CHAPTER ONE
Impossible.
Dr. Alina Faulkner stared at the readings on her monitor, her hands shaking. Stared at the biochemical readings that couldn’t possibly exist. Mars was a dead planet and had been for eons. Even after Earth Government began the process of terraforming the planet to make it habitable for human colonization, they had never found anything indicating previous life on Mars. Even the presence of surface water was more speculative than proven.
The prospect of colonization itself had always been somewhat of a gamble, but driven by the ever-increasing population and diminishing resources on Earth, the government had been determined to make it possible. So determined that they had taken fatally injured soldiers and turned them into cyborgs, using them to begin the initial work. They had built massive power plants at the poles, using the polar ice caps to begin creating an atmosphere, to make the planet livable.
And they had succeeded.
Not completely—normal humans still required breathing masks for supplemental oxygen—but well enough that they no longer needed pressure suits. And then the settlement process had begun. The scientists had come first, and then the colonists began to arrive. Most of them chose to take advantage of the homesteads the government offered—land that would become theirs as long as they lived on it for five years and planted the specialized lichen designed to increase oxygen levels.
As the population on Mars increased, so did their desire for independence. With the help of the cyborgs who had been treated by the government as disposable pawns, the citizens of Mars had declared their autonomy from Earth. A fragile independence, perhaps, but one that gave them control over their own destiny.
Mars was changing.
But it was not alive.
Until now.
Alina had been fascinated by Mars since she was a small child. She had deliberately chosen an educational path designed to make her eligible for emigrating to Mars. And she had been chosen. She’d been living and studying on Mars for more than two years now and she’d never regretted it. But despite the number of fascinating discoveries she’d made so far, nothing compared with the potential of that faint, impossible reading.
Her fingers trembling, she leaned closer to the screen, as if touching the signal would somehow confirm that it was real. But just as she touched the screen, an overpowering scent invaded the lab. Without a second’s hesitation, her fingers flew from the screen to the control panel, shutting off the monitor.
She didn’t need to turn around to know who had entered. In the enclosed habitats of Mars, scents could quickly become invasive. Most people understood and respected that limitation. Dr. Martin Reece didn’t care. He seemed to think his obnoxious cologne made him more appealing. Instead, it only made him more repellent.
“Alina, my dear.” Martin’s smooth, oily voice made her shudder, but she did her best to keep her response neutral.
“Dr. Reece.”
As always, he paid no attention to the coolness of her response, hovering too close to her desk. No matter how many times she rejected him, he seemed convinced that he would eventually win her over.
Not even if he were the last man on the planet.
Seeing that she was alone in the lab, he stepped even closer, his gaze traveling over her in a way that made her skin crawl.
“Where is Dr. Winters?” he asked.
“Cass just stepped out for a minute,” she said evenly.
Actually Cass was no longer in the research complex. She had requisitioned a rover to investigate the seismic anomalies she had detected at a remote station and left earlier that day. But Alina had no intention of telling him that. Partially because she didn’t want him knowing she was alone. But mostly because he would pitch a fit about the fact that he hadn’t been informed. Although he had an administrative title, he had no actual authority over the other scientists in the complex. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop him from trying to control their activities.
“I hope she’s not neglecting her duties,” he said pompously, and she clenched her fist in her lap.
Cass was brilliant—far more brilliant than Martin—and Alina knew exactly how hard she worked and how many hours she devoted to her research.
“Cass would never?—”
“That’s not important right now,” he interrupted, waving a dismissive hand. “But about that invitation to dinner…”
“I’ve already declined. Twice.”
Her voice was as cold as a Martian night, but of course, he paid no attention.
“I don’t think you understand.” He leaned towards her, the stench of his cologne cloying and unwelcome. “I’ve arranged for a very important visitor to join us. Bruce Bentley, head of GenCon’s geology department,” he added when she didn’t respond, clearly expecting her to be impressed.
GenCon?
A chill ran down her spine. The massive corporation had partnered with Earth Government during the early terraforming and colonization efforts. However, their apparent cooperation had concealed a number of darker deeds, including attempts to recreate the cyborg technology with disastrous results.
