Before I begin, I wanted to address the status of 'A Wolf's Bane' for those of you still waiting for a chapter. So if this applies to you, please go to my profile right now, and you'll find the details regarding it.

Disclaimer: This fiction is for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended. Terra Nova is was owned by FOX Broadcasting Company and to its respected writers.

Rating: A warning to readers: while this story might not start out particularly dark, it may later come to include adult themes. It's rated M for potential character death, explicit sexual themes, graphic violence, and language.

What Lies Beneath

So I'll find what lies beneath your sick twisted smile.
As I lie underneath your cold jaded eyes.

I.

Pursuit of the Hunted

She ran blindly through the foliage, hurtling herself like a wild animal passed the thick brush blocking her way. Sweat and tears burned the fresh cuts slashed across her flushed face, but she didn't dare stop – only pushed herself to move even faster.

She didn't know who she was running from, but she could make an educated guess. They were human, not reptile even though their cries and laughter resembled hyena. But the way they moved: it bordered savage. They were fast, unrelenting, and out for blood.

It had been a simple OTG; a small group of soldiers, scientists, and volunteers to go collect the rarer plants about 35 clicks from the settlement. Most of the people she had been scouting with were already dead, ripped apart in ungodly ways. Her friends, her teammates, her coworkers – they were laying face-down about two miles back; left alone to be clawed and chewed to pieces by some of the most deadly creatures ever known to man.

And yet, at the moment, Skye was more afraid of the barbarians chasing her now then the ravenous carnivores stalking the night.

Her breathing was loud in her ears, but it wasn't strong enough to block out the manic laughter from behind. Their footsteps sounded like a looming stampede, approaching at alarming rates. She couldn't stop; couldn't take a second to take a breath or study her surroundings. Her lungs screamed for relief, her heart furious against her rib cage, but she could only ignore her body's protests, trying her hardest to move faster. Fresh cries stretched up her throat with each leap forward, sharp pains shooting up her calves like electricity.

She pushed on, jumping over a rather large root with nothing but the dusk light guiding her rocky path. In her frantic mind, Skye tried to figure out how close she would have to get to the camp for a spotter to notice her heat signature. Was she even close? She had specifically run towards the direction they originally came from, hoping that maybe someone would notice her and send out a team. Certain things were beginning to look familiar, but perhaps it was just her desperate mind playing tricks on her. She couldn't take even an extra second to further investigate.

They were still behind her - much quieter now than before which was unnerving. She didn't risk glancing back, afraid of what she may or may not see. But they hadn't stopped their hunt; she was sure of it. She could practically feel their hungry, hot gaze burning against her back.

Keep going; just a bit further! She tried to encourage her exhausted body. A bit further, Skye!

It happened quickly.

Somehow one of them managed to get ahead of her. There was a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye, but before she could turn her head, the man swung his body around the tree, jutting out his arm and slamming it straight into her chest, forcing her to fall backwards.

Any air held within her lungs was pulled from her body, leaving her squirming on the dirt ground, mouth agape in desperation. Her head spun from the sudden lack of oxygen, but she wasted no time, trying her hardest to quickly recover. Ignoring the pain, she forced her body onto its side hoping to push herself back up, but before she could, a foot settled heavily against her shoulder, shoving her back down until she was laying flat once more.

"Where are you running off to darling?"

Footsteps – dozens of them, loud and deadly came to an abrupt stop around her fallen form. Her breathing remained ragged, her eyes wide and scared as the foot dug harder into her shoulder, and when she grunted a soft noise of distress, it elicited an excited hiss from her pursuer.

He pulled his foot away only to reposition himself on top of her, one knee by her stomach, the other bent by her other side. He moved with such speeds, she had trouble keeping her eyes on him.

"Let's get a look at the face."

His voice was a deep, guttural sound, rough and tactless, similar to the feel of his callous hands against her skin. The darkening sky made it difficult to see the true color of his skin, but Skye had the feeling that even light wouldn't help. They were all covered head to foot in dirt, blood, and what appeared to be some form of make-shift war paint. Similar in appearance, they wore clothing that was ripped and shredded, stained with just as much blood that covered their faces. Their hair was wild and disheveled, uncivilized and untamed, staying true to the rest of their manifestation. But now that she could see them close up, she recognized the conduct even if she didn't recognize the voices or faces.

They were Sixers; no doubt about it.

The man above her – who smelt of blood and sweat – moved his fingers to brush away the strands of curls shielding her eyes, but the moment his skin made contact, she turned her head until her cheek was pressed against the earth beneath her. She didn't want him touching her; didn't want to watch him as he analyzed her face; didn't want to stare up into those dark, manic eyes he undoubtedly possessed.

Hidden from her was the twisted grin that formed on his lips when he saw her squirm underneath him like a tiny, pathetic animal.

His fingers wrapped around her chin, gripping her face so tightly it almost pained her. He forced her to turn her head back up, stopping only when she looked up to glare at him. But she hadn't expected his eyes. They were beautiful: a pool of cerulean, haunting and endless. They glowed in the moonlight, pulling her deeper and deeper until she was sure it had to be magic constraining her body. But beyond the beauty was something dangerous – something convoluted and parasitical. Something that forced chills to break out across her skin.

