A/N: Thank yous to all the story alerts, favourites and for reading! Also a big thank you to metube and Terra Nova-Falling Skies Fan for your reviews! My apologies it's only one chapter this week as I caught a cold and my brain has ceased functioning further than one chapter..Enjoy!
"Open the door Dr Wallace" Alicia said knocking on Malcolm's door. She and Taylor had decided a team effort was best in regards to Malcolm as they had already debriefed Kobayashi, Reilly, Jim and Carter. They were all telling relatively the same story with added commentary about the fallout between Kate and Malcolm. Which Taylor and Alicia surmised was one of the reasons Malcolm was now holed up in his house than complaining about his injuries in the infirmary.
Carter told Taylor that the Sixers had finished off the Phoenix Soldiers without any survivors and that they would bury the bodies. The sixer's preacher or the woman who still had faith in god and carried a bible would give them their last rights and a good send off before the Sixers finished packing down the camp and coming back to the Colony. Mira would radio when they were four hours out and then when she arrived they would talk about their terms of Surrender to Commander Taylor. Carter specified that Kate had to be in attendance as Mira felt the woman was the only neutral party they had for the negotiations.
Taylor nodded but said it was entirely dependent on whether Kate was capable and willing. The poor woman was laid up in a bio-bed unconscious, bruised like an apple with 4 fractured ribs. Elisabeth was just waiting for the Asimeth to leave Kate's system before she could give a proper diagnosis and prescribe pain medication. Taylor asked the Doctor to keep them informed of Kate's progress in the interim.
That just left Malcolm Wallace the last of the party to be checked on as he hadn't been debriefed or checked out by a doctor. Taylor grew impatient at Malcolm not answering and stepped forward and knocked on the door loudly before he stepped back.
"Think we should just kick the door down?" Alicia asked, Taylor was beginning to think it wasn't a bad idea when Malcolm opened the door.
"Commander, Lieutenant what can I do for you?" Malcolm asked, they could tell he had showered and donned fresh clothes as his hair was still wet.
"You know it is standard regulations that everyone be cleared by medical when they return from OTG right?" Alicia asked him.
"I'm fine" Malcolm said.
"It's the regs Malcolm and we also need to debrief you. So come on" Taylor said as he gestured for him to follow them.
"You two came all this way to drag me to the infirmary and then talk about what happened?" Malcolm asked dryly as he folded his arms.
"Yes" Taylor said before taking a fortifying breath. Malcolm's body language was anything but agreeable.
"Well I'll save you some time. I'm a civilian so you can't order me to see a Doctor. I'm fine. As to what happened I was kidnapped, held captive because they wanted me to fix the Terminus. I was assessing the damage when Sixers and Miss Renshaw slaughtered those men in cold blood" Malcolm said. Taylor and Alicia remained calm and didn't react to his choice of words. Especially when he referred to his girlfriend of 6 months so formally when yesterday he would have said 'Kate'.
"Malcolm perhaps we should come in, sit down and talk about this properly" Taylor said as he knew Malcolm had a bit of a righteous attitude about Military conduct and the way Malcolm was speaking it would be one of those conversations.
"Oh you want to tell me how it 'really' went? Cover up the truth of what I know, so your image isn't tarnished?" Malcolm asked.
"If you want a megaphone and a podium in the main square to tell the whole colony about how you feel and what you saw I can arrange that for you. I have nothing to hide, we collaborated with the Sixers to eliminate our common enemy once and for all. The Sixers will give the dead a proper burial and then they will return." Taylor told him.
"So you're dressing them up as heroes" Malcolm scoffed.
"The Sixers are surrendering and going to rejoin the colony. They are not being given special treatment. They will have to earn their right to stay and any privileges they way. There won't be any town fairs or monuments built in their image" Taylor told him dryly.
"Shame the Phoenix soldiers won't get the same chance to surrender" Malcolm said as he leaned against the door frame and looked at them. Taylor knew instantly that Malcolm was in a contrary mood and that he was looking for an argument not answers.
"Malcolm, they kidnapped you, they attacked the colony-" Alicia started but was cut off by Malcolm.
