Page 9 of The Cyborg Way
He sighed and hunched down next to Sam.
“This may involve GenCon,” he warned.
“I have no allegiance to them—and even less trust.”
“There is a… settler in my territory who discovered a small lizard living in her lichen. It almost seems to be native to the planet, but everything I know leads me to believe that’s impossible. And the only alternative…”
“Is a GenCon experiment.” Sam nodded, then shot him another quick look. “A female settler, by any chance?”
“Yes,” he said evenly, glad that his nanites would not permit him to show embarrassment.
“Then I suppose she is already protective of this small creature.”
Levi couldn’t hide his surprise, and Sam gave him a wry smile. “I have a wife and a daughter—I am quite familiar with their protective instincts towards anything they perceive as helpless.”
“But what if it’s not helpless? What if it could endanger her in some way despite its size?”
Sam rocked back on his heels, nodding thoughtfully.
“A lizard you say?”
“Yes, with wings.”
That odd expression crossed the other male’s face again.
“My wife believes that the lighter gravity on Mars may have encouraged winged… creatures.”
Levi waited, but Sam didn’t add anything else.
“Do you think I should report it to GenCon?” he asked tentatively, relieved when Sam immediately shook his head.
He did not want to disappoint Ellie, but more than that, when she had mentioned the possibility of the corporate scientists experimenting on Henry, he’d felt a pang of sympathy. Even though he had chosen to become a cyborg, he still remembered the horrifying feeling of being restrained on the lab table as the doctors began the transformation. His volunteer status made no difference—once they began their work, he was no longer human to them, just another experiment. How much worse would it be for a small, defenseless animal?
“But what if he turns out to be dangerous in some way? I wouldn’t want to take any chances with Ellie’s safety.”
Once again Sam gave him a penetrating look, but didn’t ask any questions. Instead, he nodded thoughtfully.
“My wife has several scanners in her equipment. You could use one of them to examine him—it might also help to determine his origin. If you would permit it, I’m sure she would also be interested in seeing the results.”
“I have no objection to her seeing them, but would she be required to share the results with GenCon?”
Sam grinned and shook his head.
“They have a mutual understanding. Since she is more valuable to them than they are to her, she has a wide degree of freedom.”
“Good. In that case, it would be helpful—and I’d like to have some answers as well.”
Sam had given him the scanner and sent him on his way. Even though he’d been tempted to return to Ellie immediately, night was falling and most of the settlers kept early hours. She might already be in that cozy nest of a bed. His cock jerked at the image. What would it be like to join her there, to kiss her again and hold her body against his?
He was still torn about the kiss. He wanted to believe that her response had been genuine. It had certainly felt real at the time—but why would a young, beautiful human be interested in him?
Maybe she’s just lonely.Although she certainly didn’t have to be. As he’d warned her on many occasions, the small number of women on Mars were highly valued. He’d made it quite clear to the men in his territory that she was under his protection and that she would have to initiate any relationship. So far, she’d made no attempt to find companionship amongst the other settlers.
Perhaps she doesn’t want a permanent companion.If that were true and she’d assumed any… involvement between them would be temporary, was he prepared to accept it? He’d never had any inclination for short term relationships. Even back on Earth when so many soldiers indulged in casual liaisons, they had never appealed to him.
He sighed. This was all useless speculation, especially since he was still not convinced that she was attracted to him. Although when he’d thought about their kiss as he rode away, he was sure he had detected the sweet scent of her arousal. Enthusiasm might be faked, but her body’s reaction could not be. Perhaps they could… discuss the matter further when he returned.
But not tonight. He realized that while he’d been debating the matter, Blaze had already started heading towards Ellie’s claim. He shook his head and guided the horse back towards ranger headquarters instead. Due to his cybernetic enhancements he didn’t really need to sleep, but most of the cyborgs continued to observe some type of rest state during the night hours. However, he simply tossed restlessly on his bunk before getting up as soon as the sky lightened, frustrated and aroused.
