Once Upon a Pet Show (A Redpoint One Romance)

by Marlow, J. A.

  She took in a deep breath and then firmly pushed away from his chest. Leaving his comforting warmth, she made herself turn away and go back to the intersection. She glared down at the door. How dare it make her fearful.

  "You need to fix it," she said simply, mentally demanding the door to open.

  A man's voice echoed down the corridor. "Sounds like you have your marching orders, Damien."

  Vallory recognized two in the group. Arthur, Damien's boss, and Tish. An older man with dark brown hair and a gray streak followed. Behind him came a small army of bots of all sorts of colors. Three of them even sported moving holographic colors whirling around their eyestalks.

  Damien motioned to the older man. "Zane Bristol, the boss here before Arthur. He returned to the station to help us with this problem."

  That didn't sound good. The worry returned, multiplied. Nothing on his face reassured her, either. "You really don't know what's happening, do you."

  "No, honey, I don't."

  Vallory went tense again but this time not about the doors. She wasn't worried about that with so many people and bots around her. He said 'honey?' A term of affection? The warm glow inside her blew into a full flame, even as another part of her filled with dread. Dread of the end of the pet show.

  She came back to herself just as Damien finished the story of her entrapment.

  "You shouldn't have come into the corridors alone," Arthur said sternly, moving his attention away from the closed door to her.

  "She was chasing one of her animals. Another escape artist," Damien answered for her. Really, he didn't need to do that. She could hold her own.

  To her surprise, Arthur's tense face smiled. "Another Irvine?"

  "Possibly," Damien said with an answering smile.

  "Irvine?" Vallory echoed.

  "The lizard responsible for bringing Rachel and Ignacio together. He's on display in one of the other buildings." To Arthur and Zane, he asked, "Any insights?"

  "Not from me. This has perplexed me from the very beginning," Arthur said, the tense expression returning.

  "It feels cold when I look at it," Tish said, rubbing her arms briskly. "But, I know it's not. The temperature in here is right."

  "Another dead spot," Arthur muttered. "We're getting far too many of them."

  Zane didn't answer so quickly. He stepped forward and ran his hand across the door, and then down a seam on one side where it met the wall.

  "It does feel dead. Completely shut down," he finally said. He took a step back, regarding it before turning away. "We need to see how big an area is affected. What systems we remember in the area. Perhaps we will find other clues."

  "We stay together," Tish said quickly. "No going alone with this sort of thing happening."

  Zane gave her a gentle smile. "Of course. Safety first."

  "Speaking of safety." Arthur turned to Damien. "Can you escort our guest back to her lodgings? She shouldn't be down here if this area is having problems."

  Even as Damien agreed, Vallory was already heading for his bot. The bot whistled at her on her approach. Yes, leave the area.

  But, leave the station? She glanced back at the intersection. Damien stood there, talking quietly to Arthur. So strong and dependable. She knew the dependable part. How often had he come through for her already?

  Yes, her father would have liked him. Station problems or not, she wanted to stay. Stay with someone specific.

  Lord, she was in trouble.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  DAMIEN ENJOYED THE all too short walk back to Northstar Bed & Breakfast. A small moment after a nice dinner, even with the distraction of the station issue. Nothing particular special, yet he found her on his mind constantly. At all times, even while trying to concentrate.

  Thinking of how soft her hair felt when it brushed against his arm as he helped her up from the seat in the restaurant while he changed out a ventilation section. Her soft hands came to mind when switching the systems for a ring sector to the backup so the cleaning bots could properly scrub ventilation ducts. Her soft flowery scent when tracing an airflow switching problem.

  All things that needed his full attention.

  A simple dinner and walk did this to him?

  No, not just a simple dinner. It turned into so much more than that. He still smiled at the sight of her pushing away from his chest to march back to the maintenance corridor intersection to glare at the bulkhead that nearly trapped her in a dead part of the station. If looks could kill, the door would have turned into a molten puddle on the floor.

