The Seventh | A Dark Matter Fanfiction | Two (Portia Lin)

Chapter 51

Three gasped as he jolted awake, disoriented. He squinted against the harsh light, groaning when he realized he was tied to a chair.

"Oh, come on. Seriously?" he muttered, testing the restraints.

Four was already awake, calmly assessing their situation. "You're finally awake. Took you long enough."

"Sorry I slept in. I didn't realize we were in a rush," Three replied, straining against his bindings. "Okay, what's the plan?"

Four glanced around the room before focusing on Three. "I think I can free us, but it will require me to dislocate both shoulders."

Three stared at him, eyebrows raised. "Okay, do what you gotta do, huh?"

Four nodded. "All right."

"Once we're free, I'll pop your shoulders back in for you, okay?" Three offered.

Four's expression remained serious. "Okay, no, no, not mine. Yours."

Three's eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, hang on a second. Can we discuss our options?"

The doors hissed open and a woman walked in, her confident stride followed by an intimidating large man.

"Gentlemen, I'm Alicia Reynaud. And you are Marcus Boone and Ryo Ishida. Or a version of them anyway," Reynaud said, her tone cool and composed.

Three and Four exchanged a wary glance as she continued, "I know you hacked my transit code, used the pod to break in here, and stole the adapter. And I'd like to thank you."

"Well, you're welcome. For what?" Three retorted, his sarcasm barely masking his tension.

"Because the adapter is useless without the final card, which I believe is on board your ship. And as long as the transit connection that brought you here remains open, my men can trace the signal," Reynaud explained, a sly smile playing on her lips.

Four raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you just make a new card?"

"I'd love to, but unfortunately, it's a one-of-a-kind prototype," Reynaud admitted, her smile widening.

"Which means you didn't develop the tech, you stole it," Three surmised.

"Of course I did. So I will find your ship, eventually," Reynaud said, her confidence unwavering. "But you could save me a lot of time and yourselves a lot of trouble if you just give me the coordinates."

Three and Four exchanged another look. "Now, if by trouble, you mean death or torture, you're forgetting that these are clone bodies. You can't really hurt us," Four pointed out.

"That's where you're wrong," Reynaud countered, her voice dropping a notch. "You see, the same way that you were able to target my transit pod, I'm able to do the same in reverse, sending a powerful subspace charge back the way you came. And if your bodies are still in their transmission pods, which I'm willing to bet they are, the charge will, in layman's terms, fry your brains."

She took a step closer, her eyes cold and calculating. "As for hurting you, well, this is Mr. Ostrander. He's a specialist in the field. See, these bodies may be cloned, but they still do feel pain."

Reynaud glanced at Ostrander, who cracked his knuckles menacingly. "I think I'll do it both ways. I'd like to cover my bases. I'll check back soon and see if you've had a change of heart."

With that, she turned and walked out, leaving Three and Four alone with the imposing figure of Mr. Ostrander.

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