Sorry for the late update! Was superbly busy with my assignments! Anyway, update is here! XD
I shall guarantee Lucas appearance in the next chapter! ^^ (Please wait awhile longer!)
Thanks for the comments/reviews! Loads of motivation there! XD
Enjoy~ :)
Chapter 4: My Own Worth!
Malcolm raked his hands through his hair in frustration. He had not expected her husband to come as well! Now, his plans were ruined. How in the world had he managed to get out from jail anyway? He entered the research lab and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose to stay away the headache that he felt coming when he saw the mess the lab was in.
"What are you people trying to do?" Malcolm asked the group of scientists that hurried about the lab unmindful of the mess.
"We are researching, Dr Wallace," a man in the back of the room said.
"Not like this you aren't!" Malcolm thundered. "You would break precious specimens at this rate! All of you put down what you are working on! I go OTG for a couple of months and come back to find this mess? Put everything back to order before I kick everyone out of the lab!"
After directing the other scientists on what they should do, he walked back to his office. He jumped backward a little when he saw a girl standing there in his office. Now what else was he needed to do? He asked, "I am sorry, little girl. But I think you are in the wrong place. The school is in the other direction."
"I am not little," the girl said, turning to look at him. He frowned, wondering where he had seen her before. "I am Serena White."
"Ah yes!" Malcolm said. "Dr Johnson's mentee. Why are you here? Did Dr Johnson ask you to get something from me?"
"Um… Dr Johnson is not here in Terra Nova," Serena murmured, looking down at the floor as if she was a kid confessing to her crimes. "She gave me the chance to come in her stead. She said she was too old to be coming to this place. It was a last minute decision. But she hopes that you will forgive her and that you will allow me to work in her stead."
Malcolm pinched the bridge of his nose again, feeling the headache coming back. "Goddamn it, Emma! Sending a child in your place is bad enough, telling me to let her work in your stead is the worst thing you could ever have asked me!"
"Dr Johnson believes that I can do a good a job as she can," Serena said, looking angry.
"You lack experience. You are naive. Being among the people in the room next to us means that you are not only smart but have enough experience to deal problematic situations that do arise here in Terra Nova. You don't have any of those because you have not worked outside the comfort of a lab in 2149. You need that kind of experience in order to be on the team here. I am sorry. I cannot let you work here."
Serene bit her lip and then quickly fled the room. Malcolm sighed as soon as she was gone. God… This was the reason why he had refused to let anyone under the age of 30 to work on the team. They were difficult to deal with and sometimes full of themselves. Malcolm rubbed his temples and then sat down at his desk. He needed to finish his report before Commander Nathaniel came barging into the room with a group of soldiers. And he felt as though he may have a headache coming on from the earlier problems Could this day get any worse?
Serena cursed Malcolm in her mind. She hated that he underestimated her abilities! She hated him for that! If she had her gun with her, she would have shot him and not be so remorseful over his death. How dare he underestimate her! How dare he!
She snapped out of her thoughts when she realized that there was a crowd in front of the clinic. She walked into the clinic, wondering what was going on. When she entered, she saw Nathaniel there, talking with Elizabeth. Doctors wheeled beds with white cloths covering whatever was on the bed into a separate room. Serena did not need to be told what was under those blankets. She knew because she and her mother had to go to the hospital to identify her father when he had committed suicide.
Serena felt the world spin around her as her mind went back to the memory of that day. She placed a hand on the wall to steady herself. Looking at the beds, she felt as though she could smell death in the air like in the morgue on that day, so many dead bodies in one place. She looked and saw Elizabeth looking at her. Before Elizabeth could ask her anything, Serena turned and fled out the door.
She stood beside some bushes beside the clinic and threw up her breakfast, as if she was trying to rid her body of the memory of that day. She felt a hand on her back, patting her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Elizabeth standing there, holding out a bottle of water.
"Thanks," Serena mumbled, taking the bottle from Elizabeth. She rinsed her mouth with the water.
"Maybe working in the clinic is not a good choice for you," Elizabeth said gently.
