– Chapter Thirty –
Daylight shone through the gaps in the curtains at the house of clones. None of them had slept, least of all Rat. She'd been edgy and nervous since reuniting with her mother, who seemed eager to get on the hacker's good side. Rat could hardly stand to be around her though. She was still too conflicted to even think about giving Eliza her attention for the time being.
Rat was the first out of bed that morning to tend to the dogs and prepare for the day. Lucas had agreed to bring Eliza over later so they could work on a plan to rescue Aila, and Rat wasn't looking forward to it. She busied herself with straightening up the place and starting breakfast for when the others awoke, keen to keep herself occupied.
She set up her laptop while she ate. A nagging thought occurred to her as she signed into Skype.
Beth.
Rat clicked on the detective's name. She was currently offline. The hacker felt a twinge of guilt for barely giving Beth a second thought since her latest revelation. She hoped Beth would find comfort and support in Alison, at least...it seemed like the two of them were close...
'Beth, get in touch whenever you can. We're worried and we need to discuss something.'
Rat stared at the message she'd typed for a moment or two before sending it to Beth. She hoped the cop would read it if she was online and hiding, and respond whenever she could. It was true. They did need to discuss going over there. It was better to plan their visit now so they could leave immediately after retrieving Aila.
The detective didn't respond back, and Rat sighed as she leaned back on the sofa. She found that sitting still made her thoughts wander onto topics she didn't want to think about just yet. After a moment, she stood and made her way to the kitchen to wash her plate, figuring she might as well take care of the rest of the dishes as well.
A creak on the floor made the hacker glance over and see a sleepy Leigh wander into the kitchen. "Morning," Rat said quietly as the sink filled up with soapy water. "Made bacon and cheese omelettes if you want any," she offered, nodding to the stove where enough food sat in the pan for her and Katja to take.
Leigh stared at the pan, before glancing at the other clone as she cleaned the dishes from the past few days. "How're you holding up?"
Rat froze for a moment and shrugged. "I'm fine."
"Lies," Leigh scolded bluntly as she cut the remaining part of the omelette in half. She took it over to the microwave.
"Excuse me?" Rat muttered, narrowing her eyes slightly at the hairdresser.
"You heard. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like to learn about all that, but you know, it is OK to not be fine. Me and Katja...we're both here for you." It always had been difficult and awkward trying to connect with the hacker on an emotional level, but after learning about the type of upbringing she was put through, Leigh couldn't help wanting to make more of an effort to support her.
Rat shrugged, turning her gaze back towards the dishes as she considered Leigh's words. "I'll be fine. Just need to put up with her long enough to get Aila back, and then we can leave," she said dismissively, pausing for a moment. Then, she reluctantly continued. "Can't help but wonder what else I think I know that's actually completely wrong, though..."
"Yeah, you and me both," Leigh muttered.
Both clones were quiet while Leigh ate, but she found she didn't have much of an appetite. The hairdresser glanced up from her plate, watching as Rat finished washing the dishes and dried her hands on a towel. "Your mum said you just vanished overnight."
Rat glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "Is there a question in that statement?"
Leigh shrugged. "I'm just curious as to why."
Rat stared at her for a moment, before sighing lightly and sitting down near the other clone. "After Cecile died, we left London and returned to Geneva, but I couldn't help thinking how suspicious DYAD was. While we were living here, I started noticing things. The whole place just felt wrong somehow...hell, I'm sure I even saw another clone back then, but Leekie intercepted me before I could get close to her. When I got home, I decided to do some digging myself. I wasn't that good with my computer skills at that point, but my mentor helped me break into DYAD's files that first time, and taught me how to do it..."
"Your mentor?" Leigh asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rat nodded. "Yeah. Trust me, you don't learn how to do what I do by yourself. Her codename was Raven. It didn't take us too long to find out about the whole clone thing, and about monitors. I was relieved that my mentor wasn't also my monitor, but finding out about clones just made everything fit somehow – the reason my parents could hardly bear to look at me while they fawned over their own human child, the medical tests I'd gone through since birth, the girl I saw who looked exactly like me that Leekie insisted I hadn't seen, the reason everybody treated Cecile like a failed experiment rather than a human being...everything was explained by the simple fact I was a human clone."
