TakeMeHard (6 page)

She slung her bag over her shoulder and blinked when Leos took it from her. He gave her a scowl punctuated by a wink. "No heavy lifting in your condition."

Zoe grumped and spoke, "T'shnadar, please send a ship-wide notice that all passengers are to report to the shuttles."

"Of course, Zoe."

Smiling brightly, she headed for the hallway, wistfully turning to watch the bed that she had shared with her mates being hidden by the closing door.

Striding through the halls, catching the internal transport and being whisked to the shuttles was a surreal experience. In short order, they were in the shuttles with all blenders accounted for.

No one tried to stay behind, no one tried to contact the outside world and when they entered the atmosphere, both shuttles were close enough to keep visual confirmation with the other.

The landing pad covered itself with a glossy shield the moment that they touched down. Zoe smiled as it inflated with breathable atmosphere, the old systems filtering gasses through the tanks and into the impromptu hangar, and they were on their way out of the shuttle and to the base dome.

Zoe led the way, opened the door and continued on into the kitchen. The internal gardens were coming along well, the display indicated that there were plenty of root vegetables in storage and that the greens T'shnadar had the base preparing were almost ready.

She returned to the group gathered in the main entertainment area and smiled. "Welcome to the base. You are welcome to everything as long as you are here and if you decide that you wish to live elsewhere, I will have a transport arranged. You are welcome guests and if you choose to stay, you can be the first citizens."

Maasha laughed in relief. "We want to stay. This is the first time that we have been among our own kind and despite a few problems there is no place we would rather be."

Liiro nodded, his masked face serious.

Delari spoke shyly. "Can we choose our rooms?"

Zoe blinked and nodded her head. She had been overwhelmed by Maasha's acceptance of a place on her world. "Of course. The rooms for my set are locked, because we require a bit more square footage, but any and all of the other rooms are for you to choose from.

"I will prepare a dinner and if you wish to eat some fresh food, you are welcome to join me." She thought of something. "Oh, and for anyone who wishes them, there are salt and freshwater pools available near the centre of the complex."

The amphibians dropped their bags and began walking with only a short wave of goodbye.

"For anyone needing a chance to run and jump, the atmosphere on this world is confirmed as breathable. We are under a dome for climate control only. You can run, jump, skip or swim outside of its confines. This world is yours now, treat it with respect, but use it in any way you can think of."

Jarix came up behind her as everyone started clapping. "I thought that that was the same thing you said to us on our first night together."

She laughed and leaned into him, she whispered, "More or less, but as long as you treat me with respect, you have nothing to worry about."

Trin leaned in and whispered. "Weren't you going to make dinner?"

She laughed and straightened, walking back to the kitchen. Cooking was soothing for her and until the morning sickness started kicking, in she was going to get as much soothing into her life as she could.

Zoe sent the harvesters to collect greens and vegetables for twenty people. She went into the meat stores and quick-thawed seven pounds of meat. A light spice rub and an hour in the cooker was enough time for her to make the biscuits and get Leos working on the salad while Jarix made the dressing.

She hummed as they prepared their first meal on this new world and she wondered how many of the new colonists would stay. Looking around the kitchen adjacent to the entertainment hall, she saw Maasha sitting in the corner watching the procedures with fascination, her baby snugly in her arms. Liiro and Trin were dissecting the roast meat while Carrah pulled the biscuits from the oven.

When they sat at the tables in the dining hall, the food and water of their new world in front of them, Zoe felt something that she only ever felt on Norville Nine. Like it or not, these blenders were her family.

Chapter Nine

Days took on a strange pattern. Every morning, she would meet with the planning committee and discuss the construction scheduled for the day.

She would go and check on the food supplies while the men and a few of the women went to clear land on which to build homes. The need assessed dictated who got the housing first. The sterile couples were first. They wished for privacy and a time away from all the baby talk that was buzzing around the dome.

Kits for homes were in plentiful supply and several times in the process Zoe mentally thanked Tornen for his forethought.

