Page 36 of Pets in Space 10

Zach went to check on Phantom, but the horse seemed remarkably unshaken.

He scattered some more protein pellets, then turned to find Cass staring at the floor, her expression distant.

The station felt oddly quiet now, the only sounds the soft hum of the life support systems and the muffled howl of the storm outside.

“You need to eat something,” he said, automatically lowering his voice as if something might be listening.

She nodded but didn’t move. “I can’t believe it’s gone. All of it. Like it never existed.”

He picked up Roland and placed him in her arms, then guided them back through the airlock. His senses were still on high alert, scanning for threats and analyzing escape routes. Old military habits, impossible to override even when the immediate danger had passed.

She checked Roland for damage, then settled him in his favorite position on the long desk beneath the windows before taking a seat at the table in the small kitchen area.

“What happens when we report this?” she asked as he heated water for tea.

“If we report this.”

The question had been circling his mind since they’d watched the creature dissolve into nothing.

What they’d discovered was unprecedented — life on Mars, something that shouldn’t exist according to every scientific survey ever conducted.

And not just simple microbial life, but something complex and intelligent enough to self-destruct.

Traces of the lichen remained but although it was still significant, it was far less important than the creature.

“Who would believe us?” he continued as he placed a steaming mug in front of her. “No evidence, no samples, not even data files. Just our word.”

“The most amazing discovery since we arrived on this planet, and we have nothing to show for it.” She wrapped her hands around the mug, staring down at the tea as if there were answers hidden in the steam. “But we can’t just pretend it didn’t happen.”

“No, we can’t.” He leaned against the counter, considering the various options. “But we still need to be careful who we tell.”

She finally looked up at him. “I’ve been thinking about that too. I know Earth Government sanctioned GenCon and restricted their activities, but they still have a strong presence on Mars and I don’t trust them. If they knew about this…”

He nodded. The corporation that originally controlled most of Mars’ resources would only see the profit potential in their discovery.

“If they learned about this, they’d tear the planet apart looking for more specimens.

Whatever that creature was, GenCon would try to find a way to monetize it, or worse, weaponize it. ”

“Or both.” She shuddered. “They treated Mars like their private experimental lab. I don’t want to give them another resource to exploit.”

He’d automatically scanned the station for surveillance equipment when he arrived, a habit so engrained he barely noticed it, but he found himself checking again. GenCon had established the original stations, but as far as he could tell, they hadn’t left any monitoring devices in place.

“I think the other cyborgs need to know,” he said finally. “I’d like to discuss it with the Judge and see what he recommends. But if there are more of these creatures, the rangers need to be prepared.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “I agree, but I wonder if that’s likely. Based on an admittedly limited sample size of one creature, we didn’t see any sign that it was attempting to reach the surface.”

“So if there are more, they might also be underground.” He considered for a moment.

“Most of the original cyborgs became rangers when full humans took over the terraforming efforts, but I know a few of them took mining claims. They should probably be the first to know, and the Judge will know how to contact them.”

“That makes sense. And I think we should talk to his wife as well. I know xenobiology isn’t her primary specialty, but she’s brilliant and from what I’ve heard, she knows exactly how dangerous GenCon can be.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Not entirely, but I’m positive we can trust her, even if she doesn’t believe us. I also want to tell Alina. I know she’ll believe me, and I trust her completely. But no one else at the lab, especially not Dr. Reece.”

He hadn’t had many interactions with the doctor, but his impression had not been favorable. Reece clearly considered him nothing more than a machine subject to his orders. He had quickly disabused him of that notion but the doctor had not appreciated the lesson.

“Then we’re agreed.” He’d spent too many years in the military to be convinced that their efforts to limit the information would be successful, but it was a start. “And your official report?”

She shrugged. “I came to investigate anomalous readings, and found evidence of seismic activity consistent with the collapsing of old lava tubes. End of story.”

He nodded. It was a plausible explanation for her trip, one that wouldn’t raise eyebrows or prompt further investigation.

“And of course you were here to make sure the station was secure,” she added, smiling for the first time since she’d discovered the missing data. “It is your job, after all.”

“It’s true. I was here for security purposes,” he agreed solemnly, sitting down next to her and taking her hand.

He didn’t realize he’d used his cybernetic hand until she started running her fingers slowly over the smooth silver surface.

“What do you think it was, Zach? Do you think there are more?”

“I’m inclined to believe that your original theory is correct. I don’t think it’s possible that all of the original surveys were wrong. I think that what we’re doing here has awakened something — maybe more than one thing.”

“Like the lichen,” she agreed, and sighed. “You know, under other circumstances I’d have been thrilled to discover it. Now it pales in comparison.”

“It’s still significant — and it’s still evidence that something is happening here that no one anticipated. Do we reveal its presence?”

“I don’t think so. The fact that lichen — lichen we didn’t plant — exists here is huge, but I’m afraid that it will lead to other questions. Although I should at least document one of the lichen caves.”

“Not alone,” he growled.

