– Chapter Eight –
"How…how can you be her real dad?" Aila asked a while later.
The clones had reluctantly agreed to allow Lucas into their house, but Leigh's paranoia was worse than ever. She point blank refused to join everyone sitting at the table, and paced from window to window, all the while carrying the saucepan with no intention of putting it down.
Katja sat opposite Lucas with Aila by her side. It was the first time the German focused her entire attention on anything. She did not allow herself to become distracted by her laptop, and she sat completely still.
Lucas took a deep, steady breath. "I vas to be your father, Katja," he began slowly and carefully. "Your mother…your real mother…she did not survive zee birth-"
"Ja," Katja interrupted. "Zis I already know. Zen I vas adopted by zee Obinger family."
"Yes," Lucas whispered with a nod.
"How do we know this guy's really her real dad anyway?" Leigh called crossly, still watching the world outside the window. "I don't trust him."
"You're as bad as Rat; you don't trust anyone," Aila reminded her. Leigh tutted, rolled her eyes, and resumed her pacing.
"Please; I am trying to help," Lucas spoke up. "I vas vorking for DYAD before your birth, Katja, as vas your mother. I vas double agent vith my partner, Maggie Chen. Vee vere given missions, you see…to spy and record information on an enemy organisation. Any of you…have you heard of zee Proletheans?"
"No," the women responded together. Lucas gripped his hands together and swallowed hard before continuing.
"Zee Proletheans…zey are religious extremists," he explained. "Zey oppose science; you clones are an abomination in zeir eyes-"
"So you knew your daughter was a clone right from the start?" Aila asked.
Lucas sighed, but nodded. "Ja, but I knew I could not keep you, Katja…you see…zese missions, zey vere dangerous. Maggie and I, vee became accepted as Proletheans, but Maggie, she became lost. Zey brainwashed her, and she became one of zem for real."
Lucas paused a moment to allowed Katja to absorb this information.
"If I had kept you, you vould have been in danger. Zey vanted to correct vat zey saw as an abomination; take out all zee clones. It was either give you up to a safe family, or rid you from this vorld myself, in order to redeem myself in zee eyes of zee Proletheans. Zee Proletheans never knew you vere my daughter, Katja. I made you safe."
"So…" Leigh began, slowly turning away from the window at last to watch Lucas. "You decided doing DYAD's dirty work of spying on these nutters was more important than raising your own daughter."
"Von does not escape DYAD's clutches so easily," Lucas explained pitifully. "I did vhat I zought vas best for Katja. She deserved only happiness…"
Katja chewed her lip and pushed back her chair. As she stood up and silently, slowly made her way to the staircase, Leigh was sure she saw a glint of a tear in her eye before she raced up the stairs to her room.
Aila frowned and stood. She started to follow her, but hesitated and sat back down, looking concerned. She figured she should allow the other woman some time, and she could check up on her in a little bit. She turned back to Lucas, fidgeting her hands a bit. "So you're DYAD…" she said, more to herself than him. She was definitely wary of this man now. She looked at Leigh uneasily, who was still clutching the pan for dear life.
"Yes…" Lucas said, sounding a bit awkward about it. "If need be, zey could offer protection-"
"HELL NO," Leigh boomed, taking Lucas by surprise as he shrunk back down in his seat.
Aila cleared her throat. "You were going on about the killer. Talk to us about that," she said. "Is she another clone?"
Lucas looked between Aila and Leigh. "I do not know...I have never met her in person, but I know zat her name is Helena. From vat I have heard, zee Proletheans…zey kidnapped her from a convent in Ukraine ven she vas just a little girl. Maggie and Tomas trained Helena to be a killer…abused her greatly. Zat girl is practically feral, from what I have heard. She's beyond help now, I believe…"
"Tomas?" Aila asked.
Lucas nodded. "Ja, he's one of zee higher ups. He's Helena's direct guardian, and Maggie is her handler out in zee field. Maggie seeks clones out through records she stole from DYAD, and Helena kills zem."
Nobody spoke for a few minutes. Leigh finally lowered the pan, crossed the room to the sofa, and sat down. She took a moment to rub her forehead before lowering her hand and looking back over at Aila and Lucas.
"So how did you find us, then?" she asked at last.
