There is no paradise without sacrifice.
The world's population is at a bursting point. Ninety percent of plant and animal life is extinct. Mankind has but one last hope for survival, the likes of which lie 85 million years in the past…
Terra Nova, Season 2, Episode 1: Kidnapped
Sunlight filtered through drawn blinds, dancing gracefully across the face of a young girl of about sixteen or seventeen years of age. Outside, beyond the thin walls of her bedroom, the sounds of her housemates working in the kitchen could be heard, and even further away, the exciting chattering of the early morning crowd in the marketplace. Terra Nova was almost fully restored to its initial state. The buildings had been rebuilt and the people had assumed their everyday responsibilities. Still, there were scars that no one liked to talk about, scars that we inflicted upon the hearts of those who lived in the colony. These scars would remain for a very long time.
The piercing call of a Pterosaur forced Skye Tate's eyelids to snap open as she quickly surveyed the room around her. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps as she pushed her bed sheets off of her tanned limbs and sat upright, raking a hand through her dishevelled golden hair. She blinked a few times as she dropped her hand, allowing the familiar comfort of her bedroom to lull her into a sense of safeness and security. Her eyes rose, following the perfectly aligned wooden slats of her roof, then fell, staring hard at the also wooden flooring. Eventually, she felt her legs stir under her, forcing the rest of her body to get up and get a move on. Her roommates would be expecting her as she didn't often sleep in, although in the past three months sleeping later than necessary had become an almost common occurrence.
She pulled on her clothes and quickly fixed her bed, running a brush through her hair and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Once she was convinced that she looked halfway acceptable, she pushed open the door of her room and walked out to the kitchen. Two of her roommates, Max and Tasha, greeted her with short smiles and a wave of their hands.
"You headed to the Infirmary?" Max asked her politely, a boyish grin on his handsome face. He tossed her one of the strange fruits that the citizens of Terra Nova had become accustomed to. She caught it as she shook her head.
"Today's my day off," she told him with a forced smile. "So no, I will not be removing any parasites from anyone's stomach."
Both of her friends laughed. "Speaking of Hunter," she continued, her fingers curling around the spiked fruit, "Where is he?"
Tasha spoke up this time. "He's gone to apply for a job with Security."
A silence fell over the three of them as they considered the losses that Terra Nova had faced after Lucas Taylor had successfully wired the portal to work both ways, allowing the lethal Phoenix Group to walk straight into their beloved home and take everything that their greedy souls desired. Skye's stomach sank as she watched her friends avoid eye contact with her. Although her motives had been understood by almost everyone that knew about her allegiance to the Sixers, she knew that there was still an underlying tenseness between the four housemates. In a way, it really was her fault. She knew this well – her dreams proved it so. Every night, over and over again, she would see the shock and betrayal in Lucas' face as her bullet penetrated his chest, she would feel the bile that rose in her throat as his body hit the rainforest floor with a dull, dead thump, and she would hear her fearful intake of breath as she looked back and saw that he had vanished once more.
In their wake, the Phoenix soldiers had left destruction, death and carnage. Of the twenty-six dead, Taylor had lost ten of his men and women. For the past three months Terra Nova had been able to function with what Security they had, but everyone knew that, eventually, new drafts would need to be taken. That time had come. Commander Taylor had delivered a speech directed at young men and women of the colony, asking them to consider a career where they would spend their days protecting the colony. The idea had appealed to many of the young citizens, kids who sought out adventure and excitement. Skye had to admit that the idea would have appealed to her not long ago – before she had betrayed the colony to the Sixers. Plus, it wasn't as if she was exactly allowed to go for such a job. It was only recently that she had been allowed back into the Infirmary. Commander Taylor, though sympathetic for her, would not allow her near a firearm for the next few years, she'd decided.
"Oh," Skye muttered, realising that she'd waited far too long to reply. She was conflicted. Images of Lucas Taylor and the confrontation they'd had when he'd stabbed his own father in the back kept flashing through her mind. These images haunted her daily, left her questioning whether or not he was still alive. He'd escaped, sure, but that didn't mean that he had survived his injury. There were still many things to consider, Skye told herself, such as internal and external bleeding, and even infection if he had happened to get past those dangers. Still, there was a little voice in the back of her mind that told her not to expect the best from this situation. Lucas had survived five years on his own, out in the wilderness – he had even fought off a Slasher, though the dinosaur had left its mark on his skin in the form of poorly healed, parallel scars.
