The Price on a Life
James Chang
(Lorraine is talking on the phone. Standing next to her is David)
Lorraine: Hello? Mr. Gates? Yeah, it’s Lorraine. Listen. I’d like to thank you for your contribution to my campaign. What? Well, of course I’ll support that bill that you wanted. Because of your contribution? Heck, no! There are many great things in that bill, like... Um, well I can’t think... er... recall any right now, but you know what I mean. Of course you do! Bye!
(Lorraine hangs up the phone)
David: Are you done yet?
Lorraine: Of course I’m done, David.” She stood up and looked out the window. “You know, of course, Trevor wasn’t very different. Sure, he acts all moral and decent and all that, but behind the scenes, he’s even worse than me. Like him, I didn’t get to be the head of the Senate without a few tricks up my sleeve.
David: Well, of course you didn’t. But, Lorraine, I’m here to talk to you about different matters. You know, that little ‘experiment’ you sponsored five years ago...
(While David is talking, Lorraine’s preoccupied with checking her hand mirror to make sure her hair’s okay)
Lorraine: Jesus Christ! I’m not sure if I look good enough for the Senate’s next session. Yet, if I overdo it, I might have to put up with our stupid president’s ‘make love with me’ crap!
David: LORRAINE!
Lorraine: (still not paying much attention) Yes?
David: Your sister died.
Lorraine: (after a pause) Really? Well, at least she never found out that Sarah and Veronica were artificially born from her.
David: Well, I just thought you’d like to know. Even though we all knew she’d die sooner of later, thanks to the ‘Lacanzavaronnovshik’ whatchamacallit disease. You’re lucky you didn’t get it, Lorraine, like the rest of your family did. It seems to be quite hereditery. I mean, everyone is catching that thing. Interesting disease, though. Kind of like a genetic cancer. The cells grow and grow uncontrollably, especially in the brain. No outward physical presence of the disease can be seen. Eventually, the demand for nutrients is overwhelmed, and the brain cells start to explode, causing mental problems over the course of a short time and eventually killing...
Lorraine: (disgusted, paranoid, or whatever) ENOUGH! I don’t want to hear about my brains exploding and getting mentally retarded and... dying. That’s why I had you undertake the cloning project. So I could find the gene of this disease and destroy it. Now I’ve had enough. Go check on Sarah and Veronica.
David: Sure thing, boss. You can count on me. Oh yeah, Lorraine, one more thing. Trevor gave another speech on the evils of cloning today.
Lorraine: What? Again? Why does he always have to do things like that to me?
(David leaves the room)
Lorraine: Poor Alsace, my sister. I wish I knew you better. I’m not going to let the Lacanza disease go on killing like this.
(Um, next scene or whatever. Sarah could be asleep on a chair like the way school students fall asleep at their desks. Veronica abrupty wakes her up)
Veronica: Sarah! Wake up! Come on!
Sarah: (Reacting the usual way when someone is surprised by a loud noise) AAGH! Veronica! Don’t do that!”
Veronica: You’re always so lazy!
Sarah: Am not!
Veronica: Am, too!
Sarah: (More calmly, now) Am not. Now, why did you wake me up?
Veronica: Don’t you remember? Dad’s taking us on a tour of the White House, today!”
Sarah: Oh yeah! Awesome! Hey, Veronica, do you think I could ever become a great politician like Lorraine or Trevor?
Veronica: Gee, I dunno. How did you do on your law school exam?
Sarah: I’m not sure. How did you do? You always got better grades than me.
Veronica: Um, actually... I didn’t do that well. Lately, I’ve been having a hard time concentrating, for some strange reason.
(David walks in)
David: Sarah! Veronica! I’m home! Get ready! We have to get going, soon!
Sarah: Sure, dad!
David: Well, Sarah and Veronica, wait in the car. I have to do something first.
(Sarah and Veronica leave. David takes out a book and starts writing in it with a pen)
David: Okay, let’s see...”
(Veronica walks back in)
Veronica: Shoot! I forgot my notepad! Where did I leave it? And what is dad doing?
(Veronica more or less spies on her “father”)
David: Log entry 201. The two subjects are eager to learn in the art of politics, much like the original. I did a good job raising them, heh heh. Maybe too good, though. Subject Veronica shows no signs of the Lacanza disease despite the fact that she was derived using a diseased cell. Sarah also shows no signs, but that’s expected because she was derived using a non-diseased cell. I am amazed at the rate in which the two subjects have matured. It’s been only five years yet they act and loot like young adults. I attribute this to the theory that clones are older because their embryos come from aged cells. I have almost singled out the Lacanza gene, thanks to several DNA comparison tests between Veronica and Sarah. Since Veronica and Sarah are exactly genetically alike, except for the cancer gene, the gene is easy to find. Signs of the disease in Veronica should be showing up, soon. End log.
(David closes the book)
David: Wow. I feel like some sort of Frankenstein. Lorraine is lucky that I make science my first priority.
(Exeunt David. Veronica stares for a while, runs to and picks up the book, and flips through the pages for a short time. She then slowly puts it back down. Sarah walks in)
Sarah: Veronica? What’s taking so long?
Veronica: I’m not going.
Sarah: What?! Why not?
Veronica: I’m not. Go away!
Sarah: Um... okay. I guess you have your reasons.
