Chapter Four
Conviction

Mark was grateful when his shift at the security center was over and done with. His eyes were hurting from staring at the monitors all day long and his back were stiff from sitting in the chair. He had been able to take short breaks in between the long hours, but he was never one to sit still for long and it annoyed him that he had to be confined to a desk for so long.

Eager to leave the oppressive task behind for the day, Mark packed up and prepared to head home, only to freeze as he heard the alarms sound. He dove for the station, his fingers flying across the keys before he could even register his own actions. He released a curse when he pulled up the live video feed of the two armored rovers inbound for the main gate, which were quickly joined by a third a few moments later. The first two of them were definitely Sixers.

For a moment, Mark could only watch with rapt attention as the traitors drove the vehicles quickly, and he wondered why they were approaching so fast. He swore to himself when he saw what they were firing at in the distance. These fugitives were not merely attempting to breach the barrier… they were fleeing from a very angry, very hungry carnivorous creature.

Mark watched tensely as the security footage picked up Commander Taylor himself suddenly eject from the rover he had apparently been in. The man immediately began waving a gun in the air, attempting to get the enormous creature's attention as a diversion while the rover he had been in circled wide and other two vehicles drove on through the open gate and into the safety of the colony.

The traitors were inside the settlement.

A sudden sense of unease filled the pit of his stomach and he found himself scanning through each individual video feed carefully, a fear he could barely understand driving his search. His eyes froze when he pulled up the full view of the main gate, dust and exhaust from the two rovers obscuring the scene, but he saw through it clearly.

Mark was shaking his head in absolute dread as he saw Madelyn. She was spinning around wildly, looking lost and confused as the people around her panicked, her hand tightly grasping her little sister's. They were far too close to the gate; to the absolute mess this would eventually turn into… they had no idea what kind of danger they were in.

Before he could even think about what he was doing or the repercussions of running while still injured, Mark was flying out of the building. His feet pounded against the gravel, sending rocks flying behind him, and he took no heed to the fact that he was essentially unarmed as he ran. He only knew that he could not leave her unprotected while there was a threat so close to her.

Gunshots rang through the air as he rounded a corner, and ahead Mark could see the man eating dinosaur pause at the sound, just outside the gate.

It was a Carnotaurus, an adult one that towered high above, releasing small trills at the echoing sounds of bullets cutting through the air. The beast turned its enormous head, looking back at what had to have been the commander firing his gun, and then it changed course, turning away from the gate and preparing to charge ahead to where Taylor was.

Mark could care less about the dinosaur itself because a few rounds from a sonic cannon would send it cowering into the jungle; angry but bettered from its failed attempt. He doubted the commander would end up injured, because the man knew exactly how to deal with these dinosaurs.

No, his only concern was finding Madelyn and her sister, and panic surged through him when he found that they were no longer where he had seen them on the security footage.

Mark was out of breath as he reached the heart of the confusion, spinning wildly in place as his eyes peered through the dust and the smoke. People had taken cover behind anything they could find, knocking over several stands of fruits and other merchandise, and he released a jagged breath when he finally saw her.

Madelyn was crouched beside her sister and her mother, watching fearfully as the soldiers inside the outpost towers atop the perimeter fence began firing the sonic weapons upon the ravenous dinosaur. He weaved in and out of the frightened crowd of civilians, quickly closing the distance.

Plumes of dust rose high just outside the gates as the blast struck the ground in front of the creature, the gates closing once Taylor and the last rover drove inside, and with a disgruntled roar the beast turned tail and began to march away.

Once the threat of the dinosaur was dealt with, the real standoff began.

Mark saw both Alicia and Taylor turn abruptly, just before the Sixers emerged from their caravans.

Guns were charged and cocked, poised to fire in a moment's notice, and through the smoke the leader of the traitors came walking out. She looked calm, her face set in a permanent and severe scowl as she held her own weapon low. Taylor too stepped forward at the opposite side, his own weapon pointed to the ground as the two leaders observed each other.

Mark carefully slid into place beside Madelyn without her even realizing it, stealthily placing himself at her unprotected side. He had one hand wrapped around the knife concealed in his boot, ready to pull it out and use it should he have to.

It was far less effective than a firearm. He was sorely wishing he had his own sonic pistol, or even his rifle, though he had accurate aim. He knew he could fell a man with one good throw, and he still had his combat training should that fail. He would do whatever it took to keep this girl and her family safe.

