Page 2 of The Cyborg Way
As oxygen flowed into the space, he almost seemed to smile, his nostrils flaring and a small sack expanding beneath his chin. Since he didn’t show any sign of distress, she carried him inside.
“Welcome home, Henry.”
L-485 broughthis horse Blaze to a halt high on a rocky outcropping, looking out over the plain below. Not that Blaze was actually a horse, although the big cybernetic creature was based on the ancient Earth animal. Blaze was a machine, just like he was a machine, but he still found himself leaning forward to pet his neck as he studied the area in front of him.
The rocky orange desert stretched out in the distance, reaching to the base of the mountains ringing the great crater. When he’d first come here to work on the terraforming project, nothing had disturbed the huge, empty plain. Now human workers continued those efforts and he’d become a ranger, a representative of law and order for the scattered homesteads sprinkled sparsely across the desert. For now the signs of life were still diminished by the vast emptiness, but how long would that last?
Humans were an invasive species, and as the great terraforming project progressed, more of them would appear. He had mixed feelings about that knowledge. He had become used to being alone in the cold and dark—almostused to it.
His eyes turned, as they so often did, to the homestead nestled against the base of the outcropping. Unlike most of the homesteaders who had chosen open areas out on the plain, Ellie had established her claim on a slight rise beneath the rock cliff, her habitat looking out over the rest of the desert and protected by the great wall of rock behind her.
I should stop and check on her.Except it hadn’t even been two weeks since his last visit.
He visited all of the settlers in his territory on a regular basis, and for most of them, that meant every month or two. In Ellie’s case, he had difficulty preventing himself from stopping by every day. The small, curvy woman working so hard by herself constantly occupied his thoughts. As much as he admired her bravery and determination, he wanted to make her life easier. To make sure she was safe and watch the myriad expressions playing across that bright, expressive face. To hold her soft body against his…
No.She was human, and he… was not. He had given up his humanity when he made the choice to become a cyborg. Not every soldier had a choice—if their injuries were deemed terminal, the agreement they had with the military allowed the government to transform them into cyborgs. His own injuries hadn’t been fatal, but they would have left him paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life. He had chosen this path instead, knowing that in the eyes of Earth Government—and of the majority of Earth’s inhabitants—he would no longer be human.
On the whole, he hadn’t regretted the decision. He was once more strong and capable. Almost as importantly, he still had a purpose. After a lifetime in the military, he needed to feel that he was useful. It wasn’t until he met Ellie that he had actually experienced any doubts about his choice.
But then again, even if he had still been human, she was too young and pretty to have been interested in a cynical old soldier. Any relationship between them was even more impossible now. All he could do was watch over her and help out when he could. It was enough.It has to be enough.
Which meant he had three more days to go before his self-imposed two week gap between visits was up. He patted Blaze’s neck again and directed him towards the trail back to New Arcadia, the largest—and only—town on Mars. The horse hesitated, tossing his head in the direction of the path down to Ellie’s homestead, and an unwilling smile crossed his face.
“I want to go that way too, but not yet. Back to town.”
A metal hoof pawed at the ground, but the horse finally obeyed, setting off down the ridge as L-485 cast one last longing look back over his shoulder.
CHAPTER TWO
Three days later…
The pale Martiansunrise came flooding in through the uncovered front windows of the habitat, and Ellie rolled over with a sigh. This was her least favorite part about being on Mars—waking up to cold and silence. The frigid air gnawed at her skin as she reluctantly emerged from under the covers and hurried over to the RTG—the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator—to turn up the heat. She didn’t really need to turn it down at night, but after a lifetime of conserving resources, it felt wasteful to heat the entire dome while she was snug in her bed.
Henry seemed to agree. He was still curled up in the covers, only the very tip of his nose visible. She had worried that the warmth of the dome would be a difficult adjustment for him after the cold temperatures he must have been used to at night, but he had taken to it as enthusiastically as he had taken to the increased supply of oxygen.
She shivered, pulling her heavy silk robe tighter as she huddled by the RTG, holding out her hands as it began to emit agentle heat. The robe had been one of the few indulgences she’d permitted herself to bring on the voyage—a present from her mother when their application for a homestead had been accepted—and it was a pleasant change from her usual practical coveralls.
After brewing a cup of tea, she perched on the cushioned window bench and watched the sun make its way across the endless desert, the desolation eased by the small sparks of light from other habitats. She liked knowing they were there, but at a comfortable distance.
As warmth filled the room, she finished her tea and headed into the attached dome holding her hydroponic garden. It was always warm and humid in here, and she nodded with satisfaction, delighted with how well her small ecosystem was thriving. The plants provided food for her and the chickens, and would eventually help feed the fish she hoped to add to the water tanks.
She stripped off her robe and turned on the shower she had added on one side of the garden dome. Although there was a small prefabricated bathroom unit connected to her main living area, she enjoyed showering in the warm environment, surrounded by greenery. It was also a practical solution. The used water was recycled and flowed through the filters back into the garden so nothing was wasted.
As she ran her soapy hands over her body, she found herself thinking about L-485. He was due for his biweekly visit today. The thought sent a flare of arousal through her body, and she shivered pleasantly as she slowed her movements, running a thumb across suddenly taut nipples as she remembered her first encounter with the big cyborg ranger.
It had been her first full day on her claim. She had taken her rover full of supplies out to her new home and started assembling the first dome. The dome consisted of a series of prefabricated panels that snapped together on a framework of Martian iron. The panels were designed for one person to handle, especially given the lower Martian gravity, but her lack of inches and her unfamiliarity with the process had made it a frustrating experience.
By midafternoon she’d only managed to get half of the dome together, and she was casting nervous glances at the sun beginning to creep slowly down across the sky. The sound of hoofbeats made her look up as a man came riding towards her. Not a man, a cyborg, astride one of the marvelous mechanical horses the rangers rode. He frowned down at her as he dismounted, muscles straining against the faded black shirt and pants the rangers had adopted as a type of uniform.
She had seen some of the cyborg rangers in town before she left, but this was the first time she’d ever been close to one. Her eyes widened as he came to her side and she looked up at him—way up—his sheer size making her feel ridiculously small, and he immediately took a step back.
Although she knew he was a cyborg, she didn’t see any immediate physical indications as to which of his parts had been replaced by cybernetic ones. The only outward sign of his nature was the lack of a facemask, and she couldn’t resist an envious sigh. She was already tired of wearing hers every time she was outside. Pushing her jealousy aside, she gave him an uncertain smile.
“Umm, hi. I’m Ellie.”
“I am L-485.”
He looked down at her, and her breath caught as their eyes met for the first time. His were stern and grey and might have been intimidating, but instead she felt an immediate connection to the big male. For a brief second she thought she saw a similar response on his face, but then he looked away, his face hardening.
