That young woman is Amraani’s wife, all right. Like him, cunning and distant while seeming innocent. My son married her though he is sick, he must have really found her to his liking if he went after a girl from his old life despite the risks.

She sighed, but it didn't catch her daughter-in-law's attention.

Still, she isn’t the man of confidence he is counting on to further the research on his ailment. She doesn’t even know he has an other identity. She probably met  both Amraani and the one she associates in her mind to Zaadeem in college, but she doesn't realize that the Zaadeem she associates with her college years is Amraani. What I want to know is if she knows of his illness or did he keep it between his trusted man and himself?

She sat back in her Japanese seat, crossing her arms. “You never replied to my question. Who are you?”

“The woman who loves Zaadeem enough to accept getting married to him without knowing what her husband’s family is like. Despite my insistence to meet them. I am the woman who is determined to make this marriage work regardless of what tomorrow might bring. Regardless of where the trial or the happiness will come from or how long it will last.”

Shinji’s poised tone seemed sincere and it pleased Maïra greatly, even if she was still unclear about this Fiji-Mary girl knowing of her son’s disease.

I can hardly come out and ask that young woman how she deals with Amraani’s sickness. If she doesn't know and I spring that on her, the rift between Amraani and me might deepen. At least, she seems more pondered than Amraani and there is warmth in her personality. Maybe that will be enough to get Amraani more centered. I will just keep an eye on her and wait. After all, it’s not the times or occasions to learn of her shrewdness that will lack.

Maïra stood up gracefully and said,

“I’m leaving. Kindly let my son know I missed him.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs Masson. I hope we meet again very soon. What about a Sunday brunch?”

The young he-female turned to follow Maïra when a kitchen device's alarm rang. Maïra kept walking to the door while Fiji-Mary rushed to silence the machine.

“It’s a good idea, but I doubt my son will let it happen. He knows so well how to plan ahead and avoid having time to meet me, one could create a complete university degree based on his techniques.”

“What about meeting just the two of us? At least until we manage to turn him around. I love him, but I don’t think it’s right to neglect family.”

Maïra stopped to look intently over her shoulder at the slightly shorter wife of Amraani. What she saw pleased her and she smiled. A genuine smile that turned her gray eyes into a shiny light gray pool.

I like this girl more and more. It must be losing her family when she was still very young that made Fiji-Mary realize how important family can be. That my son can’t see it for himself, but intuitively chose a companion who will push him in the right direction is good credit to both.

“I’d like that very much. Contact me early next week.” She handed Fiji-Mary a  sandy business card that was very much like her, discreetly elegant and oozing power. Then, she turned around and left.

          A few minutes later, Ambrosio Contador, their support team chief from the Glorian Program let himself in Shinji’s loft. He quickly led two other guys into a sweep of the place looking for surveillance devices, gathering samples, and the tea cup Maïra drank from. When he decided the apartment was secure, he sent away the others and gestured Shinji to the comfortable divan.

“I hoped our first meeting of the year would be under better instances. What happened exactly?”

“She declared herself Maïra, the mother of my husband. I thought his parents were both dead, since he rarely speaks of them. If she really is his mother, then her name should be Maïra Rosette Al-Amir McAuliffe. Moreover, even though we have been friends for many years now, he never showed me their picture, let alone hint they might be alive. So, I doubt he introduced them to his acquaintances elsewhere too. Still you saw her. She does resemble Amraani well enough.”

“Indeed. Did she say anything in particular?”

“She wanted to know me. Probably wanted to make up her own mind about the woman her son married behind her back. Checking to see how much of gold-digger I was.”

“What about the Program?”

“She knows her son lives and works for the Institute under a fake ID and that he sports a different face, but I don’t think she knows I am a man or much else about the Program. Amraani never seemed fond of talking about his parents and apparently, he didn’t tell them about his life away from them. That is if she truly is his mother. Maybe getting in touch with her for a while will help unveiling the full range of her information.”

“It may help. But, I rather check her out before you meet again. If we decide it can be done.” Ambrosio’s tone when he spoke that last sentence tickled Shinji’s apprehension.

“Is something wrong? What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing concrete. Still, no members of the Glorians’ original families should be able to get this close to a Glorian in service. It simply should not happen.”

