Chapter 37

Disturbing the Peace

The fields sped past below, faster and faster they began to blur, the oranges and greens swirling together like the colours on an abstract painting. Skye blinked twice and stared around. Was she flying? She caught a glimpse of the colony far below. She was leaving it behind .. but where was she going? She sensed that she had set out with a purpose in mind, but somehow she couldn't quite remember what it was. Either way, she didn't seem to have much control over the situation now, so she contented herself with admiring the scenery. It was odd, the whole world seemed .. "wet" was the only way she could think of to describe it to herself. Like the earth had just been painted and now the soft wet paint was smudging. As she swam along through the sky, the curiosity and confusion began to give way to a vague uneasiness. Once she noticed it, the feeling grew quickly, creeping over her mind and sending chills of cold terror through her body. Someone was watching her. She stared around, her growing sense of anxiety seeming to sharpen her vision. Convenient, she thought to herself somewhere in the back of her mind. Usually in dreams, it was the reverse, as though your mind knew exactly what would be the most useful tool in the moment and actively worked to produce exactly the opposite effect. Her thoughts were drawn away from their musings as her eyes locked on to two figures standing on top of a mountain - the very same mountain she appeared to be making a direct line for. The familiar cliff faces and waterfalls looked different from the air, but her instinct cemented the fact she knew to be true. This was Snakehead. So strange and smooth and colourful, and somehow so far from the colony, but nevertheless, it was indisputably Snakehead. As she approached the figures atop the mountain, their faces grew familiar. An old man and a young woman. Kensinge.

Skye's steady course was abruptly halted in mid-air by a sudden explosion in front of her. Evidently she could stop. Hovering there in the one spot, she watched as more fireworks lit up the sky all around her. Some were beautiful and colourful, some by contrast were bomb-like and filled the air with acrid clouds of thick black smoke. At the same time, a loud sequence of pops and bangs rang out from the centre of the mountain like a thousand-gun salute. When the rhythmic noise of firefight finally died down and the world grew still once more, the mist from the explosions cleared and she could see the two figures again. They were somehow much closer than they had been before, only now they seemed to be ignoring her, intent on their own discussion. The elderly man was leaning heavily on a cane and gesturing down somewhere in the distance. Skye followed his gaze, her heart stopping as she realised. The colony. They were watching the colony. As she turned back, she found the old man's gaze upon her, his eyes piercing into hers as though they were attempting to bore a hole straight through her. She'd never seen him before, but .. she must have. He seemed so familiar. She just couldn't place him ..

His eyes still locked on hers, the old man began to draw his gaze downward, moving his line of sight slowly, but very intentionally, toward a section of the cliff side that lay below. Skye's eyes were drawn downward simultaneously with his, as though the two were connected by the same invisible controller, falling upon the side of the mountain beneath her. There was an odd sort of blemish there, she realised, squinting. A dark spot, like there was a glitch in the rendering and she could see right through the mountain and out into the blackness of space. A sharp movement from the two figures in her peripheral vision drew her eyes back quickly. The old man was slowly standing upright now, pulling himself up to his alarming full height and flexing his muscles as though he'd been asleep for centuries and was only just now waking up. From his right, Kensinge watched him with a similar look of alarm to that which Skye felt. There was a rapidly increasing feeling of danger surrounding them, seeming to swirl around, filling the air in greater concentrations with every passing breath. The threat was so real, she could almost taste it. The sense grew sharper in the second before he struck. The huge man swept his arm up smoothly and suddenly launched forward, throwing his cane at her with a superhuman sort of power. Every instinct told Skye to duck, dodge, anything, but she was frozen to the spot, her eyes locked on the approaching missile. The projectile twisted through the air towards her like a whip shot from a cannon, snaking its way nearer and nearer until it struck her in the side of the head. Hard. Skye felt as though she had been pushed off an invisible platform in the heavens and now she was feeling the full force of gravity pulling her down. Her head spun with the sensation as she plummeted. She seemed to be falling harder with every second. As the mountain below rose up rapidly to meet her, the odd dark spot she had noticed earlier began to grow. The side of the mountain was stretched apart at the seams as it expanded. As she drew nearer, it yawned open as though it had become the great mouth of a behemoth and lunged forward, threatening to swallow her. She caught a glimpse of movement inside, strange shadowy creatures that seemed to have an overabundance of teeth and spindly legs between them. She tried to push back against the wind sucking her towards the darkness, but it was no use. The gravitational pull had shifted. Every force imaginable was pulling her into that hole. There was no escape. As the mountain reached over her, Skye tried to scream, but the dark suffocated her. The mountain shuddered with an impossibly loud boom as it closed around her. After a moment of silence, Skye looked up in horror, suddenly alerted to the slight movement overhead, somehow knowing exactly what the next seconds would bring. The roof was going to fall. She braced herself, looking about wildly for some escape, but there was none. She barely had enough time to raise her arms to cover her head before it happened. Her yelp of fear was stifled and drowned out by a heavy whoosh as the roof caved in.

