Sahara Desert, Mali

Peter had served in the US Army for two years. He'd spent many nights waiting for enemies to appear on the horizon. He'd spent many nights as a sentry, watching for anything that happened to be wrong.

And never, on any of those long nights, had his commanding officers, with pure tactical logic, ordered a beautiful girl to flirt with him.

Marie LeFleur was the best captain in the history of captains, and Peter was willing to shoot anyone who disagreed with this fact.

The captain was currently behind him, using a lunch box as a pillow as she snored softly. Razan was to his left, having stuffed two of the paint balls they used as ammunition into his ears about an hour ago. Razan's swords, Sophie's spear and Marie's cutlass had been placed between him and Peter. All the ranged weapons were directly behind Peter, who was using tent poles as a chair.

And Sophie, following her orders, was leaning against Peter, absently trying to unbuckle his belt as he played with her hair.

He wanted to kiss her again, but it was reaching the point where he'd have to find somewhere private to calm himself down if they touched any more. They were in the middle of the open desert, and there were no private places.

"Someone is watching us," Sophie sighed, adjusting her position in his arms.

Peter glanced around without lifting his head, spotting a dark shape south-south-east. "Only one. The hawk is straight south; I bet the other three are there."

"How do you suppose they plan on reaching us?"

"They'll probably rely on speed," he said into her hair. "Surprise isn't something to underestimate."

She smiled, looking up at him. "We'll have to act surprised."

Peter gave in, kissing her for what he promised himself would be the last time. He knew he was treading the line between simply wanting her and needing her, but only pressing his lips against hers and holding them there wouldn't push him over.

As they parted he glanced over and saw two people running towards them across the sand. Sophie immediately rolled away as Peter grabbed the rifle and took aim. The two people split, and Peter focused on the one heading right. He fired, the report waking Marie and alerting Razan.

Paint splattered on his target's arm, the woman stumbling at the impact. Peter grabbed a pistol, found an A engraved on the grip, and aimed again as Marie took and reloaded the rifle. He fired, and this time the paint hit his target in the stomach. The woman dropped to the ground, choosing to crawl forward like a snake.

Giving up on her, Peter took his crossbow and aimed at the man who was almost at the pad. He pulled the trigger and paint hit the man square in the chest, but that didn't stop him from leaping through the barrier with three-pronged daggers held ready.

Razan saw the daggers and immediately backed away, holding his swords behind him. "Sophie! May I borrow your spear!"

"You'll buy me a new one if it breaks," she warned, watching the sand dunes.

"Thank you!" He dropped his swords to the side and dove around the man for her chain spear.

The man laughed. "Don't want to break your precious katana?" he jeered, swiping at Razan.

"No, I don't," Razan snapped, jabbing at him.

Marie set the reloaded rifle next to Peter, nodded at him, and jumped to her feet, grabbing her cutlass as she pulled the dagger off her belt. She swung her cutlass at the man, who caught it between two prongs of a dagger.

"Too much steel in this to break," she told him, using her own dagger to slash his arm open.

He hissed through his teeth, moving his other arm fast enough to knock away a thrust from Razan.

Sophie put a hand on Peter's elbow. "Third person coming."

He looked up and saw a second woman walking across the sand. She had a tall shield held in front of her, protecting her from any ranged attack. Peter, who had automatically raised the rifle to his shoulder, lowered it.

"Sophie…"

"Yes?"

"Do you think you can steal her shield?"

To her credit, she didn't immediately say yes. "Depends on what weapons she has. Razan! May I borrow a sword?"

"Absolutely not!" he shouted, jabbing at the man with her spear.

"Here!" Marie called, tossing her dagger in their general direction. She pulled another off her belt and continued fighting.

"Thank you!" Sophie grabbed it. "I think I can steal the shield now."

"Do it," Peter told her. "Run zig-zag so the man on the dune can't target you."

She gave a quick salute and took off across the sand.

The woman who was crawling slowly towards them stopped, lifting her head to watch Sophie. It wasn't a perfect target, but it was as good as Peter hoped to get. He aimed carefully, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.

The paint ball hit the top of her head, glancing off and spraying red-orange paint across the sand. She cursed as she was covered in a blue glow, and then she was gone.

Pleased, Peter traded rifle for pistol and aimed at the melee fight a few paces away.

"Marie, Razan, back!"

His teammates immediately stepped back, and he pulled the trigger. He'd aimed as if he'd had the A pistol, but the pistol he was holding was B. The shot went low, hitting the man right in the groin. At such short range, it must have had a fairly strong impact.

The man squeaked, dropped his daggers, and fell to his knees. Blue light surrounded him as he collapsed to his side. He vanished.

