The Outlaw Cyborg (Cyborgs on Mars Book 5)

by Honey Phillips

  “Will you have time before she returns?”

  He gave her an unexpectedly impish grin. “Oh yes. It only takes a few minutes to prepare.”

  “You lied to her.”

  “If she’d ever bothered to read one of my reports, she would have known that.” He hesitated. “I’m not going to give you the transfusion, but I can’t guarantee that she won’t attempt it.”

  “You could let me go.”

  “Not yet. If this doesn’t work and she returns…” He shuddered. “I’m sorry, my dear, but you’re too valuable as a bargaining chip.”

  “And if it works?”

  “Then I will let you go,” he promised.

  She wasn’t entirely sure she believed him but at least it was a chance. She watched as he returned to his fellow scientists and took a small sample from each one. Then he added a drop of green crystalline substance into each neatly labeled vial.

  “You know this is going to hurt, gentlemen,” he said finally. “But we will come out the other side—better, stronger, faster. We will prevail.”

  There were murmurs of assent, then each scientist lay down on a lab table. Dr. Renfrey moved from one to the other, injecting the contents of the appropriate vial, before finally injecting himself. He looked at Serena as he did so, and she did her best to smile at him. For his sake—and her own—she hoped it worked.

  A few seconds later, the screaming started.

  Chapter Eighteen

  With each mile the train traveled, separating him from Serena, John’s urgency increased, but he forced himself to work methodically at his chains. Far too much distance had been covered by the time he worked himself free but he didn’t have time for regrets. He climbed along the row of cars until he reached the engine and seized control from the autopilot. Reversing the course of the train, he recklessly increased the speed until all of the instruments were in the red zone.

  The night had passed while he was confined and now the pale Martian sunrise illuminated the surrounding landscape as it flew by outside the open window. The surrounding mountains were silhouetted against the sky in an awe-inspiring display but all his concentration was focused on squeezing more speed from the engine. Steam poured from the engine compartment and he could hear an ominous clanking, but he didn’t care.

  He had to get back to Serena. He only prayed he wasn’t too late.

  Serena didn’t know how long the screaming lasted, but it seemed like hours as she huddled against her table and tried to pretend she was anywhere else. When it finally died down, she was almost afraid to look, but the men rising from the lab tables didn’t look any different as they climbed down. Several wandered over to their computers while others milled around uncertainly.

  And then Dr. Renfrey appeared in front of her. Superficially, he looked the same but his eyes… His eyes were no longer sane.

  “I promised,” he muttered as he fumbled at her restraints. “Promised to free you.”

  “Yes, you did. Thank you.”

  Another scientist popped up next to him, his eyes wild. “You’re from headquarters. Fucking GenCon.”

  “Pretty.” Now there was a third, and he reached out to stroke her leg.

  A fourth one snarled and knocked his hand away. “Mine.”

  By the time Dr. Renfrey released the final strap, she was surrounded by scientists. When she had met them before, they seemed insignificant, more interested in their work than in her. But now they were focused on her, expressions ranging from hostility to lust, and terror was an icy ball in her stomach.

  “Dr. Renfrey,” she said quietly. He was the only one who still seemed to retain any control.

  “Leave her,” he ordered, but they weren’t listening.

  Another hand reached for her, cold and strong, and a second grabbed her shirt sleeve and ripped it away. Her heart pounded so hard she felt sick.

  “What the hell is going on here?”

  She never thought she would welcome the sound of Louisa’s voice, but all of the men, with the exception of Dr. Renfrey, turned away from her and focused on Louisa instead. She heard muttered snarls as they started across the floor to the other woman.

  Louisa, of course, tried to brazen it out, ordering them back to their duties. They didn’t obey. Serena didn’t see who attacked first but the other end of the room exploded into chaos. One of the scientists went flying, then another, but there were too many, and Louisa disappeared beneath the bodies.

  “I… should do something.”

  “No.” Dr. Renfrey shook his head, but his eyes were focused on the carnage and he licked his lips. “It’s too late for her.”

  The struggle didn’t last long, and a curious stillness descended over the room as the fighting ceased. The men gradually wandered away. Perhaps the violence shocked whatever was left of their humanity, or perhaps they were simply sated. None of them looked at her.

  “You should go now,” Dr. Renfrey said, his voice dreamy. He started to reach for her, then pulled his hand back.

  “Where’s John?” she asked urgently. “I have to get him out of here. What did she do with him?”

  “Try the ship,” he murmured.

  She didn’t know where it was, but at least it was a start. “Thank you.”

  “Go,” he repeated, but as she made her way cautiously across the room, he followed her.

  She didn’t want to look at Louisa, but she couldn’t help it. The woman’s chest was literally ripped open, her heart removed, but even as Serena started to look away, she saw Louisa’s eyes open.

  Oh my God. She was still alive.

  Some foolish impulse drove her to her knees beside the body.

  “Louisa?”

  “I didn’t expect that.” The words were barely audible.

  “It must have been the nanites.”

