“Your curiosity,” he corrected. “Your brilliance. Your refusal to accept the expected answer.” His voice grew softer. “It’s what makes you who you are.”
The words warmed her from the inside out, melting something that had been frozen for too long. No one had ever understood her drive that way—not her parents, not her colleagues. They saw only the results, never the passion that fueled her work.
Roland chirped from nearby, breaking the moment. The small cybernetic armadillo was scanning the tunnel with its sensors, alert for any sign of the creature’s return.
Zach glanced towards the darkness, then back at her. His expression shifted, becoming more focused, although his arms remained around her.
“What are we going to do now?” he asked, his voice steady despite everything that had just happened between them.
The question brought her crashing back to reality. They were still in the tunnel. The creature was still out there. And they had just made a discovery that would change humanity’s understanding of Mars forever. The implications of what they’d discovered suddenly hit her with full force. Life on Mars. Actual complex life. Not just microbes or simple organisms, but anintelligent, possibly predatory species. The scientific community would explode with the news. Mars colonization efforts would have to be reconsidered. Everything would change.
And she and Zach were the only ones who knew.
She took a deep breath, trying to order her thoughts. “We need to document everything. The creature, the tunnel system, any evidence of a larger ecosystem.” She paused, watching his expression. “But we also need to be safe. That thing was dangerous.”
“Extremely,” he agreed. “And there may be more of them.”
“We should collect samples before we go,” she said, scientific instinct reasserting itself. “Soil, air, anything the creature might have left behind.”
“It has to be done quickly. That thing could come back any moment.”
She nodded, already reaching for her sample kit. Her hands were steadier now, purpose replacing fear. He lifted her down and she worked quickly but methodically, collecting material from where the creature had stood, where its blood had spilled, and from the walls of the tunnel.
Roland helped, using his specialized limbs to reach areas she couldn’t access. The little armadillo seemed unnervingly calm about the whole situation, his programming allowing him to process the encounter more efficiently than his human companion.
As she worked, she kept glancing over at Zach. He stood guard, weapon ready, eyes constantly scanning the darkness. The tearsin his shirt still revealed glimpses of the metal beneath his skin, a reminder of what he was—and what he wasn’t.
The kiss lingered between them, unacknowledged but impossible to forget. What had it meant to him? Was it just the heat of the moment, adrenaline and relief at surviving? Or something more?
And what did it mean to her?
She pushed the questions aside.Later.She would think about all of that later, when they weren’t in a tunnel with a predator potentially lurking nearby.
“I’ve got everything I need,” she said finally, securing the last sample container.
He nodded, relief evident in the slight relaxation of his shoulders as he looked up the tunnel. “Good. We should return to the station at once.”
“Zach,” she called softly, stopping him. When he turned back, she met his eyes directly. “Thank you. For saving my life.”
Something flickered in his expression that she couldn’t read.
“Always,” he said simply, then turned to scan the area, weapon ready, before he signaled for her to follow.
She took a step after him, then came to an abrupt halt as the realization hit her.
“Wait. We can’t leave yet.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“What do you mean, we can’t leave?” Z-542 demanded. “We need to get back to the station. That thing could return at any moment.”
Cass put her hand on his arm and gave him a pleading look. “We need to learn more about the creature first.”
“That ‘creature’ tried to kill me to get to you.” He gestured at the tears in his uniform where the beast’s claws had sliced bone deep. “And I’m a cyborg. A full human wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“That’s exactly why we need to understand more about it before anyone else stumbles across one.” Determination flashed in her eyes—that familiar, stubborn brilliance that both frustrated and fascinated him. “We need to contain it, study it.”
“Contain it?” His tactical side immediately started to calculate the resources needed for such an operation. “With what? We don’t have the equipment, and that thing is stronger than anything I’ve ever encountered.”