"I vas…I vas already keeping a close eye on Katja. I knew it vas a matter of time before she vas targeted, and I offered to go to Germany to confirm her location for Maggie. However, my real intention vas to varn Katja of the dangers. I had to varn her adoptive family, and so I did. Katja had already spoken to zem. Zey told me vere I could find her."
A pause.
"Wait, Katja told her family we were here?" Leigh asked, aghast.
Lucas nodded. "Ja. Katja and her family…zey have great faith in each other. Zey do not have secrets, and zey vill not betray you. Any of you."
"Jesus Christ," Aila breathed. She absently clawed at her own face while staring at Lucas. "So trusting and reckless, these Obingers…" Leigh just nodded to Aila's statement, dumbfounded.
The doctor stood slowly, looked at the clock, and then up the stairs. It'd been nearly half an hour since Katja left, and Aila was concerned. She walked into the kitchen, silently made some tea, and grabbed a packet of cookies before making her way towards the stairs. She paused to glance back at Leigh. "I'm going to go check on her. I need a break from…this anyways. Leigh, do me a favour and please don't use that pan unless he really deserves it."
Aila paused outside of Katja's door and lightly knocked. "Katja?"
Receiving a muffled grunt in reply, Aila slowly stepped into the room, frowning at the sight of the woman on the bed with her back to the door. She couldn't help but feel her heart break a little as Katja tried to quieten her muffled sobs.
"Brought some tea and cookies," the doctor said quietly, lightly sitting on the edge of the bed. She placed the items down on the opposite bedside table before gently reaching out to place her hand on Katja's arm, unsure what types of comfort she was willing to accept. Aila felt like she needed to do something though. It was just in her nature.
"Danke," Katja managed. She willed herself to sit up, and hugged her own knees. "I am sorry."
"Don't be sorry," Aila told her, surprised.
"It is just…I am not sure I believe all of zis. Ve need proof…ja?"
"I believe so," Aila agreed. "Perhaps Rat-"
"Rat has done enough for us," Katja interrupted, wiping her eyes dry. "She has her own…zings…to deal vith. I cannot put more on her."
"Or perhaps you don't want to find out for sure?" Aila suggested. She watched as Katja slowly reached out for the mug of tea, and took a soothing sip. She frowned and closed her eyes, sighing.
"I am not liking people messing vith my head," Katja confided quietly. "I have a good family. I always knew who I vas. I do not need zee man who gave me up coming back now after I spent all zese years accepting zings…"
"Doesn't mean you have to turn back the clock, Katja," Aila told her gently. "Lucas…he seems desperate. Scared, even. Dunno about Leigh, but I think he really does want to help us. Katja…he knows things."
Katja nodded quietly but said nothing, sipping at her tea as she eyed the packet of cookies. She silently took one and nibbled on it.
Aila smiled and ate one as well, before speaking again. "I do get it, y'know…my mum did the same. She gave me up for adoption at birth. I don't think I ever had a dad, but if she suddenly came back one day, I don't know what I'd think."
Katja nodded. "Ja…I never zought he vould suddenly come to me like zis…did he tell you anyzing vhile I vas up here?" she asked.
Aila sighed and nodded. "Aye…the killer is girl named Helena, though I can't help wondering if she's a clone herself after DNA matching my own was found on my monitor's body."
"Vhy vould a clone be killing us though?" Katja asked, aghast. "Vhat is vrong vith her?"
"I dunno," Aila mumbled. "Apparently, these Prolethean freaks kidnapped her when she was a child. They abused her and warped her into some sick killer to hunt clones...I guess she's brainwashed, and it's sick. Lucas has never met her in person, apparently, so we can't be sure...but the DNA thing is still driving me mad. I'm willing to put money on Helena being a clone. The religious nuts want her to destroy all of us."
"Bastarde…" Katja cursed under her breath, her eyes wide. "So our enemies are not DYAD?"
"Apparently not, at least not in that sense. DYAD aren't the ones killing us, but…I still don't trust them either," Aila muttered with a frown. "So it seems we have two enemies really. The Proletheans are everything anti-science, and DYAD are just warped. This sucks."
Katja took another bite out of her cookie, but found it difficult to finish. She set it back down on the paper bag it came from, and sighed. "Ja," she muttered, nodding. "Zis sucks."
