Love in Retrograde (4 page)

“It’s rude to stare.”

Kelly took a sip from his large coffee mug in an attempt to hide. They were
not
off to a good start. “Sorry.” He cleared his throat and took another sip, wishing he could crawl under the table and hide there for the remainder of this ludicrous endeavor.

“I am more than a
thing
to be gawked at.” Mars’s amber eyes bored into Kelly.

“What?” Kelly put his coffee down and met Mars’s gaze. He refused to be intimidated, especially when he was being accused of something he hadn’t done. “I don’t appreciate your assumption. I wasn’t looking at you as if you were a thing. I was admiring you.” Okay, so maybe it was more like ogling, but not for the reasons Mars believed.

“Admiring?” Mars cocked his head to one side. He studied Kelly before he looked down at himself. With a curious smile, he put a hand to his chest before he turned his gaze back on Kelly. “You find me attractive?”

“I, um….” Kelly motioned to his breakfast. “I should finish this before it gets cold.” Or this conversation gets any more awkward. Highly possible since Kelly was a part of it. He ate breakfast as quickly as he could without choking, while doing his best to ignore Mars’s scrutiny.

“Why don’t you answer my questions?” Mars asked, his tone more curious than annoyed.

“Because I don’t want to.”

Kelly groaned inwardly. He was an intern for the Photonic Royal Society, and the best he could come up with was “I don’t want to”? Mars’s dark brows drew together, and before he could ask any more questions, Kelly finished up, then placed his plate and cutlery in the SteamCube. “Why don’t we get dressed? In separate rooms. Obviously. Not that you didn’t know that. Anyway, we should get started on those tests. Thanks for breakfast.” Before Mars could say a word, Kelly darted from the room. He needed a do-over. This wasn’t going at all as he imagined. If Lucius were here, he’d definitely revoke Kelly’s internship.

Shower. He needed a nice cold shower.

Once he’d showered and dressed, he found the supersoldier waiting for him in the medical room next to Mars’s bedroom. Mars sat in a white padded chair, his wrists and ankles beneath the glass half-moon scanners. When Kelly approached the glass tablet beside Mars’s head, he noticed the cheeky smile on the man’s face. It was best he not ask. Had Mars been programmed to be a smart aleck, or had he learned that too?

Just as Jordan had stated, all Kelly had to do was tap a button on the screen, and the interface did its thing. At least that’s what he thought until Mars’s amber eyes turned a pale blue color before his irises disappeared.

“Shit, something’s wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong,” Mars assured him.

“Your eyes. They’re glowing blue.” Shit. His first day, and he’d already messed up. Oh God, had he broken him? What was the price for breaking a nanoengineered human? More than the pitiful amount in his bank account. That was for sure. He could hear Lucius telling him off already, and Jordan—

“They’re supposed to glow.”

Kelly’s pulse slowed to a normal level. “They are?” Of course they are. All perfectly normal. The guy needed to come with a manual. Wait, did he have a manual?

“It means I’m connected.”

“To what?” There were no wires, straps, clamps, pads, or any kind of device touching Mars.

“Everything. The world. Right now, the network. I’m downloading
Casablanca
. Jordan lets me download a new film every day.”

Kelly found himself smiling at the childlike happiness on Mars’s face at getting to download a movie. “So you can connect to the web anytime?”

“Yes, but Jordan has instructed I limit my sessions to what’s requested on my schedule for the day, and my films. Downloading too much at once can short-circuit me.” He tapped the side of his head before scrunching up his nose. “I suspect Jordan is trying to protect me from what I might find. He’s not like the others. Neither are you.”

“Oh?” Maybe he hadn’t messed up.

“You’re kind. You don’t see me as a machine.” His expression turned curious. “Unless you generally find yourself attracted to machines. Are you technosexual?”

Well, that was something he’d never been accused of. “Um, no. Just a regular guy who likes guys.”

Mars smiled widely. “I like guys too.”

“Great. That’s really great.” Kelly smiled and turned back to the screen, aware of Mars settling back in his chair, his smile still on his face. Why did Kelly always have to make things awkward? It was good to know he was as smooth with nanoengineered men as he was with regular men.

