Disclaimer~ i sadly, am not the proud owner of Falling Skies and wish not to be sued, please. :)
Chapter 2: indecision
Anne placed another blanket on a patient and headed towards the med bus when she heard someone call her name. "Dr Glass! Dr Glass! Anne, help!" Anne turned and her eyes widened at the sight that fell before her.
"Tom?" she gasped. "In here, hurry!" Anne jumped into the med bus. "What happened?" she asked as she helped carry Tom in.
"It was an accident," Weaver explained looking at Ben who was behind Tom's head. "Friendly fire."
"I didn't know it was him, it was dark and…and the Skitters..!" Ben explained with worry in his eyes. Anne gripped his arm tightly.
"Ben, its okay but I have to go now!" Anne ran to Tom, who was now on a bed and barely conscious.
"Help me lift him!" Anne commanded Weaver. They gently tilted Tom on his side before replacing him to the table. Anne leant down into Tom's face, barely centimetres away. "There's no exit wound Tom. I can't stop the bleeding until I get the bullet out, okay? I have to go in Tom, but I could make it worse!" Tom's eyes reeled and fluttered before settling on Anne's face.
"I trust you." He said firmly before slipping into unconsciousness. Anne cut his shirt open, revealing a small hole in his side that poured blood at an alarming rate. She grabbed a long, thin pair of surgical tweezers and glanced at Lourdes on her right.
"I'm going in." she muttered as she positioned herself to remove the bullet from Tom.
Ben moved around to the other side of the bus, trying to get to his dad. He suddenly found his path blocked by Maggie, who was trying to keep people from entering the bus.
"Ben, it's okay." She said firmly. Ben backed down and walked off but didn't feel reassured by her words. He walked across the garden, away from the med bus, trying to get the image of his dad covered in blood out of his head. He wandered in circles around the house until he found himself at the room he shared with his brothers. He sighed heavily before sitting on the edge of his bed, hanging his head in his hands. It wasn't long before he heard footsteps approaching him and Ben looked up to see Hal enter the tent.
"Ben, I've been looking for you. What happened to dad was an accident, okay? But I need to know that you're gonna follow orders next time, or you'll be relieved of duty."
Ben closed his eyes, suddenly exhausted. "Sure," he replied simply. He was surprised when Hal suddenly grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him to his feet.
"Ben I'm serious. You will follow my orders on missions, or you will be put on kitchen duty. If you don't listen to orders, you gonna end up hurting someone. You saw that first hand tonight!" Ben reached up and easily removed Hal's hands from his shirt. Hal watched stunned as Ben twisted his hands and pushed Hal to the ground, with barely any effort.
"I'm not the math geek you used to push around, get used to it. I'll follow your orders but you're not dad, so stop trying to be." Hal stood up wordlessly as Ben strode out of the room and disappeared down the hallway. How the hell did Ben get so strong? Hal sighed shakily and ran his hand through his hair. He picked his gun up from where it had fallen on the floor and made his way back to the med bus to check on his dad.
As Hal thudded up the metal steps he smiled at Lourdes, who was putting medical equipment into cupboards, and slowly approached the bed where Anne was hovering. He stood a few feet away as he watched Anne smooth down the thick gauze bandage that covered Tom's bullet wound and pull the thin bed sheet over his bare chest. Hal noticed when Anne's fingers lingered on Toms face, caressing his cheek as he stepped forward.
"How did the surgery go?" Hal asked, his words laced with worry. Anne looked at Hal, inhaled deeply and readjusted her trademark stethoscope.
"I did everything I could Hal, we managed to remove the bullet and stop the bleeding. There doesn't appear to be any serious damage, I think it just nicked a rib. But the rest is up to Tom now." Hal slouched forward slightly, as if the news lifted a weight off his back.
