Chapter 22

Terra Nova

That evening was a race against the clock to get everything ready as soldiers loaded equipment onto vehicles, perimeters were guarded, weapons distributed. Most of the civilians were in their homes as instructed, waiting - apart from the Shannons who had one final thing to do before everything kicked off.

The family stood outside of their unit, watching Maddy (who was donning a lace, cream-coloured summer dress) and Mark (wearing the usual green, military fatigues) as they stood opposite each other, holding each other's hands and smiling. Jim was standing next to them, glancing between them. He cleared his throat.

"Usually it would be Commander Taylor officiating but, of course, I was more than happy to step in." He smiled at his eldest daughter, a flicker of emotion in his eyes. "When we first came to Terra Nova, I missed the last two years of Maddy's life and I regret that more than she'll ever know. But I am so proud and honoured to have the chance to see her become the strong, intelligent young woman she is today."

Maddy looked over at her father with moist eyes, her smile growing. A few feet away, Elisabeth put an arm around Josh and pulled him close whilst Zoe cuddled her mother, watching happily.

"When Reynolds - sorry - Mark first asked me about dating Maddy, I was surprised. I think I might have threatened to shoot him." That gained a few laughs, particularly from Mark. "I hadn't realised how much my little girl had grown up and I wasn't ready for another man to come into our lives - sorry - her life and take care of her." Maddy rolled her eyes, giggling. Jim paused. "Thing is, Maddy can take care of herself." He smiled warmly at her. "But I'm so glad you've found someone, so you can take care of each other. I know you'll do whatever you can to make each other happy." Maddy looked like she was fighting tears already. Jim blinked away the emotion, clearing his throat again. "I believe the couple have written their own vows?"

"Oh, yeah." Maddy turned to Mark, squeezing both his hands. She looked into his eyes, both nervously and excitedly. "Mark, when I came here, I was expecting to find so many exciting things. Beautiful landscapes, amazing wildlife, and hundreds more fascinating discoveries I'm sure will come in the future. What I wasn't expecting to find...was you." She giggled, as if she had surprised even herself with the concept. "But I'm so happy I did. And from now on, I want all my exciting things and crazy adventures to be with you."

Mark grinned at her. He looked captivated by her. He looked happy.

"Maddy. You know my life hasn't always been easy. I had darkness, and it followed me here and it threatened everything I had worked so hard to achieve. But then I met you. You made my world light again. You are my light, Maddy Shannon. And I hope to try my hardest to bring light to your life too, for the rest of our lives."

Jim looked between the two again. "Uh, Okay, I guess with the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss, but just a peck - I am still your father."

Maddy and Mark laughed before finishing the ceremony with a quick kiss. The Shannons cheered and applauded. Maddy started hugging everyone. Mark shook Jim's hand, and then was nearly knocked over by Zoe wrapping her arms around him.

After a few moments of chatter and excitement, Mark and Maddy embraced. He gave her one last, lingering kiss, and then said goodbye.

Jim patted him on the shoulder. They met Michael who was watching from a distance, waiting.

"Congratulations," he said. "You ready?"

Mark nodded. It was time. They headed for the gates, stopping by the rovers and the group getting ready to head out to where Malcolm had set up the terminus.

"Are you sure I shouldn't come with you?" Jim asked, last minute second thoughts getting the better of him. "I feel like I need to be there."

"Like my dad said, the colony needs you here," Michael said, putting on his armour. "I'm not too sure what to expect when we go through that portal. Nichol might be sending her army through any minute now and if they get past us, you need to be here to lead the fight." He paused. "Without my dad, without Wash or Guzman, we need you more than ever, Jim."

Jim nodded. "Right. Then I'll be here to protect it."

"Take care of Maddy, will you?" Mark asked Jim solemnly.

Jim stared at him, then smiled reassuringly at him. "Only until you get back. And I'm expecting you back - you're family now."

Mark smiled.

"Alright," Michael said, taking one last look around. He'd barely been back a couple weeks and now he had to leave again. Hopefully this time he'd be back much sooner.

"Good luck," Jim said.

Michael nodded. "You too."

Michael and Mark loaded into the rover wordlessly. As Michael drove through the gates, he took one last look at the colony in his mirror.

Parking up the rover, Michael could see the group setting up. Reilly was giving them some last minute instructions as Mira and Malcolm were examining the newly set up terminus. Skye saw Michael and Mark park up and walked over to them. She looked ready for battle. She was fully kitted out: combats, armour, helmet. He almost didn't recognise her.

"Hey," she greeted. "We're just about set up here. You guys ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. Never thought I'd see these people again," Mark said nervously.

"Do you guys have a plan?" Skye asked, walking beside them. "I mean, they must have anchored the portal on their side by now, right?"

"If they have, we have the element of surprise at least. I know my way around EdenCorp, so we'll head straight to the cells, find the kids, shoot anyone that gets in our way. Then I'm gonna find Alicia and my dad. It should be fine."

