Clone

Date/Timing: 14 January 2019
Setting: Team Vulcan Specter suite, The Shed; Vaucluse, NSW, Australia
.
Egan calls from Andrea's room, ""Ray?""
Shudder. "No." Boot up the TV.
""Fuck.""
Plunk on the couch, get on to pummeling through the next level.
Movement in peripheral; Riley asks, ""Ray back yet?""
"Ask him."
""Jason?""
""There's a lack of Ray, Lovely Locks—""
"Ignore him," advises Riley.
"No fucking duh."
Riley exhales, wanders off.
Couch grumbles.
Egan drops into the next cushion, eyes boring into your head.
"I'll stick you if you keep that up."
Riley calls, ""That's my job!""
Shudder.
Egan giggles.
Victory music; you shut the game down. "What."
"Are your parents evil scientists?"
Scoff.
""Not scientists—""
And there's Jack, parking on the armrest. 
"—but Dad's a lawyer, so—"
Egan snorts.
"Why d'you ask?"
"Because there's a clone of him running around the 'Dome today."
That explains all the staring.
"Why would anyone want another Logan?"
Punch Jack's shoulder. 
He rubs the spot. "Seriously, a clone?"
Egan shrugs. "Haven't seem 'em myself, but they're supposedly a dead ringer, maybe a little shorter, skinnier, and—" Hunches in on himself. "—smaller."
"Just like that?"
"'s what folks are saying."
Exchange a look with Jack.
"Sounds like Mouse is here," he says slowly.
"Yea."
"Who's Mouse?" asks Egan.
"Our baby brother," replies Jack.
"You didn't know he was coming?"
"We're not, uh—" Jack rubs his neck. "—on good terms, exactly."
Egan's forehead goes wrinkly. "I know you're not the most popular guys, but, your own brother?"
"He's—"
"I threw him down some stairs once."
"You /what?"
"That's not—"
"Close enough, Jack."
"But—"
"I hit him, he fell, he went to hospital with a broken neck." Shrug. "No point sugarcoating it."
Egan narrows his eyes. "Are you /proud of it?"
"Not particularly." Push to your feet, stretch. "We should probably say 'hello', ay?"
"Yea." Jack takes a deep breath, straightens, heads to his boots and then out the door.
You follow, Andrea squeaking under your arm on the steps.
The door clangs shut.
"Ray!" cheers Jason.
She smiles, pulls off her boots.
""Raaaay!"" echoes Lachlan from her room.
"Hi, guys!" She sighs in against Jason's side.
He coos, pulls her down, nuzzles her temple.
"How was sticky toddler duty?"
"Hectic and adorable, as usual."
Lachlan strolls in with Andrea's hairbrush. "I bet they were happy to see their Auntie Andrea again." Claims her other side.
"That must be why Oscar tried to put candy in my hair."
Jason snickers, "Sweets for the sweet, clearly."
Andrea elbows him.
"You keep that up and I'm going on strike," grumbles Lachlan, running the brush through Andrea's hair.
"Aw, you'd give in as soon as I—"
Andrea winces.
Lachlan jerks his hand away. "What's wrong?"
"Logan started thinking something nasty when Jason said that," she grumbles. Picks at the buttons of her smock.
"He's just jealous," says Lachlan, returning to her hair.
"Yea, riiiiiight."
"At least we have some way of messing with him."
Andrea sighs.
Jason picks up the controller, turns on the game. 
Andrea prods his side with her toe. "You're ruminating on something."
Jason sighs, hits 'menu'. 
Andrea continues prodding. 
Jason shifts. "Did Logan actually throw Littlest Jones down some stairs?" 
Lachlan stops brushing.
Andrea pauses mid-button. 
"I know it's a Driftmate question ...."
‒/Creeping home up the stairs‒
Her nose wrinkles.
‒/Mom on the landing—Mum on the landing‒
Her mouth tightens.
‒/Fighting fighting fighting Derek‒
"No."
Lachlan nods, goes back to work on her hair.
‒Sprawled at the bottom—Like one of Jack's my dolls—glassy brown eyes—RUN‒
"There was an argument on the landing and Derek—probably wasn't the smartest move, but he was seven—tried squeaking by and Logan knocked him over getting around their mom."
"Oh." Jason rubs the back of his neck. "So it was an accident."
"I guess," sighs Andrea. "But if Logan'd come home when he was supposed to, it wouldn't 've happened."
"You can't hold an accident against him, Ray," Lachlan says gently.
"Yea, you've got /plenty of other things to blame him for," adds Jason.
Andrea sags into the couch. "That's the problem."
Category:Ficlet
Category:Sydney Shatterdome (setting)
Category:Logan
Category:Logan's POV
Category:Lachlan
Category:Lachlan (ficlet)
Category:Jackson
Category:Jackson (ficlet)
Category:Michael (mention)
Category:Kathleen (mention)
Category:Derek (mention)
Category:Derek's First Day arc
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Jason
Category:Jason (ficlet)
Category:Andrea's POV
Category:Andrea
Category:Andrea (ficlet)