Kate looked around the trembling building for a safe refuge. She'd heard that small spaces, like closets were a good choice and opened the door to the small closet that served as a pantry. She tossed most of the stuff out and crammed herself under a shelf pulling the door closed. Outside the wind began to roar and huge hailstones pounded the ceiling. The thunder was continuous, never resting to take a breath, it growled and grumbled incessantly. She began to berate herself for staying in the house. She realized it was a stupid choice and pulled her hands over hear head as if this ten fingered bonnet would protect her from the intense onslaught. It sounded like a battle ground with projectiles being flung through the air, glass shattered and the whole building shook to the very foundations. She let out a small cry and curled herself into a tighter ball as the door to the pantry rattled on its hinges. There was an ear shattering crash and the door flew away.

Kate looked up and gasped as lightening split the air. Silhouetted in its brilliance stood Commander Taylor. She instinctively moved toward him as another bolt accentuated his high cheekbones and Kate had the distinct impression that if anyone could hold up one hand and stop nature in her tracks it would be him.

He grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her into a protective grip as debris flew around them. Beyond the building the hail slammed into them and a churning cauldron of dark clouds moved rapidly over the compound turning day to night and altering the landscape into a scene from Armageddon. He moved her quickly in the direction of the shelter, but sensing the futility of that, suddenly pulled her to the left and threw her into an irrigation ditch, flying in after her and pinning her to the ground as in that instance a huge piece of a building came down on top of the them. Kate squealed as the bulk of a wall

landed inches above their heads. In the mud below them a series of cables protruded from the ground and Taylor pulled them free. "Grab this!" He yelled over the cacophony of noise, and hooking his boot under one end and his arms around Kate and the cable by their heads. He hung on as the destructive force from above sucked the remnants of the building away and tried to drag them with it.

Kate clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder, as nature unleashed her fury. She could feel the strength in his arms, the muscles hard against her body, his heartbeat quickening as the wind roared. She held tighter and became aware of her body responding to the closeness of his. Then as quickly as it came, the storm was gone and along with it the building that had trapped them. Watery sunlight filtered through the clouds and Kate dared to peek out from her refuge as he released her from his iron grip.

"Is it over?" She whispered.

He moved, gazing up at the sky. "Maybe, for now." He turned toward her and brushed her muddy and wet hair from her face. "You O.K.?"

She shuddered but more from his proximity than from the storm and nodded. He studied her for a moment. "Kate?" he said quietly peering into her eyes. "It is Kate?"

Kate nodded knowing what was coming.

"Kate what?"

"Kate Grant."

His eyes were troubled as he asked. "If I looked you up in the database, I'm not going to find you, am I?"

A silence hung between them.

"No," she answered quietly wanting to look away but unable.

Thunder rumbled and he sighed.

"What happened to Professor Grey?"

Kate could feel herself begin to tremble but bravely looked him in the eyes. "She's dead."

A beep came from his communicator and he sat up and answered an affirmative. "They were O.K." He disentangled himself from her and stood pulling her to her feet but then fixed her with an intense stare.

"You have anything to do with her death?"

Kate stared at the ground unsure how to answer, unsure what to answer.

"I..er...I don't know," She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I can't remember."

He stiffened and she watched his jawline tighten before he took her arm in a firm grip and led her toward the shelters. Before they entered he turned on her.

"You were found wearing Professor Greys identification. You tell me the woman's dead. You say you don't remember if you had any hand in her death. I have no idea who you are. I don't even know whether this is a total pack of lies or not. You could belong to the Phoenix Group, sent here as a spy."

Kate began to shake her head. "I...er..I'm not..."

"I have no way of confirming your story." He snapped angrily. "I'm sorry Ms. Grant, but you leave me with no alternative."

Kate noted the 'Ms. Grant' No longer 'Kate', he had put distance between them and she felt her heart sink.

Terra Nova was a mess but they had been lucky, only the outer edges of the storm had brushed them and the destruction was minimal. Kate had been placed in the custody of two soldiers while Taylor took care of the immediate problems but as night fell she found herself being led to the Brig where she was left alone.

