now . . .”
“Now what?”
“You’re right to think he could have spent the last year recovering. Maybe he had a broken back or neck or something. Arthur Travista has proved he is capable of fixing just about anything.”
I glance askance at him. I can tell from his tone that he does not believe this theory. “You do not think so?”
He meets my gaze. “I think Travista cloned him.”
CHAPTER 13
I can no longer walk.
Why . . . why . . . why would they do that?
I bend and brace myself on my knees. The world seems to have gone utterly silent save the sound of the wind through the trees and my heartbeat pounding through my ears.
Declan a clone? To what end? Cloning was supposed to be a means to end infertility, not make a man like Declan Burke immortal.
“How can you be sure?” I ask, watching loose dirt swirl in the wind at my feet.
Noah stabs the ground with his stick. “You said he was dead, and I’ve always trusted your instincts.”
I straighten and meet his eyes. “You have to base this on more than my word.”
He casts his gaze down the trail. “All right. Clones are really thin after they’re brought to life, and Burke looks thin to me. To reach his current level of fitness, I assume it would take at least a year.”
“Maybe he lost weight because of his recovery time from a serious injury.”
“So explain why he’s been in hiding this entire time. Why make the world believe he was kidnapped if he was only injured?”
“A matter of pride?”
“If it was that bad, why not use the opportunity to show off more of Travista’s lifesaving skills? Imagine the press they’d get.”
I have to walk and think. Everything he says makes sense, and I would not put it past Dr. Travista. Declan Burke is the only man who has given him enough funding
and freedom
to play God.
Noah strolls up beside me, closer than he was before. He has given up his stick. “There’s more.”
My stomach rolls. “Do I want to hear this?”
“Rumor has it Burke was sterile.”
I trip to a stop and he grabs my arm to steady me. “I do not believe that.”
He tilts his head. “Last I heard you are as fertile as they come, yet somehow, you managed to escape pregnancy.”
“I avoided—” I cut off short from telling him how I planned our sex life around my fertile days to prevent pregnancy. I nearly had it down to a science. “You are wrong. I witnessed his disappointment every month. If he were sterile—”
“Then Travista would have been experimenting on ways to reverse it. Burke may have been forced into the last resort: cloning.”
I turn and walk away from him, my heart thundering in my chest. If this is true, then no one is safe. Not even men.
“You think the idea of Burke being a clone is crazy?” he asks, catching up to me.
“Yes. Crazy because you have to be right. It is the only thing that makes sense.”
Noah tucks his hands in his pockets and looks out into the forest. Wind flutters through his hair. “Only problem will be proving it at this point.”
“Why does it matter? It is not as if the world will think less of him.”
He stops. “Clones have no rights, Emma. He’d lose his company.”
An icy chill winds up my core. “What do you mean ‘clones have no rights’?”
“Think about it. The only clones being created are female. Why would the government rush to give basic human rights to the female population when they could have full control over them? They wouldn’t. And there’s no need to clone men.”
“Well, clearly there is if cloning cures sterility.”
“We live in a world where men outnumber women. I wouldn’t call that a need.”
“But if Dr. Travista were to offer this option to men, the government would go directly into talks about establishing their rights, yes?”
“Probably. Eventually, powerful men will see other benefits. If Burke can circumvent death, so can they. But for now, no one’s even asking questions. It’s so early in the game,
“Now what?”
“You’re right to think he could have spent the last year recovering. Maybe he had a broken back or neck or something. Arthur Travista has proved he is capable of fixing just about anything.”
I glance askance at him. I can tell from his tone that he does not believe this theory. “You do not think so?”
He meets my gaze. “I think Travista cloned him.”
CHAPTER 13
I can no longer walk.
Why . . . why . . . why would they do that?
I bend and brace myself on my knees. The world seems to have gone utterly silent save the sound of the wind through the trees and my heartbeat pounding through my ears.
Declan a clone? To what end? Cloning was supposed to be a means to end infertility, not make a man like Declan Burke immortal.
“How can you be sure?” I ask, watching loose dirt swirl in the wind at my feet.
Noah stabs the ground with his stick. “You said he was dead, and I’ve always trusted your instincts.”
I straighten and meet his eyes. “You have to base this on more than my word.”
He casts his gaze down the trail. “All right. Clones are really thin after they’re brought to life, and Burke looks thin to me. To reach his current level of fitness, I assume it would take at least a year.”
“Maybe he lost weight because of his recovery time from a serious injury.”
“So explain why he’s been in hiding this entire time. Why make the world believe he was kidnapped if he was only injured?”
“A matter of pride?”
“If it was that bad, why not use the opportunity to show off more of Travista’s lifesaving skills? Imagine the press they’d get.”
I have to walk and think. Everything he says makes sense, and I would not put it past Dr. Travista. Declan Burke is the only man who has given him enough funding
and freedom
to play God.
Noah strolls up beside me, closer than he was before. He has given up his stick. “There’s more.”
My stomach rolls. “Do I want to hear this?”
“Rumor has it Burke was sterile.”
I trip to a stop and he grabs my arm to steady me. “I do not believe that.”
He tilts his head. “Last I heard you are as fertile as they come, yet somehow, you managed to escape pregnancy.”
“I avoided—” I cut off short from telling him how I planned our sex life around my fertile days to prevent pregnancy. I nearly had it down to a science. “You are wrong. I witnessed his disappointment every month. If he were sterile—”
“Then Travista would have been experimenting on ways to reverse it. Burke may have been forced into the last resort: cloning.”
I turn and walk away from him, my heart thundering in my chest. If this is true, then no one is safe. Not even men.
“You think the idea of Burke being a clone is crazy?” he asks, catching up to me.
“Yes. Crazy because you have to be right. It is the only thing that makes sense.”
Noah tucks his hands in his pockets and looks out into the forest. Wind flutters through his hair. “Only problem will be proving it at this point.”
“Why does it matter? It is not as if the world will think less of him.”
He stops. “Clones have no rights, Emma. He’d lose his company.”
An icy chill winds up my core. “What do you mean ‘clones have no rights’?”
“Think about it. The only clones being created are female. Why would the government rush to give basic human rights to the female population when they could have full control over them? They wouldn’t. And there’s no need to clone men.”
“Well, clearly there is if cloning cures sterility.”
“We live in a world where men outnumber women. I wouldn’t call that a need.”
“But if Dr. Travista were to offer this option to men, the government would go directly into talks about establishing their rights, yes?”
“Probably. Eventually, powerful men will see other benefits. If Burke can circumvent death, so can they. But for now, no one’s even asking questions. It’s so early in the game,
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