The chopper landed, so they removed their packs from the aircraft. Both had satellite cell phones, so would be able to communicate wherever they might find themselves. The pick-up time and location were for her to arrange, and that had been left very open.
They quickly checked through the equipment, and as both had a small tent, Michelle left hers in the chopper, as they did not need two. Red took his MP5 out, but she stopped him.
“No. Your side arm will be sufficient,” she said, and he noticed she was unarmed.
“Sorry Michelle, these orders came from a Colonel.”
She simply looked at him.
He calmly un-slung it, and placed it into the loadmaster’s hands.
“Thanks.”
“You’re the boss.”
They ran quickly away as the chopper took off, and avoided the mini-dust storm the powerful rotors created in the down-draught.
They looked at the map.
“Okay, we’re here,” said Red, pointing at a point on the map. Michelle simply closed her eyes for a second, and then pointed to a position about two inches away, just by what appeared to be close contours on the map.
“That’s about fifteen miles. Why not get the chopper in closer?”
“I have my reasons. Ready?”
“Sure, just make sure you can keep up. It will take us four hours.”
“Two and a half,” she corrected.
He looked at her.
“I could do it in two and a half, but….”
Her look stopped him in mid sentence.
“Yes Ma’am,” he said, smiling, took a quick compass bearing, and set off at a very brisk pace.
She walked alongside him, matching his pace in timing and distance. He found it refreshing to have a woman who was his equal, so much so that he took a deal of strength from her, he didn’t feel responsible, and for some reason he just knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself.
His major gripe with his recruits was that he had to wet-nurse them all the time, and couldn’t enjoy the desert, as he had to look out for them every step of the way.
But as they walked, he pointed out things to her. Vegetation, animals and reptiles, birds and insects, all having an interdependence on each other in some way.
“We used to belong here, but no longer,” he said, somewhat wistfully.
“We’ve lost the skills and taken ourselves out of the loop,” she said. It wasn’t a question, she really understood. He grinned, upping the pace a notch.
She calmly matched him, and he was pleased to note she wasn’t even breathing heavily. She had, like him, removed her jacket and was only wearing a white tee shirt underneath. Her breasts were firm and full, and restrained in her sports bra. He was constantly aware of her sexuality, so guiltily kept finding himself drifting off into fantasy.
Her arms swung with an easy relaxed movement. They were tanned to a honey-gold, and her whole physique was outstanding. Never before had he imagined a woman so utterly perfect.
<<Michelle?>> he tentatively thought.
<<Yup?>>
He grinned, as she was so natural with it. Here he was conversing telepathically with the most stunning woman in the world, and she was treating it all like a walk in the park.
<<What?>>
<<Have you got a man, I mean, after Gordon?>>
<<No. There hasn’t really been time. Why, are you offering?>>
He was suddenly embarrassed. His question had been little more than a wishful thought, and in all probability he should never have vocalised it.
<<You don’t need to answer. Look, I have needs, but I’m also sensitive to other’s feelings, so what do you say we just do the job, and take whatever comes?>>
He grinned and glanced at her. She was watching him, so they both smiled on reaching an understanding, of sorts.
They managed the trek in two hours and fifteen minutes. Only five times he had to guide her round sand so soft that it was like quicksand, and once he stopped her walking onto a rattler.
“Okay, so you’ve earned your pay. Thanks,” she said.
He was amazed, as they never stopped, and no water was consumed, although he drank a few mouthfuls when they finally halted at the foot of a very steep set of cliffs. It was only eleven a.m..
She stood in the heat, staring at the cliffs. He sat on a rock in the shade, observing her. She showed no signs of fatigue. There was no sweat visible on her tee shirt, yet his was very evident despite the heat being very dry. She took a sip from her canteen.
“Are you human?” he asked, perfectly serious.
She turned and looked at him, with that smile just teasing her lips.
“What do you think?”
“No peeking?”
She shook her head.
“Well, I guess you aren’t an alien. I figure I would know if you were. But I guess in a way you aren’t exactly human either, not like the rest of them. I guess you are kinda super-human.”
“Them?”
He grinned, and his white teeth showed up in stark contrast to his dark complexion.
“Hell lady, I’m a Marine, so I know I’m super-human too,” he said, and she laughed.
It was the first time he had heard her laugh, and his soul stopped and made him take notice. She managed to compress the emotions of joy and humour with that of love and tenderness, and produce a sound that exuded pure happiness. Red fell in love with her at that moment. With tears in his eyes, he stood and looked at her in astonishment.
They stood for a long moment, both aware of something strange that was happening.
She moved first, so the spell was broken. He shook his head as if that would help. He suddenly felt he should go away from this place, so he looked questioningly at her.
“Red, we aren’t alone,” she said, with an edge of caution in her voice. She wasn’t afraid, so she wasn’t meaning him to be, it was a simple statement of fact.
He looked about, but could see nothing.
She smiled.
“You won’t see them unless they want you to.”
“Why don’t you….”
“I don’t want them to know I can use telepathy. Not with you anyway.”
“Do they know you?”
“They know of me, I haven’t met any of these. The ship I was on was a survey vessel, a scout, if you like. These are colonists from the mother ship.”
“Where the hell are they?”
“Watching us. One, the leader is very confused, and is attempting to communicate with the others, but they’re out of range.”
“Oh, so they have limitations then?”
“Sure, in this case it’s a couple of million miles.”
“No shit?”
“No shit.”
“So, what’s happening?”
“They’ve tried to persuade us to go away, and because that hasn’t worked they has deducted that I am ‘the one’.”
“The one?”
“The one planted to become the emissary.”
“No shit?”
“No shit.”
“And what happens when they find out you ain’t?”
She turned and gave him a look.
“You are!” he said, with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was going to lose her.
“No, you won’t,” she said.
“Hey, you peeked,” he said.
“Just a wee one,” she said with a smile.
“So what do we do?” he asked.
“Nothing, just leave your sidearm in the holster. I can protect you, just trust me.”
He did.
“I got a feeling I should leave, but it sorta went away. How come they can’t ‘persuade’ me to leave?”
“Because I have extended my protection over you, so stick close.”
She didn’t have to tell him twice, so he took a step closer to her. Their eyes were only inches apart.
“That you don’t have to tell me twice,” he said, and grinned.
“Give me a little room to move,” she asked, so he reluctantly moved back.
“So where are they?”
“Beneath us,” she said.