Chapter 16

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Taylor awoke gradually to his head throbbing with pain, his eyes slowly trying to make sense of the blurry figures in front of him. He sensed he was in an armchair, in a dimly lit room. There was a face in front of him, dabbing his head with something cool. It took a long time for it to come into focus. He could tell it was a woman's face. Dark hair. Brown eyes. Then she began to seem familiar.

He blinked a few times, trying desperately to focus his gaze. Then he saw her, up close.

"Wash?"

Wash smiled, her eyes glimmering with tears. "Commander."

He didn't care about the pain. He leaned in and embraced her. "You're alive," he whispered. "Thank god you're alive."

"It's good to see you again, sir," she smiled, holding him tightly. "I'm sorry about your head. I didn't recognise you at first."

"That's alright," he said, sitting up carefully. He looked around him, noticing he was in an old apartment. Behind Wash, there were three other women. They all looked a bit apprehensive.

"Where am I?"

"Oh. This is where we were holding up. My group and I."

"Your group?"

"Yes. This is Rae," she pointed to a young girl behind her who waved. "Tara." An older woman who frowned suspiciously at him. "And Mags." A twenty-something woman with a friendly face who nodded a hello. "There's more in the other room."

Taylor leaned forwards slightly, his forehead creasing, confused. He noticed how the women were dressed, a bit like vigilantes with knives and guns strapped to them. "I don't understand. Wash, how did you get here? Who are these people?"

"It's all a bit hazy," she admitted, getting to her feet. "I escaped EdenCorp where I was being held. They must have knocked me out the entire time because I don't remember any of it. One day I woke up in a room, stole a gun and broke out. Lucas was there. I used him as a hostage. I don't remember a lot of what happened but I got out and just kept running and running until I ran into these guys. They're with the rebellion."

"Dammit, Wash. You joined the rebellion? You've been fighting the Phoenix Group? After what happened to you?"

Wash turned to her companions. "It's alright, ladies. You can leave us now." The three women left the room silently, leaving the two old comrades alone. "My brain might still be healing," she told Taylor, "but my body feels fine. I've been taken care of."

Taylor stared at her. She did look in a better condition than he expected her to be in. But she was thinner than he remembered, maybe a bit more weary than usual. But still, she had been through a trauma. It was hard to believe she could jump back so easily into a fight.

"I'm surprised to see you here," she said, offering a baffled smile. "How on earth did you get here? I thought I told Jim to destroy the bridge to the future?"

"It's a long story, Wash. There's so much to tell you. You've been gone…"

"A year. I know. I figured that out after a while. I just don't get why they kept me there for so long. I assume as some sort of leverage against you?"

"They didn't use you against me," explained Taylor.

He paused, letting Wash think for a moment. "Michael? But…"

She tried hard to remember the last time she saw him. It felt like an age. Her memory was still fuzzy. She could only remember bits and pieces from before she was shot. Then she remembered the gun pointed at her head. Michael's fearful expression in the crowd. She remembered moving her lips silently, telling him she loved him.

Her eyes welled with tears. "Is he okay?"

"He's alright. He and the baby are fine."

She stopped and stared at him, wrinkling her nose. "The baby?"

There was a long, terrible silence.

"You don't remember?" he asked.

She put a hand to her stomach. Was there a baby? She gently raised her shirt, revealing a long scar on her belly which was already well on the way to healing. Yes...a baby. She sensed it, but she didn't remember. She put a hand to her mouth. "I...I was pregnant."

"I'm sorry," Taylor said, frowning. "I only just found out, too. I believe he was born five or six months ago?"

"He?" she repeated. "I have a son? Michael and I? We have a son?"

Clearly, she was in shock. She looked like she might keel over any minute. Taylor stood and took her hand, leading her over to the chair. She buried her head in her hands, her silky dark hair draping over her face.

"I can't believe this. I missed it. I missed my whole pregnancy?"

"I'm sorry, Wash," Taylor said again, still holding her hand.

"And the baby? Oh my god, he's still with them?"

"Yes, but don't worry. They won't harm him. Not while they're controlling Michael for their plans."

