Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56*Inside the Last Standing, Functioning Building Containing the Final Radiation- Free Humans: One of the five islands of 'The Nation' after the nuclear war.*
The Island; Amerindias Unidas
Biomedical Lab
Time: 23:55
Year: 2085
A loud, grating alarm echoed through the sterile corridors of the lab, cutting through the heavy air like a knife. The youngest member of the team in Triangle Control Room folded his arms across his chest, a smirk playing on his lips as he spoke. "Just jury- rig the darn thing."
His cocky attitude was not well received by his older, more experienced colleagues. They had been in this room, in this lab, for months- years, even- and knew their work inside out. They ignored his arrogance, understanding all too well the excitement of new recruits who thought they knew everything.
"Check the power output," Luke, one of the senior members, instructed calmly, dismissing the newcomer's bravado. He directed his words to the man seated in front of one of the main screens, focusing on the task at hand.
"Aculator- " the newbie began, but another man, gritting his teeth, cut him off.
"Would someone get this guy to shut the- "
"Shut it, newbie," mumbled the man with long-plaited hair and a pierced left nostril, almost as an afterthought. He deftly manoeuvred the ball in his hand over the seated man's shoulders, navigating the massive screen. They called him 'newbie' despite knowing his real name- Li- because he still needed to learn his place. Two weeks of enduring his know-it-all attitude had taught the older ones that he was just excited to be there. They all had been when they first joined this section.
This lab was like the ancient Harvard but in a world on the brink of collapse. Getting in here was a mark of superiority- proof that you were smarter, brighter, better than the rest. But unlike the others, Axel didn’t go around bragging. He just held his head a little higher, his confidence speaking for itself.
The atmosphere in the room wasn’t panicked, but there was an undercurrent of concern. The alarms blaring at all hours were familiar, but they knew this one was different.
"Containment clear," announced the computer’s monotonous voice, alerting them to the captain’s entrance. The automated female voice was designed to be calming, though it often did little to ease their nerves.
The walkie-talkie in the captain’s hand beeped. "Alpha 3 here, Alpha Team 1, come in. What seems to be the problem, guys? Over," came the only female voice in the conversation.
"Alpha Team 1 here," the redheaded man responded, pressing the button. "The reactor’s acting up, but we’re on it. No worries, Alpha 2? Over." The captain was a tall, burly man.
"Alpha 2 here. The coolant and core pressure are messed up, checking it. Over." His voice remained calm despite the growing tension.
Static crackled over the radio, followed by a frantic transmission. "Team Alpha 5, Circle is under ra…beep…static…I repeat, radiation leak in Circle…static…"
There was a brief pause before the captain asked, "Alpha 2, 3, 4, did you get what Alpha Team 5 said?"
"Yeah, radiation leak in Circle. Alpha 3. Over," another voice confirmed, the shapes of the rooms their teams occupied dictating their call signs.
*Static*
"Square? Over," the captain repeated, his voice more urgent now.
"Lethal…static…" came the panicked reply from a young man.
The silence that followed was heavy, the tension palpable as the man in Rectangle tried to radio the other teams for an update.
Then all hell broke loose. "Alpha 3 here, Square is at 1300 F. Over," came the frantic transmission.
"Team Alpha 4, high radiation breach… *static* ...primary…static…beep…over."
"With maintenance crew, update soon, Alpha Team 5. Over."
Four minutes later, another garbled message came through. "Alpha…beep…dam…breach…"
"Alpha Team 1 here, can you repeat?" the captain demanded.
"One of the…beep…*static* …escape…"
On the screens in front of them, a naked, bald female figure appeared, captured by two cameras angled differently. She jumped from a great height into the dam below. The alarms echoed through the corridors, followed by the automated voice, “Happy New Year 2086- ” A single beep from an alarm interrupted the message, “- may the year ahead treat us well. Please proceed to Central Hall. Remember, we are all in this together.”
At the end of one of the tunnels, an injured man and two security personnel in olive-green short-sleeved coveralls looked down at the water, watching as the body hit the surface and disappeared beneath it. The lights behind them flickered and then went out completely for a minute, but the men did not move. They stood there, eyes adjusting to the darkness, waiting for any sign of life.
