– Chapter Seventeen –
Leigh found herself unable to move as the man standing before her and Aila offered a tiny smile. She could not believe what she was seeing.
The man took a step towards the women. He raised his hands to signal he meant no harm. "Ashleigh," he spoke in a startled voice with raised eyebrows. Leigh flinched and shrunk back a bit, and the man's smile grew a little. "I almost didn't recognise you. I hadn't counted on you changing your appearance so drastically."
Leigh felt numb with panic, but she forced herself to stand up. Aila stood too, and she frowned at Leigh in utter confusion before staring back at the man. He took a few more steps closer and chuckled a bit.
"Sorry," he addressed Aila this time. "Aldous Leekie. You must be Aila. Glad to finally meet you, and glad to see you're staying out of trouble these days."
Aila opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. She instinctively took a step back, causing Leekie to raise his hands once again.
"I just want to talk," he assured them both. Leigh clenched her fists automatically, wanting to demand how Leekie had found them, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. "I'm taking it Katja is with you too?"
"What's it to you?" Leigh snapped at last with a trembling voice. Leekie faltered for a moment, looking quite affronted. "How...stay away; I mean it," Leigh continued.
"As I said, I only want to talk and clear up any misunderstandings," Leekie insisted.
"About what?" Leigh asked. She barely paid attention as Aila took another step back. She tugged on the hairdresser's arm to urge her to move away, but Leigh didn't budge.
"About your little adventure and the friends you've made along the way," Leekie offered.
Leigh shook her head. "Yeah, the clones you don't give a shit about," she managed angrily.
"I can assure you that isn't the case, Ashleigh," Leekie told her calmly. He looked a little bit sad. "I completely understand that this is why you're doing what you're doing. You believe it's right. But your actions are only causing more damage, Ashleigh. Let us speak with you – all three of you – so we can explain all you ought to know before you carry on."
Leigh and Aila stared and hesitated. Leigh frowned, but Aila found her voice at last. "Us?" she repeated.
"Ah," Leekie responded. He paused for a moment, allowing Leigh and Aila to wonder why he hadn't mentioned Rat or even asked if she was around, but at that moment, Leekie turned his head and nodded at something.
It took a few seconds for the women to hear the sound of heels clicking against the pavement from somewhere out of sight. They watched and waited until another person came into view – a person in a long black coat, high heels, and short, blonde hair. Leigh turned numb a second time when the face of Rachel Duncan looked directly at her.
Rachel stared at Leigh for a long, silent, tense moment. She didn't give the slightest glance to Aila. After several minutes of the staring contest, Rachel spoke. "Your disappearance has been irksome, Ashleigh."
These words seemed to snap Leigh out of her shock, and she glared back at the blonde clone. "Yeah, well, sorry. Didn't know you cared so bloody much..." she grumbled sarcastically, before looking back at Leekie.
The older man offered a light and reassuring smile. "Why don't you go and get Miss Obinger and we'll have a talk," he said calmly.
"She's sleeping," Aila informed him, her eyes darting between him and Rachel. Something about the pair disturbed her slightly, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.
Leekie was quiet for a moment, but then smiled and shrugged. "That's fine. I won't ask to come inside. I'm sure you two are more than capable of remembering our discussion. You can talk about it later as a group."
Taking a seat on one of the stone steps in front of the library, the older man gestured with his hand for Leigh and Aila to sit as well. Rachel remained standing. Aila looked at her uneasily. This was really Leigh's twin sister? Did the blonde woman even know?
"I'll stand," Leigh muttered, crossing her arms. She was tense, and her gaze shifted between Leekie and Rachel. Aila remained standing as well, not at all sure what to make of the situation. The way Rat spoke about Leekie, she made him out to be the devil on earth, but this man seemed like a cheerful grandfather figure at a first glance.
"So what do you want?" Leigh asked quietly when nobody spoke for a minute.
Leekie seemed to be gathering his thoughts. He looked troubled. "This is a bit of a sensitive topic, but I figured now would be the best time to discuss things regarding your journeys, and where they might lead you. I'll be blunt...I would very much like you to come home..." he began. When Leigh opened her mouth to say something, Leekie quickly held a hand up. "But I'm not going to force you," he continued. "You have to make your own choices in this matter. I normally wouldn't interfere like this, but there are some things I felt the need to tell you. Not really standard protocol, as you know, but I do care about your well-being, and I don't want you to get hurt..."
Leigh raised an eyebrow, not at all sure what Leekie was talking about. She glanced at Aila, who looked equally puzzled and offered a shrug. The doctor remained silent. She figured there wasn't any harm in hearing what the man had to say.
"It's about Regina," Leekie explained. "There are things you should probably know, to clear the air and to have an understanding of the larger situation that's playing out." Leekie looked down at his hands with a frown, appearing to be troubled.
"Who?" Leigh asked, blinking slowly.
"I believe she calls herself Annabelle these days, though her real name is Regina Colbert," Leekie said, watching Leigh's expression carefully. She still seemed confused.