“What do you infer from this?” The Glorian support leader said nothing, but his face spoke volumes.

Someone must have talked already or someone was withholding information from the team leader. Either way, it didn’t bode well for their Masson family. Another variable to include in the revenge plan.

“Is there anything I can do for you before I try to get some rest? Today was a bad day and tomorrow is already scheduled to be worse.”

“There isn’t.” Ambrosio stood. “I will let you know what we find. In the meantime, try to get some rest and keep up with the Program as usual.”

“I will."

Contador was already walking away in long strides when Shinji continued.

"One more thing. Do I talk about the encounter with Amraani before he gets back? This Mrs. Masson or McAuliffe might already know how to contact Zaadeem.”

“I already told him about the intrusion. But, please feel free to discuss her matter with him. It might give us an insight on how to better organize a response for her appearances.”

“Then, I will let you know how it goes. Good night.” They shook hands and Ambrosio let himself out.

He went down to the security floor of the building and had a long chat with the security team of the building. The seriousness of the situation escaped none of them. Getting in the building was one thing, but the intruder knew how to get into the Masson loft undetected and she didn't seem particularly fit for the spy games.

As he left the edifice, he called the Chief of Security to the Glorian program and notified him. Then, he headed to his team’s office in the Institute while he transmitted his first conclusions. Ambrosio leveled a hard gaze to his team the second he got in the office and he saw they all understood the seriousness of the situation. Having a mole was the worst that could happen to the program. They spent the night reviewing the way protocols were applied in the past month and double-checked everyone’s whereabouts.

Then they broke apart to prepare for their interrogations. A leak meant no one from the team would work until cleared from suspicions. The coming week promised to be a trying one and they all knew nobody would leave the office until this investigation was all over.

Ambrosio gone, Shinji biophoned Amraani to let him know all was well. By now, he assumed Amraani would be back in his hotel room, so he rang it directly. As usual, Shinji masked his private calls to Amraani when his husband was away from Ivory and the Glorian institutions, so nobody but Zaadeem could see who was calling.

Back in Grislings, a woman with a high-pitched voice picked up the call. And Shinji's clone morphed into existence. When it was complete, Fiji-Mary opened her eyes. The person she faced was definitely not her husband Zaadeem. She wasn't surprised though. The voice of the responder already told her Zaadeem was in good company. What he didn't know was who that woman would be.

She was a tall and sculptural redhead with a sassy gypsy dress that made Shinji involuntarily cringe at his own attire. He was only wearing the typical biophone clone outfit. The woman gave him a demeaning once-over before asking what he wanted. She clearly didn’t find him competition enough for her husband’s regards. Meaning she probably didn’t know who he was.

It took a lot of Shinji’s self-control to keep his affable face on and ask, "The location of my husband Zaadeem, if you please".

The woman paled. She stood there another beat before grabbing her purse on her way to the door.

At least, she knows to be ashamed of being mixed up in my husband’s unfaithfulness.I didn’t think he would already be cheating on me. Barely a couple of months in the marriage and he is tired of me. I knew he didn’t love me. But still, I thought he would last a year or so before having enough of me, sexually speaking. Guess I was wrong about that too.

Shinji sat in the nearest armchair and wept for a few minutes, his soft hiccups covered by the sound of the running water from Amraani's shower.

Then, he shook himself mentally.

This is okay. Amraani doesn’t desire him, doesn’t love him. So what? I already knew there was nothing much tying us together and I was already planning to make Amraani pay for his deeds. What is this humiliation compared to losing our baby girl? What is Amraani's neglect upon hearing of the home invasion compared to me almost dying when he trifled with my Glorian morphosis process? This pain shall be anger and fuel to my efforts in bringing down that hateful man.

Shinji wiped his face clean. Leaving nothing hinting he might have felt upset, he sat back into the armchair, waiting for Amraani to show up. He didn’t have to wait long. Amraani came out of the bathroom five minutes later calling seductively a woman’s name.

“Jessica!?”

He stopped short when he saw Shinji. A beat later, he was in front of the chair, having closed the distance in fast, long strides. He grabbed Shinji up and hugged him close, devouring him with a breathtaking kiss, before setting him down.