Aila stayed upstairs with Katja for a while longer, chatting about various things. The two clones managed to make each other laugh by telling stories of past events, gradually lightening the mood and cheering each other up as they did.
Aila couldn't believe she'd ever feared the German woman, even for a moment. Smiling to herself, the doctor made her way back down the stairs after Katja decided to go to bed, but she paused at the foot of the steps, trying to process the image before her.
The chair Lucas was in was now away from all of the windows, and Leigh was almost tripping over herself as she wrapped the man in a rope. His mouth was unbound, but he didn't say anything, instead just looking like he'd given up trying to talk sense into the clone.
"What…the hell are you DOING?!" Aila asked, her mouth slightly agape as she tried to believe what she was seeing. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Y-You can't POSSIBLY be intending to leave him like that all night, right?!"
"Are you forgetting we still don't have proof to confirm he hasn't just told us a whole load of bullshit?" Leigh snapped at the doctor. She paused what she was doing to stare at the Aila in disbelief. "Do you want his minions or his bosses or whoever the hell he's working with to burst in here and take us in the dead of the night? Besides, you only said I couldn't hit him. You didn't say anything about restraining him to make sure he doesn't go contacting DYAD or…or…whoever-"
"You already did hit me," Lucas grumbled pathetically. "My eye. It still hurts."
"You were asking for it!" Leigh tried to convince both Lucas and Aila. "You can't just approach strangers dressed all freaky the way you're dressed and start talking some gibberish, harassing them-"
"Leigh, OK, we get it," Aila groaned exasperatedly. "Yes, I agree he needs to prove himself before we can feel secure. Sorry, Lucas."
"I suppose…I cannot blame you in your position. It ez hard to know who to trust."
"You think?" Leigh asked. She finished tying him, and then flopped back on the sofa.
"But," Aila added nervously, "is this really necessary?"
"You got a better plan?" Leigh challenged her.
Aila just stared for a moment longer, and then sighed. "Fine, do whatever you want," she said, raising her hands in defeat before walking into the kitchen to put away the cookies and wash out the empty cup that had held Katja's tea. "Once you're done with…that…come to my room and I'll have a look at your hand to make sure it's not getting infected," the doctor said before walking down the hall to her bedroom.
On her bed were several maps of Italy, and maps of the city of Rome. She'd marked down where Aryanna lived and worked to make finding her easier. Aila had plotted out the best route to get there from the city of Florence, where they'd agreed to fly to.
Leigh came knocking on Aila's door after another few minutes. She invited herself in, looking slightly guilty, and very tired. "He says he won't fight," Leigh explained, shrugging. "Says he's willing to stay there all night just to prove himself, but I dunno…GOD, this whole thing is making me paranoid."
"You only just noticed?" Aila asked with raised eyebrows. Leigh huffed miserably and shuffled all the way into the room. "Leigh, remember when we met? I sure as hell didn't trust you back then, and you were trying so hard just to help me. And remember how Rat made you feel when you were accused of working with DYAD. It hurts to feel accused and not trusted, aye?"
"Yeah I know, and I want to trust, but how can I when we don't have any proof? At least I was able to prove stuff to you…still working on winning Rat over though…"
"Yeah," Aila nodded, though she sounded unconvinced. "You did a great job of that last time you spoke with her."
Leigh's guilt increased. She closed her eyes and sat down on Aila's bed without invitation. "She just rubs me the wrong way," she explained pitifully with a shrug. "I wouldn't have said it if-"
"Just stop," Aila pleaded, though she sounded stern. "Really. Stop making excuses, because otherwise you and Rat are never gonna get along."
"Yes mother," Leigh grumbled. Aila smirked a bit and rolled her eyes. "I'll try and make more of an effort with Rat. I was thinking we'll need her anyway…maybe she can dig something up on Lucas for us…"
"I was thinking that too," Aila nodded. She reached out and gently took Leigh's injured hand. Leigh quietly allowed her to unravel the bandage to inspect the wound. "Katja feels bad for putting so much on her, though."
"How is she?" Leigh asked, looking up suddenly. "Katja…she OK?"
"She will be," Aila said, nodding. "She was upset when I went to visit her, but I think I did a good job of cheering her up a bit. I feel so bad for being afraid of her at first. She's absolutely lovely."
