Final Chapter

When Dr. Choi had returned home, she reported that the clock in the room read three in the afternoon. She had spent the whole day with Katherine, talking and detailing the most important points to be made within her scientific work plan. Although at first the girl had been reluctant to participate and on more than one occasion she was about to return to her own home, the doctor was quite astute, playing cards in her favor. Yang Mi reminded her every time she could about the great problem that Katherine had in not being able to get pregnant and the horrible catastrophe that her marriage would suffer if she was not brave and she preferred not to help the doctor. When the talk ended, Katherine Miller ended up accepting each point regarding the cloning project and promised to be part of it officially, along with the other two women who had also given Choi the go-ahead.

That made the doctor extremely happy, however, she had to be faster and not get carried away by the happiness of the moment. It was the right time to organize a reunion with those three women that she had met during the rounds, with the objective that, after having located the zygote clones within them, make the three females sign a legal contract.

Dr. Choi had thought about it before and she —of course— didn't want to leave nails loose. She had a bad feeling that perhaps some woman might spoil her initial goal of making sure that her daughter's clones are born safe and sound, without any complications, arriving in that world alive. However, her constant fear was directed towards the possible event that one of the women —or two of them, because Katherine wanted the baby more than money— would undergo intentional abortions to get rid of a human being unwanted and stay so calm with the money they would have obtained. «I can't allow that to happen, without a doubt».

For those reasons that continued to eat into her mind, the doctor was forced to create her legal contract. Her index finger pressed one of the keys on her computer and, as a result of that action, the printer that rested on the desk —on the near side of the device— began to impregnate the dark ink on three white sheets. What was being printed at the time was nothing more and nothing less than the contract. Finishing with its only job, the printer released the contents of the papers, throwing them on Choi's craft table, and Choi could simply smile at the satisfaction and security that those tinted sheets would give her.

At the beginning of the three papers were inscribed the basic and most important principles of the entire project: its raison d'être, the procedure drawn up in a summary, and —without leaving aside— the monetary remuneration that would be awarded to those women who give their support to the cause. After that list, there were two empty lines, but they would be filled in when she took the three women with her to the laboratory. The line on the right would be filled with the signature of each of the recruits, while the line on the left would be completed with the signature of Choi herself. Finally —and in what had taken her even longer— at the bottom of each of the sheets, was the full protection of the cloning project and the doctor. It was a threat. However, Dr. Choi liked to call it in a sophisticated way, such as a shield from the evil intentions that Teresa Belsunce or Claudia Turpin might have in mind. Or, perhaps, both together.

This shield was argued in a possible complaint. It was that: a complaint for which Dr. Choi would benefit in monetary cash. Citing what was written at the bottom of all the papers, the following could be understood: If for any reason or at any time, the lady who is involved in the cloning project decides to undergo an intentional abortion; a complaint will begin and —soon— a trial, where she will be accused of fraud and treason to a legal agreement, but in addition to that, where she will be asked to pay three hundred thousand dollars as a payment for damages against Mrs. Choi Yang Mi.

Dr. Choi then went to a wooden shelf that she kept on one side of her desk, taking between her slim fingers a manila folder that appeared from among the many books that had been stored and stacked in that bookcase. After that, she opened it wide, keeping the contract papers inside the folder, as long as they reached the laboratory in good condition.

Dr. Choi walked up the stairs that connected her to the first floor and just when she finished in that part of her house, she took the mobile phone that was lying face down on the kitchen table. Her fingers began to drum on the screen after holding the device in her hands and after a few clicks, she knew that she had all the work done.

—Those women will be here in a matter of hours. —She hissed as she glared at the messages she had recently sent them with stern attention. She knew that the women were going to come, needy for a little money or for the baby itself. —I must have everything ready to go to the lab as soon as they arrive.

«After all the suffering that I went through due to your absence, my daughter, today is the day. I have waited so long since you left. I am one step away from our get-together».

[...]

The house bell rang for the third time that day. And the doctor was sure it was Katherine Miller; the woman who was missing to complete the group of three that Choi had decided to gather in her living room. Now they were ready to leave to the mountains, where her laboratory was hidden.

The journey to their scientific workplace did not take much more than half an hour. Choi parked on the dirt road, next to some rocks, and getting out of the vehicle she turned her face, looking at the three women sitting in the back seats. —Get out of the car and follow me. —She said.

A key was revealed when it was freed from one of the doctor's pockets, and with it, she ended up opening the main door of the laboratory. —Come in.

Both Teresa and Katherine shook their entire bodies, right down to their fingertips. The very thought of imagining what they were about to do, or rather, what they were not going to allow, caused an involuntary churning in their stomach, as well as constant dizziness and overwhelming fatigue, even before the moment that would give a turn to their ordinary and simple lives. However, everything changed in the case of Claudia Turpin.

