Once Upon a Pet Show (A Redpoint One Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

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 close-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