Chapter 21

"Wake up, sleepyhead. Today is moving day!"

Lucas attempted to straighten out the kink in his neck as he pushed his body away from the wall. He blinked at Jim sleepily.

".. what?"

"You're moving. Sit up so we can untie you."

With a glance at his father on the other side of the brig, who appeared to be sleeping, Lucas complied. He was promptly untied and put in regular handcuffs.

"Where are you taking me?"

Jim raised his eyebrows at him.

"That .. is an excellent question."

Lucas did his best to glare at Jim, but only managed to yawn.

"Still a little sleepy are we?"

Jim grinned at him. Lucas brought his cuffed hands up to his face and rubbed his eyes.

"Let's just say my roommate snores like a clogged-up tank."

Jim nodded condescendingly and shrugged.

"Well, you will put yourself on the pathway to prison."

Lucas nodded with raised eyebrows, but said nothing. Jim patted his back.

"Come on, sleeping beauty, let's get you out of here."

Lucas glanced at him as they walked out of the brig.

"You're in a good mood."

"Not really. Just glad to have one less prisoner clogging up the brig."

Lucas didn't look at Jim, but frowned at the statement. So what were they doing with him?! Jim sensed the tension in his captive and smiled to himself.

As they exited the dark hallway and stepped out into the bright sunlight, Jim paused for a moment to let Lucas' eyes adjust. Lucas could barely see. He stood in the same spot for a little while, squinting and blinking, attempting to look around him through the watery film that blurred his vision.

After a few moments, Malcolm joined them, ignoring Lucas and talking to Jim.

"We're all ready. I've got them right here."

If Lucas had been able to see clearly, he would've looked around curiously to see what Malcolm was talking about. Instead, he heard Jim's comment.

"Good. Shall we?"

As they proceeded forward, Lucas stumbled. He was gradually regaining his vision, but he couldn't believe how bright everything was. He'd only been living in the dark for just over a week! Jim put out a hand to steady him.

"Easy. Don't want to break your leg the second you make it out of the brig!"

"Thanks." Lucas muttered absentmindedly.

It had snowed overnight once more, and the colony was again covered in a blanket of white. The markets were still as busy as ever. As Lucas looked around, he was almost impressed. The colony had recovered from the take-over and resumed life as normally as possible in a fairly short space of time. All of which, he would've noticed when he first left the Infirmary for the brig, except it had taken all of his concentration to stay on his feet and not throw up all over his escort - even as a prisoner, he had some dignity! Now, as they passed houses and people chatting, he almost wanted to salute them. Good match. We'll see how well you fare next time. With his father in the brig and out of the picture, Lucas was feeling much more charitable towards "the little colony people". But where were they taking him? They were almost past the housing district, and Jim and Malcolm had barely uttered a word. Surely they weren't taking him before a firing squad. He knew them well enough to take his immediate safety for granted. They weren't soldiers; they weren't trained to kill. Then where .. ? House arrest? But they were almost past all the houses. Only one left, a little way away from all the others. This was the house they stopped in front of.

"Welcome home."

Lucas had been somewhat anticipating this, and yet he still glanced at Jim in surprise. Home. This was his house?

"Nice, isn't it? This is where you'll be residing from now on."

Lucas stared in disbelief at the little house.

"What's the catch?"

"Let's go in and find out."

Malcolm's grim voice came from the other side of him. He had a chance to study Malcolm for a moment before he was ushered inside. The scientist was solemn, cold. Lucas didn't blame him, after what had happened to his lab assistant in the Phoenix Group's hands, but war was war. Civilian casualties were inevitable. He sighed internally as they crossed the threshold past the kitchen and into the dining room. War was a part of life. He had grown up around fighting, around death. It had always been present, even when the war had ended and they had gone home. His father had constantly been fighting, whether with himself or his son. When the aforementioned son had been banished from Terra Nova, he'd been fighting for his own survival, against weather and carnivores - even his own employers! He knew they were dangerous people, but he didn't care. He'd been fighting for his survival his whole life. He was smart enough to survive them.

A loud snap on his right wrist jolted him out of his thoughts. He hadn't even noticed them take the cuffs off. Jim was holding him firmly. As Malcolm snapped a similar shiny round object onto his other wrist, the researcher began to speak stiffly.

"These are your new best friends .. or worst enemies, depending on how you treat each other. Try to take them off, they will activate. Step outside the perimeter of the house, they will activate. Every time they activate, they will trigger an alarm, so the security team will be here before you even wake up."

"Wake up?" As Jim released his arm, Lucas brought his right wrist up to his face, examining it.

With a supportive grin from Jim, Malcolm gleefully explained the functions of the two cuffs. When he finished, Lucas nodded slowly.

"Impressive."

"Glad you think so." Malcolm's biting sarcasm was unmistakable. "Because they're attached to you now, and they're never coming off. Congratulations."

Lucas returned Malcolm's disparaging smile.

"Thanks."

Jim tapped Malcolm on the shoulder.

"Well, we have a lot of other things to do today, so we'll leave you to get settled in." Jim paused and added a word of warning. "Stay inside. There's a guard stationed just outside. Your groceries will be delivered every Monday. There's some spare clothes in your wardrobe. You're in charge of your meals, laundry, cleaning the house, and well .. everything else. Good luck!"

With that, the two men exited, and Lucas was left to his own affairs.

