part eleven
Mia herself was dozing. Lucas had unwillingly fallen asleep a while ago, and the night sounds of the ocean waves not far away soothed her almost to sleep. That was until Mike came running into the clearing, whispering her name as loudly as he dared.
"Mia! Mia, wake up! He's here!" She sat up, confused, as Mike took her by the shoulders to stand her up.
"What? Who's here?"
"Your father!"
"Oh, God... did he see you?"
"I don't think so, but he's headed this way. We need to get out of here. Now!" He started to pull her away, but she refused.
"What about Lucas? I don't think we can move him, and the captain definitely won't leave his side."
"Mia, Mitchell didn't see you when you left; with any luck he doesn't even know you're with us! You can leave and he won't try to look for you."
"I'm not going to leave them here to die! I've spent my life cowering before my father. I'm sick of it. It stops here. I'm standing up to him. I want him to know what I've done!"
Mitchell creeped silently through the trees. Like an animal stalking his food, his eyes darted from side to side, gun charged and raised, looking for any hint of his human prey. He smiled sadistically as he saw the break in the trees and his traitorous ensign standing in the clearing. His smile faded as he realized the boy was talking to someone. The ensign turned, giving Mitchell direct line-of-sight to the boy's companion.
Mike looked Mia strait in the eyes. "Mia, he'll kill you."
"I don't care."
He turned away in frustration. "Dammit, Mia! Why can't you be reasonable for once?!" He was no longer whispering. He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet and even. "If you won't do it for your sake, Mia, do it for mine."
She sighed. "Mike, that's not fair."
"Not fair?! I'm trying to save your life and it's not fair?" He ran up to her and took her by the shoulders again. "Don't trade your life for this boy that you don't even know." She started to look away, but he cupped her chin in his hand and forced her to gaze into his eyes. "Please, Mia. Don't die on me now."
Rage was quickly overtaking Mitchell. Not only had his own ensign, a boy he had seen grow up beside his daughter, betrayed him, but Mia had helped! His own daughter-his flesh and blood! His eyes narrowed into tiny slits and his muscles tensed up. He wasn't going to let this go; no way. He was going to make them pay for this humiliation. No one gets away from Mitchell, especially not traitors.
Finally, the anger grew too great, and Mitchell sprung up into a run, firing his gun.
Mike heard the sudden movement from the trees. His heart clenched as he saw Mitchell pull the trigger. He didn't even think about what he was doing-he didn't have the time. He just moved. As he pushed Mia to the ground, the pain tore through his chest, and he sank into the dirt.
Mia saw her father sprint into the clearing, but it took a moment for it to register that the gun he was firing was pointed at her. Before she knew it, Mike had shoved her to the ground, and he lay groaning beside her. Instantly, her eyes filled with tears. She crawled over to him and, turning him onto his back, cradling his head in her lap.
"Mike! Oh my God..."
Captain Bridger awoke to angry voices.
"Dammit, Mia! Why can't you be reasonable for once?!" He blinked a few times and tried to shake the sleepiness out of his eyes. "If you won't do it for your sake, Mia, then do it for mine."
"Mike, that's not fair."
"Not fair?! I'm trying to save your life and it's not fair? Don't trade your life for this boy that you don't even know. Please, Mia. Don't die on me."
Then, suddenly he heard movement come from the trees, and a gunshot echoed through the clearing. Oh, God... Bridger was instantly wide awake. He looked around the clearing. The gun he had taken from the dead New Australian soldier was a few feet away, in the path of Mitchell's slowly approaching form. He made a mad dash for it, but was too slow. Mitchell saw what he was going for, and aimed his gun at Bridger's form.
"Don't even try, Nathan. I am going to get what I want. I always get what I want."
Seething, Bridger replied, "And just what is it that you want, Mitchell? My life? Your ensign's? Your daughter's?"
Fury blazing, Mitchell cocked his gun and sighted down its barrel. "Is that what you think I want, Nathan? Simple revenge? Well, you're wrong. All I want to do is correct the mistakes I made in the past. That's what I'm here for."
"Mistakes..."
"Yes, Nathan. I have recently realized that my biggest mistake was letting you ruin my life. I shouldn't have left Kathryn, and now I can do something about it."
"What are you talking about, Mitchell? You can't change the past. You left Lucas and Kathryn to be fed to the wolves without a backwards glance. There's nothing you can do about that now."
"Oh, but there is, Nathan. I was supposed to have the happy marriage. Kathryn was supposed to bear my children. We were going to grow old together. But you ruined that. You took my wife and my son away from me!"
"Your son?"
"Lucas was supposed to be my son, not yours!"
For a few pregnant moments, Bridger didn't know what to say. Finally he whispered, "You're insane."
"Am I?"