"The Sixers have done exactly the same thing but you didn't go out into the jungle and kill them all! I watched a man get stabbed through the chest with a machete! Another get his arm broken and then used as a human shield before Hooper was shot in the head. The amount of blood and dirt on her-" he stopped for a moment and shook his head but it was clear he was horrified and disgusted by the memories of Kate and his rescue. "We are supposed to be bettering ourselves not falling victim to our old ways as you espouse every pilgrimage with your speech about what Terra Nova is. Yet you... You used her and the sixers murder those men without even offering them a chance to surrender or negotiate. You are such a hypocrite Taylor" Malcolm said scathingly.
Taylor and Alicia remained calm though Alicia was ready to deck the man. Where was his loyalty, the woman he supposedly 'loved' the same woman who had ricked her life for him and saved his life. Yet here he was complaining that they didn't wave a white flag and have tea with the Phoenix soldiers and try to be civil when the Phoenix soldiers' attacked them first. In her humble opinion, Malcolm should have been thanking them profusely for not leaving him in the badlands to rot before going to the Infirmary to wait for Kate to wake up.
"You're entitled to your opinion and feelings Malcolm" Taylor said, Alicia's jaw nearly dropped at Taylor's words but she kept her poker face on. Why wasn't he defending himself and his decisions or telling Malcolm to get off his high horse. There was something entirely too formal about the way Taylor was talking to the scientist.
"Now part of the terms in the Sixers' surrender is that you will repair the Terminus. Will you be able to do so? Because I'd like to know in advance" Taylor said in a professional tone even Malcolm was taken aback by the change in Taylor's attitude.
"I think I can but I will need to take a better look and even if I do fix the terminus. The fracture to 2149 is gone" Malcolm told him.
"Carter said that Lucas was close to finding a way of detecting another fracture to 2149 and using the Terminus to open it. Something about the badlands being riddled with fractures but before Lucas could explain he disappeared." Taylor said. He was actually surprised at how forthcoming Carter had been in their conversation.
"Where is Lucas?" Malcolm asked.
"We don't know but Mira believes Escher did know" Taylor said, he and Alicia had decided to keep who Escher really was a secret between them. It wasn't pertinent and they both felt it wasn't necessary for the truth to come out.
"Who is dead, we're hoping he left something behind that may help us in tracking Lucas down" Alicia said.
"If he is still alive" Malcolm stated Alicia pursed her lips as she didn't want to comment about how indelicate Malcolm was being right now. The whole conversation felt like one large sore spot being rubbed raw.
"Until otherwise I believe Lucas is still alive. Now I may not be able to order you around Malcolm but as you are a senior member of the Colony and Head of a major department in the Colony I expect you to follow the regulations and lead by example. Get checked into the infirmary and cleared by a doctor in the next 24 hours or I can come back and drag you there myself" Taylor told him.
"Fine, anything else?" Malcolm asked in a terse tone.
"Not for the time being" Taylor said.
"Then I shall bid you both a good day" Malcolm said without waiting for an answer he closed the front door on Alicia and Taylor.
The two turned and looked directly at the remains of Alicia and Kate's home. "That was not what I expected from Malcolm" Alicia said as they stepped down from the porch.
"He's not ready to listen yet" Taylor said.
"So that's why you didn't backhand him for calling you a hypocrite?" Alicia asked.
"I've been called worse" Taylor said with a smile.
"Look at my house" Alicia said with a sigh as she changed the conversation.
"The bath tub looks salvageable and look at the bright side, you don't have to worry about packing up anything" Taylor said in good humour. Alicia punched his good arm and shook her head at him.
"That is not funny" Alicia told him.
A few hours later,
Kate stirred from her slumber slowly, she felt like she was still drunk as she felt like she was trapped in a bubble of sorts. She opened her eyes slowly and found her vision blurry and wondered how much she had drunk when her brain reminded her of the last few events before she passed out. She turned her head slowly to the side as she recognised she was in the infirmary and it was afternoon by the low lighting of the room. Her eyes landed on a blurry figure of a man sitting in a chair in the shadows by her bed.
