Title: Resurgence
By LongTimeFan
Rating T
Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan fiction based on the television series, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. It is in no way intended to infringe on the copyrights of Landmark Entertainment Corporation or anyone else who may have legal rights to the characters and settings. I don't own the characters. Only using them for a short time and will return them in relatively the same shape as when borrowed. As always, any errors or inconsistencies are of my doing.
Author's note: This story is a follow up to thread I left in my story, Weight of the World (yes, Scout gets to blow up something). It is probably considered an AU 2nd season as it refers to the 1st season finale, but for this story Pilot is alive and she and Jon are romantically involved. While the relationship does not play a large part, it is alluded to. So be warned if non-canon stories are not your thing. That said, for the most part, it is simply an attempt at a good-old-fashion CP storyline. Enjoy.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~
"Whatcha got?" Captain Jonathon Power asked as he slipped behind the rock formation secluding his espionage expert from the troopers below.
"A lot of activity for a building that's suppose to be abandoned," Sergeant Robert "Scout" Baker retorted, lowering the binoculars he had been looking through. "I've seen more than a dozen troopers and two overunits so far."
"Any indication of what they're doing?" Power queried, accepting the binoculars and taking a look for himself.
"Can't be good, that's for sure," Scout offered, pointing a scanner toward the old listening station. "They're using a whole lot of power," he added, showing the scanner readings to Power.
Jon whistled in agreement before turning his attention back to the activity below them. West coast resistance had reported that Dread's troops had reactivated an old listening station that had been abandoned during the metal wars. Intelligence indicated there had been large transports bringing in supplies several times a week.
Determining what purpose was behind the activity was usually something that Power's team left for other resistance fighters to do. Recent events, however, had left them feeling the need to take on such a task.
A series of missions when the team had been unable to remove settlers before they were killed or digitized had left them feeling more than a little demoralized. Scout had jokingly stated that blowing up something might make them feel better. Jon had laughed at first but the more he thought about, the more he realized that Baker may just be on to something.
Nothing beat the feeling of knowing they had interrupted one of Dread's little "projects."
Based on the activity he was seeing, Jon had a feeling they had stumbled upon something important in Taggert's scheme to eliminate humans and create a world of mechanized perfection.
Tapping Scout's shoulder, Power nodded his head back towards the area where two of the other members of the team were waiting. Joining them, he asked for an update.
"Saw three technicians going in the east side," Lieutenant Michael "Tank" Ellis reported. "I estimated at least three dozen bio-mechs."
"Two crawlers and a cargo rig on the south," Major Matt "Hawk" Masterson added.
"And still no indication what they're doing in there," Jon said, his mind whirling with possibilities. "Okay, we need to find out a little more before we head in there. Power to jumpship."
"Jumpship here. You find out anything?" Corporal Jennifer "Pilot" Chase asked over the communications link.
"Only that there's something definitely going on," Jon summed up for her. "Pick us up at the rendezvous point. We need to talk to some people."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~
"Database journal 48-10 Mark 9, Power reporting. We're on our way to Tech City to find an information broker names Tames. We're hoping he'll know what Dread's doing at the listening station. If he doesn't, we'll have to go in blind."
Moving into the edges of the last bastion of technology, Jon drew the hood of his robe over his head. Behind him, Pilot and Scout made similar moves. Many of the inhabitants of the once thriving city were addicts who would sell them out to Dread in a heartbeat if it meant they could get a neuro stimulator.
"I hate this place," Jennifer breathed, sliding her hand back under her robe to rest on her gun. "It reminds me too much of Locke."
"I know," Jon sympathized, laying a hand on her back to start them moving. "But if anyone knows what's going on there, Tames will.
"If Locke's smart, he's a long way from here," Scout added, looking around to make sure no one was paying special attention to them.
