REGENERATION continues with a new adventure by L.J. Singleton:

PART ONE: CLONED AND DANGEROUS

Click Below to go to page of PART NUMBER

PART2   PART3   PART4   PART5   PART6   PART7  PART8  PART9

CHAPTER ONE

     “Varina! Don’t be dead.  Please....”
        The voice jolted me and my eyes flew open.  I saw nothing, only suffocating darkness. My head throbbed and my body was on fire with pain. Somewhere beyond dim walls, came unearthly shrieks and trumpeting noises.  My heart raced with panic.
     Where was I?
     Searching my mind, I found no answers.  But how could that be?  I’d been cloned with an enhanced memory; forgetfulness was not in my DNA.  What had happened?
     I was sitting on a chilly cement floor with my back pressed against a rough wall.  I was in a dank dungeon-like room. An odd musky odor mingled with a heavy floral scent choked me, and I fought the gut impulse to gag.
    Do something, anything, don’t lose control.  But when I attempted to stand, my body was stone.  I tried to move my arms and legs, and metal clanged.  My wrists were shackled in handcuffs and my ankles were bound with coarse rope.  
     I had to be dreaming, one of those nightmares where everything felt real as if I were somewhere else.  Or a mental communication like when I’d emotionally shared an experience with someone else.  This couldn't really be happening.
     My last clear memory was of Friday night when life was looking great.  Eric’s basketball fundraiser had been a huge success.   Allison had been thrilled when this guy she liked, Jett, showed up to surprise her.  And after working out some issues with Chase, we’d shared this major passionate kiss.  For the first time since we’d met, I’d felt we had a real chance together.  I could still feel his warm lips pressed against mine, and the gentle touch of his hands holding me close.  He really did care ... maybe even loved me. 
     Those memories were my reality.  Not misery, blackness and pungent smells.  If I closed my eyes and drifted back into sleep, I’d wake up safe and snug in my bed. 
     A rustling sound startled me.  My eyes snapped wide open.  I still saw nothing, but could hear faint breathing.  And I remembered the voice saying my name.
     Wherever I was, I wasn’t alone.
     “Who’s there?” I called through inky blackness.  “Chase?  Allison?  Uncle Jim?”
     An eerie echo of my voice bouncing off unseen walls was the only answer.
     My companion was close by, maybe three or four feet away.  I could feel his or her nearness.  I struggled to move, but the ropes cut into my ankles, and I felt a hot sting. I was bleeding.
     “Is anyone there?” I called again, fighting a growing sense of panic.  “Are you okay?  Can you move?  What’s going on?”
     I sat still and listened. 
     A weird scene popped into my head: Starr, Chase and I huddled around a wild creature in the living room.  A tiger cub, but not an ordinary one: a genetically engineered prehistoric saber-toothed tiger.  Only instead of growling, the ridiculous beast purred in Starr’s arms like a tame kitten. 
     This image was strong and I knew it had happened yesterday or maybe the day before.  How much time had passed?  What string of events had led me here?
     “Var-Varina?” came a feeble whisper.
     “Yes, yes!” I exclaimed.  “I’m here.”
     “So...so glad.  You’re alive.”  There was a sob, and I knew my companion was female.  I felt a sense of familiarity, but my sluggish brain couldn’t place her.  And a wild hope came to me.  Could she be Jessica Hart, the woman whose DNA I shared?  I hadn’t seen her in months, not since Dr. Victor and his conniving wife Geneva had threatened us, causing Jessica to retreat into hiding.  Jessica and I had a special bond.  Like a mother, she was connected to my soul, and I missed her. 
     “Who are you?” I asked.  “Jessica?”
     No answer.
     “Are you hurt?” I tried again, desperation mounting. “Where are we?  How did we get here?  Who are you?”
     “Hurt,” she murmured.  “Need ... help.”
     A shiver ran through me.  That voice and the wisp of perfume.  Suddenly I knew who she was.  Not Jessica Hart, the woman I loved, but another woman that I’d once trusted until she betrayed me.
     My worst enemy.
    Geneva Victor.

             GO TO PART TWO

            RETURN TO MAIN PAGE