(Sarah leaves. Veronica throws the book against the wall)
(Next scene. David runs on)
David: Sarah! Sarah?! Great! I take that girl to the White House and she runs off on her own!
(David runs off, yelling, “SARAH!”)
Sarah: Hooray! I ditched dad! Now I can explore this big place.
(Trevor enters while Sarah is looking around. Sarah notices him)
Sarah: Wow! Y... You’re the great Trevor!
Trevor: The great Trevor? No one ever called me that, before. I’m just the leader of the House of Representatives, not a super hero.
Sarah: Can I have your autograph?
Trevor My wha...? Autograph? Why the heck would you want that? The only other person who was obsessed so much with politics was Lorraine. Speaking of which... Good grief. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you WERE Lorraine.
Sarah: Do I really look like the great Lorraine?
Trevor The great Lorraine!? She’s not so great. She’s like some sort of demon that only cares about getting votes. What’s your name, anyway?
Sarah: Sarah.
Tevor: Sarah, who was your mother?
Sarah: M mom was Alsace Lacanza. Why?
Trevor: Alsace was Lorraine’s sister! But, she didn’t look anything like Lorraine. And as far as I know, she never had any daughter either. (TO SARAH) Listen, Sarah. Here’s a... er, official Trevor pen. Now run off. I have to go talk with Lorraine.
Sarah: Official pen?” Well I guess it’s in a politician’s blood to give cheap worthless gifts away.”
(Yet another scene. Lorraine is on the phone, once again. David is also there)
Lorraine: Yes, Mr. Gates, I did support the bill. No, Mr. Gates, I did not support that anti-trust law. Yes, Mr. Gates, I did get your stupid check in the mail. No, Mr. Gates, I am not supporting your next bill because I am purely against government funds for cloning people just to make extra copies of them. The last thing we need is a bunch of Mr. Gates running around. DEAR GOD! Did I just say that last sentence out loud?
(Lorraine quickly hangs up the phone)
David: So much for Gates’ next campaign contribution. Well, Lorraine, I finally did figure out about the Lacanza disease. Very interesting strand of DNA, but easy to remove during birth. Unfortunately, that’s a little too late to help some people, but in the future, millions of lives will be saved.
(Trevor enters)
Trevor: Lorraine?
Lorraine: Oh great. What are you doing, here?
Trevor: I found out your little cloning scheme. I came across one of your ‘subjects’ when I was walking back from that last meeting. And I managed to get the rest from David.
Lorraine: What?
David: (Nervously) Um.... well, he grabbed me by the throat. He’s scary!
Lorraine: David, don’t expect to get that raise you always wanted. And as for you, Trevor, you can’t do anything. The ban on cloning expired a long time ago. I just happened to be the first to clone a human being.
David: Um, technically, I cloned them, so I’m the first, and...
Lorraine: David, shut up!
Trevor: Okay, so you cloned some people. But what about Veronica? You set her up so she would die.
Lorraine: I needed to use someone. Thanks to Veronica, no one will ever fear that evil disease, again.
Trevor: You know, Lorraine, I might not be able to do anything about your cloning, but I’m pretty sure that purposefully giving someone a deadly disease is murder.
(Trevor leaves)
David: Ooooooo.... he’s mocking you. Do you think that he might actually be right?
Lorraine: No way! That can’t be right.
(Lorraine and David leave)
(Next scene, again. Sarah and Veronica are ‘on stage’ when Trevor enters)
Trevor: Hello? Is anyone home?
Sarah: Hey, Veronica, look! Trevor came to visit us!
Veronica: So? Who cares?
Trevor: I have something to tell you. Hmm. How do you break this? Okay, um, do you know what cloning is?
Veronica: What?
Trevor: Well, you’re just clones. That’s it. Sorry for being blunt.
Sarah: What are you talking about?
Trevor: Lorraine started a great experiment and...
Veronica: Shut up! Stop lying to us!
Trevor: What? But it’s true.
Veronica: Sarah, could you please leave? I need to talk with this slandering fool.
Sarah: Why do I always get left out of these things?
(Sarah leaves)
Trevor: What’s going on?
Veronica: Listen. I don’t want Sarah to ever find out about this. How would you like it if you found out that you were really just an exact replica of someone else?
Trevor: Okay, okay. But, what about you? If I could bring you up to the media and they find out about how you were given a deadly disease by Lorraine, we could get her impeached.
Veronica: I don’t care about Lorraine any more. I just want to live the rest of my life and forget about this.
Trevor: But, the Lacanza disease...
Veronica: I’m going to die, anyway. There’s nothing anyone can do. I’m just going to leave Lorraine alone.
(Sarah runs in)
Sarah: Quick! Quick! Look at the TV!
(Lorraine and David enter at the other side of the room)
Veronica: Great. Lorraine’s on TV again. What’s the big deal?
Lorraine: Thank you so much! Wow. I never knew that I’d actually win the nobel peace prize simply for stopping a killer disease! I don’t know what to say!
Trevor: What?!
Lorraine: I’d like to thank my good friend, Trevor, for just being a good friend. And David, too, who deserves this award as much as I do.
David: You’d better know it! Hey, Lorraine, now maybe you are popular enough to become the first female president.
Lorraine: David, shut up.
Sarah: Wow.... Veronica, some day I’m going to be just like Lorraine.
(
geocities.com/timessquare/battlefield/Battlefield) (
geocities.com/timessquare/battlefield) (
geocities.com/timessquare)