  “You don’t want to believe that, do you? You want to think it was something else. That we were already monsters.” Louisa’s eyes closed, then fluttered open again. “Maybe that’s the secret. That we’re all monsters deep inside.”

  A last rattling breath and Louisa was gone.

  “Pretty.” A hand touched her hair and she looked up to find two of the scientists had returned. She had waited too long.

  She tried to scurry backwards, afraid to make any noise in case it attracted more attention. She cast a pleading look at Dr. Renfrey, but he only stared at her, that odd, dreamy look on his face. A cold hand closed around her ankle, dragging her back, as she searched frantically for something to use as a weapon.

  A harsh growl erupted and then John was there, crouching in front of her. She wanted to throw herself into his arms but she didn’t want to distract him. The hand released her ankle, and she tucked it beneath her. The two men stared at John, but then they ducked their heads and moved away.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, still glaring around the room.

  “Yes, now that you’re here.”

  “Did… did you get the nanites?”

  “No,” she said quietly. “I refused, and Dr. Renfrey didn’t force me.”

  “You refused? Oh, thank God.”

  The sound of his name seemed to catch Dr. Renfrey’s attention, and for a moment, his gaze focused on them. “You’re all right.”

  “Yes. Thanks to you and John. Are you all right?”

  His face distorted. “I can feel the madness squirming inside me. Go now.”

  “But what about you?”

  “No hope for me.” He looked around the lab at the other scientists. “Or for them. Time to die.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to blow it up,” he said, his expression far away. “It ends with us. You should go now.”

  He turned and wandered away.

  John put a gentle hand on her arm when she tried to go after Dr. Renfrey. “He’s right. Time to put an end to this. Let’s go.”

  She took a last look around, at Louisa’s body, at the obviously mad scientists, at Dr. Renfrey stooped over mo
re vials. He was right. There was no hope here.

  They were halfway to the entrance to the complex when John jerked and looked down at his wrist. He swore, then picked her up and started to run.

  “What is it?”

  “Your scientist friend doesn’t mess around. It’s going to be a hell of an explosion.”

  Even as he spoke, a low rumbling started behind them.

  “Will we make it?”

  When he didn’t answer her, she realized he didn’t think they would. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. “I love you, John.”

  “I love you too, Serena.”

  His pace increased, the walls flashing by as she clung to him. The rumbling increased as well, echoing through the stone tunnels. By the time he burst out of the lab entrance, her ears were ringing, but she heard him shout something as he leaped forward. For a confused moment, she thought the ground was moving beneath her, and then she realized they were astride Winston and he was flying across the desert in great, leaping strides. John thrust a breathing mask across her face as he bent low over the horse’s back, urging him on, and she huddled between his body and the horse’s.

  A deafening roar echoed across the desert, and she felt the ground shake, felt Winston stumble, but he never stopped moving.

  At last, the world went silent, and Winston gradually slowed and came to a halt. They slid off the horse’s back, and John put his arm around her. Together they watched the plume of dust rising into the sky.

  “I meant what I said,” she said, her eyes still fixed on the horizon. She could feel her cheeks burning.

  “What you said?”

  “That I… love you. It wasn’t because we were about to die.”

  “I know, love.”

  She looked up to find him watching her, his eyes as warm as ever.

  “I shouldn’t have sent you away,” she admitted

  “No, you shouldn’t have,” he agreed solemnly, then smiled. “I wasn’t going far. Unfortunately, I encountered Louisa.”

  She shuddered, her eyes going back to the distant dust column.

  “So I suppose that’s it,” she said quietly.

  John’s arm tightened around her. “Maybe the other lab will find a solution.”

  “Perhaps. But I’m not going to spend the next fifteen years obsessing about it.” She smiled up at him, feeling at peace for the first time since that long-ago night. “You’ve taught me that love doesn’t depend on biology.”

  “Well, maybe a little,” he teased gently, skating his hand down her side to squeeze her bottom, then frowned. “What’s this?”

  “What’s what?”

  He retrieved a small disk from her pocket and handed it to her.

  “Oh, that. It’s the records from the lab. I had just finished copying them when Louisa showed up.”

  She lifted her hand, preparing to toss the disk out into the desert but he stopped her. “Wait a minute. Are you sure you want to do that?”

  “Of course. The experiment was a failure.”

  “Not entirely. She looked human enough.”

  “But she was batshit crazy.”

  “Agreed. But back in your office, when this all began, you said that the Judge’s wife was a scientist. Do you trust her?”

  “I’m still not entirely sure that I trust anyone—other than you, of course. And yes, Winston, you too,” she added when the horse butted his head against her arm. “But all else being equal, I think she is a decent person.”

  “Then why not take it to her? Maybe she can figure out where they went wrong.”

  “I’m not sure I want to start hoping again.”

  “So don’t hope. One of my sergeants used to say that if you expect the worst and it happens, you’re not disappointed. If you expect the worst and it doesn’t happen, then it’s a nice surprise.”

  “He sounds like quite a philosopher.”