"Well, that's one way to end a fight," Marie said, putting her dagger away.

"Were you aiming for that?" Razan asked, setting Sophie's spear down.

"Nope," Peter said. "Captain, you need to paint these different colors. Can't tell which is which."

She smirked. "I've never had a problem." She paused. "Sophie?"

A shot rang out across the desert, and they looked over just in time to see Sophie reach the woman with the shield.

Sophie felt her heart racing as she ran towards the woman with the shield. All she had to do was grab it, yank it away from her, and run off again. Simple.

A shot rang out, and moments later paint hit the sand next to her foot. She jumped back, startled, and the woman dashed forwards.

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The woman had a huge double-headed axe in her hand, which she'd held hidden behind the shield. Sophie saw it and wanted to flee. The thing could cleave through bone easily, and Sophie was rather attached to all her bones.

She dodged back, remembering the confident look in Peter's eyes, and knew she couldn't run. She had to at least try to get the shield.

The woman swung again with her heavy weapon, and Sophie noticed she didn't have a particularly firm grip on it. This group hadn't had lunch, and hadn't replenished their water. They were at a disadvantage.

Sophie darted in and grabbed the axe, yanking it away. The woman stumbled, using her shield to steady her, but her fingers couldn't hold the weapon. Sophie spun, tossing it off into the desert.

Another shot rang out, and this time Sophie felt something hit her in the shoulder. She stumbled, yelping, remembering there were two enemies she needed to watch out for.

The woman grabbed at the dagger on Sophie's belt, but Sophie hopped out of reach.

"I'm sorry, but I need your shield," Sophie told her.

"Why?" the woman demanded.

"Because it's hiding you from ranged attacks," Sophie answered, and grabbed its edges. She yanked it up, over her head, and heard a series of sharp snaps.

The woman cried out in pain, dropping to her knees to cradle her arm. Two red welts quickly formed, and Sophie realized the shield had been strapped to her arm.

"Sorry!" she said, holding it between her and the man on the dune. "I didn't- Erm…" Sophie wondered what Marie would do, and remembered the dagger. She pulled it off her belt and pointed it at the woman. "Surrender now! Please?"

The woman looked at her and gave a feeble laugh. "Have you ever actually used a dagger before?"

"No," Sophie admitted. "Well, not on a person. Please surrender?"

The woman slowly got to her feet, still clutching her arm. "You're holding it wrong. Have someone teach you how to use that thing before you get into a real fight." She pulled the bail device out of a pocket and hit it, vanishing shortly after.

Sophie beamed, turning to head back to the supply pad. She glanced at the man on the dune just in time to see him disappear in a blue glow, too.

A cheer rang out as Marie and Peter celebrated the team's victory.

Eight hours had passed since the contest's beginning. Sixteen hours remained. Marie watched stars twinkle in the sky, feeling at peace. The world was still. She'd never truly experienced a still world before.

After their battle with the Caterpillars, everything had gone quiet. Marie and Sophie were keeping a vague eye towards the northward direction, while the men blandly stared southish. It was boring as hell, but Marie had long ago learned to appreciate boring moments. Being bored meant there was no one trying to kill her.

"People," Peter said suddenly.

Marie turned, squinting at a dark shape on the dune. Razan pulled the spyglass from his pocket and looked through it. His already straight posture straightened just a bit more.

"Foxes," he reported.

"We have a truce with them, right?" Sophie asked Marie.

Marie nodded, watching Razan. "I wonder what they'll ask of us."

"They can stay here for a while, surely," Razan said, almost too casually. "The pad is ours, and we can't fully share, but offering them an hour of rest ought to be acceptable."

"I don't think it's the time, but the number of people," Sophie said, teasing. "All four wouldn't be allowed to stay, but Innoka by herself can stay as long as she likes."

He gave her an unamused glare.

"If Innoka's still here," Peter said, getting up to stretch. "There's only three people coming towards us."

Razan immediately looked through the spyglass again. "She's there. The other two are Chimeg and Antoni."

"Antoni is the leader, right?" Sophie asked.

"He is," Marie answered. "Peter, have you met them yet?"

"I have not," he said.

Marie watched him. "Have you been avoiding them?"

He glanced at her before straightening the fringe on his poncho. That was answer enough.

Antoni was from Poland and Chimeg was from Mongolia. They were fine. Innoka's people were some of the original inhabitants of North America, and she'd said she had no desire to meet a previous US soldier. The last member of their group was Mateo, from Mexico. To him, Peter would be a traitor three times over.

Everyone claimed earthly politics didn't matter on the ship and in contests, but Marie didn't quite believe that. Prejudice flowed in humanity's blood.

