Chapter 25
Michael couldn't see a thing. Everything was too bright. Too loud. Then, suddenly, he felt his back collide with the earth. He saw the blue sky and the green tree tops above him. He breathed the clean, pure air. He was home.
Then he remembered Lucas and he bolted upright, ignoring the dizziness. Lucas was lying in front of him, holding his stomach, blood seeping through his fingers.
"No no no no." Michael crawled over to him, pulling Lucas into his lap. He lifted Lucas' shirt to reveal the wound. It was deep. "We need help!"
He raised his head, wondering why everyone was just standing there. Then he realised. The Terra Novans were being held at gunpoint; Hooper and his men had found them. He looked around at his defeated friends and comrades. Reilly, Mark, Boylan. He searched for Alicia. She was safe with the baby, watching gravely from the sidelines. There were some bodies on the floor. Mira was holding onto Sienna tightly.
Hooper stood watching in the centre of them, unmoved.
"You," Michael rasped. He searched for the medic but he was unfortunately one of the bodies on the ground. Skye was standing beside his corpse, her face pale. She was watching Lucas. "Skye, please. Help him," Michael implored.
She looked towards her captor desperately.
Michael could feel his brother fading. He couldn't let him die like this. He couldn't let him be proven right, that he deserved execution, that he had nothing left to live for. For the first time in a long time, Lucas looked paralysed with fear. He couldn't speak, only managing short gasps of pain. He was in shock. His eyes, large with panic, settled on the peaceful image of the sky above him. A single tear slid down the side of his face. Then his eyelids gently started to close.
Michael turned towards Hooper. "Please let her help him!"
Hooper raised a bored eyebrow, then he nodded at Skye. The soldier guarding her lowered his weapon.
She ran over to Lucas, dropping her bag of medical supplies next to him. She knelt down, searching for some tools, then she looked nervously towards Michael.
He nodded encouragingly at her. He knew she could do this. She pulled back his bloodied shirt, revealing the messy wound underneath, took a deep breath, then got to work.
Lucas felt the searing pain exploding from inside him. This was somehow worse than the two bullets he had taken a year previously. He felt himself slipping, each limb and body part gradually becoming numb. He was vaguely aware of Michael, lifting his head up, holding him. But his brother soon blurred out of focus. He concentrated on the sky. Blue. It had been a while since he'd seen it. He had taken it for granted back then, but now...now it was soothing. It helped ease the pain.
He knew he was going into shock. His body was shutting down, trying to preserve itself. His brain was fighting, trying to make sense of the agony his body was feeling. The trees swayed above him and he saw himself, a young boy. He was just a kid, climbing a tree, being stupid. He could hear his dad shouting at him. When he looked down, he saw Michael; young like he was, just boys enjoying their youth. He held out his hand for Michael to join him.
But something happened. His foot slipped. He fell.
His body erupted with pain. He sobbed. His brother was laughing. Then his mother appeared above him, her brunette curls blowing in the wind as she smiled placidly down at him.
"Lucas, darling. It's okay. You have to stop crying now." Her voice echoed in his vision. She held his hand. She had a glow and a calming presence. He let his last few tears drip down his face.
"I'm...sorry," he managed to say through short gasps of breath. He was an adult again. Still bruised and broken, still bleeding, not wanting to let go of her hand. He wanted to tell her so many things; he wanted to know if she was ashamed, seeing the man he had become, the anger that had guided him here. But he couldn't bring himself to ask.
"Shh," she said, soothing him. "You have to stop now."
She held his cheek in her palm, lightly brushing under his eye with her thumb; he felt her. Felt his skin tingle at her warmth. She comforted him. He didn't want her to let go.
But she did; she faded. She was just a memory; a hallucination. A much more pleasant one than he was used to, but a hallucination nonetheless. She vanished and Skye Tate replaced her, appearing above him, willing him to live.
He didn't know why Skye was helping him, but seeing her seemed to help.
