DECODE (Book #1)

FIVE

 As Dr. Jessica Bennett returned to the base with Verena, a palpable tension filled the room. The air was heavy with anticipation, and the presence of the clone added an eerie element to the situation.

Everyone was waiting in the lobby with baited breaths; Jessica's presence commanded everyone's attention. I stood by Mahari, as Jessica stood in the middle of the lobby. Verena was standing beside her, smiling at the sea of people.

When I came face to face with Verena for the first time, a shiver ran down my spine. It was like looking into a distorted mirror, a living reflection of myself but with a different name and an unsettling aura of artificiality. The resemblance was uncanny, and the strangeness of it all made my stomach churn.

The room seemed to hold its breath as the encounter unfolded. I tried to maintain composure, but the sight of Verena, a product of the Divine Republic's twisted experiments, was deeply unsettling. It was a confrontation that had the potential to go wrong in so many ways, and I couldn't predict how it would play out.

"Hello, Eden. My name is Verena." Verena extended her hand, smiling brightly at me. I stared at her hand, before unwillingly accepting it.

Verena's voice was an eerie echo of my own as she spoke to me, her words laced with an artificial sweetness that set me on edge. The conversation quickly took a dark turn, and the tension in the room escalated. ".. Hey."

Verena stared at me, with an unsettling smile. I tore my eyes away from her before I got sucked into them forever.

"Are you afraid of me, Eden? You shouldn't be, at least not right now," Verena said with a coy smile. I stood behind Mahari, not wanting her to come any closer.

"Stay back, please." I used Mahari as my security guard, since he didn't seem to mind. I rapidly looked around the room, noticing Seth and Esmeralda watching the cryptic encounter as well.

She taunted and insulted me, using her resemblance to me as a weapon to provoke a reaction. The bitterness and anger that had been simmering beneath the surface for so long began to boil over. It was as if the Divine Republic had created her specifically to torment me, to shatter my composure and force me into submission.

As the exchange continued, it became clear that Verena was not just a pawn in the Divine Republic's plans; she was a weapon, a living embodiment of their control and manipulation. The encounter with her left me shaken and incensed, but it also ignited a determination to resist the darkness that had taken root within our world.

"Alright, alright. Let's calm down. There's much to talk about," Jessica interjected. She gently pulled Verena back to her side. "You see, these clones serve a specific purpose. They are the embodiment of perfection, created to carry out the Divine Republic's commands without question. They're not just duplicates; they're our means to maintain control."

Her words hung heavy in the air, and I couldn't help but feel a chilling sense of foreboding.

"Control? Don't you have enough of that?" I said. Jessica shot me an annoyed glance.

"The clones are tools, instruments of compliance. They are designed to infiltrate, gather information, and act in the interests of the Divine Republic, without any personal attachments or moral qualms."

The room fell into a tense silence as her words sank in. It became chillingly clear that the Divine Republic was using these clones to further its agenda, and that they represented a potent threat to anyone who dared oppose their regime.

I still didn't understand why I was cloned to begin with. I needed to know more. "I don't understand any of this, Jessica. Why was I cloned? What purpose do I serve to you?"