Nothing.
Three more figures came rushing in: one in a long white lab coat and two others in charcoal grey coveralls. The generator hummed back to life, restoring power to the lab, but still, no body surfaced- lifeless or not.
"Marcus," one of the tall, slim-built men in grey coveralls slapped the shoulder of the man beside him. "It’s a goner. Come on, we’ve got some cleanup to do."
Marcus Min Lee, dressed in the same thick, long-sleeved white uniform, continued to peer into the darkness, blood soaking through the front of his shoulder. Beneath the heavy material, his entire chest and stomach were wet and sticky, soaked in his own blood.
The doctor was accustomed to bloodstains; they did not affect him much. After all, even if he lost a limb, his job was to grow human parts, and he already had a replica of his body in storage.
None of them had anticipated that the female would try to escape, but Min Lee figured the new system had confused her with memories of her human life. As he peered over the cliff, he thought that perhaps he should have played those memories in her brain for a few weeks before waking her. The scientist pondered this before returning to his lab.
Five years passed, and the same thing happened again.
With the same female clone. Marcus Min Lee frowned deeply as he once again looked over the edge where she had jumped.
None of the other clones had ever behaved this way. The digital consciousness had been a success for the past year, and their routine was simple: they would wake, answer some questions, take their medication, eat, and sleep. It was a controlled process, and after a few weeks, they would function on their own.
So what had gone wrong this time? And why her, again? What triggered her to attempt an escape from the only safe haven left after the nuclear war? Of course, she wouldn’t have known that yet- they hadn’t had a chance to explain before she grabbed a scalpel and sliced his arm open. Sharp’s thoughts wandered as he questioned why a scalpel had been there in the first place.
What affected C-3?
Marcus Min Lee, a man engineered to be devoid of emotion, twisted his head to the side as the clone's body floated to the surface hours later, lifeless once again. He could tell by the way she lay, face down, that she was dead. Most likely, she had drowned after hitting some rocks, perhaps even bleeding out underwater before surfacing- just as last time.
This was indeed peculiar. His forehead creased as he squinted, scrutinizing the bruised, pale skin of the female clone. He twisted his head slightly, wondering what her last memory had been. Was it of him? Or was it of what she had just done? He pondered on the cloned body of his late wife, Elizabeth Lee.
Escape.
A failed attempt, but still, an escape. These clones were supposed to make precise, calculated moves. So, what had caused this chaotic, very human-like, panicked action?
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System 1- Elizabeth Jakes
‘I don’t want to die.’ The battered naked body of the young woman tossed around in the turbulent waters, falling from a great height and landing heavily in the water below. She had been battered against rocks, her head bleeding even before she plunged over the waterfall. A single, faint beep echoed inside her head as something brushed against her bare left calf briefly. Her body jolted in fright, but the heavy water slowed her movements. Thankfully, it was only a log. [System activated] The female heard the sound echoing, and she frowned. Her body was too weak to cry out for help. Instinctively, she knew she needed to scream to attract attention. But even if she managed to shout, how could anyone hear her over the roar of the waterfall? ‘I cannot swim.’ She panicked, not fully understanding what the words meant but knowing she could not swim and would die. ‘How did I survive that?’ [Loading...] Blue words flashed across her closed eyes. [This will take a few seconds...] ‘What?’
