There is no paradise without sacrifice.
The world's population is at a bursting point. Ninety percent of plant and animal life is extinct. Mankind has but one last hope for survival, the likes of which lie 85 million years in the past…
Terra Nova, Season Two, Episode Two: Not Harmless
As the sun rose over Terra Nova, Maddy Shannon was panicking. She paced, back and forth, back and forth, crossing and uncrossing her arms over her chest as she waited. He was late. Again. Soon, her father would wake up and head off to work. If he saw her hanging around looking suspicious, he would begin to wonder what in the world she was up to. She didn't need that.
There was a quiet, almost discernible sound just outside of the walls of the Shannon residence. Maddy's eyes widened; a slow, wide grin taking over her features. The panic that had left her stomach feeling tight and her teeth clenched now disappeared as excitement took over. She hastily grabbed her satchel bag – currently holding her Plexpad, you know, in case she needed to look anything up – and pulled it over her shoulder before making her way over to the front door.
She quietly pulled it open and smiled up at her boyfriend, currently dressed in casual clothes – which was a rare sight, as he worked nearly every day as a part of Terra Nova's security detail. "Hi," she greeted him as she pulled the door shut behind her. There was a coy smile on her lips, a sparkle in her eye as he grinned at her before insisting that he take her bag. After a little half-hearted arguing on her part, he placed it over his own shoulder, frowning at the weight of it.
He sent her a pointed look as they began to walk away from the house. "You brought your Plex, didn't you?"
Maddy blushed, though she knew that she didn't have to pretend to be somebody else around Mark. "I like to be prepared for any situation," she replied. He chuckled then, like he hadn't expected any better. She looked up at him before playfully elbowing him in the rib, causing him to laugh even harder.
"Where are we even going anyway?" She wondered out loud. Mark often liked to take her out and surprise her with beautiful, natural landscapes and the wonders of the new world – something that couldn't happen at the moment, not after Commander Taylor's new set of rules had been laid down on the whole of the colony. Every trip outside of the gates was to be cleared by Taylor himself, and any member of the colony seen breaking these rules would be immediately transferred to the Brig and then thoroughly questioned. Ever since Skye's disappearance, everyone had been treating life with new caution.
"Nowhere special," Mark answered. There was a hint of disappointment in his voice, though she knew that he would never break the Commander's trust. "Just to my place. Dunham's already gone out, somewhere with Reilly, so I was thinking we could get some breakfast or something."
Suddenly, she was at loss for words. She had been to the small place that Mark shared with his fellow soldier and housemate many times, but never alone with her boyfriend. Was he… implying something? Maddy had never done… that before. He was eighteen, nearly nineteen; surely Mark had had sex before, right?
"Breakfast sounds good," she exclaimed a little too loudly. Her voice had rose about two octaves and she was sure that he had noticed. Her cheeks flushed and she ducked her head to hide them.
"O-kay, then," he replied, smirking at her oddly. "You feeling alright this morning? You seem a little tense."
She looked away from him and cringed. It wasn't that she wasn't ready for… that… it was just that she hadn't expected the time to come so soon. What if she was terrible at it? What it he dumped her because she was so bad? She knew that Mark would never do that, but she couldn't help but still be afraid. She'd always loved the idea of Terra Nova, of the science behind it, the freedom, of the liberty – everything that it stood for. Still, she had never expected her favourite part of it to be a boy.
"It's Skye, isn't it?" He asked, suddenly reaching out and gripping her shoulders gently in his hands. He turned her so that she stared up at him, their eyes parallel to one another. "I know that we haven't really spoken about it since it happened, but you understand that we don't know the full story, right? I know that Skye is a close friend of your brother's, but I have to follow the Commander's orders-"
"No. No," Maddy interrupted him. "It isn't that. I do agree with Josh. I don't think that Skye would betray the colony again. I mean, she despises Lucas…" She trailed off, a sudden wave of guilt and sadness overpowering her. In the past few days she'd been incredibly busy with school and study, so busy that she hadn't really had time to think about the girl who had been kidnapped not even a week ago. "But I understand that you have to do your job. I know that it's not personal."