Locke, the information broker they had used in the past, had sold them out to Dread. His betrayal had resulted in a trap that had led the team to believe Pilot had died when their base was destroyed. It was weeks later that they learned the truth and were finally able to rescue her. Jonathon and the others had sworn that if they ever got the chance they would make Locke pay dearly for the agony they had been through.
Moving through the eerily lit streets, Jonathon led them to a small shop in the heart of the city. Pushing a half drugged junkie from the steps, the trio moved out of the neon glare into the darkened building.
"Take is easy," Power advised, scanning the area and not seeing whom they were expecting. "We're a little early."
"Yes, you are," a disembodied voice replied from the shadows, followed by the shape of a human separating itself from the darkness. "Man can get himself shot doing that."
"He can get shot by sneaking up on people too," Scout retorted dryly, putting his weapon back in its holster.
"What do you have for us?" Power queried, cutting short the banter.
"Easy, Captain," the white haired man stated, shaking his head. "Everyone's in a hurry these days. No time for simple pleasantries. It's such a shame."
"We'll be pleasant when we're out of this hell hole," Pilot snapped back. "What do you have?"
"Take a look," Tames countered, holding out a reader and a disk.
Nodding for Scout to review it, Jonathon said, "How about you tell me the condensed version?"
Chuckling, Tames held out his hands as if surrendering. "Now Captain, you wouldn't want to spoil the ending would you?"
"It's here, Captain," Scout reported, lowering the reader from his face. "Schematics, supply schedules, troop movements."
"But what is Dread using the base for?" Pilot asked.
"It's part of the Styx project," Robert answered, handing the scanner back but keeping the data disk. "They're working on the latest version of a toxin to immobilize humans."
"How close to being done are they?" Power asked.
"Don't know about the toxin, but they're ready to test the delivery system," Baker reported.
Turning his attention back towards the information broker, Power pulled a bag of coins from his waistband and held it out to the albino man. "Usual price, I presume?"
"Always a pleasure Captain," Tames said graciously taking the offered payment. "And just because you're such good customers, I'll give you a little, shall we call it, special dispensation." Sobering, Tames continued. "Dread's got the toxin ready and once he finalizes the delivery system," Tames tapered off, his hands fluttering in the air to indicate something flying away.
Glancing at the others, Jon finished the sentenced. "Every human on the west coast will be gone. Thanks," he said before turning to leave. "Let's go. We don't have a lot of time."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~
"From the information on the data tape, Dread is going to deploy the gas with long range missiles," Baker explained bringing up the schematics of the flying objects. He had been carefully studying the information ever since they had made it back to the ship. Now that they were hidden in the vicinity of the listening station, it was time to share what he had learned. "Since they are intended to be one-way flights, he can run them to virtually anywhere in the world."
"Nice," Tank droned dryly, not really meaning it.
"How do we stop them?" Power asked, studying the screen.
"That depends," Baker sighed, turning to look at his teammates. "If they are really testing the missiles and only shoot off one, we should be able to shoot it down."
"And if its not?" Hawk asked the question lurking in everyone's mind.
"If this isn't a test, but the real thing, there'll be too many to shoot down," Scout continued. "If that happens, our best bet is to figure out the frequency they are being run by and see if we can re-program them to self destruct or to crash in an uninhabited area."
"The other possibility is that if it is a test, Dread could order the others launched when he sees us taking out the one," Tank added.
"That is a possibility," Pilot murmured, looking at the schematics to determine where the weakest point on the missile was in case she had to shoot it down.
"Either way, what about the toxin? If we destroy the missiles will it destroy the toxin too?" Hawk asked, his mind already leaping to the next issue.
"Mentor?" Power called out to ask the computer for its analysis.
"Working," the power base's computer system responded. "Analysis of the data indicates the toxin is derivative of a compound once known as ether, an extremely potent anesthetic that was first used in the early 1500's. If used improperly this compound can induce coma or death. It is highly flammable and any explosion should destroy it. Any amount that is not immediately incinerated will be diluted enough to pose no threat."
