Into the Night

Eight Nights

*As usual, I don't own anything and don't gain anything. I am just borrowing a few amazing characters from a very professional production. I can't resist to fill in the blanks between season One and season Two while I eagerly await news for season Three (because we really need a season 3 of this wonderful show).

The First Night

Rescued

When Sylvie and the others finally showed up Mathieu breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally reached a safe place where the sun wouldn't kill them. There would be no more running; no more flying around the globe, trying to elude the horrors that had chased them on their way to their final destination. Mathieu got up and greeted the other half of the group as they arrived. He patted Ayaz' back, hugged Jakub and broke into a wry smile as his co-pilot showed up next to him.

"We made it," Sylvie whispered wearily, her voice filled with disbelief and joy at the same time.

Mathieu nodded. "We made it," he echoed.

She snorted and shook her head. "I never thought I was going to say this but I am glad to be able to live another day."

"I'm glad to hear it," he replied kindly, remembering their earlier conversation in the cockpit.

Laura sneaked up behind him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, looking at him with concern. "How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

The pilot smirked. "I am afraid that if I sit down somewhere, I would never be able to get up again," he replied truthfully yet his tired dark brown eyes twinkled as he said it. "Enough about me; how's Osman doing?"

Laura followed the pilot's worried gaze toward the serviceman who lay deadly still on a wooden bench, not too far away, in the large room where everyone had currently gathered around.

"He received quite a shock. Frankly, I am amazed he didn't get electrocuted. He needs time to heal and-," Laura trailed off as she turned around to fully focus on the pilot again. "-so do you Mathieu. You should sit down before you fall down."

"She's right, you know," Sylvie concurred with a faint wry smile. "The flying part of this is over; at least for now."

He nodded. He was tired, so very tired. They had been flying almost nonstop for a week and he'd been sick; he still was.

Sylvie studied the haggard face before her a moment and then made a face. "Since this bunch of happy campers believe I am the leader of our group-,"

Mathieu raised his head, blinking his eyes open, not realizing he'd closed them in the first place, to look at her. "Well, you are," he reasoned.

"I never asked to be that," she protested lightly as she eyed him closely, ready to support him should he need it.

"Someone has to be," Mathieu replied with a shrug. "I'd say you're a natural."

She snorted and shook her head. "You're just saying that because you're tired. I liked it better when we came up with solutions together."

"Like you said-," Mathieu replied seriously, "-I am tired. Both mentally and physically. It takes all my willpower not to snap at someone at the moment. I can't even think straight."

"I'd say that's quite normal after what you've been through," Laura said kindly. "It's only been twenty-four hours since I cleaned your wound back at the hospital and I don't think its normal procedure to get behind the yoke of an airplane an hour later - after you've awakened from an operation."

"No, I guess not," he whispered with a weak smile as he looked from the nurse to the helicopter pilot. "But Sylvie refused to fly the aircraft."

"Hey," she protested lightly as she slapped him on the shoulder. "Helicopter pilot, remember? Last time I checked we flew an Airbus A320."

"Sylvie, was it?" A tall woman asked as she stepped up to the trio and nodded at Mathieu and Laura.

"Yes," she said curiously.

"I am Ambassador Bisset – you can call me Thea," she said by way of introduction. "I work at NATO with Gerardo," she trailed off and turned around to point at a smaller man with glasses, standing at the back of the room, quietly observing them.

"You mean, you worked for NATO?" Laura said. "There are no jobs anymore, just us, fragile human beings, trying to survive the best we can."

The ambassador only nodded, suddenly at loss for words, as if realizing the implication for the first time. "You might be right about that," Thea replied. "But let's save those unhappy thoughts for later. I know some of you are injured and I can tell you're all exhausted. Luckily the bunker is dimensioned for a lot more people than just the few of us already stationed here so there is an entire room, complete with bunks, that you can use and treat as your own."

"You mean we can sleep in a bed?" Jakub asked brightly as he joined them.

"I wouldn't exactly call them beds but at least it's better than the floor," the ambassador replied.

"Try an airplane chair for a week," Jakub said.