No one would touch them; he would rip anyone who tried apart. His own conviction in that was a bit frightening, though he could not deny it was the truth.

"Hello Taylor," the dark skinned woman said coolly.

Commander Taylor was obviously not amused by her unwelcome appearance. "What are you doing here, Mira?" he demanded.

Mira looked around at all the weapons aimed at her and her band of fugitives, pursing her lips together. "This is no way to treat company," she said, though behind her, her own people were just as armed and ready for a bloodbath.

Taylor stared at her steadily. "Have your men lower their weapons."

"You first," she countered.

"You're outnumbered," the man reminded her.

Mira smirked at him. "Then what are you so afraid of?"

Mark gritted his teeth as he heard her question. She knew exactly what Commander Taylor had to consider if he were to open fire on her. There were still civilians everywhere; the market had been full of people who had taken cover at the sound of the alarm.

One stray bullet would be all it took to kill someone unarmed and innocent, and even then there were still the soldiers themselves. Just because they had willingly signed their lives into service, just because they were willing to die to protect the colony, did not mean they were expendable.

For Mira to even suggest it had his blood boiling.

Instead of answering her taunt, the commander just frowned at her. "You came here for a reason."

"… You've got one of my people."

"Carter got shot," Taylor said bluntly, and the way he said it certainly sounded final. Mark knew for a fact that the asshole had only been shot in the arm, considering he had been there when it happened, but to anyone else it probably sounded as if the bullet had ended his life. "While he was trying to syphon power off our grid,"

"We know he's alive," Mira interjected impatiently. "And in your brig."

"You know this how?" the commander demanded.

Mark himself initially thought of the woman who had been accompanying Carter, before recalling that she had been long gone before Alicia and her team had arrived yesterday. Someone else must have told her… he realized. A spy. His suspicions were confirmed when she spoke next.

"Maybe we still have some friends here in Terra Nova."

"Well, maybe I'll have a sit down with Carter," Taylor said evenly. "Have a little chat about your friends…"

"We want Carter, you son of a bitch!"

Mark had no idea who the man was who shouted first, but everyone began yelling at his words. Demands for weapons to be lowered echoed throughout the courtyard, and weapons were gripped tightly through the tension, ready to be fired at a moment's notice.

It all seemed trivial because Madelyn was trembling beside him, her small form shaking as she breathed in ragged breaths. Her hand was clasped beneath her mother's, and the small child was safe between the two women. He wished he could reassure her somehow, glancing at her in concern, wanting to comfort her and shield her from all the fear and confusion.

"Enough!" Mira hollered over the shouting, holding one hand out to stay her men.

Immediately at her command, Taylor did the same, lifting his arms high and then lowering them as he gave his orders. "Stand down."

Silently everyone assessed the situation. It took a few moments for everyone to finally comply with their orders, reluctantly obeying, though none looked happy about it.

Mira nodded back at some of her men, who moved to the back of one of their rovers, picking up a large metal lox box. They carried it just in front of Commander Taylor. "A trade," she proposed, and the box was unlocked to reveal the unrefined gray stones filling it.

"What's that…?" Madelyn whispered to herself, peering closely at the rock.

Mark tilted his head toward her, frowning ahead at the proceedings. "Meteoric iron," he informed her with more calmness than he felt, glancing at her. "They control the quarry."

"I want Carder, medical supplies," Mira was saying. "And ammo."

Mark inwardly snorted at her demands.

As if Taylor would give that crazy bitch more weapons.

Commander Taylor nodded shortly. "You can have your man… you can have the meds. No ammo." He shook his head. "No way."

"You can't blame a girl for trying," she replied evenly.

"Guzman," Taylor said, looking at his head of security before he began walking away. "Get Carter out of the brig. Have medical put together some supplies."

Lieutenant Guzman glared as he passed by Mira, though her attention was elsewhere. Mark followed her line of sight and suddenly bit back a curse, because standing out there right beside Alicia was Madelyn's father. He had a gun firmly in hand, not as a threat but as a precaution.

Mark had not even noticed him there before.

"You're new," Mira commented, and Mr. Shannon simply stared at her. "Welcome to paradise."

Mark decided it was time to back off as he saw Mr. Shannon spot his family beside him. The man began to make his way over, his hand still tight around the gun and his stride clearly agitated.

It was calm now, and Mark knew that the Sixers would never dare to fire or attack without Mira's consent. Now that she was getting what she wanted, Mira had no reason to cause anymore turmoil.

Reluctant as he was to leave Madelyn's side after that ordeal, Mark knew that her father would protect her. Probably even better than he could, considering his lack of a proper weapon. He idly wondered where Mr. Shannon had received the gun, because weapons were not issued to people who were supposed to be on agricultural duty.

People were beginning to stand from their cowering; slowly leaving the overturned stands and carts as they realized the worst was over for now. Mark began to withdraw, intent on going home to relieve himself of the growing knot in his stomach. Running had been a very, very bad idea because now all the pain he had been suppressing through the adrenalin was becoming a very steady, painful throb in his side.

"Reynolds."

Uh oh… Mark froze, his eyes widening at the sharp tone. Alicia.

Closing his eyes in a grimace, he turned with his shoulders tense and his face carefully blank as she approached him. "Yes, sir?" Mark said, meeting her eyes. He could already see where this conversation was going, the fire practically spewing from her eyes at him.

"Come with me." she ordered coldly, grabbing his arm.

Alicia practically dragged him into the command building, going straight into her own office. She slammed the door behind them and turned with her arms crossed over her chest. He felt like shrinking in on himself as she stared him down. He was in deep shit now, and he knew exactly why.

"You want to explain to me how exactly I managed to log into the server at four o'clock this morning while I was sleeping," she said quietly, her tone deadly even. "From your datapad…"

Mark winced. Her nostrils were flaring in her anger, her lips pursed. "It's so stupid," he said miserably, hands lifting to grip his hair as he shook his head. "I was an idiot…"

"Reynolds," she snapped. "You have sixty seconds to explain otherwise I am reporting you."

"… Madelyn Shannon."

Alicia stared at him uncomprehendingly, still angry to the point of shaking.

Mark swallowed and lowered his eyes submissively. "Yesterday, you had me escort the Shannon family to their house," he said, wearily rubbing at his face, still unable to meet her eyes. "The oldest daughter… I …" He flushed even just thinking about saying this.

It had seemed like a god idea to search the database, though to be fair he was hype on pain medication. He had already realized just how ridiculous it had been once he had almost read Madelyn's files, and it sounded even more ludicrous now that he was not obsessing as much.

"… She… never told me her name."

Mark had no idea what he could possibly say to alleviate the situation, though admitting it seemed like a decent start. He felt humiliated at his admittance, daring to peek at Alicia when she was silent for a long time, probably trying to process his confession. She held herself stiffly and he thought for sure he was about to be severely reprimanded or possibly court martialed for what he had done.

Instead Alicia sighed, her stance softening and her eyes rolling. "You are an idiot," she said, and he was immensely relieved to hear the same sisterly affection that was usually present in her voice, and the coil in his gut loosened slightly. "You hacked my password to find out a girl's name?"

Mark flushed at her amusement. "Yes," he replied sulkily.

"… I was beginning to think you were gay," she mentioned, and Mark felt his eyes widen.

"Alicia!"

"You've turned down every girl who has ever shown interest in you," she defended her deduction with a grin, even as he began to sputter incoherently. "I have never even seen you so much as look at a girl before. What else was I supposed to think?"

"Please just stop," he groaned, closing his eyes in embarrassment.

"Seriously though," Alicia spoke up after letting him stew in his mortification for a while. She waited until he reluctantly met her eyes before continuing. "If you ever invade that girl's privacy again, I will have you discharged from service. You had no right to access any of those profiles, and that sure the hell is not the way to get to know a girl you like."

Guilt ate at him, even as he assured her, "I only read her name… and saw the attachment. I turned everything off after that. I couldn't bring myself to watch or read anything, I swear… she… I just couldn't do that."

"If you had, I would have made sure you never got near her," Alicia told him with certainty, and he felt a chill go down his spine. "Those evaluations and reports were between her and the psychiatrist assigned to her, and only a handful of people have access to her documentations. If you had intentionally breached her privacy like that, then I would have ensured that you never set eyes on her again."

Mark could only stare at his feet, finding it difficult to breathe. "Is… is that what you are going to do?" he asked haltingly. Just the thought of never seeing Madelyn again made his heart ache. He had barely known her for two days, and already the thought of life without her now was almost unbearable.

"… No," Alicia said after a small pause that seemed to last for hours in his mind. He exhaled slowly, relived, and listened silently. "Were you're your actions stupid and dishonorable? Damn straight. Do I think you regret it and learned your lesson?" He bit his lip, sighing when she nodded slowly. "I do. Am I going to punish you horrifically for your stupidity? You bet your ass I am."

