Chapter 17

Progress in Reverse

"Are you sure this is the place?"

"This is what he said."

"That's not as comforting as I'd like it to be."

The soft streams of air from Jim's rebreather curled through the mist, dividing the thick clouds in front of his face for a moment before they replaced themselves. The small group was venturing down the length of the river - a long, winding section of supposed water that snaked through the city from one side to the other. Given their proximity to the water's surface, the air was becoming increasingly foggy, very damp, and ran rank with the smell of mold and sodden garbage that had been piled up near the river bank. Ordinarily, no one ventured close to the river - no one tended to be that stupid - but this was the clearest direction they'd received since they had begun their search. Given this fact - and the fact that Jim would likely have gone on alone regardless of their decision - they had proceeded, following the children cautiously through the mist toward the old bridge. The informant had said that his brother had watched two people pull a young girl into a doorway beneath the bridge itself some weeks ago. Where that doorway led, no one could guess .. yet. They were nearing the place. The fog made it almost impossible to identify anything until they were practically on top of it, but they were close. They had to be. They could stumble across it any second ..

The faint breeze sent the clouds of fog spiraling gently over the water. Then the air grew still. The dark figure reared up out of the mist like a ghost, appearing in front of them so abruptly and silently that Jim's heart stopped in his chest. The man-like shape wavered slightly, then, making a dim grunting sound, stepped forward, seeming to glide through the cloud like a shadow. Another shape materialized behind him, and then another, and another. Within seconds, they had been surrounded on every side by the ethereal creatures. Though they appeared human, the figures swayed clumsily as they walked, making soft grunting sounds when they made any noise at all. For the most part, they were unnervingly silent. Every member of the shadowy group was almost unnaturally large. There was a horrifying unpredictability about them, almost as though they could go from brainless corpses to savage attackers in a split second. Looking into the eyes of the nearest one, Mira shuddered inwardly and tore her gaze away. There had been nothing there, no soul, no mind behind the eyes, simply a blank stare, as though she had been looking behind the curtain of someone that was already dead.

"Terminators .." Lucy's voice whispered fearfully. "They're not normally found this close to the city .."

"It would seem they're migrating." Mira murmured, sliding her hand into her jacket to retrieve her knife. Just as she felt the cool tip of the handle against her fingers, one particular figure distanced itself from the others. The man came to a stop directly in front of the visitors, taking them all in one by one. Unlike the others, he seemed more awake, more conscious of his own humanity. He was younger than he'd seemed at first, possibly early 20s, but as they met his gaze, there was still a chilling sense that not all was as it should be. He blinked slowly, then tilted his head to look down at Zayne. The movement was slow and unsettlingly robotic in nature. He stood several inches taller than the younger boy. Zayne looked up, seeming to start as he did so, a strange mixture of expressions filtering over his face. The moderately coherent newcomer, assumed to be the leader of the party, suddenly twisted his dirty unmasked mouth into an unpleasant sneer.

"Well, if it isn't the class rep and his pet sister."

The ring of bodies around them seemed to have paused at the statement. The leader folded his arms slowly, jutting his jaw sideways in an odd expression of contemplation.

"I have to say, of all the people I might have expected to run into here, you were not on the list."

"Wilt." Zayne muttered. There was a sharp note of fear in his usually quiet voice. "What do you want?"

"Come on, that's no way to treat an old pal." The older boy flicked his tongue out to lick his lips, nodding to the adults behind Zayne. "Who are these guys?"

"None of your business."

"Aw, come on, that's not very nice manners." His pale eyes glinted. They were almost too pale, as though they were covered by a thin shell of ice. "Introduce us."

"No." Zayne retorted, managing to sound so disdainful he half impressed himself. "Go crawl back into your hole. We're busy."

"Oh really?" The big boy crept closer, clapping a long black rod threateningly against his other palm. Zayne resisted the urge to take a step back.

"Look who got cocky all of a sudden. Did the class rep finally grow up?"

"Shut up."

"Ooh." The bigger boy grinned, his yellowing teeth visible even in the foggy light. "No .. No, I don't think I will."

He weaved his head from left to right, the movement starting from his neck and making its way up with a snakelike essence.

"Do you really think you can stand up to me? You, your sweet little sister, and this old man? And who's he?" Nodding to Jim. "You adopt a dad to replace your old dead one?"

