"Come on Maddy you have a brilliant brain" Kate said as she continued to keep an eye on the street there was no movement or any sign of the men who were after them. They had spent the last couple of hours or so talking about time rifts and how they got to 2149 or 2150 as they hadn't seen a calendar. Rain fell from the sky if you could call the black transparent liquid falling on the windows water. It had been raining for most of the time along with lightning and thunder.

"I don't know- unless…" Maddy drifted off as a thought came to her.

"Unless?" Kate prompted.

"When we pass through the portal it leaves a molecular signature in our body. What if that signature in our body allows us to cross over from here to Terra Nova?" Maddy said as she got up from her chair and started pacing unlike Kate, Maddy had difficulties sitting still for more than half an hour at time. Sitting for long hours just watching was an occupational habit for Kate from her former life.

"If that's true then we can get back" Kate said.

"But Mira's Daughter can't because she hasn't crossed over to Terra Nova or vice versa. She hasn't got the signature. We'd still have to get them out of wherever they are being held as well" Maddy said deflating somewhat at the thought.

"One thing at a time, what we need now is to find someone here who can help us. Do you know anyone?" Kate asked as she looked at Maddy and realised what a stupid question it was as Maddy wouldn't know anyone here sketchy enough to help them. "Ok forget I asked that" Kate said.

"Yeah you have the wrong Shannon. Maybe Josh would know someone like that but not me" Maddy said with a chuckle.

"I don't know I think I'd prefer you over your brother-" Kate stopped and looked at Maddy with a smile.

"What?" Maddy asked.

"Alicia's Brother" Kate said as it gave them someone in this timeline for them to go to for help.

"Lt Washington has a brother?" Maddy asked.

"Yes, they are estranged, he liked to make money through less than savoury means and she tried to make him go on the straight and narrow. Apparently he didn't like her interfering or something like that and walked away." Kate said as she racked her brain for his name.

"So you think he'd help us? How would we even contact him?" Maddy asked.

"Public phone?" Kate said.

"You need an ID card that's not ours" Maddy reminded her.

"Evan Washington that's his name and as for the ID situation I'll swipe one off a stranger at a hotel or a bar this sector can't be all empty warehouses, we'll just wait out the rain" Kate said with a shrug. Maddy looked at her as though Kate had grown a second head but wasn't about to argue with the plan as she didn't have a better one.

Terra Nova,

In the Infirmary.

"Reynolds what's your sitrep?" Alicia asked as she was perched on a stool in Elisabeth's office setting up the video links to the screen so she knew what was going on outside.

"All civilians are accounted for and in the shelters with exception of Dr Haynes and Dr Wallace" Reynolds said who came into the infirmary a moment ago. The wind was blowing a gale now and the rain pelting hard. Alicia gave an exasperated sigh as she pulled out her comm.

"Malcolm Wallace, come in" she said in to comm.

"I'm here" Malcolm replied.

"Where are you?" Alicia asked in a mockingly calm voice when she really wanted to shout and scream at the man but with Zoe in the room she thought better of acting aggressively.

"Secondary research labs"

"The storm is getting stronger, get your ass and Dr Haynes to the Infirmary ASAP" She told him politely as she could.

"On our way"

Over in the Secondary Research labs,

"Dr Wallace we can't leave these animals alone here. They are in distress" Dr Haynes said. Malcolm rolled his eyes as the woman didn't give two shakes about the animals she was just too afraid to go outside and ruin her hair.

"We are, this is not a shelter and the animals will be distressed whether we are here or not. Now come on" Malcolm told Haynes. He had spent the better half of the last few hours prying his scientists from the labs and making them go to the shelters. He understood their reticence in leaving their work but there were protocols to be followed. The sounds of the wind whistling through the creaks of the building and debris and rain hitting the building increased it made him nervous as he'd rather be in a shelter right not than in the research lab with Haynes of all people. He was worried about Kate out in the jungle with the others in this storm.

He moved to the door and tried to open it to find the force of the wind too strong. He turned to Haynes "Come on help me" he told her, she looked reluctant and jumped at the noise of thunder booming around them before she moved to his side and tried to push but it was too strong. A sudden gust pushed the doors inward and the force of it threw them both backwards.