Wash stared at him blankly. She was so thrown by all of this.

"Michael was here with you the whole time," he clarified. "He came after you, through another portal. He stayed for months, but then he came back home. Following the orders of…"

"Miranda Nichol," she spat.

"You know about her?"

"The rebellion told me about her." she gripped the arms of the chair, her jaw going rigid. "I'm going to kill her. I'm going to kill her and get my baby back. Taylor, please." She looked deep into his eyes, tears streaming down her face. "Help me."

He knelt beside her and gripped her hand tightly. "Anything. I'll do it."

"I missed you," she cried. It had been such a long time since one of them had seen the other this vulnerable.

He felt his heart break for her. He kissed her hand, then embraced her as she leant her head on his shoulder.

"I missed you too, Wash."

Terra Nova

"Michael, meet Tom Boylan. He's our Munitions Officer here at Terra Nova."

Michael heard his father's voice in his head, cheerfully introducing him to his good friend and colleague, Tom Boylan. He tried to remember the storeroom as it was, the way Boylan arranged all the weapons and ammunition, neatly organised across all the shelves and tables. He could see Tom's face, a few less wrinkles, a little more hair. He was working on something, with the components of a rifle expertly separated into pieces on the desk in front of him. He looked up, grinning.

"G'day, Commander. What can I do for you today?"

"I'd like to introduce you to my son Michael. He's just starting his post as Corporal."

"Nice to meet you, Mike." Boylan extended his hand.

"Michael," Michael corrected, taking the man's hand. His grasp was firm, but friendly.

"Course. I hope Guzman's taking it easy on ya. He can be quite a slave driver."

Michael chuckled. "He's good. He's a great teacher."

"Glad to hear it."

"Tom here is damn good at what he does. Expert knowledge of weaponry. Whatever you need, he'll find it for you. If something needs fixing, he'll fix it. Guaranteed."

Tom rolled his eyes, embarrassed.

"Don't sell yourself short, Tommy-boy," Taylor teased him. "We're lucky to have you on the team."

"I'll look forward to working with you," Michael said, smiling.

"You too. See you around, kid. And welcome."

That was the first time Michael met Boylan. Back when the former officer and the Commander were pals. Back when Tom was proud of working under Taylor's command. Back when he was 'Tommy-boy.'

Michael and Boylan remained friendly with each other. They'd gone on patrol a few times, but mostly Michael would catch up with him in the stores whenever he needed to restock on weapons, or he needed a repair job. Boylan was always there.

Including the one night Michael needed him the most.

He had just emptied the contents of his stomach a mere fifteen feet from General Philbrick's bloody corpse. He couldn't hear anything, could hardly see. The woods were spinning, making his stomach turn even more. He still felt the sensation of his finger pulling the trigger, the gun firing. What had he done?

When he looked up, Tom Boylan was there, emerging from the trees.

"Mike?"

This was the last time Michael remembered seeing him in his uniform. His eyes were wide. Fearful. Then suddenly he was picking Michael up, getting him to his feet. His hands were on Michael's face, holding up his head, trying to get him to focus.

"Look at me. Go home."

Michael uttered a few incomprehensible words. He was sick. Weak.

"Me and ya dad will take care of this. Understand? Go," Boylan instructed, guiding the young man away. "Go now."

Michael felt his strength return to him. Dazed, he headed off home. He couldn't remember how he got back, but he had. Because of Boylan.

That felt like so long ago now, as Michael sat by Tom's bed-side. He looked so frail, with tubes coming out of his mouth and nose, looking older than ever.

It was scary seeing him like this, but at least he was alive. Michael managed to revive him but he had not regained consciousness since arriving at the Infirmary. Elisabeth at least was taking good care of him. It was just a matter of time, she had advised, trusting that Boylan would regain his strength and wake up.

It was hard not to let the memories of Wash's Syncillic Fever back in, sitting by her sick-bed, watching her die. She looked like a completely different person back then. Small, thin, pale. That's how Tom looked now. He was always full of energy and jokes, winding people up. This wasn't him.