The men behind Wilt sniggered, still swaying in the half-light with that same unsettling rhythm.

"That's sad, man." The older boy's eyes flicked to Mira, who was watching him coldly. "At least the scrawny hen over there looks like she might have some fight in her. Why don't we find out?"

"Leave it." Taylor ordered, drawing Wilt's eyes to him immediately. "We don't want trouble with you. Just passing through. We'll be on our way."

"Oh, will you?" The boy sneered, clenching the rod in his hand until his knuckles began to turn white. "Did you hear that, boys? Grandpa doesn't want a fight."

He lashed out sideways with the rod, swinging his arm violently at nothing in particular. As the disturbed mist resettled, he turned, apparently calm again, and sidled closer, putting his weathered face centimeters from Taylor's.

"Haven't seen you people before. You haven't been around here long, have you, old man? Obviously, you don't know the rules."

"I can take a pretty good guess." Taylor responded mildly. "You guys own the streets. You run the area through fear and intimidation. You take what you want and step on anyone who gets in your way. The police don't come after you because they're afraid of the casualties, so you feel unbeatable. Am I getting close?"

The boy shrugged.

"Not bad .. you know what this means, right?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

"This means you're on our territory." He spat out. "It means we can do whatever we like to you."

"You could." Taylor responded easily. "But that would mean beating up an old man and a couple of kids. You might be an ugly thug, but come on. You have some level of decency, don'tcha?"

As Wilt contemplated this, the answer came from another sector.

"He doesn't. He never has."

The lowered voice seethed with anger and built-up resentment. Both Taylor and Wilt turned to stare down at Zayne. The boy stared back, his dark hollow eyes now blazing like coals. Wilt abruptly snorted.

"Looks like someone needs a new lesson. We have history, you see." He offered to Taylor by way of explanation. "Zayne here used to kindly run interference for me with the cops. Then he dropped out of school and disappeared. You come back to re-offer your services, puppet?"

Before Zayne could respond to this, Taylor spoke up, putting a quieting hand on the younger boy's chest, as though he sensed some future action and wanted to prevent its occurrence.

"Whatever he was, he's our guide now. And we need him more than you do. You seem to be doing just fine on your own."

"Yeah, how would you know?"

"Well, a man doesn't gain himself so many loyal followers for no reason." Taylor pointed out, nodding to the circle of thugs that still remained where they had stopped, waiting for instructions. "Must have some qualities they're lookin' for."

The young terminator snorted.

"Those .. qualities .. come at quite a price."

"I'll bet they do."

"A fact the class rep here knows better than anyone." Wilt turned his slightly reptilian stare back on the younger boy. "Seeing as he used to help make the stuff."

He stared at Zayne.

"What, no endearingly witty comeback?" He sneered sarcastically. "Or maybe you're having second thoughts about leaving the scene? We make quite the commission these days, I can tell you - much better than the scraps we made when you were on the job. But then, the rep never did seem to like our line of work."

Zayne kept his gaze downcast. He said nothing. The boy's eyes pierced gleefully into his face like slivered needles.

"Don't like that name, do you, Zayney? Too bad. You're the class rep. You'll always be the class rep."

Jim threw a brief look of confusion at Taylor. Wilt didn't miss it. He turned back to Zayne with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"Could it be .. your new friends don't know?"

He waited for some response, some question. Finally, receiving none, he shrugged.

"I mean, suit yourself, but it seems kind of unfair your friends don't know you're special. That you're .. one of a kind."

Zayne was silent.

"You're really not gonna tell them, class of '49?"

"We're leaving."

"Too bad you're not." The bully leered down at him. "Me and my boys are not letting you through until you confess."

"I didn't do anything."

"No .." The corner of his mouth twitched, almost pityingly. "You really didn't, did you?"

Zayne tried to push past him, but the older boy threw him back easily.

"Tell them, Lone Ranger. Tell them your sordid backstory."

"Nothing to tell." Zayne mumbled, causing Wilt to cock his head forward in an exaggerated show of trying to hear.

"What was that, didn't quite catch that."

"I said .." Zayne gritted his teeth and stared up at his former acquaintance, his eyes glinting through his damp hair. "There's nothing to tell."

Wilt feigned shock.

"Did you hear that, boys?!" He stared around at his dumbstruck minions. "He treats 19 counts of murder like it's nothing!"