"We'll that's in our favor at least," Power sighed. "Tank, Scout, Hawk, you'll go with me to the listening station. Our mission is to destroy Dread's little experiment." Turning towards the remaining member, he added, "Pilot, you'll stay with the ship. If they get the test rocket airborne, you'll have to take care of it."
"No problem," Pilot assured the Captain. "I'll take the XT so the ship will be here when you get back." Seeing objection in Jon's face, she hurriedly added, "It's faster and more maneuverable. If I'm going to destroy that thing, I'll need both."
Conceding the point, Jon gave Jennifer a look to let her know he really didn't like the idea. While the smaller jet was faster and more agile, it did not provide her with the same protection as the jumpship.
"I hate to ask but what if they get all of them off?" Tank asked, making sure all contingencies had been addressed.
"Then we'll have to find a way to disable them from inside," Jon responded soberly. "Let's get ready."
"Captain, one more thing," Mentor cautioned before the humans moved away. "As I said, this compound is highly flammable. An explosion near it will cause it to burn very quickly and be extremely hot. Be advised to leave yourself ample time to reach a minimum safe distance."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ *~
"I still don't like you taking the XT," Jon reiterated, as he came up behind Jennifer. He had followed her outside while they were preparing for the mission. Ever since the incident when Chase had been stranded alone in the original base and nearly lost forever, he hated it when she was on a mission on her own.
"It makes sense," Jennifer stressed, turning to face him. "Look, the missiles are only six feet long and can run faster and into more places than this old ship can. If I try to follow it in the jumpship, there's no telling how far I'll have to go to catch it. It could end up that all I'll be doing is burning a lot of fuel. The jet can overtake it much quicker and it'll be done." Knowing the basis for Jon's concern she tried to ease his worry. "Besides, this way, you guys can come pick me up if you have to."
"It just too much like last time," Jon murmured, running his hands up her arms, concern on his face. When he had almost lost her, he had sent her back to base to allow Mentor to analyze a data tape they had been given by Locke. It had been the bait for Dread's trap.
Swallowing at the memory, Jennifer looked up into Jon's eyes. "It's not," she whispered, laying her hand on his face. "We've seen this data and we know that Dread's up to something. Something that we need to stop." Smiling, she added, "Besides, I'll be back before you guys make it back to the ship."
Brushing a kiss on her forehead, Jon pulled her close. "You better be." Letting her loose, he dropped his hands and stepped back. "All set?" he asked, dropping back into the roll of team leader.
"She'll be ready to go when we need her," Pilot assured him, patting the side of the old ship.
Heading back to the doorway, Jon stopped to let the other team members exit. "Let's do this," he ordered.
Moving towards the nearby skybikes, the four men laid their hands on their chests. "Power on," they said in unison, their clothing transforming to armor. Pausing only long enough to listen to their suit status update, Tank, Scout and Power climbed on the bikes while Hawk extended his wings.
"Monitor the radio. We'll keep you updated," Jon threw over at Pilot as he fired up his bike.
"You be careful out there kid," Hawk said, nodding at Pilot. Behind him, Tank and Scout iterated similar thoughts.
"I will," she assured them. "You boys have fun and don't stay away too long." Offering return salutes to Tank and Scout as they left, Jennifer watched Hawk ascend into the sky. Lowering her gaze, she locked eyes with Jon again. Understanding the silent message being sent to her, she nodded slightly as he took off.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ *~
"Captain," Tank called triggering his communications link. "It looks like they've started the party without us."
Approaching the listening station, Power grimaced. An elevated platform protruded from the top of the domed building. On top of the staging area, Jon could see three missiles ready to be fired.
"Hawk, see if you can take out those missiles," the Captain ordered. "Tank, take the right, Scout, left. Get us a way in there. I'll take care of the clickers on the other side."
