"CLONE OF ME," Chapter VII
By Matt B.
George McRain had called his brother Kendall a few weeks ago in New Hampshire about something that both excited & troubled the hell out the younger brother in his life. So on the Sunday before George was going to share with his collage science class of Human Medical knowledge of Health one oh one at Cal Tech University of student Jon Ryder's "About my theory" idea of using a still for now forbidden method of medical application procedure known as cloning. He had also wanted to congratulate the young man in question he had taken him along with his new lady friend out to a fine dinning restaurant that Friday. Kendall was more concerned about his brother's troubled problem of with a Mr. Raven than he was about his excitement over a new medical application procedure unless George would talk to Jonathan Ryder about it in fuller detail first. So on that Thursday night a week ago George called Kendall again to tell him he had talked to Jon Ryder about his own "About my theory" idea with Jon at his estranged mother's home out in West Covina, California. Kendall knew he now wanted to meet this Jonathan Ryder fellow in person & deal with the problem George wasn't wanting or willing to share over the phone or through email over the internet with him about, So Kendall packed his bags for a trip out to the west coast.
In the classroom room in the Mathematics & Science division building 1124 of Cal Tech University in room 342 as George McRain is busy using his Grey& Red eraser to wipe away his last weeks appointed studies homework assignments he's listening to his elder brother Kendall.
"Listen little brother I came out here from New Hampshire, not only because you wanted me
to but also because I want to know what the hell is going on in your life because I'm scared for
you & your daughter."
Kendall was sitting at one of the classroom's six elongated tables.
"Like hell you care about Kendra & me, I do thank you for coming to support Jon Ryder in his
cause of trying to get a medical approval for cloning, but any other reason that your here for
Kendall related to family won't be of any help is all I'm saying."
"Why'd you let me know of Mister Raven & why he called you then George?"
Kendall picked up his cup of Pomegranate prune juice and took a sip from it. Kendall McRain was wearing a white dress shirt and has a tie with his state's bird all over it which is a carpodacus purpureus, better known as a purple finch he was wearing beige pants. He had streaks of Gery appearing in what's left of his now receding brown hair & beard.
"I was wanting to let you know because your family is all, Kendall"
"Is that all really?, Just because I'm family huh?"
"And to help them."
"Who?, your students right."
"Yes, but not just Jonathan alone"
"If you won't tell me what the problem is, how can I help you George?"
At that moment George felt like he was staring into a clouded black hole, when all he was looking at was his chalkboard. He was recalling at the moment when Kendall had said "your students right", six months ago he was brought to RAVEN ENTERPRISES from this very room the two of them were standing in right now, so that he wouldn't know where RAVEN ENTERPRISES was located he was asked to wear a blindfold on the trip to where he & the "Driver" of the limo were heading. Once there he wasn't allow to remove the blindfold till he met with Mister Raven in the penthouse.
"Sir I have him outside your door here would you like to see him?"
the Driver was talking to Mister Raven while the blindfolded McRain was waiting outside the door to the penthouse.
"Of course I want meet the smartest science professor of Cal Tech, show him in here, Todderson"
Mister Raven said through the closed oak door, George was starting to perspire on his forehead and felt the beads of sweat start to fall into the blindfold itself. McRain felt someone grab his arm he guessed it was Todderson but till he was ordered into the room did he know it was Todderson for sure.
"Profressor it's time for you to meet a important someone, now come with me, & let's meet them."
After leading him into the penthouse, Mister Raven ordered Todderson to wait in the limo to take McRain back to Cal Tech when they were done here.
"You may leave now Todderson"
"Yes Sir, I'll be waiting till your done here then"
Mister Raven just gave him a cold stare was all.
"You may remove your blindfold now George, may I offer you a drink sir?"
"You seem to have a advantage Mister Raven,.."
George said as he removed the blindfold from
his face
"...and no thanks I think I'll pass on the drink Mister"
"Fine suit yourself"
"Why am I here, if I can be permitted to ask?"
"...Here's your answer I want your help in controlling the weather sir, but I can already get my
own satellites when I want & wish to, but I do need your help in creating the force in the
weather controlling part?"
George knew this guy was off his rocker, why would anyone want to control the weather &
what did Mister Raven mean in
"Weather controlling part, anyway?"