Malcolm fell backwards and slipped hitting the back of his head hard on the corner of the lab table. He blacked out immediately and fell the floor in a heap. Haynes fell straight onto the floor as well but thanks to her short stature saved her from the same fate as Malcolm.

She looked to Malcolm beside her and saw the pool of blood forming on the floor, she had been about to reach for him when she heard the buckling of wood and steel between the roaring wind and thunder. She looked outside the open door and saw large pieces of debris flying around. Fear and self preservation over took her as she didn't want to die and she scrambled for cover under a solid desk just before part of the ceiling collapsed and the room filled slowly destroyed itself under the force of the storm.

2150,

Evan Washington heard the pounding on the front door and looked at the clock on his bedside table groaning as it was 10pm he had spent an exhausting evening chasing his 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter around their cramped two bedroom apartment before putting them to bed at 7:30 before getting down to a few hours of work. He wanted to sleep and knew the pounding would not stop and probably wake up the kids. So he pulled the blanket off himself and pulled on a bathrobe before he moved to the door.

"I'm here just a moment" he said loudly enough so who ever was knocking would stop. The pounding stopped and he pulled a sonic pistol he owned for protection from his safe. No one came to his home without calling first and he knew home invasions were rife as food shortages had hit Chicago even the domes weren't safe anymore. He looked through the peephole and saw a beautiful redhead standing at the door with her rebreather down around her neck. She seemed to know he was watching her as she smiled and gave a wave.

He opened the door keeping the security chain in place, he looked through the gap at the woman, keeping the pistol out of sight behind the door.

"Evan Washington? Brother of Alicia Washington?" she asked.

"Yes, can I help you?" he asked.

"I hope so, may we come in?" She asked as she gestured to her other friend another young woman. He wondered is this was some sort of trick to rob him. But then she knew about his sister something that wasn't public knowledge.

"Who are you?" he asked, Kate looked at the 6 ft tall man with the same hair colour and eye colouring as Alicia. They even had the same nose but that was where the similarities ended. She looked to the mirror he had on the wall behind him and saw the pistol in his hand. She tilted her head to the side and focused back on his face.

"A friend of your sister's" Kate said, she took his momentary shock to her advantage and stepped back kicking the door hard, the security chain snapped and she rushed at Evan within seconds she had his gun and pressed him face forward into the same mirror with one of his arms locked around his back.

"This how you greet all your sister's friends?" she asked as she pointed the pistol at his head.

"My sister is in Terra Nova had been for over 10 years and has no friends outside the military. You're too young to know her" Evan said as he watched from his peripherals a young woman rush into the apartment and close the door.

"It's a long story but I'd appreciate you hearing us out than trying to kill us" Kate told him.

"Dada?" Kate heard a little girl say in a sleepy voice, Kate immediately released Evan she tucked the weapon into the back of her pants and put her hands up in surrender. As Evan looked at her with wary eyes for a moment if the woman wasn't a friend she would have had no qualms going for his daughter.

"Olive, what you doing out of bed baby girl?" Evan asked her as he quickly moved to his two year old daughter Olivia and picked her up in his arms.

"I'm sorry, did we wake you up?" Kate asked Olivia in a kind voice. Olivia nodded her head shyly before hiding her face in her neck.

"You should put her back to bed. I promise we aren't here to steal anything or harm you. We need your help" she told him, her demeanour was completely nonthreatening even though she had his gun. Something told him even without the gun she was dangerous so it made no difference.

"You have my gun" he told her as he held onto Olivia in a protective manner. He watched as the woman pulled the gun slowly from her back and dismantled it in a matter of seconds. He knew she was of military background as she dismantled the weapon like it was second nature, she didn't even look at the weapon as she dismantled it which was frightening. She handed him the component that made the weapon lethal without it the gun was nothing but a paperweight.

"We'll share it" She told him in a smart arse tone he normally would have smiled at but not tonight. Evan took the part she handed him something told him even without the gun this woman was dangerous. It took him 15 minutes to get Olivia back to sleep in her bed before he quickly checked on his 5 yr old son Sean. The kid slept like a rock in comparison to Olivia. Once he felt they were safe he left the room closing the door.

"Let's start this again" the woman said, she held out her hand, "My name is Kate Renshaw, this is Maddy Shannon"

A knock sounded at the door. Kate and Maddy looked at one another "go round the corner" Kate told her in a low voice, Maddy nodded disappearing out of sight and looked at Evan with a sweeping gesture of her arm "Please open the door" she said.

Evan opened the door to find his neighbour Mr Keenan said he was short and stocky man, ex military in his late 60's. He was a great neighbour as he often helped babysit his kids when Evan couldn't get a sitter on the weekend and needed to work.

"Evan heard some loud noises is everything alright?" he asked as he tried to peer around the door Kate opened the door.

"Hi, I'm so sorry I'm afraid the noises were my fault. I was so excited in seeing Evan after all these years I kinda just pounced on him and disaster ensued. I'm such a klutz." Kate said with an awkward yet apologetic smile that even Evan could forgive her. "I'm Kate by the way" she said offering her hand out to him.

"Greg Keenan next door neighbour"

"Pleasure and I promise no more weird noises"

"I just wanted to make sure everything is ok" Mr Keenan said as he smiled at her he gave a raised eyebrow at Evan.

"Of course it is" Evan said.

"Do you want to come in for coffee?" Kate asked him being incredibly friendly, she knew with her thick Australian accent the old man wouldn't think twice about her being an intruder.

"Where did you get coffee in this economy?" Mr Keenan asked.

"I'm a sous chef, sometimes my bosses pay me with food and coffee beans" She said with a shrug.

"Well as much as I'd like to my bed is calling" Mr Keenan said as he gave Evan the eyes that said 'She's a good looking woman, should get on that or under it' as the old man said it wouldn't hurt for Evan to get out once and a while with people his own age and of the female variety. "Have a good evening" he told them.

"We will, night Mr Keenan" Evan said.

"Night" Kate said before closing the door. Once the door was closed her smiled dropped and she gave an exhaled of slight relief.

"Do you really have coffee because he's going to be back in the morning" Evan told her. Kate nodded.

"Yeah real Robusta coffee beans. It's rude to show up empty handed when visiting a friend" She told him as she moved to the lounge room and sat down on the couch. It was the first time he noticed how fatigued the two appeared to be as Maddy joined her on the couch.

"You're my friend now?" he asked sceptically as he sat in the one seater chair looking at them.

"I will be" Kate told him, the way she said made it sound like a promise than just a throw away line. He watched as she opened a waterproof backpack and pulled out a paper bag tossing it to him. He opened it and took a deep inhale enjoying the delicious aroma of fresh coffee beans. He had to admit he wouldn't mind having a friend who could get real coffee.

Terra Nova,

Alicia paced the infirmary feeling entirely too nervous. Malcolm wasn't answering her hails and neither was Haynes. They hadn't checked into any of the designated shelters. The storm was in full swing outside.

"Calm down" Elisabeth told Alicia as she was playing dinosaurs with Zoe at her desk. Alicia had up all the camera feeds for Terra Nova watching the destruction of half the secondary research labs as some steel beams had snapped through their restraints and made a mess of the nearby houses and the labs. The stair cases to the Command Centre had been completely blown away and she was sure it would take a few weeks for all the debris from the plant life to be cleaned up and all other damage was superficial. So far anyway, they were lucky as the techs said the storm wouldn't last longer than a couple of hours. So far storms like this one only happened once every two or three years all the others storms were regular thunder and lightning.

"He hasn't checked in"

"He's probably chasing the monkey around before it tries to go after Kate" Elisabeth said.

"No he's next door safe and completely depressed Kate isn't here. I just hope he isn't in the storm, it's bad enough the others are in the storm" Alicia said as she took a seat at the desk. She picked up one of the dinosaurs Zoe had on the table and looked at it for a moment before placing it back on the table.

"Well running a hole in my floor is not going to make any of it easier. Relax there's nothing to be done but to wait. You said it before" Elisabeth told her.

"You're right" Alicia said rubbing her stomach unconsciously as she felt the twins move around. She made a mental note to call Malcolm every 15 minutes until he answered.

