Portents of Fear is a horror fiction podcast
which is intended for mature audiences. Discretion
is advised. Welcome, fearlings, to another weird
and horrifying tale made just for you. I am your
host, Mashulu, and I'll be your guide into the
macabre and mysterious. Tonight, we explore clones
and nanite blood addiction in the dark futuristic
tale, Cybervamp. Before we get started... Take
a moment to like, subscribe, and ring that notification
bell so you don't miss a single terrifying story.
Ray fled as fast as his servo -powered legs could
carry him. The rain pounded the rooftops like
they owed money. The surface was slick, covered
in gravel, and uneven. Ray was barely able to
stay upright. The infrared scanner in his left
eye wouldn't work. The connection to his brain
chips glitched, and at any moment his eye could
simply turn off. He had no idea how far behind
him she was or how to survive if caught. He just
had to make it back to street level somehow and
disappear again. Jenny toyed with her prey. She
was right behind him, not making a sound. Jamming
his brain chips with high -powered frequencies,
she knew he was almost blind and couldn't hear
her. At any point, she could take him out, but
she followed him as he ran on fancy bionic legs
just for fun. She knew that in about 30 seconds,
he'd try to jump a 20 -foot gap between buildings
and crash to the ground. His legs were fancy,
sure, but not that fancy. She could have stopped
him. Saved him from the pain of a broken spine
by simply grabbing the back of his shirt collar
before he jumped? She didn't. Instead, she went
to the edge and looked down. Ray's body spasmed
six stories below in a flooded alleyway. She
smiled. His heart was still beating, but his
skull, legs, spine, and left arm were all broken.
He had landed face first, and if not for his
carbon composite skull implants, it would have
been all she wrote. Surviving isn't always a
good thing. The impact had dislodged his neural
chips from their sockets, which then ripped through
his brain, giving Ray a blunt force lobotomy.
Jenny gracefully climbed down an old fire escape
like a cat without a care, grinning from ear
to ear. He let out groans as rainwater pooled
around him. He couldn't see anything, but he
could feel her closing in. Ray, darling, you
idiot. Did he really think you could get away?
She hissed in his ear. He responded with grunts.
He understood what was being said, but his brain
had been rewired by gravity. Three hours later,
Hugh and Rhonda stood over Ray's corpse. It had
been drained of all its blood, two puncture holes
in his neck. I hate vampire mods. Some silly
jerk thinking they're Nosferatu, Hugh said while
taking a bite out of a candy bar. Hugh was the
kind of person that liked to say, I'm getting
too old for this crap, even though he was only
35. At 6 '8 and 300 pounds, Hugh could have been
a linebacker if football was still a thing. But
under this huge frame was a caring, kind soul
who seemed tough by virtue of his size. He had
pale skin, curved circuit board over his head
with wires that looked like a neon mullet, and
a cyber eye that glowed green, his favorite color.
I'm guessing a vampire gang or some other nonsense.
There's no trace of blood. Whoever did this was
hungry. Rhonda was in her 90s and never thought
she was too old for anything. Her hair was an
expensive wig fitted with neon fiber filaments
that changed color every five minutes. It was
long and straight with bangs that gave 1990s
vibes. She was curvy and had light brown skin.
Rhonda also had a cyber eye, but it was the same
color as her biological eye, so it didn't stand
out. I've heard that vampires drain the blood
to harvest nanites. Seems like it would be easier
just to buy them on the black market. We can
run DNA to identify him, but I think the rain
washed most of the evidence away, and there are
no cameras in this area. Hugh was still looking
at the bite marks. He knew they were from fake
fangs installed to allow a person to suck blood,
but something deep in his soul worried about
an undead perp stalking the streets of the city.
It's the fantasy of being a vampire, I'm guessing,
Rhonda replied. You want burgers, he asked, like
a kid hoping for candy. Sarah told me you're
to have salad for lunch. Rhonda motioned to the
forensics team to begin their scans. I hate that
you two are friends. I don't know what she's
worried about. I have nanites clearing my arteries
every day, he whined. Rhonda was his wife's best
friend, and the two talked all the time, mainly
about Hugh. You get winded walking up two flights
of stairs. Until you're in better shape, you're
on a diet, she reminded him. Hugh sulked on the
way to the hover car. Ray V3222 was activated.