"What does messing with Mother Nature get you when no one can control that anyway?"
"For a long time the way to always gain power is to topple those whose are in charge of the
government if you or anyone wants to rule a small country or nation, but I don't want to do
just that alone...
"What do you want then Mister Raven?"
Mister Raven stood up from his desk and approached George McRain where he was standing &
looked him in the face.
"I want the planet earth & all of it's people to be mine, because George do you believe in the
sayings in the Bible?"
"I'd say a great many millions of people do, but in almost every verison of any manuscript of
the Bible it tells us to love one another."
"What does it say about the one who..." Mister Raven didn't get to finish what he was going to
say for George McRain finished it for him.
"You'll never be the Anti-Christ if that's what your thinking?"
"Maybe I'm not, but I know where power lies to come close to being GOD like, make no
mistake of that & you will lend me your scientific knowledge to assist me in that very
endeavor make no mistake of that either, Mister McRain"
"You are insane Mister Raven, you know that"
As he went to his cedar oak wine cabinet to get more rum, he could tell that this McRain collage professor would need a no holds bar type of persuasion to make this all work in his favor.
" So I've heard from others and you know where they are McRain, but what I truly want to do
McRain is help the world in finding the easiest way of finding a way to mine a cretin type of
metal that is never so easy to get at. I already have many miners & geologists finding the right
areas & the works easy once there, but if I could have mastery over the weather then I can add
to the miners hopes for more prominent work in more places elsewhere if you get my meaning."
George thought better of, than answering with a smart remarks to this guy for a third time, besides that, this guy's rantings, he could just smell the hint of fear that he was emitting towards George & possibility any others he must deal with.
"Why me, when you also have computers to help nowadays when & where the geologists fail in
their findings of proper areas of land for mining?"
"What I need from you McRain isn't your abilities to run a computer program, Hell I could
do that myself, what I need from you is...
"Is someone to create a program within the formatting of your vast computer empire."
Mister Raven raised his free hand & slapped George across the face to congratulate him in his promptness.
"Precisely Professor, now will you be so kind as to help me with this or must I inflict you with
more bodily harm than either us wish?"
"No I think your point's been made Mister" George said as he reached up with his own hand to smooth his sallow face to find out he was bleeding from his nose & lips both.
"Why'd you do that to show how bossy you are?"
"No but to let you know that you or your students who refuse to help me in making that
computer formatting program will face more than that if you ever bail out on the project or me
before it's completed, you may leave now but before you do please put the blindfold back on
please."
As George did as he was told he heard Mister Raven using his cell phone.
"We're through here Todderson you may come up now, & take him back to Cal Tech"
"I'm on may way up Sir"
George could here the limo "driver's" rough low voice from the other end of Mister Raven's cellphone.
As he was being lead out of the penthouse by Todderson he heard Mister Raven clear his throat.
"Um just a minute there Todderson let me remind the professor that of which he has agreed to also implies to his very own family as well if anyone shall not work in this little venture for me, we do understand each other right McRain."
"Yes I do understand Mister Raven sir."
"Get him outta here, then Driver"
Kendall had gotten up from where he was sitting at the classroom's tables & approached his brother who was seeming lost in personal thought for the past couple of minutes. He reached out and put his hand on George's shoulder,
"Hey Professor brother of mine, aren't you going to answer the question how can I help if you won't share with me the way I can hel...."
"He's extorting both my students & me, Kendall and I..."
"You don't know how to deal..."
"With it, yes that's what it boils down to in the end of it all!"
"Well," before continuing with what he was going to say to George, Kendall flapped his lips by
blowing out his frustration with air. "What can you do that won't be noticed by this Mister
Raven guy that's underhanded like in his way of thinking that won't get you or..."
"or my students that would get us all killed like..." before he finished George knew where
Kendall was going with this line of questioning from back when they were kids, they made a
pact with each other that when the future presented itself with problems either of them
couldn't handle they would find the way to work them out together.
"....Look I know of our pact from when we were little terrors ourselves Kendall, but I won't put
you, Kendra, or..."
"Susan your ex wife through this, Alright I understand George, but I still wish I could help you but since I can't because you won't let me, tell me about this young man known as Jonathan Ryder & his "About my Theory" in more detail..."
