B Clones (Clones #1) - Laurann Dohner Page 0,47
on the bed and I’ll take a look at your hand.”
She sat and held it out, relieved he was no longer accusing her of murder—which carried a death sentence—but remained tense. “It really hurts.”
Blade moved forward and crouched in front of her. His gloved hands were very gentle as he examined her thumb and wrist. The scabbing from the cuts was almost gone. There was a lot of discoloration still.
“I’m going to get a scanner to view the bones. I don’t think it’s healing properly because it’s out of alignment.” His expression turned grim. “It means I’m going to have to break the partial healing to reset it the correct way.”
That sounded extremely painful. “No.”
“Do you want the use of your thumb without pain in the future?”
She nodded.
“Let me access the emergency aid kit. Hopefully it’s fully stocked. It should contain something for pain.” He released her, straightened, then walked over to one of the closets she’d been raiding for clothing. He shoved everything hanging out of the way and ran his fingers along the back wall.
“What are you doing?”
“I know Varlius models well.” A section of the wall parted and slid to the side. He lifted out a large case. “It looks as if it’s new.” He heaved it out of the hidden compartment and carried it to the bed. “The seals have never been broken. That’s a good thing.”
“That’s a huge medical kit.”
“It’s the type stocked for any kind of emergency. The designers of the Varlius had a lot of input from doctors who invested in Corbo Corp. That’s the builder. The doctors insisted on having advanced med kits on these shuttles.”
Hailey studied the man silently as he went to work. She couldn’t help but notice he was extremely attractive. He was also confident and capable, working with efficiency as he snapped the seals on the case and opened it. The kit was packed with equipment and supplies she couldn’t identify, but he checked compartments as if he was sure of what he’d find.
“How do you know so much about these ships?”
“Scoot this way, closer to the case, and I’ll tell you as I work.”
She did as ordered. He crouched again, picking up a scanner and turning it on. The small screen on the top included touch buttons.
“Place your wrist on the mattress and just hold still.”
He waited for her to comply and then held the thing over her hand. The screen showed the bones under her skin. She looked away when she saw the break.
“You suddenly don’t look well. I’ll answer your question; just listen to my voice and try to remain calm. I worked security for Clone World for six years, and most of our rich visitors bought Varlius vessels. It was part of my job to know everything about them. I went over the designs and features of every single model.”
“Why?”
Blade moved the scanner away. “Sometimes clones tried to run away, and occasionally they had outside help among the guests.”
“I haven’t been to Clone World. I’d never left Prospect before I was taken. And this wasn’t exactly the kind of trip I dreamed about when I finally got a chance to lift off the surface. Anyway…I didn’t know clones tried to escape. Why would they? I heard it’s beautiful there, and it’s where everyone wants to go.”
“It’s nice for the humans visiting, who are pampered and entertained, but it’s difficult for the clones who live there. Imagine having to appear happy while doing the same thing every day, year in and out. Clones don’t get time off or any choices over how they live, where they work, what they eat. They perform the way they were meant to, or they’re destroyed. It’s just a matter of ordering another unit to replace them.”
She shook her head. “That sounds horrible. I had no idea.”
He retrieved another device. “I’m glad the kit has one of these. Slide your hand in here.”
She hesitated. “What is it?” It looked like a simple box with two holes on either side.
“It’s basically for setting and fusing broken bones on limbs. The sides expand as needed. It means I won’t have to manually reset the thumb.” He set the devise on the bed. “We’ll just slide your hand inside.” He tapped the controls on the top, and it opened slightly. “It will scan and then compress. I won’t start it until I give you a shot for pain.”
She didn’t have much of a choice but to trust him. “Okay.”
Blade opened a compartment inside