Chapter 5

Chapter 5

S everal days later Mattie stood on the ridge at the edge of her claim, looking out at the expanse of orange and red and gold, of craggy peaks and deep craters. A desolate landscape but one that held a beauty of its own, one she rarely stopped to appreciate even though she’d chosen her claim partially because of that view. The sun hung low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the barren landscape, and the familiar sense of isolation settled over her like a well-worn cloak.

Her thoughts drifted to her mother, the woman who had abandoned her at the orphanage all those years ago. Over the years the sting of that betrayal had hardened into a resolve to never rely on anyone but herself. Independence was her shield, her protection against the pain of being left behind.

But now, with J-418’s presence on her claim, that shield was beginning to crack. Over the past few days, she had found herself growing more and more attached to the big, silent cyborg. When he’d said he was staying to keep watch over her, she assumed he’d do no more than that. Instead he’d insisted on helping her with her mining operations, shouldering more than his share of the workload and waving off her objections.

She’d discovered the deep vein of kindness beneath his gruff exterior and the dry humor that appeared more and more frequently the longer they were together. He’d slowly chipped away at her defenses until now it was hard to imagine her claim without him. The thought made her chest seize. He wasn’t staying — this was just a temporary arrangement.

Soon there would be no more accidental touches as they brushed against each other while working — no more jolts of electricity coursing through her at his touch, making her heart race. And then there was that kiss… still seared into her memory like a brand. Alone in her shelter at night, she found herself longing to feel his lips on hers again, to lose herself in the comfort of his embrace.

Last night she’d gone as far as the door of the airlock, intending to invite him inside before common sense — or fear — asserted itself. She’d hesitated there for a long moment, then wandered over to the window, searching for him in the darkness. He was standing where she was standing now, his hand on Trojan’s withers as they both stared out into the night. She’d watched him for a long time before returning to her solitary bed, Sylvester chirping sleepily at the disturbance.

She shook her head, trying to clear the treacherous thoughts from her mind. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down, to open herself up to the possibility of being hurt again. And yet, as she watched him come towards her now, his big figure highlighted by the setting sun, the tug of longing in her chest was almost stronger than her fears.

“Is everything all right, Miss Carson?” he asked.

She forced a smile, pushing down the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.

“You could call me Mattie, you know. We’re practically living together.”

She was sure a flash of heat appeared in his eyes before he shook his head.

“It’s… safer this way.”

Did he honestly think a title made a difference? She rolled her eyes, but didn’t attempt to convince him.

“I was just admiring the view,” she said, gesturing to the stark beauty of the Martian landscape. “It’s easy to forget how incredible this place is, even with all its challenges.”

He nodded, his gaze following hers.

“It is beautiful, in its own way. But also lonely, even for someone used to being on their own.”

His words hit a little too close to home, and she felt her throat tighten.

“I’m used to it,” she said, her voice rough. “And being alone is… safer, in some ways,” she added, echoing his previous words.

He turned to her, his eyes searching her face.

“Safer, perhaps. But not always better.” He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and brushed a stray curl from her forehead, his touch feather-light. “Everyone needs someone, Mattie. Even the strongest among us.”

She swallowed hard, fighting the urge to lean into his touch. She knew he was right — knew that the walls she had built around her heart were slowly crumbling, but the thought of letting him in, of trusting him with her vulnerabilities, still terrified her.

“I… I don’t know if I can,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind that whipped across the plain. “I’ve been on my own for so long. I’m not sure I know how to be any other way.”

He nodded, and she suspected that he probably understood that feeling more than anyone else she’d ever met. She swallowed hard, then took refuge in humor.

“And look at that — you called me Mattie and nothing terrible happened.”

“You are quite correct, Miss Carson,” he said solemnly, but there was a glint of laughter in his eyes and this time her smile felt more genuine.

“Have you seen today’s readings?” she asked as she handed him the scanner, deliberately changing the subject. “They don’t make any sense.”

He leaned in closer, his shoulder brushing against hers as he peered at the screen.

“What do you mean?”

“The composition of this mineral is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I thought we’d learn more as we went deeper, but the scanner still can’t identify some of the elements. If this mineral is truly unique to Mars, the implications could be… well, they could be huge.”

He nodded slowly.

“It could change everything,” he agreed. “I wonder if GenCon really does know about it already — and if they do, what they would be prepared to do to get hold of it.”

She bit her lip, her thoughts racing as she considered his words. He was right, of course. The discovery of a new, potentially valuable mineral on Mars could attract all sorts of attention — attention that she, with her fiercely independent streak and her distrust of authority, was not at all sure she wanted.

And yet… the thrill of discovery was like a siren song to her scientific mind. Could she really turn her back on something so potentially groundbreaking, just because of the risks involved? She could almost see Professor Harrington peering at her impatiently over his glasses and dismissing her fears. She had no doubt he would have insisted on sharing the discovery.