"Malcolm?" she said in a groggy voice, she felt her heart flip at the thought that maybe he really had just been in shock. That the look that he gave her and reactions were just a jerk reaction it made her feel warm and fuzzy with hope. Though the fuzzy part was probably the drugs Carter slipped her.
"I'm insulted, calling me by another man's name after everything we've been through together" he teased Kate frowned as her vision cleared up and she realised it was Carter, a very clean Carter. He was wearing a white cotton button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and plain green pants.
"Hey you're kind of sexy when you're all clean and don't have tooth picks in your hair" Kate teased with a smile but truthfully she felt disappointed that it was Carter and not Malcolm. The feeling faded quickly as she checked him out. Sure she had a boyfriend but it didn't hurt checking out the menu. Carter scratched his head and smiled unsure if Kate was complimenting him or not.
After being checked out by Doctor Shannon and then debriefed by Taylor. Carter had decided to indulge in a long hot shower and a meal. Kobayashi was generous enough to loan him some clean clothes. He didn't really have any place to go or be so he ended up sitting by Kate's bedside waiting for her to wake up.
"Yeah I figured it was about time I had a proper shower " he stopped as he watched her more carefully and noted her eyes were a little glassy and her smile just a little dopey "And you are off your face on drugs" he surmised as Kate's smile widened. She giggled a girlish noise he was sure she would never make sober.
"Your hair looks soft can I touch it?" Kate asked with a quirked eyebrow. Carter chuckled and shook his head but before he could reply Elisabeth walked up to the bed.
"How's my favourite patient going?" Elisabeth asked Kate. She pulled out a hand held sensor and started scanning Kate's eyes before she checked the redhead's vitals and IV.
"She's high" Carter answered as he folded his arms and refused to indulge Kate's want to touch his clean hair.
"Well her body chemistry is incredibly sensitive to 2149 medication. You're lucky she didn't have an overdose" Elisabeth said chastising Carter, she had no idea why Carter was sitting at Kate's bedside as it should have been Malcolm. But he was MIA, when Elisabeth asked Alicia about it when the brunette dropped by to see how Kate was doing. The woman just shook her head and commented that Malcolm would drop by to have a check up but not to expect him to stay.
"Tell me how long have I been unconscious?" Kate asked Elisabeth.
"Close to 12 hours apparently" Elisabeth told her. It took a moment for it to compute in Kate's mind but when it did she looked at Carter.
"You drugged me" Kate said pointing a finger at Carter.
"Which you'll agree was necessary, you're badly injured" Carter said. Kate who was now angry and still under the effects of the drugs couldn't feel her injuries.
"I'm fine now besides really drugged but that won't stop me from kicking your ass" Kate said she even started to get out of bed but was stopped by Elisabeth and Carter.
"No you're not kicking anything today. Save it for another 6 weeks doctor's orders" Elisabeth told Kate.
"No fair" Kate said resigning herself to Doctor's orders she relaxed back onto the bed with a sigh. She slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep again as Elisabeth ran scans on her.
"What a long day" Alicia said as she kicked off her boots at the door at Taylor's place and laid down on the left side of couch throwing her legs over Taylor's lap. Every cell in her body was exhausted and sighed as she relaxed.
"Tomorrow is going to be worse" Taylor commented as he placed the plex he had been reading on the coffee table. They had eaten dinner in the Mess with the other soldiers before finishing up paperwork. After the paperwork was done, Alicia went to check in on Kate while Taylor went straight home for some pain killers as his broken arm was giving him some grief.
Alicia had found Kate was still unconscious with Carter sitting by her bed. It was very odd to see the sixer sitting there as she had expected it to be Malcolm. Carter had said Kate woke up briefly but considering her injuries the woman fell straight back to sleep within minutes no before informing Carter she would kick his ass.
"I say we call in sick and spend the whole day in bed" Alicia mumbled as she sunk further into the couch getting comfortable. Taylor smiled as she covered her mouth to yawn.