"I didn't kill them!" Zayne lashed out.

"Leave him alone!" Lucy yelled from just behind him. Wilt eyed her for a moment.

"You're not leaving either until he talks, so I suggest, little missy, that you remain very.. very .. silent."

Something in the coolness of his stare made her think better of retaliating. Zayne's eyes had dropped to the ground again.

"There really is not much to tell." The boy released a small sigh as he gave up his attempt at resistance. He fingered the trigger of the rifle in his hands, running a thumb over the cool metal as the older boy watched him eagerly.

"It was the year 7 class of 2149." Zayne began, his soft voice melting into the mist. "Two days before our elementary school graduation, the whole class called in sick. I was the only one who showed up. They never came back. Apparently they'd been planning the whole thing all year. They never intended to graduate. They all went out together."

"Yeah .. with a little help from the monorail." Wilt sneered. Zayne took a slow breath.

"I'd only been there a couple of months. Guess I was the only one that didn't get the memo."

"So he shows up .." Wilt finished the story. ".. the only one in the class on the last day of school. The only one standing up at graduation. The only representative left of the class of '49. And then .."

He elbowed Zayne.

"Come on, get to the best part."

"Lots of people had already left Chicago after Hope Plaza went up, but now a ton more took their kids out of the school. Aunt Erika decided I should stay as a show of support. Our class sizes had shrunk a lot, obviously, so we combined with the older grades."

"And we were thrown together." Wilt grinned, casting a heavy arm around the boy. "A match made in Heaven. One might even call it fate. I needed an errand boy .. and he had no one left to persuade him otherwise."

"I didn't have a choice."

"He weaseled the cops, he made deliveries, he lied, he stole, he vandalized, he cheated .. he was a one-man band of low lives. The Christmas of 2149 crime explosion was probably mostly thanks to this kid alone!"

The older boy cackled to himself. Lucy said nothing, watching in misery as her cousin was raked over the coals. Evidently she had heard the story before.

"And then .. snap." Wilt snapped his fingers to illustrate the point. "He vanished. Left school, dropped us, melted into thin air. Gone in a second, just like his classmates before him."

He paused to measure Zayne's reaction, but the younger boy said nothing.

"Looks like his battery's dead. All out of comebacks for today? Too bad."

"It's getting late." Jim interjected suddenly. "We should move on while we still have time to get home."

The boy stepped sideways as Jim began to move forward, blocking his path much as he had recently blocked Zayne's.

"Where do you think you're going? We're not finished with you yet."

The other men moved to encircle the group, smiling eerily, their eyes still maintaining the same lifeless, half-human stare. Jim looked into Wilt's face, setting his jaw firmly.

"He did what you wanted. He told his story. Now we're leaving your turf. I suggest you let us. We don't want any trouble with you, and I'm sure you're tired of our company."

"You're probably right." The bully stated mildly, looking down to meet Lucy's worried gaze. "Leave the girl and you're all free to go."

Before Jim could answer, Zayne burst to life again, resisting Taylor's restraining arm.

"No!"

"See?" The bully grinned at Zayne before turning back to Jim with a small shrug. "He's hopeless. No foresight. No self-control. Blind rages, that's all he's good at. He would've made a good soldier for my current little army if he'd stuck around."

Lucy glanced around at the zombie-like men surrounding them and shuddered a little, realizing for possibly the first time just how close her cousin had come to being one of them. Mira placed a hand on her shoulder, warning her once again to be still.

"Watch this." Wilt was eyeing Zayne with anticipation, his jaw hanging slightly open a crack, giving him the air of a captivated crocodile. "You're a coward, class rep. You're a disgrace. No wonder the UK kicked you out. They probably killed your parents just so they had an excuse to get rid of you."

"Hey, easy-"

"No, no, shh .." The older boy held up a hand to Jim, halting his protests with a cold stare. "Watching only. No commentary or I'll make you sit out. Permanently."

He turned back to Zayne, replacing the grin. His target's shoulders were already beginning to stiffen. Any moment now ..

"You think you're so smart? You can't even defend yourself. What makes you think you can protect anything else?"

3 ..

"I know where you live, you know. That big dome .. I can even get in. You know how I know? Cause I've been in before .."

2 ..

His pale eyes glinted as Zayne looked up quickly.