  "Why couldn't it be a local girl?" He dropped a broken part into the back of the cart, disgusted at himself. Then he would have a chance of a working relationship. One with a future.

  Not like this one. Not with Vallory's chosen lifestyle and career. After all, what would a xenobiologist do on a station like Redpoint One even if she wanted to stay? No matter how he turned it around, the entire situation had 'disaster' written all over it.

  "Damien, we have a situation," Arthur's voice said through the ID band around his wrist.

  Somehow he knew what he would say next. Where he would be going. Steeling himself, Damien answered, "Here. Go ahead."

  "The stink is back, this time hitting one of the other buildings at the pet show."

  Yep, there it was. An emergency to send him right back to the place he didn't really want to go today. Too much of a chance of running into Vallory. By now her morning meeting would be long gone. Absently, he wondered if Tish and Rachel caught up with her?

  "I know there isn't much you can do, but anything you can think of would at least give the appearance that we are trying to find a solution." Arthur's frustration came through loud and clear in his voice. A frustration they all felt. They were the maintenance crew, after all. Why couldn't they fix it?

  Damien settled the last few items into the cart. No way out of this. Time to just do it, and hope the issue wasn't in Vallory's building. "Got it, boss. I'm on my way."

  When he found the problem in one of the front buildings designed for small pets suitable for table-top cages, he felt a sense of disappointment. Not Vallory's building. One side of his mind told him this was a good thing. Less chance of running into her. The other side threw a fit at that thought.

  If this kept up, he would need mental help.

  Guards at one of the main entrances of the problem building not allowing anyone into the building surprised him. Even when he identified himself, one of the guards shook his head. "Sorry, sir. We'll be ready for you in approximately fifteen minutes. The investigation should be finished by then."

  His heart sunk. "Investigation? Another theft?"

  "Sorry, sir. I cannot say."

  The man didn't have to. Damien could see that he was right by the man's subtle reaction. Which brought to mind someone who'd been on the receiving end of nasty accusations. She didn't need more today. Might be a good idea to warn her that there had been another incident so she could head off any issues.

  "I'll be back in fifteen minutes." To his bot, he added, "Stay here. I'll be right back."

  His bot complained, and then followed anyway. Probably because of the direction he was heading. The war inside him continued. He shouldn't use this as an excuse to see her, and yet no matter how that made sense, he couldn't stop the long stride from taking him to her building.

  The building was as busy and crowded as the rest of the show, but he didn't need to worry about how to find Vallory. Unless she was running around with Tish and Rachel, he knew right where to find her.

  And there she was, kneeling by the front door into the enclosure. Two daubpups on the other side pushed at the front as if trying to get to her.

  Not pets, he reminded himself as he walked the last remaining distance. Endangered animals in need of protection. The knowledge made him look at the creatures differently. Didn't this mean they were in reality wild animals? They didn't act like wild animals. With Vallory, they were as affectionate as any lap-pet.

/>   His bot backed the cart out of the way in the aisle running between her and Mr. Pyman's enclosure. Moving around a family watching the daubpups, Damien knelt down to Vallory's level. "How are the daubpups?"

  She jumped with a startled squeak, losing balance enough that one knee went down to the hard floor. He reached out to grab her upper arm to prevent her from tipping completely over. She recovered enough to glare at him. "Don't do that."

  "Not my fault. You were concentrating hard."

  She sighed, looking back into the enclosure. "Yes, I was. I do that a lot."

  Not much of a spark there today. Because of the memories of last night? "Tough day?"

  "Yes, and about to get worse."

  He didn't like the strain in her voice at all. His bot noticed, as well, to judge by the way it hovered quietly on her other side. She absently reached out to stroke the top of its hard body, while her eyes never strayed from watching the inside of the enclosure. The actions of the two daubpups just inside the door took on a new feel. Like the two were wanting to come through to comfort her. As if they knew something was wrong.

  "What is it?" he asked, his voice more sharp than he intended.

