White Flag Of Surrender
"Please, somebody help me," the young man threw his jacket open revealing a suicide bombers belt. Two seconds, maybe three. That was all they got.
"I'm not leaving him," Elizabeth Shannon fought off Commander Taylor as he attempted to haul her to safety.
"Leave the dead," Taylor roared over the din, "leave the wounded. Load up," he helped load the sonic cannon.
With a last look at Elizabeth Shannon on her knees, arms wrapped around her husband's unconscious head, dust still settling, he left them. Driving the lead rover, he led the way back to Terra Nova.
Within two minutes from the time of the blast, the small army was gone. Elizabeth had seen gang violence while working in the state ran hospitals in Chicago, but never the carnage an exploding body, or the carnage explosives could cause. So this was war.
Alone, with an unconscious husband, she waited for either a returning Taylor, or to be taken prisoner. She checked for Jim's pulse. It was steady, but the pupils were un-even, one dilated twice the size of the other, a telltale sign of internal hemorrhaging. He did take the brunt of the blast trying to shield Kara. Kara? Elizabeth forced her attention away from her husband. The poor girl was eviscerated, bowels spilling onto the bloody dirt, eyes fixed and open.
The body of a small blond boy, half of his head blown away poked from under the first person through the portal, his father. The blast had snapped the man's spine, blowing ribs into his lungs. Every breath was foamier than the last, until with a shudder it was over. His wife killed instantly as a piece of the portal blew off and crushed her chest slicing into her aorta. Dr. Shannon tried to remember, one more young female was missing. She thought a soldier had shielded her and threw her into a vehicle. She was sure one survived.
How could Taylor respond so rapidly. After the blast threw her several feet and slammed her into the ground, she froze in shock, her unblinking eyes watched an army, trained to respond jump into action. She saw Jim, eyes flicker, then close and pushed aside the desire to remain motionless as she forced her way through the rushing soldiers.
Hours passed. She made Jim as comfortable as possible, keeping him where he had fallen. In the distance she could hear vehicles approach. Please let it be Taylor, she prayed silently.
A black painted tank she never saw before rolled up followed by several more vehicles with a black and red logo. Soldiers in light colored camouflage piled out, rifles ready and some pointed at her as she kneeled by her husband. Would they kill them now.
From the balcony of the command center, Lieutenant Washington yelled into her radio, "Under attack, Taylor. Can't hold out. They're killing civilians. Going to surrender." They had opened a portal just outside the main gate. She was powerless to stop the invading army. They fought back, but the tanks came through first, laying down a pattern of multi zone strikes. A new weapon, one grenade breaking into a dozen smaller projectiles, carpet bombing soldiers and civilians equally. Holes permeated the compound. She didn't have firepower to stop the incoming shells. Most of their weaponry was designed to deter Caurno's. Soon she was greatly outnumbered four to one. At first they targeted the soldiers, but she saw the Sixers join the fray and the cannons were re-directed to the civilian quarters.
Reports started coming in, twelve dead soldiers, most on the towers where they were pinned into their death cages, thirteen civilians they knew of. Taylor didn't come, couldn't make it in time. She ordered a white piece of cloth about four feet long tied to a staff. Taking it, she descended the steps, stood tall and proud before the main gate. She spoke two words into her radio, "Cease fire." Slowly she heard her side put down arms as word passed down the ranks telling of her position before the gate and the white flag she carried. The invading army still shelled. Lucas raised his arms to stop the bombardment as the gate slowly lifted.
He was disappointed. Where was his father? He knew his father's battle tactics. Instead he directed his vehicle towards the tall second. His army quickly disarmed his father's troops. He stood face to face with her, neither speaking. Mira joined him as did General Hooper. "This is my father's second," Lucas indicated. "Where's my father hiding, Washington?"
Silence.
"Search and disarm the compound. Put her in lockup," Lucas headed with Mira and the general in tow to the Command Center. Washington dropped the flag onto the dirt where it was trampled by the soldiers as they manhandled her towards the brig. Soon, she and her top officers were together behind the locked door in the underground jail, cut off from what was happening to her colony and responsibility.
Taylor stopped his rover and climbed out, motioning for his soldiers to gather round. He had been monitoring the radio as they sped back to assist the colony. He heard his second order 'Cease fire'. He heard other soldiers passing instructions on through their communicators. "Washington's surrendering," a young voice came over the radio then silence. Taylor and his band remained quiet, not moving, just listening.
Her mic was purposely keyed open, "This is my father's second," a pause, "Where's my father hiding, Washington?" They waited for her answer, none came. "Search and disarm the compound. Put her in lockup." A sound of scuffle then the radio was removed from her hand and communication with the colony severed.
Terra Nova was lost. They had to regroup and plan. Totally un-expected and Taylor felt responsible he didn't plan for this contingency. They were supposed to come through the portal and attack him. Not women and children or his beloved colony. He led his army to a remote area and disappeared.