Noticing the far-away look in her eye, Max and Tasha shared a mutual look of concern. "Uh… Skye, you okay?" Max asked.
Skye was quick to paste another false smile on her face. "What?" She laughed nervously, brushing their concerns away with a wave of her hand. She didn't look them in the eye as she started to retreat from the kitchen, her eyes instead focused on her breakfast in her hand. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine. I... I'll see you guys later."
She turned on her heel and walked toward the front door, not glancing back at her concerned friends as she did so.
The morning sunshine welcomed her as she slammed the front door shut behind her. She pushed her hands into the pockets of her jean shorts and made her way down the street, dodging anyone who looked like they wanted to start a conversation with her. She would go to her grave denying that there was something seriously wrong with her. All she could think about was her betrayal of the colony. She knew that she had done it to her help her mother – who was now recovering steadily, thanks to Malcolm and Dr. Shannon – but that didn't change the fact that the invasion of the Phoenix soldiers could very well be her fault. If only she hadn't helped Lucas.
"Skye!"
Ignoring the sound of his voice, she pretended as if she hadn't heard him and kept on walking, pushing her feet harder against the ground to propel her body forward with more momentum. She kept her head down and her ears peeled as his footsteps came closer. Josh Shannon was as persistent as his father, though he'd hated to admit that when they'd first met. Things had changed, though, she noted, during the last few months or so. Josh now looked up to the man – at least for now.
She felt his hand grasp her shoulder. Stopping quickly, turning and faking surprise at his intervention, she smiled up at one of her closest friends.
"Oh, hey," she greeted him gently. It was true that she had been trying to avoid him only moments before, but this wasn't because it was Josh. She just really didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. In fact, she'd been hoping to maybe catch a minute to herself in The Eye. Maybe she would look up some history, marvel in a world that could have been. Anything would be better than the awkward concern that most of her peers treated her with now. "How're you holding up?"
Josh shrugged. He held an indifferent look on his face – hiding his emotions, as per usual. She watched him wearily as he replied, "Not great. But I'm sure that was to be expected."
"Yeah," she agreed, dragging the word out. She took a deep breath. Josh seemed to be coping with the loss of his girlfriend Kara, but what was going on inside of his head was a whole different story. She understood as she was dealing with exactly the same thing. Realising that avoiding him would only do them both an injustice; she reached up to pat him on the shoulder. Where their skin touched, she felt a tingle run up her arm and straight to her heart. It was true that Skye still had feelings for the oldest Shannon child. She knew that she couldn't act on these, though, no matter how much she wanted to. For the time being, she would expect nothing of Josh but friendship. Deciding to change the subject, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "You heard about Hunter?"
"What?" he asked her, smirking, "He's got another parasite problem?"
"No," she chuckled, placing her hands on her hips. "He's applying to work for Security."
He rolled his eyes. "Damn those guys in the uniforms. They get all the girls."
"Including your sister," Maddy Shannon quipped, looping an arm around her unsuspecting brother, who did a double take. Skye smiled at the younger Shannon, who was looking between the two of them with a smile on her face, her dark eyes alight. "You two want to check out the competition? Mark's running them through a few drills. He told me a place where we can get a good view."
Josh raised his eyebrows. There weren't meant to be any spectators watching the initial testing. "Since when did my goody-two-shoes of a sister break the rules?"
Maddy smirked mischievously. "Since she wanted to observe her boyfriend's abs."
Skye laughed, though Josh appeared more than a little affected by that statement.
"Gross," he said dryly, "But I'll go. Boylan hasn't got me working until tonight, anyway." He didn't add that he needed something to keep his mind off of Kara. He shrugged Maddy's arm off of his shoulder and ruffled her hair affectionately, much to her apparent distaste. She began walking in the opposite direction, toward the building from which Taylor liked to make his announcements to the rest of the colony.
"Come on," Maddy called over her shoulder as she continued on toward the highest building in the colony. "We don't want to miss the beginning!"
Josh rolled his eyes once more and turned back to look at the girl before him – the girl that reminded him so much of Kara. He pushed their similarities from his mind and tried to focus on the day that was ahead of him. One day at a time, he reminded himself, that's how you'll get through this. "Skye," he began, "You coming?"
She met his eyes and for a brief moment he feared that she would say no. However, she apparently noticed the pleading in his eyes and quickly nodded. "Sure," she replied, making the first move to follow his excited sister toward their destination. "Who doesn't want to see your dad whipping a few wimps into shape?"
