Copying Error

The first things that number 52574 could remember was a flash of light and then a conveyor belt. At the time, he knew how to think and talk, but he didn't know who he was supposed to be. Alongside him were hundreds of people that appeared to be just like him. He and 399 other ones of him were then brought into a room where a voice in the wall told them the basics of who they were. 52574 was a clone.

He was inside of a factory with many other clones and would be trained there until he was ready to serve his purpose. He wondered what that was, but before he could inquire, he was rushed off to go sleep in a cell with his kind. 52574 didn't know how long he was supposed to sleep, but due to his genetic modification, that was not very long at all. Before he knew it, he was rushed off to an enormous room where he was given a small spoon full of sludge to eat. He didn't know how much he was supposed to eat, but due to more genetic modification, that was also not very much at all. After eating time, all of the new clones were ordered by the voice in the wall to stand in another huge room so that they could "Learn". High up on the wall ahead of the clones was a platform that they couldn't reach even if eight stacked on top of each other. Suddenly, a door on the platform opened and a person stepped out. Curiously, unlike all of the clones, this man looked different. 52574 couldn't see his face from the distance, but he could tell by the way the man was dressed and the colour of his hair, there was no other like him. The stranger spoke into a small object and his voice could be heard booming from all around. 

For the next while, the clones learned all about themselves. The strange man presented them with many pictures on a large screen. First, he showed them a peculiar shape, he said that it was their country. Then, he showed them many photos of all sorts of different buildings, people and nature. These were the things in their country. 52574 thought that they were lovely. After that, the man spoke of bad people who would want to hurt these things and take them away, and it was the clones' job to attack and kill the bad people. 52574 was shocked. He shook his head. He didn't think that there ever could be any bad people. What if they just didn't know what they were doing? Had anyone ever tried to talk to them? And was killing them really necessary?

The man continued. He said that the clones were to be trained to go into battle against these people. He displayed several ghastly pictures of death and blood on the screen while saying that this is what the war would be like; it was rough, but it was what had to be done. Finally, the man ended his speech with a warning that the clones may get hurt or die in battle, but with training, that could be avoided.

52574 was mortified. He had never heard anything so horrible. However, the strange thing was that the other clones did not appear to feel the same way. In fact, they even seemed excited to go into war.

52574 peered down at his hands. Could he somehow be.... different? Before he had a chance to truly think it over, the clones were hurried off to an outdoor track surrounded by wall. They had never been in an area so big! The ceiling was so high up that they couldn't even see it, merely just the colour blue. The voice in the wall said that it was time to train. It wasn't hard. The clones were designed to sustain intense physical strain. As 52574 ran, jumped and ducked around obstacles alongside his copies, he couldn't help but wonder if it was worth it.

The days were not days, but just time when you are not asleep. Sometimes 52574 would notice that the outside was dark, and other times it was light. The schedule was always the same: brief eating, learning, training and brief sleeping. The clones learned what weapons were and how to use them. Their physical features were all designed perfectly so that weapons were easy to hold and fire.

Time droned on very slowly for 52574. While all of the other versions of him were happy learning military codes, he was not.

One day, the teaching man announced that the whole group of 400 clones was finally ready to go into war and that they would be leaving in six days. 399 of them cheered.

52574 could not sleep during the next sleeping break. He was too busy thinking about leaving to fight people who he had never met. Taking a life in order to save another.... was it really worth it? He began to reflect on the concept of death. Everything you ever do or think just stops. You never see the people you love again, you never get to say goodbye. You do things for your whole life, and it just ends in a matter of seconds. One less beating heart in the world.

52574's mind trailed over to the idea of bad people. Were there things out there that they loved, too? Maybe they weren't bad at all, what if they just thought they were fighting for the things that they love! Perhaps it is us who are the bad people.

He promptly sat up. The lone clone had finally made up his mind. He didn't want to fight! Why should he die just because he was supposed to hurt someone that he didn't want to hurt? He needed to get out of this factory, and NOW.

Suddenly, the lights blinked on. Sleeping time had ended. All of the clones stood up from their sleeping mats and began to march towards the eating room. Looks like 52574 would have to wait until later to escape.

He pondered throughout food time and he pondered throughout learning time. How would he be able to successfully exit the factory and not be stopped? The teaching man spoke about army tactics and taking the enemy by surprise. He told of ways to not be seen and to sneak about. 52574 wondered if he could use these tactics to leave without being noticed.

Later, as usual, he and the others entered the training yard. The sky, which they had now learned a little more about, was similarly coloured as to the wall, grey. Wait! That's it! 52574 was struck by a brilliant plan. All he needed to do was climb over the wall! He looked around and noticed that many of the wall's bricks were uneven and sticking out, exactly like the practice walls he had climbed over in training!

However, just as he was thinking his plan would be easy, he noticed something he had never observed before; guards. There were several standing up on different sections of the wall. This was a bit of a flaw in 52574's plan, but he began to cogitate on it. During sleeping time, the yard would be empty, and as described by the teaching man, to not be seen, he would have to move slowly around objects such as the training equipment. Then, once he got to the wall, he could shinny up, wait for the guard to look away, climb down, and run away as fast as possible without anyone knowing. With his freedom, he could find a way to stop this war from happening! The plan was perfect. All he had to do now was act normal until it was time to sleep.

After what felt like the longest training session yet, it was finally time for the clones to rest. 52574 waited a little bit until he was certain that everyone except him was asleep. Now, it was time for action. He silently stepped over the sleeping soldiers on mats and made his way to the large double doors. He was glad to find that they were unlocked, and he continued down the way to where he knew the training yard was.

When he eventually made it outside, he was surprised to find that it was pouring rain. 52574 had never seen water fall from the sky before, but with a look of determination, he pressed on.

Ducking and hiding behind each obstacle, he kept his eyes glued on the guards at the top of the wall while making his way towards it. Several times he almost slipped due to the dirt which had now become mud. Finally, all that was left between him and his destination was a twenty-five-metre open space of pavement. 52574 slowly went step by step across it, fearing that any quick movement would lead to his discovery. All of a sudden, as though his thoughts had been heard, a spotlight circled him and the voice in the wall shouted at him to stop. Panic surged through him. He bolted as fast as his legs would go. Only ten metres left.... But then, he slowed to a stop. A jolt of pressure had jabbed into his back. His eyes widened. He took one last step, and without further pause, number 52574 collapsed.

Many guards including the one who had fired ran and gathered around the corpse. Just another corrupted clone.

The End.