Time tended to pass slowly when you were confined to a room by yourself. But Marcus was no stranger to either confinement or to being alone. As he lay in bed with nothing to do but stare at the walls, he thought back to prison, to the endless hellish days and nights spent trapped in a cell with only memories and regrets to keep him company. He reminded himself that his was nothing compared to what he'd endured then.

He knew his body needed time to heal – despite the radical modifications he had been through there was still a limit to what the organic parts of him could endure; the heart surgery he'd just barely survived was proof of that. So he tried to be patient, tried to bide his time as he waited for his tissue to regenerate, for his body to recover.


Two days passed, and he was now able to sit up without much pain. He was impatient to get up and move around immediately. But Kate ruled it out. 'Not yet,' she told him firmly, 'Give it a little more time.' He clenched his jaw in silent frustration, but he didn't dare disobey her. He had realized by now that Kate meant what she said, and he was not keen to try her patience.

Of course, Marcus couldn't know that concern for his wellbeing was only half the reason Kate said what she did. It was true that he did still need more recovery time, but Kate also knew they had to keep him confined to the relative safety of one room until they'd tested him thoroughly. She knew they'd been careless, that through simple conversations they'd already allowed him access to a lot of information without meaning to. But, she supposed, that was part of this strange conundrum. It was becoming impossible to treat Marcus as anything other than a human being, and she was realizing that, tentatively, a grudging mutual acceptance was beginning to form between them.

In a few days Kate had come a long way from her first awkward attempts to minister to her most unusual patient ever. Marcus lay watching her now as she undid his bandages, completely absorbed in her work, and recalled how after their initial exchange she'd been visibly uncomfortable around him. The first time she had changed a dressing, her jaw was set, her nerves on edge like a skittish first year med student.

Now, she was back to being the doctor, practiced and confident. She turned her attention to the wounds in his thigh, and Marcus watched her remove the medical tape holding down the gauze. A few seconds later he jumped as she probed at a tender spot. 'Hang on a second,' she murmured distractedly, and Marcus pressed his lips together in discomfort, waiting.

Finally she sat back, seemingly deep in thought. 'Marcus,' she began, 'I'm confused. I thought you'd heal a lot faster once your heart recovered. But there's a definite slowdown of your ability to regenerate. From what we saw before, I mean.'

Marcus waited for her to continue. 'There's so much we don't understand about how your body works. I was thinking-' She faltered here, choosing her words carefully, 'Now that you're almost fully recovered, I want us to run some tests on you. To learn more about your physiology. Are you okay with that?'

Marcus considered this for a few moments, acutely aware that asking his permission was a big step for her. Truth be told, he didn't like the idea of being subjected to more scrutiny, more scans and needles and probes. But he knew that if they wanted to they could have done it anyway, with or without his consent. If he wanted to, Connor could have had him back in the brig, chained up and helpless as before. Of course, circumstances had changed greatly since then, and Marcus didn't think that was likely. But he didn't want to test his theory.

'Sure,' he relented, and he knew his reluctance was obvious, but Kate seemed satisfied. 'Good,' she said, sounding relieved. 'In the meantime, just rest. Get plenty of sleep.' Marcus nodded mutely, wondering how much more he could force himself to sleep. It was already becoming clear to him that once he recovered completely, he would need far less rest than the average person. 'And I hope you're eating. Since we know that helps.' Kate added.

She was referring to the apparent spike in tissue recovery she had noticed the morning after he regained consciousness, when, seized by sudden, ravenous hunger, Marcus had hesitantly asked for something to eat. Thinking back he couldn't remember eating or drinking anything at all in those few days... not that appalling coyote meat Kyle had cooked, not the meager rations offered to them at the gas station. And of course, technically speaking he had no idea whether his body was even capable of digesting food anymore. But there it was: hunger. Very real and very insistent.

