From her time spent with the Germans, Siobhan grew to become a lethal weapon.  She could kill the two before her without even breaking a sweat, trained agents or not.  Her strength wasn’t that of a normal human, let alone a normal woman; she was faster, stronger, and more aware than anyone else in the world, and she noticed the light in Terry’s eyes.  A look of conflict, as if he was unsure of something.  Siobhan had to remind herself that she was in the normal world with normal people now.  It could just as easily be a fight with a girlfriend or parents than a moral question about a mission – she’d had her fair share of missions to know that the morality of the situation would stopped being questioned after so long.  Again, these were normal people.  Applying what she knows and has experienced to them was incorrect, and it was more fun to imagine what that conflict was about anyways.

Obviously, Terry discovered that his lover is an intense fan of guacamole, and he wasn’t sure he could be with someone who loved a type of food more than him.  Yes, that had to be it, it was almost obvious.

The light, joking atmosphere around the two men made Siobhan smile while she was in her thoughts.  They didn’t know about her creation or abilities.  To them, she was just another normal person, so they treated her just as so.  It brought a sense of belonging to the woman, that maybe – just maybe – she could fit in this world with everyone else.

She emerged from her thoughts when Paul’s eyes connected with hers – she hadn’t even noticed she was staring at him.  For some odd reason, the smile on her face widened.  A soft chuckle slipped through her lips as she pushed herself away from the door, motioning for them to come in.  Siobhan led them to the living room area where a blanket-covered window waited for them.  She took down the blanket and tossed it on the couch.  “Some kids thought it would be fun to play catch.  With a rock.”  The woman shrugged a bit at the thought.  She had only been staying in the house for a week and a half when the rock broke the window.  Siobhan was terrified when it happened, immediately jumping to the worst possible conclusion: They had found her.  Fortunately enough, when she looked out the window to see who had done it, she saw the retreating backs of two teenage boys hauling ass to get away from the scene.

All the while Siobhan was in her thoughts, she could feel a pair of eyes on her.  Paul’s.  One glance over at him told her that he was trying to be discreet about it, but Siobhan knew.  The man in her thoughts cleared his throat while Terry went about inspecting the window situation.  “I got that door for you too,” Paul said in reference to the bedroom door that was still resting against the wall.  “Tried to match it as close to this one as possible,” He continued, rapping his knuckles against the leaning door.

Siobhan smiled, nodding her head.  “Thanks.  I can go get it if you want.  It’s in the back of your truck, right?” She took a step towards the entrance of the house, eyes lingering on his. 

“I can give you a hand, if you want.”

“What, you think just because I’m a girl I can’t carry in a door?” She shot back teasingly, brow raised.  “I could totally take you down, Paul, let alone carry a silly door in.”  The complete truth.  A lethal glint entered her eyes at the thought, but she did her best to suppress it. 

Paul chuckled, raising his hands in mock-surrender.  “No, no.  I’ve seen what you can do with that punching bag, I’d rather not take its place.”

“I thought so,” She purred, turning to leave the house.  Siobhan pulled down the tailgate so as to not scrape any paint off the side of the truck, and slid the door out of the bed.  To her, the door was extremely light, Paul probably loaded it in himself too considering his own muscle mass, but to any normal girl it would’ve been difficult to carry.  She passed the two men on her way back inside, mumbling a quick thank you to whoever held the door open for her.  After placing the new bathroom door next to the old one, Siobhan hurried back to the front door, this time holding it open for Paul and Terry as they carried in the new window and tools to remove the broken one.

While they bumbled about with the new window, Siobhan took initiative and began to set up the door.  Being as quiet as possible because she didn’t want to draw any attention to it, which was extremely easy for her to do with the type of control over her body she had, she did what needed to be done, completing everything but actually putting the new door up, which, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she would need help with. 

“So, I didn’t see you at the gym last night.”  Paul’s voice broke the silence.

Of course he had to bring that up.  Siobhan looked over to him, catching his eyes as he worked.  “I don’t have a car, and I didn’t want to walk there in the rain.”

