Cloneward Bound Read Online Free Page A

Because, that is …” She thought for a moment. “Well, LA is a big place, after all, and it can be dangerous. I should insist on accompanying you.”
    “Hmph,” Fisher’s dad replied. “You just want to get a chance to meet that Dr. Devilish. He’s nothing but a phony with a silly goatee and a too-tight lab coat. I bet he couldn’t reverse engineer an electron spectrometer if he had the instructions tattooed on his big, manly hands. He’s not a real scientist. Or even a real actor! He justsmiles at the camera, and everybody loves it. If you’re going to see a show produced, you should see
Sci-Fi: Survivor!
”
    “Sci-fi
what
?” Fisher’s mom asked. She was blushing, and Fisher noticed she had not tried to deny that she wanted to see Dr. Devilish.
    “A new show. It’s premiering next week. A group of people are put in a maze full of challenges based on different sci-fi genres, and they have to figure out clever ways to get past them. Now that’s a show where people really have to use their heads! Critical thinking, problem solving under pressure …”
    “Oh,
that
show,” his mom said disdainfully. “It’s only getting hype because it comes on right before
Strange Sci
ence,” his mom fired back. “So Fisher, about that—”
    “Er, sorry,” Fisher said quickly. “All the chaperone spots are taken.”
    “Oh,” Mrs. Bas said, clearly crestfallen. “Well, I’m sure it’ll be a rewarding experience.”
    There was a brief moment of awkward silence. Fisher’s mom finally managed to free her earring.
    “So,” Fisher said, attempting to change the subject, “what’s the occasion, anyway? You almost never have nights out.”
    His parents looked at each other, and his mother let out a long sigh.
    “I wasn’t going to tell you right away, because I didn’t want you to worry about me,” she said. “But … due to setbacks and security risks, my AGH project has been shut down. I was ordered to hand over all samples of the chemical I’d kept in the lab.” For a moment, Fisher’s mom looked as though she might cry. “I kept a precise log of all of my supplies … but I still came up a centiliter short.”
    “It’s not your fault,” Mr. Bas said, putting a hand on his wife’s arm.
    Fisher folded his hands behind his back, then proceeded to squeeze them until he thought his fingers would break. One one-hundredth of a liter of AGH. Exactly the amount that he had used to create Two. Not only did his mother know that it was missing—so did the government.
    “How … how do you think that might have happened?” he asked, struggling to keep his voice steady.
    “I don’t know,” she admitted. “It could have been as simple as a temperature change that caused a little bit to evaporate. Or maybe I incorrectly recorded the amounts. The fact of the matter is that the AGH is extremely powerful—and practically untested. For all we know, one centiliter could be used to engineer whole armies! The agency is extremely unhappy—I’m lucky I still have a job.”
    “You’re the best scientist they’ve got,” Mr. Bas said valiantly.
    Mrs. Bas gave him a weak smile. “Be that as it may,the bureau is terrified. After Dr. X’s attempts to steal my formula, they believe it’s possible that someone succeeded in removing a sample. They’ve dispatched whole teams to investigate a possible security breach. If someone stole the AGH, he’ll be found, and caught … and hopefully thrown into a jail cell to rot,” she finished fiercely.
    “Uh … huh,” stammered Fisher. He could almost feel the cold concrete cell pressing around him.
    “Anyway, I just need a night to relax,” she chirped, suddenly cheerful again, “and get away from it for a little bit. I’ve been answering some
very
personal questions about our family and my methods all week. They’ve finally cleared me of culpability, but it was a very stressful experience.” Then she bent down, placing her hands on Fisher’s