"CLONE OF ME ," Chapter I

"Clone of Me,"
by Matt B
Chapter I
Sunset was just beginning over Los Angeles California, the colors in the coming night sky were a vibrant pink & purple with a light reflection of orange red to yellow red as the sun was sitting on the hazy clouds. The glare of the sunset was reflecting off the glass window walls of Raven Enterprises penthouse & as Bruce Raven looked out the window walls he wasn't thinking of the beauty of the nice colors of the sun setting at all this Friday night.
Back in the 1950's his grandfather Mark "Ryan" Raven had started Raven Enterprises in Austin Texas. Simply put Mark had the company set up to help people in need of those type like hopelessness,homelessness, food for the belly & many others. Bruce's need it self was very hidden while growing up, in fact Bruce literally had such misgivings of how his Grandfather "Ryan" ran Raven Enterprises. In 1982 Raven Enterprises was moved to California in the heart of LA, under Bruce's father Jim Raven. Some way in the part of the transition he had under minded Mark's contracts to energy rather than continuity helping poor people of any way possible. Mark had tried to fight the changes his son Jim had put into effect in a court of law, since Jim was now the CEO the state saw that the change was more in company value than just net worth alone of past leadership control. It was to much for the old man he died in 1990 a sad & broken soul.
Jim had wanted to start with weapon invoices & contracts for the company's main new direction for it's future, But instead he had gotten several invoice lists of weather machine overriding codes. He put them in his personal safe in his home. What was wired about all the invoices was they all had a water smear of who was sending them on just the first letter. So they read ax carter interlude energy enterprises, Jim was always left guessing was it a real outfit or not. Young Bruce who had a slight crush on a girl named Samantha Ryder was also very interested in that too for "IF" his future held to being one day himself being CEO Raven Enterprises he wanted to know all the players up front.

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In the penthouse of Raven Enterprises as Bruce Raven sits in his leather chair he sips from his flute that held a very small amount Chateau St Michelle's Merlot, while on his cell phone. The Merlot was bitter sweet tasting on his tongue, his mood didn't help from who he was talking to on the other end of the line.
"Mc Rain what are you saying to me that you won't give me that list?"
George Mc Rain was a science Professor at Cal Tech, he was standing over his school owned PC screen looking down at his list of students he wished that this very conversation wasn't happening. The computer showed a picture of each pupil with a colored line with the pupil's GPA at the end. The colored lines represented who was going to help Mc Rain in the next subject the class was studying, this was his idea of how also he could see that said "student's" interaction on real problems as well. Still he knew being in Raven Enterprises paid pocket was his only hope for his family's well being, but he wished to Hell it wasn't.
"George you know we here at Raven Enterprises need your help to find another type of
TRI-Lex format to make the Carbo Ice. So I shall ask again who have you got on your list?"

George knew all of his students would never take part in helping a mad man like Mr. Bruce Raven willingly. He had a folder in the top drawer his desk that had every students infromation of what he was seeing on the computer monitor, so he hit the Delete button, since he knew he was right for now. With the slience on his cell phone, Bruce Raven did the only thing he could blood ran over his fingers for the glass of liquor was smashed out of pride if nothing else.
"No we don't have a single student here at Cal Tech, I'm so sorry Mr. Raven"
"So am I Mr Mc Rain"
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Sleeping over the rest of the weekend was rough for Bruce, he knew he could only start his plan of getting a Cal Tech student to rework the TRI-Lex process to Carbo Ice on Monday, it would only be that he could get in touch with her then. If he could only recall when she had a moment of free time. On Monday at midday Bruce knew he had one more ace in the hole, Maybe Krystal could find the hope in the failed TRI-Lex project. He had speck of hope as he made the call on his cell phone.
Out at Cal Tech's track the team was practicing for their next meet. Krystal Raven was running with her race team during warm up against their rivals from UCLA. She felt her leg vibrate as she stop to get some water at the center of the field, she reached into her sweat pants pocket to pull out a designer company cell phone the phone had a emblem of a "white" Raven against a black background.
"Hello Ms Raven"
It was her father on the other end of the line, he'd always addressed her as a non entity this way regardless of if he called her for business or pleasantly type of talk. She could tell this was the latter by his smooth voice.
"What do you want?"
"Daddy needs his little Raven to do her BEST work"

Krystal knew what her father meant by "BEST" work" & was sure without a doubt he wanted her to do this for her own future in the company not to mention for him as well, she just wondered who he was pressuring & what for at least a little anyway.

" OK who's needing my pressure or rather Raven's pressure enforced?"
"A Mr. Mc Rain my dear"
"That old science fart here at Cal Tech?"
"Yes that'd be the one", Bruce says as he approaches his oak cabinet to find a bottle his best
kind of wine "Damn"
"What is it Mr. Raven?"Krystal ask now hearing him on the other end of the phone Bruce
tells her to use her own discretion in the said matter.
Someone had come up behind Krystal & reached out for her shoulder from behind. It was
fellow student & assistance track team coach Sasha Evermore.
"Miss Raven is it?"
"yes, oh my God gotta go.." she'd not realized her father had already hung up.
"Sasha what's up?" Krystal asked, as Sasha grabbed her hand that held the cell phone
& closed it for her. "Class's dismissed" Evermore started to head off to the showers.
She had expected Krystal to follow her since they both had the same class next
Science.
"Thanks"