"Thank god. I really thought we were gonna lose him Anne. I thought we already lost him." Hal pinched the bridge of his nose as his eyes stung with fatigue. It had been hours since he last slept, and with the absence of adrenaline and food in his system Hal felt exhausted. Anne placed a small hand on Hal's shoulder and gently squeezed.
"You should go get some rest. Don't worry, there will be someone watching Tom at all times and the second anything changes I'll come and find you." Hal nodded at Anne's promise and muttered a quiet "thanks", before heading out the bus to the kitchen. Hal thought as he slowly walked, dragging his feet. What were the odds of his dad suddenly turning up, after being gone for three months? How had something this remarkable happened, when the past few months had been ruled by fear, darkness and death for the Second Mass? Hal noticed everyone with their heads bent as he walked, whispering about Tom's arrival. Hal strained his ears and caught snippets of the hushed conversations.
"Did you hear? Tom's back. I thought he was dead after walking on that ship-"
"I wanna know how he managed to escape Skitter central-"
"I think he could be hooked up to them still, giving away our location as we speak-"
Hal picked up speed as he neared the house; these conversations were the last thing he wanted to hear at the moment. Once he entered the kitchen, Hal grabbed a bowl from the small stack of crockery and walked up to the two industrial sized pots. Hal chose the chicken noodles over the beef and spooned some into his bowl before taking a seat on a wonky metal chair. He was halfway through his lukewarm noodles when Hal heard the empty chair beside him scrape backwards. He looked up to see Maggie sitting down beside him with two steaming tin-cups of coffee in her hands. She pushed one of the cups towards Hal silently as she took her seat beside him. Hal picked up the cup and raised it to Maggie as a thank you, before gratefully drinking deeply. With the comforting warmth of food and coffee in his stomach, Hal felt much better although he was still exhausted. Maggie sipped at her coffee slowly before breaking the silence.
"You okay, Hal?" Maggie asked, concern laced in her words. Hal sighed and rubbed his eyes. He knew she often worried about him; he didn't have to ask to know she was talking about his dad.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Just…I don't know, like, I'm shocked but I'm happy. It's like, one moment, I didn't think I would ever see him again; and the next, he's stumbling around at the exact same time and spot we executed that ambush." Hal drank from his cup again, finishing the last of his coffee. Maggie turned in her seat to face him. She stared at Hal long and hard. Hal noticed her staring and gave her a confused look.
"What?"
Maggie hesitated, "nothing, it's just…"
"Just what?"
Maggie looked at Hal thoughtfully. "You look really tired Hal, no offence. When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?" Hal couldn't stop the small smile that spread on his face. Maggie was never one to be known for sugar coating things. It was one of the many things he liked about her, Hal realised.
"I don't even know anymore Maggie." Hal fiddled with his empty cup, spinning it on the table. Maggie finished her own coffee before swiping up Hal's empty cup and bowl. Hal started to protest but Maggie was quick to cut him off.
"Go get some sleep Hal, before you drop dead on the ground." Hal managed a small smile before pushing himself out of his chair to stand beside Maggie.
"Thanks Maggie," Hal said, gently squeezing her shoulder. Maggie returned the smile before walking towards a large bucket and dropping the dirty dishes inside. She waved to Hal before exiting the kitchen and walking off, while Hal walked out and headed in the opposite direction towards the room he shared with his brothers.
Hal pushed the door aside as he staggered into the dimly lit room. The only source of light came from the soft glow of a lantern on a wonky table and in the glow of the light; Hal could see the sleeping form of Matt, curled up in his bed. Hal looked over to Ben's bed which was, not surprisingly, empty. He was either on patrol, or wandering around outside pointlessly. He sat on the edge of his bed, groaning as he stretched his sore muscles. He kicked off his boots and removed his jacket and gun straps. Hal stretched out on his small bed, on top of his blanket and still wearing his clothes. Hal felt his heavy eyelids droop as his sore muscles relaxed. He turned on his side and looked at the sleeping Matt. His curly hair fell messily into his face, which was wearing a creased frown. Hal rolled onto his back again, crossing his arms behind his head.