He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes, something that he'd noticed about her grin, too. "Alright. Let's go watch the old man kick some ass."
"Shannon."
Jim turned, his expression cool, to face the approaching Commander. He acknowledged the older man with a respectful nod of his head. He was standing by one of the Security team's Rovers, fastening the clips on his uniform. He usually made a point not the wear the damned thing, but today was an exception. The choosing of the ten young people to replace the men and women that had fallen to protect the colony was an important event.
"You sure you don't need any help out there today?"
Jim shook his head and smiled. "I'll be fine and you know it. You just want to get back out there already." His eyes searched the older man's for any sign of acknowledgement. "Look, I understand. But Elizabeth said that it would be better for you not to put strain on your injury for a while. Only another few weeks and you'll be back where you belong, Commander."
"Damn straight," Taylor said gruffly. "You take care out there today. After what we… discovered a few months ago, we can't be leaving anything up to luck. You take as many men as you need. I don't think we'll ever know if we're truly alone out here anymore."
With that, the Commander left Jim to handle the situation. He lifted his walkie-talkie to his mouth and gave a few short orders to Reilly, who received them with no questions asked. Smiling to himself, Jim sat silently as he awaited their arrival. It was going to be a long day.
Maddy led Josh and Skye behind the tall building, pausing just before a makeshift ladder. She hadn't been expecting that. Smiling sweetly to herself, she turned to stare at the two older teenagers behind her. "Mark must have set it up," she offered meekly, shrugging. She placed one foot on the lowest rung and quickly grabbed a higher one with both of her hands. "Hurry up!"
Josh looked across at Skye, who was also grinning broadly. She hadn't bothered to break any rules since Terra Nova had been returned to Taylor's rightful control. This kind of mischief made her feel alive again, almost made her forget the feeling of her skin crawling as Lucas' hand had caressed her cheek. She followed Josh up the ladder and eventually pulled herself up by her arms and legs to sit on one of the wooden fences sturdy poles. She was on Josh's right side, Maddy on his left, and for the first time in a long time, she felt that things might return to normal once more.
Below them, they could see a group of young men and women scrambling to get a good look at Jim Shannon, who was standing in front of them, leaning against a Rover. Skye craned her neck, trying to get a better look at the situation unfolding before their very eyes.
"I can't hear anything," Josh complained, the excitement already draining from his face. "Maddy, can you hear anything?"
His sister shook her head. "I don't think that Mark thought this through too well. I mean, I know that's he's been stressed lately-"
"We don't care," he interrupted her, a smirk on his face. He turned his attention toward the blonde girl next to him. "You want to get out of here? There's no point if we can't understand what's going on."
Skye didn't reply. Instead, her eyes were focused on the group before them. A convoy of Rovers suddenly pulled up behind Jim's own vehicle, something that prompted looks of confusion from the three teenagers on the fence. From what she could tell, Jim was smiling as he watched the new recruitments hop into the machines.
"They're going OTG," Skye whispered in disbelief.
Josh's eyes scanned the mass of Rovers and then flicked left watch the gate as it began to slowly rise. "Didn't see that one coming," he noted mildly. "I don't get it. What the hell does dad hope to achieve by sending a bunch of inexperienced kids out there? The Slashers will be having a field day."
"Don't say that," Maddy warned her brother, her eyes flashing with annoyance as she swatted him on the arm. His eyes narrowed and soon he was trying to swat her back, seeming to forget that they were easily four metres up in the air and that the slightest movement could cause one or all of them to fall off the fence.
Skye shushed them, watching in astonishment as Jim Shannon climbed into the first of the Rovers. The vehicles began moving slowly out of the gates and into the unknown.
Meanwhile, the Infirmary was almost empty. Dr. Elizabeth Shannon was perched on the bedside of Skye's mother, Deborah Tate. She helped the woman sip tentatively at a glass of water, her eyebrows drawn in concentration. When the woman was finished drinking, she placed the cup on a nearby table and took the woman's hand in her own. "Are you feeling better lately?" She asked, sympathy leaking into her words. "Can I get you anything else?"
Deborah shook her head against the pillow. "No. You've given me everything I need. Thank you so much, Doctor."
Elizabeth smiled and let the other woman's hand go with a gentle squeeze. "Call me Elizabeth," she added, collecting the glass and standing up.