Mark grimaced though he knew he deserved it.

"First, you are going to the infirmary," Alicia informed him with a cold smile. "You need to have that bruise looked at one last time. I already called ahead and made sure they knew to expect you."

Mark groaned at her words, because that was just too cruel. He and doctors did not mix well, as proven true by yesterday's medical examination. Five more minutes with that asshole and Mark would have beaten the man silly for poking at him so much.

"Better get to it. I'll let you know the rest of your punishment later."

And that was how Mark found himself walking toward the hospital in absolute about ten minutes later, after sulking for at least half of that time. He signed in at the front desk with resignation and took a seat in the lobby of the medical center.

Doctors and nurses were moving all around him, and he realized that they must have still been gathering supplies and preparing to deliver it to the traitors outside. Mark thought it was kind of stupid that Mira would force a trade for the medical supplies when he knew that Commander Taylor would have probably just given it to her had she asked nicely.

Mira might have been an evil, conniving bitch, and most of the people in her group were just as bad, but she did have children in her group. Their parents might have been scum but the children were innocent, and the commander did have a soft spot for children.

"Marcus Reynolds," a nurse called, and he looked up with a scowl. "Exam seven,"

With great reluctance, Mark stood from the waiting area and made his way down the hallway. He paused briefly when the private rooms came into sight, though continued on a beat later. If he had the same doctor from yesterday, Mark was going to break his wrist if he thought those cold, poking hands would get anywhere near him.

The first person he saw, however, was not a doctor at all.

Commander Taylor stood just ahead of him, facing the opposite direction. He realized it with a bit of shock, having not expected to see the man quite so soon. Taylor was speaking to someone, saying, "—gets home you."

Mark could not make any sense of the tail end of the conversation as he approached from behind. He hoped nothing serious had happened, but here in this place who knew? He moved to the side a bit when he saw the commander begin to turn to leave, meeting his eyes steadily when the older man noticed his presence there.

"Reynolds," the man greeted with a nod of acknowledgement before he walked away.

It was then Mark realized just who his doctor was today. "Mrs. Shannon," he said with wide eyes, and he felt the first stirrings of panic. His doctor was her mother, and as far as he was concerned, this was not, how he wanted to introduce himself to this woman.

Mark already felt extremely flustered just standing here. How could he ever face her again if she examined him? It would just be so awkward and he wanted to turn heel and flee, but to was too late. His exclamation had caught her attention, and she had spotted him. He had very little choice as she graced him with a smile.

Alicia was probably waiting just outside the door to the infirmary. She had probably somehow set this up to punish him, and if he walked out of there without a clean bill of health from the physician he was assigned to, he would be wishing for death compared to whatever she might have in store for him.

Mark squared his shoulders and smiled back hesitantly.

"Hello there," the woman said, her soft and pleasant accent having a strange calming effect as she spoke, and he found himself relaxing against his will. "You are my next patient I assume? … Good," she said when he nodded, and then proceeded to lead him to the bed while she over looked his file on her plexpad. "Hmm… they gave you something for the pain yesterday, right? Have you been taking it?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, sitting down upon the gurney.

Mrs. Shannon made another humming sound, frowning as she read. He realized that his entire medical file was bared for her scrutiny, and it made him a little apprehensive to wonder just how much of it she was reading. She finally looked up at him, a sympathetic smile on her face.

"It seems as if you had quite the day yesterday, Mr. Reynolds," she said as she placed the device aside and pulled on a pair of inspection gloves. "How do you feel? Is there any lingering soreness, or perhaps any shooting sensations?"

"Just some soreness, ma'am," He decided not to mention the running because that would make him look a lot more like the idiot he was. He would rather her not know of his level of stupidity just yet.

"That is to be expected with bruising that bad," she nodded apologetically. "Could you lay back and lift your shirt, please?"

Mark could literally feel the blood rising to his cheeks at her request. There was just something entirely wrong about having his crush's mother see him in such a state of undress, though he had to remind himself that she was objective as a doctor. Surely she was professional enough not to talk to her daughter about her patients… right? He sighed and did as she asked, flinching in anticipation as he hands neared the bruise above his kidneys.

"Does it hurt?" she asked in concern, her hands hovering just above his skin, having not even touched him yet. "You need to be honest, because if it still hurts badly then there may be something seriously wrong."

Mark smiled reassuringly. "No, nothing like that. The doctor yesterday was just… not very gentle."

