Free Perfect Specimen by Kate Donovan Page A

sample of her genetic material? Then wait till he gets back to Ra-ahl to clone her, so he’d have a copy of Sara herself? Assuming she passes all his psych tests, I mean.”
    “Wait!” Lizzie glared. “Now you’re saying there aren’t any babies?”
    Skywalker nodded. “She claims she’s seen them, but I doubt it. The diary says that every time he takes her to his ship, he makes her put on a breathing mask. Then he beams her up. My guess is, there’s some sort of hallucinogen in the mask. Maybe he takes her to the ship, maybe not. But somehow, he makes her believe she’s seen her children.”
    “He never brings them to Earth to visit Sara?” Durgan asked.
    “He tells her the kids can’t breathe too long on Earth. Just like him. Supposedly, they have gills too.”
    “Oh, no!” Lizzie’s fist clenched in her lap. “That means even if we can save Sara, we can’t save the babies? And think about it,” she added stubbornly. “Even if we could figure out how to destroy Ga’rag, we don’t dare hurt him. Not if the babies can only survive on his ship until they get back to Ra-ahl.”
    Randy laughed. “Pay attention. There aren’t any kids. And even if there were, Sara’s brilliant. She made him promise that if she cooperates with him, and then he decides not to use her DNA, he’ll do surgery on the babies so they’ll look normal. They have complete respiratory systems from both parents, or some crap like that, so once the gills are removed, they’ll be okay here on Earth. So she’s happy. And he’s happy, because he has her under control.”
    Lizzie relaxed a bit. “So it’s just Sara we need to help?”
    Skywalker nodded. “My guess is, when the experiment is done, he’ll either kill her or freeze her, depending on whether he wants to take her DNA back to Ra-ahl.”
    “That’s the part that worries me,” Durgan complained. “If Ga’rag knows we know, he’ll kills us too. So thanks a lot, Ryerson.”
    “If you’re too chicken to appreciate this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, just go play your stupid Wii and forget about this.”
    “It’s not my Wii, it’s my sister’s! And I’m in. Definitely. I just think we need to be careful. And”—Durgan inclined his head toward Lizzie—“you shouldn’t have involved emo-girl. What if she ends up getting zapped by some laser weapon? Or worse, what if the alien decides to experiment on her ?”
    “On Lizzie?” Skywalker chuckled. “I don’t think she’s his type. No offense, Liz.”
    “Drop dead.”
    “No one’s gonna get hurt,” Randy interrupted. “But Mike’s right, Liz. Maybe you should sit this one out. I was an idiot to drag you into it.”
    “Either I’m part of this group or I’m not,” she protested. “And like Sky said, I’m not Ga’rag’s type. So? When do we meet Sara?”
    Randy shrugged. “Hard to say, but probably not until tomorrow. I need to gain her trust first. And meanwhile, we’ve got work to do. We’ll start by scouring the Internet. See if we can find any other mention of this. Words like Ga’rag or Ra-ahl . Or any stories about cloners that fit this profile. Maybe one of the other victims blabbed to the press.”
    “If she did, she’s dead,” Skywalker told him.
    “Yeah, but still, if the story leaked—even if no one believed it—it’s corroboration. Right?”
    They all nodded.
    “We can ask some of our online-warrior allies about it too. But be vague. We don’t know if Ga’rag can trace stuff back to us.” Randy interrupted himself to turn to Lizzie. “Stay off the net. Got it?”
    Perfect! I’m not female enough to attract an alien sexually, but I’m too weak and girlie to be a real part of your team?
    She gave them an annoyed scowl. “If you won’t let me help, then there’s no point in missing my lab test. I had an A in physics up to today. I might as well keep it.”
    Skywalker nodded. “School’s the safest place for you. I’ll give you a ride.”
    “And I’ll pick you up