Chapter Five
Chapter Five
Anna woke on her side, staring at an empty space where Fig had been. She stiffened, not liking that he was gone. They’d had sex half a dozen times during the night, and she’d loved snuggling against his big, warm body when they napped. For once in her life, she’d felt as if she were exactly where she belonged.
The sex had been amazing. They’d tried different positions, and he’d happily done everything she’d asked. One of the best experiences had been Fig spooning her from behind, fucking her slow and deep, while he’d used his hand to rub against her clit. The second he’d started nibbling on her neck, he made her come so hard she’d seen stars.
Anna had never had a good sex life with her husband. Ralph had been selfish in bed. He’d gotten mad any time she’d even attempted to make suggestions that would help her enjoy them being intimate.
That always led to him hurling verbal insults. Fig, on the other hand, had been eager to learn and happily open to taking suggestions. The sex between them had been incredible. He’d gotten her off every time.
A slight noise made her sit up and glance toward the door leading out of the bedroom. The sight of Fig entering had her smiling. He only wore a pair of loose, black, silky boxer shorts and was carrying a tray. The sight of him had her heart racing. He really was total eye candy with his gorgeous body and handsome face.
He smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. “I made you breakfast.”
He took a seat on the edge of the bed, placing the tray between them. The smell of pancakes, syrup, bacon, and cheesy scrambled eggs filled her nose. So did coffee. Her stomach rumbled as she stared at the small feast he’d made for them.
She was impressed with the two plates full of food, the filled coffee mugs on the tray, and napkins and silverware. Tears filled her eyes. It was so unbelievably sweet and romantic.
“What is wrong? Do you not like this? I can make something else.”
She blinked rapidly to clear her eyes and grinned at him. “I love it.” She stared at him. “I’m falling in love with you. This was beyond sweet. No one has ever brought me breakfast in bed before. You’re a wonderful man. I don’t know what I ever did in life to deserve you, but I’m sure grateful.”
He grinned. “I’ll make you breakfast every morning if this makes you love me.”
Anna wanted to kiss him, but she was also starving. Sex with Fig was quite the workout. “You’re perfect.”
He blushed.
Anna chuckled. “You’re my sweet, sexy man. I am keeping you forever, handsome. You’re stuck with me.”
“Good. I want to be yours.”
She held out her hand. Fig hesitated a second before gently gripping it. He appeared a little confused over why they were clasping hands.
“Do clones marry?”
He shook his head. “We’re not allowed to do that since we don’t have the same rights as humans do.”
“Well, I want you to be my husband. I don’t need any official documents, and fuck Earth and their stupid laws. They aren’t in charge of us or what we do. Will you consider taking me as your wife one day with a ceremony between us?”
His blue eyes widened, but he quickly spoke. “I would be honored if you wish to exchange verbal vows. I will love and care for you until the day I take my last breath.” He paused. “Even beyond that.”
Anna had spent her life wishing she could meet a man even half as good as Fig. He’d done more for her in the very short time they’d spent together than someone she’d been legally married to for over four decades.
Age and a lifetime of experience had given her wisdom. Like knowing to hold onto the best thing she’d ever known. That was Fig. It was an easy, no-brainer decision to make as she licked her lips before speaking.
“Then let’s consider ourselves married, handsome. How about that?”
“Yes.”
She leaned forward over the tray. Fig mirrored her, and she brushed her lips over his. “I’m going to want a honeymoon with lots of sex. Right after we eat this. Does that sound like a good plan?”
“Yes.” He grinned. “I take it that I’ve sexually pleased you?”
“You please me any better, and I might not survive.”
That had him turning sober.
“I’m joking. That was the best sex of my life. You’re a fast learner.”
“You inspire me, Anna.”
“I can live with being your sexy muse. You’re a great one yourself.” She released his hand and took a sip of the coffee from the tray they were using as a table. It was hot but not burning. “This tastes like the real stuff. Where did you get it? The crap they served on the pleasure cruiser and at the space stations I visited were a sad imitation.”
“My shuttle came well stocked with food supplies, coffee included. I never used any of that until now. I thought you might like something authentic from Earth. I pulled it from my stores.”
