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Chapter 9

Chapter 9

M attie stirred under the cocoon of warmth, a contented sigh escaping her as she remembered the previous night. Her body still hummed with satisfaction but it was more than just the sheer physical pleasure—amazing as it had been—it was the sense of connection between them. She opened her eyes to the soft glow of sunrise filtering in, dust particles dancing like tiny satellites in the narrow shaft of light.

“Morning,” she murmured, her voice still husky with sleep as she sat up.

Jeb was frowning down at the RTG — the heat source that filled the shelter with warmth during the long cold nights. He looked different bathed in the gentle amber light — a softer version of the stoic cyborg ranger she knew. She couldn’t help the smile that curved her lips; she had fallen for him, and even though it frightened her, she was determined to trust in what they were building together.

“Good morning, Mattie.”

His eyes met hers, as dark and intent as ever, but there was a shadow in them — a shadow that hadn’t been there the night before.

Her smile faltered, as she realized that not only was he dressed, but Trojan was no longer in the shelter. He’d been out already — but why? Her throat tightened as she took in the subtle shift in his demeanor. Was he regretting what had happened the night before?

“What is it, Jeb?” she asked, sitting up in bed and searching his face.

He took a deep breath, his cybernetic fingers clenching rhythmically as he looked back down at the RTG.

“I didn’t want to wake you with bad news,” he said and her heart sank. He was using that artificially composed tone she hated. “But there’s something you need to know.”

A pang of anxiety clenched at her chest, pushing away the last of her contentment.

“Tell me,” she demanded.

“Tracks,” he said, finally looking back at her. “I thought I found some the morning after the storm but it was difficult to be sure. I went out again this morning to check and found new tracks, as well as the remains of a campsite not far from here.”

Someone was out there, watching them, waiting. The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine.

“Who?”

“I don’t know yet,” he admitted, clearly frustrated. “I found a pair of damaged binoculars the first morning. They were GenCon issue, but so is most of the equipment on Mars. And they were too damaged for me to be able to tell if they were old or new. Whoever it is, they’ve been careful. Too careful for comfort.”

The information settled heavily in her stomach, the weight of it threatening to crush the happiness she’d allowed herself to feel. Too frustrated to sit still, she climbed out of bed and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders as she began to pace.

Jeb had kept secrets from her and while her stomach churned anxiously, it was the sting of betrayal that sharpened her voice.

“Why didn’t you didn’t tell me before?” she demanded.

“I really wasn’t sure about what I found yesterday. I needed to be sure before I said anything.”

“I think you were sure,” she said sharply. “I knew something was bothering you. And even if you weren’t, you should have told me!”

“I know, and I’m sorry, but please listen to me.” He reached for her but she stepped back, unwilling to be soothed by his touch. “I think we should go to New Arcadia. You’ll be safer there.”

“Safer?” she scoffed, turning away to hide the quiver in her voice. “Give up everything I’ve worked for and let them win?”

She looked around at the small space she’d claimed as her own, as her home, her shelter from the world. No. She refused to be chased away.

“I just want to protect you,” he said earnestly, and her stomach twisted with a complicated mixture of affection and frustration.

“By taking me away from my claim?” She turned and glared at him. “No. I’m staying, Jeb. With or without you.”

His eyes met hers, dark and solemn.

“Then I’m staying too. If you’re determined to hold your ground, then I’ll stand with you. Always.”

Her heart skipped a beat at the resolution on his face, but exploring his implied promise would have to wait.

“Let’s just get through this first. What do you think they’re planning to do?”

He scrubbed a frustrated hand across his face.

“I wish I knew. If they’re acting on behalf of GenCon, it may be no more than keeping us under surveillance, especially if they’re searching for evidence of this new mineral. If they’re simply outlaws, they’re looking for anything valuable.”

“Then they’re going to be very disappointed,” she snapped, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. “I took my last load of ore into town less than a month ago. Barely made enough to purchase supplies for the next six months. That’s why I started drilling in the lava tube, searching for something more profitable.”

“You certainly found it.”

“I suppose so, although I’d have been happier if all I found was the lithium.” Her heart skipped a beat. “What if they know about that? I could see why that would make me a target.”

“How would they know?” he asked calmly and her racing pulse steadied. “You told me you’d only just discovered it. If this is the gang I heard about, they’re simply looking for easy pickings. And a woman alone…”

“But I’m not alone. Maybe they saw you and changed their minds.”

Even though he didn’t challenge her statement, she could tell he didn’t agree.

“What do we do now?” she asked.

“I think we need to act as if nothing has happened, as if we don’t know about them. I wonder if one of the other branches in the lava tube also goes to the surface,” he added thoughtfully.

