Chapter Ten
It was dawn as she climbed to the tower, her husband behind her, Alicia ignored the hand offered as she pulled herself up to the lookout. She took the binos offered and started to scan, following the river back into the hills. It took her a moment to spot the small crafts like the one she had traveled in; there was a whole chain of them.
"They are moving fast. They must have left only a few hours after you." Nathaniel commented beside her, she had only arrived back at the colony the day before.
"They seemed to know where we were." She tried to focus on the boats, some did not look to have people in them. Were they all coming?
"Keep an eye on them, when they round that last bend let us know, I'll suspend work on that wall for the day." Nathaniel instructed, handing back the binos.
They climbed back down and he headed towards the market, she stayed in step beside him; she knew he was slowing his pace for her. He thought he could be quiet in crawling out of bed but he never was, she knew if he'd managed to get out of bed without her he would have left her behind this morning.
As it was he had already ruled that she needed to check in with Elisabeth this morning and talk to her. That much she understood, yesterday had been rough; she knew her nerves had been short and the doctor had caught a bit of it. She shouldn't be glad that Nathaniel was used to it but she was and he knew to push and when to let her be.
They were up early enough she was debating trying to catch the woman on her way to work. It would be short and by the time they got to the clinic there would be others needing the doctor's attention. First however she sat on a large rock and shared a coffee with her husband.
His hands roamed and she knew he had not planned such an early morning; they had made it a late night in catching up. Alicia was always surprised by how much she missed his touch and how good it felt when they were together again; the first time after one had been away always felt special to her. Even if he felt the need to treat her like glass.
Last night had been theirs, this morning their time belonged to the colony and as they had coffee and fruit he filled her in on the day she had been gone. The Sixers had come for their man, he wasn't back to full strength yet but Elisabeth had expected him to make a full recovery. Mira had been interested in a deal to help them quarry stone; although that was already under way and trenches for the base were being dug.
And there had been no complaints or incidents with Malcolm Wallace; she figured it was too soon to judge whether his time in the brig taught him anything. He could just be sulking over having the project he wanted taken away. But it reminded her that she should make a stop over there and let him know he was being watched; she also needed to congratulate Maddie on her engagement.
Shannon had yet to surface; she wondered if he had settled down and accepted the fact his daughter was growing up. That could be entertaining for a while yet. As the sun climbed in the sky the colony woke up, Alicia left Nathaniel talking to Jones from Construction and went to find Elisabeth.
She fell in step beside the doctor not a block from her unit; the woman frowned at her. "You can't use crutches for a few days?"
"It doesn't hurt." She shrugged, actually there was a dull ache but it was probably from climbing the guard tower and she was not going to tell the doctor about that.
"Your body takes enough wear and tear with how you work, you don't need to do it more; especially not right now." Elisabeth looked at her pointedly and Alicia did her best not to roll her eyes; there was something behind that look.
"Is there something I should know?"
"Are you on your period?" Alicia scowled, that was not something she wanted to discuss in the street; but shook her head. "Come see me for blood work in a few days; could be nothing."
"Not likely." Could she have been carrying Nathaniel's child through that fight? Her mind flashed back to the boy the mercenary had picked up; to the man's eyes the moment he realized she was there.
"You were off yesterday, more emotional than I have ever seen you; I haven't seen you have a coffee in weeks…"
"Just finished one." She corrected.
"Pregnancy can alter preferences and I've noticed you seem a little bloated and tender."
"Try swollen and sore from sparring." She was not pregnant, she could not have carried her baby into a fight like that.
She would not risk it like that, she wanted a baby and maybe more than one; she would not jeopardize that. It was a life she had almost given up on and it was one of very few things more important than her career. Not even starting on what Nathaniel would do, he would worry for both her and the child and have no control over it; that was her responsibility as it was her body the child would live in. "I am not pregnant."
The doctor only nodded, a smirk fixed on her face, on this one the woman had to be wrong. "I want you back end of the week so I can check your side and that knee. If it isn't healing I am going to tell your husband to put you on bed rest and I am not going to tell him why."
"How is wedding planning going?" She changed the subject; there was no way she would let them put her on bed rest. Nathaniel was liable to do it and the man could be damn difficult to get around on some things.