"Wait...you mean Rat?" Aila guessed.
Leekie tilted his head, an odd look of bemusement on his face. "Rat? Is that her newest name? How odd...fitting I suppose, but..." he trailed off, giving a friendly chuckle.
Leigh felt uneasy at the direction the conversation was heading, but she kept her mouth firmly shut. She knew Rat and Leekie had a bad past, but what was Leekie about to say to shed light on the situation that Rat herself refused to talk about in any detail?
"She told us a lot about you..." Aila said quietly, though she looked somewhat doubtful already. She didn't get any threatening vibes from Leekie at all...
"I'm sure she did," Leekie sighed. "When I met Regina, it wasn't under the best of circumstances. I believe she was eighteen when she relocated to London with the rest of her family. Her sister, Cecile, began showing bizarre and terrifying symptoms of an illness that...well...to be blunt, we didn't know about. We'd never seen anything like it, and there was no record of any illnesses ever being reported before then. We looked worldwide but no one could find out what the disease was or how she even came by it in the first place..."
Leigh nodded quietly. This was consistent with what she'd already been told.
Leekie sighed, looking remorseful and guilty. "We tried everything we could, but nothing we did seemed to have any effect on the sickness. Upon closer inspection, we determined the illness was an auto-immune disorder that resulted in polyps forming on Cecile's lungs, making it hard for her to breathe. The polyps also bled frequently, causing her to expel the excess blood manually before it filled up her lungs and drowned her. We all fought for her life for three years...but unfortunately, she passed away in June of 2005. Today, in fact, is the anniversary of her passing."
Aila took a very close interest in what Leekie was saying, making several mental notes about the more detailed description of the illness. She hoped she could think of something she could do for Katja with this new information. Leigh's eyes widened when Leekie told them it was the anniversary of Cecile's death, suddenly understanding why Rat had been acting off all morning.
"However," Leekie continued, "Regina blamed the medical staff at DYAD for not trying hard enough to save her sister. We assumed it was the grief talking...in the weeks following, her parents noticed a disturbing trend of introversion and aggression which hadn't been present in Regina before. She'd spend the majority of her time locked in her room with her computers, until one night she vanished completely without a word. As you can imagine, we were all extremely worried for her safety, given her mental state at the time...though nobody could have predicted the true extent of the damage that had been cast on her from the traumatic experience."
"What do you mean?" Leigh asked, almost afraid of what Leekie was about to say next. She wasn't sure she entirely believed him, but so far his story lined up with what she already knew about the hacker's past. As much as the Swiss woman annoyed her, Leigh didn't view her as mental.
"In the years following Regina's disappearance, various DYAD facilities began to shut down, all infected with the same information-gathering virus," Leekie continued his tale. "Considering the fact Regina was always very clever with computers, and the timing of the events, I could only assume the attacks were down to her somehow. We attempted several times to make contact, but the attempts were blocked quickly enough. It wasn't until just a few weeks ago that we got a more complete story about what became of her.
"To answer your earlier question, we discovered this location thanks to a very observant member of our tracking division. Upon seeing your flight patterns, he noticed on the trips to and from Italy, another passenger, Annabelle Lake, was on both flights. Her ticket was purchased just moments before or after yours on both trips, and always in the seat next to yours. It was very likely this wasn't a coincidence, and so we started looking into Annabelle's life a bit. It lead us back to the city of Geneva as her birthplace. What was strange though, was that this woman didn't seem to exist before seven years ago, and well...upon seeing a photo ID, it didn't take long to realise why."
Leigh and Aila glanced at each other again, frowning in confusion. While this story was informative, it hardly touched on why Leekie insisted he needed to tell them all of this.
"So what's the big deal then?" Leigh asked, puzzled. "What did you mean earlier about the true extent of the damage?"
"Ah yes, I was just getting to that," Leekie nodded. "Well, the short life of Annabelle Lake tells quite a lot about that. Seven years ago, Regina had this building renovated with funds stolen from her parents' bank accounts, and as far as we can tell, she's lived here ever since. Though what troubles me is the fact that five years ago, she was clinically diagnosed with a mental condition called paranoid schizophrenia. It seems, judging from her medical records, that shortly after running away from home, or possibly even before that, Regina suffered some type of psychotic break. She became completely fixated on the loss of her sister and on extracting revenge on DYAD for their supposed role in the death.
"Five years ago though, this seemed to open the pathway for an even deeper form of psychopathy, include things like violent hallucinations which never fully went away. Regina also felt as though everyone in the world was a DYAD spy. She was put on anti-psychotic medication shortly after being diagnosed, of course, though...I can't help but worry about the safety of you both and Katja in the presence of someone so unpredictable and violent. She needs help, badly, before someone ends up getting hurt in the fires of her delusions."
"She's not violent," Aila spoke right away, sounding bolder suddenly. "No...she's never been...she's not like how you described. A bit moody, but-"
"Unpredictable," Leekie insisted. "How much has she told you, really?"
