Zenith (4) (The Underground Kingdom) Read online

  "And I love you, too," Tracy declared. "There, I've said it! Now, how do you feel?"

  I looked at them both and had to swallow a lump in my throat. They were both so beautiful. And so loving. I didn't deserve either of them.

  – Well, there you have it, chief. What's your plan?

  ‘Plan? I don't have a plan! Who could possibly plan for something like this?’

  – You have to do something. Anything, really. You can’t let this situation continue.

  ‘I know, I know. But what am I going to do? Help me out here!’

  – Hell, I don't know! If I knew the answer, you’d know it as well. Maybe you could try the threesome?

  ‘No, it wouldn't work. I have a gut feeling about that.’

  – Okay, Mister Picky. What do you suggest then?

  ‘That's the problem. I don’t have a suggestion. I was relying on you.’

  – Bad call there, chief. I've got nothing.

  ‘Well, you’ve been a great help! Thanks so much.’

  – Anytime.

  "First of all, let me say that I’m honored beyond words that you feel this way about me," I sincerely told them both. "I never thought such a thing would happen to me and I’m at somewhat of a loss to know which way to go. The problem is …….., " I hesitated at this stage, choosing my next words with the utmost care, " ….. the problem is that I care for the both of you equally. I didn't mean for it to happen that way, but it has. Tracey, you're beautiful beyond words and your loving nature makes you an ideal partner. I'd like nothing more than to be with you, but then that's where everything goes wrong because …… " I then turned to Thorn, looked into her eyes, and said, " …… because Thorn, sweetheart, I love you, as well. You're brave and noble and an inspiration to me. Life with you would be so interesting and I wish I could have the opportunity to experience it, but ……. " I shook my head sadly. "This isn't going to work," I announced, pessimistically. "We have to come to some decision about all of this, but I just can't see an answer right now."

  “Do you want me to be here for this?” Trix asked, hesitantly. “It’s all rather personal between you all.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Tracey exclaimed. “You’re part of this family. You’re my daughter, after all, in name if not in fact. Of course we want you here. It concerns you as well.”

  "I appreciate you saying that,” Trix thanked Tracey. “Well, if nobody can see a way out, then I can," Trix proclaimed. "I can't see the difficulty. Stephen could just move in here with us. Zenith and I wouldn't mind in the least. That way we’d all be happy."

  "Oh, baby," Tracey gushed, embracing Trix, "you see things in such a simple light. It's certainly one solution, but I think that Arugohumna and I would end up fighting all the time. More than we do now, that is. It’d be chaos! We’re simply not emotionally equipped to share."

  "My sister is right, you know," Thorn agreed. "It wouldn't last and I'd hate to spoil everything by constant recriminations and spiteful words. And think of poor Stephen in the middle of all that. It doesn't bear thinking about. The three of us would be fine for a little while but inevitably it'd break down with a lot of bad feelings on all sides." She affectionately rubbed Trix’s head. "It's a great idea, honey," she commiserated, "and I wish it would work, I really do, but it's impractical."

  "What are you going to do then?" Trix asked, exasperated. "Are you just going to give up? I want us all to be together. The three of you are the only family I've ever known. I admit I’m being selfish, but couldn't you work something out? For my sake, if not for your own?"

  "My dearest wish is to see you happy, little one,” Tracey told Trix. Then she looked wistfully at Thorn. "Perhaps we could at least try being together? For Stephen, I’d certainly be willing to attempt it."

  "It’s tempting," Thorn admitted. "It really is, but it'd be an enormous risk. The three of us? Hmmm, I just don't know. I’ll admit to being frightened of taking that first step. What would we do if it didn't work out? Our lives would never be the same again."

  We all fell silent, entangled in our separate thoughts and emotions. Our reverie was suddenly broken by Phil's appearance.

  "Greetings, everyone!" he chirped, cheerfully. "The door was open so I took the liberty of coming in. I hope you don't mind, but I have some news that may be of interest, especially to Stephen."

  "Come in," invited Tracey, belatedly, "and tell us this interesting news of yours. What have you invented this time?"

