Amanita: Poison Shot

Chapter 97: Dear Stranger (Part 3)

Despite being the scientist who was originally behind cloning in the early stages, I assumed they would praise the fact that I abandoned Apollo. And although they were prone to violence, I was willing to accept them as allies for as long as they would take into consideration a non-violent approach since I wasn't a supporter of terrorism, regardless of the reasons.

I never told Jean Paul anything. I hated lying to him, but I had to. It was a solid chance at bringing down Apollo and cloning exclusively as a means for transplants. My married life was fulfilling, but I needed to do something!

A clandestine meeting with them was arranged for me, with the help of my best friend and only ally, a few months after Bloody Tuesday, in which clones had set off a set of bombs in a train station during a peak hour and killed thousands of traditional humans.

Needless to say, they hated my guts. However, they welcomed my atoning attitude and motivation, at least that worked as a way to break the ice. Then, I managed to convince them that joining forces would prove beneficial for both of us.

They deserved to be free from Apollo's tyranny and live fully, without fear of being used as raw materials for transplants and dying in the process. They were fully on board with reviving the 3D printing industry, as well.

The general mood of the conversation was nice and fluid until we broached the subject of violence and terrorism. Let's just say that we agreed to disagree, to phrase it nicely.

Despite that, we reached an agreement. I'd help them out in digital environments, security, and leading the reviving of the 3D-printing project; while they conceded to at least initiate peace talks with the traditional governments and Apollo, while also concentrating on creating a business-like organisation to get me the raw materials I needed for our brand-new 3D-printing industry, like recycled steel, plastics, and even some of their own human cells to clone from – nothing that would compromise their health, though.

I thought we had something special going on, but I was wrong. It was by the end of 2107, only a couple of months after we had agreed on collaborating, that things started to go awry.

They asked me to hack into the Silver Island's secret lab facilities, which I did. It wasn't hard, since they still used biometric data. I only needed to get into the system and reactivate my credentials.

I believed the aim they had in mind. Apollo had wanted a much fancier lab and had got a new one built downtown (the building that today is known as the BioBank). Since the old lab had been abandoned and sealed shut with lots of unused material still in it, they thought it wise to open it up and steal that material for me. I gave them my biometric data stored in a holographic card so that they could come and go anytime they needed it.

The thing is, they didn't deliver or get in touch with me after that. I was worried something had gone horribly wrong, that Apollo's security detail might have caught and murdered them since the peace talks weren't going smoothly. Both sides were far too proud and unwilling to make concessions.

I decided to go to Silver Island myself, only to be welcomed by their guns aiming at me. They caught me and beat me up. I didn't understand anything that was going on. Why were they turning their backs on me all of a sudden?

I was pregnant at the time. My belly was starting to show. When I told them to stop beating me, they didn't believe me. After a brutal, mindless torture session that would leave me with scars for life, I was released. I was left half unconscious in an alley. They warned me not to get in contact with them ever again, and they told me our deal was off. They never provided a reason for that.

I managed to get home on my own, and I told my husband I had got beaten by random strangers. I hated myself for lying to him and my little daughter. I had never told Irina about my pregnancy. It was way too early for her, but I had told Jean Paul. He mourned the loss of that male child as if he had been born.