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chamber.
"This is a secured cell," the Terran said to me. "You will be kept here during our sojourn. Follow instructions, and you will be treated fairly."
I knew him now, and the sight of him horrified me.
Reever suddenly broke free of his bonds and shoved one mercenary into the other. As he bent down to grab the rifle the mercenary had dropped, the
Terran produced a pulse pistol, turned, and shot my husband in the right arm and both legs. I screamed as Reever went down and blood spurted from the
massive wounds in his limbs.
I ran, uncaring of the pistol the Terran pointed at me, and knelt in a pool of Reever's blood.
"Duncan." I tried to staunch the flow with my hands, and then Shon was there, cut free of his bonds. He gently moved my hands aside and rested his
paws over my husband's leg wounds.
Light poured out of the edges of Shon's tunic as he closed his eyes and his expression turned to one of great concentration. When he lifted one paw to
place it over Reever's arm wound, I saw the terrible gaping hole in my husband's thigh had disappeared.
I looked up at the Terran, who was smiling.
"We had to be sure we had the touch healer," he told me as he tucked the pistol in his belt and walked out.
Shon opened his eyes and sagged back against the wall of the cell. "He will be all right."
"Where are we?" I asked. "Whose ship is this?"
"I don't know." He was breathing heavily now. "But this is not a League ship."
More mercenaries came into the room and dragged me to my feet. When I fought them, one hit me over the back of the head with his weapon, and I lost
consciousness.
I came to in a different place, my body sprawled on a deck. Beyond me, a long row of observation panels showed a vast expanse of stars and
blackness. The Terran who had shot Duncan stood looking out, but when I propped myself up, he turned around.
"You are awake. Good. It's time we talked."
Joseph Grey Veil began walking toward me.
Seventeen
I knew that he was Joseph Grey Veil. I recognized him from a few pictures that I had found among Cherijo's possessions. His features also told me who
he was. Looking upon him was like gazing into a distorted mirror.
I also knew that Joseph Grey was dead, murdered on Terra by Cherijo's brother.
No. Something shriveled inside me, cold and shuddering. It can't be him.
"It's been such a long time, my dear." The Terran came to stand over me, and offered a hand to help me up.
Don't let him touch me.
I crawled backward away from it and stood, reaching for the blade I had tucked beneath my belt.
"The guards took the knife," Joseph said. "You should not have fought them. They wouldn't have hurt you if you had obeyed my orders."
Who is he? "Who are you?"
"They said you had experienced memory loss due to a head injury." He studied my face. "I am Joseph Grey Veil." He waited for me to say something,
and took a step toward me. "I am your father, Cherijo."
I have no father. I was made, not born.
I backed away. "Joseph Grey Veil died on Terra years ago." My shoulders hit the wall behind me. "Who are you?"
"You still believe that your brother Jericho killed me. Small wonder, then, that you look so frightened." He smiled at me. "That man who died was a clone,
like you. He was, in fact, the oldest of your cloned brothers. In dangerous situations I often used him as a double. I was quite put out when Jericho
murdered him."
He's lying. Look into his eyes. I can see it.
My head throbbed and I felt as if I might puke. "I don't believe you."
"Of course you don't. You are in shock," he advised me. "In time, you will come to accept that I am alive, and we will be together from now on."
No. No. NO.
Fear crawled all over me, inside and out, and all I could think was that I had to get as far away from this man as I could. "Why did you abduct us? What
do you want?"
"You are my daughter, Cherijo. In fact, legally you are still my property. I am simply recovering what belongs to me." He went to a prep unit and dialed up
a server of tea. "You haven't stopped drinking chamomile, I hope."
Run.
I ran to the door panel and tried to open it. He had secured it. "I want to go back to my husband."
"Duncan Reever is not your husband. You are not classified as a sentient being, so you cannot marry." He filled a clear server with a light amber liquid.
"You will need it to be sweet for the shock. Do you prefer sugar or honey?"
He'll use it to cover up the taste of the drugs. Don't drink it.
Sweat stung my eyes as it streamed down my face. If I could have crawled up the wall to get away from him, I would have. "Take me back to Duncan."
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