By the time Power had finished his instructions, the three men had already jumped into actions. Peeling off from the group, Jon headed to the other side. While doing that he told Pilot that missiles could be airborne at any time.
"Roger that Captain," Jennifer called, firing up the small jet and separating it from the jumpship. "On my way," she added, turning the agile craft toward the fight.
Flying in low and fast, Chase scanned the area for signs of her teammates. Spotting a firefight occurring near the main entry of the base, Jennifer sent a stream of shots into the middle of the bio-mechs blocking Tank's and Scout's entry into the fortress.
"That got 'em," Scout called over the intercom to her. "Nice shooting!"
Smiling, Jennifer pealed away to circle the enclosure. Nearing the side with the rockets, an explosion rocketed the small jet.
"Pilot!" Hawk called. "One away."
"Got it," Chase answered, darting after the quickly accelerating missile.
Reeling back from the heat of the explosion from the two missiles remaining on the launching pad, Hawk caught a fleeting glimpse of the small jet as it blasted into the horizon. Quietly, he sent a prayer to the heavens that Jennifer would be back safe before he and others were finished. He couldn't shake the feeling of dread that descended over him whenever any of them were on a solo mission.
He never used to be like this. It had only been since the destruction of the original powerbase and losing Jennifer. It had been then that the reality that they were not untouchable had sunk into his soul. It was then that he realized he could again have to face the loss of people who meant more to him than his life. He wasn't sure he could survive it again.
Forcing his mind back to the mission at hand, Masterson headed for the remainder of the team. Landing near the building, he nodded to Power as he arrived "Two down. Pilot's on the third," he reported. "Let's get inside and blow this thing before they get any more off."
"I hear that," Jon murmured, leading the way to the doorway. "Any movement?" he asked coming up beside Tank and peering into the opening.
"None," Michael reported "Makes me wonder if it's a trap."
"We'll have to risk it. Scout, take point. Tank, cover our six. Keep your eyes open," Jon cautioned moving after Baker into the building.
Carefully winding their way through the installation, the four resistance fighters made their way to the control room. Other than a random bio-mech which was quickly dispatched, nothing stopped their advancement. Reaching the door leading to the control center, Hawk and Tank took their places to lead the assault into the room. On either side, Scout and Power poised themselves to provide cover.
Slapping a small charge on the door controls, Scout nodded to Power to let him know he was set. Receiving the confirmation to detonate it, the men covered their faces.
The explosion shattered the control panel and triggered the door to open. Rushing in, the four were surprised to find an empty room.
"Something's wrong here Captain," Scout observed, moving to the control panels and reading the gauges. "No readings," he barked, testing various switches and buttons. "It's dead."
Sharing a confused look with Hawk, Power shook his head slightly to let the older man he had no explanation.
"A false front?" Hawk offered, wondering if the real control room lay elsewhere in the facility.
"It's possible," Jon agreed. "Spread out. We know they've got missiles here somewhere and we've seen the barrels of toxin. Find them."
Moving with Scout into the corridor, Power headed towards the rear of the facility. As they moved, each scanned the walls for any sign of a hidden passage. Reaching the back of the building and finding nothing, he was about to ask Tank and Hawk for a report when his communications link burst to life.
"Got it Captain," Tank called. "We found a set of stairs leading underground."
"We're on our way," Power snapped, nodding for Scout to head out. Reaching the other side of the building in short time, Jon stopped beside Tank. "Where's Hawk?"
Ellis nodded towards the stairs. "He went to take a look."
Pausing for a moment, Power was about to order that they head down after him when Matt appeared.
"It's down there alright," Matt reported a little breathlessly. "There's three flights of stairs. Once you get down there, they've got an entire complex built under this thing. I saw hundreds of missiles in one room alone."
"Any other way in or out?"
"Not that I saw, but that doesn't mean anything," Masterson cautioned. "I didn't exactly have time to take the tour."