Paul tensed, brows furrowing at the new information.  It was almost as if her words upset him, but it was pretty obvious.  The space where a car would be parked was quite literally missing something.  It was surprising he hadn’t put two-and-two together.  “That makes sense, I guess.” 

Siobhan didn’t reply, finding no reason or desire to really continue conversation.  However, she did noticed that Paul seemed more burdened as they worked, almost as if he was angry. 

A feeling of disappointment churned her stomach, something she was very much unused to.  Keeping a neutral face, Siobhan nodded her head and took the pen and paper from Terry, quickly scribbling the name ‘Jessica Dawkins'; on the prompted line.  “Alright.  Tomorrow, then.”  Her lips quirked into a small smile, eyes watching Paul’s face light up before he caught himself and did a better job at hiding his excitement.  The three disbanded soon after, as the two did have another job for the day.  Siobhan returned to the house with her copy of the report, which found a home on the kitchen counter for the time being. 

Deciding it would be best not to have pizza two nights in a row, the woman settled for another bowl of the oatmeal mush for dinner.  While she ate, she planned out the rest of her night.  Her body remained stiff in the chair, back completely straight and feet planted firmly on the ground.  They’d be painting tomorrow, which mean she’d have to clean up the rooms they’d be in – the living and dining room, both of which were sparsely decorated. An easy fix. 

It was raining most of the night, which meant no gym because Siobhan didn’t have a car – the first night she’d miss.  Hopefully Paul wouldn’t bring it up.   Without the gym, Siobhan had hours of time to fill with something she planned to do since she got away. 

Kieran’s files were neatly placed in the corner of the dining room table.  In front of her sat a laptop, completely untraceable.  Next to that was a burner cellphone that she kept her most important contacts in, one of which being Kieran’s ‘adoptive’ mother that took him to the United States.  Siobhan brought up that particular contact, starting a call.

“Rachel, it’s Siobhan.”

“Hello, dear.”  The woman had been very understand when Siobhan first contacted her.  She had just managed to get away and Rachel was very helpful in finding safe places for Siobhan to stay; however she refused to be the line between the ‘siblings’ and break the news to Kieran.  Siobhan had to contact Kieran herself and tell him the truth.

“How is he, Rachel?  How’s Charlotte and Daniel?”

The older woman chuckled, causing Siobhan to smile.  “They’re great.  It was Daniel’s birthday a few days ago, he’s six now.  He looks so much like Kieran did at that age.  I’ll send you a picture.”  Siobhan’s heart twisted at the news.  That was the exact reason why she hadn’t reached out to Kieran yet.  He had a family, he couldn’t remove himself from them and help Siobhan, she wouldn’t let him.

The clone nodded her head, opening the picture that she just received.  Kieran and Charlotte holding hands with the young Daniel standing in the front, a party hat on his head and a huge smile on his face.  Rachel was right, he looked just like Kieran.  “Oh, that’s so great.  Thank you so much, Rachel.”  Despite the small smile on her face, Siobhan had to wipe the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand.

“It’s not a problem, dear.  Have you reached out to him yet?” 

“No, you know I can’t do that to him.  I don’t want to drag him into this mess, he doesn’t deserve it.  It’s easier this way.”

“For him, maybe.  But it’s hurting you, Siobhan, I can tell.”

Knowing a lecture was about to come on, Siobhan just laughed.  “Yeah, okay.  I’ve got to go, Rachel.  Thank you.  Give them all an extra hug for me.”

A sigh from the other end.  “Okay, dear.  Goodbye, stay safe.”

She set her phone to the side, the picture of Kieran and his family still lighting up the screen.  Siobhan was jealous of him.  He lived a normal life, unaware about the dangers of their creation, and had a family.  He was happy, something Siobhan found herself unable to attain.  Sighing, her hands pulled the file in front of her.  The Germans had very little information on Kieran.  The file contained nothing more than a picture of him when he was five, his blood type, and other generic information.  They had no recent information on him, and Siobhan was hoping it would stay that way.

A buzzing sound caught her attention, but when she looked nothing was there.

The rest of her night went similarly.  Stationed at the table, it seemed her eyes were glued to the picture, and every so often she’d catch that buzzing sound again.

