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Free studied her, judging that she was being honest. “We’re going to a mining station built at the core of a moon crater. It housed thousands of human workers when it was still operational. There are only a handful of us living there right now.”
None of the four said a word, just staring at him.
“Some living quarters were designed for solo humans, but there were also families with children who once lived there. I’ve seen units with as many as five bedrooms. You’ll be given a choice of what you prefer. Marisol said you lived in an isolated cottage on Clone World. I’ll assume it was small and cramped. I shared a bunk room with the five clones I escaped with. It was unsettling when we first slept apart. That’s why you have options. No one will tell you when you have to sleep, with whom, what to wear, or when to eat. Freedom is about having choices.”
“I would like to sleep with MC-4,” MC-2 informed him. “Would we be allowed to share the same bed?” He held out his hand to the female.
She instantly went to his side and clasped his hand, appearing almost frightened. “Are we in trouble for asking that?”
“No.” Free wanted to put them at ease. “I’m in love with Marisol. I plan to share a bed and home with her. You can do whatever you like as long as it’s consensual. We have common rules at our home base. We respect and treat each other well. Big is ultimately in charge. He’s a B Clone. Think of him as our leader. He’s fair, kind, and will do what’s best for all of us.”
MC-1 didn’t seem to like that. He walked over to the shortest female and glared at Free. “What kind of orders will he give us? What will he expect of us? I thought we would be without masters once we escaped.”
Free knew his eyebrows shot up. “When I say he’s our leader, I mean he’s the one who will help you settle in and find tasks you like to do. We all pitch in to keep the station running while living there.”
That seemed to make the male calm. “Understood.”
“It’s going to take three days for us to arrive where we’re going. Food is in the kitchen, and you’re welcome to eat as much as you like. There are two bedrooms. The one with the large bed is mine. I plan to have Marisol use it. There is a second bedroom with two bunks for your use. Space is limited on my shuttle. I apologize for that. Maybe you can sleep in shifts until we arrive at the station or share the bunks since you are a set of couples. The bunks should fit two if you sleep closely together. Do you have any other questions? I’d like to get back to Marisol. We have a lot of things to discuss.”
“Do you have any spare clothing?”
He nodded at MC-2. “I’ll get some for you now. I don’t have anything that would fit the females, but you’re welcome to alter the clothing. Feel free to shower. The water tanks are full enough for us to reach home without running out.”
Free showed them to the second bedroom and grabbed some of his clothing from his room for them to share. He hurried, wanting to get back to Marisol. It was highly doubtful that the pirates would find them after all the course changes they’d made, but he wouldn’t relax until they were home.
He entered the cockpit to find Marisol staring at him with a worried expression. “Your clones are fine. I gave them some of my clothing, showed them where to sleep, and they know what to expect once we reach home base.” He retook his seat, transferring flight control back to his console.
“You looked a little mad when you left.”
He didn’t deny it. “They needed to know who is in charge. I didn’t like how pushy MC-1 acted. I understand his protectiveness for the other clones since he’s probably led them since they were activated, but they aren’t on Clone World anymore. He needed to be told that Big is ultimately in charge now.”
“What’s he’s like? Figures was the only one I knew in the group you left with.”
“Big’s code name is Father. It’s the role he took with our team after we escaped. He looks out for all of us and plays the peacekeeper when any of us have conflicts. He’s also the one who stayed behind at the mining station when the rest of us went seeking adventure. Big made certain we always had a home to return to.”
“What have you been doing for the past three years?”
“Existing,” he admitted. “I wasn’t emotionally stable when I believed I’d lost you forever. The others didn’t understand the loss of love. It drove me into wanting to be away from them.”
Sympathy shone in her eyes. “That must have been difficult for you.”
“I wasn’t easy to live with, and I knew it. It’s why I felt I needed to leave. I stayed away because I didn’t want the depression and bitterness I felt to make life for the others more difficult.”
“Do you want to live with them again? You don’t have to make that choice just because of me. I’m happy we’re together. It doesn’t matter to me where we live.”
“I want us to live with the others. It’s too dangerous for us to continue to live on my shuttle and travel around. I refuse to risk your life. The mining station affords us safety in numbers, and we’re able to protect it if anyone ever remembers that it is there.”
“I look forward to meeting everyone, and it will be nice to possibly make friends.”
Marisol had once told Free that she didn’t have any of those when he’d asked if she would miss anyone from Clone World after they left. She’d explained that humans believed she could gain them better jobs and more pay. They only pretended to like her because she was a Florigo.
“I’m certain you will make friends with the other females, Marisol. Everything will be better.”
She smiled. “We’ll finally get the future together we always dreamed about.”
Emotion choked him up, and he had to look away. “Yes.”
Motion had him turn back to Marisol. She rose from the other chair and came to him. It surprised Free when she sat on his lap and twisted to put their faces inches apart. Her hands lightly clutched his shoulders. He liked having her so close.