She laughed, the sound surprising him.

“What’s so funny?”

“You. Do you really think I’d even consider going down there without you?”

He pulled her closer, and she didn’t resist, settling easily against him, her head resting on his shoulder.

“I’m not sure I’m cut out to have a bodyguard,” she teased.

“Then you should get used to it.”

“Don’t worry. I know I couldn’t have faced that creature on my own. I’m not stupid.”

“No, you’re not. You’re brilliant and beautiful and amazing,” he said, turning her hand over to run his fingers over the delicate skin of her wrist.

Her breath caught, her eyes darkening, and he suddenly had a hard time remembering why he wasn’t kissing her.

“And so are you,” she said, the words soft, and his chest ached.

She started to stand, but he pulled her onto his lap instead. Her lips parted, but whatever she’d been about to say was lost in the kiss.

When they finally broke apart, both gasping, he rested his forehead against hers. “I can’t think straight around you. I’m not even sure what the hell I’m doing anymore.”

“Is that a bad thing?” she whispered.

“Maybe. For me. But not for you. Not for someone who should have more than a cyborg.”

The words came out more bitterly than he intended and she pulled back, her expression troubled. “I would say I don’t need more but that implies that you’re less, and you’re not, Zach. You’re so much more.”

He couldn’t find the words to answer her, so he kissed her again. She responded eagerly, her lips parting under his as her hands slid around his neck. Her tongue danced along his, and he groaned, deepening the kiss.

His body reacted instantly, his cock stiffening against her ass, and a bolt of lust shot through him. He needed her naked. Now.

“Take off the coverall,” he ordered.

“You’re so bossy,” she teased breathlessly, but she stood obediently and stripped off the garment, leaving her naked except for her panties.

She started to move back into his arms, but he held her at arm’s length for a moment so he could look at her.

Her cheeks turned pink but she didn’t flinch away from his avid gaze.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he said hoarsely. “So fucking perfect.”

He lifted her up onto the kitchen table, then pulled her panties off, tossing them carelessly aside.

“Lie back,” he instructed, and she did, her legs hanging off the edge of the table. He knelt between them, his eyes fixed on her pretty little pussy, already flushed pink.

“What are you going to do?”

“Taste you. Devour you. Pleasure you.” He bent his head and kissed her, inhaling her sweet scent. Her back arched, a soft moan escaping her lips.

“More,” she whispered.

“As much as you want,” he promised, his tongue sliding along her folds, licking and teasing.

She gasped, her fingers tangling in his hair, urging him on. He chuckled, nipping at the swollen bud of her clit. She whimpered, her hips lifting, and he slipped two fingers inside her. She was hot and tight and wet, and the need to bury himself inside her grew.

He focused on her clit, sucking gently, his fingers pumping in and out of her. She cried out, her body shuddering, and he kept going, drawing out her pleasure and savoring the way she responded to him.

“Are you still sore?” he asked when her body went limp.

“No,” she gasped, reaching for him.

He quickly freed his erection, too impatient to remove the rest of his clothes, then lifted her over him. He held her suspended over his throbbing erection as he teased each nipple with his tongue, loving the way she moaned, the sound needy and desperate.

“Do you want more?”

“Yes,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.

“Then take what you want.”

He guided her down over his cock, groaning as her hot, slick heat began to envelop him. He forced himself to let her set the pace as she slowly sank down over him, inch by delicious inch. When she was fully seated, her bottom resting against his hips, she paused, her eyes closing.

“Gods, you’re so tight,” he groaned.

“Is it too much?”

“Not even close. Look at me, sweetheart.”

Her eyes opened, locking with his, and his chest tightened at the combination of desire and affection he saw in their depths.

“Now ride me,” he ordered, his voice rough with need.

He tightened his grip on her hips, steadying her, as she obeyed, rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

“Harder,” he urged. “Faster.”

She increased her speed, her body moving over his, and her hands came up to caress her breasts, tugging at her nipples. The sight of her touching herself was almost his undoing, and he clenched his teeth, trying to hold back.

“Come for me, Cass. Come on my cock.”

Her movements became more frantic, and her body began to quiver.

“Help me,” she begged, and he took over, thrusting up into her, his hands digging into her flesh as he fucked her hard and fast.

She cried out his name as she came, her inner walls pulsing around him and triggering his own release, a white-hot burst of pleasure that seemed to go on and on.

She collapsed against his chest, her face buried in the crook of his neck, and he held her close, stroking her back as their breathing slowed.

“I’m not sure how I’m supposed to walk after that,” she mumbled against his skin.

He found himself smiling, filled with a carefree happiness he hadn’t felt in years. “I’m not sure I want you to.”

“Very funny. Now help me down.”

“No, I have a better idea.”

“What?”

He carried her into the small hygiene unit. “I’m going to clean us both up, then take you to bed and get you dirty all over again.”

“What about analyzing the lichen?”

“The lichen is nothing. This is everything.”

“Yes, it is,” she whispered, and kissed him again.