"Hello, my name is Alice Turner, and I'm here for my appointment," I introduced myself.
The clerk at Clone Unlimited Corp gave me a puzzled look and then glanced down at her monitor.
"Oh, yes, right... Ms. Turner? I see you in our schedule, but Dr. Stevenson is not in his office at the moment, and I'm afraid you'll need to wait for a few minutes. Fifteen at most. I apologize for the inconvenience," the clerk replied.
"No problem, I don't mind waiting."
It was clear that she was still processing the situation, which was understandable. My petite stature and youthful appearance didn't reveal my 28 years of age, and my attire--a simple white skirt paired with a light blue sweater--didn't exactly convey a typical affluent appearance. After all, clones were quite costly.
The clerk escorted me to a seating area.
"If you don't mind me asking, what type of clone are you interested in? I can provide you with relevant materials to look at while you wait."
"My appointment is regarding embryos, but I'm also considering acquiring a domestic helper. If you have any literature on both topics, I would greatly appreciate it," I replied.
The brochures provided information about the two types of clones that could be legally manufactured and purchased. The first type was embryos, a modern and reliable alternative to natural childbirth or artificial insemination. You could even choose to carry the embryo to term or have one grown in an incubator. The only downside was that they couldn't yet combine the genes of two parents.
The second type was a fully grown adult clone with heavily restricted mental capabilities, made to be completely obedient and docile through brain alterations during manufacturing, as well as specialized digital implants. These clones were intended to be used as servants or for manual labor and were the far more expensive option.
Hello, Alice! Please come this way," a familiar voice called from across the lobby. Dr. Stevenson turned and marched away before I could respond to his greeting. I followed him to his office, which was on the far side of a short hallway.
"Hello Dr. Stevenson, Thank you for seeing me," I finally greeted him. His charming smile and piercing eyes didn't betray the fact that he suspected what I was going to ask wouldn't be easy. Not that he had any choice.
"Please, take a seat. Sorry about your father. Please accept my condolences, he was a good man and a friend," he gestured towards a chair and sat behind his desk. "So, what can I do for you?"
"Thank you for your kind words, but I'm here to make a request. As you might know, with no other living relatives, my father has left me a large inheritance. I don't need this much money, I make enough on my own, but I would like to order a clone." Dr. Stevenson shifted in his chair, clearly curious about what I had in mind. "What kind of clone are we talking about? Are you looking for an artificial baby? Surely there are plenty of fine guys out there who would be happy to share their life with you... unless you're not into that kind of thing, of course! The law does require a partner even for a clone baby. If you have someone special in your life, I would love to meet them!"
"No, I am single, not that it matters. I'm not looking for a baby, and not even for a housework clone," I continued. Dr. Stevenson's smile slipped for just a second, and his confusion was obvious, but I didn't let him interject. "I'm here for something special, something only you can help me with. I know it's a big ask, but I would like a perfect clone..."
Now, the smile was truly gone, and he looked at me in confusion. "You do realize that what you're asking for is illegal, right? How would you even register such a thing?"
"It will be registered as a home assistant clone. It will have a chip and Neuralock. I just want it to have my level of intelligence and the full scope of memories. It will know not to do anything stupid... it will literally be me. I just don't want it to be an animal." I did my best puppy-eyed face at the doctor. He was visibly uncomfortable; what I was asking for was very illegal.
"I will compensate you very well, of course, and if it's ever discovered, I will bear full responsibility. You will claim that it was a process error, that brain functions were not adjusted properly, and I will say that it was my decision not to inform you about it as soon as it became evident."
This was a mistake, Dr. Stevenson's cheeks flushed red, and he stood up from his chair. "You would have me betray your father like this? Take his money and lie, leaving his daughter to face the consequences?"
"No, no, nothing like that. It will not come to that. I have already arranged for a lot of preventive measures. I have prepared geofence markers around my property, as well as cameras to warn about any visitors. The clone will never leave and will never be seen without triggering Neuralock and reducing its brain function to an appropriate level or rendering the clone unconscious. You have nothing to worry about. And about the money... You can consider it my father's final investment in your business. Name any price! I will do it. But please make it the way I want. If not for my sake, then for its own. In its place I wouldn't want to be a dumb animal, even if I were merely someone's servant."
Despite his outrage, I knew that he could not resist the money I was offering. He wasn't greedy, but he has been too complacent with his business for a while now. His only competitor in the city managed to take a big portion of the pie by being more agile and now more technologically advanced. New regulations made it mandatory to limit clones more reliably, and if he did not invest in the latest neural manipulation equipment today, he would be out of business tomorrow.
"All right, I'll do it," he sighed. "But I will make myself a second remote for the Neuralock. If I catch any wind of it being compromised, I will disable it and take it back for adjustment." Sweat on his brow and shifting eyes betrayed his discomfort, but he reached into a drawer and pulled out some paperwork. "Shall we begin?"
A few months had passed since my visit to the Clone Unlimited Corp office, but it was finally here! My long-awaited package had arrived at the house I inherited from my father. A large unmarked box was delivered by an unremarkable truck, clones were still a sensitive topic, after all. When I signed for it, the delivery person left the box in the middle of my living room.
I carefully laid the box down and removed the lid to reveal another box with a code-protected door and a small closed compartment on the front of the door with big clear writing that read, "OPEN FIRST." Inside the compartment was a manual, a smartphone-like remote, and a charger for the remote. Once again, the manual had "READ ME FIRST" in large, bold, red letters on it.
I popped the manual open. It contained a lot of information regarding regulations and proper clone treatment, a startup guide that informed me that my clone was currently in an artificial coma-like state, and which steps I needed to take before waking it. Finally, there was the code for the big door.
The startup guide instructed me to place my clone in a quiet, dark place for the wake-up process as it would be very sensitive and confused after coming out of a coma. A mixture of drugs would be delivered to put it in deep sleep for another eight hours to get it fully lucid and functional upon waking up.
I initially planned to place it in the basement for the process. Unfortunately, the box was way too big and heavy for me to safely carry down the stairs, so I wheeled it to the bathroom. I punched in the code, and as the door opened, there she was, my perfect copy.
Before me lay a woman in her late twenties, slightly below average height, with a slender, well-proportioned figure, perhaps a little chubby in the hips. Her hair was a soft ashen blond, reaching a bit below her shoulders. She had firm but naturally proportioned breasts--not too large, but definitely not flat. Her delicate facial features, dark lashes and arched eyebrows looked serene in her deep slumber.
She looked both familiar and slightly strange. I was used to seeing myself in the mirror, but reflections are always inverted, so my clone being the right way around was a bit disconcerting. Nevertheless, I turned on the remote, punched in the passcode, and initiated the wake-up sequence. As indicators on the box lit up, confirming that everything was as it should be, I turned off the lights and closed the bathroom door.