His eyes opened as the biostasis tube he was
grown in drained nanite -infused goo. The chips
in his brain booted up, and the memories of every
ray right up to Ray V3221's death came online.
Once empty, the tube lifted, and he placed his
newly grown feet on the cold steel of the lab
floor. The room hummed with energy. There were
over a hundred bio -tubes with ray clones in
different stages of growth. Each of them had
the same choices to make when activated. pick
some biomods, get dressed, and start to run.
He had 24 hours till Jenny started to hunt him
down. It ended the same way every time. But this
Ray was different. The thought of running only
to be caught and drained made no sense. While
standing there naked, covered in translucent
slime, and surrounded by clones being grown to
one day replace him, Ray V -3222 decided it was
time to stop Jenny and her eternal hunt. Though
he had all the memories of the first Ray and
all those who'd followed, He wasn't them. He
would be a new Ray, the last Ray. He turned off
the power to the other tubes. Soon, the others
woke in horrible agony as they drowned in translucent
goo. The air pumps no longer fed their lungs
with oxygen. He smiled as they all died, banging
on the glass and choking to death. He was Ray
Prime now, the last in his line. Jenny looked
at herself in the mirror. She could see the newly
acquired nanites removing imperfections across
her face. It made running in the rain after Ray
worth it. Many people lived a long time, but
no matter what, they aged and died around 170.
Jenny was 306, but she looked 20. She had no
plans on dying any time soon. Life was too much
fun. She turned on the news feed while putting
on her deep blue silk robe and pouring a glass
of wine. The familiar ding rang out, alerting
her that the new ray had been activated. You
have 24 hours, pet. Hugh and Rhonda sat in the
back of Gus's diner. It was the best greasy spoon
in the city, according to Gus. Hugh was looking
at a sad Cobb salad covered in disappointed vinaigrette.
He then glanced at Rhonda's double cheeseburger
with bacon, a large soda, and fries like a man
that had been starving for years. You're a real
cut. Rhonda put one finger in the air, stopping
Hugh's sentence. Would you like this to be your
last meal, Hugh, she asked, her eyes staring
into his soul. Because if you finish that word,
it will be. Why? What did you think I was going
to say? Her phone dinged. It looks like the test
results are back. God, DNA takes forever. It
had been two hours. Hugh agreed. They need to
upgrade the mainframe. I hear the feds can get
DNA in like five minutes. Our ward is in the
Stone Age. Rhonda sent him the files and they
started to go over the data. Working while you
eat was part of the gig. Strange. It says the
legs are a prototype created by LifeWorks in
the fourth ward. So we have no jurisdiction with
them. Oh, and they've already gotten a court
order to get the legs back. How are we supposed
to do our jobs, he said, while he tried to imagine
that his Cobb salad tasted like Rhonda's burger.
It didn't work. The DNA test came back blank,
which means our corpse is a clone. No other markings
telling us where it's from or who might have
grown it. This will go nowhere unless we can
get LifeWorks to tell us something. Rhonda took
another bite of the burger and gave out a small
moan of happiness while maintaining eye contact
with Hugh. Ha ha, very funny. Rhonda smirked
and went for her second love, seasoned curly
fries. How do we want to do this? We have a body,
but it's a clone, so no laws are broken. But
we have to at least find out why this guy died
in an alleyway. Plus, why vampires? Is it a gang?
Is it one person? There are too many questions
not to investigate. Hugh was feeling a bit emotional
about the case. Clones were a touchy subject
for him. His mother had been cloned when he was
10. She was shot during a robbery and died in
front of Hugh. He tried to help her, but the
damage was too extensive. A few days later, his
dad came home with her clone. He'd changed her
personality and memories to be more subservient.
Hugh hated him for it. As he got older, he learned
to love his clone mother, but she was a superficial
copy at best. his father's idealized version
of the wife he lost. Hugh had always felt bad
for clones. Born fully grown adults, heads stuffed
with memories not their own. Never able to grow
into adulthood or learn who they wanted to be.
It just seemed wrong. You're right, we need answers.