Aila carefully looked over the large cuts on Leigh's hand. They were red and looked painful, but they were healing nicely. Aila nodded in satisfaction, standing to get more of the ointment she'd put on it the previous night. She returned a moment later to carefully apply it. Leigh hissed and flinched, but didn't pull back.
"There," Aila said, smiling. "I think you can leave the bandages off now. The air will do it good. Just let me know if it starts bleeding again or does anything weird."
Leigh nodded, and then smirked. "Again, thanks mum," she teased.
Aila smirked too. "Well at least you admit you need supervision," she jested back, her tongue poking out from between her teeth as she grinned cheekily.
That night was a long one. Aila wasn't sure anyone got much sleep. Katja most likely had a lot on her mind following recent events, and Leigh made a point of guarding the living room most of the night to check Lucas didn't tried to escape. At one point, the hairdresser allowed him to use the bathroom, and it took Aila all her energy to convince her not to stand by the door to make sure he didn't try anything. Afterwards, Leigh allowed Lucas to make himself comfortable on the sofa instead of tying him up again, but she was not as comfortable as leaving him alone.
By the time morning came, Leigh was almost falling asleep at the table. Lucas had drifted off at some point; Leigh had heard his snoring filling the air, and she had lowered her guard significantly. Now, she could hear snippets of conversation as she shifted from awake, to asleep, to awake again.
"…still cannot get in touch," Katja's voice was explaining somewhere in front of her. "I am getting vorried."
Leigh yawned and pulled herself up. Katja and Aila were sitting in the living room area with Katja's laptop between them. Lucas was still sitting on the sofa, looking too anxious to speak or move, especially when he noticed Leigh was awake.
"Sup?" Leigh asked with another yawn.
Aila glanced over. "Oh, morning Leigh. We can't get in touch with Rat. Like...at all. I wouldn't be surprised if she was still pissed over what happened yesterday, but Katja's getting worried now."
Leigh frowned, feeling guilty again. "For real?" she asked, surprised Rat wasn't even responding to Katja. Aila nodded, sipping at her drink as she watched Katja try to contact the hacker again.
Lucas looked between them, but didn't bother asking any questions about what they were talking about, instead staying where he was. Leigh yawned and made her way into the kitchen to make a cup of tea.
With the warm drink made, Leigh wandered over to the windows again. It was becoming a habit now, but she couldn't help feeling the need to see out and make sure they were safe. The hills and valleys surrounding Appenzell had dried up overnight, and the local farmers could be seen at the lower end of the hills closer to the town.
After several minutes, Leigh blinked and noticed what looked like someone walking up the path towards the house, though they were too far away to make out any details. The person looked like they had two animals with them. Leigh kept eyes on the person, internally panicking for a moment as she wondered if it was Maggie Chen.
When the person was close enough, and Leigh could make out some details, her eyes widened in shock. "Uh guys, come tell me if I'm seeing what I think I'm seeing…"
"Vhat ez it now?" Katja asked, rolling her eyes. "Ninja robot kidnappers?"
"Seriously, don't take the piss," Leigh shot at her. "Holy shit…oh my God, it is her…"
Aila looked up from the laptop. She slowly made her way over to Leigh to peer out of the window. "You've got to be kidding me," she whispered.
The figure was walking even faster now, and it wasn't long before her face could be seen, clear as day. Leigh stepped back automatically and almost dropped her tea. "Shit," she whispered. "What the friggin' frigg is she doing here?"
"Who?" Katja asked impatiently.
"Rat!" Aila and Leigh both answered. Katja stood up quickly, sending her laptop flying. She pushed past Aila to stare out of the window and began cursing loudly and quickly in German.
"How'd she even find us?" Leigh asked, but it occurred to her instantly if Rat was smart enough to hack DYAD's systems, she could find her clone sisters easily enough; especially since she had helped them find a house. "Oh, never mind; just…go deal with her," she said to nobody in particular. Then she hurried over to Lucas. "Get up. You're going back in the chair."
"Leigh," Aila began, but Leigh had already forced the man back into the chair and was binding his hands together.
Aila sighed and followed Katja to the front door, approaching slowly. There was no mistaking it though. Between the hair and the determined look in her eyes, Aila was sure that this really was Rat.
