Page 30 of Pets in Space 10

Cass put her hand on his arm and gave him a pleading look. “We need to learn more about the creature first.”

“That ‘creature’ tried to kill me.” He gestured at the tears in his uniform where the beast’s claws had sliced bone deep. “And I’m a cyborg. A full human wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“That’s exactly why we need to understand more about it before anyone else stumbles across one.” Determination flashed in her eyes — that familiar, stubborn brilliance that both frustrated and fascinated him. “We need to contain it, study it.”

“Contain it?” His tactical side immediately started to calculate the resources needed for such an operation. “With what? We don’t have the equipment, and that thing is stronger than anything I’ve ever encountered.”

“Then we at least need to track it. Figure out if there are more.”

The thought sent an unfamiliar chill through his systems. More creatures. A colony, perhaps. The possibility horrified him.

“The most logical course of action would be to find it and eliminate it,” he stated, falling back on his military programming. “It’s a clear threat to the colonists.”

“We don’t know that.” Her expression hardened. “No one has been harmed so far-”

“That we know about.”

“-and we’re talking about the first complex life form discovered on Mars. Possibly the most important scientific find in human history. We’re not killing it.”

“Even if it tries to kill us again?”

“Self-defense is one thing. Hunting it down is another.”

He knew she was right about the creature’s scientific significance. And if he were honest with himself, his desire to eliminate the threat was partly driven by an irrational need to protect her — a need that went a long way past his duties to the colonists.

“All right,” he conceded. “I’ll agree that we should set up monitoring equipment to track movement. They can warn us if it comes back.” Or if there were others.

She gave him a relieved smile. “I’ve got geophones in my pack — portable seismic monitors. And Roland can help map the tunnel system. Based on what I saw from my earlier readings, the tunnel branches off in several places.”

At the mention of his name, the cybernetic armadillo perked up, his golden eyes glowing brighter, but Zach found himself hesitating.

Roland’s sensors were sophisticated, and his size made him ideal for reconnaissance.

But the creature had nearly overpowered a combat-grade cyborg.

What chance would the little armadillo have?

“Isn’t it too dangerous for him?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“Roland’s sensors will alert him to any movement, and he can duck into the smaller tunnels where that thing can’t fit. If he does encounter it, you saw how it flinched away from his claws.”

The armadillo chirped in what sounded suspiciously like agreement.

“I don’t like it. But you’re right — we need the data.” He knelt to address Roland directly. “Stay in the narrow passages. If you detect anything larger than yourself, retreat immediately.”

Roland squeaked cheerfully.

“I’ll deploy the geophones while he maps,” he continued, turning back to Cass. “We’ll need at least six to triangulate movement effectively.”

“I’ve got eight in my pack.” She handed him the equipment, their fingers brushing. The contact sent another unexpected surge of arousal through his system, despite the situation.

“You’ll stay here,” he said, not a question but a statement. “Up on the ledge with my weapon in your hand.”

To his surprise, she bit her lip but she didn’t argue.

“I’ll monitor the data feeds from Roland and set up the analysis algorithms.” She hesitated. “But be careful. That creature was fast.”

“I’m faster,” he said truthfully, although his combat with the beast had been closer than he cared to admit. Even with his enhanced strength and reflexes, the creature had nearly overwhelmed him. But without the need to protect Cass, he would be free to use all of his abilities against it.

He checked his backup weapons and the geophone equipment. Each device needed to be placed strategically to create an effective monitoring grid. He’d need to venture at least a hundred meters in multiple directions.

Roland nudged his foot, eager to begin his mission. He picked up the small armadillo, looking into his glowing eyes.

“No unnecessary risks,” he instructed. “Your primary function is mapping, not engagement. At the first sign of the creature, you retreat. Understood?”

Roland chirped affirmatively, his armor plates shifting with anticipation. He placed the little armadillo back on the tunnel floor, watching as he activated his scanning system. A faint blue light emanated from beneath his plating as he began moving towards one of the smaller side tunnels.

He turned back to lift Cass up on the ledge and found her watching him, her expression a complex mixture of emotions.

“About what happened earlier…” she began.

The kiss. His unexpected reaction. The overwhelming surge of feeling that had broken through years of emotional suppression.

“It was…” He searched for the right words, but couldn’t find them. “We should discuss it later. When we’re secure.”

She nodded, but disappointment flickered across her face before she said softly, “Be careful out there.”

Her concern for him overrode his confusion.