I say we head over to Lifeworks and try our luck
with diplomacy. Maybe we can at least see if
the vampire stuff is connected to the prototype
legs, Rhonda replied. Sounds good. I'll do the
talking. Correct, she smiled. Jenny finished
her wine, drew a bath, and called the new Ray
as the warm water relaxed her muscles. What she
-devil? She -devil, really? How Puritan of you,
Ray. Just calling to let you know that you have
22 hours till I hunt you down and kill you. I'm
sure you know this already, though. How many
of you have there been? 2 ,000? She knew the
number. I may be number 3222, but I'm also the
last. Check your security feed. I deleted all
the other clones. I'm Rey Prime now, and I will
kill you. Do you think you're the first clone
to do that? No, pet. You're like the hundredth.
I have a backup facility for just such an occasion.
You're all poor copies of each other, never having
an original thought. Sad, pathetic, and predictable
as always. You'll be like all the rest. See you
soon, cuckadoodledoo. She ended the call and
sank deeper into the bubble bath, smiling with
satisfaction. LifeWorks headquarters were massive.
Its hundred floors of labs, offices, and meeting
rooms towered above the ward. The exterior glowed
with neon billboards advertising the company's
many products. Rhonda and Hugh approached the
front desk, badges in hand. Hello, we're here
to talk to a representative about a case, Hugh
said while Rhonda smiled next to him. The woman
behind the counter looked up and scanned their
badges. Of course, officers, let me get Mr. Floyd,
our head of security. Just have a seat and he'll
be with you shortly. She pointed to a group of
bland couches. Thank you, Hugh replied. An eternity
went by before Mr. Floyd finally approached them.
I'm sorry for the delay. It's been a hell of
a day. I'm sure you understand. I'm Mr. Floyd,
but please call me Danny. He put out his hand.
Rhonda was about to open her mouth, but Hugh
stepped in front of her and shook his hand. No,
no trouble at all. We just had some questions
we were hoping you all could help with. Charm
oozed from Hugh's face. Of course, let's talk
in my office. Danny's office was covered in screens
linked to cameras throughout the city. His chair
was outfitted with a cable that he could plug
into his head to monitor every one of them at
once. Rhonda and Hugh sat as Danny plugged his
head back into the chair. Sorry, I need to keep
an eye on things while we talk. How can we help?
Danny asked as camera feeds streamed into his
brain chips. We understand. We found a pair of
legs from living works at a crime scene, and
we hope you can tell us who owned them. I'll
send you pictures now. Hugh sent the pictures
directly to Danny via secure stream. After a
moment, he responded. Unfortunately, the company
has already requested that they be returned and
given their official response. I can't divulge
who owned these, NDAs and all that. We just need
to know so we can make sure the family is informed,
Rhonda said with an edge. I can't talk about
that product. Did you run DNA, Danny asked. He
wasn't even looking at them. There was no DNA
to run, Hugh replied, knowing what the response
would be. Well, there's your answer. No DNA means
clone, i .e. not a human, so no rights. Case
closed, Danny said dismissively. Right then,
the door opened. Danny stood quickly, his face
drained of all color. Miss Helix, what a surprise.
Inspectors, this is our CEO, whom I've never
actually met in person. Danny was flummoxed.
No need to stand up, Mr. Floyd. And no, we've
never been in the same room, but I do know you're
doing a wonderful job. Please sit. Jenny stood
next to Danny's chair to face Hugh and Rhonda.
I'm Jenny Helix, CEO of LifeWorks. And with whom
do I have the pleasure of speaking? Danny wasn't
sure what was about to happen, but hoped it didn't
end with him working as a graveyard dock worker.
I'm Inspector Hugh Summers, and this is my partner,
Inspector Rhonda Jones, Hugh said. Why would
a CEO talk to us, he thought. It's nice to meet
you. Can you tell us about who the corpse is
attached to your prototype legs? Hugh put his
large oven mitt -sized hand on Rhonda's forearm.
Yes, and any help you can give us would be greatly
appreciated. It would help close the case. You
understand, Hugh quickly interjected. Jenny smiled.