"Well of what I know of Jon he seems very hard working in most things mathematical, he also
seem to want to be in the medical field & he seems to know a lot about computers in general."
"Tell me George, do know how much about computers Jon seems to know?"
"Not truly I couldn't say, But how his mother Sam was sharing of their family discord the
other day I can tell you he seems strongly hurt by what his parents....or rather what his
grandfather did because he was raised in adoption agencies in a lot of different states till..."
"This guy's got to be great cause for a psych therapist does he?"
"Not anymore it seems he just seems to deal with it as best can, & maybe he's already seen
one, but when he was fifteen he moved in with his mother's sister Trisha, from there things
seemed to be stable from what I could gather."
"Okay so when you told him about me & how I'd help in this project of his did he seem,
frighten in any way."
"No actually he was a little more surprised that I was more than in acting in getting this off
the ground & out in the open because..."
"Because of you George?, why do you want it if you know it's Illegal then if your brother's
allowed to ask for input?"
"For two main reasons..."
"And they are what George?"
" They are this, one., Have we come only so far in medical engineering that we can't save a
person because we feel that they wish to die is their only means to go on when there is
nothing left in the way of hope at all. Mostly that seems unfair to them when they could
need is really a mending of their own body part, today...."
George had a tear start to well up in his eye.
"And number two George?"
"Number two., Why should we as people be afraid to want to learn about our fear of the
unknown about our own selves when we are truly alone, for the most part in our lives. Why's
this important Kendall?"
" Just that I want yours & Jon's matter of meaning to match as close as possible when I start
the lecture to the American Medical Association broad of Directors"
"Alright sounds fair to me, but what do you need for your speech for today though in the way of
anything?"
"Just a small podium of sorts, hey a cardboard box will do if you..."
The doorknob to the classroom was being turned but today's class wasn't starting for a good ten minutes or so whoever it was, was early today for some reason but why was still unknown. It was the young man that he & his brother George had been just discussing about for the last few minutes Jon Ryder himself. He walked from where he and George were working on what was just outta sight of Jon's eyes.
"Hello, you must be Jonathan Ryder, right?"
"Yes I am sir, who are you?" "I'm your teacher's brother's from New Hampshire, my name's Kendall McRain."
Jon was finally able to see that his teacher George was seemly looking for something as he shook Kendall McRain's hand.
"Nice to finally meet you sir, George tells me your one of New Hampshire senator is that right?"
"Yes I'm of the Democratic party of course, & your right I'm from New Hampshire did George
also tell you Jonathan that I'm on the..."
"....New Hampshire state medical board of trustee, Your brother told me mostly about you when he brought up the topic of my "About my Theory" of cloning a human being brought to reality since it's still Illegal for now, when we were at my mother's home in West Covina this past Friday night, but if you please sir I'm really unsure if it even right myself to be thinking of such a thing at all."
"I see, well what if I told you it was...."
Jon let out a low moan as he walked over to help George in whatever he was trying to find.
"Here George let me help you what are you trying to find anyway?"
"Some cardboard box of some kind to use as Kendall's temporarily podium when he helps you
with... "
"Now wait just a minute both of you please, I want to do this yeah sure but I still haven't come to my own decision of the matter I mean I still coping with Max's death and all...."
"Who's Max?"
Kendall asked as he joined them in finding anything that could be used as a podium in the back of the classroom where the students kept classroom materials in a set of cupboards that were creamy blue in color.
"My father, Kendall he was killed in that terrorist attack on Friday at Carnegie Hall that was why we were at Sam Ryder my mother's home with my friend Sasha Evermore too. When George told me of what he'd talked to you about of my "About my Theory" Topic with out consulting me first off over the phone & I'm..."
"Listen Jon I think you should deal with your father passing sure & in your own way, but don't dwell on it constantly because it will tear you up inside, you need this project of your "About my Theory" to keep your mind at ease, while you deal with that as well. So I'm here as is George to start you on the fore front of Medical applications for cloning, the question now is how much of your heart's into it for driving it home for yourself?"
"I needed to hear someone else just say it Kendall because I know for one thing it would make my father's wishes of his son following in scientific mechanics a dream probable with the added bonus of my own of medicals a dream come true, Hey George will the "HeartS" box work as that so called podium or not?"
