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  It may or may not be feasible, but my plan is to inveigle myself into the inner circle of Dyad. Leekie seems impressed with how I’ve handled Sarah, and Rachel seems to have a type, which I can emulate with relative ease.

  My next report will come in 24 hours.

  —Major P. Dierden

  Arts Toronto

  AN INTERVIEW WITH FELIX DAWKINS

  Up-and-Coming Artist Hitting Big with New Exhibit

  By Howard Frank

  Felix Dawkins is the hottest new voice on the art scene downtown, and his new exhibit, Visions of Judgment, opened to great acclaim at the Mehu Gallery last Friday. I had the opportunity to sit down with “Fee,” as his friends call him, during the opening and chat about life, the universe, and everything.

  ARTS TORONTO: So Why Visions of Judgment?

  FELIX DAWKINS: One of the constants of life as an artist, life as a gay man, and life as an orphan is that people are always sitting in judgment. “Oh, you’re an artist, are you? Does that mean you’re starving?” “Oh, you’re gay, are you? That must be complicated—have you ever considered being straight?” “Oh, you’re an orphan, are you? That must have been hard for you.”

  AT: So your art deals with the issue of judgment?

  FD: Not just judgment, but people being judgmental. People are terribly judgmental, and it gets rather tiresome. So the set of collages here [at the Mehu] represent people being judgmental. And what might happen to them.

  AT: I noticed that the centerpiece is an image of four people standing over a first-aid kit. Is that meant to be a statement on AIDS?

  FD: Yes, because I’m Keith Haring and it’s 1989. No, to be fair, that’s a valid interpretation, I suppose, because art is supposed to be open to interpretation and all that s--t, but the truth of the matter is that it’s about the difficulty in accessing medical care. More of an issue in the States than it is here or back home.

  AT: Yes, I did notice the accent. You’re from London?

  FD: I’m from everywhere, darling. No, seriously, I am from London, though I came to Canada as a child.

  AT: Anything in particular that drew you to our fair city?

  FD: The weather, obviously.

  AT: Yeah, Toronto is one of the few places that’s a step up from London weather. How do you think your art speaks to the patrons of the gallery?

  FD: Well, honestly, Howard, the words I want my art to speak are “Buy me, I would look amazing in your living room over the couch.” But I’ll settle for making people think.

  AT: So much for the myth of the starving artist.

  FD: Oh, darling, a starving artist is merely an artist who is unsuccessful. And the sooner artists learn that, the better off they’ll be. You think Michelangelo wasn’t recompensed for the Sistine Chapel ceiling? Trust me, the church shelled out good money for that. Those people who posed for Rembrandt didn’t simply sit for him for the hell of it, they paid for the privilege. Now, don’t get me wrong, I would still paint even if I made no money off of it. The Muse is very real, and she’s quite the fickle bitch.

  AT: I suppose it must be difficult, since we don’t have the same kind of wealthy patronage they had in the Middle Ages.

  FD: No, but we also have indoor plumbing and good dental care, so I’ll take the trade. And I do have some alternate streams of income, and I have a simply superb deal on my flat.

  AT: Any final words for our readers?

  FD: Oh, must I? I much prefer to go out gloating about my flat.

  AT: Fair enough.

  Visions of Judgment will run at the Mehu Gallery in Toronto until the end of the month.

  -Sarah’s foster brother (adopted)

  -Aware of Leda clones

  -Felix is a rather creative artist.

  -Held a fake funeral for Sarah to throw off her abusive ex-boyfriend and try to help her start over.

  From the diary of Dr. Delphine Cormier, Toronto

  I am lost. I do not know what to do.

  I am torn. It has only been a short while, but Cosima has come to mean far more to me than I can admit to anyone. We have slept together. It was glorious, magnificent, joyous—incroyable. Cosima loves her partner in sex with the same passion, the same giddiness, with which she loves science. It is remarkable.

  I have learned so much about myself—not just because I slept with Cosima, but because of how I followed Aldous’s instructions.

