The Clone Secret
Photo by @antofredric
In no particular spot in the cavernous warehouse, five trailers are placed right next to one another.
The five wake up, take turns in the one shower, and sit down to eat breakfast. A woman portions their perfectly measured meals.
"I never could stick to a diet,” says George, big man grimacing at his portion.
“You no longer have a choice,” says Mr. Hand without looking up from his paperwork. “For this mission you will all need to be in prime physical condition.”
Mr. Davidson speaks apologetically for his busy partner. “What exactly each of you are bringing to this mission will become clear over time. Our friend Laurie, who cured human aging--”
“Theoretically!” she says.
“--Well, you’ve given our corporation enough confidence to hire you, so I would take that as a promising sign.” He smiles warmly. “This mission has been in limbo for nearly a decade. We were waiting for a perfect group of people and exactly enough technology to be able to do this before anyone else.”
“However, today isn’t about what Laurie bring to the table,” says Mr. Hand, suddenly looking up from his clipboard. “It is about what Soren has done for us.”
Soren is looking at his food with his thumb nail in his teeth, one knee hugged up against his body.
“Soren has been working with us the longest on the clone project,” Mr. Hand says. “Today everyone will be briefed on those details and sign confidentiality documents.”
“Oh good, more documents to sign,” Laurie says.
“Tina has disclosed that you have a tendency to deflect with humor, but please do not diminish how important secrecy is here,” says Mr. Hand.
Laurie looks at Tina and they smile.
They are taken to another cavernous room. A metal door groans and begins to open.
Inside are five green tubes that are just large enough for an adult human to fit in. Currently, it is filled with a green liquid.
“This is where we will grow the clones of your bodies,” Mr. Hand says.
“Huh now?” Laurie says.
Mr. Hand continues. “Soren has made it possible to grow ‘back up’ bodies using only your DNA and some wireless brainwave scanners. It is really very elegant.”
Soren blinks heavily.
“They will be entirely inanimate up until the event of your death, in which case they will take on all the experience and memories that were in your brain up until your last moment. Since every memory will make it into the new body intact, death will be avoided.”
“What will happen to our old bodies?” Henry asks.
“Recycled organic matter,” Mr. Hand says.
The five groan, except Soren. “We’re going to eat ourselves?” Tina says.
“Not necessarily. Thanks to Laurie’s contribution, theoretically this could go totally unused. Think of it as insurance in the event of an accident.”
The group is quiet.
“This stuff isn’t always easy to wrap our heads around,” says Mr. Davidson. “We should head back to the conference room, sign those papers, and start our training for the day.”
They gather around their metal table and are handed documents. “Why is this such a big secret?” Henry asks.
“We want to have a head start getting to this planet before any other company can,” Mr. Davidson says. “We’re doing our best to set us all up for success.”
“Plus, it is an ethical gray area,” says Mr. Hand. A hush falls over the group. “Where does the rights of the clone begin and yours end, for example? People with a lot more time on their hands will have to figure out those questions.”
