This is the third story in my Terra Nova series, set after both Fighting for a Second Chance and Back to Basics

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended, all characters belong to the respective writers and producers. I write for fun

Terra Nova: Fighting On

Prologue

Sara Cairn hated being off colony, she liked the security of the fence, the high stone wall that surrounded the horticultural plots where she worked; and the Taylors prowling around. Dr. Wallace didn't appreciate their interference, but he didn't listen to them either; he didn't like to listen to anyone. If he did she wouldn't be stuck out here for a month.

A day trip with a security team was one thing but living on an outpost for weeks on end was terrifying. The buildings were surrounded by a fence, but she was sure there were some freaky predators that could go through or under it.

The bunks were set at the back of the compound, at the opposite side from the horticultural plots. In the dark forty feet seemed like a mile, and her little lamp did nothing but illuminate the uneven ground a foot or two in front of her.

Sara put her head down and hustled, a sound beside her made her turn and something struck her cheek and as she stumbled back stunned as hands grabbed at her. Before she knew it, the man was running, hauling her along with him, and as she started to scream it was too late. The fence scraped her shoulder as he ran, darkness enveloped her, and she struggled against him.

…

Alicia rode shot gun in the rhino delivering supplies to outpost four. Guzman oversaw off colony operations, but right now he was based out at outpost nine. It was the newest outpost they had built, and it was based nearest to their northern border and their enemies.

Two sixer girls had been abducted last week, they hadn't been recovered, and more than one supply run had been hit in the past few weeks. No losses but the colony couldn't afford to lose any of the supplies they shipped, and the soldiers needed a moral boost. They needed to know a hard fight didn't mean they didn't have the skills to win. It meant they were going against mercenaries who were much more hardened than they were.

The men were from her generation of soldier, they knew war in a way these kids didn't. That they hadn't lost a run yet was a testament to the kid's skills, and the state of the Phoenix. What was concerning was that there were more than just mercenaries in the squads. They had wondered if the ex sixers had teamed up with them, but descriptions indicated the Phoenix guides were more like the seagoers; Blade was sure it was the pirates.

She liked night supply runs, their tech had been seriously downgraded in the time since the portal closed nearly two years ago but they still had a little more than the Phoenix and it made running at night a little earlier. It worked for her, Alicia had tucked Cullen into bed before she geared up to join the run, and if all went to plan she would be home before he woke in the early hours for a feeding.

As they rolled along the darkened trail she took in the night air and enjoyed being OTG. Since Cullen's birth she hadn't been off colony until last week and her son was nearly six months old. It felt good to be out, felt good to have a challenge.

They rounded the bend and came up on approach to the compound, she could see lights up, but it was strange that the whole fence was lit; it looked like everyone was up. Alicia frowned, she expected the security team to be out, they would handle offloading and storing the supplies being delivered.

As they pulled in she heard voices calling for Sara, frowning she slung her body out of the rolling transport and headed for a soldier she knew. "Yantze what is going on?"

"A girl went missing, never made it back to the bunks tonight; patrol found a hole in the fence. A couple of the other science interns thought they heard screaming. We did a head count Sara Cairn is missing." The soldier explained as her crew poured out of the rhino at the gate.

"Tate, on my six. Yantze with me." Alicia moved along the fence. "Who is out here?"

"Everyone." The young man shrugged, and Alicia winced.

"Have security pull them back now." Any trail was compromised now, she could accept that but as she passed a pair of searchers barely out of their twenties she winced.

"We need all they eyes we can get." Yantze hesitated as she paused, a familiar clicking sound.

Wash froze, her eyes scanning the jungle beyond the fence, the jungle that they had many unarmed and untrained scientists and kids wandering around in. Yantze was young, this was his first command assignment, he was the operations officer, but he didn't see the risks he was putting the civilians in. And she didn't see the post CO out here.

The clicking came from her right again and Alicia drew her tranq gun, a dead pulse gun had been retrofitted with strong tranq darts. Skye Tate copied her, looking around to try and figure out what she was looking for. Suddenly a raptor burst through the trees, she fired three shots quickly, one catching the creature's neck, the dart made it turn on her.

Skye drained her clip, Alicia held her ground as it advanced watching as the previous targets scrambled for cover. The drugs took effect and about five feet from them the raptor dropped. Behind her she heard Yantze cough, and turned to find him wide eyed in shock; sometimes circumstances were a better teacher than an order. "That's why I don't want civilians out here."

"Yes Ma'am." The young man turned quickly and began to round up the searchers as Alicia reached the hole in the fence.

"Its been cut, see the tool marks." She pointed them out to Skye, the young soldier was hers and Skye was going to learn to track. The young woman's position in the colony was still off balance, Alicia knew the military was her escape and the girl was smart; she could learn. "Someone did this intentionally."

"DO you think we can find her?"

"Yes, and we have the time advantage. Whoever took Sara doesn't know that we were out here, or that the outpost was going to have trackers nearby." Alicia switched on her torch, the ground was torn up, but she followed the path anyway, eyes scanning the ground and then the scrub.

"It's compromised, people have been all through here." Skye murmured, looking down as she followed. "Why didn't the radio us?"

"Because they panicked, and the only officer out here is young and inexperienced in search operations. That's for me to handle and when we find Sara I will." She moved easily in the jungle, holding the weapon and light together, sweeping the path ahead of her.

As they moved past where the searchers had stopped the track became clear, someone had scouted this route for a while before making their move. Alicia picked up her pace, leaving Skye behind as she broke out into a flat-out sprint. They had a time advantage but at some point, there was going to be a transport waiting.

Her heart pounded, as she realized she could hear water running she eased her pace; she could hear arguing. Alicia eased to the tree line and watched one man argue with one in a boat, a canoe like the Seagoers used. She wanted proof that the Phoenix had found friends and now she had.

Alicia fired a shot into the sky, both to mark her position and draw their attention. The mercenary had the young scientist slung over his shoulder and it slowed his response. "Put the girl down and back away. I just want the girl."

With a snarl the man dropped Sara Cairns who yelped as she hit the ground, the pirate fired an arrow at her. Alicia growled as the arrow missed and fired at the mercenary who was the greater threat, one jumped into his boat and the Phoenix tried to follow, floundering in the water until the man pulled him into the boat; the currents pulling them away from her. Alicia chose to focus on the girl, there would be a time to deal with them later.