The Nexus

Chapter Four

The wind screamed deafeningly around Arayna as sand pelted her skin painfully. She felt a hand appear through the black sand and grab hold of her backpack. She recognized Arrow's large muscular forearm as he pulled her in his direction. She couldn't see anyone, or anything. She couldn't even hear a thing over the air whistling past her ears, tearing at her clothes, at her hair, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut.

Time seemed suspended as Arrow pulled Arayna along through the swirling sand towards...somewhere. Another sound, a scream, only slightly differing from the horrifying sound the wind made, came through the sand. It was a man's scream of pain, followed by an odd fleshly sound that made her stomach lurch. Then the sound was gone, torn away by the wind.

After several long moments, Arayna felt her shoulder hit something hard. Patting it, she quickly realized by the feel, the way it felt like flattened rock, it was cement. A screeching sound of metal reached her ears and seconds later, she was yanked off to the side by Arrow.

The wind was suddenly blocked by something, the sand no longer blistering against her face. The screeching of metal sounded again, followed by a loud thud, and the sound of the wind grew far away. Next thing she knew, she felt her rifle get yanked out off her hand, followed by the pistol clipped to her belt, and her knife.

Arayna quickly wiped the sand from her eyes, she blinked them open and went still at the sight of a rifle barrel pointed at her. Forcing her blurred gaze to focus, she raised her eyes to look at the masked person holding the assault rifle.

She recognized the goggles, the face masks, and U.S. Army issued tactical vest and gear. Arrow suddenly stepped in front of her, grabbing the barrel of the rifle and slamming it into the masked man's face, sending them stumbling back, but with the strap of the rifle still wrapped around their neck, Arrow yanked them back and slammed his own head into the man's, cracking the goggles in two.

Another soldier came up, kicking Arrow behind the knee. He grunted in pain, falling down to both knees in the sand as a pistol was pointed at him.

"Freeze!" A voice ordered through the chaotic actions.

Arrow stiffly raised his hands when more rifles were pointed at them. Arayna took a quick stock of their suddenly new surroundings to find that sandstorm hadn't stopped, they had just been pulled within a tall, cement wall that blocked the howling wind, the sand flying overhead.

They had been surrounded by eight soldiers, all dressed in military issued tactical gear, carrying assault rifles. Past the soldiers, along a tall, cliff wall, were rows of tents, just like had been at the colony. And as she looked at the rest of dust covered group, she found all of them had been disarmed and were holding up their hands.

"State your business, now." One of the soldiers ordered, voice muffled by the mask.

"I'm Team Leader Special Forces Sergeant Leighton. We were sent here to re-establish communication with our Colony here." Leighton explained patiently, regarding the soldiers stoically.

There was a long, suspended moment where the soldiers glanced at each other, then simultaneously lowered the weapons.

"Thank goodness, we were wondering when you guys would show up." One of the soldiers gushed with relief, lifting up their goggles, and pulling down their mask, revealing feminine features, light blonde hair, and blue eyes. "We were about to lose hope."

Leighton grew puzzled as he looked around at the other soldiers as they took off their goggles and masks. "So, you're the surviving team members?"

"Something like that." The woman scoffed. "I'm Jamie Peterson, and honestly, I'm not a soldier. In fact...I don't even know how to use this. Most of us really don't." She grimaced, holding up the assault rifle in explanation.