When morning came the laptop, cellphone, and files were placed back in their hiding spots – the laptop in a shoebox underneath her bed, the cellphone in her nightstand for easy accessibility in case of emergencies, and the file underneath her mattress.  After grabbing a towel, Siobhan went to the shower.  An hour was wasted under the water before she had the will to get out.  Another pair of shorts and a grey t shirt later, Siobhan was pulling on a pair of sneakers just as Paul and Terry were pulling up.  Her hair was left on her shoulders, the thick strands still damp.  She waited in the doorway for them, hip leant against the doorframe and arms crossed over her chest.  “Ready to get to work?”

“Out of all the places to choose, why this one?”  As soon as they were alone inside the house, the southern voice was quick to fill up the silence.  He always had something to say or ask, Siobhan hadn’t decided if she liked that or not. 

“The view is great,” was the only answer she supplied.  And it was, the view of the lake was beautiful, better than the view the other cabins had, but this house was also the most isolated from the rest.  Covered on the sides by trees and the back by lake while the front was modestly decorated with the end of a dead end drive.  Siobhan felt safe there, as safe as she could get. 

Paul nodded, smooth chuckle slipping from his lips.  “I guess so.  Anyways, show me which doors need the fix.”

“The main one,” Siobhan retreated to the kitchen, grabbed a package, and returned back to Paul.  “The door doesn’t lock.  I’ve already picked up another handle, I just didn’t have the tools to install it – couldn’t convince Rick to lend them to me.”

“Ah, that sounds like Rick.  It makes sense, after the accident his wife had and all.”

Siobhan rained an eyebrow, head tilted to the side in query.  “What happened?”

“Back then they were the fix-it-themselves family.  Marcy, his wife, was climbin’ down the ladder.  Rick wasn’t payin’ too much attention, so when the ladder slipped he didn’t grab it.  She fell, smacked her head hard enough to cause brain damage.  They took her off life support just last year.  Rick blames himself for what happened, if he was paying attention the ladder wouldn’t have fallen.  Now he’s overly careful with that kind of stuff – I even heard he threw out all of his tools and now he won’t even touch a hammer.  There, this one’s done.”  Paul twisted the door knob several times, locking and unlocking the deadbolt to test it, then stood up to his full six feet of height, towering over Siobhan by only three inches. 

She couldn’t help but to frown at the story, nodding in sympathy.  Rick was one person she trusted.  There was so much innocence and love in him she couldn’t imagine him playing a part to gain her trust.  “The other one is my bedroom door.  It fell off the hinges a few days in.”  Paul nodded his head and the two split off; Paul back to the truck to get the necessary supplies, and Siobhan to her bedroom, quickly checking to make sure nothing incriminating was left out. 

Paul returned moments later, setting the new materials on the floor beside the doorway.  After examining the fallen door, he stood up with furrowed brows.  “The holes are stripped, it wouldn’t hold up anyway.  And even then, the handle is broken and there’s so many cracks and holes in the wood too.  Rick didn’t tell me to bring a door, so we’ll pick one up for you tonight and install it tomorrow along with the window.”

Brown eyes met bright blue ones.  They had the same questioning look in them when she knocked the punching bag off its chains.  Maybe he thought she was taking steroids; he’d never seen anyone hit the punching bag that hard, and the one to do it was a woman.  And maybe he saw the torment in her eyes when she was captured by her thoughts; everyone had their own demons.  His lips parted to say something but Siobhan cut him off before he could speak.  “Alright.  Since we’re done in here we can go out and help Terry.”  Paul could only nod, making his way to the newly fixed door.  Siobhan made a stop in the kitchen, retrieving three bottles of water for them all before following behind Paul. 

When they made it around back Terry was still up on the roof, but from the sound of the steps they heard when they were inside, he had finished the job.  It wasn’t that big of a job, so his quick time finishing was reasonable.  After throwing the bottles up to Paul, Siobhan followed up, sitting herself on Paul’s side.  Moments trickled by in silence before he leaned over, shoulder brushing hers.  During the time they spent apart since the gym, Siobhan had come to the conclusion that she liked the contact between them; when he put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down and now, when he pushed his broad shoulder to her own to talk to her.  Both were actions done without thinking, he was looking for no gain, just to be a nice person. 

