Inside the colony, the violent fight continued. Buildings had been destroyed, spilling debris out onto the Plaza. Soldiers scrambled for cover, attempting to avoid the chaos. Wash pulled Michael behind the school unit for cover.

"You good?"

Michael nodded, dusting himself off as he heard the devastation continue across the Plaza.

"Glad someone is!" another soldier spluttered beside him. Michael looked over to discover Carter looking rather exasperated.

"Carter?" Michael said with surprise. "You know when you said you'd be willing to risk your life for the colony, I didn't think you meant it!"

"Neither did I!" exclaimed Carter. "But I'd rather not die for it yet. What do we do now?"

"We need to get them out of the colony," Wash speculated aloud, watching as the creatures wrestled and destroyed anything they came into contact with.

"Oh, is that all?" Carter said sarcastically.

Michael peered round the unit, just in time to see one dino throw the other into the entrance of the Infirmary. The force created a massive dent in the building's structure. Michael was about to express his concern for the patients inside when Wash caught onto his panic.

"It's okay, the last few patients just evacuated."

"What about -"

"ELISABETH!"

They looked around to see Jim speeding towards the damaged Infirmary, straight for the battling dinos. Wash shot out of her hiding place, firing a sonic blast at the dinos and driving them away from the building. Jim used this opportunity to start shifting debris, climbing over the remnants to get to his wife.

"Help him," Wash instructed Michael and Carter. Immediately, they darted off towards the Infirmary, shifting wreckage to help save the doctor.

After a moment, Jim found an opening and climbed inside. Michael and Carter followed close behind.

They found Doctor Shannon on the floor by one of the biobeds, picking herself up after a nasty fall. Jim rushed to help her up, inspecting the cut on her head.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "I just came back to grab a few things when I got knocked over. What's going on out there? Are we in trouble?"

"You could say that," Jim replied. "We need to get somewhere safe."

"Skye," Michael blurted, drawing everyone's attention. "I saw her get hurt. She needs your help."


Taylor and Reynolds sprinted over to the remnants of Boylan's Bar, attempting to find a good vantage point. They were stunned to see several smaller dinos race through the colony gates, practically taking it in turns to bite and slash at the mutant who once abused them.

"Guess they're not under its control anymore," Taylor surmised, watching the seven-on-one fight in the middle of the Plaza.

They turned to see Wash dashing towards them, a serious look on her face as she attempted to catch her breath. "Sir, this is getting out of hand. We need to do something now."

"Agreed. We can't let them destroy any more of the colony. Any ideas?"

"I do. But it might be a bit risky."

Taylor looked at the destruction ahead of him before turning back to his lieutenant. "Let's hear it, Wash."


Michael, Carter, Jim and Elisabeth were making their way out of the rubble when Michael received word on his communicator to stay away from the Plaza. As they made it outside, they could see why.

A large blaze circled around the Plaza, surrounding the creatures as they fought and scratched and bit their enemy. They receded back towards the gates, snapping and growling at each other. A few of the smaller creatures retreated outside, but the tougher ones remained, determined to finish the job. The Cruentusaur was practically dead already; its large and mutilated body beginning to struggle to hold itself, its burnt and bloodied head looking even more maimed and disfigured than it had before the fight. It made a terrifying sight as it summoned all its strength for one last, earth-shattering screech, before the Carnotaurus dragged it up by the neck, raising it up as high as it could. A Slasher made a quick jump, hurling itself into the Mutant and forcing it onto the spikes that circled the Plaza.

Michael had to look away as the spikes sliced through the dino's flesh, blood spattering into the air. Its loud, agonised screams turned to pitiful cries and eventually petered out to nothing. As the flames grew, the other creatures briskly took their leave. The Carno was last to go, letting out a triumphant roar as it watched the fire begin to swallow up the Cruentusaur's body, until it couldn't hang around any longer. It turned and made a dramatic exit through the crumbled gates.

Everyone slowly began to emerge, peering through the fire at the fantastic beast that was now succumbing to the flames. Michael observed the repulsive scene, a sombre expression on his features. He then took a hold of Elisabeth's shoulder.

