"She's trying to decide which part of the city to flatten to land that thing," Tana said as she looked up at the trembling ceiling.
"Actually, she's probably just waiting for them to clear enough space at the landing pad," Tom replied.
Tana turned on him with a snarl, and he took a step backward in surprise.
"Are you telling me we could have flown up here instead of that interminable historical drive with Sally?"
"Oh. Well, maybe -- though there was the storm, and we try not to fly through the mountains in such weather. Too easy to run into high, pointed, rocky things."
"Huh. We should have brought our fighter."
"So you could have some fun piloting through mountain passes?" Krisin asked. "I don't think that's a good idea at any time, let alone in a storm."
"I fly through moving asteroid belts," She reminded them. "Mountains just sitting there, don't worry me."
"And that's why we're worried," Lisel replied, and Krisin nodded with more enthusiasm than was needed.
Tom grinned but wisely turned away and pretended to be busy. Ret was packing up some supplies. The shuttle did not fly over again, so Tana sat back down in the comfy chair and waited. She even napped, comfortable and well-fed. Krisin seemed to be okay. The Captain would help them out. And with luck, they'd be back fighting were soon.
She tried not to think about the new Catchin-like mutants these fools were making, but they turned up in her nightmare --
She came instantly awake at a double beep, long buzz, and another beep from her pocket comp. It was echoed with Lisel and Krisin's comps. They were all three already standing and moving toward the door.
"What is going on?" Ret asked, looking both confused and worried.
"Oh, sorry," Krisin said. "That was the ship's call for all fighters to return to the bay. Captain Dundas wants us in."
"Time to go," Ret agreed. He passed packs out to all of them. "That has protein bars, first aid kits, socks, gloves, hats -- things you could need if you have to run again. Remember where this place is. I'm going to leave the door unlocked. Even if someone follows you here, they'd have a hellish time digging you out once you lock it from the inside."
"Thank you, Ret," Krisin said. "I don't know where we would be if it wasn't for you."
"Listening to Sally lecture us on the historical cell we were in," Tana suggested.
They left laughing and hiked back into the trees rather than down into the open ground. There was no snowstorm today, but it felt far colder. The sky looked like a sheet of blue ice over them, and the snow reflected so much light it made Tana's eyes water.
Ret and Tom led the way, and she just followed their shadows and footsteps.
It was a lot farther back to the hotel from this direction. She could hear people on the slopes, and they were not throwing themselves down on skies, either.
"The Captain hasn't told anyone that we're coming in," Lisel observed as they watched a distant group scanning the snow and looking for their bodies. "What do we say when we show up?"
"That we hid out in the trees," Tom answered, and Ret grunted agreement. "They have no way of knowing Ret only just gave us these packs. It is what we would need to survive."
"Then mess up what's inside there," Lisel said and stopped to do just that.
The others did as well, Tana nervous again at every sound. She wished they were back in the bunker, safe within the windowless walls with trusty tech equipment keeping watch. That had almost felt like being home on the ship. At least in space, she knew the enemy was the aliens. Well, except for the crew sometimes, who also had gone after Krisin.
Damn humans.
When the call came in again, Tana dared one quick buzz of an answer, hoping everyone but the Captain would think it was background noise. At any rate, they changed direction just to be safe and headed away from the hotel for the next hour.
There were others out looking for them, and not for good reasons. If they wanted to find the fighter crew, they would have been calling for them, not running scanners in every direction -- except right behind them by a few yards. If any of them had looked back, Tana and Lisel would have had to take them on. Instead, after half an hour, the scouts headed toward a parking lot, so Ret led his people down behind a hill and some boulders. They rested there for a bit.
"We have an open corridor now," Tom said with a wave back at the trees. "They checked it, and we can get closer to the hotel before we go out of cover."
"I don't know if they intend to search the area again," Ret said. Then he stopped and shook his head. "No, never mind. These aren't even regular forces. Local policing force and they're good for finding lost hikers, but given all the shooting and bombs -- I suspect they're not happy, even if they side with the terrorists."
"Then let's get to the Captain," Krisin said. "I'm tired of hiking."
No one argued. Tana and her companions headed into the trees, keeping watch for anyone behind them and for any movement ahead.
They didn't expect five figures to step out from behind a set of pines, laser rifles in hand. They were dressed in such puffy coats, oversized hoods, and knitted masks with protective goggles that Tana wasn't sure they could move very fast or see at all.
That proved wrong as the lasers all turned their way.
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