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[Chapter Six]

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inconceivable \in-kuhn-SEE-vuh-buhl\

(adj.) not capable of being imagined or grasped mentally; unbelievable

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"I'm sorry, what did you say?" my mother asked breathlessly.

I grimaced and started tracing patterns on the table. "Lately, a lot of unexplainable events have been happening, like the detention and our fight last night. It's not me. I-I mean...I didn't do any of this stuff and it's freaking me out. I was at the party last night when I apparently fought with you. I promise I'm not making any of this up to get out of grounding, I really don't know what's going on!" I knew I probably sounded a little crazy, but I was trying to get my point across. Nervously I watched my parents as I explained everything, hoping that they would believe me.

"I made a chart of all the stuff that's happened, when and where it occurred and where I was at the time. None of it matches up." I explained hurriedly, fumbling the paper awkwardly as I passed it to them. "I worked on it all day, uh, piecing things together..." I trailed off awkwardly as they glanced over it.

Their faces turned even paler and they exchanged a guilty look. My curiosity was piqued. What did they have to be guilty about?

"I decided to come to you and see if you had any suggestions for me. I don't know what to do anymore, and that scares me." My voice wavered at the end, making me realize that I really was scared not to mention stressed.

My mom looked at my dad, conveying an unspoken message with her eyes. He seemed to debate something for a minute then nodded slowly. "I talked to Faux today," she said deliberately, "he okayed it." My father nodded again and then looked at me pityingly.

"What's going on?" I asked worriedly. I could tell they were keeping something from me. If they knew what was going on, I'd really like to know. In fact, if they could fix it, that would be even better.

My mom took a deep breath, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples before directing her stern gaze at me. "You know that your father and I are robotic scientists, working for the government, right?" When I nodded, she continued. "Do you remember that robotic dog we showed you one time? Our job is to create lifelike robots, but recently, our director asked us to work on something classified. He wanted us to try and create a clone with little to no robotics involved. The dog was our first experiment, just to get a feel for creating something lifelike. However, we had to develop everything else because it couldn't have a metal inside." She paused and my father took up the explanation. I was at a loss for words and frankly, I was scared to see where this was heading.

"The government sector we work for, NANO, wants us to create clones to use as spies. That's what NANO is, a covert operation sector. So, we researched how to harvest organs and from there we worked on harvesting some of our own. We attempted rats at first, just to see if we could get it to work. Scientists had been able to successfully reproduce livers and lungs, and one scientist even claimed to have harvested a brain, so we figured we could harvest all of the body's organs. Our rat was a success, except that it died only a few days later."

I held up a hand to interrupt them, "Are you trying to tell me that you created a real live rat from nothing?" The idea was sacrilegious and impossible.

"Not from nothing," he clarified, "we used genes from our original test rat and reproduced the genes in a clone version of the rat. Using his genes and tissue samples we were able to grow organs. It was easy because the organs were so small. However, we still had the problem of keeping the rat alive."

"So," my mom cut in, "after creating multiple rat clones, we decided that we had to incorporate some type of robotics in order for the rat to live. Your father and I came up with the idea of nanobots. Nanobots are microscopic robots; something so small that it would impossible to detect them in the clone, but they would be what allowed the clone to live.

"We worked for months, building the nanobots, perfecting them so that they would support every system in the body. We had to create something that would keep the clone alive, without taking over the body. It took a while to do, but we eventually designed nanobots that only slightly enhance the body. Soon after, the rats started to live for longer periods of time and eventually stayed alive for the normal period of time for a rat. After that we decided it was time to create a human."

My mom stopped to give my father an uncomfortable look. It was clear that they were excited about their Frankenstein breakthrough discovery, but they were also wary about something else. Something they weren't telling me just yet.

"Just tell me," I told them firmly. I could handle anything. I hoped.

"Alright," my dad sighed. "DNA isn't the easiest thing to come across," he said slowly, "we had to use whatever was accessible to us...which was yours."

Oh hell no. I felt all the blood drain out of my face, as I comprehended what my dad had just told me. They didn't. They couldn't have. "No," I whispered out loud.

"Dayna," my mother started to say, but I cut her off with a wave of my hand. This was too much at once; and they hadn't even explained everything to me.

"Are you trying to tell me that you created a clone of me? What is wrong with you?" I demanded angrily.

They looked a little angry at my outburst, but managed to keep their tempers in check. "We chose to create a clone of you for many reasons. Don't you think we thought through everything first? We considered the ramifications of our actions, but the benefits far outweighed the costs. We chose you because your DNA, genes and tissue samples were easily accessible. Plus, you're young, so it is a lot easier to replicate you than it would be to replicate us. Our organs are a lot older and less healthy than yours and any clone we made of ourselves would look healthier and live longer than normal. With you, it was easy to replicate everything. We even had hair samples to work with. I'm sorry if this offends you, Dayna, but we made a wonderful breakthrough in science!"

"You invaded my privacy!" I yelled, infuriated that they thought it was ok to simply take some of my DNA or whatever for the betterment of science! They chose their precious science experiment over me, their daughter. "If that's not bad enough," I seethed, "you let it escape!"

