B Clones (Clones #1) - Laurann Dohner Page 0,3
This is turning downright naughty.”
The hunk slightly tilted his head and shifted his gaze to the robot. “I was threatening the droid. Why is she awake? Answer, droid.”
“The clone activated during transit and is confused,” the robot answered.
Gemma sighed, staring at the hot guy. “Shoot that robot. Please. It’s annoying as hell. It’s been my nemesis since this nightmare started. I’d be grateful.”
“Be silent, female,” the pirate demanded, his voice deepening. “I know what she is. Explain her origins, droid.”
“Sure. I’ll just shut up.” Gemma crossed her arms over her chest. “No problem. I don’t want to be here anyway. It’s my dream, but please, continue without me.”
“She was ordered by Mr. Florigo,” the robot stated.
“What is her name and designation?”
“Gemma Grady. She is Mr. Florigo’s favorite singer.”
Gemma snorted. “Ah. That’s what triggered this crazy dream. It was that paparazzi guy snapping a photo of me.”
The pirate shifted his gaze to her. “You’re a singer?”
“No. I can’t carry a tune to save my life.”
“You are a twenty-first century singer,” the robot insisted.
Gemma spun on the thing. “I know who I am! I’m fifty-six years old and currently lying in a hospital bed waiting to tell my sons goodbye. A gas line blew inside a hotel. Big boom. Wrong place, wrong time kind of thing. This is a drug-induced nightmare that I want to wake from.”
“Damn.” The pirate came forward, lowering his weapon. “How was the original source material for this clone obtained?”
“All clone source materials are frozen after the death of a body,” the robot stated.
Gemma winced hearing the callous robot’s description. “And it gets worse. Big surprise. Now we’re talking dead bodies. And did you say clone? Fantastic. Outer space, ships, an annoying robot, a sexy pirate, and now clones. I never understood why people take drugs on purpose. This is some messed-up shit.”
The pirate stopped a few feet away from Gemma and demanded her attention when he gently gripped her shoulder with his bog hand. She turned her head, peering up at him. She had to admit, he really was super good-looking. That was the only highlight of this current nightmare.
“You have memories?”
“Of course I do.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. He appeared angry. “Who are you?”
She sighed. “Fine. I’ll play along. My name is Gemma Grady, but I’m not that famous singer. She was killed in the same hotel blast that did this to me.”
He took a deep breath and blew it out. “I believe I understand what is going on.”
“Oh, good! Well, tell me the wonders of the universe and then let me wake up from this bullshit dream.”
“What is the last memory you have, Gemma?”
“I’m in the hospital waiting for my sons to arrive. I need to tell them goodbye. The doctor wouldn’t flat-out say it, but I’m hurt too badly to survive my injuries.”
He blinked a few times, scowling. “You’re dying?”
“Yes. This is my version of a realty bitch slap, via dream, right? I get it. My life is over. Eighty-percent burns means I’m toast.” She paused. “Burnt toast. Bad pun, but there it is. They were pumping me full of the good drugs so I’m not in pain.”
“This isn’t a dream.”
“Right. I’m really in outer space.” She glanced down at her body. “And way younger than I used to be. Like that’s possible.” She looked up at him. “With a big hot space pirate. Totally believable.”
“I detect sarcasm in your tone,” the robot stated.
“And that’s why I’m calling you Sherlock,” she muttered. “You’re quite the sleuth there, horror-arms-on-wheels.”
The pirate holstered his weapon and forced Gemma to face him when his free hand snagged her waist and twisted her toward him. She had to tip her chin back, since he towered over her. His eyes were even more attractive up close. They were a deep midnight blue.
“I hate to be the one to break this news to you, but you aren’t in a dream state.”
“Right. That’s exactly what a dream person would say.”
“Are you aware of what a clone is, in your time period?”
“Sure. It’s something we joke about; how we could get more stuff done if there were like, four of ourselves.”
“The technology wasn’t perfected until 2076 for human beings, but JDJ Cryo Corp began harvesting brains and tissue from body sources around the year 2000, according to rumors. They targeted well-known celebrities in the hopes of selling their bodies when they perfected cloning technology in the future. I believe that is what happened to you.”
“Uh-huh. Okay.” Gemma wondered how long the pain