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Kim wanted to hit him for his logical reply. Somehow she got herself under control.

‘Why do you think that?’ she spat between clenched teeth.

‘When those vans first came past us, I listened in to some of their communication, between the three groups. They were talking about their mission. In essence they were to find us and get us back to the clone generation hub. It makes sense they would return there, with or without us. I don’t know why they would have taken Joe but I am sure that’s where they are headed.’ 

That made sense, Kim knew, but she needed to find out more.

‘If you’re right, is Joe in danger?’

‘That, I don’t know,’ said Xavier. ‘Osborne and Griffiths want us back and perhaps they see Joe as some kind of bargaining counter.’ He shrugged. ‘Until they get in touch with us or vice versa, we won’t know. But I do not think they will harm him. In the meantime, I think we should get back to the others and return to the house.’

* * *

They found the others where they had left them, under the trees. Xavier recounted what had happened as they piled into the car. It was fortunate the clones had slender bodies, Kim reflected, but even so it was a crush. 

Back at the house, Xavier set about making some pasta and it was a morose group that gathered round the table to eat a late lunch. When they’d finished, Kim insisted on a council of war.

‘We have to go to the police,’ she said. ‘Enough is enough. You said there were guns being waved around in the warehouse, Jean-Claude nearly died from noxious fumes and now my husband has been kidnapped.’

‘There is another way,’ said Xavier quietly. ‘I know someone who can help.’

Seven pairs of eyes locked on his face.

‘What are you talking about?’ Jean-Claude knew everything from Xavier’s background. He had watched the clone from the beginning, transferred him from test tube to incubator to feeding sling, just like all the other clones. ‘Who is zis person?’

‘Did you think that power outage was a fluke? That a whole section somehow developed sentience by mistake?’ He shook his head. ‘No. It was all planned.’