“That is of no concern. He will remain with me and stand guard.”
“There’s nothing to worry about here,” Dr. Renfrey assured her.
“Company policy. Please show me to my rooms. As you said, it was a tiring journey.”
“Certainly. Right this way.” As he led the way into one of the tunnels, he babbled nervously about the progress they were making. Since she had no idea about the official purpose of the lab, she let him ramble on, but her silence obviously unnerved him and his words finally petered out as he came to a halt in front of a door.
“This is the suite,” he said, opening the door panel with an anxious look at her.
Interesting. It was just as elaborate as her rooms in New Arcadia. An exquisitely furnished central living area was flanked by an office to one side and a bedroom to the other. Instead of a view, the three rooms were gathered around another atrium, this one filled with an impressive display of plants.
“This is acceptable,” she said briskly, ignoring the doctor’s nervous smile. “I will give you one hour to make sure that everything is in order. Then we will begin.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll be back then.” Dr. Renfrey rushed away.
“He seems very nervous,” John said thoughtfully.
“He certainly does. But why? This is a GenCon facility, and I’m in charge of their work here on Mars.”
“Except you didn’t know about this place.”
“But does he know that? If he does, why go along with our visit? And if he doesn’t, why is he so nervous?”
John shook his head. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”
“I think the first order of business is to see if there’s any indication that they’re trying to create hybrids here.”
“Agreed. But what’s the second order, Serena?”
She wanted to tell him, she really did, but the words just wouldn’t come out. In the end, she shrugged as casually as possible. “If it’s not hybrids, I want to know what they’re really working on.”
From the look on his face, he knew she hadn’t told him the entire truth, but he let it drop. He paced to the atrium and back, then headed for the door. “I’m going to have a look around. I want to know what we’re up against.”
She stared after him in dismay but his leaving only served to reinforce her doubts. It was inevitable, after all. The more rational side of her brain argued that an exploratory surveillance was hardly the same thing as abandoning her, but the protective shell around her heart refused to listen.
John returned just before Dr. Renfrey reappeared so they had no additional time to talk. She longed to know if he had found anything, but her questions would have to wait. She had spent the time logging into the lab system. Her credentials appeared to work but there were several odd menu options and she suspected that there were additional items hidden from her.
The official purpose of the lab was cultivation, and most of the information available in the system dealt with the experiments they had been doing to develop plants suitable for the Martian climate. She knew it was something GenCon had been interested in pursuing, but she was sure that there was more going on here than just plant development.
Despite her assurance, nothing that Dr. Renfrey showed them suggested any alternatives. She wondered again if John had managed to locate anything else. As soon as they were alone again, they would have to talk. And possibly, she thought with a little shiver of excitement, they could do more than just talk. The memory of their earlier encounter replayed in her brain, and her nipples hardened beneath the thin silk of her blouse. She looked up to find John watching her, the undeniable heat in his eyes mixed with equally obvious affection. And her heart skipped a beat.
Yes, she definitely wanted to be alone with him again.
John hid a smile as pink tinted Serena’s cheekbones and she looked away from him. He recognized the signs of her arousal and was relieved that she hadn’t completely shut him out. He’d thought she’d finally let him in but as soon as they were inside the lab, her walls started to reappear. His frustration had driven him out of their rooms before he said something he regretted, but as soon as he left, he realized he didn’t want to leave her alone in this place. Instead of exploring, he had lurked pathetically in the corridor until he heard Dr. Renfrey returning.
The tour had gone well enough, but something about the place triggered his sense of unease. Everyone was polite, but they all seemed nervous, almost afraid. He could understand that having the boss visit might be nerve-wracking, especially given Serena’s reputation, but this seemed excessive.
The other thing that bothered him was how few people occupied the lab. It was a large facility, obviously designed to hold hundreds of people, but they encountered fewer than a dozen. He surreptitiously triggered his cybernetic censors but only registered a few more people.
“You seem a little understaffed,” he said to the doctor.
The man jumped, then blinked owlishly from behind his glasses. “We’re expecting some additional… scientists on the next transport. We have to get the right people. Isn’t that right, Ms. Gatling?”
He had the odd sensation that there was a deeper meaning to the question. The doctor seemed overly relieved when Serena nodded.
They ate dinner with Dr. Renfrey and one of his colleagues, an equally nervous little man named Dr. Ignatius. The food was surprisingly excellent, but the stilted conversation made the whole experience uncomfortable. He would much rather have been back in the cramped habitat with Serena, drinking tasteless broth.
“We need to return to your quarters, Ms. Gatling,” he said abruptly as soon as the meal was finished.
Serena gave him a startled look but rose to join him. “I’m afraid my guard is right. I
