Carbon Copy

I stared up at the ceiling as the dull voices of the police officers’ faded into the background of my mind. The flickering light hovering just above us held my attention for a bit, before a louder voice snapped me out of my temporary escape.

“Miss Price, are you even listening?” The officer broke me out of my trance.

“Yes.” I lied.

“Actually, no. I’m not. Why am I here?”

“Your fingerprints were spotted at a devastating hit-and-run incident last night. Someone was killed. Do you even care at all?” He pressed.

My lack of knowledge and information seemed to piss him off more, but really, I have no idea what he’s talking about.

“Actually, officer, it couldn’t have been me. My boyfriend dumped me so I stayed at home crying my eyes out. I was too busy having a breakdown to get in my car and kill someone. Can I go now?” I pleaded.

It’s already bad enough when you know you did something wrong, and you’re paying the price for it. But it’s even worse when you actually have nothing to do with it. My head was hurting and I wanted to leave. They have the wrong person, and they’re wasting their own time by accusing me wrongfully. I looked back up at the hanging light, until a light of my own flickered on in my head.

“You are the main suspect and you will be kept in custody until you admit to what you’ve done-” The officer went on until I interrupted him out of realization.

“I know who it was! Officer, you have to believe me.” I pleaded.

The two officers looked at each other, before going back to me. They must think I’m a fool, because to them, they have all the evidence they need. My fingerprints. My DNA. But it’s not actually mine.. it’s Jennifer’s.

“It was Jennifer!” I furrowed my eyebrows as I kept collecting information and connecting the dots.

“Alright, you can stop the jokes or whatever it is you’re planning, there’s no arguing with evidence.” The second officer said before closing his notebook.

“New-Way Tech. Have you heard of them? The science company. They’re working on a bunch of different shit, I was one of the first test subjects to try the new clone project!” I rushed to say the words.

It seemed like I caught their attention, because they watched me out of curiosity and confusion before letting me finish.

“I- a few months ago, I was low on money and I was a test subject for the beta version of their clone project. I have a clone, and she’s out there now. She did this. She must have.” I scrambled to explain.

“Okay.. so your clone did this?” One of the officers struggled to believe me, he was just going off of what I was telling them. But they weren’t buying it.

I nodded my head, with my palms collecting sweat from how nervous I was. I was going to tell them everything, and I just prayed that they would believe me.

One of the officers mentioned that New-Way Tech released a statement last week about “shelving the clones” and holding off on the idea until they make further progress with them. Which made him question why I’m the only person left with a clone, free in the world, while all other clones were deactivated and still remain at the lab.

I sipped from my paper-cup of water and began to tell them everything.

---

New-Way Tech is a company that everyone knows about, or at least heard about at some point. They are backed by a huge team of brilliant scientists and businessmen which is why they’re so successful. They’re responsible for the new creation of phones, TVs, cars, and dozens of other million-dollar projects. So how did I get wrapped up in one of their experiments?

Being 20 years old, working a minimum wage job, just living paycheck to paycheck, I needed something more. I was riding my skateboard everywhere, because I couldn’t afford to find a decent car. I was sick of my seemingly dead-end life, with no direction or hope for something better to come. I needed to find serious ways to make a lot of money so I can actually go somewhere in my life. Something that paid me well, no loans, just money that is rightfully mine. That’s when I came across the little ad online.

I clicked the ad that popped up on my screen for “side hustles and part time jobs” for New-Way Tech, which seemed a little too good to be true, until I kept reading more.

“New-Way TECH is the largest technology company working endlessly to improve the quality of life for generations to come. Convenience is our goal.”

What are we looking for? - Test subjects to test confidential and experimental projects to ensure their effectiveness before they are officially released to the public. Our test subjects matter, and are the heart of our organization. Without them, New-Way TECH wouldn’t be where it is today.

Test Subject Goals/Missions: You will be assigned to a classified project in which details/confidential information will not be shared with anyone outside of New-Way TECH. Must meet age requirements, and be able to visit the organization’s location several times a week to complete the testing. If you are interested, please inquire now via email.

It sounded promising, and different from anything else I’ve ever done. I applied to a few other side hustles, but I sent the email inquiry to the company and waited to hear back.

It was about a week and a half later, that I received an official email (not automated) from New-Way TECH. I rubbed my eyes from the tiredness as I read the words from the bright screen.

“JENNIFER,

Hello, and thank you for inquiring about our test-subject position. We have looked through your application and completed our background check. Everything looks good and in order, and we are pleased to inform you that we are moving forward with the application process. Please note; This position is which means once testing is complete, we will no longer need to employ you as a test subject. Each subject is only assigned to project. Please come in for an official in-person interview within the next week to move forward with this process, and we will assign you to a project for testing.

Thank you,

New-Way TECH

Shocked, I sat down immediately and typed back a response, thanking them for choosing me. I let them know that I would be coming in as soon as possible for the in-person interview. Then I realized, I was so overwhelmed with excitement that I didn’t realize HOW I would be getting to the office, which was an hour and a half away from me. A skateboard can take me to local areas, but it would be a long trip to the office. Also, I don’t think rolling up in a skateboard would look very professional.

I did manage to take a bus there, and when I stepped out, I was absolutely in awe of how big the office building was. My mouth was open, shocked that this is where I would be “working” for the next few weeks or months. I held on to my notebook and papers as I slowly entered the building.

It was sort of what I expected: Busy people in important suits pacing, on the move for whatever it is they’re working on. I didn’t see any scientists in lab coats, not yet at least. I looked and felt so out of place. One of the ladies sitting behind the front desk noticed me, with her eyebrow raised, and she gestured for me to come towards her.