  “Yeah. He was one of the good ones.” He gave her a rueful smile. “Maybe there were more of them along the way than I cared to admit.”

  “Maybe it’s easier to remember positive things when you’re happy.”

  “Now who’s the philosopher?”

  She laughed and looked back out over the desert. Even the plume of dust had disappeared. “I think it’s time to leave.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “I like your idea. Let’s go visit Addie and the Judge.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Turning her back on the remains of the lab and her lost dream, Serena let John lift her onto Winston's back. He vaulted up after her, tucking her back against the warmth of his body. She could feel the iron bar of his erection against her buttocks and gave a teasing little wiggle.

  He growled appreciatively and reached round to enclose her breast in his big hand, stroking his thumb across her nipple. Her body responded immediately to his touch, softening and dampening in expectation. After having come so close to losing him, to losing herself, she wanted to reaffirm that they were alive and that they were together.

  Winston moved with an easy pace across the desert, heading back to what was left of the life she had known, but there was no rush. No urgency for anything except to be with John.

  “Turn me around,” she suggested, her voice low and breathless.

  “What?”

  “I want to face you.”

  With effortless strength, he complied and then her body was pressed tightly to his, his erection snug against the swollen heat of her needy pussy and his hard chest rubbing the aching peaks of her breasts.

  “Now isn't this better?” She leaned back far enough so that she could smile up at him.

  She could feel the tension in his body, the urgent throb of his cock against her, but despite his obvious arousal, his face was soft, his eyes warm and loving.

  “As long as you're in my arms, I'm happy,” he said and she couldn’t doubt the sincerity in his voice.

  An unexpected lump filled her throat. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

  “Love, you deserve everything. And I intend to make sure you have it all.” A shadow crossed his face as his hand came up to touch her cheek. “Or at least, anything that’s within my power to give you.”

  “You’re all I want.” As she said the words, she recognized the truth of them. “So much of wanting to have a child was because I didn't want to be alone. I wanted something—someone—I could hold onto.”

  “You can hold onto me. I promise you I have no intention of letting go.”

  “I believe you.” She gave a startled laugh. “I really do believe you. I thought I would never believe in anyone ever again.”

  He put his arms around her and pulled her close again. Even though she was aware of his arousal, aware of her own need, for the moment she was content just to let him hold her. The emptiness that had haunted her for so long had been filled, and in the end it wasn't even because he loved her but because she had let herself love him.

  As she soaked in the warmth of his presence, she spared a thought to the uncertain future. Her time at GenCon had undoubtedly come to an end and she had an unexpected sense of regret at the knowledge. The corporation’s motives might have been nefarious, but they had also achieved a lot in the pursuit of those goals. She was proud of the part she had played in making the settlement on Mars possible. Her job had demanded that she use her intelligence and the skills she had acquired. She suspected she was going to miss it.

  But that chapter of her life was behind her. Eventually she would have to decide on her next steps, but for right now, she was riding across the Martian desert with the man she loved holding her in his arms. His warmth surrounded her, keeping her protected from the icy breeze. With each step, his massive erection rubbed against the place where she needed him most and her lingering arousal flamed higher. Abandoning thoughts of the future—and the past—she concentrated on the present and the desire surging through her body.

  Perhaps they should find a spot to assemble the habitat. Or perhaps…


  Moving back just enough that she could reach between their bodies, she fumbled at the fastening of his pants.

  “What are you doing— Oh.” His words stumbled to a halt as she freed his erection and wrapped her hands around the heated bar of flesh.

  All of his muscles tightened as she lightly stroked the silky skin covering the hardness beneath. Pre-cum pearled on the wide head and she swirled her thumb through it before teasing at the sensitive underside.

  “Serena,” he groaned and she smiled, delighting at his weakness in her hands. Once it might have been about control, but now it was about giving him pleasure. She tightened her grip and stroked harder and faster, the way he had shown her. He stiffened even further beneath her fingers, then brought his hand down to cover hers. “If you keep that up, I'm going to explode right here.”

  “Good,” she purred.

  “As much as I'm tempted, if I get you wet, you'll get chilled.”

  “I'm already wet,” she teased. “But that gives me an idea.”

  Reluctantly releasing him, she fumbled at her own pants, but the awkward position made it difficult to get them off. Grasping her intentions, John reached down and effortlessly ripped a hole in the seam of the expensive pants. Her professional suit was in tatters and the perfectly polished Serena was gone forever, but she didn't regret her loss. Her present reality was infinitely more satisfying.

  Winston’s metal body rocked smoothly beneath her, forcing her now naked flesh against the heated bar of John’s erection. His hands clamped down on her ass, pulling her closer and spreading her folds so she could feel every delicious inch. He rubbed her slowly up and down his cock, moving easily in the almost embarrassing wetness that coated her slit. With each movement, he pressed against her swollen clit, building her excitement until she was poised on the edge of climax.

  “Come for me, love,” he ordered as he pushed his cock harder against her, sending a shivering vibration through her body, and with a helpless cry, she obeyed.