He thought about his dad, unconscious in the med bus just outside. Three months ago Weaver came back from the attack on Boston alone, with the news of Tom's disappearance and now…now he was back. Back with the Second Mass, back with his family, back to stand by Weaver's side. Hal frowned as he considered the current situation. How had Tom returned? Where had he returned from? Most importantly Hal thought, what had happened to him when he was with the aliens?
Hal sighed and rolled back onto his side, attempting to clear his mind. Exhaustion dragged his eyelids closed as Hal fell prey to a restless sleep.
Anne dozed in her chair as the morning sun slowly streamed through the window. The sunlight reflected off her brown hair as Tom stirred in the small bed beside her. He blinked for a few moments, trying to focus his vision before he looked down at Anne resting beside him. Tom reached out with his hand and gently stroked her hair. Anne sat up, dazed, before she noticed that Tom was awake. Anne stood up and leaned on the edge of the bed, her face inches from Tom's.
"Tom, Tom you're awake. Are you okay? How do you feel? Oh Tom, what were you thinking! You had us all worried to death!" Anne's words were rushed as she felt Tom's forehead and shone a small penlight in his eyes. Tom suffered Anne's ministrations before he sat up on the edge of the bed, grabbing Anne's small hand in his. Tom gently pulled Anne closer to stand in front of him.
"You're still here?" he asked her sceptically.
Anne shook her head with a small smile on her face. "I never left Tom. I should have had faith that you would come back. For your boys, for the Second Mass."
Tom squeezed Anne's hands in his. "And for you," Tom finished. Anne looked at Tom, surprised, before allowing a large smile to cross her face. Tom slid off the bed and pulled her hand gently toward him and she sighed as Tom enveloped her in his warm embrace. Tom rocked Anne slightly from side to side as he pressed his lips to her head.
"DAD!" yelled Matt, boarding the bus. Tom and Anne separated as the nine year old ran towards them and jumped into his dad's hug, laughing. Right behind Matt was Hal, close to tears as he hugged his dad fiercely.
"I missed you, old man." Hal laughed. Lingering at the door lastly, was Ben. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably as he watched his brothers reunite with his dad, before hesitantly stepping forward.
"Dad, I'm sorry, I…" Ben reached for words that weren't there. Tom shook his head furiously before reaching out and pulling Ben into a tight embrace.
"It's okay Ben. I know it wasn't your fault. Its okay, we're all together now." Tom said as he pulled his other sons back in for a group hug.
"Help! I can't breathe!" matt gasped as he was squished between Hal and Tom. The family pulled apart, laughing with joy at the unlikely reunion. Tom sat back on the edge of the bed, exhausted.
"You still need plenty of rest before you can get up and out again." Anne commented.
Tom chuckled, "yeah, but I need to see Weaver first." Anne hesitated before nodding her head and passing Tom a large overcoat to cover his bare chest. Tom walked to the door of the bus, and was greeted with quite a sight to see. All of the Second Mass was gathered outside, and erupted into applause when Tom appeared. Tom could here different people yelling at him from the crowd.
"Welcome back Tom!"
"Nice to see you on your feet!"
"It's good to have you back Tom!"
Tom's eyes roamed the crowd before finding Weaver standing front and centre. Tom smiled and reached down to shake Weaver's hand firmly.
"You sure gave us one hell of a scare Tom," Weaver said smiling, "I'm sure you have quite a story to tell us, but you just concentrate on getting better first, alright?" Tom nodded before looking down at the large group of people. He recognised many faces; Anthony, Dai, Maggie, Lourdes and even Pope, who looked at Tom disdainfully (there was no change there). There were even a few unfamiliar faces, although Tom noted with great sadness, the Second Mass had appeared to have lost a third of its people.
Tom looked back down at Weaver. "This is everyone?" he asked astonished.