He nodded gravely as they started to walk towards his house once more. Their hands entangled as they did so, causing them both to feel more at ease. However, the shadow of Skye's possible demise hung over them, as it did over many other members of the colony.
"Hey, dad, can we talk?"
Jim turned to look back at his eldest child and only son, Josh, who was following him with intent. It was nine o'clock and he was due in Commander Taylor's quarters to be debriefed on his duties for the day. He didn't have the time for this.
However, as Josh's eyes searched his face, lost, alone, and fragile, he remembered why they had moved to Terra Nova - to be a family once more. Anything Taylor had to say to him could wait; Jim's family came first, no matter the consequences.
"Sure, kiddo. What is it?"
Josh looked down at his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets. There was a crease between his eyebrows, something that he had developed following Kara's death. Poor kid, Jim found himself thinking, first Kara and now Skye. "I- I've been thinking…"
"That's not good," Jim joked softly, hoping for a small smile out of the sullen teenager. He didn't get one.
"I've decided that I want to join Security."
Jim froze. His son stared back at him, his gaze suddenly unwavering, his posture still slightly hunched and drawn inward, as if he were afraid that his strength would crumble at any moment now. "You want to what?"
"You know," Josh chuckled darkly. "I want to do what you do."
Jim shook his head. "This isn't you, Josh. You've… you've never wanted to do anything that I do," he replied, his voice hard. "This is about Skye, not about you-"
Josh wrenched a hand from his pocket and ran it through his tousled brown hair – a nervous habit that he had had since he was a young child. "Just listen to me," he hissed.
This was dangerous territory, Jim realised. He and Elizabeth had spoken about their eldest child the night previous, carefully discussing his behaviour and how he was dealing with the short straws that life had handed him. They knew that if Josh felt as if nothing were being done, then he would do something drastic – like go and look for Skye himself. That could possibly be disastrous.
"I can't just mill around here, waiting for someone else to do something about it. She's not a spy anymore, dad. You know that, too!" His voice was pleading, desperate. "She only helped the Sixers and Lucas before because they had her mum!"
Jim walked quickly towards his son and placed an arm around his shoulders. Josh continued talking, though Jim had stopped listening for a moment, instead focusing on watching the surrounding civilians with caution as he led his son away from the main sector of the colony, away from their unwanted audience. Talk of the Sixers and the Phoenix Group was not something that Terra Nova needed right now. There was to be no more fear instilled in the hearts of the community – life would go on peaceful and plentiful in their minds.
Josh shrugged him off and stared up at him once more, his eyes dry but red, tired and weary after nightmare-filled nights. Images of Kara, of the life that they had left behind in 2149, still echoed in the back of his mind. When he pushed them away, he was bombarded by the memories of Skye's lips against his, her head on his shoulder as the tears rolled down her cheeks after she had been discovered as the Sixer spy.
"You and I both know that Skye hated Lucas. Not only that, but she was repulsed by him. She wouldn't help him," he told his father through clenched teeth. He remembered the feeling of his fist against Lucas' face; the sweet, satisfying crunch of bone against bone. He'd wanted to hit him so badly after how he'd treated Skye in Boylan's Bar – and he hadn't been the only one either. He'd felt Boylan himself tense behind the bar, his fingers itching toward the blade that he kept hidden in a drawer just in case one of his gambling agreements went awry. "She's in danger out there. We can't just leave her."
Jim found that he too was clenching his teeth. "I know. I understand-"
"No you don't," his son hissed impatiently. "You don't understand me at all. She is the closest thing that I have left to-to…" He trailed off, suddenly unable to speak.
"To Kara," Jim finished for him, his eyes filled with sympathy. "Look, Josh. I haven't said it before... but I'm sorry," he sighed. "I should have been able to save her. I let you down."
His son nodded solemnly. "Regardless, when the Commander announces the next meet, I'll be there to sign up for the security team."