  She didn't react like he thought she might. She simply pointed towards the back corner of the enclosure where a thick layer of dried grass lay. He saw the nose of the new baby pop up once before it burrowed back onto the grass, the movement of the grass the only indication of its presence.

  He was about to say he didn't see anything unusual when a new shape appeared from the grass. A furry head with pointed ears that rounded at the very top. Oblong eyes with a pink nose. Short spotted fur. Nothing like the shapes of the daubpups.

  He tensed. "What is that? Did something get inside? What about the baby?"

  "The baby appears to be playing with it. Don't you recognize the animal?"

  But, the animal had already disappeared into the grass. The blades moved and shivered as the two bodies played underneath. "Didn't get a good enough look. Looked like a cat, not a rat."

  Her voice dropped down to a whisper. "That's because it is a cat. One of those that was stolen the first day."

  Damien froze. Oh no.

  What was it doing in there? How did it get in with the daubpups? He couldn't see Vallory jeopardizing the new baby by putting another animal in there, even if she were the thief.

  "I've quietly called the show officials to help me extract it," Vallory said, still talking in a whisper. "I don't want to go in there to get it before they get here with the proper cage. So far it hasn't bothered the baby."

  Damien heaved a sigh of relief, even as he realized his doubt had been increasing by the second. "Good that you called."

  "Yeah, well, it's already going to look bad." The hand on top of one knee clenched. "I'm not a thief, but how is this going to look?"

  "I hate to increase the bad news, but I just came from one of the other buildings. There's been another pet-napping."

  The hand still stroking his bot also fisted. With visible effort, she relaxed her hands, even though the rest of her remained rimrod rigid. "Wonderful."

  Damien stood and searched the public aisle in both directions. Full of crowds and exhibitors talking to people about their pets. Maybe if the officials arrived quickly, they could get the cat out and all of them to a safe location before anyone noticed.

  He nodded at Ms. Mishley as she pushed a small cart with one of her animals inside the cage on the top and two boxes of supplies on the bottom shelf. Ms. Mishley smiled back, her demeanor friendly. Thankfully, she moved past Vallory's enclosure without noticing anything.

  Please, let the cat stay hidden until the show officials showed up. Let it stay hidden even when Vallory went in to get it. The fewer people who saw, the better.

  How did the thing get inside anyway? The enclosures were solid, designed to keep curious animals safely inside, and equally curious children and people on the outside. The only leads inside were for a water drip system, if needed, and ones for the environmental control outlets. They should be too small for a cat to get through.

  Two dark blue suits appeared in the crowd. Then another, this time one of security. The security officer might have worried him for Vallory's sake, but if trouble started, they would need them for a different reason.

  His bot gave a worrying chirp, one he silently agreed with. This could go wrong in so many ways.

  The small group stopped in front of Vallory's enclosure with a cart similar to the one Ms. Mishley used to transport her pets, complete with an empty white animal crate on top.

  Vallory rubbed her hands against her thighs. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

  Mr. Darwin Beel, the head of the Exotic Pet Show committee, stepped around Vallory to look into the enclosure. "Where is it?"

  "Back left corner. Currently under the grass with the new daubpup baby."

  "Is the baby in danger?" he asked.

  "Not so far. They are playing with each other, and Penny, the mother, is watching closely." Vallory bit a bottom side of her lower lip. "But, cats are predators. I don't want it to get any ideas. That baby is valuable. I cannot express how valuable it is."

  "No doubt, considering we've never seen pets such as these here before. I'm sure we would have seen other breeders here with them, considering how popular they are with the crowds." Damien felt good about the compliment for Vallory's sake. Mr. Beel turned his head towards her, his face stern. "Any idea how it got inside?"

  "No idea, sir, and I'm just as concerned about it as you," Vallory said with no hesitation.

  "I hope it wasn't done deliberately in hopes the cat would do enough damage to your group to end any possibility of winning a prize," Damien said.

