Chapter 27
Igniting the Atmosphere
It was still glowing. Lucas frowned, cupping a hand around the small slice of metal as he held it up to his face, squinting against the sunlight. Maybe the brightness of the day was playing tricks on his eyes .. but no, the blue glow still beamed up at him cheerfully, daring him to keep scowling at it. Lucas dropped the tag, his stomach threatening to blossom into his dry mouth as the metal jangled against his chest. Dunham, crouched on the grass below him, tossed the flat disc in his hand absently, watching Lucas' pale face with a sinking feeling.
"Well? Is it out?"
The physicist met his gaze for a moment, then shook his head slightly. Dunham frowned, rising to his feet.
"What? Are you sure? Let me see."
He reached for the chain around his companion's neck, holding it up to his face, his mouth forming a thin line as he examined the object. It was indeed glowing. The dog tags Lucas always wore had inbuilt wireless sensors, though it had been a long time since they'd been utilized. They'd been repurposed of late, however, and had become his detector for finding black spots in their minefield of electromagnetic devices. When he was near an EMID, the glowing decal on the front of the tag was supposed to go black, showing the disruption in the flow of electricity. Dunham glared down at the disc in his hand.
"Maybe this thing's malfunctioning."
Lucas disentangled his tag from the soldier's fingers.
"Then get the replacement one out and test it."
"Good idea."
They powered the other disc up, Dunham holding the two in his hands like an experienced waiter. The little blue glow never wavered. In fact, it seemed to grow even brighter, as though it took great delight in tormenting them. The two men met each other's eyes numbly. Dunham offered another weak attempt at explanation.
"Maybe your necklace is broken."
"No, it's working fine." Lucas glanced around, his spine suddenly prickling. "You know what it means as well as I do. Our interference signal must be being plugged by something else nearby. They're onto us."
"Well, that's not good."
The voice was a new one, a woman's. He glanced at Dunham quickly, as if just to make sure. The soldier shot him an unappreciative look before following his gaze to the edge of the forest, where a blonde-headed figure had just stepped out from the thick cover of the giant ferns. The corner of Lucas' mouth curled upward dryly.
"If it isn't the jungle fairy herself."
Kensinge lowered her eyelids in his direction as she paused next to Dunham. The soldier didn't seem to notice much. His attention was still fixed behind her, where a series of faces were drifting in and out of the leaves at the forest edge, rippling weirdly with the afternoon shadows.
"Sorry." Kensinge murmured, picking up one of the EMIDs resting loosely in the hand beside her and surveying it curiously. "I delayed them as long as I could, but any technician worth his salt could figure out a way to counter your little knickknacks."
A passing cloud threw a dark screen over Lucas' face.
"What do you mean, 'delayed them'?" He demanded, as Dunham indignantly retrieved his stolen possession from the woman's clutches. "Why would you help us?"
Kensinge shrugged, folding her arms to hide her now-empty hands.
"Maybe I like you." She responded, holding his gaze humorlessly. "Or maybe I don't trust them any more than you do. And maybe I've got a good reason."
Lucas opened his mouth to respond, but the red-headed soldier to his right cut in ahead of him.
"Oh, really?" Dunham peered down at the woman. "What reason exactly?"
"Not yet." She murmured, her eyes flicking across to meet the soldier's before focusing back on Lucas solemnly. "I need you to do something for me first."
This time Dunham waited, watching Lucas silently as the other man responded, his voice cool and hard.
"Why on earth would we help you?"
"I have information on their camp, their movements." Kensinge answered immediately, well prepared to defend her own suggestion. "I'll trade you for some food and weapons."
"We have precious little of those as is." Dunham paused and glanced at Lucas, who nodded, eyeing the living symbol of their destruction across from him almost haughtily.
"Not to mention we'd be insane to arm the enemy. Anyway, I thought you had access to a practically unlimited supply. Why can't you use your own?"
The blonde physicist hesitated for several seconds before replying.
"That's my business."
"You betrayed them, didn't you? You're on the run." Lucas smiled a little as she remained silent. "You gave yourselves away when you asked for the medical supplies, you know."
Kensinge glanced slowly from one to the other.
".. Simon didn't tell you?"
"Did you expect him to?" Lucas questioned, his voice laced with silk. "I'm sure he'd be overwhelmed by your faith in him."
The other scientist was quiet, unwilling to offer another word on the matter. After several seconds of obstinate silence, Lucas continued as though he hadn't noticed the lull in the conversation.
"As it so happens, our own men delivered the news about your unceremonious fall from grace." Lucas inserted, sounding a little too cheerful for Kensinge's liking. "But for what it's worth, that doesn't mean I think Sarkovovich is off the hook. If I were you, I wouldn't trust that guy any more than I'd use his arm as a slingshot."
The deposed leader of the invasion shot him a withering glare.
"I'll take that under advisement."
"Better watch yourself in the meantime." Lucas continued lightly. "The jungle isn't so kind to fugitives."
"Noted." The blonde woman retorted, casting an uneasy glance back in the direction of her waiting men. She turned back to Lucas impatiently.
"Do we have a deal or not?"
"No can do." Lucas leaned his new crossbow casually against his shoulder. This close to his face, he could still smell the sweetness of the cut wood. "You've made your own destiny. Enjoy. Just be glad I don't bring you back to the colony with me right now."
His mouth twisted downward, all traces of humour disappearing from his face.
"Unfortunately for us, we've just discovered we have bigger problems than you."
Both Kensinge and Dunham stared at him, but it was the former that ventured the question.
"What makes you say that?"
Lucas met her gaze for a moment.
"Because if you're no longer getting in their way, they have nothing left to lose." He shook his head. "I knew it'd been way too easy so far."
"Easy?!" Dunham burst out, sounding almost hurt. "Easy? Lucas, think of all the people we've lost, all the homes that have been destroyed, all the animals killed. How can you say it's been easy?"
"Comparatively .." Lucas glanced at Kensinge, and for a moment, the two scientists eyed one another grimly. She understood exactly what he was saying. He knew she did. "Comparatively, it has been easy. They could have wiped us out within a week, blitzed the whole thing. They had the resources .."
