Once Upon a Pet Show (A Redpoint One Romance)

by Marlow, J. A.

  Why did that irk him, as well? After all, Shay was open to learning anything needed. A quality they liked to see in any new hire.

  "Good luck with the judging. I'm sure your little guys will place in one of the slots," Shay said with a grin in Vallory's direction.

  "They aren't guys or gals. No one has figured that out yet," Vallory said, an acidic edge still to her voice as she knelt in front of the enclosure and opened the small feeding door at the bottom of the larger access door. "How are you doing, Clementine?"

  Shay dropped the scanner into the right pouch without needing to be shown where. "Clementine is a girl's name."

  "Don't antagonize the visitors," Damien said, pointing to a slot on the inside of the cart. "Calipers there."

  "Right. Don't antagonize. Does Clementine feel better?" The tone of Vallory's voice changed to that of a woman talking to a baby. Glancing back, Damien noticed that the daubpup was eating it up, leaning into the behind-the-ear scratches she gave it.

  A man and woman, both well-dressed in tailored suits stopped next to Vallory. The man said, "Good morning, Ms. Schist. Is your enclosure repaired? We heard there was a problem."

  "The temperature controls appear to be repaired now," Vallory said without standing. She smiled down at the daubpup. "Loving the scratches?"

  By its appearance, the daubpup indeed loved it. So much so that two others bounced over and tried to push it out of the way in an effort to get under Vallory's hand.

  "It's lovely to see new animals at the show," one of the judges was saying. "It's not often we see creatures so different from what we've seen before."

  "We look forward to seeing your display over the next few days," the man said.

  "Hm, yes. They will be here for the entire show," Vallory said, her tone indicated she wasn't quite paying attention.

  The judges noticed. Damien watched them glance at each other with one of them shrugging their shoulders, all while other attendees started surrounding them, including Ms. Mishley.

  The contrast was striking. The other exhibitors all introducing themselves to the judges, inviting them over to nearby enclosures. Then there was Vallory. Kneeling at the floor, scratching one daubpup after another with no attempt to engage the judges.

  Didn't she realize she was missing a prime opportunity to impress two of the main judges of the show? As the pet show became more busy, it may be her only chance to do so.

  "Cute little things. If one likes that sort of pet," Shay said as they left the area to head back down into the midst of the station.

  Damien glanced back. Vallory was half inside the enclosure doing something with her animals, while the judges had already moved on to inspect and look over other enclosures. Vallory lost her chance. Didn't she want to win one of the prizes? The top three awards this year had increased, raising an already considerable sum.

  He shook his head as they left the building. How strange.

  "Everyone has different taste. I don't need any pet, personally. The bots are enough." Damien's bot twittered at him in response from where it followed and towed the cart.

  "As pets go, they are amazing. Bandit can outwit any of the animals in this place," Shay said with a hearty deep laugh, one that caught the pleasing attention of several women around them. "I'm looking forward to when my little guy and I are out on our own."

  "Need to find where you belong first." The sooner the better.

  Bandit whistled in agreement. The bot still followed Shay around like a little puppy.

  The next job proved beyond a shadow of a doubt about the plumbing department. Shay accidentally opened a valve wider instead of shutting it down. No instincts there at all.

  Another repair of life-support proved to Damien he did not have a new apprentice. Also no instincts, no matter what he put Shay to. Oh, Shay was willing to do anything asked, but that didn't help if he couldn't understand how the station worked in those particular areas. And he would, if they could just put Shay in the right place. The station would allow him to understand.

  Shay picked up on it, commenting on the way back to the maintenance platform, "So, maybe I can try something else next? What about weapon systems?"

  "We have someone there, although we can use more people in just about any of the departments," Damien said. More to say something than anything else. Just because Damien didn't find where the man needed to go, didn't mean he didn't belong. He didn't want to discourage Shay the first day out.

  "Right. Or engines? I like engines. Navigation?"

