FRICK!
I am so tired! BUT, I said I'd get the next chapter up and so I'm doing it before I get too lazy to even work on it any more :P
I'd like to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to my reviewers;
AlexisSalvator17
Terranovafan
Miss Ekaterina
tellmamatobuggeroff
misty103
Jeffrey Gaga
and Snipps
Your reviews mean a LOT to me :) This chapter's quite a bit longer than the first (1000+ more?) and I'm pretty impressed at myself :P Tellmamatobuggeroff, I did it! :D
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Terra Nova OR the fabulous chemistry that is Lucas/Skye. I do however, own my brains with which I squeezed into producing this fanfic.
Anyways, I worked really hard on this chapter so I hope you guys enjoy it!
Here we go!
Commander Taylor gazes at Skye sceptically. He sits calmly at his desk while she stands before him on the other side.
"You want me to set up a search party for my rogue son. The one who almost single-handedly caused the ruin of everything we've built here".
It is a question though it sounds like a statement.
"Yes – for the good of the colony". She replies earnestly.
"Think about it; if he somehow survives, he'll definitely come up with some way to get back at us" She hesitates, purses her lips.
"Get back at you".
Skye takes in a calming breath, chooses her words carefully.
"But if we look for him and find him alive, he can be locked up and you'll know that the colony is safe... If we find him dead", her throat constricts at this.
She swallows it down and continues.
"Then we know for sure he can't hurt us".
The commander continues to stare at her intently, as if waiting for her to say more.
"Either way we won't know unless we look".
Commander Taylor looks thoughtful for a while, calculating and weighing up the pros and cons.
"Commander he's your son". Skye's blurts. Her breath catches in her throat, not realising what she has said until the words have left her mouth.
Suddenly, the Commander looks up at her and it feels like a pause in time. His expression is completely blank. He then stands and heads for the exit, as if dismissing the entire conversation. Skye feels instantly terrible but does not know what to say.
Commander Taylor stops at the doorway, looks up at the sky.
"It's getting late. We better leave now if we don't wanna be searching in the dark".
Skye is shocked, all thoughts of apology escaping her. She thinks her words have gotten her into a little too much trouble anyway. So instead, she silently follows the commander to help set up the search party.
"COMMANDER!"
A voice hollers, pulling Skye from her reverie.
"I think I see something!"
The voice comes from somewhere ahead and slightly to Skye's right. Without thinking, the dazed girl is the first to stumble through the forest as quick as she can. Taking no heed to the thick greenery she needs to push through to get to the voice she continues on until she reaches its source. What she sees causes both relief and terror to skitter up her spine. Fear and curiosity draw her towards the too-still form and she cannot quite believe what she sees. She does not know how, but a good three hours into their search, they have found him.
Cautiously, Skye extends a shaking hand to feel for a pulse, her only thought and hope is that he is still alive. She fears what she will discover. Feeling this way due to finding him or the state he is in, she does not know.
This man had threatened the entirety of Terra Nova's existence. Standing before him, despite his unconsciousness, is a truly terrifying position to be in.
Surprisingly, his whole body is intact, two arms, two legs. No injuries save for an array of cuts and bruises, presumably acquired during his hasty escape from the Commander and Skye. And of course the two bullet holes in his chest, courtesy of Skye herself. As she continues to move forward, she absentmindedly looks to the two blossoming red patches on his shirt; screaming, for lack of a better phrase, bloody murder at her.
But Skye has to know.
"Skye"
For a second time that night, said girl is pulled from her trance. She freezes and turns to see the Commander gazing down at her, poker face in place, though a warning in his eyes.
"The medics will take it from here"
Nodding her head slightly and taking a shuddering intake of breath, Skye stands and moves away, allowing the medics to attend to the unconscious man before her.
The search party returns to Terra Nova, returns home; a group of tired soldiers, one commander, one unconscious man, and one teenage girl who is, once again, lost in a silent daze.
She is set on autopilot, getting out of the Rover without so much as a glance to see how far she is from the ground. One miscalculated step and she almost falls to the ground. At the last second, someone is by her side, saving her from an embarrassing tumble. She looks up to her saviour and comes face to face with a worried Commander Taylor.
"Skye, you should go home and get some rest"
This barely registers with said girl though she heads in the direction of home anyway. Once there she stands in the centre of the living room. Receiving no comfort from its usually homey walls, she heads straight to the bathroom, ignoring the greetings of her housemates. Still on autopilot, she undresses and takes a shower, the water – turned to the hottest temperature – washing away the day's work. It does nothing, however, to clear the haze in her mind. Once done she gets out, towel wrapped tight around her form. Walking up to the mirror, she wipes away the accumulated mist... And for the first time after the Phoenix Group's departure, comes face to face with her reflection. What she sees she does not recognise. Deep dark shadows beneath hollow, empty eyes. No light, no laughter. Before her is a girl devoid of life.