"Look, I don't like her at the best of times," Leigh cut in, eyebrows furrowed. "But...she's just not-"
"But you don't see the other side of her," Leekie interrupted again.
"And what if it's all bullshit?" Leigh snapped, laughing falsely now. "How do we know you haven't brought men to have us black-bagged and dragged off against our will? I don't trust you."
A small, sad smile appeared on Leekie's face. He shook his head and sighed. "This is precisely what I'm talking about. I don't remember you being this defensive and paranoid. Do you, Rachel?" He turned to look at Rachel, waiting for her to agree with him, but Rachel said nothing. Leigh did not look at the proclone, but she could feel her staring intensely. Leigh tried to ignore her as Leekie spoke again. "Being around Regina has caused you this confusion and anger. Ashleigh, you are wasting your time here. I understand what you're trying to do, but running like this is solving nothing. You have achieved nothing, and Aryanna is already dead. How much longer do you think you can keep this up for?"
Aila glared down at the man, the mention of Aryanna's name reigniting the raging fire in her. "That reminds me. Why the fuck did you stop the investigation into Aryanna's murder? It's like you don't WANT to find the killer! She died a hero and you're just content to sweep her under the rug like you do everything else!"
Leekie seemed taken aback that the Scottish clone knew this, but his surprise was quickly masked with a smile. "Of course we want to find the killer, but I'm sure you can understand that we don't want to drag the whole of the Italian police force into this. It will be safer and more effective if we leave the general population out if it. I assure you that the DYAD affiliates stationed in Italy are working around the clock to investigate the matter even as we speak."
Aila didn't seem the slightest bit impressed, though she fell silent again for the moment and glanced at Leigh. Instead, Leigh looked back at Rachel, who had been silent throughout the conversation. She was watching Leigh carefully, never taking her eyes off her. Leigh felt sick to see her again. Was this why Leekie brought Rachel along? To try and convince her to come home?
"Also..." Leekie started again. "I didn't want to say anything originally, because I don't want to scare you...but...we have evidence that suggests the killer may wish to target you next, Ashleigh...this is another reason why we feel it would be best for you to return home, to ensure your safety."
"The doll," Leigh said numbly, still staring at Rachel. "I know, but I'm not leaving. Any one of us could be targeted at any time. I wouldn't feel right leaving the others behind. I'll take my chances."
With an irritable sigh, Leigh broke eye contact with Rachel and hurried past her, needing some space. She half expected Leekie to stop her, but he didn't. Instead, Leigh listened as Aila challenged Leekie once more, demanding more evidence about Rat and attempting to defend her as well as criticizing his involvement in the investigation into Aryanna's murder. Leigh rounded the corner of the building, took a deep, steadying breath, and turned around. She flinched a bit to see Rachel had followed her.
They stared at each other.
"Why are you here?" Leigh asked bluntly.
"Why are you?" Rachel retaliated.
More staring. Leigh took a step back. "If you and him are so smart, you ought to know why already," she told Rachel. "Seriously, what do you want?"
Rachel hesitated. She took a step towards Leigh, and then another. Her unfaltering stare annoyed and disturbed Leigh at the same time. "I don't like what you've done with your hair," Rachel commented.
Leigh let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah, well, I still hate yours too," she said truthfully.
"I wish to speak with you," Rachel spoke over Leigh, ignoring her response.
"I'm not coming back to London, Rachel," Leigh warned her, shaking her head. "So forget it."
"I'm not asking you to," Rachel told her quietly. "Though the presence of the doll at the scene of the murder was...unsettling."
"Bullshit," Leigh shot at her. "Why else are you here? To back up his story about Rat and drag me back to DYAD so I can't screw anything else up for you."
"Leigh," Rachel pleaded, and Leigh felt a surge of annoyance to hear the nickname coming out of Rachel's mouth again after all this time. "It is impossible to communicate here. Meet me later on tonight." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded up bit of paper. She handed it to the hairdresser, who reluctantly took it. "It'll just be you and I. You have my word. It is of great importance."
Leigh continued to stare at Rachel. Part of her wanted to demand answers there and then, but she managed to keep controlled as Rachel turned and walked away. Leigh followed a bit, and then stopped, biting her lip. "How do I know I can trust you?" Leigh demanded, catching Rachel's attention again.
Rachel stopped abruptly. She looked back over her shoulder at Leigh, and simply stared. After a second or two, she was walking away again, leaving Leigh with the location of the meeting place on the piece of paper in her hand.
Leekie and Rachel soon departed, and Aila and Leigh made their way inside to talk to Katja. They figured if anyone could shed light on this whole mess, it'd be Rat's sister. Making their way up to the third floor, the two looked around for a sign of the German woman, though a quick look into the room where she and Rat slept showed that she was again flat out, snoring quietly.