Out in the sunlight, the doctor was shocked to see the true state of the hacker. She was extremely thin, and extremely pale, as if she hadn't seen proper food or sunlight in a very long time. Her eyes were shadowed slightly, which was far more pronounced in person than it had been on camera. She looked sick.
Rat had a single bag over her shoulder, and two leashes wrapped around her wrist. The two animals Leigh had seen were dogs. One was small and very fluffy, with cream-coloured fur and a dark gray face, while the other was larger and thinner, with a very long muzzle and black and white fur.
Katja looked as though she was struggling to find words as looked over the other woman, understanding now why she couldn't reach her before. Aila glanced back and forth between the two, feeling slightly uneasy in the silence.
"And you call me reckless…" Katja said finally, earning a typical glare.
"Don't," Rat warned her firmly. "You can't say anything with the types of things you tend to do."
Aila ran a hand through her hair, suppressing a sigh as the reality of the situation sank in. Was this woman going to be just as grumpy in person as she was online?
"Can we go inside?" Rat asked suddenly, looking around as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder, and for a moment Aila could have sworn Rat looked scared before her usual bored expression reappeared.
"Y-yes, come on in," the doctor said instantly. "Erm…" She looked down at the dogs, hoping they weren't going to be much of a problem. She stepped aside and allowed Katja to lead Rat to the house.
Inside, Leigh and Lucas waited in anticipation. Eventually, voices could be heard just outside the front door, and Leigh flailed, picked up the saucepan for a moment, and then abandoned it again instantly after deciding it would not make her look any better than she already did in Rat's eyes. Leigh kicked the saucepan across the room and it skidded under the table.
"Keep quiet," she instructed a miserable Lucas. "I mean it."
The front door opened. In came Katja, followed by Rat, her dogs, and lastly, Aila. Leigh drew herself to her full height, refusing to appear intimidated or annoyed, but her stern expression did not go unnoticed by Rat, who spotted her instantly.
However, the hacker's attention was immediately turned towards Lucas, and her brow furrowed in confusion. "Do I even want to know why you've gained a hostage in the one night I left you people alone?" she asked, glancing at Katja.
The German woman looked away and sighed. "It ez a long story…I vill tell you in a bit."
Aila frowned, lightly putting her hand on Katja's arm comfortingly. This couldn't have been easy for her. Katja glanced over at Aila and nodded in appreciation of the gesture.
Rat stared at the hostage for a few more moments before shaking her head and making her way over to the table, setting her bag down and taking out an extremely fancy looking laptop.
Lucas looked between the four of them, at a loss for words. It really was something else to see so many genetic identicals together in a group, each one of them so vastly different even though they shared a face.
The smaller of the two dogs wandered around the room, sniffing everything curiously before making its way over to Leigh. It looked up at her while wagging its tail. Leigh looked down at the dog uneasily. "Um..."
"She won't bite," Rat said without looking over. "Bianca, s'asseoir," she commanded, and the fluffy dog immediately sat down, still peering up at Leigh curiously. The larger of the dogs had already flopped down near the door, resting its head on its paws, not seeming to mind much of anything.
Leigh struggled to speak. She simply watched Rat for a little while, attempting to allow the fact she was really here sink in. After a moment or two, the hairdresser began inching towards the kitchen, and then hurried away, leaving the room. She took a few minutes to pull herself together.
Rat eyed her as she went, her scowl deepening. "Now who's hiding like a coward?" she grumbled.
"Be nice," Katja warned her firmly, not wanting to put up with the other two clones fighting for real. Rat stared at Katja, but said nothing.
"W-why are you here?" Aila dared to ask after a moment.
"You need someone who knows Sign in order to make contact with-" Rat paused, glancing over at the man tied to the chair. "-with you know who, and while I don't particularly enjoy leaving home, it's important she's warned."
Aila blinked in surprise. "You know Sign Language? Um…that's awesome. Where did you learn that?" she asked curiously.
"I used to know someone who was deaf," Rat said curtly, and Aila just nodded. Rat's eyes again wandered over to Lucas, who was looking both miserable and uncomfortable under her cold gaze. "So is someone gonna tell me who he is?"
Katja hesitated briefly, before explaining everything that they'd learned the night before.
