Page 14 of The Lone Cyborg (Cyborgs on Mars #10)

The stink of stale sweat and liquor assailed him as the man pressed closer and he grimaced. He didn’t even try to twist his head to see him—he didn’t doubt for a minute that the bastard would shoot him.

“You’re a fool. The only thing of value is the claim itself and there’s no way in hell she’ll sell it to you. Not now.”

“It doesn’t matter. All I need to do is kill her and claim it for myself—or rather my employers. Unless you have a better offer?”

“Not interested,” he said flatly.

“Oh, I think you are. Because if you’re not, then I think I’ll just kill you here and go collect your lady. I reckon she’ll be more… accommodating.”

He gritted his teeth. The man was right. He had to think of something and it needed to be convincing. He racked his brain, but he couldn’t come up with a solution that didn’t involve putting Mattie in even more danger.

“You know, I was expecting to get a nice little nest egg for all of this hassle,” the man mused, as he pressed the hot metal barrel even harder against the side of Jeb’s neck. “But a cyborg should be worth something.”

Jeb didn’t have to fake a grimace this time.

“Who do you think is going to buy me?”

“I reckon my employers might be interested. They enjoy… special projects.”

Memories of his time in the lab flashed through his mind but he did his best to keep his voice calm.

“Fine. I’ll come with you, without a fight, as long as we leave now.”

For a moment he thought he’d succeeded in convincing the other man, then his heart sank as the man’s voice turned suspicious.

“You’re awfully anxious to get me away from here. What are you hiding?”

“Nothing. I swear.”

“Let’s see if your lady agrees. On your feet.”

The gun barrel didn’t waver as he rose slowly to his feet and the man forced him to start walking back towards the shelter.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he called in a mock singsong, and Jeb flinched as Mattie stepped out behind the dome.

“What do you want?”

“Cash, jewels, anything small and valuable.”

She looked at him and something flashed in her eyes before she sagged in apparent defeat.

“Not my mother’s diamonds,” she whispered.

Diamonds? What game was she playing?

“Are they more important than your robot lover here?” the man asked coldly but he couldn’t completely hide his eagerness.

“I suppose not.” She gave a little sob, then turned back to the shelter. “They’re in here.”

The man pushed Jeb forward just as the ground trembled. Another aftershock from the explosion? The man gave a startled cry that ended with a sharp crack as the gun fell away. He spun around and found Trojan pawing at the big man, the man’s neck at an awkward angle, and blood on his metal hoof.

“Trojan?” he asked, giving the horse a shocked stare.

“Are you all right?” Mattie sobbed as she reached him, running her small hands frantically over his body.

“I’m fine, thanks to you and Trojan. But it’s impossible. An electrical charge big enough to render him unconscious for almost two days should have destroyed him.”

“I don’t think he was unconscious.” She sniffed, reaching past him to stroke the horse’s nose. “I think he was waiting. As soon as that man forced you towards me, he started to get up.”

“In that case, I don’t know which of you is the better actor. Your mother’s diamonds?” he demanded.

She blushed.

“It was all I could think of at the time. I just hoped he’d believe me long enough that he wouldn’t notice Trojan.”

“Greed will ruin you every time.”

He glanced at the two bodies, then at the entrance to the mine, and sighed.

“I think the explosion worked, but I want to go and check.”

“ We should go and check,” she said firmly. “You’re not leaving me here to worry about you.”

He hesitated, then decided not to argue about it.

“I suppose I like knowing where you are as well—but promise you’ll stay behind me.”

“I promise.”

When Sylvester flew over and hopped up on her shoulder, he didn’t argue about that either.

Leaving Trojan on guard at the entrance, the three of them cautiously entered the lava tube.

They paused there while he did a quick check, listening for any sign of movement.

He couldn’t detect anything and pulled out his scanner, then frowned at the readings.

“That’s odd.”

“What is?”

“The new mineral isn’t showing up any more. It’s as if it vanished.”

Her mouth dropped open.

“That’s not possible.”

“Normally I would agree with you, but remember the way it moved?”

“As if it were alive,” she said slowly. “Do you think it withdrew back to the cavern?”

“I think it’s possible. I can’t think of any other explanation.”

“And you’re sure the scanner is working properly?”

“Yes, everything else is showing up. If anything it looks like the lithium deposits are even richer than you indicated.”

She sighed.

“I suppose mining for lithium is more practical than dealing with an unknown substance.”

“And safer,” he added dryly. “At least for the present. Why don’t we take a look at the damage and go from there?”

She nodded and he led the way deeper into the tunnel. They’d followed their previous route down several branches before she came to an abrupt halt.

“Look,” she whispered when he turned around and gave her an inquiring look.

“What do you want me to look at?”

“Nothing. I mean that’s the point—all the traces of your blood have vanished.” He frowned down at the floor but she was right, nothing remained but dust and sand and rock. “There was no lichen up here to absorb it, so where did it go?”

“Maybe the lichen followed the trail from the cavern.”

The explanation didn’t sound very convincing, even to himself, but he couldn’t think of an alternative.

She shivered and took a step closer, tucking her hand in his.

He put his arm around her as they traveled deeper underground until they came to the site of the explosion.

A massive pile of rock and debris completely blocked the tunnel.

“It worked,” he said quietly.

“What about those men? Did they get caught in the cave-in?”

He focused his scanner on the blockage, then nodded.

“I think so. I don’t see any signs of life on the scanner, and that blockage goes back a long way. I’ll see what I can do, but I doubt we’ll be able to return to the cavern.”

“I suppose that’s a small price to pay for our safety.”

She smiled at him, then gave his hand a gentle tug.

“Let’s go home.”

Home.

The word reverberated through him as they climbed back up the tunnel and out into the coolness of the approaching night.

The stark landscape was transformed by the light of the setting sun, the sky streaked with crimson and gold, the shadows of dusk falling across the desert like a velvet cloak.

The horizon stretched out before them, clean and empty.

He would have to report the incident and handle the repercussions, but the threat was gone and he and Mattie had each other.

Home , he thought again, looking down at her and smiling. She looked up, her eyes alight with an answering glow and his chest expanded as if it were suddenly full of helium, rising higher than any rocket as he basked in the pure joy of the moment.

They had each other—and that was all that mattered.