VI. whatever it takes

Archer placed his fresh roses on the ground. Only three years later, and the headstone was already weathered. He swept the dirt away to clear up the letters.

In Loving Memory of Sofia Darchetti.
May She Rest in Peace.

He rose to his feet, and his father draped a hand on his shoulder. Amidst the graveyard, they were silent for a solemn minute.

It wasn't long before his dad spoke. "If only Blackwood hadn't erased the cloning technology. Your sister wouldn't have died so early."

"Yeah," Archer dropped his head.

"We thank Neo for what he did. His implant gave her some extra years, but," he clicked his tongue. "Blackwood's selfishness took away the cure to everything."

"Mhm-hm."

"Don't worry, son, I'll find the answers he hid, whatever it takes."

Archer looked up at he whose eyes were dim with resolve. In that moment, he knew not the weight of those words. Nonetheless, he looked at his sister's grave and squeezed his father's hand.

Nodding, he mirrored his dad's expression.

.
.
.

By the way his leg was vibrating, anyone could tell how impatient Nathan was.

Archer snickered at his lab partner. He leaned over, whispering so the teacher didn't hear them. It didn't matter much, really; they were at the very back of the classroom, and the teacher was a substitute.

"Damn, Nate, it's just three more minutes."

"Three minutes need to hurry the hell up." He smirked, nodding to the table to their right. "I know how to make the time go faster. Hey, Madison."

Archer looked over and laughed as he got the hint immediately. The girl turned to them with a worried expression.

Nathan cupped the side of his lip and raised the pitch of his voice. "Dear Diary, Archer is wearing a shirt from the second drawer of his dresser. He walked exactly three hundred and fifteen steps to get to school today. Oh, I wish I could kiss him." He made smooching noises in the air.

"Oh my god," Archer hit the table with a snort.

Madison turned away.

The two laughed until the final bell rang. As soon as they stepped out, they joined their third.

"Oi."

"Oh, Keiko." Archer greeted. Nathan was trailing behind them, tormenting Madison with more of his made-up diary prompts, this one about underwear.

They stopped at Nathan's locker first, since it was closest. He reached for his bag but got distracted by his own arms. "You guys think I should change my tattoos, yet?"

"Yeah, they're peeling enough. Do something like skeletons this time."

"Yeah?"

"Archer," Keiko pulled his attention. "I'm coming to your house today."

"Huh? Okay. But, why?"

"Your dad's a scientist trying to figure out cloning, right? I want to see what his Que group is doing, and stuff," she said with a shrug, turning to go to her own locker.

The blonde was squinting his eyes as she disappeared in the crowd of students.

Nathan closed his locker. "What's with that face?"

"Did I ever tell her that it was called Que?"

"I'm telling you, man," he laughed, walking away. "Keiko's gotta be a spy."

Archer considered it; he knew Nathan since they were babies, but Keiko transferred to their school only a year ago. Unlike others, she wasn't afraid to talk to them, so they found her pretty cool. . . and pretty in general.

He considered it, but shrugged it off in the end.

~

On their way to Archer's place, Keiko was walking faster than normal.

"Kei, you know my dad doesn't let me go in the basement, right? He's got all the walls soundproof, too."

She glanced over her shoulder, hair swinging like a cascade of silk. "Why, does he have people screaming for help down there?"

Nathan snickered. "I bet he's got people walking out with two heads and four eyes."

Keiko halted, shooting the blonde a look. "Are they actually experimenting on real people?"

Archer tipped his head. He'd never stopped to think about it. His dad was a scientist, so he just imagined their basement was full of test tubes and beakers.

"I don't know, honestly. . ."

She hummed. "I guess we'll find out."

The thought of his dad holding people in their basement stirred the space behind his abdomen. But, that was nothing compared to how his entire body reacted when his house came into view.

Two ambulances and three police cars, he counted.

Archer ran. The scene was blocked off entirely, not only by yellow tape, but also by a police officer pushing him back once he ducked underneath it.

"Hey, kid, you can't be in here."

"I live here." He searched through the chaos. Inside the flashing red and blue lights, he recognized his dad's teammates being handcuffed and pushed around. Sharp orders from authority sliced the air and medical responders weaved through carrying body bags from inside his house.

It made sense immediately, what his father meant when he said he was doing whatever it takes.

With everyone moving so fast, it took Archer a while to spot the particular head of blonde.

He pushed past the officer in his way and rushed over. "Dad. What's happening? Are you okay?"

"Hey! Lucci! Who said you could go anywhere?!" shouted the one who was just about to handcuff him. [Loo-chee]

"He's my son," his dad grumbled before kneeling before him. He pulled him closer for a hug that felt to Archer like hands running all over him. "It isn't over, son."

"What do you. . ."

When he blinked, his dad was being thrown in the back of a police car along with his colleagues.