"I am fine," Serena said. "Besides, I don't have anywhere else I can go to work."
"Didn't you go to meet Malcolm earlier?"
"If you mean Dr Wallace, then yes, I did. He wasn't happy about what Emma decided to do. He said I did not have what it takes to work in the lab. No experience that comes with age, blah blah blah."
"Maybe I should go and talk to him…"
"It's alright. Doubt he would do much if you talked with him."
"What about your godfather? I am sure Commander Taylor could do something to help you."
Serena shook her head. "No, I don't want to use other people to get what I want. I prefer to work my way and prove my worth. I will be fine, Elizabeth. Don't worry."
"If you say so… I had better get back to work. Take the day off, Serena. I will tell Ruth that you are feeling under the weather and will be resting at home today." When Serena opened her mouth to protest, she continued, "Doctor's orders. Just take the day off, Rena. You need it." Elizabeth squeezed her shoulder as she walked off.
Serena smiled as she watched Elizabeth go off. As soon as Elizabeth disappeared from view, the smile slipped from her lips. She reached up and touched her necklace. Lucas… How I wish you were here with me…she thought.
Serena entered the clinic the next day, seeing the bodies there. She took in deep breaths to keep herself from fainting. She walked pass Elizabeth and Malcolm, who were too busy with their discussion that they did not see her. Jim and Commander Taylor were there. Both smiled at her as she walked pass them before continuing on with their own discussion. She entered the changing rooms and spotted Nurse Ogawa there. She asked, "What happened yesterday? Who were those dead people?"
"They were soldiers," Ogawa replied. "Yesterday, Dr Wallace and Dr Shannon determined that the soldiers were not killed by Sixers but by creatures that we have not yet discovered. Just last night, Mr Shannon was attacked outside his home by the same creatures that attacked those men."
"But why attack Mr Shannon? Surely he did not do anything to provoke them."
"Well, neither did those soldiers and they are already dead. You had better get changed. We were understaffed yesterday and Nurse Goodman was not happy that you decided to take off all of a sudden. I am sure she will have loads of things she can torture you with today."
"Right…" Serena mumbled as she got ready. Time to get ready for hell…
"Why are we going to the market place?" Shane asked as both he and Skylar walked beside Serena.
"Because we are going to get lunch," Serena answered.
"You never take us to get lunch unless Mother tells you to," Skylar reminded her.
"Well, I feel like being nice today," Serena replied. "And if you have a problem with that, you can go home and have a salad with Mother."
"No thanks! We will come with you!" both of them said together.
Serena snorted. The twins would do anything to not eat vegetables. But unfortunately for both of them, Elena loved vegetables and prepared huge portions for any meal whenever she could. When she wasn't looking, the twins would always throw their portions elsewhere.
"Rena, Rena, Rena," Shane said, stepping in front of her.
"What?" Serena asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Pull the string," Shane said, holding out a tube with a string towards her.
"No way!" Serena replied. "You are not getting me like the last time!"
"Fine, I will pull then," Shane replied, turning the tube around and pulling the string. The next thing she knew, Serena was drenched with water.
"Awesome!" Shane and Skylar said, giving each other a high five.
"Why, you little…" Serena growled.
"Whoops! Time to go!" Both of them ran off. Serena chased after them, dodging in between people and leaping over tables as they ran through the market place. She finally managed to grab Shane and started tickling him. He laughed and tried to beg for mercy. She said, "I won't stop even if you tell me to!"
Then, she noticed something black at the corner of her vision. She stopped tickling Shane and looked towards the fence, seeing small black birds, which looked like pterosaurs. Shane and Skylar asked her what was wrong, wondering why she suddenly stopped. She assures them that nothing is wrong and that maybe they should go back home for lunch instead.
Suddenly, the birds squawk and took flight. Serena shoved her brothers under a table and ducked down beside them. She heard a child crying and turned to see a little girl standing in the midst of the chaos, lost and confused. Shane and Skylar grabbed the edge of her clothing, as if sensing what she was about to do.
"I will be right back," Serena told them. "Just stay here."
