Chapter 12

Chapter 12

J eb carefully tightened the trip wire, then stepped back to check its position. He’d fastened it across the tunnel at ankle height and even with his enhanced vision he could barely see it. He was sure the two men wouldn’t notice it until it was too late. A grim smile curved his lips. He didn’t believe in taking a life unless it was necessary but after their initial ambush, let alone their plans for Mattie if they found her, he had no regrets about their fate.

One final check and then he returned to where Mattie was waiting for him further up the tunnel. Her initial suggestion had been to hide and set off the explosion once the men passed them but he’d refused to even consider it. He trusted her expertise with explosives, but there was always a chance of something going wrong. The tripwire had been their compromise even though she was worried about them spotting it.

“Everything’s ready,” he told her, and she gave him a tired smile.

They’d spent the night in the small cave at the beginning of the escape route and even though he’d settled her on his lap, he knew she’d slept very little. He hadn’t slept at all, not willing to take the chance that the active part of his brain might miss something.

“Shall we try taking Sylvester’s passageway again?”

The bird immediately chirped an agreement and she smiled.

“I think he’s ready to get out of here. I know I am. Do… do you think they did much damage to our shelter?”

“If they did, we’ll fix it,” he said firmly and won another smile from her.

“You’re right. I did it once, I can do it again.”

“ We can do it.”

“Even better. Maybe I can teach you to knit,” she added as she followed him into the tunnel.

“I already know how.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Oddly enough the government taught me. They had lessons in a number of different handcrafts on the transport ship that brought us to Mars.” He flexed his fingers reminiscently. “In my case it helped train me to use my cybernetic hand more accurately, and gave me something to do during the voyage. I can knit and sew and weave a basket.”

“I can see you have many hidden talents.” Her hand snaked around his waist and brushed lightly over his cock. “Although I think this is my favorite.”

“One I will make full use of as soon as we have your claim back.”

“ Our claim. We’re a partnership now.”

Her words filled him with warmth and he couldn’t resist pausing long enough to kiss her. She was breathless and smiling when he finally raised his head.

“I wish we had time for more, love, but business first.”

“I know.”

They set off again and this time the end of the passageway was obvious, sunlight streaming through the narrow entrance. He kept her behind him as it approached it, checking for any indications that someone else might be present, but all was quiet.

He beckoned to her as he stepped outside and she joined him with a relieved sigh, raising her face to the sun.

“I don’t think I’ll ever take sunlight for granted again,” she said softly.

“Sometimes you have to lose something before you appreciate it.”

“Then in case it isn’t already clear, I love you and I appreciate you. I don’t have to lose you to know that.”

He kissed her again and then reluctantly pulled away.

“Later,” he promised. “I need to find a position where I can observe the claim.”

“ We need to find a position.”

He laughed.

“All right. I suggest we start by getting out of this ravine.”

Fortunately, the wall at the far end wasn’t too tall and he was able to help her climb it while Sylvester chirped encouragingly.

“Easy for you,” she panted when she reached the top. “You can just fly out of there.”

The bird chirped again and she gave a breathless laugh.

“I think he feels sorry for me.”

“You did very well,” he assured her. “Do you know where we are?”

She looked around, frowning, then nodded.

“This is the northern end of the claim. The shelter should be just below those rocks.”

“Will you wait here while I take a look?”

She reluctantly agreed and he crept forward before peering cautiously around the clump of rocks she’d indicated. She was right — the shelter was just below him and he had a good view of the open space between it and the entrance to the lava tube. Two men were sitting in front of the entrance, swapping a bottle back and forth. He suspected they were the two who had been in the tunnel and they matched the Doc’s description of the man he’d treated and his “brother.”

A heavyset man was throwing sacks into the back of a beat up rover and he bit back an annoyed growl as he recognized one of Mattie’s pillows poking out of the top. What kind of idiot stole pillows?