Danny here is held to the rules of the board
for LifeWorks, Inc., and isn't allowed to speak
to law enforcement, especially from another ward,
without a LifeWorks lawyer present. Luckily,
I am a lawyer, so yes, I can help. She returned
Rhonda's gaze. Those are new cyberlegs that will
give people the ability to run faster and jump
further than any other cyberlegs on the market.
Its main use is for first responders and military
applications. The clone you found was designed
to test out the legs in urban environments. The
goal is to see how long the clone can escape
a predator before being caught. This clone had
strayed from our ward. I'm sure its predator
did not realize it left our ward either. I've
already sent an apology to your ward for the
oversight. We didn't want to go through the courts
to get the legs back, but that's how these things
work. Jenny thought about how hungry she was.
Draining a clone was fun, but humans? That was
a feast. Rhonda was about to say something, but
Hugh, reading the room, spoke up first. Well,
that seems to clear it all up then. Thank you
so much for your help. Hugh's smile could have
been seen from space, even though he was in a
building. He stood up and motioned to Rhonda
to follow. She didn't. Yes, thank you. I'm sorry,
I have one more - Oh no, we shouldn't take up
any more of Miss Helix's time. Hugh gave Rhonda
a look that pleaded to her to let it go, but
Rhonda would not be deterred. Why have someone
hunt a clone to test your legs? I understand
clones have no rights, but it's still cruel to
kill them in such a way. They are feeling sinking
beings, after all. Danny looked at Jenny out
of the corner of his eye. Are either of you clones,
she asked with an unsettling grin. No, but -
Does that matter, Hugh asked, figuring diplomacy
died a few minutes ago. Danny here is a clone.
What are you, the fourth or fifth generation?
Fifth, Danny replied. And what do you want most
in life? To serve and protect life works, he
said. Any other dreams? Do you want a family?
Have any hobbies, she pressed. Yeah, I married
Holly last year. We met at the Christmas party
three years ago. We're thinking about having
kids. I have hobbies too, but we don't need to
talk about them. See, Danny is a clone of our
first security head. We have a warehouse full
of Dannys ready to replace this one. He's grown
in a vat and meant to serve the company. In fact,
we feed him new memories like his wife and lovely
home life, but in reality, he sleeps under his
desk. Wait, I'm not married? No, she's not real.
No one in their right mind would marry a clone.
She then looked straight at Hugh. Right, Hugh?
That's enough. He is a human cloner, not, Rhonda
said. Jenny smiled. According to our laws, he's
a product. My product. Who killed the man in
our ward? You know or you wouldn't be putting
on this show for us. Hugh did the one thing he
didn't like to do. He got emotional. When I was
young, cyber technology was new. I was a goth
girl into vampires and all that. There was a
black market vendor who sold retractable fang
implants that not only let you drink blood, but
it allowed you to acquire the nanites of your
victims. Immortality, as long as you keep drinking
blood rich with nanites. Is she monologuing?
Hugh whispered to Rhonda. I think so. The problem
was killing humans. Even the poor ones came with
too many complications. You never knew what diseases
they might have or the quality of their nanites.
Plus, families are the worst. She turned to Danny,
who was completely overwhelmed with disbelief,
grabbed his head, and sunk her razor -sharp carbon
fangs into his neck. Danny tried to fight, but
Jenny's cyber -modded arms gave her superhuman
strength. All he could do was flail in terror.
Hugh began to move forward to stop Jenny, but
Rhonda grabbed his arm. I need to help him, he
insisted. She can kill us both right here. We're
in her ward in her building. She's holding all
the cards. We have to play nice, Rhonda whispered
back. Now you want to play nice? He was stunned.
Danny gasped his final breath and went limp.
Jenny detached herself and turned back towards
the inspectors, her mouth covered in blood. Clones
are worthless husks of flesh we grow in tubes
to serve us, nothing more. Do you know how many
cyber vampires there are out there? Millions.
You are a step above the clones in the food chain
to us. You should be thankful they are more convenient
to feed on. Now, unless I want to test if I can
get away with killing you both here, I suggest
you leave. Jenny pointed to the door. Ray Prime
stood across the street from Living Works waiting
for Jenny to come out. What he didn't understand,
due to being a clone, is that CEOs never use
the front door. The rain lightened to a fine
mist. Ray combed through the memories of 3 ,221
versions of himself to find any sunlight. Finally,
he remembered it. It was a happy memory from
the first Ray as a kid playing outside. He smiled.
