The Killing Clone
by
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Stephanie’s pulse began to race as she heard the outside lab door open. Her internal clock was telling her that it was 7:20 a.m. She knew Dr. Terrance was coming; she could smell his cheap cologne through the ventilation system before he even opened the inner-lab door. Stephanie’s stomach acids reacted to the sound of the lab door opening. She knew Dr. Terrance was bringing her breakfast, as he always did. Stephanie tried to contain herself, but her mouth was already salivating. She excitedly paced about the room wondering what delectables would be in the brown bag this morning.
Dr. Terrance sauntered into the lab sporting a grin that resembled a cat that swallowed a canary. His dried-out smile stuck to his tobacco-stained teeth in the upper right corner of his mouth. Stephanie grew more excited with anticipation because she knew this was not his normal greeting. She smiled, mocking Dr. Terrance with her snowy-white teeth. Stephanie was familiar with Dr. Terrance’s behavior. She sang to herself, "I’m getting a present, I’m getting a present." Just then Dr. Terrance flung from behind his back a box wrapped in flowered paper and a big yellow bow. Unable to control herself any longer, Stephanie snatched the box from Dr. Terrance and ripped the flowered paper. It only took a second to unwrap before Stephanie was viewing the contents of the package.
She was surprised, as she was every year on that day, because Dr. Terrance did not keep a calendar in the primate lab. It was Stephanie’s twenty-sixth birthday.
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About the Book
With modern technology and brilliant scientific minds, the idea of cloning a human being is now a reality. If sheep and monkeys can be cloned, what is stopping scientists from cloning humans? If your answer to this question would be morals, think again. Everyone wants to get recognized for their accomplishments, if not for the simple reason of satisfying our own egos.
Many potential organ recipients wait patiently for that lifesaving organ. But because of the long line of potential recipients, small number of donors and large price tags associated with the organ transplant, an overwhelming number of these potential recipients die. The people who are lucky enough to receive organ transplants are still at risk of their body rejecting this foreign organ.
However, if the organ is cloned and the defective gene pinpointed and replaced with a healthy gene through genetic engineering, thereby creating a perfectly healthy organ within a reasonable time frame, there would be no chance of the body rejecting this organ.
Cloning is a reality, and the possibilities are endless, both good and bad.
The expression "the evil twin" comes to life when the lives of two people are created from one. Imagine having an identical twin who looks exactly like you, but you have no idea that she even exists. Modern technology, genetic engineering and a dysfunctional environment lure one of these individuals to kill. Out of jealousy, the clone seeks revenge on her cell donor.
The cell donor, Stevie, was born in 1966, in Akron, Ohio. Prior to her birth, her family experienced a tragedy with the loss of their son, at age six. The young boy gave up his life to a liver disease called Caroli Disease, which is an enlarged liver due to cysts and dilatation of the bile ducts which secrete alkaline fluid which aids in the absorption of fats in the liver.
By the age of two, Stevie started to experience high fevers, stomach pains and vomiting, which was originally diagnosed as a common flu. When the symptoms persisted, she, too, was diagnosed with Caroli Disease. The diseased gene was suspected to be passed down from both her mother and her father.
Stevie’s mother, Rachael, attended night school at Medley University to get her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. It was at the University where Rachael met Dr. Bradley Terrance. Dr. Terrance was head of the Biomedical Science Department.
It was after the loss of Stevie’s brother and directly after Stevie’s diagnosis that Rachael was first introduced to the idea of cloning through Dr. Terrance. Dr. Terrance proved to Rachael that he had successfully cloned a chimpanzee named Martha using cells from an embryo. He explained to her, that with genetic engineering, he would be able to locate and eliminate the defective gene that caused Caroli Disease and inject, in its place, a healthy gene, therefore, creating a perfectly normal, healthy liver.
Rachael agreed to let Dr. Terrance clone her last remaining child. Rather than cloning just the liver, Dr. Terrance convinced her that it would be more practical to clone the entire body for spare parts in the event that another organ would malfunction during the transplantation process.
Less than a year later, the liver transplant was performed, and the baby liver donor was left to expire. At least this was what Dr. Terrance led Rachael to believe.
The baby liver donor was saved by Dr. Terrance by replacing her empty liver cavity with a primate liver. Dr. Terrance raised the clone in his lab at the University. He named her Stephanie. The wife of Dr. Terrance was the only person who knew of Stephanie’s existence. Because Dr. Terrance’s time was limited and split between Stephanie and his wife, there was a rivalry between the two females.
Dr. Terrance kept Stephanie sheltered from the world and locked behind a high security door in the lab. Stephanie had three other roommates within the small lab. Her roommates were three screaming, extremely violent primates.
Stephanie longed to be free but was told by Dr. Terrance that her liver would malfunction if she were to ever leave the sterile environment that the lab supposedly provided.
Stephanie had access to the Internet, as well as being educated by Dr. Terrance. She began questioning Dr. Terrance’s motives to keep her confined. Once she realized that she had been lied to for the past 26 years, she killed Dr. Terrance for deceiving her.
Prior to Dr. Terrance’s death, he told Stephanie that she was a clone and explained to her the reason why she was cloned.
After Dr. Terrance’s death, Stephanie accessed his records to locate Stevie with a plan to make her suffer for the misery that she had sustained throughout her life. Stephanie was a very devious and resourceful woman. Her vengeance and jealousy fueled her persistence.
At the time of Dr. Terrance’s death, Stevie was living in Spencer, Iowa, as a psychiatrist at a local hospital. After two years of searching, Stephanie located Stevie and began brutally killing her psychiatric patients with a plan to frame Stevie. Due to the fact that Stephanie was raised around primates, after she killed, she left a calling card which she picked up from one of the monkeys that despised her.
The two women were identical down to their fingerprints. Stephanie’s plan worked, and the town turned against Stevie, which put her on the run. The only way that Stevie could clear her name was to stay hidden from the law until Stephanie was caught. But, in the meantime, Stephanie continued to kill and to avoid being apprehended.
Both Stephanie and Stevie ran from the law, only to be forced into a deadly confrontation with each other.
This is a science-fiction novel which borderlines reality. The possibilities of cloning another human being are real. The question is, are we ready for a "Stephanie"?
About the Author
Dawn Stoner was encouraged to try writing fiction novels by her family and friends because of her unique style of writing. As a child, she was able to describe in detail her horrifying nightmares that were drummed up by her imagination. She now uses a combination of her creative imagination and a story line that borders on reality to heighten the reader’s awareness that the fictitious story has the possibility of coming true in the future. Although this is her first novel, she hopes that it will not be her last. She has already begun working on her next novel called Parished.