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“I understand.”
“How long is it going to take to reach this mining place?”
“Three days if we travel at top speed.” He checked his engines. They were still running a little hot. He just hoped they held until they reached home base. The last thing he wanted was to have his shuttle break down while pirates were searching for them. He’d abandon it and have Blade transfer them all onto his fancy larger one. Marisol was the priority. Always.
A beeping started, and he realized Marisol’s clones had figured out how to get his attention. At least one of them was attempting to enter the cockpit. They couldn’t break in, but it would become annoying if they continued to push the button.
Chapter Eight
“What keeps beeping? Are the pirates showing up on your long-range sensors?”
Free wanted to growl. Marisol sounded worried. He didn’t like that.
“No. One of your clones can’t seem to figure out that I’ve locked the door and is repeatedly attempting to access the cockpit.”
“I should go talk to them.” Marisol started to unbuckle from her seat.
“No. I need to be the one to speak to them. Do you know how to fly one of these? You told me that you had a few pilots give you basic flying instructions.”
“Yes. I’m the one who has been piloting the other shuttle since we left Clone World.”
“Good. I’m transferring control to you. See how both of our shuttles are flying even with the wings of the biggest one? Blade is in front of us, and Figures is to our right. We’re flying in this formation because it makes us look like an authority fight cruiser on sensors. That will dissuade any pirates from coming our way if they manage to glimpse us. Just adjust our course and speed if Blade does. Can you do that?”
Marisol nodded. “What are you going to say to them?”
“They need to know what to expect to keep them from panicking. That’s the last thing we need right now.”
“I should do that.”
“No. I need to get to know them and make certain they know the rules. Big won’t tolerate them upsetting his female or anyone else living on base. Blade’s female is human, and Rod just picked up her parents, so they are living at our base, too.”
The shock on her face was cute. Her brown eyes widened, and her mouth parted.
“I don’t have many details since we always speak in code and keep our communications short, but I’m kept updated on what’s happening there. I won’t be gone long. I’m transferring control to your console now.”
He did that and stood, releasing the lock on the cockpit door. It opened to reveal the black-haired clone with grayish-colored eyes. Free encroached into his personal space, forcing him back. The male retreated a few steps. Free stopped, closing the doors behind him.
“Who are you?”
“I’m MC-1.”
Free stepped to the side, taking in the other three clones. They stood farther back in the living space. All of them had black hair, but the women had different colored eyes, while the males could have been related with their unique gray eyes. That didn’t surprise him since clone models tended to have similar coloring and looks, seemingly selected for whatever duties they’d been created for. It helped knowledgeable humans guess what they were at a glance.
“Who are they? Introduce me,” Free demanded.
MC-1 put a little more space between them, pointing out his fellow clones. “MC-2 is the other male. The shortest female is MC-3, and then there’s MC-4.”
“My name is Free. I was an F Clone created to work in the finance department of Clone World. The staff named me Freak. I hated being called that, but as you know, humans didn’t care if we were content with the names they assigned to us.” He paused. “I’m guessing you’re all called M’s because Marisol said you were her medical team. What does the C stand for?”
“Medical classified, and we were numbered in the order of being activated from shipment,” MC-2 informed him. “We were solely assigned to care for Ms. Florigo. She is the reason we exist.”
“You have three days until we join other clones. I’d think about changing what you’re called into something you like by then. I’d resent having a number as part of my name, but that’s up to you.” Free took a deep breath. “Never forget that Marisol is the reason you are alive. That won’t change just because you aren’t on Clone World anymore. I won’t tolerate anyone hurting her. Never forget that.”
MC-1 inched closer to the other three.
Free didn’t blame him. He was threatening them. “I’m not trying to be a dick, but I like to be transparent and concise with my words. I’m taking the four of you to my home. There are other clones there, as well as a few humans. They are not like the ones we interacted with on Clone World. One of those humans is in a romantic relationship with a B Clone. Blade taught me how to fight.” He paused for effect. “You do not want to insult or harm his human. He’d make you regret it.”
MC-3 braved speaking. “We won’t cause any trouble. Our goal is to fit in. Where are we going? Is it a planet?”