  Phil chuckled and rubbed his hands together elatedly. "To borrow one of Stephen’s sayings, this is going to blow your socks off!"

  "Well, tell us, for goodness sake," Thorn snorted. "Is it something to make you scientist types speed up your announcements? I'd gladly pay for that."

  "Temper, temper," Phil admonished, shaking a playful finger at Thorn. "All in good time. This concerns you as well. Well, aren't you going to offer me any refreshments? I have to say that you’re not being very courteous to your guests."

  Tracey giggled, went to the table and poured a cup of tea, while Thorn fidgeted with impatience.

  "Here you are, then," Tracey said, handing over the tea to Phil. "Is there anything else Your Majesty desires?"

  "A few biscuits would be nice," Phil cheekily declared. Tracey laughed and fetched the required refreshments.

  "Now are you going to tell us?" Thorn demanded.

  "You're so impatient, my dear," Phil reprimanded. "Give me a minute or two. I can’t talk through a mouthful of biscuit, you know." We waited as Phil slowly, very slowly, drank his tea and nibbled his biscuit.

  "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I accused. "You're a first class tease."

  "Hey, let me savor the moment," he replied, totally unrepentant. "How often do I become the bearer of good news? No, great news! No, stupendous, incredible, astounding, magnificent news!"

  "All this build-up had better be worth it," Thorn grumbled.

  "Oh, it is, believe me," Phil assured us. "It's an amazing breakthrough and it’s going to have implications for you all."

  "Well, what is it?" Trix demanded, bouncing up and down with excitement. "Is it about me too?"

  "Could be, could be," Phil said, thoughtfully, tapping a fingertip on his chin. "It's certainly going to affect you to some extent, that's for sure."

  "Okay, that's enough!" Thorn insisted, heatedly. "Phillymunna, tell us this instant!"

  Laughing, Phil held up his hands. "Very well," he agreed. "I guess I've dragged this out for as long as I could." He leaned forward in his chair, propped his chin with his hands and declared, "You know how we funnel Stephen’s essence into a clone, right? Well, I've devised a way to put him into two clones at the same time." Then he settled back and blithely awaited our astonished comments. He wasn't disappointed.

  "That's impossible!" Thorn spluttered.

  "Two clones at once?" Tracey gasped. "Phillymunna, you have to be joking!"

  "I don't believe it!" I exclaimed, my mind reeling under the implications. "I'd be in two clones? No, I don't believe it!"

  "That's brilliant!" Trix enthused. "There’ll be two Stephens! One for Arugohumna and one for Traculimna. Problem solved."

  "Now, wait just a minute," I protested. "Phil, what you're suggesting is ludicrous! How can I be in two bodies at once? Will I be half in each, or what? Have you tested this at all? It sounds mentally dangerous, to say the least. There's a psychological condition called schizophrenia where two or more personalities inhabit the one body. Is this going to be something like that?"

  "Okay, slow down everyone," Phil remonstrated, "and I’ll try to answer all your questions. I know it's a bit of a shock, and I suppose I shouldn't have sprung up on you like I did, but I just couldn't resist surprising you. Okay, first of all, I have trialled the process. I experimented on myself."

  "You didn't!" Tracey exclaimed, horrified. " Phillymunna, how could you? What if something had gone wrong?"

  "It didn't," Phil reassured her. "I was so sure of my calculations that I d
idn't hesitate to become the guinea pig. And it worked perfectly."

  "What was it like?" I asked, my curiosity overcoming my incredulity.

  "A very bizarre feeling," Phil answered slowly. "I was totally myself in both bodies. United, but independent. I really can't describe it properly."

  "And you want me to do this?" I questioned.

  "That's entirely up to you, of course," Phil remarked, pulling at his earlobe. "I'm not here to judge the proprietary of your actions. The process works, and that's enough for me. What you do with it is your decision. Think carefully, my boy, before you make up your mind either way. As far as I can tell, there are no side effects, although I can't speak for the long term. I'll leave any choice in your hands."

