Kade continues to stare at our mini me's.
My eyes dart from Kade's look of hope and wonder, to Kelly and Troy's bewildered expressions; and I know that my face is currently matching theirs.
"I don't get you, Kade – what ability is in this room that could get us down to the core?" I ask.
His finger furiously hits his mouth and he hisses an urgent – 'Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh!' while holding up his cell and tapping into it.
We crowd round his cell screen 'They will listen, communicate via cell, only.'
I tap into mine, 'Remember, Drew's dead, and whatever ability he had, has gone with him?'
Kade tilts his head and lifts a questioning eye while tapping his cell, 'What if someone in this room, shares his ability?' Again, he looks hopefully over at our mini me's.
Troy lights up and thumbs his cell, thrusting it towards us, 'Forgive me being crude, but Drew didn't have a penis.'
When Kade reads this, I see something that I haven't seen in him in a long time – his full beaming smile, which reaches his eyes and lights up his whole face, making him look irresistibly attractive. And although I know it's not the right time, I embrace him and kiss his cheek; it's a quick affirmation that I want to see more of this kind of Kade smile.
Kelly feverishly thumbs her cell, 'Drew was one of many, he was a castrato.'
Kade thrusts his thumb upwards and simultaneously nods his head, whilst speed tapping into his cell, 'And when and why did they castrate Drew and his many peers?'
I have a sudden light bulb moment, or to be precise, a partial light bulb moment, since I'm still partly in the dark as to what Kade is surmising, 'They castrated them at puberty, to maintain their high-pitched soprano voices.'
Kade gives me a thumbs up – and a smile – that lingers – and lingers – prompting me to thumb my cell, 'AND?' I thrust the single word question into his face.
He takes my hand and pulls me toward our mini me's.
Little Kade has his arm protectively around little Thomas, and as we look down on them, I realize that we're mirroring their stance, exactly.
"Are you two feeling ok?" Asks Kade. They both nod a yes, and little Kade says, "But they're feeling us at the moment, we're being examined again," he says, lifting his shirt to reveal the alarming sight of finger compressions moving up and over his tiny torso.
I note they're both standing bolt upright, physically and emotionally supporting one another through this invasive examination. Kade and I exchange glances, and with it there is unspoken communication – we have to save these little innocents from their fate!
Kade gestures over to Troy and Kelly. They join us as Kade types, 'My theory, you ready?'
We nod a collective, 'Yes.'
He holds his cell aloft, and we all read, intently – 'The Surgeon's voice said Drew had the ability to get us to the core. I believe that ability was his high-pitched voice.'
When I look up, questioningly, Kade points back to his cell, with an emphatic, "READ, TAN!"
I continue reading – 'Little Kade and Thomas, have not reached puberty, they will both have the high-pitched falsetto tone to their scream – it's my belief that their combined scream into the C symbol is our route down to the CORE.'
When I look up, I see Troy and Kelly are already at the wall, staring at the C symbol – hopefully.
I look from them to Kade; this time I see a hesitance in his smile as he whispers, "Am I just wishful thinking?" I quickly quash his hesitance with optimism, "It's a really rational theory, let's go put it into practice," I say, pulling him towards the wall.
But he pulls me back and grabs my head, drawing me up close to his face. I can feel the strength in his grasp as he says, "I wish I could wake up with you tomorrow, in a regular bed, in a regular world, make incredible love, then watch a regular movie, still in bed. Is that too much for a regular guy to wish for?"
My heart swells as my head pleads for his wish to come true, "Let's make it happen," I say, with a positive determination.
Kade smiles, but he suddenly replaces it with a frown, "What's up?" I ask.
He looks serious, "Can I change my wish?"
"Sure you can."
"Well not change it, just rearrange it, a little."
"Go ahead."
His smile returns, "I wish we wake up in a regular bed, make incredible love in a regular shower, THEN we go back to bed and watch the movie," he says.
My smile matches his, "I'm sold!"
It's then I notice that Troy and Kelly are having a similar moment to us, "Hey guys, what do you wish for?" I shout over.
Troy answers, "To walk hand in hand, through ordinary park land, on an ordinary day, in the ordinary world," he says, looking at the C icon on the wall, then over at our mini me's, hopefully.