In 2150,

"Let me get this straight. You came from Terra Nova through a time rift and your friends were taken by some secret police but you escaped and now you want me to find them and the location they are being held so you two can break them out?" Evan said as he listened to Kate explain her situation.

She even said about how she remembered him from Alicia talking about him and how he had some less than savoury means to help people as they needed to stay under the radar. He hadn't corrected them on his lifestyle changes yet as he thought it best to play stupid and hear her out before correcting her. The coffee beans helped his dispostion about breaking his door and their first few minutes of meeting one another as he hadn't had a real cup of coffee in over a year.

"We have money to pay you for all your troubles" Kate said.

"I'm not in that racket anymore-" He started only to be cut off.

"Not even for ten large?" Kate asked.

"Ten large?" he said as if she spoke a different language. He found she used a lot of idioms and figures of speech he didn't understand. He brushed it off as she had an Australian accent and figured it was a cultural thing.

"Ten thousand dollars" Kate clarified. He wanted to laugh at the offer as he made 8 times that much at his job but he knew what she was looking for and he could help her.

"Tempting but I want a ticket back to Terra Nova with my two kids" He said, he was scheduled to go through on the 16th pilgrimage but if he could get there sooner he'd help her as his daughter Olivia was suffering from asthma and allergies to certain toxins in the air. He wanted both his children to grow up in a healthier world. He noticed the hives on the woman's neck and knew she was probably suffering just like his daughter did when she went outside.

"That could be difficult but we can do it" Kate drawled apprehensively.

"Ok, then I'll help you which is lucky for you as I work for Hayashi Industries. If your friends have been picked up they'd be sent there to be under quarantine." he said.

"Hayashi Industries" Kate said as she looked to Maddy. He noted how Kate looked to Maddy a girl no older than 17 for information. He kept his curiosity to himself.

"Big American-Japanese Company that funds the Terra Nova Project for its scientific advances in technology and medical research, Dr Wallace's equipment and scientists are paid by them. They were the first company to produce Rebreather technology" Maddy supplied.

"They have a partnership with Russell Corporation to reopen the Fracture. It's what we've…my team and I have been trying to do. To find a way to anchor the fracture and reopen the portal to Terra Nova this past year" He told them.

"Year?" Kate stated looking shocked at the news.

"So there is a time differential between here and Terra Nova" Maddy said her eyes going wide at that news. Evan looked confused at them as to why they looked so shocked and deflated at the news.

"That's problematic to going home in the next 24 hours or so" Kate said to her.

"What are you two talking about?" Evan asked.

"Like I said before Maddy has a theory we slipped through a temporal rift between your timeline and ours. The fracture was untethered and thought destroyed over 8 months ago. Terra Nova time" Kate clarified. She looked to Maddy who pulled out a hand held plex.

"Temporal rift?" Evan asked, Maddy explained that they were investigating an anomalous energy reading and showed him the equipment and the recorded Data she had. She told him how one moment they were in Terra Nova and next back here.

"I've seen this before but you're right we call them 'fracture reappearances' but it's impossible for you to be able to pass through them" Evan said.

"If it were impossible we wouldn't be here" Kate said gesturing to herself and Maddy.

"These exact readings have been showing up all over Chicago in a 20 km radius of the old hope plaza. In populated areas as well as unpopulated. I walked right through one myself I was uninjured and didn't go anyway" Evan said Kate and Maddy exchanged looks.

"It could be unidirectional, which means we are stuck" Maddy said.

"Or maybe we are different like we discussed earlier." Kate said.

"What do you mean?" Evan asked feeling like he was being left out of the conversation again.

"When we passed through the portal the time travel left a molecular signature in our bodies. We supposition that it's that signature that allows us to pass through and hopefully back but if that's true you and your kids won't be able to because you haven't got the signature thing in you" Kate said.

"I could produce a serum using a blood sample from one of you" Evan said Kate raised a sceptical eyebrow at him "I have a double degree in Biomedical science and science" he told them.

"Not the screw up we were led to believe. Here I thought you were the Janitor for Hayashi Industries while on parole" Kate said.

"Actually I'm the head of the R&D department. Our main aim to re-establish the fracture to Terra Nova to continue the pilgrimages, were you not listening earlier?" he said with a smile as his sister had no clue what he had been upto.