He continued to watch Kensinge thoughtfully for a few seconds, and Dunham followed his gaze. Whatever Lucas was searching for in that time, he seemed to find it. He raised his chin with a faint expression of triumph.
"You've been holding them back in more ways than just the electromines, haven't you?"
She didn't reply, but the soldier's eyes widened a little.
"You?! Why?"
Her gaze flicked to him, then fell back upon Lucas.
"Let's just say, I'm the sort of person that likes to keep my options open."
"We still can't help you."
She was silent for a moment, her mouth twitching as her mind whirred.
"Fine." She eventually spoke up, sounding more cheerful as the idea struck her. "I'll do you one better. Your little girlfriend is in Chicago right now-"
"Chicago?!" Dunham swung to Lucas in horror. "Why is Skye in Chicago?! Lucas?"
Kensinge was eyeing the other man, watching as he tried to feign disinterest, though he had visibly stiffened at the words. Bullseye.
"That's right, she made it." Kensinge commented, reading his mind. "There, anyway. I can get a message to her. Two bags of food for one free ticket. Don't say no too quickly." She added hurriedly, as Lucas opened his mouth to respond.
"Her mom's pretty sick right? You might need it. Think about it."
The jungle fell silent for a few moments, the distant chirping of small dinosaurs and larger insects the only sounds. Then Lucas nodded slightly.
".. fine."
Dunham gaped, sounding as though he had momentarily forgotten how to breathe.
"Lucas!"
"Pretend you didn't see anything. I'll take the heat for it." He turned back to Kensinge. "Meet me back here tomorrow night. I'll bring the food if I have to catch it myself."
The other scientist grinned, nodding sharply.
"It's a deal then. I'll see you tomorrow night." Her face dipped into solemnity for a moment as she turned back. "In the meantime, watch your heads."
Dunham's eyebrows lowered slowly, then began to creep towards one another as the woman walked off. He looked over at Lucas, an expression of puzzlement plastered over his features.
"'Watch your heads'? What did she mean by that?"
Lucas stared grimly into the recently vacated space. The jungle had closed around her as though she'd never been there at all.
"Hopefully, not what I think she meant."
"If she keeps doing that, she's going to fall in."
"Wouldn't be the first time."
Zayne scoffed under his breath as his cousin teetered on the edge of the Children's Fountain, making some exaggerated movement to supplement her story. He could only catch muffled parts of it from where he stood, but it seemed to have captured Mira's interest. She leaned against the rounded concrete wall, looking up at the girl and offering a comment or two every so often. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, at any rate. As Zayne smiled a little, Jim passed, patting the boy on the shoulder before moving off to join the two at the fountain. He made no acknowledgement whatsoever of the man sitting to Zayne's right.
Harlon watched him walk away in silence, then turned back to the large bowl in his lap. Zayne eyed him from above.
"Still hasn't said a word to you, huh?"
"Not one." The disgraced Sixer set his mouth firmly into a thin line, taking out his irritation on the evening's dinner. The "vegetables" in his hands were covered with a thin, crackly skin for protection in transit. The stuff was a living nightmare to get off, but Aiva had sighed when she gave him the task, explaining that the children refused to eat the film, though it had been designed to be edible in the first place. Harlon picked up one of the vegetables and peeled off a particularly long strip of the outer layer. It broke away in one dull tongue of grayish-purple to reveal the cream-coloured flesh inside. The job of removing the stuff wreaked havoc on one's hands and nails, as the stubborn shell tended to break and leave particularly sharp edges, but he found he couldn't hold it against the kids for forcing the unpleasant task on him. He would have had to be dying to ingest the stuff himself.
"Can't say as I blame him."
Zayne dropped down to perch on the steps beside him, drawing his mind back to the present. Harlon's eyes flicked up, searching for Jim's location, partially out of habit. The man wasn't hard to find. He had reached the fountain now, and was engaged in some sort of lively three-way discussion with the other two. Nearby, Taylor and Erika sat on a braided bench of recycled materials, having some quiet conversation of their own. The afternoon was so peaceful it was almost shocking his frayed senses. He finally felt the burning gaze of the boy beside him and turned to meet it. Zayne didn't seem at all embarrassed at having been caught staring. He studied the former Sixer for a moment, his expression thoughtful.
"So why did you do it? Kidnap the girl, I mean."
Harlon forced his own gaze to hold the boy's for a few seconds more before allowing his eyes to drop to the step. His discarded crutches lay between them, a reminder of some symbolic line he couldn't cross.
"You wouldn't understand."
"Prob'ly not." Zayne agreed easily, staring out across the courtyard. He relaxed a little as his gaze found his fearless cousin, sitting safely on the fountain wall. "If someone tried to kidnap Lucy, I'd kill them."
"They'd deserve it."
Zayne remained silent. Harlon went back to his peeling. A minute or two later, the boy's voice came again, and the Sixer felt the return of the perceptive stare.
"Self-pity doesn't suit you, y'know."
Harlon laughed a little.
"I was under the impression that self-pity didn't suit anyone."
Beneath the pieces of dark hair falling over his forehead, Zayne's serious eyes held the Sixer's.
"You're a smart guy. I can tell. What I don't understand is why you would do something so awful. Were they threatening you? Threatening someone you cared about?"
Harlon shrugged, tearing a new strip of pale colour from the vegetable in his hand.
"Not really."
"Then why?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
The skin on the outside of the vegetable was jagged now. Harlon's movements were tense and deliberate, forcing his hands to repeat the motion, over and over again as tiny pieces tore off in close succession. Zayne watched, sounding almost subdued as he ventured his next word.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why don't you want to talk about it?"
Harlon held back a sharp sigh.
"I just .. don't."
"Why?"
The Sixer turned to settle his weary gaze on the boy's face. Zayne's dark eyes probed his curiously, waiting .. waiting for him to snap, Harlon realized. It was a test. He released the sigh he had smothered earlier, a small smile flickering across his face as he returned to his work. This time, the film gave way much more easily beneath his fingers.
