B Clones (Clones #1) - Laurann Dohner Page 0,23

planning on swinging by where he was working the last time I spoke to him and checking it out.”

“Thank you. Let me know if you learn anything.”

“Let me know how you and this new woman are doing. I’d like to meet her at some point, since we’re family now.”

“Anytime. You know you’re always welcome to come home.”

Big missed the other five men he’d escaped with from Clone World, but he’d formed an especially tight bond with Blade, Fig, and Free. “We’d love the company.”

“I hear that. I miss everyone.” Fig paused. “I’m lonely.”

“Come home as soon as you’re done checking on your brother. I’m hoping you bring him with you.”

“I’ll do my best. I’m out, Dad.”

“Take care, son. Be careful.” Big ended the transmission.

He checked long-range sensors again and estimated travel time until they reached home base. It would be a relief once he had Gemma safely on the moon. The crater may as well have become a fortress after the work he’d done to hide its location. The last thing he needed was to come across a patrol and have to outrun them on the way.

They’d attempt to blast his shuttle into floating debris. It was the downside to becoming a pirate, but he would never want to go back to how he’d lived his life while on Clone World.

Big returned to his sleeping quarters and removed his pants. He climbed back into bed with Gemma, folding her in his arms. She murmured his name but slept on. He drifted off, feeling gratitude that she’d come into his life.

Chapter Six

Gemma was amazed at the sheer size of the moon station. “It’s like an indoor city.”

“Exactly. It housed thousands of miners and their families.”

“They just abandoned this place?”

“The minerals they sought were all removed. It’s too costly and ineffective to try to dismantle something this size. They left it after transferring all the workers to a new location.”

“I don’t see any windows.”

He took her hand, leading her away from where he’d docked his shuttle. “There aren’t any. This entire structure was built inside a crater. It protects it from asteroid strikes. I told you that I sealed it off completely. There were large glass panels on the roof that they could open, to see space from the narrow entrance of the crater, but I sealed them. The shutters are stronger than glass. I was afraid the asteroids I moved closer might breach the structure if they bumped into the top of the station. It won’t happen now, because the asteroids are secured in place.”

Her pace slowed as she took in the many shops along the main corridor that led to the housing area. “You moved asteroids? Huge chunks of floating rocks in space? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“Yes. It’s not as difficult as you’d think. Technology has advanced a lot since your time.”

“And how do you secure them? I’m curious.”

“They’re tethered to the sides of the crater walls to keep them from floating back into space.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m so out of my element.”

“You’ll adjust.”

He sounded confident, but Gemma didn’t feel that way. They were in what appeared to be a big mall with high ceilings. The stores were open but few contained anything inside, from what she could see. It was eerily silent and a bit scary. A few old horror movies replayed through her mind.

“How do you know we’re actually alone here? Maybe a few of the old residents are still around and will attack us.”

He chuckled. “They would have life signs. We checked when we found this place. We even searched every storage room to inventory abandoned supplies. No one is here, and I’d be notified if someone showed up while I was gone.”

“How?”

He pulled her toward what looked like an ATM machine, and leaned close. It lit up instantly, a blue light running across his face.

“State your command, Big.”

The robotic voice startled her.

Big chuckled and tightened his hold on her hand. “State current life signs on station.”

“Two.”

“Have there been any breaches in security?”

“None.”

“Thank you.” He turned to Gemma. “See?”

“It’s a computer, right? It can be hacked.”

“Yes, but it would have to be done after they breached the station. The computer would have notified my shuttle if someone attempted to dock. It didn’t. The brain of this station can’t be accessed from an outside source. We tried that and failed. A couple of my friends are the best hackers around. We had to come inside, wearing spacesuits, to take over the station. Life