Free Alien, Mine by Sandra Harris Page B

me for?”
    “I’m not.”
    Cold slithered along her fear receptors.
    “Can you tell where they are?” Shrenkner asked.
    “Only in a general sense. I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint any without being obvious about it.”
    She pictured herself getting close to the personnel here and sniffing them.
    Yeah, that’d work so well.
    “Well, don’t. We’ll get out of here and advise base.”
    Anxiety and adrenaline combined in a spirited attempt to incite her feet into running. She forced control and held her pace to Shrenkner’s as they made their way with as much outward composure as possible toward the entrance. Shrenkner halted and surveyed the parking area. Sandrea peered around her.
    Fear enhanced the smell of Bluthen to permeate the entire complex.
    “My mother gave me four very useful pieces of advice,” she said. “Always wear clean underwear, always wash behind your ears, always know when to walk away and—”
    “Always know when to get in the nearest fast transport and withdraw rapidly,” Shrenkner completed.
    “Yep.”
    “My mother gave me much the same advice, except for the ears.”
    “After you then.”
    They set a brisk pace to the ATVEH they’d come in, scrambled inside, and accelerated away.
    Sandrea flicked a glance at the now helmeted Shrenkner. “You going to drive by Braille?”
    “What?”
    “You haven’t got the headlights on.”
    “No, I’m using night-vision.” Shrenkner steered the speeding vehicle through the night. She muttered, growled, then punched the console. “Something’s wrong.”
    Oh yeah, on top of what we already know?
    “What?”
    “Communications are being jammed. I’ve tried to raise the base, but they’re not responding.”

Chapter 5
    Holding Her Own
    A dark cloud of foreboding mushroomed in Sandrea’s mind. She clung to the seat as the ATVEH flew over low rises and pulled positive G’s in dips.
    “Dammit!” Shrenkner smacked the wheel. “Can’t this thing go any faster? We’ve got to warn the base.”
    A great, booming thump thundered through the air. Across their forward port quarter, a huge bolt of light speared towards the barracks and exploded in a ball of light.
    It appeared to be on target.
    Sandrea stared in horror at the orange flames bright against the night. Her heart slammed into her gut.
    Eugen!
    “Where the hell did that come from?” Shrenkner demanded, a slight tremor in her voice.
    Another volley blasted across the night sky. Sandrea twisted in her seat and pointed to a low hill backlit by faint, blue planet-light. “Over there.”
    Shrenkner spun the wheel and Sandrea clung to whatever she could as the vehicle bumped over rocks and slewed sideways over loose gravel.
    Great. Now we’re heading towards the bloody thing.
    The light exploded again and she tried to ignore the deep, almost familiar fear that shadowed the sound.
    “What is that?” she asked.
    “Laser cannon.”
    The gun picked up its pace and sent bolt after bolt into the base. Dread dug brutal fingers into her heart.
    Eugen’s caught in that.
    “Can they keep that up for long?”
    “Depends, the way they’re firing they’ll have to stop to let it recharge soon.”
    The ATVEH slowed and they coasted to a halt on the opposite side of the hill to the weapon.
    “We’re stopping? ”
    “This is where the cannon is.”
    “My point exactly!”
    “I cannot allow this weapon to continue its assault on the barracks,” Shrenkner threw over her shoulder as she leapt from the vehicle.
    Sandrea scrambled out and followed her to the ATVEH’s rear. An ominous quiet settled on the night.
    “They’re recharging.” Shrenkner opened a panel and snatched out a gun.
    “But you’re a medic. Besides, won’t the barracks retaliate?”
    “I’m also a soldier and right now this place needs an Alliance soldier. It’s altogether probable that first volley took out the primary armament generator or the base would have returned fire by now. Either that, or they have a larger