Happy Holidays! I'm evil so your gift is a cliffhanger and yet another curve ball. Hehehe …
Maddy is sure she's never slept as late as she has today, for she doesn't wake up until her mother gets home for lunch. She climbs down the loft to see Zoe and Mark playing with a toy dinosaur, one that Josh made from an old washcloth for the young girl when they found out they were leaving. By the time Maddy's finished getting ready, her mom is walking through the door.
Elisabeth gets lunch together, telling Maddy to just relax. Everyone is relieved that she's not coughing much.
"Where were you this morning anyway?" Maddy asks her mom as she cuts up food. Elisabeth avoids eye contact when responding that she had a meeting about dad being freed for the pilgrimage. "And?" Maddy prompts.
"Time will tell," Elisabeth answers shortly.
They try to continue talking, but Zoe starts cackling so loudly that they have to remind her about their quiet rules. Zoe covers her hands over her mouth and looks around, as if expecting someone to jump out at her for being noisy. Maddy smiles at her little sister. After Zoe deems that the coast is clear to uncover her mouth, she shakes her head at Mark. "You're so silly," she giggles softly. "That's not what dinosaurs sound like."
"No?" Mark asks as if he is shocked. "Hmmm, well how would you know? Have you ever heard a dinosaur?" Elisabeth and Maddy exchange a glance, watching Mark interact with Zoe.
Zoe smiles at him. "Not yet, but I will," she says confidently, "That's what Maddy said. She told me what they sound like. And Maddy's always right."
"Okay," Mark says with a small chuckle. "Do they sound like this?" He shakes the toy and starts barking like a dog, and Zoe shakes her head. He then meows and Zoe shakes her head again as she laughs.
"Maddy taught me about different animals and showed me pictures," Zoe corrects Mark. "That's what a dog and a cat say."
"Well now I'm just confused," Mark says with a shrug. "You're going to have to help me out here." Zoe grins from ear to ear before getting on her hands and knees. She looks up at Mark and roars. Mark jumps. "Oh my goodness, Zoe!" he exclaims. "You scared me!"
Zoe giggles and turns to her mom and sister for their approval of her dinosaur interpretation. That's when Mark notices they were paying attention and his face turns slightly pink. "Good job, sweetie," Elisabeth says to her daughter. She eyes Mark with a soft smile but doesn't say anything more.
That afternoon Elisabeth goes back into work, and Maddy teaches Zoe. Zoe then sets out on a coloring project, leaving the two older kids with some free time. "Are you feeling alright?" Mark asks Maddy.
Maddy manages a small smile. "Yeah," she says with a shrug. "I'm alive so that's always good."
"Um …" Mark starts uncertainly. "I was thinking that … well, maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing for you just take off school until Terra Nova." He bites his lip as he waits for Maddy's reaction.
"Are you kidding me?" Maddy asks expressionless. Mark doesn't answer, assuming that the question is rhetorical. "You were thinking?" Maddy pushes clarification with emphasis on the word you. "My mom put you up to this, didn't she?" Maddy accuses.
"I think it's not a bad idea," Mark responds carefully.
Maddy rolls her eyes. "Don't think that you will get away with being evasive like that," she challenges. "I see right through you."
"It doesn't matter whose idea it was," Mark argues. "A good idea is a good idea."
Maddy scowls at him. "No," she says. "I will not just sit here and wait around. I'm not so fragile that I need to be locked away in a tower!"
"I don't think that you are fragile Maddy," Mark tells her earnestly. "You are one of the strongest people I know. But I don't want to see you get hurt again."
Maddy stands up and sighs. "I'm sorry I make your job so difficult," she says brusquely.
"That's not my concern over you getting hurt!" Mark snaps exasperated.
"Then what it?"
Mark and Maddy both stand face to face glaring at each other and distraught. "I don't want anything to happen to you Maddy," Mark eventually says softly. "You lying there unconscious is not something I want to see. Again." Maddy averts her eyes to the ground. "What happened to your rebreather?" Mark asks. Maddy glances up at him. "You can tell me," Mark continues, trying to reason with her. "I won't tell anyone else anything that you don't want me to."
"But that isn't saying you won't go beat people up either," Maddy argues.
"Are you telling me I have a reason to?"
Maddy sighs, running her hand through her hair and fighting back tears. "I'm just … I'm so sick of being sick and of getting the kicked puppy look and feeling so humiliated over everything at school!" she bursts.
