Here she could be herself. Even through all the recent upheaval. The space was clean, clear, without any of the luxury trappings her mother had enjoyed. Isobel didn’t need Persian rugs or crystal chandeliers to feel at home. She knew her worth. This apartment was decorated simply: an elegant bed, a glass coffee table, and a sleek white sectional. She sat there, staring out at the over-bright office towers jutting into the skyline.

She spent as little time as possible in the city. It was a necessary evil, but she was never comfortable there. It was too bright. The air was hazy and the roads stunk of exhaust. Up high, as she was now, the view was elegant, but down on the streets it was a mess of chaotic humanity. It had overwhelmed her at times when she’d been younger, until mother had taught her how to control that. She looked down on the tiny people bustling about below her. They were controlled by instinct, every one, even though they denied it. They worked to survive, scraping pennies from the pockets of the wealthy. When the sky grew dark, they’d return home, or somewhere else, and find the nearest piece of flesh to sink themselves into. It was a vicious cycle, fueled by desire.

She tapped out a cigarette from a pack lying on the table, lit it, and took a long drag. No, humans didn’t see reason. It wasn’t so long ago that everyone believed the earth was flat. Now, nothing was different. There were such atrocities in the world; child armies, starving nations, and a suffocating atmosphere. Nobody cared.

Isobel did, and she was the key to fixing it all. Humanity was beyond helping itself, and so she’d taken over.

She took another drag of the cigarette and let the cloud pass slowly through her lips, watching the smoke swirl gracefully over her head.

Her mother, Claudia, had died at home, her wiry body stuck to sweat-stained sheets. She’d screamed from the pain, until the end. In her dying moments, she’d grown calm and spoken for the first time in days, calling out for her daughter. She’d told Isobel she was special, that she’d been given a gift so she could do something amazing, and it was her job to carry the vision further.

Isobel had promised, and meant it, but the last few months the vision had stalled. She deserved to be worshiped, but even she couldn’t save the world on her own. She needed others, others like her, but how could she accomplish her mother’s dreams without even the funding to continue her research? The military had taken it from her. An arrogant institution, crippled by its monolithic bureaucracy. She’d shown them miracles, right in front of their eyes, and still they’d ended the contract. Thirty-Four hadn’t given them enough evidence, they said, proof that the project would deliver. Had it not been for her personal side project, the entire organization would have failed a lot sooner. Now, she had to continue her research in secret, away from prying eyes. The government couldn’t know the research had continued. It was slow, and painful, and frustrated the fuck out of her. She ground the cigarette out on the table, leaving an ugly smudge of ash against the glass perfection.

She’d show them. The world needed a leader, someone to show them how to live. They were certainly not capable of continuing on their own. It took control, real control—so soft and subtle that they’d never know they were being manipulated. Isobel knew that, and she used it to get what she wanted, often even without the use of her powers.

So why had it failed her this time, damn it?!

She stood, stripping off her robe, and let her long blonde hair drape over her shoulders. It trailed down her back as she walked naked to her closet. She selected a tight black dress and matching stilettos, checking herself in the mirror. Flawless, as always. Her mother had done well. All she had to do was run a brush through her hair and she was ready. She added a spritz of perfume and made her way over to the studio next door, where she’d set up her office for this location. Abel sat at a desk, watching the video feed on his computer. When she entered the room, he jumped to his feet and hovered near her like a dog that had been starved of affection.

Abel wasn’t special. She had many men working for her, and he was just the latest in a string of promotions. They’d been necessary when some of her girls had started meddling where they didn’t belong.

No matter, she’d take charge again soon enough. Meanwhile, she had a large stock to choose from. They hadn’t reacted as well to the experiments, but that just made them easier to exert control over. They were her lap dogs, a group of close allies that could be trusted with her mission and not to ask too many questions. Through a carefully crafted network, she was able to work on multiple continents without placing herself at unnecessary risk.

“How are things tonight, Abel?”

“Everything is fine, Miss Isobel. I missed you.”

She smiled and walked past him, pouring herself a drink from the decanter that was sitting on a table near the window. She sipped at it, then set it down on the table. Her eyes darted toward the computer screen. A grainy black-and-white video was playing on a loop. What had him so fascinated?

“What’s this?”

“A contact sent me a video of you.”

“Did they now?” She walked over to the desk. Her face was on the screen, or at least it looked like her. Facial recognition could be unreliable in some of the conditions she worked in, but the features were similar enough. That was her on the screen. Isobel leaned closer, squinting, and her eyebrows furrowing. So why didn’t she recognize the location?

“They said it was from a store in Nevada.” Abel reached over and clicked to display the attached message. Along with the video’s information was a time stamp. The image had been recorded two days ago.

“What does it mean, Miss Isobel? I don’t understand.”

“I need you to leave, Abel.”

His face went dark. Crap. She’d been forgetting herself lately. Keep the charm turned on, or you could set off her men’s darker sides. “It’s okay. I’m fine. I’ll come and find you shortly.”

“Alright.” He nodded and then turned and shuffled out of the room. Isobel poured herself another drink, gulping it down. What the hell was going on? She closed out the video and reread the message. It had been delivered directly to her encrypted account from a Nevada contact. He’d never really been necessary before; there’d never been anything interesting out in the desert, but she’d made a point to cover all major cities. The video had been taken in a Las Vegas convenience store, over on the east side of town. She stared back at herself on the screen and shivered. It was just like she was looking in a mirror.

Except that it wasn’t her. She hadn’t been to Vegas for years.

She stared. The facial recognition software had taken rudimentary measurements of the girl’s features, but it couldn’t see what Isobel did. The nose was the same size, the eyes the exact same width apart. They even had the same pouting lips. That wasn’t an accident—not in her world.

The girl was almost certainly a product of the experiments, but not one she’d ever heard of. Isobel thought that Claudia had told her everything. It seemed not. Opening another window, Isobel booked a ticket to Las Vegas. Far too many girls had already been lost. This time she was going to investigate personally. This girl was special.

She had Isobel’s face.