Aila sat on the edge of Katja's bed and lightly shook her shoulders. An odd sound made her glance over at Leigh, who was sitting on the edge of Rat's bed, pulling open the dresser drawer.
"Leigh!" Aila whispered. "What the bloody hell are you doing!? That's a complete invasion of privacy!"
Leigh looked up guiltily. "I know! I just...look, every so often, I see Rat taking these weird pills. I just thought..." she trailed off and closed the drawer again. "Fuck, I don't even know what I thought. You're right, that wasn't on. Let's just get Katja up and talk to her."
"Vaaaaaaaat?" Katja groaned, pulling the covers over her head again.
"Katja, please get up," Aila said, pulling the covers back down. "Something's happened. We need to talk to you about something important."
"It's about Rat," Leigh clarified.
At this statement, Katja seemed slightly more willing to wake up. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "Vat happened to Ratty?"
"Well, nothing, but..." Aila frowned and glanced at Leigh, not sure how to begin talking about what just happened outside.
Leigh inhaled deeply and froze for a moment. Then she invited herself to sit on the end of Katja's bed. Aila remained quiet while the hairdresser explained what had happened...but for now, she left out the fact that Rachel had asked Leigh to meet her later on. Leigh wasn't sure herself if she wanted to, and her hand gripped the piece of paper tighter inside her pocket out of nerves as she spoke.
There was no denying the alarm on Katja's face as she listened to the story. "Zey are here?" she asked, surprised. "And you are trusting zem?"
"That's not what I said," Leigh told her firmly. Aila nodded in agreement. "I'm just saying...Leekie's very convincing when he wants to be. Personally, I've never had anything against him. He's always been...fine...ever since I was a kid...minus the playroom thing...but that's not to say Rat's wrong. I don't know."
"We should talk to Rat," Aila piped up. Katja looked up at her. "Something doesn't add up, that's for sure."
"There was something else," Leigh spoke again, staring at the bed sheets. "Leekie and Rachel want me to go back to London with them. Leekie says I won't be forced, but I don't know. If Rat IS right about him..."
"How do you know he doesn't have an army of DYAD minions vith him just vaiting to come get us?" Katja shot at her, frowning. "Vee should ditch zis place vile vee can."
"We need to talk to Rat," Aila said again, more irritably this time. "Let's just wait until she gets back and hear her side."
The clones were anxious as they waited. Even Aila couldn't help pacing restlessly, clearly nervous in case Leekie showed up again. Eventually, at long last, sounds could be heard from elsewhere in the library. It wasn't long before Rat came into view, looking quite sleepy, or bored, or lost in thought – Leigh wasn't sure which. She stared at the hacker unintentionally, and she wasn't the only one.
Rat stopped in her tracks and glanced around at the group. She frowned subtly. "What have you done this time?" she demanded loudly.
"What makes you think we've done anything?" Leigh shot back, though she couldn't deny she probably looked as anxious as she felt.
Rat raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. "You all look nervous, so out with it."
"DYAD are here," Katja stated..
Rat's eyebrows shot up and she paled instantly. "WHAT?!"
Leigh tried to say something, but it seemed Rat had gone into a panic, quickly rushing around the room to gather her things and throw them into a bag.
"Rat...RAT!" Leigh tried, but to no avail. The hairdresser sighed, knowing she was probably going to get a very bad reaction to what she was about to say. "REGINA!"
Rat froze mid-movement, her eyes wide with stunned shock. She slowly looked over to Leigh, apparently at a loss for words for a moment. "How...how did you learn my name?" she asked, regaining her composure after the shock wore off. She eyed Leigh wearily.
Leigh took a deep breath. "Yes, we have to leave, but...first there's something we need to talk to you about...something Leekie said..."
"Wait, you SPOKE to LEEKIE?!" the hacker screeched, her jaw dropping open. "WHY on Earth would you do THAT?!"
"Because..." Leigh started, but then trailed off. Why had she stuck around to talk to him? She refused to acknowledge it had anything to do with Rachel's presence. She shook her head. "I don't know, OK? But there were things he said that we need to clear up, because something isn't adding up."
Rat groaned and rubbed her head, before reluctantly sitting down on one of her sofas. "Tell me exactly what happened," she said, trying to keep her cool and think rationally. She knew Leekie shouldn't be able to access the building in any way, so they were safe for the moment.
Katja sat beside her sister, hoping to keep her calm. Leigh and Aila then explained how they went outside only to be approached by Leekie and Rachel.
"WHAT?!" Rat interrupted loudly. "Rachel Duncan is here too?!"
Leigh nodded. "Yes! Rachel's here too. Now just be quiet and let us finish!"
The two continued to explain what Leekie had told him. Rat grit her teeth and almost physically shook with anger, but she managed to contain herself until the other two clones finished speaking.
"So yeah...that's what we wanted to talk about. What he said about being diagnosed with a mental disorder...is it true?" Aila asked, coming right out with it.