Right then, Rhonda and Hugh left the building.
Ray noted the look of fear on their faces as
they hurried from the entrance. Something told
him they'd encountered Jenny. He followed as
the inspectors went to their car. At first, Ray
thought he was going unnoticed, but Rhonda spun
around and pointed a pulse pistol at his head.
Hugh followed her lead and pulled his gun as
well. Whoa, I just wanted to talk. Ray threw
his hands up. It was late. The heavy rain had
returned with its big brother lightning. The
diner was packed with the usual suspects. Graveyard
shifters, drug mules, and sexy escorts with their
union reps. Typical Friday night. A murmur of
disillusion hung in the air. Hugh stared at his
coffee like it was going to say something profound.
He could hear Ray talking, but it sounded distant,
as if he was in another room. He only thought
of Danny being murdered and doing nothing. Could
he have saved him? He was a cop. His job was
to make sure people were safe, but only if they
were also rich. That thought gnawed at him. Hugh,
snap out of it, Rhonda said. She, on the other
hand, only thought of revenge, and Ray was the
key to that goal. Sorry, just thinking. What's
the plan, Hugh asked, only knowing that the word
plan had been used. She wants me, so I'll be
bait. And you two kill her when she shows up,
Bray said with confidence. We're not killing
anyone. Plus, if we were going to do anything,
stopping her from murdering Danny and arresting
her would have been it. Hugh, I know you wanted
to save Danny, but we couldn't. We had no jurisdiction
there. Plus, I scanned her. She's packed with
state -of -the -art upgrades and supercharged
nanites. She's a walking death machine. The only
justice for Danny, Ray, and the countless of
other clones she feeds on is to take her out,
Rhonda said gently. Hugh was a big teddy bear
of a man who felt the world's problems on his
shoulders, and she wanted to protect him. Why
you? Why does she hunt you, Hugh asked without
acknowledging what Rhonda said. He couldn't shake
the guilt. The first Ray did terrible things
to her and others. I don't want to talk about
it, Ray replied as he looked out the window.
And since clones have no rights, she can take
revenge over and over again with no repercussions,
even knowing the first Ray was the only one that
wronged her. She stays young off the nanites
and avoids jail, Rhonda said. Can't she overdose
on nanites? Hugh asked, puzzled by how complicated
his life had become. No, there's something about
her biomods and how the fangs filter nanites
that protect her from overdosing. In fact, they
make her immortal as long as she keeps feeding,
Ray replied. That being said, I do know that
she is weakest while feeding. Then we should
have saved Danny, Hugh responded curtly. No,
we shouldn't have. You know we were being watched.
Our guns were at the front desk. I get you're
strong, but she has top shelf mods installed.
Plus, even if you did stop her, no way we get
out of the building alive. We need to get her
alone. Away from her territory to level the playing
field, Rhonda explained with a kind tone. She
got what he was going through, but she needed
him to move past it. You're right. I just feel
bad. The only course is to get rid of her. How
do we not go to jail forever, Hugh inquired.
We lead her to the southeast docks. The radiation
means no cameras, Ray suggested. It also means
our mods don't work well either, Rhonda pointed
out. Yeah, but neither will hers. We take older
guns with bullets. I have a rifle and a 9mm,
Hugh offered. He couldn't believe how this day
wouldn't end. That works. One last thing. You
two promised me that if I die, you go to this
warehouse and destroy the other clones. Get rid
of everything, Ray insisted as he texted them
the address. You don't want us to wake the next
one? Let a Ray live free of Jenny? Rhonda asked.
No. She said something that struck me. She said
I was predictable like all the others. I was
only an hour old then. I started to think about
who I was. I'm not the first Rey, but he is a
large part of me, Rey said with a hint of remorse.
The first Rey wasn't a good person, and those
parts of him are in me trying to get out. With
his memories and personality traits in my head,
I think I'm capable of some real evil. I'm fighting
his urges all the time. One of the first things
I did was murder all her other clones. I enjoyed
watching them die. I need to be the last Rey.