"Dayna," my father said, his voice laced with irritation, "we did everything we could. How were we supposed to know that she would escape? We thought we had everything prepared so that escape was impossible. After we created her and brought her to life with the help of the nanobots, we explained everything to her and taught her a little bit about your life. We also explained to her that she was going to be trained as a spy. She seemed receptive to the idea and agreed to come with us to NANO headquarters the next morning. We left her locked in the basement but in the morning she was gone!" He ran a hand through his auburn locks and sighed in frustration.

I knew I was being harsh, but I had just found out that my parents had created a clone of me. A clone! Clones were impossible, a myth, something of the future. Human clones, at least. I could hardly believe what they were saying, yet it all made sense. Having a clone put everything together. It explained why Reese, Connor and Mark thought I made out with them. It explained the pictures around school, and the disaster at the party. A clone also explained the fight between my parents, but at the same time it was all so surreal. Who else could claim that they had a clone ruining their life? On that same note, I wanted to know why. Why was she so hell-bent on ruining my life? What had I ever done to her?

"Is there any way to tell a difference between her and me?" I asked worriedly. There had to be, right? My parents exchanged a telling look and shifted nervously. I was getting really tired of all the secretive looks. Secrets, secrets, are no fun, secrets are for everyone.

"The thing is, we created her, it, with the intention of not being able to find a difference, which was the whole beauty of the project," my mother explained with false cheerfulness. Well okay, it's all peachy now that we know how perfect your creation is, mom and dad. I wanted to scream in frustration and demand that my parents find a way to fix this. She was ruining my life; this clone, this imposter.

"So there's nothing different about her and I?" I prodded.

"Other than the nanobots," my dad said, "no."

"Tell me about the nanobots. What do they do?" I begged. Maybe if I understood my clone better and how she worked, I could...I don't know, defeat her? Who was I kidding? I'm not a fighter; in fact I avoid conflict at all costs.

My father was struggling to contain his excitement as he quickly explained their technological breakthrough. "The nanobots allow her to quickly adapt to any situation. She learns quickly and is slightly stronger than an average human. By that I mean that she has more stamina, heals quicker and has more muscle strength than you do now." He paused and looked at my mother who subtly motioned for him to tone it down a bit. Looking properly chastened he continued in a less enthusiastic voice.

"Is there any way to cancel out the nanobots in her? Because without them she'd die, right?" I questioned. There had to be some way to defeat her.

"I'm not sure," my father said slowly, "but she bleeds just like any other human and can be killed like any other human if the wound is fatal."

"Well that's good I guess," I muttered under my breath. They heard me anyways and seemed to debate reprimanding me or comforting me. Pride won out and my mother defended their actions.

"We were doing what the government asked of us, Dayna. We didn't expect her to escape, but in case something was to happen we made sure that our clone wasn't indestructible. There have been too many movies where the robot rebels and tries to take over the world. We knew better than that." My mom paused to reach out a hand. "I'm sorry we let her escape, but NANO is working on tracking her down and keeping you safe until we find her."

I pulled my hand back and looked at them warily, "What do you mean 'keeping me safe'? As far as I can see, all this crap has happened to me and nothing has been done about it."

"Sweetheart," my father said soothingly, "NANO is taking care of it, however it is not our place to tell you what is going on. If they deem it necessary, they'll tell you themselves. Just stay strong and try to pretend like nothing is happening."

"Try and pretend...?" I scoffed bitterly. "Right. Why hadn't I thought of that before? Oh wait..."

They frowned, clearly disappointed in me. I knew I was being a brat, but this was frustrating. Whose parents create a clone of them and then let it escape to wreak havoc on the world? Mine, apparently. Trust me to get stuck with mad scientists for parents. Normally I would be thrilled that my parents were genius enough to successfully create a clone, but in this case I could barely muster up enough emotion to smile.

"Dayna," my mother said mournfully. "We truly are sorry. I know what we did is offensive and I apologize for invading your privacy." She took my dad's hand and they looked at me, begging for forgiveness. Gah, I couldn't stay mad at them forever. They were just doing their job, as twisted as it was.

"Ugh," I groaned, resting my head in my hands. "This is just all too much at once. I know you were just doing your job, so I can forgive you, but it's so weird to think that there's another me out there somewhere." I peeked at them through my fingers; "I just hope NANO can efficiently take care of it before this gets too out of hand."

They smiled softly, "Don't worry sweetie, NANO is very proficient, they'll take care of everything."

"I hope so," I muttered. Groaning I stood up, needing to be alone. "I take it I'm not grounded anymore?"

My dad smiled and reached in his pocket to pull out my cell phone. "You're ungrounded. But don't think you can use your clone as an excuse for everything now," he warned in a teasing voice.

I rolled my eyes and took my phone from his hands. "Darn, just what I was planning on doing." Muttering some excuse, I left the table and headed to my room. I checked my phone and saw that I had a couple texts from my friends. It was time to call Andrew and Olivia and fill them in on some stuff.

Olivia picked up on the second ring. "Three way Andrew?" she asked as a greeting. I chuckled at the innuendo, earning a scolding from her. Andrew picked up on the first ring and greeted Olivia.

