Ben Stastny

"*I knew there had to be something messed up about Serenity.*"
—Ben Stastny, *Payback*

**Ben Stastny** is cloned from criminal mastermind Archibald Barrett, a doctor imprisoned for trafficking in human organs for transplants, as a result of Project Osiris. He was born and raised in the artificial town of Serenity, New Mexico. Unlike most of the other kids who he grew up with, he seemed to have realized there was something unusual happening with the town. Although he had not done anything about the situation, Ben was easily convinced when Eli Frieden, Hector Amani, Tori Pritel and Amber Laska tell him about Project Osiris.

Ben is a freshman at Jackson Hole High School at the end of *Payback* and lives near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with internet billionaire Tamara Dunleavy and the ten other Osiris clones.

## Biography

Ben was born to two unnamed surrogate parents around 2002 in Serenity, New Mexico. In *Criminal Destiny*, Ben's DNA donor, Archibald Barrett, was identified after Eli Frieden was able to track down the criminal's high school graduation picture online from a list of names found in the Plastics Works.

Shortly after Eli Frieden, Tori Pritel, Amber Laska, Malik Bruder and Hector Amani escaped from Serenity, Ben was told that the other kids had come down with a bad illness and sent to a hospital in Santa Fe to be cured and distanced from the others. He then traveled to Poseidon Resort and Water Park along with the other clones and other residents of Serenity as part of Felix Hammerstrom's plan to hide and prevent them from escaping as well.

In Poseidon, Ben was photographed by a few investigators Tamara Dunleavy had sent to the water park to ensure that Eli's theory was true and the other clones really had been sent to the Bahamas. He was seen riding a wave runner in the water park, with his long hair blowing out straight behind him. At some point, Ben turned on the resort TV despite being told not to and discovered that the shows were different from the ones he had seen in his hometown.

When the other clones were searching for Ben in Poseidon, he was found jumping breakers in the deepest part of the wave pool with Freddie Cinta bobbing in an inner tube right beside. As Robbie Miers and Hector Amani reached them, Hector ordered the other two boys to follow, and they climbed up onto the deck to run from the nearby Surety. Ben was shocked and wide-eyed upon spotting Eli, Tori, Amber and Malik, having previously believed they were badly ill.

After being told the truth about Project Osiris, Ben was easily convinced, as he had previously suspected something was off about Serenity. As they were recruiting the rest of the clones to escape Poseidon, Freddie broke away from the group and sought help from Mrs. Laska, Amber's surrogate mother. He grabbed Ben by the arm and spun him around, pleading him not to believe the others. However, after a moment's hesitation, Ben shook him off and joined the getaway.

When Project Osiris was announced to have officially ended, Ben was adopted by Tamara Dunleavy and went to live with her, along with the ten other Osiris clones, in her gigantic mansion located on a ranch near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He was a freshman attending Jackson Hole High School by the end of the trilogy.

## Personality and traits

Ben Stastny can be rebellious, as he had turned on the TV in the Poseidon resort even after being told not to by his surrogate parents. He was ready to go along with the idea that Project Osiris could be a real thing. Ben is also brave, as he was seen jumping in the deepest part of the wave pool in Poseidon and ran away while Freddie Cinta attempted to pull him back.

## Physical description

Ben is a ninth grader with long hair. Not much else is known about his appearance.

## Trivia

* Stastny is Czech for *contentment,* which is also one of the three Essential Qualities of Serenity Citizens.