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System The Failed Robbery
[Should we stop here, Liz?] the female automated voice- Kia, said inside her head, but she ignored it, instead commanding it to go into sleep mode for the next twenty-four hours. The system she encountered some years back when she woke up half-drowned by the side of a deep river. Kia served as a great companion, especially when she had the rude awakening that the world is post-apocalypse. Zombies? She always figured those were just sci-fi fantasy movies. Liz learned so much from the information she gathered from Kia and the two had a sort of odd friendship since sane humans were low. Hours later three young adults stared at each other untrustingly, not even flinching when a loud booming sound was heard in the far-off distance. Three pairs of suspicious-looking eyes and dirt-covered bodies and clothing that had seen better days. Surprisingly all footwear- boots, were in good condition. The female, Liz, which was obvious, and two dust-covered, tired-looking men just outside her truc
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System 3- Former Friends
Confusion on Randall’s facial features because they had just met up on the road and had only acknowledged each other when they had seen the truck coming towards them in the distance. They hadn’t even spoken about taking the truck, it was just instinct to work on getting it together and they’d work in unison, well till now. "What? You're kidding,", the naturally red-haired man scratched his head as he waited for dark browned but bleached-in streaks due to the sun-haired man to say he was just joking. His uneven bitten-off nails, burning slightly at the nubs where his salty sweaty scalp had him dropping his hand, still waiting for the redhead to answer. "No, I'm not kidding. I can't see your face," the other returned, monotone. A slight furrow between his eyebrows now. The man wiped his face more trying to remove the dust. She pointed the gun at him as she muttered, "Water in back. Don't waste." "Gee thanks, lady," the bandana-holding man said, in mocked sarcasm. He mumbled as
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System 4- And There Was Three
"-between North Korea and Russia. Will America get involved? Citizens, although we are not affected in America, are asked to stay at home during the next three days. We are on standby as we wait for The President's response as we speak. Citizens are making queries as to whether this could be the start of World War three. Russia, India, America and North Korea, among others, are in talks of a nuclear conspiracy. All parties involved have since denied any claims-" Randall woke up sweating, covering his face with his hands in the dimly lit room. The memory of the last normal news he had seen, replayed over and over like an echo inside his mind. He kept hearing the alert in the somewhat scared-looking woman as she read the news out to them. He remembered how frightened she looked. Like she knew what was happening but was told to say something else. Or maybe she was just scared like the rest of them. That cute reporter died on the very same day, which was also the day the riots broke o
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System Exchanging Horror Stories
It was a bit awkward and strange...them meeting up like this. Coincidental or not, Randall was glad. He was so lonely. Having met Matt hours earlier on the road, he had cautioned him about the new threat but Matt had already known and was in hiding trying to move far away. When they had met up, they’d both been seeking shelter and had spotted the huge building miles away. How wild was it that Matt knew who he was and had assumed he had recognised him as well. It was hard after all, even Matt had changed as well- besides the puberty hitting him late in life, Matt had a roughness to his face just as Liz. Even he too had it. A permanent untrusting expression. They’d been heading to the houses behind the gigantic building when they ‘ran’ into Liz. Then they sought refuge in this house as it was at the far back plot, behind most of the houses in a private lot. This was the only one that looked as if the creatures had not bothered to ramshackle. They both looked at him and then at eac
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System 6- The New Creatures
Liz looked out the window into the darkness and back at her two companions. She knew the danger they were in, for they had the conversation last week. They agreed to; two would asleep while one kept watch. Then one that was awake would remain awake with the one that was asleep and so forth. [You do not need them. They will just hold you back] ‘Hold m back from what exactly. Kia?’ [Survival. Humans hinder each other.] Liz stared blindly ahead of her. Yes, that is a fact but nevertheless, human interaction is also important for survival. She would go crazy if she went on this way much longer- just killing and nobody to talk with. An A.I. would never understand that. They were built on facts not feelings. Sometimes facts can be untrue when dealing with emotions. ‘Switch off Kia.’ [Goodbye Elizabeth] The blue words flashed for two seconds then disappeared silently. They had to move as soon as possible for she had seen movement in the far distance earlier. She figured it wa
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System 7- We Are A Family
