The Roar In Her Voice

Across the Earth and Sea

"Drop your weapons!" the guy with the machine gun commanded. He looked cool and calm, but very cold. He wore a black shirt and green pants like the others, but a golden leather band wound around his bulging bicep. He wore tinted sunglasses, a permanent scowl and a scar that rippled across his forehead to top it all off.

I didn't have anything to drop, so I just stared at him blankly. He couldn't possibly expect me to drop Mike, unless I planned to use Mike as some sort of bat or something. The man in charge stared right back, and although I couldn't see his eyes, I could feel where his vision traced over me and Mike. They swept up from my scrunched eyebrows, down to my ripped, broken shoes. His eyes lingered on Mike's dozing figure, slumped against my hunched one.

The weird thing was that I wasn't scared of the intimidating soldier. He did intimidate me, overwhelming me with his strong aura of power for a moment, but for some reason, I was sure he wasn't going to hurt me. He may be decorated with battle scars from his face to his arms to what I can see of his neck and had the confidence of a warrior, but I knew he wasn't going to hurt me. I was more scared of his gun than the man behind the trigger.

"No weapons?" he concluded gruffly. "Deila, scan the area. They're definitely not the trouble we were looking for." He lowered the gun, his hands supporting the large weapon with ease. He took his glasses off, and I could see freezing, gray eyes, calculating and insensitive. He raised an eyebrow at me when he saw me staring at him intently, but I didn't drop my gaze. "It's rude to stare, girl," he said, but not too roughly.

"S'even ruder to point your guns at innocent people," I replied, but not as harshly as I normally would have. We were addressing each other with a kind of cool respect and icy politeness, both prominent yet fragile. We shared a kind of mutual pride, but he had a good reason to be proud, considering he was leading a very dangerous team, but I didn't have any good reason for feeling equal with him at all.

"You don't understand, recruit." He straightened, his voice growing as firm as his posture. "Someone raised the signal. We need you inside the City now. We will explain everything later. I'm sure you're one of us, judging by your scent and your..." his hands swept up and down, gesturing at my whole body, "... look, I suppose you could say. But right now we need you inside." He turned to his men, who had lowered their guns. "Gra!"

"Nade!" the soldiers yelled back. Swiftly, they snapped around and raised their guns at the wilderness, alert and on guard. Their eyes searchingly scoured the tangles of leaves and towering trunks that surrounded us, looking for any signs of danger. Their steps were silent and precise as they slowly circled the area, taking one sure step at a time.

Mike started groaning as he started slipping off my back again. The smallest noise caused all the soldiers to whirl around and train their guns at him.

"I'm the Searider, kid," their leader told me. He didn't smirk cockily like some guys like him would've. His expression was just stone cold, completely professional, and I had a feeling that when it was absolutely needed, he would be just as merciless. He smelled a little like Mike... but something saltier. He smelled like the sea. "They don't just send out the Searider for any mission. This mission is code purple, hear me? So you'll have to listen to me if you want to live."

"Idiot, she doesn't get what you're rambling about," a female voice cut through. A woman kicked open the bush, tall and lithe. Her black hair was dyed with purple streaks, which was kept back in a bandanna. She wore identical clothing to Searider's, and even had the same pair of golden tinted sunglasses. Her scent was overpowering; she smelled like the soil. "What's wrong with you? You make out with half the crew and you don't even bother to leave a warning 'bout your intentions?" She was face-to-face with Searider, her face scrunched up as she dared him to a challenge.