Batchmate

BATCHMATE THE LOST CLONE BOOK 2 JORDAN RIVET Copyright © 2023 by Jordan Rivet All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Contact the author at [email protected] For free short stories, updates, and discounts on new releases, join Jordan Rivet’s mailing list at JordanRivet.com/mailing-list Book cover design by www.ebooklaunch.com Editing suggestions provided by Red Adept Editing Audiobook narrated by Talon David Batchmate/Jordan Rivet - First Edition: April 2023 ISBN: 9798391073826 Created with Vellum For Kylie who got to ring the bell CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Author’s Note Acknowledgments About the Author Also by Jordan Rivet Wake Me After the Apocalypse Chapter 1 CHAPTER ONE I pressed my face to the bullet train window, and the thick dura-glass vibrated against my forehead. The nature preserve flew past in a green blur. Excitement pulsed through me with a clickbeat rhythm. This was my first time on the high-speed Harbortown Express. The train car smelled of lemon antiseptic and featured pristine white walls and molded seats with teal cushions. I traced my fingers over the train company logo stamped on the seat in front of me, hardly daring to believe I’d actually made it. It was move-in day for freshmen at Harbortown University, and the train was packed with students and their families. The other passengers chattered eagerly about the start of the school year, proud of themselves for the hard work they’d all done to get in to the prestigious college. All except for me. I’d secured my place at Harbortown on the merits of Janie Davies, my clone batchmate. She had earned the grades, the recommendation letters, and even the early test scores I’d used to get in. I’d been living Janie’s life for a full year, but I still didn’t truly belong. I hoped that was about to change. My gridwatch buzzed. I unfolded the screen, which was a bit bigger than my hand and showing signs of wear. The message was from Isaac Ironside. “Mom is still crying in the kitchen. Suffice it to say we’ll be late. You there already?” “Not yet.” I tapped out my reply. “The train is cool. We’re crossing the nature preserve now.” I glanced out the window. We’d left the forest and were zooming above the marshland, a brownish, greenish smear at those speeds. The train tracks were raised high above the ground to avoid disturbing the fauna as much as possible. “No animals so far.” The nature preserve separated Harbortown from the rest of Grid City. Originally conceived as a barrier against sea-level rise, it was a home to actual wild animals, the sort that were extinct on most of the planet. Apart from the bullet train tracks and an enclosed railcar highway, no one was allowed to build on the huge tract of land, creating the illusion that Harbortown was far removed from the metropolis. In reality, it took only forty minutes to reach Harbortown from the eastern edge of Grid City. My gridwatch buzzed with Isaac’s reply. “Forgot you haven’t been there before. We’ll go on safari some weekend. If I ever make it, that is. Mom is now weeping over my childhood toys and trying to get me to pack my teddy bear. I’ve retreated to the aquarium room.” “Say bye to the fish for me.” I folded the gridwatch screen back onto my wrist, glad I hadn’t taken Isaac up on his offer of a ride to school in his family’s private railcar. My relationship with his parents, Henry and Wei Lin Ironside, was awkward, to say the least. I did my best to avoid them whenever I hung out with Isaac at Glassbreak House. Mr. Ironside had agreed to pay for my university education, even though I’d failed to keep Isaac from finding out I wasn’t the Janie he’d been friends with since ninth grade. Mr. Ironside didn’t want to attract attention by throwing me out in the cold or making me disappear, especially on the heels of his chief of staff Victor Reid’s disappearance. He was probably afraid I’d tell the world what I knew about Janie—which was more than he realized. My relationship with Isaac was much friendlier. He knew Janie was dead and I was a different person, and in the months since I’d saved him from Victor, he’d taken the time to get to know me. I’d told him stories about my Cloneworks childhood and answered all his questions about life at a clone institution. In return, he told me stories about Janie and filled in the gaps in my knowledge of her. He liked having someone to talk to about her as he processed his grief. Once, he told me Janie would have liked me. That meant a lot. Lately, though, I’d noticed Isaac slipping into his and Janie’s old patterns. The inside jokes. The rapid-fire chatter. I liked spending time with Isaac, but it made me uneasy when he acted as though Janie and I were the same, not just genetically identical clones. I hoped leaving Grid City for college would give us a chance to establish a friendship that was truly ours. We needed our own favorite haunts, our own memories. If that didn’t work out, Harbortown might be a good place to put a little distance between us. Suddenly, the bullet train slowed, making me lean forward in my seat. A faint grinding sound came from somewhere beneath my feet. The noise stopped almost as quickly as it had begun,