"Oh, surprised, are you? It's easy. One swipe of my special access card and every part of the house is at my fingertips. One word from me and my boys'll take you down. All of you. Get ready to lose another family."

1 ..

He chuckled as Taylor's grip tightened on the front of Zayne's shirt. Evidently the older man could sense the boy's restlessness. Zayne was on the edge.

"So you see .." Wilt spread his hands matter-of-factly. ".. you never really escaped my clutches. There's nowhere you can run where you'll be safe from me .."

Now for the clincher ..

"And as for that sweet little sister of yours .. I've seen her room. I can get in anytime I want to .. who knows .." He leaned forward to hiss his final words directly into Zayne's face. ".. she might even let me in .."

It was unclear whether Wilt had assumed he'd be able to dodge the blow or whether he had simply assumed it wouldn't hurt him, but the sleepy boy he'd known in school was now a lot stronger and quicker than he looked. Zayne had slipped out of Taylor's grip with one twist, swinging his rifle back in the same movement. There was a resounding crack as it collided with the terminator's head. Both groups of witnesses stood still, temporarily frozen to the spot by the speed and savageness of the attack. Zayne had rapidly followed up with another blow to the ribs. Unbalanced, the older boy had dropped his baton and fallen to the ground, Zayne on top of him.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Zayne was screaming, raining down more hits from above. Wilt was not as far gone as his friends, and he was finding to his great discomfort that his numbed pain threshold was still largely alive and well. Zayne crashed the rifle down into his forehead, avoiding Wilt's flailing hands by a hair.

"And she's my cousin, you idiot!"

Wilt managed to catch the rifle on the next swing. Zayne stopped in surprise as he found himself suddenly unable to move his arms. He met Wilt's eye with a sinking feeling. The older boy's face was now bruised and bleeding .. but a slow smile had begun to creep across it. Zayne felt the thick muscles tense beneath him as a wicked gleam settled into the damaged face. Then all hell broke loose.

The enemy gang sprang into action like a pack of hyenas, leaping toward the two on the ground of one accord. Wilt had thrown Zayne off by the time they had reached him, but as the younger boy scrambled to his feet, he found his arms captured by two more impossibly tight grips, cutting off the circulation to his biceps. His stomach dropped as he felt his feet leave the ground, then the man's arms contracted and he was flung away, still hanging onto his rifle for dear life. Evidently they had been closer to the phantom bridge than anyone had realized, because Zayne's short flight was ended abruptly by the sudden appearance of a mossy concrete wall. Another crack rang out, and he fell to the grass, unmoving.

Wilt had risen from his own resting place and now followed Zayne's trajectory, albeit from the ground level. His steps were slow and calculated, the same unnerving grin flickering back onto his face.

"Alright, you asked for it, reppy. I'm gonna enjoy this."

As his own men surrounded Zayne like a swarm of milling insects, he paused to look back at his visitors. It was, after all, impolite to conduct business while company was present.

"You're free to go." He offered generously. "Looks like this idiot's gonna take his sister's place."

"No!" Lucy screamed, fighting Mira's firm grip around her waist.

They were severely outnumbered. Their best chance would have been to take off while the men were distracted .. but - admittedly, often to their own detriment - they had never been the type to take the easy way out to save their own skins. Taylor exchanged a look with Jim, who nodded slightly.

The two charged forward, throwing themselves at the nearest targets as hard as they could. Taylor's advance left one confused Kaprosuchus exposed to the surrounding events for the first time. The animal stared in bewilderment at the hole Taylor had left, then tilted his head curiously at the ruckus breaking out a few metres away. His attention quickly swerved upward to the woman beside him. Mira had unsheathed her hunting dagger and was swinging it viciously at a man nearby. The thug was attempting to get close to her, but the sight of the silver blade slicing the mist to shreds in front of his eyes seemed to be deterring him. Jim appeared to be struggling with his own opponent. His blows were glancing off the hardened body like he was attempting to punch a rubber dummy. The Kaprosuchus bounded off toward him, but pulled up short a stride later as a deafening shot rang out. Everyone paused, tracking the destination of the bullet with their eyes.

