GLASS BACK [COMPLETED]

12

Henric was on his hands and knees back at the lobby, trying to vomit. He gagged several times but couldn't puke. He couldn't get the image out of his mind. It made him sick.

When is the last time I ate something? He thought. Then another question entered his mind.

How long have I been in here?

Henric tried to block out the image when the hologram reappeared.

"Thank you for visiting our Mermaid exhibit. The next exhibit is to your right."

He sat there in silence, breathing heavily.

Why did Rick tell me to go here first? What was I supposed to be learning? Henric laid against the lobby desk for support. He hadn't learned much about this place, and Rick had already told him about the different mermaids. Rick also told him that he was a clone. When Wireless said he was surprised to see Henric alive, he wasn't talking about Henric, he was talking about Rick, the 'real one'. It still sounded unbelievable, it sounded insane. If Rick wasn't lying about the mermaids he probably wasn't lying about Henric. He stared at the pamphlets in his hand and opened the human one. It was a lot thicker than the others, he wondered why he hadn't noticed that before. There were dozens of drawings inside, but no actual photos of a clone. No way to tell the difference between a clone or a human. Henric checked his arms and wondered if he had a serial number somewhere.

I need to stop wasting time. He thought as he got up and walked to the human exhibit. Unlike the mermaid one, the hallway for the human exhibit was was extremely bright with glass walls on each side. Both the floor and the are behind the walls was white, and it look like something was supposed to be on display back there.

"Most information on the human exhibit and its specimens is classified, so my responses will be limited and a live guide will answer any questions you may have." said the voice of the hologram lady. He looked around and waited, knowing full well no one would appear.

I hate this place. He thought as he continued to walk through.

The hallway opened up into a big glass circular room, with floor to ceiling display cases that had nothing inside them. Hologram windows showed up on the each case, displaying the human anatomy. Or clone anatomy. There was no difference. In the center of the room there was a stand with a piece of paper and a thick metal bracelet on top. It was just out in the open. Anybody could have taken it. Henric walked up and picked up the card. It read 'Try Me' on one side and 'This device is fully operational' on the other. He pressed a button on the side of the stand and said aloud, "Tell me about the bracelet."

The stainless steel T bracelet is a Tacarria product made specifically for clones who had a rushed development."

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"Clones in rushed development had to endure an accelerated growth rate to get them to the age and physical shape the scientists needed for various experiments. Most clone bodies are extremely unstable because of this procedure and die very prematurely without care. The bracelets are designed to indicate the time a clone has left before they expire."

Premature? Expire?

"Who were the clones duplicated from? Who were the original people?" There was a moment of silence before the hologram guide spoke again.

"I am unable to provide that information. Please seek out your live guide for further details."

"What about the clone's birth? How were they created?" Henric had to wait the same amount of time for the same answer.

"I am unable to provide that information. Please seek out your live guide for further details."

Henric rolled his eyes and picked up the metal bracelet, surprised by how heavy it was. A blue light above shone down on him, creating a big square in the center of the room. Suddenly, Henric heard a male's voice over the intercom but it was automated, instantly evaporating the little hope he had.

"The T bracelet, although a prototype, is fully functional and is intended for the clones you see around you, and not real people. As such, it does nothing when worn by a normal person. Feel free to try it on for photos but please remain in the blue square and return it when you are done. Thank you."

The bracelet looked a little like a fancy metal watch without face or buttons, and it had a sliding mechanism that revealed a digital screen underneath. He slapped it onto his wrist and it magnetically clicked together, reminding him of Ben 10's omnitrix. A purple T logo appeared on screen for a few seconds before going black again. Then the calibrating showed up in blue with a little line going across the screen. When it reached the end it said 'Calibration Complete' and displayed some numbers on screen.

56 years, 7 months, 32 days.

Henric swiped left and the year and months disappeared, now displaying 32 days, 18 hours, 44 minutes. This was it. The bracelet wouldn't have worked if he was human. This is probably what Rick wanted him to see.

This means nothing I know, nothing I remember, is real. My dad isn't my dad, he's Rick's, the real Henric. Which makes me a fake. But how can I be fake? Rick said he didn't know my mother's name, is she fake too? Why would my.. Why would David do this to me? Why would they do this to anyone?

Henric started to cry and tried to yank off the bracelet, but it wouldn't budge.

"Stop trying kid." said a voice behind him. "That ain't coming off until your heart stops beating."