Chapter 10 #2
Unable to bear her friend’s scrutiny, she carried her sample case to her workstation and started unloading it, apologizing for her reckless behavior.
“What was so important, and where have you been all this time?” Cass demanded.
She wanted to tell her friend everything but with Z-542 still present, she simply admitted to the discovery of some organic material.
Even that was a shocking discovery, but she trusted the cyborg ranger’s discretion to that extent.
But then Cass took his hand, and she realized that their previously prickly relationship had changed.
“I see things have changed while I was away,” she said dryly and Cass explained that they too had been trapped by the storm.
Cass told her that they had discovered plant life as well. “But we also discovered something else entirely,” she continued. “Something alive.”
A wave of dizziness washed over her. Were there more like Rhyx?
“Alive and not… not a plant?” she asked frantically. “What happened to him—it?”
“It’s dead,” Z-542 said bluntly, and her knees gave out, collapsing down into her chair.
It wasn’t until Cass mentioned claws that she realized they had encountered something completely different—a large predatory species.
“That’s incredible,” she murmured. “All these life forms emerging at the same time.”
“All?” Z-542 asked, and she felt the heat creeping over her cheeks as she changed the subject. They decided to request quarantine protocols for both locations, and it wasn’t until Z-542 left to put the process in motion that Cass rounded on her.
“All right. What’s going on? You disappeared for almost a week with no supplies, no backup, and no goddamn explanation.”
“I had supplies in the rover. And the cave had… resources.” Like a seven-foot-tall alien who fed me berries and made love to me until I forgot my own name. “I was fine. Really.”
Cass looked like she wanted to argue, but something in Alina’s expression must have given her pause. Her friend stepped back, studying her with the kind of intensity usually reserved for particularly puzzling rock samples.
“You look different,” Cass said slowly.
“Different how?”
“I don’t know. Less… uptight? You’ve got this glow about you.” Her eyes widened. “Oh my God. Did you meet someone out there?”
Her face went hot. “What? No! I was in a cave! In a dust storm! Who would I possibly—”
“Your whole face just turned the color of a Martian sunset. You absolutely met someone.”
“Can we please not do this in the lab?”
Cass grabbed her arm and started dragging her towards the residential quarters. “You’re right. This requires privacy. And possibly alcohol. Roland!”
The small cybernetic armadillo perched on Cass’s shoulder chirped an acknowledgment, its optical sensors whirring.
“Keep an eye out for anyone who might interrupt us,” Cass ordered. “Especially anyone wearing too much cologne.”
Roland chirped again and took off down a side corridor, presumably to stand guard.
She allowed herself to be dragged into Cass’s quarters—a small but comfortable space that somehow managed to feel lived-in despite the standardized furniture. She collapsed onto the narrow bunk while Cass sealed the door and pulled out a bottle of something amber-colored from a hidden cabinet.
“Whiskey?” She raised an eyebrow. “It’s barely noon.”
“It’s five o’clock somewhere on Earth. And you look like you need it.” Cass poured two generous measures and handed one over. “Now talk. What the hell happened out there?”
She took a long sip, letting the burn of the alcohol steady her nerves. “It’s… complicated.”
“Most interesting things are.”
She sighed and started from the beginning—the anomalous readings, the decision to investigate, the storm that had trapped her in the cave. Cass listened without interruption, her expression shifting from concern to curiosity to outright astonishment as the story progressed.
“Wait.” Her friend held up a hand. “Back up. You found a what?”
“A cavern with a fully functional ecosystem. Plants, water collection systems, breathable air—the whole thing is a self-sustaining biosphere.”
“That’s… that’s incredible. That’s a career-making discovery, Alina. That’s—”
“There’s more.”
Cass’s eyes sharpened. “More than an ancient Martian ecosystem?”
She drained the rest of her whiskey in one long swallow. “There was someone in the cavern. Someone who’d been in stasis. Someone who…” She hesitated, trying to find words that wouldn’t sound completely insane. “Someone not human.”
The silence stretched for a long moment.
“Not human,” Cass repeated carefully. “As in… alien?”
“His name is Rhyx. He’s… I don’t even know how to describe him.
