Page 26 of Pets in Space 10

“That’s… not what I expected,” she said quietly.

He shifted uncomfortably. “What did you expect?”

“I don’t know. That you were injured, I suppose. That’s what we’re told about cyborgs — fatally injured soldiers transformed into-”

“A more useful form? That was mostly true, at least at the beginning, but there have always been volunteers. I was wounded.” He held up his silver metal hand. “But the injury certainly wasn’t fatal. I was offered the opportunity and I took it.”

She studied him for a long moment, her eyes searching his face. There was no pity there, just curiosity and something else he couldn’t quite identify.

“Do you regret it?”

Despite the blinding agony of the transformation, becoming a cyborg had given him a purpose, had given him a new world with an endless expanse of desert and sky and mountain.

He’d thought he would miss Earth, but he found he preferred the freedom of Mars.

He hadn’t missed the opportunity for a relationship either — he was used to being on his own. At least he hadn’t missed it until now.

“Not usually,” he said finally, and perhaps she understood what he meant because her face softened.

The wind howled outside, dust particles scraping against the station’s metal exterior.

Roland’s digging created a steady rhythm beneath them, a counterpoint to the storm’s chaos.

He found himself wanting to fill the silence between them, to explain himself to her in a way he’d never felt compelled to do with anyone else.

“I grew up on one of the factory farms in what used to be the American Midwest,” he said suddenly. “My family had been farmers for generations, but the megacorps took over most of the land. My father managed one of their wheat sectors.”

She settled more comfortably on the rover’s running board, watching him intently. The intensity of her focus made something twist inside him.

“Was it a good childhood?”

“A simple one. A lot less crowded than one of the city complexes.” He looked down at his silver hand, flexing the fingers. “I learned early that life meant growth and death in equal measure. The wheat grew, was harvested, died, and grew again. Everything had its purpose.”

“So how did you end up in the military?”

He gave a humorless laugh. “The drought of ‘47. The corporations decided it was cheaper to let our sector fail than to irrigate it. We lost everything, and the loss killed my father. I heard afterwards that they replaced it with one of the algae farms.” The memory still burned, even after all these years.

“The military was recruiting heavily then. Three meals a day and a roof over my head seemed like a good deal.”

“And was it?”

“At first.” He leaned against the rover. “I was good at following orders and good at the physical demands. I rose through the ranks quickly.”

“Special forces?”

“Something like that.” He didn’t elaborate. Some parts of his past were still classified and most of it he didn’t care to remember anyway. “I led reconnaissance missions in disputed territories. My team would go in first, assess the situation, and neutralize threats.”

He watched her face carefully, looking for signs of revulsion, but she just nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“After eight years, I’d seen enough death.

Caused enough of it.” He looked away from her, focusing on the wall.

In his early years he’d been convinced that he was doing the right thing, but he’d lost that certainty as the years wore on.

“When I lost my hand and was offered the opportunity to undergo the transformation, I thought it would be a better alternative.”

“Is it?”

He flexed his hand again. “Most of the time. I’m stronger and faster, I heal very quickly, and my senses are far more effective.”

“But?”

“But I am no longer a man.”

“What are you then?”

“A machine,” he said roughly, not quite meeting her eyes.

“You are not a machine,” she said, and the vehemence in her voice took him by surprise.

“But I’m not human.”

She reached out and laid her hand over his, sending a jolt of electricity through his system.

Her skin was warm and soft and incredibly delicate compared to his own.

He knew the strength in his cybernetic muscles, the ability to crush the slender bones in her fingers, and he fought back a surge of panic.

He would never hurt her, he knew that, but the fact that he could frightened him.

“Does it really matter what you are?,” she said softly. “You’re still a person.”

“Maybe.”

“What’s your real name?” she asked suddenly.

He stiffened. “Z-542 is my designation.”

“I know that. But you had a name before, didn’t you?”

“Zach,” he said finally. “My name was Zach.”

“Zach.”