“I never thought I would ever kiss a clone. Shinji, what are you doing to me?”

“Nothing. You are just feeling the Jessica effect.” There was ice in Shinji’s tone.

“Her? Don’t worry. I had no intention of getting into bed with her.” Amraani spoke with his lips caressing Shinji’s neck feather-like.

“She was pushing her own agenda when she followed me around all day and forced her way in my room. But, I clearly let her know my refusal and my intent to call security to have her removed if I found her here when I came out of the bath.”

I hope this will be enough to pacify Shinji. I’m in for a good beating if it doesn’t work.

Since it would help his plan to let the baleful man think Shinji was jealous and in love, Shinji followed up, still wrapped up in his husband’s embrace.

“You are lying to me just as you always do. Why should I believe you?”

“I’m not lying to you. You say always. When did I lie?”

“When you told me your parents were dead.”

“I never said so, Shinji. Why would I say something like that when both my parents are alive, well, and being such a pain in my rear that I felt doubly lucky to be chosen for the Eternal Glory Program with you?”

Shinji looked at Amraani through the haze of desire humming between them. The answer seemed sincere enough. The Jessica thing though was pure lie.

“You might say that, however the middle-aged woman who broke into our house tonight said she is your mother.”

Amraani stood back from Shinji a bit. “Whose mother?”

“She didn’t say. So, I treated her as if she was Zaadeem’s mother and she didn’t object.”

“Then I suppose this program has a leak somewhere since ‘Zaadeem’s parents’ should be both nonexistent.” Amraani looked a little worried now. Shinji would have laughed at Amraani’s anxious face if the prospect of a leak destroying the program before he could make Amraani pay wasn’t such a bad deal.

“There is a leak, I agree, but not where you think. Have you seen the file the support team sent about the intrusion?”

“No, not yet” The guilty feeling Amraani tried to hide, as he let go of Shinji and turned away, didn’t escape Shinji’s eyes. The he-wife looked hurt for the briefest time.

The man truly planned to enjoy himself with that woman before dealing with any pertaining to me.

“Well, the woman looked like the older, female version of Amraani Zander McAuliffe.”

“Mocks! She followed me here.”

“So, she IS your mother. I’m glad I treated here warmly.”

“You shouldn’t have. Now, she will stick to us like glue.” Amraani seemed truly mad. “And I expressly told her to wait for me outside.” He muttered softly.

“I beg your pardon.” Amraani didn’t repeat, but said aloud.

“Mother is incapable of respecting the boundaries of my life. That’s why I tell her only the minimum necessary to keep her in check. How did she even get wind of the program?”

“That isn’t the priority. What needs to be done is to notify Contador of her identity and tell him all he needs to know to protect the program.”

Amraani slid his hand on his face before heading for the phone. Contador picked up on the second ring and Amraani spent the next ten minutes giving the team leader a summary of his mother’s habits, behaviors patterns, and other related info. When they finished discussing, Amraani faced Shinji with a lopsided smile on his face.

“Well, it turns out I was indeed lying to you by omission. I never spoke so much about my parents since I finished elementary school. I keep a tight lid on everything that concern them for so many years, I didn’t realize I made you think they were dead.”

Puzzled, Shinji asked, “What do you mean?”

“That I never realized you thought I was an orphan. Growing up, I quickly realized my parents couldn’t care less about me. If Mother has appeared tonight, then there is something she wants me to do to maintain the family reputation. It’s the only time she ever seeks me out.”

Shinji asked softly. “Why is that?”

“I don’t care and I don’t want you to want to care. As a rule, I don’t get close to my parents and I want you to do just the same. It never ends well and I don’t want to see you suffering at my own parents’ hands.”

Shinji had trouble understanding why Amraani wasn’t coming straight out with the reason or at least, an example of why he was refusing the rapprochement. But since he himself was already on the war path, he shrugged it mentally off.

After all, you catch more bees with honey than vinegar.

So, Shinji only acquiesced with a soft-voiced, soothing “Then, I won’t.”

When he looked up to his husband, the desire-filled dark-grey glance told him his clone would get some sexual experience.