"Skye," he reminded her.

They avoided the fire, taking the long route around the back of the Command Centre.

That's where they found Lucas cradling Skye's limp body.

Lucas looked up feebly, covered in her blood, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. He seemed lost or in shock, unsure what to do or say.

Michael mirrored his expression, his lips parting in disbelief. He felt the palpitations in his chest, the sharp pains in his gut as he looked at Skye's pale face. He pictured her on the day they met. That scared thirteen year old hiding in the bushes. The relieved smile she gave him when he found her and made her feel safe again. His sister. She couldn't be...

"No," he said, his voice thick with emotion. He could hardly move. Just watched with horror as she lay lifeless on the ground.

Elisabeth rushed over, kneeling beside Lucas and pressing her fingers to Skye's neck.

"She has a pulse," she announced.

The brothers lit up as relief washed over them. Thank god.

"Help me get her to the Infirmary."


Minutes later and Lucas was placing Skye down onto a biobed. The brothers watched nervously as Elisabeth brought up the interface with Skye's vitals.

She studied the screen quickly. "She needs a blood transfusion." Elisabeth looked around her worriedly.

"What is it?" Lucas asked. His shirt and hands were still drenched in red.

"I moved the blood store to The Eye for safe-keeping," she admitted.

"I'll get it," Michael offered, darting for the exit.

"I'm afraid there's no time." lamented Elisabeth. "She's lost too much blood. She needs the transfusion now."

"Take my blood," Lucas demanded, holding out his arm.

Elisabeth glanced at the details on Skye's biobed. "According to this, she's AB-. What are you?"

"A-," Michael answered for him. "We're both A-."

"Of course," said Elisabeth, glancing between them. "That's compatible. We're in luck." She hesitated, looking at Lucas unsurely.

Lucas was desperate now. They could see it in his face, his inpatient stance. Skye was on the brink of death and he was just about willing to try anything. He couldn't explain this need to save her; he just knew he had to try. "Please. Let me do this."

She nodded. She began to prep the IV.

"Wait, Lucas," Michael pulled him aside. "You're still recovering from a gunshot injury."

"I'm fine, brother," Lucas said dismissively.

"Let me do it," Michael suggested. He began to roll up his sleeve when he heard Jim calling him.

The Sheriff emerged on top of the rubble, glancing at Skye with concern before settling on Michael. "We have a situation at the gates."

Michael looked hesitantly back at Skye, then at his brother.

"I can do this," Lucas insisted. "Go."

Michael nodded and headed out, passing Jim who watched uneasily as Elisabeth injected a needle into Lucas' arm and the blood started flowing into Skye's body.

The fire was already beginning to die down as Michael and Jim walked across the Plaza, passing the many soldiers in the process of extinguishing it. He recoiled at the sight and smell of the dead dino's skin gradually melting from its body. In the back of his mind, he thought what a shame it was that it had taken such a violent solution to end the creature's reign of terror. But most of all, he couldn't stop thinking about what it had done to Curran, or Skye, and if she would even be okay. He was glad that it was finally dead.

Jim led him to the destroyed gates where about twenty Phoenix Group survivors were waiting for them. They appeared understandably shaken. Taylor and a few members of the security team were standing opposite them, pointing their weapons at them.

"They asked for Captain Taylor," his father explained. "I figured they meant you."

Michael looked between all the men and women who stood in front of him, bruised and battered, lost and fearful without a leader. He recognised many of them from EdenCorp, from his days fighting the rebellion.

"Captain," one of them spoke up.

"I'm not a captain anymore," replied Michael. "You can address the Commander." There was uncertainty among the crowd. "It's okay," Michael reassured. "You can trust him."

After a moment, their hopeless gazes turned to Taylor.

"Commander, we're volunteers of the Phoenix Group army. Truthfully most of us weren't really sure what we were getting ourselves into. We were just following orders...We want you to accept our surrender."

Taylor narrowed his gaze at them as they watched him with desperation. "Fine. I accept your surrender. Now go home."

He was about to turn around when the private spoke again.