The hacker took a moment to allow her voice to recover before continuing. "I didn't feel safe at home anymore. I waited until night time, got all my stuff together, and left along with Charles. I lived with Raven for a couple of weeks while we looked into the clone stuff. She protected me from DYAD and gave me my false identity...though after realising how far DYAD would go to get what they wanted, I decided I didn't want to put Raven in the line of fire more than I already had. I relocated to my library. I lived there ever since."
Leigh stared at the Swiss woman. "Jesus...I couldn't imagine doing all that so young. I don't blame you though, really. I wouldn't feel safe either. Must have taken guts to leave your mentor and try to make it alone though. Did leaving keep her safe, at least?"
Rat nodded. "As far as I know, yeah. I figured DYAD wouldn't have much of a reason to mess with her since they could never prove she knew anything about where I was. She respected my decision, even if she disagreed with it, and just gave me a phone number to call if I ever needed her again. I haven't called her though. Sometimes I'm tempted to, but..." she trailed off and shrugged.
Leigh sighed, absently poking at her food. She still couldn't believe just how messed up DYAD really was. It seemed like whenever she thought they couldn't get any worse, she found out another way they'd ruined lives and torn families apart. The two clones fell into silence, both consumed by their own thoughts.
It wasn't long before Katja made an appearance, already fully dressed and ready to take on the day. "I have all things packed ready to go see Beth," she told them both a little while later. "You two must do the same. As soon as Aila is out, ve go over there."
"Yeah, but Beth's not responding," Rat pointed out. She couldn't blame Katja for being eager. It was obvious she wanted to ease her own fears about her sickness, however small the chance.
"Vell ve can still go to Canada and zen let her know ve are there," Katja stated. "Vee get Aila out today. No more messing around."
Both Rat and Leigh could only watch silently as the German helped herself to some breakfast. Surprisingly, she managed to eat more than Leigh, and even asked if Leigh was going to finish her own. Leigh shoved the plate towards her, deciding Katja needed all the energy she could get.
The hours seemed to fly by, between trying in vain to get Beth's attention and conversing idly with Danielle, because Lucas was knocking on the door before they knew it. Rat braced herself and shut the dogs into a another room for the duration of the visit, not wanting to become distracted by their enthusiasm for guests this time around. This required total concentration.
Everyone made themselves comfortable in the living room, though each person was tense. Rat was the only one to remain standing. She could feel Eliza's stare burning into her, though she refused to make eye contact.
"You said you have access to Rachel's office," Rat spoke calmly and clearly while staring at the wall. "Explain."
Eliza frowned slightly, but nodded. "Neal and I still work together in the Genetics Department of the DYAD labs, and every Friday afternoon, it's my job to drop off the weekly reports to Rachel's office. If we can somehow get her away from the office during that time, I'd be able to have a quick look around. I don't know if she'd have any clues about your friend's location, but it's worth a try."
Rat thought about it for a moment, knowing Rachel wasn't likely to have anything like that just lying around. "I've got one better. If I can make an audio tracking bug, would you be able to plant it in her office somewhere?" she asked, still not looking over.
"Yeah, I can do that," Eliza confirmed with a nod. "The only ones who are usually in there besides us who drop off paperwork are Leekie, Rachel, and Rachel's bodyguard, Daniel."
"It'll do for a start," Rat nodded, mentally running through her options. "It'll take some time to make it, and I'll need materials."
"Vee don't have any money," Katja reminded her with a grunt.
"Let us take care of funding," Lucas said immediately. "Please, just give us a list of everyzing needed."
Rat nodded. "Fine...I can probably modify pre-built microphones to suit our needs," she muttered, trying to work out in her head exactly what she'd need to do before writing down a list of materials for Lucas and Eliza to buy. She didn't miss the way Katja was scowling, but she didn't comment. It was highly unlikely they would be able to save Aila today, despite what the German woman wanted. They had to do this right, or else they'd risk getting more of them captured.
"While you're doing that, I can see about looking into the building's structure to narrow down low-traffic areas. I can see if I can get a general idea where they might be keeping a prisoner," Rat continued on, looking down at her laptop as she spoke. "We'll also need to start thinking of how exactly we're getting in and out once we do locate Aila."
Leigh shrugged. "I can dress up like Rachel. I've switched places with her before for laughs."
Rat nodded slowly. "That might work."
