Page 2 of The Cyborg Way (Cyborgs on Mars #9)

CHAPTER TWO

T hree days later…

The pale Martian sunrise came flooding in through the uncovered front windows of the habitat, and Ellie rolled over with a sigh.

This was her least favorite part about being on Mars—waking up to cold and silence.

The frigid air gnawed at her skin as she reluctantly emerged from under the covers and hurried over to the RTG—the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator—to turn up the heat.

She didn’t really need to turn it down at night, but after a lifetime of conserving resources, it felt wasteful to heat the entire dome while she was snug in her bed.

Henry seemed to agree. He was still curled up in the covers, only the very tip of his nose visible.

She had worried that the warmth of the dome would be a difficult adjustment for him after the cold temperatures he must have been used to at night, but he had taken to it as enthusiastically as he had taken to the increased supply of oxygen.

She shivered, pulling her heavy silk robe tighter as she huddled by the RTG, holding out her hands as it began to emit a gentle heat.

The robe had been one of the few indulgences she’d permitted herself to bring on the voyage—a present from her mother when their application for a homestead had been accepted—and it was a pleasant change from her usual practical coveralls.

After brewing a cup of tea, she perched on the cushioned window bench and watched the sun make its way across the endless desert, the desolation eased by the small sparks of light from other habitats. She liked knowing they were there, but at a comfortable distance.

As warmth filled the room, she finished her tea and headed into the attached dome holding her hydroponic garden.

It was always warm and humid in here, and she nodded with satisfaction, delighted with how well her small ecosystem was thriving.

The plants provided food for her and the chickens, and would eventually help feed the fish she hoped to add to the water tanks.

She stripped off her robe and turned on the shower she had added on one side of the garden dome.

Although there was a small prefabricated bathroom unit connected to her main living area, she enjoyed showering in the warm environment, surrounded by greenery.

It was also a practical solution. The used water was recycled and flowed through the filters back into the garden so nothing was wasted.

As she ran her soapy hands over her body, she found herself thinking about L-485.

He was due for his biweekly visit today.

The thought sent a flare of arousal through her body, and she shivered pleasantly as she slowed her movements, running a thumb across suddenly taut nipples as she remembered her first encounter with the big cyborg ranger.

It had been her first full day on her claim.

She had taken her rover full of supplies out to her new home and started assembling the first dome.

The dome consisted of a series of prefabricated panels that snapped together on a framework of Martian iron.

The panels were designed for one person to handle, especially given the lower Martian gravity, but her lack of inches and her unfamiliarity with the process had made it a frustrating experience.

By midafternoon she’d only managed to get half of the dome together, and she was casting nervous glances at the sun beginning to creep slowly down across the sky.

The sound of hoofbeats made her look up as a man came riding towards her.

Not a man, a cyborg, astride one of the marvelous mechanical horses the rangers rode.

He frowned down at her as he dismounted, muscles straining against the faded black shirt and pants the rangers had adopted as a type of uniform.

She had seen some of the cyborg rangers in town before she left, but this was the first time she’d ever been close to one. Her eyes widened as he came to her side and she looked up at him—way up—his sheer size making her feel ridiculously small, and he immediately took a step back.

Although she knew he was a cyborg, she didn’t see any immediate physical indications as to which of his parts had been replaced by cybernetic ones.

The only outward sign of his nature was the lack of a facemask, and she couldn’t resist an envious sigh.

She was already tired of wearing hers every time she was outside.

Pushing her jealousy aside, she gave him an uncertain smile.

“Umm, hi. I’m Ellie.”

“I am L-485.”

He looked down at her, and her breath caught as their eyes met for the first time.

His were stern and grey and might have been intimidating, but instead she felt an immediate connection to the big male.

For a brief second she thought she saw a similar response on his face, but then he looked away, his face hardening.

“You have not completed your habitat,” he said gruffly.