"Sir? Would you consider...letting us stay?"

Taylor turned back around, looking personally offended. "Excuse me?"

The private appeared nervous. "We've never seen anything like this place before. We want to stay here. Take us as prisoners if you have to."

"I've enough mouths to feed as it is," the Commander snapped. "There's no room here for you. I'm sorry."

He was about to leave again when Michael stopped him. "Dad," he said quietly. "They started out just like us. Lost. Desperate. They just want to survive; provide a home for their families, just like we all do."

The Commander sighed regrettably. "Son, I'm sorry but I have to draw the line somewhere." He glanced over at Dunham. "Make sure they go back through the portal, and then we'll have to find a way to keep it closed - both portals."

He headed back towards the colony, Jim following closely behind him. Michael understood, but he was disappointed. This wasn't the new, merciful Commander that had been emerging over the past few days. He was already falling back into his old habits.

He looked dismally at his old comrades. They may have been on the enemy side, but he still served with them. They had still spent months fighting together, protecting each other. He knew they had all done what they thought was right at the time, even if it had been wrong. He felt the unfairness, the desperation these people felt; the answer to their problems was literally staring them in the face and they were denied, condemned to return to the dying world and forced to commit the crimes of their rich bosses.

"I'm sorry," was all Michael could say as he turned back to help his father salvage what he could of the colony before the remainder of its residents made their return.


Clean up carried on late into the evening. The fire took a couple of hours to extinguish completely, revealing its charred blemishes on the colony. Luckily it hadn't spread beyond the Plaza, sparing the buildings and housing units beyond the main square.

Most of the Command Centre, the roof of Boylan's Bar and what remained of the market area had been destroyed. The entrance to the Infirmary had taken a battering, but at least it was still functional. The gates and some of the fencing had been knocked through and therefore, the Security Team had assembled temporary spiked barriers to deter the wildlife around the North Entrance.

Wash was in charge of disposing of the dino's remains, which was now a charred corpse in the middle of the Plaza. A deeply unpleasant job, the body was transported out of the colony in cargo containers to be buried in the jungle.

It was a painstaking job, and as Michael helped sweep up the soot and debris, he couldn't help thinking about those Phoenix Group soldiers and how, especially now, the colony might have needed them as much as they needed the colony.

Hours later, in the midst of the clean up, Michael went to the Infirmary to check on Skye. Covered in dirt, he tried to clean himself up before approaching the bed where Skye lay, frail and unconscious. Lucas was asleep in the chair by her side, hunched forward, his arm still pumping blood into Skye's body.

He hovered over her, noticing the colour was gradually returning to her cheeks. She looked better. Lucas on the other hand looked a little worse for wear, his skin turning an unflattering pale colour; he was still stained with Skye's blood. He jolted awake as Michael was staring at him, dark rings around his eyes as they adjusted to his surroundings.

"How is she?" Michael asked.

Lucas looked over at Skye, as if relieved to find she was still there. "The doctor said she'll be alright." He looked up at Michael. "Have you come to take me to the Brig, or what's left of it?"

"Actually no." Michael pulled up a chair on the other side of Skye's bed. "You can relax a little longer."

"Funny," Lucas said, voice laced with sarcasm as his gaze settled back on Skye. "This isn't my idea of relaxation."

Michael smirked ironically. He watched his brother with Skye and was surprised to find him so calm, so placid.

"How does she keep making me do it?" Lucas asked softly, watching the girl with bemusement as she slept.

"Do what?"

"Risk everything for her?" He glanced at Michael, perplexed. "How does she make me so weak?"

Michael arched his brow. "What you feel for her isn't weakness." He almost couldn't believe Lucas wasn't getting this by now. "You're in love with her."

Lucas wrinkled his nose, scoffing at the idea, seemingly embarrassed or perhaps just in denial.

"It's true," Michael affirmed. "It just happens. At the most inconvenient times, in the most surprising places. Do you think I planned on falling in love with my superior, against our father's wishes?"