She turned on her heel, meaning to go and tend to another of the few patients, when she heard the familiar clatter of little feet running toward her. She looked out toward the Infirmary door, watching as her youngest daughter, Zoe, tumbled through it, her hair mussed and her eyes wide. "Mummy!" The little girl exclaimed, a worried look on her face. "They're coming!"
Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat. A million thoughts ran through her mind, all of the Phoenix Group and an apparent second invasion of Terra Nova. "Who's coming, Zoe? What's going on?"
Zoe was trying to hide under behind one of the cabinets nearby. "Them!"
"Zoe," Elizabeth snapped. Then, watching as her daughter's face paled, she calmed herself and took a few slow steps toward her. Lowering her voice, she bent down before the little girl and tried to remain calm. "Tell me. Who's coming?"
"Paul and Emily," Zoe whispered, apparently happy with her hiding spot. "They're it and they found my last hiding spot. I don't want to be it."
Realising that Zoe was talking about a childish game, her mother breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh," she whispered, smiling to herself. Then, standing up once more, she placed her hands on her hips and looked kindly at her daughter, who was nervously biting her bottom lip. "Well, you know the rules, Zoe. No playing in the Infirmary."
The youngest Shannon bowed her head and nodded. 'Sorry mummy," she whispered as she tucked her hands into the tiny pockets of her dress. With that, she quickly checked that the coast was clear and hastily exited the premises, on her way to look for another hiding spot. Laughing quietly to herself, Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief. Kids.
"Perhaps they're getting the recruits to complete basic survival training," Maddy proposed, her hands framing her eyes as if they were binoculars as she tried to get a better look at the slowly moving convoy.
"Again?" Josh scoffed. "Everyone did basic survival training, Maddy. Taylor's probably got them-"
"He's still under strict bed-rest orders from your mother," Skye interrupted. "I know because he's made me play chess with him at least six times this week."
Smirking, Josh squinted at the golden haired girl next to him. Although there was something off about her lately, he still caught glimpses of her usual sass and charm from time to time. Sighing when she didn't look back at him, he turned and stared at the gate once more. "This sucks."
"You're right," Maddy muttered, her face having fallen a few moments ago. "The testing was meant to take place behind this building. Looks like dad decided to change things up a bit."
A silence fell over the three of them. Suddenly, Josh's eyes lit up. He scrambled back onto the ladder and stared up at them. "Come on," he grinned, "We're going OTG, too."
"Oh no we aren't," Skye hissed, her eyebrows narrowing. Maddy seemed to agree with her. "No way. Over my dead body."
Josh smirked. "That could be arranged."
"Not funny, Josh. Taylor would literally kill me."
"You gone soft, Tate?" He teased. His hands and feet were steady on the ladder. "You used to like adventure."
"If we get caught I could be in serious trouble," she told him half-heartedly. It was true. She had gone soft. She wanted nothing more than to feel free and uncontained, light-hearted and wild once more, yet she knew that if she were to get caught outside of the gates then she could quite possibly be thrown out of the colony. Sure, Taylor had forgiven her for working for Sixers, but that was because he had understood her motives. If she was caught out there again those could be easily be questioned once more.
"That's why we won't get caught," Josh replied. Maddy rolled her eyes at her mischievous older brother. "I'm guessing that you're not coming, Maddy?"
His sister sighed. "You know me too well."
"Look's like it's just me and you, Skye."
Skye narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not going."
He groaned. "Please. Just this one time! We won't get caught. I promise."
She was about to snap at him when she noticed the look on his face. He needed this as a reminder of the old times, back when they'd first met and things had been so carefree. Before the Slasher attack and even for a short time after, when their friendship had been fledgling and her feelings for him hadn't gotten in the way of things. She knew that the repercussions of being caught outside of the gates could be huge for her, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to say no. Josh wasn't exactly right about not being caught, but he wasn't exactly wrong either. With Taylor stuck in the compound, confined to his house, the chances of them being caught were diminished slightly.
"Fine. And I am not going soft."
Jim Shannon slammed the front door of the Rover shut and glanced at their surroundings. They were only two or three klicks away from Terra Nova but the Commander had told him to be careful regardless. Still, he wasn't exactly expecting a surprise ambush. Reilly, Reynolds and Dunham would keep a sharp eye on the area just in case.
