could only release the cargo pack on the back and look through the equipment contained therein.
Whoever it had been hadn’t even had a chance to defend themselves. As disheartened as Elsa was about the loss of one of her team, she couldn’t deny the grim satisfaction having a new rifle and more supplies gave her.
Chapter 15
Elsa turned to look at Tarn and saw the smirk on his face. She smiled sweetly at him, then hefted her rifle to her shoulder. “Let’s see who this Kira chick found,” she said to him.
He nodded and turned to study the movement in the weeds. She noticed the lines around his eyes tighten, then he swore. “They know we’re here, not sure if they’ve found us yet, but they’re searching.”
“ How do you know that?” Elsa hissed. She saw the movement through the grasses around them. It was more pronounced now, with the drones moving faster. Her gut twisting told her that Tarn was right.
“ Move fast and quiet,” He muttered, then he turned and was off, crouching as he moved so that his head was barely above the weeds.
Elsa followed, keeping her rifle ready. She was focused on watching the grasses for signs of the hostile animals and nearly ran into Tarn when he stopped in front of her abruptly. She looked past him and saw another ditch carved into the ground by a different screamer pod. “Back up slowly!” Tarn hissed.
She turned to follow his gaze and saw the tail end of one of the chitin covered animals. She felt her eyes widen as she took in the slender but still dangerous tail and the four multi-jointed legs that looked like a cross between a spider and a lizard. She backed up slowly, carefully picking up her feet one at a time and retracing her steps. She stopped abruptly when she heard a soft rustling noise made by something large moving through the grasses behind her.
Elsa turned and dropped to her knee in a single smooth motion. The scene before her made her hesitate, she was staring at the four eyed head of one of the drones less than six feet from her. The vicious mandibles were stretched wide and its inner mouth opened to reveal rows of sharp teeth. They both fired at the same time, hers a blast of supercharged ions that caused the short and bristly hair on the side of its head to melt and burn. The brunt of the energized burst struck the armored body of the beast.
The stream of spittle from the creature splattered against her abdomen and hip, on the side that the screecher hadn’t destroyed. She could smell a caustic odor from it, but thought no more of it as she adjusted her one armed aim and yanked the trigger again. Its mandibles waved wildly and it tilted its head to the sky, then its legs gave out and it collapsed to the ground. One of its eyes exploded and viscous juices ran out of it.
Elsa heard some grunting and a scuffling sound behind her. She turned and saw Tarn standing on the top of the other drone. He pulled his spear free of the creatures head and looked about briefly to find her.
“ Time to go!” He told her, no longer speaking quietly. She nodded and jogged over to him.
“ Lead the way, I’ll cover us!” She said.
He took off at a run, angling straight away from the mound toward the ridge. One of the drones intercepted them but Elsa hit it in one of its shoulders, causing it to dip low and crash into the ground. Tarn speared the beast before it could pick itself up, then wrenched his sharpened stick free and kicked it hard enough in the head to snap one of the mandibles off as he ran past it.
Else clutched her rifle between her broken arm and her side so she could toss both of the grenades behind her as they ran. She set them with a time delay to grant them some cover and felt both blasts, even though they were well beyond the area of affect by the time they detonated. Whether they’d hurt their pursuers or not she couldn’t tell, but at worst they’d slow them down or confuse them.
Tarn didn’t slow until the grasses had
Whoever it had been hadn’t even had a chance to defend themselves. As disheartened as Elsa was about the loss of one of her team, she couldn’t deny the grim satisfaction having a new rifle and more supplies gave her.
Chapter 15
Elsa turned to look at Tarn and saw the smirk on his face. She smiled sweetly at him, then hefted her rifle to her shoulder. “Let’s see who this Kira chick found,” she said to him.
He nodded and turned to study the movement in the weeds. She noticed the lines around his eyes tighten, then he swore. “They know we’re here, not sure if they’ve found us yet, but they’re searching.”
“ How do you know that?” Elsa hissed. She saw the movement through the grasses around them. It was more pronounced now, with the drones moving faster. Her gut twisting told her that Tarn was right.
“ Move fast and quiet,” He muttered, then he turned and was off, crouching as he moved so that his head was barely above the weeds.
Elsa followed, keeping her rifle ready. She was focused on watching the grasses for signs of the hostile animals and nearly ran into Tarn when he stopped in front of her abruptly. She looked past him and saw another ditch carved into the ground by a different screamer pod. “Back up slowly!” Tarn hissed.
She turned to follow his gaze and saw the tail end of one of the chitin covered animals. She felt her eyes widen as she took in the slender but still dangerous tail and the four multi-jointed legs that looked like a cross between a spider and a lizard. She backed up slowly, carefully picking up her feet one at a time and retracing her steps. She stopped abruptly when she heard a soft rustling noise made by something large moving through the grasses behind her.
Elsa turned and dropped to her knee in a single smooth motion. The scene before her made her hesitate, she was staring at the four eyed head of one of the drones less than six feet from her. The vicious mandibles were stretched wide and its inner mouth opened to reveal rows of sharp teeth. They both fired at the same time, hers a blast of supercharged ions that caused the short and bristly hair on the side of its head to melt and burn. The brunt of the energized burst struck the armored body of the beast.
The stream of spittle from the creature splattered against her abdomen and hip, on the side that the screecher hadn’t destroyed. She could smell a caustic odor from it, but thought no more of it as she adjusted her one armed aim and yanked the trigger again. Its mandibles waved wildly and it tilted its head to the sky, then its legs gave out and it collapsed to the ground. One of its eyes exploded and viscous juices ran out of it.
Elsa heard some grunting and a scuffling sound behind her. She turned and saw Tarn standing on the top of the other drone. He pulled his spear free of the creatures head and looked about briefly to find her.
“ Time to go!” He told her, no longer speaking quietly. She nodded and jogged over to him.
“ Lead the way, I’ll cover us!” She said.
He took off at a run, angling straight away from the mound toward the ridge. One of the drones intercepted them but Elsa hit it in one of its shoulders, causing it to dip low and crash into the ground. Tarn speared the beast before it could pick itself up, then wrenched his sharpened stick free and kicked it hard enough in the head to snap one of the mandibles off as he ran past it.
Else clutched her rifle between her broken arm and her side so she could toss both of the grenades behind her as they ran. She set them with a time delay to grant them some cover and felt both blasts, even though they were well beyond the area of affect by the time they detonated. Whether they’d hurt their pursuers or not she couldn’t tell, but at worst they’d slow them down or confuse them.
Tarn didn’t slow until the grasses had
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