AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She stared up at MC-1, who’d entered the cockpit. He had a grim expression on his face after speaking.
Marisol stood from her seat to face off against the tallest clone. “We’re not murderers. I’m also not willing to keep a human hostage onboard. That not only puts us at risk of him trying to fight to regain control of the shuttle, but he’ll be a drain on our limited resources. We might all be free now, but I’m still in charge.”
She hoped so, at least. There was a small possibility that they could revolt against her. “I could have left you behind, but I didn’t. I wouldn’t. Because I’m not a murderer. Please tell me that I didn’t save you, only to learn that you’re capable of killing someone. That pilot’s only crime is being desperate enough to work for Clone World. He’s just an employee.”
The tall clone shook his head. “We don’t want to kill. I just believe we’ll have a better chance of not being captured if we hang onto the pilot for a few days before releasing him in the emergency pod. There’s only one. I checked.”
“I know, but if we don’t release him soon, we’d have to stop at a station or a colony settlement to drop him off and keep the pod.” She lifted her right hand, glancing at her palm. “I have passed identification scanners on stations that say I’m a human when I’ve taken trips for business, but that doesn’t mean we’re safe to keep doing that. My gramps could realize at any time that you four are gone and get suspicious before we release the pilot. That means we need to avoid anywhere that alerts can be sent to us. No station stops to drop him off. I knew we’d lose the emergency pod when I started plotting to get us this shuttle.”
“We all could die without a pod if the shuttle is damaged.”
“I’m aware.” Marisol sighed, holding MC-1’s gaze. “I warned you that this was risky, and we might die out here in space if we left the surface. That we probably would in time. What matters most to you? Feeling a temporary sense of safety existing on Clone World for as long as you serve a purpose or being free?”
“Freedom,” MC-1 answered.
“I have reason to believe some other freed clones are out here in space.” Marisol hadn’t shared that news with them before. “I have an idea of how to find them. One of them ordered an unblanked clone to be created, and it recently shipped from Earth. It’s on the way to Clone World now. We’re going to fly toward that transport and hopefully reach it before that illegal clone is taken off it by the escaped ones. There’s no way they’d allow that clone to reach Clone World.” She paused, studying their faces for a reaction.
MC-1 frowned. “No other clones have ever escaped.”
“That’s not true.” Marisol retook the pilot’s seat and checked the long-range sensors. They were heading out of the solar system. “Six of them got away three years ago. I helped them escape. I believed they were all dead, but then that unblanked clone was ordered from the factory on Earth. It was one of those six who did it.”
“How do you know that with certainty?” MC-1 crouched next to her.
She turned to meet his shocked gray gaze. “Because whoever ordered that illegal clone used a hidden fund account that was set up just for their escape.”
“Hidden?” MC-4 frowned.
“Two of the clones worked in financing with me and helped steal money from my grandfather. Nine plasma cases and one illegal clone were recently charged to that account.”
MC-1 appeared confused.
“I didn’t place that order. One of the escaped clones did. Each shipment account is notified when an order is fulfilled and given the transport shipping information. It means I can also track the progress of that order.”
“That’s a lot of plasma for one ordered clone.”
Marisol glanced at MC-4. “I’m aware. That amount isn’t just for the newly created clone. We’ve had other transport shipments carrying plasma destroyed since those clones escaped. It was written off as an accident or idiot pirates targeting the wrong ships since that kind of cargo is worthless to humans. It happens. Transport ships carrying what is deemed unprofitable cargo are autopiloted by computers. Now I’m wondering if they were purposely targeted and the plasma cases being shipped to us were stolen by the clone escapees.”
“How much plasma could they need?” MC-1 scowled. “How many transports were destroyed?”
“I don’t have an actual figure.” Marisol shrugged. “My guess now that I know some of the original six clones survived is that they are stockpiling a large supply. That’s good news for us when we find them since we need plasma to live, too.”
“Is it possible more clones have escaped from Clone World than just those six?”
Marisol shook her head. “No, MC-1. One of my main duties is ordering clones. I always demand explanations if anything needs to be replaced. The staff thinks I do it because I’m a penny pincher, but in actuality, if supervisors abuse clones to the point of terminating them, I refuse to order more to meet the same fate. It makes the humans in charge of clones treat them better. Some increases were expected when we expanded the resort and needed more staff. Those I approved. No clone has been replaced without me fully investigating what happened to the first one.”
“You didn’t know about us,” MC-4 whispered.
“Wrong. I double-checked after learning about you. Officially, you’re assigned as part of my gramps backup medical team. The request stated he wanted clones and his human med team in case there was ever an outbreak of one of the flu viruses that originally sprang up on Earth and spread to other resort planets. Clones are immune. With my grandfather’s advanced age, it wouldn’t trigger any suspicion from me or anyone else when you were ordered. It looked more like a precautionary measure on his part.”
“You plan to intercept that cargo? The one carrying the unblanked clone?”
“Yes and no.” Marisol hesitated. “The escaped clones will retrieve the one they ordered. I even figured out what section of space where it will most likely happen. I pulled all the information on other plasma shipments that were lost. We should make it there before that transport is targeted.”
“Are we going to attack the transport?” MC-4 appeared worried.
“No.” Marisol shook her head. “We’re going to trail it and watch from a distance. Once the cargo is taken, we’ll follow whatever shuttle or transport that has it.”
MC-1 scowled. “Will the escaped clones attempt to kill us?”