"Alright," he began, grasping both of his hands together as he stared out at the group of twenty or so young people assembled before him. They were all vying for a position on the Security detail. "As you can tell, things aren't exactly going the way you planned them to today. Instead of filling out paperwork about your time here in colony, you'll be completing a day-long course out here. This course will test both your mental and physical strength."
The faces of all of the men and women appeared to be eager, flushed with anticipation. Jim had been a cop, though, so he was able to spot those who were genuinely nervous about the situation that they had found themselves in.
"Firstly, I'd like to introduce you to the rest of the squad. If you're lucky enough to be recruited, you'll be seeing these fine men and women around the place quite often." Jim smirked. "Sometimes they'll get on your nerves but they'll protect you from danger if need be."
There were a few quiet chuckles. Deciding that it was time to get the ball rolling, he began to introduce the members of Security that he was brought along. Reynolds was among them. After introducing the young man, Jim winked at him, which caused him to smile broadly. Jim knew that his acceptance meant a great deal to Mark.
"Okay, you've met the rest of the detail. Now, let's get to work, soldiers!"
Skye's breath was coming fast as she hurried through the forest, her ears trained for any sound other than Josh's familiar footfalls. She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of Jim and the others. Even though she knew that what they were doing was risky, she couldn't help but admit to herself that this was best she had felt for a very long time. The warm, humid wind was in her hair, caressing her face gently as she jogged, her ponytail thumping against her back as she did so. She could hear Josh's heavy breathing from behind her. She smiled. Freedom.
They'd slipped through the fence from which they'd escaped from the first time that they'd met. Remembering the carefree afternoon before the attack, Skye had felt a flicker of nervousness in her stomach as she'd recalled the way Josh had looked at her in her bikini, his face enraptured with both boyish shyness and blatant interest. These were distant memories. They'd become much closer since then. They understood each other - especially lately, following the recent turn of events. They both felt distant from their families and friends, sometimes even from each other.
"How much further?" She heard him complain from behind her. It wasn't as if Josh was unfit, but he wasn't exactly his father or Skye. Her stamina was something that he was jealous of. "You think we're even going the right way?"
"We're going the right way," she insisted, her breath shallow as she slammed her boots harder against the dirt, forcing herself to run faster. He struggled to keep up with her, sometimes getting tangled in the surrounding foliage. "Trust me."
He did. Eventually, after another minute or so, he almost collided against her when she stopped suddenly. She turned, her finger raised to her lips, willing him to be quiet. Their movements almost synchronised, they ducked behind a nearby shrub and watched as Jim Shannon observed the group of twenty young people currently trying their hands at various apparatus. The group were located in a large clearing, enabling enough room to move around and to even safely operate weaponry. Josh smirked as Hunter struggled to operate his sonic blaster. Skye couldn't help but giggle too.
They sat there for ten minutes, completely in silence, revelling in one another's company. After watching and reacting to Hunter's failed attempts at the many tasks set for him, Skye felt Josh's eyes lingering on her face. She refused to look at him and eventually he gave up. Don't use her like that, his conscience warned him, don't think of her as Kara. It isn't fair.
There was a snap behind them. Small, insignificant, almost like a bird landing on a twig on the forest floor. For a moment, an image of Lucas Taylor flickered in Skye's mind. Don't be stupid. Paranoia won't help your cause. You have to stay strong, keep fighting those images back. One day it'll all pay off and you won't have to force yourself to anymore.
Meanwhile, Josh had not noticed the sound of movement in the nearby trees. He was focused on staring at his father, who was instructing a young woman slightly older than himself on how to camouflage with safe and appropriate forest materials.
He didn't stand a chance when he was struck from behind.
Having heard the loud wack as Josh was knocked unconscious, Skye hastily jumped to her feet and turned around, her hands shaking and her heart pumping loudly in her chest. Images of Lucas filled her mind once more. He's come back for you. All that work for nothing.
He stood in front of her, holding the sonic with which he had smashed the back of Josh's head in loosely by his side. His eyes were as wild, as maniacal as she'd always thought them to be. "Bucket," he whispered, smirking at her, "I thought we'd meet again."
The subsequent scream that tore out of her throat, unconstricted and piercing, caused a nearby group of nesting Pterosaurs to hastily take off, flying up and out through the vast, miraculously bright blue sky.
Jim, along with all the others currently with him, froze at the sound of her scream.
"What the hell was that?" Reilly hissed, pulling her gun out and aiming it in the direction from which the scream had come.