A digital wall display counted down the final
minutes before the hunt was on. Jenny wore a
black latex bodysuit. It was a sexy retro look
from old movies geeks loved. Jenny loved them
too. Hot vixens fighting vampires, zombies, or
robot overlords. They were stupid fun she could
lose herself in, though she wasn't a fan of Twilight.
She was teen Lestat. Applying deep red lipstick,
she thought about her draining Danny at work
in front of inspectors. They just sat there.
It was amazing. No one questioned what happened
to Danny either. Security just hauled the body
away and sprayed down his chair. A new Danny
clone showed up within an hour. He would think
he met the love of his life the next day when
really he was sleeping under the security desk.
The cycle continued. She smiled into the mirror.
So much power. It was intoxicating. She had the
world in her hands. Jenny could have shot someone
on a crowded street and gotten away with it.
She played with the thought of trying it someday.
The display hit zero. it was time to hunt the
southeast docks were irradiated by a dirty bomb
set off 10 years ago the explosion was blamed
on terrorists trying to take over the city it
was bs what really happened was a power move
by far -flung freight to take over the docks
from caspian inc the bomb was not supposed to
be as dirty as it turned out to be millions died
either from the explosion or from radiation poisoning
the entire ward was abandoned this didn't stop
far -flung ink from buying up all the land You
have to think about the future, after all. Nature
started reclaiming the building's skeletal remains.
Vines wrapped around rusted steel. Concrete gave
way to mutant roots. If it wasn't for the radiation
poisoning in every part of the ward, it would
have made a great park. Ray, Hugh, and Rhonda
picked a dilapidated warehouse to face off against
Jenny. It was close to the water, so body disposal
would be easy. Water danced with oil on every
surface. The roof had large holes in it where
hot ash burned through after the explosion. It
was perfect. Hugh had turned off all his mods,
even his cyber eyes, so he could hide in the
dark near Rey. It didn't matter. All their brain
chips and nanites were spotty, best in the Fallout
Zone. Rhonda perched in the rafters with a rifle,
head to toe in black. She hadn't done this sort
of work since her time in Aswan. She didn't like
thinking about Aswan. Rey stood in the middle
of the floor with a katana in his hands, also
dressed in black. He thought he looked really
cool. He didn't. Emotions boiled within him.
Clones may have the memories of their predecessors,
but that doesn't mean they understand how to
deal with them. The thought of killing Jenny
made him excited, and it bothered him. He also
didn't really want to die. Ray Prime was the
3 ,222nd copy of the deeply flawed man, but he
was also a different person at the same time.
Jenny suddenly appeared out of the mist. Even
with the radiation, it had only taken her an
hour to find him. Looking at Ray, she smiled.
A katana? I should know better than to think
a clone would be original. Her mods were offline,
but she knew something was off. This clone had
laid a trap. She could feel it. You're a wannabe
vampire in a black latex bodysuit. Let's not
throw stones in glass houses, Ray snapped back.
Well, are we just here to soak up radiation,
or are you going to try and kill me? She kept
trying to get her mods back online. Ray drew
his sword and tried to look menacing. Would you
take the shot already, Rhonda? Hugh thought to
himself. Jenny was finally able to flash her
teeth. You should never bring a sword to a fang
fight, idiot. Rhonda's bullet hit Jenny in the
throat. Nanite -rich blood squirted everywhere.
Jenny grabbed at the wound, stunned. She turned
and ran in the opposite direction. The shot would
have downed a normal human, but even with the
radiation, Jenny's nanites came to life and started
closing the wound. The threat to her body had
been enough to activate them, but she was not
safe. She had to escape the fallout zone. If
she gets away, we're all dead, yelled Hugh as
he emerged from his hiding spot. Rhonda, I thought
you were going to take a leg out so she couldn't
run, Hugh asked as he chased after Jenny. I was,
but I just wanted her to shut up, she replied.