"How was Kate?" Taylor asked as he sorely wanted to agree with the staying in bed all day idea.
"Asleep, Carter said she woke up long enough to say she was going to kick his ass" Alicia said with a chuckle.
"Carter was there?" Taylor asked as he would have thought Malcolm would have returned to his senses. Obviously he was wrong, he had feeling it was going to get worse before it got better.
"Yeah, it was a little weird. The sixers have been our enemy for a while now it's difficult to not be suspicious of them. Anyway how's the arm?" Alicia asked as she looked at his right arm that was in a sling and would be hampering their sex life for the next 6 weeks at least.
"Broken" Taylor said with a wry smile. Alicia shot him a look "The meds kicked in a few minutes ago. What about you?" he asked her.
"Exhausted, nauseous, I'm so happy it's the end of the day" Alicia said with a sigh.
"So my girls are already exhausting you" He said with a smile.
"Girls? What makes you think they'll be girls?" Alicia asked she couldn't wait for him to explain this one.
"Because I want girls" He told her. He always liked the idea of daughters especially with Alicia. Sure with boys you could rough house around with them more but he liked the idea of having little mini versions of Alicia running around the house.
"Oh so are you ordering me to have girls now?" Alicia asked trying not to laugh. Taylor gave her a look like 'of course soldier' before he chuckled. He leaned over and pushed the bottom of her tank top up revealing her abdomen.
"You hear that in there? I want two healthy girls and that's an order" he said sternly. Alicia laughed and shook her head. Taylor placed two gentle kisses on her abdomen before sitting back up.
"What happens if they're two healthy boys? Are you going court martial them for dereliction of duty?" Alicia asked before she laughed again at how ludicrous the situation was but also very Taylor-esque to just bark orders and expect miracles to happen.
"No, I'll love them just the same but I'm allowed to want girls aren't I?" Taylor asked her, Alicia nodded as she stifled a laugh at him ordering their barely formed babies to be girls.
"Sure but just so you know they don't have ears yet so they didn't hear that order" Alicia informed him.
"Then I'll just have to keep telling them over and over until they can hear me" Taylor said with a confident smile as he moved his hand across her stomach in a loving gesture even though she didn't have any physical tell tale signs yet. It was only a matter of time before she started growing.
She was not looking forward to that. It was more the attention and how touchy feely women got over pregnant women in the colony. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and looked at Taylor giving him her 'let's have sex' eyes even though she was exhausted she couldn't help herself.
"Don't give me sex eyes" he told her, she sat and moved herself so she was straddling his lap. She made sure she was careful of his arm.
"Why not? You don't like my sex eyes?" She asked innocently as she slowly ran her hands up his chest before linking her arms around his neck. Taylor used his one good arm and wrapped around her pulled her body in even tighter against his. He gave her a very masculine smile.
"I love your sex eyes but aren't you exhausted?" he asked her.
"I still got some energy left" she said salaciously, Taylor moved his hand up to the back of her neck and pulled her lips to his. He kissed her long and soft, and so deeply Alicia felt herself sinking into him.
"Come on" Alicia said as she climbed off his lap, she tugged on his good arm pulling him with her. He didn't need to ask where they were going as he already knew.
The next day,
"Good Morning Sleepyhead, I wouldn't move too much if I were you" Alicia said cheerfully as Kate slowly opened her eyes. Kate looked around her remembering she was in the infirmary before her eyes stopped at Alicia who was standing by her bedside next to a table with a medium sized cage on it. Inside was the tiny primate that had an unhealthy obsession with her. But for the moment he was distracted as Alicia was holding live bugs.
"Hey, ho-oh ow" Kate said, she had made moves to sit up but stopped as her ribs and chest burned with pain. She fell back onto the bed and hissed in pain taking shallow breaths before some of the pain subsided.
"Told you not to move, you have 4 fractured ribs and massive bruising. You're lucky you were wearing armour at the time otherwise you'd been killed but that blast" Alicia said, Kate noted Alicia's fresh BDU's and her hair tied back in a slick ponytail meant the woman was on duty. She also wondered where Alicia got her clothes considering their house had exploded.
