The Jovian Legacy (7 page)

Both
Jack and his father are in the ambulance, side by side. A drip is
inserted into Jack’s arm. With a fear of needles he becomes
nauseous, and flinches when he feels the initial sting as the neede
is inserted. He looks across at his father, who is being attended to
by the other two paramedics. His father returns his gaze with an
expression of gratitude and love. It is a look that Jack will have
etched in his memory forever.

Jack
pushed his chair out from his computer and went into his bedroom
closet, rummaging around until he found his old school suitcase.
With a wet flannel he wiped the dust off, and opened it. Inside the
case he found his old scrapbook, and took it out onto the porch to
read.

There
it was, the newspaper
article
dated 12
^th
May 1993:

Earthquake Causes Near Death For Sheep Farmer and His Son Amongst the chaos of yesterday’s earthquake which caused damage to 24 homes, a young ten-year-old boy saved his father’s life after the father had gotten into difficulty in a river bordering their property and almost drowned. Ben Dunlop was attempting to save his stock that were being swept down the river. Father and son also became swept into the river. Jack Dunlop managed to get himself out of danger and was able to come to the aid of his father, who was caught and submerged amongst debris. A heroic act by the determination and love of a son, who had injured his own leg in the process.

The
article continued on about other damage in the district. There was
also the photo of his family, and Bud.

Jack
put the jug on for a coffee. The kitchen clock read 9.15 a.m. It
was hard for Jack to get his head around the fact that he had
revisited that rescue in half a morning. And here he was, having
coffee in his flat, six-and-a-half years later!

He
took another look at the clipping. It was only then that he noticed
something he’d not noticed before: His mother was clutching a
photo. Out on the porch where he could get a clearer look, Jack
observed that the photo was of a young girl, and although he couldn’t
make out her features due to his mother’s forefinger covering
half of the girl’s face, he could see her eyes. They were very
much like Megan’s, or rather his cousin Katy’s - the
little girl who had shown him her new doll’s house. Once
again Jack’s interest was sparked into getting to the bottom of
this Megan thing.

Chapter 5

W
hile
out on a walk to clear his head, Jack saw the black Volvo again.
This time the men didn’t drive off when Jack marched over to
them.

“Okay,
so what’s the bloody story?” Jack confronted them, nearly
shouting, surprising himself. They were bigger than him.

“Mr
Dunlop,” the smaller of the two said in the undistinguishable
accent. “We wish to help you understand. Therefore, when you
return to your computer, type in the date 30
^th
April 1985. Then after that journey, type in the date of 15
^th
May 1985 for your second journey. And for your third journey, 2
^nd
December 1985. That is all.”

Their
vehicle shot off again at lightening speed, leaving Jack standing
there looking after them. He turned and sprinted back to his flat,
keyed in the first date, and yanked his virtual reality helmet on.
“30
^th
April 1985, three hours.”

In
a matter of seconds, Jack is there, in that vaguely familiar room
with the clinical smell. He is three, or close to it, he judges.
His parents are there, along with his Aunt Pippa, two people he
doesn’t at first recognise, and two doctors. The spacious room
with glass walls is equipped with hospital
paraphernalia
and large boxy monitors. Everyone is in discussion. On the original
occasion he didn’t understand their conversation, but this time
Jack is seventeen in his three-year-old body.

The
doctor in the white coat speaks with assurance. “As I have
explained in the past, our technology is sufficiently up-to-date for
us to contemplate the possibility of the procedure to asexually
reproduce a group of organisms or cells of the same genetic
constitution. It is also costly, not yet legal, and at this stage,
purely experimental. Though the procedure is currently under
discussion to be legalised. So it is entirely up to you whether you
wish to continue or not. We will give you time to discuss it between
yourselves, and will formalise your consent if you choose to
proceed.” They leave the room.

Jack
stares at his family, their faces a combination of concern and
delight. The strange man breaks the silence.

“Weel,
I’m speaking fur baith masell ‘n’ mah guid
guidwife, ‘n’ we feel that whit we’ve bin thro’
this lest week kin ainlie be mended if thare is some glimmer o’
hawp that we wull hae oor wee lassie back. Th’ cost isn’t
an issue ‘n’ neither is th’ fact that th’
procedure isn’t entirely legal as yit, it’s under
consideration, sae that’s guid enough fur me. I’m juist
grateful that we hae a team ay doctors wha ur prepared tae haud thair
joabs oan th’ line fur us. Thay wull be th’ ones tae cop
it, nae us.”

Holy
shit!
Jack thinks, finally
recognising him.

His
father takes his mother’s hand. “Sweetheart, we’ve
lost also, and by giving our blessing to the McGlews, we too are
going to be receiving back part of what we lost. The McGlews have
given us their word that we will be involved in the upbringing.”

His
Aunt Pippa also offered her blessing.

What
the...

The
doctor and his colleague return with the paperwork, which they
quietly place on the table. “Do you wish to proceed?”
the doctor asks.

After
they all agree everyone falls silent, the silence broken only by the
scratching of pens on paper as Jack’s family and the McGlews
record their signatures. He draws up a chair to take a closer look
at the forms.