“So you could circle around behind them?”

“Exactly. What do you say we do a little more exploration today?”

“All right. Although I suppose I should get dressed first.”

His eyes heated as they flicked down over the blanket and despite everything, her body responded to that admiring look.

“This is not how I would have chosen to spend the morning.”

“Me either.”

She’d intended it as a rebuke, but it came out more breathlessly than she intended and he smiled at her.

“I will make it up to you later. Once we figure out what’s going on.”

“Promise?” She raised an eyebrow.

“You can count on it,” he vowed, his voice low and serious, and she found herself smiling as she went to get dressed,

The lingering chill of the previous night still filled the air as they left the shelter. Sylvester perched on her shoulder, unusually quiet, as if he’d picked up on her tension. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled but she told herself it was nerves. Just act like it’s a normal day, she told herself as they walked towards the lava tube. They’d almost reached it, when her stomach twisted and she came to a halt.

“Something’s not right,” she murmured, squinting against the morning light as she looked around her claim.

“What is it?” he asked quietly, his hand moving towards his blaster.

“I don’t know, but—”

She suddenly realized what was wrong — Trojan was lying motionless on the ground at the edge of the claim, his body covered with red dust and almost indistinguishable from the surrounding rocks.

“Trojan!” Her heart lurched as she started to dart towards the fallen animal, but Jeb’s arm barred her path.

“Wait,” he commanded, just as a sharp crack echoed through the air.

The attack came without warning—a hail of gunfire pinging off the rocks around them. Jeb’s body formed a shield, broad and unyielding, as he wrapped himself around her. She felt the impact before she heard the shots, two thuds against Jeb’s body. He staggered slightly, but he didn’t fall, didn’t even cry out.

“Go!”

He pushed her ahead of him, toward the protection of the lava tube as another round of bullets sang past them. He staggered again, his steps faltering, but he kept moving, kept her moving, his arms around her like a steel cage as they finally reached the lava tube. He didn’t stop once they were inside, urging her along as darkness enveloped them. Her eyes strained for any hint of light, her ears alert to any sign of pursuit, but there was nothing — only the ragged sound of their breathing and the lingering echo of gunfire in her ears.

Somehow he kept them both moving, guiding her through what felt like impenetrable blackness.

“Your wounds-” she began, but he kept going.

“I’ll manage,” he rasped, his voice strained with pain and effort.

They made several twists and turns before he finally came to a halt and turned on a small light. She couldn’t prevent a shocked cry at the sight of him. His arm was a torn mess and he clutched at his wounded side, blood seeping through his fingers in a relentless tide as he leaned against the wall.

“Oh God, Jeb.”

“I’ll be fine. My nanites will heal the injuries, but it will take time due to the amount of damage.”

His face looked pale even in the dim light, but he met her eyes steadily. She believed him, but that didn’t prevent the wave of guilt washing over her.

“This is all my fault. I should have listened to you and agreed to leave.”

He gave a half-shrug then winced.

“I suspect it was already too late. If there’s any fault to be given, it’s mine for not telling you about this yesterday.”

“I still wouldn’t have left,” she said bitterly, guilt weaving a noose around her throat.

It was her stubbornness, her refusal to abandon the claim she’d worked so hard to establish, that had cost him so dearly. He had shielded her with his body, and now bore the consequences.

“It’s not your fault,” he repeated, “but we need to keep moving. We’re still too close to the entrance if they decide to come after us.”

She nodded and wedged himself against his uninjured side, ignoring his muffled protest. His skin was so hot against her that it formed a fiery brand along her side but she ignored it as they staggered onwards, heading for the cavern. The coppery tang of blood hung thick in the air as they continued the seemingly endless journey.

“Almost there,” she whispered, more to herself than to him.

He grunted, his breaths coming in harsh gasps that betrayed the pain he was enduring. His cybernetic arm brushed against her, the cold metal a stark contrast to the warmth of his blood, now painting them both, and the fiery heat of his skin.

They finally reached the cavern and he immediately slid down against the wall, the lichen surrounding him like a glowing aura as she crouched down next to him.

“What can I do?” she asked anxiously, and he gave her an oddly sweet smile.

“Nothing. I promise you I’ll be all right. Now that we’re not moving, my nanites will be able to work faster.”

He took the small torch from her and aimed it down the tunnel, his eyes closing in relief when it revealed nothing but emptiness.

“We seem to be in the clear. I haven’t heard any sounds of pursuit. And even if they decided to enter the lava tube, I don’t think they could follow us down here. Just as well,” he added with a rueful look at the gun holstered against his side. It had been hit by gunfire and was no longer usable. “Unfortunately my nanites can’t do anything to fix that.”