"You're not so stupid yourself, kid."
"Yeah, well .. I've known a lot of really bad guys .." Zayne stared across at the fountain for a moment before standing and dusting himself off. He folded his arms, peering down at Harlon, who was forced to squint up as the boy's shadow fell over him.
"For what it's worth, I don't think you're one of them."
".. thanks."
"But I've been wrong before."
He didn't wait for a reply. Harlon watched him wander away, smiling to himself. The next second, however, his attention was drawn to the left as a flashing object shot past him, ending in a sharp crash as it collided with a nearby bench. Erika shrieked, leaping up in annoyance as the man beside her tried valiantly not to laugh.
"Lucy!"
The girl came forward guiltily to retrieve the object clutched in her aunt's outstretched arm. Taylor, still seated on the aforementioned bench, watched with a measure of fascination. Erika's limbs were so rigid with pent-up wrath that she might as well have been imitating the foldable coat racks built into the walls.
"I have told you. Do not throw this thing in here! What if you broke a window?! Those cost practically the equivalent of a whole year's food ration to replace!"
"I know. Sorry." Lucy met the sparkling blue eyes nearby and had to fight to keep her face repentant as she took the dark diamond shape from her aunt. She retreated several slow steps back, then turned. Erika and Taylor just managed to catch a glimpse of the grin that exploded across her face as she pulled her arm back.
"Zayne! Heads up!"
Erika groaned loudly as the object launched from the girl's hand, cracking open to flatten against itself as it flew, transforming into a bright whirl of blinding light. It twisted sharply in midair just before it reached Zayne. A loud chuckle escaped from Taylor in the distance as the UFO collided violently against Mira's chest. Lucy's hands slapped over her mouth, considerably more guilt-stricken this time around.
"I am so sorry!"
"Hmph."
Taylor looked sideways as the woman beside him snorted, sounding unimpressed.
"She doesn't listen to a word I say, does she?"
"Ah, they're good kids." He grinned, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other lazily. "Both of them."
"Hmm .." She allowed a fragment of a smile to reach her lips as she glanced back at him. "I suppose the secret is to try not to hold any of their previous lapses in judgement against them."
"Ah, they try, though. Gotta give 'em credit for that." He turned away as he said it, his attention falling on the lone figure nearby, sitting by himself as he doggedly peeled the deteriorated wrapping off the vegetables. "Speaking of, if you'll excuse me for a moment .."
"Be my guest."
Taylor stood, and his reptilian shadow stood as well, trailing after him as he crossed the path to pull up beside Jim, casting a brief darkness over Harlon's slouched form on the way. The Sixer didn't look up.
"Jim."
His target raised an eyebrow, perhaps sensing some ulterior motive at having being sought out. The man had the instincts of a wild cat.
"Taylor."
The former commander leaned back against the fountain, ducking abruptly a moment later as he narrowly avoided a large splash. He picked up the toy and threw it back at Lucy, who spluttered as the soaking object connected with her neck. Taylor grinned.
"Better watch where you aim that thing."
As Lucy jogged away to clobber her laughing cousin, he turned back to Jim, following his gaze back to the man on the steps.
"You know, one of these days, you might actually want to try talking to him."
The answer came back immediately, sounding almost robotic in nature.
"He doesn't know anything."
"Never know what he might remember if he's given the chance." The old commander eyed him closely. "You're not the only one that's been betrayed in the past, Jim. Doesn't pay to hold grudges. In the end, you're only hurting yourself."
Jim laughed under his breath.
"You really want to try lecturing me? I don't remember your daughter being kidnapped by a felon."
Taylor snorted.
"True enough. But do you also not remember my son trying to kill me and usurp my throne? Or that time I took Skye under my wing only to have her stab me in the back? Don't remember that?"
Jim shook his head.
"Not the same thing."
Taylor scoffed loudly.
"My beard it's not. Someone you trust goes out of their way to put everything you care about on the line for their own selfish purposes. Sound familiar?"
"Come on, Taylor. At least Skye had a good reason."
"Didn't say she didn't." The former commander retorted cheerfully, gesturing to the man across the cobblestone thoroughfare. "But what if he had a good reason too?"
"He didn't."
"Don't know unless you talk to him."
"I can't. Zoe could be out there right now .. she could be .." Jim's words tripped over an odd choking sound in his throat. He shook his head, staring away across the dome. "And it's his fault. All of it. I don't care how you try to twist it, Skye never did anything like that."
"Right." Taylor assented. "She only almost took out the entire colony in a matter of days, but who's counting."
Jim turned a dark glare upon him and Taylor raised his hands.
"Look, all I'm saying is, he's here now, and he seems sorry enough. No harm in hearing him out. Might do him some good to get it off his chest. Might even do you some good."
When Jim didn't answer, the old man slipped in a few extra words for good measure.
"Besides, he might be useful."
Jim snorted.
"I knew this wasn't about forgiveness."
"Sure it is." Taylor's eyes twinkled. "But forgiveness doesn't have to be without benefit. Sometimes it can even be a useful strategy."
As Jim turned to lower his eyelids at his companion, an artificially generated series of tones rang out across the dome, seeming to originate from somewhere up in the sloped expanse far above them.
"Severe Weather Warning .."
"This darn PA system again-" Taylor began, only to be shushed urgently by three other people. He scowled and fell into silence as the announcement continued.
"Everyone is to take shelter immediately. Stay indoors until further notice. This is for your own protection."
"Always is." Taylor snorted under his breath, only to be shushed again. He exchanged a furious glance with the man who had just stepped up beside him. Harlon, who had abandoned his bowl on the step, smiled in sympathy, but remained quiet as the announcement concluded.
"Again, this is a severe weather warning. An electrical storm is approaching from the east. These are unpredictable and dangerous. Stay indoors until further notice. This is for your own protection. Thank you."
"That's the third one since we got here!" Jim exclaimed, frowning as the phantom voice fizzled into the atmosphere.
Zayne, who had recently found himself in possession of the 'ball', threw it into the air and caught it again, shrugging a little.