From her childhood, Claudia had been an ambitious person, but she did not want to expose herself to an effort that was too demanding with her lifestyle. And, that style that she had, was characterized by working little but earning a lot. So when she found the one who would become her husband, she knew that she had found her soul mate. Because, in reality, her husband was the identical copy of Claudia. Ambitious, but lazy. That was also why he hadn't gotten a job for months. Months during which she had gone through unfortunate experiences that had never been experienced in her life. She had suffered from hunger, fatigue, and uncertainty for not knowing if the next day she would survive again. That abysmal despair was the cause that led her to take part in Dr. Choi's chaotic experiment. Although the three women had different reasons for helping Choi Yang Mi, all three held the same understanding within their minds: her cloning project was not the most appropriate solution to resolve the trauma from her past that haunted her relentlessly.

However, this was not something they could mention in the presence of the doctor, because they knew that it would cause a severe problem and the three women did not want anything similar to it. They just wanted to get the money, and in some cases, the baby; so they had better keep their relationship with the doctor on good terms.

The three women passed into the laboratory when it was suddenly illuminated, revealing the silhouette of the doctor standing in front of three hospital beds.

Yang Mi cleared her throat before heading towards her assistants. —As you are already aware, you know the reasons why I requested your help in this project. —Then she showed the three women the manila envelope she had brought from her home to the eyes of the three women. —However, even though you are too cooperative with the stated objective, I cannot allow myself to leave any loose ends. This is a contract, totally legal, that sets out all the rules and important points that will be part of this plan. I will read them briefly.

The doctor began to explain the procedure the women would undergo. Each one of those presents listened carefully to the words that came from Yang Mi's lips, but before reading the paragraph about the complaint, she informed them about the reward that she was going to offer them. —You remember very well that I promised you an amount of money in exchange for your help, so I will inform you of it before considering the next verse.

Dr. Choi went to the only desk inside the laboratory and took some rectangular papers from that place. —What I have in my hands are checks that can be exchanged at the bank under my name. The amount you can get from this piece of paper is one hundred thousand dollars.

The women could no longer contain their surprise and their features were deformed into a paler face and wild eyes, staring intently at the checks. But before any of them could take them, the doctor spoke again. —This money may be yours, but we have forgotten a vital point in that contract. And I'll let you know below.

Then, the surprise and almost happiness that the three youngest females were wasting drastically changed to a feeling of outrage and disbelief. Choi's possible complaint had been heard by everyone within the lab.

—Although I know clearly that you could never do something that would harm my scientific work. If you are here it is because you need the money, so I highly doubt that you can afford a good lawyer or even that you will be able to pay me as much money as three hundred thousand dollars. You better not do anything stupid or you will regret it. Don't Teresa and Claudia want the money? Don't you want the baby, Katherine? Follow the rules and we will have no problem. Did you understand? —She asked, but neither answered. —Did you understand, I said?!

Then Teresa, Claudia, and Katherine murmured in unison. —Yes, Mrs. Choi.

The reply received made Yang Mi smile with pure satisfaction. —Excellent, I like it that way. Now, —she pointed to the stretchers behind her. —each one sits on the stretchers. We are going to start with the introduction of the zygotes.

After nearly two hours, Yang Mi had finished with the three women. During the artificial fertilization process, Dr. Choi had performed the same action with Teresa, Claudia, and Katherine. Before introducing the zygotes into the wombs, she had given them enough anesthesia so that they did not feel any pain during the punctures that their ovaries were going to receive.

However, the doctor did not suppose that something like what she was observing would happen seconds before the most important phase of her project. At the moment of opening the bottles that contained these zygotes, she noticed a terrible scene that left her trembling in her place. Two of the prototypes had broken their protective membrane and the black and viscous mass that kept them in good condition had entered inside them. The doctor no longer had plenty of time to change something in the plan, because she had already obtained enough time in the past, so she got the idea that this dark and thick substance would not cause any discomfort to women or any risk in the draft.

However, Dr. Choi was far from correct. But that she would not know until eighteen years in the future when the daughters of Teresa and Katherine; Sofia and Elena, grew up to become identical ladies, but of whom neither knew of the existence of the other. Eighteen years later when one of them committed suicide and the other appeared after being missing for ten years. And all because of that dense substance.

So both zygotes that were poisoned by the dark mass were entered into the bellies of Miss Belsunce and Miss Miller, while the zygote that had remained intact had been designated for Claudia Turpin.

Doctor Choi thought that Claudia would be the woman she would require for the prototype when it developed as a human being, but like before, she was wrong again. Because fifteen years after the birth of Claudia's daughter; Isabella and her entire family would die at the hands of a man overnight. Then, prototype number two would not make it to the end alive, and only prototypes number one and number three would remain.

