Chapter 18

"What do you reckon, Doc?" Michael asked Malcolm as the scientist examined Carter who was now laid out groggily where Deborah used to sleep, back when Mira kept her as prisoner.

"You'd be better off asking Elisabeth, but to me it looks like he's been poisoned. They both have."

Malcolm glared at Mira, making a point to remove himself from her vicinity.

Mira didn't even notice. She sat beside Carter, watching him with concern. "He can't die," she whispered. "God knows he's a pain in my ass but he's all I've had these past few months."

Michael stared at them, his confusion growing. "Mira, what the hell happened to you? Where are the rest of your people?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she spat, returning her attention to her Sixer ally.

"Try us," Mark replied. "We're pretty open-minded lately."

Mira sat back. She suddenly looked so small, with her knees pressed up against her chest, almost like a child.

"That thing that killed my people…have you seen it?"

Michael nodded solemnly. "I have."

"Then you know it's not any ordinary dino. It's smart. It knows things. It can do things." She bore her teeth like a wild animal, her eyes brimming with moisture. "We knew about the Badlands portal. As soon as we found that damn figurehead I knew that's where it had to be. But it was too late. That thing attacked before we even had a chance to find it." She looked off into the distance. "I've never seen so many people die that quickly before." She furiously wiped a tear from her eye. "Some of us made it out alive. We survived. But we spent months living in fear, trying to figure out how to get back to the future. We thought our best chance was to stay in the Badlands, in case the portal opened again. But it never did. Food got harder to find. Morale got low. We got desperate and, well, Doctor Wallace knows what happened next."

Michael looked over at Malcolm who lowered his head and his gaze to the floor.

"After that...what happened?" Michael pressed.

"There was this Phoenix Group asshat. Hooper. He fancied himself the new leader of our band of outcasts. If one of us disagreed with his methods or stepped out of line, we were out. If he didn't kill us first...We butted heads a lot. But he kept me around - he needed me. Those idiot soldiers don't know the first thing about the wildlife here. That's why most of them died. The ones that are left are only alive because of me."

"So what changed?" questioned Mark. "Why did you leave?"

"Hooper's a nasty piece of work. He doesn't care about anyone else. He only cares about his own survival. That and money. So he came up with this harebrained scheme to bring the dinosaur to his employers, so they can weaponize it."

Mark and Michael both looked at each other.

"How the hell is he gonna do that?" asked Mark sceptically. "He doesn't even have contact with the future."

"That's what I said," replied Mira. "Any means we had to contact the future got lost or destroyed. But he's determined to find a way. Even if it means coming back to the colony."

"That doesn't sound good," Malcolm said, arms crossed over his chest.

"That's when me, Carter, and a few others broke away. Seeing what that thing can do...I wanted no part in it. But by then we started getting sick. The others, they didn't last. But me and Carter, we decided to come back here where we'd be safe."

"You don't know what caused the sickness?" asked Malcolm. He seemed to be paying more attention to Mira now.

"Yeah. I think that thing did it."

Malcolm uncrossed his arms, giving Mira an incredulous look. "You can't seriously be suggesting that creature poisoned you on purpose?"

"It did a lot more than that. It tormented us." She got to her feet. "It knows how we think, how to manipulate us."

Malcolm scoffed. "It's unique to its kind, I'll give you that. But it's not that clever."

"No? You were there when it started, weren't you, Malcolm? After it killed my people and you set up your camp, it left you alone for weeks. It did that so you'd feel safe. So you'd bring more people. And then it attacked, didn't it?"

"That doesn't make any sense," argued Malcolm. "Most animals attack to defend themselves or their territory. Why would it want to lure more people to it?"

"Because it likes to kill. That's what makes it the perfect weapon."

"I've heard enough." Malcolm tapped Michael on the shoulder. "We should get back to the colony. We need to warn Jim if this Hooper chap's going to be paying us a visit."

"What about us?" Mira demanded, looking back at the defenceless Carter. He was shivering. "You can't just leave us!"

"You're traitors," snapped Malcolm, emotion getting the better of him. "You invaded the colony, you tried to kill Taylor, and you tortured me for days on end for no good reason!"

