jaws parted. Seizing his chance to escape, Keith pushed himself out of the creature’s mouth and made for the bank. His whole body felt like it was on fire, and he could hardly breathe, but he knew that it was only a matter of time before the giant predator recovered and came at him again.
Keith swallowed hard, forcing down the pain, and began paddling frantically toward his team. His armor was heavy and threatened to drag him down. But he pushed himself to his limits, urging his wounded body forward. His eyesight began to blur, and he found himself gasping for breath with every agonized stroke. He was starting to hyperventilate.
“Keith! Hang on! I’m coming!” Rush’s voice drifted through the fog seeping into his panicked brain, and he looked up just in time to see his teammate jump into the water ten feet away from him.
“I’ve got him!” Rush called back to Patterson, just as Keith felt the muddy bottom squishing under his hands and knees. He’d made it.
“Well then, get him out of there!” Patterson replied urgently, “That gator’s coming back around!”
Come on, you’re not out of the woods yet. Keep moving, Keith thought, dragging himself toward Rush.
“Cover me!” Rush shouted, slinging his weapon over one arm while reaching for Keith with the other.
Keith grabbed Rush’s arm and pulled himself up weakly, glancing over his shoulder just in time to see the one-eyed alligator lunging at them, mouth open wide.
In that brief moment time slowed to a crawl. Keith could hear the startled cries of his men and the sounds of automatic weapon fire. A moment later the white flesh lining the alligator’s mouth exploded as round after round slammed home, pulverizing the creature’s skull and the small brain within. The giant animal took three more steps then toppled onto its side, burying its long snout in the thick mud as Agent Patterson continued unloading his weapon into its writhing corpse.
“I! Hate! Alligators !” He shouted, slamming another clip into his smoking weapon.
“Remind me … never to get on your bad side … Patterson.” Keith rasped.
“Easy, Keith. Don’t try to talk,” Rush said, pulling him up out of the mud.
“Understood,” Keith replied, gagging on blood.
“We need to get you out of here. … Patterson, call Perkins—tell him we need immediate evac!”
“… Miss McKelly … ” Keith coughed.
“I’m sorry, Keith. You just moved to the top of the priority list.”
Keith laid his head back, overcome with guilt. He’d failed to complete his mission. Luna McKelly was missing: either dead or in the clutches of terrorists who would think she was an agent. He shuddered. Whether from the thought of an innocent civilian being tortured for information she couldn’t possible know or from his massive internal injuries, he couldn’t be sure.
“Rush … Patterson. If you get through to the Chief … tell him … tell him to look for Miss McKelly. … We can’t abandon her out here.”
“We will, sir.” Rush replied, reaching for his suit’s med-kit. “I’m sure he’ll do everything in his power to find her and bring her home. Don’t worry.”
Keith nodded slightly and closed his eyes. The last thing he heard was Rush’s frantic attempts to rouse him, but it was too late. He’d already surrendered to exhaustion and the shock of his injuries.
Chapter 13
“We’ve established contact, sir!” Rosa called out, causing Chief Landers to stop and turn. He had been anxiously pacing the communications room for nearly the entire five hours since Alex had picked up a scrambled distress call from the Stratocruiser. All further attempts at contacting the team had failed, because of the massive storm that had blown into the area shortly after the distress beacon had been activated.
“Give me an exact location on their signal and patch it through,” he replied briskly, turning to face the network of holographic monitors built into the comm
Keith swallowed hard, forcing down the pain, and began paddling frantically toward his team. His armor was heavy and threatened to drag him down. But he pushed himself to his limits, urging his wounded body forward. His eyesight began to blur, and he found himself gasping for breath with every agonized stroke. He was starting to hyperventilate.
“Keith! Hang on! I’m coming!” Rush’s voice drifted through the fog seeping into his panicked brain, and he looked up just in time to see his teammate jump into the water ten feet away from him.
“I’ve got him!” Rush called back to Patterson, just as Keith felt the muddy bottom squishing under his hands and knees. He’d made it.
“Well then, get him out of there!” Patterson replied urgently, “That gator’s coming back around!”
Come on, you’re not out of the woods yet. Keep moving, Keith thought, dragging himself toward Rush.
“Cover me!” Rush shouted, slinging his weapon over one arm while reaching for Keith with the other.
Keith grabbed Rush’s arm and pulled himself up weakly, glancing over his shoulder just in time to see the one-eyed alligator lunging at them, mouth open wide.
In that brief moment time slowed to a crawl. Keith could hear the startled cries of his men and the sounds of automatic weapon fire. A moment later the white flesh lining the alligator’s mouth exploded as round after round slammed home, pulverizing the creature’s skull and the small brain within. The giant animal took three more steps then toppled onto its side, burying its long snout in the thick mud as Agent Patterson continued unloading his weapon into its writhing corpse.
“I! Hate! Alligators !” He shouted, slamming another clip into his smoking weapon.
“Remind me … never to get on your bad side … Patterson.” Keith rasped.
“Easy, Keith. Don’t try to talk,” Rush said, pulling him up out of the mud.
“Understood,” Keith replied, gagging on blood.
“We need to get you out of here. … Patterson, call Perkins—tell him we need immediate evac!”
“… Miss McKelly … ” Keith coughed.
“I’m sorry, Keith. You just moved to the top of the priority list.”
Keith laid his head back, overcome with guilt. He’d failed to complete his mission. Luna McKelly was missing: either dead or in the clutches of terrorists who would think she was an agent. He shuddered. Whether from the thought of an innocent civilian being tortured for information she couldn’t possible know or from his massive internal injuries, he couldn’t be sure.
“Rush … Patterson. If you get through to the Chief … tell him … tell him to look for Miss McKelly. … We can’t abandon her out here.”
“We will, sir.” Rush replied, reaching for his suit’s med-kit. “I’m sure he’ll do everything in his power to find her and bring her home. Don’t worry.”
Keith nodded slightly and closed his eyes. The last thing he heard was Rush’s frantic attempts to rouse him, but it was too late. He’d already surrendered to exhaustion and the shock of his injuries.
Chapter 13
“We’ve established contact, sir!” Rosa called out, causing Chief Landers to stop and turn. He had been anxiously pacing the communications room for nearly the entire five hours since Alex had picked up a scrambled distress call from the Stratocruiser. All further attempts at contacting the team had failed, because of the massive storm that had blown into the area shortly after the distress beacon had been activated.
“Give me an exact location on their signal and patch it through,” he replied briskly, turning to face the network of holographic monitors built into the comm
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