"HeartS," what do you mean, Jon?"
both of the McRain brothers said in unionist as they saw Jon reaching for one of the boxes labeled "HeartS" with a double line under both writings on each of the boxes.
"Yeah, "HeartS" don't tell me you forgot George of what the whole class was working on when I did my About my Theory topic a couple weeks ago?"
All of sudden George did recall what they had been working on those couple of weeks ago as a class.
"Heart valves in a artificial hearts or dissecting the whole heart", Yes I remember now yes that will do nicely Jon...Uh Kendall do you need to ask Jon your questions for the American Medical Association Board of directors or trustee?"
" What type of questions if I may ask Kendall?"
"Just general meanings of how this truly matters to you Jon, & after I've discuss the overall propose to your classmates of why you need their help as well, & we can do it after the presentation alright?."
"Fine with me Kendall, let's finish getting set up for that presentation" Jon had emptied all of the plastic hearts out of one of the boxes & set it the first elongated table.
*************************************
As the moisture from the steaming water hit her lips, Krystal was trying to think of the "Best way of her work, that would help her father in getting a certain Ms. Sasha Evermore away from Krystal's "boy toy" Jonathan Ryder. She was certain she'd have little trouble getting Mr. George McRain to help her father with a computer program for what she could only truly guess? After toweling off all of the water from her body & putting on a pink T-shirt and white shorts, she was ready for Human Medical knowledge of Health she knew she had to hurry with the shower because unlike last week when they had the track meet with University of California Los Angeles, she wouldn't have a excuse for being late this time. When she reached into her gym locker to get her white sneakers & socks she saw the red bag from "Milena's Ceremonious Boutique" hanging on the locker's hook for a spare towel or spare gym shirt to hang, she now knew how she'd get Sasha away from her prize. She ran from the locker room to the Mathematics & Science building.
****************************
Clearing his throat after Ms Raven got to class barely again just in the nick of time, George McRain stood at the makeshift cardboard box podium that he, Jon, & his brother Kendall placed on the front elongated table. George is wearing a long shelve Forrest green dress shirt & black slacks.
"Is everyone finally here now?"
Kendall asked as George was ready to begin as well, as Krystal joined her twenty other peers at the remaining five elongated table she happen to sit right next to Sasha just consequentially of course.
"Hello everybody I'd like to introduce my brother who happens to be here from New Hampshire where he's the current state senator & he's also on that state's Medical board I called him a few weeks ago to share with him your fellow peer here mister Ryder's "About my Theory" idea of using cloning technologies for medical application purposes and they would like your help so please just listen to what my brother Kendall McRain has to say thank you."
George sat back down on the right side of the elongated table facing out towards his class as his brother Kendall stood up to take his place now at the makeshift podium, Jon Ryder was sitting to the left of Kendall.
"Hello everyone, as my brother George said I'm here from New Hampshire state's medical board of trustees to hopefully get Jon's idea off and running but I wish to encourage this by your help. I want to talk of how it will help the medical frontiers of science & you as well, The particulars of what this very science is meant to do is be used to heal "one's self" with help from that very "one's same self"
A student by the name of Jason Carlarkly was holding up his hand jumping up slightly from his chair as Kendall pointed right at him.
"Yes young man what is it?"
"Your not going tell us this is some kinda science fictiony change in medical or something like that, are you Mister medical?"
Kendall cleared his throat & picked out the joker in the class, continuing without pause.
"Well yes, actually there's a small amount truth here as well that great SCI-FI writers like Isaac Asimov, Philip kindred Dick, Orson Scott Card would've & will like to write of Jon's achievement, at least Card can but since the other two wrote of Androids, which aren't a thing like a clone at all but would have loved to met Jon I'm sure based on their general works in a sense come to fruition, but seriously Jon is going to be needing a lot of help besides myself to get things rolling here with well Jon what do you want to call this?"
Kendall turned to his left side of the elongated table to look at Jonathan Ryder for the name of the process that cloning would be listed under in the National medical records broad.