"Michael, you'd fall in love with a Hadrosaur if it showed you some affection," grumbled Lucas. "You were always desperate for attention."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Mock me all you want. There's a reason you care about her. Clearly she feels the same way or she wouldn't have kissed you."

Lucas turned his head towards him sheepishly. "She told you about that."

"I'm her best friend," Michael told him, a smug smile on his face. "She tells me everything."

His brother avoided his gaze.

"You know, this thing you two had scared me at first," Michael continued, remembering the confusion and revulsion he felt seeing their kiss as Michael left the bar that evening during the Occupation. Even then, he could see the connection between them. In some ways, the confusion was still there, but nobody seemed to be more confused than Lucas himself. Even though - technically - he wasn't the older twin anymore, Michael still couldn't help giving Lucas some much needed advice. "But look at what you've done. You think she makes you weak. You're the strongest I've ever seen you when you're with her."

"Don't," mumbled Lucas. "Don't try to make this into some sickening cliche'. Next you'll tell me she makes me into a better person; that she's my redemption," he added scathingly. "It doesn't matter how I feel about her. She's not here to redeem me of my sins and I wouldn't want her to. Besides, as soon as the Old Man has finished putting his castle back together, he'll lock me up and I'll never see the light of day again."

"Don't say that."

"That's what's true," snapped Lucas. "I just didn't want her to die. That's all. Love is irrelevant."

Michael sat back in his seat, disheartened that his brother couldn't just accept what was right in front of him. However, Michael feared he was right about their father's plans for him. The Commander had demonstrated some capacity for forgiveness, as shown by his acceptance of Michael and the Sixers back into the colony. But he wasn't all-forgiving quite yet. And when it came to Lucas, he really wasn't sure what the Commander would do.

They sat in silence for a while, the question of Lucas' fate left hanging in the air uncomfortably. Elisabeth came to check on Skye, removing the IV from Lucas' arm. She reassured them that Skye needed time to heal, but it was looking promising. Michael thanked her, the relief clear from his expression. Lucas hid it well, but he was comforted by the doctor's assessment too.

"She's alive thanks to you," Elisabeth told him, offering him a smile.

Lucas glanced at her, but didn't show much of a reaction. He was clearly unused to people showing him gratitude. Elisabeth went back to treating some of the soldiers who had been injured during the events of the day and the boys went back to an uneasy silence.

Lucas was the first to notice Skye waking up. He immediately got to his feet, leaning closely as he gradually made out the blue in her eyes reemerging.

"Bucket," he breathed.

She wrinkled her nose, blinking sleepily at him. "Where am I?"

"In the clinic," Michael answered. Skye slowly turned her head to look at him. There was that smile again. She knew she was safe. "You lost a lot of blood. Lucas gave you some of his."

Her tired eyes focused on Lucas above her. "You did?"

"Yes," said Lucas plainly - strangely, with no ego; no fanfare. Just the truth.

She stared at him for what seemed like a long time, her face a mix of surprise, confusion - full of emotion. Her lips parted but no words would come out.

Lucas waited patiently for her reaction, but their moment was cut short when the Commander appeared behind them, two soldiers either side of him. Taylor glanced between the boys for a second before he smiled at Skye, pleased to see her awake.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Okay, I think. A little weak."

"You were brave to come back, Skye. You have the makings of a good soldier."

She looked a little embarrassed, but grateful for the compliment. "I knew I had to help," she said weakly.

"I'm sorry you got hurt in the process. I hear Lucas played a hand in your recovery." He looked at Lucas, causing him to break his gaze away immediately. "Is that true?"

Lucas glanced back at him briefly, then nodded.

"We're all grateful for what you did." Taylor paused. From Lucas' sour expression, he could tell he knew what was coming next. He sighed. "Lucas, you're going to have to come with me."

Michael stood, visibly upset by how his father was handling this. "Dad, he saved Skye's life. And mine come to think of it, more than once."

"I know." Even their father looked pained by his actions. He knew it was necessary. He looked back at his soldiers and requested they leave him.

"Sir, are you sure?"

Taylor nodded at them. After a beat of hesitance, they left.

