Chapter 2

Chapter 2

J -418 forced himself to ride away across the red Martian plains, leaving the rocky hills of Mattie’s mining claim behind him as a now-familiar ache gripped his chest. He’d tried to convince himself this was just another routine patrol, part of his duties as a ranger tasked with protecting the territory’s settlers. But deep down, he knew his reasons for frequenting this remote claim were far more complicated.

Ever since the first time he’d ridden up to her claim to introduce himself and she’d smiled up at him, green eyes sparkling above her breathing mask and unruly brown curls escaping from under her cap, something inside him had shifted. That smile had reminded him of friendship, of companionship, things that had been in short supply since his transformation into a cyborg. Now, whenever he went too long without seeing her, that familiar tension grew, pushing him to seek her out.

Delivering the mining regulations could have waited—they were still being disseminated—but not only did they provide an excuse to see her, the thought of his fragile little female handling explosives had always made him nervous. Rationally, he knew she was an intelligent, competent miner but this was one occasion when rational thought failed him. At least now he would be aware of each incident and could watch over her.

Watch but not touch , he reminded himself — not for the first time. No matter how much her fierce independence and razor-sharp mind drew him, she was off limits. He couldn’t afford these kinds of thoughts, these feelings. He was a cyborg, more machine than man. She deserved better than a half-mechanical thing like him and, as far as he could tell, she had no interest in any sort of relationship, human or otherwise. Still, he couldn’t deny the attraction that simmered between them, as tempting as it was dangerous.

He let out a frustrated sigh, earning a questioning whicker from Trojan. He patted the horse’s neck absently, trying to put the stubborn woman out of his mind. His path led him to a small nearby settlement, where a few families had chosen to build homes instead of working their claims alone. The prefabricated domes issued to the settlers mixed with a few primitive buildings built out of the Martian regolith, including a tiny medical clinic.

As he rode along the main, and only, street, several of the settlers lifted a hand in greeting. Earth Government had made every effort to convince people that cyborgs were no longer human—just machines sent to spend the long hard years initiating the terraforming process—but he was a familiar sight in these parts. Some of the settlers still regarded him with wary curiosity but others showed genuine friendliness.

As he approached the clinic, the doctor came hurrying out. He was a younger man, painfully eager, and despite J-418’s distrust of the medical profession, the doctor’s dedication to helping the settlers had won him over.

“J-418. I was hoping you’d be by today.”

“What’s going on, Doc?” he asked. “Trouble at the clinic?”

He surreptitiously studied the doors and windows, searching for signs of a breach.

“Not exactly, but something unusual happened yesterday and I’m not sure if it’s significant or not.”

He dismounted, frowning at the doctor.

“What was it?”

“A man came in, a stranger, with a gunshot wound in his arm. By itself it’s not that unusual.” The doctor made a face. “You know what it’s like when the power plant workers get time off—they have a pocket full of credits and a big thirst after being isolated up at the pole for the past few months.”

Work at the huge factories transforming the polar ice into a new atmosphere was hard and demanding but it paid extremely well.

“Did the man give you his name?”

“John Smith.” The doctor shook his head. “Didn’t seem likely but I figured he was just trying to keep his bosses from finding out that he’d been involved in a shooting. I bandaged him up and sent him on his way, but the more I thought about it, the less I liked it. He said he’d been in a poker game that went bad, but I don’t see how it could have been anywhere around here. And if it was in town, why didn’t he just go to the clinic there?”

He frowned, echoing the doctor’s doubts.

“Anything else bother you about him?”

“He said his brother brought him in, but the man he drove off with didn’t look anything like him. And I’m sure I saw another two men in the back of the rover.”

“Can you describe any of them?”

“The driver was blond, probably about sixty years old. The wounded man was younger, maybe thirty, dark haired, stocky build. Average height, I guess. Hard to believe they’re actually brothers. Both wore coveralls like all the miners, but they didn’t fit very well. “

“Any description of the other two?”

“Not really,” the doctor said with a shrug. “They were wearing coveralls too but I didn’t see much more than the back of their heads and shoulders. But they looked like big guys.”

He ran through a quick mental inventory of all the miners in the area but while a few of them shared a claim with a friend or a brother, there weren’t any with three other partners. And if they were power plant workers on a spree, how had they ended up out here?

“Which way did they go?”

“Towards town, but there’s a lot of land between here and there.”

A rover would take several days to make the trip but Trojan could cover the distance much more quickly. The horses had been assigned to the rangers for just that reason—they were faster and more agile than the bulky rovers. He nodded.

“There is, but I was heading in that direction anyway. I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Thanks. Like I said, it might not be anything but it still seemed strange.”

“If I catch up with them, I’ll let you know next time I’m back this way.”

The doctor thanked him again as he mounted again and set off. He’d intended to check in on a few other settlements but the four strangers bothered him and he decided to keep going.

The temperature dropped steadily as night fell but the nanites in his system prevented him from feeling the cold. Trojan was also immune to the cold and they kept up a steady pace throughout the night. He kept watch for campfires or any lights that didn’t belong but he didn’t see anything unusual and he continued on in the cold dark.