"It isn't your fault Maddy," Mark says as calmly as possible. "Now did someone intentionally smash your rebreather or not? Do you realize how serious this could have been?"
"Of course I do!" Maddy snaps. The unfallen tears are starting to glass over Maddy's vision.
"Fine," Mark says cautiously, "you had to know the rebreather was broken. Why didn't you say anything in the first place? Before we walked outside?"
Maddy sighs, "I thought it would be okay! I thought I could make it to the house. And it isn't like there is anything we could have done anyway. I didn't want to admit what happened."
"Maddy," Mark says gently. "What did happen?" Maddy shakes her head. "Please?" Mark tries. "If someone did this, they have to pay for their actions."
"What's the point?" Maddy bursts. "I'm leaving soon enough anyways!"
"That doesn't erase anything," Mark pointed out.
Maddy takes a shaky breath, fighting hard to keep her emotions in check. She feels a tear slip down her cheek. "You," she starts, "You're not related to me. You don't have to say good things about me just to make me feel good. So tell me, what have I done … how am I such a horrible person that someone would want to hurt me instead of just letting me walk away?"
Mark takes a step toward Maddy, lightly touching her shoulder. "You are the opposite of a horrible person," he promises her. "And I'm not just saying that." Maddy looks up at him tentatively. "Give me a name," Mark whispers. Maddy tries to argue, but Mark cuts her off. "Please Maddy," he says, "let me help you. You are a good person, and you don't deserve this."
Taking a deep breath, Maddy wipes off her face. "John," she mouths quietly.
Mark pushes back the hatred and anger boiling in his blood and wraps his arms around Maddy. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there," his voice breaks.
"It's not your fault, Mark," Maddy claims automatically. Mark rolls his eyes at her subconscious need to take care of everyone but herself.
That night, Mark spends a few minutes by himself in his temporary room next to the Shannons' apartment as he gets ready to pull an all-nighter in the hallway. After stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel, he goes to hunt through his bag for his uniform when he notices Reilly sitting on the couch messing with her communicator. "Um, hey … could I talk to you for a second?" Mark asks.
Reilly rolls her eyes, not looking at him. "Not unless you have an answer as to what is going on with Maddy," she says. "I already told you I don't want to deal with this; she is your responsibility. TN Recruitment has already contacted me asking why Maddy missed school, yet again, and I had to tell them her rebreather was smashed."
Mark gets annoyed, "We wouldn't have to tell Recruitment anything if you just said the device was broken. Framing the answer matters; say something was 'smashed' the automatic response is to ask how that happened. I thought we were all on the same side here."
"We are," Reilly argues. "But if they lead an investigation as to what happened, Maddy will get justice. Do you really think it was an accident?"
"No, but I could lose my job!"
"Make up your mind, Mark," Reilly snaps, finally drawing her attention from what she was doing to look at her coworker. "Which do you care about more? Getting the money at the end of this or making sure the family is okay? You have a real problem with separating emotions and the job."
"I do care about the Shannons, but I also have three mouths to feel back home. And I do actually know what happened with the rebreather," Mark states.
Reilly looks at him levelly. "I might be able to take you more seriously if you were wearing pants," she says dryly in reference to the towel around his waist.
Mark rolls his eyes and reaches for his duffle bag. On his way into the bathroom, he pauses and looks over this shoulder. "John Ward," he says. "He's a senior at the high school."
After Mark gets ready, he accepts Elisabeth's invitation for dinner. Maddy hadn't really made eye contact with him at all since she told him about John earlier in the afternoon. No one was really talkative, making the meal a subdued affair.
A sharp knock at the door catches everyone's attention. It is suddenly as if there is an invisible string pulling everyone up straight and tense. Josh gets the door and everyone is surprised to see the recruitment officer who escorted the guards there on the first day. "Good evening, may I help you?" Elisabeth asks as she makes her way over to the door. "Is this about Jim?" she asks eagerly.
"No, I'm afraid not," the man says in the manner of someone who actually doesn't care. Continuing with his air of indifference, he apologizes for the inconvenience. "I'm actually here regarding another matter. Madelyn Shannon missed school today, is that correct?"
Maddy trips over her chair. "Uh, yes, sir," she answers quickly as she picks the chair up.
"And that was due to medical reasons resulting from a broken rebreather?" the officer prompts.
