Free 3531 by John Black Page B

soldiers yelled.
                  Donovan ignored the warning, while he crawled he pushed along the backpack to some larger rocks that offered better protection. Looking back, he smiled at the fact Rachel had just about reached the rocks.
                  Two of the soldiers began firing their weapons, while the other two rushed forward.
                  Donovan returned fire missing the first time, but the second shot struck the charging man in the throat. He fell to his knees while  grabbing his throat. Donovan noticed thick oozing white liquid pouring from the wound.
                  One of the lasers hit the rock formation causing much debris to fly about, temporally blinding Donovan. “There's only three of you left,” Donovan screamed. He tried desperately to sink into the ground has the laser shots erupted all around him. Then just has fast it grew silent.
                  Slowly lifting his head, he peeked, barely visible through the swirling sand the remaining three soldiers had retreated. Rising up he inspected the two dead soldiers, but to his surprise the one shot in the chest was still breathing.
                  “Who are you?” Donovan asked.
                  The man blinked his eyes but said nothing.
                  “Your comrades left you to die?” He looked at the man, his brown eyes had tears rolling down the sides of his face.
                  The soldier still said nothing, only fear and hate radiated from his expression.
                  Donovan looked at the sun now nearly overhead. Taking out a water bottle, he noticed the HO-2 was damaged, but that was a issue to handle later. He took several sips of the water. “You want a sip?”
                  The man nodded yes.
                  Donovan knelt beside the wounded man. “Then answer my questions. Why are you after us?”
                  “We are after the female, and now you also.”
                  Donovan was taken back by the answer. “Why her and now me?”
                  “She is a red unit, and your DNA came up on our registry.”
                  Donovan watched him eye the water, licking his now extremely parched lips. Showing a bit of mercy he gave the man a drink. “What do you mean she is a red unit?”
                  “Meaning she is a fully functional female, no implants at all. In short her blood is red.”
                  Donovan nodded his head, but didn't really understand. He glanced towards the horizon but saw no threat. “All right and why is my DNA so important to you?”
                  “According to our records you died over 800 years ago.”
                  Donovan almost collapsed from the information. He wondered  why he was surprised to hear this now. Maybe he never really believed his parents nor the stories on those chips. “So the alliance in sector seven is still functioning?”
                  The man gasped for air, but only nodded yes.
                  “Will they continue to track and hunt for us?”
                  The man was struggling and new pain appeared on his face.
                  Donovan sensed time was running out, he gathered up the three laser weapons. In a ammo belt, he pulled out two black cartridge boxes, figuring they were for the weapons. He glanced at the solider. His eyes had glazed over, his brown hair blew across his now lifeless face.
                  Rachel moved higher on the rocky convexity. She looked but the distance was to far. She swallowed hard, her fear grew and she hated the not knowing, the waiting.
                  Donovan struggled more and more to walk. The shelter of the rocky cliffs were now only about fifty yards or so, when he collapsed, the pain in his shoulder