Captive

Chapter 21

Freddie and Regan lay on the faux leather sofa in his small apartment, watching re-runs of LOST. Her soft legs draped over the edge of the couch while her head rested between the nook of his elbow and his side. He felt her head nod several times before he realized she had fallen asleep. Freddie, slowly relearning what it was like to be part of a "couple," cast his gaze upon the woman dozing in his arms. Her black-rimmed glasses were barely resting on the tip of her pointed nose, and dark strands of mechanically-straightened hair fell over her peaceful face. He smiled; she was cute sleeping so softly against him, and he counted himself lucky that she was actually his. The lab geek found it unbelievable that such an intelligent and beautiful creature would find him attractive. For the few years he knew her, he never approached her beyond a polite request for assistance. She eventually asked him out; it was unclear if she was bored or if she had grown impatient with his timidity, but some part of him really did not care. She was his now, and that was all that mattered.

They spent the next few weeks seeing each other on their days off, having lunch together, and going to dinner after work. Co-workers questioned them individually and together, and soon the answers transformed from variations of "talking" to the definitive "together." He was comfortable with Regan: No other person could make him feel wanted and adored. There was a time in a not too distant past where this scenario would never have occurred in real life, and Freddie thanked his goddess, that Bridget Dunn woman, for her assistance. He strongly believed that she was the reason Regan asked him out. She was the cause of this serendipitous union.

Of course, the geneticist had not physically seen either of the Bridgets since the night he completed the Phase III transfer. He kept tabs on Bridget II as she made her way into the world in place of the original woman. He followed her Facebook activity, read about her in the company newsletter, and performed periodic internet searches on her. Freddie became a bit concerned when a photograph and a blog entry about Nathan Jones and Bridget Dunn surfaced. This was the first instance, in all the time Freddie worked for Algern/Nathan Jones, that a test subject actually became the object of Nathan's affection. The employee found his employer's actions a bit disconcerting.

Bridget I, moreover, was not accessible to Freddie's hacking fingers at all. She was completely off the grid because there was no trace of her in any of the company databases. He did not have the clearances to access the psychological facility's patient files, so he found himself stuck. Wherever she was, whatever Nathan was doing to her, was meant to be confidential. Freddie found this unsettling as well. What could Nathan possibly be doing to her (and the others he cloned) that would require a completely different security system, firewall, and top-secret clearances? The concerned party needed to find another way into the system, but he did not know whom to approach. He liked his job, he liked his pay, and he liked his girlfriend. He did not want to lose any of that if he got caught snooping in places where he did not belong.

Time passed as Freddie tried to figure out a how to get into the psych facility's system. Every attempt was unsuccessful, and he had to be overly cautious of how and when he made his efforts. Algern Pharmaceuticals was under tight watch; cameras lurked in every corner, IT guys monitored all computer activity both on the premises and remotely. Freddie needed to find someone on the inside whom he could trust, but he knew no one who worked in the psych facility. Not only was he anti-social, but Algern Pharmaceuticals frowned upon fraternization with colleagues affiliated with the three different areas. He only knew people in the research lab, and he had no contact with anyone who worked for the main branch or the psychological institution. He felt stuck. He considered taking out a personal add in the city paper in hopes that his clever wording could drum up a lead. He also contemplated scoping out employees who worked there. Perhaps he could befriend one of them. Freddie had few options, yet he refused to give up the search. He would find Bridget Dunn, and if necessary, he would help her escape from Nathan.