Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55375 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55375 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
“I will.” Corinne nodded.
“Very well then.” The Chairman rubbed his hands together. “Now for you, my dear Dr. Virelle. Are you prepared to take his place and accept the generous bonus we have for you?”
Corinne took a deep breath—here was where things got tricky.
“Actually, I’m not,” she said carefully. “In fact, in lieu of the bonus, I’d like to be allowed out of my contract.”
“You would?” The Chairman’s eyebrows shot up. “Have you received a better offer from a competing Company?”
“No.” She shook her head. “But Karnex—I mean K-lx—thinks we can find the Kindred Mother Ship. I’d like to take him with me and go search for it.”
The Chairman frowned.
“So…you want to quit your job and go looking for a lost alien civilization?”
What she wanted was to get away from the station, the Company, and greedy, stupid humans in general, Corinne thought. What she wanted was to get away from a place where the people in charge might decide to decommission Karnex and take him apart to study him any time they chose.
But of course she couldn’t say any of that.
“Yes—if we can find the Kindred Mother Ship, think of all the new technology I can bring back to the Company,” she said brightly.
“Oh, well…” The Chairman frowned and tapped his chin thoughtfully with one long finger.
Corinne waited, her breath clenched tight, for his answer.
At last, he nodded.
“Well, that is certainly a unique proposition, Dr. Virelle. Do you really think you can find them?”
“I do.” Corinne nodded firmly. “My Kindred Cyborg thinks they haven’t gone as far as we believed they had. All I need is one of the station’s long-range hoppers with a replicator.”
“And you want to take the new Cyborg, K-L-1-X with you?” he asked.
“If I find the Kindred Mother Ship, I’ll need him with me in order to be granted entry,” Corinne said quickly. “I’ll send back regular reports,” she added.
“Well…” At last the Chairman nodded. “Very good. I’m going to personally authorize your use of a hopper. And please let us know how it goes.”
“Of course.” Corinne nodded, trying to contain her joy. “Thank you, Chairman.”
“Thank you, Dr. Virelle.” He cleared his throat. “Did you know that we’re on the verge of making a whole new Cybernetic prototype, thanks to your findings?”
“I would expect nothing less, Sir.” Corinne nodded her head.
“I’d like you to take charge of the program, once you come back,” he went on.
“I would be honored,” Corinne said, knowing she would do no such thing.
She wasn’t planning on sending reports or any Kindred tech back either—even if she and Karnex did find the Kindred Mother Ship. She just wanted the two of them to get away, but she knew if they just tried to sneak off, the Company would be after them at once.
This way, at least, they would get a head start before the Company realized what they had done, which was to leave forever.
The Chairman nodded again.
“Happy hunting, Dr. Virelle,” he said to her. “There will be a place waiting for both you and your Kindred Cybernetic Unit when you get back.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Corinne nodded.
“You’re welcome. Now please have your Cyborg escort Dr. Drex to the brig. I’ll send agents to pick him up for trial at once.”
And then the hologram faded from above the LDCI and she nodded at Karnex.
“All right—take him away.”
36
KARNEX
Silas had to be dragged, shouting and complaining, all the way to the brig but once he was locked up, Corinne and Karnex loaded a hopper right away.
“We’d better not wait—you never can tell if they’ll change their minds,” she said to Karnex as he slid into the pilot’s seat and she slid in beside him. “Are you sure you can find your way to the Mother Ship.”
He nodded, already firing up the engines.
“One hundred percent. One of the last things they put in the lab files before everyone left was the coordinates of where they were going.”
“But that was hundreds of years ago. What if they’ve moved on?” Corinne asked anxiously.
“Then we’ll keep looking for them.” K-lx put an arm around her for a quick hug before he gripped the steering yolk. “Don’t worry, baby,” he sent through their Bond. “The Goddess will guide us.”
This seemed to satisfy his new mate—he felt her warmth and happiness and it made him warm and happy too. They were going on a new adventure together—one they hoped never to return from.
Because they weren’t just running away from the station and the Company…they were going home.
THE END?
OF COURSE NOT!
There are always more Kindred Tales coming.