Skye had pulled out the bullet with her magnetic tweezers, her hands and clothes stained with Lucas' blood. She then splashed some liquid from a flask onto the wound. Michael watched Lucas wince as the skin gradually healed.
"The scarring inside will take longer to heal," she explained. "So he'll be weak, but he should be okay. For now."
Michael raised his head as if finally able to catch his breath. He locked eyes with his best friend. "Thank you," he said gratefully.
Skye smiled uneasily, the fear and apprehension still present in her expression. This was replaced with surprise as she watched Hooper storm over and grab Michael, lifting him to his feet.
"Now tell me. What happened in there?" Hooper growled in Michael's face. "Where's Nichol?"
"She's dead," the Commander's voice announced, having just come through the portal which had now been extinguished. "I just killed her."
Hooper looked mildly annoyed. "Fine. She's not the only one running this show." He dropped Michael and headed towards Malcolm. "Light it up again."
Malcolm pushed some buttons on his console but nothing was happening. "I can't."
Immediately, one of Hooper's men grabbed Malcolm's neck, pressing a gun to his head.
"Oi, watch it!" Boylan yelled at them, about to intervene when a rifle got pointed at him. He stepped back.
Malcolm raised his hands up, panicked. "I can't, there's some kind of interference on their side preventing me from activating the portal!"
"Well we're gonna wait here until we can activate it!" Hooper screamed. "A damn year in this hell-hole, I'm not gonna let my one chance of getting out of here slip through my fingers!"
"They're not going to open that portal up any time soon," Taylor said, frowning at Hooper. "It's over."
Hooper sniggered insanely. Michael watched him. He had clearly lost it. He and the rest of his men. They looked it too, wearing a mismatch of their ragged military gear and dishevelled old Sixer clothing. "Nichol's not the only billionaire to invest in this shitshow. There's plenty of other deep-pocketed megalomaniacs that want what this place has."
"Like the thing in the Badlands?" Michael asked. "The monster you want to sell to them?"
Hooper seemed amused. "It's the perfect killing machine. I should know. I've seen what it's capable of. Imagine that thing in a war…" he said dreamily, smirking.
"Monster?" Wash repeated, bemused. She was settling the baby whilst trying to follow the conversation. "What are you talking about?"
"It's a long story," Michael admitted. "But it's not like any other dino we've encountered."
"It's much worse," Taylor continued gravely. He glared at Hooper. "So what was the plan? Lead it here so you could use our resources to contain it and take it through the portal?"
Hooper laughed again. Michael hated when he did that. "We're not leading it anywhere...we're following it. It's already here."
The stunned silence was deafening. Skye slowly rose to her feet, looking around her nervously. Everyone looked just as uneasy.
"Then we need to get back to Terra Nova," Taylor instructed. "We'll be safer there. I suggest you let us go."
"Or what?" Hooper smirked.
"Or we'll all die. You know what that thing does."
Hooper's eyes flashed with anger. "You know what?" He pulled his pistol out and aimed it at Taylor's head. "I don't know how you've made it alive up until now but that ends here."
"Stop!" Michael pleaded, stepping in front of Hooper's weapon.
"No, Michael! Get back!" Taylor implored. "I don't need another of my sons getting shot because of me."
Michael stepped back hesitantly.
Hooper's lips turned up into a devilish smirk. "I'm gonna enjoy this."
Taylor didn't even blink. He was probably used to people pointing guns at him by now.
But before Hooper could pull the trigger, a low roar echoed through the trees around them. It was hard to tell which direction it was coming from, but it was close.
Hooper lowered his gun, the smile fading. "It's here," he declared solemnly.
"We need to go now!" Malcolm begged.
Hooper looked like he was in an internal battle with himself. His head turned towards the portal.
"Hooper, don't be a moron!" Mira yelled with disgust. "Unless you want to go back through that portal in a bodybag, you'll let us go!"