"Okay, Malcolm." Michael took him over to the side and spoke softly to him. "I know what they've done is terrible, but she's right, we can't leave them. At least if we bring them back, we can keep an eye on them. They could help us."

"It would be a waste of medical supplies," Malcolm hissed.

"You don't mean that…"

"You don't know what they did to me. What it was like." He went quiet again, hunching his shoulders, putting his fingers nervously to his , he closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Alright. Do what you want. I just want to get back to work."

Malcolm headed back towards the rope, done with the conversation. Sighing, Michael looked at Reynolds, then they both took an arm of Carter's and dragged him towards the rope where they helped him down. Mira followed silently.

They were back at Terra Nova before sundown. Jim was surprised to see the two Sixers accompanying them. He sent them directly to the Infirmary under armed supervision. He would talk to them later. He instantly turned to Michael and Reynolds for some form of explanation.

"We've got a problem," Michael said bluntly.

After a debrief with Jim, Michael was actually relieved to return to his home. He took off his combat jacket, leaving him in his more comfortable t-shirt, and poured himself a glass of water from the sink. Mira and Carter would be safe in the Infirmary for now. Then Michael wasn't sure what would happen to them. He expected Jim would have a long talk with them in the morning when they were feeling better.

It did feel good to be on the right side again; a Terra Novan soldier. He'd rather that any day than a Phoenix Group Officer, wearing a rank he didn't earn to do the bidding of people he didn't respect. Now he was home and doing the right thing.

Maybe that's why he hadn't seen his imaginary Alicia lately. He was sure she must have been his conscience, telling him what he had to do, pushing him to be the person he should have been from the start. He hoped he would have made her proud. Whether he was crazy or not, he did kind of hope she would turn up again, just so he could see her.

Lingering by his bedroom door, his eyes were drawn to the space underneath the bed where he had hidden the communication device. He was overcome with the urge to call them. He just wanted to know what was happening. Had they found Alicia? Was his dad still alive? How was his son? When were they coming to Terra Nova?

But it would be a waste of time. They wouldn't tell him anything. He just had to be patient.

He was just about to go through the rations in his fridge when he noticed his front door was open. That was funny, he was sure he closed it. He placed his glass on the counter, then walked over to the door, musing for a second before shutting it.

He sensed the figure behind him before he had even shut the door.

He wasn't alone.

Slowly, he turned around.

Tasha Guzman stood in front of him, crying. In her hand was a pistol, and Michael was looking down the barrel of it. Confusion overwhelmed him at first. He knew Tasha wasn't too fond of him ever since her father had died in the initial occupation, and that she had been pushed to stealing from the market. He knew she was desperate, but this desperate? What did she want out of this?

"Tasha," he said softly, putting a defensive hand out. "Can you put the gun down? Please?"

A tear ran down her cheek. "He's dead because of you. You were working for them. You let them walk in here and ruin everything! He's gone because of you!"

Michael's heart sank. She was still in so much pain. He still remembered breaking the news to her, after the battle, how she had crumpled to the floor and sobbed her heart out. Indirectly or not, he still felt responsible for Guzman's death. Michael's own eyes flashed with the emotion of that day.

"I'm sorry," he admitted miserably. "I should have stopped all of it somehow. I could have. But I failed. I failed you, Tasha. I'm so, so sorry."

"Sorry doesn't change anything!" she cried. "You betrayed us, you betrayed HIM and you're still doing it! I saw you bring those Sixers back today. You say you're on our side but you're not, you're a liar, you're still lying!"

Michael shook his head. She didn't understand. She didn't want to understand. Her world was over as far as she was concerned. Why else would she come here to kill him? She no longer cared what happened to her.

Her face crumpled and more tears spilled from her brimming eyes. "He was all I had. Now I have no one. No one!"

"That's not true!" Michael heard Skye's voice yell out behind him. She had crept in through the front door too, just in time to rescue him. "You have me and you have my mom, and the guys too." She slowly edged herself towards Tasha. Michael tried to pull her back but she gently shook him off, eyes large and solemn as she stared up at him. "It's okay, Michael."

Tasha watched tearfully as Skye came closer.

"I found your goodbye note," continued Skye. "Is this all me and my mom get for taking care of you all this time?"

Tasha scoffed. "I don't belong with you guys. My family is gone. I didn't want to be a burden anymore. I just want the pain to stop!"