“I get why you picked this one.  This… is beautiful.”

Her eyes looked up to find him already looking at her.  Siobhan broke eye contact quickly, glancing over to Terry before settling her eyes back onto the lake.  “If you think this is beautiful, you should see the sunset.”  A quick drink of water and she hauled herself to her feet.  “I don’t know about you guys, but it looks like it’s going to rain any second, and I didn’t have breakfast.  I can order pizza, if you want.”

As much as she wanted them to go away, she didn’t want to be left alone.  That, and she was really hungry.  Having guests was an excuse to get the pizza, and she’s only had pizza one other time during her life. 

Siobhan watched the exchange between the two with a small smile on her face, forever playing the part.  Some part of her wondered if she’d ever have that kind of companionship – ever have a friend with inside jokes who she could count on when things got tough.  Even more so, a companion to spend the rest of her life with, have a family with.  Could she even have kids?  That’s the downside of the life she was given.  With the hand she was dealt, it was impossible for her to have friends, let alone children. 

She remained silent, huffing in quiet laughter when appropriate.  There was something about Paul’s friend, Terry, that was almost unsettling; a look deep in his eyes that made her skin crawl.  He was either playing his part a little too well or he was genuinely Paul’s friend – that was Siobhan for you, forever suspicious of everyone, but she had every right to be. 

“To be honest, I thought you’d come a little more prepared considering you are the handymen.”  A brow rose challengingly, voice almost playful.  “The ladder’s around back.  I set it up to look around when I first noticed the leaks.”  The woman slipped around the two, keeping her back to the house so as to not present to them a weak spot – old habits die hard.  “I’ll show you.”

Siobhan walked quickly, constantly making sure there was more than three steps between them, and even then her head was always craned to the side so she could see them out of the corner of her eyes.   She took them to the back of the house, the side facing a lake.  A decent sized wooden ladder was leant against the single story house.  “There’s a few leaks over to the left,” she pointed in the direction, “that are right above the bathroom, and others up at the front above the kitchen.  And there’s a few doors that need a look at too, if one of you wants to tackle this and other that?”

Paul’s eyes immediately traveled to Terry, silently asking which he’d prefer.  They weren’t difficult tasks, each had the same amount of glory, it was more of a matter of who wanted easy conversation and who didn’t. 

“Of course, it’s up to you guys.  Just give me the stuff and I’ll get the doors up while you two patch up the roof.  It would go faster that way.”  Siobhan would prefer none of them inside the house, there were too many secrets, none of which she was willing to share; but if she had to choose one to be inside, she’d pick Paul just because she knew him longer and was more comfortable with him.  Still, there was something about the southern man that told her he had plenty secrets of his own.  Terry, on the other hand, just gave her a bad feeling – but didn’t everyone.  Maybe her gut instinct was right, maybe there was something about him.  But maybe he was completely harmless and maybe she was being too protective of herself.  What’s the point of running away to get freedom if she’s going to push everyone who tries to get in away? 

Even on her own, Siobhan was still a slave to them.  She would be until they’re all gone. 

The rental was a small, two bedroom, one and a half bath tucked away in the edge of the woods right on the local lake.  Honestly, the spot was prime for rental cabins – if they weren’t so rickety and old.  There were so many problems; doors falling off at the hinges, leaks in the roof, and a broken window from some risqué teens, which were only a few of the problems Siobhan has encountered so far.  And on top of everything else, the whole house could use a makeover.  The décor was stuck twenty years in the past, but Siobhan didn’t mind it that much. 

At 5:00 am, a new day was beginning.  After setting her backpack in the master bedroom, Siobhan went to the bath to get cleaned up.  Just as she was about to get into the shower, something in the mirror caught her eye.

A foreign woman stared back at her.  Obvious brown roots beginning to show beneath the decent blonde dye job she did for herself.  The healthy hair settled on strong shoulders that were maybe just a little too broad.  Her chest wasn’t impressive, stomach defined, waist slim enough to give the impression of curves without there really being any.  Every so often along the healthily tanned skin were scars; slices from a blade, holes from a bullet, it made no difference – it was all ugly.  The thighs were just as strong as her shoulders, which led up to the most impressive part of her body – her butt.  It was pretty great.  At least she had that going for her.   