"Mira, how I missed your voice of reason," he jeered. His gaze settled on the young girl holding on to Mira's leg. "I see you got your daughter back. I'm surprised you came back here, though."
"I can handle whatever's out here," said Mira, scowling at him. "Back there, not so much."
"So you think you're safe now that Terra Nova's let you back in its walls?" he rolled his eyes. "You were never this naive, Mira. You'll never be safe."
"Hooper!" Lucas spluttered, weakly pulling himself up. He wearily got to his feet, taking a moment to find his balance. Surprisingly, Skye put a cautious arm around him, supporting him. He glanced at her before addressing Hooper. "Let them go."
Hooper stifled a cruel laugh. "I don't take orders from you anymore." He raised an eyebrow. "Are you on their side now?"
Lucas looked around him, several pairs of eyes watching, perhaps wondering the same thing.
"You work for me," he said weakly.
"No, I never did. I was hired by EdenCorp. And by the sounds of it, their empire just fell. So I run my own show now."
Another loud roar tore through the air, making everyone jump.
"Come on, Hooper," one of his men said cautiously. "We should go."
Hooper frowned. "Fine." He indicated for his men to move out, making sure to keep their weapons on the Terra Novans until the last second. They watched with dismay as Hooper's men took their vehicles, speeding away with cruel laughter.
"Our rovers!" cried Boylan. "It'll take us forever to get back now."
"Everyone, stay calm!" Taylor ordered. "This thing's smart but we've faced it before."
"And we have the graves to prove it!" Malcolm lamented anxiously. "We need to run!"
Taylor raised his hand, calling for silence. Everyone listened carefully as they heard the sounds of stomping and trees breaking. It sounded far, but how far they couldn't be sure. Michael listened carefully, his heart beating in his stomach.
They ducked as they saw the beast lurking in the distance, stomping over bushes, searching curiously. He felt the vibrations of its footsteps. Michael could barely breathe. He tried to remain as quiet as possible. If anyone made one noise, one sound, they were done. Perhaps if they were lucky, it would pass right by and not see them.
But they were never that lucky were they?
Of course, that's when his baby started fussing. He looked over, seeing Wash crouched low with the child, trying to calm him, placing her hand over his mouth. She muffled the baby's cries, but it wasn't enough.
The dino's head snapped in their direction, and then it began to rush towards them.
"RUN!" Taylor yelled.
The large group dispersed quickly. Michael grabbed Lucas' arm and threw it over his shoulder, helping Skye drag him to safety. He tried running towards Wash who he could see through the trees not too far in front of him, but Lucas was slowing him down.
"Just leave me," Lucas implored, wincing from his internal injury.
"Lucas, don't!" Michael yelled, sick of his brother's suicidal tendencies. He looked around, he was beginning to lose sight of everyone, including Alicia and his child. The dino was right on his heels, he could practically feel its hot breath on his back.
Helpfully, some of his comrades, including Reynolds and Curran, tried gunning the creature down, distracting it. While they did so, Michael turned a corner with Lucas, Skye following his lead. He indicated to a hollowed out tree trunk lying on its side and they helped him inside. Lucas groaned with pain as he crawled through the entrance, followed by Skye and then Michael. It was a tight squeeze but they were well camouflaged. The dinosaur, impervious to all bullets fired at it, trampled onwards, its large, scaly foot landing right next to their hiding place.
Skye put her hand over her mouth, shaking. Michael shut his eyes tightly. The beast hovered over them, so close that they could practically hear the flare of its nostrils leering above. One false move and it could all be over. Skye looked petrified, a tear running down her cheek. Lucas sat, fighting to keep conscious as his body continued fighting the pain from his injury. As the monster lingered, Michael raised his rifle, ready to pull the trigger, with all the good it would do.
Thankfully, after a moment, the dino gave a frustrated roar and started running off towards gunfire. Skye finally let out a breath of relief. Michael did the same. He hadn't realised how long he was holding it for as he started gasping for breath. He emerged from the piece of bark, Skye following close behind.
