Hi everyone! I apologize a lot, a lot, a lot! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. I've been busy at home, busy at work… Just no time to write. But here I am again! Thanks to the ones who are still here. And I promise, no matter how long it takes me, I'll finish this story.

Here's chapter 75, it was so long that I cut it in two parts. So chapter 76 is coming soon. It'll be the last one in the future. Chapter 77, Lucas will be back to Terra Nova. Let's hope he'll come back with the cure!


Let's start a riot

"Security is gonna be extra tight now. You need to stay under the radar."

Alexandra was pacing nervously around Sean's desk. She had come to Sean's lab early in the morning. Her attitude was betraying her worry. It was not her habit to act like that, and it triggered Lucas' internal alarm.

"I always keep a low profile," Sean started to say.

"Keep it that way," she cut him off. "You… About last night… Did you mean it?"

"About what?"

"I have no time for this kind of game. Did you mean it?"

"Yes, I did," he affirmed.

"I need to know I can trust you. And you need to know you can trust me, right?"

"Huh… Yeah, I guess so. But…"

"If I do something, I need to be sure you know it's always for a good reason. If I tell you something, I need to be certain you'll keep it to yourself."

Sean just nodded, knowing she wasn't really asking him his opinion, but more talking to herself aloud.

"I made decisions, Sean. Because of you, for you. You can't turn your back on me now. Do you understand?"

"I do," he said seriously.

"My father would decimate whoever is a threat. Even his own blood. Asking me was really dangerous for you. How could you even be so sure I was going to accept this pact?"

"Because you're breathing suffering. It's written on your face that you want to end it. Don't need to be a psychic to know that. But instead of ending your life, just end this. And save some people at the same time."

She looked him straight in the eyes, trying to read his mind.

"Also, I have the feeling you deserve a second chance."

Alexandra stopped moving at his answer. Then her eyes went down and away and then left to right. She didn't seem to be able to focus. It seemed like an eternity before Sean broke the silence that had fallen.

"Are you drunk again?"

"No, I'm not."

Sean approached her and she stepped back quickly.

"Of course, you're not! You're just under dope, ain't you?"

"Nope."

"Yes, you are. Your pupils are tight. You're shaking. You feel withdrawal symptoms, don't you?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Of course that is! If we work together, you stop taking those pills and the other drugs you take every day. No more alcohol. You stay clean or there's no alliance. Do you understand me?"

"Who do you think you are?"

"The man who saved you," he replied forcefully.

His angry tone surprised her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean…"

She stopped and inhaled slowly to calm down, before trying to speak again.

"Sorry, I… I apologize. I've not been myself for a long time now. Trusting you is a challenge for me. And not an easy one."

"Don't you trust anyone?"

"I've witnessed terrible things, I've seen the darkest side of human beings, and trust me, it's better not knowing what people are capable of doing to survive. Living in drugs land is an excellent remedy to the situation. When you have seen what I've seen, when you have done what I have done, when you have heard what I have heard, believe me, you don't wanna remember it. Hyperthymesia is not a gift..."

"Your hyperthymesia is really annoying, you know?"

"I know, I'm the one living with it everyday... And while we're at it, the one who can remember it every day. So, yes, I know how annoying it sounds."

"It's alright… I guess. As long as you don't kill me."

"That's not gonna happen. Unless you betray me," she reminded him, half joking, half serious.

"Alex?" A cracked voice broke through her walkie-talkie.

"Father?"

"Where are you?"

"Harris' lab."

"Wait for me outside. I'm coming."

Alexandra shot Sean a frightened glance, her lips pressed tightly together.

"I… I'm going out."

"I know."

"Okay."

She was heading to the door when she turned back to him.

"Oh, and, by the way," she added, holding him a memory stick. "I suppose it's yours."

Sean looked to where the device should have been and glanced back to Alexandra, bewildered.

"Why?"

"Like I said, I've not been myself recently," she shrugged.

"Why are you doing this?"

"When you do my job, you know what's valuable in a room the moment you walk in," she explained. "Don't worry, I stole it when I entered earlier. I didn't have a look inside. Don't forget our agreement," she murmured before going out.

"Something's wrong," Sean said aloud, so Lucas could hear him.

"Stay calm."

Lucas' voice was harsh but Sean obeyed, going back to his desk. He didn't stay seated for too long, tough. He couldn't stay still, waiting for Charles' arrival. Sean was pacing nervously when Alexandra eventually came back, closely following her father.

"Mr. Dubois," Sean greeted.

"Harris," Charles replied, holding his hands in the air. "Please, have a seat."

Sean seemed surprised but obediently sat back down.

"Sean, I'm afraid I have some very bad news to tell you."

Lucas could see Sean struggling to breathe properly. Maybe Charles knew. Maybe they had been caught. Maybe he was going to kill him. Or maybe Charles had something totally different to tell him. In any case, Lucas was ready to jump out of his shelter if need be.

