Unnatural Perfection
The MI5 agent picked up his phone hidden beneath the files strewn across his desk.
“Carl Smedley here, I need to see you Ben!
“As usual, you have no concept of time. It’s three o’clock in the morning here Carl, I’m just dozing on surveillance. I suppose this momentous call is about to liven up my life.”
Carl grinned knowing full well Ben was always and ever, totally alert.
“And how is my ever grumpy counterpart in the CIA Listen I have no time for niceties. Just get your arse over to the Bombay Hilton by Thursday noon (their time) and I’ll meet you there. Take a sabbatical and don’t let any of that nosy lot you work with know where you are going. Get some summer gear into a case you’re heading for sunnier climes.”
After replacing the phone Carl gathered some files and his laptop together. He went home and packed a small case, which he would use as hand luggage. He downloaded the information he had acquired from the files onto his laptop; then switched on his answering machine and left for the airport.
Walking into the reception of the hotel on the following Thursday, Ben found Carl sitting in one of the comfy armchairs alongside a middle aged Asian women. Carl stood and introduced Ben to Nita Pender the wife of the late Harry Pender. They ordered some tea and talked of generalities.
Ben had no idea who Professor Pender was, and didn’t ask: knowing Carl would tell him in good time.
Carl looked at his watch; “OK we have five minutes before a taxi comes to pick us up and take us to the small plane I have chartered to transport us to a remote Island, I where Nita and her husband have lived for the past twenty-five years. The flight will take a couple of hours, and I will tell you why I need you here, whilst we are in mid-air.”
Once they had ascended they removed their seatbelts, and sat around a small table for their use.
Carl spoke directly to Ben.
“Professor Pender was one of the scientists involved with the cloning of Dolly the sheep. He worked alongside those involved with cloning in the Roslin Institute in Scotland in 1996. As you know one of the many problems they came across, was the early ageing and death of Dolly in 2003. In Britain, cloning in humans was thought to be ethically wrong, and was stopped in 2004. However in your country the research still continues.”
Carl showed them his computer screen, with details of the scientists and where they all were now. Professor Pender had left in 2003 when Dolly died.
“The Professor had been assigned to a secret project by MI5 the organisation I work for. Nita may be able to help us gather some more information.”
The tiny grey haired woman began speaking in a very clear accented voice.
“I come from a very small Island, we grow our own produce and we eat mainly fish. Harry arrived 25 years ago he taught us English and we helped him build his laboratories. He used to come and go all the time. We became lovers and eventually married.
He used to supply the Islanders with many things. In the early years he spent much of his time working. We were like a large family, and he was our leader, we all miss him very much”
“Ok Carl what do you need me for,” Ben interrupted.
“Listen we’ll get to that eventually.” Carl answered.
Nita continued;
“My husband was a very honourable man and left me well provided for.
The money he was usually paid for his official work has suddenly stopped in our account. That’s fine I have no problem with that, but what is worrying me is, they may want to find out what he has been doing with the money over the years. That is something I know he would not want them to discover. This is where you both come in.”
Carl began keying some information into the computer and brought up another file.
“Nita got in touch with me because, Harry Pender was my uncle and he knew I was working for MI5. He had many contacts in high places and discovered this information a few years back. He discussed everything with her, that’s why I think we ought to go and see what this is all about. She also insisted I include a trustworthy American agent. That’s why you’re here mate!”
He turned the screen towards Ben pointing,
“This is one of the files Nita has given me, you may find it intriguing.”
Ben looked at the screen it was entitled;
HUMAN CLONING
FEMALE CLONED SUCCESSFULLY AFTER SEVERAL MALFORMED BIRTHS.
D.N.A. CELL IS INTRODUCED INTO ENUCLEATED EGG (AN EGG WITH THE NUCLEUS REMOVED) IT IS THEN FUSED WITH ELECTRIC AND PLACED INTO A SURROGATE MOTHER.
THE FEMALE CLONE WAS DELIVERED THROUGH CAESAREAN SECTION ON 1-6-2005.
MALE CLONE SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED BY CAESAREAN SECTION ON 9-4-2006.
THE MALE WAS MUCH HARDER TO PRODUCE BECAUSE OF THE XY CHROMOSOMES.
EACH CHILD ACCEPTS SURROGATE AS TRUE MOTHER.
There followed detailed information on the progress of each clone over the years.
His last entry on the date of his death read; “My experiment has surpassed all expectations, we need not go any further.”
Ben looked up at Carl “If this is true it’s bloody fantastic everyone will want to know.”
“Yeah your government might be cock a hoop, can you imagine what’s going to happen when my government find out they have funded something that has been outlawed in our country. Before you go spreading the word mate, lets find out if it’s true first, anyway Nita say’s her husband wanted to destroy all the data. That’s why I’ve been called in to help with the cover up, before the big boys find out.”