Weaver slowly nodded his head. "We lost a lot of good people Tom. We'll talk about it when you're better." Tom ran his hand down his face and scratched the rough stubble of his beard. Tom slowly stepped off the bus to stand beside Weaver, using the step railing for support. He caught his breath as Dai stepped forward.
"It's good to finally have you back Tom, What took you so long?" Tom smiled as he shook Dai's hand.
"Thanks Dai, it's good to be back."Dai stepped aside to reveal another fighter of the Second Mass. Tom leant against the bus as he shook hands with every single member of the Second mass, as they welcomed him home.
"We don't have to do this now Tom. You should be focusing on getting better." Weaver walked past Tom, who was seated behind his desk, and sat in the chair opposite leaving only the table covered in maps between them. Tom frowned and subconsciously placed a hand on his almost healed wound.
"Anne's taking the stitches out tomorrow, she said the damage wasn't as bad as it looked. I'm more than well enough to talk."
Weaver nodded, "alright then. Why don't you start at the beginning?"
Tom sat back in his chair and cleared his throat before recounting his long and tough journey. "When I first boarded the ship I was lead by Karen into a room. She said that we would move to another location before transferring onto another ship that was more 'hospitable'. I resisted and kept asking them what would happen to Ben, how he was still connected? What they wanted me for? What they were doing on our planet? They refused to answer anything and when I became too much of a nuisance, the struck me with some kind of weapon. It was like a staff with a bulb on the end. When the tip came in contact with me body, it shot some kind of jolt, like electricity through me. They attacked me again and again until I passed out." Tom paused as Weaver's eyes widened, before continuing.
"I woke up, alone, lying in a small room. It wasn't even a room; it was more like a box. I don't know how long they held me there. It could have been hours, or days but it felt like weeks to me. I would shout and scream at them until my voice was hoarse but they never came. Then a Skitter opened up a hidden panel next to me and pulled me out. I remember its face, it was all scarred and he was missing an eye. It tortured me with the staff again until Karen appeared. She commanded it to stop and began to babble on about how she hadn't changed and that she was still Karen."
"I don't remember it happening but we must have changed onto another ship. The one we were on now was huge. I remember Karen leading me down all these hallways until we came to a huge room, like a chamber. The overlord was there, waiting for us. Karen kept referring to it as her 'master' before it took over her and spoke to me."
Weaver interrupted, "it spoke to you through Karen?"
"Just like the Skitters do," Tom continued. "it carried on and on about how all they wanted was peace, and that if we surrendered and backed down then they would put aside a sanctuary for us to live safely in. it was giving examples from our own history, trying to persuade my into giving up the Second Mass's position and freedom. I said no and managed to grab the staff and attack it before I was thrown against a wall and knocked out. I was released shortly after, with other members of different resistance groups onto a field somewhere. The ship flew away but a Skitter and mech was left behind. We all scattered and ran, but they all died. The mech blew them all up, and left when I was the last one standing. I walked for a while until I found out that I was in Michigan. I didn't know what else to do so I just turned toward Boston and started walking."
"I walked and walked for weeks. I ate what I could find when I was hungry, I slept when I was tired and I walked. One day I came across a girl who was being robbed of her food. I saved her, scaring the thief off and in return she let me borrow her motorbike. I rode to the school but I knew you were long gone. I notice lots of airships heading north and so I rode in that direction, hoping to find something. One night I came across the sound of a fight. When I heard your voice, captain, I was so relieved. I noticed a Skitter closing in on Ben so I killed it, which was when Ben accidently shot me. The rest you know and now, here we are."
The silence seemed eerie after Tom's story. Weaver sat speechless, trying to gather his thoughts. "So they let you go, just like that?" he finally asked.
Tom nodded his head absently. "Yes, I don't know why. Perhaps they were thought that I would pass on the message of our option to surrender, maybe that's why they killed all those people to. A little reminder of their power so to say." Weaver removed his cap and ran his hand through his hair before replacing it. Tom was the first to break the silence.
