A Step to Nowhere by Natasha A. Salnikova

Author:Natasha A. Salnikova [Salnikova, Natasha A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Amazon: B00A4ZRGOO
Goodreads: 16088616
Publisher: NAS
Published: 2012-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

I didn’t want to face him. No matter what he’d done, no matter who he was, his voice alone subdued every cell of my body. He didn’t have the right to hold such power over me. Didn’t have the right. How could I get rid of this delusion?

“Your father …” Ray cleared his throat. “Your father ordered that we send her to onis right away.”

“Change of plans. I couldn’t resist the temptation of meeting my double.” My copy—Samantha said in a dry voice. He called her Samantha, me—Sam. I liked people calling me Sam. He’d studied his subject—me, very well.

I raised my eyes at him; he was looking at me. His face was pale; his hands were inside his uniform pockets.

His wife stood up and walked to him.

“You haven’t had a chance to tell me about your last day on Planet Two. Haven’t shared the details of the operation.”

Ray blinked and moved his gaze away from me and to his wife.

“I …” He rubbed his temples.

“Are you all right, Cream?” Samantha asked. Cream. Blah.

“No… I…” He glanced at me one more time. “I just remembered that I have to make a call. I’ll be back in a second.” He turned to the door.

“Who?” My copy stopped Ray and when he turned to her, she touched his chin with two fingers. It was impossible to imagine somebody doing that to my Ray. He was so authoritative, no one would even think about such action. Here … it was a strange scene. It was also strange that after everything that had happened to me today I still could find something strange. It was he and I in front of me.

“Corporation, of course. We are sending hunters tomorrow to Planet Two, to chase the runners. Again. People go wild there. I need to specify some things.”

“Sure. Hunters.” My gross copy rose on her tiptoes and kissed Ray on the lips. My stomach turned. I felt the same reaction every time somebody was flirting with my Ray. Yes, it was a different person in front of me, but my brain thought and my heart felt. My body refused to stay cold, no matter what I’d ordered it to do.

Ray moved his wife away, gently.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

He nodded in my direction.

“So, what?” My copy looked at me.

“I feel uncomfortable when the woman with your face is watching us.”

“Why?”

“Samantha,” he said with reproach.

“She’s dead already. You can’t …”

“Samantha,” Ray interrupted and closed his eyes for a second. “We have to send her to onis, don’t you think? Now. Should I call Dan?”

My copy took a step back, keeping an eye on her husband.

“How did she escape from the corporation?” she asked.

“I’ve told you.”

“I want to listen to it again. Unbelievable story. We’ve never had anything like that happen before.”

“Samantha, what’s going on? Do you want to discuss it in front of her?”

“You said one of the workers was from Hlifian and he helped her to escape. He’s in onis, right?”

“Keeky,” Ray said and I laughed, but they didn’t pay attention to me.

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