Page 24 of Pets in Space 10
Stubborn female, he thought, trying to convince himself that he was more annoyed than concerned — that he hadn’t been far too concerned about Cass since the day he found her on the side of the trail in an underpowered rover.
She’d looked up at him with those big green eyes and he’d felt an immediate surge of attraction, a sense of connection that made no sense.
Such human reactions had been put aside the day he’d accepted Earth Government’s offer to become a cyborg.
He hadn’t responded well to his unexpected reaction — masking his confusion with a stern lecture about safety — and by the time they parted ways her initial grateful smile had been replaced by irritation.
It’s for the best, he told himself as they parted ways.
He had no business responding to her. No matter how beautiful her eyes were or how enticing the slender curves beneath her practical jumpsuit.
She was human, and he was not. Not anymore.
But Border Town was part of his territory so he was there several times a month, and somehow he always found himself stopping by the research complex to check on her.
Those brief visits had only added to his intrigue.
When she spoke, he could hear the passion in her voice, the drive.
Some of the other colonists had come to Mars to build a new future; others to escape their past. She was here to learn.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was a little too determined, that she was always pushing herself further than she should.
She was independent, maybe to a fault, and that stubbornness, that need to be seen as competent and capable, had brought her out on the surface, alone and vulnerable, with a storm coming.
As soon as Dr. Falkner had told him about the trip, he’d decided to go after her — even though she would no doubt resent his presence.
He soothed his conscience with the fact that Dr. Falkner had given him a relieved smile.
“Thank you. I was worried, but I know you’ll take care of her.”
He’d stiffened at the knowing twinkle in her eyes.
“It’s my job to protect the settlers.” Even reckless little scientists.
“Of course it is,” Dr. Falkner agreed, the smile lingering in her eyes. “But I’m still glad you’re going after her.”
Phantom reached the edge of the valley and started climbing the ridge, mechanical joints moving smoothly beneath his silver metal skin — the same shade as the artificial skin covering his own cybernetic hand. He sometimes thought that was why he’d chosen the horse when he first arrived on Mars.
He could feel the pulse of the wind in the air, the faint vibrations beneath the ground — the usual patterns that marked the approach of a dust storm — but this one felt different, stronger, and he cast a worried look at the sky.
The dark clouds were boiling overhead and within minutes, the light had begun to fade.
His enhanced vision automatically adjusted to the dimming light as he urged Phantom to climb faster.
The lights of the station appeared through the swirling clouds of dust, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
She was already here and safely inside. As he drew closer, he could see the open hangar door at one end of the station and his lips twitched.
The stubborn female might not be happy to see him, but at least she’d left the door open.
As he drew closer he could see her through the window, bent over a console with Roland by her side.
She was so absorbed in her work that she hadn’t noticed him, and he hesitated for a moment, watching her.
There was something about the way she focused, the way her hands moved with such precision.
She was completely lost in the moment, and he couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have that intense attention directed at him, to have those strong, delicate hands moving over him.
His cock immediately responded to the idea, the reaction both unexpected and unwelcome, and he quickly forced it back under control.
He wasn’t here to admire her. He was here to make sure she was safe.
“Time to get inside,” he said to Phantom and guided him into the hangar.
He dismounted and sealed the outer doors against the storm. The noise level immediately dropped, but even without his enhanced hearing he would have been able to hear the winds howling around the station and the grit scouring the outer walls. And yet she’d seemed completely oblivious to the storm.
“Foolish female,” he muttered as he scattered some protein pellets for Phantom, and the horse gave him what a less practical male would have called a skeptical look.
As much as he’d tried to convince himself that the robotic horses were purely machines, they exhibited too many signs of independent intelligence to ignore.
“What do you know? You’re a horse.”
Phantom huffed softly, his ears twitching in amusement, and Z-542 rolled his eyes as he brushed the worst of the dust off the metal, checking for any other damage.
“I’m just here to make sure she’s safe.”
Phantom gave him another skeptical look, then ambled over to the feed.
Technically he didn’t need to be fed — between his power supply and micronutrients in the soil, he received all the nutrition he needed — but he seemed to enjoy the act of eating and he’d fallen into the habit of bringing protein pellets with him whenever he traveled.
He watched the horse munch contentedly for a moment, then turned towards the inner airlock. His pulse immediately sped up and, annoyed, he forced his nanites to bring it back under control.
This is just a routine safety check, he told himself, but as soon as he stepped through the airlock and her scent reached him, his pulse immediately increased again. Sweet and spicy and utterly human, it triggered something inside him — a need to be close to her, to lose himself in her…
No. There was no losing himself. He was no longer human, and he was the one who’d made that choice. He could control his body’s primitive reaction to her.