  "The station doesn't move," Damien said automatically as a travel pod drove them down the tubes crisscrossing Redpoint One in all directions.

  "Right. I knew that." Shay blew at his short bangs. "So, are we going to try again after our break?"

  The pod came to a stop outside the maintenance platform doors. Damien helped his bot pull the cart out of the back. "Not with me. I think it's obvious you are not destined for either plumbing or life-support. You'll head out with one of the others."

  "Too bad. I liked working with you." Shay hit him on the shoulder with a fist. "Okay, point me in the right direction."

  "That will be up to Arthur to decide. Get yourself a bite to eat first."

  "Right. The boss-man. Come on, Bandit."

  Damien shook his head as the black and yellow bot took off after Shay, looking up at him adoringly. Well, as much as a bot could. A newbie and his bot. Yep, the guy belonged, just not in his department.

  At Damien's bot's whistling query, Damien answered, "We need an apprentice in our section."

  His bot chirped in agreement, and then surged ahead into the maintenance platform. It bypassed the central raised area and headed straight for the rear rooms. Most likely to get rid of the old broken parts and restock some of the cart.

  Damien knew he should follow to help out, but first he had a newbie to take care of. Which meant handing him off to someone in a new department. He headed for the break room and found Arthur standing over the coffee maker as it brewed another batch.

  Damien leaned against the doorjamb, hearing Shay and his bot in the room next door going through his locker. "Hard morning?"

  Arthur looked up, a scowl still on his face. "Sometimes I swear this place is falling apart."

  "I have good and bad news for you."

  Arthur gave a little groan as he pushed away from the counter. "Give it to me."

  "Good news is that the bot stuck to him all morning and they appear to understand each other."

  "Which means the station isn't rejecting him." Arthur glanced at Damien side-ways. "And the bad news?"

  "Shay doesn't belong in either plumbing or life-support. At all." At the sound of other arrivals in the maintenance platform for lunch, Damien pushed off the doorjamb and moved out of the doorway. "No point hanging around with me this afternoon. He needs to try a different department."

  With the coffee finished brewing, Arthur poured himself a cup. He lifted the pot towards Damien, who shook his head. No need for coffee this late in the day. Not with so many repairs still needing to be done. The Station would keep him awake for the rest of the day without the need for more caffeine.

  "Not such bad news. Remember how long it took you to find your department?" Arthur sipped as his cup and headed for the central room. Damien sidestepped out of the way.

  "I hate to suggest it as it would egg them on, but maybe we should see if the Naughty Knitter's Club has any other prospects. Both Rachel and my department need more people," Damien said.

  "Good lord, bite your tongue," Arthur said, trying to smother a laugh.

  "The gals still up to no good?" a new voice asked from the far side of the maintenance department.

  A new voice and yet an old one. Damien swiveled, as did everyone else in the room, including all the bots.

  At the door stood a tall lean man with dark brown hair and a streak of gray at the left temple. The streak was larger than Damien remembered, but the rest was pretty much the same, right down to the cl
ose-fitting dark gray slacks tucked into the top of black boots.

  "It's about time you arrived," Arthur said, striding forward while stealing another gulp of coffee.

  "Hey, who's the new arrival. Another newbie?" Shay asked as he and his bot rejoined the main room.

  "Zane Bristol, the former maintenance Supervisor. I didn't expect him to arrive so fast," Damien said, leaning against part of the railing surrounding the raised central platform. "We're hoping he has a few ideas on the recent station problems."

  As if on cue, a smell wafted past Damien's nose. One he'd smelled often in the past few weeks, but that familiarity didn't help him become accustomed to it. It stank as much as it did the first time. A nearby bot raised both eyes, the eyestalks wobbling, as if using its eyes to smell the air. It gave a disgusted whistle before zipping off to one of the back rooms.

  "None too soon," Shay said, putting a hand over his nose. He demanded, "What is that smell?"