Skye shot up in fear as the sunlight shifted positions and filtered through the window onto her face. She stayed in that half-reclining position for a moment or two, feeling the air enter her lungs and reassuring herself that she could, in fact, inhale and exhale normally. When her breathing began to slow, she lay back down in her bed and stared into the light, blinding herself as she listened to the heavy pulse of her heartbeat. Snakehead. What was going on out there? Was the enemy setting up camp? Was the dream a warning? Ordinarily, Skye was a reasonable sort of person and didn't put much weight behind the output of the strange playhouse that was her subconscious .. but this was different. Whether something was going on out there or not, she wasn't gong to be able to settle down unless she checked it out for herself. She closed her eyes tightly until the red pulses of light behind her eyelids began to fade. Colony rules had become increasingly more strict in recent weeks. It would be harder to get out undetected .. but that being said, she herself had been in the meetings where they discussed the security measures. She knew where the weak spots were. Skye opened her eyes, nodded to herself, and slipped out of bed. If she didn't go, no one would. And if she somehow managed to convince someone to go with her and found nothing, she would never live it down. Skye's pride couldn't bear the thought of presenting an insane argument for an expedition based purely on some dream intuition. She snorted as she pulled on her jacket. It sounded stupid just thinking it. She could barely believe she was going along with the notion herself. As it was, she wouldn't be gone long, but she needed to go, and she needed to go alone .. and she needed to go now, before her mother was up. No one would even miss her, would they? And if she did uncover some nearby threat, they'd be so relieved, they'd simply overlook her minor misdemeanour, wouldn't they? Of course they would. Was she kidding herself? Almost certainly. But she was going anyway.

She bypassed the guards on duty fairly easily, the strange shadowy light of dawn providing her with extra cover, and headed calmly toward the weak spot in the surveillance. Attempting to convey the impression that she was just out for a morning stroll, she continued the well-worn path several metres past Lucas' house and then slipped left under the fence when she was sure no one was looking. She was out. Now to hurry to Snakehead.

She continued quickly through the jungle, moving quietly along the familiar tracks that led to the Falls, the faint sound of rushing water drawing her like a magnet. No sign of strange activity yet. So far, so good. She continued on, her senses growing more on edge the deeper into the forest she ventured.

She was only halfway to the Falls when she was intercepted, pulling her steady pace up abruptly as a shadowy figure stepped out of the greenery in front of her like a silent forest wraith. The sudden appearance had launched Skye's heart into her throat, but now as he looked up at her, she managed to release her breath slowly, feigning calm and hoping to convey the impression that he hadn't scared her half to death. Carter watched her silently for a moment and then seemed to nod to himself, coming forward to meet her and launching straight into conversation as though he'd been awaiting her arrival all morning.

"They're mobilising, Skye. Something's going on."

Skye swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded slowly in an attempt to digest this turn of events. She stared into the trees, looking as though she was surveying the terrain for potential enemies as she replied.

"What are they doing?"

"Amassing weapons, vehicles. We've watched the shipments come in."

Skye's eyes flicked back to him curiously. As far as she knew, Carter had been working alone for the better part of a year. It was how he preferred it.

"We?"

Carter ignored this question and continued.

"I think they're preparing to invade."

"What should we do about it?"

"I'm working on it." Carter glanced around quickly, then leaned in a little closer. "Go back to the colony and wait, but don't say anything. I want to check on something before I cause an uprising without probable cause. But don't keep wandering around out here today."

"Why?"

"Because there's been more activity out here today than I've ever seen before and you're likely to run into someone that's less friendly than me."

Skye smiled a little as he turned away.

"I want to come with you then. Show me what they're working on."

"I can't." Carter looked back over his shoulder at her. "You'll slow me down. Go back and wait. I'll send someone soon."

They stared at one another for a moment, Skye growing more suspicious by the second. Carter eventually blinked.

"I promise. Go."

With that, he melted back into the bushes. Skye, her better judgement finally winning over her sense of foreboding, saw no help for it and turned to hurry back to the colony before she was missed. Carter watched her leave and then turned to a dense patch of foliage a few metres away.

"The coast is clear. You can come out now."

Taylor emerged from the woods, followed closely by a large quadruped, stepping up beside the Sixer and turning to stare sarcastically at him.

"You'll send someone?"

"What did you want me to say? 'My associate will be in contact with you shortly.'?"

Carter thought he caught a spark of amusement in Taylor's eyes, but the former commander chose to ignore him and turned to the space that Skye had recently vacated, displeasure trickling into his voice once again.

"She shouldn't be out here alone."

Carter snorted.

"Yeah, well, you can't keep all of us contained behind your fences."

Taylor rolled his eyes at the resurgence of the hated topic.