......
There's a sense of calm in this space they call the 'vessel Room.'
Is it the proverbial 'Calm before the storm?' Maybe it is. But we all feel we need time, only moments, not hours before we put Kade's theory into practice and have our mini me's scream into the C.
My truth is, I want this moment, because my fear is that Kade's theory won't work, and I want to delay the dread we'll experience if that's the case.
My fear is, that there will be no storm, and our fate is as The Surgeon said, to remain trapped here, as temporary nannies who are terminated when our services are no longer required.
......
Kade and I wander between the encased women and look at the cloned surgeon's suckling on their mother's breasts, "They're so pure and innocent, it's shocking to think they'll grow into such malevolent and evil souls," says Kade.
"They don't have to," I say, knocking on the plastic casing by one woman's head. Her eyes meet mine, but they show no emotion, just a strange detachment. I look at the baby: S.1 – "If we take control of this facility, we can raise them to be: good, loving, contributing women who will be a positive asset to society," I say.
Kade inhales deeply, "Whoah, I'm not sure I'd want to raise them." He looks down on: S.2 – "But I'm sure we'll be able to find loving, nurturing adoptive parents for them," he stands up, "when we have control of this facility." He walks toward me, "Come on Tan, no more procrastinating, we need to see if my theory's credible or a whole lot of hot air."
I bite the bullet and admit my fear, "Kade, what if it doesn't work, what's our plan B?"
He shrugs his shoulders, "Plan B is what The Surgeon has in store for us," he answers, matter of factly.
......
All four of us are armed. We check each other's suits, ensuring they're sealed tight, with no rogue blips to let in a bullet. I double-check Kade's suit at the point in which the bullet entered Drew. He leans his forehead against mine, "I'm not leaving you Tan, we leave this place together – alive..." I put my hand on his mouth, "Shhhhh, please don't tempt fate," I whisper.
My hand slides from his mouth, down his neck and glides over his chest, coming to rest over his heart. I let it linger there, feeling the rhythm of his beating life. He clasps my hand in his, his nose touching mine, "It's not going to stop, not until I'm a withered up old man and you no longer find me hot," he says, his lips caressing my cheek.
I chuckle quietly, "That's my wish, that we can look back at all this, as wrinkled up old people." Kade pulls away from me, "Let's go and secure our future," he says, walking towards our mini me's.
......
Having spent some time coaching our mini me's on what to do, we are ready.
We stand in formation in front of the C icon. In front: our mini me's, followed by Kade and I, with Troy and Kelly behind us.
Kade instructs our clones, "When we pick you up, we want you to scream and holler with all your power into this icon right here. Then we put you down and you run right back there, you understand," he says, pointing to the far end of the Vessel Room.
When they nod their 'yes' Kade and I each grab our cloned selves under their arms and lift them. The petite fragility of my five-year-old self fills me with sorrow.
"You ready to holler?" Asks Kade, making it seem like a game.
"Yes!" They reply, in excited unison.
"OK – after three. All four of us begin to chant: 1 2 3 – HOLLER!
Their combined screams make us all wince and I feel my eardrums pulse and rattle against the searing invasion of their combined screech.
After what seems like an eternity, their screech falters and we put them down, "Awesome kids, now run back there, we'll be back to get you real soon," says Kade.
As I watch them skip excitedly away, my heart sinks and my dread rises.
Nothing has happened.
The only sound is the low level hum of the apparatus, which imprisons the three woman and their cloned babies.
Kade holds my hand, and in my peripheral vision I see Troy reciprocate this gesture with Kelly.
My eyes circle the quiet space, resting on our mini me's, "Come away Kade, it's dangerous," says my little male self.
Little Kade.2 is peering at something, his head bowed, as little Thomas tugs at him, trying to pull him away.
I drag Kade forward and chant, "Children, step away from that, immediately!"
They comply, scurrying away with a compliant speed.
Kade and I take their place and look down – a hole has opened in the floor of The Vessel room, with four chute like slides encircling it.
Hand in hand, Troy and Kelly approach us, their free hands perched on their weapons. With her feet teetering on the edge of the chasm, Kelly calls it, "Come on, let's crash the core...!"
...The lady will conclude, tomorrow.