“I’m not worried about your gun; I’m worried about your injuries. We need to do something about these wounds.” She chewed her bottom lip as she considered their options. “Maybe I can tear some fabric off my shirt and bind them. At least stop the bleeding.”

“I’ll be fine, Mattie. The nanites will seal the wounds. I’m already feeling better.”

He did look a little better, the color returning to his face now that they had stopped and he could rest, but she wasn’t convinced.

“Can the nanites heal you completely?” she asked worriedly.

“Yes, but it’ll take time. Until then, I’ll just have to avoid any further damage.”

She wanted to chide him for putting himself in danger, but she had been the one to insist on staying.

“And I think you’re running a fever.”

He smiled again.

“That’s because the nanites generate heat during the healing process. It means they’re working. Come here.”

“Are you sure I won’t hurt you?”

“I’m sure.” He sighed when she only gave him a worried look. “Does it bother you?”

“Seeing you like this? Of course it does.”

“I meant seeing what I am. Knowing that I’m not human.”

She scowled at him.

“That’s ridiculous. Of course you are. You’re no less of a person than I am.”

“Sometimes I don’t feel that way. Especially when I think of your life being in danger.”

The words came out in a rush, his voice rough with emotion. She didn’t think as she knelt down in front, placing a soft, reassuring kiss on his mouth.

“You saved my life,” she said, drawing back just enough to meet his gaze. “But I was already in love with you.”

He froze and for a moment she was afraid she’d said the wrong thing, then his expression softened, his eyes shining with something she couldn’t quite decipher.

“You love me?”

“It shocked me too,” she teased gently. “But I do. You took me completely by surprise — not because you’re a cyborg, but because you’re sweet, protective, and thoughtful. And it doesn’t matter that you’re not quite human.”

“It matters to me,” he said fiercely, and she swallowed hard at the intensity of his gaze. “I love you, Mattie, but I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

“I don’t. I could never regret you.”

Before she could say anything else, his mouth crashed down on hers and the taste of him sent a surge of heat through her. He groaned, pulling her down onto his lap, the evidence of his desire pressing against her thigh as he kissed her wildly.

She wanted more, needed more, but the heat of his skin against hers reminded her of his injuries and she pulled away.

“I think this is going to have to wait until you’re better.”

“I already feel a lot better,” he insisted, pressing her hand against his erection.

“Later,” she promised, climbing off his lap and settling down next to him.

He grumbled but pulled her against his side. He really did look better, she thought. Even the blood that had coated his wounded side seemed to have disappeared. Disappeared… She gasped and sat up.

“Look…” The lichen next to his body had turned the faintest shade of pink. “It’s… it’s absorbing your blood.”

He followed her gaze, then shrugged.

“Admittedly it’s an odd kind of bandage, but it seems to be working.”

He showed her one of the wounds on his arms and now that the blood had been cleared away, she could see that the bullet hole was almost completely closed.

“That’s amazing.”

“I told you I’d be fine. Now come back here.”

She obeyed, settling back down next to him with a sigh.

“I hope Sylvester is all right,” she said softly.

Everything had happened so quickly she couldn’t be sure, but she thought he’d taken off when the shooting began.

“I’m sure he’s fine. If they couldn’t shoot well enough to deal me a fatal blow, I doubt they could hit a tiny little bird,” he said reassuringly, but her thoughts snagged on his other words.

“F…fatal blow?”

“There are some things even the nanites can’t heal—like a direct shot to the heart or the brain. Neither of which happened, which makes it that much more likely that Sylvester is all right.”

“And Trojan?”

He sighed.

“I don’t know. About the only thing that will take down one of the horses is a massive electrical charge, although I don’t see how they got close enough to administer one. If they had to do it from a distance, there’s a good chance his condition is only temporary.”

He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself but she nodded.

“I’m sure you’re right and they’re both up there waiting for us.” The question was if anyone else was waiting for them. “Do… do you think they left?”

“I don’t know, especially since I don’t know why they were really here, but there’s very little we can do about it now.” He tugged her a little closer. “Why don ‘t you try and get some rest? There isn’t much we can do until I finish healing.”

“You’re the one who needs to rest,” she muttered, but she found herself yawning, worn out by the frantic escape and the effort of helping to support him as they made their way down to the cavern.

At least he was here with her and he was healing. His body was still too warm but it no longer burned with the same heat as it had earlier, and the coppery scent of blood had faded, replaced by his familiar comforting scent. Her eyes started to drift shut. The last thing she remembered was his deep voice promising to keep watch, just before she fell asleep.

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