Page 23 of Pets in Space 10

“Any luck?” Alina asked from her side of their shared space.

Unlike Cass, Alina was a firm believer in out of sight, out of mind, and her desk, not to mention most of the surrounding area, was covered with stacks of papers, equipment, and samples.

The apparent chaos was as deceptive as Alina’s soft, fluffy appearance.

Dr. Alina Falkner was a brilliant geochemist and, although the two women couldn’t be more different, she’d been Cass’s friend and mentor since Cass had first arrived on Mars a year ago.

She shook her head, still frowning at the screen. “No. I can’t get a consistent reading, but I’m sure it’s just a glitch.”

“You’ve been saying that for the last three hours, but you’re still worrying about it,” Alina said, her tone half-amused, half-concerned. “Have you looked at the other stations?”

She sat back, rubbing the bridge of her nose and trying to shake the creeping feeling of unease that prickled the back of her neck.

“The other readings are all normal, which means if there is anything, it’s extremely localized.” Her fingers flew across the keys as she rechecked the data yet again. “It’s almost as if there is something moving beneath the surface. It’s subtle, but it’s there.”

Alina sighed and came to join her. She studied the screen for a moment, then shrugged.

“It might be something, but it could just as easily be a faulty monitor-”

“Which means the only way to be sure is to check it in person,” she concluded, but Alina gave her a worried look.

“You shouldn’t go alone.”

“I won’t be alone. Roland will be with me.”

Alina looked over her shoulder at Roland, who was curled up on a corner chair, the armored plates of his exoskeleton catching the light.

The cybernetic armadillo’s large, golden eyes blinked curiously as he watched the two of them.

Specifically designed for exploration, he’d accompanied her from Earth and had been her constant companion ever since.

However, he was about the size of a small house cat and his mechanical claws were designed for digging rather than defense.

“It’s not the same and you know it,” Alina said.

“I don’t have a choice.”

Alina sighed. “It’s almost time for Z-542 to stop by. You could ask him to go with you.”

“Absolutely not,” she said quickly, looking back at the screen to avoid Alina’s knowing look. “I can’t bother a ranger with what is probably a false alarm. Besides, I’m sure he’s got more important things to do.”

“I wonder if he thinks other things are more important.”

The teasing note in her friend’s voice sent color rushing to her cheeks.

Z-542 was the primary ranger assigned to the territory around Border Town.

She’d met him the first day she landed on Mars when, in her hurry to reach the lab, she’d set out from New Arcadia without checking the power level in her rover.

If it hadn’t been for his unexpected rescue, she would have spent the night out on the trail.

She wouldn’t have died, but it would have been a long, cold night.

Her initial relief at seeing the black-clad figure of the huge cyborg ranger had turned to irritation when he proceeded to lecture her about her foolishness, even as he quickly and competently recharged the rover’s power cells.

By the time he had finished, she’d managed to convince herself that her initial attraction had been a temporary lapse in judgment, a result of years surrounded by male scientists.

No matter how brilliant, none of them had come close to the sheer masculine appeal of that big, hard body.

But as the months passed and he began to stop by the lab every couple of weeks, her interest in him became harder to deny.

Ostensibly his visits were to check on the entire research team, but she’d noticed his visits were always timed to coincide with her schedule.

Even though he was never anything other than brusquely efficient, she couldn’t completely ignore the way her heart started to beat a little faster whenever the door opened and his broad shoulders filled the frame.

“He is very… thorough,” she admitted.

Alina laughed. “That’s a good word for it. And he’s got a fine ass. Not to mention the rest of him.”

She couldn’t quite suppress a quick flare of jealousy, even though she knew her friend had no interest in the big cyborg. But Alina was also short and blonde and curvy, and she could have any male in Border Town at the twitch of a finger.

Unlike me, she thought wistfully. Despite her brilliant mind, Alina looked like an old-fashioned pinup model, whereas Cass looked like the scientist she was — thin and studious and practical.

“Don’t worry,” Alina teased. “I’m not making a move on your man.”

“He’s not my man,” she said firmly. “He barely even tolerates me. But that’s neither here nor there. Right now I’m more concerned about these readings. If I leave now, I can be back by nightfall.”

“Unless you need to make some repairs — ”

“Repairs? What repairs?”

The querulous voice that interrupted Alina made both women wince.

“Nothing needs repairing, Dr. Reece,” she said firmly, turning to the man hovering in the doorway.

A weedy little man with an exaggerated sense of his own importance, Dr. Martin Reece had been at the lab the longest of all the scientists.

He liked to act as if his seniority gave him authority over the other scientists, but other than chairing their monthly meetings, he had no control over their research or their activities.

“If you’re so sure, then why are you discussing them?” he demanded.

“We’re simply discussing options.” she said calmly, hoping he hasn’t heard the part about her leaving the lab. He couldn’t stop her from leaving, but he could be a nuisance about it.