Wilt, having retrieved his black bar, was now standing over Zayne, muscles clenched in preparation for the barrage of merciless blows he had been about to unleash. With the advent of the pistol bang, he paused as his men had done, barely flinching even when the blood from the embedded bullet began to stream down his shoulder. His bleak eyes narrowed further as he centered them on the girl who had shot him. Lucy's own eyes had turned dark and hard. She held the pistol up where she had leveled it, a thin trail of heat still whispering up from the muzzle and blending with the fog. Wilt considered himself to be a remorseless criminal, but something in the girl's gaze sent a chill shuddering into the pit of his stomach. Lucy was perfectly calm, her face set in a grim mask of cool indifference. Wilt started toward her, but the blood flowing freely along his arm began to pool in his hands, making it difficult and distracting to keep hold of the baton. Mira had managed to temporarily dispatch her own attacker and darted forward to where Zayne lay. She dropped beside him, pulling the barely conscious boy up and slinging his arm around her shoulder for balance. Zayne groaned slightly, but showed no other signs of life. Mira met Jim's eye.

"Let's go, Shannon!"

Jim ducked under another heavy blow and turned to look for the other man.

"Taylor .."

"Yeah .. on my mark .." The former commander blocked a blow, raising his arm to protect his face. The two limbs thudded sharply against each other, the impact sending pins and needles through the men. Taylor seized his moment.

"Run!"

Already a step ahead of them, the former commander leapt backward, neatly evading another swing as he tried to shake some feeling back into his numb arm. Darting toward Lucy, he managed to reach her before Wilt did, pausing to relieve her of the pistol. Lucy's hands seemed to be glued to the thing, so he quickly gave up the attempt, changing tactics instead to seize her shoulders and shake them, none too gently.

"Kid! Snap out of it, we got incoming. Help Mira with your cousin."

Lucy nodded immediately, and took off. Wilt swiped at her on the way past, but missed. He was big and powerful, but his confusion was making him clumsy. Lucy reached Mira and slipped under Zayne's other arm. Taylor and Jim created a rough path for them to escape by, bouncing back the persistent attackers as the other three fled. When they had decided the others had retreated a sufficient distance, Taylor met Jim's eye, nodding hurriedly.

"Go!"

Receiving a jarring blow to the shoulder as he turned, Taylor followed on Jim's heels as they made a hasty exit from the arena. They caught up with the others easily. Lucy turned as they drew level.

"We can't outrun them!" She gasped, sounding panicked. Her cousin was making it awkward to move quickly, though Mira was carrying most of the weight. Despite the obvious drawbacks to her statement, however, Taylor was grinning.

"We don't have to." He looked meaningfully down at her for a moment, then nodded back toward their pursuers. Lucy paused to follow his gaze.

Wilt's gang were still just visible in the thick river fog. They had begun their headlong charge immediately after the others had fled, and they had indeed started off with horrifying speed, but had pulled up in their tracks as the Kaprosuchus swung around to face them. Evidently he hadn't liked their nearing proximity any more than his companions had. The bunch of terminators were now following much more slowly, their bodies moving with robotic calculation. They circled about, watching the creature warily through their animal-like haze, their eyes locked to his. Their leader was screaming at them to go, but not even he seemed inclined to get too close. Taylor eyed Jim briefly as they made their exit.

"Glad I brought him yet?"

"Yeah, yeah, alright. I'm glad you brought him."

At Taylor's sharp whistle, the leggy Kaprosuchus came bounding back.

"Now we better get out of sight fast." The silver-haired soldier threw another look over his shoulder into the swirling clouds they had just abandoned.

"If they catch us again, it'll be bad news. Those guys can't be far behind."

"Again?!"

One piece of rusted garbage after another went spinning across the room as Kensinge listened to the report, causing a methodical series of crashes as they hit the scrap pile in the corner. Some distance away, near the centre of the massive warehouse, Zoe and Esteban exchanged a look.

"Those colonists are unrelenting, they're like a pest infestation!" Kensinge's voice echoed through the cavernous space, carrying back to them clearly. Zoe risked a glance over to see the scientist run a hand through her hair in frustration. The static she created only served to make the blonde mop stand up unevenly. Zoe turned hurriedly away before she succumbed to the temptation to laugh aloud.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone, but now it's a matter of pride." Kensinge was saying to the unknown party on the other end of the comms unit. "We're changing tactics. Get the flyers out. I want every man we can get our hands on sent out there."