Jim took a deep breath, obviously pained. He didn't want his child in danger - and a job like that almost guaranteed that he would be. "Okay. Fine. But you're talking to your mother about this tonight at dinner, understood?"
"Understood," Josh affirmed with a grimace on his usually sullen face before turning around and starting to walk away. Jim, too, was about to continue on in the opposite direction when his son turned around and glanced back at him.
"One more favour, dad?"
Jim sighed. His son was going to be the death of him. "Shoot."
"Would you talk to Commander Taylor for me? Plead Skye's cause? There's something seriously wrong with him if he thinks that she's a traitor. She's in real danger out there with his son. Just remind him of that."
Mark had his hands tangled in Maddy's hair, pressing sweet kisses to her lips and to her neck. They were spread out across his stained couch – courtesy of a very messy Dunham – their hands roaming over one another's bodies in curious, hungry strokes. They had never been like this before, Maddy thought as she gently bit at Mark's lower lip, causing him to groan quietly. They had always been careful, afraid to go further than they were ready to. Never before had they been like this – passionate, uncontrolled, and desirable. The way that he touched her made her stomach flutter with excitement. All previous nerves were forgotten. She felt in control, wild. As her tongue entangled with his, she gasped. Suddenly overwhelmed with courage, she allowed her hand to travel downwards and along his thigh, searching for that-
Mark jumped and gently untangled himself from her, sending her a shocked look. His eyes were wide and his cheeks were slightly flushed. She blushed, too, smiling coyly, though on the inside she was mortified. "What was that?"
She tried to answer, but she suddenly found herself unable to utter a coherent response. "I-I… uh-"
He looked worried as he recognised the embarrassment on her face. He reached out and gripped her hand in his, soothing her by rubbing gentle circles on her palm with his fingers. "Maddy," he said, looking into her eyes with earnest, "You shouldn't have to feel pressured into anything. If I made you feel that way, I apologise."
She blinked at him; once, twice, three times, before she understood what he was telling her. A giggle escaped her. "Oh. Oh…"
He raised his eyebrows, obviously confused. "What?"
She moved to straddle his waist again. "I wasn't doing that because I felt pressured. I wanted to."
She smiled and placed her lips over his once more. He responded immediately, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, stroking her hair gently as the kiss deepened. They sought after one another, once again consumed with passion. His tongue battled hers with a sudden hastiness. She whispered his name against his lips as her hands raked down his chest and to the hem of his shirt. She lifted it up and off of him, then proceeded to kiss him. His hands danced across her back as her arms wrapped around his neck. Her lips were so soft, so tempting. His hands couldn't be controlled. They moved to gently cup her breasts over her black tank top. Maddy sighed contentedly and let her eyes fall closed.
He groaned and gently shoved her off of him, causing her to yelp a little in surprise. As he quickly stood up and made his way to the bathroom, she stared after him, dumbstruck. "Mark?" She called when she was sure that she had found her voice once more. "Mark? What's going on?"
He winced as he recognised the panic in her voice. Regardless he slipped into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He breathed in and out, tried to control his desire – tried to think of anything but her. He gripped the bathroom counter and leant forwards, staring hard at his reflection in the mirror. His muscles were tense, his knuckles almost white.
"Mark?" There was a gentle knock on the door. "What's happening?"
"Go home, Maddy."
"No." Stubborn. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what just happened. Why'd you run away from me?"
"I told your dad that I'd respect you. That wasn't exactly respecting you," he snapped, frustrated at himself.
He heard her sigh. "You're being silly. I know that you respect me, Mark! You show me that every day. What was happening back there – it's natural. Please don't feel like you're taking advantage of me, because you aren't. I want you."
"You think that you do. I want to prove to you that you mean everything to me."
"How else could you do that?" She asked, growing slightly exasperated. "By marrying me and then having sex with me? We're in Terra Nova, Mark, not the eighteenth century!"
He didn't answer her.