"What are you going to do if I let you have him? Were you planning on keeping him chained up for the rest of his life? Because I know Lucas, Mitchell, and unless you do, you won't be able to keep him on your ship." Paternal pride practically glowed from Bridger's face. "In case you haven't noticed, that boy is a genius, and I promise you that if you take him back to your sub, he will not only find a way off it, but in the process will sink it as well. Is that what you want?"
"Shut up!" Mitchell screamed and turned his gaze towards Lucas' sleeping form. "He's my son, and I won't let you take him away from me again!" With that, he pulled Lucas up roughly by the arm and started backing out of the clearing, the gun now pointed at the wounded boy.
The first thing Lucas registered as he was pulled awake was the pain. It hurt even to breathe, and now he was being half-dragged half-carried across the clearing. His brain had registered the shouting, but his body had insisted that he sleep. Now, he found himself shaking his head groggily, and his eyes opened to see Bridger's grief stricken face staring at him in anger from the ground. Mia sat across the clearing, sobbing, Mike's head in her lap. It was then that he realized that the hand that had forced him awake belonged to Mitchell and that ha was in a whole lot of trouble.
"What are you going to do, Mitchell?" Bridger pleaded. "Shoot him again?"
"Shut up! Just shut up!" Mitchell was becoming more and more unstable, as well as more and more confused. "I'm the one in control here! I am taking my son home with me where he belongs! And you are not going to stop me again!" Mitchell turned the gun on Bridger and his voice became grave. "I'm going to make sure that you can never stop me again."
"I thought you didn't want revenge."
"This isn't revenge."
"Oh? You're just going to get me out of the way? Like you did with Kathryn?"
Stunned, Mitchell stopped backing up and could think of nothing to say for a few moments.
His response was barely a whisper. "What are you talking about?"
Ford stalked silently up the beach with Wendy right beside him. Mentally, she reached out to search the island, trying to find out if anyone was hurt as well as where they were. After a moment, she cursed under her breath and pointed towards the trees.
"There."
Ford, always the skeptic, gave her a nervous look. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, Jonathan. Trust me." Ford signaled to the rest of the team, all dressed in black jumpsuits, to follow their lead. Bringing up the rear, Picollo offered a silent prayer that they were not too late.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Mitchell." Bridger was annoyed at his sudden lack of memory. After Mitchell didn't respond, Bridger started to think that maybe he didn't know. But... "When Kathryn came to the UEO for sanctuary, she began giving us information. A few years later, she became fully involved in UEO intelligence." Lucas' eyes widened. His mother hadn't been a spy; she had been a scientist! At least, that's what he had thought... Bridger continued when he saw nothing register on Mitchell's face. "About four years ago, there was a leak inside the UEO, and Kathryn was found out." At this Mitchell's face melted into shock. "At that time she was known as Cynthia Holt."
"No. It can't be..."
Bridger's voice grew bitter. "You ordered her murder, didn't you?" He got to his feet, taking advantage of Mitchell's shock. "You killed her! And now you want to make up for it by taking her son as well? Well, I won't let you!"
Lucas was in shock. His mother's killer... He couldn't think. His mind raced a mile-a-minute. His mother's death kept flashing before his eyes, and with every cycle the rage he had been trying to suppress for years grew.
Mia knew what was going on around her, but couldn't focus in anything but Mike's dying form. She wiped the betraying tears from her eyes and cradled his head in her lap.
"Mia..." Mike's voice was unnaturally soft, and Mia could hear the pain it caused him to speak.
"Shh, Mike. Don't try to talk. You're going to be okay."
"No, Mia. You must... you..." He started to drift off, and Mia choked back a sob.
"Mike?" She thought he had lost consciousness when he grabbed her arm with surprising force.
"Mia... the launch... you have to... can't let Mitchell... get away..."
"He won't, Mike. It's okay." Mia wasn't sure who she was trying to convince the most-Mike or herself. "Shh."
"No!" With great pain, Mike reached into his jumpsuit and pressed a small black box into Mia's palm. "If Mitchell... gets away..."
Mia looked at the object and instantly knew what Mike had been trying to tell her. She just wasn't sure if she would be able to carry out what he wanted.
"Mike..."
"Mia, he can't get away." Painfully, he turned his face towards hers. "I know... it's hard, but... he can't... start... the war..."
"Mike-"
"Please, Mia. Promise me!"
"I... I promise."
"Thank you, Mia." Mike's agitation left him, at once taken over by the pain. "Thank you."
"Mike?" Mia sobbed. "Stay with me. Mike! Don't leave me now!"
"Mia-I love you. Don't forget that."
"Mike, no!"
"Don't worry, Mia... it will all be... okay..."
"No!" Weakly, Mike turned his eyes so he could look at her face. Slowly, his hand brushed her cheek. Gently, Mia closed her eyes and put her hand atop his.
"You're so.... beautiful... I... love... you..." In one huge exhaled breath, Mike's hand went limp.