  What to do? My thoughts were mindlessly spinning in all directions. I examined Phil carefully, but he appeared to be normal enough after his experiment. Outwardly anyway. Split into two bodies? How would that affect my mind? Would I go mad? Could I even cope with such a bizarre dichotomy? Phil still seemed rational, however, so obviously it was possible. For a short time, anyway. But what would be the extended time implications? Would a slow, slithering craziness creep in without my noticing? And anyway, what did Thorn and Tracey think about this absurd situation? If I went ahead, what would it do to them?

  I emerged from my self-imposed meditation to find three pairs of female eyes fastened eagerly on me. One set seemed fascinated, but the other two were pleading for an answer.

  "Well," I asked Thorn and Tracey, "what do you two think? It's madness, right? It's craziness of the first order, isn't it? No one in their right mind would even contemplate this, let alone do it, would they?" I stopped talking, because the pleading eyes were still riveted to my face. "You're not seriously considering this, are you?" I asked, panicking a little. "You can't possibly be thinking about it? Bloody hell, you are, aren't you? You're actually genuinely considering asking me to do it, am I right? You want me to divide myself into two. Are you out of your collective minds?"

  "It could solve our little problem," Tracey coaxed. "With two of you, there'd be no need for fighting or sharing."

  "Yes, but ……"

  "And you can be with Traculimna and myself at same time," Thorn inveigled.

  "That's true, but ……."

  "I'd have a bigger family as well," Trix interrupted.

  "Also true, however, I ……."

  "It'll be a fascinating adventure and you can be one of the first to try it out," enticed Phil, winking at me.

  "That's all very well, but ……"

  "Don't you want to be with me?" Tracey pouted.

  "Of course I do, sweetheart, but ……."

  "And how about me?" Thorn demanded. "This is a chance for us to finally be together. Isn't that what you said?"

  "It's been my dream, you know that, nevertheless ……."

  "You don't seem very pleased with our solution," Tracey pointed out, frowning a little.

  "Don't be silly. It's just that I ……."

  "I think it's the ideal answer," Trix remarked. "We all get what we want."

  "So you say, however ……"

  "He doesn't seem to be able to make up his mind," Thorn remarked to Tracey. "I would have thought he'd only be too happy about this."

  "I am happy. But if I could just ……"

  "Then why aren't you jumping at the chance?" Tracey demanded.

  "Will you all shut up for a minute and let me get a word in!" I bellowed.

  Chapter 22

  A shocked silence followed my words. "Thank you," I said, softly. "Phil, first of all, are you sure this is safe? Absolutely guaranteed?"

  "There's no such thing as ‘guaranteed’ in this business," he answered, uneasily. "You should know that, Stephen. However, taking everything into consideration, and seeing as how I've gone over the calculations numerous times and tested everything I could almost to breaking point, I'd say, unequivocally and positively, ‘maybe’."

  "Maybe?" I questioned disbelievingly with a raised eyebrow. “Did you just say it’s ‘maybe’ safe?"

  Phil chuckled. "Just a little scientific humor there," he announced. "No, honestly, it's as foolproof as I could make it. I firmly believe that nothing will go wrong …… perhaps," he added, with a grin.

  "Your sense of humor needs a drastic overhaul," I told him, sourly. "But it's safe, right?"

  Phil nodded. "Yes," he said, "to the best of my knowledge."

  "That's all I wanted to hear," I told him.

  Having satisfied myself on that score, I turned to Thorn. "And are you sure about this?" I demanded. "It doesn't worry you in the least that I'll be with you and with your sister?"

  Thorn reflected for a few moments. "It'll certainly be a very odd situation," she admitted, "and it will take some getting used to, but I think I could live with it. We’d be together and that's all I've ever wanted. The fact that you're also with Traculimna wouldn't make me jealous. In fact, I know it'd make her happy, and that's all I've ever wanted for her as well. Frankly, Stephen, my love, I can't see any downside to this at all. Not right now, anyway."

  "And what about you, Tracey," I enquired. "What's your view?"

  "I'm with Arugohumna on this one," she affirmed. "I’d be with you and that's all that counts. It'll be weird seeing two of you, but you'd be mine, and the selfish part of me would be satisfied with that, I think. At this stage I can't foresee any major problems, either."

  "Trix?" I questioned.