"What if it isn't?" Skye frowned. "What if the portal opens up on top of a building, what if their whole army is waiting for you? What if you can't find Wash or Taylor?"

Michael stopped. He nodded to Mark as the corporal patted him on the shoulder and went on ahead.

"Squirt. Stop worrying. We've put a lot of thought into this and it's just something we have to do."

"But without backup? It seems too dangerous."

"We can't risk anyone else," Michael explained. "Especially as we don't know what we're walking into. It has to be this way."

Her lip trembled slightly. "Fine. I get it." She paused a long beat, holding his gaze. "Michael...what about Lucas?"

Ah, Lucas. He had wasted countless hours wondering about his brother, particularly after his last message. The fact of the matter was, Lucas would always do what was best for Lucas. Even if it seemed like he was helping Michael, it was probably only because he was helping himself. In a weird way, he could tell Skye was genuinely concerned about what would happen to him. They both wanted him safe, no matter what. He just made it difficult for anyone to actually help him. Michael knew that better than anybody. He had spent years building Lucas up, thinking he was the victim. When in reality, he was the bad guy all along. That's why he had thought long and hard about what he would do once he saw him on the other side.

"If he wants to come back with me, then I'll bring him back. If not…" he trailed off, his gaze lowering to the floor. He knew there was a chance this might be it for him and Lucas. If he wasn't going to help Michael, then he was going to hurt him, and Michael couldn't afford that. This wasn't the first time he had considered killing his brother, but it might be the last, he thought grimly.

Skye's frown deepened, as if sensing this. But then her attention turned back to Michael. "Be careful."

He leaned in to give her a hug. She gravitated towards him, her head nestling under his chin as his arm wrapped around her. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, then pulled back. "Right. You're a soldier now. I need you to be strong. Can you do that for me, Private?"

"Yes, Corporal," she smiled and saluted jokingly, then she went to go and help Reilly unload the rest of the equipment out of the containers. He was about to join Mira at the terminus when he heard another rover pull up.

He watched as Curran got out the rover. What Michael wasn't expecting was his passenger.

Tom Boylan. He stepped out, wearing his old battledress and armour. Michael couldn't believe it. He shot Curran a disapproving look.

"Sorry, man," Curran shrugged. "He insisted."

Michael shook his head as Tom marched up to him. "What the hell are you doing here, Tom? You're meant to be resting."

"I can't rest while there's a war going on, can I?" Boylan argued. "Besides, you didn't say goodbye." He looked genuinely annoyed. "Now who do you think you are? You already left once and were gone a bloody year. How long do I have to wait this time?"

Michael sighed. "I didn't want to worry you. You've had enough on your plate."

"I can decide that, thank you. I'm not dead yet. I'm not helpless either. I've been doing this much longer than you and I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"Does Shannon know about this?"

"Like hell he does. But what he doesn't know won't hurt him!" Boylan chortled. Michael rolled his eyes playfully. Then Boylan stuck out his hand. "You forgot this by the way."

Puzzled, Michael took Boylan's hand. His features reanimated in surprise as he realised, in Boylan's hand, was Peter's coin.

"I noticed you gave it back to me when I was sick. Thanks, lad. But you need it more than me. Take it and let my Peter watch over you. For me, please."

Michael gently took the coin and held it, letting his thumb trace over the faded image on its face. In a strange moment, he felt like crying. He would have given anything for this kind of support or connection during his months in the future. All he had was Lucas. Angry, broken Lucas. It was suddenly a shock, after all those lonely months, to receive genuine affection and concern for his well being, particularly after all the condemnation from his Terra Novan peers.

"Thank you, Tom. I'll look after it." He placed it in his top pocket. "Now please don't overdo it. Stay safe while I'm gone. You've been out the game for a long time."

"Pashaw!" Boylan exclaimed. "Once a soldier, always a soldier," he announced proudly, raising his weapon.

Michael chuckled. He finally made his way over to Malcolm who was showing Mira a console of buttons.

"And this button activates - Oh, Corporal Taylor," Malcolm raised his head to greet Michael, much to Mira's relief as she rolled her eyes and moved away. "I've been explaining to your comrades, the terminus is still very much in rudimentary condition. I would have preferred a bit more time to refine the controls, but it's functional. What I am concerned about is that EdenCorp will be banking on us having made our own terminus. As soon as this is activated, she can send her men through safely, en masse."

"That's why we have soldiers here, Malcolm. Just like last time. I'm fully expecting Nichol to take advantage of the fact we've anchored the portal this side. But the hope is she hasn't figured it all out yet."

"That's a lot of hope to bank on," Malcolm commented pessimistically.

"We know." Mark appeared alongside Michael and Mira. He gave them a nod.

"We ready to do this thing?" Mira asked impatiently, holding her rifle. She had refused to wear the Terra Novan uniform, but had no qualms about using their weapons and armour.