His
father takes exception to this. “Jack, why don’t you go
and play in the go-kart.” Jack looks at the yellow and blue
plastic go-kart parked with the corner. Also in the room is a cute
wooden playhouse.

Bloody
hell.
No way is he going to miss
out on ascertaining the most important documentation, the whole
reason of his revisit.

“I’m
tired,” he whines, gazing forlornly up at his father.

“Okay,
well just sit there then and don’t touch anything. And keep
still,” his father warns.

To
Jack the form is upside down, but he is able make out the wording:

Between: Dennis and Barbara McGlew And: Philippa Maree Tait And: Benjamin and Nancy Dunlop Affidavit of Consent … ..death of Theresa Annette McGlew on 26 th April 1985 … ..Deoxyribonucleic Acid of Theresa Annette McGlew for purposes of asexually reproducing from cells of abovenamed deceased …..Stem cells to be cultured in Petri dishes..…Gamete cell…..…. We now affix our signatures to these affirmations this 30 th day of April 1985: … ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Jack
understands perfectly:
Baby Theresa, who had died only four days
before, whoever she belonged to, must have been a baby of the
McGlews, was going to be a guinea pig of cloning, so the McGlews
could have their baby back.

Jack
pushes out his chair, loudly scraping the floor, and dashes over to
the go-kart.

“I
thought I told you to be quiet!” his father says sternly. Jack
doesn’t answer. He cannot figure out what it has to do with
Megan, though.

Back
at his computer, Jack didn’t hesitate to key in the next date;
removing his helmet to type it in, then putting the helmet back on
again. “15
^th
May 1985, twelve hours.” Jack was determined to get to the
bottom of this.

He
finds himself playing on the floor with a train set, in an unfamiliar
lounge. His parents are with him, as well as his aunt and uncle and
the McGlews. The group are in earnest conversation, so Jack toddles
over to have a listen. The McGlews are distraught as if they have
just received some bad news. Mr and Mrs McGlew shake their heads
while his Aunt Pippa consoles them.

Jack’s
Aunt Pippa is trying to talk them through something. “We’re
so sorry that it didn’t work out. It affects me too as I was
the first to bring these beautiful babies into the world. When I
gave birth to my two little girls, Julia and Theresa, I never
would’ve thought that the next few weeks would turn out they
way they did. I was facing having to give them up as they weren’t
my husband’s. I’d made a life of drugs and partying, we
both had. He made mistakes too. But I knew if I tried to keep my
babies, our marriage would be over. I made a huge sacrifice, but was
so happy when Nancy and Ben and yourselves agreed to adopt one each.
When the twins died of SIDS within a week of each other, it was you
who gave us all hope again. Your decision, and you being in a
financial position to have Theresa cloned. It was a shock that the
cloning didn’t work,” Pippa says as she takes Barbara’s
hand, “but we want to try again. The doctors say they can use
Theresa’s DNA, but they also need to take genetic cells from
another close relative. My daughter Katy has the same blood type.
She’s been screened and is the perfect candidate. The baby
will have characteristics that resemble both the twins and Katy. I
know they can do it. Please give them your consent to try again. I
give my consent to have Katy’s DNA used.”

Dennis
and Barbara McGlew look at each other, pausing, and nod in agreement.
Everyone starts crying and hugging each other.

No-one
notices Jack’s shock.

The
night grows livelier as they celebrate. Jack puts himself to bed, a
room that his duffle bag had earlier been placed in. Inside are his
favourite pyjamas and his teddy.

Bugger
the teddy, I’m not the dumb little boy they think I am.

In
the morning he is woken, given some lumpy porridge, and bustled into
a car. The family drives to the clinic. The go-kart is still in its
corner.

Then
he sees Katy, his beautiful cousin who is to die from leukaemia.
Katy looks frightened. How he wants to tell her, warn her that she
is about to be copied and then, in a few years’ time, die!

How
cruel can these people be?
he
fumes. At that moment in time Jack detests his own family, and
cannot wait to have it out with them.

Time
is nearly up, he realises, with only fifteen minutes to go. Jack
looks across
at Katy again, then
dashes over and throws his little arms up to her. At only a few
years older she struggles to lift him. Jack buries his head into her
neck and hangs on tightly. Katy is more surprised than anyone at
this sudden show of affection from a little cousin she barely knows.
Jack holds back his tears. Leaving go of her, he takes one last look
at her, then turns and runs from the room. His parents call after
him as he runs outside as fast as his little legs can carry him,
across a road through busy traffic and into a park. He keeps running
until his time is up and he is back in front of his computer.

Straight
back onto his computer, Jack typed in the date, “2
^nd
December 1985, ten minutes”.

In
a matter of seconds he is in a strange room; not one that he had been
in before, and there is no-one around. Jack realises he is in an
office of sorts. On the desk is a pile of notes, and an envelope
addressed to Mr & Mrs Dennis McGlew. He quickly opens the
envelope.

A
birth certificate reads:

Office of the Register of Births First/given name(s)…..Theresa Annette Family name….. McGlew Sex….F Still-birth/Multiple birth….-- Date of birth……..…4 th December 1984 Place of birth….Southland District Hospital Name changes……….Megan Joy McGlew