“If you think I’m going to keep quiet about this amazing breakthrough, you must be nuts. The USA has had people working on this for years and they still haven’t found out how to successfully clone a human being. This professor of yours managed it twenty years ago.”
The lights then came on indicating they needed to fasten their seatbelts. They quickly put the laptop away and got ready for landing.
A Land Rover picked them up from the airport and deposited them at the waters edge where a seaplane awaited their arrival. Another twenty minutes travelling they landed on a lush green island.
“Welcome to my home,” Nita smiled at the two men dressed almost identically in short sleeved plain shirt and dark trousers. On this island dress was minimal and instead of looking their usual unobtrusive selves they stuck out a mile. “If you’d like to follow me I will take you to our house for a cold drink. We can visit the labs later.”
After freshening up the two men were sitting drinking a cold drink whilst waiting for Nita. They both stood when she came to sit with them. They had been animatedly discussing the pros and cons of their discovery. Carl had his laptop with him.
“Gentlemen I hope we have chosen wisely in informing you of my late husbands work. I would like to discuss some more details with you, then, we may go and witness his results. Our future is in you hands.” She took a sip of her drink and sighed, shaking her head slightly.
“My husband managed to get the DNA of two very famous people, and this is where you come in,” she looked at Ben.
“There were some scientists working in Kentucky, who were doing similar work to Harry, they knew an agent, who somehow managed to get the DNA from a male and a female who were deceased.
Harry used this DNA for his work. This information was never disclosed, the agent involved is as far as we know still an operative, you, are the obvious choice to find out if he is a threat to us. He may not wish to be identified for ethical reasons.”
She stood and the two men followed her on a tour of the well-equipped labs.
“Now if you would like to follow me I can show you the results of Harry’s lifetime work.”
They made their way along a winding path through lush vegetation, until they came out of an opening, which revealed the ocean and a wide curved sandy beach. There were people near the shore wading into the sea fishing with spears. Children were running and playing and small groups of women sitting talking.
A tall young man came over to them; his lithe well-muscled body would be the envy of any would be celebrity. He smiled “Hello Nita”
The two men were speechless the face was unmistakeable, still very young, but obvious all the same.
“Hi I’m Adam,” he reached out his hand to shake theirs, which they did automatically. “Have you come to stay on our wonderful island? We were thinking of advertising it as a holiday destination, but Harry said it would be spoilt. Did you know Harry? No one else comes here so I assume you were Harry’s friends.”
As he was talking a young women approached, “Hello I’m Eve” she put her hand out in much the same way as Adam, if you let him, you’ll not get a word in edgeways. You have to butt in now and again because he likes to hear his own voice.”
She laughed as the young man picked her up and ran towards the sea.
Nita looked at the dumbstruck men, “You see how successful his experiment was, and whom they were cloned from.”
“Bloody hell, JFK and Marilyn Monroe, how the hell can we keep that quiet. It’s fantastic. The Brits’ clone two famous American icons.” Ben’s enthusiasm was very unlike the dour agent he normally was.
“No way can this get out,” Carl whispered. “They’ll be destroyed Ben, once each government get hold of them they’ll be treated like specimens in a jar, it’s too cruel to contemplate.”
Nita interrupted the two men;
“There is something else that might convince you to carry out Harry’s wishes.”
She called one of the dark skinned native girls over, “would you fetch Sky for me, Adam and Eve seem to be occupied.” They all looked over to where the couple were kissing and frolicking in the water.
“Ok she was asleep a while ago, Milly was looking after
her.” The girl turned and made her way back through the vegetation.
“Milly is Eve’s surrogate mother and treats her as her own daughter. Eve knows nothing neither does Adam.”
Nita waved to Eve and beckoned her over; she arrived the same time as Milly and Sky. Sky was a six-month-old girl with blond curly hair and bright blue eyes. Eve took the child into her arms,
“Hello baby, did you have a nice sleep. Daddy’s being horrible he keeps throwing mummy into the water.” They all laughed as they went back into the house.
Later the two men were sitting in the conservatory animatedly discussing their discovery.
“Do you know something? This is probably the most eventful thing I’ve ever discovered in my life and I’m not supposed to tell a soul. I feel so bloody frustrated. But looking at those kids today, I suppose I can agree with the Prof, if this gets out they will never be the same.”
Ben was beginning to reach the same conclusion as Carl had, that they would probably help protect these people and remove all information that would lead to their discovery.
Nita approached the two men; she sat down and poured them each a glass of wine.
Holding her glass in her hand she calmly remarked,
“Do you know what Harry said about Sky when she was born?
‘No one should play God, even though I’ve helped create the most UN-NATURAL PERFECTION ever!”
© 2003 Marisha Porter
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