Marcus jerked his head in the direction of a tray lying on a small table a few feet away, 'Kyle's way ahead of you on that one, Kate,' he informed her wryly. Kyle had already decided Marcus would benefit from regular nutrition and as usual wouldn't take no for an answer. The kid had a serious stubborn streak; he kept bringing Marcus food even when he didn't want any.


He might act flippant about it, but Marcus had been grateful for Kyle and Star's company in the past two days. Now, after Kate left, he found himself thinking back to their first meeting.

They'd been at opposite ends of the base when Blair went to track them down, but they'd found each other and come together to see him. Marcus remembered how cautiously they'd entered the room, Star leading the way, tugging Kyle behind her by the hand. Marcus had looked up as they took in the sight of him sitting propped up in bed on pillows – strictly against Kate's advice – and he almost couldn't bear to see the undisguised emotion he saw on both their faces. Despite himself, he was touched, but also troubled at the same time.

Star had rushed forward and enveloped him in an agonizing hug, and Kyle had stood back for a moment, watching solemnly. Trying not to grunt in pain, Marcus had awkwardly returned Star's embrace with one arm, before he could bring himself to stare over her head at Kyle. Wordlessly, they acknowledged each other, and Marcus flashed back in his head to the tent where they had said their goodbyes. Words had been as unnecessary then as they were now; the unspoken things that passed between them were clear to both of them, and Marcus had swallowed hard past a sudden tightness in his throat.

They had sat with him for a long time, filling him in on the things he had missed, the details of their days since coming to the base – Kyle's formal Resistance training in progress and Star's forays into a semblance of normalcy with other children her age. Marcus listened, finding himself keenly interested in their stories, and smiling with them when they laughed. He watched Star's serious eyes twinkling, and Kyle's impish grin as he related some funny tale, and was amazed at their resilience. He learned how Virginia, the elderly woman from the gas station, had watched over Star during their Skynet ordeal, and how the three of them had become close since. He learned how Kyle was going through his basic training at breakneck speed, eager to pick up new things, and finding he was a natural at much of it. Eventually Star, tired from the day's activity, had dozed off against Marcus' shoulder, and only then had Kyle's familiar grim expression returned. The two men spoke in low voices to avoid waking her.

'She doesn't sleep much,' Kyle had told Marcus quietly, gesturing with his chin at the little girl. 'Virginia tried to get her to sleep in her quarters for a night or two, but she'd rather be with me. We're used to it that way.' He added, 'She needs me to be there when the nightmares wake her.'

Marcus looked down at the halo of frizzy brown hair, and tried to imagine Star's dreams. He fixed Kyle with a long look. 'And you?' he countered softly, 'How are you doing, really?'

Kyle shrugged. The gesture seemed familiar. 'I'm good, y'know? Hey, we're finally here, with the Resistance.' He smiled ruefully. 'It takes a little getting used to,' he admitted softly, 'After being on your own for so long...' he seemed to shake himself, brightening. 'Tell you one thing, it's great not to have to watch your back every minute of the day.' He chuckled, and Marcus had to smile, nodding in silent agreement.

'And they've really taken care of us. John and Kate are great. Although while he was recovering, and Kate was pretty busy, it was Blair who really watched over us. She was really there for us the entire time...' he looked down as his words trailed off, bit his lip.

'That sounds like Blair,' Marcus murmured, as much to himself as to Kyle. He felt suddenly that Kyle's last sentence was aimed at him, that in offering his heart – his life – to save Connor, he was guilty of abandoning Kyle and Star. Like he'd tried to that morning at Griffith Observatory.

He tried to change the subject. 'So, no one's told me this yet... What's the latest with Skynet. Where do the bastards stand?'

Kyle drew a deep breath. He spoke wearily. 'It's relative really. There's still steady activity further east and down south, but we dealt Skynet a serious blow locally. In the northern sector – well, it's been pretty quiet so far. You get a resurgence from time to time; yesterday I think they brought down a couple of HKs dangerously close to base. It's just a matter of time before they regroup but for now, yeah, we crippled them good.'

