The Outlaw Cyborg (Cyborgs on Mars #5) - Honey Phillips Page 0,6

general hadn’t lied to him—it had been a painful process. But the most painful part had not been the fire surging through his veins as he acquired the nanites that drove his new technology. The most painful part had been losing his human side—and realizing how little there was to lose.

Now he looked out through the open door and across the enclosed landing field. A wide cement floor surrounded by labeled exits was topped with a segmented dome, all of it covered with orange dust. But even though the actual surface was hidden, he already knew what Mars would look like. He had spent the entire trip studying every piece of information he could find about the planet.

“Mr. Wales?” the official at the top of the ramp asked, comparing J-100’s identification card to his tablet.

“Yes.” His cybernetics were buried under his skin, invisible under most circumstances, and the general had asked him to keep them hidden until it was necessary to reveal his cyborg skills. But although the attendant called him by his human name, he knew that he was no longer that man.

“You have filed for a mining claim?” the attendant continued.

“Yes.”

“Report to entrance E. They will provide instructions on how to gather your supplies and—”

The man continued talking but J-100 was no longer listening. His attention had been drawn to a woman walking briskly across the far side of the landing field. A well-tailored dark suit clung to a tall, slender figure, graceful despite her brisk pace. His enhanced hearing could even pick out the quick tap of her heels. She was moving away from him, and all he could see was a short cap of white-blonde hair, gleaming in the drab surroundings. Despite the dusty, crowded chaos, she seemed to carry an invisible shield separating her from everyone else.

“Who is that?” he interrupted.

“Who is who?” the official asked impatiently, then looked up for the first time. He gulped when he took in J-100’s size. “Who are you asking about?”

“That woman, over there at the far end of the hangar.”

The man strained to see, and J-100 hoped she was visible to human eyes and that he hadn’t given away his enhanced vision. To his relief, the man’s eyes widened.

“You mean Ms. Gatling?”

“I don’t know. Blonde, dark suit.”

“That’s her.” The attendant lowered his voice confidentially. “She’s the managing director of GenCon operations on Mars. I know women are scarce up here, but you’d be better off forgetting you ever saw her.”

“Why?” he demanded, even though if she was working for GenCon, he would have no choice but to avoid her.

“She’s scary. And so cold she could freeze off your balls with one look. They call her the Ice Queen.”

Ice Queen? Some part of him was absolutely certain she was not as cold as she appeared to be. He forced the thought aside. Their paths would not be crossing, no matter how tempted he was by the idea. He had work to do.

But as he started down the ramp, he took one last look in her direction. She had turned to survey the busy area, and he could finally make out her face. Delicately carved features and pale, perfect skin. Her eyes were blue, a pale, almost icy shade, and for a moment they seemed to rest on him. He knew it was impossible—she was only human—but the shock of that contact went through him like a thunderbolt. For an interminable second, the two of them stood frozen, and then she was gone, disappearing behind a big door at the far end.

His instincts urged him to go after her, but he had made a commitment and he would not go back on his word.

Chapter Three

Serena followed her bodyguard away from the main landing field and into the area reserved for GenCon specific traffic, but for once, her mind was not on her job. When she had looked across the hangar and seen the huge figure coming down the ramp from the newly arrived ship, something like a shock of recognition had gone through her. It was ridiculous, of course. It must have been his size that caught her attention. The settlers were often large men and of course, the cyborg rangers tended to be big, but he was the largest man she had seen on Mars. Normally, she disliked oversized men, even though she had trained herself never to reveal that fact, but something about this one had made her feel safe rather than threatened.

Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself.