So obviously this story is no longer following the direction of the show, but I guess it never really was so it doesn't matter. Happy reading.
A certain kind of tension had settled across the makeshift city of Charleston, igniting it with an energy that made Hal immediately nervous. No one he asked could say for certain what was happening, only that an order had been passed through the ranks that citizens of the colony should be prepared to depart from the city limits at any given time. This had always been a rule made by the governing body, nothing was permanent in the life that they now led and everyone would do well remembering that. But there was something different about today, about the reminder of being prepared and remaining mobile and Hal was set on finding out what that was.
"Where is he Mariana?" Hal asked the well-dressed woman currently pouring all of her attention toward a clipboard she held. She looked surprised at the sound of his voice and then annoyed at the way she was being addressed.
"You can't go in there Hal, officers only." She said stiffly. Her order did nothing to stop the young man as he side stepped her pushed his way through the double doors into a large, well-lit room.
Tom was one of a number of other men who were occupying his own office. The once organized desk was now covered in a number of maps and surveys that had been collected since their arrival to Charleston. Angry red lines served as graffiti over many of them, most likely put there by Weaver as he was the only waving around a permanent ink pen. He was not the only one who was exhibiting angry gestures and shouting, nearly every individual in the room seemed to have a look of panic about them.
"Dad." Hal tried to speak over the chaos, but he went unheard. "Dad!" No one even offered him a second glance. He took a deep breath, letting it out in an impatient sigh before shouting as loud as he could. "Tom!"
Tom Mason was immediately pulled himself out of a heated debate he was having with several uniformed men at the sound of his name and he was surprised to see his eldest standing amongst the ranks of officers in the room. "Hal, what are you doing here?"
"What is going on?" Hal demanded, stepping up toward his father to be heard. "People are getting nervous, near panic. Why are we being told to be prepared for evacuation?"
"Because by the end of the night there likely will be no more Charleston." Tom said cryptically.
"What do you mean?"
"I received word from Cochise that the Espheni plan to attack within the next few hours."
"How does he know that? He can't know that for sure can he?" Denial was not usually the first reaction Hal experienced in an event like this, but things had changed to make him process the crisis differently this time.
"That's problem, some of us don't believe his word can be trusted." Tom looked pointedly at a few men across from him. "But Cochise has never let us down before and I am not about to question it now, especially about this." Hal did not put as much faith into their alien ally as his father did, but he did have absolute trust in Tom and the actions he took. If Tom said that they needed to evacuate the city that is exactly what needed to be done. As soon as the thought began to sink in, a new panic gripped Hal.
"Maggie." He breathed. Tom immediately read his son's anxiety and understood the sudden need to act whether it was necessary or not.
"Get her away from here. Take your brothers, sister and Anne with you; drag Matt and Ben if you have to. I want you to head south, toward the Gulf." It was a plan that Tom had obviously been formulating for some time now.
"What about you?" Hal listened to his father without question, easily accepting the orders he was being given.
"I'm going to ensure everyone is out of the city first and then I'll catch up with you as soon as I can." He watched his son stiffly nod as he spoke, relieved he did not question his order. "Keep them safe, Hal."
"I'll see you on the other side dad." There was no time for more than a short embrace and a slap on the back before Hal was dashing back through the doors, towards the barracks on the other side of the compound. He had intended to keep his pace a steady, inconspicuous, but the sense of urgency he felt sent him into a sprint. Hal made it to the clinic in record time, immediately pulling Anne aside to warn her of the inevitable danger and the action they needed to take. He purposely negated the fact that Tom would not be leaving with them, something he felt guilty for but thought to be necessary. To his relief, Anne did not question what Hal recited to her and quickly began to make preparations of her own. They agreed to meet at the Liberty Tree, Anne bringing Lexi and Matt while Hal would gather Maggie and Ben.
It did not take long for Hal to locate Ben, in fact it was the younger Mason who found the elder. "Hal what's going on?" Ben asked as he raced to catch up with Hal as they navigated their way through the underground complex. "Why is dad locked up in his office?"
"We're evacuating." Hal said quietly so as to not be overheard.
"When?" Hal was not surprised by his brother's immediate acceptance to what he was being told.
"As soon as possible. Meet Anne at the Liberty Tree in the Square, bring as much food as you can and all of the water that you can carry. I left the Jeep on the West end when I came back from shift, make sure it is still there and then get Lexi, Anne and Matt to it." He instructed Ben.
"What are you going to do?" Ben called after Hal as he once again began to move down the corridor.
"Get to the Jeep." He said without looking back.
Hal finally reached the room he shared with Maggie, stopping long enough to even his breath and manage the adrenaline pumping through his system before pushing through the glass door. Maggie was laid out on the edge of the full-sized bed, her long blonde hair splayed out across the pillow. The flannel jacket she loved so much fit loosely on her, making her appear much smaller than she was. Dark circles outlined her closed eyes, a side effect of the fit full sleep she had been experiencing the last several months and Hal regretted the need to wake her up now. He took a careful step toward the bed, crouching down so that he was level with where her head rested.
"Maggie." He whispered, bringing a hand up to her flushed cheek. "Maggie, I'm sorry but you have to wake up." In what usually would have been an instant reaction from the seasoned combatant, it took Maggie several extra seconds to respond to Hal's words and she slowly dragged herself back to consciousness while focusing on the delicate touch of Hal fingering the locks of hair that framed her face.
"What is it Hal?" The serious expression her partner wore concerned her. "What's happened?"
"We have t go."
"Go? Go where?" She pushed herself up until was sitting on the edge of mattress, an awkward movement as she boasted an eight-month pregnant stomach. Hal had immediately turned his attention toward throwing items strewn about the room into an oversized duffle bag now that he knew she was fully awake.
" We're evacuating Charleston. Dad got word from Cochise that the Espheni plan to attack the city tonight." Hal rattled off while he mentally checking what he begun to pack.
"How does he know that?" Maggie asked, desperately trying to make sense of the situation. They had to leave Charleston? Their home?
"Dad couldn't say, all I know is that he believes him which means we have to leave." Hal said. Like Hal, Maggie trusted Tom as their leader, rarely questioning the decisions made by him. This did not change now, if Tom said they needed to vacate the city than that is what needed to be done. What Maggie was struggling with was the panic that came with the idea of leaving, things were not like they were before they found Charleston.
"Where will we go Hal?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, so quiet that Hal almost missed it while he frantically moved about the room. She was staring at the small bassinet they had placed in the far corner, a recent addition to their room. It was one of the many things that would not be fit into the Jeep that waited for them.
"South, dad says to move toward the coast. We'll be able to avoid any colder terrain for the winter while we figure out what to do next." Hal said. "Do you know what I did with that Glock I had on the bed side table?"
"It's in the cabinet." Maggie said mindlessly, running her hand across her distended abdomen. The coast, what was at the coast? She thought. More Espheni?
When Hal had zipped up the duffle bag and gathered all of the firearms they had stashed around the room he turned to see that Maggie had barely moved, she seemed fixated on a stain on the cement floor. He immediately chastised himself for his abrupt delivery of the news and dropped everything he held onto the foot of the bed. He came around the mattress until he was back in front of her and dropped onto his knees, carefully taking a petite, swollen foot and slipping on her combat boots that sat on the floor next to him.
"I can do it." Maggie argued, finally breaking from the reprieve she had been caught in.
"I know." Hal said, continuing to lace up the shoes and securely tying them anyway. When he was done he sat back on his heels and looked up at his girlfriend. The last few months had not been easy on Maggie. Despite being pregnant, she had lost a startling amount of weight due to the fact she had been unable to keep little, if anything, down before being sick. More than once Anne had forced her on an IV just to ensure that some sort of nutrients was getting into her system. Anne remained positive when she came to check up on Maggie but Hal saw the concerned looks she tried to disguise and that made him more nervous than anything. There was something that remained unsaid between them but it was something they all silently understood, this was taking a toll on Maggie and it wasn't over yet. The fact that they were being forced from the comfort of Charleston only added to the complicated situation and Hal fought with himself not to think about what it was going to be like when they left.
"What are we going to do?" Maggie broke the silence that had fallen between the two, apparently having the same thoughts.
"We're going to be alright." He reassured her, placing a steady hand on her waist. "It's not going to be like last time. Now we know it is possible to find a safe place, somewhere to settle. You deserve to finally have a home Maggie, I promise I will find that for you. Nothing will happen to you or the baby, I won't let it."
"Don't do that." Maggie whispered. A single tear had escaped her tired eyes and she angrily wiped it away.
"Do what?"
"Make promises on what you can't control." She said. Hal fought to keep his own emotions in check.
"Try and stop me." He whispered back.