"Your father?" Rat couldn't help but cut her off, her eyebrows arching up in shock. "But...wait...that means..."
"Ja..." Katja nodded before finishing her explanation.
Upon learning that the man was an active member of DYAD, Rat's look turned dark and murderous, making Lucas keep his mouth firmly shut. He didn't think the bony woman would be able to do much to him, but he didn't want to test her.
Lowering her voice to a whisper, Aila asked if Rat could verify what he'd said about being Katja's father. Even though Katja didn't want to ask, she knew that it had to be verified one way or another.
"Yeah, I'd like to know if that's true as well..." Rat muttered before starting to type.
Aila and Katja watched as the hacker worked quickly, and Aila was amazed at how fast things appeared and vanished off the screen as Rat typed various codes and lines from memory.
Neither Aila nor Katja could keep up with everything going on on the screen, but a moment later, different documents appeared with various lines and highlighted words, confirming Lucas was in fact meant to be Katja's father before he'd given her up for adoption. Rat also pulled up all the documents she could find relating to the Proletheans, though DYAD didn't have much concrete information on them.
"I'll do some more digging around later on, when he's not spying on everyone," she said quietly but sharply, before turning the computer off. "What exactly are you planning on doing with that one anyways?" Rat asked, speaking in a normal tone of voice again. "While the ropes are…effective…I doubt you have the means to keep a hostage forever, and while I could suggest plenty of ways to keep someone quiet, I doubt any of you would agree to such measures." The look in Rat's eyes conveyed exactly what she'd like to do to Lucas, making the older man clear his throat and squirm uncomfortably.
Aila frowned and glanced at Katja, feeling uncomfortable. She had to admit Rat had a point though. What were they going to do with Lucas?
Rat's arrival completely changed the atmosphere in the house of clones. One of the positives was that Leigh finally allowed Lucas a more comfortable stay now the hacker had confirmed his story matched up with the facts. However, the hairdresser was reluctant to engage in conversation with Rat, and she remained on high alert in case anyone came looking for Lucas. Meanwhile, everyone else picked up on the tension, though nobody was quite sure how to resolve the issue.
Katja was slowly accepting Lucas' presence. Although she didn't particularly warm up to him, she was polite and agreed to sit and listen as he explained to her in full detail the events of his past, and the reasons he did what he did. Leigh had to wonder if Rat's arrival served as a distraction for Katja. She seemed slightly more cheerful when she was helping the hacker to settle in, despite Rat's persistent bad moods.
Aila, always the most rational of the group, did not let Leigh's behaviour go unnoticed. "You can't just hide away because Rat's here," she said matter-of-factly a day after Rat's arrival. "Go and clear the air with her."
"Well what do I say? She looks like she'll friggin' bite my head off if I dare to even look at her," was Leigh's helpless response.
Aila simply rolled her eyes. "She won't do that, and even if she does, we won't stand for it," she tried to convince the hairdresser. "We're all in a life threatening situation, and neither of you are willing to make things easier. You're both acting childish." Leigh crossed her arms and looked away, and Aila raised an eyebrow, looking entirely unimpressed. "Thank you for proving my point," she said dryly.
"Fine!" Leigh sighed after a moment, standing from where she'd been sitting. She slowly made her way out into the main area of the house, looking around. Katja was talking to Lucas about something, but Rat was nowhere to be seen. The hairdresser sighed but wandered around the house. She didn't even know which room the hacker had claimed as her own.
After a few minutes, Leigh peeked into a room at the far end of the house away from everyone else's, and spotted Rat sitting on the bed with the larger of the two dogs pressed up against her. She had her laptop set up on her knee and seemed to be working on something. Did she ever do anything except computer stuff?
"Uh…h-hey…" Leigh started awkwardly, unsure what she was supposed to say.
Rat glanced over at her and simply stared for a moment, before turning her attention back to the laptop. "Decided to come out of hiding then?" she asked evenly, though Leigh didn't miss the biting edge to her voice.
The hairdresser narrowed her eyes slightly, but willed herself to remain calm and at least try to make something work, if only for Aila. "Look," she willed herself to say. Rat looked up when Leigh lightly kicked the door behind her to close it, and stepped further into the room. "I don't get why you're really here, but I suppose it doesn't matter. The point is, you're here, and I don't want things to be awkward or more difficult than they already are."