Leigh nodded too. Truthfully, the idea of playing Rachel was nerve-wrecking when it was under such serious circumstances, but it was the best shot they had. "I'll need clothes and a wig then. I'm sure I can create that stupid haircut one last time..." Leigh left the room then, fully intending to search her room for anything she could use to disguise herself, leaving the others to sit quietly for a moment.
"She does not need to vorry about zese zings. As I said, vee vill pay for everyzing," Lucas spoke to Rat and Katja.
Rat grumbled something in agreement, though she didn't seem to be paying much attention. She was far too busy looking up various things on her laptop.
Katja was growing impatient. She understood it was going to take time, but the tension was bothering her more than she thought it would. Without hesitation, she reached for her rucksack, which she'd left at the foot of the sofa, and retrieved her own laptop. She wasn't sure she knew what to look for, exactly, but it might help to have two of them doing research...
Katja's Skype signed her in automatically, as it always did upon booting up the laptop. She went to click the button to sign out, only to see a familiar, and now sickening name online once again.
Janika.
Katja stared blankly at the screen for a while. Was Helena aware of what had happened to Maggie? Was the killer clone in Canada too? Had she gone after Beth?
The German stood shakily from the sofa and glanced down at the others. "I feel sick," she told them all. It wasn't a lie. "I just..." Katja bolted from the room with the laptop, causing the others to watch her go in alarm.
Worried for her sister, but devoted to the task at hand, Rat tore her gaze from the door and instead focused on the laptop again. "She...she's not well," she told Lucas and Eliza reluctantly. "She has moments. I'll check up on her after this..."
"Not well?" Eliza repeated. Rat didn't like the concern in her voice. She wasn't sure she trusted it was genuine. "Not well like...like..."
"Yes. Like Cecile," Rat spat bitterly.
Both Rat and Eliza missed the look of horror that flashed across Lucas's face at these words. Rat closed her eyes for a moment to recompose herself, pushing all thoughts of the sickness and her other sister away for the moment. She needed to focus.
"Regina..." Eliza started, the concern in her voice still present.
"Don't," Rat warned her coldly. "Just leave it."
Eliza glanced at Lucas with a defeated expression, but she said nothing more on the matter. Rat sighed quietly and carried on with what she was doing, the soft sound of her typing filling the otherwise silent room.
Katja flopped down on her bed with an irritated groan. She hated wasting so much time, and would rather just break into the building and take Aila back by force. How hard could it be? Her thoughts fell silent when another violent cough shook her thin frame, painting her hand and her bed sheets red.
The sight of it only fuelled her frustration. If it wasn't for Rachel, they'd already be with Beth and her scientist friend, and Katja would actually have a chance of not leaving her sister alone in the world. But no, they were stuck here in London, playing cat and mouse just because of a crazy blonde clone. Blonde clones tended to be the crazy ones, she thought, looking back to the laptop where Janika's Skype was still logged in.
If pressed later, Katja wouldn't be able to explain why she suddenly seized the laptop and typed a message to Helena. She needed something to vent on, and the blonde seemed to be the best option in that moment in light of Maggie Chen's death.
'Why don't you just give it up? Someone will stop you eventually.'
Katja slammed the enter key hard to send the message. No response came for a while. The German sat in silence, debating her next actions, until an incoming call from Janika's account made her jump out of her skin.
Katja answered it despite instinct telling her not to. Helena's face greeted her.
"How dare you," Katja snapped instantly, not allowing Helena a chance to speak. "How dare you carry Janika's laptop still? Vat ez zee matter vith you?"
Helena seemed as though she was barely paying attention to Katja, instead fiddling with the laptop lid to adjust its position. "She no longer needs it," the killer said simply after a moment. "Cannot take it vith her to hell, can she?"
Katja slammed both hands down hard on the desk at these words, once again feeling the urge to hurt Helena for all she had done. "It's you who ez going to hell," she spat at the laptop. She gained Helena's full attention now. The blonde stared with wide eyes at the camera, perplexed. "Both you and your friend, Maggie. I'm sure she ez vaiting to velcome you zere."
"I already tell you reasons for vhy I do zese zings," Helena snapped. She was impatient that nobody could understand her valid reasons for all she had done. Their lack of understanding just proved how unworthy they were of the gift of life. "I am surprised at you, Katja. Surprised zat you have made it zis far in your broken and worthless state..."
Helena trailed off and let out a bark of laughter. Katja shook with fury. Nobody had ever got under her skin like Helena.