Kelly watched the glowing screen. He had no idea what kind of tests were being run. The text was moving far too fast for the human eye to discern. After a few minutes the scrolling stopped, the words “Analysis complete” appearing on screen. Mars sat up, and Kelly instinctively took a step back.

“Now what?”

Mars stood and smiled. “With the neuroglial analysis complete, now comes the physical analysis.”

He left the room, and Kelly followed. He had no idea what the physical analysis would entail, but he had to admit to feeling a little anxious as they approached the extensive training bay where Jordan and Mars had sparred the night before. Once inside, the doors swished shut behind Kelly, giving him a start.

“There’s no need to feel frightened,” Mars said with a smile. “No harm will come to you in my presence.”

Kelly arched an eyebrow. “I’m not scared. Who said I’m scared?” He was not scared.

“Your pulse, your body language, and your pheromones.”

“My
what
?” This was new.

Mars took a seat on the padded steel bench to the right of the door. He removed his sneakers and socks, his smile never faltering. “Your body releases pheromones whether you are aware or not.”

Kelly stared at him. “And you can smell that?”

“Yes. I have heightened senses. Far greater than that of the average human.”

He stood in nothing but his loose black yoga pants. Kelly swallowed hard. He stood exceptionally still as Mars came to a halt in front of him. Taking a steady breath, he lifted his chin to meet Mars’s amber eyes. They were stunning, the gold around his irises almost glowing. When Mars next spoke, his voice was low and gravelly.

“Fear isn’t the only pheromone a human is capable of releasing.”

“Maybe, um—” Kelly dropped his gaze to Mars’s lips before quickly returning his attention to Mars’s eyes. “—you should get started.” He cleared his throat and stepped away. Whatever was happening, it ended now. Mars was not some random guy he’d met on the street or at the coffee shop. He wasn’t even a coworker. The guy wasn’t even a guy. He was a biological organism created in a lab with the most advanced nanotechnology in existence. He belonged to the Photonic Royal Society. The fact that he looked like a regular guy, spoke like one, and acted like one, didn’t mean he was one.

Kelly took a seat on the bench Mars had vacated, his shoulders rounded as he collected himself. He was here to observe, to run tests. Nothing more.

Two of the holographic tubes hanging from the ceiling flickered to life, projecting a screen with Mars’s image and his information, along with his pulse rate, heartbeats per minute, and 3D neuroimaging monitoring his brain’s activity. Kelly was fascinated. His attention was pulled away by Mars approaching the paneled wall Jordan had accessed during their sparring last night.

Placing his palm to the sleek surface, the panel opened to reveal a vast array of weapons. Mars picked up a silver band, which he secured to his wrist. With the tap of his finger, it expanded into a fingerless gauntlet. From that he moved on to two hefty-looking nanoweapons. Holding one in each hand, both firearms released a brief but high-pitched sound as they charged, the string of red lights along the barrel turning blue to signify they were ready to discharge.

Kelly gripped the edge of the bench to either side of him as Mars strolled back to the mats and faced away from him. He stood at attention, his arms at his sides, weapons in hand as he spoke.

“Initiate Mars test sequence.”

A female voice Kelly figured belonged to the training bay’s interface replied, “Initiating sequence M2093.”

Mars’s jaw muscles flexed. “Secure Dr. Sutton.”

What the hell was going on? Kelly stood when four of the holographic tubes dropped from the ceiling, coming to a halt in front of him. They spread out to take position around him, forming a square. The tubes clicked and expanded up several feet high before transmitting a nanoshield around him. Kelly frowned, his hand going to the invisible wall before him. It tingled his hand but prevented him from leaving the ten-foot-square area.

“What is this?” Kelly asked.

“For your protection. The sequence initiated is combative,” Mars replied.

Combative? Wait…. “Shouldn’t you be wearing a vest or something? Or at least a damn shirt? Mars?”

Mars didn’t reply. He stood motionless as several panels around the room opened, revealing small nanolight cannons. The hairs on the back of Kelly’s neck stood on end. It was silly. This was a training sequence. Surely they wouldn’t try to really hurt Mars. Small glowing shields appeared before the cannons, and from where he stood, Kelly could just about make out the red targets.

