B Clones (Clones #1) - Laurann Dohner Page 0,62
home to your family. We will, Hailey. It’s a promise. I don’t break my word.”
“I appreciate that.”
“We’ll be able to send a message to your family once we reach the base. Big set up a separate relay system that scrambles the source of transmission signals, to keep them from being traced back to his location.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I know my parents must be going crazy. I’m all they have.”
“We’ll be there in two days.”
Chapter Four
Hailey searched for Blade after she’d awoken. She’d checked his room first. He wasn’t in the living or kitchen areas, either. The cockpit door had refused to admit her access, and the last time she’d found him in there, he’d kept the door open. She’d pushed the button to alert him she was there, but there’d been no response from inside.
The other crew quarter doors opened when she accessed them, but they’d been empty, too. She finally approached the cargo hold and found that door already open. She crept forward slowly, peering inside.
The sight of Blade kneeling in front of an open wall panel stopped her in her tracks. He’d removed his shirt and seemed to be using the material to mop up a dark fluid that had spilled onto the floor. His muscles bunched as he dropped it and reached inside the wall to tug on something. Metal creaked, then he tore out a pipe, setting it down next to his leg.
“Hi.”
He twisted his head and met her gaze. “Good morning.”
She entered the room. “What are you doing?”
“I’m repairing the damage done to the docking doors. They can only be manually opened and closed right now. The hydraulics were ruined when the pirates boarded by force.” He pointed to the pipe he’d removed. “I’m replacing it.”
“Can I help?”
He stood and faced her. A grease-like substance stained his bared chest, where it appeared he’d been splashed by it, and she got a better look at his hands. They were covered in the dark fluid. Some of it was on his arms, too.
“No. It’s a messy job. I like the dress you’re wearing too much. Pale blue is your color.”
She hoped he didn’t realize she’d wanted to look good for him. “Thank you. Mrs. Redmore, the wife of the owner, doesn’t seem to like pants much. Most of the clothes in her closet are like this. I feel a little overdressed.” Then she realized he might mistake her words and quickly explained. “I mean, her clothes are way fancier than what I normally wear.”
He grinned. “Well, you look beautiful. I’d like it if you’d keep me company. Pick any crate and take a seat.”
The compliment made her smile. She found a crate close to him and hopped up on it, getting comfortable. “How did you learn how to repair stuff?”
He knelt and focused his attention on the open panel. “My duties on Clone World included knowing everything about vessels that visited the resort. I’d search them frequently for stowaways. And they didn’t just sneak onboard. Sometimes the owners of those ships tried to smuggle clones out.”
“So you searched them.”
“Yes.” He bent and lifted something from a toolbox. “Things have to be fixed if you break something. Guests get upset otherwise, if you make them leave the planet with malfunctions on their transports.”
“That includes hydraulics?”
He chuckled. “Let’s just say that not all guests welcomed a security team searching their vessels. I’ve had to force open some doors in my time. I supervised the repairs and have a good memory. I’ve seen this done hundreds of times.”
She glanced nervously at the big doors a few feet to his left. “They won’t accidently open, will they?” It would be catastrophic. They’d be sucked into space and killed.
“No. We’re safe. I disabled the panel and even closed the secondary shields over this section, just in case.”
“Those are like extra doors to protect the ship from space debris impacts, right?”
“Yes. All Varlius shuttles come equipped with them. It’s also extra security against forced breaches. Luckily, the crew that died either didn’t feel they needed to use them or weren’t aware of that option. We were easily able to board. The secondary shields are only able to be activated without exterior gravity. I’m grateful for that.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I told you. I’ve had to force my way onto a few of these shuttles. It would have been much harder to do if the secondary shielding protected all entry points. CW doesn’t have a space dock. Ships must land at a landing