Siobhan scoffed at herself, doe eyes narrowed into a fierce glare as she resisted all urge to break the mirror.  Without a second glance at her reflection she turned on the shower and stepped in. 

An hour later she found herself sitting at the table, eyes staring at the chair opposite from her as she ate breakfast.  Oatmeal, delicious.  Without any added milk or sugar, it was actually really gross, but it brought about a feeling of belonging to her.  She once belonged somewhere, a lethal unit of killers dispatched to assassinate powerful men.  In her defense, she was programmed to kill since her childhood, it was all she’d ever known, that and follow the orders she was given.  Because the awful deeds were authorized by someone superior to her own standing, it was easy to comply without thinking; and when put in the situation, it was even easier to kill because it was how she was trained – it was routine.  When the scene was set she sunk into the role without thinking; victims were no longer people, they no longer had an identity, they became targets hanging on a wall or dummies with twisted necks. 

The amount of time that passed while Siobhan was in her thoughts was unknown.  It was the high-pitched ring of the landline that brought her to, bowl of oatmeal – if it could even be called that – cold and half eaten in front of her.  Quick reflexes brought her to her feet and to the phone hanging on the wall.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Jessica.  Did I wake you?”

“No, Mr. Escott, I was awake,” She was cut off by a mirthful chuckle.

“What did I tell you about callin’ me Mr. Escott.  Mr. Escott is my father, darlin’.  My name is Rick and that is all I’ll allow you to call me,” Another chuckle.  The older man’s southern drawl was precious.  “Anyways, I just called to remind you that I’ve got the handyman coming over to fix away all your problems.  The door and roof should be fixed today, but the window will be in tomorrow, so they’ll be over then as well.  And if you sweet talk me good enough I’ll have them paint everythin’ for you too, I know the place is a bit ol’ fashion…” 

Now it was Siobhan’s turn to chuckle.  Mr. Escott—Rick—was very kind.  He was years older than her, around 50.  Grey hair, tall with a round belly that was always covered in some ridiculous Hawaiian print shirt.  “You know, if you would just give me the supplies and tools, I’d do it all myself without pay.”

“Oh, I know that.  You’re a strong woman, Jess, but I couldn’t think of myself a man if I let you do all that hard work.  It’s a man’s job and I’ll have a man do it.”

The finality of his tone ended any argument that was about to begin.  Siobhan’s mouth snapped shut and she nodded her head despite him not being able to see it. 

“Ah, shoot.  You did it, sweetheart.  I’ll have them paint whatever you want.” 

“Okay, okay.  So when should I expect him?”

“Eleven o’clock.”

“Thank you.  I’ll talk to you later, Rick.”

“Okay, sweetheart.  Take care.”

“Thank you again, bye.”

With a hand brushing through her hair, Siobhan leaned against the wall, arms crossed at the chest as she decided what to do until the guy came.  Glancing at the clock, she realized it was 10:30, only half an hour until he was there.  Well, she better see if she’s presentable enough for company. 

In her room, Siobhan dressed herself in a plain white t shirt and a pair of shorts that were long enough to cover up any questionable scars save for a few she could easily spew a lie about.   After pulling a brush through her hair, she pulled it into a ponytail, threading the tail through the hole of a baseball cap supporting some team she had no clue about.  Just as she was tying on a pair of dirty white sneakers there was a knock at the door. 

Instincts immediately took over.  Her steps were completely silent even against the hardwood floors.  She passed the kitchen on the way to the door, grabbing a knife from the drawer without making a sound.  With the knife poised for attack, Siobhan raised herself up and looked through the old peephole.  She immediately deflated and hid the knife in the closet by the door, wasting no time to open the door. 

“I wasn’t expecting two,” She stated as she opened the door, eyes leveled on Paul.

A hand sheepishly scratched at the back of his neck.  “Yeah, sorry ‘bout that.  I didn’t think it would be any harm for him to tag along.  I just talked it over with Rick to, he didn’t tell you?”

