AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Rod shook his head. “No. I brought Hailey’s parents to her, but I’ll be leaving soon.”
Some of Fig’s good mood seemed to fade. “I wish you’d reconsider.”
Rod glanced at Anna with his dark brown eyes, the look in them serious. He fixed his attention on Fig next. “I overheard something disturbing when I went to pick up Hailey’s parents from Kellerton Station.”
Fig put his arm around Anna, pulling her close. “What?”
“Jorgonson Industries opened a facility on Mandora Station,” the grim-faced clone rasped.
“Shit,” Fig muttered.
“What does that mean?” Anna didn’t like being kept in the dark. “I’ve heard of Mandora, of course. The pleasure cruiser I took after leaving Earth wouldn’t go there, though. It was supposed to be too lawless and dangerous for tourists.”
“The J in DJD Clone Corp stands for Jorgonson,” Fig informed her.
“Only someone who buys clones would link the two companies together if they handled our plasma and medical supplies that keep us alive,” Rod added. “I don’t like that they opened a facility off Earth.”
“I’ll say it again. Perhaps more planets are buying clones and needed another distribution center for plasma shipments.” Blade sighed. “It doesn’t have to be nefarious.”
“Everything DJD Clone Corp does is suspect.” Rod shook his head. “The fact that they are operating under that company name to hide what they truly are from humans implies whatever they are doing there won’t be well met.”
“He believes DJD might be growing clones on that station.” Big’s expression also turned grim. “Ones that would be illegal to produce on Earth because of the stringent laws that govern the company. They risk heavy fines and being shut down when they break the law.” His blue gaze fixed on Anna.
Fig’s hold on her tightened. “I did pay a vast amount to have Anna illegally made. The company wouldn’t have to worry about sanctions or Earth authorities if they operated away from Earth.”
Big tore his attention from Anna to stare at Fig. “Rico Florigo might not be the only owner who secretly orders unblanked clones to be produced for his entertainment.”
“He is their largest client. It’s possible that?”
“We have a more pressing problem.” Fig cut Rod off. “I couldn’t risk transmitting this information to you and decided to say it in person. Another shuttle showed on my sensors when I retrieved Anna. I flew through an asteroid belt to lose it, and we stayed in my retreat until I hoped they’d given up searching for us. That shuttle was still there when we left.”
“Pirates?” Blade tensed. “Tell me that you didn’t allow them to follow you in this direction. I already had to kill a crew of them to regain my freedom and Hailey’s.”
“Not a pirate team.” Fig hesitated, locking gazes with Big. “You need to send a secure transmission to Free. I believe Marisol Florigo and four clones are in that shuttle. She communicated with me in a code that only she would know unless that human is betraying us by setting a trap to recapture us.”
Big blanched.
Rod snarled, sounding like a vicious dog.
“Fuck,” Blade hissed.
The older human woman stepped forward. “I’m Klista Togis, and this is my husband, Sam. We’ve had the Magna in our home prepare a feast to celebrate your arrival.” She darted a look at the men around her. “I don’t understand what’s going on, but discussing it over a meal while it’s still warm is always better. I’m waving the parent card.”
“Good idea, Mom.” Dark-haired Hailey stepped forward. She smiled at Anna. “My parents have officially taken on that role for all of us.”
Gemma left Big’s side to move to Anna’s left, hooking their arms together. “That sounds like a good plan, Klista.” She smiled at Anna. “We’ll walk together, and I’ll tell you what a Magna is so you don’t suffer a shock from seeing one.”
“It’s okay,” Fig assured her when Anna looked to him for guidance. “I’ll be right behind you soon.”
“Okay.” Anna let Gemma lead her across the large docking area. She did feel safe with Fig’s people.
“Magna is a type of service android that cooks and keeps the kitchen clean, and it looks freaky.” Gemma lowered her voice. “They didn’t have anything like that back when I used to be human. It scared the crap out of me. I had visions of killer robots from horror movies when I first saw it. I’ve been assured that all wealthy people own them in their homes these days.”
“I wasn’t wealthy,” Anna admitted. “I did own two bots, though. One kept the floors clean inside my home, and another one cut the grass and trimmed the hedges outside. They were both the economic models that most people can afford on Earth.”
“Well, this station has some nice quarters with service bots that do most of the work for us.” Gemma gave her a warm smile. “Just make sure you remind Figures to add you to the database that controls where you’re going to live. You do not want to be woken up if he gets up before you when one of those bots tries to make a bed you’re still in.”
Anna slowed her pace. “That sounds like a story.”