"You don't seem to realise that those fences save the lives inside."

Carter nodded his understanding.

"Like fish in a fishbowl."

"Yes- No!"

"You know, you're the sort of person that would starve someone because there was a slight chance they might choke on their food."

The former commander eyed him severely, as though he was about to give a lecture to a teenager on the evils of strong drink.

"Food is a necessity for life. Running wild is not."

Carter's mouth twisted sardonically.

"Agree to disagree."

Taylor rolled his eyes again and readjusted the position of his pack on his shoulder.

"It's time. Keep an eye on the other guys."

"Where are you going?"

Taylor put a hand on the bumpy head of the Kaprosuchus beside him, pausing to take a deep breath of the dewy jungle air before turning to meet Carter's expectant gaze.

"You know where I'm going."

The old commander smiled, his blue eyes lighting up with a hint of their former long- extinguished spark.

"Home."


"You miss him, don't you?"

"No, of course not."

"Come on, Malcolm, you can be honest with me."

"I don't miss him! He was nothing but an old pterosaur! He needed treatment. I gave it to him. That was the extent of our relationship."

"Really." Jim tilted his head skeptically at his friend, staring him down with a placid smile as though he was embodying the essence of a stoic philosopher. "A little bird told me you spent half the night talking to him and discussing the secrets of the universe."

Malcolm snorted.

"Ridiculous." He suddenly paused and squinted at Jim. "A little bird like your daughter?"

Jim blinked twice.

"I'm not at liberty to say."

"Uhuh."

"Well .." Jim turned and flicked on a few screens, changing the subject abruptly before he landed himself in further hot water. ".. time to check the old alert system. Care to stick around?"

Malcolm folded his arms, looking about as excited as if Jim had asked him to recite the Greek alphabet while sewing slippers.

"Ah, wonderful. More unsuspecting beasts caught on candid camera. Say cheese."

"When did you become such a cynic, Malcolm?"

"The day I met you."

Jim chuckled and opened up the appropriate virtual windows. As he pulled up the security alerts, an instant message popped up. Jim frowned.

"What do we have here? 'SOUTH-WEST FENCE. 5:00 AM.'."

Malcolm leaned on the desk beside him and studied the screen, apparently more interested now than he had been several moments earlier.

"Curious." He glanced at Jim. "A prank?"

The commander's eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully.

"Possibly, though only colony personnel have access to the messaging system .. and one would hope they would all know better than to use the interface for childish pranks."

Malcolm exchanged a baleful glance with his superior.

"One hopes."

"Indeed." Jim swiped the message away and turned to the left-hand series of screens. "Well, I suppose we'd better investigate."

Malcolm raised his eyebrows and gestured his own agreement.

"Lead on."

It didn't take long to find the subject of the mysterious message. Jim and Malcolm watched Skye's escape in silence, the latter only venturing a low comment upon her re-entry.

"Oh dear."

"Oh dear is an understatement." Jim muttered grimly, picking up his walkie talkie and holding it up to his mouth. "Reilly, I need to see you in my office right away. Over and out."

"And that's my cue."

With that, Malcolm made himself scarce, leaving Jim to await the arrival of his punctual second-in-command in grave silence.


"Someone's in trouble."

Skye glanced impatiently at her fellow soldier as she finished rebraiding her hair. It had come loose during her morning's exploits and she had no desire to show up for duty looking as though she'd slept in the wilderness all night.

"What do you mean?"

Silas clicked his tongue soberly.

"Commander wants to see you. And he didn't look happy."

Skye threw her hair back over her shoulder and summoned up a cynical smile.

"Very funny."

Silas shrugged.

"Do what you want. But I wouldn't want to be in your shoes right about now."

With that, he walked away, and Skye was left to make her way to the Command Centre alone, an anxious lump forming in the pit of her stomach. There would only be one reason Jim wanted to see her today ..

Reilly and Jim were waiting solemnly for her by the desk when she walked in. Skye nodded formally.

"Commander. Sergeant."

Reilly remained silent. Jim stood and nodded in response, his lips pursed tightly. That was never a good sign.

"Skye."

Skye shuffled uneasily, trying to appear less guilty than she felt.

"What's .. going on?"

"That's what we'd like you to tell us." Jim stared at her for a moment. Whether he was expecting her to confess on her own or whether the hesitation was simply an intimidation tactic, Skye didn't know. Either way, it didn't take long for Jim to elaborate. "Why did you leave the colony this morning?"

Skye folded her arms and frowned worriedly.

"How did you know?"

"Let's just say there was a concerned third party." Jim's eyes bore into hers until eventually Skye dropped her gaze involuntarily. "Skye, why? Why did you do it?"

Skye's eyes flicked back up to him.

"I .." She looked to Reilly for support. Her commanding officer offered her none. "I thought I .. saw something."

If it were possible, Jim's expression grew colder.

"You thought you saw something."

