Blank Slates

Chapter 16

"Ladies," Calix spoke into his comlink after he'd retreated deeper into the house to be out of earshot. "I think we've got trouble."

Calix's eyes met Kairo's and the two friends exchanged smirks. Just the night before, they had been laying awake in their bunk beds talking about how things had been too quiet for too long and some kind of contact would likely occur soon. Now, the exact thing they had been discussing was happening. When they were younger, he and Kairo had always joked that he could see the future because of situations such as this, and over time, he gained the title "clairvoyant" for his supposed talent as it became a running gag between them. But most days, Kairo settled on calling him the less complicated nickname of "lucky bastard."

Kairo trained his rifle on the Sentinels from the second floor window he was perched at, taking care not to extend the barrel outside. If there were only two of them in the whole village, he could easily take them both out in the span of a few seconds. He felt his heart racing in his chest, a mix of gnawing fear and ticklish excitement as he soaked in the situation. He hadn't seen Sentinels in nearly a year, and their unexpected presence instilled jittery feelings in him. It was obviously a bad sign that the government soldiers were so close to their home base, but at the same time, this was the kind of action he was aching for. Though he felt a slight pang of guilt ripple through him for feeling excitement about the situation, those thoughts quickly drifted elsewhere and disappeared from his mind, locked away and forgotten.

Slade stayed close to the ground and away from all the windows, picking at his fingers—a bad habit of his—and painfully waiting for something to happen. He had only been scavenging for a few years, making him much less experienced compared to the rest of the team, and he hadn't encountered Sentinels nearly as often. Firefights scared him terribly and he often found himself hiding away while the others took care of the problem. Kairo always told him that he needed to overcome that fear because one day, he wouldn't be around to save him, but the terror continued to consume the boy. Looking over at the calm and almost thrilled expressions of his teammates, he wondered how it was possible to feel such a way in this scenario.

"What kind of trouble?" Akilah asked after a few moments, her low voice strong and steady over the device despite the tense situation.

"Sentinels."

"This far out from the city?" They could hear the surprise in her voice.

"Apparently."

"How many?"

"I can see two from where we are. Dunno if there's more though."

"Alright. Stay low and do not engage."

Kairo kept is rifle up. "You sure? 'Cause I think I take 'em both now."

"Kairo, that's an order. If there's more, I don't want to alert them of our presence."

He sighed. "Fine. So what, just wait?"

"Yes, and watch what they're up to. Stay as quiet as you can, and for now, don't try to go for the ATV's. Where are you at the moment?"

"In...one of the many two story buildings...to the right from where the bikes are," Calix struggled, trying to think of a way to describe it."

"Gee, thanks. Can you give me any more info?"

"Uh..." Calix stuttered, glancing over at Kairo. "What should I say?" he whispered.

Kairo shrugged. "Where the Sentinels are."

Calix repeated it back to Akilah who sighed audibly in response. "Thanks Captain Obvious. Ugh, Yves and I—" she cut herself off, cursing harshly.