She rolled her eyes and gently placed her hand on the door, perhaps to remind him that she was there - no matter what. "Fine. Just… let me in? We'll talk about it another time."
He shook his head, even though he knew that she couldn't see him. "I really think that you should go."
Disappointed, she let her hand gently slide off of the wood and come to dangle at her side. "Alright," she replied dejectedly. "Although I don't agree with you, I'll be at home if you want to see me later. Studying."
"Fine."
She grabbed her satchel and slammed the door behind her.
The stress of running the Infirmary was really getting to Elizabeth. There had been an outbreak of the common cold in the west sector of Terra Nova, and there was a line of at least thirty civilians outside of the building, waiting impatiently for their medicine. Adding to that problem was the lack of staff and Malcolm Wallace's constant need to be within five metres of her presence.
"I'm just jetting off to the marketplace to get some lunch. Anything that I can get you, Elizabeth?" He asked her for the third time that day.
It was times like these when she found herself wondering what she had ever seen in such a man. "No, thank you. I'm fine," she replied as cheerfully as she could whilst trying to administer painkillers to a grumpy, uncooperative senior citizen.
Malcolm appeared crestfallen as he tightened the strap of his satchel bag, which currently hung over his shoulder. "Are you sure? You look exhausted."
"I wouldn't be so exhausted if Commander Taylor hadn't refused to rescue one of my best workers from a deranged homicidal maniac," she snapped shortly, her temper getting the better of her.
He all but scurried away from her after that, allowing her to breathe easily in his absence. She moved over to her work station and placed the unused painkillers in the bin. The old woman was just not cooperating and she had other patients to deal with.
"Elizabeth?"
She nearly growled. "I swear to God, Malcolm-"
But it was Jim Shannon who appeared at her side. She sighed, relieved.
"Malcolm?" He chuckled, his eyebrows raised with a smirk. "It's not every day that I get compared to such a fine specimen of a man."
She rolled her eyes and pressed her lips to her husband's for a quick, familiar kiss. "Oh, shut up," she said, though she was smiling as she stood back, her hands on her hips. "What is it?"
"I was wondering if you'd like to come and talk to the Commander with me," he told her. Then, more quietly, so that no one but she heard him, he continued, "It's about Skye."
Elizabeth's eyes darkened with understanding. "Okay," she agreed. "I've been thinking that we should do this. It's just not fair. She's vulnerable out there…" She shook images of Lucas Taylor out of her mind. If she dwelled on Skye's predicament, she would find herself in a fit of worry – and there was no use for worrying when nothing could be done. "I'll tell one of the other workers."
Jim nodded and watched as she walked away. He leant back against the desk and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Eliza- Oh, hello, Jim," Malcolm spluttered, surprised at his sudden appearance at Elizabeth's work station. "What are you doing here?"
"Collecting Elizabeth for an important meeting with the Commander," he replied dryly, eyeing Malcolm's satchel bag with distaste.
His wife's ex-boyfriend visibly prickled. "Well, I'll be going with you."
Jim chuckled. "Not gonna happen, Malcolm."
"Why not? As the Chief Science Officer I am almost certainly required to be present at important meetings. Besides, Elizabeth is my staff; you can't just take her away from the work practice without my permission!"
"What is going on?" Elizabeth demanded upon reaching her work station once more. Then, noticing Malcolm, she sighed, "I thought that you were on lunch."
"I brought it back here," he explained, gesturing to his satchel, "I brought you some fruit, too, if you wanted it-"
"He's demanding that he goes with us to visit the Commander," Jim told her, obviously annoyed at the other man. "I told him no."
"Which he actually cannot do, considering my position-"
"Oh, be quiet," Elizabeth hissed. "Both of you! I'm so tired that I'm sure that my eyes are about to drop out of my head, and if I have to listen to you two argue like children one more time then I'll just send you both out to see Taylor and I'll go home!"
Both men were quiet for a few moments. Then, as usual, Malcolm had something to say. "Yes. That sounds fair. Shall we go then?"