"Hey."

Mira looked over to see Carter standing by a tree. He looked more Terra Novan than ever dressed in the getup, trim and clean-shaven.

"Good luck," Carter said. "Get your daughter back."

Mira smirked. "I intend to. You worry about yourself. You've already nearly died this week. Once is enough."

Carter snorted as Mira looked back towards the terminus.

"Fire it up, Malcolm," Michael ordered.

Malcolm closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Then he swallowed his nerves and hit the button on the console. The portal appeared within the terminus, shimmering that glowing blue.

The three of them walked towards it, then stepped through, letting the light engulf them.

From one world into another.

2150

Lucas spat out another mouthful of blood as one of the rebels punched him in the jaw again. He watched from the seat in Nichol's office as the man, dressed completely in black, glared disdainfully at him. Lucas laughed under his breath, fidgeting uncomfortably in the rope that tied his hands behind his back.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" the rebel man demanded angrily.

"Ahh. It's just funny," Lucas said, leaning back, breathing heavily. "It's not the first beating I've had in this office."

The man struck him again. As the pain exploded across his face, he saw the Commander through squinted eyes, watching uncomfortably from the back of the room.

"That's enough," Taylor said. "This isn't helpful."

"He needs to tell us where Nichol is," the man argued, circling behind Lucas. A few of the others chimed in with agreement.

"I told you morons, I don't know where she is," muttered Lucas impatiently.

"If that's true then you're useless to us." The rebel man suddenly grabbed a tuft of Lucas' hair and pulled his head back, pressing the gun next to the protruding scar on his neck. "We should just kill you and move on."

"Go ahead," Lucas challenged, who despite the increase in his breaths, showed no fear in his features.

"No!" Taylor interjected loudly, causing everyone in the room to stare at him. He came forward. "Please. Don't do that."

"Why not?" one of the other rebels, a woman, asked.

Taylor sighed, watching Lucas' beaten face staring back at him with intrigue. "Because he's my son."

"Your what?"

"Which one?" the man with the gun demanded. "The soldier who slaughtered dozens of our people or the scientist helping EdenCorp abuse its power?"

Lucas sniggered. "Tell me, is there an answer that would make you want to shoot me any less?"

"Not really," the man muttered, pressing the gun into his flesh.

"The second one," Taylor answered before Lucas' snarky comments got himself killed. "His name is Lucas. He's not innocent in all this, he's done terrible things to help Nichol. But I'm asking you to put the gun down. Please."

Lucas glared at his father, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Was he really pretending to be the caring father again? He thought he'd rather have the guy shoot him than witness any more of this.

The man slowly released the gun from Lucas' neck. "If he is Lucas Taylor then he has to know where Nichol is. Get up."

Lucas stayed put, like a defiant child.

"GET UP!" the man screamed.

Lucas exhaled loudly, then got to his feet.

The rebel got close to his ear, enough to send a small shiver down Lucas' spine. "You're going to show us where she is, or we'll do much worse than kill you. Got it?"

Lucas didn't look worried. In fact, he looked almost entertained. He caught sight of his father's concerned gaze before letting the rebel push him towards the door.

As they walked through the corridors, Lucas kept watching his father walk alongside him. He shook his head in disbelief.

"What?" Taylor said, his gaze switching between him and making sure the coast was clear ahead of them.

"A few days ago, you had an angry mob after you. Now they're working with you? Dammit, if I wasn't so annoyed, I'd be impressed." He glanced at the others behind him. "What did he promise you all, hmm? Oh wait. Let me guess. He told you he could get you into Terra Nova. Is that it? Hate to inform you all, but that's not his call."

"Like hell it isn't," snapped Taylor. "I built that colony from the ground up. I grew a community there. I made Terra Nova what it is!"

"Yeah with money from investors like Nichol," Lucas pointed out. "I know you like to think you did it all by yourself, but the truth is, you were a puppet just like the rest of us. You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for my employers."

Taylor looked like he was about to strangle Lucas. "Don't make me hurt you, boy."

Lucas laughed scornfully, watching his father's jaw stiffen. "Don't worry," he told his captors. "He's just a little cranky because I wrecked his home and tried to kill him."

"I'm starting to see why you two don't get along," a rebel woman commented behind them.

"Oh, our animosity towards each other began way before Terra Nova," Lucas said resentfully.

Taylor was silent for a few beats, avoiding Lucas' gaze. "I never once hated you, Lucas," he said eventually. "You or Michael. I just wanted us to be a family again."

Lucas stopped suddenly, leaning towards Taylor threateningly. "Well, you made sure of destroying any chance of that, didn't you?"

"Hey! Keep moving!" The rebel man gave him a hard shove. "We don't know how long before more of those Phoenix thugs show up."

Lucas kept walking. He didn't know exactly where he was leading them, but he kept walking.