  CHAPTER THREE

  THE HANDSHAKE BETWEEN Arthur and Zane came to an abrupt end when Zane glared up at the ceiling.

  "What is that?" Zane demanded.

  Damien silently sighed. Zane didn't know? They might really be doomed now.

  "We were hoping you would know," Arthur said.

  "I've never smelled this before, in all my years here." He stopped, staring down at an orange and white bot that had come to a stop at his feet. The two stared at each other for a few moments in silence. No one in the room interrupted the silence. No one dared, not even the other bots.

  Finally, Zane said, "You still here?"

  The bot chirped back in answer. A short and abrupt chirp, as if answering an obvious question.

  "Haven't seen him in a while," Arthur said in a subdued tone.

  "Probably pouting after I left instead of finding a good new recruit to follow." Zane glared down at the bot, folding his arms over his chest. "Fine. So be it. You can help me while I figure out what is going on."

  The bot gave a happy whistle and raced in one full circle around Zane's feet before coming to a stop next to him. Damien almost laughed at the adoring glances the bot kept giving Zane.

  Yeah, the bots chose their people to follow, and very little put them off. Nor did they seem to forget. Damien glanced back at the back rooms to find his bot along with several others at the entrance of the hall watching the scene before them.

  "We're all glad to have you here," Arthur said. He stopped Vasiliy at the door before the man could fully enter the maintenance platform. "You have Shay. See if he has any aptitude in your area."

  "The newbie?" Vasiliy glanced between Shay and Zane. "And Zane's here? Have the newbie follow him around a bit. Zane knew right where I belonged."

  "Zane is here for a specific reason," Arthur said before anything else could be said. "Shay is with you."

  "Fine."

  Damien smothered a smile. While the rest of them may like apprentices and others in their department, the man preferred to work alone. Considering he was able to keep his department running smooth over-all, no one complained about it.

  "I hope to keep my visit to a minimum. Find the problem and head out," Zane said as he glanced over the maintenance platform.

  Words Damien didn't particularly like to hear, but then he'd never contemplated living anywhere else than Redpoint One after he'd arrived. Leave? Leave the bots? Unthinkable, and yet Zane had done so. Left over five years ago never to return once for a visit.

  "Head out? After you only just arrived?" a female voice demanded.

  Now, he knew that voice by heart. Despite suggesting to Arthur they should invite the Naughty Knitter's Club to search for more recruits, that didn't mean he wanted to be around when they were up to any mischief.

  Damien spun around and headed for the back. He grabbed his lunch and called for his bot as he headed into the back rooms. When he came back out, all three women of the Naughty Knitter's Club were still taking turns hugging Zane, ignoring his stiff posture.

  Good reason to leave right now before they announced why there were here. Plus, eating lunch with the smell permeating the room did nothing for his appetite. Several of the others felt the same way and were already heading out with their own lunches. Shay and Vasiliy were already long gone.

  "You must come for a visit," Velda was saying as Damien headed across the room towards the double-wide front door. Just a little further and he would be in the clear.

  "I'm here to work, ladies," Zane said, his deep voice carrying well through the room.

  "After being gone so long? One would think you didn't want to be here," Daisy said. She missed Zane's small jerk because of looking at Eddie as she added, "We should have a small party at the Northstar B&B. We could invite a few of the old-timers."

  "Ladies, we need him for the station," Arthur said, putting himself between Zane and Daisy, who was reaching up for another hug. "Or have you not noticed that we've had a few things go wrong?"

  "Right. Like what happened to Rachel," Eddie said, elbowing Daisy.

  "Or this smell?" Velda put her hands on her hips and glared at Arthur. "Can't you do something about this? It ruined my dinner party for the new guests last night."

  Damien hugged the other side of the door, helping to guide the cart out of the room with his bot's help.

  "As I said, he's here for the station," Arthur said.