He’s tall—over seven feet—with golden scales and blue eyes and these memories of ancient Mars, from before the atmosphere collapsed.
” The words came faster now, tumbling over each other in their rush to escape.
“He was in some kind of stasis pod, and when I touched it, he woke up, and—”
“Holy shit.”
“—we’ve been together ever since. He doesn’t understand modern Mars, doesn’t know anything about humans or the colony, but he’s learning so fast, Cass, and he’s protective and gentle and—”
“You slept with him.”
Her mouth snapped shut.
Cass stared at her. “You slept with an alien.”
“That’s… an oversimplification.”
“Is it? Did you or did you not have sexual relations with a non-human entity?”
“I—” She buried her face in her hands. “Yes. Okay? Yes. Multiple times.”
“Multiple times?”
“Can we please focus on the larger implications here?”
Cass grabbed the whiskey bottle and poured herself another drink. “Alina, you just told me you discovered evidence of ancient intelligent life on Mars and then slept with it. I think I’m entitled to a moment of processing.”
“He’s not an it. He’s… he’s a person. A thinking, feeling person who happens to have scales.” She stopped, realizing she was only making things worse. “Cass, please. I need help. If anyone finds out about him—”
“They’ll dissect him in a lab somewhere. I know.” Cass took a long drink, her expression troubled. “God, Alina. This is… this is huge. This is ‘rewrite all of human history’ huge.”
“I know.”
“GenCon would kill to get their hands on something like this. Literally kill.”
“I know.”
Cass was quiet for a moment, her mind visibly working through the implications. Then she looked up, and her face softened.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “Okay. First things first—we need to figure out how to keep this secret. That means coming up with a cover story for your disappearance, something boring enough that no one asks follow-up questions.”
“I was thinking ‘sheltered in a cave, survived on emergency rations.’”
“Good start, but it needs details. What cave? What coordinates? What did you observe while you were there?”
“I can fabricate some readings. Make it look like a boring geological formation, nothing worth investigating.”
“Smart.” Cass nodded approvingly. “What about the original signal? The one that sent you out there in the first place?”
“I can claim it was a sensor malfunction. The storm interference could have caused all kinds of false readings. I’ve also encrypted all of the original files. Only you and I have access to them.”
“Also good.” Cass tapped her fingers against her glass. “But there’s still the problem of Martin.”
She grimaced. “I was hoping we could avoid that particular problem.”
“Not likely. I haven’t been back that long but I’ve already heard that he’s been prowling around like a man possessed ever since you disappeared.
Demanding search parties, making accusations, and generally being an insufferable ass.
” Cass’s expression darkened. “He’s also been very interested in what data you were analyzing before you left. ”
Of course he is. Martin had always been jealous of her work, always convinced that she was hiding something brilliant from him. The irony that he was actually right for once would have been amusing if it weren’t so terrifying.
“I’ll handle Martin,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “He doesn’t have any real authority here. As long as I keep my story straight—”
“There’s something else you should know.” Cass’s voice had gone serious in a way that made Alina’s stomach clench. “Something else happened during the storm.”
“What kind of something?”
“Zach—Z-542—was with me at the station and…” Cass’s cheeks flushed.
“And?”
Cass smiled, small and private. “Things happened.”
She blinked. “Things?”
“We’re mated. According to him, anyway.” Cass’s blush deepened. “Apparently cyborgs have this whole bonding thing.”
“Mated.” A slightly hysterical laugh escaped. “Cass, are you telling me we both got caught in the same storm and came out of it with… mates?”
“Seems that way.” Cass grinned. “Though I have to say, yours is considerably more alien than mine. Zach is at least partially human.”
“And you’ve known him for a year, even if you spent most of that time pretending to ignore him. But Rhyx is—” She stopped, searching for the right words. “He’s kind and curious and protective to a fault. I know it hasn’t been long, but I’ve never felt anything so completely right.”
“I wasn’t judging. Trust me, after the past few days, I’m in no position to judge anyone’s taste in men.” Cass reached over and squeezed her hand. “We’ll figure this out, Alina. Whatever happens, you’re not alone.”
“Thank you.” The words felt inadequate, but she knew Cass understood.
“Now,” Cass said, pouring them both another drink, “let’s talk logistics. Your Rhyx—he’s still in the cavern?”