She had sent several coded messages through T'shnadar and the relay satellite network. Two had received replies and they were expecting drones with herds of livestock any day now.

A light scent of food reached her nostrils and her stomach rebelled. Zoe ran to the lav and threw up the broth and crackers she had managed to keep down after lunch. Jarix followed and held her hair, chatting comfortably as she lost her lunch.

"So, I hear we are expecting a delivery."

She finished puking and sat wearily against the toilet. "Yes."

Jarix got her two towels, one wet and one dry. "When?"

"Any day now. I have put the weapon systems on standby and T'shnadar is lurking in the moon's shadow, waiting for any funny business. As Dorsos found out, the Solar Knife can hit a target from orbit." The first towel was blessedly cool on her skin.

He grinned. "Are you expecting a physician?"

She scowled. "No. Why?"

"Because there is a man in the entertainment room who says he is here to see you."

She struggled to her feet and he helped her steady herself before she took off down the hall.

The face that she saw was a complete surprise, but also the most welcome of all. "Papa!"

Tornen grinned and opened his arms to her. She ran forward for a hug and simply enjoyed the feeling of being a child again.

"What have you been doing, child?" His words were said with a smile in his voice.

"A little of this, a little of that. We have begun our own world here, Papa. A safe place for my kind and our children."

"Children? I am to be a grandfather?" The honest delight in his tone was unmistakable.

"Give me a few months, but yes. Now, Papa, how did you come to be here? What is going on out there?" She was about to link arms with her father when she noticed Jarix standing with a bemused smile on his face.

"Oops. Papa, this is Jarix of the lion set. Trin and Leos are out on house-building duty." She made sure to reinforce that all three of her mates were involved in her life. No telling what her father would think. Humans were funny that way.

Jarix straightened and came forward to shake Tornen's hand. "It is good, if surprising, to have you here, sir."

"I look forward to speaking to you later, Jarix. For now, I need to talk to my daughter. Will you allow me to take her for a walk?"

He inclined his head. "I will accompany you at a distance, sir."

"Tornen, please."

"Tornen then. I will follow you, but I will stay near my mate."

Her father nodded in agreement and together, they took a walk through the ornamental gardens that formed the central hub of the dome.

"I have been worried about you, Zoe. When Dorsos's home was attacked, there was an immediate search for the culprit. It was said that someone had tried to destroy the archive in hopes of driving up prices for their own collections." He slowed his step to match hers and looked around him at the gardens. "This is beautiful."

"It is one of Mama's designs. She drew it when I was fifteen." Zoe looked around her, appreciating it more than she ever had before. Fountains spilled into basins and trickled into streams. Carpets of grass made a lovely play area for Aliisha. Maasha brought her here every day to show her the sky above them. It was a small confirmation of freedom that touched Zoe's heart.

"It is wonderful. But, what I came to tell you is that while the lives of you and your set are covered by the treatise, the rest of the clones and altered beings you took with you are considered property."

Zoe stopped walking. "What? How is that possible?"

Her father looked down at her with an expression close to pity. "It is simply a fact, seedling. Now, I can arrange to purchase them from Dorsos's estate if you like. That will allow you to grant their freedom and they can live here or anywhere they choose without fear of reprisals."

She felt like she was going to hurl again. "Please. I don't want them to lack choice. I also don't want them to know about it. Some are barely sane as it is. Knowing that no matter where they run, they would be considered property might be too much for them."

A shadow shifted behind one of the trees. Maasha came out of the shadows with little Aliisha in her arms. "We already know."

Zoe saw Jarix shift to alert, but he didn't move forward while she turned to the young mother. "What do you mean, you know?"

"We were raised in labs and sold as test subjects. We were never adopted, we didn't know love or respect until we got here. You are teaching us what we can be day by day, and what our children can be." Maasha looked down at her baby and a soft smile crossed her features. "I want so much for her now and I will fight to make sure that she can have whatever she wishes when she grows up. She is free and no one will cage her for science again."