"Don't you see what he's doing?" Rat gasped, her fists clenched on her lap. "He's trying to turn us against each other! Ignore him! We need to leave, now, before we all get black-bagged and thrown in cages!"
Leigh frowned. "That didn't answer the question," she stated firmly.
Rat stared at her in disbelief. "Are you actually taking the piss right now? You can't seriously be asking me that."
Katja nodded in agreement. "Rattyrat ez moody, but psychotic ez...eeeeh, a bit of a stretch, ez it not?"
Leigh rubbed her head. "Look, we just need to know the facts, alright? Bcause something seriously isn't adding up. Why would Leekie say something that specific if there wasn't something behind it? No offense, but we don't really know anything about you. You're always so secretive about everything! I think if there's something behind it, even something small, we deserve to know about it."
Rat glared at her. "Anything in my medical records is my business," she said lowly, her voice dropping to a threatening pitch. "You're right. You don't know a single thing about me if you're really going to buy into this crap. Here's a thought; if I was truly paranoid, Leekie and Duncan wouldn't BE here right now, would they?" she challenged in a raised voice. Leigh couldn't tell if it was out of anger or offense.
Aila frowned while staring at the hacker. She knew Rat had a point there, but she still felt as though Rat was purposely dodging the question.
Leigh glanced at the clock and groaned to herself. It was nearly time for her meeting with Rachel. She stood quickly, startling the others, and just decided to come right out with it. "Rachel wanted to meet me and talk at a place not far from here. I'm going to see what she wants, and then we can leave."
Rat stared at her in disbelief. "WHAT? You can't POSSIBLY think that's a good idea! They'll just grab you and run off, I hope you realise!"
Even Aila looked uncertain at this revelation, staring at Leigh with concern. "Are you sure you can trust her? What if it IS a trap? Someone should go with you."
Leigh shook her head. "Look I KNOW its probably a stupid idea but, I'm going, alone."
"You are so bloody stupid!" Ratgrowled at Leigh with narrowed eyes. She stood and turned to walk towards another room; a room none of the others had ever been in before. Leigh watched her go with a sigh, assuming the conversation was over. She started to walk towards the staircase.
"HALT."
Leigh jumped and paused, finding Rat's seething eyes locked on her again. "You wait right there," Rat ordered, before vanishing into the unknown room. Leigh debated leaving anyway, but decided to stay put at least for a moment. She knew the others couldn't really stop her from going.
When Rat reemerged a few minutes later, she seemed to be holding something. She approached Leigh, roughly took her hand, and shoved the unknown item into it. Leigh gasped to see herself holding a small black pistol.
"You do know which end the bullets come out of, I hope," Rat said coldly before turning and towards her desktop computers. Leigh assumed Rat planned to erase everything on the machines.
Leigh put the weapon in her pocket. Even though Rat was unhappy, she'd given Leigh something to give her a chance should Rachel's meeting turn out to be a trap. "Thanks..." Leigh said, before looking around the room. "If I'm not back in an hour, take off without me."
"Who says we're waiting an hour?" Rat grumbled, though Aila nodded to Leigh.
Without another word, the hairdresser turned and walked down the staircase.
Leigh's heart raced as she approached a rather large bar on a busy street. She could already see Rachel standing still as a statue, staring into the crowd while she waited for her twin to arrive. She took a few moments to spot Leigh approaching her. Leigh automatically gripped the pistol in her pocket with a trembling hand.
"You came," Rachel greeted her.
Leigh nodded. "Yeah. Don't make me regret it."
Rachel stared at her. "Why would I do that?"
"You tell me," Leigh shot at her. "What do you want, Rachel?"
"There are things I need to make you aware of, and I...could not do that with Aldous present. I said before I'm not trying to make you come back to London, but I lied."
"Yeah, I knew that already," Leigh told her evenly.
"Of course I want you to come back. You are not safe here," Rachel explained tonelessly. "If you'll please come inside, I can explain things to you properly."
"And you think I'm safe back home, with DYAD? With Leekie?" Leigh questioned. She tightened her grip on the pistol and looked around anxiously. She couldn't help feeling edgy at the thought of unwanted visitors turning up to black-bag her like Rat suggested. It made her shudder.
Rachel lowered her gaze to Leigh's pocket, seeing instantly what she was doing. A faint, false smile appeared on her face as she met Leigh's gaze again. "Really, Leigh? Are you going to shoot me?" she asked, still smiling. Her smile was unnerving. It made Leigh step back away from her.
"I will if you try to have me black-bagged," she warned her sister.
"Oh please, no you won't," Rachel responded. She looked as though she was about to roll her eyes, but then thought better of it, as though she was above displaying such emotion. "You really have been spending too much time with Regina. Keep that thing out of sight and come and sit down."
Rachel turned on her heel and entered the bar quickly. Leigh bit down hard, composed herself with a sigh, and quickly pulled out the pistol to hide it in her bag instead. Rachel was right, and she hated it. She wasn't sure she could put a bullet in her own sister, even if her life depended on it.