Comprehension and a bit of what he perceived to be anger flashed over her features. "Tell me if I'm hurting you and I will stop," she promised, tenderly pressing her fingers against him. He sighed in relief when it was nothing more than a gentle pressure. Mark already liked her a hundred times more than any other doctor he'd ever dealt with, despite how awkward he felt.

"… Did you and your family get settled in?" he asked quietly, hoping to fill the silence as she carefully examined his injury.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Shannon paused, her brow furrowed in confusion, though it cleared a moment later and she smiled at him. "Oh, that is where I recognize you… you are the young man who showed us to our home last night, yes?" Her smile grew when he nodded, though turned concerned a second later. "At least now I know why you were so tense,"

Mark inwardly winced. "You noticed that?"

"Actually, my daughter did," she told him, and he felt his stomach drop.

"The little one?" he asked hopefully.

"No, my older daughter," she said. "Did that hurt? You flinched,"

Mark wanted to hit his head against something. He had been so sure that she had not noticed his strange behavior. He had been counting on the fact that she'd been too concerned with the ground to be bothered to look at him, but apparently he could not be so lucky. He must have looked so stupid to her!

"No… it was nothing," he promised, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at her.

"To answer your question," Mrs. Shannon continued. "Yes, we did get settled in. Thank you,"

"Is everything okay with the house? I know it probably needs a lot of work,"

"It is lovely," she said warmly, and he could not understand exactly why she found an unfinished house to be so nice. "There is quite a bit of space, much more than we expected. Once we add a bit of paint, everything should be just fine."

Mark nodded. "I'm glad to hear that," he said honestly. "Are your children looking forward to school on Monday?"

"Not at all," the woman laughed, finally pulling away from her inspection of his bruise in order to make a note in his file. She smiled at him. "Well, almost. Maddy, my eldest daughter, she is excited. She keeps talking about the curriculum here, and going on about everything there is to learn. Josh is absolutely dreading it, and Zoe… she has never even attended a school before so we're just hoping that she will enjoy being around people her own age for once."

Mark smiled as he took in the information. He was glad that Madelyn was enthusiastic to begin school here, that she was so excited about everything. She probably deserved to be here more than anyone else did. She wanted to learn about everything here… and he could protect her here.

"Everything seems to be healing nicely," Mrs. Shannon told him. "It was a bit inflamed, so I have a feeling that you were moving more than you were supposed to," She gave him a stern look, and he nodded sheepishly. "No more of that, young man. It will be sore for a few more days, though I want you to keep taking that prescription for the rest of the week because it will accelerate the healing process for you. If you need anything, or if you think something may be worse than we thought, just come see me and I'll take care of you, sweetheart,"

Mark flushed, nodding gratefully, and quickly righted his shirt as she began to leave. The endearment was not something he was used to hearing. He wasn't sure if that made him special or if she just identified everyone in a similar manner, but he decided he liked it.

It was almost… motherly.

He hoped she liked him because he planned on staying near her daughter for a very, very long time, if she would have him. And maybe one day, a long time from now if he and Madelyn did begin a relationship, perhaps Mrs. Shannon would not just be motherly to him to be nice, but because he was part of her family.

It would be nice to be part of a family again.

Mark sighed as he made his way home, hand on his side as he moved forward. He would have to approach Madelyn tomorrow since it was nearing dinner time and she was probably now safe within her own home. He had all night to think of how to do it, hopefully this time he could manage more than just staring at her.

Madelyn was excited for school to begin, Mark recalled, abruptly remembering that he was now part of the escort team for the first three weeks of survival training. Suddenly the prospect of going outside the gate seemed so much more dangerous now that he knew she would be out there too. His enthusiasm to leave the settlement for eight hours a day was quickly turning into apprehension.

Mark knew that the chanced were slim that anything bad would actually happen.

Most of the dinosaurs were repulsed by the lingering traces of fire and people in the clearing that was used for training. If anything the most they would see would be the herbivores that roamed he grassy knolls nearby, and as long as the students were respectful to the creatures nothing would happen.

Besides Mark would be there with an actual weapon, along with about twenty others who would constantly be patrolling the area. Madelyn and her sister, and probably her brother too, would all be safe under such security. He would ensure it, and these were skills she had to learn.

If she ever got coerced into leaving the settlement without supervision, for whatever reason, Madelyn needed to know how to take care of herself. Because if something happened to her…

Mark knew it would kill him.