That had Anna curious. “How did you get this shuttle?”
He dropped his gaze, hesitating.
“I won’t judge you. Did you steal it?”
He nodded, looking at her again. “Clones aren’t allowed to buy anything or exist freely. The six of us originally only had the shuttle we escaped Clone World on. That was fine until five of us decided we didn’t want to stay at our home base. We used our one shuttle to steal others before returning the original to Big. He remained behind on our home base.”
“That sounds dangerous. Were any of you hurt while stealing those shuttles?”
“No. We purposely targeted wealthy Clone World tourists who owned their own shuttles.” He cleared his throat. “Each of these models comes with an escape pod, which we put them inside and jettisoned. We didn’t kill the humans we stole from. It was a risk to allow them to live, but we safeguarded our identities so they couldn’t tell the authorities that we were clones. Big and Blade knew which vessels to target and how to take them without causing damage. They knew the manufacturer override commands to shut down their engines and board them.”
“Big and Blade are other clones, right?”
“Yes. Their jobs on Clone World were in security, mostly dealing with shuttles and ships that came there on vacations. Both males said that humans sometimes attempted to steal and smuggle out clones.”
“To rescue them?”
He shook his head. “Mostly, it was male humans attacking a female clone and attempting to smuggle her off-world in their ships. Each one needed to be searched before leaving Clone World. Some humans refused to allow those searches to happen, so security had ways of taking command of their ships. They’d board by force to find the missing clone.”
“That’s horrible. I take it the clones weren’t willing participants since you said attacking?”
“No. We’re dependent on clone plasma to survive, and it’s a death sentence to go without transfusions. They would have died within months after being taken, even if their human captors treated them well. The six of us had a large supply we took with us when we escaped.”
Anna started to eat. The pancakes were delicious. “Does that mean I need this clone plasma? Do we have that?”
“We do. The transport I stole you from was also being delivered to Clone World. I not only took your cryo unit but enough plasma to last us a year. I have more stored from previous transports I’ve intercepted. We are fine.”
“I have so many questions. You’re serving me food, so I take it that we eat like humans do.”
“Yes. Clone World only gave us three nutrient bars every day. The staff thought cooking for clones and giving us real food was wasteful. I don’t miss only surviving on them. Bars were tasteless.”
“What shitheads.”
Fig chuckled. “I agree. I like variety when I eat and for it to have some flavor.”
“How do we resupply our food and stuff? Do we attack more shuttles to steal from them when we’re about to run out?”
He shook his head. “No. We will travel to the mining station we call our home base. They have mass supplies stockpiled there since it was abandoned. The company that owned it left a lot behind since it was easier to write those supplies off as a profit loss than pay to transport everything to the new station they had built. I was going to talk to you about possibly moving to that location full-time instead of living on this shuttle.”
Anna stopped eating, totally focusing on him. “Is that what you want to do? Move onto that station?”
“Yes. It’s safer than living on a shuttle. Big and Blade found females of their own and are there. We won’t be alone.” He paused. “Blade’s female had her human parents transported there too. Rod went to get them for her very recently and safely delivered them. I contacted Big right before I went after the transport you were on in case something bad happened to me. I wanted him to reach out to the others to see if they could rescue you.”
More questions filled her head, and she was once again floored by all Fig had risked for her. He’d just admitted he could have died retrieving her. She held up a hand. “I have a few questions.” She put up one finger. “Human parents?”
“Hailey is human. Gemma, Big’s female, is like you. She’s an illegally made, unblanked clone. Rod picked up Hailey’s parents from a station near the planet they lived on and flew them to their daughter. We worried they wouldn’t accept the relationship once they learned we’re clones, but once they saw how much Blade loves Hailey, they approved. Big assured me that everything is fine. He said they seem to be settling well and are being kind.”
Anna put her hand down. “Never mind. Now I have another question. “This Gemma woke up as a clone with memories of her life as a human? Is that what you mean? I’m still learning.”
“Yes.”
“Why is that illegal?”
“I don’t want to tell you.”
