Saving Nethania
"Crap," Lucas cursed as he walked into Hope Plaza and nearly fell. He lunged for the catwalk and grabbed on. He hauled himself up.
"Right," Lucas said, brushing himself off.
"Lucas," Weaver said when he saw Lucas walk into the dome.
He ran down the steps and towards Lucas.
"The portal working again," Weaver asked.
"Somewhat," Lucas said.
"Boy have we got a present for you," Weaver said.
"And what would that be?" Lucas asked.
"Your half-sister, she's alive and we have her captive," Weaver said.
"My half-sister is dead. I saw her be killed, Mira assured me that she killed her," Lucas said glaring at Weaver.
"You don't believe him," Armand said walking up and shaking his hand.
"Take me to her then," Lucas said in his grave voice.
They led Lucas to the holding cell where Nethania was. Lucas stepped in and Nethania glanced up at him. Lucas smiled at her.
"Thank you for showing me to her. Now I think I'll take her back to Terra Nova with me and make my father watch her die again," Lucas said. He pulled his pistol out and walked towards Nethania.
"Sorry sis," Lucas mouthed and smacked her over the head with the pistol.
"So what was this old place for exactly," Malcolm asked looking around at the place. There were massive test tanks lining one wall and old nesting chambers with eggshell fragments everywhere.
"This is where I was born," Ute said looking around at the room.
"It was the first place Nethania had when she came here. Then Commander Taylor showed up and the first compound we had was abandoned. Captain Taylor placed Zanders and Deino-Pack 1 about it to deter mankind from the area," Ute went on.
Lucas had ordered a replacement catwalk to be built and placed up. After a month of waiting, the catwalk was completed. Lucas entered his sisters holding cell.
"Time to go sis," Lucas sneered. Nethania glanced up at him and got to her feet.
For the past month Lucas had come in and tortured her with a cattle prod. Her body ached and stung. The worst part was wondering if Lucas was just playing evil to fool his former employers or if Lucas had reverted back to his evil ways. Now she was bound and being led down a hall. Lucas held his pistol to the back of her neck and pushed her along. Others pointed guns at her that were set to electrocute her.
When they stepped into Hope Plaza and towards the catwalk, Lucas leaned forward to her; she could feel his breath behind her ear.
"It's show time," Lucas said.
"I can't nano-morph, you overdosed me with that cattle prod," Nethania whispered back.
"Oops," Lucas whispered.
"Can you cut me loose," Nethania asked.
Lucas reached down to her ties and pulled them loose.
"There," Lucas whispered.
"Great, sorry bro, please forgive me," Nethania said. She elbowed him hard in the ribs and made a run for the portal.
Lucas doubled over with a groan.
"Stop her," Weaver yelled. Lucas regained himself and ran after her. The men behind them started shooting.
"Don't shot, you might hit Lucas," Armand yelled.
"Where are we coming out?" Nethania asked when Lucas caught up to her.
"The abandoned compound," Lucas replied. They ran through the glowing caustic lights and out into her old laboratory.
"ZANDERS CODE RED," Nethania yelled.
Zanders gave a loud roar and before long the Deinonychus appeared fully armed with Nethania's own invention the plasma rifles. They aimed at the portal.
But before anything could come through the portal began to fritz and fizz out.
"Not enough power to the portal," Maxwell said. Nethania collapsed from exhaustion on the floor of her old lab.
"Sorry I had to be so rough Nethania, but I was only doing so to give them the impression that I was on their side still," Lucas said.
"With a cattle prod on medium strength," Nethania said. Nathaniel looked like he wanted to punch Lucas, but held back.
"Come on Captain, can you walk," Ute said. Nathaniel helped her to her feet and supported her as they headed out to the rover.
Mira sat looking at her on the drive back to the colony.
"Nethania, I meant it when I said I could wait for my daughter. You didn't have to go and almost get yourself killed," Mira said.
"At least now she's in good hands and being well cared for. She's was being kept in a brick room with a steel door, sleeping on nothing but a cot. By the time I am able to return to Nanosauria to retrieve her, she'll be recovered from her illness," Nethania said.
Mira looked irate, but it was replaced quickly with relief.
Nathaniel helped Nethania into her bed in his home. Alicia stood in the doorway watching. He sat down on the edge of Nethania's bed.
"You get some rest," Nathaniel said, brushing her hair aside.
"For the first time ever, you're not going to get an argument from me chief," Nethania said.
"Covers or no," Nathaniel said, lifting up the edge of the covers.
"Not tonight," Nethania said shaking her head.
"Alright then," Nathaniel said. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. He ran his hand over the light to shut it off, got up and walked to the door.
"Sleep well Nethania," Alicia said. They both walked out, leaving the door open.
"If you need anything, just holler," Nathaniel called over his shoulder.
"Just don't wake up your sister," Alicia added.
"Just holler, but don't wake up sister," Nethania said rolling her eyes.
"Well, you know," Alicia said.
Nathaniel and Alicia sat outside together enjoying a little refreshment. Ute walked up to them.
"How is she?" Ute asked.
"Asleep the last time I checked," Nathaniel said.
"Dr. Won wants to see her first thing in the morning, but tonight he agreed to let her rest," Ute said. The large raptor looked at the open door to the Taylor house.
"You can go in and see if she's awake," Nathaniel said.
"No, if I go in there, she'll smell me and wake up," Ute said, shaking his head. Nathaniel and Alicia looked up at the raptor and smiled.
"Well, good night," Ute said and continued on his way.
"Well, I'm going to turn in for the night," Alicia said, kissing her husband on the cheek then the lips.
"Good night…I'll be in in a few," Nathaniel said.
Alicia took his glass in, washed it out and put it in the sink. A few minutes later Nathaniel got up and walked inside.
He noticed Nethania had moved from her bed to the couch and was in a state of deep and troubled thought.
"Nethania," he said. She slowly glanced up at him. He walked over to her and knelt beside her.
"Everything alright," Nathaniel asked.
"I messed up again," Nethania said.
"How long has it been since you were in the future time period?" Nathaniel asked.
"Thirteen years," Nethania answered.
"You can't blame yourself for your mistake then. You're out of practice. If you had to rescue Sienna from somewhere in the jungle, well then by golly, I think you'd have done it in record time," Nathaniel said.
"Aw dad, come on. Admit it to me I was a fool. I have no one to blame but myself. The same thing happened in Somalia 2138," Nethania said.
Nathaniel shook his head at her remark.
"Nethania, what happened in Somalia is in the past. You have to put that all behind you now," Nathaniel said. Nethania growled at this and sat up.
"Dad, my mess up took someone away from two people I cared about. If I hadn't let my binoculars distract me, things may have been different. If I had just listened to Lieutenant Rogers, then you'd still have Ayani," Nethania said.
"Nethania, I may have lost Ayani, but I gained Alicia. Yes I am upset that I lost Ayani. Losing her caused me to grow apart from Lucas, but the way I see it now, it was all for the better, because Lucas isn't my son. Your mistake helped set the record straight. What's most important now is, everyone is happy where they are," Nathaniel said. He pushed Nethania back gently down on the couch.
"So stop fretting over it," Nathaniel said. Nethania sighed heavily.
"Okay papa," Nethania said quietly. He ran his hand over her forehead before leaning down to kiss her good night.
"Sleep tight," Nathaniel said. He got up and went to join Alicia.
"Good night papa…I love you dad," Nethania said. He stopped at his door and looked at her.
"I love you to Kitten," Nathaniel said.
The end…stay tuned for the next series.