Skye nodded feebly, suddenly at a loss for anything sensible to say.

"And so you decided to go investigate on your own, breaking the rules you've sworn to enforce and putting yourself in imminent danger on a whim."

Jim's voice was tight with suppressed anger, but he paused and waited patiently for a response. Skye could think of nothing worth saying, so she remained quiet. Jim cast a disappointed glance at Reilly and turned back to her.

"You're being put on probation, but I want you to know this is your last warning. If you sneak out again, you'll be expelled from the security team and your gun and tags will be taken from you. Do you understand?"

Skye looked up quickly, some of her usual confidence returning.

"The gun is mine."

"Not if you don't tow the line." Jim looked as though he detested the whole situation, but his voice was firm and unyielding. "I'm sure you realise that lawbreakers aren't permitted to carry weapons."

Skye gaped.

"But the Sixers carry weapons all the time! You can't have one set of rules for one group and one set for another!"

At the mention of the Sixers, Jim grew vaguely annoyed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Things are complicated enough with the Sixers, they're a whole other subject. We're talking about you here. You're a colonist and an enlisted soldier. Tow the line or suffer the consequences."

"But-"

"But nothing. Go out to the power station and report to Dunham. He's expecting you." Jim levelled her with a grim expression. "And Skye, if I hear that you didn't bother showing up, that's it. You're out. So make sure you get there fast. Alright?"

Skye didn't respond. After a few seconds of miserable silence, Jim prompted her in a slightly gentler tone of voice.

"Yes, sir .."

Skye looked up at him weakly, then dropped her gaze to the floor again in humiliation.

"Yes, sir."


The slamming of the door shattered Lucas' concentration at what seemed to be a molecular level. He threw his tools down onto his desk and turned around sharply, pausing as he met the flashing eyes of an equally angry young woman nearby. Skye was staring daggers at him. Lucas folded his arms, casting a quick glance at his lab partner, who was watching the scene play out in surprise from a nearby table. He turned back to the fuming visitor calmly.

"Good morning."

"You told on me, didn't you?"

Lucas' eyebrows lowered a little, a note of disdain creeping into his voice.

"I 'told on you'? What are we, seven? Come on, Skye. Grow up."

Maddy frowned in confusion.

"What's going on?"

Lucas met her gaze briefly before turning his attention back to his attacker.

"It appears Skye's been taking a walk .. on the other side of the fence."

Maddy's eyes widened in dismay.

"Is that true? Skye?!"

Skye shifted awkwardly, her anger dissipating in the wake of the other girl's horror.

"I didn't go far. I just .. needed some air."

Lucas smiled cynically and shrugged, going carelessly back to his work.

"If it's air you want, there's more outside than in here."

Skye narrowed her eyes at him.

"What does that mean?"

Lucas sighed and turned around again, assuming an air of patience that he didn't appear to be feeling at that particular point in time.

"I just don't want you to end up a shredded pile of meat in the jungle somewhere. Is that too much to ask?"

Skye's jaw tightened.

"Your concern is noted-"

"Because even so, you wouldn't stay that way for long." Lucas studied the pliers in his hand thoughtfully, picking absently at the silicon grip. "If whatever killed you didn't feel like eating you, something else would come along. Scavengers, out for an easy meal. Maybe the smaller ones would find you first and start peeling the flesh from your bones-"

Skye glanced at Maddy, who looked like she was about to be sick.

"Okay, stop it. We get the picture."

Lucas' eyes flicked back up to her, fixing her to the spot with a hard stare.

"Don't go out there again. Not without backup."

Skye glared at him as her temper rose back to the surface.

"What, you're the angelic one now? Aren't you being just a little hypocritical?"

Lucas scoffed, ignoring his squirming partner a few metres away.

"What, coming from the security officer that's apparently above the law? Now who's the hypocrite? There are things out there that only I've seen. Stay inside the gates."

"Says the person that used to live out there and survived." Skye countered coldly. "Who do you think you are? Oh wait, nevermind. You can't answer that question either."

Lucas' gaze hardened.

"You won't last long if you keep tempting fate. This coming from the person that lived out there and survived. Consider this a warning."

Skye shook her head rebelliously.

"I don't have to listen to you."

"I know." He stood and moved to a nearby table, flicking at a screen disinterestedly. "But you have to listen to them."

Skye folded her arms, her eyes piercing into his back.

"So it was you."

He placed his pliers down on the table firmly and stared defiantly at her.

"Yes, it was me. You're welcome."

"I didn't thank you."

Lucas bristled, keeping his voice even with an effort.

"I decided to overlook your temporary lack of manners; you've had a long morning. Go home."

"I can't, as it happens. I have extra service because of you."

"I wish I could tell you I was sorry for you."

Skye's eyes flashed, her voice rising a little.

"Not to mention you almost got me expelled from security altogether!"

"I didn't." Lucas returned sharply. "You almost got you expelled."