"What is it?" Sean asked, trying for a blank tone.

"Sean, we have never talked about your private life, right?"

Sean was fidgeting on his chair.

"No, sir."

"Well, if you had told me you had a wife, maybe we could have protected her better."

"Wha-what?"

"I'm sorry, Sean. But your wife has been found dead in town."

Sean went white, his mouth slightly agape. He was clearly not comprehending what Charles had said. Lucas glanced immediately to Alexandra and noticed her face was neutral. Nothing on her face betrayed her thoughts.

"You… No… She's…"

"Dead. Police called me to inform you."

"You! You did it!" Sean suddenly hollered, standing up so violently that his chair fell down behind him.

"Sean, how can you believe such a thing? We're family. We protect each other!"

"Bloody liar! I'm gonna…" Sean started to threaten Charles before being stopped abruptly by Alexandra. She gripped his arm tightly and pushed him hard against the cupboard, inches away from Lucas. She pressed him forcefully against the door, glaring at him.

"Don't you ever accuse my father again. He's the one who gave you a job when you had none. He's the one who fed you when you were starving. We DO NOT harm family," she insisted, pressing on every word. "Do you understand?"

Sean nodded slightly, quite shocked.

"Alex, sweetheart, let him go," Charles commanded her without conviction.

"Show him respect!" Alexandra warned him before releasing him.

"Sean, my dear, Sean. I'm sorry to hear you believe that I would hurt the ones you love. It's sadness that makes you say such a thing. I understand. You need to grieve. I've been there myself. I'm gonna leave you alone so you have plenty of time to mourn on your own."

"Sir," Sean intervened before Charles could leave. "Where… How did she… How did it happen?"

"Well, it appears that it was a payback for the attack yesterday. They wanted to punish us for their losses. They probably found out about her… Those rebellious… They are barbaric. We'll make them pay. Like my daughter said, we do not allow people to hurt our family. I promise you that the guilty ones will be found and punished for what they've done to you."

"I'm gonna stay here," Alex said firmly.

"Are you? And why would you do that?"

Alexandra walked to her father before answering. Only Lucas could hear them.

"I'm going to keep an eye on him," she replied coldly, glaring icily to Sean.

"Well, well, well, who's there and what did she do to my daughter?" He chuckled silently.

"I want to be sure his work is done properly."

"Looks like you're in good hands, Mr. Harris," Charles grinned proudly. "Alexandra, meet me in two hours. I'm meeting a new client. It's a first reunion only, but I want you in."

"Russians?"

"Russians."

Once Charles was gone, Sean raced to Alexandra.

"He did it, didn't he? Or you did? Did you? Did you do it? Was that the kind of thing you did for me?"

"My father found you quite strange lately. Few weeks ago, he asked me to follow you."

Sean was staring at her and she was holding his stare. Since Sean didn't say a single word, Alexandra continued her revelation.

"I knew about Hannah before you told me about it. I knew about your secret. So did my father. And we both knew you couldn't afford it. Unless you tried something against us. Charles thought you could be a problem. He was going to wait for you to finish your work on the portals before getting rid of you. But with the attack yesterday, he was sure you were part of it. He wanted to end it now."

"Meaning?"

"After the attack, he asked me to kill Hannah while you were here, working for us."

"You? You!" Sean's voice was hysterical.

"I'm sorry, Sean," she blurted out. "I needed you to believe she was dead."

"Needed to believe?" He repeated blankly.

"You're such a bad liar!" She explained again.

"Wha-What?"

"She ain't dead, okay?"

"What do you mean? What do you…"

"She's alive. No one killed her. I told my father I would do it. I told him no one could betray us and live happily ever after."

"You're lying. Just like your father."

"You said I should trust you. Now, it's your turn to trust me. I took care of it myself."

Sean stared thoughtfully at the cupboard, weighing the pros and cons. Lucas had said Alexandra was someone he could rely on. However, she was ready to betray her own father. What kind of daughter could do that? The kind of daughter whose parents have betrayed her first, lying to her her whole life, he told himself.

"She's in a safe place. I promise."

"Prove it."

"I can't."

"Can I see her?"

She shook her head from side to side, her expression showing how sorry she was.

"It's for her safety. For yours."

"I need to know she's fine. I need to tell her everything."

"I'll do it. I swear."

"But…"

"Sean…"

"No! I said I was on your side! I said I trusted you. What else do you need?"

"Do you believe in fate? Because I do. I know someone who truly believes that it's the choices we make that decide what our life is. But I think it's destiny. I think it was destiny that made you come and talk to me before I could harm her. If you had not come and talked to me… I don't know what I would have done to her. I mean, I don't think that… Because of her… You know. And I'm glad I will never find out if I could have been capable of such a horrible thing."