“Yes. He promised to stay hidden for three days. After that…” She grimaced. “He made it pretty clear that he’d come looking for me.”
“That would be a problem.”
“I know.”
“We need to get you back to him before the three days are up. Bring supplies, establish some kind of communication system, maybe—”
The door burst open.
Martin Reece stood in the threshold, his pale eyes blazing with an emotion that made her skin crawl.
He looked like he hadn’t slept in days—his usually immaculate hair disheveled, his lab coat wrinkled, and dark circles under his eyes.
But his gaze was sharp, focused with an intensity that reminded her uncomfortably of a predator sighting prey.
“There you are.” His voice was soft, controlled, but there was an edge to it that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Alina.”
Cass was on her feet instantly, positioning herself between Martin and Alina. “This is a private residence, Reece. You can’t just—”
“I can do whatever I want when a colleague disappears for nearly a week without explanation.” Martin’s eyes never left Alina’s face. “Where were you?”
“I got caught in the storm.” She forced her voice to stay calm, and kept her expression absolutely neutral. Just stick to the story. Boring details. Nothing to investigate. “I found a cave in the foothills and waited it out.”
“For five days?”
“The storm lasted five days.”
“And you just happened to have enough supplies to survive that long?”
“All of the rovers are equipped with emergency rations. Standard protocol.” She stood, drawing on every ounce of scientific detachment she possessed. “I followed procedure, Martin. I survived. I don’t see what the problem is.”
“The problem—” He took a step into the room, and Cass moved to block him. “—is that you’ve been hiding something from me. I know you have. Those readings you were analyzing before you left—the anomalous signatures—you thought I didn’t notice, but I did. I always notice.”
Damn.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, but she could hear the tremor in her voice.
Martin smiled—a thin, satisfied expression that made her stomach turn. “Don’t you? Then why did your face just go pale? Why is your heart racing?” He leaned past Cass, close enough that Alina could smell his cologne—exactly as oppressive as she remembered. “What did you find out there, Alina?”
“Nothing. A cave. Some interesting rock formations. Nothing worth—”
“Liar.”
The word cracked through the room like a whip.
“That’s enough.” Cass’s voice was steel. “Get out, Dr. Reece. Now.”
“This doesn’t concern you, Dr. Winters.”
“Everything concerning my friends concerns me. And right now, you’re concerning me a great deal.” Cass’s hand dropped to her belt, where a small utility knife hung. “I said get out.”
Martin’s eyes flicked between them, calculating. For a moment, Alina thought he might push the issue and force a confrontation that would end badly for everyone. But then something shifted in his expression, and he stepped back, raising his hands in mock surrender.
“Of course. My apologies for the intrusion.” His smile never wavered, never reached his eyes. “We’ll continue this conversation later, Alina. I look forward to it.”
He turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.
Roland scampered in, chirping apologetically before Cass slammed the door shut and engaged the lock. “That man is a menace.”
“I know.” Her legs gave out, and she sank back onto the bunk. Her hands were shaking. “He knows something, Cass. Or suspects something. If he starts digging—”
“He won’t find anything. We’ll make sure of it.
” Cass crouched in front of her, gripping her shoulders.
“Listen to me. We’re going to handle this.
You’re going to go back to the lab, file your boring report about your boring cave, and then we’re going to figure out how to get your alien boyfriend somewhere safe. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“And if Martin tries anything—anything—you come straight to me. Or to Zach. Between the two of us, we can handle one creepy scientist.”
She nodded, though the cold knot of fear in her chest refused to ease. Martin had always been persistent, but she’d never seen so focused and intense, his usual condescension stripped away to reveal something darker underneath.
He’s obsessed, she realized. Not just with the discovery, but with me. With being the one to uncover whatever I’ve found.
And obsessed people didn’t give up easily.
“Three days,” she murmured.
“What?”
“I promised Rhyx I’d be back within three days. If I’m not—”
“You will be.” Cass’s grip tightened reassuringly. “Whatever it takes, Alina. We’ll get you back to him.”
She closed her eyes and thought of golden scales and blue eyes and a voice that called her mate like it was the most precious word in any language.
Three days. She could survive three days.
She had to.