Rolling his eyes, Jim followed the two doctors out of the Infirmary.
She could hear the gentle chirp of a nearby bird.
It reminded her of a distant memory, of a time when she had played with a kite just outside of the gates, in the orchard, holding her father's hand. Birdsong had travelled from the coverage of the nearby forest, straight to her ears. Her father's hand had tightened around hers at the sound – after all, they were new to the colony and he had still been afraid of the mysterious jungle beyond. She had been only ten years old at the time.
"It's just a bird, dad," she'd giggled. "One of the teacher's at school told me about them. They're harmless."
Harmless. What did that mean, exactly? Did it mean that she was safe? Safety was unpredictable.
Lucas Taylor was unpredictable.
Skye opened her eyes; the bright sunlight that filtered through the tree-tops causing her to wince. Her head throbbed. She had a million questions that remained unanswered. Where was she? How far away from Terra Nova had he taken her? Why hadn't he killed her yet...?
Don't you see, Bucket, how wrong you are? You're everything to me. You and destroying my father, that's all that matters anymore.
She shivered at the sound of his voice. It echoed around and around in her mind as if it was some sort of hypnotic mix tape. What did he want from her? She didn't understand. She tried to prop herself up on her elbows, but she was so tired…
"The Shannon's and Dr. Wallace are here to see you, sir."
Commander Taylor looked up from his desk and at Lieutenant Reilly, who stared straight ahead, emotionless. He knew that his decisions regarding Skye's capture had been unpopular within the ranks, but he never questioned his own judgement. Especially not now.
"Thank you, soldier. At ease."
Reilly seemed relieved as she dropped her shoulders and exited the room. She passed the three visitors on the way out, sent them an empathetic look. Taylor was not in a good mood today. They'd picked the wrong time to visit.
"Shannon, Dr. Shannon," Taylor greeted them in turn, nodding his head as them as they stared back at him respectfully. "Wallace."
"It-it's Dr. Wallace, actually-"
Taylor silenced him with a glare. "What is it that you came here for, Shannon? I hope it's not to do with Skye. You know perfectly well that I've made my decision."
Jim exhaled deeply. "Sir, with all due respect, we came here to ask that you reconsider-"
"I will do no such thing."
Elizabeth spoke up next. "Please. She could be in serious trouble out there. Her mother, Deborah, is worried out of her mind."
"Dr. Shannon, I understand Deborah's state of mind. I, too, was worried about my son all those years ago. However, I discovered that my son was a traitor. Her daughter is, too."
"Where is your proof of this?" Elizabeth questioned. "I know Skye. She would never, ever do anything to hurt the colony unless someone she loved was in danger. You know that."
"Trust me," Taylor replied, his voice harsh. "I have thought long and hard about what to do with Skye. Long before her supposed capture, I had suspected an allegiance to the Phoenix Group. Lucas is her connection. She works for him."
"I, too, suspected it all along," Malcolm added, earning annoyed looks from Jim, Elizabeth and Taylor.
"Where's your proof then?" Jim demanded to know. "How can I trust you when I haven't seen any proof?"
Taylor heaved a sigh and pushed himself up from his chair. He rummaged in one of his desk drawers, produced a document and thrust it at the ex-cop.
Jim's eyes focused on the paper. Elizabeth and Malcolm watched worriedly as his face darkened.
"A contract stating that she, Skye Alexandria Tate, would remain in service to the Phoenix Group, and Lucas, my son, until she has proved her worth to them. It's signed," Taylor said gravely. "I promise you, Shannon, that I have had every possible security check done on the damn thing. It's real."
Jim looked up front the document, stared hard at his Commander. "Are you one hundred percent sure?"
"Positively."
"How do you know that she wasn't forced to sign it?" Elizabeth snapped.
"Security footage. Damn Lucas forgot to have it deleted, didn't he?" Taylor smirked dryly. "Never had a military mind, that boy. Just equations. Always equations."
