"Quick!" Erick rasped. He dropped, throwing the case far away from him, into the bushes. He straightened up tensely.
A figure loomed up, moving through the darkness, and behind it came more figures, men, soldiers in uniform. The light flashed up brightly, blinding them. Erick closed his eyes. The light left him, touching Mara and Jan, standing silently together, clasping hands. Then it flicked down to the ground and around in a circle.
A Leiter stepped forward, a tall figure in black, with his soldiers close behind him, their guns ready. "You three," the Leiter said. "Who are you? Don't move. Stand where you are."
He came up to Erick, peering at him intently, his hard Martian face without expression. He went all around Erick, examining his robes, his sleeves.
"Please—" Erick began in a quavering voice, but the Leiter cut him off.
"I'll do the talking. Who are you three? What are you doing here? Speak up."
"We—we are going back to our village," Erick muttered, staring down, his hands folded. "We were in the City, and now we are going home."
One of the soldiers spoke into a mouthpiece. He clicked it off and put it away.
"Come with me," the Leiter said. "We're taking you in. Hurry along."
"In? Back to the City?"