Matt They were running out of supplies at the house they’d called home for almost a month and had decided to venture out with caution. Extreme caution. They would have gotten supplies and come back here but it seemed that the new creatures were searching and for what if not for humans? Besides if they got a supermarket or somewhere near a pharmacy would be good. Medical supplies were always something to be near to. The next place a few miles down, the rations had lasted a bit longer than they’d expected but it had been a fully stocked house- as if the people that lived there had just stocked up, but no bodies were found on the premises. Most of the canned goods were expired and could not be consumed and some though expired were still edible. A nutritionist's nightmare is what it is when it comes to food in zombie-land. “Perhaps they had died when they went to get pizza,” Matt had joked, earning him a slight frown from them both when they’d first inspected the perimeter of the
Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System The One With Disgusting Liz
Matt “Down,” Randall orders in the same tone. Not needing any explanation, they both dropped to the floor stooping, too. That lowered tone would mean something was near- too near. Could either zombies or any one of the two new groups they discovered; the uniformed and the ununiformed were out and about. Too near, by Randall’s movements and lowered voice, Matt thought, glancing at Liz, waiting for Randall’s next words, still somewhat worried that the conversation between him and Liz just now was loud enough to be heard from outside let alone Randall. Matt is worried that he heard him playing matchmaker. The uniformed ones might be intel or humans …maybe aliens for all Matt knew. The others were a different kind of war-like humans that spoke their own invented language. It was sort of English words with sounds of letters mostly. It must be an adaptation of the English language and lack of words according to Liz and both men agreed with her. Which means when the zombie outbreak trans
Latest Chapter
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
44- Failed escape
The failed escape attempt was a disaster, more chaotic than anyone could have anticipated. The night air was thick with tension as Liz and Marcus Sharp crouched low on the rooftop, watching the flickering lights of the compound below. Everything had been meticulously prepared, down to the smallest detail. Sharp and Liz had scoped out the rooftop earlier in the week, calculating the exact distance they’d need to climb down and drop to each platform to reach the ground undetected because they had no rope. Angela had been set to free the frail man from his containment cell, with Matt and Randall stationed as lookouts to warn them if anything went wrong. Everything had been set in motion—until it wasn’t.The plan had seemed foolproof on paper: Angela would slip into the containment area, bypassing the guards and freeing the frail man they suspected might be a vampire- with the aid of the nurses- Polly-Ann. Randall and Matt were to gather the remaining supplies and prepare the escape rout
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
43- Adrian Frost- the caged man
Inside the glass containment chamber, the man lay still beneath the weight of the silver bars that bound him. His body, usually pulsing with a cold, inhuman strength, was weakened by the silver. The memories of his capture flooded back, vivid and raw. He had been in the middle of a hunt, tracking a group of survivors who had crossed into his territory. They had been careless, leaving behind signs of their passage, and he had followed them with ease. But something had felt off that night. The air was thick with an unfamiliar scent, a blend of technology and something else, something dark and potent. But he did not know it was a trap- one laid out by BMA. He had ignored his instincts and continued, confident in his centuries of experience. But then they had come for him- armed soldiers, not the usual ragtag band of survivors but a well-coordinated team. They had moved with precision, their weapons loaded with silver bullets and other tools designed to subdue creatures like him. They
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
42-Chapter scoping places
The days leading up to the escape were fraught with tension, planning, and a constant undercurrent of fear. Angela, Liz, Sharp, Randall, and Matt knew that if they were going to pull off this escape, they had to find a safe place to lay low once they broke free from Camp BMA. The area surrounding the camp was vast and overgrown, filled with remnants of a world that had long since crumbled into decay. It was a world where nature had reclaimed its territory, where civilization's ruins were hidden beneath a blanket of green. Matt was glad Blake was on board. He felt as if- if she could accept what he was, they could probably have something. Who knows. Among them were two soldiers as well. Mei and Troy- the one that zapped Liz. Randall and Matt still wanted to murder him for it but they put it on pause for now, seeing as Liz had other more important things to worry about. Humans who were on board as well were, all from the group that they’d taken under their protection except Polo. Nob
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
41- Genesis of Cloning
Almost a century ago In the cold, sterile corridors of Facility X, where the air hummed with the quiet whirr of machinery and the faint scent of antiseptic, the pursuit of immortality had long been a silent obsession. The capture of a vampire- an ancient being whose very existence defied the natural order- had catalysed an evolution in their research that no one had foreseen. Dr Addison Carter, the Head of Genetic Engineering, sat at the helm of this clandestine project. Her sharp blue eyes were fixed on the digital readout of DNA sequences on the screen before her. Each line of code represented the unravelling of millennia-old mysteries buried within the vampire’s genetic makeup. The creature’s cells, unlike any human’s, held the secret to rapid regeneration and a kind of cellular immortality that had eluded scientists for decades. Addison’s thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Dr Marcus Min Lee, the Chief Biochemist, whose mind was just as consumed by the potential of their