Siobhan shook her head. 

“I didn’t know you lived here, Jess.  Got yourself a good spot.  Rick’s got the best spots on the lake too.  If the cabins weren’t so old he’d have many more renters.”  There was a pause.  Siobhan looked from Paul to his companion from under the brim of her hat – which she hoped was hiding the dark circles under her eyes.  “Oh, where are my manners.  This is Jess.  She moved here a few months ago.”  Paul’s southern voice halted, allowing his friend the chance to introduce himself. 

{This is like my own little idea, so don't judge. ;-;}

Project LEDA

   Illegal human cloning experiments spearheaded by husband and wife team of Devlin and Elizabeth Sullivan. 

   The first attempts were held in secret.  It was unethical, preposterous, to want to do something not naturally intended.  Devlin and Elizabeth just wanted a child.  That was their only goal with the project, coupled with scientific curiosity.  It took years of studying and hypothesizing before finally experimenting, and the first cloning attempts were a complete failure.  It was only a year before word got out.  The military immediately took control of the project – think of an unlimited supply of soldiers, all of which trained from birth to kick ass and follow orders, it was a dream and all but unattainable until then.

   The first success was a surprise.  Twins were conceived; CASTOR and POLLUX.  The twins were birthed normally, everything went as expected, and they were completely healthy.  Days after birth, CASTOR died.  All later attempts at cloning yielded only a single child.  After it became clear that an unlimited army of clones would be attainable, limits were pushed. 

   It began with a serum that would be injected into the babes to make them the spectacular soldiers the military wanted.  Each child injected died.  More experimentation later and a special strand of DNA was created that would give the Pollux clone enhanced abilities.  None took to it.  Except for one, an anomaly – a joke. 

   Women wouldn’t make good soldiers; they were too soft, weak, kind, and the thought of a clone – a piece of engineered DNA – giving birth was all but blasphemous.  So when it was suggested to make a female clone, everyone laughed, but ultimately agreed.  They didn’t expect it to work; the only attempt at cloning to accept the altered strain of DNA and survive was a female.  The officials in charge were unsure what to do with it.  It wasn’t what they wanted, and despite that particular case being a success, no more attempts at cloning another female were made – it was almost taboo, to artificially create something that would then produce offspring of its own.
 
Devlin and Elizabeth were getting the jitters; finding that their project had gone so wayward of their original intentions, they were beginning to want out.  In an attempt to keep the leading scientists in the project, Devlin and Elizabeth were given the female child.  And it worked.

   Five more years passed.  There were successes and failures; however, none had accepted the enhanced DNA like the female.  Devlin and Elizabeth began to plan an escape with their family of four.  Under their initial conditions given when the military took over the project, they were allowed to take case of the first clone as their own child, as it would be best to keep the original under a close watch.  The two children – clones – varied in age.  Kieran, the original Pollux, was a year older than Siobhan, the surviving female.  The six and five year old were raised completely unaware of their creation – another experiment in its own. 

   Like their other secrets, Devlin and Elizabeth’s plan for escape was soon found out, but this time they were prepared.  Before being exterminated, Devlin and Elizabeth burned the laboratory down, getting rid of as much research as possible.  They fled Germany and went to London to hide, where they were eventually found out and cornered.  With nowhere else to go, Devlin and Elizabeth managed to find a family to smuggle Kieran out of London and to the United States.  Siobhan, on the other hand, was captured along with her parents.  While her parents were killed, young Siobhan was spared, being one of the few things that were saved from the fire that could help them continue with the project. 

   Siobhan grew up in the military.  Initially after birth there weren’t any signs of her enhanced abilities, but as she grew older they became apparent.  She trained with men, fought better than most, and became a tool to the government.  Years passed, Siobhan grew stronger and stronger, became a better fighter – a better killer.  And it was fun, she enjoyed it.  Naïve Siobhan enjoyed it, thought she was doing the world a favor by killing those she was told to. 

   At 24, Siobhan discovered the truth.  She wanted out.
   At 25, she made it out.
   Now at 27, Siobhan is hiding.