Elizabeth did not seem convinced. "If you'd like to see it, Dr. Shannon, please feel free. There's a whole five minute loop of it. Skye walks in, Lucas walks up to her, they talk, he moves to this desk, pulls out the document, she looks at him and then signs it, on every single dotted line, without a word," Taylor told her, clearly disgusted. "You'll never guess what happens next."
Nobody said a word.
"He kisses her."
When she woke up again, Skye managed to pull herself to her feet. By the time she was standing, she could practically feel her legs screaming out in protest. She glanced, terrified, around her for some sign of Lucas. Strangely, there was none. Why would he leave me here alone, unguarded? Surely he had too much confidence in his ability to knock her out cold. Well, dear brother, she found herself thinking as she gathered her wits; you'll soon regret your carelessness.
"And where do you think you're going, Bucket?"
She span, startled, to face him. The quick movement set her off balance, caused her to slip. To her disgust, he quickly caught her and pulled her tightly against his chest.
"Just can't resist me, can you?" He hissed into her ear. She pulled away from him, revolted. "Now, now. Don't act so repulsed. You'd have to be hungry, wouldn't you, after such a long time unconscious? Sorry about that, by the way. Desperate times call for desperate measures."
She didn't reply. Instead, she merely stared. Over the past month or so, his hair had grown out slightly, although he appeared to have shaved since then. There were small cuts and grazes on his hands and around his jaw, as well as a layer of grime covering his skin. She could taste his scent in the air; coarse and manly, natural and distinct. She was trapped. The knife in his belt was visible through his shirt; it jutted out, reminded her that he was in control. He had been ever since they'd met.
He pulled an unfamiliar fruit from his satchel and tossed it to her. In her current state of unbalance, she missed it completely. It fell at her feet, covered in dirt. She was ravenous, though, so this didn't stop her. She immediately dropped her to knees and scrambled for it, bit into its furry purple skin. The red juice burst forth into her mouth and she almost moaned at its taste.
"Good, isn't it?"
She ignored him once more. When she was finished with the fruit, she looked down at her hands, transfixed. The juice had stained her; it's mark as red as blood.
"Blood fruit," Lucas told her.
Suddenly sickened, she leaned forward to retch on the dirt. She heaved up the overpowering juice. It got caught in her hair, on her clothing. Still, Lucas remained standing where he stood. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. Her stomach hurt, contracted as she continued to heave, even though there was nothing left to regurgitate. Finally, when she was done, her captor stared down at her. "It's much too rich for the immune system. I guess I should have mentioned that before. Still, I guess it's punishment for your actions. You'll be ill for about twenty four hours."
Skye moved away from him, wiped at her face, tried to rid herself of the overpowering taste. Her limbs were shaking as she fell, unable to hold herself on her knees any longer. "W-why?" She rasped, her throat burning. The tears were falling down her cheeks and onto her shirt now.
"Why? Why?" He smirked and looked down at the ground before staring deep into her eyes, his green iris' almost piercing her soul. "Why did you save him?" He bellowed.
She cowered against the dirt, terrified after his sudden outburst. The wild changed Lucas, made him more than a sullen man with daddy issues. He was frightening, menacing. She longed for the protection of the colony's walls, the comfort of her own bed, the familiar feeling of Josh's arm around her, the relief of her mother's smile.
Lucas seemed to collect himself. "I'm sorry for my outburst. It's just that when a contract is signed, I tend to believe that the agreement will stand. Especially when the person who I've made the agreement with means so much to me." He spoke slowly, as if his words were rehearsed. "Now, Bucket. I need to know, are you willing to help me again?"
She spat some fruit residue out in his general direction. Each word that she spoke caused her pain. "I don't… have… a choice."
He moved closer to her, knelt down beside her. She refused to look at him. "You chose to save young Shannon. If he had let us continue on with our lunch date, then everything would have been fine. Or maybe, if you'd let him die, then you wouldn't be in debt to me."
He stood up suddenly and began to walk away.