Rat simply arched an eyebrow at her, looking rather unimpressed in Leigh's opinion. Was she even going to say anything at all?
Leigh resisted a sigh. She wanted to point out she never would have said such awful things to the hacker if she hadn't made Leigh and the other clones feel completely worthless; that her lack of trust and constant accusations and insults were what made the hairdresser snap…but what was the point in arguing? People like Rat never admit when they're wrong, Leigh thought to herself. Rachel was the same. Then again, Aila was right. Leigh never should have snapped when she really just wanted to find a way to make the other clone accept her. She was still wrong to say what she did, and making excuses for it and looking for faults in Rat would solve nothing.
In spite of herself, Leigh inhaled deeply, and then looked directly at the hacker. "I am sorry for what I said. It was a horrible thing to say, and I didn't mean it, not one word. Whether or not you accept that is down to you, but I'm not going to waste my time fighting with you or trying to win your trust. You've clearly already made your mind up about me, so let's just live and let live. The last thing we need is any trouble."
Leigh stepped back when she finished. Rat simply looked at her. Leigh couldn't decide if she should wait for the hacker to say something. After another few seconds, Leigh opened the door to leave the room.
Rat watched her for a moment, but said nothing and simply let her leave.
The following morning, Leigh walked out into the living room in time to see Aila and Katja talking, though she was slightly concerned to see the look on the doctor's face.
"You're actually serious about this?" Aila asked, her eyes wide. "You do know how badly this is going to end, right?"
"Ja, it ez the only vay I can see," Katja nodded firmly.
Aila sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I can't really see your crazy idea working, but I suppose it's worth a shot. You're telling them though. I had nothing to do with this."
Katja shrugged and nodded. "Ja, I vill tell zem vhen zey vake up," she said with an odd, half smile on her face.
Aila shook her head, sipping at her coffee. "You're mental, and I think ya know that."
Katja only grinned in response. "Vhy ez zis mental? It vill vork."
"Or someone'll die," Aila said.
"Nah," Katja waved her off. "Nobody vill die."
Leigh eyed the two of them uncertainly as she approached. "What the friggin' frigg are you loonies talking about?" she asked accusingly.
"Nozing," Katja sat up straight as she responded. Aila kept her mouth firmly closed and looked anywhere but at Leigh.
"Right," Leigh snapped moodily. "Now I know something's up. Spit it out or I'm getting the saucepan."
"Oh gosh, I do hope not," said the voice of Lucas as he appeared at the door frame. "I have still not recovered from being kept hostage."
Leigh only rolled her eyes as Lucas invited himself to join Aila and Katja at the table.
"I vas zinking you ladies should not stay here for much longer," he said in more serious tones now. "Maggie…she followed me to zee town. She vill be become suspicious if I do not go back, and I came here only to vorn you of zee dangers so you could leave. I am vorried she vill find you."
"Aye, we know," Aila told him, sighing. "We were just making plans, actually, but you'll forgive us if we don't give you the details."
Lucas held his hands up and shook his head. "I do not expect you to. I understand how hard it is to trust."
"Yeah, especially after the way you came at me in town," Leigh reminded him bitterly. "Anyone would freak."
"I zought you vere Katja," Lucas explained, sounding tired. "You do look similar. It is zee hair."
"Mine ez shorter," Katja responded coolly. "And better."
"Whatever," Leigh snapped.
Aila watched the two bickering over hair, and shook her head. She walked into the kitchen to wash out her cup, though instead of putting it away, she left it by the coffee pot. She figured she'd probably need more coffee before the morning was over with.
The doctor heard footsteps behind her, and glanced over to see Leigh pulling something out of the fridge. The hairdresser glanced over. "So do I get to know what's going on or what? I will get the bloody pan if I need to..."
Aila smiled slightly. "I'd like to think you wouldn't hurt us, Leigh. And as for that…Katja will fill you guys in soon. This one's all on her," she said, and Leigh had a feeling that Aila was trying to stay out of it, which didn't make her feel any better about whatever 'it' was.
Leigh sighed and walked back out into the other room, taking up her usual perch by the window as she looked out at the dull grey morning sky. She glanced down at the clock, seeing it was just after eight in the morning.