"Fine," Leigh hissed as she caught up to the blonde clone. "But if any of your minions show up, I'll bleedin' well shoot them."
Rachel smirked a bit as they made their way to the back of the bar. She clearly didn't take Leigh seriously at all. "I thought meeting in a public place would put you more at ease. Sit."
Leigh kept her stare on Rachel as they both took seats at a deserted table in the otherwise crowded bar. The hairdresser listened briefly to the murmur of customers talking and socialising before putting her full attention back on Rachel.
"Bit unsophisticated for you, isn't it?" she mocked, though her expression remained serious. She had to admit Rachel had a point, though. She couldn't see DYAD bursting into a place like this to take Leigh and attracting the wrong kind of attention. But still...it was hard to feel relaxed.
"That's precisely the point," Rachel assured her. She unbuttoned her coat slowly and observed Leigh thoughtfully. "Under any other circumstances I would not set foot in such a place, and that's exactly why I chose it. Aldous knows nothing of our meeting tonight, and it will stay that way."
"Yeah right," Leigh grumbled, folding her arms defensively. "You're probably recording this right now."
Rachel stared at her. Leigh stared back, willing herself not to look away or appear intimidated, but Rachel's stare was as unnerving as ever.
"I have no way to prove to you that I am not," Rachel spoke calmly. "However, I find it ironic that you are the one having trouble trusting me and DYAD when you're the one who sabotaged us."
"What?" Leigh snapped.
"You have started something near impossible to fix," Rachel explained, still staring. "You have tracked down other subjects. You have made them aware and ensured some of them, including yourself, are unmonitored. Everything DYAD has worked to achieve with this experiment is falling apart because of you. You'll forgive Aldous for feeling some degree of anger for your actions."
"And who was it who told me about other subjects in the first place, Rachel?" Leigh challenged her. She sat up a little straighter. "Does Aldous know that was down to you? Does he know you blabbed to me about the illness too?"
Rachel paused for a moment. She blinked slowly before responding. "I should not have done that," she insisted. "It was confidential information and you weren't ever to find out."
"So why did you tell me?" Leigh demanded. She shook her head in disbelief, unable to understand any of it.
"I was not in the right frame of mind, if you care to remember. I was unprofessional, and I let...personal emotions cloud my judgement. At the time, I was simply trying to explain to you why I wanted you to work with DYAD."
"Yeah," Leigh said, nodding at the memory. "So there was more chance of them protecting me from this illness and the killer. Why don't you just admit you care?"
Rachel faltered for a moment. It was strange seeing her looking so torn. "I never for one second suggested I don't care," she stated.
There was another brief moment of silence, in which the clones stared at each other. Leigh found she couldn't deal with the tension, so she got up to order drinks from the bar. She set down a glass in front of Rachel, who simply stared at it. She didn't touch the beverage, while Leigh focused on downing her own.
"So what about the others, then?" Leigh spoke up again eventually. "Because it's clear you don't give a damn what happens to them."
"The other subjects were supposed to remain unaware, meaning they would never come into contact with DYAD," Rachel told her sternly. "But you are different. You always were. You would have been safer, stronger on the inside, knowing what you are, with everything you need for the best protection possible."
"So because you and I were raised knowing what we were, you think we're better than the others," Leigh shot at her. "How can you even think like that? Rachel, these people...they're not just subjects. They're real people, with real stories and real lives, and if anyone deserves protection, it's them. That's why I had to go. It was...instinctive."
"To risk your life for people you had never even met?" Rachel asked, raising her eyebrows a little in surprise. "This is where I fail to understand you. You abandoned us so abruptly without having a real plan and have done nothing but trigger the start of what I'm sure will be a very messy chain of events. But...Aldous seems to understand why you did it. He is willing to give you another chance. You have created problems, but they can be fixed."
"Oh yeah?"
"We will get in touch with the subjects you have already been in contact with. We will offer them protection and the chance to live their lives unmonitored in exchange for regular testing. We're willing to compromise."
"Not good enough," Leigh said instantly. "There are still hundreds of other subjects out there; I know it!"
"And it is not your place to get involved," Rachel told her.
"And it's not yours to pick and choose who gets DYAD's protection and who gets abandoned!" Leigh raised her voice now.
"No, it is not," Rachel agreed, nodding. "I have some influence over what happens to you though, if you'll just do as I ask. I can still protect you. At least let me do that."
Leigh fell quiet. Anger slowly crept up on her, and she shook her head and stood up quickly.
"Sorry Rachel," she said sharply, glaring down at the blonde clone. "I can't place myself higher up than the others and turn my back on them. I'm not like you. I'd rather be one of the abandoned if it means I can actually help the others survive."
"What use is risking your own life?" Rachel challenged her. "Your stubbornness is aggravating. Did you ever consider for a moment that there are people back home who are scared for you? Who miss you and want you back?"
Leigh stopped in her tracks to leave. She turned back to look at Rachel.