"Michael, sorry to interrupt." Jim appeared behind him. He paused, probably taken aback by the sight of Boylan so sick and helpless. "Elisabeth filled me in on his condition. He's stubborn. He'll pull through."

"I hope so," Michael said softly, still watching Tom sleep.

"We need to discuss our next move," Jim added. "With Nichol."

Michael closed his eyes. He could have groaned out loud. He had almost forgotten about all of that. But Jim was right. His family needed him. He got to his feet.

"Let's go."

The rest of the council were already waiting for them in the Command Centre, minus Elisabeth and Boylan, obviously.

"I've already briefed them," Jim explained as they took their seats at the end of the table. "You can talk freely."

Michael felt a little shaky as he sat down, nerves getting the better of him.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," spat Reilly at the opposite end of the table. "We gave you the benefit of the doubt, and you planned to screw us over."

"Cut him some slack. He was doing it for his child," Sonya argued supportively. She had obviously changed her tune from the other day, perhaps on finding out a baby was involved.

"How many kids do you have, Sonya? Will you cut him some slack when the Phoenix Group come back and start shooting up the colony again?" Reilly snapped.

Sonya sat back in her seat, pacified.

"I'm sorry I lied," Michael said, finding his voice. "I know it was wrong. But I hope you can trust me now."

"Why should we trust you?" a man said accusingly. Michael tried to remember his name. Hill? Hale? That was it. Nick Hale. He owned a store in the market.

"Look, I've dug myself a pretty big hole here. But I'm putting my faith in Terra Nova. I need you to help bring my father back here. To save Wash and my son."

"So all these things you said they could offer us?" grumbled Casey Durwin. "It was all a lie?"

"I think their offer of peace was a lie," admitted Michael. "I believe they would have only fulfilled their promises if it meant it benefitted their agenda."

"Which is to essentially take over Terra Nova?" Reilly clarified.

Michael gently nodded.

The council were understandably horrified, and arguments starting perking up around the room.

"Why did you let him out, Shannon?" Durwin shouted. "He's a traitor. He was back then, still is now."

"He's on our side now, Durwin," Jim countered. "He's relying on us just as much as we're relying on him."

"So what is the plan, Jim?" Malcolm spoke up, losing patience. Michael looked over at him. He looked a lot better than he did a couple of nights ago, unconscious under all that rubble. He still had a few cuts on his face, but otherwise he seemed fine.

"That depends, Malcolm. What's the new timeframe for rebuilding the terminus?"

"You saw it," Malcolm said, downcast. "It's in pieces. I'm essentially at Square One again. Not to mention I don't have my lab anymore."

"I know, it's a setback," agreed Jim. "But this is the only play we have."

"I volunteer to take Doctor Wallace out to Lucas' calculations by Snakehead Falls...if that's okay," Michael offered. "It might help."

The room was silent. Then Durwin scoffed.

"You've got to be kidding! Shannon - we can't just let him back in like nothing happened!"

"How can I make up for what I've done if you won't let me?" Michael snapped, losing his temper.

A vein in Durwin's temple bulged. "A real soldier would never betray his own people like you did."

Michael wanted to get up and scream at him. It felt like being chastised by his father all over again. "You don't know anything about me, the things I've had to sacrifice-"

"Don't lecture me on sacrifice, kid. I served longer than you've been alive, right up until that damn Carno took my legs. I've known men and women that have sacrificed a lot more for a lot less. They knew about honour and loyalty. They would have never behaved like you have." He narrowed his eyes at Michael. "You only got this gig 'cause you're the Commander's son," he spat.

Silence again as calm re-entered the room. Michael lowered his gaze to the table. Several pairs of eyes were staring at him, waiting for a reaction. But Michael nodded, looking back up at Durwin acceptingly.

"Maybe you're right. I was...immature," he admitted. He began absent-mindedly running his fingernails over the grooves in the table. He sighed deeply. "I didn't take my career seriously enough and I let myself get manipulated out of fear. I was a coward and I can only blame myself. Now I want to do right by my people. So please, tell me what to do."

Jim cleared his throat, drawing the room's attention back to him. "Right. I think that answers Durwin's concerns." He turned to Michael. "I think it's not a bad idea, taking Malcolm out to see those calculations." He turned back to the doctor. "If you think it will help, Malcolm?"