He stared at her for a few seconds; eyes examining her face in great detail before dropping. Skye let out a small noise when she felt his hand softly brush against her side, but was quickly restrained when his fingers released her chin only to wrap around her neck. The way his eyes moved down her form: slowly, greedily, hungrily… never before had she felt more violated.

And then he smirked and looked back at her face, "Adequate, she'll do…"

He let out an arrogant laugh, grabbing onto her arm and dragging her to her feet. Skye found her legs shaking as he pulled her up, and immediately tried to put some kind of distance between them, but the Sixer seemed to have other plans because he tugged her closer until her body fell against his.

Those eyes lowered to find hers once again, a small sneer forming on his lips as his fingers ran up her side. "What's your name lovely?" She tried to pull away, but stopped the moment his grip tightened around her arm, so powerful she knew he'd leave bruises. He was eying her again, and the look in his eyes made her sick. His hands moved up her arms to cup her cheeks, his breath hot on her face as he pulled her close. "What should I call you?"

Skye recognized the glint in his eyes, and it made her skin crawl. His touch was possessive and forceful, and with each passing second, his lips would get dangerously closer. The disgust she felt towards him compelled her to bend her leg, and with as much force as she could muster, she kneed him in the groin.

The sound of his pain brought a pleased grin to her lips, and the moment he pulled his arms off of her, she took off.

Unfortunately, she didn't get far.

Mere seconds later, she felt a hand clutch at the roots of her hair, fiercely pulling her in the opposite direction, and then there was pain and darkness. The world suddenly spiraled out of control, the earth beneath her turning upside down until the pressure suffocated her.

She was huddled on the ground again before she could even open her eyes. And when she finally did manage to crack them open, black dots ate hungrily at her vision. She could barely move; could barely do anything except claw at the dirt beneath her head. But the pain was real enough, and she felt her stomach churn nauseously when she felt something warm and sticky drip down her forehead. A scent - sharp and metallic - assaulted her nose, and further aggravated the rolling sensation in her stomach.

It was almost impossible to hear anything over the pulse in her own ears, but she felt the ground vibrate nearby and then hands – rough and insensitive – tugging her up. She realized quite quickly she couldn't stand on her own - not while the world was tipping on its side. Bile rose in her throat as they shoved her forward, all her senses caving in on her.

She couldn't see - could only hear the muffled sounds of shouts and the pulsing in her own head - could only smell copper, and could only taste the sickness attempting to rise from her stomach, but the worst was definitely the pain. It was as if every thought in her head had been broken up into a thousand little sharp shards, and now they were rolling and shifting about unsteadily against her skull.

They dragged her entire weight, her limbs heavy and unresponsive; her eyes just as heavy. She was swiftly becoming a victim to the numbing darkness threatening to overcome her, but before she succumbed to it, she tried her hardest to focus, realizing that this may be the last few moments of her life.

But not even the fear could chase away the pain.

"Silas, we managed to strap down two others. Two males."

"Fine."

Hands – they were on her face, caressing her cheeks, forcing her to look up. Hot breath rolled against her flesh, causing her to cringe with distress.

"And you."

Agitation, anger…arousal; it dripped like honey from that familiar voice.

"You my dear, where you're headed, you don't need a name."

Laughter, raucous laughter and then darkness.

The feeling in her fingers was gone, the blood flow having been cut off. Her head felt as if it weighed a ton, but thankfully the spinning had stopped. The moment she realized she couldn't move her arms though was the moment her eyes flashed opened.

Her visions blurred – shadows and darkness surrounding her. The only light came from the small lanterns positioned on the handmade wooden floors and a few torches lit a couple meters away. She could hear the hiss of the wind, leaves rustling nearby somewhere, but couldn't see passed the night. Her surroundings were painstakingly familiar though as if from a dream or a far off memory.

Most of the walls were covered in shadows, but every so often, the wind would blow the tent flaps into the lantern lights. Numbers, equations, ancient hieroglyphics, various drawings, symbols – one moment they were illuminated before scurrying away to hide back into the darkness. Something about the content was haunting; it left her with a horrible, growing pit in her stomach.

A cot along the side of the tent, various clothing – distinctively male, and weapons – weapons which made her panic. She tugged her arms up, gasping at the pain that shot up her limbs. As her vision focused, she glanced down at her sides, noticing the rope wrapped around her wrists, so tight her fingers were white. She pulled up, cursing softly when the ropes only further tightened around her.

"Good, you're awake."

Her head whipped around towards the direction she heard the voice, and with great horror she watched as a shadow stood in the thick darkness. Her heart halted to a stop because the evidence placed before her screamed only one name.

He stepped into the light, a dark crazed look glowing in those bright, bright jade eyes.

"Hello again dear sister."

She couldn't suppress the gasp nor stop the whisper that rushed passed cracked lips, "…Lucas."

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