She smiled, her fingers gently stroking his hand, and despite his best intentions, his cock began to harden.

What was it about her that made it so difficult to control his arousal?

He hadn’t been with a woman since his transformation — hadn’t even been interested — but now all he could think about was how she would feel beneath him, the pleasure of sliding inside her and hearing her call his name — his real name.

His cock swelled painfully and he pulled away, forcing his mind to focus on the storm. Anything but the woman next to him. She gave him another thoughtful look, then turned her attention to the scanner in her hands, monitoring Roland’s progress.

He watched her, fascinated by the play of emotions on those delicate features.

Her face was so expressive, unguarded in a way he hadn’t been in years.

Her fingers moved deftly over the scanner’s controls, adjusting parameters, analyzing data.

The slight furrow between her brows deepened as she concentrated.

Something stirred within him — attraction, yes, but more than that. A connection. A recognition of something in her that resonated with something in him.

He found himself studying the curve of her neck, the way her hair fell across her cheek, the small movements of her lips as she silently processed data. She was beautiful, not in the conventional way that might once have attracted him, but in her intensity, her focus, and her intelligence.

She looked up suddenly, catching him watching her.

Instead of looking away, he held her gaze, allowing himself to acknowledge what he was feeling.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn’t break eye contact.

For a moment, they simply looked at each other.

She started to sway towards him, and he didn’t pull away.

But then her eyes widened, her attention snapping back to the scanner.

“Zach,” she said, the name falling naturally from her lips. “Look at this.”

Half-relieved at the interruption, he focused on his duty.

“What is it?” he asked, peering over her shoulder at the screen. The scanner showed Roland’s position, about ten meters beneath the surface now, but what caught his attention was the large open space the sensors had detected just beyond.

“Is that — ”

“A tunnel,” she confirmed, her voice tight with excitement. “A large one, running parallel to the surface.”

He stared at the image, his tactical mind immediately assessing implications. “How far does it extend?”

“I can’t tell from this angle, but at least fifty meters in each direction.” She looked up at him, her eyes bright. “This shouldn’t be here, Zach. There’s no record of any underground construction at this location.”

“A lava tube?”

“The geology in this area is definitely volcanic so it’s possible, but I’ve never seen one quite that straight. And given the seismic readings…” She trailed off, looking at him expectantly.

“You think something is living down there,” he said, not a question. He was far more skeptical but then, he wasn’t a scientist.

“I think we need to find out.” She stood up, the scanner clutched tightly in her hand. “Roland can create an opening large enough for us to — ”

“No.” The word came out more forcefully than he intended. “We don’t know what’s down there.”

“That’s precisely why we need to investigate!”

“It’s too dangerous. If there is something living down there — ”

“Then we’ve made the most significant discovery in Martian history!” Her eyes flashed. “Think about it, Zach. Life on Mars. Intelligent life, capable of creating structures.”

“We still don’t know that. And if there is something down there, it might see us as a threat. Or food.”

She waved a dismissive hand.

“That’s unlikely — if it feeds on people we’d have heard about it. Although I do wonder what it eats…”

He gently grabbed her hand as her voice trailed off, her busy mind at work. “We need to be cautious.”

She looked down at his hand, then back up at his face.

“Of course. And aren’t you here to keep me safe?

” A small smile played at the corners of her mouth as she gave him a challenging look.

“I’m not planning to go down there to confront this mysterious creature, whatever it is.

But this is an incredible discovery, and we need to learn as much as we can about it. ”

He sighed, knowing she was right.

“I agree.” Unable to resist, he ran his thumb along the soft skin on the back of her hand. “We’ll investigate. But carefully. And together.”

Her smile grew.

“Does that mean we’re going into the tunnel?”

“Only if you promise to do everything I say,” he growled. “If we’re going down there, I’m not taking any chances with your safety.”

“Deal,” she said quickly, squeezing his hand, and his pulse quickened before his nanites brought it back under control.

“All right. What’s next?”