He paused in the small entrance hall and studied the interior of the station.
He hadn’t been to this particular station before, but they followed a common pattern.
An entry hall with racks for equipment, followed by the work area.
A long desk beneath the windows with computer equipment, several consoles, and a scattering of chairs.
Two doors on the far wall — one leading to a compact hygiene facility and the other to a storage room.
The back wall had a compact kitchen and a narrow built-in bunk — the only bed in the station.
His cock twitched again at the thought of sharing the small bed with her, but he ignored it. He didn’t need to sleep. She would be occupying the bunk alone.
As he moved forward, she reached over to scratch the armadillo’s head and her hair slipped down over her cheek, a soft gold shimmer that he wanted to bury his face in. He pushed that thought aside as well.
“Dr. Winters.”
She jumped at the sound of his voice and spun around. Her big green eyes locked on him and for a moment he could have sworn he saw pleasure on her face before it was replaced by annoyance.
“You’re here,” she said unnecessarily.
“Yes. I told you I would be. What were you thinking coming out in this storm?”
His words came out gruff and disapproving, and she crossed her arms and glared at him. “I didn’t. The storm was a long way off when I left.”
“It’s here now.”
He pointed towards the window and the dust obscuring any view of the landscape, but the annoying female only shrugged.
“And I’m safely inside. Thank you for your concern,” she added begrudgingly. “But it wasn’t necessary.”
“You could be stranded out here for days.”
“Days?” She looked back out at the raging storm, biting her lip, then shrugged again. “The station is fully equipped. I’ll be perfectly fine.”
He took a deep breath and tried again. “Storms can be dangerous. I don’t want to see you hurt.”
The last words emerged before he had a chance to stop them, but the annoyance faded from her expression, replaced by an emotion that he couldn’t read.
“Is that why you’re here?”
He hesitated, torn between his duty and a sudden longing to tell her the truth — that he couldn’t bear the idea of her being in danger, that he needed to protect her.
But he was a cyborg, not a man, and the need to protect her was no more rational than his need to touch her, so he settled for nodding.
“It’s my job.”
Another emotion he couldn’t read crossed her face before she sighed.
“And now you’re trapped here as well. At least… I assume traveling through the storm would be difficult, even for you?”
Was she that eager to get rid of him?
“Yes,” he snapped, unreasonably annoyed. “Phantom and I can handle most things, but the full brunt of the storm would cause considerable damage to both of us.”
“I wasn’t suggesting you go out in it,” she said immediately. “I just thought your job might force you to leave. That you might need to go and rescue some other reckless human.”
Was that why she was irritated? Because she thought his concern for her was only because of his duties?
“I’m not leaving you,” he said slowly. Ever, he wanted to add but managed to keep the foolish word behind his teeth.
“Because you’re here to protect me?”
“Yes.”
A small smile finally curved those pretty lips before she shook her head.
“Fine. But I’ve got work to do, so unless you’re planning on helping, don’t expect me to stop just because of some dust storm.”
His mouth twitched. “I’m not trying to stop you. Just don’t do anything too reckless.”
She rolled her eyes at him, but she looked more amused than annoyed as she turned back to her console, tapping away at the controls. Roland had been watching them silently, but now that Cass had accepted his presence, the armadillo hopped down and came to greet him with a soft chirp.
“Hello, Roland,” he said, and the small creature rubbed his head against his ankle.
His mouth twitched and he found himself reaching down and picking him up.
They studied each other for a moment, and he saw the same curiosity in the armadillo’s large golden eyes that he frequently saw in Phantom’s.
They both seemed to be so much more than the mechanical assistants they were designed to be.
“Roland seems to like you,” she said, not looking up from her console.
“Why wouldn’t he? I’m very likable.”
She shot him an amused look over her shoulder. “Do you think so?”
“Don’t you?”
“I…” Her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink. “I’m not sure I’m the best judge. Or that Roland is for that matter.”
“He likes you,” he pointed out, and her cheeks went even pinker before she turned back to her console again.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked, surprising himself. He was used to giving orders, not offering assistance.
She gave him a startled look. “You want to help?”
“It would give me something to do,” he said dryly. “Since we may be here a while.”
She bit her lip. “Well… I wouldn’t mind a second set of eyes on the readings. Maybe you’ll see something I’m missing.”
“I’ll do my best.”
The smile she directed at him was so warm that his heart actually stopped beating for a second. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms but instead, he turned towards the closest console and began to study the data.