Disclaimer: I do not own Terra Nova or it's fascinated, wonderful characters.
Jim forced himself to run faster, to stretch his legs further and push off the ground harder. The Carno was right behind him, he could feel the bridge tremble with every step it took. The sweat gathered on his forehead, the heat from the flames growing by the second.
It felt like he would never reach the portal. No matter how far he ran, he would never reach that mass of blue light. The Carno would catch up to him or the bridge would collapse or the portal itself would close...
He was so close now. But his fear about the bridge was proving true-the floor shifted and Jim nearly slipped. The Carno didn't fare as well, Jim knew that without having to look back. It let out a roar as it fell, the flames claiming the vicious meat eater.
If he didn't jump now, he was going to join it, there was only seconds left. Jim sprung, a sound somewhat like a scream bursting from his lungs.
His landing this time was much like the first time: graceless and sort of painful.
The burst of fresh oxygen was less than pleasant, but at least his lungs were use to the pure air by now. Jim rolled in the dirt before coming to a stop and hurriedly untangling his limbs. He stood and look at the space he had just come from. There was no light, no flames. Not even heat.
Just Jim.
He grinned. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you do it!" he couldn't help but say victoriously.
He was greeted with the sound of silence, reminding him that a celebration could wait until he rejoined Elisabeth and the kids, not to mention he needed to confirm to Taylor that the plan, officially called Chu la Chum, had been a success.
Now...he just had to find them.
The wind blew. A dinosaur in the distance roared. Jim's mind was a little blank.
How again was he supposed to find the group?
"Great." he mumbled.
He knew they were supposed to be within three klicks of each other. But...was that north, east, south, or west? He had no clue where he was or where to expect them to be. Or at least, he didn't know where to expect the search team to be. He knew where Elisabeth was. She had been ordered to stay at the camp.
"Okay, camp. Where is the camp?" Jim muttered. Maybe any other time he'd be worried that he was speaking to himself, but after outrunning a Carnotaurus and bombing Hope Plaza, Jim sort of thought talking to himself wasn't a big deal.
Anyways, Jim knew one thing. He was west of Terra Nova.
He set off east, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. Though, there was a chilliness to the air. After the heat of the flames, he enjoyed it. But he didn't recall it being even a little cold when he left, apparently even late fall here was rather warm. The weather around here was weird sometimes.
He didn't make it too far before he heard the tell-tale rustling. For a moment, Jim froze and looked around him. The fact that he didn't have a gun suddenly presented itself to him and he was sure his heart stopped beating for a moment.
The next sound was heavier, more like a stomp. Jim's eyes widened at the creature making itself known; it was an Anatotitan...or, as it was commonly referred to in the colony, a Duck Dino. It was massive, making Jim wonder how the hell he missed it before. And...it looked a little mean. But Duck Dinos weren't suppose to be vicious...but that's just what the books said.
They stared at each other, and Jim didn't dare move. Just because the Duck wasn't going to eat him didn't mean it couldn't squash him in a rampage.
But it just turned away, dismissing Jim totally. It called out to some unknown being and stretched in a patch of sunlight, which glinted off its dark skin.
It hit Jim-the Duck wasn't dry, there was water on it. There was a river or lake nearby.
Maybe the river that created the Falls.
Jim skirted around the dinosaur, giving it a wide berth, before continuing on. Chances were, Taylor was already by Terra Nova, waiting to see if the Phoenix Group gave any indication he had succeeded.
By the time Jim made it to a river-not the river, he had no clue if this was the river-Jim started to worry a bit. Where was everyone? Shouldn't he have found someone already?
Jim knelt by the river and cupped his hands in the water before bringing the cool liquid to his lips. His throat felt a hell of a lot better after having a few gulps.
In the last...how long had he been walking? Had to have been about an hour or so. But in the time he'd been walking, he'd repeatedly checked to make sure he was heading the right way. Still going east, he was sure of it.
He didn't waste time by the river. He followed it downstream, looking for a way to cross. He ran through the water when it was barely ankle deep.
Jim was a little unsure whether or not to continue. What if he was heading somewhere not Terra Nova? He would have to hit the treeline sometime, though. He really hoped it was before nightfall. Jim had learned the hard way that the the jungle was a terrifying place to be at night.
The sun was slowly getting lower as Jim continued hiking, his legs growing weary as the adrenaline left his body. He was tired, it had been a long day. In his head, Jim pictured laying in bed with Elisabeth, bodies intertwined as they rested. He could almost feel her skin on his and could practically smell the scent of her hair.
Damn it, he was going to get home.
The sun was low in the sky when Jim found the Falls. He had been right in not assuming the other river to be the one he searched for, because he was sure this one was it. Even from as high up as he stood, he could see drawings on rocks, white chalk faded but distinct in the patterns it created. Lucas Taylor's work.
