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Taco?" Rain asked as they took one off the plate and Theta smiled, placing the taco in his mouth.