“I know.” She gave him a rueful smile. “It’s a little more complicated than it seemed in the videos I watched on the voyage, but I’m getting there.”

He studied the partially complete dome and shook his head.

“Not before nightfall.”

She sighed. “No, I think you’re right. I’ll have to spend the night in the cab of the rover.”

It wouldn’t be the most comfortable environment in the world, but the rovers were designed to provide supplemental oxygen and enough heat to prevent her from freezing overnight. His frown deepened.

“That is not acceptable. You should return to New Arcadia.”

“It would be silly to waste the rest of the afternoon going into town and then having to turn around to make the trip back out here again in the morning. I’ll be fine.”

“You will not be fine. You will be cold and cramped.”

She rolled her eyes at him.

“Not that cramped. I don’t take up very much room.”

His eyes flicked down over her body, just the briefest glance, but they left a surprising trail of heat behind.

“You will still not be comfortable. You will still be cold.”

“I can sleep in my coat, and I have some thermal blankets as well.”

He shook his head and strode over to the pile of building materials, picking up one of the panels with frustrating ease. She hurried after him as he carried it over to the half-completed structure and fitted it in place quickly and efficiently.

“You don’t have to do that. We were told that you rangers aren’t here to help us with tasks we should perform on our own.”

“It is our choice on whether or not to offer assistance,” he responded, already returning to fetch another panel. “I choose to help you.”

“But why?”

Did a shadow of hesitation cross that hard face? Before she could decide, he shrugged.

“This is my territory.”

With his assistance, the dome had been completed in time for her to spend her first night in her own habitat. He hadn’t lingered after the work was completed, but he continued to visit her regularly.

Those visits were always a bright spot in her life, even though their conversations were mostly about the mundane realities of life on Mars—he’d never even accepted her invitation to come into the dome and have a cup of tea.

Until Henry came along, he was her only visitor.

She couldn’t wait to tell him about Henry.

Wait a minute. Can I tell him?

Although the rangers were employed by Earth Government, they worked closely with GenCon.

If Henry was some type of escaped experiment, would L-485 feel obligated to tell the corporation that she had found him?

Even worse, what if Henry was what she had come to suspect —an actual native of Mars?

Would L-485 want to hand him over so that GenCon could research him?

A sudden flare of unreasonable panic made her race through the rest of her shower and back into her living quarters. Henry was still curled up under the covers, and she sat down next to him with a sigh of relief. Of course he was still there.

He gave a protesting squeak as she ran a gentle finger down his back and she realized that in her haste, she hadn’t dried off completely.

Her hand was still damp, and although Henry had taken to warmth and oxygen, he had a strong distaste for moisture of any kind.

She laughed and dried her hand more thoroughly before stroking him again.

This time he made the little purring chirp that she had learned indicated his satisfaction.

“I can’t tell him about you, can I? What if he wants to take you away from me?”

Even though it had only been a short time, she couldn’t imagine her life without Henry in it any longer.

The nights no longer seemed so long and empty.

Even though he couldn’t talk to her, he’d proven to be a wonderful companion—intelligent, inquisitive, and surprisingly sensitive to her moods.

No, she wasn’t going to let anyone take him away from her.

Which meant that she couldn’t tell L-485 about him.

Her decision felt wrong—she’d never had any secrets from him before—but she just couldn’t take the chance.

Still fighting her conscience, she dressed slowly, made herself another cup of tea, and ate one of her protein bars. Henry nibbled at the small bite she gave him while she went to feed the chickens. When she returned, he was perched on top of the counter, searching for crumbs, and she laughed.

“Caught in the act. You’ve had enough breakfast. Come here.”

She held out her hand, watching in delight as his wings extended from the slits along his sides, shimmering translucent membranes that were designed more for gliding than flying.

She’d been shocked the first time she realized that was what the orange streaks concealed, but they only made her more convinced that he was not from Earth at all.

He landed on her palm and tilted his head inquisitively.

“Yes, it’s time to go to work, but I think you’d better stay inside today.