"Don't make this difficult, son," he said to Lucas. "Just come with me. No guards, no guns."

Lucas looked hesitantly over at Michael, then Skye. He knew he had no choice. He nodded slowly, then began to trail over to his father.

"Wait," Skye said tearfully. She held out a hand to him. After a few seconds, Lucas took her hand and felt her fingers squeeze around his. Her thumb brushed across his knuckles soothingly. "Thank you." She forced a smile, but her sadness broke through.

He barely smiled back. He reluctantly disconnected from her and found himself walking outside with his father. The acrid stench of burnt dinosaur still wafted through the colony, making Lucas' stomach turn. Despite it being the early hours of the morning, the main square of the colony was still bustling with soldiers attempting to restore Terra Nova to some form of normalcy. He got the odd look of concern from passersby, but Taylor ignored them.

"Thank you for saving them," Taylor said after a few minutes of walking in silence. "I'm not entirely sure why you did, or what your plan was exactly. But I am grateful."

"I didn't do it for you," Lucas spat. He watched the Commander's exhausted expression; he was tired of playing this game.

"I'll be straight with you," he said. "The next few weeks, maybe even months, aren't going to be pleasant for you."

"I suppose another banishment is out of the question," Lucas said facetiously.

Taylor wasn't amused. "I made a mistake banishing you. I never should have let you walk away. I made many mistakes with you, Lucas. That was one of my worst."

"Stop." Lucas rolled his eyes. "You're embarrassing yourself."

Taylor clenched his fist in annoyance, but he calmed himself. His quick temper had obviously passed down to his second-born. They both had to control themselves better.

"You will always be my son, no matter what you do. I meant what I said at EdenCorp. I just wanted us to be a family. Maybe I'm crazy, but I still do. If that's even possible."

"Family," Lucas scoffed. He paused a moment, glaring coldly at his father. "You know, the New Nichol offered me a deal. Or at least his General did. He asked me to do whatever it took to protect Terra Nova. Even if it meant stopping that idiot Hooper. I'll admit, things didn't really work out how I expected, but when they threatened Michael I had to improvise. I had to make them think they were winning."

Taylor raised an eyebrow, surprised. "They must have promised you something good. Let me guess; in return they were going to let you kill me? You already tried, boy. More than once. You failed, remember?"

Lucas shook his head. "Actually, what they offered me had nothing to do with you. I accepted the deal, as long as they left William alone in whatever their plan is. See, you don't matter to me anymore, Old Man. I don't care if you live or die." He scowled at him. "We're not family. We're not anything." The steely look in his father's eyes didn't give much away. If he was hurt or not, he couldn't tell. He didn't much care anymore. "After all this time, after everything we've done to each other, how can you stand there and call us family? I can't forget everything that's happened between us and I expect you can't either."

"Like I told your brother, I'm willing to try," Taylor said. "Terra Nova was meant to be a second chance, at least for the people who live here."

Lucas resisted rolling his eyes. "What if I'm not interested in a second chance?"

Taylor smiled slightly. "I hope, with time, I can change your mind."

Lucas paused for a long time, staring down at the ground, refusing to look his father in the eye. "Maybe you should have just killed me when Nichol wanted you to. It would have saved you a lot of trouble."

"No," Taylor replied, softly shaking his head. "I would never want that. This past year has taught me many things. One of them is to never give up hope. I still have hope, Lucas."

He could see from Lucas' petulant expression that he wasn't sold on the speech. It would take a long time for him to come around, if he ever did.

"I'd like to go to my cell now."

Taylor didn't look surprised. He beckoned some soldiers over and Lucas went with them willingly. As he was led down the steps to the Brig, the heavy door closing, he wondered how long he could last down here before he lost his mind completely.


The sun had risen in the colony and the remains of the attack were once again illuminated in the morning light. The clean up had been swift with the fire extinguished, the bodies buried, and a lot of the debris cleared away by sun up. The scars, however, had been deep. The destruction was plain to see and it was an unsettling sight for those returning from the mountains to see their home in such ruin.