"It's part a another computer program I've made in a subroutine listing but for right now I have it known as DLX-12"
As Sasha sat listening to her new friend who she wanted to be hopefully one day a hella lot more than just friends started to have a tear of uncertainly well up in her tear duct of her bluish green eyes. She started to stand up from her plastic black chair.
"Uh, mmm I'm sorry but I need to leave, will you please move Krystal so that I can do that please."
Krystal was more than happy to let her leave from her corner, it will hopefully be one less obstacle she herself would have to deal with anyway in getting Ryder to be hers.
"Sure Sasha don't you know this class isn't for prissy crybabies anyways"
"Now Krystal"
Kendall for the first time had a sternness in his tone of voice that even unnerved his own younger brother.
Sasha was already heading towards the classroom's door to the hallway.
"Apologize right now Krystal because no one needs to be torn down because how things change
ever young lady..."
Krystal stared down the class's visitor, before realizing he was right about this so after a minute of seeing Sasha standing at the door with her hand holding the door handle she gave in and laughed a sight giggle before truly apologizing.
"Hey look Sasha I didn't mean to give you a bad time about this but why can't you just aspect change in anything period."
Sasha just knew she felt betrayed by Jonathan Ryder by not talking about this in more rash national detail from last Friday night. She open the door & walked out of the class determined never to talk with him ever again.
"Sasha wait, please"
Jon was now standing from his side of the central elongated table.
"Let me..."
The door slammed shut before he could even finish what he was wanting to say.
*********************************************************************
Flushing, New York at Calvary cemetery there were at least four canopies with a medical cross that were red in color on their tops, the edges had NYFD in red as well. All together between Interlude Energy Enterprises & the Carnegie Hall indecent last Friday eighteen firemen were killed in the line of duty. Surprisingly it wasn't rainy as at most funerals, today it was bright & sunny those in attendance did have grief for their fallen comrades. Jake Delraven of Manhattan's 123rd fire district who lost at lest twelve of his men at Carnegie Hall was in charge ceremonies while Chip Frankerson of Manhattan 's 51st fire district rung the golden bell he was holding of each fireman's name as it was read.
A brown Ford was parked on the street across from the cemetery inside were detectives Bobbie Rancherson & Denny Markson they were waiting for the service to come to a end so that they could ask Frankerson about what he knew of what had happen at Interlude Energy Enterprise when he rescued the personal assistant of CEO Max Carter a Jewel Robberson. Bobbie lit a cigarette as she saw the grating start to disperse.
"We just may get lucky Denny?"
Denny grabbed his Blackberry & clicked the app to work notes as they waited till only the two fire chiefs were alone.
"How's that boss , I mean what direction can they help with the investigation outside of the obvious I'll admit that I was definitely wrong on my guesses as you were altogether on where Frankerson was all weekend long till this morning's broadcast on the tube of where we're at this very moment the Calvary cemetery here in Flushing New York"
"What I mean by lucky is we have both fire chiefs from both incidents that happen Friday they maybe to tell us if something at Carnegie Hall or Interlude Energy Enterprise was out of place outside of the obvious attempting rescues that seemed to end sadly in this, Come on Markson our luck going to be all Aces I can just feel it."
"Let's hope you right about that boss"
"Stop calling me that okay partner I know that I'm just as human as you are but I hate to be
reminded of it alright!"
Denny followed Bobbie as she walked towards the cemetery entrance across the street she had no problem getting the guards of the cemetery to let them in when she showed her detective badge to them. Once inside the grounds it was easy to see where the New York Fire Department plots were due south east from the entrance. They met up with Frankerson & Delraven as they were putting the very last American flag over the last casket under the fourth canopy.
"Uh gentlemen..."
Rancherson's rough voice startled both of Delraven & Frankerson from their moment of final words a peace for whoever this fallen fireman was. They both turned just slightly to notice her now as Markson joined them.
She cleared her throat for moment before she held her detective badge to them as moments ago she'd done for the way into the cemetery.
"I'm Bobbie Rancherson & my partner here is Denny Markson and I'm sorry for you losses last Friday but we do need to ask you both some questions about those events, if you don't mind coming with us to the twelfth precinct to answer them."
Without a word both fire chiefs agreed.
"Sure we'll help any way we can, lead the way to your vehicle detectives"
All four them got into the Ford & headed for the station.
