THE WORLD IS DYING.
Global warming, lack of resources, and the collapse of authority across all seven continents has caused worldwide strife. People are willing to do anything to survive.
The solution? Project ERAA, humanity's last effort to...
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The Thermal Lake two klicks from Ichabod's entourage
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LALE FELT like he'd made a massive mistake, even though he had no clue what it was.
Correction; Amelia made him feel like he'd made a massive mistake.
Nearly two hours on from their kiss, which Lale did not regret, thanks very much, and she'd still barely looked at him, though that hadn't stopped him from staring at her like a smitten, love-struck teenager.
He was doing it again.
"Tina did what?" Amelia's voice broke over the quiet discussion Lale was having with James and Diane, seemingly the only other two marines in their band of gangly Learners, though he tuned out at hearing the alarm in her voice.
Lale of old would've scoffed at the notion of their 'fighters' consisting of brains and scrawniness, and would've sneered something like, "Great, we're all gonna die." But the Lale of that moment needed every able-bodied person he had to get some fighting experience, and the Learners were the only chance they had at succeeding - he'd calculated, in a rare moment of wanting to do the maths, that his troop outnumbered Ichabod's by two.
But Ichabod had volt-guns.
With just a twinge of regret, Lale let Amelia deal with the problem that Shaunia had presented, harried from she and Tina's recon mission; though it seemed Shaunia had come back alone. Lale refocused on James and Diane, forcing his gaze from Amelia (who, in all her sweat-stained tank top and curled, fuzzy haired glory, was still as beautiful as ever).
Diane was the oldest of the recruits, bordering her mid-thirties. James, like him, had entered the marine corps right out of high school. He was a muscular ginger, and Lale would've felt threatened by him if not for the uncanny softness in the other man's eyes. Diane seemed to be something of a mother hen, her hair tied back and her eyes sharp and focused.
"So we just need to teach the Learners something basic," Lale continued. Natural teachers or not, he was counting on them to chip in and give the brainier of the bunch a fighting chance. "Like how to throw a punch."
It wouldn't be as useful as a machine gun ... but it was a start.
Diane nodded, and James followed her lead. Lale gave them each a weak smile, trying to hide his own uncertainty. Three marines to teach a whole bunch of Learners how to not get killed in a fight? The cynicism bled into his mouth, and Lale irritably pushed it aside. He had no time to play devil's advocate - Lale knew that if Ichabod's plan worked, to send dinosaurs back to 2039, he'd never be able to live with himself.
"Glad I can count on you both." (That was a good move, he appraised himself. He was getting the hang of this 'leader' thing.) "Rest up," he told them, "at first light, we can get started." It wouldn't be kung-fu or anything; they didn't have time for that.
