historical

On the ship, Hu Lei lifted her head and observed the surroundings. The two captors did not care about it since they had already accomplished their mission. They even pulled her up to stand and walk instead of being dragged.

She felt thankful because her toes had suffered enough.

They led her through the complex interior space and to the lower deck of the boat. When they reached a door with a 'No Unauthorised Entry' sign, they stopped. Frank knocked on the door and stepped back, waiting for a response.

"Come in." A voice called out.

Hu Lei felt a bit of familiarity with the voice, but she could not pinpoint the exact person of whom it reminded her.

Frank opened the door and the three people entered the room. It was a lavish office with a lot of scientific memorabilia, ranging from a skeleton to anatomic models. Moreover, one wall had a full bookshelf with a range of books.

Unfortunately, Hu Lei did not have time to admire the office. She was shocked as she looked at the face before her.

"Helen Brown!" She spoke involuntarily.

The woman seated at the large desk looked at Hu Lei with a pleased look on her face, as if she had done everything just to see that facial expression. She then turned to her two soldiers.

"You can leave us, but stand guard at the door." She smiled. "I know this little lady has a lot of tricks up her sleeves."

Frank and his companion accepted the order and released Hu Lei before leaving the room.

Hu Lei tried to compose herself at seeing that face that had been a part of her nightmares.

"I thought you were imprisoned with no chance of leaving that place for the rest of your life. Ms Brown is indeed an admirable person." She said.

The other woman smiled. "It is Dr Brown. But you are mistaken. I am not Helen Brown. I am Harriet Brown."

Once again, Hu Lei was shocked. "You mean.."

"It is as you think, Ms Hu. Helen Brown was my twin sister." The voice became hard. "Yes, I said was. After spending some resources, I found that she killed herself in prison."

Hu Lei felt a little faint at the information.

"You are looking pale, Ms Hu. Please sit down. Would you like a glass of water?" The woman spoke with an obvious sarcastic edge in her tone.

However, Hu Lei did not care. She was tired, and her feet hurt. Moreover, she did not know what to do with the information presented.

"I did not know that Helen Brown had a sister and a twin at that." Hu Lei said.

The other woman laughed. "I ensured that the information was a secret. I do not reveal my face unless I am sure that no one can take a photo or get other incriminating evidence. And I ordered Helen to never speak of me."

"Why?" Hu Lei asked out of curiosity.

"My sister was a reliable person, but she was average at best. Still, she was useful. At first, I only recruited her into the program because I thought that she could be my scapegoat in the future in case things went south. But you destroyed that plan, didn't you?"

"So, you are angry that I took away your exit plan?" Hu Lei asked. "Don't you care about your sister?"

"Don't be na?ve. Although I must say that she turned out to not be completely useless. I had her sent to Antarctica so that she could not be seen and compromise my plans. But it seems like she was capable of more than I thought." The woman sighed.

"Not only did she manage to acquire the elusive Dr Hu Ming, but she also produced you. You should be proud. You are the only evidence that genetic editing can be done." The woman laughed boisterously like a lunatic.

Hu Lei did not react.

"Don't worry, my dear subject. I will find the secrets locked in your genes and become an unrivalled overlord." She laughed again, intent on scaring Hu Lei.

Hu Lei bent and removed her strappy high-heeled shoes and stepped on the hard cool floor. She felt the strain drain from her injured toes.

"Ms Brown," she started.

"Dr Brown," the crazy woman corrected her immediately.

"You are a scientist and should know the importance of replication in scientific methodology." She said.

"What are you talking about?" Harriet Brown frowned at the sudden statement.

"Replication is.." Hu Lei started with a teasing smile.

"I know what it is. I am asking why you are telling me about it." The woman was angered.

"Have you ever asked why my father could not create another perfect creation like myself?" She asked with a smile.

"He was obviously trying to protect you. I went through the data he sent in and tried to replicate the results. He must have hidden some information. Otherwise, we would have progressed." She gritted her teeth in anger when she thought of the information withheld by the man.

"You are wrong. My father's true love was science, and genetics was his passion project." There was a hint of sadness. "He did protect me, but he did not lie. You should know that the lab was always under watch. Everything was verified."

Dr Brown did know. She had been the one who had developed the protocols in case some of the scientists lost the stomach for what they had to do.

She had even watched the secret surveillance sent in and could not find faults in the described methodology by Hu Ming.

However, somehow, Hu Lei had experienced some changes. Her strange yellow eyes were enough evidence.

"Why couldn't I replicate his experiment? I tried everything." The frustration was something Hu Lei had heard from her father.