That had Anna scowling at him. “We just verbally married each other, Fig. I don’t want secrets or lies between us. I might have a young body now, but I’m mentally old enough to have learned a lot of stuff in my long lifetime, so trust me on this. It’s bad to not be one hundred percent honest with each other. It makes for a shoddy foundation on which to build a relationship. We’re now married. I’m your partner in all things. Just spit it out.”
“Unblanked clones went insane.” He suddenly lifted the tray between them, rose to his feet, and placed it on a nearby table. Fig took a seat on the bed again, took her silverware, and placed it on the nightstand.
“Oh.” That wasn’t exactly what she was expecting to hear.
He clasped both of her hands in his. “Do you feel depression over being a clone? Are you having a difficult time accepting it? Please don’t harm yourself if you’re feeling any of those things. I’m here to help you adjust, and I swear I’ll make you happy.”
Anna saw worry on his handsome face and heard it in his voice. She could read between the lines. “They committed suicide?”
“Some did,” he softly admitted. “A few murdered the staff caring for them in fits of rage or despair. No one asked their permission to do that to them.”
Pain flashed in his eyes, and his hold on her tightened. Anna instantly guessed what he must be thinking.
“I’m not mad at you. Or upset. I died. It wasn’t like you could ask my permission, Fig. I’m so damn grateful you made that decision for me. It was the right one. We’re okay.”
The relief on his face was almost comical for a split second. His hold on her hands relaxed. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Tell me about the clones that weren’t happy to wake up as one.”
“Some of them emotionally shut down, refusing to eat or speak to their caretakers. They didn’t handle having the memories of being a human but existing in a clone body.”
“Ah.” Anna slowly nodded, her mind working. “They picked the wrong candidates, and it blew up in their faces.”
Fig frowned.
“I lived for eighty-five years as a human. Ralph and I were poor, so I couldn’t afford any fancy procedures to get replacement parts when stuff on my body started to wear out. I couldn’t bend down without struggling to get back up.” She paused. “Everything ached all the time. I had arthritis in all my joints. Hell, getting dressed every morning was my version of a workout. It wore me out.”
The horrified look on Fig’s face almost had her laugh. She resisted. “I told you that my heart was about to call it quits once I didn’t have any more pills the doctors had me taking. They were the only thing keeping me going, and even that was limited. My life clock was about to run out of time. I’d come to grips with my death and tried to make the best of it. I also didn’t have anyone left alive except a few friends I had said goodbye to when I left Earth. Do you know what that means?”
He shook his head.
“I’m thrilled to be a clone.” Anna grinned. “All my normal aches and pains are gone. You have no idea how wonderful that is. I forgot what it felt like to not have them. I’m also not on death’s door anymore. Hell, I’m young again and feel terrific. I’ve already said goodbye to my human life, and I’m excited about having a future with you.”
She paused to let what she’d said sink into him. Then she started talking again. “This is like getting a second chance. Whoever did that experiment picked the wrong kind of candidates if it went that bad. They should have chosen older people with nothing to lose and everything to gain by becoming clones. The results would have been drastically different. They’d have had a lot of grateful ex-senior citizens on their hands.”
Fig seemed to contemplate everything she’d said. He finally smiled. “I understand. You’re sincerely happy to be a clone.”
“I’m beyond happy, and I have you to thank. I just want to know about everything clone, so I’m up to speed. So far, I’ve learned that this body is way better than my old one, even when I was young. We do eat food, and I need clone plasma, but how long do we live?”
“It’s unknown. Theoretically, we can live indefinitely as long as we keep getting transfusions every three months.”
That shocked her. She gaped at him.
“The plasma we’re given revitalizes our bodies, and any damage is repaired.”
“We can’t have kids, though, right? You said that on the station.”
“No. We have the same sexual organs as humans do, but they don’t function properly because of the clone plasma. You won’t ovulate or have periods. My sperm is sterile.” He looked sad. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay. I stopped thinking about having children a long time ago. I have you. That’s more than enough.” She paused. “Tell me about the other clones you escaped with. Especially the ones you want us to live with.”