Zoe swallowed. "All right then. Papa, please purchase the paperwork for all of the clones that you can find. I will sign over one of my accounts for that purpose."

He chuckled. "Ah, seedling, it isn't necessary. I have all of the papers already. T'shnadar sent me the data for your acquisitions and I got into gear immediately. So, everyone here is owned by the Purple Monkey Corporation and the paperwork is ready for your archives. It's in my shuttle."

She squealed and hugged her father. He was always good at planning ahead and this was no exception. "How is Mama doing?"

"She is fine. She sends her love. Now, do you want possession of those documents or not?"

There was something in his eyes. He was keeping a secret from her and the telltale twinkle was in full operation. "Fine. Take me to your shuttle, but I warn you, Jarix won't take kindly to a kidnapping attempt."

"I stand forewarned. It was a pleasure to meet you, madam." He bowed to Maasha and Zoe remembered her manners.

"Oh, geez. Maasha, this is my father, Tornen. Papa, this is Maasha, the first mother in our little gathering, and little Aliisha."

"Your baby is lovely, my dear. You should be very proud. Daughters are a joy that every family should experience."

Zoe teared up, but she walked with her father out of the dome and to his shuttle. Jarix followed along, attentive and alert.

There was something in the air, something special. When Zoe entered the shuttle to get the documents, she froze. A voice was humming in the cockpit, a low, rich tune that drew her through her own memories in an instant.

She took a few steps toward the voice before a whisper shot from her throat. "Mama?"

"Zoe?" A figure stood silhouetted by the daylight and in a rush, Zoe was caught in her mother's arms.

Chapter Ten

Hosting a meal that included her parents made the family experience complete. Weelia Hagerson was alive, seemed healthy and that was enough for Zoe.

When she sat across from her mother at dinner, Weelia smiled. "Oh, I have missed those eyes, kitten."

Zoe blushed. As a young woman, Weelia had called her little kitten because of her eyes, but the love in her tone had always been beyond reproach.

Trin grinned. "Kitten? I would never have pegged Zoe as a kitten."

Leos snorted. "A tigress, perhaps. Possibly a bulldog."

Jarix was tearing a roll apart and he smirked. "A lioness. And all ours."

Weelia looked from one male to another and then back to her daughter. "All three of them?"

Zoe laughed. "Yes, Mama. It was not just rumour. It did take all of them to get me pregnant."

Weelia's eyes welled with tears. "A baby?"

"Yes, Mama. A real, live baby is percolating in here." She patted her abdomen.

"You need the best obstetrics specialist, the best paediatrician, clothes, blankets, diapers." Weelia was ticking the list off on her fingers.

"Mama, Mama, hold on. That isn't possible. We are in hiding here. We are trying to avoid extra personnel coming and going. It isn't safe to have too many folks knowing what is going on here."

The clones at the table were watching the exchange with surprise. Zoe imagined that they would never have thought of denying a parent.

Weelia nodded. "I suppose you are right, but at least let me send you the best in equipment."

In compromise, Zoe inclined her head. "Yes, you may."

Tornen chuckled. "Just like old times. Thrust and parry."

Leos cocked his head. "Do mothers and daughters always behave this way?"

Tornen laughed. "Yes. It takes different forms, but the dance is always the same. Mothers want to protect their young and get very frustrated when thwarted from that goal."

The men around the table shared significant looks and the females just looked smug. Artificial or not, the facts of life and survival remained the same.

Yawning, Zoe sat in Trin's lap, Jarix rubbing her feet and Leos massaging her shoulders while her parents tried not to stare.

"Mom, how long have you been up and around?"

Weelia smiled. "I have been out of stasis for about a month. The decanting was begun a few days after you engaged in this rescue."

Zoe smiled. "And Papa kept the secret because?"

"We didn't know if the treatment would hold. We still don't, but I wanted to see you, to see my little kitten one more time just in case." Weelia reached out and took her hand.

"I am glad you did. I have missed you so much." Tears and smiles blended on her face. She bawled and Trin simply held her while Leos stroked her hair and Jarix caressed her calves.