Elysian Fields by Anne Gabriels

the hypernet but couldn’t determine its exact source or destination. Without further ado, we got into a car together with some explosives, cloned organs, and blood that belonged to me, and he drove me away from the office.
    “Somewhere along the road, we got out of the car and he remotely started it again and slammed it into a tree. The car burst into flames. I went in to hiding, and we waited for the announcement of my presumed death, hoping we could identify the players. But no announcement was made. Instead, a new me was in charge of the company and living in my house, with no word of what had happened. I’ve lived with the Scrappies ever since, keeping my head down and trying to figure out a solution.”

12
     
     
     
    “Now things are starting to make sense to me,” Allan began.  “I had a gut feeling som ething was going on with you, father. For the past few months, you seemed more distant and preoccupied. I just thought that it was me growing up and changing, but in fact it was you who had changed. And then there were some small details and stuff we had done together that you didn’t seem to remember. How could I be so stupid and not realize it wasn’t you?”
    “Don’t blame yourself, son. It was safer for you that way. Just imagine what would have happened had you sta rted raising too many questions. I am so sorry for not being there for you!” Tom’s voice almost broke in a sob. “Thank goodness you’re all right!”
    “ Honestly, what I’m having the most trouble with is the fact that you basically abandoned me to live with a clone, one whose motives you had no idea about. What were you thinking?” Allan felt a deep hurt in his heart, even though he was somewhat ashamed that this was all playing out in front of his new friends.
    “I was afraid, and I had no real plan,” Tom pleaded for understanding. “I thought that you were safe, and I had some people watching over you, Serge included. I would have come out of hiding at the slightest sign of danger for you, you have to believe that.”
    “Let’s leave it at that for now,” Allan conceded. “ I need to share with you what happened to me today, as it sounds like this is all tied together somehow.” He told them the whole story, including about how exactly he found out that his presumed father, the clone, was the one who had planned his death.
    “ It said that I knew too much. Except that I don’t know what it was referring to. Talking to Lan, I found out that he did not have the full memory of the Imaginarium or of the hospital, so I’m going to venture and say that the game I played with my friends triggered the other events.”
    “ What game was that?” Tom asked.
    “It ’s called the War of Sovereign Nations . I must have stumbled upon some kind of information it couldn’t afford to get out, so they tried to have me killed.”
    “ Are you sure nothing happened to your friends?”
    “ As a matter of fact, no, I don’t know that. I’ll have to find out from Lan. I’ll get him to call on them.”
    “ You’d better give us all the details of the game and perhaps together we can draw some ideas as to the real cause of the attempt on your life.”
    At this moment, Jules intervened. “Don’t say anything until I come back! I forgot to close the chicken coop door and take the goats to the shed.”
    As she opened the back door, she slammed it onto someone’s face. A tall person stood on the porch and Jules was able to make out Allan’s face. “The clone!” she yelled. Her first instinct was to put her arms in front of her and kick him in the groin with one knee. “Help!” she screamed, while Lan fell to his knees.
    Everybody was up with whatever they could grab for a weapon. Allan got outside first and, seeing Lan down, signaled the others to calm down, then helped him up and inside the house.
    “Sorry, everyone,” Lan exclaimed, taking a seat offered by Mel. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I was just trying to find