Grimacing, Power knew they didn't have a lot of options. "We could get trapped down there," he murmured. "Tank, find a spot and keep us a path out open. Scout, Hawk, you're with me. It's just a matter of time before they get more missiles off or more clickers show up."
"I'm surprised they're not here already," Scout observed, as they headed down. "We didn't exactly sneak in."
Reaching the bottom on the stairs, the three pressed their bodies to the wall next to the doorway. Darting his head around the jam, Jon tried to place the location of the troopers. Seeing three of them moving a short distance away, he held up three fingers and pointed to Scout and himself. Receiving silent acknowledgements, he nodded to Scout. Simultaneously the duo stepped into the doorway and opened fire.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Come on, come on," Pilot muttered, trying to inch more speed from already taxed engines. Warning bells rang periodically in the small space and flashing red lights danced across the console warning of overheated engines and stressed hulls.
The missile had been able to move faster than they anticipated. In addition, it had the capability of realizing it was being tracked and to make radical course adjustments in an attempt to loose whatever was behind it.
"Oh no you don't," she challenged, sending the jet into a sharp banking dive to follow the missile through the mountainous terrain it had entered into, darting into valleys and around mountains.
The landscape was unrecognizable to her as it flew by the windows. She ignored the sweat as it trickled down the back of her suit. Cognitively she knew that she was going to have bruises from slamming into the sides of the jet when she had to make drastic course adjustments to not loose sight of it. One time it had even tried to ram her. The force of the climb she had made to avoid it was so sharp spots had danced before her eyes.
That had been thousands of miles ago. If Pilot had to hazard a guess it would be that she had been across the continent and back. She had been steadily closing on it, anticipating it's turns and moves and countering them even before they had been fully executed. Now, all she needed was to gain another thousand yards or so and it would be in range of the lasers. Silently she prayed that when she blew it, it would be over a non-inhabited area and high enough to burn out before it hit the ground.
"Just a little," Jennifer muttered, her eyes darting between the missile and the readings. A tone sounding on the console drew a mirthless smile from her lips. "I've got you now," she snarled, hitting the button to activate the ion laser when the missile curved in front of her. "YES!" she yelled as the rocket exploded. Instinctively, she flinched as the jet flew through the resulting flames. She could hear the sound of the metal fragments hitting the hull as she passed.
Reaching the other side, Jennifer eased back on the throttle and slumped in the seat. Now all she had to do was figure out where she was and hope the engines would get her back to the jumpship. Leaning forward to bring up the navigation screens, she pushed on the buttons. A frown caused lines on her forehead when the screens remained dark. Pushing the buttons again with no luck, she switched triggered the radio.
"Pilot to jumpship. Come in jumpship." Hearing only static, she called again. "Pilot to Power. Can you read me? Hawk? Scout? Tank? Can anyone read me? Come in?"
Static answered her queries.
"This is not good," Pilot muttered, starting a diagnostic program.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Hold it right there!" Scout ordered, following Hawk and the Captain into the control room of the underground chamber. Motioning his weapon to indicate the technicians should move away from the counter, he added, "Nice and easy. Nobody needs to get hurt here."
Rounding up the six technicians in the room, Hawk threw a look back to Jon. "What do we do with them?"
"Take them out. Let 'em take the transport but make sure they can't tell anyone we're here." Turning to the nearest technicaian he said, "If you're smart, you'll get as far away from here as you can and never look back. You're boss isn't going to be too happy with you after we blow this place."
"Lord Dread will hunt you down and…."
"Save it," Jon snapped. "We've heard it all before. Hawk, get them out of here."
"All right, you heard the man. Move it," Hawk ordered, ushering the prisoners out of the room.
Moving to the control console, Scout began searching the computer programming. While doing so, he said, "Any word from Pilot?"
"None," Jon said grimly. "She should have at least checked in by now."