"Yeah lucky me" Kate said dryly as she watched Alicia as she feed the tiny primate a few wriggling bug. "What is he doing here?" Kate asked gesturing to the primate that was happily munching away.
"Malcolm dropped him off about ten minutes ago with a letter. I thought he would have stayed but he said he had to get back to work asked me to feed the little guy. He really is ridiculously cute" Alicia said as she handed the sealed letter to Kate.
Kate took the letter and opened it. Alicia watched Kate read the letter and her expression that went from hopeful and eager to sad, hurt then unreadable as Kate tried desperately to control her emotions. She shakily re-folded the letter back up and placed it back in the envelope.
"Everything ok?" Alicia asked as she gave the last bug from the tiny jar to the infant primate. Kate nodded before clearing her throat.
"It's fine. What about you?" Kate asked attempting to change the topic as she didn't want to think about what was written in the letter. Sadly she couldn't stop her body from going through the motions as her eyes filled with tears and her heart ached.
"Kate, what's the matter?"Alicia asked in a soft voice as Kate looked ready to cry. Alicia left out the 'so after you tell me I can go kill Malcolm Wallace with good reason' part as she knew the letter said nothing good.
"Can I get some pain killers or something? My ribs really hurt" Kate said in a hushed voice as the tears fell down her face. Alicia watched as the letter was crumpled in Kate's hand before Alicia nodded.
"Sure, I'll be right back" Alicia said she moved to the closest nurse and asked them to get Elisabeth who was on duty that morning and for some breakfast for Kate. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Kate's bed. Kate had wiped her eyes and wore a closed expression but it was easy to see she was trying hard to conceal she was hurt.
"So, Mira and the Sixers are arriving outside the main gate in two hours time. Carter said that it would go more smoothly if you were there care explaining that one?" Alicia asked as she decided to change tactics.
"I think it's because I have nothing to gain or lose from the Sixers coming back into the colony makes me the perfect middle person?" Kate offered with a nonchalant shrug.
"Makes sense" Alicia said before they lapsed into silence. Kate pursed her lips before she spoke in a low voice.
"He doesn't want to see me or talk to me. He understood my old life and knew that what I was capable of but he felt I had left it behind me. It goes on for a bit but he said seeing me in that element where I… You know what just read it for yourself" Kate said as she offered the letter to Alicia. Alicia took her hand instead and squeezed it in a comforting gesture.
"It'll be ok, just give him the time and space. He'll come around" Alicia told her. Kate shot her a look that said 'You don't really believe that do you?' as she wiped her eyes. Before Alicia could try and convince Kate that she believed that Malcolm would come around Elisabeth interrupted them.
"I was told someone was in need of pain relief" Elisabeth said in her usual cheerful way. She raised the top half of Kate's bed so she was sitting upright.
"That would be me" Kate said holding up a hand. Elisabeth pulled over a tray table and placed a small pill container on it.
"Ok, here we go. Just take 2 every 4 -6 hours" Elisabeth said.
"You already kicking me out?" Kate asked as a staff member placed a tray of breakfast food in front of her with a bottle of water.
"I figured you and Alicia were already plotting your escape" Elisabeth said with a smile as Kate opened the water and Alicia opened the container of meds and handing Kate two tablets.
"Not yet" Kate said as she down the two tablets with water.
"Well you can stay if you want but I'm sad to say this but as cute as he is, the primate will have to go. I'm running an infirmary not a zoo" Elisabeth said as she gestured to the infant primate that was rattling his cage. Kate picked up a grape and bit it in half, taking one half for herself and passing the other half to the infant primate. He took the grape half and quietly yet happily munched away.
"Yet you allow Carter in here" Kate replied sarcastically as Carter had just walked into the Infirmary making his way over to her bed side. Elisabeth and Alicia were chuckling at the comment while Carter looked a little lost.
"I miss something?" he asked.
"No, what are you doing here?" Kate asked as she slapped his hand away from the fruit on her tray.
