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He walked down the corridor. Fig had left the stateroom door open and the lights on. Fig laid her out on the already turned-down bed. He’d had a lot of time to plan for the day he got her back.
Fig covered Anna up, tucking the blankets snuggly against her chin. He took a seat next to her on the edge of his bed. “Is that better?”
“Yes. Can I open my eyes now?”
“Of course.”
She glanced around, and her mouth parted. “This is a ship bedroom cabin, isn’t it? It’s nicer than any I’ve seen.”
“Yes. We’re on the Dori. That’s my shuttle. I live aboard it. You are completely safe here.”
She smiled. “You are such a peach to bring me here, but I told you I rented a room.” She sobered. “I’m not in any pain. That’s bad. It felt like I was cut in half, but now it’s all gone. I think I’m dying.”
He leaned forward and braced his hands on each side of her shoulders to keep the blankets pinning her to the bed. “Do you remember what happened inside the bar?”
“Some son of a bitch shot me with one of those fancy laser beam guns, didn’t he?”
“Yes. Do you remember my secret?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a clone. Anyone who has a problem with that is a fool. Never listen to those.”
That was a big relief for him to hear. All her memories were indeed intact. “I’m glad you think so. I hope you mean it.”
“I do.”
He bit his lip. There was no more stalling. “Anna, I don’t know how to say this gently, so I’m just going to be blunt. The news I’m about to share will come as a shock, but I’m hoping you will be happy about it.”
“What?”
The words seemed stuck inside his throat.
“Just spit it out. I know I’m a goner. That’s not a surprise. I’m a tough old lady. Trust me. I can take it.”
“That’s the thing.” Fig had mentally gone over what he’d say to her a thousand times over the past few months, but now that the moment had finally arrived, he couldn’t remember his prepared speech. “Damn. I don’t even know how to tell you this.”
She tried to move her arm but must have realized he had her pinned under the blankets. She glanced down.
“Anna?”
She met his gaze.
“You did die. I couldn’t save you in that bar, but it wasn’t fair. Honestly, I was so angry over your life ending that way in sudden violence. You’re so kind, and you didn’t deserve to be shot by a human committing a crime. I carried you out of the bar, and then I saw this meat vendor.”
Fig rushed the explanation, the words pouring out. “He had cryo freezers, and the idea just came to me. I froze your body and shipped it to Earth. I hacked into one of Clone World’s financial accounts with DJD Corp and ordered them to make an illegal clone. I told them you were Rico Florigo’s deceased sister who’d been murdered. They’ve done that for him in the past.”
She appeared confused.
He kept going with the facts before he lost his nerve. “You had a big hole burned into your side. There was no hiding that. DJD Clone Corp has made unblanked clones for him in the past, so I knew they’d do it again. He’s their biggest client. They did it. I had them clone you with your memories fully intact. I didn’t want you to lose who you are.”
Anna paled a little.
“Unblanked is what we call clones completely replicated from the source body. Memories are included. Legally, the company isn’t supposed to do that. Earth banned them from doing that after the first dozen test subjects never stabilized and accepted that they were clones. The brains grown inside clones are called blanks because their only knowledge is what is programmed into them during their growing time inside a tank.”
Anna continued to stare at him.
“Did you hear what I said?”
She nodded her head slightly, still staring at him.
