Season Two: Episode Two (Shall We Gather at the River)
Ericka watched as Dai shot down the airship. It crashed somewhere in the woods, leaving behind a huge explosion. She grinned, another one down was excellent. Then as Ben complimented Dai, she noticed the bridge. "Nice." Hal whispered, giving him a pat. "Guys, look." She pointed to the bridge. That was their only way through. How were they supposed to get the 2nd Mass across now? Hal and Maggie jogged up to the edge. There was now a giant gap in the bridge; there was no way they could cross that. "Well, I guess we can't cross here." Maggie stated, staring at the enormous space from this side of the bridge to the next.
…
Ericka toyed around with the Polaroid camera she had found sometime last week on a scouting trip. She had picked it up, stating 'finder's keepers'. It was in great condition and even had film inside of it. A lucky score is what she called it. She was lying on her cot while she messed with the thing. This camera was one of the few items she had. Before leaving her house she swiped a few photos of her family and friends, a teddy bear she had gotten when she was born, and her phone and iPod. Even though they weren't working, she hoped they would one day. Besides that, all she had were the essentials (ex: clothes, toothbrush/toothpaste, hairbrush, etc.) and a journal she found. It was already almost halfway filled. Ben walked inside the tent with a smile. Looking up at him, she smiled and scooted over. Though the cot was small, he lay down beside her. She held up the camera in front of them. They both smiled as she pushed the button. There was a snap and a flash of blinding light. Both of them rubbed their eyes. "Ok, maybe that wasn't so smart." She commented, making him laugh. Ericka took the picture and handed it to him. He laughed at it and kissed her cheek.
…
"Hey, Ericka!" someone shouted, causing her to turn. It was Maggie. "Captain Weaver wants to see you." She added. Instead of asking questions, she went to Weaver's tent. Did she do something wrong? Pulling back the flap, she entered the tent. "You wanted to see me?" Ericka questioned, still confused. He nodded. She noticed that Dai and another two fighters whom she didn't know was also there. "I'm sending the three of you out on a scavenging mission. We need some fuel for some of the vehicles." Captain Weaver explained. He showed them the route to take, told them to stay out of sight, and sent them on their way. They loaded up the truck. Ericka drove, while Dai rode in the passenger seat and the other two fighters in the bed of the truck. It took them about an hour to find an old gas station. The two fighters loaded up the gas canisters with as much fuel as they can get, while Ericka and Dai scoped out the area. "When did you learn how to drive? You seem a little…" he trailed off. She grinned, turning to him. "Young?" she asked. He nodded and they went inside the gas station. The shelves were barren. There was broken glass on the floors by the windows and door. Almost everything was gone or smashed. "I don't remember when exactly, but it was sometime after they came." She replied. Ericka looked at the rack of postcards; she spun it around as her eyes skimmed it. Dai tapped her shoulder. When she turned, she saw his outstretched hand offering her a stick of gum. Taking it, she muttered a 'thanks' before continuing to look for anything valuable. One of the guys came in. "We're done, let's go before it gets dark." He snarled.
…
Just as she was going to check on Tom, she noticed Matt run off. Ericka followed after him. She heard that they pulled some sort of parasite out of Tom and wanted to see how he was doing. Matt ran into the tent, sitting down on his cot. She pulled back the flap and entered behind him. "I don't want to talk about it." he huffed. He must have seen her when he ran off. She frowned, sitting beside him. Then she smiled at a memory. "One time when I was little, my family and I were watching a movie together. My mom made these chocolate chip cookies that were to die for! Naturally with cookies, I drink milk. Anyways, I was drinking milk when this funny scene came on. I laughed so hard that milk came out of my nose and went all over Chris, which made everyone laugh twice as hard."
Matt glanced up at her in confusion. "Why are you telling me this?" he question. She shrugged, "You said you didn't want to talk about what just happened."
"Do you miss them?" asked Matt. "Yeah, but in a way I'm glad they aren't here to see all this." Ericka replied thoughtfully. Matt sighed, he was distraught. He didn't know if he could trust his dad or not. "How can I trust him? What if he tries to hurt Hal or Ben or me?" he pondered aloud. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Your dad loves you and he would never hurt you. I think you should talk to him." She replied. Matt gave her a hug, though he was still unsure.
…
Ericka walked down, taking a look at the rest of the vehicles. There were quite a few that still had to cross. Pope and the Berserkers started to fire. "Shit." she muttered. She gave a signal to one of the other soldiers, who passed it on to Weaver. "Take cover!"
As soon as fire came, it ended. Hal and Ben did it. Her smile vanished when Captain Weaver gave the order for all unessential personal to run. She told Hanna, who had joined her in guarding the bridge to run. She took off with some of the others. The Berserks opened fire on the Mechs, she joined them, shooting at the aliens. They only had to hold them off long enough for everyone to get across. Running away with the rest of the fighters, she joined Captain Weaver and Matt on the other side. Ericka looked back and noticed Tom was still back there.
Come on, Tom, come on, she thought. Hal, Ben, and Matt were all shouting for him to run, while he shouted to blow the bridge. Captain Weaver ordered Jamil to wait. She took a few steps forward, aiming and shooting at the Skitters on his tail. Tector helped her shoot, but no one else. All of a sudden, the bridge blew up. She stopped shooting and looked to Jamil. He didn't have the remote, Pope did. "Dad!" Hal screamed, starting to run back to his father. Dan caught him and held him back. "Stop Hal, we've got no time." He said. "No!" Matt cried out. Ben held his little brother close, shook evident on his face. Then Captain Weaver gave the order to move. She looked back at the bridge as everyone left. Pope stood there, watching it as well. She understood why he did what he did, but she didn't like it. "Tector and I had those Skitters. You didn't have to do that!" she shouted, turning to him. "Yeah, I did." He replied, his eyes never leaving the scene. Ericka brushed past him and left him there. She went over to Tector. "Thank you." whispered Ericka, before she went to see Ben. Hal was comforting Matt, while Ben leaned against a vehicle alone. "How are you holding up?" she asked. "He's not dead." Ben replied. "I didn't say he was. We're going to find him, he's alive. After spending almost a year with you guys, I've learned that Masons seem to never give up." Ericka said, resting a hand on his shoulder. There was a noise that interrupted them. He stepped forward, pulling out his gun and aiming at whoever or whatever it was. "Don't shoot, Ben." A voice said. It was Tom. Everyone seemed to freeze. "Told you so." She whispered to no one. "Dad!" he shouted, running to him. She smiled, the Masons were fighters. It was a happy reunion again. She was glad that Tom hadn't died, though he always seems to come close.
AN: I put in a lot of filler scenes, because even though she's dating Ben or with the Masons she won't be always with them. So, she does things with other people too. I was going to write this up Saturday, but my cousin ended up spending the night. Then I was going to do it Sunday, but the website I used to watch the episodes was recently taken down. But I found a new one. Yay! :D Enjoy the chapter.