"Yeah, they've been worse the past few months."
"Maybe it's the universe trying to right itself." Lucy grinned up at the woman beside her. "It knows you guys don't belong here, so it's trying to zap you out of existence."
She dodged as Mira swotted at her and almost collided into Harlon, having not noticed the Sixer stop nearby. Harlon put a hand out absently to steady her, though his face had clouded as the announcement rang out.
"We better listen to the warning. Don't want to be out in one of these, believe me."
Jim eyed him for a moment, then nodded briefly as he turned away.
"Yeah." He suddenly jumped forward, stealing the ball from Zayne as the boy threw it into the air. "Almost time for dinner anyway!"
"Hey!"
"If you can catch it first!"
Zayne watched in outrage as the ball was then passed to Taylor, who fled away as though he had tigers at his heels, though indeed, Lucy and the Kaprosuchus were capable of producing a similar effect. Safe inside the dome, they passed the evening with little thought given to the coming storm. No one really noticed as, half an hour later, a thick darkness enveloped the streets of Chicago.
Skye had never been afraid of storms as a child. Safe inside, she had always found the thrill of the thunder and lightning exciting - instead of being wary of the danger, as she probably should have been, she had made to rush outside whenever a brilliant flash lit up the sky, much to the dismay and constant anxiety of her mother.
This one wasn't like those storms.
She shrank back into the archway she had sheltered under, hugging her jacket to herself as protection against the beating rain. The wind swept through the street like a horizontal tornado, picking up anything in its path and throwing it forcefully against the nearby buildings. Skye pressed herself deeper into the overhang. She had already nearly lost her footing and been carried away twice. If she slipped again, she'd never recover.
The storm grew more violent by the second. Every single individual cell seemed to jump inside of her at the same moment as a loud crack of thunder exploded overhead. Skye tensed. She was getting used to the pattern now. She knew what was coming. She turned her face, burying her head in the corner of the wall as the air around her began to crackle. Thin fingers of light spiderwebbed their way down the street, the white and blue threads seeming to crack the very atmosphere, distorting the view of the city until the whole image resembled a broken mirror. Then, as though the air itself was alive, it shuddered. Despite anticipating the strike, Skye let out a sharp yelp as the weather exploded. A jagged pitchfork of electricity shot out of the dark clouds above and stabbed down into the concrete. The noise followed half a moment later. Skye clapped her hands over her ears as the bang shook the world to pieces. The strike was followed almost immediately by two more, setting the surrounding mist ablaze momentarily before it fizzled out.
Gradually, the chaos died away and the roar of the rain took over once again. Shakily, Skye sank to her knees, her heart pounding wildly in her throat. She was too overcome with the horror of it even to cry. She didn't get the chance anyway. The weather didn't allow her more than a minute's rest before the thunder rumbled to life once more, giving way to a sharp boom. Stifling a sob, Skye's hands flew to her ears. She turned, pressing herself harder into the wall, trying to become as small a target as possible before the impact. It was a sequence she would repeat constantly until the early hours of morning came and the storm's wrath subsided.
The raging storm was swirling about the dome like the outer ring of a gyrosphere gone berserk, but inside, the double layering of the sturdy walls meant that even the ferocious howl of the wind seemed to come from some distance away. Every now and then, a particularly ambitious flash of lightning would overtake the dim glow of the village lamps, but overall, the evening was much like any other. Erika added a final few touches to her latest creation before reaching up to place it carefully on the shelf. Everyone else was in bed, save her housekeeper, who always wandered about after dark doing goodness knows what to prepare for the morning. This was the most pleasant time of day - or rather, night - the only time she was ever left completely alone .. or so she thought.
"I was told you wanted to see me."
The unexpected voice sent a sharp jolt through her chest, as though the lightning from outside had somehow breached the protective barrier and come right down through the roof. She took her time as she finished her adjustments, then turned her back on the shelf, swinging around to eye Simon severely.
"I told you not to do that."
She wandered past him into the kitchen, apparently in no hurry to make conversation with her late-night guest. Simon followed in his own relaxed manner, watching as she located the switch for the lamp. Moments later, a warm glow blanketed the kitchen. Erika finally returned her attention to her waiting companion.
"Anyway, who told you I wanted to see you?"
"Parker." Simon smiled, though his hostess' expression immediately inverted itself.
"Parker?" She frowned in confusion. "But I've never spoken to the man."
"Maybe he's psychic." Simon offered helpfully, perching on the edge of the kitchen table. Erika lowered her eyelids at him.
"Simon, I like to think I know you well enough by now to tell when you're up to something. What is it?"
Simon ignored the question, his gaze flitting lazily around the shadowy room.
"Well then? I'm here, regardless of the messenger. What did you want to see me about?"
"Oh .. nothing much." Erika waved a hand, suppressing her burning urge to plunge into the topic of interest. Perhaps it would be best to beat around the bush for a little while. "Nothing urgent at any rate. So .. tell me about these men of yours. Are they working out?"
Simon shrugged, tugging absently at the scarf around his neck until the knot came loose. Erika found her insides grating at his casual manner. Apparently he was in no hurry either.
"I think they'll do. They're specialty soldiers - custom-made, you might say - enhanced with AI chips and everything. Ah-" he interrupted himself, casting a wry glance in her direction ".. the legitimate sort, that is, not the half-baked copies flying about under the radar and being inserted into any idiot wanting a bit of extra bang."
He picked up the salt shaker, unscrewing the lid thoughtfully.
"Those cheap replicas tended to fail anyway, or cause .. unintended side effects."
"So I've heard." Erika muttered, eyeing him for a moment as he twisted the cap. "One more rotation and you'll end up with a lap of crystals. Your suit will be completely ruined. I assume that wasn't the purpose of your visit tonight."
"Not tonight, no .." Simon murmured vaguely, returning the salt shaker to its rightful place. It was a little too far left, Erika noted with a flicker of annoyance. She'd have to fix it when he was gone.
"So where have you been anyway?" She demanded, tiring of his idle conversation. Simon's eyes lit up at the question.