"I was bored thought I'd annoy you. What's with the monkey?" He asked as he moved to inspect the infant that was struggling to finish half a grape and stay awake.
"Apparently he's imprinted on me… something about my low heart rate and thinking I'm his mother whatever" Kate said with a shrug as she ate another grape. She had skipped over that paragraph of the letter as she knew the reason why Malcolm gave her the primate was so that she didn't have a plausible excuse to see him as he instructed that he'd let her know when he was ready to see her again.
"Oh yeah I can see the familial resemblance… both eating and trying to stay awake at the same time" Carter mused as he looked between Kate who gave him a dark look and the primate.
"Don't poke him!" she said in a scolding tone as she slapped Carter's hand as he tried to poke the infant primate.
"So protective" Carter said backing away with his hands up in surrender and an stirring grin. Kate bit her bottom lip worried as she wasn't sure if it was normal for him to pass out after a meal. But then his breathing seemed fine as he had fallen asleep on his back still clutching the remaining of the grape half in his claws.
"I think we may have overfed him" Alicia commented Kate nodded in agreement.
"He'll just sleep it off something else he'll share in common with his new mummy" Carter drawled.
"You are really annoying" Kate said dryly, she really didn't need Carter annoying her. Carter smiled as he pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Trust me after a whole day in my presence you'll love me" he told her. Kate's eyes went wide at the thought and it wasn't with excitement.
"Oh god. Please tell me we have other accommodations for tonight that involves locked doors and inaccessible windows" Kate said to Alicia who was looking thoroughly amused.
"If Doc says it's fine" Alicia said casually. She was just glad Kate wasn't crying and was distracted from what she read in the letter from Malcolm. Kate looked to Elisabeth with imploring grey eyes that begged Elisabeth to not say 'no'.
"As long as you promise to rest, no work or any extreme activities and see me in three days-" Elisabeth started.
"Done" Kate said agreeing to any and all terms that would save her from Carter's presence.
A couple of hours later,
"This is kind of insane" Jim said as he and Taylor stood in the middle of the field outside the gates waiting for Mira and the Sixers to show up. Jim looking over Taylor's proposed plans and projections for the next 6 months on his hand held plex.
"I can't ask civilians to give up their homes for-" Taylor started as he saw Jim was reading up on the housing issue.
"Oh no! I meant the whole Sixers willing to negotiate surrender. Not the housing issue. I agree with everything in here but I think I already know who I want as my deputy and Novak? No offence but he's the last guy I'd ask" Jim said making a face.
"Really?" Taylor said surprised. He would have thought Novak to be an ideal candidate. He felt like his assumptions of people were off of late.
"Yeah, don't worry I just want to make sure the person I'm thinking for my deputy is right and when I'm sure. I'll let you know" Jim said.
"You're choosing a deputy not a wife" Taylor said dryly.
"I know, but we're talking about my first deputy. It's still special. Give me 5 days at least and I'll have a name for you" Jim said.
"5 days until what?" Kate asked as she, Alicia and Carter joined them outside the gates.
"It's how long I have to get a deputy" Jim said as he looked at Kate funnily. Kate was dressed in cotton navy wide leg yoga pants and a man's white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Her long red hair was tied back into a messy bun. But it was the lump on her upper arm that had his attention.
"It's a monkey" Kate told Jim before he asked. The primate had woken up from it's short nap and started a noisy riot in his cage. In her frustration of her current situation and exhaustion, she opened the cage door and told him 'if you want out then go!' and the primate jumped right onto her and luckily settled onto her arm. She couldn't be bothered to trying to remove him as he settled down and fell straight to sleep.
"Primate" Carter corrected.
"Whatever" Kate said in an exhausted tone to Carter.
"You're the one who corrected me earlier" Carter said.
"And right now I don't care" Kate told Carter as she already exhausted from Carter and the walking out to where the others were standing, it just compounded with her mental control over her emotions, she really wanted to be alone. Actually she wanted to confront Malcolm but she knew it would be an utter disaster the man practically wrote a 'Dear Jane' letter and added on the 'I'll call you' thinking it would soften the blow. She loved him, had gone out the badlands to save him only to lose him because he saw part of her 'dark' side.