  Aldous . . .

  He has revealed himself to be nothing more than a manipulator, false smile covering a serpent’s tongue.

  Ah, me, I cannot bear this.

  We have learned that Dyad has trademarked the genome for all of the genetic identicals. They, in essence, own Cosima and all of the others. I have also learned that Cosima is indeed in touch with others—and that one of the clones has reproduced! I kept the truth of Sarah Manning’s daughter from Aldous, but I fear my silence will only delay the inevitable.

  I fear how Cosima will react when she learns that I have betrayed her. And it is “when” she so learns, because I fear I will be unable to keep the truth from her for long.

  DYAD INSTITUTE

  OFFICIAL MEMO

  * * *

  SENT TO: Doctor Aldous Leekie

  SENT FROM: Rachel Duncan

  SUBJECT: Sarah Manning

  Your performance with regard to the self-aware Leda clone, or, rather, non-Leda clone, since she somehow managed to escape the project-has been severely lacking. In addition, the monitor you placed with 324b21 failed to disclose the fact that Manning is fertile!

  At this stage it would be best to bring Manning in. She is a grifter and a criminal, and we can offer her protection from the police.

  Execute this plan immediately, please, Aldous. Fix your mess.

  DYAD INSTITUTE

  OFFICIAL MEMO

  * * *

  SENT TO: Rachel Duncan

  SENT FROM: Dr. Aldous Leekie

  SUBJECT: Sarah Manning

  It should be pointed out, Rachel, that I was the one who discovered that there even WAS a new PLGI who had taken the place of 317b31 when I examined the results of her latest tests.

  It is becoming increasingly apparent that the monitor that YOU placed with 317b31 figured out that Miss Manning had replaced his charge. Also, while I admit that Delphine’s nondisclosure of little Kira’s existence is troubling, she has also provided us with considerable intel regarding 324b21 and the other self-aware PLGIs and how much they know about each other, a security breach that appears to trace back to the European branch, which is hardly my fault.

  I will, of course, do as you instruct and start the process of bringing Miss Manning in.

  From the diary of Dr. Delphine Cormier, Dyad Institute

  Aldous is dead.

  I have so much to say, yet I have nothing to say. Everything has become topsy-turvy, and I no longer know who to trust and who to believe.

  Ce n’est pas vrai. I can trust Cosima. But no one else.

  Not even myself.

  There is good news. Cosima is now working with me at Dyad, and we are fighting to find a way to reverse the autoimmune disorder that is ravaging her and has already killed more than one of the genetic identicals.

  She does not trust me—she even changed the lock on her lab so I would be denied entrance—but at least we are working toward saving her.

  I have learned that Rachel Duncan, another officer in Dyad, is, in fact, one of the so-called “clone club,” as Cosima has sometimes referred to her sisters.

  And Aldous is dead.

  Rachel told me that he perished of a heart attack, a story I do not—cannot—believe. Dyad’s power structure is a nest of vipers, and I fear I will be bitten by them before long.

  I cannot sort my feelings on Aldous. We shared a great deal, he and I, but I can no longer sort the public persona with the private man with the head of Neolution. They are all the same, yet they are all different. The public persona is engaging, charismatic, brilliant, yet utterly focused on the person
to whom he was talking, making you feel as if you are the only one in the room. The private man is passionate, romantic, caring, receptive. And the head of Neolution, the officer of Dyad, is cold, calculating, ruthless.

  Ah, look at me speaking of him in the present tense. I still do not entirely believe that he is dead, though reports of his alleged heart attack have made the news services. There is an entire online channel devoted to testimonials on his life from Neolution supplicants.

  No, il est morte. I must accept that. What I will not accept is Rachel’s version of reality. I need Cosima. I must go to her now and beg her to let me back in. Divided, we will both be destroyed by Dyad’s machinations. Together, we stand a chance.

