Next chappie here! Again, really sorry for the time I have taken... :(
Anyway, thanks for the reviews/comments! ^^
Hope you guys will enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 5: Unlikely Meeting
"No," Nathaniel repeated for the twentieth time. He slung his bag onto his shoulder and walked down the stairs. "And I mean it, Serena. Don't ask me about it again!"
"But you need a researcher to be there in order to help with the situation!" Serena argued, running to keep up with him. "And I can help!"
"Dr Shannon will be there with us," Nathaniel answered. "I do not require other assistance. The colony needs everyone else to be here, helping out for the benefit of the colony." He wondered how many times he had repeated those words to Serena.
"But, Uncle Nathaniel-" she started again.
"No 'buts', Rena," Nathaniel said, stopping to look at her. "Look, you are family to me. And I can't let anything bad happen to my family. Your mother would kill me if anything happened to you. So, stay back at base, Serena. We have nothing more to discuss here."
He flung his bag into the vehicle and turned around to see Wash coming towards him. Before she could say anything, Nathaniel raised his hand to stop her and said, "Wash, don't even try asking me. I already told Little Miss Scientist here that she can't go. Don't make me repeat myself again. You need to stay here and be my replacement in case anything happens to me."
"Of course, sir," the lieutenant said, looking slightly upset with what the Commander had said.
"Right, if there is nothing else, we should get going," Nathaniel said. "I want to be back home for dinner." He got into the vehicle along with Dr Shannon and a couple of guards. Serena and others watched as they drove off. Once the group had disappeared from view, everyone dispersed, going back to their own jobs.
Serena walked around the lab, feeling bored. Everyone working in the lab, from the scientists to their assistants, were older than her and treated her like a child, giving her little jobs to do. She wondered when Nathaniel would be coming home. Already a day had passed and still no news. She hoped that everything was fine at that outpost.
Suddenly, there was an explosion in one of the smaller lab rooms, followed by a foul smell in the air. One of the doors opened and a lady ran out, covering her nose and coughing. People started running around to open the windows and let the foul smell out.
"That obviously didn't work, did it, Anna?" one of the researchers said.
"Well, that was obvious enough wasn't it?" the woman said, gesturing to the green smoke that floated out of the room. She covered her nose and mouth as she looked into the room and groaned.
"Burned all the Phalaenopsis Aphrodite?" another researcher asked.
"If I didn't, would I be feeling a sense of doom like now?" Anna snapped. She looked back at the lab and groaned. "Malcolm is going to kill me unless I find some way to replace everything… And you know how much I hate going OTG!"
"I could help," Serena offered.
"Really?" Anna asked, looking happy. "Thank-"
"Anna, junior researchers are not allowed to go OTG," a fellow researcher reminded her. "Unless Serena has clearance from either Dr Wallace or Commander Taylor, she is not allowed to go out at all."
"I will ask Malcolm then," Serena said, seeing the tears in Anna's eyes.
She walked pass them to Malcolm's office. The door was closed tightly. She knocked and walked in. Malcolm was hunched over a stack of papers, sorting through them and grumbling to himself. He crumpled some and threw them in the direction of the waste paper basket that was in the other end. Serena could see that most of what he threw did not end up in the dustbin, including the most recent paper missle.
"Dr Wallace?" Serena said, closing the door behind her as she entered.
"Yeah?" Malcolm grunted.
"I would need to go OTG for today," Serena said. "We seem to have run out of some plant samples that are important for research purposes."
"Alright," Malcolm said, too busy with his work to notice whom he was talking to. "Get going. I am busy here."
"Of course, sir," Serena said, leaving his office. She smiled at the anxious Anna as she walked over and told her of what Malcolm said.
"Isn't it dangerous for you to go OTG?" Elena said, looking worried. "You know the dangers out there! What if something happened to you?"
"Don't worry, mum!" Serena reassured her. "I will be bringing my gun with me." She patted the holster that was strapped to her waist.