She snapped her screen shut, standing still for a moment as she faced the wall. Perhaps she was trying to get her temper in check, Zoe mused, side-eyeing the woman while trying to appear uninterested. Whatever Kensinge had been attempting, it didn't seem to have worked. She turned back to the two, spinning on her heel and marching over to where she had left Zoe with her second-in-command, her face still glowering heatedly. Zoe avoided meeting her eye. She was only allowed out of her crate when Kensinge visited. It was a luxury she cherished more than anything else. The last thing she wanted to do was risk angering the one person who could take it away from her. She readjusted her position, gazing studiously at her cards and trying not to notice the sharp boot steps approaching from her left. She was perched atop a large compound storage cube, legs folded comfortably beneath her. Esteban sat across the bench between them, seated on his an identical cube. He was frowning slightly, staring at the cards in his own hand. Finally, he slid something small into the centre of the bench and muttered, apparently to himself.

"Raise you two shell casings."

Zoe squinted suspiciously at them, holding one up to the light as though she was a fine diamond dealer. She dropped it back to the bench in disappointment.

"This one's dented. A lot."

He eyed her across his hand.

"What have you got to counter offer?"

She thought for a moment, then reached out into the middle. The soldier narrowed his eyes at her hand. She didn't appear to be holding anything.

"I'll raise you one piece of string from my blanket."

His eyes flicked back up to her gravely.

"Are you sure you want to part with that? Seems pretty valuable. You never know when a piece of string might come in handy."

"I'm sure." Zoe nodded firmly, leaning forward a few inches to whisper conspiratorially. "If you must know .. I have another in my back pocket."

He clucked his tongue softly.

"Fatal mistake. Never give away how much you're willing to trade."

".. oh. Oops."

"You can remember it for next time."

Kensinge had paused nearby, the expression of anger in her face melting into one of curiosity. As she watched, her forehead gradually creased in distress. She addressed her second-in-command sharply, causing Zoe to jump, though Esteban didn't seem at all surprised by the interruption.

"What are you - you're teaching her poker?! She's 8 years old! You shouldn't-"

She stopped dead at the look on his face, a mixture of irritation and amusement that might have said"Heather, we literally abducted this child and instead of being worried about that, you're worried about her mind being corrupted through the evils of gambling.". Nothing came out of his mouth, however. Instead, he went back to his cards, turning his attention back to his small and rather bewildered opponent as a subdued Kensinge retreated.

"Where were we?"

They had just restarted their game when another even set of footsteps rang out against the cold stone floor, the hard heels of the wearer's shoes sending echoes rippling out in all directions.

"You know, no matter how many times I navigate your labyrinth, it never ceases to amaze me."

His voice imitated the effect, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly where he would spring out from. Kensinge seemed to have been expecting him, however, and had her focus centered on one particular entrance. The other two followed her gaze, their game once again forgotten.

The stranger began as a shadow, taking shape as his lanky form separated itself from the patches of murky darkness that littered the edges of the warehouse. Two bigger men followed directly behind him, tailing him in silence like two massive black ducklings as he crossed the middle of the room. Kensinge waited until he stopped in front of her before attempting any sort of welcoming address. They were finding that she didn't seem particularly gifted in hospitality anyway. Even in this case, her greeting only amounted to a muttered,

"Good, you're here."

The newcomer ignored this, instead tilting his head to nod in Zoe's direction, studying the girl with a curious expression.

"She's out of her cage."

"For a few minutes." Kensinge replied carelessly. "She needs to stretch her legs or she'll go crazy and be more trouble in the long run."

Simon scoffed, shaking his head as he returned his gaze to the physicist across from him.

"You always were such a nurturing soul."

Kensinge raised her chin a little, her eyes flickering in challenge.

"Are you mocking me?"

Simon imitated the gesture.

"Are you taking the bait?"

Zoe looked up from her cards once more to meet Esteban's eye, a slight frown touching her face.

"Are they flirting?"

"Sure looks that way, doesn't it?"

".. gross."

The answering flicker of a smile only lit his features for a second, but it was enough for Kensinge to notice it. She cleared her throat, immediately on her guard again, much to Simon's annoyance.

"So what did you come for really, other than to comment on my childcare services?"

He sighed a little, returning airily to the business at hand.

"Oh, just the usual - progress check."

Kensinge nodded, seeming to relax somewhat as she launched into her premeditated report.