“I don’t know what to do,” she admitted. “Part of me wants to shout this from the rooftops, to let the whole world know what we’ve found. But another part of me…”

“Wants to keep it a secret,” he finished for her. “Wants to protect it — and yourself — from those who might seek to exploit it.”

She nodded, relief washing over her at his understanding.

“Exactly,” she said, her fingers clenching around the scanner. “I just… I need time to think. To figure out what this means, and what I want to do about it.”

He reached out, the cool weight of his cybernetic hand resting briefly on her shoulders.

“There’s no rush. Take all the time you need. And if you decide you want to announce it, we’ll figure out a way to protect you from GenCon.”

We. There was that word again and in spite of her doubts, she couldn’t deny she liked the sound of it. She thought about the way she’d watched him the previous night, both of them alone in the dark, and decided she was ready to allow him one step closer. Sharing a meal should be harmless enough.

She opened her mouth to invite him to join her for dinner, but before she could get the words out Sylvester came flying towards her, chirping anxiously. He’d been perched in his new favorite place atop Trojan’s back, and she gave the horse a startled glance. Trojan was heading towards them as well, tossing his head, but she couldn’t see anything that might have upset either animal.

“What is it? What’s—”

A loud crack of thunder interrupted her, making her jump as it echoed across the valley. Dark, ominous clouds were already gathering in the distance—not rain clouds but dust clouds, a sign that one of the devastating sand storms was heading towards them.

“Storm’s coming,” J-418 said, his deep voice calm. “You need to get inside right now. Those storms can be deadly if you’re caught out in the open and you know how quickly they can move.”

She hesitated for a moment, casting a worried look around the claim, but there was nothing valuable outside and she could only hope the storm didn’t reach into the mine.

“What about you and Trojan?” she asked as they hurried towards the shelter.

“We’ll take refuge in the rocks. The storm won’t cause permanent damage to either of us.”

“What about temporary damage?” He didn’t answer her immediately and when she looked up at his face she saw the answer in his eyes. She sighed. “Don’t be ridiculous. You can wait out the storm in the shelter—both of you.”

As they reached the door, another thunderclap sounded, this one even louder than the first. Her heart raced as she fumbled with the lock, her fingers shaking slightly. She could feel his presence behind her, solid and reassuring as he used his big body to block the already increasing wind, but the storm’s approach still filled her with dread.

She’d been through plenty of the destructive dust storms since she’d arrived on Mars, but each one reminded her of her first storm. She’d been completely unprepared for the destructive nature of the storm and had almost died. She’d lived and she’d learned, but the fear remained.

When she finally managed to open the door, he urged her ahead of him as he led Trojan into the small airlock, Sylvester watching anxiously until the horse entered. It was a tight fit but they all managed to squeeze in and he quickly sealed the outer door as she waited for oxygen to fill the space. Outside, the wind was growing stronger, whipping the dust into a frenzy, grains already scratching against the small window.

As soon as the interior door hissed open, she sighed with relief and pulled off her breathing mask. Her pulse still raced as she tried to get a grip on her fear. She stepped through the opening, then realized that J-418 and Trojan hadn’t followed her.

“What’s wrong?”

“We can wait in the airlock,” he said quietly, his expression unreadable. “I know you are… protective of your space.”

Heat rose to her cheeks as she shook her head.

“Don’t be silly. Come on in.” He didn’t move and she sighed. “I was actually planning on inviting you for dinner tonight. Well, you, not Trojan, but you’re both welcome.”

“Honestly?”

“Yes, honestly.”

That rare, attractive smile transformed his face.

“In that case, we accept.”

They both entered the room and he turned to seal the inner door. Sylvester chirped happily and flew over to Trojan’s back. The horse turned his head and huffed softly at the bird, then settled into a resting position. J-418 smiled at the two of them as he came to join her, then cast a curious look around.

“This isn’t what I expected.”

He smiled down at her and she was suddenly overwhelmingly aware of him, of his size and strength, of that faint delicious scent she could detect beneath the dust.

“What did you expect?”

Her voice came out shaky and he frowned, then put his hand on her shoulder again. She was sure he meant it as a comforting gesture, but a spike of excitement raced through her body from that single light touch.

“I don’t know, Miss Carson,” he said. “Just… not this.”

His eyes searched her face, the air between them seeming to hum with electricity.

“Mattie. Please call me Mattie,” she whispered.

He nodded slowly, his eyes still fixed on her, and she found herself leaning towards him, unable to resist the pull of his attraction.

“Mattie,” he said, his voice deep and rich.

She thought he would say something else but he simply wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace.

It was only a hug, a comforting gesture, but her heart still stuttered at the contact. She sank against him, the tension flowing from her body as his arms tightened around her. She’d never felt so protected, so safe, and she allowed herself to relax against his broad chest, basking in the warmth of his body and the steady beat of his heart.

She didn’t want the moment to end, didn’t want to break the spell of intimacy that seemed to bind them together, but she tilted her head up to look at him, intending to make some light-hearted comment. Instead his lips found hers, igniting a firestorm of desire in her veins.