Finding Darkness

Chapter 8 Very funny

Three days later found them nearing the northern most portion of Lake Michigan. Malachi was astounded that they hadn't passed out of the urban area yet. The city seemed to go on forever.

"How far does this city go? We've got to have passed out of Chicago by now." He could have pulled up an orbital feed of the landscape but he wanted to ask Tamar, that way she'd feel useful and not just a tag along.

"We passed out of Chicago five days ago. Then we entered Waukegan, then Milwaukee. Now we're almost north of Greenbay. All of these cities merged almost a hundred and fifty years ago. We won't get out of this city for another day at the soonest." Malachi shock his head and just kept trudging along.

The rumbling didn't attract their attention until it began to grow closer. By the time they were running for cover, whatever it was, was right on top of them. With a massive fuselage and short wings, it came to hover over the very spot. Malachi and Tamar were busy hiding inside an abandoned store.

"How did they find us?" Tamar hissed.

"I have no idea. Maybe a random patrol or something. I've had my jamming field up at all times. They should not have been able to pick us up on any of their scans."

"If they identify us, we're in big trouble. They won't just attack us, they send for reinforcements, and there're millions of them.

"Then we'll have to do this real quiet like." Malachi recited the line in his best Harrison Ford voice, expecting a response from Tamar.

She just looked at him, expecting him to say more.

"Unpopcultured swine." He grumbled.

From within their hiding place, where they both laid prone on the floor, each of them heard as well as felt sixteen individual impacts.

"There's sixteen of them, standard search grouping. If that's one of their troop carriers, there will be an additional fifty-four still in the drop bay." Tamar whispered, pointing upward.

"You stay here. I'll handle this."

"How? There's sixteen of those things, they're no way you can take out that many of them." Tamar motioned for him to get down when he went to push himself off the floor.

"Oh ye of little faith. I am not going to let them get anywhere near you okay, end of discussion." Tamar shock her head. It was his funeral. Her disdain changed to wonder in a blink of an eye as he disappeared from her sight. One second he was there, the next, nothing.

How could he do that? She'd seen cloaking tech before, even used some herself. But this was different. He had faded from her view without a trace, no shimmer, one distortion of any kind to mark his passing. It was as if he completely vanished before her eyes.

"Stay here. I'll be back in a bit." Malachi's disembodied voice drifted to her, and she felt something pat the top of her head.

"That's not," she swatted above her head, connecting with nothing. "Funny."

"Oh, come on, it's a little funny." Then he was gone.

What in the world is he going to do against all of that? She thought, peaking her head over the window sill.

Outside she could see seven of the sixteen Saltek. They were marching down the street, line abreast, blades out and ready. One of them held what to Tamar could only have been a scanner of some type. They were searching for something, or someone, so she decided to give Malachi another three minutes. If he didn't do anything, she'd do something herself. There was no way she was going to let these things catch her without a fight.