Return to Earth

Chapter 21

Lita's voice called back without being heard by whoever was before them. "Cora, Dembe, Kierst, spread out and take firing positions. Cover me when I start to move to the Hetairoi."

They responded together, and Kierst left the cover of the tree with the hopes of not being hit with an arrow. The sound of the impact was less than pleasant and did become a bit of an annoyance when the metal tips dug in. He lowered himself as Lita began to move with the best view he could get.

There was still enough light to see the black hair, but couldn't see any other features. His hands were free of any weapon and raised to show nothing was hidden. Kierst took aim without moving his finger to the trigger with the hopes he wouldn't need to fire. If there was an ambush, the man would be the first to die to free Lita to help deal with other threats.

Lita reached him without drawing her pistol, which Kierst found strange until he realized what would happen in the unlikely event he could take it from her. He would have a means to kill her. It wouldn't matter if he didn't understand how it worked, since squeezing a trigger is about the most obvious thing in the world. A holstered pistol was less likely to be taken than a drawn one.

The two spoke for several minutes without a word reaching Kierst as he held his position. Being on the ground did have an advantage he never considered. There was no tiring of his arms to cause his aim to be off.

Other than the animals in the distance, there were no sounds to be heard. If people were sneaking up on them, it would be from those with a great deal of stealth. Kierst doubted anyone on Earth could pull it off, but wasn't going to drop his guard and be proved wrong.

Lita's voice came over the microphone, which caused him to jump a little without anyone firing a shot. "Holster your pistols and join us. You're all going to be briefed later, so might as well hear it directly for yourselves."

Without specifying any one of them, the three responded together. Kierst rose and holstered his pistol before making his way to the Hetairoi. Dembe and Cora were on either side, which he could just make out from his periphery. He wanted to take off the helmet to improve his vision, but Lita hadn't given the order.

Once they got close enough to get a better look, Kierst was glad he still wore his helmet with visor down. One more who looked like that last time he took a shower was when it rained and did his best to keep as much water from landing on him as possible. His clothes looked a little less damaged than others he had seen, but saw nothing to signify he was any different.

A strange rattling sound came from his feet, which almost drew his eyes. Had it not been for the whitening of the man's face, he would've done just that. There was a quick movement of the man's hands as Kierst felt something on his ankle. A soft thud could be heard as pistols rose and took aim at the man.

Lita looked down at Kierst's feet as rattling sound changed to more occasional beats. "Don't fire. Holster your weapons." They responded together and Kierst returned his pistol as Lita's voice changed to concern. "Do you feel anything, Kierst?"

It was a strange question, as other eyes looked down, which drew his own. Something long and white could be seen pressing into his ankle, which left him wondering if he sprung some kind of trap. There was a little pressure, but didn't think whatever it was had penetrated his boot.