When the bombs started exploding everywhere, Josh Shannon was totally at a loss on how to keep his sisters safe. It was too dangerous to run, too dangerous to stay. In the end, he settled for hiding with them under his bed until he heard silence. He slid out, motioning them to stay put and crept to the front door. He cracked the door and saw strange tanks rolling down his street. He hadn't felt this helpless since he saw his father hauled away. He saw soldiers going house to house, breaking down doors, people gathered in the street and forced to march towards the market area. He gathered his sisters and held them to him as the soldiers threw the door open. "Outside," a rifle motioned them to move.
He picked Zoe up and carried her. He could see her fear and confusion. Maddy kept an arm around him as they joined their neighbors. He could see tears streaming down Maddy's cheeks and felt a few drip down his own. Gathering in the crowd, he felt a hand descend on his shoulder. Looking back, he saw Thomas Boylan had moved behind him and his sisters in silent support.
Josh heard, "Lucas Taylor," hiss from a tight throat of Boylan as a young man flanked by Mira and an unknown officer from the other side made an entrance from inside the Command Center and look down upon the population. They watched as Lieutenant Washington and Captain Guzman, hands bound behind their backs were forced to climb the steps until they stood beside the conquerors. Lucas Taylor was watching something outside the gate, a returning convoy. The people parted as more vehicles came through the gate.
Josh watched as his mother was escorted from one of the vehicles, and then his father's body hit the ground as it got tossed off the back of a truck. He wanted to run to him, but his mother's look held him back and he clutched his sisters so they didn't do something stupid. He heard Zoe scream, "Daddy."
He felt Boylan's arms also restraining. "Easy boy," was whispered against the back of his head.
He looked back to Lucas Taylor in time to see Mira stepping back from whispering something into Taylor's ear, probably telling him who the man unconscious on the ground was. Taylor stepped to the rail. "You are my guests," he raised his voice causing silence to fall. "My father, the great Nathaniel Taylor isn't stupid enough to risk your lives. I have identification tags for everyone. Anyone found without a tag will be shot on the spot. Any attempt to escape, you will be shot. Cause any problems for my soldiers, you will be shot. Resist my instructions, you will be shot or worse," he motioned to tables confiscated from the market, where soldiers were issuing tags to be worn around the neck. As Josh took his sisters to the tables, he saw Washington and Guzman's restraints removed. They remained on the balcony until everyone had a tag, then collected theirs and were instructed to be visible.
His mother appeared before him, hugging each of them.
"Kira?" He saw the answer in her eyes, before she told him. He heard her instruct him to take his sister's home and stay with them. He felt the tag being placed around his neck. He heard Maddy ask about their father. He heard his mother's answer. He heard his mother tell Maddy to take him and Zoe home as he couldn't respond, just stood in place. His feet moved behind Maddy's as she held his and Zoe's in each of hers. Kara was dead…..what had he done.
Wallace and McCormick holed up in the science lab. Malcolm was filling McCormick in on just who Lucas Taylor was and what Lucas's scientific skills were. They couldn't help but hear the commotion outside the gate as more equipment came through the portal. Sonic cannons were fired, telling them that Caurno's had probably come to call. What they didn't expect was a visit from Commander Taylor's crazy son so soon. Mira and several Sixers led the way, followed by someone with a General's insignia on his collar.
"Lucas, heard you were still alive," Malcolm was nervous.
"We had a problem with the new two way portal," Lucas smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "We were setting it up when Caurno's paid us a visit. You installed the first portal, so I need your help repairing this one."
"No way, I'm not doing it," Malcolm wasn't having any part helping these murderers.
Another bright smile issued from Taylor's son. "Oh, I think you can be persuaded, Malcolm," he motioned to several soldiers. Before Malcolm could change his mind, they grabbed McCormick and had slammed his head through the glass window. McCormick's neck caught on a jagged edge of broken glass as they pulled him back inside. Blood spurted from a severed carotid artery. Malcolm attempted to get to him, but was physically restrained by Mira's Sixers. Helplessly, he watched his assistant die.
His chin was jerked back to Lucas, "Who's next?"
"I, I'll take a look," Malcolm felt his chin patted as he was escorted behind Lucas by Mira.
"This can't be repaired," Malcolm was sure he sealed his own fate, but he just couldn't repair the Caurno damaged portal.
"How about the one damaged by the bomb?" Malcolm was led to the first portal he assembled. The damage wasn't too severe. Anything to buy time, "I may be able to fix this one."
He was grateful to whoever cleaned up the blood before he was pressed into the service of the Phoenix Group. The broken glass a reminder, the cost of defiance.
Alicia Washington sat gloomily at a small table out of the way. Boylan poured her a drink with a pat on her shoulder, his expression grim. A new group of soldiers bounced down the steps. She watched him sigh and straighten his shoulders, "Good evening gentlemen, what will it be?" A forced smile and cheery tone belied his desire to kill them.
Taylor's reconnaissance paid off. He knew the troop numbers and OTG movements, now he had to get a message inside. He remembered years before a recon team using bullets to send messages. He had his location etched on each and every bullet. He instructed the sonic guns be set to the lowest settings, just enough to punch the bullet in, but not kill them or obliterate the coordinates. How many wounded enemy soldiers before someone discovered his secret and came. His troops were drawing lots for the privilege to shoot. Every night they hunted, no let up.
Jim Shannon opened his eyes.
The End