"Well Jim is still alive; he was hoping for a long engagement." Elisabeth rolled her eyes. "Mark and Maddie are thinking of waiting about six months. It will be just before the rainy season, and Maddie will stay at home until after the service; we agreed on that little rule for Jim's sanity."
She chuckled, that could be so much fun to tease Shannon about. "They need anything?"
"Well a dress would be a good start. Maddie wants white, she's got an idea but I don't know that any of the seamstresses have the fabric for it." Elisabeth sighed.
"I'm sure we can dig up something." If not she knew something that could be scavenged; she would hate to do it but she had married Nathaniel in her dress blues and had no real use for it.
"The colony is running short on some things. I know they are learning to make different fabrics and such but Maddie may just have to settle. In time we'll get something." They stopped outside the infirmary and Alicia nodded; she wasn't going to say anything yet. "There is something else."
"Yeah?" Alicia asked.
"The group you met up on that ridge, they are coming here?" The doctor hesitated, she nodded. "We need to be careful, with the sicknesses in the colony, there is risk of us exposing them to diseases but they could do the same to us. I know you have already had contact; but be careful how many have close contact over the next few weeks; until we can work something out."
"We will do our best." They parted ways and Alicia made her way up to the Command Center to do some paperwork for a bit; and though she wouldn't admit it to get off her feet. Nathaniel had already buried himself in a schematic for the outer wall and Shannon was absent; absently she checked the rooster. Reynolds was on the tower so the man was probably not trying to intimidate his future son in law.
The first form on her desk was the reprimand she had taken Denke out to decide about. She hadn't had a problem with him but then she had given him no leeway, which had been her first intention; if given enough rope people tended to prove whether or not they would hang themselves. He'd been smug in training but she was fairly sure she and Guz had beaten that out of him. But they were unit COs and couldn't be in charge of every team on every mission. And she had her set, soldiers she trusted in her rover and at her back; Denke wasn't one of them.
The charge was insubordination and she couldn't say she had seen it, she wanted to as she knew the team leader who submitted it and knew the woman was not one to make empty claims. It was something to put in his file, if it became a pattern it could be his court marshal, if it was a one off he was just one of many kids who still had some growing up to do.
Next was a promotion form she filled out easily with a recommendation and carried over to Nathaniel's desk. Setting it in the stack she knew he hadn't gotten to she leaned over to see what the schematic looked like. His hand slid easily to her back and he eased back to let her see.
The wall would be thick and high, not as high as the fence but enough to deter any human enemy and quite a few predators. There would be three points of entry, the main gate, a tunnel under south gate and the west gate where the wall would run to the river, break for about ten meters and start again from the banks. The other main would be wider as it would not be blocked but be open for transit in and out of the colony. The other would be open and then the south gate would be an escape route she hoped they never had to use. It would only ever exist in this schematic which would be kept here and locked up; the construction of that tunnel would be done by military personnel.
"Solid enough?" Nathaniel asked.
"Looks to be. Some of the kids will start to think they are living in a castle." She thought to Zoe's fascination with them the year before.
"Not a bad way to live. We've got to be able to defend it. In theory it will reduce the damage sonic waves do."
"Only concern would be the walls will limit expansion."
"True but I have been advised on good authority that when the colony grows to such a size that we need to expand we should consider building a second settlement so we do not over tax the land." At his grin she rolled her eyes.
"Maddie Shannon." He nodded, she wondered how long it had taken the girl to explain that theory; it was a good one.
He prepared to comment when they both froze; the radio crackled to life. 'They've rounded the bend, on approach now.'
…..
They stood on the shore, beyond the fence as the first canoe landed and a man leapt easily to shore. Two other canoes landed as the others continued further up stream to land. The group from the two canoes approached them. He felt their eyes go to his wife, he had to admit this group was a sight.
While the members of the colony had been here for years it was still evident that they had come from the future; it was not so with this group. They dressed in hides, and as he watched the canoes pass he recognized that they were well armed but had none of the modern weapons that the colony relied on; these people had adapted a long time ago.
He turned his attention to Alicia, she watched with a carefully blank expression. It only wavered when an old woman joined the row, a young man reached out to steady her. The woman smiled at Alicia, and approached holding out her hand.