“Big is like a father to us. He’s smart and wise and keeps a home for us at the mining station. Gemma was an illegal clone he found on a transport he boarded to gain plasma. They fell in love. I went to Riddle Station searching for Blade. He’d gone missing for a long time and hadn’t contacted any of us. We worried that he’d been captured and killed.”
“You said something about pirates when you mentioned him before.”
“They had captured him.”
“Did they know he was a clone?”
“Yes. We’re stronger than humans, and they were willing to risk his life by sending him into dangerous situations first. They boarded a luxury shuttle, and that’s how Blade found his human. It’s a long story, but they also fell in love. Hailey has parents who were willing to give up their lives to live with her. That’s all of them living on the station.”
“What about the others?”
“Free lives on a shuttle like this one. He worked with me in finance on Clone World, so we were especially close.”
“I remember. You said the assholes on Clone World at first called him a freak and stuck him with that name until you changed it.”
“It wasn’t just me who made that decision. Free’s shuttle is the same model and make as this one. These are popular with wealthy travelers. Free was in love with the human on Clone World who helped us escape. She was supposed to meet up with him months later after she cleared any suspicion of being an accomplice. Unfortunately, Marisol changed her mind. It broke his heart.”
“That’s so sad.”
“It is. Free and I used to be very close, but now he keeps all of us emotionally distanced.” He paused. “That leaves Rod and Ram. They also shared our sleeping dorm on Clone World. Both had high clearance jobs working closely with Blade and Big.”
“They helped stop people from stealing clones?”
He nodded. “That and more. Parts of Clone World are restricted from our kind because of fears of a rebellion. The main storage buildings and the landing port are off-limits to all of us except for some B and R clones.”
Anna didn’t understand and said so.
“The humans controlling Clone World fear we could steal guest shuttles to either leave the planet or fly them into buildings on the ground to cause mass destruction. One of the storage buildings is where they keep clone plasma. It’s locked up tight and only released in small quantities daily to the medics authorized to give us transfusions every three months.”
“Rod and Ram are R clones? Why are they called that?”
“Repairs in restricted areas. And yes, they are both R clones. Four of them were assigned to share our sleeping dorm. Two were new since the other shift pair had been killed in a fire weeks before our escape. We couldn’t trust them with knowing our plan and had to leave them behind too.”
Anna was horrified. “Clones die on Clone World? The ads state it’s the safest place ever. What liars!”
“The occasional guest has been known to murder a clone too. It doesn’t happen all that often, but we lose a few clones every year from violent humans. There are accidents sometimes, too. Rachet and Rectify were fixing faulty exterior lighting on a landing pad when a guest pilot overshot where he was supposed to set down and crashed. It caused an explosion, and both males were killed. The pilot and four passengers also died. It was a tragedy.”
“I’m so sorry you lost your friends, Fig.”
“Thank you. I’m sure Rico Florigo covered up that accident and hid it from Earth. Clone World is a very popular human vacation destination. Admitting deaths happened there would be bad for his business.”
“That’s probably true.”
Fig cleared his throat. “Ram and Rod live full-time on their shuttles. They sometimes visit Big on the mining station. Especially if he needs their help keeping our home base running when something breaks down. They can fix anything.”
Anna understood that Fig wanted to change the subject to something less depressing. She didn’t blame him. It was sad to lose friends in tragic accidents. She had some experience with that back on Earth. “Tell me about this mining station you want us to move to.”
“It’s nice and large. The mining company housed a lot of human workers. There’s even a mall of shops and a few nice entertainment features. It also has extensive defensive capabilities, so we’re well protected in case of an attack in the future. Not that we believe that will ever happen. There’s no reason for the humans to ever return.”
“It sounds nice, but I like this shuttle too.” She shrugged. “I’m okay with whatever you want to do as long as we’re together.”
“You trust my judgment?”
“I do.” Anna shoved off the covers and got to her knees, throwing herself at Fig. She wanted to make love to him.
He caught her and put her on his lap. “I just want you to be happy.”
“You’re doing a hell of a job of it. Thank you for breakfast. Now kiss me.”
Fig seemed happy to comply as he leaned in to take her mouth. He really was a fast learner. He had her body aching within minutes for him to make love to her.