"Hey Andrew," I said sexily.

"Day? Is that you? We thought you had died or something? Where have you been?"

I laughed lightly and pretended to act surprised. "I thought you had forgotten all about me, being so enthralled with each other and all...I didn't think you'd notice."

He growled over the phone, making me giggle. "Of course we didn't forget about you."

"Hey Dayna?" Olivia asked softly. "Are you okay...with us? I mean...does it weird you out or..."

"Dude, I'm totally happy for you guys. It's about time you finally got together. I've known for a while now that you both like each other. You guys just didn't see it." I rolled my eyes and sighed. Silly girl, I would never be selfish enough to stand between them.

"Alright, now that we've got that settled, what's been going on with you?" Andrew asked.

I sighed heavily, resisting the urge to groan. "I probably should just start from when I left your house on Friday. I was planning on talking to my parents in the morning about my stalker person, but when I tried to talk to my mom she got all mad at me and reminded me that I was grounded. Apparently my imitator showed up at my house last night and fought with my parents."

"Crap," Andrew breathed, "that explains the 'no contact' with us."

"Yup," I replied. "I asked if I could still talk to them about my problem and they agreed on Sunday evening. So all Saturday I did my homework and then today I made dinner and talked to them after. Turns out they know a lot more about my stalker than I thought possible."

I paused, trying to think of the best way to explain my situation. There really was no 'best way'. It was kind of a 'lay-the-facts-down-all-at-once-and-hope-my-friends-didn't-freak story. "My parents, who work for a spy sector of the government, created a clone of me as their new project."

Olivia gasped softly over the phone and I'm pretty sure Andrew dropped his phone as evidenced by all the cursing. "Are you freaking serious?" he finally asked. "That sounds like some bad story out of a movie!"

"I know," I moaned, "but I'm completely serious. They explained everything to me. The only plus side is that she can be killed like any normal human. She just has nanobots that help her adapt."

"Nano-whats?" Olivia asked skeptically.

"Nanobots," I repeated, "Microscopic robots my parents created to help the clone function. Without them she's useless." I grabbed my laptop and turned it on, waiting for the Internet to load. "They told me that their work is taking care of it and keeping an eye on me, just in case." I snorted and typed in my password, "They haven't been useful yet."

"I'm sorry Day," Olivia said, "this really sucks. What are you going to do?"

What was I going to do? I really had no idea. My parents told me to trust that NANO would take care of everything, but they couldn't honestly expect me to just keep living my life like nothing had happened. Now that I knew what was out there, I was going to be even more alert and do everything I could to prevent any more mishaps from occurring. I had no doubt that my imposter—I really needed a nickname for her—would continue devising plans to ruin my life. I feared that she would stop at nothing to ruin me.

"I don't really know Livy, what am I supposed to do?"

"Hey, don't worry," Andrew said, "we'll figure something out. I for one will not let your clone keep pulling all these pranks. That is my job, and my job alone!"

"Thanks Athos," I snorted. Of course Andrew would say that. "I'm not too worried...yet. We'll just have to be extra careful."

"Agreed," both Olivia and Andrew said at the same time. They giggled like little schoolgirls and I almost gagged. They were agonizingly cute together.

Olivia gasped and then gave an ear-splitting squeal. "I am such a genius!" she said. "We should try to figure out what she's going to do next! That way we can prevent it from happening."

Frowning I rested my elbow on the desk and propped my head up. "How do you propose we do that? I can't read minds."

"All we have to do is think of any events that are going to happen throughout the day and how your clone could screw things up. Find a new place to put your car keys, rearrange things in your room, don't announce what you're doing on Facebook, etc.," Andrew chimed in.

"It might work," I said grudgingly. They had a point. We could try and prevent certain events from happening, but that was about it. There was an uncontrollable factor in our situation: my clone. Insert The Imperial March here. I was so screwed. "Guess this means I'm not going to Prom," I muttered. Honestly, I wasn't too broken up about that. Yah, Prom would be fun, but I wouldn't die if I missed out on it, especially if it meant preventing a disaster from happening.

"What?" Olivia yelped. "You are so going to Prom!"

"Uh, Olivia, Prom is a disaster waiting to happen. There's no way I'm going. Besides, who am I going to go with?"

"Reese, Connor, Mark, James," Andrew started listing off annoyingly. I snarled at him. No way in hell was I going with them.

"Dayna," Olivia whined, "you have to go, I don't want to go alone!"

"Hey!" Andrew protested, "What am I?"

She ignored him and kept talking, "Besides, if you don't go, then you definitely won't be able to prevent anything from happening if your clone shows up."

Damn, she had a point. Maybe I would have to go after all. Ugh, it wasn't for another week, I wasn't going to worry about it right now. I had other things on my mind. "Fine," I groaned, "I'll think about it."

Olivia squealed again, excited enough for the both of us. "You won't regret it, Day!" she said happily.

Yes I would. I wished them both a good night and hung up, knowing that I would regret it, because nothing was going to go right, I knew it. Prom was a disaster waiting to happen.

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