She stepped forward and took the small object and when she held it in her hand he recognized it as one of her tags. The small group stared at them, and then looked around them as if to find more people. Nathaniel wondered how difficult it was going to be to talk with them. Alicia had said they spoke some English but seemed to prefer another language she hadn't recognized.
Yet they had come down here, and in all the time they had been here travelling by boat was not something Nathaniel had really considered; but watching them made him wonder. It was not a skill he had, but it seemed as natural to them as walking.
"Would you join us?" He gestured towards the gate which was still raised, but as he turned to look he saw a girl jogging towards them.
"It's Maddie." Alicia whispered, clearly having seen her already.
He nodded and had to stop the hand that wanted to slide to his weapon, these people meant them no harm but Maddie was still a kid and he didn't know how the Phoenix had found their camp. Life had made him a suspicious man.
But Maddie bounced up beside them, and he saw Alicia's stance shift ever so slightly, keeping the girl at a distance, their bodies in front of hers, at least he wasn't alone. The girl stood a few steps behind and in between them, she held up her plex and keyed something in. He did not understand the words that a translator application spit out but their guests clearly could; and looked confused.
"Let's wait on that Maddie." Alicia murmured at his side, he caught her look; it wasn't bad to have the kid out here.
The quiet response came and the plex was extended so that they could see the words in English on the screen. 'She does not speak.'
"Maddie works in our science division, she builds tools to help us learn things." He spoke, and felt Maddie falter behind him; he knew she had hoped hearing the words in their language would help.
But the translator was helpful. 'You understand our words?'
"Yes, my name is Nathaniel Taylor, you have met my wife Alicia."
The man introduced himself, the young woman with them as his wife and the older one as his mother. The other men were also leaders of their group. Terrell, Garrick and Blade lead these people, and he learned that the group moved between their seasonal homes only a few weeks before.
Conversation was slow and hindered as they could use the translator to understand what was said but the voice of the translator was alarming to the group. As he tried to draw information out of Terrell the older women drew Alicia away.
The translator picked up her words and he felt alarm run through him at the question. 'Your child is unharmed?'
Alicia stared, confused for a moment and the woman repeated the question in broken English; he saw fear cross Alicia's face. The woman did not know them, she could not know that they were trying for a baby and yet he could not shake the concern that had caught him.
"I am not pregnant.' Alicia murmured.
The woman stared at her and he struggled to focus on the conversation he was having. Yet he watched as they walked away, towards the camp that was just beginning to be set up. These people already felt something towards Alicia, and respected her; he wondered a little about their structure.
It had only been the last hundred, maybe hundred and fifty years that women had served in the military in active combat roles. When they had left the world it had been a very different place. They had come to this world without preparation and planning, and from a very different walk of life; or their ancestors had.
He did not see her again until they left the people to set up their camp and walked back to the colony. Her back was stiff and when Maddie left them near the gate he slipped a hand around her, guiding her towards the infirmary.
"Nathaniel, I am not." Her voice was tense, and he knew this was a sore spot between them; but he had seen her hurt too many times.
"Let's just be sure. Please Alicia." Elisabeth approached them and glared at her, Nathaniel frowned.
The doctor brought them back, and calmly took a scan. He watched as Elisabeth Shannon studied the read out, Alicia was too quiet. The woman set it aside and ran the scanner over her knee, he saw his wife's jaw tense.
"My knee is not an issue."
"You haven't let it heal and if you won't take some time off your feet it will become one. You are not pregnant, Nathaniel there is nothing to worry about and Alicia can test herself at home; she has a scanner as part of her med kit." The doctor put the equipment away, and gave her a hard look; leaving them alone.
"Your knee?" He asked, offering her hand, Alicia glared but took it and held it as they walked out.
"Same injury as last year. I am taking it easy." She explained as they headed for the Command Center, and the stairs up.
She put a hand on the rail and he grinned, scooping her up over his shoulder. "Nathaniel, Nathaniel put me down now!"
Oh she was adorable when she snarled, and he caught both her wrists to prevent her escape and hoped she loved him enough not to send them both toppling down the stairs. The soldiers at the top of the stairs struggled not to laugh, he fixed them with a glare and carried her right past them.