Michael awoke in his chair in the Infirmary to find Wash gently shaking him. Sleepily, he wiped his eyes, glancing back at Skye who was getting some much needed rest.

"How is she?" Alicia whispered.

Michael yawned. "She's alright. She's a strong kid."

"Pretty tough soldier too. I'd happily take her under my wing if she's interested in some extra training. Like I did with you."

"If I remember correctly, our training had a lot more kissing involved." He winked at her, smirking and causing her to roll her eyes playfully

"Not all of it! I taught you plenty. You wouldn't be half the soldier you are now without me, Corporal."

"True." He got to his feet and gently pulled her towards him, gliding his hands along her arms. It was still a good feeling to be this close to her in public. She self-consciously glanced around her for a second, but none of the other patients seemed to be interested in them. She smiled as they held each other.

"I got word from Mira at the Mountain Base a couple of hours ago. The first few groups have started to return. She said Will is fine. He, Maddy and Deborah should be arriving home any minute now."

Michael seemed relieved. "I knew Maddy would take care of him."

"She's quite taken with him. We might have trouble getting him back from her," she joked.

"I doubt it," he said. "Once the crying starts and the diapers need changing."

Alicia chuckled. She gazed at him a moment, her amused smirk fading as she looked between his eyes. "You've really grown up, Michael."

He wrinkled his nose. "I don't think so, Li. I came back to this colony and lied to everyone. I was scared. I let myself and Lucas get bullied into doing Nichol's dirty work. I deceived my own father. That's going to take a while for me to overcome."

"I know." She smiled sadly. "But you did the right thing in the end. You fought for what was right. I'm just sorry you had to do all of those things because of me."

Michael appeared disturbed that she would think this. He shook his head vigorously as he took hold of both her shoulders. "No. I can only blame myself for getting involved with the Sixers and EdenCorp. You're the one who got me through it. Who led me to doing the right thing. Even when you weren't here, I could sense you guiding me. Teaching me."

She smiled warmly at him before surprising him with a kiss. "I'm proud of you."

His heart beat a little harder at the sensation of her mouth on his. Her lips were a comfort; she felt like home.

"Mom?" They heard Skye stir behind them, gently waking to the bright lights of the clinic as she squinted drowsily.

"She'll be here soon, Squirt," Michael said, sitting down beside her again. "The civilians are on their way back as we speak."

"I want to greet them," Skye requested in a raspy voice. "I wanna be there for when they come back."

"Out of the question, Skye," Doctor Shannon refused, overhearing the conversation from across the room. "You've just had a massive transfusion. It'll take weeks for you to recover. You need all the rest you can get."

"Come on, Doc. I'll make sure she's okay." Michael said hopefully. Elisabeth still looked unconvinced.

"We'll take her out in the wheelchair," Wash suggested. "Just for a few minutes so she can see everyone."

Elisabeth softened slightly. Her gaze settled back on Skye who looked at her with large, pleading eyes.

"Please?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said in defeat. "But just for a few minutes. I'll get the wheelchair."

Not long later and Michael was wheeling her outside. She held her breath at the site of the colony in such a terrible state; the burn marks that blemished the plaza, the crumbled remains of the Command Centre, the shattered gates. Her expression changed when she saw her fellow Terra Novans coming through the temporary defences.

Mira led the group with Sienna holding her hand. At first they were understandably distraught. But things changed when they were back inside, back home with friends and family. Skye saw her mother and Michael almost had to restrain her from jumping out of her wheelchair. Deborah raced over, crying but relieved to see her daughter in one piece. She knelt down to give Skye a hug, then Michael. Tasha was with her. She gave Skye a long cuddle. Then, looking up at Michael, she decided to hug him too. Michael hugged her back, replacing his surprise with relief as the girl released him and offered him a friendly smile.

There were more hugs and reassured laughter as the main square filled with people. He spotted Mira embracing Carter, Reilly holding hands with Nurse Ogawa, Malcolm looking a little dejected at the sight of yet another of his labs wrecked as he walked towards the clinic. He perked up a bit when Elisabeth greeted him with a hug and insisted the damage wasn't as bad as it looked.