They stared at each other for a few moments. Finally, Lucas seemed to tire of the battle and turned back to his desk.

"What are you going to do, stand around here all day just to defy me? What's your goal in all this? To prove you're still a child? Congratulations! You're succeeding. Now for the last time, go home. You're being ridiculous."

"You don't have the authority to order me around."

"Someone has to."

Skye flinched as a tongue of icy heat shot up inside her and wrapped itself tightly around her chest and stomach. She only ever remembered being this angry once or twice, and it had been just as unpleasant a sensation then as it was turning out to be now. She clenched her fists as she hesitated, trying to clear her head. There was a part of her that wanted to march over to his unsuspecting back and wrap her hands firmly around his neck. But she stood, her voice unexpectedly quiet.

"I thought we were supposed to be friends now."

Lucas still appeared to be busying himself with something and didn't turn around.

"I thought that was supposed to go both ways."

"Friends don't betray each other." Skye said coldly. "But I suppose I shouldn't expect you to know that seeing as you've probably never had any."

It was a petty strike, and Skye herself knew it to be untrue, but it had its intended effect. Lucas' eyes narrowed as he looked back over his shoulder. Maddy opened her mouth to object, but Skye changed the subject herself.

"You know what, just do me a favour and mind your own business next time you try to be a Good Samaritan."

Lucas turned around and leaned on the table behind him, glaring at her stonily.

"I can't and I won't. If the same situation arose again, I would do the exact same thing. Call it looking out for you."

Skye watched as he wandered about the room, collecting a few discarded items and returning to his desk as though he'd had enough of the discussion and wanted to go back to work. Maddy was still watching worriedly, made all the more nervous by the knowledge that Malcolm could appear in the doorway at any moment. What would he do if he walked right into this? Skye eyed Lucas as he sat down, ignoring her.

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm an adult, remember? I don't need anyone to look after me, especially you."

"Someone has to .." Lucas muttered, rummaging around in his desk drawer for something before closing it a little harder than was necessary. ".. seeing as you appear to be incapable of looking after yourself."

"I get along just fine without you interfering! You have no right-"

"I have no right to what?!" Lucas shot up again, flipping his unoffending chair back sharply and causing Maddy's breath to catch in her throat. "Why is it so hard for you to understand that I don't want you to get hurt?!"

"How do you still not understand that I DON'T CARE?!"

Lucas was silent for a moment, his chest rising and falling noticeably with every frustrated breath. Finally, he rubbed an agitated hand over his face, his voice dropping to an almost inaudible level.

"Get out. Now."

A frown crept across Skye's face.

"You can't-"

"Look, you might have the run of every other square inch of this colony, but this is my Lab, and right now I don't want you here, so GET OUT."

Skye opened her mouth and closed it again, but the only response was Lucas' outstretched arm, frozen in mid-air and pointing unyieldingly toward the door. Judging by the look on his face, he wasn't about to change his mind anytime soon. There was no help for it. With a glance at Maddy, who shrugged helplessly, Skye turned and stormed out.

After that, the atmosphere in the Lab calmed considerably. By the time Zoe arrived at midday, dragging Inky's cage behind her, there was only a trace of the former tension left. Zoe knelt to unlatch the cage (Malcolm had compassionately put it on wheels for her if she was going to "keep dragging it around like a large metal dog" - though truth be told, the small dinosaur barely lived in it anymore and used it mostly for transportation. Once they arrived at their destination, he was released and allowed to wander about the Lab or the Shannons home as he wished). Inky scrabbled out as though he'd been imprisoned for weeks and fled around the Lab gleefully.

"He's getting too big to be doing that." Maddy complained as the gangly creature ran into her chair for a second time. He really had grown quite surprisingly over the past couple of weeks and could now reach almost to Zoe's waist if he tried hard enough. Maddy had given up speaking of releasing him around Josh, though she knew she would have to broach the subject again sooner or later. She wasn't looking forward to it.

As mid-afternoon arrived, Lucas stood and announced that he was stepping out, waiting for Maddy's dismissive wave before heading to the door. He'd been putting this off for hours, but it had to be done. He'd snapped a screw late that morning and had shortly thereafter discovered it to be the last of its kind in the vicinity, making this trip a necessary evil. Still .. crowds. He pocketed the device he was fixing, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the hustle and bustle of the markets, heading straight for a stall near the middle that he'd been told offered assorted hardware options. He hadn't gone far before he sensed someone's eyes on him. Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled a little to himself before continuing on, waiting for his tail to make their own move. After he'd gone a few more metres, he paused again, turning to study a nearby grass-bale-turned-bench as the occupant behind it attempted to shrink further down.

"The coast is clear. You can come out now."

A rather depressed sigh came from behind and Zoe emerged, looking sheepish. Lucas eyed her quizzically.

"You are the worst spy I have ever seen .." He hesitated. ".. well, almost."