She knew from the look in his eyes, she knew as soon as she made the deal with Carter that she would ruin all of her relationships in Terra Nova from her actions. It was still early to see the extent of the fallout. At least Alicia was still talking to her. They hadn't had a proper conversation but she figured it would be later in private. At least Taylor and Jim welcomed her and could look her in the face which was a good sign. She just wished she could trade Carter's attention for Malcolm's. That they could talk so she knew where his head was at.
"You alright?" Taylor asked her as she seemed distracted, usually she had her head in the game but in that moment she was a million miles away. Kate looked at him blankly for a moment before giving a nod.
"Yeah, fine. I don't mean to be rude but this isn't going to take long is it?" Kate asked as she wanted nothing more than for this to be over.
"Why you got a hot date with Dr Wallace?" Carter asked rolling his eyes. Kate pursed her lips it wasn't hard for Jim, Taylor or Alicia to note the flash of pain in Kate's expression and the uncomfortable silence before Kate cleared her throat.
"No, I don't. I'm just incredibly lazy. I want to go back to bed" Kate told Carter.
"Oh I get it he's-" Carter started with a knowing smile but before he could comment Kate stamped him foot hard. Carter's lips formed a thin line as he tried not to vocalise his pain. Jim, Taylor and Alicia tried to keep straight faces as Kate looked at Carter with an innocent expression.
"Sorry did that hurt?" she asked innocently.
"Yeah it did. A lot" Carter told her as he was still wincing in pain as he shook his injured foot. Kate dropped her innocent expression and replaced it with one of annoyance.
"Good, it's just a sample of what I'm going to do to you when I'm better" Kate informed him before Carter could say another word the sounds of many vehicles coming closer. They all watched as rhinos came out of the jungle and pulled to a stop in front of them. Mira jumped out of the rhino along with the others and they formed a small group.
It was an oddly tense as if someone had drawn an invisible line between the Sixers and where Taylor, Alicia, Jim and Kate stood. Carter crossed the line and conversed with Mira in a quiet voice for the moment before they turned to face Taylor.
"Taylor" Mira said in greeting.
"Mira" Taylor said, he surreptitiously counted the number of people and the rhinos parked in front of him. He noted the injuries of the people
"We've come to discuss the terms of surrender" Mira said.
"This is not going to be an easy transition. You have earn your keep in the colony"
"We understand that, we are prepared to surrender our arms and walk through the main gates and live under your laws. On the understanding that we will be given our old occupations and housing to earn our keep until Dr Wallace completes the repairs of the Terminus and a portal to 2149 is re-established" Mira said.
"What happens then?" Taylor asked out of curiosity. He was happy to have them surrender and give them a chance to rejoin the colony but it wasn't like there were any better options he did not want to start a prison population.
"You arrange for absolution for those who want to return to 2149. We both know it will take months for Dr Wallace to repair the terminus. I'm sure we can make up for our past discretions in that time" Mira said, Taylor would have disagreed that past discretions would not be absolved after a few months but Kate spoke up first.
"Question: What if the Terminus can't be repaired or the fracture can't be re-opened?" Kate asked.
"Mira?" Taylor asked as he knew that she had more to lose in not being able to return to 2149.
"Then we move on. I do not want to spend the rest of my life in the jungle warring against you Taylor and honestly I don't like my chances with Kate around" Mira said the last part made everyone look at Kate who gave no sign that she understood what Mira was implying. He wondered what Kate had said to Mira as the woman was being far too compliant than he expected of her.
"Well, you and your people will be housed in the barracks with the soldiers. It will take a few months to a year before all of you can have your own places again. Construction will go faster with volunteers but there is a waiting list that will be adhered to" Taylor said
"I assume all the sixers at the end?" Mira said.
"I'm at the end and still waiting for new windows" Taylor said Mira pretended to be surprised but then Taylor was too noble to abuse his status to get preferential treatment. "Any other conditions you have Mira or can I list mine now?" Taylor asked politely.
TBC~ See you all in a week!