  She shrugged indifferently. "So, there’d be two Stephens around the house. It might be confusing, but it’s certainly not a worry for me. You'd instantaneously add to my friends, and that's a good thing for someone who hasn't very many of them. You might confuse Zenith, though. He won't know where to look."

  "You're all decided, then?" I asked, wryly. "It's an open and shut case for you, is it? Well, I beg to differ. Have you thought this through enough? For starters, which clones will I be going into?"

  "They'll have to be identical to the one you're in now," Phil answered smoothly. "After all, that's the one that Arugohumna and Traculimna fell in love with."

  "And how are we going to tell them apart?" I wanted to know.

  Phil thought for a moment, and then said, "Well, we can’t change their actual features because they have to look the same, but how about we change the colour of their hair? One could have blonde hair and the other dark. I'll leave it to the girls to decide who wants what."

  "Blonde!" both of them immediately chorused.

  "No, dark!" they synchronised once again, an instant later.

  "Stop it, Traculimna!" Thorn demanded.

  "No, you stop it!" Tracey accused.

  "The usual sisterly consensus, I see," Phil growled, sardonically. "This could go on for hours." He raised his voice to cut through the bickering. "Girls," he said, "why don't you let me decide? We don't have all day, you know."

  "I suppose," Tracey reluctantly agreed.

  "It doesn't really matter anyway," Thorn decided. "We're just fighting for the sake of it."

  "Very well, then," Phil declared. "Traculimna, you have the blonde. Arugohumna, the dark hair is yours. And no arguing," he added sternly as Thorn began to open her mouth.

  "I'm being discussed as if I was a pet," I announced, uneasily. "I have to say all this makes me somewhat uncomfortable."

  "Quite understandable, my boy," Phil sympathised. "But bear in mind that all of this isn't permanent. You'll be doing it only when you're here, and it can be reversed at any time."

  "That certainly makes me feel a lot better," I disclosed, relieved.

  "You know, it suddenly occurs to me that this clone thing of yours almost guarantees immortality," I observed. "When you're getting old, all you have to do is to be transferred into a clone and bingo! A new life!"

  Phil smiled at my ingenuousness. "That might be true," he conceded, "if it was allowed to happen. For one thing, clones are extremely expensive to create and maintain, and that's why we have only a few on
hand at any one time. Secondly, it simply wouldn't be permitted. Everyone has one life to lead, and that's all. How could you possibly decide whom to save? The one who has the most money? The best at sports? Ethically speaking, no choice could be condoned. The clones are there for emergency temporary use only."

  "But it's being done for me?" I questioned, absurdly flattered. "Why?"

  "Because you're special," Phil smiled, gently. "After all, look at what you've done for us so far. You're a celebrity!"

  "I haven't done all that much," I protested, blushing a little. "And anyway, everybody helped."

  "You're unduly modest, my boy," Phil praised, "but you've done amazing things for our community and, because of that, you're being allowed this privilege. Enjoy it while you can. You deserve it."

  I contemplated my position for a few moments. Should I or shouldn't I? Everyone appeared to be in favor of this ……… weird experiment, so why was I hesitating? Phil seemed to think it would work and had given its safety his tick of approval. Thorn and Tracey couldn't wait, and Trix accepted it. My wildest dreams were about to be fulfilled as well. Being with either Thorn or Tracey had been something I'd longed for, and here I had the opportunity to be with them both. Who could ask for anything more? And yet ……. it just didn't seem right. It was going to feel so strange. But then again, how would I know unless I tried it?

  – And how many could say they had the opportunity of two girlfriends!

  ‘Not you again!’

  – Of course it's me. Who were you expecting?

  ‘Someone sensible, for a start.’

  – Oh, so witty! My sides are aching. Well, laugh it up, soon-to-be-bossed-around-in-stereo boyfriend. Who’ll have the last laugh then, eh?

  ‘Don't be so pessimistic. It might all work out.’

  – Yeah, and pigs might perform aerial acrobatics. Wise up to yourself, buddy. There's a good reason why males have only a single girlfriend.

  ‘And that is?’

  – Because it’s all they can stand.

  ‘Shut up. Go away.’

  – Don't say I didn't warn you.