Page 31 of Pets in Space 10

Cass’s mind was still reeling as she climbed back up the ladder to the hangar.

Life on Mars. Actual Martian life forms. The impossibility of it made her head spin. Her parents’ faces flashed unbidden in her mind — her father’s perpetual look of distracted disappointment, her mother’s tight smile that never quite reached her eyes.

“Adequate work, Cassandra, but I expected more from you.”

How many times had she heard some variation of that phrase? From her first science fair project at age seven to her doctoral dissertation, nothing had ever quite measured up to the Winters standard of excellence.

And now? What would they say if they knew she’d just discovered alien life forms on Mars? Would they finally look at her with genuine pride? Or would they find some way to minimize her achievement?

“The data is preliminary, Cassandra. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

She could almost hear her father’s dismissive tone and see her mother’s arched eyebrow.

No. She shook her head, banishing the imagined conversation. It didn’t matter what they thought. This discovery was hers — hers and Zach’s.

Zach. The thought of him sent a different kind of flutter through her stomach.

She touched her lips, still feeling the ghost of his mouth against hers.

The intensity of those kisses had surprised her — not just his passion, but her own response.

She’d never had much time for dating, and she’d certainly never responded to anyone that way before.

“Focus on the data,” she told herself firmly as Roland scampered out of the shaft. This was what she’d trained for — to observe, analyze, and understand. The personal complications could wait.

Zach followed close behind and despite her resolution to focus on the data, her heart still skipped a beat when he emerged. The storm was still raging outside the station, and Phantom huffed softly in greeting.

“We need to secure the entrance to the shaft,” he said, already looking around the hangar.

The passionate lover of moments before had disappeared, replaced by the stern ranger.

“Are you sure? That creature wouldn’t fit in the shaft. Its body is a lot wider than yours and it’s a tight fit for you.”

“Unless it can cut through rock. Or has smaller offspring.”

She shuddered at the thought of a horde of the creatures and stopped arguing. He pulled a metal barrel filled with the station’s emergency water supply on top of the entrance. The barrel must have weighed five hundred pounds, and he gave a satisfied nod.

“Between the weight and the fact that it’s made of metal, that should prevent any unwanted visitors.”

“Good. Now let’s get inside. I’m sure Roland would like to be cleaned up. And I could use a bath too,” she added, realizing for the first time just how dirty she was.

“I’ll check that everything is secured first,” he said. “Why don’t you take care of Roland?”

She nodded, not surprised that his protective instincts were on full alert.

Roland scurried down her arm and chirped at Zach, who gave him an approving look. “You’re a good boy, Roland.”

“I agree,” she said, and his skinny tail wagged happily.

Roland followed her through the airlock into the station, then climbed up onto the long desk beneath the window while she stripped off her thermal suit. Since she knew he didn’t like the shower, she wet some towels and started cleaning off his armored plates.

“It might have been safer to have been out in the storm,” she murmured, studying the swirling clouds of dust outside the window. He gave a disapproving squeak and she laughed. “But I had you and Zach to keep me safe, didn’t I?”

Just as she finished cleaning him, the airlock door opened and Zach appeared.

“Everything is secure and Phantom is on alert,” he said. “And I brought you something.”

He pulled out a small sample container and handed it to her. Inside was a cluster of pale orange material.

“Is this the lichen you found?” she asked, examining it through the clear container.

“Yes. At first I wondered if it was a form of the terraforming lichen the colonists have been planting, but the structure is different.”

She turned the container, studying the specimen. “The color’s off too. Terraforming lichen is a more saturated orange. This is almost… luminescent.”

“It is — bioluminescent anyway.”

“That might explain how it could live without sunlight.” Her mind raced through possibilities. “Or it could be chemosynthesis instead, drawing energy from chemical reactions in the rock. Or maybe it’s not plant-based at all, just mimicking the appearance of a plant.”

She pulled up Roland’s sensor data. “Look at this — they’re the other places where Roland discovered organic material.”

“Can you calibrate the data to specifically detect this lichen?”

“I think so. If I use the sample you collected as a baseline, I can map the distribution throughout the tunnel system.”

She typed rapidly, adjusting parameters and sensitivity thresholds, excitement pushing aside her earlier melancholy. This was what she lived for — the puzzle, the discovery, the moment when disparate pieces of data suddenly formed a coherent picture.

“There,” she said finally. “That should do it.”

“Good work.” Zach’s approval warmed her more than it should have.

“I’m also cross-referencing it with the geophone data. If there’s a correlation between the creature’s movements and the lichen distribution, that might tell us something about their relationship.”

“Predator-prey? Farmer-crop?”

“Exactly. Or maybe the lichen is just a byproduct of their presence. We need more data.”

“We could return with better equipment and a security team,” he suggested, but she could hear the doubt in his voice.

Once they reported this discovery, it wouldn’t be just theirs anymore. Teams of scientists, security personnel, administrators — they’d all descend on this place, dissecting, analyzing, perhaps destroying in their eagerness to understand.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, studying her face.

“Just… processing. This changes everything we thought we knew about Mars. Perhaps even about the possibility of life on other planets.” She met his gaze. “And I’m wondering what happens when we tell people.”

“You mean when the bureaucrats and military get involved?”