"Ah, that's what you really wanted to know, wasn't it?"
Erika leaned on the kitchen counter, undeterred.
"I tried to contact you and there was no reply. For days."
"I didn't realize I was so in-demand."
"It was inconvenient, that's all."
"Sorry, I was tied up for a while."
Simon's mouth twitched .. as though he was enjoying his own private joke, Erika thought, her insides boiling.
"Doing what?"
"Stuff."
"'Stuff'?" She repeated, her voice dripping with condescension. "Really, Simon, I had thought you were better educated than that."
"No one is ever too educated to do stuff." He replied solemnly, suppressing the urge to laugh as she threw him a long-suffering look.
".. indeed .." She dropped her head for a moment, sighing deeply as she ran a hand over her face. She felt a sudden headache coming on. Simon tended to have that effect, particularly at this time of night.
"You know," She continued, changing the subject swiftly for fear he was about to continue. ".. when you suggested sending in Parker's team, I didn't expect you to try and race them to the camp."
Simon's bright eyes met hers unflinchingly for a moment, then he shrugged again, assuming his posture of boredom once more.
"I didn't expect to be taken by Terra Nova either. Things happen."
She stared at him sharply.
"You were captured?"
"Yes."
"Did you learn anything?"
"Some."
"How did you escape?"
"Almost .. single-handedly." He raised his slightly less human arm, waving the fingers at her in succession.
Erika shot him another look.
"It serves you right, you know. If you'd been imprisoned there for years, you would've brought it upon yourself. I certainly wouldn't have risked my neck to save you."
Simon seemed unhurt by the admission.
"Good to know."
"I'm not as soft as you." She pressed, smiling a little. "Loyalty gets you into trouble in my experience."
"What can I say?" The younger man sighed and leaned on his hand, sounding depressed. "When push came to shove, I just couldn't let her die."
"Who says she was going to die?" Erika gazed at him closely, her own eyes glittering like obsidian. "I thought we agreed she would simply be restrained."
"We did." Simon met her glare evenly. "But I suspected you might try something, so I went with my gut."
"Your gut."
"Yes."
Erika laughed a little, shaking her head as she turned away from him and reached for something under the bench. Simon waited as she removed the crystal stopper from a beaker and began to pour the rich red drink into a couple of small glasses. She didn't speak again until she finally set it down.
"For what it's worth, I never planned to kill her. Your paranoia simply got the best of you." She picked up the glasses and circumnavigated the bench, slowly walking over to him. Simon watched as she placed one foot in front of the other, the danger sirens growing louder in his mind with every crisp step. When she reached him, she held a glass out, and he swallowed his suspicion and took it, nodding appreciatively.
"My mistake then."
Erika smiled a little.
"If you ever make a decision like that behind my back again, I will end you, do you understand me?"
She raised the glass to her lips and took a small sip, lowering it slowly to watch him over the rim. She waited until he drank as well and then shrugged slightly.
"Dr. Kensinge is no longer under your jurisdiction anyway. I'm the head of the Guild, remember? She's a scientist. To kill her or to let her live, either way it was my decision."
"I see."
Simon's eyes glinted triumphantly. His instincts told him with every breath not to trust a word this woman said. She denied it, but he knew better - she had every intention of executing the rogue scientist and he had got in the way. Now he was on thinner ice than ever. He shrugged a little, holding his glass up to the light and feigning disinterest as he examined it.
"Well, for better or for worse, now she's in the wind. Your men will never find her."
Erika's smile seemed to stretch rigidly, as though pulled in opposite directions by some invisible force.
"Simon, look, I appreciate that you were friends, but attachments serve no purpose here. Betray me again, and I'll have no choice but to make you wish you hadn't."
Simon chuckled softly.
"I think you're forgetting your place here."
The woman across from him accepted his empty glass, throwing a dazzling smile at him before crossing the room to the sink.
"I don't think so."
She forced him to wait in silence as she washed the glasses and put them upside down to dry, then threw a look at her wraithlike housekeeper in the corner of the room.
"Aiva. Please see that Simon finds the exit safely."
Simon followed her gaze in surprise as the woman stepped forward. Once again, he hadn't even noticed her enter. He turned back to Erika, but she simply stood quietly watching him, unwilling to offer another word. Evidently the visit was well and truly over. Simon nodded graciously to his host, deliberately taking his time securing his scarf against the coming cold. On the surface, his nonchalant manner betrayed nothing of his inner thoughts, but with every movement, he felt the growing intensity of the adder-like gaze upon him. In stubborn retaliation, he forced his movements to grow even slower, lengthening the process to the point where it had taken more than twice as long as it should have. Despite his little show of rebellion, the woman's eyes had found their mark. Simon was unable to ignore the prickle down his spine as he was escorted out.
Reilly watched the lightning flash intermittently in the distance, followed by a low roll of thunder through the mass of blackened clouds. It looked like the coastline was receiving the full brunt of the storm. Good, she thought grimly. If Mother Nature wanted to help them out in her own way, she certainly wouldn't complain. Out of her peripheral vision, a quick movement caught her eye. Her focus shifted to the left, where a scrap of material still waved in tatters from the railing. The Terra Novan flag. Still holding on by a thread. She sighed, the motion turning into a violent shiver halfway through. There had been no snow for several days, but the wind still bit through her clothes and made her loose hair strands whip her face like tiny knives. Reilly squinted up at a couple of pieces playing tag on her forehead, watching the blurry image with a vague frown. Maybe she should cut it short. She had plenty of other things to worry about after all. Hair was the least of-
She turned sharply, her eyes flicking to the north, hair forgotten. Something had caught her attention, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. A distant noise maybe, an atmospheric shift .. ?
She watched and waited for a few moments. Nothing. Still she didn't turn away. Something was keeping her eyes locked on the spot. Some sense of foreboding that refused to be ignored. Then it came again. A faint sound, a distant cry. Certainly nothing unusual about that in a world full of dinosaurs!