They went quiet for a bit, and Marcus took in Kyle's words. So that massive explosion they'd watched from the chopper, the flames engulfing Skynet central – it hadn't been the end of it. Not even close...

Kyle was also thinking about that night. 'You getting into Skynet was incredible. We'd all have been dead that night if you hadn't made it in.'

Marcus grunted. 'It was easy,' he muttered.

Kyle looked at him evenly. 'Bullshit,' he said.

'No, really, there was nothing to it. I literally just walked in.' Marcus made no effort to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

But Kyle was unfazed. 'Marcus, what I mean is, Blair told me everything. What happened after you two reached the base... all of it.'

Marcus had no idea what to say to that, so he simply looked at Kyle, waiting for him to continue. He wanted so badly to ask what Kyle had thought after finding out the truth about him, but couldn't. Just like Blair, Kyle and Star hadn't treated him any differently after finding out what he was. They had simply accepted that Marcus was – well, different. And while Marcus was grateful for their acceptance, he couldn't understand it. How could they be so quick to accept something so bizarre– something he himself hadn't even begun to come to terms with? As Kyle sat looking at him with the same somber, earnest eyes as before, Marcus found he was almost angry at Kyle for being so trusting, so unguarded.

As if reading his mind, Kyle spoke softly. 'The only thing that mattered to me then Marcus, is that you came back for us. And the only thing that matters now, is that you're made it, that you're okay.'

Marcus glanced away, not knowing what to say.

After a few seconds Kyle added, 'You know, after we were captured, I knew you'd come for us.'

At this Marcus could no longer hold his tongue. Were they all deluded? He shook his head bitterly, 'You knew I'd come for you?' he repeated, incredulous. 'What, even after I tried abandoning you two that day?'

'But you didn't,' Kyle pointed out. 'You wouldn't have.'

Marcus felt a deep anger blaze inside him, 'You know what? You're wrong,' he told Kyle harshly, 'I would have.' He drew a deep breath, continuing, 'I don't know where you all get this idea from, that I'm this good guy, this hero. I would have left you both there alone and driven off,' he repeated, his voice heavy with guilt. 'And when I came to Skynet, I didn't just come back for you,' he admitted, in a gruff whisper. 'I had selfish reasons too.'

But Kyle was watching him patiently, a knowing look in his eyes. 'I know you had your own reasons, and I wouldn't call them selfish,' he countered seriously. 'I'd call them valid.'

When Marcus wouldn't meet his eyes, he leaned in closer, grabbing Marcus' shoulders with both hands; uneasily, the other man finally looked at him. 'Hey, if I were you, I know that at the very least I'd want some goddamn answers too,' Kyle said gently.

Looking at Kyle, Marcus felt his anger dissipate. He hung his head for a moment. What did it matter if they were wrong or right - he had to admit he was glad to have Kyle and Blair in his corner. And he hadn't realized up until that moment how much guilt he carried from that morning at the observatory. It felt good to finally be absolved of it.

Kyle released his grip on Marcus and slowly sat back, watching him, seemingly satisfied that his words had hit their mark. Marcus tried to find something to say, some way to bring the conversation back onto a level plane. It irked him that Kyle seemed to know him so well already, navigating his emotional roadblocks with ease.

He looked down again at Star's head. She was out cold, hadn't stirred at all during their exchange. The negligible weight of her small body sagged against his side. He felt suddenly tired, his chest aching with the strain of sitting upright. Finally, forcing a gruffness he didn't feel into his voice, he said to Kyle, 'You should really get Star to bed.'

Kyle smiled a soft, maddening smile. 'Yeah, you're right. I really should.'

And gathering Star up carefully in his arms, he had left, turning at the door to give Marcus a nod. Left alone to contemplate their exchange, Marcus knew that Kyle would always see through him in an instant. He'd understood that Marcus cared about him and Star a lot more than he was able to articulate, and for that, Marcus was glad.