Silently grimacing, Robert shared in Jon's obvious concern. The team had almost fallen apart when Jennifer was gone. He wasn't sure they could survive her loss again. Shaking off the morbid thoughts, Baker made himself focus on the task at hand.
"Looks like this is the only base making this stuff," Scout reported, reading the monitor. "If we take this out, this little project will be over."
"Good," Power snarled. "Let's do it."
Together they began setting charges around the room and into the next where barrels of the chemical toxin were stored. Setting the last one, Scout asked, "Three minutes?"
"Better make it five," Jon suggested. "There's a lot of stairs out there and Mentor said when this thing goes, it's gonna be hot."
"Right," Scout said, setting the timer. "Let's go."
Running for the steps, Scout and Power climbed them two at a time. Panting a little as they reached the top, they called for Tank to head for the bikes. Flying away from the structure, they had reached a minimal safe distance when they heard the first pack detonate. Within seconds, a deafening roar erupted which rocked them.
As the movement stopped, Jon glanced back. Although he knew it wasn't likely at his current distance, he swore he could feel the heat from the fire pit behind them. Realizing that there were only three of them, he yelled, "Where's Hawk?"
"Coming up beside you," Masterson acknowledged, dropping his flight level to match Jon's. "Worried about me?" he asked innocently.
Letting out his breath, Power nodded in greeting to Matt. "Thought maybe you'd decided to take off with those technicians to lead a life of luxury."
"And miss all this?" Matt exclaimed, grinning as they landed beside the jumpship. Realizing it was still in lock down mode, he sobered. "Pilot isn't back."
"I know," Jon said gravely, getting off. Triggering his communication link, Jon called out. "Power to Pilot. Come in." When silence met his request, he shared a concerned look with Matt.
"Could be out of range," Matt observed.
"Maybe. Scout, see if you hone in on her suit."
"You got it," Robert called, triggering the door of the ship and disappearing inside.
"Tank, help me put these away, will ya?" Hawk called, sitting down on Jon's bike.
Following Scout inside, Jon powered down and waited anxiously as the communications expert brought up the system. When it was active, Mentor appeared. "Captain, there's an urgent message repeating on a rarely used broadcast frequency," he reported. "Sensors indicate that it is coming from somewhere in the southwest portion of the continent."
"What's the frequency?" Jonathon asked, tensing.
"1320 kilohertz."
Seeing Power's nod, Scout tuned the dial and flipped the message to the ship's speakers.
"Has come early. Freedom 2 to The Thunder. Freedom 2 to The Thunder. Santa has come early."
Coming into the front of the ship from the hold, Tank and Hawk listened to the message that kept repeating. "Santa has come early?" Tank repeated incredulous. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know, but whoever it is, is taking a huge risk broadcasting like that," Hawk replied.
Ignoring Tank and Hawk, Power reached over and flipped on the transmitter. "Thunder to Freedom 2. How many reindeer did he bring?" Jon sent, sending the prearranged security question back to Elzer Polaski, the man who had taken up the roll of being the voice of the resistance over the airwaves.
Almost immediately, a reply came back. "One. It's yellow."
"Pilot's with him," Jon explained to the others who were confused by the strange conversation. "It's part of a code I set up with Elzer. The channel told me he's got a person we know. And the color told me it's Jennifer." Ignoring the shared looks between the men, Jon asked tensely, "Is the package damaged?"
"Negative."
A sigh of relief exploded from the men when the answer came back. Slapping Scout on the shoulder and grinning, Jon called for the base's computer image of his father. "Mentor, prepare to receive an encoded message."
"Acknowledged. Encoded message received."
"Unscramble it and provide the coordinates within it."
"Working. Coordinates are 32.68485 degrees, -114.624614 degrees. It is a place once known as Yuma, Arizona."
"Prepare for take off. Hawk, lay in a course," Jon ordered unnecessarily as the others were already scrambling to their positions.
"Laid in," Hawk called back, firing up the engines. "And Jon, just how many more of these little coded messages have you set up?"
