not all bad.” I looked up. Justet’s eyes were wide, and he nodded conspiratorially. “Some just want to help us prevent the invasion.”
It took all I had not to roll my eyes. Invasion? Aliens? It all sounded so . . . But then again, he had a coin. A RETHA coin, exactly like the one left at Dad’s crime scene. And he and his minions were planning something. Something that involved twenty-seven cans of stolen ammunition, and probably a lot more I didn’t know about.
“Justet! Where the hell are you?”
The voice floated toward us from the south, and I jumped. Stomping boots followed. A jolt of energy ripped down my spine and out into my extremities. Justet turned in the direction of Sanderford’s voice.
“Lieutenant!” Sanderford called again, closer this time. “I swear, if you’re stalling again, I’ll pop you myself.”
I didn’t so much dive for cover as panic for cover. Both feet tried to be the first to start running and tangled, driving me hard to my knees behind a large juniper shrub. The exquisite, zapping pain of voltage surged into my limbs from some bizarre, unknown source within my body.
The shrub graced the edge of the slope and I found myself sliding backward. I rolled twice, letting gravity help me along, and then scrambled to my feet. I was vaguely aware of shouting somewhere near the top of the hill. Two large, dusty strides carried me a good distance down. I changed direction on the third, taking me toward the outcropping of rock I’d noticed earlier.
An M-16 chattered a three round burst. My step turned into a leap and I rolled over the top of the rocks before falling to my knees on the other side, out of the line of fire.
I lay there for what seemed like an eternity, my breath a sharp wheeze in my ears. The tingling in my body did a rapid circuit, quivering into my fingertips and then racing into my torso and legs before making it back into my fingers. I held my hands away from my body, afraid that I might electrocute myself. I almost expected to see a thin, blue line of electricity jumping between my fingers like some weird, five-pronged stun gun. I shivered, biting down until my molars ached. The coin pressed a circular indentation into my palm. With trembling fingers I shoved the coin into my pocket.
The furious rise and fall of an argument floated from a short distance. I peered around the boulder. The sound waves were almost visible in the summer heat. A set of boots stomped closer. Moments later, a camouflaged body pushed through some shrubs fifty feet away. Sanderford stopped, his rifle loose against his shoulder.
Justet stumbled out of the bushes behind the Sergeant, batting ferociously at a branch when it snagged his shirt. I was struck with the odd sense of shifting power. I guess on a rogue mission such as this, military rank could feasibly go out the window.
Lieutenant Justet tried to stop, but slid a few inches down the slope before bumping into Sanderford. Sanderford threw him off with his shoulder, and Justet found a more level spot for his feet. He held his rifle by the pistol grip, aiming it pointlessly at the ground.
“The boss isn’t going to be happy you nearly killed her,” Justet said.
“This is Rose we’re talking about.” Sanderford examined my track on the ground in front of him, his eyebrows drawn. “She’s not going to lie down and let us do our thing. She tattles on us, and you can kiss your hundred grand goodbye. I guaran-damn-tee it. She’s better off in the ground.”
“There’s a footprint.” Lieutenant Justet’s voice was small. He waved a hand at the ground. “It’s a shame, really. About Rose. She’s a hell of a soldier.”
“A helluva pain in the ass, maybe. The boss is thinking too much about this. What’s so special about Rose anyway?”
Justet shrugged, his face troubled. Fine, dry dirt exploded around Sergeant Sanderford’s boots. Sanderford crouched, touched the ground, and looked up. I swear he was staring right at
It took all I had not to roll my eyes. Invasion? Aliens? It all sounded so . . . But then again, he had a coin. A RETHA coin, exactly like the one left at Dad’s crime scene. And he and his minions were planning something. Something that involved twenty-seven cans of stolen ammunition, and probably a lot more I didn’t know about.
“Justet! Where the hell are you?”
The voice floated toward us from the south, and I jumped. Stomping boots followed. A jolt of energy ripped down my spine and out into my extremities. Justet turned in the direction of Sanderford’s voice.
“Lieutenant!” Sanderford called again, closer this time. “I swear, if you’re stalling again, I’ll pop you myself.”
I didn’t so much dive for cover as panic for cover. Both feet tried to be the first to start running and tangled, driving me hard to my knees behind a large juniper shrub. The exquisite, zapping pain of voltage surged into my limbs from some bizarre, unknown source within my body.
The shrub graced the edge of the slope and I found myself sliding backward. I rolled twice, letting gravity help me along, and then scrambled to my feet. I was vaguely aware of shouting somewhere near the top of the hill. Two large, dusty strides carried me a good distance down. I changed direction on the third, taking me toward the outcropping of rock I’d noticed earlier.
An M-16 chattered a three round burst. My step turned into a leap and I rolled over the top of the rocks before falling to my knees on the other side, out of the line of fire.
I lay there for what seemed like an eternity, my breath a sharp wheeze in my ears. The tingling in my body did a rapid circuit, quivering into my fingertips and then racing into my torso and legs before making it back into my fingers. I held my hands away from my body, afraid that I might electrocute myself. I almost expected to see a thin, blue line of electricity jumping between my fingers like some weird, five-pronged stun gun. I shivered, biting down until my molars ached. The coin pressed a circular indentation into my palm. With trembling fingers I shoved the coin into my pocket.
The furious rise and fall of an argument floated from a short distance. I peered around the boulder. The sound waves were almost visible in the summer heat. A set of boots stomped closer. Moments later, a camouflaged body pushed through some shrubs fifty feet away. Sanderford stopped, his rifle loose against his shoulder.
Justet stumbled out of the bushes behind the Sergeant, batting ferociously at a branch when it snagged his shirt. I was struck with the odd sense of shifting power. I guess on a rogue mission such as this, military rank could feasibly go out the window.
Lieutenant Justet tried to stop, but slid a few inches down the slope before bumping into Sanderford. Sanderford threw him off with his shoulder, and Justet found a more level spot for his feet. He held his rifle by the pistol grip, aiming it pointlessly at the ground.
“The boss isn’t going to be happy you nearly killed her,” Justet said.
“This is Rose we’re talking about.” Sanderford examined my track on the ground in front of him, his eyebrows drawn. “She’s not going to lie down and let us do our thing. She tattles on us, and you can kiss your hundred grand goodbye. I guaran-damn-tee it. She’s better off in the ground.”
“There’s a footprint.” Lieutenant Justet’s voice was small. He waved a hand at the ground. “It’s a shame, really. About Rose. She’s a hell of a soldier.”
“A helluva pain in the ass, maybe. The boss is thinking too much about this. What’s so special about Rose anyway?”
Justet shrugged, his face troubled. Fine, dry dirt exploded around Sergeant Sanderford’s boots. Sanderford crouched, touched the ground, and looked up. I swear he was staring right at
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