Page 7 of A Mate For Matrix
Doc Wilson had been very generous. He had paid her for the two months in exchange for her keeping an eye on the office. It wasn’t like that would take too much time. She had cleaned it yesterday and had been finishing up this morning when the truck driver appeared. She’d go in once a week to make sure everything was okay. Other than that, there wasn’t anything else to do but enjoy her own mini vacation.
Heat shimmered off the asphalt in rippling waves. The station was a faded island of concrete and buzzing neon surrounded by tall weeds and a cracked lot.
“Remember, no barking at anyone,” Jana warned in a soft voice as she pulled into the gas station and up to the pump.
“Woof,” Linguine replied with a low rumble.
“I’m taking that as a ‘yes, ma’am’,” Jana replied dryly.
Placing the car in park, she turned off the ignition and unbuckled her seatbelt. She quickly wound the thin cord of the leash around the headrest before she opened the door and slid out. It wouldn’t stop a determined gnat, but it might buy her two seconds if he lunged.
“Stay and be good,” Jana ordered again before she grabbed her wallet and headed inside to pay for the gas.
K-Nine turned his head to check on the kittens, since he didn’t hear them making any noise. Through the small openings, he could see them piled up on each other, sound asleep. Turning his head back toward the front, he watched the surrounding activity curiously.
There was a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and conditions of transports either pulling into the refueling stop or passing by. His ears twitched, tracking sound after sound—clanks, voices, engines. There was too much noise. Too much data.
The sensors embedded in his nose were collecting information as well, but being unable to process it at the moment was very frustrating.
His head turned when a dark gray transport pulled up beside Jana’s car. Seconds later, a male stepped out of the transport and closed the door. K-Nine’s head tilted as he studied the tall, slender male for a moment before his attention was caught by a window sliding downward.
“Daddy, can you get me a water and a bag of chips?” a small girl with dancing green eyes chirped from the backseat.
“Sure, what kind?” the male asked.
“Can I go get them?” another girl asked, leaning forward to peer out the window.
“Go with your mom, Violet,” the male finally said. “Gracie, do you want to help me pump the gas?”
“Sure!”
K-Nine watched the small human emerge, her golden curls haloed by sunlight. She was delicate, energetic, curious—the perfect target for any predator. Yet she approached him with fearless fascination.
His systems logged her features, memorizing them instinctively. This one… was special. He could sense it.
For a moment, she wavered between coming toward him and following the male. He saw her cast a longing look at him before she disappeared around the back of the transport.
K-Nine understood that this was a family unit on this planet. It differed little from Zion. He listened as the man explained what needed to be done. It was obvious the male cared about the little female. A few minutes later, the sound of the fuel pumping slowed before it cut off.
His head turned when he saw Jana hurrying back toward her transport. She had a drink in one hand and a bag in the other. She walked around the front of her transport, opened the door, and placed the items inside before beginning to fuel it. She was almost done when he heard the little girl’s voice again.
“May I pet your dog?” the girl asked Jana.
Jana paused before she nodded. “Sure, just be careful and let him sniff your hand first,” she said.
K-Nine stuck his head out of the window when Jana and the girl called Gracie walked around the back of the transport. He tilted his head and studied the little girl closely. She had vivid green eyes that seemed to dance with innocence and intelligence.
“My name is Gracie Jones. We’re from New York,” Gracie said with a smile. “Where are you from?”
“Here, I’m afraid,” Jana laughed. “What are you doing in Glennis?”
“We’re on our way home. My mom and dad had a convention to attend. It was fun. People were talking in all different languages and didn’t know that Violet and I could understand them,” Gracie said with a grin. “What kind of dog is this? I’ve never seen one with blue fur before. Did you color it?”
Jana shook her head. “No, he was brought into the vet’s office this morning where I work. A trucker had hit him. Initially, I thought he was a wild wolf, but he’s way too friendly for that,” she explained.
“I’m gonna look him up when we get home. He might be a hybrid or something,” Gracie said with a thoughtful nod.
“How old are you?” Jana asked with a raised eyebrow.