Gradually, however, it was joined by one reply, then another. Three cries turned into ten, ten into a hundred. As Reilly listened, a horrible cacophony grew and began to take form, erupting from the north like an army of tormented souls streaking across the sky. A large group of pterosaurs darkened the horizon, growing larger and louder with every second as they grew increasingly closer, a mass of black wings and wild eyes. It seemed they were going to fly straight over the colony. Their horrible shrieks rang out, screaming the same hoarse cry with one piercing voice, as though they were warning every living creature in sight of approaching death. From somewhere above her, perched on the crow's nest in his usual spot, Reilly heard Max's shrill reply.
Below, the door of the Lab swung open, and Lucas stepped out, Maddy close behind. They joined the gathered crowd in the marketplace, raising their hands to block the sun as they squinted up at the approaching formation. A few children covered their ears. Lucas couldn't blame them, he had half a mind to do the same thing himself. The pterosaurs sounded like they were being violently tortured, as though the very creatures of the abyss themselves were hot on their heels. They watched as the pterosaurs passed over, then fled in the direction of the mountains, their cries finally beginning to fade away.
It was then that another noise took their place, a softer thrum, much more palatable to the ears than the former cry, but somehow even more foreboding. The low reverberations grew, dark objects taking shape against the horizon in the same place that the pterosaurs had materialized a moment earlier. A chill flooded through the audience, jumping from person to person like electricity. The market crowd watched the sky with a touch of horror, though they didn't know exactly what it was they feared. They stood in silence, their heads tilted back, their eyes locked to the expanse above them. A sharp breeze whistled its way through the crowd of toy figures, tossing their hair as though it found great amusement in making the frozen bodies dance of its own accord.
Lucas' stomach suddenly lurched out of its numb state, dropping down into his feet as the dark shapes took form. The shadows were coming together in the sky now, revealing three separate aircraft. Planes. Not drones. Manned ones this time, large and black. The noses were embellished with wicked grins and lifeless eyes, designed purely to inspire further terror in their intended targets. Even from the ground, the painted decals were clearly visible.
They were making a course straight for the colony, the deadly hum of their engines growing louder with each second, drowning out the rumble of thunder in the distance. The reverberations shook the plexiglass windowpanes in the same manner as the intermittent earthquakes that had become an everyday occurrence of late. Lucas glanced around helplessly, and as he did so, happened to catch a glimpse of Reilly at the Command Centre railing. She was waving her arms and attempting to yell something over the growing wail of the engines as though she had lost her mind, but as he watched her, she looked down and met his eye. In that moment, he understood. Turning frantically, he burst into the crowd of statues, shaking a couple awake in an attempt to make his voice heard above the roar.
"Inside! Get inside! EVERYONE GET INSIDE NOW!"
"Everyone, get to the Brig. If you can't get to the Brig, stay inside. Take shelter. This is not a drill."
As the siren rang out once more over the terrified colony, Maddy took a shaky breath, entering the bedroom where the children had been playing for the past half an hour. No one was playing now, however. Toys forgotten on the floor, the three looked up with wide eyes as she appeared in the doorway. Maddy watched them for a moment, questioning her ability to handle the situation in her mother's absence. After all, she felt as panic-stricken as they did! She needn't have worried, however. The doubt only lasted fleetingly. Looking down at the children, the three fearful faces wrenched something inside of her, transforming it instantly into a resolve of steel. Scared or not, capable or not, it didn't matter. All that mattered was the three small people at her feet. She pulled on a smile as she crossed the room, keeping her voice intentionally light.
"Guess we should head to the brig with everyone else, huh?"
She bent to pick up Vaughn as the boy held his arms out to her, then spun on her heel and headed for the door. Leah and Sienna cast a glance at each other and leapt to their feet.
"But .. the brig won't fit the whole colony!" Leah protested, hastily grabbing her jacket from the bed as she followed the others from the room. "It barely-"
"It will now." Maddy looked over her shoulder, forcing the reassuring smile to stay on her face. "It's been expanded for this exact reason. Think of it as our new emergency bunker."
She swung the door open, hurrying the girls out as she cast an uncertain look at the rumbling sky. As if on cue, a streak of lightning lit it up, transforming it from grey to blue with a snap. Vaughn shrieked as a clap of thunder followed, briefly drowning out the growing drone of the planes. Maddy struggled with the knot in her scarf, managing to pull it off as he slammed his hands over his ears.
"Hey, hey. Here you go." She threw the scarf down over his dark curls, tying it on hurriedly. The result wasn't pretty, but it was as neat an attempt as she could manage with one hand. "There. Come on, sweetie, you'll be fine. We gotta be brave now, okay?"
"You're supposed to be taking cover!"
She looked up to see her incredulous husband jog to a stop beside them. Mark glanced around at the small group in bewilderment. The thunder tried to drown out his voice the second he opened his mouth.
"What are you doing?"
Maddy gestured helplessly to the boy on her hip, feeling the reply would be inadequate no matter what means she used to defend herself.
"He .. He was scared, so-"
"No time to be scared. Let's get to the brig, come on." Mark waved her excuses away and led off quickly, his boots crunching into the gravel ahead of them. "You can be scared when we get there."
Maddy looked down, trying to smile at the girls as they followed his long strides up the street. Vaughn watched in wide-eyed silence, two fingers hovering over his lips as though he was deep in thought. They were only halfway to their destination when the atmosphere seemed to shift.
The horrid low droning of the planes began to take on a feverish whine. A few metres ahead, Mark stopped and glanced at the sky as another flash silhouetted several shapes directly above them. The look on his face as he met her eyes would be burned into her memory as long as she lived.
"Get down!"
Maddy pushed the kids to the side as the whole world erupted in blinding light. Before the dust had completely settled, she was up again.
"Mark! Mark?!"
Handing Vaughn to Leah, she shot out into the street, barely noticing the ragged breathing that seemed to tag along wherever she went. A few moments later, she found him, lying some feet away from where he had been when she'd last seen him.
"Mark? Mark! Can you hear me?"