"You are NOT LISTENING!" Katja bellowed now. It was enough to wipe the smirk off of Helena's face. "Maggie is dead and gone! If you do not stop, you vill be next!"
Helena seemed to freeze then, staring at the laptop with wide eyes. "Maggie is not dead. Maggie is doing job and finding out vere demons hide."
"Maggie is dead," Katja said lowly. "One of us killed her before she could kill them. She vill be vaiting for you in hell ven you go zere."
Helena's face transformed into a dark scowl. "You are lying."
"Am I?" Katja said coolly. "Ven vas zee last time you spoke to her? Vas it any time after zee 30th of September? If not, zen zere ez reason for zis."
Despite the wrongness of the situation, Katja couldn't help feeling pleased at the look of utter rage now covering Helena's face.
"If I find out you are lying, you vill be next, Katja," Helena growled lowly before the video cut out.
It only took Katja a moment to realise exactly what she'd just done. She was shocked at her own irrational impulsiveness and realised they clones would be staying still for a while yet. If Helena was going to come for Katja next, the thought of her condition killing her would be the least of her worries.
Rat opened the door then and looked in, looking vaguely alarmed. "Katja, are you OK? I heard you yelling at something..." she said, looking between her sister and the laptop. She noticed Janika's Skype window. "Oh please tell me you didn't talk to Helena again..." Rat said, trying and failing to keep the annoyance out of her voice.
Katja said nothing and scowled at the computer before slamming the lid shut and shaking her head. "Do not vorry about her, schwester...vee must get doctor back and zen vee vill leave. Helena ez not concern."
Rat stared at Katja for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. "It's not going to happen that fast, Katja. I'll work as quickly as I can, but this plan needs to be air tight, or we'll end up worse off than we already are," she tried to reason gently, seeing that Katja still wasn't in the best mood.
Katja could only nod in agreement. "I am tired, Rat," she admitted quietly without making eye contact.
Rat watched her for a while. She knew her sister didn't mean she needed to sleep. "I know. We all are," she whispered. She put an arm around Katja.
The sisters held onto each other for a while, temporarily blocking everything and everyone else from their thoughts. Later on, as Rat let go and backed away, thoughts of Beth crossed Katja's mind.
Wherever Helena was right now, Beth needed to be careful. If she was next to go, Katja would only blame herself.
As promised, Lucas and Eliza bought every specific part of technology Rat had requested. The hacker got to work immediately on modifying the small microphones so their locations could be tracked via her laptop. Eliza would need to find a way to plant them in Rachel's office, Leekie's office, and if possible, on Rachel's bodyguard.
As expected though, the process took time. Two days passed since the hacker began working, often having the others carry the pieces around the house and outside (even having Lucas bring one to DYAD with him for the day) to make sure they were working properly.
Katja still wasn't happy, but she accepted there was no real way to fast-track this process more than it already had been. Another three days passed before the pieces were deemed ready to be planted. The clones waited anxiously as the day dragged on, but when Eliza returned to the house that evening, it was with good news.
"All three have been put in their places," she said quietly.
Rat nodded, leaning back as she checked her laptop. "Good. I'll keep an eye on the audio and the location and see if I can figure out where Aila's being held." She hoped they'd get a clue of some kind before the bugs were discovered. "Unfortunately, all we can do is wait."
Leigh looked at the laptop as well, her eyes finding the glowing dot that had been marked 'Rachel's Office'. She frowned, but said nothing. She managed to put together an outfit that could pass for being one of Rachel's over the last few days, and Eliza had bought her a blonde wig that she could style to match Rachel's hair.
Eliza looked at her daughter for a moment, before leaving the house. Rat thought she'd gone home for the evening, but blinked when the redhead returned after several minutes, holding a large black case.
Rat eyed the case warily. "What's that?"
Eliza walked over and set it on the table beside Rat's laptop, and it only took seeing it in the light to know exactly what it was. It was an instrument case of some type.
"While now might not be the best time, I assume you'll be leaving again as soon as your friend is found, so..." Eliza said quietly with a shrug. "We kept this all these years in case we ever found you again...you should have it back."
Rat blinked slowly, reaching for the case and opening it to reveal an old, polished violin. Leigh raised an eyebrow at the instrument, glancing at Rat for some type of explanation as the hacker slowly ran her fingers over the smooth wood with an almost sad expression.
