Z19

Defenders of the Earth: This Is Their Story

By Marzena

Plot: Season 1, Episode 30

Chapter 19: Narrow Escape

"We need to get ourselves a ship. If we can't, we're doomed."

The temperatures were simply icy and even though they wore suitable winter clothing, it was still freezing as hell. Their feet felt like they'd grown stiff already despite them wearing warm and padded winter boots. But standing almost knee-deep in wet snow certainly didn't help. Neither did the freezing wind and the constantly falling thick snow which blinded them considerably. However, their colored clothing made them easy targets in the white winter landscape, with the weather slowing them down. Cathleen also slowed them down but nobody had dared to mention that.

"I'm cold," Kshin muttered, stumbling along behind them, blinded by the falling snow that the wind kept pushing in his face. If it hadn't been for LJ sometimes dragging him along, he would have given up already. This was no place for the little boy to be. But when he'd crept on board to join the adults in saving Cathleen he hadn't known how this would all turn out.

"We all are," Jedda replied, staggering through the snow. "But we can not afford to slow down. Flash is right. We need a ship."

"We need one fast," Lothar interjected, looking down at the pale and unconscious woman in his arms. Long dark curls framed her ghostly white skin, her eyes were closed and her clothes were soaked with blood. Her blood. "I don't think she's going to ..."

He didn't finish but they all got the unsaid message. They stumbled forward, and after five more minutes Flash started the conversation again.

"We need a ship. Otherwise we'll die out here. There's no point in returning to our own ship, it's useless now. We need to hijack one of Ming's."

"We don't even know our way back to Ming City," LJ sighed. "And I bet there aren't any space stations our here, conveniently waiting to be found by us. I agree, we need a ship. But we can't get one. We're done."

Nobody said anything in reply and Mandrake kept looking from Kshin, who kept stumbling along, to Cathleen, who was slowly dying. Nobody had said it out loud, but it was clear enough. Even with a ship at their disposal – Cathleen wouldn't survive the long flight to the nearest hospital on earth. They were thankful for each and every minute they still had with her, even though she wasn't even conscious. Cathleen O'Connor was a fighter. But this was a fight she was going to lose. Not even a miracle could save her now. Mandrake knew all this and yet part of him wanted to rush her to the nearest hospital, hoping for a doctor to perform a miracle.

Then suddenly there was another noise besides the howling of the wind and then through the snowfall they came, Ming's battleships, all purple and all dangerous, with ice robots flying them.

"Duck!" Lothar yelled, wrapping his strong arms tighter around Cathleen's fragile body. "Down! Try to hide yourself in the snow! Don't let them see us!"

Kshin threw himself into the wet snow and started to dig, trying to hide himself, but it was too late anyway. The others had realized it as soon as Lothar had finished and now Kshin noticed too. He stopped digging and slowly got up again, moving closer to Mandrake who tried to shield him with his body.

"They saw us," April whispered, her face as pale as the snow. "Now we're done for."

They started to shoot and everyone threw themselves down into the snow now, desperately trying to escape the deadly lasers. Their ship hadn't survived the shooting. Their bodies would neither. Then the shooting suddenly stopped and the biggest of the ships was apparently coming down to land.

"Seems like Ming wants us alive," Flash commented grimly. He turned around to look at his family and teammates but due to the heavy snowfall he couldn't even see all of them. But he made sure they heard him. "Listen, this is our one and only chance. They land, we fight. We still have our basic laser weapons. We can't shoot space ships out of the sky with them, but we can fight ice robots on the ground. We fight, we run, we escape."

"Using their big ship," Rick slowly nodded. "I like this plan, dad."

"Well, it's the only plan we have," Flash replied. "And the only chance. We fail, we're going to die. It's as simple as that."

"You have to give me cover," Lothar said. "I can't use my laser pistol while carrying Cathleen."

"Fine. The rest of you, use your weapons. Get ready. Kshin, stay close to Mandrake."

Kshin just nodded, still standing behind Mandrake. He didn't want to die. He just wanted to get out of this freezing hell. And he didn't want Cathleen to die. She'd been such a great friend to him during her last days as a Defender. Yes, she'd betrayed them but in the end she'd turned on Ming, hadn't she? So where Kshin was concerned, Cathleen was still an ally. And she didn't deserve to die.

There was no more time to waste. The ice robots came running from all directions, shooting their own laser pistols. The Defenders shot back and kept running. Flash took the lead and apparently he seemed to know what he was doing. Mandrake kept checking on Kshin who ran as fast as he could. Lothar was holding on to Cathleen, covered by both Rick and April who were both excellent shooters.

Then there was a dark mass somewhere in front of them and coming closer they saw that it was the big ship with Garax himself guarding it while his troops were out and about fighting the enemy.

And then it happened so fast. Kshin saw Flash and Garax in a battle while the Phantom started to use the power of ten tigers to join the fight and Mandrake was using an illusion to keep their persecutors at a distance. Then Lothar cried out and there he was on his knees with Cathleen lying in the snow in front of him, a picture of lifeless perfection. April cursed and now Rick, too, started to yell.

"Just the leg!" Lothar yelled, grabbing his own pistol now, firing in all directions.

"Get in the ship, get in the ship!" Phantom urged.

Garax was fighting LJ now and Flash was already on board the ship. He had the motors running and slowly the ship was in the air. Phantom was standing at the door, dragging Jedda and Rick in.

"Mandrake, get Kshin!" April shouted. "I'm going to help Lothar!"

This wasn't the time for illusions anymore. They came from every direction now and there were new ships in the sky, trying to prevent them from stealing the big ship. Mandrake shoved Kshin in Phantom's arms. A laser went by, only inches from his face. Despite his protests Phantom dragged him in too, yelling for LJ to follow Mandrake. April was both shooting and helping Lothar who could only hobble. LJ came over, taking his father's arm.

"Go get Cathleen!" he urged her.

Looking up, April realized that one of the ice robots was already beside Cathleen's body. There were several of them coming from that direction, aiming and shooting at her. She considered trying it anyway but there was nobody to give her any cover. She couldn't make it to Cathleen without getting shot at from all sides. Garax appeared at her side and she focused on him, trying to shoot him but missing him by inches. Then LJ was there, dragging her away with him and the Phantom pulled them both into the safety of the ship.

"Let's go, let's go!" Rick yelled.

Now that the ship was in the hands of the enemy the ice robots didn't hesitate anymore. They kept shooting at the ship.

"We can't leave Cathleen down there!" Kshin cried out, trying to run to one of the windows but Mandrake grabbed him and pushed him onto the seat next to the wounded Lothar. Mandrake said nothing. His face was ghostly white and the look in his eyes was frightening.

"There's nothing we can do for her now," April answered, trying to catch her breath. "She wouldn't have made it all the way back to earth and we all know it. They had her surrounded down there. If I had tried to ..."

"We know," the Phantom gently said. "If there would have been any chance of saving Cathleen, I would have tried myself."

"We'll return as soon as possible to ..." fetch the body obviously was something LJ didn't want to say out loud, especially with both Lothar and Mandrake looking so full of hatred and pain.

They were high up in the air now and Flash was using the ship's laser system now to shoot back. Both April and Rick hurried to join their father in the cockpit.

"This is going to get ugly," Flash said.

No, it already was ugly. And Kshin had the nauseating feeling that this was only the beginning.

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Article

Author

Chapters

1: Death

April and the other Gordons face a tragedy.

2: Beautiful

Mandrake is reunited with a romantic interest.

3: Peace and Quiet

Flash is thrown into an unexpected struggle.