"Where are you going?" She found herself screaming after him. "Don't leave me out here alone! I'll die!"
He slowly whirled to face her, his eyes alight, inexplicably happy because she wanted him to stay. "I'll be back soon, dear sister. And don't worry; the only thing that can possibly harm you is me."
And with that, he disappeared into the nearby trees.
When Jim and Elizabeth entered the house, they were swarmed by their three children, all demanding different bits of information. "Have you seen Mark?" Maddy questioned her mother, who shook her head, puzzled.
"Daddy! There's a spider in my bedroom!" Zoe cried, crossing her arms over her chest. "The song didn't work!"
Elizabeth sent her husband a confused look. He shrugged and followed their youngest to the bedroom that she shared with her older sister. On the way there, Josh grabbed him by the arm and stared hard at him. "So, how'd it go?"
Jim couldn't look his son in the eye as he responded. "It seems that the Commander was right all along. Skye was working with the Phoenix Group."
Josh's mouth opened and closed a few times before he was able to form words once again. "I- I don't believe it."
"I know that it's hard, son, but we're all just going to have to put her behind us and move on," Jim replied sympathetically, placing a hand on Josh's shoulder, attempting to comfort him. It didn't work.
Josh shrugged him off. "What? You can't be serious."
Jim didn't reply. Instead, he smiled sadly at him before he moved on, preparing to get rid of the spider inhabiting Zoe's room and mind.
There was a knock at her window. Startled, Maddy's eyes snapped open.
"Psst…"
Her eyes lit up. She shoved her blankets off and tip-toed over to the window, which she quietly opened, praying that Zoe, who slept in the bed on the opposite side of the tiny room, wouldn't wake. She looked out at Mark, who stood not a metre away, his hands buried in his pockets and a sheepish expression on his face.
"I wanted to say that I was sorry… for how I behaved this morning," he began, composed as usual. "I shouldn't have told you to leave. I just wanted you to know that I respected you and I was nervous and I-"
"Is this what it was all about?" She smiled, unable to help herself. "How in the world were you nervous?"
"I wasn't-"
She laughed. "Yes, you were."
He chuckled. "Okay, okay. I was. I just thought that maybe I wouldn't be good enough… that you'd want to dump me. You might have realised that you're way out of my league-"
"I'm way out of your league?" She repeated, incredulous. "Don't be ridiculous."
"I'm not," he argued. "You're beautiful, funny… practically a human encyclopaedia…"
She rolled her eyes. "Get over here."
He jogged up to the window and she leant down to chastely kiss his lips. "I will never, ever be too good for you. We're equals."
He smiled. "I love you."
She grinned back at him. "And I love you too, but we're going to have to talk about what happened today."
"Soon," he agreed.
Jim could feel Elizabeth stir beside him. He rolled over and propped his head up on his elbow. When his eyes focused, it became apparent to him that she had been crying. As he had always done, even when they were younger, he panicked.
"Liz?" He pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her and gently brushed the tears from her cheeks.
"I can't possibly know that we did the right thing today, Jim. What if Taylor was wrong? They could be staged videos… I just keep thinking… what if that was our daughter? Regardless of what she'd done, you'd always go to find her," she whispered. "No one has gone to find Skye. She's all alone in the jungle."
He pressed a kiss to his wife's forehead. "I know… We just have to have faith in him and hope that he really did make the right decision."
"She's a little girl, Jim. She needs to know that there are people out there that still care about her."
He didn't say anything – couldn't say anything. So he did all he could do; he just held her.
Surrounded by darkness, Skye shivered in the cold night air. She'd dug herself a hole to sleep in, though it didn't do much to hide her from the antagonizing breeze. She still lapsed in and out of sickness. The fruit had made her feel disorientated. Occasionally, she would see things; memories of times gone by – her mother and her father undamaged by the fever. In the trees beyond she could hear noises; low rumbling growls and high-pitched screeches. She was terrified but she couldn't run. The fruit had made her sluggish, slow. She'd never outrun a predator in her current state. She didn't stand a chance.