Jim went downriver until he came found the path. He waded through the ankle deep water, cringing as his socks got wet. He really hated wet socks.
He was close now, but also in Slasher territory. He learned this the very first night he came to Terra Nova and Josh were nearly killed by the vicious dinosaurs. But maybe, if he hurried, he could reach Terra Nova before the Slasher reached him.
Jim was sure that the group was back at Terra Nova. He hadn't run into anyone, they had to have made a move for the colony without him.
Jim navigated through the forest with a renewed sense of determination. He wasn't that far, he had to keep going.
To see a break in the trees was like opening the worlds greatest birthday present. He was practically home.
Practically. Not quite. He had to be careful about this. He peered around a tree and studied the colony. There was no search light, he noticed immediately. And the fence...it was repaired.
That was quick. How did they repair it in just a few hours?
There were lights on in buildings and lamps on in the marketplace. That marketplace...that had been empty not even a day ago.
But he couldn't see any sign of the Phoenix Group. There weren't even flags.
With a grin, Jim darted out of the trees. He would have ran, but he didn't want the guards to shoot at a rapidly approaching figure in the night.
"Raise the gate!" Jim had to be hearing wrong; that couldn't be Wash's voice.
The gate opened enough to let Jim run under, and, boy, did he run. He could see her now, running into the square. Following her was three people he would recognize anywhere; his children.
The gate shut firmly behind him, and he let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He was home.
He didn't even get to look around before he was assaulted. Zoe ran to him, and he picked her up before she crashed into his legs. Maddy wasn't so lucky, but Jim had a feeling his eldest daughter had meant to collide with him. They were shaking so badly and he was pretty sure his shirt was wet.
"What the-" Jim managed.
"Oh my god. How...?" he heard Josh mutter.
He heard this choked sound and his eyes locked on his wife. She had a hand clasped over her mouth and she was shaking so badly her entire body trembled. And...Jim wasn't sure if he believed his eyes...her eyes were glazed over and there was water...rolling down her face...Elisabeth was crying.
Elisabeth never cried. Never.
"Elisabeth! It's alright, come here." Jim said, extending his arm to invite her into this mass hug.
Elisabeth shook her head and wiped her face. He waved his hand, telling her silently to come to him.
Maddy pushed herself away from him and grabbed Zoe, who was a lot bigger than Jim remembered. She went to Josh, putting her head on his shoulder. Josh rubbed her back and patted Zoe's shoulder. It was almost comical how wide his eyes were, but any humor vanished when his son's eyes got red and watery.
Elisabeth engulfed him in her arms. Jim ran a hand up and down her back a few times before running his fingers through her hair. She jerked back, gripped handfuls of his shirt and pulled him down to her. Elisabeth was usually more conservative about public affection, but she wasn't holding back now. She kissed deeply, almost frantically. He responded, adding just a hint of teeth by tugging on her bottom lip. Elisabeth loved that.
They pulled apart for breath. Jim swore he would later return to where that kiss left off.
"Hey, there. I'm here, I'm okay." he whispered.
Elisabeth nodded.
"Breath, Lis. What's wrong? I'm fine, just like I said I would be." he said quietly.
Elisabeth drew in a deep breath before pulling away just enough to look at him. Jim couldn't help but wipe away her tears.
"We thought you were dead."
"What? Why?" Jim asked. Elisabeth breathed in and out, pulling herself together.
"You've never came back from the future." Taylor said, making his presence known-an odd thing, because it was almost impossible not to notice Taylor.
"What?"
"You went through the portal and never came back." Elisabeth said.
Jim shook his head. "No, I just got back from 2149 a few hours ago."
"2150." Wash said.
"What?" Jim repeated. His eyes widened. "And...what? You're...not alive."
There was Wash, in all her severe, military glory. Her black armor and cargo pants were back, and her hair was up in an impeccable bun. The woman gave him a thin smile.
"I'm about as dead as you are, Shannon." she said.
"What?"
Jim really didn't know what to say. He was feeling lightheaded, his mind was struggling to grasp what was going on.
"You said that." Wash said. She was clearly enjoying his confusion.
"Would someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Jim pleaded.
"You've been dead for five months, Jim." Elisabeth said.
"I'm not dead." Jim said immediately. "Why...I don't get it..."
"You remember when I told you how I arrived in Terra Nova 118 days before my team?" Taylor asked. Jim nodded. "I think what we have here is a case of portal glitching."
"What's the date?" Jim asked.
"April 13, 2150." Maddy said.
"Daddy, I missed you." Zoe suddenly wailed. He held his arms out to her again, picking her up. Damn, she had grown.
"Shh." he said. He smiled at her. "You've grown, Miss Zoe." he poked her stomach. "What did I say about growing?"
