Normally, they wouldn't even bother with a job like this. It was cold, too cold, and the lake water was even worse. But there was a code for their line of work: leave nothing unfinished.
The sound of chattering teeth seemed painfully loud in the lifeless forest scene, the thick bundle of trees surrounding the lake like a bull's-eye. Amongst this foliage was a seemingly small person, bundled up in layers of clothing so that only their eyes peeked out from the heaps of fur and cloth. These eyes, their color more emerald than the gem itself, seemed to be scanning their surroundings, alert and very much aware of the spraying of water that came from the lake. It was, to the watchman's dismay, her clumsy brother as he seeded through the silt which once rested, and now clouded, the bottom of the lake.
"Gee, Arthur, could you be any less graceful?" The sarcastic drawl whispered snappily into the headset piece near the girl's mouth, or rather near the place her mouth should be under the mounds of layering.
"Sorry, it's just that this water is really murky," came the apologetic response, the boy fearful of his sister's tendency towards violence. "Anastasia, have you seen any sign of them?
Another sweep of the moon-lit forest before the female could respond, "Not yet, thankfully. You know how they are, they'd bring in the high-tech machinery and up that Artifact before you could take another breath."
It was always like this for them. Ever since this planet had been discovered four years ago, humans have been pouring in, mostly for treasure hunting. Apparently, there'd been a civilization there, almost as technologically advanced as the people of Earth had been at the time, that had disappeared with no known explanation. But they'd left behind plenty of things to dig up, knick-knacks of all kinds. Scientists had discovered that, though the Tretarians [the name they'd conjured for the people who lived on the planet] were behind on technology, they somehow had discovered new ways of accomplishing things. New kinds of energy, more advanced medicines, and other mysteries still baffled those who were studying the planet. And the people who had taken off for the planet before the government could react, had found something themselves: some things the Tretarians had left behind had powers of sorts.
One such object was what the Hamler twins were trying to dig up that cold January evening... before the better-equipped, more funded Diggers could get their hands on the scene. For you see, what they were looking for was one of the rarer objects, one that enhanced human capabilities. It was called a 'US', or an Upper Strength. There were different categories of Artifacts, based on what properties they had. So far, there have been two: Uppers, and Healers. Uppers would increase various attributes, and Healers could repair things. From there, Uppers broke off according to which attribute, and Healers into what it was they could repair.
"If we can find this thing... we'd be able to live off the reward for quite some time," Anastasia mumbled, her fist clenching as she began to imagine what she would do to any Digger who dared come near their find.
As if she'd jinxed herself, a red light began shining on her wrist from where a watch-like device was, the sign of an intruder setting off one of her traps. It could be just an animal, but she wasn't about to take any chances.
"Arthur, company. Don't panic, but just speed things up a bit, okay?" She gritted her teeth, a gloved hand pondering over a sheath on her hip which held something that seemed to be dagger-sized.
"Roger."
At once, the splashing noises seemed to stop as the boy dipped below the surface of the freezing cold water -- something he'd been wanting to avoid. The girl swept up a tree and became concealed in its branches, watching for any signs of life. There was nothing for a few minutes, before a figure garbed in black slithered onto the scene, looking around and motioning behind him for two lackeys to follow. Seeing that the situation was unavoidable if she wanted to keep her brother alive, Anastasia's other hand reached for her wrist and pushed a button on the watch, waiting for her trap to react before making her move. Before she could do so much as blink, a blue barrier shot up around the lake, glowing slightly and pulsing with unknown magicks.
From there she swooped down to knock out one of the men with an elbow to the face, slamming another one's head face-first into a tree. Retreating into the shadows, she advanced upon the leader and took out a syringe, which she proceeded to insert into his arm and empty its contents. Within moments, the man dropped unconscious to the ground, and Anastasia was back up in her tree.
"The situation has been taken care of. Have you found anything yet?"
Arthur rose above the surface once more, raising his wrist to his lips to whisper into the communicator, "Not yet. This water's freezing, and I've had to fend off more than one leechfish."
Anastasia sighed, "You big baby, scared of leechfish."
"They're like ticks, Anastasia!" Her brother whined, "I could die of blood loss if I'm not carefu--"
"Oh, whatever," the girl interrupted, rolling her eyes, "just hurry before more of them come."
Ever since their father had died six years ago, the twins had had a rough time, since their mother had abandoned the whole family years ago to become the right hand of King Jeremy -- the dictator of Earth, and now, Tretaria. The twins had been ten, and had learned how to fend for themselves through the harsh years. They were actually one of the first who were brave enough to make the trek to Tretaria, taking their father's cruiser in hopes of finding some sort of new beginnings on the planet. So far, all they've found is fights and even more struggle for survival. They usually had trouble getting jobs, being so young, but on top of that there were few jobs to begin with. It was rare for people to have Artifact Tracking Technology, or 'ATT', since it usually had to be self-manufactured and not a lot of people knew all that much about Artifacts or how they worked. A few had caught on about tracking Artifacts via strange wavelengths that they seemed to give off, but the shortage of these people meant that few people could hire Diggers. And, the fewer the jobs, the more competition there was to find the artifacts. Some Diggers would just go off on their own, but the most dangerous ones would steal other people's jobs.
"Hey, I think I found something, but it doesn't look like any kind of Upper I've ever seen. Nor a Healer, for that matter."
Anastasia opened her eyes, raising an eyebrow skeptically and sighing before passing through the barrier to descend down to the lake, "Let me take a look."
Arthur was crouched in the waist-high water, his black wet-suit covered in dirt and completely soaked. He'd taken off his goggles and snorkel gear, his own jade green eyes staring at something which resembled a bracelet. Anastasia took off one of her gloves, her snow-white skin exposed to the light of the moon and the chill of the night as she took the golden circlet from her sibling. Using her other hand to clean off the object, she studied its intricate-seeming patterns which completely covered the thing.
Slipping it onto her wrist, she held it up to the light and smiled, "And you say I don't know how to accessorize."
Arthur's eyes were suspicious as he tried to analyze their finding, "What is it? I mean, do you think it's just a bracelet?"
"I don't see why not," the girl began to chuckle, "who's to say Tretarians weren't into jewelry?"
But Anastasia's smile quickly vanished as another signal from her watch warned her of more interruptions. "Keep searching for the US, I'll go do my thing."
"Gotcha," the word was barely out of his mouth before the lad submerged into the lake, like a turtle back into its shell.