I don’t want L-485 to see you and start asking questions.

” She placed him gently back on the bed, but he hopped down and followed her to the airlock, chirping as she pulled on her thermal coat and small facemask.

“Not today, Henry. Or at least not until after he visits me. You can come out with me this afternoon.”

She shut the inner door to the airlock behind her, ignoring what sounded like a mournful chirp from inside as she waited for the outer door to open.

As she gathered up her supplies, the fact that her surroundings seemed unusually quiet and empty only confirmed her decision.

She already missed Henry’s presence, but she would rather miss him for a few hours today than take the chance of losing him.

Sighing, she mixed up a supply of the nutrient and spore combination that was the basis for establishing the lichen and set to work.

Less than an hour later she heard the sound of hoofbeats, and despite her nerves she looked up and smiled as L-485 came riding out of the rocks towards her.

“Good morning,” she called as he came to a halt next to her and swung down, muscles rippling beneath his usual faded black shirt.

Her heart skipped a beat as she looked up at him.

Dark hair cut military short and turning grey at the temples, a rugged face too weathered to be called handsome, and a big, powerful body.

He was a long way from the slender vid stars of her adolescent dreams, but her body responded to his presence with unmistakable arousal.

“Good morning,” he responded in that deep voice that always sent a shiver down her spine. “How are you?”

“Fine. Just fine. I mean, everything is going really well and the lichen crop is thriving and…” She stopped abruptly, aware that she was babbling nervously.

He studied her face, his grey gaze unusually penetrating, and she found herself blushing guiltily.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“No, no, not at all.”

She couldn’t quite resist a quick look towards her habitat, but did her best to hide it by moving to the horse’s head and running her hand down the metallic nose. The small white scar on the otherwise sleek skin had been the inspiration for his name and she gave it an affectionate pat.

“Good morning to you too, Blaze.”

L-485 sighed.

“You did not have to give him a name.”

“Of course I did. Everyone deserves a name.” Flustered by the fact that he was still studying her face, she blurted out, “What’s your name?”

His face turned even harder.

“You know what it is. I am L-485.”

“You weren’t born with that name.” She had always wanted to ask him, but never quite had the courage before. “What was your original name?”

For a moment, she thought he wasn’t going to answer her, but he finally shrugged.

“I was born Levi. But that was the name of the man I was. I am no longer a man.”

“Of course you are.”

“I am no more a man than my horse is a living animal.”

She stopped petting Blaze long enough to frown at him, and the horse immediately nudged her hand. She laughed and resumed her strokes.

“I don’t think Blaze agrees with you. And neither do I, Levi.”

There was that look again, that brief flare of hunger as she said his name. Her body instinctively responded, but her conscience nagged at her and she ducked her head, looking away.

“Is something wrong? You seem… different this morning.”

“No, no. Everything is fine.”

Dammit, she didn’t even sound convincing to herself and she gave the dome another guilty look. He followed her gaze, frowning at her habitat.

“Is something wrong with your home?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she said quickly, trying to sound confident, but her efforts were unsuccessful.

Levi gave her a thoughtful look, then headed for the airlock.

“Good, then perhaps this is a good time to take you up on your offer of a cup of tea.”

“No!” she cried, hurrying after him and grabbing his arm.

Oh my. It was the first time she’d ever touched him, and despite her worries she couldn’t help noticing the warm, firm muscles beneath her hand. He made an odd sound, almost a growl, and she looked up to find him staring down at her hand.

“You object to me entering your home?” he asked stiffly.

“I…”

Why did she suddenly have the impression that if she said yes, she would hurt his feelings? But if she said no, he might find out about Henry. He frowned again as she tried to come up with a reasonable excuse.

“Are you offended by my presence?”

“Of course not.”

“Good. Then we will have tea.”

Without waiting for a response, he strode off towards the airlock, and she hurried after him, praying that Henry had crawled back under the covers.