“Can I help you, miss?” She asked.

“Hi, um, I’m Jennifer Price, I’m here today for the in-person interview.” I told her.

She looked me up and down and had this look of uncertainty, as she dialed the phone, not taking her eyes off of me.

“I applied online and I got an email from you-”

“Yeah, one second.” She tapped her shiny, painted fingernails on the desk as the phone rang.

A few minutes passed.

“Yeah, Jennifer Price? She’s here. Okay. Oh, I didn’t know about that. Mhm. Yep, I’ll send her right away.” She hung up the phone and handed me a card key for some reason.

I held it and looked at her, confused.

“Uh, what is this? How do I use-”

“It’s a card key, you’ve never used one of those?” She was getting very fed up with me.

“Well, yeah I guess you haven’t used one of those before. Go to the elevator, 3rd floor. Use the key for Room 219. That is where the meeting will be held. Hurry, because the others are already there waiting for you.” She dismissed me before turning her chair around, tending to her files.

“Thank you!” I replied before heading to the elevator.

I followed the impatient woman’s instructions and inserted the key card for Room 219, which made a “ding” sound, and the door slid open.

“Wow..” I said to myself. This place is no joke. It’s hyper realistic and I’ve never seen anything like it.

Once I entered the room, I was met by a man in a lab coat and thick glasses, and a goatee. He was standing behind a desk, with stacks of papers in front of him. I wasn’t the only one, because there were about a dozen seats taken by other, ordinary people like me. Everyone stopped and looked at me in the doorway. There was one open seat towards the back, and I took it. Once I left the doorway, the automatic door closed itself.

“Thank you for joining us today, Miss Price.” The man in the lab coat greeted me.

“I am Dr. Lyle, only one of several advanced scientists here in this building.” He explained before grabbing the papers from his desk.

He handed out thick packets to each of us, with “Terms and Conditions” and other guidelines.

“You are all here today because you’ve been selected to participate in New-Way Tech’s incredible projects. We have a few different things that we’re working on, but this project in particular is our largest, most advanced work yet.” He smiled before revealing what the project is.

“New-Way Tech’s Clone Operation, in BETA testing. This is our biggest project yet, and it hasn’t been released to social media or news outlets yet, because we want to make sure it is 100% complete before doing so. That’s where you lovely people come in.”

Dr. Lyle turned on a projector screen and displayed a blueprint of “synthetic humans” to show all of us. My stomach turned a little, at how fascinating this really is. I had no idea what I would be getting myself into, but this is far different than anything I’ve imagined. For testing, I thought I would be testing out new technology, or a new cellphone. I was in shock.

He clicked to the next slide, which showed a picture of DNA strands, identical, intertwined and then an incubation for the “clone” DNA strand.

“We are working tirelessly to create these “clones” as you will. Clones, synthetic copies, whatever it is that you choose to call them. By harvesting small strands of DNA, making a copy, and placing the strand in an incubation period to birth the carbon copy.” Dr. Lyle continued to explain.

“These packets in front of each of you, are the terms and conditions of this project. You must sign the agreement to keep all of our research and anything involving this project to be classified and confidential. Failure to do so will result in termination of your testing without pay. It is absolutely crucial to read the entire packet.” He instructed.

The packet was heavy, with loads of information, and details of New-Way Tech’s missions and goals, and how we are “part” of their mission.

A few people shifted uncomfortably in their seats, and as I looked at the others, some looked concerned, worried, or just uncomfortable with the whole idea. I wasn’t sure how I felt.

A man raised his hand in which Dr. Lyle looked at him.

“Listen.. I don’t know if I’m down with this whole clone thing.. taking my DNA and stuff, man, I didn’t know that was the project. Is there any other project I could help with?” He asked, scratching the back of his head.

“We already have a sufficient amount of testers for our other current projects, leaving this project to be the only one we are accepting subjects for. I apologize, but this is your only choice. Failure to comply with the regulations for this project will result in your termination. You are either in or out, sir.” Dr. Lyle explained to him.

The man looked disappointed, and a little unsure of how to feel. Shit, me too. I took a bus to get all the way here, and the project is a lot more intense than I thought it would be. I wish they would’ve made this clear in the email, and I wouldn’t have agreed to come.

A few other people got out of their seats, politely declining, leaving just me and some other guy who hasn’t spoken a word. Dr. Lyle looked upset, watching everyone try to make their way towards the door, but he began to speak to grasp their attention before they left.

“The pay is $1,000 a week, starting immediately, after you submit your DNA to us.” Dr. Lyle spoke.

Everyone stopped in their tracks. It seemed to have changed the majority of their minds, because most of them returned to their seats, and only a few left.

“What happens to our clone after the testing is complete?” The same guy from earlier asked.

“That is to be decided. The clones will not leave this facility, they will remain in our laboratory until completion. Since they are just in BETA testing, they will not be released to the public immediately. You will come here for a few days out of the week, and work with us, and the cloned subject will stay in their incubator.” Dr. Lyle explained, before going through every slide on the projection screen.

I looked down at the large stack of “Terms and Conditions” which seemed to go on forever. The tiny print is scattered into a million little letters, going on about classified information, the process of the project, and our signature needed to consent to all of it.

This is crazy, I never knew I would be part of such a huge project. The whole thing seems eerie to me, having an identical twin, a synthetic being to match myself. One day, I can tell everyone that I was part of this great project, right as they launch the new clones to the public, I can say I helped make it happen.

I found the signature line, and signed it. I stared at it for a few seconds before flipping over the packet back to the front, and handing it over to Dr. Lyle.