After that, the three women approached Choi's desk and there they signed the contracts that each corresponded to, ensuring loyalty to the doctor, who had given them help in her moments of greatest despair. Each of the females took the checks that Choi had given them, but before they left the hidden lab, Yang Mi had something to say to them.

—Listen to me now. —She said, drawing everyone's attention. —The babies that you have inside will never be, but never in this world, your property. Those creatures are mine and it will always be that way, as it is stipulated in the contract you just signed. So I'll give you a recommendation before you go. Do not dare to become fond of the babies when they are born, much less during the pregnancy stage, because one day I will go to where you are and I will reclaim what is mine by law. You are only their temporary babysitters, but don't think I will forget this promise. Take care of them while I am busy working in my laboratory and treat them in the best way. But do not forget that one day, many years from now, I will re-enter your lives and I will take one of the girls who are growing within you.

Teresa and Claudia accepted the words spoken by Dr. Choi. They did not want the child they had in their wombs, so it would not be so difficult to follow Yang Mi's orders. However, Katherine did not believe herself capable of it. Yes, it was true that she only wanted to be pregnant to keep her man next to her, but in the same way, she also wanted to feel the love and affection that only a child can give. She wanted to form a strong bond between mother and daughter, so she imagined that the orders given by the doctor would make her somewhat difficult to follow. And she was not wrong at any point since that day, in which she was leaving the laboratory with a creature that grew inside her.

Although after a couple of years her marriage would briefly dissolve, even though after some time she would have to live as a single mother for the rest of her life; she never imagined that she would be the unfortunate woman who Dr. Choi would claim her child from; Elena Miller. Or as Choi was convinced to call her; Clara Choi.

Why her, who had shown more love and affection for her daughter, who had suffered so much to be with her little girl, who had cried nights and days over her daughter's absence after her sudden disappearance for a decade, why was she the one who had to lose everything she had left in the world and not the other women who hadn't valued their daughters as much as she had?

Life had always been unfair; It was nothing new, but Katherine Miller hadn't expected to be completely alone in her old age. Without her daughter, without Elena.

[...]

As the months passed, the women's bellies began to grow, causing the people around them to notice a new being that would be forming within them. However, the fact that they were precisely gestating had different effects on their lives. First, there was Teresa, who lived alone in an apartment in the city and also did not have someone to help her. She had no partner and her parents, who were staying too far from her home, were also unaware of the whole situation. «So I'm destined to be a single mother», she told herself, but she couldn't blame her. Not when she had large savings in her bank account. She could easily find a better job in a couple of months and, in the meantime, rest all day inside her home.

Second, there was the reality of Claudia. When she returned to her house, she found her daughter lying on the floor without cleaning. She also observed the image that her house showed to others: it looked impoverished and not at all worthy of admiration. She knew, then, that she must do something about it. For this reason, when she proposed to buy a small house in another part of the city, her husband, Carlos Turpin, strongly opposed it. However, what he did not have in mind was the money that she had not yet exchanged at the bank. Carlos carefully examined each of the zeros on the paper and could not believe what his eyes were scrutinizing. He did indeed ask his wife for the reasons behind that amount of money, but Claudia didn't give him any explanation. She couldn't do that, no one would take her seriously. And if they believed a single word that came from her lips, they would all call her a scoundrel and a woman who did not know how to make herself respected. She would be demoted to the level of a prostitute and, who knows, she could lose custody of Lía or support from Carlos at some point. No. Telling the truth was not an option. «When we move away from this garbage dump, I will make love to Carlos. And when he sees my belly grow, he'll assume the baby is his. Nothing can go wrong with me or the whole world will find out about this terrible lie».

Last but not least was Katherine Miller. The weeks flew by and when her husband noticed her swollen belly, she suggested moving together to another side, away from the neighborhood where Katherine's mother-in-law lived. When the old woman found out about it, her eyes boiled up in flames, as she screamed from the rooftops that it couldn't be allowed, but Miss Miller played her cards right. She whispered bright ideas into his partner's ear at all hours, convincing him that if they went to live elsewhere they would be happier than they already were living with his mother, who did not approve of either their relationship or the girl that existed inside her belly. In the end, he ended up accepting and they packed their bags. Katherine Miller still remembered with exactitude the scandal that the deranged old woman made when the moving truck parked on the side of the house. But, this time, she didn't hold back any disgust she felt. —Enjoy your solitude, you ridiculous old woman. Because this is how you will live for the rest of her life. I am taking your son far away from you and your crap. He will be very happy, without his stupid mommy.

Some of the women had to go through difficulties raising new humans under her tutelage. Others were not at all prepared to deal with a responsibility of that degree, while others handled it almost easily since they already had one or another experience. But, anyway, they couldn't stop the big day from coming. After nine long months, the women finally went into labor.