"I have been trying to get hold of you since you left," Rachel continued. "I called you several times. I thought perhaps you would return my calls after listening to my messages, and it troubled me that you did not. I hoped you were ignoring me on purpose. I did not wish to think of the alternative."
Leigh frowned deeply. "I wasn't stupid enough to take my phone with me, Rachel," she explained.
"No, I didn't think you were," Rachel agreed. "But your property was searched and your phone was never retrieved. Aldous tells me it remains missing."
"Well whoever searched didn't look very hard then, because I left it on the coffee table in the living room," Leigh told her, though she wasn't entirely sure why she was explaining this to Rachel. "I didn't take it out of my house because I knew I could be tracked. I didn't hide it away, either, because I didn't want to look suspicious."
"Aldous would have found it if you left it lying around," Rachel insisted.
Leigh nodded. "Yeah," she agreed. She willed herself to sit back down and watched Rachel carefully. "So maybe he's lying to you as well."
Rachel said nothing. She appeared calm and unfazed, but Leigh was sure she detected a hint of confusion on her face, if only for a second.
"So you were worried about me? You missed me?" Leigh dared her.
Rachel hesitated. "Aldous is right about one thing," she told the hairdresser quietly. "How long can you keep this up for? What happened to Aryanna could have easily happened to you. The next one is very likely going to be you, if that doll was any indication."
"And like I said, I can't just leave these people behind!" Leigh argued. She ran a hand through her hair, trying not to think of the creepy doll.
"Leigh, I see no logic in being so concerned for the safety of people you have never met; who mean nothing to you," Rachel responding, still unmoving.
"How do you know they mean nothing to me?"
"You can't save everyone," Rachel said quietly.
"I can bloody well try," Leigh said stubbornly.
"Leigh," Rachel said again. She closed her eyes and resisted a sigh, apparently growing exasperated with the hairdresser. She opened her mouth to speak again, but Leigh cut across her.
"I don't buy any of that bullshit about Rat," she continued, holding Rachel's gaze. "He says Rat's influence has made me paranoid, but I had reason to be pissed off at DYAD before I met her. That's another reason I left."
"What do you mean?" Rachel whispered now.
"Michael for a start," Leigh explained. "My monitor. I found out he was a junkie and DYAD was keeping him out of prison by getting him to watch me. That's pretty effed up in my eyes. Then when you told me about this illness, it made me think DYAD must have a cure."
"I want you in the best possible place should you start to show symptoms," Rachel admitted. "Listen to me...about Regina's sister...Cecile...Aldous did not give you the full story."
"Oh?" Leigh questioned.
"He was...not as caring about the situation as he made out. He offered treatment, but Cecile was...treated as more of an experiment than a patient."
"How do you know that?" Leigh asked.
"Because I saw it," Rachel admitted. "I was there."
Leigh's anger subsided slowly. She wasn't sure of the look on Rachel's face...but she began to understand Rat a lot more. Was this why she hated Rachel so much? Because Rachel witnessed what happened to Cecile and did nothing to stop it?
"So you let her die," Leigh whispered.
"It wasn't my place to interfere," Rachel told her.
"But you're interfering now," Leigh reminded her in a raised voice. "You've been interfering with me since day one; since you told me about this illness."
"Because I do not wish to see you suffer the same fate. If there is a cure, you are more likely to receive it if you offer your services to DYAD like I have-"
"See, there you go again!" Leigh snapped, shaking her head in defeat. "You'll stand by and do nothing to help the other subjects, like they're not important-"
"But you are important to me," Rachel interrupted loudly.
Leigh fell silent. She wasn't sure she believed this confession. It was much too out of character for Rachel to say such a thing these days.
"I hate what they've done to you," Leigh whispered. She could not get her head around the fact Rachel cared nothing for the other clones; that she wished to serve only herself and those she deemed worthy. It was sick, and Leigh was starting to feel emotional now, but she was determined not to show it. She wanted to ask if Rachel was aware they were sisters, but something held her back. "I think deep down, you hate it too," she added instead. "That's why you're doing all of this really, isn't it? It's why you told me about the other subjects; why you told me about the illness. Why you let my parents do a runner when Leekie kept them hostage at DYAD."
Rachel's head snapped up sharply at this comment, and she looked genuinely surprised. Her eyes were wide for a moment, and she couldn't seem to find the words to respond.
"Yeah, you've been rebelling against DYAD in your own way from the start," Leigh carried on, her voice shaking a bit. "Maybe that's why you told me what you told me. Maybe you wanted to do something, but you were too scared to do it yourself. That's why you avoided me afterwards; you regretted telling me in case it all went wrong, which it did, for DYAD. You're scared they'll find out this only happened because you betrayed their trust."
Rachel remained quiet, but she shook her head. Leigh clenched her fists tightly together.
"What are you so afraid of?" Leigh asked her.
"I'm not afraid of anything," Rachel insisted.