A fourth man had brought one of her chairs outside and was bent over a data pad. Despite that, he kept a close eye on the others and Jeb immediately identified him as the leader. He had the upright posture of a former soldier and his appearance was neatly maintained — a far cry from the other three, who all looked as if they hadn’t bathed since they arrived on the planet.

After watching for a little longer, he concluded that there were no additional people anywhere around and that the rover was the only form of transportation. He spared an unhappy glance at the area where Trojan had fallen, the big horse still crumpled against the dirt. The electric pulse must have been stronger than he’d guessed. Those bastards were going to pay for what they’d done to his horse.

He cautiously slipped back amongst the rocks and returned to where Mattie was waiting anxiously.

“Four of them,” he said grimly. “If my weapon was working I could probably pick off at least two of them before they had a chance to return fire but without it, I have to get closer.”

“Are you going to wait until the two of them are back in the tunnel?”

“Yes. With any luck the explosion will distract the other two enough to give me an edge.”

The day passed with agonizing slowness, despite his frequent checks on the claim. The big man had joined the two by the lava tube and the three of them had emptied the bottle. The leader didn’t look happy about it, but he didn’t interfere. It wasn’t until midafternoon that he finally abandoned his data pad and went to join the others.

The four of them were clearly having an argument but the wind was blowing away from him and he could only make out a word or two. Finally the two men staggered to their feet and disappeared into the tunnel. This was it. His nanites strained to keep his racing heart under control as he returned to Mattie.

“They just went into the tunnel. Time to go. Unless I can convince you to wait here?”

Her face was pale but she shook her head.

“I want to know what’s happening.”

“Very well.”

He took her hand and helped her down the route he’d found during the long day. They emerged in the rocks just behind the shelter. Both of the remaining men were close to the lava tube. He would have preferred to have them separated, but he would deal with it. Mattie crouched next to him and they waited for what felt like hours.

Finally a low rumble started beneath their feet, gradually increasing to a deafening roar and she clung to him as the ground trembled. The sound faded away and a few last aftershocks jolted the ground before they too faded away. One small puff of dust emerged from the entrance to the lava tube, looking ridiculously innocuous compared to the force of the explosion.

Both of the men were staring toward the entrance. Before they had a chance to recover from their surprise, he launched himself out of the shadows, racing across the open area. The closer man looked up, mouth widening in a startled “o” but it was too late. His fist swung out and knocked him to the ground. The leader’s eyes widened but he kept his composure, bringing his rifle up to aim at him.

His cybernetic arm swept out, knocking the rifle from the leader’s hands before he shoved him to the ground, pinning him beneath his heavier weight.

“Don’t move or you’re dead,” he hissed, as his arm pressed against the man’s throat.

The man gave him an icy stare, remarkably calm under the circumstance.

“What do you want?”

“You chose the wrong cyborg. You killed my horse, threatened the woman I love, and you’re going to pay.”

“You’re making a mistake. I have powerful friends.”

“Unless they can resurrect you from the dead, not powerful enough.”

“What’s the problem?” the second man asked from behind him, and Jeb felt the cold nudge of a gun barrel against the back of his neck.

Fuck. He hadn’t hit him hard enough. He cursed silently as weighed his options. If he released the man beneath him, there was a chance the man could reach his rifle. He couldn’t hear any sounds to indicate the other two were still alive, but he couldn’t take the risk that he might be wrong.

“No problem,” he said calmly. “Just discussing how much this little excursion is going to cost you.”

“Don’t talk to him,” the leader snapped. “Hand me my rifle. And tie this bastard up.”

The man behind him chuckled, the cold steel of the gun pressing harder against his neck.

“I don’t think so. I’m tired of you bossing us around like you’re so much better than us. And credits go a lot further when there’s only one person spending them.”

Heat seared his cheek as the man behind him fired—not at Jeb, but directly between the leader’s eyes. Before he could even blink, the heated barrel was back at his neck, his ears still ringing from the blast.

“Now then. There has to be something valuable on this damn claim and I want it.”

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.