A short time later, someone cleared their throat, and Leigh glanced over just in time to see something flying in her direction. She yelped and nearly fell off of the windowsill as she failed to catch whatever it was. The item fell to the floor instead. Upon closer inspection, Leigh saw it was her own rucksack. Katja stood nearby, looking rather smug. She held a second bag in her hand.
"Katja what the HELL?!" Leigh asked irritably, not sure what to make of the situation.
"You go to Italy today," Katja said with a strange smile on her face.
Leigh raised an eyebrow, looking at the other bag. "What, just us?"
"Nope, I'm not going," Katja said with a smirk, and glanced over her shoulder as Rat appeared, looking as though she'd just woken up.
"Fine, yes, I'm up. What's so important, Katja?" the hacker grumbled, and blinked in surprise as the German woman shoved the second bag into her hands. "What the hell?"
Leigh felt her heart stop for a moment. "Oh you can NOT be bloody serious, Katja…" she said before she could stop herself.
Katja grinned at the two of them and stuffed a cookie into her mouth. "I am very serious," she said between mouthfuls. "Ve vill stay here vith doggies, and you two go to Italy and speak to Aryanna."
Rat's eyes grew wide, and she dropped the bag to the floor. "Oh no," she began, shaking her head. "No, no, NO."
"Don't vorry; I am good vith animals!" Katja exclaimed.
"I don't mean that!" Rat shrieked. "I…just…WHAT…"
"Told you this wouldn't go down well," an unamused Aila spoke as she walked past Katja.
"Vhat? Rat knows sign language; that's vhy she is here. Might as vell make use of her skills, ja?"
"So why can't we all go together?" Leigh asked desperately. "You heard Lucas; we ought to be ditching this place anyway!"
"Aila and I, ve have other plans," Katja said, shrugging, and she took a large bite out of a second cookie. "Ve save time by contacting the other clones vhile you are away. Elizabeth Childs and Danielle Fournier."
Leigh bit down hard until her jaw hurt. She almost forgot to breathe as she bent over to pick up the rucksack. "FINE!" she bellowed, making everyone jump slightly. "Whatever! I'm not bothered; I'll do it!"
Truthfully, Leigh could think of nothing worse, but she wasn't going to let Rat know that. If she protested, more arguments would occur, and Leigh was not going to be responsible for more arguments.
Rat scowled as she looked through the bag, finding a change of clothes, her passport, her laptop, and other bits of this and that for the trip. She stared at Katja accusingly, and the German woman just looked right back at her as she chewed on her cookie casually.
"Relax, Rattyrat. Remember you decided to do this by yourself," Katja said calmly, fishing out a third cookie as she did. "You vant to translate for Aryanna, so you have to go, yes?"
Rat glared at her darkly for several minutes, before turning and walking back to her own room. Katja followed calmly, and the hacker grit her teeth. "You don't need to follow me. I just need to grab something out of my other bag."
"Vhy are you angry, Rat?" Katja asked more gently now they were out of earshot of the others.
Rat shook her head, not meeting the other clone's eyes as she went through her bag to pull out two small plastic containers of medicine. "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do," she said curtly, shoving them in the new rucksack. "Purposely shoving me in with one of them. It's bad enough being around her and Lucas as it is."
"I vant you and her to come to an understanding, zat is all," Katja shrugged, sitting on the bed as she did. "She is not bad. To be honest, I don't zink she really ez one of zem. Plus…you know zat I know vhy you're really here. You vant to prove to her zat you can do more zan just tippy-tappy computer zings, yes? So let me ask you this then; vhy? If you refuse to give her a chance because she is one of 'zem', vhy do you vant to prove yourself to her?" she asked quietly.
Rat was silent for several minutes, before she shook her head and muttered something under her breath.
"Vant to know vat I zink?" Katja said after a moment.
"Not really," Rat grumbled, standing up as she checked through her bag again to make sure she had everything. "Though I'm sure you'll tell me anyways."
"I do not zink you came here just to prove yourself to someone you've already decided to hate. Maybe zee real reason is zat you just…don't vant to be alone anymore, even if you can't bring yourself to believe it yet."
Rat stared at her for a moment. She shook her head again. "Don't be stupid," she muttered, and she swiftly walked from the room.