Page 16 of The Lone Cyborg
“Nothing for you to worry about right now,” he said, his voice composed. “We can discuss it later.”
She immediately bristled at his evasion, her independent nature chafing against being kept in the dark. She opened her mouth to protest, but something in his expression made her pause. There was a weariness there, a burden he seemed to carry that she couldn’t quite decipher.
Swallowing her frustration, she nodded.
“All right. But I expect you to keep your word and tell me what’s going on later. We’re in this together, remember?”
A flicker of warmth softened his features, and he lightly touched her cheek.
“I know. And I appreciate that more than you know.” He drew in a deep breath, then smiled at her. “For now, I think we should focus on exploring the lava tube and tracing the mineral vein as far as possible. See if we can figure out what we’re dealing with.”
Excitement chased away some of her unease. The prospect of unraveling the secrets hidden beneath Mars’ surface never failed to invigorate her. She nodded eagerly.
“Let’s do it. I’ll grab my gear.”
As she explained what she wanted to take, he started filling his own pack, taking the heaviest equipment. She thought about protesting, then decided it was foolish not to let him carry it. It would weigh her down but his cyborg strength could handle it easily. Sylvester flitted around the shelter, his excited chirps echoing through the small space. The canary seemed to sense the anticipation building in the air, his curiosity piqued by the impending exploration.
As she shouldered her unusually light pack, she glanced at Jeb, noting the way his jaw clenched as he checked their gear. Theweight of whatever troubled him still lingered in the set of his shoulders, but he nodded when he met her gaze.
“Let’s head out,” he said in the same artificially composed voice.
The three of them stepped outside and she paused for a moment, breathing in the thin, metallic-tinged air through her mask as she did a quick survey. There was no obvious damage from the storm—which made his tension even less understandable.
As they headed for the lava tube, Trojan came over to join them but Jeb shook his head.
“Not this time. I’m sure the tube will get smaller so you’d better stay here.”
The horse huffed and pawed the ground, then turned his back on them and headed over to the edge of her claim, offense in every line of his body.
“He doesn’t like being left behind,” Jeb explained unnecessarily, and her heart suddenly ached.
“Do any of us?” she asked quietly.
Something flickered across his face, but he didn’t respond, simply turning to lead the way into the tube, scanner at the ready. She swallowed her sudden flare of anxiety, scolding herself for letting her fear interfere with their plans.
They passed into the darkness of the tunnel, the air cooling perceptibly as they descended beneath the red, dusty surface. Sylvester stayed close by, occasionally landing on her shoulder, his small body a comforting weight. Jeb remained silent, his steps steady, but he still seemed preoccupied, his expression grim as he scanned the tunnel ahead.
She could almost taste the tension radiating from him as they continued further down the tube, the blue light of the scanner illuminating the rocky walls. Several times the tube branched off and they had to choose a path, trying to follow the strongest signal.
The deeper they went, the more treacherous the terrain became. Jagged rocks extended from the walls and twice they had to edge past deep crevices in the ground. Jeb continued to lead, keeping the scanner extended in front of him. The device emitted a soft, pulsing hum as it analyzed the surrounding environment, following the faint traces of the mineral vein and searching for any anomalies.
She followed closely behind him, studying the readouts on her own scanner.
“I’m picking up some unusual readings,” she said. “The mineral composition here has shifted again, but I don’t recognize any of it.”
He nodded, studying the path ahead.
“I’m seeing the same thing. It’s almost as if…” His voice trailed off as he focused on a large boulder against one wall. “Hold on.”
His scanner beeped insistently as he approached the boulder. Gripping the boulder tightly with his cybernetic arm, he heaved it aside as easily as she would have tossed a pebble, to reveal a small, glittering vein embedded in the rock.
“That’s it,” she breathed, moving closer to examine the find. “That’s what we’ve been looking for.”
The scanner picked up the new element as she watched, identifying it as a form of mineral previously unknown on Mars.As they both studied it, the vein suddenly split, extending its tendrils through the stone like a plant reaching for the sun. Sylvester squawked and huddled against her neck.
“Did you see that?” she whispered. “It’s as if it’s alive.”
He nodded abruptly, his expression grim.