"What happened to the Second Mass? When I stood in front of that group of people the other day, it was a lot smaller than I remember."
Weaver rubbed his eyes and spoke with a great sadness in his voice. "When we hit that alien structure they were after us like nothing could stop them. We ran for as long as we could but they eventually surrounded us, in Fitchburg. Pope and the berserkers found a weak spot in their line and we managed to push through. We made it but we lost a lot of good people, Tom. We lost one hundred soldiers, fighters and civilians."
Tom sat back in his chair, speechless. "Who did we lose?"
"Scott was killed when he tried saving a group of kids that were pinned down. Rick was fine one day, and then just gone the next. Kate died after getting a blood clot; she passed in her sleep peacefully."
"Oh god," Tom said scratching the side of his head. "They were the last family Anne has. Well had," Tom said correcting himself.
"Now that's not true Tom," Weaver said firmly. "Anne may have lost her relatives, but she still has her family, Tom. She still has the Second Mass."
Tom nodded his head, agreeing. "Very true Captain. Honestly, it feels good to be home."
"It's good to have you back, Tom. Just promise me that you won't go wandering off into god knows what again."
Tom chuckled. "Don't worry Captain, I'm not going anywhere for a long time."
"I always knew you would find your way back Tom, through hell or high water you were always stubborn as hell," said Weaver wagging his finger at Tom. Weaver opened a draw in the desk and pulled out a bottle of scotch and two glasses. "I found this quite a while back and I held on to it. I always thought to myself, the day you would come back to us would be the day I crack it open. Will you join me Tom?"
Tom gestured to the glasses in front of him. "I would be more than happy to."
Weaver splashed some scotch into each glass before raising his own in a toast. Tom reached for his own glass, returning the gesture, before sipping the liquor.
"It's been a while." Tom said, lifting his drink.
Weaver smiled. "It sure has tom, it sure has."
Maggie tossed another bag up to Hal, who was standing in the tray bed of a truck.
"Think of all the Skitters we've blown away, they've gotta reproduce to keep their numbers up." she said as she threw up another bag.
"Yeah I wonder how they do it. Maybe they're hermaphrodites." Hal chuckled, catching the bag.
"What like earthworms?" Maggie smirked. "No way."
"You think they mate for life?" Hal mused.
"Nah, they gotta have multiple sex partners."
"So you think Skitters sleep around huh, how do you know for certain?"
"Well think of all the critters in our world, very few mate for life. The best hope for survival is to hook up with anyone healthy enough to enrich the gene pool."
"You still talking about Skitters?" Hal asked jumping off the truck. Maggie laughed and shook her head, punching him lightly on the arm.
"When are we moving on? I'm going stir crazy sitting around with nothing to do."
Hal shrugged his shoulders and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm not sure. Weaver said we will be moving out soon, but everyone just seems to be getting more settled."
"Maybe you should talk to him about it." Maggie offered.
Hal looked at Maggie oddly. "Why?" he asked. "What good will that do?"
"Seriously?" Maggie responded surprised, "Weaver listens to what you say, and takes your opinions seriously. How have you not noticed?"
"He does?" Hal asked confused. "Huh, I never even noticed."
"Of course he does, especially when your dad went missing." Maggie explained, leaning against the side of the truck. Hal was about to answer, but found himself interrupted by an ear-splitting explosion. Hal and Maggie both looked up to see a ball of flame rise in the sky, quite some distance away.
"What the hell was that!?" Maggie yelled.
"I have no idea, but I think we need to go find weaver and investigate."
"What if it's the aliens?" Maggie said grabbing Hal's arm.
Hal looked down at her before answering simply. "Then they've found us."
Thank you for reading! I'm sorry for the late update and I promise to update the next chapter as soon as I can, I'm sorry about the cliffhanger! R&R for new chapters! Enjoy :)