"Leigh, do you remember when I told you before that I eventually found a much more positive method of stress relief?" Rat said quietly. "Well, this would be it. Probably suck at it now though. I haven't played in over ten years." She sighed, looking up at Eliza. "Thank you."
Eliza gave a nod of acknowledgment and sat down on a chair a few feet away. "We've missed hearing your music. It was always beautiful and calming."
Rat stayed silent, unsure of how to respond as she took the violin out of its case, checking it over for any sign of damage.
The time to save Aila approached fast. Everyone prepared themselves, barely speaking to one another. It seemed each person needed space to gather their thoughts and get ready for what they were about to do.
Everyone knew their place. They all knew what was expected of them.
Leigh had kept to her room for the majority of the day. She couldn't explain the need to work in private as she constructed Rachel's hairstyle on the blonde wig, but nobody questioned her.
It was funny. This had been the start of her mission as well. This stupid game had started with Rachel, with Leigh styling a wig to become her temporarily, just as she was doing now. Chunks of blonde hair littered the floor at Leigh's feet where she worked. She didn't care much about tidying them away.
Leigh wasn't sure when it started, but she became aware of music playing suddenly when she pulled herself from her thoughts. The sound of a violin playing somewhere in the house brought a lump to Leigh's throat; a strange sadness she wasn't sure she understood. The hairdresser focused on Rat's music as she dressed herself up, finally standing before the mirror as she held the wig in her hands.
She hesitated before lowering her head to complete the look. Her reflection unnerved her when she looked back at it, and panic flooded her as the realisation of what was about to happen sunk in.
"Shit."
It was bizarre seeing and hearing this word come from Rachel's mouth. Leigh had to battle with herself inwardly to not feel angry at the mere sight of her reflection.
Fists clenched, and trembling slightly, the hairdresser crossed the room, taking her time in the high heels she'd chosen. She wasn't sure she was ready for the reactions of the other clones to see her like this, let alone anything else that was about to go down.
Taking a breath to steady herself, the hairdresser again focused on the soft and slow sound of the violin, allowing it to guide her down the hall and into the living room. Rat sat alone on the sofa in front of her laptop as she played with her eyes closed, and Leigh couldn't help thinking she'd never seen the Swiss clone look so completely at peace in all the months she'd known her.
After a few more minutes, the music trailed off, and the hacker slowly opened her eyes to find Leigh. She'd sensed the other clone's presence before, and she said nothing as she nodded in approval of the dress up. If she didn't know any better, she would have believed Rachel Duncan really stood before her.
Rat put her violin and bow back in their case and set them aside, knowing it was almost time to get to work. Over the last few days, between listening to conversations between Rachel and Daniel and monitoring the trackers, she'd narrowed down three possible places where Aila could be being held. Leigh and Lucas would need to investigate these places upon their arrival, while staying clear of the real Rachel.
"Here," Rat said after a moment, motioning for Leigh to come closer. She handed the hairdresser a small tan item that almost looked like a hearing aid, as well as microphone to clip onto her collar. "We'll be able to talk through these. Speaking out loud as you would normally will be enough for me to hear you, and you'll be able to hear me the same way. I'll track your progress through the building and will be able to guide you to each of the locations."
Leigh nodded quietly as she put the item in her ear. It was slightly uncomfortable, but it was a snug fit and wouldn't accidentally fall out as she moved around. She was inwardly grateful that the hacker hadn't said anything out loud about her appearance. It was all she could do to stay calm enough to pass for Rachel even now, and she prayed there wouldn't be any run-ins with anyone who Rachel knew personally.
Katja appeared after a moment then, looking at Leigh with a blank expression. "Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Leigh muttered quietly, and the others didn't miss the doubtful look on her face before she masked it with a look of determination. It would all be over soon, she reminded herself again and again. This was the last time she'd ever need to be Rachel.
"All clear. Vee are going in."
Rat nodded at the German man's words as he spoke into the microphone from the DYAD facility in London. The hacker, along with Katja, sat in front of the laptop on the edge of their seats.
Nobody was more anxious than Leigh, who followed a determined Lucas into the entrance of the building. She could feel eyes on her immediately. Most people simply glanced in her direction, sometimes fearfully, often darkly. Others offered a nod in greeting as she and Lucas passed, though Leigh couldn't ignore the fact it was false politeness. It was insane to know how intimidating everyone found Rachel...was Rachel even aware of their fakeness towards her? Did she even care?