"Help!" She screamed helplessly. Her throat ached, though the burning had stopped long ago. Lucas had been gone for hours… or was it days? "Somebody help me!"
She knew that it was incredibly stupid to draw attention to herself like this, but she couldn't help it. She felt so alone. Why hadn't anyone come looking for her yet? Didn't they care about her anymore?
"It's Skye! Please, somebody! Help!"
She screamed when a hand covered her mouth. She bit at it as she thrashed powerlessly in his clutches. "It's just me, Bucket. You should know better than to scream like that. I'll let you go if you're quiet."
He removed his hand from her face and moved to kneel in front of the makeshift ditch that she had spent hours digging by hand. The labour had caused her fingernails to break, leaving blood caked into the skin there. "There. Silence," Lucas mused, his hand reaching out to gently touch her jaw. Noticing how she shivered, he remarked, "You're cold, Bucket."
"My name is Skye," she hissed through grit teeth, pulling away from him. "Don't call me Bucket. You're not my family."
He didn't seem hurt by her words. He gripped her chin in his hand once more, although this time with menace. His fingers burned her skin, seared it like fire. The warmth held both pain and pleasure. "Out here, I'm your only family, and you're my only family. We depend on one another."
"I don't depend on you."
"Where are you going to get food then, Bucket? Food that won't poison you? Do you know how to survive out here in the wilderness?"
She sneered at him. The red, blood-like juice from the fruit still coated the skin around her mouth. "Actually, I do."
He chuckled at her smug attitude. "So foolish," he teased her, reaching up to brush her hair away from her face. She cringed under his hand. "You may know how to fend for yourself in Terra Nova territory, but this jungle is a new world entirely."
Her sneer fell momentarily. "What are you talking about?"
Lucas smirked. "We're in the Badlands, now, little sister. And they certainly live up to their name."
A shiver ran down her spine. "The Badlands?"
"We still have about a week to go until we reach the Phoenix Camp. You see, they don't know that I'm alive, so we're going to surprise them."
She shook her head. "Please, Lucas. Don't do this."
"But why not?" He asked her, his eyes twinkling with malice. "They have something of mine. I want it back."
She felt tears pricking in her eyes once more. "I don't have anything to do with this. Take me home… let me go! I'll find my way back to the colony; I'll do anything, please-"
"No," he snapped, harshly grabbing her chin once more and forcing her to look at him. "Wherever I go, you go with me. You're mine and I am yours, do you understand?"
She wanted to fight him. She wanted to scream and kick and punch him until he fell, bleeding and unconscious, to the dirty jungle floor. He'd taken everything from her. Yet, she had no choice but to nod mutely.
"Good," he said quietly, almost as if he were talking to himself. "I'll be right here, Bucket, so don't you go and try any funny business." He removed his hand from her jaw and settled down on the ground beside the hole, falling asleep almost straight away.
She found that she could do nothing but stare blankly at his face; this face that had her fearing all that was wrong with the world, and watch as it transformed into an entirely different one in his sleep – the face of a child untouched by anger, a child untouched by pain. The Lucas Taylor that could have once been.
"Mum! Dad!"
Jim and Elizabeth bolted upright at the sound of Maddy's panicked scream. They scrambled out of bed and into the hallway, where they found her standing by Josh's open door, her eyes wide.
"It's Josh. He's gone."
Next week on 'Terra Nova'...
Can Skye escape? Will Jim be able to convince Commander Taylor to send a search team for his son? How will Josh survive out in the wild? Can Maddy and Mark truly get past their difference of opinions, and who is Malcolm's new love interest?
Stay tuned to find out.
Author's Note: Well, there you go, finally another chapter. I'm so sorry for the delay. I've been unable to access a computer for so long that I honestly didn't have any time to write this for you guys! I was very happy with the response for my last chapter, and I'd love to have it again for this one :) Please review and share this story wherever you can, I would love more people to read it and feedback is always appreciated :) Promise it won't take me so long to update next time!