"CLONE OF ME," Chapter II

"Clone of Me," Chapter II
by Matt B.
Science classes at Cal Tech University were in the Mathematics & Science division of building 1124, Krystal knew she was late for just fifteen minutes ago she was outside on the track with Sasha & while talking to her opportunistic father on a company phone of Raven Enterprises about finding help with a personal project of his own. Now as she was heading through the hallway to where the class was in room 342 that had a simple black plaque with writing & numerals in roman text under 342 on a wooden door that had a four by twelve window that could see into the classroom from the hallway. She was sweating just a little.
She had just about reached the door, when a guy that had blond hair & a crazy shirt on that was Navy blue with a slogan around a light bulb on it. The slogan read "Clone science, it's right for me, but is it right for you?" in sky blue colors, she had suspected the shirt was homemade. Had surprised the heck out of her, his hand had covered hers as she was grabbing the door handle.
"Ah Shit" it took her a moment to realize who it was her favorite nerd."Hey Nerd I'd better
let you go first okay?" Krystal said.
"No way my dear lady you got here first, so let me open the door for you & we'll go in together,
if your okay with that?"
Krystal didn't know what to say expect "Okay?, Well Thank You"
Today since they were still studying medical science of the human body the class room had six elongated tables with the front center one clear of anything on it. The other five tables have on them plastic chest cavities that have a plastic human heart that are disassembled for the four groups of five students to reassemble the inner working of the human heart, & when all four groups are done they are to put their plastic chest on the front center table.
"Well I'm glad to see you two know where your suppose to be now Mrs Raven & Mr. Ryder!,
Please take your seat Mrs Raven, Jon you may ask your "About your theory" statement" George Mc
Rain said as he went to sit in his chair at his desk, Krystal sat beside Sasha. "About your theory" was George's question of the month, & now it was Jon's turn.
Jon had hoped he wouldn't flub this up. He'd been practicing all last week in his sleep & before hand while brushing his teeth in the mirror before coming to class.
"Okay well here goes nothing", he took a deep breathe. "Who here recalls "Dolly" from when last the Democrats were in office before now?" Jon was such an expressive type of person that he uses his hands while explaining almost anything while talking, today was no different his hands were right now like a certain red & blue character that swings from web lines from comics. His hands were flexed with his two center fingers in his palms while his first, pinkie & thumb are out stretched in a v shape. Someone raised their hand "Do you mean "Hello Dolly maybe?" The whole class broke out in laughter. Jon didn't recall who the new student was, but pointed a finger right at him, "Let's not be smart asses ok?, so I will ask again Does anybody here remember "Dolly?" still no one answered his question.
" Hey group isn't oblivious I could be wearing the very answer to my own "About your own theory" question here". Jon was pointing at his own shirt.
"Okay class" Mc Rain scooted his chair from his desk to start everyone answering Jon Ryder's inquiry. Now standing beside Jon he said "If no one can recite that they are blind in ten seconds the whole class will be flunked for the rest of the whole sermeter, Ok class you choose!"
"Thank You George" Jon said as he held out his hands palms up out towards everyone. Sasha actaully answered the question even though it really unnevred her as she said it.
"Cloning theatrics, which are Illegal to begin with"
"Actually what Sasha's saying about cloning theatrics or as it's known cloning technology is Illegal but my whole "About your theory" is based on "IF" which I think Mr. Mc Rain's discussions are "IF related anyway", for the most part great. So here's mine, what if cloning technologies are used for medical purposes such as curing cancers & not for mad men to threaten us with possibilities of slave hood as in most science fiction stories, again thanks for your time. Before going to his own table he gave Sasha a thumbs ups, even though he was hoping someone like the idiot from earlier would have tried to answer, since she knew him so well.
***************
As class proceeded on, Jon was thinking of how really lucky he finally was in his life last week at the end of track practice. He saw her tuscan red hair blowing in the wind. He'd always before been troubled by asking a young lady out for fear of having her say "NO!" but this time his fear was a part of him like a feather in the wind, it was gone as he approached her.
"Hey I wanna ask you something?" she turned around smiling back at him, thinking "What
could he want to ask me after all this time?, that he wants to quit track?"
" My name's Jonthan Ryder & I'd like to ask you out, if you don't mind, but I don't know who
you are anyway?'
"My name's Sasha Evermore is what your looking for Mr Ryder, what did you have in mind if
I may inquire please?"
" I was thinking maybe pizza if you'd like or coffee?"
"Pizza or coffee huh?, Well why not. Let's go change outta these suits we have on &
meet at the gym itself ok with you?"
"Sure that's good enough for me as well too, say fifteen to twenty minutes then?"
" Twenty to get showers & to be safe"
They went to a Pizza parlor named Geppetto'z they had a great time playing a game of pool before eating Pizza instead of coffee they had pitcher Geppetto'z Ale. They shared their "greatest first real dates" with each other. Sasha's version was being wined & dined at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris France. She was wearing a Cal Tech track team jacket with a shirt that was as red as her hair that at the collar to shoulders was black with denim jeans. Jon had on denim jeans & a denim coat with a white undershirt with the American flag on it, his "greatest first real date" would be that of being at a comic book convention in any big city in the world but especially Manhattan in New York. Still he had no known reason for going there? He just knew a possible part of him was there.
*******************
Later that very night in his own home George was preparing a dinner for himself and his only daughter Kendra. He was making her favorite dish manicotti and Garlic cheese bread in his spacious kitchen. After pulling out both the manicotti and the Garlic cheese bread from the oven to start cooling them off, he heard his doorbell chime. He went to go answer the door. On the other side of the door was a young woman with sandy blond hair, she had on a white T shirt with a purple rainbow with a pink sun behind it. Around the image was a slogan "How is your day Sunbeam?, Bright I hope!" The colors of the letters were orangery yellow like a rising sun. She also had on a pair of denim white jeans.
As George looked through the peep hole he saw that both of her arms were behind her back. Had he forgotten that she was going to be bringing something with her?, He was so excited he must have altogether let it slip his mind.

"Hey Daddy I brought over dessert your favorite to a strawberry topped Key lime pie"

George had unhinged the deadbolt to his front door to let her in.

"You know I said you didn't have to bring anything over that I would be putting dinner together
tonight sweetheart?, Don't you remember from when we talked last I said "Any home cooked
meal is for you, when we get together?"

"Yeah I know, but I did wanted to do this time, since it has been a long time for we haven't had
"A Mc Rain family get together in quite sometime" besides how often do I get to spoil you?,
instead of the other way around?"

"Nothing wrong with that, because you are so right it has been a long time for our family time. Please won't you come in and put the pie in fridge. Take a seat at the dinning room table the manicotti and Garlic bread is just cooling off now."

As Kendra was putting her father's special pie into the fridge a thought had occurred to her, had her father like last time forgotten she better ask to be sure. George was now slicing up the manicotti for them to have with the Garlic bread he was ready when his daughter asked her inquiring question.

"Did you remember the cheese on the bread this time?"

George looked at her fully wide eyed as he answer her.

"Who me forget? shame on me, this time I did remember. I know that I forgot last time and yes
it was my fault."

George felt his cellphone vibrate as his daughter gave him a peck on his cheek, as he handed her the plates to serve up the gooey dish that he had just sliced into pieces to go with the Garlic cheese bread.

"Who is that dad?"

"I'm not sure honey but I promise I will be only a minute alright!"

Kendra took a bite of her slice of manicotti as she set her father's plate on the dinning room table. She just was wondering whom her father was talking to?

"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.

**************
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"
*****************
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"