Page 33 of The Lone Cyborg
“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.”
“Weshould 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.
