One Up

Chapter 10

Darkness.

That is all I see as my eyes search for a source of light. I try to move my wrists but find they are tied, and by the way my wrists hurt, it has been a while. I try to move my body up, but find myself strapped down. It seems no matter where I move, I am trapped.

"Help!" I shout, hoping that someone may be able to hear my pleas. A silent "Shhhh" alerts me to someone's presence.

"Hello?" I whisper quietly. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Margo," Margo whispers back. A billion questions run through my mind, and I'm just about to ask them when I hear a 'click' and the whining of hinges as a door opens.

"Well, well, well, our subjects are awake," says an unrecognizable male voice. "We can't have them kicking us when we move them."

"No we can't. Sedate them," a cold, feminine voice orders. I hear footsteps draw near. I try to kick and find that my legs are bound. I squirm and try to escape but it's useless. A twinge of hot breath hovers at my ear, followed by a "This won't hurt a bit." A slight pain in my neck and I enter the world of the unconscious.

○•●•○•●•○•●•○

I don't know how long I've been out, but when I open my eyes once more, I find that they don't open to darkness. In fact, the covering that had originally blocked my line of sight is gone.

Looking down at my body, I find that I am not strapped into anything. I sit up, finding myself on a small cot in what looks like a hospital room. Only difference? There are no monitors, no machines; only a corner with a toilet and sink, and a door with a small window. Taking the opportunity, I jump up quickly stumbling on wobbly legs that haven't been used in what feels like days. I try the nob, but it's no use. It's locked. I lean against the door, exasperated as thoughts rush into my head. Who did this? Does Rachael and my mom know I'm gone? Was Sage right?

I scoot my body down until I'm seated against the door, looking into the room that is holding me captive. The cold, titled floor seeps into my well-worn jeans, causing me to shiver involuntarily. Folding my arms on my knees, I rest my head against my arms, letting my mind wander to the previous days when things seemed simple.

I sit here for what feels like hours before I hear a 'click' at the door. Jumping up, I rush forward and turn around to find a woman entering the room. She doesn't regard me as human. Her blue eyes regard me as if I were a lab rat. I scrutinize her, taking in her long, blonde hair that is tied up into a bun. Her black suit suggests that she is a government official, or what I think government officials would look like.

"Samara Keys," she says, and I instantly recognize her voice as the lady who had ordered the man to put me back to sleep. I lift my chin. The last thing I want is to show her my fear.

"Who are you?" I ask coldly, keeping my voice even in the hopes that I don't sound as frightened as I am. She smirks. "I am Milee Renegade, an official of the United States Government." I roll my eyes. Of course, I had to be right. "So? What do you want with me?" She taps her lips, a silent way to tell me that I should keep my mouth shut. Her sinister smile reappears momentarily.

"All in good time, my dear," she says. With the snap of her fingers, two, tall, brooding men appear. I back away quickly as they charge after me, but find I have no where to go when my back hits the white-brick wall.

They seize my arms, trying to pull me toward them. I buckle my knees, letting all my weight drop. With the sudden rush of weight, I am able to break free. I duck and roll away from the men before jumping back up and dashing through the open door.

There are long hallways on either side of me. Without thinking, I run down the one toward my left. My legs carry me quickly down the path, but the two brooding men are not far behind. Their footfalls echo in the hallway as they chase after me.

Down the hall, I see that the hall goes to the right. Without looking, I round the bend - and get close-lined by someone's arm. I hit the ground hard, and when I look up, I see that the person who blocked my escape is a man in his early twenties. His dark hair sits high on his head and his lab coat lets me know that he is a scientist. He smirks at me.

"Well, I was just about to get you," he says. He is the same guy, I realize, that tranqed me. With that realization, I glare at him and spit on his shoe. He laughs and with a "Seize her," I am hauled up by the two brooding men.

They drag me down the hall. I try to find a foothold but the force they are using to carry my tiny frame makes it hard to stand my ground. The scientist-looking guy leads us down a few more corridors before he stops at a large, glass door. Taking his ID out of his pocket, he swipes it against the code reader. The light goes green and with a 'click' he opens the door.

The two brooding men haul me in, not bothering to be gentle as they deposit me roughly on the floor. I turn and watch as they shut the door and wait outside. There would be no more chances for escape.

The scientist-looking guy clears his throat, drawing my attention to him and the room. The 'room' in question, is almost as big as the penthouse in regards to it's height, and like my prison cell, it is furnished with the same white-painted brick walls and white tile flooring. The lack of color in this place has me depressed. They could have at least accentuated the white with black, I think inwardly.

I look on cautiously as the man kneels in front of me. One hand is behind his back, automatically making me question his motives. I've seen this far to many times in movies. He's going to sedate me again.

"Now, miss Samara. We can do this the easy way," he says, before taking the hand from behind his back revealing a syringe with a two-inch needle. "-or the hard way." I gulp at the sight of the needle. "Do what?" I ask cautiously. He gives a short laugh before walking over to a long, silver machine. The machine is backed by two beds covered in what looks like crash-proof glass. He gestures for me to come over, and having no other choice, I follow his order.

"You see, our government has made a great deal of breakthroughs. Things the president himself doesn't even know about," the man says as he types into the machine. "One of those many, many, great machines, is this cloning device."

I look at the machine and it all suddenly clicks together. He is going to clone me. "-but how are you going to clone me and have it act the same?" I ask in pure curiosity. He stares at me in thought, before answering. "Why don't I show you?"

At those words, I start backing away, but not fast enough. He lunges quickly, pulling the syringe out of his pocket and sticking it in my neck. A gasp escapes my lips as the sudden pain shoots through my neck, and as soon as he takes out the needle, I fall into unconsciousness.

When I wake again, I find that I am strapped down into one of the beds connected to the machine. Electrodes and needles are punctured into my skin. I try to rip them out when the mad scientist's voice fills the room.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he says. I turn to look into his mischievous, demented gaze, but stop when I realize he isn't alone.

It would have been okay if it had been anyone else, but the face staring back into mine,

...was my own