"Hey, you traveled first class, did you not?" Mathieu teased.

Jakub laughed as the tension and fear that had been his companion for the last week began to leave him. "Ambassador Bisset, point us in the direction of this blissful room."

She smiled at him and then nodded. "Please follow me," she said.

Laura nodded at Horst who walked over to Ayaz, offering his support.

"I am alright," the Turkish man protested lightly.

"Please, allow him to help you," Zara said softly as she hugged her little boy tight. "There is no need to play tough now. We are safe. You need to take it easy for a while, perhaps stay off your feet."

Laura nodded as she overheard them. "Zara is right," she said. "You have a concussion and I bet you're feeling nauseated and dizzy as well as partly confused. With a little bit of rest, you'll be fine."

He nodded begrudgingly and allowed Horst to support him.

Ines brought up the rear of the group and let out a shaky breath, not sure she believed they were really safe this time either. She studied the people before her, they looked haggard and drawn, their movements were slow and stiff but at least they were alive. Sylvie walked close to Mathieu, ready to support him if he needed it. Laura was walking behind them, keeping a watchful eye on Osman as Rik and Jakub gently kept him upright between them. Next came Ayaz and Horst while Zara and Dominik walked right behind; the boy stumbling along. They were a bunch of broken people who'd been forced to work together in order to live and now she couldn't imagine a life without them – they had become her new family.

The soldiers watched from a slight distance as the passengers and crew, who were left of flight 21, went down the hallway and disappeared into the large room that had been given to them. The bunker was a military facility under military command with the exception of the two ambassadors. It felt wrong to allow the civilians a place amongst them but they had no choice.

The Colonel sighed as he felt the tension in the air. The soldiers were already riled up at the intrusion and the civilians were angsty and tired after travelling around the globe for so long without proper sleep and food. He wasn't looking forward to this mishmash of civilians and soldiers and he wondered briefly if they would respect the chain of command but decided not to dwell on it. There was nothing he could do but wait and see what happened. A part of the group that had arrived on his doorstep could be useful; especially the pilot and the mechanic, maybe even the nurse and the scientist.

OOOOOO

Sylvie woke up, drenched in sweat, three in the afternoon. Her eyes wild as she glanced around the small room occupied by herself, Laura and Ines. The others didn't bat an eye, too exhausted to be awoken by her bolting upright in her cot. Terenzio was haunting her, her actions against him gnawing on her soul as his blue eyes bore into her from where he stood, secured to the opening mechanism of the gate.

She hadn't trusted him; no one had. She had seriously doubted he'd be staying behind and wait for the others. Ayaz, Horst, Ines, Zara and Dominik had all fought bravely along the way of their little adventure and she refused to hand their lives over to Terenzio, the man who'd pointed a gun at all of them ever since this whole mess had begun. He was the fleeing soldier who'd hijacked an airplane just to get away from a disaster zone, bringing the others along for the ride whether they wanted it or not.

He was the one who'd shot Mathieu, left Ayaz behind to die at NATO and cockily pointed out everyone's flaws along the way toward safety. He'd taken advantage of Rik's weakness and need to be confirmed, he'd been giving Ines longing looks and constantly tried to put himself in charge. Terenzio would not be missed but that didn't change the fact that she was the one who had killed him. She hadn't meant to. She only wanted to assure herself that he'd stay at the gate and let the other jeep inside. She hadn't taken into consideration that something would go wrong and that Ayaz and the others wouldn't come that way and therefore couldn't free the major. She had sentenced him to death by throwing away the key.

She wanted to puke, her insides churning at the mere thought of him being grilled by the sun while handcuffed to a pole; no one deserved that fate – not even Terenzio. Sylvie swallowed; her mouth dry. She couldn't bring herself to tell the others what she had done, at least not straight away. She forced herself to take a deep breath as she burrowed her head into the pillow as tears stung her eyes. The tough helicopter pilot didn't usually cry but after everything she'd been through, after losing the love of her life and lived through the doomsday of mankind, she was unable to suppress her emotions.

OOOOOO

To be continued

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