"And you think hurting Michael will help? Tasha, trust me, it won't help. It's not gonna bring your dad back."

Tasha's arm was shaking. She swiped at her wet face with her other arm. "I have to do something. I can't stand it, Skye."

"I know. I felt that way too. But you know how I got through it? With help from my friends. Friends like you and Michael." She smiled back at Michael sadly before returning her attention to Tasha. She was edging closer still.

"And you're wrong. You do belong with me, because you're my family. And I'll take care of you for as long as you need. Okay? You don't need to do this."

Tasha's whole body seemed to tremble. She dropped the gun, then sank to her knees where Skye caught her and held her tightly. She picked up the gun and gave it to Michael who now had a chance to catch his breath. He watched as Skye comforted her friend, guilt and hopelessness washing over him.

"I just miss him," Tasha sobbed. "I miss him so much."

"I know," said Skye, hugging the girl close. "I know."

Twenty minutes later and Michael was in Skye's house, waiting outside Tasha's room as Skye settled her. She emerged from the room after a few moments, quietly closing the door.

"She's okay. She's sleeping. Mom is too so don't be too loud, okay?"

Michael nodded. They both headed over to the dining table where they took a seat. Michael sat back, running both hands through his hair and sighing heavily. "Wow," he said. "I didn't realise she was still carrying this around with her."

"I know." Skye looked back towards Tasha's door guiltily. "I should have seen it. I've been through it, I should have seen the signs...She has been acting out lately."

"I'm sure you and Deborah have done all you can for her. Some wounds just need time to heal. It just...reopened some of mine."

She put her hand over his. "Hey. I'm sick of everyone blaming each other for our loved ones getting hurt. We need to take better care of each other while we're still alive."

He smiled at her. He couldn't help but feel most of the colony's problems could have been solved if people could do just that. "You're right. I try not to dwell on the past but, well, I am an expert at it."

They both chuckled.

"Everything will be alright," she said softly. "We'll figure this all out. We'll get your family back. It'll be okay." She squeezed his hand.

"Thanks," he replied. He didn't know if it was true, but right then he believed it. He sat back and smiled at her, impressed by how much she had grown and matured. Sometimes it felt like she was the older one, with her soothing words and calm advice. She had been a good friend throughout the years.

"I'll keep an eye on her," Skye added, nodding towards Tasha's door again. "She'll be okay. With time."

Michael smiled at her, getting up to kiss her cheek before leaving. "Night."

2150

"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with...G!"

"Is it G for Get the hell out my lab?" Lucas offered humorlessly, typing away at the computer keyboard on his desk while Sienna sat on the lab floor, her efforts at getting him to play fast becoming futile.

"No," she laughed. "Try again."

"I'm a little busy, Sienna. I need to make sure everything's working perfectly for when Michael comes back."

She nearly jumped to her feet. "Captain Taylor's coming back?"

He rubbed his temple with his fingertips. "I don't know."

"But you just said…"

"I know what I said. Isn't someone supposed to be looking after you?"

As if on queue, Private Brandt came jogging into the room. "Sienna. How many times do I have to tell you to stay put? It's way past your bedtime!"

"Can you take her away please? I'm trying to do some actual work here," snapped Lucas, waving the two out of the lab.

Brandt rolled her eyes, then grabbed Sienna, who frowned and dragged her heels.

"I don't want to go back to my room," she cried. "It's small and boring."

"I know but Ms Nichol wants you to stay there."

"I want my mommy."

"I know, I know."

Lucas slammed his fist down on the desk, causing Brandt and Sienna to stare. A second later, an alarm in the lab started beeping frantically. Lucas got to his feet, eyes suddenly wide with shock.

"What the hell is that?" Brandt shouted over the loud noise. Sienna had her hands over her ears, nose wrinkled.

Lucas went over to another computer and started hitting buttons. A screen pulled up. He stood back, pushing back his tousled hair. He couldn't believe it. After all these months of waiting, it had finally happened. It was finally back.

"That means there's portal activity in the city," he explained. "The fracture is open again, here in Chicago."

Brandt blinked at him. Sienna still looked pained.

"You're going to want to get Miranda Nichol in here. Now."