“What’s your real name?” she asked suddenly.
He stiffened. “Z-542 is my designation.”
“I know that. But you had a name before, didn’t you?”
“Zach,” he said finally. “My name was Zach.”
“Zach.”
She smiled, her fingers gently stroking his hand, and despite his best intentions, his cock began to harden. What was it about her that made it so difficult to control his arousal? He hadn’t been with a woman since his transformation—hadn’t even been interested—but now all he could think about was how she would feel beneath him, the pleasure of sliding inside her and hearing her call his name—his real name.
His cock swelled painfully and he pulled away, forcing his mind to focus on the storm. Anything but the woman next to him. She gave him another thoughtful look, then turned her attention to the scanner in her hands, monitoring Roland’s progress.
He watched her, fascinated by the play of emotions on those delicate features. Her face was so expressive, unguarded in a way he hadn’t been in years. Her fingers moved deftly over the scanner’s controls, adjusting parameters, analyzing data. The slight furrow between her brows deepened as she concentrated.
Something stirred within him—attraction, yes, but more than that. That sense of connection. A recognition of something in her that resonated with something in him.
He found himself studying the curve of her neck, the way her hair fell across her cheek, the small movements of her lips as she silently processed data. She was beautiful, not in the conventional way that might once have attracted him, but in her intensity, her focus, and her intelligence.
She looked up suddenly, catching him watching her. Instead of looking away, he held her gaze, allowing himself to acknowledge what he was feeling. Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn’t break eye contact. For a moment, they simply looked at each other. She started to sway towards him, and he didn’t pull away.
But then her eyes widened, her attention snapping back to the scanner.
“Zach,” she said, the name falling naturally from her lips. “Look at this.”
Half-relieved at the interruption, he focused on his duty.
“What is it?” he asked, peering over her shoulder at the screen. The scanner showed Roland’s position, about ten meters beneath the surface now, but what caught his attention was the large open space the sensors had detected just beyond.
“Is that?—”
“A tunnel,” she confirmed, her voice tight with excitement. “A large one, running parallel to the surface.”
He stared at the image, his tactical mind immediately assessing implications. “How far does it extend?”
“I can’t tell from this angle, but at least fifty meters in each direction.” She looked up at him, her eyes bright. “This shouldn’t be here, Zach. There’s no record of any underground construction at this location.”
“A lava tube?”
“The geology in this area is definitely volcanic so it’s possible, but I’ve never seen one quite that straight. And given the seismic readings…” She trailed off, looking at him expectantly.
“You think something is living down there,” he said, not a question. He was far more skeptical but then, he wasn’t a scientist.
“I think we need to find out.” She stood up, the scanner clutched tightly in her hand. “Roland can create an opening large enough for us to?—”
“No.” The word came out more forcefully than he intended. “We don’t know what’s down there.”
“That’s precisely why we need to investigate!”
“It’s too dangerous. If there is something living down there?—”
“Then we’ve made the most significant discovery in Martian history!” Her eyes flashed. “Think about it, Zach. Life on Mars. Intelligent life, capable of creating structures.”
“We still don’t know that. And if there is something down there, it might see us as a threat. Or food.”
She waved a dismissive hand.
“That’s unlikely—if it feeds on people we’d have heard about it. Although I do wonder what it eats…”