"Shit, shit, shit," Leigh whispered under her breath, earning a concerned glance from Lucas.
"Stay focused," he urged her. "It is vital."
"I'm trying – oh shit," Leigh tried to mutter, but her words came out louder than she intended, for Aldous Leekie had just rounded the corner with some other DYAD people.
"Quit the swearing, Leigh!" Rat's voice said frantically from the earpiece. "You are an emotionless robot; ACT like one!"
Leigh clenched her fists and turned on the spot, eager to escape Leekie before he spotted her. "I know," she murmured to herself. "Be a robot...be a robot..."
"Ah, Rachel!"
"Oh fuck's sake," Leigh blurted out again. She could practically hear Rat sighing down the microphone, but that didn't matter. She felt cold with panic at Leekie's voice.
Leigh stiffly turned on the spot while Lucas hurried away out of sight to wait for her; he didn't want to risk attracting Leekie's attention. Leigh inhaled deeply and forced a blank gaze in Leekie's direction.
"Yes Aldous?"
"I was wondering if you would spare an hour of your time to attend a meeting on Neolution – I believe you could offer your input-"
"I am busy, Aldous," Leigh told him strictly.
"You've only just got here," Leekie pointed out. "And Marion Bowles has requested your presence."
It took great effort on Leigh's part not to frown in utter confusion. Who the hell was Marion Bowles? "Marion will have to wait, Aldous. If she desires my input so desperately, she will wait until later. Do not bother me with this again."
Leigh turned and strode away, leaving Leekie to stare after her, defeated. Leigh wasn't certain she'd get away with it, but Leekie made no effort to change her mind, convincing her Rachel still managed to get her way with Leekie with certain things. She let out a small sigh of relief when she caught up to Lucas in an otherwise deserted corridor.
"Now you're done prating around, can you please focus?" Rat's voice spoke again. "You need to check out these specific locations."
"Go on then," Leigh agreed. "Where to first?"
"Continue on down the corridor you're in right now, and then take the stairs down one level."
Leigh took a deep breath and calmly walked, doing her best to ignore everyone as she did. She knew Rachel wouldn't give any of these people a second glance. When she made it to the staircase, she carefully made her way down one level.
"I will never understand how Rachel walks in these fucking shoes..." Leigh muttered, trying hard not to trip.
Lucas could only give her a half smile that looked more like a grimace. The German man knew how uncomfortable Leigh was, but he had to admire her determination at going to these lengths for her friend.
"Hook a left at the bottom of the stairs and walk until I tell you...there, that door," Rat told her, watching Leigh's progress on her laptop screen.
"It's locked," Leigh said flatly, just as the keypad seemed to magically input its own code before flashing green.
"You were saying?" Rat said, and Leigh could hear the smugness in her voice.
"Thank you Ratty," Leigh drawled in a too-sweet voice. She took a breath and opened the door, looking around the room.
"What do you see?" Rat asked.
"Looks like a lab...thing. It's empty. I don't think she's here," Leigh sighed.
"OK...back out then."
Almost two hours passed since Leigh and Lucas set foot in the DYAD facility. It was a long walk between each of the spots of interest, and several times between destinations, they were stopped by various employees who wanted to ask Rachel things.
It was nerve-wrecking, but Leigh did her best to channel Rachel and make up various excuses to get them to ask her again later. She didn't think anyone suspected anything yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time before someone noticed she wasn't actually Rachel.
The hallway she'd just entered was in a sub-basement area of the facility, and Leigh shivered at the cold breeze that seemed to blow through the area. There was only one room left to check, and if Aila wasn't in there, they'd be back at square one.
Leigh's high heels made an almost deafening click as she approached the room, pausing when Rat told her to. The hacker again unlocked the door, and Leigh couldn't help but gag at the powerful metallic odour coming forth from the darkness. Reluctantly, the hairdresser walked into the room while Lucas stayed just outside to act as a lookout. The room was small, with only the faintest light coming in from a window which was higher up than she could reach.
Leigh gagged again at the smell of the place and covered her nose and mouth with her hand to stop herself from being sick. Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she felt sick for a whole new reason.
Her eyes were wide as a powerful sense of horror she never knew could exist washed over her heart, making her entire body cold and rigid as she trembled. She tried to process if what she was seeing was real.
