AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Look, there’s a clear view of the tower. I bet this is another clear zone. One step out there and we’d be dead I bet,” said Tinsley. “It would stop any unauthorized beings moving from one quadrant to the other.”
“It’s a wide gap. Do you think we can make it across?”
“Not a chance. Too many workers are around, even if the radar didn’t catch us.”
“There are a lot of beings. Aren’t there?” Dante mused. “They’re all walking backward and forward along that path near the wall. Do you think we could blend in and walk with them?”
They watched the individuals of various species through their viewers for a while, and there didn’t appear to be any checkpoints. Most of the people were, like them, dressed in combat fatigues covered in red dust.
“Time to find out if these disguises work then,” Tinsley announced.
Chapter 25
They’d made their way closer to the compound when Dante suddenly looked concerned. “Stop,” he hissed, throwing out his arm.
“What?” Tinsley whispered back.
Instead of answering, Dante plucked a hair out of his head—Tinsley winced—and tossed it out in front of them. The hair was caught by a slight breeze and drifted away from them.
“Wha—”
Dante tapped Tinsley on the lips and pointed, indicating she should watch. She waited, sure Dante knew what he was doing. They stared out into the dark for a while until they caught a faint glimmer of red.
“Lasers,” Tinsley said.
Dante nodded. He army-crawled back in the direction they had come from. Tinsley groaned and got down on her stomach. It was the only way to avoid the radar, but she was getting sick of being half an inch off the ground, and her elbows were getting sore.
They retreated out of range of the radar. Dante turned over and sat down. Tinsley crawled up next to him.
“How did you…”
“You shouldn’t have to whisper anymore.” Dante spoke at a normal level.
“Better safe than sorry,” Tinsley retorted.
“True,” he said quietly, smiling at her. “Can we risk a snack?”
He reached into one of the pockets on his pants and pulled out two ration bars. Tinsley took one, trying to hide her disgust. The emras were compact and provided a good amount of nutrition along with a caffeine-like stimulant to keep a person alert. Anytime she tried one, though, she always found them disgusting.
She knew from experience to only eat half. They were designed for someone much taller with a lot more muscle. She opened it and took a small nibble, hoping for a decent flavor. When the signal from her taste buds reached her brain, she sighed. No matter what the label said, they all tasted like dust.
The stimulant shot right to her brain, though. She took one more very small bite, rewrapped it, and then shoved it into a pocket. It took a while for Dante to finish his. Since they were trying to keep quiet, she used that time to daydream about a nice frothy cappuccino. She added a pistachio biscotti on the side. She decided to cover the biscotti in chocolate—but dark or milk? She couldn’t decide.
Dante finished his bar and wrapped his arm around her. He smelled really good, and all snacks, no matter how delicious, vanished from her mind. They were trying to be very quiet and not get caught, so a quickie was out of the question. The idea of it was rather exciting, though.
Finish the mission, she thought harshly. Then they’d have fun. Lots of it. Dante had taken out his comm. He held it out in front of her and pointed.
She squinted at the screen and nodded. “What about the lasers?”
“I think maybe they wouldn’t have bothered. You see why?”
She nodded again. Not only was the wall of the facility straight-up, with no windows or balconies, but a drop-off continued at the foot of the compound. It was slightly less steep but completely full of rocks.
They had some basic gear, but it was a pretty serious climb. Still, Tinsley didn’t have a better idea. “How long do you think it will take to get over there?”
The really unfortunate part of the plan was their only access was on the exact opposite side of the building from where they were.
“And that’s being hopeful,” Tinsley muttered. “It’s not a slam dunk by any stretch of the imagination.”