Zoe watched him with pleading eyes as she approached.

"Please don't make me go back. Maddy's busy with work and Inky's boring and just wants to sleep, and you're the most interesting anyway .."

She clasped her hands hopefully. Lucas lowered his eyelids at her.

"I'm only buying a part for this and then I'm going straight back. It's not like I'm doing anything particularly fascinating either."

"That's fine!" Zoe grasped at this shred of hope. "I'll just shop with you!"

Lucas thought for a moment as he examined the girl's face. Finally, he shook his head.

"Nope. Sorry. Your sister will kill me if she finds out. You're going back and you're staying there. Now."

Zoe's face fell.

".. okay .."

"Good."

Lucas watched her retreat a few steps before turning and proceeding with his own business .. until the familiar prickling at the back of his neck told him that he was being followed again. He turned around impatiently.

"Zoe-"

Zoe froze mid-movement, finding herself with no time to jump behind anything. Lucas shook his head.

"I thought I told you to go back."

"You did." She responded in a small voice. "But I didn't."

Lucas snorted.

"I can see that."

After standing at a loss for several seconds with her guilty eyes on him, Lucas caved. He was only going to be gone for a few minutes anyway. What harm could it do? At least this way he'd be able to make sure she got back safely himself.

"Alright, you win. Come on."

Zoe trotted up happily to stand beside him.

"So where are we going?"

Lucas nodded straight ahead.

"That way."

"Okay."

And so began a shopping trip that took three times longer than expected, as Zoe appeared to want to stop and show him every single piece of merchandise they passed on the way. Lucas groaned and complained and pleaded more than was probably entirely necessary, but secretly he enjoyed it. As they finally approached their destination stall, the girl behind it caught sight of them and moved away hastily. Lucas and Zoe watched in confusion as she stood a few metres away having a muttered conversation with an older woman. After a few moments, they heard:

"No, I won't switch with you. This is your responsibility now and you can't dictate who you'll serve and who you won't, now get back there and do your job."

The older woman glanced over at her waiting customers with a smile.

"My apologies. Victoria will be right with you."

With that, the girl had little choice but to turn in humiliation and come awkwardly back. She smiled at Zoe and summoned up what she hoped was a pleasantly welcoming tone of voice.

"Hi there, how can I help you today?"

Zoe stared up at Lucas, and the stall girl's own gaze followed reluctantly. Lucas squashed his own discomfort and pulled the device out of his pocket robotically.

"I need more screws to fit these holes. Do you have any?"

The girl examined it for a moment and nodded, her face clearing a little as she realised she could do her job after all.

"Sure. How many do you need?"

"Ten."

With that, she nodded again and turned to rummage in a box hidden away under the counter. As they waited, Lucas' eyes were drawn to a nearby chessboard sitting to one side of the bench. There seemed to be a game in progress. He turned back to the girl as she returned.

"Careful. Your queen's about to be taken out over there."

Their attendant frowned.

"What? Oh." as she followed his gesture to the chessboard "Yeah, I guess you're right. But it's just me playing both sides anyway, so either way, I win, right?"

Lucas handed over a few terras and took the small box of screws in exchange, passing it on to Zoe to carry.

"You play chess?"

"Play it, yes, am good at it .. no." The girl laughed at herself. "I just use it to keep from getting bored when we don't have many customers."

Lucas shrugged.

"Ah, it's just practice. You'll get better."

"I might if I actually had someone to practice with." She smiled ruefully. ".. but none of my friends are really into that sort of thing."

"Oh-"

"What are you guys up to?"

Whatever he had been planning on following up with was lost in the moments afterward as a fourth person appeared on the other side of Zoe. Skye returned the little girl's smile and then turned her attention to Lucas, her smile dying a little.

".. hi."

"Hi."

"Buying something?"

"Yep."

There was an awkward pause, with the market girl coming unexpectedly to the rescue as she turned to Skye.

"Can I get you something?"

"Oh. No." Skye responded, sounding mildly confused. "I just .. thought I'd make sure these two were behaving themselves."

The girl smiled back.

"No need to worry. They've been perfect examples of customers. Even Mr. Strong and Silent over here."

She nodded in Lucas' direction before smiling back at Skye, who laughed.

"Well, you be careful. He can be pretty scary when he wants to be."

She didn't know where the edge in her voice had come from, but all four of them noticed it. Lucas frowned at Skye, a hint of offence flickering in his eyes. The girl on the other side of the bench had fallen silent, but now remarked quietly.

"I know he can .. probably better than most people."

Lucas' frown deepened as his attention turned back to her. She was watching him with an odd expression and in that moment, it finally dawned on him where he'd seen her before. In his own house. In the middle of the night.

An embarrassed smile materialised on Vicky's face as she raised an eyebrow slightly. Lucas returned the look and then turned back to Skye with an air of annoyance. He watched her for a moment, addressing her in a low voice.