"But not everything can be taken out with a gun, Rena," Elena warned. "And you are not that good a shooter. Better than most. But not good enough."
"I will be fine, mum," Serena said, hugging her mother. "I will just be outside awhile and then I will return. Its like a short field trip into the jungle back in 2149."
"But the jungles then did not have huge dinosaurs…" Elena muttered. "Just be careful, okay? I don't want to lose you."
"Nothing will happen to me, mum. I will be home for dinner tonight! See you then!" She left the house before her mother could say anything more. She sighed, wishing that her mother did not worry so much. She wasn't wondering far anyway. Just a short distance and then she would return. She remembered what Lucas and her would do when they were bored. Because their families always moved around, there were always new places for the both of them to explore.
She laughed to herself when she remembered the number of times their mothers panicked when she and Lucas returned with cuts and bruises all over their bodies from their exploration. It was fun back then. When they were young and everything seemed so carefree and normal.
"I miss you so much…" Serena murmured.
Elizabeth rested her head on her arms. She had a massive headache. Must have been from staying up too late studying. She had better get back to her studies or she might not do properly in her exams tomorrow. She must score in order to keep her scholarship. She looked up and frowned. Why did this place look so unfamiliar? It did not look like her room or the library at all!
She began to panic. She could hear a ringing sound coming from a nearby computer. She looked over and saw that the call came from a Lieutenant Washington. The lady wore America's soldier uniform. But she did not trust what she was seeing. What if she had been kidnapped? She needed to find a way to get out. But first, she needed weapons in case her kidnappers came back for her.
She looked around the place, seeing computers, books and papers that had loads of science formulas written in them. She found a few pieces of paper with childish drawings on them. Did they kidnap children as well? She had to get out fast!
Finally, she found a gun hidden behind a cupboard. She took it out, her breathing shallow at the thought of what she needed to do in order to get out alive. Then, she heard the sound of a door being opened. They are back! she thought, feeling adrenalin rush through her veins. She took a deep breath and then braced herself as she walked out to confront her kidnappers.
Serena found the plant that Anna wanted. After two hours of searching, she finally found them growing beside a river. She decided to cut off only a few stems and leaves, not wanting to waste the entire plant that she found. Once she sealed them, she dropped them into her bag and stood up.
Finally she had time to survey her surroundings and she did just that. This place was a lot nicer than 2149. With its lush green trees, fresh air, colour flowers and fresh food, she couldn't help but fall in love with Terra Nova and all its dangers. She really loved it here. But she knew she would love it more if Lucas was here with her. She realized that it was late and turned to go. Her vehicle was parked a way off since she couldn't risk getting it stuck in the mud while she was out here alone.
Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound in the bushes and withdrew her laser gun. Danger! her mind whispered to her as she surveyed her surroundings. She felt adrenalin course through her veins at the thought. She tried to force herself to breathe normally, not wanting to alert any predators that she was there.
She felt someone's eyes on her back and turned around, seeing Commander Taylor step out from the bushes. She breathes a sign of relief and puts her gun away. Before she could say anything, Nathaniel said, "Who are you?"
Serena frowned, wondering whether her uncle was just joking. Then, she noticed the confusion in his eyes, as if he was trying to piece out who she was. Then, she notices the gun that Nathaniel carried and explained, "I am Serena White, your goddaughter. Don't you remember me, Uncle Nathaniel? I am Jack and Elena's daughter. Jack, my father, is your best friend. He served a long side you."
"You are not Serena," Nathaniel said, his frown deepening.
"I am, uncle!" Serena insisted. "You must have hit your head or something to have forgotten me."
"Serena couldn't have grown so fast," Nathaniel continued. "But… You do have Jack's eyes." Faster than her eyes could follow, Nathaniel knocked her unconscious with the end of his gun.