Taylor was like a bear, growling at everyone and his temper did not improve as the night wore on.

Then the rain came.

Jim Shannons wet coat dripped onto the floor in Taylor's office and the grim faced Taylor scowled up from his desk.

"So, there wasn't much point in searching for Professor Grey," Shannon looked at his boss with enquiring eyes. "Do you want me to interview this Kate Grant?"

Taylor shook his head. "No, let her stew for a while."

"What do we know about her?"

"Not a damned thing," Taylor spat the words out then looked around the room in exasperation. He'd liked the woman. She was bright, intelligent. He couldn't bring himself to believe she had killed someone to get to Terra Nova. But he'd been surprised by females before. He thought of Skye. That had hurt and he was damned if he was going to get bush whacked again. But there was no way of knowing whether Kate was capable of murder. There were no witnesses and she, herself, had been unable to give a definitive answer.

"Leave her tonight. Go and talk to her in the morning." He shuffled papers on his desk as if pushing them away would push away the problem. "I want a full background on her. From the day she took her first breath right to present. Keep at her. Go over it and over it to make sure she'd not lying."
"I know how to interrogate people," Shannon pointed out.

"I know that, dammit!" Taylor snapped, then looked down and sighed. "Sorry." He ran a hand through his short cropped hair. "Just...jog her memory...keep probing. I need to know, Shannon."

Jim nodded. Taylor was taking this personally and he felt for him. "I'll do my best."
"I know you will. Thanks."

Kate pulled her knees up under her as she perched on the hard metal bench. Outside the rain poured but the cell was without windows and Kate could only listen to the deluge. The cell offered little comfort. There was no bed or blankets and she shivered in the damp night air. A bleak memory came to her. She'd been six and had sat in a similar place huddled closely to her Mother whose fever had kept her warm. There were only snippets of this event but she knew it was the last time shed spent with her mother.

At the late end of the twenty first century the three most westerly provinces in Canada had opted to join the United States. They had been wooed by promised of protection and security in exchange for access to the abundant natural resources in these provinces. Oil, Potash, forestry products but more importantly, water. The arrangement worked supremely well and eventually the rest of Canada was absorbed into one nation. By the beginning of the next century a shift had taken place where most of the refining, Mills and Water Treatment Plants were diverted south and the northerners found themselves without work and unable to sustain themselves in the harsh northern climate had begun an exodus south. The influx of so many people began to stretch the already overpopulated south and almost at the same time the population cap was imposed, the 49th parallel was closed. People living in the north could no longer move south and eventually an underground railway had been established to smuggle people into the warmth. Kate's father had been instrumental in the running of one such route and when Kate was six her parents had smuggled her and her teenage brother across the border.

It had not ended well. Her father and brother had been killed and she and her mother, captured and jailed. Her mothers health had deteriorated and at the age of six Kate had found herself alone in the world. She had been put into care. Shifted from pillar to post for three years, eventually on her tenth birthday, had been placed in a military institution.

Kate smiled slightly at that recollection. She'd gotten herself expelled. A mean and pompous Commandant of the school had taken a dislike to Kate's usually devil-may-care demeanour and she was subject to many harsh punishments. Finally Kate had an opportunity to get even and had locked the Commandant in a portable locker and wheeled it into the middle of the drill yard, wired it to the intercom and threatened to blow the bastard to pieces. He'd cried and whined, much to everyone's delight, but in the end Kate was thrown out on her ear!

She shivered again and pulled her legs closer. Outside the cell she heard movement and the latch was shot. A soldier threw two blankets at her and retreated, slamming the door behind him.

"Thanks," she muttered to the closed door as she pulled the blankets around her.

Her mind went back to her teen years. There was a huge gap here, a gap her memory refused to divulge, but whatever it was, this missing piece, it brought a wonderful feeling of contentment. Something wonderful had happened. She searched her mind. She lived on a ranch, the people were wonderful. She could focus on images of children, but no faces were clear. Adults who cared for them. It was like looking through binoculars where the image was out of focus and no matter how many adjustments you made on the lenses, nothing came clear.