Jim swivelled to face the young soldier, also pulling his small pistol from his holster and holding it to the ready. "I don't know," he answered, not bothering to look back towards the now fearful group of civilians. "But I intend to find out."
The sound of Mark's voice next to him was all that stopped him from blindly running into the trees beyond. "Awaiting your order, sir," he reminded the ex-cop, gesturing toward the group of twenty-or-so citizens.
Jim, already motioning for Reilly to follow him, merely glanced at the younger soldier. "Take these people back to Terra Nova and tell Taylor that we've encountered an issue OTG. Tell him to radio me as soon as you've debriefed him. Go." Mark quickly left, eager to follow his orders. "Reilly, Dunham, you're with me. Proceed slowly and cautiously."
Lucas' arm had wound around her shoulders within seconds. Skye struggled to fight him off, even going as far to try and bite the hand that covered her mouth, effectively silencing any attempts she made to call for help. She tried to kick him but he was much too adept at dodging her attempts. His other arm settled around her waist, pulling her back against his chest as he rest his chin on the top of her head. She heard him breathe in her scent, pictured the way that his eyes lit up with desire.
"Let me go!" She cried, though she knew that it was no use. Her words were too muffled. She wriggled in his arms but they were wound too tight around her. She could feel her throat contract as she forced herself not to show emotional weakness. Don't cry. Don't let him control you.
He hushed her. She could feel his warm breath against her ear as he whispered, "Don't struggle, dear sister. It will only make things worse for you."
Skye's eyes fell upon Josh's unconscious body lying just in front of them. Suddenly, Lucas was pulling her away from him and deeper into the unknown foliage surrounding them. "No!" She screamed. "No! Don't!"
"Don't what?" Lucas hissed in her ear, his hot breath sending involuntary shivers down her spine. "I told you not to betray me again, Bucket. But you did. And now I'm going to have to teach you a lesson."
She couldn't help it. The tears in her eyes threatened to spill out and over her cheeks. She let out a weak sob as he roughly pulled her along with him. She tried her best to slow him down by digging her feet into the ground, but all it did was annoy him further. "What do you want from me?" She sobbed against his hand.
Lucas chuckled darkly. She could feel the rumble of his chest against her back. "I want to know why you people keep running back to my father. Why you shot me to save his life. Why, after everything that I told you, you still trusted him over me!"
"You're insane," she hissed, trying once more to fight him off of her. It was no use. Lucas was a grown man, a twenty-five year old man with his father's athletic build. Skye was seventeen, and although she was athletic, her stamina was her strong point. She wasn't exactly the strongest girl in Terra Nova. "Let me go. I'm nothing to you. Just let me go!"
He laughed once more. "Don't you see, Bucket, how wrong you are? You're everything to me. You and destroying my father, that's all that matters anymore."
He had only managed to drag her several metres backwards. If she looked hard enough, she could still see Josh's body lying still on the forest floor. "Josh!" She screamed, wishing desperately that his eyes would snap open. For the first time the possibility that he was dead crossed her mind. She blinked and the tears she had been holding back fell down her flushed cheeks.
"No use crying for your boyfriend, sis," her attacker told her. His voice held an air of fake sympathy. "I hit him pretty hard. Might even be out cold for a few hours."
"No," she whispered. "Josh!"
"I said," Lucas yelled, now growing incredibly frustrated, "That there's no use, Bucket! Don't you see that I'm the only one who truly cares about you?"
She struggled against him one last time. His arms were more forceful than before, gripping her face with ferocity. She was finding it hard to breathe. His fingers gripped her hips so aggressively that she was sure that he would leave bruises there. "It's me and you against the world, dear sister. You'll see that soon enough."
His hand gripped her mouth ferociously, almost entirely cutting off her air supply. Feeling weak, she gave up on her struggling, finally going limp in his arms. She was feeling dizzier and dizzier as her air supply decreased rapidly. Her vision went black at the edges. From the corner of her eye, through the trees that Lucas had dragged her through, she could see movement out by Josh's body. Jim, Reilly, Dunham. She tried to scream one last time but the words died in her throat as she passed out.
The last thing that she heard was Lucas' voice, soft and sinister by her ear, his warning loud and clear; "You won't betray me this time."
"Sir!"
Jim ran towards Reilly, who was bent over by a nearby shrub. Looking down at what she had found, his chest clenched as he saw his son Josh. He immediately knelt by the boy and checked his pulse, sighing, relieved, as he felt the strong drum of a heart beat under his fingertips. "Alive," he told Reilly, who nodded, also relieved."Scout the area. I don't think he would have come out here alone."
