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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
The Other Twin
pretender_gurl
Containment Ward: Cell 4
Biological Research Facility
Donoterase, Maryland
April 10, 1994 ~ 07:30
Jonas curled himself into the fetal position. He closed his eyes, but he could still see the pulsing of the strobe light through his eyelids. Jonas heard the door's lock turn and the metal door swung open as the lights were turned on full power. Jonas sat up and blinked in the brightness, trying to make out the figure in the doorway.
"Rise and shine, Jonas," the figure said with a chuckle.
"M-Mr. Lyle?" Jonas gasped as his pupils adjusted to the brightness. "Where's Mr. Raines?"
"He'll be out of town for a few days. I'll be taking over while he's gone," Lyle smirked. "Now, get to the showers and clean the filth off yourself."
Lyle motioned to the Sweepers outside the door and then walked jauntily down the corridor. Jonas followed the Sweepers to the showers where he was allotted ninety seconds of cold water and a bar of soap that he swore had lye in it.
SL-21: SIM LAB 2
The Centre
April 10, 1994 ~ 07:58
"I want the nation to recognize my suffering! The bombing must be public, something that will shake the government, and there is only one building like that in all of Oklahoma."
Mr. Raines's pleasure was evident as he watched his Pretender. She was dressed in the standard Centre clothing, a coarse gray shirt and matching pants that were a few sizes too big for her. Jira's long black hair was pulled back in a braid and her startling blue eyes seemed to be unable to focus.
Jira had successfully located the perfect detonation site for a bombing scenario a client in Oklahoma had requested. The innocent eight year-old was gone, replaced by a ruthless terrorist. Raines couldn't help but praise himself for the excellent job he had done in maintaining Project Gemini.
Genetically, the Gemini twins were almost identical. Twenty-two of their chromosomes were duplicates of each other, the twenty-third being their sex chromosomes. The small differences stemmed from their host ova. The male, Jonas, had come from Jarod's mother's egg and Jira from Catherine Parker's. After birth, Jonas was whisked away to Donoterase and Jira was given to the Triumvirate in Africa.
If it hadn't been necessary, Jira would never have left the Centre. But the Triumvirate wanted control over Gemini. Jira spent her first three years in Mongomo where she was raised alongside half a dozen other subjects, waiting to mature from infancy. Raines did not approve of the methods used at the Station, believing them to be too soft on the subjects. Leading the Triumvirate to believe there was only one Gemini subject, Raines kept Jonas hidden at Donoterase where he had unilateral power over the boy.
Eventually, the Triumvirate grew weary of their nursery's coddling and granted Raines permission to bring Jira to the Centre. She was four years old when she arrived.
Jira was unprepared for simulations when she arrived. She also needed to be reprogrammed after her life at the Station. Unfortunately, she was stubborn and did not respond well to the procedure. Jira had attempted to escape three times now, getting farther from the Centre on each break. And every time she was recaptured, Raines punished her more severely. After watching the DSA of last night's re-education, Raines was surprised the girl was even walking.
Jonas began performing simulations when he was less than two years-old. Before this time, he was only punished for behavior Raines found poor, and never for work that was less than satisfactory. Mr. Raines wanted work to be an enjoyable experience for his subjects, thus it would not be something they would have to be forced into. But the simulations were different. The success of the Centre was on the line every time Gemini walked into the lab. For this reason, Mr. Raines brought in a subject from Project Prodigy, Bobby Bowman, to help break him.
Bobby should have been part of the Blue Cove facility's Pretender Program, but Raines stole him from his family immediately after birth and placed him with a couple in Townsend, Nebraska - a hole in the wall town where Bobby would not be able to get into trouble. For a price, Lyle Bowman agreed to keep the boy and follow Raines's instructions regarding Bobby's upbringing.
Six years ago, shortly after the conception of Project Gemini, Bobby had staged his own death, framing his foster father. Utilizing his genius-level intelligence and honed methods of deception, Bobby Bowman became Jim Hooper, a third year student majoring in Psychology with a focus in the abnormal psyche. Jim Hooper flew under the Centre's radar for six months when the gruesome murder of two foreign exchange students turned the eyes of authority figures on him. As usual, the media was all over the case and the Centre soon located him. In exchange for Centre help with his predicament, he agreed to leave Jim Hooper behind and come to work at the Centre.
There he began a new life as Raines's protégé, complete with a new name - Mr. Lyle. Bobby's vengeance was his driving force during his time at the Centre. Introducing himself as his abusive foster father was Bobby's culminating act of revenge - the complete destruction of Lyle Bowman.
After aiding Mr. Raines with Project Gemini, Lyle was trained in the Centre's Special Operations. CSO carried out all of the Centre's covert activities. The operators were highly skilled in areas such as espionage, interrogation techniques, and assassination.
Raines heard the door open behind him, and turned as a young man entered the small viewing room. The man was slightly taller than him with a physique that suggested a disciplined fitness routine. His sandy hair was cropped short and his dark suit completed the suave appearance.
"How did she do?" Lyle asked, more out of curiosity than concern.
"Standard. The results should be of use to Corporate. They'll probably be able to squeeze another few thousand out of our client."
"Excellent," Mr. Lyle said with a smile. He was hoping for a promotion, and this would add another feather in his cap. After all, he was listed as the second in command on Project Gemini.
"And how is everything at Donoterase?" Raines asked, having spent the past seventy-two hours in Blue Cove after the Centre was alerted of Jira's release.
"Running smoothly. Jonas should finish the crash simulation in an hour or so."
Raines gave a satisfied grunt and turned on his heel.
"We have a meeting with Sydney to discuss the project. I'm still unsatisfied with her performance. I'm afraid we've been left with no other option but to accept the Triumvirate's proposal. Escort Jira to her space and meet me in the Tower," Raines instructed. "And, Lyle? Don't be late."
"Yes, sir."