  TOPSIDE

  TO: Board of Directors

  FROM: Ferdinand Chevalier

  RE: Siobhan Sadler

  It has come to my attention that the self-aware Ledas have a secret weapon, and her name is Siobhan Sadler.

  The file on Sadler is very small, and only recently begun but primarily relates to her being Sarah Manning’s foster mother. That alone bespeaks how powerful an enemy she is to Topside and Dyad.

  Sadler is part of the resistance that smuggled Amelia away from Topside and raised one of the twins as her foster daughter. It is because of her actions that Manning and her sister, Helena, were able to grow up away from us, the former under her care, the latter under the Proletheans and their filthy propaganda. Sadler also took care of Manning’s daughter, Kira, the only known offspring of a Leda, on and off for the last 8 years.

  Because of Sadler, the entire project has been thrown into disarray. Much of the disruption that we have credited to Manning could quite easily be attributed to Sadler. In addition, she is the one who hid Ethan Duncan from us.

  It is my recommendation that we consider Sadler for termination. She has been a thorn in our side for three decades, and until recently, we didn’t even know she existed. She is a threat that must be contained, if not eliminated.

  -Siobhan’s house is a haven for Sarah and Felix and Kira—but also a vulnerability.

  -There is also a safe house, which even I do not know the location of, but this house has already been attacked more than once.

  From the diary of Dr. Delphine Cormier, Dyad Institute

  Until I said the words, I did not believe I would have the courage to say them.

  But I told Cosima.

  Je t’aime.

  And said she loved me as well.

  Of course, we were both high. On the day we met, Cosima promised to get me high as the proverbial kite, and last evening, she succeeded very admirably in keeping that promise. We inhaled helium balloons, we smoked a great deal, we might also have drunk some alcohol, I honestly can no longer recall. All I am sure of is that I love her and she loves me. The rest is of no consequence. We do not know what will happen next. She does not trust me, and she knows what I have done. But she loves me, and together, we shall fight for her life.

  Yesterday, Rachel made me the interim director, taking Aldous’s old position. I accepted reluctantly—I do not have Aldous’s skills with being the public face of Dyad or of Neolution—but it puts me in a good position to help Cosima. Rachel says that my dedication to helping Cosima will help all the clones, including Rachel herself. I want to believe that her desire is to aid all of her sisters, but I cannot believe that any more than I can believe that Aldous died of a heart attack.

  Today Ethan Duncan arrives. I have a sore throat from inhaling helium, a terrible headache from what I may only assume is the alcohol, and a crick in my neck, no doubt because I slept on it wrong. I also do not care. Dr. Duncan is one of the two people responsible for creating Cosima and the others, and he may hold the key to curing her at last. Cosima and I have declared our love for each other despite everything we have been through. For the first time since Aldous died—non, for the first time since I met Cosima and realized that I would have to either betray her or betray Dyad—I have allowed myself to feel optimism.

  KIRA MANNING

  TOPSIDE

  TO: Board of Directors

  FROM: Marion Bowles

  RE: Sarah Manning

  I have observed the progress of Project Leda with growing alarm. After the security breach that led to the Helsinki purge, we had all hoped that Dyad could keep a lid on the project and prevent so extreme a situation as that.

  I fear, however, that we are on the brink of another Helsinki-style disaster. But we can learn from the mistakes of Helsinki and proceed with more caution. I certainly believe that the option of eliminating the newly self-aware Leda clones Cosima Niehaus and Alison Hendrix would be irresponsible.

  Rachel Duncan’s endeavor to instead bring the self-aware clones into the fold, as it were, is to be commended. In particular, Niehaus may now stand the best chance of finally eliminating the autoimmune disorder that has already claimed far too many Leda clones.

  The X factor in all this, however, is Sarah Manning and, to a lesser extent, her twin, Helena, though she is currently with the Proletheans and therefore not a threat. Manning, however, has proven to be quite able. She is a talented con artist, one who managed to easily insert herself into the life of Elizabeth Childs. Were it not for the distinctive markers in each Leda clone’s DNA, we would never have known that Childs had even been replaced.

