Our escape pod reached the shore of Icon not too long after our conversation. It struck the beach hard enough to throw us off our seats, but we were so glad to reach dry land that we didn’t even complain about it. I just rose to my feet and said to Christina, “Stay here. I’m going to scout out the area we landed in and make sure we’re alone.”
“Sure,” said Christina. “That way, if there’s a sniper waiting somewhere in the bushes, he’ll get you first.”
“You guys have snipers?” I said, glancing at the hatch worriedly.
“Sometimes,” said Christina. “Depends on what we need, but yes, some of our guards are trained snipers. And they’re very good, believe me, some of the best around.”
I was starting to rethink the wisdom of volunteering to scout out the surrounding area, but because I had alre