She went out from the cover of the table and after the girl. She felt stings on her upper body and face as the birds swiped at her and at anyone they could. She grabbed the kid and quickly ducked underneath another table. She looked about, wondering why the birds were attacking them.
Then, as suddenly as they attacked, they left. Everyone slowly emerged from where they had taken shelter. Serena handed the child over to a woman, who was grateful at what Serena had done. Then, the woman said, "You had better go to the clinic and have the doctors look at your cuts."
"I will, ma'am," Serena smiled as she turned and went back to find her brothers. They were still hiding underneath the table and only emerged when she came.
"You are hurt," Shane said, looking at her worriedly.
"I will be fine," Serena replied. "Go home and make sure Mum is alright."
She watches as they head back home before she heads over to the clinic. She sees the chaos inside the clinic and heads over to Dr Shannon, asking if there is anything that she can do. Elizabeth was about to instruct her but then stops when she sees the scratches and blood covering most of Serena's body. She said, "Go and get treatment first. I don't want to have both your mother and Commander Taylor coming after me if something happens to you because you did not seek treatment first. Nurse Ogawa will help you."
Elizabeth nodded to the other nurse. Serena followed her. She looked about her and started to wonder whether Terra Nova was any safer than 2149 with all this dangerous creatures.
The next day, Serena and her family were in the Shannons' home. She watches as her brothers and Zoe play. In the kitchen area, Elena was teaching Maddy how to cook while Skye and Josh were in the living room, talking. There was pounding on the door to the house and Josh opened the door to find Reynolds and another soldier standing outside. Both of them ducked into the house and Josh slammed the door shut behind them.
"Commander Taylor has requested for your assistance at the research lab," Reynolds informed her. "Dunham will escort you to the lab."
"Alright, I will just grab my jacket," Serena said.
"Be careful, Rena," Elena said, watching her daughter. "Don't do anything risky, okay?"
"I won't, Mum," Serena reassured her.
"I will protect her with my life, ma'am," the soldier, Dunham, said as both he and Serena left the house. Elena watched them go. She hoped everything would be alright soon. She couldn't bear to lose anyone else. Not after what had happened to Jack.
"Good, you are here!" Commander Taylor said when he saw Serena enter the lab.
Malcolm looked up from his work and scowled when he saw Serena. Serena flinched a little and said, "Maybe it is best I leave. It looks like you have already enough experts here."
"Stay, Serena," Elizabeth said, not looking away from what she was doing. "An extra brain would be better than two." She looked up and smiled briefly at Malcolm before returning to her work.
"Alright," Malcolm said. "But just sit there first. When either of us needs a break then you can take over our place."
Serena sat down and watched them. From the muttered conversations and curses, she could piece out what they were trying to do. But no matter what they did, the drug they were trying to reproduce kept on breaking down. She looked more closely at what they were doing and saw the problem.
"Um… There is a problem with what you are doing…" Serena said. Both Malcolm and Elizabeth looked at her. She pointed out the problem and offered a solution, getting up from her seat to want to help them.
"I get what you are saying," Malcolm grunted. "Just sit there and let both of us handle it." They followed her advice and soon managed to stabilize the drug.
"They will be fine," Serena told Elizabeth as they stood at the gates waiting for both Jim and Commander Taylor to return. She did not say that only to reassure Elizabeth but also to reassure herself.
Soon, they spotted the vehicle coming back towards the compound and rejoiced. Then, Serena felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find Malcolm standing behind her. He looked as though he was embarrassed about what he was about to say next. He said, "Emma was right in sending you. You may take her place in the research lab." Then, he turned and left.
"That is as close an apology you would get from Malcolm," Elizabeth said, smiling at Serena. "Congratulations! You have proved your worth to him. We shall have a tiny celebration tonight for you." Then she went off to hug her husband.
Serena watched and reached up to touch her necklace. Yes. She did achieve what she wanted because of her own effort. But somehow, she did not feel satisfied and she knew why. Because she had dreamt of a future with Lucas and now he wasn't here with her. I miss you… she thought, turning around to go home.