"It would help," Malcolm agreed, but he seemed hesitant. "But Jim, I'm not sure if I can…"

"I think it would be beneficial for you to see the calculations in person, Malcolm. I'm asking you to go."

Malcolm dropped his head in defeat, and nodded slowly.

"Hopefully that speeds up things with the terminus," continued Jim. "We still need to stall them as much as possible. Michael needs to carry on as if nothing has changed with his mission, make it seem like he's winning the colony over with this deal."

"What about you?" Reilly asked Jim. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"If Jim's dead, what's stopping them from coming through that fracture in the Badlands at full force?" someone else at the back of the room questioned.

"That's right," Michael added. "They want you out of the way. Dead or not. They want Terra Nova to be leaderless."

"Alright," said Jim. "Here's what you tell them."

A few hours later and Michael was on a call to the future, sitting at his living room table, staring at Nichol's holographic face frowning back at him.

"The storm pretty much ruined everything. They're weak," he explained. "They're starting to realise this deal is their only way out."

"Perfect," Nichol's frown briefly turned up to a smile. "This means they should accept the next occupation a little more willingly. When they see they have no choice but to let us in, it will make things a hell of a lot easier. And what about Jim Shannon? Have you disposed of him yet?"

Michael swallowed, glancing at Jim who stood on the other side of the room, watching everything.

"No, but the Terra Novans aren't exactly happy with his leadership. They don't think he's handled Taylor's absence very well. Particularly after the storm. They blame him for not doing a better job of protecting them. And now he's getting desperate, especially if he's starting to trust me. There are definitely people that aren't too pleased seeing me walking around."

"Well, it looks like things are going the way you wanted after all, Captain. No blood on your hands. Maybe we can do this peacefully after all."

"When will you come?" Michael asked. "The colony's still coming round to the idea but you plan to come soon, right? Through the Badlands portal?"

Her cold eyes bore into him, deliberating the question. After a moment, she clicked her tongue. "That's on a need-to-know basis, Michael."

"Well, I kind of need to know. I'm the one that's here," Michael argued.

"I'll send a message when it's time," she snapped. "Call me again when Jim is out of the picture and the colony is ready for our arrival. Then I'll inform you of the details."

"Fine. Then at least tell me how my family are. How is my child?"

"He's fine, Michael. You don't need to worry. He's not the only child here. We know how to take care of them."

He ground his teeth together. "The way I didn't have to worry about Alicia?"

He watched her roll her eyes to the side.

"Just tell me where she is."

She huffed. "I can't tell you that, Michael, because I don't know. She ran. Your ridiculous brother managed to let her out."

Michael wrinkled his nose. "He let her out?" Lucas hadn't mentioned that on their last call. "Why would he do that?"

"Idiocy, perhaps? Cowardice? He could have alerted security, but didn't. I'm honestly starting to reconsider which one of you is the smart one." She chuckled. A sound which was all too unnatural for her. "I have to go."

"Wait," he almost yelled. "My dad. Just...tell me what you did with him. Are you going to kill him?"

"No." Her red lips formed into a smirk. The sight made him uncomfortable. "We set him free."

"What?" His brows knitted together in confusion. That made no sense. He locked eyes with Jim who looked equally as confused.

"We set him free, that's all."

"That's it?"

"That's it. Simple really. There's plenty of people who want his blood. They'll do the hard work for us."

Michael got to his feet, pushing his chair back. "He's in the city? He's alive?"

"I can only assume so. If the mob hasn't got to him, but I'll give him a little credit. He'll survive at least the first few nights, I'm sure."

Michael didn't know what to say. He was in the city with a rebellion after him. But at least he had a fighting chance. He was alive. He knew it.

"That's all for now, Captain." Nichol signed off.

Jim and Michael stared at each other for a moment.

"There's a chance," Michael said to him. "There's a chance both he and Alicia are okay."

"Michael, judging by what you told us about this rebellion, they're just as dangerous as Nichol's army. They want him dead."

"He can survive," Michael said. He believed it. His father could survive anything.