Noah and Alex: The Creatures Bar (Human Cloning: Part 1)

Alex was at the entrance of 'The Creatures' - a bar infamous for the horrific way the bartenders dress. Some have tiger teeth, some have a long furry tail, and some can howl. Of course, most of it is fake, but at first glance, everything would seem strikingly real. After concluding the first phase of the ongoing government-funded research on cell mimicry, Alex had to take a break from spending evenings in the lab, and an invitation from Noah was something he couldn't refuse. 

Noah is an independent researcher who doesn't collaborate with anyone. He proudly supports the belief that brain power is reduced due to the presence of other body organs. Consequently, collaboration with other human beings works the same way. However, it is also true that he gave the scientific community insights into many abstract ideas and concepts. Lately, there has been widespread rumour that he was independently developing a machine to create a living organism simply by copying it.

"Good evening, sir! Can I have your autograph?" asked Alex playfully.

"I'm sorry, sir. Currently, autographs are unavailable. Better luck next time."

"You haven't changed a bit," sighed Alex, removing his hat. He called a waiter to place his suitcase and ordered two bottles of the priciest red wine and two glasses.

"It seems you are not going cheap."

"Not today; our first phase is over. I received a big payout that I intend to spend tonight," and went into a small laugh.

"Oh, how's Jessica? Does she still love me?" asked Noah after they filled their glasses.

"She is madly in love with you. As soon as I enter the house, she says, 'Oh my dear Noah, you must be tired. Shall I arrange the bed?'" and Alex burst into laughter.

"Man, your research has led your sarcasm to the bottom of the deepest pit of the world," said Noah in a particularly disinterested way. He was expecting better sarcasm.

Alex poured a second glass of wine for both and asked, "How come you invited me to a bar far from your residence?"

"I just wanted to catch up with you," Noah replied with a mischievous smile.

"The fact that you came out of your house indicates something interesting must have happened. You are an almost rare sighting in The Creatures and an endemic species of the Humpton Road," said Alex, looking at his watch.

Noah began abruptly after he finished his second glass.

"Just imagine you have an identical copy." 

"Whoa, where did this come from?"

"You have to reach your house at half past eight, and you know we can go on talking till the bar closes, right?" said Noah while filling his third one. He continued, "If you had an identical copy, you would not have to worry about coming here and reaching home at a specific time. If you are late, you could send your copy to the destination! Imagine how fun it would be. You could come here as well as be at the house! You would be engrossed in these small talks here, and also plan a family vacation to Venice, wouldn't that be amazing?"

"Please don't talk of humanoids after what M.E.F. did to the research center. Following the events, we dismantled it and established a strict no-talking about humanoids policy," sighed Alex.

"No, I'm not talking about humanoids. Wait, you guys destroyed "My Eternal Friend"? Ah! He was a good guy. I met him only once before he went crazy and started destroying everything in his path!" Alex was amused to hear Noah did not take his failure seriously and had chucked it up into a humorous event.

"I am proposing that what you have done till the first phase, I have completed that work alone," said Noah confidently.

"So it was all true? Are you then preparing an organism copying machine? You surely amaze me! How does it work?"

"You have a phone?" queried Noah.

"No, why?" replied Alex.

"We could have booked a cab to the lab, and you would have been the first lucky person to see it before I performed some public stunts with the machine," a sarcastic laugh followed through.

"Are you up to something evil? Remember, I can easily call the cops if you don't abide by the norms set for organism mimicry," threatened Alex, standing up.

"Ah, you misunderstood! Exhibiting such a priceless thing to these morons can only be considered a stunt!" exclaimed Noah and put the glass on the table.

"I mean, these so-called morons yield the power of funding our ongoing projects, so I won't necessarily call them that. Well, I am calling a cab...Mind hoping in for Humpton Road?" asked Alex, realizing the conversation was dragging on unnecessarily. It was typical for Alex and Noah to have different views, which is one reason for depriving the public of something truly genius based on the collaboration of two outlandish minds of the current era. 

"Yeah, sure, but this bottle will be wasted...Oh! I forgot you want to throw money today," Noah mocked and followed Alex.

They saw a cab outside and jumped into it.

"Humpton Road, Third Lane"

"Fifty bucks."

"Well, you should have quoted a higher fare. This guy is on a spending spree today," said Noah, pointing his thumb at Alex.

"Sir, one hundred bucks then!" said the cab driver.

"Eh! Fifty is fine; just drive," replied Alex.

"So, how does your machine work?" asked Alex.

Siba Smarak Panigrahi

(Released on 18 Aug, completed in Part 2)