"Wow you sounded just like your sister then" Kate said before she continued. "That story they fed you is a lie. Your government wants to use Terra Nova as a pipeline for new resources to make a tidy profit and keep the future going." Kate told him.

"I was promised a position on the 16th Pilgrimage back. I was to establish the new terminus we have in storage through and maintain the fracture on Terra Nova side." He said.

"I'm sorry to burst the dream but that is not going to happen. So if you can make the serum like you say then you, your wife and your kids can come back" Kate said.

"Kids" he corrected.

"Didn't I say Kids?" Kate asked.

"I'm a widower, My wife passed away 2 years ago" he told her and then Kate understood the correction.

"Sorry. Anyway you help us we take you back with us. It's a done deal and hey you can crash at my place until we get you a house in the colonies but first we have to figure out when the fracture will make another appearance. Make a serum and rescue the men" Kate said it as though it was the simple shopping list not a complicated mess frought with disaster.

"Only" Maddy scoffed.

"Yeah, he works for the people which means he knows where Taylor, Guzman, Mira and your father are being held. He needs to make the serum so all we need is a time frame to work within and go from there. So do you think you two can work out when the fracture.. temporal rift whatever will appear again?" Kate asked them.

"It's already done, at my work we had predicted the formations of these events to 97% accuracy I have access to it in my lab at work" Evan told them.

"See one thing down the rest will work itself out" Kate said to Maddy.

Jim was tossed into a cell room to find Taylor and Guzman waiting for him. He looked around the room noting the one commode and wash basin and the three bunk beds.

"You took your time" Taylor commented.

"I stopped for a cup of coffee and a bagel in the cafeteria" Jim said as he rubbed his wrists.

"You all undergo a physical exam?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, I feel violated. Where's Mira?" Jim said.

"Don't know" Guzman said.

"Are we going to have that awkward moment about who gets the top bunk?" Jim asked as they all knew their conversations were being monitored they couldn't exactly talk about what was on their minds.

"You were in last" Taylor said in good humour to say that Jim had no choice in the matter.

"Right, so now what?"

"I don't know, I do know the man at the top but he doesn't seem interested in us except how we got here but we don't know that. What did you get asked?" Taylor asked Jim.

"Talk or be thrown into a deep, dark hole I have 72hours but I have a feeling they are bluffing" he said.

"Or we won't be around that long" Guzman said in a low voice. It was theory all three of them had come to when they were strapped down on a medical table and put through intensive medical scans and blood samples taken a long with bone marrow samples among other things.

"Hopefully we'll catch a break before then" Taylor said.

Terra Nova,

The wind was slowly dying down but the rain still fell from the sky in sheets. Haynes huddled under the table trembling violently from fear and shock. She was buried with only a desk protecting her. She heard Lt Washington's voice on her comm. She fumbled her pockets and pulled it out with shaking hands.

"Lt Washington?"

"Haynes? Where are you and Dr Wallace? Are you ok?"

"In the labs still the ceiling caved in I'm trapped under a desk but I think I'm ok" Haynes said in a small voice as tears streaked down her face.

"Where's Dr Wallace?"

"He's dead" Haynes said, Guilt welled up in her as it was her fault for not stopping him from opening the door. Now he was crushed to death under god knows what.

"Dead? What happened?"

"We were leaving to go to the shelter and gust of wind came through and he hit his head hard. God there so much blood" Hayes said as she remembered the sight before she scrambled under the desk.

"Focus Haynes did you check for a pulse?"

"I couldn't the ceiling came down and I got buried in" she said.

Meanwhile in the infirmary,

Alicia and Elisabeth exchanged looks at the news. Alicia turned to the video feed and mentally smacked herself for not turning to thermal imagining. She did so and saw two heat signatures in the shape of humans and a few animals.

"Ok stay where you are the storm is dying down I'll send a team of combat engineers and soldiers to pull you two out as soon as I can Lt Washington out" Alicia told Haynes. she looked at the video feed of the storm calculating the risk of sending soldiers out there to dig them out before she picked up her comm. and asked for the team to be assembled and ready to go.