Zoe hiccuped. "You said I ought to stay little."
It occurred to him that he had missed Zoe's birthday. Again. He'd missed her fourth birthday, her fifth, and now her sixth.
He was going to be there for her seventh, he swore to himself. And was going to make it up to her.
"That's right. Now, I'm going to set you down and you're going to shrink, got it?"
Zoe smiled slightly. "Yes, Daddy."
He gently set her back on the ground. He gasped dramatically. "Wow, you shrunk. Good job, shortie."
Zoe giggled. "No, I didn't. I just look shorter down here. You're silly, Daddy."
He heard Maddy and Josh chuckle slightly, while Elisabeth let out a shaky laugh. He wrapped an arm around her again. He sighed deeply.
"Are you hurt?" Elisabeth asked, alarmed.
Jim shook his head. "No, my head just hurts. I need to know everything that I missed. Where are the Phoenix soldiers? How are you not dead? Just what happened?"
They promised to explain everything while leading him...somewhere. At first Jim thought they were going to the Command Center, but then Elisabeth firmly grabbed his arm and led them to the infirmary.
"Elisabeth, really? I'm fine. See?" He waved a hand up and down. "Perfectly in one piece."
"Please just humor me." Elisabeth said.
He did. While he sat obediently-and that really wasn't in his nature, so he fidgeted constantly, much to his superior officers' amusement-they explained what had happened.
They had waited for him to come through and confirm the mission complete, but when Taylor got a transmission from Boylan that the Phoenix soldiers were fleeing north, they began to pack up. They waited hours for him to come back before finally leaving a small team to wait for his return; this team included Guzman and Elisabeth. They continued to send out smalls teams for two weeks, all the while repairing the damage to Terra Nova.
The third week he was pronounced dead. The fourth week they had his funeral.
Hmm. He'd have to go out to his burial site soon, apparently it was quite impressive, the citizens of Terra Nova had wanted to make 'their hero's grave site nice'.
But in between all that, Wash had been in a coma, and she didn't wake up for a month and a half. She'd been found in that state in Lucas' quarters.
If Jim looked at her at the right-or wrong-angle, he could still see some color, some shade of blue or purple, on her face. She'd been in recovery for months and only recently been allowed back in uniform, and was, much to her irritation, restricted to desk work and occasional perimeter patrols.
Josh was still working at Boylan's though he had worked with the carpenter crew to rebuild buildings. Maddy's internship with Malcolm was nearly complete. As soon as she finished school in a few months she'd work full time for the science department.
And Taylor, sneaky little bastard, only told him that he had something very important to go over with Jim...but it would wait until Jim had rested. All that he was allowed to know was that something interesting had been found in a crate the soldier's left behind.
His head hurt. It really hurt.
"Hey, Lis?" he asked.
"Yes?"
"Can I have a painkiller for my head?"
"Nothing too strong, Doc. I need him conscious enough to give me a full report of what happened at Hope Plaza." Taylor ordered.
The painkiller took effect immediately, though.
They looked at him expectantly.
"Wait? Right now?" Jim asked.
"Seems as good a time as any, Shannon." Taylor said.
Jim hesitated. He wasn't sure he wanted to go into the details with his children, not to mention his wife, there. But they stared eagerly at him, waiting for the report. So he told them, perhaps not in great detail-and he may have glossed over some of the most frightening parts, he wasn't sure that was something to unload on Elisabeth quite yet-, but enough to give them the gist. Portal, dino, explosions, portal again.
"How do you do that?" Josh muttered. "Practically came back from the dead." Oh god, had his absence set back his new truce with him? Looking at his son, Jim felt fairly confident the answer was no. But this time, he would make sure of it before Josh went off into the jungle.
"I imagine you and your family would like some rest." Taylor said.
"Sounds about right."
"Then get on home. It doesn't have to be in the morning, but sometime tomorrow I want you to report in, if just for a quick debrief." Taylor ordered.
"Yes, sir." Jim said, sliding off the medical bed. "See you around, Wash." he said, giving her a grin.
"Likewise, Shannon."
The walk home was something like a show. People stick their heads out of their doors, got a look at him, and disappeared, shouting something about how Jim Shannon was back from the dead.
That would take some getting use to.
But, holding his wife in one arm, Zoe in the other, he never felt happier. He had succeeded. Terra Nova was free.
He looked down and caught Elisabeth's eye. The memory of their kiss was strong and fresh. And, damn, he was going to get back to it tonight.
Her facial expressions clearly asked what is it?
He grinned and winked at her.
I honestly expected Jim would come through the portal and it would be, like, five months later or something. You know, the last portal usage by a human being like the first portal usage by a human being.
Please, please excuse any mistakes.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading it.