"Alright, well, the diagnostic tests on the Probe are complete. We conducted them in sections over the last couple of months while the colony slept."

"Because it lights up during the testing." Simon interrupted, causing Kensinge to nod again in confirmation of the statement.

"That's right. We couldn't find a way to disable the visuals without compromising the functionality of the device."

"And?" Simon prompted with interest. "What did you find?"

"It seems to be fully operational. It .." Kensinge's voice faded as she suddenly paused, watching him quizzically. "Shouldn't you be taking some of this down? I'm sure our superiors will want a copy of it."

"You're absolutely right." Simon assented, hesitating for a moment, as though weighing up his next move. After a few moments, he raised his hand to reveal a small device concealed in his palm. "That's why I'm recording it."

Kensinge eyed him.

"You were recording me without my knowledge or my permission?"

"Didn't want to ruin your off-the-cuff charm by making you nervous." He flashed a grin at her, causing the scientist's own manner to soften a touch. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Kensinge murmured stiffly. The knowledge that every word was now being immortalized did indeed seem to be making her nervous. "Just don't do it again."

Simon nodded congenially, regretting the fact that he had ever brought up the listening device. He smiled a little, prompting her once again.

"And the Probe? You were talking about the Probe .."

"Yes .." Kensinge hesitated for a moment, and then shrugged. "Well, let's just say it certainly has the capacity to do everything they say it can do."

Simon, feeling she was holding something back from him, but unsure what it was, fought to keep his irritation hidden.

"So why haven't you retrieved it?"

"It's a matter of timing." She explained simply, folding her arms and gazing out over the piles of scrap in the warehouse as though she could actually see the pieces coming together around her. "Be patient. Our armies are advancing a little more every day. We know the terrain down there better than anyone. They can't sustain their resistance for much longer. When the time comes to act, it'll all happen quickly. Terra Nova will fall like a house of cards."

"You're horrible!"

Zoe was suddenly up and had turned on them, the game forgotten behind her. Several cards had fallen to the floor in the disturbance. Esteban ignored them, his attention fixed intently on Zoe.

Simon, for his part, stared down at the small girl's flaming eyes in surprise. He wasn't accustomed to children of any variety, but even from the little reference he had to compare her with, this one seemed more emotional than most. Zoe met his gaze for just a moment, then, as though suddenly deciding the stranger wasn't worth the effort, she clenched her fists and wheeled around to confront Kensinge instead.

"How can you talk like that?! You can't destroy the colony! You'll kill everyone inside!"

The blonde physicist stared down at her coldly, but said nothing. Simon took up the gauntlet himself, kneeling before the girl and addressing her gently.

"You're the little Terra Novan girl, aren't you? Sometimes sacrifices have to be made in war. It might all be too much for you now, but one day, you'll understand it, believe me."

"You want to kill them." Zoe stared into his eyes, her own glittering with repressed tears. "I'll never understand. I don't want to understand. You're all as selfish as each other."

Simon smiled a little, shrugging as he stood.

"This is true."

"My Dad'll stop you." She said, less confidently than she had intended. "And when he does, he'll make you sorry you ever tried to take Terra Nova."

"Well, I sincerely hope you're wrong about that." Simon grinned briefly, then waved a hand at Esteban. "Put her back in her cage."

"I don't work for you."

Simon raised an eyebrow at the quiet man across from him, but before he could respond, Kensinge stepped forward and put a hand on his arm, drawing his attention back to her.

"I'll take care of this. I'm sure you have more important things to get back to. If that's all .."

"That's all." Simon replied shortly. "I'll take my leave now. But if I were you, Heather, I'd try and keep a tighter leash on your bulldog. If you don't cultivate more respect in your employees, you'll never be able to keep them in check."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." She responded coolly. After watching him walk away for a minute, followed once again by his two shadows, she turned back to Zoe, taking her arm a little roughly and escorting her back to the container. Zoe had to struggle to keep her feet beneath her as she was deposited inside.

"I hate you, you know." The girl muttered as she backed into the tiny room, her eyes boring holes into her enemy. "I always have."

"I know." The woman scientist sounded almost miserable at the admission, though she maintained her stoney demeanor despite the fact.

"I wish you'd kidnapped someone other than me." Zoe said in a small voice as she dropped onto her bed. With the movement, the burning fire in her eyes had been extinguished in an instant. "I know it's selfish, but .."