He glanced around the room, not knowing quite what to do with himself. He was still stuck in a state of disbelief. This entire house was his. He decided to begin by exploring every inch of the place. He went into the bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, he checked all the cupboards in every room, and finally ended up at the fridge. It was stocked with all kinds of things. He pulled a jug of juice out and set it on the counter. He located a plastic cup in the cupboard - evidently they didn't trust him with glass. He also couldn't find any eating utensils, not that he needed them at the moment. Setting the plastic cup on the counter, he poured his own juice. The small chore was surprisingly satisfying. Lucas had lived in the jungle, surviving on grubs and fish and whatever else he could find. He had lived with the Sixers, who were a little more civilised, but not by much. In the end, he appreciated a nice cup of juice as much as the next person. He had been brought up in civilisation, and regardless of his experiences in the wilderness, the etiquette built into him in his younger days had never completely left him. He made sure to put the jug carefully back in the fridge and as he sipped his juice, he examined the latest additions to his person - the metallic rings around his wrists. They were strong, to be sure, but they didn't look like they'd be too difficult to crack. He wasn't a fan of the right one, based solely on the fact that he hated being unconscious and out of control, so he chose the left one to play around with. As he finished his juice, he rinsed his cup in the sink and carefully placed it upside down on the drainer. He stood there for a moment, letting the water from the tap run over his hands and occasionally splashing it onto his face. Finally, he turned the tap off and wandered into the small lounge area. The seats looked nice and comfortable. He smiled to himself, looking around again and searching the walls for vulnerabilities. As much as he was enjoying himself now, he knew it wouldn't be long before the novelty wore off, and he would be bored out of his brain. He glanced at his wrists again. They had left him in here with ONLY these devices to hold him. If he could get them off, he'd be able to slip out of the colony through the fencing. He'd be free! Sitting down on the sofa, Lucas set to work removing the cuff.

As Elisabeth walked into the deserted Command Centre, she was greeted by the sound of faint conspiratorial snickering coming from the back. Walking quietly to the sliding door, she opened it a little and peered in. Malcolm Wallace and her husband were sitting in front of the live security system footage, each with a cup of coffee in hand. Every now and then, they would mutter to each other and chuckle again. She glanced at the footage and smiled to herself. So that was what they were doing. She decided to announce her presence.

"So this is what you mean when you say you have a lot of work to do."

Both guilty parties jumped, and Malcolm almost spilled his coffee in his lap. Jim turned to his wife, still mid-laugh.

"Uh, we're just .. um .."

"Spying on our newest resident, I see."

As a sharp shriek came from the screen, they all turned back to it. Lucas had not succeeded in removing his bracelet. What he HAD succeeded in doing, however, was giving himself a nasty shock. An alarm sounded on Jim's handheld radio in the corner. He grinned at Elisabeth and elbowed Malcolm.

"Watch this."

After a couple of seconds, the guard out the front charged through the front door, gun aimed out in front of him. Lucas reclined, and the three observers could just make out something that sounded like "Wow, you guys are swift, aren't you?". The guard retreated back outside and just before he exited the house, they saw him raise his own radio to his mouth. Jim's went off again in the corner.

"This is Collins. Prisoner is secure. Repeat: Prisoner is secure. Over."

Jim patted Malcolm on the back, causing him to almost spill his coffee again.

"Good work, Malcolmus! Doesn't look like he'll be trying that again any time soon."

Lucas appeared to have ceased his experimentation with the device for now and was lying on the sofa with his eyes closed, presumably to go to sleep. Malcolm nodded.

"Good. If he tries again, he'll either get another nasty shock, or he'll sleep a lot better than he's going to on that sofa."

Elisabeth laughed. Jim and Malcolm were sitting in a room together, drinking coffee and hanging out - willingly! Evidently it only took the containment of a dangerous criminal to bring them together. As Jim jumped up and made her take his seat, she shot a questioning look up at him.

"How did the transfer go?"

Jim sat on the edge of the table as he answered.

"He was surprisingly polite."

"Of course he was!" Elisabeth laughed. "Wouldn't you be if you were getting out of the brig?"

Jim shrugged with a laugh of his own.

"Yeah, I suppose." He sobered. "Monica Karlpring came by to see me this morning - you know, the counsellor." At Elisabeth's "Yes, thank you, I know who the counsellor I told you about is.", he continued.

"She brought me her preliminary analysis on Taylor. I'm sorry to say, it's not looking very promising."

As Malcolm got up to leave, Jim turned to him.

"Stay, Malcolm. This concerns you as much as any of us."

The researcher nodded and sat down again as Jim resumed his explanation.

"She says Taylor is showing signs of paranoid behaviour and irrational anger. Basically, he seems to think everyone is going behind his back and he's a danger to the colony and himself. She's going to keep working with him, but she doesn't know if he'll be back to his normal self in some time. Perhaps he never will, although we all hope for the best. In the meantime, she thinks it's wise if I continue to lead the colony in his absence, but, of course, that's up to you." He gestured to Malcolm, who frowned in surprise.

"Me?"

Jim snorted.

"Well, not only you, but yes. The council."

Elisabeth nodded slowly.

"Well, I'm afraid I'd have to agree with her. Taylor is in no shape to lead a colony at the moment. He needs time and rest."

Malcolm slapped his knees and stood up again.

"Well, I suppose we best have a council meeting then, but if you ask me, it would be redundant."

As he began walking towards the door, he paused beside Jim, slapping his back.

"Good luck, Commander Shannon. Something tells me you're going to need it."

As Malcolm left, Jim called after him.

"Thanks, Malcolm!"

He cast a terrified glance at Elisabeth.

".. I think."