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First he needed to get them all to safety and back at the mining station that they’d turned into their home base. Part of him suddenly worried that she might not like it there. It was a problem to deal with later. Just like the four clones Marisol had brought with her. It was a good thing that more clones had escaped, but it would have been bad if they hadn’t integrated well with others.
He followed Blade, keeping on the left side and behind the larger shuttle. They picked up speed when Figures joined them, flying in a direction that didn’t take them directly to their destination. They couldn’t risk the pirates tracking them.
“You look really good.”
Free tensed, turning his head. Marisol’s normally restrained light brown hair hung longer than the last time he’d seen it down. Those times were few. Her dark eyes locked on him, making him want to get closer.
He forced himself to look away. “You are beyond beautiful.”
“Why are you barely speaking and looking at me? Did your feelings change? Did you find someone else?”
“No!” He clenched his teeth, adjusting course when Blade did.
“Then why do you seem to be doing your best to ignore me? I have so much to say to you. I want to hear everything that I’ve missed out on. A thousand questions are filling my head.”
“I would like nothing better than to take you to my cabin and lock us in there so nothing could disturb us. I have dreamed about you every time I slept. Missed you.” He sucked in a deep breath. “But now isn’t the time. I dropped everything the second Big and Figures let me know you were looking for me. I stressed my engines to reach you quickly, not caring if I burned them out and lost the use of my shuttle in the end. This has been my home ever since I left the others.”
“Then?”
He cut her off. “Do you know what pirates would do to you? You’re a female. They would…” He cleared his throat, not wanting to voice such vile things. “I’m not allowing that to happen. I will take you home where it’s safe, and then it will be our time to reconnect.”
Marisol sighed. “Okay. You’re being logical. I’ve missed that about you. Honestly, I’ve missed everything about you, Free. I dreamed about you, too. I thought you had changed your mind about being with me when you didn’t send me that signal you’d be there to catch me when I ejected from the station.”
“We were there.” He changed course again, keeping in the flying formation Blade led. It was important to make certain the pirates couldn’t follow them or even guess the correct direction they’d gone.
The mining station was well protected, but it was best to never put their defenses to the test. Some pirate hubs were known to have hundreds of criminals living together. They would attack if they ever realized what was hidden deep inside the crater they called home. The pirates would want to not only steal every resource the mining company had abandoned but probably take it over themselves.
“We sent dozens of messages, but you never responded.”
“I never got them because I was already dead.”
His guts twisted. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s true. Original me was killed. Gramps obviously had some fake memories implanted because I vaguely remember attending some meetings, then feeling super sick, and later attributed it to being severely depressed when you never showed up.”
“I am here now, aren’t I?” It angered him that she’d believe he would abandon her. “I came for you then, too. I will always come for you.”
He didn’t dare look her way, knowing he’d revealed the depth of his feelings. They’d never faded. Marisol had earned his heart and devotion in the past. It was the reason he’d grown distant from the other clones after believing he’d lost her forever. Free had struggled to find a reason to go on without her. Big, Blade, Figures, Ram, and Rod had never understood his almost obsession with Marisol. They’d never been in love.
“Who is the female unblanked clone you ordered?” She hesitated. “I randomly checked that secret account we put money into and saw the payment made to DJD Clone Corp.”
“I don’t have many details. We must speak in code over long-distance communications so no one can guess who and what we are. Big let me know that Figures had met a woman that he wanted to make a part of our family and was paying for her transportation from our old savings account.”
Marisol remained silent.
He glanced her way. She silently watched him, a small frown turning the corners of her mouth downward. He started to explain how they communicated.
“The words we use are always important hints. Figures wanted to make her, paired with a part of our family, let me fill in the gaps that he was paying for an unblanked clone to be made of whoever that human had been. I haven’t gone home to the station in a long time. It was tempting to fly back to get more details, but knowing they’d used the funds from Clone World for something like that deeply angered me.”
“I understand that. It never turns out well. Whoever was grown in the factory will go insane and die. I don’t know what Figures was thinking doing something that terrible.”
“That’s not true. Big raided a transport for plasma and discovered one of your grandfather’s private purchases onboard. She is not only surviving but also thriving as an unblanked clone.” Free changed course again when Blade did. They were finally flying in the direction of the mining station. Nothing showed on long-range sensors. The pirates couldn’t track them anymore.
“Then why were you mad?”
“I believed you’d made your choice to have nothing more to do with us. I took it as a personal betrayal that they’d take anything from you or your grandfather.”
“Oh, Free…”