Here, Archer realized a discomfort in his pants. He cupped the bulge in his pocket and gasped.

"Come on, kid," said a tired policeman who pulled him backwards. "I know it's a lot, but you have to wait behind the tape. Your mom will be here to pick you up." Then he muttered, "No wonder the bastard is divorced."

In a trance, Archer nodded.

Back on the other side of the yellow tape, he found that his friends were equally as curious.

"Dude, this is crazy," Nathan exclaimed. "There really were people in your basement."

Keiko stepped closer. "What did your dad give you?"

"You saw that?" Archer looked left and right before sliding out the thing in his pocket. "It's a phone."

She gestured to the house adjacent to his. "Let's go check it out at Nate's."

Nodding, he took her advice.

Behind them, the boy with tattoos was losing his mind. "How the hell do you know I live there?!"

~

Archer did the honors.

Huddled on Nathan's porch with their legs folded, the three exchanged glances when the screen lit up easily.

"Check his photos," Nathan suggested.

Archer tapped and swiped to the gallery, but found only pictures of them as a family of three then two.

"The Notes app," as Keiko guessed, was the source of their impending stupefaction.

There were countless notes, each one documenting what Que had accomplished over the years. Some sections were coupled with pictures that made them squirm. They took turns reading whatever caught their eye.

"Research shows that the speed and precision by which Blackwood cloned Neo's body is impossible with the processes we are currently aware of."

"Que concludes that the answer to cloning lies in a mineral or plant that is unknown to humanity."

"We held an individual who can see Neo's memories. He refused to answer our questions even when we ripped each one of his nails, cut his fingers one by one, and then his limbs. He died from blood loss. . ."

A further scroll showed a picture of said person during the torture. Keiko was quiet, Archer's eyes went wide, and Nathan was eager to zoom in.

There were many just like that, pictures in which the ratio of blood to limb was ten to one.

Keiko read a line. "Twenty victims later, not one gave in to torture."

"No way. . ." Archer grit his teeth. "Why? They all know the answer. Why don't they want to tell us? Don't they know that cloning can save lives?!"

"Not too loud, Archer. Oh, look," Keiko pointed. She'd navigated to a different note. "It says, next potential respondent, to be bought for fifty grand, thirteen years of age, Xavier Cox. . ."

Nathan gasped. "Fifty thousand?!"

"I knew it. Xavier has them, too," Archer grabbed the phone and stood up, his face taut. "I'll do it myself. I'll get the damn answers out of him."

Nathan got up as well. "For fifty thousand, you bet I'm coming along."

Keiko joined. "Let's get going, then."

They looked at her.

She smirked, "What? I have my reasons. Plus, neither of you know where he lives."

.
.
.

"Don't you think your mom will be worried you're not there?" Keiko asked.

Archer squared his shoulders. "Nate told his grandma we're hanging out," he answered, words a bit slurred; most of his attention was elsewhere. Notably, it was on the rotting building in front of them. "Is this where Xavier lives?"

Nathan scrunched his nose and stuck his tongue out. "Gah, I'm imagining what's going on in there."

With an exhale, Archer walked up to the door and knocked. He looked over his shoulder, where his friends stood in anticipation.

"What's this?" Murmured a woman. "Uhh, I'm not buying scout cookies."

Archer faced forward and at once, became cross-eyed. The strips of sheer fabrics and cutouts draped on her body left nothing to the imagination.

Woozy, he attended to his nosebleed. Meanwhile Keiko took his place. "Hi, we're looking for Xavier. We heard that he lives here."

The lady lowered her volume. "He isn't here, anymore. Are you his friends? You all should leave before—."

She was pushed aside, replaced by a buff man. His voice matched his scowl. "What the hell do you want with that boy?"

Archer wiped his nose a final time. "He's our friend."

"That's bullshit. That boy has no one."

"Well, if he's not here, then we'll look somewhere else."

"Hold on. He's my son, so you find him, and bring him to me."

Archer was trying to figure out how such a scary man could be the father to such a timid boy. Amidst his curiosity, Nathan stepped forward. "Only if you pay us. Thirty thousand."

Visibly amused, the man shook his head. "You bring him here alive, you get five bands. Cash."

"Alright," he smirked, satisfied.

The door was closed in their face.

Archer looked at his friend whose fingers were dancing on his palms. "Nate, he totally lowballed you."

"It's fine. Five thousand is all I need."

"But what for," asked Keiko.

"You're being nosy again."

Chuckling, she shrugged.

"Alright," Archer clapped once, "We'll split up, find Xavier, get him to spill the answers, and then bring him back here." With a second's pause, he groaned. "But, he could be anywhere."

"That man said Xavier has no one," Keiko reminded. "He probably ran away by himself. It's only been three days, so he can't be far."

"Good. I'll find him." Archer had a firmness etched on his brows. "And I'll get those answers out of him,

whatever it takes."