Michael saw Boylan observing the remains of his roof gloomily, but his demeanor changed when he saw Michael. He pulled him in an embrace and slapped his back, happy to see he was okay.

Little Zoe ran past them with Josh in tow as they raced to see their mother. Elisabeth scooped her daughter up and spun her around before pulling Josh towards her for a kiss on the forehead. Jim appeared a second later, joining in the reunions and happy to see his kids again. Michael looked back to see Maddy handing Will back to Alicia, grinning happily. He smiled and made his way over to them, thanking Maddy and greeting his little boy again with a big grin. The baby seemed jolly enough, sucking on his fist and blowing spit bubbles gleefully. Just as Maddy was describing her night with William, Mark tapped her on the shoulder and she immediately launched into his arms. The newly-weds kissed and held each other, thankful to be back in each other's arms.

It was a welcome sight. Terra Nova had endured so much destruction and fighting and mistrust, it was good to see the colonists so content and full of love.

Taylor gave his welcome back speech from the centre of the Plaza since his balcony was in pieces behind him. Michael and Wash stood together for once as a family, little Will in his arms as they listened to Taylor's promise that they would rebuild and grow stronger; that his experiences had led him to reflect on his leadership and that he would be open to change and compromise.

In that moment, Michael was proud of him. His father had always ruled with an iron fist but he could see that he was changing. Having the Council had been a good start, but he recognised there were further improvements that could be made. He was willing to listen and unite everyone to fulfill his vision for Terra Nova.

However, Michael couldn't help thinking of those Phoenix Group soldiers who had been marched back to the portal. He could envisage that awful trek back to the future, their tails in between their legs. What would become of them now? What would become of the future for that matter? Would things get worse back there? Would they attack again? He wondered if soon there wouldn't be a future to go back to.

The Commander finished his speech and the Terra Novans settled back into their homes. He could see Skye with her friends, and Josh Shannon who seemed to have overcome the awkwardness of their break up. Skye seemed content, grinning up at them from her wheelchair as she described the crazy events of the previous day. Michael was happy to see that her friends were spending time with her again. They seemed to be taking good care of her, wheeling her back to the clinic to ensure she got her rest.

Baby Will slept comfortably against Michael's chest as Wash looped her arm through his and they walked home together.

Home. Funny how a year ago, he had stepped into that portal believing that he no longer had one. He couldn't face the people he loved, he couldn't bear the thought of going back because it hadn't felt like a home in a long time. He had felt so angry, so betrayed. He felt so rejected by his own people that he became the bad guy. But that had all changed now.

These gates, these buildings, these people. They were his home; his family. He knew now. They had to make each other better. They had to be better. They couldn't end up like those skeletons in the Badlands cave. The first civilisation here failed. 2150 failed. Terra Nova couldn't afford to fail. The colony was supposed to be about second chances, about forgiveness. They would try to remember that.

And that included Lucas, who he knew would be locked away in The Brig for a while to come. But they would let him heal like the rest of the colony. They would forgive him. They would help him whether he wanted it or not - and he wouldn't want it. He would fight it. He would hate every second of it. He would scream, he would cry. He would threaten. But little by little he would start to heal and accept the situation.

Once she was well enough, Skye would visit him - against the Commander's wishes. She would come through those doors and see him sitting there and she'd be the only one to make him smile.

The colony would gradually heal too. They would work together and repair what was lost with the little tools and supplies they had left. But it would be done.

The once Outsiders would be accepted again, with some hesitation. But people would learn that they were stronger together than they were apart. They would learn to trust Mira as an authority figure, and they would learn to trust Carter as their protector. They would accept Mira's little girl as their own, as if she had been there all along. And Sienna would grow up knowing what a rainbow looked like in real life.

And Michael would sit with Wash and their child on their porch in the summer evenings, looking up at the stars and the giant moon that illuminated the darkness in the sky. Safe in the knowledge that his family were here. Alicia, Will, his dad, Lucas, Boylan, Skye, Mark, even the Shannons.

And nothing could jeopardise that this time around.

At least, he hoped.