Before her, lying on a hard bed, was the unmistakable form of a clone. She'd been stripped naked, her face and body covered in gashes and cuts. Some were old and starting to heal, while others were new and dripped blood down onto the stone floor. The clone's hair was extremely long and draped over her very thin frame like a makeshift blanket, most of it stuck together from lying in the clone's blood. Her left arm was loosely wrapped in old bandages and draped off the edge of the bed at an unnatural angle, as if it was broken.
Leigh couldn't help herself and screamed as she stumbled backwards, both hands clasped over her mouth as she stared at the sight, unable to tear her gaze away.
"Leigh! What happened? what's going on?!" Rat asked, startled from the screech.
Leigh couldn't speak, her breath coming in hard and fast gasps. Lucas appeared at her side and froze as he too took in the horrific sight. "Oh heiliger christus allmächtigen!" he gasped in terror.
Leigh's body trembled hard as she forced herself to inch closer to the injured clone. "A-A-Aila?!" she squeaked.
The clone cracked one eye open slowly at the sound of the name, her dull brown gaze finding Leigh. She closed her eye again after a moment and muttered something softly that sounded vaguely like 'Fuck off, Rachel'.
Aila didn't have the energy for dealing with Rachel anymore, her throat raw and her ears still ringing from her own screams. Somehow, she only felt numb, as if the burning pain that should have coursed through her body had been blocked off. She only felt cold. Very, very cold. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if this was what it was like to be in shock, though no thoughts stayed for long. She didn't have the energy to think. She wanted to be still and sleep.
Shaking, Leigh turned to face Lucas. "Get help!" she demanded in a way that was worthy of Rachel. "Get help so we can get her out of here – they'll get her out if I tell them to-"
"But," Lucas began, worried at the risk of running into Daniel, or God forbid, the real Rachel.
"DO IT!" Leigh shrieked. Her voice echoed throughout the cell, causing a ringing in everyone's ears.
Lucas offered a brief nod and hurried to find assistance. Leigh turned her attention back to Aila when he left, ignoring the protesting and demanding yells coming from Rat and Katja down the microphone. Without hesitation, Leigh ripped off her jacket to carefully place it over a trembling Aila, who let out a groan of protest as the fabric touched the raw wounds.
Leigh fell to her knees beside her, eyes watering. "It's me," she whispered.
She dared to place a hand on Aila's head, gently stroking her matted hair out of her eyes. She knew from the defeated sigh Aila gave and the way she leaned into the touch that the doctor understood. Aila opened her eyes slowly to gaze at Leigh sadly, grateful for her presence.
Leigh struggled to hold back a strangled sob as she kissed Aila's forehead, barely able to find her voice as she apologised. "I'm sorry..."
Leigh barely had time to stand up and compose herself at the sound of footsteps hurrying towards the cell greeting her ears. She could hear Lucas muttering something, along with the voices of two other men who had come to help. One of them was pushing a wheelchair into the cell, and the other was carrying large blankets and a dressing gown.
Leigh recognised them as two of the men who had tried to capture them before Rachel helped them escape. She inhaled sharply and drew herself to her full height to address them. "The prisoner has given the information I have requested," she told them in her most controlled, emotionless voice. "Have her removed from the facility immediately. Do nothing else. Go."
The men acted immediately, keen to stay in Rachel's good books no matter what. Leigh trembled with fury while they helped Aila from the bed, wrapping her in the dressing gown and putting her in the chair. The doctor managed a weak but desperate glance in Leigh's direction, who did her best to remain unfazed and expressionless while she was wheeled away.
Lucas lingered behind for a moment. "Vee should go too," he said quickly, urging her to leave the cell. "Quickly – vee can leave out of another exit; make sure vee are not seen-"
He stopped talking abruptly when Leigh shook her head. The hairdresser swallowed hard, focusing momentarily on Rat's voice once again.
"Leigh? LEIGH? Will you tell us what's going on?"
"She-she's getting out, Rat," Leigh muttered down the microphone. "Lucas will be out in a minute to take her to you."
"What do you mean Lucas will? What about YOU?" Rat demanded.
Leigh's eyes welled with tears again as she raised a trembling hand up to the earpiece. This was enough. It was over. "Bye, Rat," Leigh told the hacker sadly.