Mira crept silently through the jungle, listening closely for her prey. She had sighted the small pack of Oryctodromeus Cubicularis a few hours earlier and needed to hunt them down for meat. She had enough of living only on plants and fish. She needed meat and was sure that these dinosaurs would taste good, once she managed to catch them and cook them that is!
Suddenly, she heard voices and stopped walking. Who was here? She dropped to a crouch and listened. Were they coming towards her? Were they people from Terra Nova, out here to hunt down the Sixers? Then, there was the sound of metal hitting flesh and a squeak before total silence. She walked slowly towards where she estimated the sound came from. She saw a human lying on the ground, contents from her backpack spilled all over the ground.
She turned over the human and saw that it was Serena. There was a huge bruise forming on her left temple. She stood up, about to go but stopped when she remembered what her employer had told her to do. "Keep Serena alive and use her, when needed, to keep Lucas on a tight leash!" his voice echoed in her head.
Mira grounds her teeth. She would have preferred to see Terra Nova lose another civilian. But she had orders to follow. She reached down and picked up the girl, slinging her easily onto one shoulder. She knew that these people from Terra Nova would have a vehicle nearby and proceeded to look for it, finally finding it about five minutes from where she had picked up the girl. She dumped Serena into the vehicle and slammed the door shut.
That should keep her safe! Mira thought as she turned around and left. She heard a rustling in the trees and stopped in her tracks, looking around her. She shrugged when she did not find anything out of place and then left.
Nathaniel rubbed his wrists, still feeling the slight numbness from being tied down. He still had a slight headache, but was otherwise fine. He heard the door open and saw Serena enter, a rather large bruise on her head. He remembered what he had done the day before and said, "I am really sorry, Rena. I wasn't myself yesterday."
"Yeah… I know…" Serena murmured. "Elizabeth told me before she gave me the shot. Are you feeling better today?"
"Better than yesterday of course!" Nathaniel laughed. Then, he looked serious. "Ask Dr Shannon to do something about that bruise. The more I look at it, the worst I feel."
"Of course…" Serena said, walking towards the door.
Sensing that she had something else to tell him, Nathaniel said, "Wait, Serena. Is there something else you wanted to tell me?"
Serena stood at the door and said, "I think it may just be my imagination, uncle… But… I think… I think I heard Lucas' voice yesterday."
"It is probably just your imagination, Rena. Why don't you go home and rest for the day? I will tell Malcolm to excuse you for today."
"Alright, Uncle Nathaniel." She left the room.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Nathaniel frowned. Lucas… He was like a ghost that came back to haunt Nathaniel. He looked at the door. He hoped Serena would not cling onto Lucas. Unless Lucas could be changed, it was better if Serena did not hang into the very idea of his being alive.
"Commander…?" Lieutenant Washington said, entering after she had knocked. "Dr Wallace would like you to go to the lab. He has some things to show to you."
"Of course, Wash," Nathaniel said, getting to his feet. "I will be there." He would deal with the Lucas problem later. He needed to be a strong leader for the colony now.
A pair of binoculars followed the movement of Serena as she walked all over the colony. When she finally disappeared from view, the person lowered the binoculars to reveal that it was Lucas who watched her. Lucas clutched the binoculars close to his chest, sitting down on the thick branch he stood on.
He remembered the shock he had felt when he had seen Mira carry the unconscious Serena to her vehicle. He could not believe that she was here and had gone to check for himself that she really was here. He had sat beside her in the car, keeping the predators away until he felt her stir. He had said goodbye to her and left, hiding in the trees and making sure she had gotten back to Terra Nova safely.
He could remember how warm she had felt sleeping in the seat next to him and the unique scent of her hair, orchids and Queen Anne's Lace. He couldn't let Mira know that he knew of Serena's presence or Serena might be in danger. He climbed back down the tree and headed back to his 'home'. He would come back for her once all this was over, once his job was complete and he could ensure a safe future for both him and Serena.