Replaced
1183 Words
Nolan's POV
After doubting my own eyes when I first spotted Sia, I sneaked into the control room of BPO. I combed through a month's worth of CCTV footage, tracing back to my first mission. There she was—Sia, alongside Killian—just as my instincts had hinted. The realization that I hadn't uncovered this sooner gnawed at me. My heart sank.
Determined, I copied the footage and stormed towards Dr. Frank’s office, anger searing through my veins. I fought my way past his security detail, dispatching several in a brutal crossfire. Blood smeared my hands as I barged into his office, catching him playing dolls with his daughter.
“What in the world is going on?” Dr. Frank’s startled voice rang out. I stood there, my 9mm pistol aimed at him, blood dripping from my hand. His surviving security pointed their rifles at me, while the floor beneath them was streaked with the blood of their fallen comrades.
"Can someone tell me what this is about?" Dr. Frank's voice tightened, eyes narrowing. “It’s Monday, the day I get to spend with my kid before my ex-wife takes her away,” he added, his tone almost bitter.
I hesitated, glancing at the frightened little girl. She looked at me like I was the monster, not her father. I had a choice—leave now or get the answers I needed. Gritting my teeth, I chose the latter.
"Where is Sia?" I demanded.
“You mean Emily? That’s what she goes by now, isn’t it?” Dr. Frank replied calmly, handing his daughter to one of his remaining guards. Though she left, I could tell she was still trembling from my violent entrance.
As soon as the door closed behind her, I grabbed Dr. Frank by the collar and slammed him against the wall. “What do you really want?” I growled, voice low and threatening. “Why did you bring her into this? If you lay even a finger on her, I swear I’ll kill you.”
“And if I do?” he responded coolly, adjusting his glasses with a smirk, despite my fist pressing into his throat. “Will you kill everyone here for your amusement, both guilty and innocent? You two aren’t even a thing anymore. Besides, she used you as her undercover identity. She’s already cozied up to Rowan Chandler, and now there’s a new meat—Killian Flower. Fascinating, isn’t it?”
“What?!” I shouted, shoving him harder against the wall, my fist trembling. “Is this all just a game to you?”
“No joke,” Dr. Frank said, brushing off the tension. “You must admit, it’s quite exhilarating to push human potential and make discoveries that defy science.”
“So, you just want to make her your lab rat?” I spat.
“Oh no, not a lab rat. Not yet, anyway,” he said with a chilling smile. “I prefer ‘test subject.’”
“And what about Killian? Why take him too?”
“Call it curiosity,” Dr. Frank said, setting a projector in motion.
“You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re a psycho!” I paced around, grabbing a drink from the fridge to steady my nerves. “You sound like some villain from a movie, but the fact that you exist in real life…” I muttered, sipping whiskey.
“Nolan, you’re short-sighted. We aren’t the bad guys here. We’re evolutionary pioneers, saviors of the planet,” Dr. Frank said confidently.
“Saviors?” I scoffed, setting the bottle down. “Saving the planet from what? Global warming? Pollution? War? Because I’m not seeing how human experiments fit into that.”
“It doesn’t,” he said with a grin, and my confusion deepened. “At least, not yet.”
He hit play on a video that projected onto the wall. It depicted the evolution of mankind, from the Big Bang to the decline of the human race due to wars, pollution, and natural disasters. The final scenes revealed BPO’s secret—preserving humanity by creating clones.
"Wait," I interrupted, my heart pounding. "Your plan to save humanity is by making clones? Sia and Killian—are they your subjects?"
“Yes, and no.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I snapped, pulling my gun and pointing it at his head.
"Calm down," Dr. Frank said nonchalantly. "How did you even figure out Sia was here? It’s been a month since the incident. Ah, the CCTV footage… seems I’m paying a fortune for security that can’t do their job."
“Your fantasy world is over,” I said coldly, pressing the barrel harder against his forehead.
Dr. Frank sat down, giving up with a sigh. “Alright. But you do realize this building is heavily guarded?”
“I’ll take my chances,” I shot back. “Now, get your keycard. We’re going to your lab.”
He smirked, grabbing the keycard while his security’s weapons remained trained on me. I kept my gun pressed to his head as we entered his private elevator. When the doors closed, I exhaled, keeping my eyes locked on him.
“You know, it’s people like you who are the real threat to society and the Earth,” I muttered.
Dr. Frank chuckled. “Maybe, but at least I’m giving humanity hope—a new world, a new age of immortality.”
The elevator stopped 25 floors below ground. The doors opened, and I stepped into a room filled with clones, my heart skipping a beat. Sia and Killian were strapped inside two tubes, unconscious.
“What did you do to them?” I asked, tears welling up.
“Who? Them?” Dr. Frank pointed to two bodies lying lifeless with Sia and Killian’s faces.
“You bastard!” I roared, grabbing him by the neck and forcing the gun against his skin. “I’ll kill you for this and burn your project to the ground!”
“You could, but then you’d be killing thousands of clones who did nothing wrong. Including Sia and Killian.”
I stared at him, my rage boiling over. “Why would you do this? They didn’t ask for this!”
“Who are you referring to?” he asked calmly.
“Sia and Killian!” I cried out, my voice cracking.
Dr. Frank laughed maniacally, his cackle echoing in the sterile lab. My fist clenched, and I unlocked the safety of my gun again.
“What’s so funny? Do you even have a heart?” I snarled.
“Oh, Nolan. You’re crying over people I *created*,” Dr. Frank said with a smirk, lighting a cigar.
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. “What the hell do you mean, *created*?”
“Did you really think I’d waste time capturing civilians when I could just make them?”
“You’re saying…”
“Yeah. Sia and Killian—” Dr. Frank’s eyes gleamed. “They’re not human. They’re clones.”
- Writer