Just like when I arrived here. He’d still been in shock from the transformation. Before the incident that had changed everything he’d been a soldier, fighting for a cause he believed in, protecting the innocent from those who would do them harm. But in the end, it had been his own innocence that had been shattered, his body broken and remade into something not quite human.

Their memories were supposed to be erased during the transformation, but he could still vividly remember the blast that had ripped through his unit’s transport, the searing pain as shrapnel tore through his flesh, the panic in his comrades’ voices as they dragged him from the wreckage. When he had woken up in the medbay weeks later, more machine than man, he had barely recognized himself. The transition had been hard, learning to live in a body that was no longer entirely his own.

And once he arrived on Mars there had been so many long cold lonely nights as he worked on the terraforming process. He’d shut off what remained of his emotions just so he could endure that time. But becoming a ranger had given him a new purpose, a new sense of belonging. The settlers — however reluctantly — looked to him for protection, for justice, and he did his best to provide it. And then there was Mattie, with her quick wit and unbreakable spirit, reminding him that there was still beauty and connection to be found in this harsh new world.

She’s not for me , he reminded himself once again, but her image kept him company until he reached New Arcadia just as the sun rose. The town was built primarily between the sheltering walls of a huge ravine, although it was beginning to spread beyond that initial foundation. He guided Trojan through the airlock and onto the dusty streets of New Arcadia. The town was just beginning to stir, a few early risers emerging from the variety of buildings that composed the town — everything from the sleek modernism of GenCon headquarters to ramshackle dwellings built from salvaged parts.

When he reached the cyborg rangers’ headquarters, he dismounted and led Trojan to the stables. He’d just put him in a stall when M-231 entered. He was one of the newer cyborgs, his enhancements less visible than J-418’s metal hand and arm, and even though the other cyborg was as big and muscular as all of them, he always seemed very young to J-418.

“Morning.” A smile twisted the scar marring M-231’s youthful good looks. “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

“I wasn’t planning on it either, but I skipped the last of my visits and rode through the night.”

“Something wrong?”

“I don’t know. I hope not, but I wanted to follow up on a report.”

He quickly conveyed the doctor’s information and M-231 nodded thoughtfully.

“I’ve been hearing rumors about a small group of outlaws raiding homesteads. And mines,” the other cyborg added. “No one has come forward to make an official report but they might be too frightened to do so. The gang has a bad reputation. But the rumors came from the east of town, not the west, so there might not be any connection.”

But what if they’d moved on? Mattie. His heart skipped a beat despite his nanites’ attempt to maintain an even rhythm. Had he left her exposed to a potential threat? He immediately started to lead Trojan back out of the stall.

“I have to leave again. To check on my… settlers.”

“Of course, but I heard another rumor that might interest you. Since you have mining claims in your territory, that is.” M-231 met his gaze innocently enough, but something in his voice made him wonder if his… interest in Mattie had not gone completely unnoticed. “I heard that GenCon has been poking around some of the settler’s mining claims. At least one rumor implied that they were offering to buy them out—and not taking no for an answer.”

He frowned, a flicker of unease running down his spine.

“GenCon? I thought Earth Gov had them on a tight leash these days. What are they after?”

M-231 shook his head.

“No one knows. Their attention doesn’t seem to be focused on any one particular type of claim, which makes it harder to pin down their motive, and it doesn’t seem to be coming out of the main office here in town. Could be nothing, could be something, but you know how GenCon is. They always have an agenda.”

“Agreed,” he said, his thoughts returning to Mattie. It seemed unlikely that GenCon would be interested in her small claim, but he still didn’t like the idea that she might attract their interest. “I’m going to ride out to the Carson claim, make sure everything’s all right.”

“You do that.” There was that too-innocent look again. “I’ll see if I can find out anything else.”

“Let Wyatt know as well.”

Wyatt served as the chief authority for both the town and the surrounding area. He was also a cyborg, but he’d resumed the use of his previous name after marrying one of the local women. He’d briefly considered doing the same thing but he’d decided it was foolish to pretend he was anything other than what he was—a machine, not a man.

“You sure?” M-231 gave him a bashful look. “I didn’t want to bother him since it’s just a rumor.”

“Yes, he needs to know.” He swung up on Trojan’s back and grinned at the younger cyborg. “Don’t worry. He won’t bite.”

M-231 made a rude gesture before returning his smile.

“I hope your little settler doesn’t either.”

Thankful that his nanites concealed his embarrassment, he ignored the comment and simply sketched a salute before riding out of the stables with as much dignity as possible. He tried not to focus on the unsettling implication of M-231’s words — that his concern for Mattie was something more than his duty demanded.

Instead, he considered the implications of the rumor. Why would GenCon be trying to strong-arm some of the settlers out of their mining claims? Even if they weren’t operating through the main office, it was likely that someone in town knew what they were up to. No matter how much they tried to act in secret, humans could be careless, especially when they had been drinking, and everyone eventually visited the saloon.

Once again he urged Trojan into a rapid pace, moving swiftly across the plain toward Mattie’s claim. But this time, instead of trying to shake her from his thoughts, he focused on the threats against her. The GenCon rumor bothered him but he was more concerned about the possibility of an outlaw attack. He had a sudden urge to hold her close, to protect her from whatever danger loomed. He swore to himself that he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.