"Contrary to what you appear to believe, Skye, you don't have to warn people about me. I'm not your pet."

Skye opened her mouth to reply, lines of worry creasing her forehead, but Lucas forced a short laugh and continued.

"Do you ever work, by the way? Or is hanging around the markets and interrupting peoples' private conversations more exciting?"

The questions were obvious bait. One look at her filthy clothes and no one would assume she'd been lying around all day - unless of course, she'd been lying around in the mud, but somehow the fact made Skye all the more uncomfortable in that particular moment. She hesitated before she attempted to speak this time, trying to find the correct words to diffuse the situation, but Lucas appeared to have no further interest in the conversation and had turned away. With a glance at Vicky, she folded her arms and responded in the most natural voice she was capable of.

"Actually, I was just going home to get cleaned up after performing safety checks all afternoon."

The first day in a week of them, her inner voice reminded her. It was going to be a long week.

"Safety checks .." Lucas tilted his head at her with a mocking expression. "Sounds thrilling."

Skye continued carefully as Vicky and Zoe exchanged an uncomfortable glance.

"It's not the most exciting job, but-"

But .. Skye wasn't incredibly keen to go into the reason for her doing it. Luckily, Lucas saved her the trouble.

"Why don't you go on home and have a rest? Sounds like you've earned it." It would have been impossible not to pick up the dripping sarcasm in his voice, but Skye chose to ignore it.

"I guess I'll do that then."

"Fine." Lucas turned away and immediately struck up another conversation with Vicky about the device he was repairing, forcing Skye to follow up her words with action and retreat. She smiled weakly at Zoe as she started to walk away.

"Bye."

"Bye .."

Lucas made a pointed effort not to look at Skye as she wandered off, but Vicky and Zoe watched uncomfortably as she disappeared among the houses, only half-listening to Lucas' sociable babbling. Zoe turned back to him in confusion. He looked more cheerful than she'd ever seen him, as if he'd suddenly taken on the personality of a different person. It was kind of creepy ..

Before long, another customer drew Vicky's attention away and she excused herself politely. Lucas and Zoe said goodbye and began to wander back through the markets toward the Lab. Half-way there, however, the front door of their destination swung open violently and a yell rang out.

"Zoe! Zoe?!"

Lucas visibly flinched and looked down at Zoe quickly, as if only just remembering she wasn't supposed to be with him.

"And I think that's my cue .." He reached down and took the container she was carrying, disentangling it from her grasp as Maddy's eyes locked onto them like an eagle catching sight of a mouse. She set out furiously in their direction, sending a thrill of terror through each of them in turn. Lucas wrenched the box away and turned hurriedly to leave.

"Well, it's been fun, kid."

Unfortunately for him, the little girl beside him was now gripping his arm so tightly that he couldn't walk away without drawing further attention to himself. Within seconds, Maddy was upon them. Zoe stood silently and endured her sister's scolding with a brave face, still clinging to her co-conspirator's arm. When Maddy was finished the first half of her tirade, she shifted her attention upward and began to unleash her fury upon Lucas, seemingly indifferent to all the curious stares she was drawing from nearby shoppers.

"And you .. why didn't you send her back?! You know she isn't allowed to leave the Lab and yet you deliberately ignored it the second it suited you! What, you think it'll help better your image to have a child beside you in public?! How selfish are you?! Anything could have happened!"

Lucas waited patiently until she paused for breath.

"She was with me the whole time. She was safe. And I told her to go back. She wouldn't listen."

Maddy glared daggers at him.

"Oh, nice, you're gonna blame your irresponsibility on an 8 year old kid. Awesome."

"Maddy-"

"Forget it, Zoe." Maddy took her sister's shoulders and steered her firmly away. "We're going home."

Zoe cast an apologetic look back at Lucas as she was ushered away, leaving him standing alone in the marketplace, still holding the box limply in his hand.


As the knock sounded from her doorway, Zoe looked up from the math homework in her lap. She sighed miserably as she met Jim's eyes.

"Can I come in?"

"I've already been told off by both Mom and Maddy. Isn't that enough?"

Jim smiled a little and leaned on the doorframe, watching his youngest daughter quietly.

"What do I have to say to you to make you understand?"

"Understand what?"

He frowned a little at her agitated tone.

"Understand that you can't run around wherever you like without telling anyone. It's not as safe as it seems out here." Zoe failed to appear alarmed by this statement. In fact, her expression barely changed at all. Jim continued. "I'm not saying that to scare you. I just want you to be careful."

"I'm always careful. I'm not an idiot."

"I never said you were." Jim's voice took on an edge he rarely needed to use with his little girl. "But there are things going on here that you don't understand yet-"

"I understand plenty." Zoe countered, staring hard at her hands. "When you say 'careful', what you really mean is that you want me to do everything you tell me to do."