Elisabeth skeptically confirms the statement for her daughter.
"And Markus Reynold is the security guard assigned to protect Madelyn, correct?"
Maddy's mouth parts is shock. "Yes," Elisabeth answers slowly, "but it wasn't his fault anything happened."
The officer sighs, evidently tired of the conversation already. "I apologize for being the barer of bad news," he says stoically, "but we were informed the situation wasn't an accident. Madelyn was attacked and if Reynolds had been doing his job and protecting her like he's supposed to, there wouldn't have been an issue." Mark stared at the glass of water in front of him, unmoving. Yes, he blames himself, but he also can't believe a recruitment officer is actually here right now discussing this.
"Maddy?" Elisabeth asks cautiously.
Maddy violently shakes her head. "It wasn't Mark's fault!" she says desperately. "Yeah, I was alone in the morning, but only because he was with the principal."
The officer rolls his eyes as Maddy's dramatics. "He was with the principal regarding the issue of him beating up several defenseless students," he clarifies.
"No!" Maddy argues, "That's taken out of context! He-"
"He accused Johnathan Ward of hurting you, which the principal said you denied. Reynolds had used that excuse, which again I'd like to point out that you confirmed wasn't true, as justified reasoning to hurt Mr. Ward and his friends. Conveniently, Mr. Ward's name pops up yet again when Reynolds throws him under the bus for the incident regarding your rebreather," the officer says.
"That's not what happened!" Maddy tried to defend Mark. "He wouldn't lie! What would he gain by accusing a random student of-"
The officer cuts Maddy off again, "Markus Reynolds tried to cover up the fact that he is an inadequate security officer with anger issues. If he claimed you confessed that someone intentionally broke your rebreather, an investigation wouldn't need to continue and it would never have been brought up that he hasn't been fulfilling his duties."
"Oh my god," Maddy scoffs. "This is ridiculous! Mark does not have anger issues."
The recruitment officer no longer tries to reason with Maddy and instead turns to the stunned Elisabeth explaining, "I am sorry that Markus Reynolds was allowed in your home, but I can assure you that he won't be employed by Terra Nova Security any longer or any time in the future. Unfortunately, not enough background research was completed and it turns out he has a history of excessive violence."
"What are you talking about?" Maddy yells.
The officer sighs and rubs his temples as if he isn't used to dealing with sixteen-year-old girls. "He was previously arrested when there were abuse accusations brought against him in the past, but the charges were dropped when the victim refused to testify. Dr. Shannon, as you see with the sudden change of heart of your daughter, there is a pattern appearing here. He is a danger. Again, we can at least offer our apologizes and can assure you this won't ever happen again."
Elisabeth looks speechlessly from the officer to Mark to Maddy. Mark sits numbly at the table, unbelieving at what they are bringing up against him now. It was so long ago …
"Maddy," Elisabeth says as evenly as possible, "did someone at school hurt you on purpose?"
"Yes," Maddy responds promptly and confidently. "I was lying before because I was afraid, but-"
Mark sighs as he realizes what he's about to do. He stands up from the table and walks over. "She's lying now," he cuts Maddy off brusquely, refusing to look her in the eye. "You are right. I made everything up and I'm mentally unstable. Happy?"
"Shut up Mark!" Maddy bursts. "What are you doing?"
The officer frowns at him. "Who will you believe?" Mark asks evenly. "Me, the 'inadequate security officer with anger issues', or her, the girl who Terra Nova has so much stake in?"
The officer's eyes flash at Mark. "Markus Reynolds, you are under arrest for obstruction of federal investigation and assault of a minor on multiple accounts. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."
"No!" Maddy yells. In an instant, she, Ken, and Laura are all taking Mark's defense.
"He's innocent!" Maddy yells. "He's just protecting me!"
"This wasn't supposed to happen," Laura protests, "you were supposed to go after John!"
"Mark wouldn't do this!" Ken snaps.
The officer ignores the yelling and ushers another boy into the room after he handcuffs Mark. "This is Tim Curran," he says shortly. "He will be acting as Mark's replacement for the duration of the assignment. Dr. Shannon, feel free to contact me with any concerns. I again offer apologies."
Mark is led out of the apartment and everyone stands in silence.
Maddy suddenly feels sick. Why would he lie for me? she thinks. Not that it matters. This is all my fault.