"Yes you are," Leigh told her. "You're afraid of life without DYAD. It's all you know, and honestly, it's sad."
"I did not invite you here for this reason," Rachel snapped. She was looking uncharacteristically angry now, as if she couldn't believe Leigh dared to analyse her like this. "I simply wished to offer you protection and a second chance, but clearly my attempts are futile. If I cannot convince you, perhaps your parents can."
Leigh watched as Rachel opened up her handbag to pull out another piece of paper. Leigh could see it had information written on it. Rachel passed it to her.
"You know where they are?" Leigh asked, shocked.
"They are looking for you," Rachel told her. "Contact them."
Leigh stared at her. Rachel stared back. Leigh felt extremely annoyed again.
"Why should I trust Leekie after he had my parents hostage? I know he was planning to bait me. You did too, and you let them go. Just admit you hate this."
"I am not discussing this, Leigh," Rachel told her. She stood up quickly, fastened up her coat and hurried to leave.
Leigh stood up and followed her. "Leekie's a liar," she said in a rushed voice. She reached out and grabbed Rachel's arm to get her to stop, and Rachel turned around, looking affronted that Leigh dared to touch her. "You're wrong if you think you're better protected because you work for DYAD. None of us mean anything to them. We're all just experiments; even you, which is why we're better together, without them. That's why I left, Rachel, and I wish you'd join us. Leekie's been keeping things from you; from both of us. You can't trust him."
"Keeping things from me?" Rachel asked.
Leigh faltered. Once again, she couldn't find herself to tell Rachel the truth. She wasn't sure she wanted to when Rachel was still so torn and unpredictable. Leigh wasn't sure Rachel would believe her anyway.
Leigh let out a short groan of anger and threw her arms around Rachel before she could fight the urge. She held Rachel tightly for a moment, feeling angry and sad at the same time, while Rachel froze completely. Leigh sighed. This was all too much.
"You are so annoying," she told Rachel. Rachel said nothing, but she trembled a bit and placed one hand on Leigh's back in a feeble attempt to return the gesture, but Leigh let go and backed away quickly. Rachel looked lost.
Leigh rushed past her twin and left the bar before Rachel could stop her. She quickened her pace as she strode out onto the street, trying to remember how to get back to Rat's place from here. She pushed past people, and jumped in fright when someone grabbed her arm from behind.
"Shit!" Leigh panicked as she whipped around. She was surprised to see Rachel had caught up to her. She was wearing her usual blank expression again, but she moved quickly to keep up with Leigh, who didn't stop or slow down.
"Really, Ashleigh? You come out with something like that, and then you walk away? I demand an explanation."
"Piss off," Leigh warned her. It annoyed her even more that Rachel remained unfazed.
"I demand an explanation," she repeated, sterner this time.
"Ask Leekie!"
"I'm asking you," Rachel shot. She watched Leigh take her phone out of her pocket. The hairdresser started texting rapidly, though Rachel couldn't see who she was sending messages to.
"I can't," Leigh stammered, walking even faster now. "I can't."
"You can't what?" Rachel asked. She was becoming uncomfortable at having to move so fast, but she managed to keep up with Leigh for the next ten or fifteen minutes, no matter what Leigh tried to shake her off.
"I'll get the pistol out if you don't eff off now," she hissed, but Rachel knew better than to take her seriously. Leigh was quite sure she'd never seen Rachel run...that would be funny to witness...
"Seriously, go home," Leigh added. She broke into a run now, certain Rachel would give up and leave her alone to spare herself the humiliation of running after her twin in those ridiculous high heels...but Rachel surprised her. Leigh would have laughed if she wasn't so annoyed.
"If you have information, you need to tell me," Rachel insisted.
"Why do you even care?" Leigh snapped at her.
"Leigh, you've just spent the last half an hour wishing I did care enough; make up your mind. If I'm being lied to-"
"You wouldn't believe it!" Leigh interrupted her. She came to halt in front of Rat's library, stunned Rachel had followed her all the way back. She turned to look at the blonde clone. She wasn't sure she could stay composed. "Rachel...you wouldn't believe it..."
"Try me," Rachel dared her.
"I can't," Leigh breathed.
"You can."
"I can't, because I don't think I even believe it still!" Leigh shouted. "I don't think I want to...fuck's sake," she trailed off, rubbing her eyes with her hands now. She was surprised when Rachel stepped towards her, placed her hands over Leigh's wrists and pulled them down so she could look Leigh in the eye.
"You're not even making sense now," Rachel said quietly. She held Leigh gently by the hands. "Your behaviour causes me great concern."
Leigh wanted to cry. She came dangerously close to letting go, but it didn't feel safe to. More than anything, Leigh was scared for Rachel's reaction. She needed confirmation from her parents about this discovery before she even considered discussing it with Rachel...she wished she'd kept her mouth shut...
Both Leigh and Rachel looked around suddenly to realise Aldous Leekie was watching them from across the street.