Lucas' mind was racing. He was sure she was talking about him. And she was right. He had never believed in destiny. But his encounter with her had changed his life a long time ago. And with his experience with time fracture, somehow, he had started to believe some things were already written. Above all now he knew that his presence had created everything. He was the reason why Sean's wife was still alive. Because he had pushed Sean to go and see Alexandra that precise night. He had no idea this simple discussion would bring so much. He had no idea he had saved more than Alexandra's life that night.

"That son of a bitch is dead."

"Sean, focus! Our fight starts now. He started it. This is it."

"Do you know what it's like to love someone and to be separated from that same person? It's not a life, it's survival! I need to see her."

"Don't go there Sean."

"Do you even know what love is? Your heart seems as hard as stone."

His remark seemed to trigger something in her. She looked at him with a strange expression on her face.

"I've learnt to live half alive. You will too. For you, it's only temporary."

"Where's your other half?" Sean dared to ask.

"In the past."

"You're talking about Lucas Taylor, right?"

Lucas was boiling in his cupboard. Half of him wanted to know her answer, the other half thought it was totally ridiculous and dangerous to ask her that kind of question. He was going to reveal their secret.

"I'm not discussing my private life with you."

"The rumors say that you risked your life to save him."

"You shouldn't listen to rumors."

"Also, I've heard that he betrayed Charles because of you."

"Sean, for God's sake, what are you playing at?"

"I'm not playing. I'm just trying to discern what's in your mind. To know who you really are under this armor."

"What do you know about him anyway?" She asked with disdain and suspicion.

"I know he's the kind of guy I would hate," Sean chuckled. "But I know he's the kind of guy who wouldn't let you stay away from him too long."

"You know nothing."

"No, wait. Would you do the same for Lucas?"

Alexandra stepped aback, surprised.

"What?"

"You love him, right?"

"I… The situation is different. It's different. It was. I mean, it was different. But it's over now anyway."

"You want him to be safe. You care for him."

"Stop analyzing me."

"When you love someone, you believe in that person. You don't need proof. You can feel it. Is it what you feel for him?"

The time seemed to stand still in the air during that moment before Alexandra eventually answered.

"You would do anything for Hannah, right?"

"Yes."

"Anything, even risk your life, even die to save her?"

"Of course."

"Then you know how I feel for Lucas."

Lucas felt his heart tighten at her answer. She had never stopped loving him. Not after everything he had done to her. Not even after he failed to save her. Her heart still belonged to him.

"Hannah won't understand."

"She will. She will understand she has to. For her safety and yours."

"I won't. I need her with me."

"I can assure you, you'll survive this."

"How do you deal with Lucas' absence?"

Alexandra frowned, obviously annoyed with Sean for talking about Lucas so much. They had not been allies for a long time. Lucas could feel she didn't like it, and neither did he. His private life was private. He had never liked to talk about it. He had always wanted to preserve it. It was another common point with Alexandra. They both like to keep their intimacy to themselves.

"Life sucks. Can't help it."

"Come on, if you have spied us, you know how much Hannah means to me."

"Lucas is safe. That is all that matters. I want him to stay away from me, from my father... From the pain he'll have to deal with if we meet again."

"You don't believe it, not really. I will never give up on Hannah. Lucas would never give up on you. I bet he's looking for you right now."

"Don't talk about things you don't know about."

"I just want a second chance. For her. Someone who really loves someone else would do anything he could to keep that person alive."

"You'll stay away from her, to keep her alive," she replied honestly. "And you'll have it. I'll give you that second chance. I swear to you. Everyone has a weak spot. And my father found yours. Don't forget that, never underestimate him."

"I'm smart. He won't hurt me twice."

"He's smart, just like you, but a lot more devious. Fortunately for us, even the smartest ones have a weakness."

"Even a genius?"

Lucas saw her make a strange face at his question. Was he the genius Sean was talking about? Or was he still talking about Charles?

"Even a genius."

"Even you?"

"Even me."

"Even Lucas?"

"We are not having this conversation again," she cut him off firmly. "I don't want to talk about it. The past is the past. Stop bringing it back up. Now, I need to go. But later, we'll talk about our plan. First, an essential question: are you ready to destroy my father's enterprise?"

"I'm ready."

"Yeah?"

"100 percent sure."

"Then, we have a deal. Together, we'll save the new world."


Feel the music, Feel the story

"If you feel so empty, so used up, so let down. If you feel so angry, so ripped off so stepped on. You're not the only one refusing to back down. You're not the only one so get up. Let's start a riot, a riot. Let's start a riot. If you feel so filthy, so dirty so fucked up. If you feel so walked on, so painful so pissed off. You're not the only one refusing to go down. You're not the only one, so get up." Riot – Three Days Grace