"Leigh?!" Rat panicked now, and Leigh could vaguely hear Katja yelling something in the background too, but the hairdresser removed the earpiece from her ear. She handed it and the microphone to Lucas.
Lucas looked numb and disturbed at the same time. Leigh didn't like it. "Make sure Aila gets back to Rat and Katja right away."
"Leigh, please-"
"I can't do this anymore, Lucas."
Leigh's words silenced him for a moment. She wanted to explain, but anger, sadness, disgust and exhaustion were overwhelming her. Rat, Katja and Aila didn't need her. They were more than capable of finishing what Leigh had started. She would give herself up to DYAD if it meant they'd leave the other clones alone.
Lucas seemed to understand, though it was clear he disapproved. He could only take the earpiece and microphone from Leigh's hand and offer a small nod before going to leave the cell.
The door banged shut behind him. Leigh was left alone in the cell, shaking and breathing steadily to calm herself down. The silence was agonizing. The sight of stale blood stained on the floor was too much.
Leigh collapsed to her knees, threw her face into her hands, and cried.
Rachel was having a bad, and extremely unusual day. First of all, she'd arrived late to work after awaking with a hangover. Consuming large amounts of wine the previous night had seemed like a good idea if it meant blocking out what little guilt the weaker side of herself was feeling, but she was paying for it today.
Then, she'd ran into Daniel, who told her Aila still wasn't talking and would surely die if she had to endure much more of his methods. It led Rachel to wonder what exactly Daniel had done to the doctor, but she quickly pushed the thought from her mind.
All that mattered was Aila was still being difficult, and Rachel still hadn't got what she wanted.
Enraged, Rachel had ordered Daniel out of her office, saying she didn't want to see him again until Aila talked. Her outburst of rage increased her headache tenfold, which seemed to double again when Leekie appeared 'to have words with her'.
"Aldous, what exactly am I supposed to have done this time?" she snapped at him, still thoroughly disgusted and annoyed at the doctor for the secret he'd kept from her all these years. "I am busy, so this conversation is best saved for later."
"Yes, so you've already told me," Leekie told her wearily, "but the fact, is Marion is your boss, so commanding that she see you when you say so is completely out of order, Rachel!"
Rachel allowed a frown to appear on her face. She didn't understand. "Marion? I was not aware she was here today."
Leekie stared at Rachel long and hard. He shook his head in sheer exasperation. "Rachel, you need to get your act together. Your standards have been slipping for months. I thought you were making progress with Daniel here to assist you, but you appear to be having a bad day."
Rachel was too confused and too annoyed to say much else to this, instead assuring Leekie she would be at his office as soon as possible in order to attend the meeting with Marion Bowles.
And then, later on, after deciding she couldn't concentrate on reading through paperwork, Rachel left her office, keen to get the insufferable meeting out of the way as quickly as possible. It was at this moment one of her assistants from the prison ward approached her, pushing an empty wheelchair along the corridor.
"Miss Duncan," he greeted her with a nod. "It is done."
Rachel stopped in her tracks. "What is done?"
"What you requested of us," the man explained, gesturing at the wheelchair with his head. "We removed her from the facility."
Rachel's world crashed down around her.
"IDIOT!" she screeched at the man, turning on her heel and flying down the corridor, no longer caring about appearing composed and calculated. Her heart hammered in her chest as she navigated through DYAD, ignoring the confused and alarmed looks on the faces of peers as she went.
This was not possible. How was it possible?
Rachel reached Aila's cell after what felt like an hour, head pounding and heart racing in agony. She forced open the door, struggling for a moment, before fully entering the room.
A woman stood with her back to her, staring up at the high window on the wall. She turned around at the sound of Rachel appearing; her face blank, yet furious at the same time.
Rachel's own face.
She couldn't comprehend what she was seeing to start with. Was this a bad dream? Was she even awake?
The other Rachel glowered at her; her make-up smudged around her eyes where angry tears had ruined it. Her hands shook violently. They were covered in blood. Aila's blood.
Rachel felt dizzy. She felt her eyes grow wide as the fake Rachel raised her hands up to her own head. She pulled at her hair, forcing the blonde wig off of herself to reveal short, messy, red hair.
"I'm tired of running," Leigh spoke in a calm, but dangerous voice. She threw the wig to the ground, lunged at Rachel, and slammed her into the wall. Both twins trembled as Leigh held Rachel in place, her grip tight and painful. "Now it's your turn."