Before he could second guess himself, he bent down and kissed her again.

This kiss wasn’t born of desperate relief like the first — it was a deliberate choice.

Her lips were soft against his, warm in a way his own skin would never be, and he drank in the feeling, committing every detail to memory.

Then she parted her lips, inviting him in, and heat burst through his body before he forced himself to pull away. Her eyes remained closed for a moment longer, her breath coming in short gasps.

“I’ll be careful,” he promised, his voice rougher than usual.

Her eyes opened, pupils dilated. “You’d better be.”

He lifted her up onto the ledge, his hands lingering for a fraction of a second too long, then turned and strode back down the tunnel.

He chose the one from which the creature had emerged, wanting to make sure they would be alerted of its return.

He secured the geophone to the floor, calibrated its sensitivity, and confirmed the signal was transmitting back to Cass’s equipment.

The next three geophones were placed without incident, creating a triangular grid that would detect movement across a junction where three tunnels intersected. As he moved towards the fifth location, he caught a trace of an unexpected scent. It wasn’t rocks or sand, but something organic.

He froze, weapon ready. It didn’t belong to the creature, but neither did it belong down here.

His comm unit vibrated.

“I’m getting unusual readings from Roland,” Cass whispered. “He’s detected something organic about forty meters from your position, but it’s very faint and there’s no sign of movement.”

“I’m getting it too,” he said quietly. “I’m going to check it now.”

“Be careful,” she said again and disconnected.

He followed the scent and discovered that the tunnel opened into a much larger cavern.

The space appeared completely natural with an uneven floor and craggy rock formations overhead, but it was the contents of the cavern that stunned him.

Bioluminescent lichen covered almost every surface, flowing in pale shades of red and gold.

He knew that the colonists were planting special strains of lichen on their homesteads as part of the terraforming process, but he’d never seen anything like this before.

He carefully recorded the scene, then transmitted the recording to Cass’s equipment.

He also took several samples before continuing to place the geophones.

Not just an unknown species, but possibly a complex ecosystem supporting it.

The possibilities were staggering — and concerning.

The discovery was too significant to keep contained, yet too dangerous to announce without proper preparation.

Cass was right — they needed as much data as possible before letting anyone else know.

Roland appeared from a side tunnel as he placed the last geophone, chittering excitedly as he scurried towards Zach. The armadillo’s sensors were blinking rapidly, indicating he had gathered substantial data.

“Found something interesting?” he asked, kneeling to examine the results.

Roland’s response was a series of clicks and whirs that he took as an affirmative. The armadillo had mapped nearly three hundred meters of tunnels in multiple directions, discovering evidence of more organic matter.

“Good work,” he said, genuinely impressed. “Time to report back.”

As they made their way back towards Cass’s position, he reviewed the data Roland had gathered, including detailed maps of the tunnels and a few thermal scans. There was no sign of the creature, but the armadillo had detected at least four more areas with a high concentration of organic matter.

“It appears the entire cave system is networked,” he told Cass as he lifted her down from the ledge. “We’ll need to do more detailed analysis, but it seems likely the creature’s lair is somewhere near one of the lichen caves.”

She nodded, but she didn’t respond with her usual enthusiasm.

“Is something wrong?”

“I think I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed. The implications. The research…”

“It’s a lot,” he agreed. “But you don’t have to do it alone.”

“I know. You’re part of this, too.”

He liked the sound of that a little too much, but he only raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“Then perhaps I should have a say in what those plans are.”

“Fine. You can have a say.”

The warmth in her voice, the teasing smile on her face, and the trusting way she looked up at him were suddenly too much to resist. He bent his head, brushing his lips against hers. Her mouth was warm and soft and utterly enticing, and he didn’t think he’d ever tasted anything more perfect.

“What are you doing?” she murmured, her hands resting against his chest.

“Having a say,” he whispered.

She laughed, a low, husky sound, and kissed him back, her arms sliding around his neck.

The feeling of her surrender made his entire body tighten.

He wanted her with an intensity that frightened him, an intensity he’d never experienced before, but before he could deepen the kiss, Roland chirped impatiently.

He reluctantly lifted his head.

“We can’t. Not here.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s dangerous. I won’t take any chances with your safety.”

“Don’t worry, Zach,” she said softly. “I know you’ll protect me.”

Her confidence in him filled him with happiness, and he smiled down at her.

“Come on, let’s get you back to the surface. Then we can continue this conversation.”