“I think it’s a mistake,” he said. “It might be good marketing, but this is a bad idea. For the clone.”

“Since when are you so concerned about the clone?” Brent asked.

“Think about it, Brent. If something happens to him, what happens to me? How can I go home again?”

Brent said nothing, but a change of expression showed he understood.

On the monitor, the clone was just hanging up his office phone.

“It’s a go,” he said to the writers. “We need to set this up as soon as possible. I’ll call CNN right away. Someone get on the phone with the FDA and get one of them on board with this. I want this to happen in prime time. Tomorrow. And I want it well advertised. Saturate social media. Call every one of the affiliates.”

The group dispersed quickly and the clone, a self-satisfied grin spreading over his face, sat down and picked up the phone. The wall went dark before he finished dialing and, a moment later, Charles Scott entered Jeremiah’s living room without knocking.

“It would appear we have a situation,” he said. He stood in front of them with an expression that appeared perfectly calm, but Jeremiah could sense a trace of uneasiness in his demeanor.

“Damn right we have a situation,” Jeremiah told him. “That clone is making a mistake. He shouldn’t be taking the Meld.”

“I agree, Mr. Adams,” Scott said, moving farther into the room now. He stood in front of a chair without sitting down. Jeremiah shot a quick I-told-you-so glance at Brent. “We have no definitive data on how the drug might affect the clone. This is untested territory. There is a real possibility that, under Meld, your double may become privy to information he must not have. Whoever takes the Meld with him might see something, as well. The risk is simply too high.”

“Don’t you think,” Jeremiah asked, “that maybe it’s time you considered taking Meld off the market?”

“That is not an option,” Scott said firmly. “Meld and the money it generates are crucial to this project. That must be preserved. At any cost.”

It wasn’t lost on Jeremiah that Scott had not directly dismissed the implication that Meld was dangerous and had been released too soon.

“So, what do we do about it?” Jeremiah asked. “How do we stop this?”

“We don’t,” Scott said thoughtfully. “We can’t. The wheels are already in motion, I’m afraid. But we can ensure that it won’t be the clone who is taking the Meld.”

“How’s that?” Jeremiah asked.

“You will need a shave and a haircut, Mr. Adams,” Scott said with a slight gleam in his eye. “You’re taking a trip.”

Chapter 26

Less than an hour later, Jeremiah found himself sitting on the cold, metal table in Dr. Pike’s office, trying to calm his own heartbeat. He couldn’t believe his luck. He was getting out, if only temporarily, and that impossible opportunity wasn’t lost on him. He had a chance to save Diana. He had a little, slim, tenuous piece of hope. He wasn’t going to squander it.