Rhonda tried to line up another shot from her
perch, but couldn't. She slid down a beam like
it was a fire pole and joined the chase. Ray
stood frozen in his spot. The fangs were part
of every memory the Rays had at the end of their
lives. They overwhelmed him with fear. He was
24 hours old and in all that time, he never thought
about what it would really mean to die. He felt
Hugh pass by him, but didn't respond to his commands.
In a few moments, he was alone, still envisioning
her fangs sinking into his throat. He started
to cry. Jenny had parked outside the radiation
zone miles away. She cursed her own hubris. The
nanites had stopped the bleeding, but her throat
hurt like hell. Her mods kept teasing that they
would work any minute, but then didn't. She wasn't
in her ward, she didn't have a security detail,
and if she died in the radiation zone, they may
never find her body. It was a perfect trap, and
she had walked right into it. The thought of
a clone, especially a ray clone, killing her
was disgusting. She heard heavy footballs gaining
on her from behind. She spun around to find Hugh's
pistol in her face. Inspector! I'm not sure what
the clone told you, but please assist me and
I'll make you very rich. Bribing was a great
way to make friends. Hugh didn't trust her, knew
she had to die, but saw the large gaping wound
in her neck and lowered his gun. Where is your
security detail, Hugh asked, glancing around.
I usually can take care of myself, but this radiation
is much stronger than I thought. Jenny stood
up straight as she tried to regain her composure.
If I could get my mods back online, I would drain
them both, she thought. I never imagined he'd
be smart enough to trap me like this, she admitted,
while trying to look innocent. I know that the
first ray did something terrible, but this isn't
that ray. Oh, he didn't tell you what he did?
I don't think you'd be helping him if you knew.
It's now clear to me that you're not going to
pull that trigger, and you can't arrest me. I
think I'll be on my way. Jenny turned and once
again found a gun in her face, this time held
by Rhonda. He might not have the stomach for
killing, but I do, Rhonda said coldly. This was
a mistake. By the midpoint of her sentence, Jenny's
neural implants jolted to life, and before Rhonda
could pull the trigger, Jenny had smacked her
arm to one side and tackled her to the ground.
Hugh just stood there as Jenny started to drink
Rhonda's blood. Jenny drank deep, and her neck
wound began to close. She knew Hugh could easily
stop her, but she needed the blood, and he wasn't
as tough as his frame had suggested. Rhonda bucked
and flailed, but nothing was working. Hugh snapped
out of it, ran up from behind, and tried to wrestle
Jenny off Rhonda, but she was too strong. Her
eyes had turned solid blue. Rhonda felt like
she was passing out. Hugh took a deep breath,
closed his eyes, and started to pull the trigger,
when suddenly he heard a swish sound. Hugh was
startled and fired the gun away from Jenny's
back. Hugh, you idiot, get this bitch off me,
Rhonda commanded. He opened his eyes to find
that the swish had come from Ray's katana. It
was lodged deep into Jenny's skull. Then he looked
to his left where he had fired. Ray lay on the
ground bleeding from a gut wound. In reacting
to the sound, Hugh'd shot Ray in the stomach.
He then pulled Jenny's corpse off Rhonda and
sat her up. He had Rhonda put pressure on the
bite wound. Don't fall asleep. I have to help
Ray, Hugh told her. She nodded. He went to Ray.
I'm so sorry. I was startled by the sound of
the blade. Stay still. We'll get help. It's okay.
It's over now. She won't be hunting us anymore.
Remember your promise. Destroy the other clones.
I need to tell you something, Hugh, Ray said
weakly. Hugh leaned in and Ray whispered into
his ear. To Rhonda, it felt like a lifetime.
Hugh stood and shot Ray in the face. What the
hell did you do that for? Rhonda yelled. He said
I needed to kill him too. I said no. Then he
told me what the first ray had done. He replied,
still looking down at Ray's twitching corpse.
You sit there while I get rid of these bodies.
Your nanites should kick in soon. Then we need
to get rid of those backup clones, he said, holstering
his gun. Aren't you going to tell me what the
first ray did? Rhonda asked. No. I bet Jenny
wished she'd sprung for a cyber skull. If you
could clone yourself, would you? Be sure to tell
us in the comments. If you like the Sport and
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your screen now. Good night, fairlings. Sleep
well, if you can.