“Why down?”
“Because we need speed,” Kyle replied. “And if we try to climb, we’ll slow down. Presumably, the water flows toward a valley. Go!” He hopped forward, leaning back so he landed on his rump. A rock dug into the meat on the left side, making him hiss as he started sliding down the dirt.
The first root he hit threatened to toss him forward. Kyle rolled to the side instead, scraping down his stomach for a good five yards before regaining control. As he came up, he scampered for the nearest tree, putting that behind him and the top of the decline. A glance to his left showed Lysa had made it a little further than him.
Keep going, woman. They got to the halfway point, roughly one hundred feet toward the stream, when the weapon fire picked up again. So much for the search pattern. They must’ve found a way to get their sensors working. There’s no other explanation for finding us so fast.
The buzzing in his ear started up again, this time the distraction brought on a tension in his chest. Frustration with the interruption while trying to preserve his own life. He came up on his feet, managed to run a good ten feet before feeling his balance tip. He started to go forward, flailed his arm, got hold of a tree.
Pain rushed through his wrist as his weight pulled his arm at the shoulder. Kyle cried out, pulling himself around as a beam threw dirt into his face. It had to have hit less than five feet away. They cut into his cover, blasting the top of it. It caught fire, flames making the bark stink of filth and pine.
Strange that it would smell like home.
The thought jumped in his head unbidden as he marveled at the anomaly but only for a moment. Lysa made it to the stream. He heard the splash, watched as she turned to face him. Even from their distance of forty feet away, he saw her eyes go wide.
She drew her pistol, firing at the men above them. They returned the shots, making the water steam with every hit near her. Still, she stood her ground, taking careful aim.
“You idiot!” Kyle shouted. “Get cover! They don’t need us both!”
Lysa heard, dropping low while moving behind a tree. Kyle let out a sigh of relief but he knew the moment of comfort would pass fast. He risked a glance behind where the enemy had been firing. Flickers in the trees made him drawback as beams continued raining down upon the dirt and water.
If I make a run for it, they can put me down. Try to lure Lysa out.
“You have to move! Lysa shouted. “Come on! Make a run for it!”
She doesn’t get it.
“I’ll draw their fire!” Kyle yelled back. “You… just make a run for it.” The soldiers came down the hill, somehow managing to make it without taking a tumble. At least they’re moving slowly. That small consolation salved the situation but not all that much. Not when he found himself totally stuck.
“Listen,” Lysa spoke in the comm, “get ready to move. I’ll fire on them and… gah!” She let out a strangled cry.
Kyle looked in her direction. He couldn’t see what happened but she didn’t appear to be in the same spot anymore. What the hell? “Lysa? Lysa, come in! Can you hear me?” Another glance around the tree. The enemy soldiers wore navy blue armor head to toe. They were drawing close… sixty feet away at most. Son of a bitch…
He watched for just long enough for one of them to snap a shot off at him. Ducking back didn’t matter, they went wide… and on purpose. He knew it. Drawing his pistol, he considered it for a long moment before thrusting it back in its holster. I only wish Lysa would’ve had the cube. The idea of their adversaries getting their hands on it infuriated him.
After everything we’ve been through… all that running, squeezing through that tunnel, blowing stuff up… they’ll take the prize right here and now. Kyle looked all around, desperate for some inspiration, an idea… anything at all. If the cliff dropped further, if the stream had been rapids, he would’ve made a run for it.
But the water had to be less than ankle deep. It wasn’t even making any noise where he was. And the enemy continued to draw near.
No Lysa. No plan. No hope.
“Kyle Burgess,” a gruff voice spoke clearly through his earpiece. “You might want to get ready to run.”
“Who the hell is this?”
“Gunnery Sergeant Stefan. You’ll know when. Just be ready.”
Kyle’s heart raced in his chest. He looked all around in an effort to see this person who spoke. Still, even without visual confirmation, he dared to hope… to think there might be a way out of the situation.
Until a blast came close enough to his arm he felt the heat through his clothes. Instinct forced him to fade away. He fell, rolling down the hill as additional blasts filled the air. Quick cries barked from the different weapons, seeming to come from all sides but he couldn’t be sure. Not as he tumbled out of control toward the stream.
***
Alon, Tiller and Vesper dispatched from the shuttle first. They disembarked near a stream some distance from the greatest power readings. Their objective was to make their way along the water with a scanner to search for the archaeologists. The others would disembark further along the way to give the widest spread.
Then Andrews gets to fly around again. He had a feeling the pilot wanted a second shot at the Kahl much like Gunny and Hans. They were all interested in testing themselves against the force with their better guns. I’m more interested in the long-term plan.