The four seconds of silence seemed to stretch on forever as she knelt beside him, the sirens screaming their call in the background, piercing their way through the dusty air. Then, finally, he stirred, choking a little as he sucked in a mouthful of dirt particles.
"Maddy?"
"Mark?!"
"I can hear you. I can hear you." His hand found her face, then moved to rest gently on her cheek. "I'm alright."
Releasing a shuddering breath, she dropped her head to his chest for a moment, then crouched to help pull him up.
"Come on, let's get-"
"Maddy .." The soldier's voice was wavering a little now, sounding more frightened and child-like than she had ever heard it. She paused mid-movement, staring into his face as her own fear crept back in.
"I can't .. see anything."
She had to force herself to stay upright as the blood drained from her body.
"What .. What do you mean, you can't-"
"I can't .. I can't .." His breathing was growing uneven and distraught now. Maddy felt on the verge of hysterics herself. What was she supposed to do now? What could she do?
"Maddy!"
As if in answer, she heard a voice call her name, pulling up beside her abruptly. The owner reached down to slip an arm around Mark, looking up into her face as he struggled to his feet.
"Forget what Reilly said. Help me get him to the Infirmary."
"The Infirmary?" Maddy frowned at her brother in confusion. "But .. the brig-"
"No time now." Josh interrupted sharply. "We can't make it there, not before the next attack. We gotta get to the Infirmary! Help me!"
"I think I'm gonna be sick .."
Josh clung to the soldier as he swayed, lurching to the side in a manner that almost made them both nauseas. He turned to his sister as Mark groaned again, his knees beginning to buckle beneath him.
"Maddy! Don't just stand there! Help me!" He tightened his grip on Mark as Maddy snapped out of her daze, running to take up the injured man's other side. Mark groaned again, his head dropping.
"Josh .." He murmured weakly.
"Yeah, I'm here, buddy." Josh adjusted his hold as Maddy's arm settled under his. "Just lean on me. Brothers, remember?"
Maddy turned to the tight group of children huddled nearby, gesturing for them to follow.
"Change of plans. We're going to the Infirmary. Only a little farther now. Just .. follow me, okay? Stay close."
They set off with the three children in tow, the elder two Shannon siblings half-assisting and half-dragging their wounded soldier. They reached the safety of the building a few moments later, throwing the Infirmary door open just as the next round of missiles began to rain down upon the colony.
Mark, for his part, was unceremoniously sat down and subjected to an examination.
"What is it, Josh?" Maddy hovered worriedly over his shoulder, watching as he surveyed the patient. "How bad is it?"
Josh flicked a light back and forth across the soldier's eyes.
"Looks like concussion. If I had to take a guess, I'd say it was only temporary. You're gonna be fine, Mark." He patted the soldier's cheek cheerfully. "You'll be back out lifting weights or whatever in no time."
Mark grinned, though the expression looked odd against his chalk-white face.
"Thanks .. I think .."
"Maddy!" Josh turned hurriedly, gripping his shaking sister's shoulders firmly as she put a hand out to lean on the wall. "Hey, I said it's only temporary! He'll be fine!"
Probably. But the knot of guilt he had started to feel in his stomach vanished as his sister weakly returned his smile. She began to thank him, but just then another blast took the words from her mouth, shaking the ground and rattling the Infirmary itself in the process. Josh frowned, glancing up at the roof in search of cracks.
"That one felt pretty close. Wonder what it hit."
"Josh .." Leah's small voice came from the doorway. Josh turned in surprise to see the three children clustered around the entranceway. Clinging to Leah's side, Vaughn was pointing out the opening in silence. Even Sienna's eyes were uncharacteristically wide and startled.
"What - Why are you guys over there?!" Josh demanded, darting forward, prepared to usher them back in to safety. "You don't stand in front of the door like that!"
What he saw when he got there, however, halted him. The three children were frozen in terror, their eyes transfixed on the autobay in the distance. A black cloud was rising from within the building. Josh stared at it for a moment before waking himself up with a jolt.
"Come on, it's not safe here. You were supposed to stay under the bench like I told you. We need to get inside-"
"Josh!"
At the girl's sharp wail, he paused, hand on the door. Leah's expression had gone from grey to white. With a sinking feeling, he turned back again. The four barely noticed as the planes circled around once more, their eyes instead locked on the smoking autobay. Huddled together in the doorway, they watched helplessly as the entire structure shuddered, then began to lean. As if in slow motion, the building twisted, the walls gave way .. and the roof came down.
The cleanup was such a giant job that no one really knew where to begin. The life seemed to have drained from the colony. No further attacks had taken place, but it was only a matter of time until they did. Why bother fixing what would only be broken again? People wandered the streets listlessly, unsure of what to do next. The horn blew three times, marking the deaths of the three who perished in the collapse of the autobay - Rebecca Milner, Matt Dawson, and Victoria Irving. Three names out of a thousand. But how many more would be added to their number before this awful war had ended? Would anyone be left?
Carter made his way through the debris, weaving in and out of the splintered catastrophe that had once been the marketplace. White and brown fragments decorated the ground like oversized confetti. A few people stood near the gate, staring out at nothing, as though they were simply waiting for the enemy forces to ride in and carry them away. With a heavy heart, the Sixer picked his foot up and stepped carefully over a particularly nasty claw of wood. They had given up. They had all given up. What more could be done if the colony no longer had the will to fight?
He reached the Infirmary door and stepped inside, making his way slowly to the small room at the back. Lucas met him in the hallway, searching his face keenly for news. Once again, the Sixer's heart sank dismally. He shook his head, watching the hopeful light in Lucas' eyes die out, exactly as he had expected it would. Just once, he wished he could be the bearer of good news instead of bad. The gloom was growing so heavy, he'd had about nearly all he could take of it.
"Sorry." He muttered. "Nothing again."
Lucas sighed in frustration.
"You're sure? You check everywhere?"
"Floor, holes in the walls. I'm positive. No one's been near the cave for days."
The physicist groaned deeply, running a hand over his face.
"Where could she be?"
"Sorry, man."