  But, Zane wasn't paying attention. He was looking up at the ceiling with the odd look on his face that Damien recognized. The expression that told anyone who knew him that he was listening to the station.

  Even though Damien was on the other side of the group and able to easily escape, he paused. Just like he would have done in the old days.

  "Yeah, It's good I'm here. I may not want to be, but something is happening." The words stopped the conversation between the three women and Arthur. Zane nodded, his expression clearing as he looked down at the bot still by his side. The bot looked right back up, waiting silently. "The station is uneasy."

  "What does that mean?" Velda demanded.

  "Fix the smell first," Daisy pleaded.

  "Wait, maybe Zane can help us with the other problem. Don't forget why we came down here," Eddie said.

  But, Zane was already walking towards the back of the maintenance platform, with Arthur keeping the women engaged so they couldn't follow. Or, at least, he was trying.

  Damien took his escape. He would find out the details later, when it was safer from the club's meddling.

  ***

  Vallory tried to remind herself that finding success with the very first meeting since arriving would be too good to be true. So, why was she so disappointed at the end of it?

  The rare-animal breeder and rescuer had been quite open when looking at the list of requirements and telling her his home area would not be suitable. Quick, simple, and he'd had a few suggestions on other people to talk to. A lot of good came out of the short meeting, she tried to remind herself.

  Yet, all Vallory's mind could focus on was that she hadn't found a place for her daubpups yet. She had to go back to their enclosure to tell them that she didn't have a new home for them. Never mind that they wouldn't understand what she had to tell them. The point was she still would.

  She so much wanted good news. She'd burned all her resources getting the creatures to Redpoint One. What would happen to them if she couldn't accomplish her goal?

  The very thought set her stomach to roiling again. Something else she didn't need.

  She showed her pass at the gate. The guard took one look and waved her in. The grounds of the Exotic Pet Show were empty, with the artificial sky above dimming into twilight. Tomorrow the areas between the buildings would fill with people. Some looking for new pets, some curious, some to attend the seminars, some buyers, some importers/exporters, and others who just enjoyed pets. From the attendance figures from last year, the place would be hard to walk through.

  Her buildings even more so. Which brought up another worry to keep her up that nig
ht. Hoping the daubpups wouldn't mind so many people around them all day long.

  The building with her enclosure turned out more busy than she expected. Of course, new people and their animals were still arriving, and would be even tomorrow morning before the gates opened.

  Vallory ducked out the door and headed for another door further down the building. From that point, she wove around the standing groups of people to get to her own enclosure.

  At first she thought the other breeders were just visiting. The old-timers catching up the night before the official start of the pet show.

  But, that didn't explain the tense expressions and voices. Then she heard, "What good is security if this happens right under their noses?"

  A familiar voice, too. Ms. Mishley shifted from one foot to the next, glancing down to the far end of the building while adding, "I don't recall this ever happening before."

  "Shouldn't happen. Need to solve this if they want all of us to come back," a bald man said. Vallory recognized him as a breeder just down from her own enclosure. The name finally came to Vallory. Noah Pyman, the one breeding the miniature dogs with the silky coats of long golden hair.

  "Why? What happened," Vallory asked, glancing down towards her own pets. This would be a good test for the daubpups, to see how they did with so many other people around. She should go down and count them, just to make sure they were all accounted for.

  "Oh, where have you been?" Ms. Mishley asked. "Didn't you hear?"

  "I had a meeting," Vallory said. "What happened again?"

  "A pet-napping, that's what," Mr. Pyman said with disgust. "Right in the middle of set-up before the show even opens."

  "And no one saw it happen," Ms. Mishley whispered to Vallory. "And some of us were even around when it supposedly happened."

  "The committee will answer for this. They better find those cats fast," Mr. Pyman said loud enough for the words to echo in their part of the building.

  Cats? Then her daubpups were safe.

  Or were they? They probably were, but her heart still skipped fast.