‘It means Bob won’t be quite as big a brute as he was last time,’ said Sal.

‘So… what if we birth the clone at say… about eighteen years of age,’ asked Maddy. ‘How useful would he be?’

› An eighteen-year-old clone would offer approximately 50 % of normal operational capacity.

‘He’d be half as strong?’ said Liam.

Maddy nodded. ‘And how much time would that save us off the growth cycle?’

› 14 hours.

She looked round at the others. ‘What do you reckon?’

‘We speed up the growing process and then empty him out on to the floor twenty-four hours from now?’ said Liam. ‘And we’ll have an eighteen-year-old Bob, with half the muscles?’

‘That’s about it.’

‘But he’ll still be dangerous to other people, right? I mean… doesn’t make any sense me having him by my side if he’s just — ’

› Affirmative, Liam. I will be capable of causing death with or without weapons.

Liam managed a weak smile. ‘Then I guess it’d be good to have you back, Bob.’

› Thank you. I look forward to being fully operational again.

Maddy slapped her hand on the desk. ‘Right, then. I guess we have a plan of action. Since we’ve got no time to waste, Sal, could you go see to the growth candidate? Let’s get that process sped up.’

‘OK.’

‘And I guess I better start gathering all the data I can on this Edward Chan guy,’ she said, pecking at the computer’s keyboard.

‘What about me?’ asked Liam.

Maddy tapped her fingers absentmindedly on the desk. ‘Er… hell, I don’t know.’

‘I suppose I’m coffee-maker?’

She smiled. ‘If you’re doing a run to Starbucks, can you grab me a chocolate-chip muffin as well?’

‘Yeah, me too,’ called Sal from the back room’s doorway.

CHAPTER 12

2001, New York

‘So, this is what I’ve got,’ said Maddy, producing several sheets of computer printout.