The Corporal did as she was told. Jim rested a hand on his son's forehead, his eyebrows drawn with concern. "Come on, son," he whispered, "Wake up."
Almost as if he had heard him, Josh suddenly seemed to stir. His eyes tentatively opened, the bright sunlight shining down through the canopy above them stinging his retinas. His father's face was looking down at him, his skin creased into lines where he was worried. It made him look much older than he really was.
What the…? Where am I?
Josh sat up suddenly, his eyes wide with fear. He tried to control his babbling as he hastily shook his head, trying to clear the fuzziness that he felt there. "Dad. W-what are you-?"
"Was your sister with you?" Jim asked, unable to control himself. "We heard a scream-"
"No. Skye." Then, realisation dawning on him, he quickly looked around them. "Where is she?"
Jim stared as his son realised what had happened.
"Lucas," Josh spat out. "It must have been him. He knocked me out and then took her!"
Jim's eyes met his sons briefly before he helped him up, careful not to disorient the injured young man too much. Josh's hand reached up to gently touch the back of his head. His fingers touched a warm wet liquid, and when he pulled them away to look at them, his stomach churned at the sight of his own blood. "Whoa," Jim warned, hastily wrapping an arm around his son's shoulders to keep him upright when his feet faltered. "Steady."
"Skye," Josh said again, his mind becoming less and less foggy as time went on. "He took her. You have to find her!"
"Don't worry. We will. We've got to get you back to Terra Nova."
"No!" Josh exclaimed. "You have to find her first!"
Jim sighed, a conflicted expression upon his face. He was about to agree when he heard his walkie-talkie coming to life inside of his back pocket. "Shannon, this is Taylor. Do you read me? Over."
Making sure that Josh was steady before he reached into his pocket to grasp it in his hands; Jim raised the device to his mouth and spoke steadily into it. "This is Shannon. I read you loud and clear, Commander. Over."
There was a moment of silence as Jim waited for Taylor's reply. Finally, it came. "What's going on? I clearly stated that everyone should be looking out for the slightest sign of trouble. You're telling me that you didn't see this coming at all?"
"Everyone included on our convoy was accounted for, sir. It seems that my son and Skye decided to tag along without our knowledge," Jim replied, eying Josh without any trace of disappointment. Now was not the time.
"I see," came the Commander's reply. "Are they alright?"
Jim took a deep breath before answering. "Josh is injured, though I'm sure he'll be fine. Skye is… missing. Josh seems to believe that it was your son."
"My son is dead."
Jim sighed. "Apparently not, sir. Should I get together a short search party for Skye?"
It took almost a minute for Jim to receive his reply from the Commander. Taylor's voice had changed. In place of the concerned but conflicted man he had been seconds ago, there was a cold, harsh warrior. "No. It appears that we've been fooled, Shannon."
"How so?"
"Think about it. What does Skye mean to Lucas? She tricked us. She was never loyal to Terra Nova. This was merely a stunt to return to her own people whilst luring us into a trap-"
Jim didn't wait for the Commander to finish talking. "With all due respect, sir, I really don't think that that is the case."
Silence. Then, "She was smarter than we could possibly have guessed. We should have known that the Phoenix Group would keep someone here to watch the colony after they'd packed up and left."
Jim opened his mouth to protest, but the words wouldn't come out. Josh, who, thankfully, wasn't listening to their conversation, threw up in a bush nearby. Dunham made some sort of juvenile comment about his aim.
"You will follow my orders, Shannon. Return to Terra Nova immediately." And with that, Commander Taylor was gone. Jim stared helplessly at the device in his hands. He'd been wrong about Skye before. He could very well be once again. Deciding that he should listen to his superior, Jim pocketed the walkie-talkie and turned to face his grave-looking son.
"Are they sending reinforcements?" He asked his father. The teenager's eyes were dazed-looking. Once again worried for his son's health, Jim gestured for Reilly and Dunham to follow him as he led him back towards the Rover a hundred or so metres away.
Silently, Jim shook his head. "Skye can't be trusted, Josh-"
Josh pulled away from his father, a confused expression on his pale face. "What?"
"Taylor seems to think that she's spying for the other side again. That Lucas is actually her accomplice-"
"No," Josh interrupted his father. "No. Trust me. I know that she's not."