"No .." Jim replied evenly. "If I wanted a robot daughter, I would have bought one."

He smiled a little as she remained silent.

"I just want you be smart about which rules you're going to break. Don't fight back just for the sake of it. It's not worth it."

"You can't keep me locked up forever." Zoe muttered, her eyes snapping upward to meet his defiantly. "I'm gonna get older soon enough and then I'm gonna ignore you and leave!"

Jim blinked in surprise. For the next few seconds, the room fell silent. Zoe sat frozen at the look on her father's face. She'd actually done it. She'd managed to hurt him. She hadn't thought it was possible. As the realisation hit her, Zoe's eyes filled with tears and she leaped off the bed, running to him and hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Dad." The words were muffled by his shirt, but he still managed to catch them and hugged her back. Zoe looked up worriedly after a few moments, realising that he'd said nothing in response.

"Do you forgive me?"

Jim stroked her hair gently and smiled.

"I forgive you. Just .. be careful, alright?"

Zoe nodded, frowning up at him.

"Dad .. are you alright? You've been more worried ever since the invasion, but since you got back from your trip a couple weeks ago, you've been even worse."

"Sorry, Pumpkin. Just got a lot on my mind .." Jim doubled his efforts and grinned down at her. "But I'll never be too busy to keep an eye on you, so don't even think about trying anything."

"Aww."


Lucas psyched himself up and forced his hand to knock against the wooden doorframe. Once, twice. How many knocks were necessary before it stopped sounding like a random noise outside and caught the attention of an actual person? Three was probably enough. He drove his knuckles sharply into the frame once more and then dropped his arm lifelessly by his side, fighting the growing urge to just walk away and pretend he'd never come. After a few seconds, he lost his opportunity as Skye pulled the door open. She stared at him blankly, as if he was a distant relative from interstate that had unexpectedly turned up on her doorstep and thrown her whole day out of orbit.

"Hi."

".. hi." Lucas studied her face for a few moments, trying to decipher her current level of irritation, but aside from being a little flushed, the young woman across from him gave away nothing. Finally, he continued, talking with his hands as much as his voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you back there. It wasn't how it looked."

He stopped and waited for a reaction, but Skye's face had slowly taken on an additional level of confusion.

".. what."

Evidently the confusion was contagious, as a shadow of doubt began to creep into Lucas' expression as well.

".. the market. You know."

He hoped the brief explanation was enough. He really wasn't in the mood to retell the entire episode, but thankfully, Skye was nodding now.

".. oh." She raised her eyebrows a little and blinked, trying desperately to force her head to catch up to the conversation. "It's fine. Really. No harm done."

As Skye's face finally cleared, the bewilderment on Lucas' was growing more acute. It was as though there was a mental seesaw between them and somehow they just couldn't manage to stay on the same level. He stared back at her in disbelief. Had he imagined the entire conversation in the markets? Was it possible they'd perceived it so differently?

".. really? You want to just .. forget it?"

"Sure!" Skye nodded again quickly. "All is forgiven!"

".. great." Lucas stood watching her uncertainly, alarm bells pinging their way through the back of his mind. Something was not right here. After a few moments, Skye grew impatient and shifted in the doorway.

"So, was there something else, or .. ?"

Lucas shook his head slowly.

"I don't .. think so."

"Great!" Skye sounded like the strain of acting happy was getting to her. "I'll see you around then."

".. sure." He still didn't move from the doorstep. Skye nodded again and began to close the door anyway, but Lucas finally made a decision and stepped forward, holding the door open. Skye's brow creased in surprise.

"What are you-"

"What's going on?" Lucas looked down at her suspiciously. Skye's eyes grew wide and she swallowed.

"N-Nothing!"

"Hm." Lucas smiled a little and shook his head. "A convincing liar, you are not."

He tried to look past her and into the room, but she sidestepped into his view. He looked back at her worried face again. Where she had been flushed before, she was now growing pale. What was going on?

"You know I can see over your head .. right?"

Skye was silent for a moment as she calculated her position, then she relinquished her safe hold on the door in an effort to try and turn him around.

"I don't want you here. You have to go."

Lucas' face hardened, but he didn't move an inch, despite her futile attempts to push him away. He held onto the doorframe with one arm and deflected her hands with the other.

"There's someone here, isn't there?"

Skye feigned surprise and began to shake her head in denial, but a sharp laugh from the other room brought them both up short.

"Still as quick as ever."

That voice .. Lucas met Skye's eyes questioningly for a brief moment, and then quickly pushed past her into the back of the house. As he rounded the wall blocking his view and entered the living room, he came to an abrupt stop, his legs suddenly refusing to carry him forward even one more step. The man on the couch leaned back a little and tilted his head to the side as if he intended to study the strange creature that had just interrupted his afternoon tea. Lucas stared back in disbelief as the other man spoke with a hint of amusement.

"Good grief, son, you look like you've seen a ghost."