Never Too Late

CHAPTER 3

Biometric confirmed. Facial recognition confirmed. Dr. Myles Dubrovnik's identity confirmed.

Kenzi stared at the screen and breathed out a sigh of relief There was still a chance to save the mission. She worked furiously on the holo keys, trying to identify the other seven contacts.

"Alpha Squadron, Bravo Team, Control. I have confirmed signature of our contact, closing in on my position. ETA 3 minutes. Contact is being pursued by seven Hedon agents. Require immediate assistance at the LZ."

"Affirmative, Control. Alpha Squadron is on its way." Kyler responded immediately.

"Control, Bravo Team is returning to the LZ. We are 40 minutes out." Troy answered.

"Understood." She replied.

She knew the landing team would be too far away to help. Her only hope was that the Skyhawks could land quickly and come to her assistance before it was too late. She didn't have 4 minutes, let alone 40. And she couldn't take on seven Hedon agents on her own, especially when her only weapon was a standard issue sidearm, a voltage pistol. She could take off on the shuttlecraft, but that was not an option. Her mission was to rescue Dr. Dubrovnik and she would do her damned best to complete it.

Clutching her pistol, she exited the shuttlecraft.  From the landing zone, she couldn't get enough vantage point. Her only option in this land of frozen snow was to hide behind spikes of snow drifts as she waited for the contacts to get within range. The snow drifts didn't provide much cover but it was better than nothing.

She sighted the first contact on her linkcomm just before he appeared on the horizon. The jetpacks they wore created erratic movements and she couldn't get a steady shot on the Hedon agents. Dr. Dubrovnik was enclosed in an electro shield of some kind that gave off a faint green glow. For a scientist, he was doing pretty good, outmaneuvering the agents as they tried to grab him. His jetpack shot him in an erratic pattern as he moved away from their reach again and again.

Kenzi fired off several shots but only managed to hit one agent. Six other agents raised their weapons and began a hail of laserfire towards her. She rolled away as laserfire shot through the drift and studded the snow around her. Chunks of frozen snow flew around her, showering her with bits of snow and ice.

"Dr. Dubrovnik! Over here!" She called out, waving him towards her. "Unity Fleet is here to help you."

"How do I know you're who you say you are?" He shouted as he hovered several feet away.

She pointed to her uniform and the shuttlecraft behind her. "We are the real deal."

He glanced behind him where the Hedon agents were approaching as quickly as their jetpack allowed them to. There was not enough time for both of them to get into the shuttlecraft and take off.

"Quickly, get in the shuttle. I'll hold them off." She told him. She ran up the low incline after him as he zoomed towards the shuttlecraft.

Her linkcomm began beeping an alarm. Her eyes widened as she recognized the signal. "Get down!" She dove at him and knocked him to the ground just as the RPG flew past them and hit the side of the shuttlecraft.

The momentum carried them back down onto the sloop and she rolled with him away as the grenade exploded, puncturing a hole to the side of the shuttlecraft. She covered her head as bits of debris and snow chunks showered the landing zone.

"W...what...are they trying to kill me now?" The doctor lay pale and shaken under her as they finally stopped rolling at the bottom of the sloop.

"Get behind the shuttle and stay down." She told him as she struggled up, making sure she stayed low as she followed him to the shuttlecraft for cover.

"Miya, you still breathing?" Cody's voice sounded harsh and anxious over the comm. He was breathing heavily like he was running.

"I'm okay. And I have the doctor." She rasped into the comm, breathing shallowly. "But some backup would be nice just about now."

"Hang tight, Miya, we're almost there." Kyler told her.

"Don't think we have much choice. We're surrounded." She peered from behind the shuttle and saw the agents closing in fast.

She took aim and fired a few shots, taking down another agent. The remaining agents reached the shuttlecraft and split into two groups to flank them.

"Oh God, Oh God," The doctor moaned beside her. "We're going to die. They really mean to kill us."

Kenzi ignored him and kept her focus on the threats as she shot another agent just as they surrounded her and the doctor. She pressed her back against the shuttlecraft and pointed her pistol at the four agents hovering above them with their laser rifles pointed at her. The agents all wore a grey uniform that looked similar to a Unity uniform and she could see how the doctor was almost fooled by them.

"I don't want to die. I don't want to die." The doctor sobbed, shaking against her.

"Come with us if you want to live, Dr. Dubrovnik." One of the Hedon agents said.

"I don't think so. He's a free citizen of the colony and he's not going anywhere with terrorists." She told them, holding her pistol steadily in front of her.

"Miya, get down." Kyler's warned.

She lowered her weapon, grabbed the doctor and forced him down with her just as a hail of laserfire spit out above her, peppering the shuttlecraft behind. The four remaining agents dropped like zapped flies to the frozen surface.