  In addition, Manning’s daughter is a gold mine. First of all, there’s the fact that Manning has a daughter. The Leda clones were supposed to be infertile, but it seems that Manning has the ability to reproduce. The child herself is a treasure trove of useful genetics, the first offspring of a Leda clone, and it behooves us to learn more about her.

  However, little Kira is also expertly protected by Manning. She has done a superlative job of controlling every situation her daughter has been in. I realize that the Leda clones were bred to cultivate a level of excellence, but still, it boggles the mind that a grifter with no visible means of support, who probably wouldn’t have anywhere to sleep if it weren’t for her foster family, has somehow managed to control every interaction she’s had with Neolution, Dyad, and Topside. Whenever she appears to have her back against the wall, whenever we seem to have the upper hand, she slips away.

  Some among you may view her as more trouble than she is worth, but I disagree. Manning is far too valuable to lose. Besides the obvious— her ability to procreate—her skills are ones we should be exploiting for our own benefit rather than struggling against them.

  I intend to observe the situation with Manning more closely, as well as Rachel’s reactions to her. Leekie’s bungling of the affair should be an object lesson to us all, and Rachel is giving lip service to the goal of doing better by the project than the late, unlamented Aldous. However, she has a particular animus toward Manning, no doubt at least in part out of envy of her ability to reproduce. Either way, the resentment Rachel feels is something she, as a professional, should be able to work past. If she cannot, then actions will have to be taken.

  I also approve of Rachel’s hiring of Dr. Delphine Cormier to replace Aldous. Her relationship with the self-aware Leda clones in general and Niehaus in particular will prove an invaluable asset.

  The upshot of all this is that it is my strong recommendation that we continue on course with integrating the self-aware Leda clones into the program. It has worked for Rachel, and I believe it can work for Niehaus and Hendrix and even Manning, if we’re careful.

  DYAD INSTITUTE

  Morrison, Calvin

  PERSONNEL FILE

  DOB: 07-11-1981

  HEIGHT: 6’

  WEIGHT: 175 lbs.

  OCCUPATION: Former tech engineer, currently living off grind, location unknown.

  Surveillance has managed to obtain photos of Kira Manning with this person. Facial recognition identifies him as Calvin Morrison, though that search only bore fruit after a lengthy online deep dive. The hit was paperwork on a weapons contract with the United States Navy.

  As near as we can determine, Morrison wa
s a weapons designer of some sort who did contract work for the Navy, as well as the Air Force. It’s unclear if he was independent or working for a company, as Morrison has no online footprint worth mentioning. That’s only really possible in this day and age for someone who lives completely off the grid—but that’s impossible for anyone doing government work, which means he also has skills in hiding his tracks. Or has sufficient funds to hire someone to do it for him.

  Based on the behavior observed during surveillance, it’s safe to say that he is Kira’s biological father, or at least believes he is. His clothes, grooming, and general demeanor bespeak someone with wealth—or at least who has enough money to dictate his own comfort—so it’s possible that he is one of Sarah Manning’s former marks. Needless to say, his presence further complicates any attempts we might make to obtain Kira Manning for study; such attempts would already be incredibly difficult thanks to her mother’s stubbornness and talent at hiding.

  * * *

  WILMUT-CAMPBELL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

  FROM THE DESK OF DR. RAFI GREGORIAN

  Memo to Dr. Emily Pak, Hospital Administrator:

  I have just had the most extraordinary patient in the ER. It seemed like a routine car crash. The victim is named Kira Manning, she’s eight years old, and she came in with enough blunt-force trauma to kill a person, particularly one of her size.

  I swear, Em, I could feel the broken ribs when we moved her from the gurney to the bed, but the X-rays and then me actually feeling her ribs a few minutes later showed no broken bones. She had a deep enough head wound that I was sure there’d be a hematoma, but the ultrasound showed no evidence of swelling, no internal bleeding at all.