Requiem - Michael Jan Friedman [80]
As if to underline her conclusion, a couple of fiery green beams sliced across the plaza, cutting into the dirt at Jean-Luc’s feet. He went down in a cloud of dust, making her heavy heart sink even deeper.
Then she realized that he had only lunged forward and rolled, in an attempt to make himself a more difficult target. A split second later, he was back on his feet again, pelting forward with all the speed he could muster.
“We’ve got to help him!” cried Julia. “They’ll kill him!”
Without thinking, she made her way to the door they’d locked behind them. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to hit anyone, her marksmanship being what it was—but even a few scattered shots might buy her friend the time he needed.
“Where the devil do you think you’re going?” bellowed Travers.
But she was already halfway out the door, seeking out the lizard-beings who were trying to end Jean-Luc’s life. Nor were they hard to find. There were two of them, charging at him as fast as they could, which wasn’t fast at all.
Gauging their relative progress, the doctor decided that they would beat the human to the administration center—unless she acted first. Raising her phaser to eye level, she aimed and prepared to press the trigger.
As it happened, she never got the chance. Someone else’s phaser beam lanced across the plaza and took down one of the lumbering invaders. Julia turned just in time to see the commodore fire a second time—and with unerring accuracy, plant a beam in the chest of the second lizard-being.
For a moment, their eyes met—and the doctor realized what Travers had done. He had apologized for his outburst in the only way he could. This time, his eloquence left nothing to be desired.
Still, Dixon wasn’t out of danger yet. Several more of the invaders were closing in on him from the other side. Discharging his weapon on the run, he cut down one of them in a slash of emerald energy, but the others scored the ground around him with their fire.
Gritting her teeth, Julia got off a shot. Through sheer luck, she hit the foremost of the lizard-beings, hurling him backward—and slowing down the ones in back of him. It was only then that her mystery man seemed to have a real chance.
Following up with another quick blast, Jean-Luc put his head down and turned on the afterburners. The ground sizzled and erupted in front of him and behind him, but he somehow managed to remain unscathed. And then, with a last-ditch effort, he dove for the doctor.
Not expecting to have to support his full weight, Julia fell backward—and thereby eluded the explosion of green destruction that slammed into the wall just behind her. As she regained her bearings, she realized that Jean-Luc had saved her life.
Hustling her back into the building, he thrust the door closed behind him and barked, “Everyone get down!”
It was a voice used to being obeyed. Not surprisingly, everyone got down. Nor were they sorry they did, as a barrage of green energy stabbed through the facility, dissolving glass and metal alike—a barrage that would have killed several of the colonists if they had remained on their feet.
Taking hold of her face urgently but gently, Jean-Luc looked at her. “Are you all right?” he rasped, still out of breath from his sprint across the plaza.
The doctor nodded. “I’m fine,” she said, managing a grim smile. “Now.”
He smiled back for a moment, then turned to Travers. The commodore’s craggy features had softened a bit.
“I thought I had you figured out, Hill. The way I saw it, you sabotaged our long-range sensors to keep us from finding out about these lizard people. Then you took off into the desert to await their arrival.”
“Then I show up here,” said Dixon, “and play hob with your theory. My apologies.”
Travers frowned. “So? Are you going to tell me the truth about yourself or not?”
The visitor from the future looked wistful. “Not,” he answered. “But I will say this: I’m no traitor. I never had anything but good intentions toward you or your colony.”
The commodore sighed. “I had a feeling you were