  Vallory looked at him in surprise. He hoped she wouldn't tell Mr. Beel she had no intention of winning prizes. She'd kept the secret so far. Right now she needed to continue to keep it.

  Mr. Beel nodded thoughtfully as he turned to Damien. "Good point. There have been incidences at other shows."

  Good, he'd laid a point of doubt.

  "Can we remove it now?" Vallory asked. "I'm very nervous about it remaining inside."

  A sentiment Damien agreed with. Preferably before the wrong people noticed them taking up the entire front of Vallory's enclosure.

  Mr. Beel turned towards the short woman with a styled short bob hairstyle waiting by the cart. "Alcina, any success in contacting the owner?"

  "Not yet. Their contact number goes straight to a message system," Alcina answered. "I'll keep trying."

  "No matter what, it needs to be me who goes inside," Vallory said. "The daubpups will protest if anyone else does. I can divert them to the other side of the enclosure with a ball while I try for the cat."

  "If the cat allows a stranger to pick them up," Alcina said, one eyebrow raised. "It may not."

  Vallory's lips thinned. "If not, then I will use the cage to start transporting my daubpups to a different enclosure, and then wait for the owner to come and retrieve his cat. Do you have an empty enclosure available if needed?"

  "We will find one for you if necessary," Mr. Beel said.

  Alcina lifted the carrying crate off the top of the cart and handed it over. "Let us know if you need our help."

  A whistle came from the ground. A metal hand at the top of a multi-jointed arm held up a colorful ball. Vallory took it, smiling down at Damien's bot. "Thank you for getting it. Most helpful."

  Damien's attention jerked towards the aisle between the enclosures and his bot. Sometime in the last few seconds it had anticipated what Vallory would need and went to her stored supplies in the back to get it? And he hadn't noticed?

  Yes, his bot liked her. No doubt at all now. If his bot liked her, then the station would like her. No worries of a Zane-like incident here.

  Why did she have to live a nomadic life?

  Mr. Beel stared into the enclosure, his expression thoughtful. "Odd that only one of them is inside. Alcina, didn't the entire group disappear? Seven of
them, I believe?"

  "Yes, seven."

  Damien gave Vallory a nod of support as she paused by the door. With a firm expression, she opened the door. With one foot, she pushed the two waiting daubpups back and slipped inside, the cage bumping against the door as she pulled it through.

  She tossed the ball towards the front right side of the cage. Every daubpup in the enclosure abandoned what they were doing and scurried towards it in a loud cacophony of noise.

  "Problem with a pet?" Mr. Pyman asked. With a harsh ringing tone, he nearly shouted, "Is that a cat in your cage? What are you doing with one of the glowing cats?"

  That got the attention of everyone in the vicinity. Worse yet, the other exhibitors.

  Mr. Pyman stalked up to the enclosure, jabbing a knobby finger in Vallory's direction. "I knew it. She's the thief! Why didn't anyone listen to me?"

  People from all directions now converged on the enclosure. Some curious, some angry.

  Damien rushed past Mr. Beel. He pushed Vallory the remaining distance inside the enclosure and closed the door. To his bot he ordered, "Lock it."

  "What is the meaning of this, Damien?" Mr. Beel demanded as his bot obeyed the command.

  But, his attention wasn't on him. It was on the descending mob of people. "She's no longer safe out here."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  VALLORY STUMBLED INTO the enclosure, struggling to re-balance herself without stepping on the playing daubpups under foot.

  The sound from outside ceased. All that remained were the excited noises from the daubpups as each tried to grab the ball. Two tackled it and rolled over the top. The ball popped out from under and bounced against her feet before the daubpups could chase it back down.

  Solid on both her feet, Vallory whirled towards the door to scold whoever pushed her. What if she'd accidentally hurt one of the daubpups? Damien's bot extended an arm to the handle of the door. What was it doing?

  She didn't like the click the door latch made. She knew that sound. Had heard it when she locked the daubpups inside each night.

  Locked in? Why?