He took hold of both her shoulders. "Will you be okay here with my brother while I find Alicia?"
For a brief second, she looked unsure, the paralysing fear still present in her eyes. Then she got a hold of herself, recovering. She looked towards Lucas who was semi-conscious in the tree trunk. Then she nodded at Michael. "Yes. Go. We'll be fine."
He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. "I'll come back for you." Then he was off like a shot, back towards the thing they were running from.
Michael ran, following the gunfire. He whipped through bushes, jumping over branches and flattened shrubbery, following the path of destruction.
But soon, the path got cold.
He got to a clearing; everything had suddenly gone silent, dark. There wasn't even any sign of the mutant. He spun round, looking in all directions. Nothing but trees and more trees. Due to the setting sun and the shadows forming underneath the trees, he could barely see in the distance. He felt raindrops on his face. Great. As the rain began to pour, he screamed Alicia's name.
His yells echoed in all directions, but were met with silence.
He pushed his sopping hair out of his eyes as the downpour soaked him. He'd only just got her back. He couldn't lose her again. He had to keep looking, so he kept running. Though his uniform was sticking to him unpleasantly, slowing him down, he kept going because he had to.
Then, he thought he heard something. A baby crying? His baby.
"Alicia?" he yelled. "Where are you?"
He turned around. Was it coming from behind him, or in front of him? The cries persisted, poor thing must be terrified. But Michael couldn't tell where it was coming from.
"WHERE ARE YOU?" he screamed.
As he spun around, he was greeted by the beady eyes of a Nykoraptor staring hungrily at him. He yelled out in surprise, faltering backwards. The creature made a terrible, ear-piercing noise before baring its razor sharp teeth and attempting to take a bite out of Michael. Michael shielded himself, raising his arms up. Before its teeth could sink into his arm, several loud gunshots forced the Nyko to retreat from its meal. Michael stumbled backwards, landing on the wet soil before glancing over at his rescuer.
Commander Taylor walked slowly towards him, firing off several rounds of his rifle. The Nyko took many hits in its feathered flesh. It stumbled back from Michael, hissing and growling before cutting its losses and limping away in haste.
"Dad?" Michael slowly got to his feet, staring at his father. He had just saved his life. But the awkwardness was still a barrier between them. So much was still unsaid. What could he say? 'Sorry I pushed you into a trap'? 'Sorry I lied to you again'? There was nothing he could say to make up for what he had done.
His father looked over at him, his expression hard to read. Michael feared that look again. That hated look of disappointment that had driven him and his brother to the brink of insanity. The last time he had seen his father look at him like that, Michael left for what he presumed was for good. For months, he had detested him almost as much as Lucas did. The day he came back, he still hated him, or at least resented him - that's how he could do what he did. But he was wrong. Because despite all the complex feelings he had for his father, he still loved him. That's why he went through the portal to get him back, that's why he'd take a bullet for him. That's why he didn't know what to say now.
He actually deserved his father's disappointment. He expected he had lost his trust forever.
However, the Commander didn't look at him with his usual stern look. Surprisingly, he walked up to Michael and embraced him.
After overcoming the initial surprise, Michael hugged him back. His father's sudden affection was unexpected, but he was relieved. His face showed a bemused, emotional smile. Then the smile faded.
"Dad...I'm...I…"
Taylor released him. He nodded gently. He knew what Michael was trying to say. "Come on. I think the coast is clear now. The others were headed towards the beach. That's where Wash and your baby will be."
"They're safe?"
"I believe so."
Michael looked back towards the jungle. "I left Lucas and Skye back there. We should get to them first."
"Lead the way," said Taylor.
Lucas gradually awoke to find someone had built a shelter of twigs and leaves around him, shielding him from the rain that was now starting to ease off. Blinking a few times to focus his vision, his gaze found Skye a few feet in front of him, attempting to light a fire and not having much luck by the looks of it.
