and stroked the back of his hand down her cheek. He was more confident of her abilities, than she was. “If it comes down to kill or be killed, protect or die, would you let your assailant take you? Or would you go down fighting?”
When he put it like that, they both knew what her answer would be.
~*~
It happened as they stood together in each other’s arms. A blinding flash of white light surrounded them, the air crackling with a blue energy that made Julia’s teeth ache as it arced across the dome of the sky. Mark’s grip on her tightened and he pulled them both back into the base of the island; the hairs on his arms standing on end.
“Was this…?” His words were lost in the frisson surging around them.
She nodded, unable to think let alone speak. Her mind stuck in the feedback loop of a single thought. This was it. He’d be leaving soon. She turned in Mark’s arms and looked into his eyes. Now the time had come he was unable to hide his anxiety, plush lower lip caught between sharp teeth.
“This sucks.”
Julia crushed him to her, yanked his head down so she could kiss him soundly.
A growl reverberated off the surrounding rocks, echoed in the electrified air; setting her nerves jangling, adrenalin coursing through her body as she clung to the man in her arms.
In the moment between one breath and the next, Mark became the military stranger she had glimpsed in the cave entrance that morning; all strategic defense and survival.
“Climb!” He ordered in a voice Julia never considered disobeying.
They reached the plateau of the island and Mark checked the ammunition in the APX before handing it to her.
“Stay behind me.” He growled, body tense and eyes calculating. “Shoot only when I tell you to shoot.”
She nodded, too terrified to speak. If it had been his team coming through the portal, Mark would not be acting like he was. No, the only logical option was the Arcadians, or Darvac, or both, had arrived. Had traced Mark’s disappearance in the middle of their altercation, and followed him here. Julia swallowed hard against the bile threatening to choke her, and gripped the pistol tighter; its weight a small comfort in the face of such a rude shift in reality.
Mark crouched behind the rocky edge of the island’s rim, T60 at his shoulder, tension radiating off him in waves. Julia paused on one knee beside him and ran over his instructions in her head.
Eighteen rounds…flick to reload…empty clip falls out…shove new one in…release slide…identify enemy…point and shoot…don’t let them get too close .
It couldn’t be simpler. She assured herself even as her hands shook and her heart pounded in her dry throat. Then she remembered the rest of Mark’s advice.
Kill or be killed.
Protect or die .
He was right. She would never go down without a fight, and she would do her best to protect and help Mark to her last breath. No matter how spectacularly frightened she was. With an outward calm, she had begun to feel inside as well, Julia focused on the colonel at her side. She needed to be strong, watch his back, and not give him more to worry about, by freaking out and making mistakes.
Mark tensed next to her, and following his line of sight, she saw them. A group of nine malformed bodybuilders with orange skin and brown-green leather shields protecting their backs and chests. Armed with laser staffs, they staggered out across the width of the otherwise deserted beach, moving straight for the island. The fictional Arcadians had nothing on these ones. She choked off a hysterical laugh. No one would ever believe what was happening; even she was finding it difficult and she was right in the middle of it.
Mark reached out his arm to Julia and she slipped her hand into his. He squeezed tight once and let go. She understood. He loved her and knew she was scared, but she had to stay quiet and still.
The silence was
When he put it like that, they both knew what her answer would be.
~*~
It happened as they stood together in each other’s arms. A blinding flash of white light surrounded them, the air crackling with a blue energy that made Julia’s teeth ache as it arced across the dome of the sky. Mark’s grip on her tightened and he pulled them both back into the base of the island; the hairs on his arms standing on end.
“Was this…?” His words were lost in the frisson surging around them.
She nodded, unable to think let alone speak. Her mind stuck in the feedback loop of a single thought. This was it. He’d be leaving soon. She turned in Mark’s arms and looked into his eyes. Now the time had come he was unable to hide his anxiety, plush lower lip caught between sharp teeth.
“This sucks.”
Julia crushed him to her, yanked his head down so she could kiss him soundly.
A growl reverberated off the surrounding rocks, echoed in the electrified air; setting her nerves jangling, adrenalin coursing through her body as she clung to the man in her arms.
In the moment between one breath and the next, Mark became the military stranger she had glimpsed in the cave entrance that morning; all strategic defense and survival.
“Climb!” He ordered in a voice Julia never considered disobeying.
They reached the plateau of the island and Mark checked the ammunition in the APX before handing it to her.
“Stay behind me.” He growled, body tense and eyes calculating. “Shoot only when I tell you to shoot.”
She nodded, too terrified to speak. If it had been his team coming through the portal, Mark would not be acting like he was. No, the only logical option was the Arcadians, or Darvac, or both, had arrived. Had traced Mark’s disappearance in the middle of their altercation, and followed him here. Julia swallowed hard against the bile threatening to choke her, and gripped the pistol tighter; its weight a small comfort in the face of such a rude shift in reality.
Mark crouched behind the rocky edge of the island’s rim, T60 at his shoulder, tension radiating off him in waves. Julia paused on one knee beside him and ran over his instructions in her head.
Eighteen rounds…flick to reload…empty clip falls out…shove new one in…release slide…identify enemy…point and shoot…don’t let them get too close .
It couldn’t be simpler. She assured herself even as her hands shook and her heart pounded in her dry throat. Then she remembered the rest of Mark’s advice.
Kill or be killed.
Protect or die .
He was right. She would never go down without a fight, and she would do her best to protect and help Mark to her last breath. No matter how spectacularly frightened she was. With an outward calm, she had begun to feel inside as well, Julia focused on the colonel at her side. She needed to be strong, watch his back, and not give him more to worry about, by freaking out and making mistakes.
Mark tensed next to her, and following his line of sight, she saw them. A group of nine malformed bodybuilders with orange skin and brown-green leather shields protecting their backs and chests. Armed with laser staffs, they staggered out across the width of the otherwise deserted beach, moving straight for the island. The fictional Arcadians had nothing on these ones. She choked off a hysterical laugh. No one would ever believe what was happening; even she was finding it difficult and she was right in the middle of it.
Mark reached out his arm to Julia and she slipped her hand into his. He squeezed tight once and let go. She understood. He loved her and knew she was scared, but she had to stay quiet and still.
The silence was
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