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Jennifer."
The sound of Jon calling her name caused Pilot to pull herself out of the engine compartment of the XT. Smiling down at the tall man standing beside the ship, she took his hands and slid off the machine. "It didn't take you long to get here."
"Are you okay?" Jon asked, pulling her into a fierce hug.
"I'm fine," Pilot assured him, looking up to accept his kiss. She knew he would be concerned about her. She was just lucky she was able to get word to him as quickly as she did.
Behind the two, a look of surprise passed over Elzer's face at the intimate gesture he was witness to. Seeing it, Hawk murmured, "I trust you'll not say anything about this? If Dread finds out, he'll try even harder to get to Pilot to hurt Jon."
"You have my word," Elzer assured him knowing what Hawk said was true.
"Wow," Scout said, moving past them assessing the damage to the outside of the ship. "She really took a beating didn't she?" he added, running his fingers across the gouges left from the hot metal shards of the rocket slamming into it.
Stepping back from Jon but still staying close enough that his arm was around her, Jennifer greeted the others of her team. "Let's just say she got a little singed."
"Looks like more than a little to me," Michael corrected, leaning against the side of the small craft. "You do remember that you were suppose to blow it up, not ram it, don't you?"
"Doesn't look like it to me," Hawk chimed in coming around the side. "Jon, looks like you're gonna have to take the car keys away from her."
Chuckling at the confused look Jennifer shot at the two men, Jon shook hands with Elzer as he approached. "Appreciate you contacting us so soon. Now, would one of you like to explain exactly how you two managed to meet up in the middle of nowhere?"
Nodding to Polaski, Hawk added, "Especially since the last time we saw you, you were half a continent away."
Chuckling, Elzer nodded toward Pilot. "She found me. You're gonna have to ask her how on that one."
Five sets of expectant eyes fell on Jennifer. "Well," she started, trying to exactly find the words to say it. "By the time I was able to destroy the rocket, the engines were overheated and threatening to fail. I was going to contact the ship to let you know where I was when I discovered that the debris had damaged the navigation and communication systems. I managed to rewire the communications board so I could at least send and receive on short band." Shooting Scout an apologetic look for messing up another one of his communications boards, she continued. "I thought that way, if you were able to lock onto the signal from my suit, I'd be able to contact you when you got closer. I was actually looking for a place to sit down to let the engines cool awhile when I spotted Elzer here motoring across the plane."
"I don't generally travel in the open during the daylight, but I ran into a little trouble last night and needed to put some distance between it and me," Elzer offered as explanation of why he would be visible.
"So, once I realized who it was, I radioed him. Figured he could get word to you that I was alive."
Looking at each other, Hawk, Tank, Scout and Power could tell they were each thinking the same thing. It was Matt who voiced it however.
"So you're telling us that it was dumb luck?"
"I," Jennifer sputtered, looking at Elzer for backup, "wouldn't call it dumb luck, would you?"
Pursing his lips and looking down at the ground for a brief moment, Elzer finally said, "Yes."
Smiling at the good-natured objection on Jennifer's face, Jon tightened his grip on her for a second. "You can call it anything you want as long as you're okay."
Silently agreeing, Jennifer asked, "So, did you shut down Dread's operation?"
"Oh yeah," Baker beamed. "Blew that puppy up real good."
Laughing at the joy in Scout's tone, Jon was sorry he had to break up the party. Scout had been right when he said that blowing up something would make them all feel better. He knew none of them had felt this good about their progress in the war against Dread in quite a while.
Still, reality could set in at any time. "Let's get the XT loaded so we can get out of here. There's no guarantee that some Dread-head didn't pick up the radio signal."
As the others moved to do what Jon ordered, he, Jennifer and Elzer headed back to the jumpship. As they walked, Pilot asked, "What's a car key?"
"You're gonna have to ask Matt about that one," Power said, smiling.
The end.
.