The Foxes drew closer, and finally stopped within arm's reach of the pad.

"Hello, Drifters," Antoni said, giving Marie a military salute. "May we have your permission to enter and refill our canteens?"

"You may," Marie said, motioning for them to step inside.

"Thank you." He crossed the barrier, the two women following him.

Innoka smiled at Razan, brushing a long strand of hair behind her ear. "He doesn't want to ask, but would it be possible for us to eat lunch here?" She looked to Marie at the end, making it plausible she wasn't asking the samurai.

"We don't need to," Antoni said. "We can collect food and eat elsewhere."

"Elsewhere might not be safe," Marie said, thinking.

Chimeg finished off a canteen and looked over. "I'd rather eat here."

"No, no, we can continue on," Antoni insisted.

Marie looked at the ring around the top of the barrier. "Tell me, at what point would that change colors?"

He glanced up, then shrugged. "It would change if all four of you were to leave."

"Thought so," Marie said, pushing herself to her feet. "Would you do us the favor of staying here with Razan to guard our pad while Peter, Sophie and I raid the pad to the south?"

He blinked, confused.

"You want us to stay here while you explore?" Innoka asked.

"We will," Chimeg said, collapsing into a cross-legged sitting position. She looked like a team of wild horses couldn't drag her from that spot.

Razan was very carefully keeping a neutral face.

Antoni wasn't convinced. "Why?"

"You clearly need food and rest," Marie said. "Sophie is about to go mad from boredom, and it would be cruel to keep Peter caged in his natural habitat. Razan is best at close combat, so him staying here to defend our territory is wisest. And I want to see how other teams fight and defend their pads without risking losing our own access to water."

"I… suppose that makes sense," Antoni decided. "If you really want to leave, we'll stay here until you get back. All four of you can go, though, we can defend a pad just fine."

Marie gave him a tight smile. "I don't trust you that much. Razan will be staying here."

He glanced at Innoka, who had taken a seat near Razan. "As the oldest, why don't you-"

"You might think I'm old and weak, and try to overpower me," Marie said, cutting him off. "You're automatically less likely to try attacking a young man than an old woman. Either Peter or Razan will stay. Cowboy wants to wander, and the samurai never wants to move more than is strictly necessary."

"Thank the woman and ask Nop for lunch," Chimeg ordered.

"If you don't we'll mutiny," Innoka added.

"Fine," Antoni said. "Thank you. We will gladly stay here and defend your pad with Razan."

"Yes, thank you," Innoka said, smiling. She really did have a striking smile.

"All the thanks," Chimeg said off-handedly. "Nop! Lunch!"

Marie turned to Peter and Sophie. "Get your weapons, fill your canteens, let's go."

"Yes, captain."

"Yes, ma'am."

She glanced at Razan, who gave her a small bow. His face was still neutral, but there was a smile in his eyes.

Razan was convinced Marie was the best leader it was possible to have. If anyone disagreed, he would happily run them through with a sword.

Innoka sat a few paces away on a box, combing sand out of her long black hair. It had taken her a good three minutes to carefully unbraid it, and Razan wasn't sure at what point he'd given up pretending he wasn't watching.

She shook a few precious drops of water onto her fingers to dampen them before continuing her work. The ends of her hair brushed the ground as she moved, and Razan debated offering to hold it up for her. Just to help.

Chimeg, like Marie, had fallen asleep immediately after eating. She didn't snore, but occasionally she twitched. The twitching mildly alarmed Razan.

Antoni, sitting on the other side of the pad, was clearly thinking of murdering Razan. If he'd been holding a sign that read "INNOKA IS MINE", his thoughts couldn't have been more obvious.

Razan was very good at ignoring obvious invisible words, so he continued watching Innoka as she parted her hair into three pieces. Tossing her head back, she started to rebraid her hair.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, smiling ever so slightly.

Razan's fingers itched. "Would-"

"Razan!" Antoni snapped, jumping to his feet. "Come take a walk with me around the perimeter!"

Razan looked at him, keeping his face neutral. "I'm sorry, but I cannot leave the supply pad. Although the idea is sound; you should go."

"Innoka, come-"

"I'm busy," she said calmly, fingers still weaving through her braid.

"Fine." He stomped away, acting like a child denied sweets.

Razan smiled at Innoka. "Would you like me to help you?"

She almost spoke, then saw Antoni glaring and stopped. "No. Thank you for offering, though."

Antoni continued walking, glancing back every few moments.

"I leave my offer open," Razan said, sitting back. "If you ever need help, I am here."

She finished her braid and tied the end with an old ribbon. "Thank you."

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