“I didn’t need it.” The smile she had wished for appeared, transforming his face from rugged to devastatingly attractive, but it was the warmth in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat. She found herself smiling back before she could control it. When she reached for the gun, he extended his other hand and gently touched her cheek. “I like seeing you smile.”
“Isn’t that sweet—” Rochester began with a sneer, before J-100 hauled him to his feet and knocked him unconscious.
It happened so fast that she could only stare.
“I was getting tired of him anyway,” J-100 said, flashing her another grin as he threw Rochester over his shoulder. With no apparent difficulty, he gathered up the other hybrid’s body as well and headed for the door.
“Lock the door. Shoot anyone who isn’t me,” he ordered again, and with a reluctant smile, she obeyed.
He returned with astonishing speed. She had barely started her review of the information she had provided the Judge when he knocked quietly on the door.
“They’re safely tucked away,” he assured her as she let him in. “The building is still quiet.”
“That’s good. Most of the staff hadn’t arrived before the hybrids showed up.” Except Alan. They hadn’t been close, but she was going to miss him.
“What are you going to do now?” J-100 watched her as she returned to her desk. “You told your friends to let Earth Government know about this incident.”
“They’re not my friends,” she responded instinctively, and sighed again. “They came to assist because they appreciated my discretion.”
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t question her, striding over to the window instead. “Everything outside appears to be quiet as well. Do you intend to remain here?”
“I suppose.” Although she had little hope that her employers would be understanding, an Earth Government investigation could distract them and allow her to remain in her position. A position she held for one reason and one reason only—a reason that seemed increasingly out of reach.
It wasn’t just the possible repercussions from the mutiny and the involvement of the cyborg rangers. GenCon had focused their efforts to reproduce the cyborg technology on the hybrids, but so far, those efforts did not seem to be paying off. Would anyone willingly undergo the transformation from a person to whatever the hybrids became? Was it affecting them mentally as well as physically, she wondered, or were all the subjects desperate enough to agree already unbalanced?
“Is GenCon sending more hybrids?” J-100 had turned away from the window and was studying her. She recognized the appreciative look in his eyes, and although she had learned to take advantage of it when men looked at her like that, she found she had no desire to manipulate him.
“The next ship isn’t scheduled to leave the earth for another month,” she said honestly. “That is, of course, if they have told me the truth. Open communication is not a GenCon priority. That being said, there was something in this set of data…”
Something was still nagging at her about the information she had reviewed while preparing the list of locations for Wyatt. She turned back to her computer and brought up the records for the past six months, scrolling rapidly as she searched. Despite her concentration, she was aware that J-100 had moved to stand behind her. He wasn’t touching her, but she could feel the heat emanating from his big body as she forced herself to concentrate on the screen.
“Here.” She tapped the record and pulled up the data. “There’s a ninth location. I overlooked it earlier because none of the hybrids were assigned there, but there’s been an unusual amount of supplies allocated to it. Lab supplies. And here, this reference to cultivation. I thought at the time that there was something odd but was told not to worry about it.”
“Cultivation,” he repeated thoughtfully. “And you said lab supplies. What do you think they’re cultivating in that lab?”
“Somehow I doubt it’s agricultural. And while there is another lab that’s working on ways to use the existing nanite technology to enhance human abilities, those records are all clearly identified. Which makes me suspect that this project is more illicit.”
“Do you think they’re trying to create more of these abominations?” he asked bluntly.
“I don’t know. It could be that they are simply pursuing another line of inquiry. The goal is to enable humans to live on Mars as easily as the cyborgs, but without becoming cyborgs themselves.”
“Because of the laws surrounding the rights of cyborgs.” It wasn’t a question, and she shot him a surprised look. He grinned at her, and once again the expression turned his face from harsh to surprisingly attractive. “Don’t look so surprised. I know quite a lot about cyborgs and politics.”
“Why aren’t you a ranger?”
He shrugged. “Not much of a joiner.”
“But you were in the military?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He smiled at her again, but somehow she didn’t think he was telling her the complete truth. On the other hand, she had no intention of revealing all her secrets to him either. Which brought her attention back to the records.
The official lab had been making some progress, but it was painfully slow. She suspected that it would be several more years before the technology advanced to the point where it would be useful to her. But a secret lab, one less constrained by official protocols… Was it possible that they had advanced further along the path? Her heart skipped a beat.
Shouts erupted outside the window, and the two of them hurried over to see two of the cyborg rangers marching a hybrid towards the building.
“It appears the rangers have things under control again,” she said slowly. “And it looks as if they’re going to take advantage of our holding cells. Perhaps I should inform the corporate office they have assumed control of the building.”
J-100’s eyes sharpened. She suspected he knew as well as she did that the rangers were unlikely to try and displace her. “And if they are in control, you would be unable