In 2150,

"That's a nasty cough" Evan commented as Kate every once and a while gave a throaty cough. Maddy was asleep in Evan's room as he offered them his bed. Maddy took up the offer after Kate ordered her to do so. When Maddy went to bed Kate had tried to sleep but couldn't. Evan couldn't sleep either so when Kate made a trip into the Kitchen for water to douse her throat in an attempt to stop coughing they started to talk.

At first it was about where he worked he mused how she drilled him for information about the tactical layout of the building's interior and exterior. The security and his work in detail once she exhausted that avenue of conversation silence lapsed between them until he spoke.

"Yeah it's the air" Kate said dismissively.

"I figured from the rash, my wife had it and Olivia has the same thing. Must be a redhead thing" he said as he had gestured to his neck. Kate touched her neck and grimaced as she trying not to scratch it. It wasn't that itchy and she wasn't ready to have another dose of antihistamines until she needed it.

"What did else did my sister tell you about me?" he asked.

"Your favourite colour was blue. You wanted to be a helicopter pilot because your dad thought reading you aviation manuals was a good bedtime story. You hate eating reconstituted protein bars and on your 18th birthday you got completely tanked and stripp-"

"Ok you can stop there" Evan said as he couldn't believe his older sister would tell Kate that story especially the 18th birthday party episode which his sister promised not to tell anyone about when she bailed him out of jail.

"She also said you were the lovable screw up incredibly intelligent but too lazy to utilise it for something worthwhile. Got into trouble with law, blah blah woof woof.. you guys are estranged after a fight she didn't understand what happened and you walked away from her. She tried to make contact with you to mend bridges but you never replied to any of her messages" Kate said as she leaned back into the couch.

"She sent me messages?" Evan asked, he had though his communication was one way as he had sent her many messages through the portal to tell her about the kids and his life. He knew that Taylor said no contact with Alicia but she was 85 million years in the past and he didn't want to die knowing he didn't at least try and true to the Washington legacy he was stubborn and had perseverance in spades as once he put his mind to something he didn't give it up until he got it. Well when he had the motivation and he did. He had kids to look out for.

He hoped that Alicia would become their legal guardian as both his parents and Lena's parents were gone and Lena had been an only child. There was no extended family left. If something happened to him the kids would have nowhere to go and become a ward of the state. If Alicia was their guardian then the kids were guaranteed a ticket to Terra Nova.

"Yeah she sent a whole heap from what she told me. She never gave up sending them hoping one day you'd stop being so stubborn and reply. You never got any of them?" Kate asked as she saw the surprise in his expression at the news.

"No" Evan said.

"Oh, I guess it was dodgy mail service" Kate said, or it was Taylor Evan thought grimly. He knew now was not the time to discussing his past with Commander Taylor especially with Kate. While he found her entertaining he didn't want to divulge his history to her.

"Yeah who knows, I guess I'll just have to hope she'll forgive me when I get back" he mused.

"She will, it was one of her regrets that you wouldn't be around for when her babies grow up and she'll be so happy to see you and meet your kids" Kate assured him. She appeared genuinely honest in her answer, which made him smile until her words sunk in.

"Babies? She has a family?" he asked.

"On the way. She's 24 weeks pregnant with Twins" Kate said.

"Wow" he said.

"Yeah it's been fun" Kate said with a chuckle.

"I'd ask about everything but to be honest I want to hear it from her lips" he said with a smile as he couldn't wait to see his sister.

"That's fine the most important thing you should know is that she is healthy and happy. She does have a wicked temper at the moment but-"

"It's the hormones, I've been around a pregnant woman before" Evan said.

"Of course, how old are your kids?"

"Olivia is 2 and Sean is 5. Do you have any kids?" he asked.

"No, but in the next two years maybe" Kate said with a smile.

"After you get married this guy who gave you no engagement ring?" he asked as he had noticed she wasn't wearing a ring.

"I had ring but it had to be sold so we could get medicine and rebreathers. Anyway Malcolm and I want three kids but he's all about the waiting until we are married. He's a traditionalist" Kate said with a smile as she couldn't wait to leave this horrible time line and go back to Terra Nova and make Malcolm marry her on the spot and go on a honeymoon. There was the old Sixer tree camp she wouldn't mind shacking up in for a few days.

TBC- See you all in a week :-)