Cloud Invasion: R-D 2 (R-D #2)(61)

If I did the first two things, it would put Phillips on alert, letting him know we were still alive, because we still didn't know where the bastard was. Whatever or whoever was hiding him was also on my list.

Let's get out of here, I said and folded space.

*

Half an hour later, Auggie and James sat at our island, eating a sandwich and staring at the photographs Ilya had taken. I hadn't felt safe sending these through even the securest methods. Therefore, I brought both of them here for an hour so they could see for themselves what was happening only a few miles away.

"It makes sense that they'd take samples from all of those creatures," Opal said. "I just didn't expect them to make more-not like this."

"This pisses me off," Auggie grunted, staring at the image of DB Jr., swimming in his newly filled pool.

Nick said, "If you don't have a clone, get one."

"Cori," Auggie turned to me, "Do you think these clones know that they're clones?"

"Some of them do," I said. "The Baikov clone in Vancouver didn't have a clue that he was, although he knew his lover was a Mary clone."

"So this Baikov thinks he's the original?"

"That's what I understood," I said.

"What's the difference, then? Why would some know and some not?"

"Somebody is deciding that for them, I suppose," Richard offered.

"What about the ones who realize they're clones?" James asked. "Do they remember who they were before?"

"Some of the original creatures did-and still do," I said. "Remember, DB recalled who he was for a while, and that held him back from eating his handlers, I think. When the animal began to take over more, he remembered less and less. I think that's the case with the others, unless things happen like Richard said and somebody, somewhere, decides differently. The ones who remember, well, I can see that in them. The trouble is, not many of them remember. That fog over their brains has caused me problems all along."

"What about these?" Auggie pointed to the photograph of the dining area where at least fifty men ate a meal while Ilya and I wandered through, unseen and unremarked.

"Probably candidates for cloning," Ilya huffed.

"What are we going to do?" Maye asked.

"I have to consult with Matt, but let's face it, if we build up a military presence here, it'll tip our hand."

"Build it up elsewhere and let Corinne bring them in if needed," Opal suggested.

"Not a bad idea-I'll put that on the table," Auggie agreed.

"I'd like to stop their cloning before the fifty here get turned into creatures," I said.

"You have any suggestions?"

"I may have something, conveniently attributed to Mother Nature," I said. "With some help, you understand."

"How dangerous?" Auggie asked.

"Not as dangerous as setting creatures loose in Seattle," I said. "Especially not as dangerous as letting DB Jr. out to play in Elliott Bay."

"When?"

"Two-three days, maybe."

"The less I know, the better off I'll be, I'm sure," Auggie stated baldly. "Take us back to D.C., Corinne, and plan carefully. You know what's at stake."

"Yeah. I know that, all right."

*

My plan was in place, but had to be postponed; another plane was shot down-this time in Argentine airspace.

The plane-Australian, this time, had flown from Sydney and was scheduled to land in Buenos Aires. It didn't quite make it.

Again, all on board perished.

Matt transferred most of his team in Colombia to Argentina, leaving only a few behind to continue working the first crash site while they set up the investigation into the second.

Understandably, we received a call from Auggie, asking us to go, only under cover and invisible when we went to launch sites.

That's how we ended up in Buenos Aires an hour after Auggie's call.

This time, nobody could blame anything on Colombian rebels. Argentina was in complete confusion as to what had happened, and at first considered that the plane had developed some sort of mechanical problem.

The media ran wild with speculation while Colombia denied any involvement on news programs from pole to pole and sea to sea.

"We won't be staying here long," I said, after we checked into a hotel as tourists.

I intended to get us back to Seattle once we gathered available information and sent it to Auggie. I didn't want to leave the clone factory alone for long-I worried that they'd suddenly release their army on an unsuspecting population and things would get worse in a hurry.

Nick had information from James, with possible coordinates for the launch site. The information had come from a satellite feed, just like before. This time, I was concerned because the last one was a definite convenience-for those who'd tried to kill us.

Too afraid to speculate about sources of information and the hands it had passed through on its way to Auggie, we gathered in Maye and Richard's suite and worked out our plan.

"You can hide us from all eyes?" Richard asked.

"We hid from those at the facility," I said. "I'll have to make a bubble shield so even your footsteps won't impact the ground, but yes-nobody will know we're there."