The first cannon fired, and Mars dove out of the way. To Kelly’s horror, more than one cannon fired at a time. Mars leaped and rolled, firing at the red targets and turning them green. If one of those nanolights hit Mars, there was no telling what it would do. Had Mars done this before? Judging by the way he moved, how he dropped and rolled, sprang to his feet and ran, firing both weapons, it was clear he had. It was a sight to behold, and Kelly was mesmerized. He’d never seen anyone move like that. Mars was beautiful. The way his muscles moved, how lithe his body was, how there was no hesitation on his part. He was in complete control of his body and his abilities, as if there was no thought process needed, only action and reaction.

The cannons multiplied, and Kelly swallowed hard. Mars tapped the gauntlet, the edges of a large light shield appeared before it faded, but Kelly was more than aware that just because he couldn’t see it didn’t signify it wasn’t there. Technology had come so far, and yet, as he watched Mars fire his weapons and block with his shield, he wondered how far they had really come. Suddenly the cannons stopped and the panels closed. Was that it? Was it over? Just as the thought crossed his mind, half a dozen floor-level panels opened, and three-dimensional holographic soldiers flooded out. Kelly couldn’t help his gasp. The digital soldiers might not be real, but the weapons in their hands and the way they all charged Mars said the pain they were programmed to inflict, the blood they’d draw from Mars, would be very real.

KELLY STOOD
helpless.

It was an odd sentiment to have, considering Mars was the supersoldier. A thin sheen of sweat covered his muscular body as he took on the digital army. One after another, the programmed men and women met their demise. Once Mars’s weapons had released their final charge, he proceeded to eliminate the threats with hand-to-hand combat, using whatever weapons the soldiers had against them. Kelly took a step back, a shiver running through him at the brutality of the too real display. Mars was a killing machine. The strength behind his fist caused it to plunge through a digital soldier’s chest. He snapped their necks with ease, his kick sending them hurtling several feet away. Did they really need to program all the blood? The sound of shattering bones? The screams?

Just when Kelly thought it couldn’t get worse, more figures emerged from the panels, but to Kelly’s horror, he realized the next wave of digitized beings weren’t soldiers. They were men, women, and children. Civilians. Kelly shakily took a breath, feeling as though his legs would give out. He felt sick to his stomach, and he pressed his palms against the shield in the hopes of not crumbling to his knees. He wanted to look away, but he found he couldn’t. Mars killed without hesitancy, swift yet vicious. Did he know what he was doing? What it all meant? This wasn’t just an analysis. It was training, conditioning. The more people Mars killed, the more were sent out against him. It had gone beyond a fictitious war between warriors. It was a massacre. A never-ending sea of very soon to be corpses.

The bodies piled up, limp and dead, bones protruding, streams of blood spreading. None managed to touch Mars, much less inflict any damage. Yet for all of Mars’s actions, it was his expression that terrified Kelly the most. There was no emotion, no remorse. It was a task to be carried out like any other. Tears welled in Kelly’s eyes. This had
nothing
to do with advancing human life and everything to do with taking it. It wasn’t at all what Jordan believed. They hadn’t created Mars because he had no family or loved ones to mourn his death should he fall on the battlefield. They’d created him to be void of humanity. To kill another human being without feeling remorse, without suffering PTSD. No moral compass to guide him.

Mars spun and threw an arm around a man’s neck, his gaze landing on Kelly. His brows drew together, and for a split-second, he stilled. Movement to Mars’s right caught Kelly’s eye, and he screamed. Mars jumped out of the way, but not before the knife grazed his side, drawing blood. At that moment, the lights flickered, and the sea of dead bodies disappeared. The panels slid shut, and the bay plunged into silence, like nothing had happened. The holographic tubes projecting the shield around Kelly beeped, clicked, and closed before returning to their previous positions high above them.

Mars ran over to Kelly, and Kelly retreated on instinct until his back hit the wall. The hurt and confusion in Mars’s expression squeezed at Kelly’s heart. If Kelly didn’t know Jordan had spent years with Mars, he would have bolted from the place and never looked back. His brain yelled at him to get the hell out of there, but his heart held him in place. How could someone with such warmth in his eyes cause so much destruction?

“You’re afraid… of me?”

Kelly swallowed hard but remained where he stood as Mars slowly drew closer. He lifted a hand toward Kelly, then seemed to think better of it.