".. thanks." Lucas shook his head, reaching an arm out to pat the Sixer's shoulder. "I knew it was a long shot, but I hoped .. I thought maybe she could've sent a message with someone .."
Carter shrugged a little.
"Maybe she's on her way back already."
"Yeah. Maybe."
After this brief meeting, they parted ways - Carter to face the ruined colony once more, and Lucas to return to his bedside post. Clouded by exhaustion and worry, his straying mind was already far beyond the cracking walls. He didn't remember finding his way back into the room, sitting back down in his usual chair, shifting the newly-finished crossbow aside to pick up the spool of twine. He didn't remember automatically measuring it, cutting it, twisting it. He had no way of knowing just how long he had been sitting there, working in silence, but as he tied off the end of yet another spare string, he was jolted out of his waking dream by a sudden movement from the bed beside him. He looked up quickly, his hands freezing mid-turn as he watched in surprise. The woman in front of him was still for so long that he began to wonder if it had been his imagination playing tricks on him, but then it came again - a slight twitch of the fingers, a tilt of the head. He laid the finished string down on top of his crossbow slowly, then inched forward to place a hand on her shoulder.
"Deb?" He tried, but his voice came out so softly, his own ears barely caught it. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Deborah?"
He watched in disbelief as the sleeping eyes fluttered open. Deborah blinked heavily, but then her gaze came to rest on him, focusing with an effort.
"Lucas .." The voice was raspy and coarse. Lucas reached toward the bedside table for some water as she raised her chin a little, her gaze flicking around the room. "Skye .. ?"
"She stepped out for a while." He responded immediately. "Needed some fresh air." Deborah nodded.
"Good."
"Here." He sat on the bed beside her, putting an arm around the thin shoulders and helping her to lean forward. He left no room for protest. He knew her well, she would wave him away impatiently if he gave her an opening. So he didn't. "Drink this. For your throat."
His heart sank a little as he lifted her. She was so light. Too light. When she had managed to swallow some water, he laid her down carefully, seized by some irrational fear that she would suddenly shatter like glass at the slightest bump. The task finally complete, he slid back into his chair. The woman in the bed looked as though she was falling asleep again. Maybe it was for the best that she sleep, regain her strength, Lucas reasoned with himself. Yet somehow, he couldn't allow it. He desperately needed her to stay with him. He couldn't let her drift away again. Not yet.
"Deb .. !" He ventured, with an urgency he hadn't intended. ".. how are you feeling?"
"Lucas .." The eyelids were forced open slowly, as though she had to summon the raw strength necessary to raise them. Her pale eyes cleared, focusing on him once more. "I need .. be sure .. she knows .."
She was having difficulty forming the words. Lucas leaned closer to make certain he caught them.
"Knows?"
"It's not her fault .." The frail woman gave a slight shake of her head, her eyes holding his pleadingly. ".. not her fault .. make sure .."
"She knows that, Deb."
"No .." She shook her head again, this time more firmly. Weak as she was, she was still arguing with him. Lucas smiled a little.
"She does. She will. I'll make sure."
"Good."
This seemed to satisfy the tired woman. She relaxed, beginning to drift off once more. After a few moments, however, her eyes flew open again, so suddenly that Lucas' heart skipped a beat. She reached out to him, frowning as though she had forgotten something important. Lucas took the offered hand, laying it down on the bed to rest between his.
"Deb .. ? What is it?"
"I forgot .. I didn't .. tell you .." She looked into his face seriously. Lucas stared back at her, worry creasing his forehead.
"Didn't tell me what? You should save your strength. You have plenty of time to tell me later."
Deborah shook her head.
"I need to tell you .."
"Alright, alright .. tell me what?" Lucas pushed her damp hair out of her face carefully. She was sweating as though the room was suspended over a volcano, but her hands were trembling from the chill. Deborah steadied herself.
"You've come so far .. don't .. don't let it go .. to waste."
Lucas smiled a little.
"I won't. But you should-"
"I'm not done." The woman responded, the note of command in her voice causing Lucas to grin slightly. As he fell silent, she continued, meeting his gaze as though her eyes could see right inside of him.
"Lucas. I'm proud .. of the person you've become .. so proud .."
"Deb .."
"I'm so glad .. I got to see it, got to know you .."
She reached up and put a hand against his face, smiling at him affectionately. The simple touch seemed to break something inside of him. Lucas' chest heaved sharply, his eyes filling with tears. As one spilled out and trailed over Deborah's thin hand, she ran her thumb over his cheek, her own eyes glistening with grief. She cleared her throat a little, whispering softly.
"Don't cry, my boy .. don't cry."
"It's not fair .." He murmured, his voice beginning to tremble. He stared down at the material covering the bed beneath him, more tears making their way down his cheeks as he gripped her other hand. "It's not fair-"
"It's fair." She responded, a flicker of happiness crossing her weary features. Her eyes sparkled briefly with the warmth of it. "I have Alex. I have Skye. And I have you."
"But-"
"I couldn't .. ask for .. more .."
Lucas' heart lurched as the hand at his face faltered a little, drawing his gaze quickly back to hers. Deborah suddenly frowned, blinking very slowly. She pulled her eyelids open again, but the movement looked as though it had taken all the energy she had left.
"Lucas .. tired .. I'm so .. tired .."
"You rest." He took hold of her hands and moved them, laying them down together gently over her stomach. "I'll .."
The lump in his throat almost completely stopped him from going any further, but he pushed past it with another smile, though he had no idea where he had managed to find it.
"I'll be right here .. when you wake up."
A ghost of a smile crossed Deborah's face as her eyes closed.
"Lucas .. thank you .. for the blanket .. and .."
She never finished the sentence. Not long afterward, she sank back into a deep sleep. Lucas sat silently by her bedside for some time, the crossbow forgotten in the corner. He waited, keeping watch in case the eyes fluttered to life again, but the night came and went. Morning dawned slowly, the rays of sunlight gradually streaming into the sleepy little room just as they did every day. Eventually, Lucas picked up his crossbow once more, resuming his work in a state of numb anticipation .. but the room was silent. She didn't speak to him again.