She shrugged.

".. maybe we're all selfish." She finished wearily, sounding as though she had given up on herself as much as her captors.

"Maybe we are." Kensinge muttered in response. She stared at Zoe in silence, the minutes dragging on until the girl finally looked up and met her eyes.

"You scared me today, you know."

Zoe blinked.

"I scared you?"

Kensinge ignored the question.

"Don't talk to Simon like that again." She eyed the small girl warily. "He might not look it, but he can be unpredictable. If you start making him nervous, he might lash out. Try not to interact with him if you can help it."

"How could I make him nervous?" Zoe stared at her in confusion. "I can't do anything, I'm a prisoner, remember?"

Kensinge bit her lip for a moment, as though considering whether or not to say her next words. She continued slowly, calculatingly.

"You know we chose everyone that ended up in Terra Nova. Went through them all with a fine-toothed comb. Every one had their purpose. Every one was meant to be there. Every one was planned .. except for you."

".. so?" Zoe questioned, feeling a growing unease she couldn't explain. "I wasn't part of the plan, but it's not like I came wielding a samurai sword or anything. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I'm not important, I was just .. an accident."

"But, you see, I believe everything happens for a reason .. so you are important, maybe even more important than you know." The physicist studied Zoe for a moment. The girl was obviously afraid, but she stared back into the woman's eyes. Kensinge continued solemnly. "And I'm sorry to say it, but you know what that makes you?"

She waited, but Zoe offered no reply.

".. dangerous."

"I'm not dangerous." Zoe stared at her warily. "But you've been weird all day. What's wrong? What's happened?"

Kensinge ran a hand through her hair.

"What do you mean?"

Zoe seemed to relax a little.

"I mean, you're freaked out. Something's gone wrong. What is it?"

"Nice try, kid. You think I'm going to tell the daughter of our enemy about my own problems?"

"Who'm I gonna tell?"

The side of Kensinge's mouth curled up a little.

"Suffice it to say things are turning out a little differently than I'd expected."

Zoe sighed and shook her head, staring out of her air holes calmly, the dots casting specks of light over her face.

"You know what I think?"

Kensinge flopped down onto a nearby crate and sat watching the girl.

"What?"

"I think your loyalties have shifted. You're not on the right team anymore." She turned back to the woman who was staring at her intently. "But now you're stuck."

"How so?"

"Well, you can't leave or they'll hunt you down and kill you, but you can't stay anymore because of your conscience." Zoe stated matter-of-factly. "Terra Nova has a way of bringing dark side people into the light."

Kensinge laughed a little.

"Unfortunately, it has a much higher record of doing exactly the reverse as well."

"So what are you gonna do?"

Kensinge nodded and stood slowly.

"Well, for starters, I'm gonna stop taking advice from a kid."

Zoe watched her from below.

"And then .. ?"

"And then .." A series of emotions flickered across the scientist's face in a curious manner, a little like a night light with a rotating shade. Then she settled on one, and her face became like stone again. "And then I'm going to go back to Base Zero to do my job. This ends when I say it ends. I don't give up without a fight."

"Giving up isn't the same as changing your mind!" Zoe called after her as she left the room. She fell back against the wall of her container and shook her head, her gaze settling upon the half-latched door. Kensinge had evidently been in a hurry to leave. As the girl watched, it shifted, slowly bouncing free of its lock with a low grating sound to reveal a sliver of the world outside. Her eyes lit up, the darkness causing her grin to seem startlingly white against the rest of her face. It was an effect that would have chilled Kensinge to the bone should she have witnessed it. Perhaps luckily for the physicist, her mind was preoccupied with other matters. She didn't return.

Zoe sat up a little straighter on her bed, staring hungrily through the slit in the door as she clasped her knees, listening. In the end, she couldn't control Kensinge's actions - couldn't even begin to predict them. She had no say over what the woman decided to do. The one thing she could control was herself. Kensinge was stubborn. In all likelihood, she would never surrender. She would rather die first.

"If you want to kill yourself, go right ahead .." Zoe muttered bitterly, shutting any sympathy for her captor out of her mind as she focused on the task ahead of her. ".. but if you think you're gonna take me down with you, you can think again."

She locked her eyes on the door, her expression hardening into one of cool determination.

".. cause I don't give up either."