His pale eyes narrowed. “I should be informed of any equipment which might be malfunctioning.”

Before she could dispute his statement, his gaze wandered over to Alina, his annoyed expression replaced by a lecherous smile.

“Alina, my dear, have you given any more thought to my invitation?”

Cass tried not to wrinkle her nose as the sickly sweet scent of the man’s aftershave drifted towards her. Dr. Reece was one of the many men attracted to Alina, but unlike the others, he wouldn’t take no for an answer and persisted in pursuing her.

“I told you I couldn’t come,” Alina said politely but firmly, and rage flashed across Martin’s face for a fraction of a second before he gave an artificial laugh.

“Of course. You are the only one who can keep this lab functioning. Perhaps another time?”

“Perhaps,” Alina said noncommittally, and Martin gave a stiff bow before he disappeared down the hallway.

“Ugh,” she shuddered. “I don’t know how you put up with him.”

“I don’t have a lot of choice. It isn’t easy to avoid anyone around here.”

Her friend had a point. The scientists in the research complex didn’t have many options when it came to companionship. Border Town was growing, but it was still a small settlement and most of the colonists spent the majority of the time on their claims.

“You could come check out the station with us,” she suggested as Roland hopped down from his chair and went over to nudge Alina’s ankle.

Alina laughed and scooped him up, but shook her head.

“You know I’ve never been much use in the field. And besides, I want to continue my analysis of those last samples. Don’t worry. I can handle Martin.”

“All right. If you’re sure you don’t want to come, then I’m going to leave now. I’d like to be back by nightfall, but it won’t be the end of the world if I need to spend the night. The station is fully equipped.”

“I’m sure I don’t want to come, but are you sure you don’t want to wait for Z-542? I’m sure he’d be good company if you had to spend the night.”

A vision of the two of them sharing the station’s narrow bunk immediately popped into her head and she knew she was blushing again as she went to retrieve Roland.

“I’m sure. And I’ll make sure the rover is fully charged so he doesn’t have to come to my rescue again.”

“A little rescuing never hurts,” Alina teased, then she grew serious. “Take care of yourself, Cass. I expect you back here no later than tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll be fine. Roland and I are more than enough to handle this.”

Roland’s ears twitched in acknowledgment as she placed him on the floor, then she walked over to the corner of the lab and retrieved her gear. She fastened her utility belt around her waist, checked the contents of her pack, and turned to Alina.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” she promised.

Roland’s soft chirp echoed through the lab, and she smiled at him.

“Ready, Roland?” she asked, crouching down to offer him a treat from her pack. The little armadillo took it eagerly, then nudged her hand and scurried forward, ready to go.

A short time later, she activated the rover, the engine humming to life, and used the remote to open the hangar doors.

Sudden gusts of wind were already kicking up clouds of red and orange dust, and she frowned up at the sky.

The clouds over the mountains indicated a storm was coming and for a moment she hesitated, but the storm was still a good way off and she’d be perfectly safe at the station. She set the rover in motion.

The wind continued to increase, throwing up more dust as she left the valley and the neat patchwork of homestead claims behind, but she was more focused on what was waiting for her at the station.

It has to be an error in the readings, doesn’t it?

Roland sat quietly at her feet, his sensors constantly scanning the terrain around them. They’d been this way before, although not in the past six months, so his readings would provide an additional point of comparison.

“Dr. Winters?”

A deep male voice interrupted the low level static on the radio and she gripped the steering wheel. The voice was unmistakable.

Z-542.

“Dr. Falkner tells me you are heading to the unmanned station on the north ridge.”

His voice crackled through the static with the authoritative note that always made her stomach tighten, and she clenched her jaw.

“Yes. There are some unexplained readings that I need to investigate.”

“Are you aware that a storm is coming?”

“Of course I am, but I’ll arrive before the storm hits.”

A long disapproving silence, before what might have been a sigh.

“I will join you.”

Her momentary flash of relief was followed by annoyance. She didn’t need rescuing.

“That isn’t necessary. Roland and I can handle it.”

“Roland? You mean your pet?”

“Roland is not my pet,” she snapped. “He is a highly capable cybernetic companion. We can handle the situation. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“He may be highly skilled at his assigned functions, but that doesn’t mean he will be of any help in a storm. I will meet you at the station.”

The connection ended abruptly, leaving her staring at the radio, both annoyed and a tiny bit relieved.

“I suppose he has a point,” she told Roland finally.

His thin mechanical tail thumped against the rover’s floor, and she gave him a reluctant smile.

“I know you’re more than capable, but another set of hands and eyes can’t hurt. Especially in a storm.”

Roland chirped softly, and she laughed and returned her attention to the rover’s controls. Time to focus on her mission — not the large, annoying cyborg who was going to be sharing the small station with her.