“And the scientists. My colleagues.” She gave a short laugh. “We’re not always known for our gentle touch when it comes to new discoveries.”

“We’ll figure it out.” His hand found hers, warm and solid. “This is your discovery, Cass. You’ll have a say in how it’s handled.”

Would she, though? The daughter who was never quite good enough, the scientist always pushing to prove herself — would anyone listen to her concerns about preserving this fragile ecosystem they’d stumbled upon?

For the first time in her life, she had discovered something truly groundbreaking. Something that could rewrite textbooks and change humanity’s understanding of what was possible.

And oddly enough, in this moment, all she wanted to do was keep it a secret.

“You won’t tell anyone will you? Not without talking to me first?”

“No. I have some concerns about revealing it as well.” He looked through the window at the swirling red darkness. “Although I’m not sure we’ll be doing any communicating for a while.”

The storm’s fury had grown even more evident while they were underground. The reinforced walls of the station vibrated with each gust, and the sound of sand particles striking the exterior created a constant, eerie hissing.

“It’s gotten worse,” she agreed, following his gaze through the window. “Alina is going to worry about me. Do you think we could try and contact her?”

“I’ll try.”

She gave him a grateful smile as she began transferring the data from Roland’s sensors to the main computer and setting up the analysis algorithm.

He took a seat at the communications console, and tried to establish contact with the lab. Static filled the speakers. He adjusted frequencies and tried different channels, but the result was the same.

“The storm’s blocking all signals,” he said finally, shaking his head.

“Can you use your internal comms and send a message to one of the other rangers to relay to her?”

“They have limits too, but I could try the Judge?”

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

The Judge was the senior cyborg on Mars, and the original source of justice on the planet.

He had stepped back from that position to spend more time with his brilliant scientist wife and their children.

She respected his wife immensely, and suspected that meant she could trust her husband as well.

A cyborg husband. It would have been impossible when the planet first opened to settlers — Earth Government had stripped most of the cyborg’s rights away — but the new Mars government was less restrictive.

She had a sudden vision of more days like this one, with Zach at her side.

It felt… right, but was she simply reacting to the danger they had encountered?

His eyes turned silver as he accessed his internal communication network, his face expressionless, and she remembered the first day he’d come riding to her rescue.

It’s not just the situation, she admitted to herself.

She’d been attracted to him from the moment they’d met, and that attraction had only grown over the past year, even if he frustrated her sometimes.

And now that he’d kissed her with such surprising passion…

I want more.

She found her cheeks heating when he refocused on her and shook his head.

“No luck,” he said, turning away from the console. “We’re on our own until this passes.”

“I understand. I sent her a quick message when I arrived so hopefully she won’t be too worried.” She stood abruptly, suddenly needing a chance to clear her head. “I’m going to clean up while the data is processing.”

“All right. Roland and I will keep watch.”

Roland chirped amiably and climbed up on Zach’s shoulder again. He reached up and scratched behind the armadillo’s ears, and her heart did an odd little skip before she hurried into the small hygiene unit. She stripped out of the filthy coverall and stepped under the shower.

The hot water felt amazing. She closed her eyes, letting the warmth wash over her.

But instead of the tension draining away, it seemed to increase.

Images flashed across her mind — Zach, fierce and protective, the kiss, his mouth hard and urgent.

She shivered despite the heat, a strange restlessness stealing over her.

Perhaps it was the aftermath of the adrenaline from their encounter with the creature, or the fear that the discovery could be taken away from her before she had a chance to study it. She knew that she needed to get control of herself, but her heart continued to pound and her thoughts spun wildly.

Finally, she turned the water off, dried herself, and pulled on a loose shirt and pants. She told herself that the heat lingering in her body was from the warmth of the water, not the thought of Zach’s hands on her.

But her mind wouldn’t be silent. She imagined his touch, those strong hands moving over her skin, and heat pooled between her thighs.

Stop it, she ordered herself as she tied her damp hair back in a loose braid, and did her best to assume her usual calm expression as she emerged from the facility.

He looked up when she joined him at the console and the silver in his eyes seemed to brighten.

“How are the transfers coming?” she asked, grateful that her voice didn’t give away her turbulent thoughts.

“I think they’re done.”

She nodded and sat down at the console to start analyzing the data, her fingers flying across the keyboard. But as interested as she was in the results, she knew she was also using her work as a distraction for her wayward thoughts.

“How long do you think the storm will last?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

“Based on the atmospheric readings, at least a few more days.”

A few days locked together in the small station.

“It’ll be fine,” he assured her, misinterpreting her silence. “We have enough food and supplies to last for weeks, and Phantom and I are here if anything happens.”

“Thank you.” She looked up and met his eyes. “For being here. For helping me.”

“It’s my job,” he said, and she flinched. Why had she thought there was something more between them? “That’s not what I meant,” he added quickly. “Not that it’s not my job, but that’s not why I’m here.”

She didn’t say anything, but her heart started to race.

“I’m here because I wanted to be,” he admitted. “I didn’t want you to be in a Martian storm alone.”

She couldn’t hide her smile. “Even though I’m reckless and stubborn and don’t listen to your advice?”

“Yes.” The word was emphatic enough that her smile widened as she turned back to her computer.