Then she remembered John. She'd been married. His face was as clear as could be. They had been perfect together. Two young lovers in a wonderful place at a wonderful time. They had no children of their own but were surrounded by children. Orphans, the sick and the injured. She remembered caring for them. Their faces came into focus and her heart began to ache. How had it all come to this?

Kate knew her mind had blocked something terrible. She had thought it was just the events at Hope Plaza, but she realized there were more huge gaps in her mind. She tried to remember more. John had died. An illness. She realized she had mourned for him but time had healed the pain into a sense of loss and sadness. She no longer grieved. That was not what she was avoiding in her mind. With a sickening sense of dread Kate began to realize that she had, in fact, done something terrible. The more she thought about it the more sense it made. She had killed this Linda Grey, that was why she could not remember. She huddled closer to the wall and stared into the room while the fingers of despair crawled into her heart. Taylor had said they exiled murderers, or had them shot. He was right. She'd taken a life and it was no more than she deserved.

The door to the cell clanged open and Shannon and one of Taylor's soldiers entered. The inquisition was about to begin.

Taylor watched the screen as Shannon interrogated the pale faced young woman. She looked terrified but to his eyes, appeared to be telling the truth, or at least her interpretation of it. She believed what she was saying. That was obvious. But her memory shielded huge gaps in her story.

He switched the screen to blank as Shannon entered.

"Well?" Taylor demanded. "Do you think she did it?"

Shannon shrugged. "I think she thinks she did it."

"But whats your famous 'gut' feeling?" Taylor hissed. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. Like she said, shes obviously done something so terrible her mind has erased it. But what that is exactly we wont know until she remembers, if she ever does."

"So, she goes around for the rest of her life thinking she's killed someone" Taylor went to look out of the window.

"And what if she has?" Shannon joined him in the dismal light. "Do we keep a murderer in Terra Nova. We exiled the last one."

"Shit!" The Commanders face took on a pained expression.

Outside the rain continued to fall and the dismal heavy grey skies did nothing to improve the Commanders mood as he sloshed through the puddles toward the infirmary. Shannon hurried beside him as the afternoon light faded into gloom.

Elizabeth was surprised to see them and put down the instrument she was viewing as Taylor stomped toward her.

"Doc, can you tell me anything more about Ms. Grant? This amnesia, is it likely to go anytime soon. Is it for real? Is she putting it on? What type of thing could cause it?"

Elizabeth held up her hand to stall his influx of questions. "I don't think she's faking it. As for what could cause it, well, any type of trauma. Something so terrible her mind has locked it away."

"Is there something you can give her, Doc? Something to help her remember?"

Dr. Shannon shook her head. "I'm afraid not."

"Is there any way to get her to remember?"

"Another traumatic event could stimulate her memory. The problem is Commander, if you force her to remember, if the memories she's shielding are so horrific, she could totally shut down, become catatonic. It's a step I wouldn't advise."

"She believes she killed Professor Grey. If she's a murderer she faces the same laws as everyone else."

Taylors face hardened.

"You cant send her out there," Elizabeth looked at him with horror. "Jim, this is not right." She turned to her husband then back to Taylor. "You can't do this."

"She leaves me with no option!" The Commanders face was like thunder as he spun on his heel. "Shannon, you're with me!"

They brought Kate up from the Brig and left her to stand in the centre of the office. Taylor sat, grim faced at the other side of the desk with Shannon beside him.

"The laws of Terra Nova dictate that anyone found guilty of murder should be exiled from this place. You have freely admitted to killing Professor Linda Grey and have offered no explanation in this case.

I therefore have no option than to remove you from Terra Nova. Do you have anything to say?"

Kates mouth became so dry she could not even part her lips.

"Sentence to be carried out at daybreak." Taylor nodded to the two soldiers who stood by the door. They moved to her side and taking her hands behind her back snapped shackles onto her wrists. She felt herself being pulled toward the door but twisted to look back at him, horror etched across her face.

"I wont last five minutes out there," Her voice shook. "You might as well shoot me."

Taylor looked back at her with a cold hard stare.

"As a humane gesture, I will consider that option! Get her out of here!"

Shannon looked on with a sick expression.