However, her mind is numb, unable to draw up the strength to question why.
She gets dressed though does not go to bed. Her feet take her to the front door. Through the streets of Terra Nova she goes, dodging piles of debris and questioning civilians. Walks straight into the infirmary, past the door labelled "Deborah Tate". Continues walking until she comes to the room she's been looking for. Peers into it for a moment then turns away. Picks up a chair from outside and enters the room. Puts the chair down facing the unconscious occupant of the room. Sits down and stares at the lifeless form that is Lucas Taylor.
Three days straight Skye sits in his room. Some hours she hopes he will wake, some hours she hopes not. Some hours she sleeps, some hours she does not. Some hours she wonders why she's even here in the first place. However, every hour she is here – awake – she stares at the still, blank expression that is Lucas Taylor's sleeping face.
Critical but stable, they say. Alive but comatose.
Why does this affect her so much?
It is NOT that she feels a connection with him; she knows that for sure...
Alright, maybe she might feel something akin to affection. He definitely made her feel special, what with his (mostly) sweet words and actions toward her. She is sure there is some good in him. There's good in everyone, right?
But he was also so brutal. So much hate and anger in him. She does not, Skye tells herself, have feelings for this man, sweet words or not. And besides, she reasons, she hasn't known him long enough to feel that.
What then could it be?
Skye proceeds to go through each encounter with the silent man before her in her mind.
Their first; he threatened to toss her mother over the side of a tree house... Not something that would compel her to sit by his bed side.
Their second; he expressed gratitude in her helping to complete his life's work... Truth be told, his tenderness, his affection, only made her feel (a little) uncomfortable.
On top of the Commander's hut, again, his actions only made her squirm.
At Boylan's bar; he was sweet, so sweet. And for a second – just a second – Skye's heart skipped a beat. But then the uneasiness set in again. And it only intensified when Josh provoked him and Lucas started beating him to a bloody pulp. How could someone go from sweet and gentle to brutal and destructive in the span of ten seconds?
When she fooled him, betrayed him once again; she felt triumphant in playing a part in undermining his plan.
... Their final encounter before he was found unconscious; She had shot him, square in the chest... Twice. At the time, Skye had just acted on impulse, instinct. In that moment she had not given the action a second thought. Come to think of it, too much had happened from then to now for her to really think about what she had done.
She had shot someone. Not a paper silhouette, not a flying target in a shooting range. Skye had shot a living, breathing human being.
And in that moment, like a clearing fog, Skye understood why she had been sitting here for so long.
Guilt – subconscious but there – had been eating at her since the moment she shot the silent (but dangerous) man in front of her. No matter that he tried to destroy the colony, no matter that he threatened to off her sick mother.
Skye Tate had almost taken a life...
Her conscience is torn between the right and wrong of her action. In shooting him, she derailed his master plan. She had stopped so much more destruction from befalling the citizens of Terra Nova. If she hadn't shot him, he could have gone on to attempt, and most likely succeed, in stripping Terra Nova of all it's worth. If he had succeeded, so many more lives would have been lost.
Ultimately, Skye had done the right thing. There had been no other way.
With that final thought, Skye stands from her slouch in the uncomfortable hospital chair. It is not her fault if Lucas dies not because he escaped in the first place.
She walks to Lucas' side and gives his face one last hard look.
It is not her fault she shot him if he was going to be the cause of so much more death.
Skye turns on her heel and heads for the door.
She chose the lesser of two evils.
Skye exits the room, leaving what she had done behind – as well as the man it affected – without a second look or thought.
Whew! So how was it?
I felt like this chapter didn't describe the scenes in as much detail as they needed but that's kind of what I was going for; Skye being all out of it and stuff. I was trying to write it in the way she felt, robotic and such, so it would be like you were experiencing what she was... Did I succeed?
If not, or you'd like a different way of knowing the character's emotions, seriously, feel free to let me know and I will do what I can. You don't get if you don't ask :)
Now, I know that Skye seems a little cold, but can you blame her? She shot this man who is completely enamoured with her and she STILL doesn't know if he'll wake up/survive. She's just trying to make herself feel better. I don't blame her for trying to get rid of her guilt. PLUS Lucas is a bit psychotic. But don't worry! Don't wanna give too much away but Skye will change him. Eventually ;)
If you're worried Skye will completely avoid anything to do with Lucas from this point on you have reason to be... But don't fret! It's still early days and there will be LOTS of Lucas/Skye interaction to come ;)
Next chapter will be Lucas waking up! Dun dun DUN! As well as whatever else I see fitting in the chapter :P
See, Lucas does wake up. But don't tell Skye ;)
Reviews are very much appreciated :)
Jelly.