He watched her for a moment; studying her. The last time he had seen her a year ago, she had shot him. More than once. He had thought of her every day since. Not really in anger. He had been bitter that his plan had failed, but he had forgiven her. He and Michael had both been disappointed that she had chosen their father over the both of them, but there was no point in being angry with Skye. This was and always would be the Commander's fault.
"What are you doing?" he asked her, surprising her.
She glanced at him, then carried on with trying to get the kindle to ignite with the wood. "I'm lighting a fire, what does it look like?"
"The wood is wet," Lucas observed. "It won't set fire when it's wet."
Skye bit her lip with annoyance. "Everything is wet. It's raining."
"You can still find dry wood where it's been sheltered from the rain. I survived years out here, remember? I know how to light a fire in the worst of conditions."
She stood up, looking at him coldly. "Oh, I don't doubt it."
Lucas could tell she wasn't impressed. "Fine, I'll do it." He attempted to get up but ended up doubling over in pain. Skye rushed by his side, lifting his shirt to reveal the wound had reopened. She grabbed her canister from her pack and lightly sprayed over the opening. The outer layer of skin healed, however, he was still left with pretty substantial bruising underneath.
"You have a habit of getting shot," she commented, throwing the canister back in her rucksack. She meant it as a joke, but it was as if the memory of shooting him still haunted her, and she ended up frowning.
"Well, I've pissed off some pretty powerful people," he mused, watching her hug herself anxiously. He sensed her uneasiness. Then he looked back out at the dripping woodlands. "You shouldn't have saved me, Bucket."
He sensed her staring at him, confused. "Why not?"
A long moment went by as he considered the answer. But it was simple really. It was over for him. When he was dying, envisioning his mother holding his hand, it was the most at peace he had ever been. No anger, no misery, no mission for revenge. Finally some contentment. Now what would he be? A prisoner? An outcast, all over again?
He sighed. "I was ready to die."
She blinked, her petite nose wrinkled with bemusement. "What the hell did those people do to you? Last time I saw you, you were begging me to keep you alive so you could finish your evil plan."
He laughed hollowly at the memory. "I should have known you'd never betray our father. He has you all under his control." He looked at her uniform. "I see he forgave you. How merciful of him. No more play-acting then, Bucket?"
"Actually, it was Mr. Shannon who let me join the security team. So I could help stop you."
Lucas looked around him scornfully. "Seems like you're more helping me."
She rolled her eyes. "You know, this could have all been avoided."
"How?" he scoffed.
She held his gaze. "You came for me, remember? When Michael thought Lieutenant Washington was dead and he lost it. He took me and he...he told you he was going to kill me. You came for me. You didn't have to but you did. And that cost you everything. So why did you do it?"
Lucas sighed heavily. "What does it matter? Why do you want to know?"
"Because I spent years caring about what happened to you!" she cried helplessly. "I spent hours and hours looking for you with Michael, hearing his stories about you, knowing everything about you. I stupidly couldn't wait to meet you. I wanna know I didn't waste all those years caring about an evil maniac. I want to know that there's at least a miniscule of humanity in you!"
He stared into her watery blue eyes, unsure how to answer. He had no idea he'd had such a presence in her life, even before he knew of her existence. Michael had drawn quite a picture. It was a shame it had been such an inaccurate one.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you. My brother shouldn't have put such ideas in your little head."
She scowled at him before getting to her feet. "I'll find some firewood before we freeze to death."
Lucas watched her go, the angry frown on her face dominating her features. He knew what she wanted him to admit; that he cared about her too. He had already considered his feelings a hundred times. It barely made sense to him, he couldn't be bothered trying to explain them to her. Besides, it didn't make a difference how he felt. They were on opposite sides. She was too innocent and he was too jaded. He thought they were the same once: traitors, outcasts. But obviously, that had all changed.
Skye Tate would always be too good for him.