Jim seemed unsure. "Regardless, I have to follow my orders."
Josh pushed his arm off of his shoulders, a look of betrayal flashing across his face. "You'd really trust Taylor over your own son?"
Jim panicked. "No, Josh, I-"
"Forget it. I'm going to look for her myself," Josh muttered, attempting to make his own way out, further into the prehistoric forest. As he was attempting this, though, he stumbled slightly, his head spinning. His father took advantage of his current weakness.
"You're not actually. You're coming home and your mother is going to fix that head of yours."
Josh tried to struggle against Jim's restricting grip but found that he was too weak. "He's going to kill her, dad," he mumbled as they walked slowly toward the Rover. "You can't just blindly follow orders."
"That's enough," Jim said firmly, "No more. Get in the Rover."
The angry, bright light in Josh's eyes seemed to fade as he stared into his father's unfaltering face. "You really don't believe me, do you?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Jim didn't answer him.
"Mark!"
Maddy wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, relieved that he was home - safe and sound once more. He greeted her calmly as always, a serene look on his face once he found himself in her arms again. It didn't last for long, though, as she soon pulled away and looked up at him, her face concerned. "What happened?"
"There was a disturbance in the forest. Other than that, we don't exactly know," he replied. "It should be fine."
Maddy caught the hint of doubt in his voice. "Have you seen Josh or Skye since you got back?" She asked him, trying to appear relaxed. Inside, her heart was beating fast, adrenaline rushing through her veins.
"No," he answered, his eyes searching her face for any clues as to why they would be outside of the gates. "Oh, Maddy, tell me they didn't-"
"I told them that it wouldn't be a good idea!" She hastily tried to explain.
"What wouldn't be a good idea?"
They both turned, surprised, to see Dr. Shannon, her hand linked with Zoe's, standing behind them. Her face was a mixture of amusement and curiosity. Then, noticing the grave looks on both of the teenager's faces, hers changed to one of worry. "Where is your brother?" She snapped, her eyes narrowing.
Maddy avoided her mother's eyes. Feeling that he had no other choice, Mark explained what he knew about the situation to his girlfriend's mother. Elizabeth's eyes grew wider as he uttered each sentence, nervously wringing his hands the whole time as Maddy stared at her feet beside him.
"Your brother is missing?" Elizabeth exclaimed when he was finished, her eyes immediately landing on her daughter's guilty face. "And you were going to tell me this when?"
Maddy opened her mouth to apologise but was cut short when a Security guard watching the gate yelled out to one of his co-workers below. Elizabeth caught enough of the exchange to know to look toward the gate. Maddy and Mark looked too, relief crossing their faces as they saw a Rover approaching the wooden gate, which was quickly raised to make way for the last of the convoy.
Elizabeth pulled Zoe by the hand toward the approaching vehicle as Maddy and Mark followed closely behind. Within a few minutes, Jim held Zoe tight in his arms as Elizabeth helped Josh from the vehicle. Reilly and Dunham exchanged a few friendly words with Mark, who seemed pleased that everyone had returned home safely. Or so he thought they had.
"Where's Skye?" Maddy questioned her father, her eyes wide and searching. They flickered to meet her brother's for a quick moment, and upon finding no answer there, returned to her father's. The look on his face said enough. She could tell that his news wasn't going to be of the good kind.
Next week on 'Terra Nova'...
Will Skye escape Lucas' clutches? How will Josh deal with her disappearance, and will his relationship with his father once again diminish because of this? Will be there be trouble in paradise for Maddy and Mark, and will Malcolm come between Jim and Elizabeth once more?
Stay tuned to find out.
Author's Note:
This is my first fic for Terra Nova, a show that I love even though the critics didn't. This story will basically be my own take on what Season Two could be like if we're lucky enough to get a second season. It will feature all of the main characters and possibly some new ones. I will try to update once a week so that it's almost like you get a new episode every week. I will be attempting to develop stronger character backstories and relationships, so bear with me. I don't want to mention to ships in this story yet because I feel like I want to keep them a surprise, but my OTP for this series is Lucas/Skye, so don't doubt that I won't go there at least once.
I realise that this wasn't exactly the greatest written piece, but it's three o'clock in the morning here in Australia, so forgive any mistakes that I have made. Please let me know what you thought of this first 'episode' in a review. Did I create enough drama and suspense? Were the characters true to themselves? Please tell me. I'll improve if I have something to work with from my audience. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed what I've written for you.