Last Dragon on Mars (Dragons on Mars #1)

Chapter 1

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.

As a result, Earth Government had stripped them of their authority over the colonists. But they had not completely removed them, and they still had a strong presence on Mars. And probably more importantly as far as Martin was concerned, they had extremely deep pockets.

However she had no intention of getting involved with an organization that valued profit over human life.

“I’m not interested.”

His smile widened, thin and unpleasant.

“You should reconsider.”

She said nothing.

His face darkened, and for a second, something malevolent flashed in his eyes. It vanished so quickly she might have imagined it, but she still pushed her chair back, increasing the distance between them.

“Alina,” he said, his voice patronizing, “I don’t think you understand. Mr. Bentley is extremely interested in your research. This could have… substantial benefits for you.”

Her stomach tightened.

“How is he aware of my research? None of my results have been published yet.”

Another break in his composure. It wasn’t guilt—he was too self-centered to consider anything he did wrong—but annoyance that she’d raised the question.

“We’re all on the same side, aren’t we?” he said smoothly. “We all want to ensure the successful colonization of Mars. A little cooperation benefits everyone.”

“Really?” she asked, her tone sharpening. “What information is GenCon willing to share with us?”

He waved his hand again.

“Then this is the perfect opportunity for you to gain their cooperation.”

She shook her head and gave him a disgusted look.

“I have absolutely no intention of cooperating with GenCon, now or in the future,” she said firmly. “And if I find out that any of my confidential research has been provided to them, I won’t hesitate to report it.”

“Of course,” he agreed, but his dismissive tone couldn’t completely mask the flash of guilt.

“I must get back to work,” she added, already turning back to her computer.

For a moment she thought he would continue arguing, but thankfully he finally took a step back, his eyes drifting down over her body again.

“You’re quite right. Better to discuss personal matters outside the lab.”

“There are no personal matters between us, Dr. Reece.”

Her rejection couldn’t have been clearer, but as usual, he completely ignored it.

“Your modesty is admirable. But don’t worry. I have no intention of giving up. I do enjoy a woman who plays hard to get.”

Her jaw tightened, but before she could overcome her anger enough to respond, he turned and left the lab.

What the hell is wrong with him?

He certainly wasn’t the first man who’d been interested in her.

She was short and curvy rather than tall and elegant like Cass, but she wasn’t without her admirers.

However, she had no interest in relationships, especially when she was involved in such critical research.

She’d made that mistake once before, losing herself in a relationship that had almost cost her her degree and her self-respect.

She wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

Not in a place like this, where the community was small and mistakes lingered. Not when her work mattered more.

She had politely but decisively turned down anyone who approached her. A few of them had tried twice, perhaps even three times, but eventually they had stopped asking. Unlike Martin. She’d been rejecting him for well over a year, but he just didn’t seem to get the message.

She sighed and turned back to her monitor, then hesitated. Unwilling to be caught unaware again she went and locked the door to the lab before powering on the screen.

The signal was still there, still impossible, coming from within the mountains surrounding the valley where Border Town was located.

Disturbed by the implication that GenCon was aware of her research, she turned on an encryption algorithm that would mask the data she was processing, then considered her options.

The location of the signal wasn’t actually that far from Border Town. An hour’s journey, perhaps slightly more depending on the mountainous terrain. The temptation to go and see for herself was almost overwhelming. She’d told Cass truthfully that she wasn’t cut out for fieldwork.

But this isn’t really field work, she argued with herself. I just want to make sure the readings are accurate.

When Cass had left to pursue her own investigation, Alina had warned her that one of the powerful Martian dust storms was approaching.

But the station which Cass had headed to was significantly further away than the location she wanted to check.

She should have plenty of time for a quick trip there and back.

More than likely the readings were faulty. But if they weren’t…

A shiver of excitement ran down her spine.

If there was even one chance in a million that it was real, she couldn’t ignore it.

“I just need to confirm it,” she murmured.

She was writing a note for Cass before she even consciously made the decision to leave.

Cass—

Had an unexpected breakthrough with those samples from the western quadrant. Gone to check personally. Back before dark. Data on server under “Project Bloom.” Don’t tell Reece.

—A

Before leaving the lab, she adjusted the parameters of the survey she’d been running to avoid the area where the reading had appeared.

Then she added the correct area to her personal scanner, isolating the signal.

After a quick peek down the corridor to make sure Martin wasn’t still around, she headed for the hangar where the rovers were stored, her pulse racing.

If it was real—

If it was even remotely real—

Everything was about to change.