Dr. Choi had discussed this crucial moment with them some time ago. She had explained exactly what to do when they broke the fountain. Although her words were not full of affection and empathy, the women simply nodded at what Yang Mi said. —It is simple. You go to the hospital, where you will be cared for. After you have recovered from the surgery or the intervention you have during childbirth, you will then be free to choose whatever name you want for your daughters. Of course, when I decide to claim what belongs to me, that name will be completely erased and replaced by Clara Choi's. It is understood?

And then Teresa, Claudia, and Katherine nodded in kind of a response to the inquisition.

After that, each one named the newborns differently. They had all been born girls, but this was no surprise, for all three women knew that these girls would become Dr. Choi's new daughter.

Teresa Belsunce decided to name her offspring Sofia. Ever since she had used her memory, she had always felt admiration for that name; even she wanted to change hers and take Sofia as a spare. But when she was presented with such an opportunity, she knew what she must do.

Claudia Turpin hadn't figured it that much. By the time she was lying on a hospital bed, being carried to the delivery room, she had noticed Isabella's name on a street sign. It was an advertisement for a perfume that had just gone on sale, and from its presentation, she imagined it to be a high-cost fragrance. So when she was asked what name she would give her daughter, she only replied with a short sentence. —Isabella Turpin.

Katherine Miller behaved contrary to Claudia and Teresa, as she simply could not select a name from the many that she had liked for her daughter. The list of names was too long and it was not very convenient to give a person a hundred names at a time plus her paternal and maternal surnames. The names ranged from Adriana, Gisella, Fabiola, and Daniella to Margarita, Natalia, Vanessa, and Juliana. Even her husband had gotten tired of that topic and had cut the conversation off with a —Pick it yourself better, darling, or talk to one of your friends to help you.

But even during the hours of labor, she hadn't collected her thoughts and her mind was still in a mess. Until one of the nurses called another, who went by the name Elena. And it was in that brief moment that she relived the best memory of her entire life. From which her mother took much of the scenario. Elena Clement was the name of her dead mother, but her death did not mean that the experiences that Katherine had lived with her had long since vanished. Her childhood, as she remembered it, had been characterized by feelings of protection and pure happiness. Her mother, Elena, had always cared for her with all the love in the world, so that was the example that Katherine wanted to take into account when raising her new daughter. Even though this girl was an individual from an experiment or even that she had not planned it before, Katherine was sure that she could give her the best in the world if she tried to behave like her mother.

—So, Miss Katherine Miller, what will the newborn's name be?

There was no evidence of uncertainty on the face of the aforementioned after that memory. —It will be Elena. Elena Miller.

[...]

Late at night and with the trees dropping orange leaves, the mountains that served as city limits were being decorated in shades of red and gold. Autumn had reached the urban core, but that was cruelly ignored by the female presence that existed inside the laboratory.

She was sitting in front of the wooden desk, where various papers and documents were spread across the smooth surface. Dr. Choi continued working on her cloning project because although the prototypes had already been born, her scientific work was not limited to seeing their fruit reach the world, but also took into account the development of the three clones and the urgent transformation that they would equalize. to Clara Choi.

For this reason, she knew deep down that she was going to need something by which to verify that the prototypes were still alive, the place where they were at any time of the day, and even know if they were in a dangerous situation or not.

Dr. Choi's gaze shifted away from them the printed papers she had finished reading and underlining, flicking it over to the device she had still next to her. It was a computer. However, it was not a common computer or similar to any other that was sold in the markets. Because that device was faithfully linked with each of the cloning prototypes.

None of the women knew about it, but Choi had implemented an extra material that secretly expanded inside the little bodies of Sofia, Isabella, and Elena. The truth was that none of those girls were human, although the image they provided to the rest contradicted the statement, the reality was that inside the little girls there was a tangle of cables. Small and thin cables that traveled throughout the clones' organism, but that in the end were connected in a common point: on the heart, where there was a metal plate, which sent information to Choi's computer.

That system gives her greater security, since both Sofia, Isabella, and Elena had a tracker that exposed her location in real-time. Likewise, the heart rate of each one was shown on the computer screen, which allowed Yang Mi to know if they were still alive or if they showed signs of fear, all based on their heartbeat.

Finally, she had gotten everything she wanted. She noticed for a moment in the sunset that was letting shine through a window, watching how the weak light of the sun shone in the direction of an old photo frame. Choi smiled when she noticed the photograph behind the glass.

It was her posing next to Clara, just as she had wished it so badly for it to happen again. But the way things were going in her life, Dr. Choi was sure that this day would come sooner or later. And when that wonderful moment came, she would treasure it for the rest of eternity.

—I love you, my daughter. I love you so much. —She said softly as if she were trying to put a little girl to sleep. She planted a kiss on the captured paper face of her offspring and left the laboratory to return home as she always did when the night was coming.

[...]

The End.