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
40- Coming To Terms
Matt and Randall sat in the dark corners of the bunker room, the air thick with silence and the weight of their newfound knowledge. The revelation that they were clones- replicas of people who had lived and died in another time-had shaken them both to their cores. They had always known that their lives were anything but ordinary, given the post-apocalyptic world they inhabited. But this? This was something neither of them had ever imagined. Randall leaned back against the cold, concrete wall, his brow furrowed in deep thought. The moonlight from the single window, cast long shadows across his face, making him look even more haunted than he felt. Matt, sitting across from him, was no better. His usually easy-going demeanour had been replaced by a quiet, troubled expression as he stared at the floor, lost in his own thoughts. To make things worse they couldn’t even talk freely because the room had others in it. "I feel fine, you know," Matt finally said, breaking the silence. His voi
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
39- Carrying out the Plan
The next few days were a whirlwind of covert activity. Liz, Marcus, and the rest of the group worked in silence, each of them fully aware of the gravity of their situation. Liz found herself spending more time with Randall and Matt, trying to gauge how they would react to the news she had yet to break to them. The air was thick with anticipation. She could see the tension in Randall’s shoulders, the way Matt’s foot tapped nervously against the floor. “There’s something we need to talk about,” Liz began, her voice steady despite the nervous flutter in her chest. Randall looked up, his brow furrowed. “This sounds serious. What’s going on, Liz?” Liz took a deep breath, glancing at Marcus, who gave her a small nod of encouragement. “We’ve been planning the escape for a while now, but there’s something you both need to know. The man we’re trying to free…there’s a chance he’s not human. Marcus thinks he might be a vampire.” The reaction was immediate. Randall’s eyes widened in shock, wh
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
38- The Truth About the Frail Man
Marcus Sharp paced back and forth in the brightly lit room, the rubber flooring silencing his boots. His thoughts were a whirlwind, and his normally sharp focus was clouded by suspicion and doubt. Liz watched him from the corner, her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall, waiting for him to speak. She could tell something was gnawing at him, unsettling his usually unflappable demeanour. The lieutenant had visited the frail man again some nights back and he had reacted the same way as before. “He despises me,” Marcus thinks. It was as if he could have sensed what he was and it repulsed him to know that Marcus was created from his DNA. “Marcus, what is it?” Liz finally asked, her voice cutting through the tension in the room. “You’ve been on edge since we started planning this escape. If there’s something you’re not telling me, now’s the time. Marcus stopped pacing and turned to face her, his expression grave. He took a deep breath before speaking. “Liz, there’s something you n
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
37- Matt and Randall Know
They spent days meticulously going over the plan, discussing every detail, every possible scenario. They would start hoarding supplies gradually- nothing too noticeable, just a few extra rations here and there, some medical supplies, and tools. Sabe would be in charge of disabling the security systems, and Angela would help with gathering information on guard rotations and routines. Liz would take on the most difficult task- telling Randall and Matt the truth. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but it was necessary. They deserved to know that they, too, were clones. But unlike her and Marcus, they weren’t built the same way. They didn’t have the same capabilities, the same resilience. That knowledge could break them, or it could make them stronger. As the days turned into a week, the tension within the group grew. Liz could feel it in every conversation, every sideways glance. They were all on edge, waiting for the moment when they could finally put their plan into action. Randall and M
- Elizabeth Jakes The Clone System
36- Planning
Liz leaned against the cool metal wall of the storage room, her fingers drumming lightly on a nearby crate. The flickering light above her cast long shadows, amplifying the tension that had been simmering for days. Marcus Sharp was crouched across from her, his eyes narrowing as he sketched a rough diagram of the compound's layout on a piece of paper. The trapped containment area was their target, the place where a man- a fellow clone, Liz suspected thought, had been confined for reasons still unclear. What could a clone have done to deserve such punishment? Marcus and the others told her that once they were no longer in use by the humans, they were discarded. So why was this guy locked away from all? Intriguing. Getting him out wouldn’t be easy, and the plan had to be airtight. They had been quietly monitoring the medical staff here, for weeks, and Liz could feel the weight of their decision bearing down on her. Marcus stated that their leader was a group of six made up of milit