Chapter Eleven
Her husband was being infuriating, she knew he had been thrown by the old woman's words but it had come as a surprise to her as well. After dinner she left him with his paperwork and slipped out. It was tense right now, ever since she had been in the fight out there; she understood it. She felt the same way when he was in danger, and her position just meant it was her more often.
Alicia let Boxer in the back door and slipped away, she needed some space right now. Taking herself off to an unmanned guard post, climbing up to the lookout that faced the camp that the settlers had put up. There was light from camp fires and she could make out figures moving around.
For a long time she just sat and watched, letting her legs hang over the edge and resting her arms on the lower rail. When she caught a flash of movement below her she twisted to look down; Nathaniel knew her well.
"You cannot rest can you?" He murmured, Alicia shook her head.
"No worse than you."
"We haven't been doing so well lately have we? Keeping things separate." He sat beside her, his arm wrapping around her; Alicia leaned back into his shoulder.
"No." That wasn't something she could argue. Alicia sighed, they were good together except when they did this. "You know that I will pull myself as soon as I know I am pregnant. I want our baby."
"I know that, but sometimes I want to protect you and I can't." She felt his hand sliding through her hair; she wanted to relax into him. "I am always proud of what you do but I can't…."
"I love you." She whispered and let her eyes drift shut for a little while, feeling his chin rest against her. She knew all to well what he couldn't or wouldn't say. It was something they would always have to live with, that fear of life without each other; but they had to keep it from getting in the way.
He began to say something back when his radio crackled, his words turned to a growl and she just smirked; this was their life. "Taylor, go ahead."
"Report from the outpost Sir. Guzman on the line for you."
"Copy." He clicked off and sighed. "Remind me why we fixed these again? If I didn't have it he would have sent a runner and we would have our evening."
"Go on. We will still have our time later." Alicia shook her head and stole a kiss before he headed down the ladder and disappeared into the colony below.
She shifted back to rest with her legs dangling and her chin on the beam, they needed the time; needed to be alone. To feel close and reassure each other, the last mission had done a number on the both of them; even though it didn't do much physical harm.
Sometime Alicia wished that for a few days they could just get away, have that alone time without the colony on their door step. But now was not the time, really it wasn't the time to be trying for a baby either but some things they weren't willing to put off. It would take some juggling, she already knew she was going to have to work up to the due date and come back right after; and they would avoid OTG missions for all they were worth.
She wondered what they would have, Nathaniel would be wonderful with a boy; she knew that. But she wondered how he would be with a little girl, she couldn't figure out if he would be overprotective and keep her from everything or tossing her into the mix and toughening her up. She leaned towards protective, they would both be protective of their child but Alicia wanted to be sure that their little one would know how to fend for themself. She knew the reality of a world without parents, had seen kids who hadn't had the blessing she'd had of grandparents and people who cared.
Alicia thought of the families in that camp, their ancestors had been thrown into a world they knew nothing about. She knew they would have fought tooth and nail to survive, to give their children a life; a chance. That was what the colony was trying to do for theirs, somehow she hoped that if they could ally with both this group and the Sixers they could build some sort of security in the future. She did not want her child to know the horror of war and cruelty that she had.
A noise beneath her cut away her thoughts, someone had raised the gate a few inches and was slipping out of the colony. She heard the chatter of the guards who saw it, and replied that she would deal with it. As he tried and failed to dodge a search beam she got a good look at the man's face; she nearly sighed. Their last discussion had only been a couple days ago.
She slid beneath the rail and climbed down the slats of the fence, there was no rush. Malcolm Wallace was a pain, not a threat; but he wasn't going to know that. She couldn't think of a more harmless person, very frustrating and sometimes clueless as he was right now. She and Nathaniel knew him, the group he was clearly very interested in did not, and she wouldn't blame anyone if they reacted when they saw him skulking towards their camp at night.
It was tempting to stun him, just to teach him that Terra Nova didn't need unknown shadows creeping around their walls at night. But she could practically hear the complaints her friend would have when she had to deliver him to the infirmary. So she settled for sneaking up beside him, and falling into step; her jaw set and shoulders squared.
He spun to look at her in shock and terror, Alicia merely raised her eye brows and grabbed him by the shoulder; turning back to the gate. "Do you know the penalty for leaving the colony without permission?"
He was silent, she knew he did as after the occupation and the spy hunt Nathaniel had tightened it up and announced it to the colony. She knew that nearly all had agreed with it as they had seen no reason to ever leave the colony without permission and had the devastation of what happened when enemies came to sway them. Going outside the gates without permission was punishable by confinement to the brig. There had actually been some in favor of banishment for anyone caught beyond the gates.
Alicia hauled him back to the gate, Nathaniel had raised it and was waiting just inside. She sent him a glare and he inclined his head ever so slightly; she would deal with Malcolm. The man finally found his voice. "You need me to work, I can't sit in the brig all day."
She didn't respond to that, shoving him in front of her and taking the stairs quickly; and shutting him on the proper side of the door. Alicia keyed in the code and left. Nathaniel leaned against the door frame at the top of the stairs.
"He getting under your skin now too?" He looked entirely too smug, he knew her silence was more dangerous than any insults she could hurl at Malcolm Wallace.
"He is going to learn the lesson." She muttered, already working out how she would get it through his thick skull.
"He isn't going anywhere tonight. Let's go home." His arm slid around her shoulders and tugging her alone; Alicia moved with him still considering the issue.
Nathaniel took her home and succeeded in distracting her, much later Alicia was curled against his chest. Things were never going to slow down, life wasn't going to get simpler; but this was. They just had to keep it that way.
Morning came quickly and Alicia left Nathaniel to handle the morning briefings while she handed out duty posts for the day; she had no desire to sit through the meetings. She had several things to take care of before going about her day; namely Malcolm Wallace.
Leaving one soldier out of rotation she waited as the others dispersed, the motioned for the woman to follow her. Reilly fell in as they headed around the Command Center. "Malcolm Wallace's access to the colony has been restricted as he was found OTG without cause last night. As he can contribute to the colony and a decision has yet to be made he will continue his work under guard."
"Ma'am I don't think he is a threat, but if he could be is it wise to allow him to continue his work?" Reilly asked, Alicia knew the woman wasn't thrilled with the task and didn't blame her. But they both knew Malcolm.
"He's a pest not a threat, but his stunts could make him a liability if he lands himself in the wrong hands. And he is clueless to that. In his world science is first, in this world and this colony life doesn't work that way. We've known he is difficult since he got here, now we don't have the time to indulge his science theory of the world."
"Yes Ma'am." Privately Alicia was thankful that the woman was always professional, in truth she had picked her for this job because she was a friend and not easily conned; Alicia could count on her. The woman was going to have a miserable time with Malcolm Wallace.
"Each morning you will take him from the brig and return him after the day is done. He does not go to the market, he does not go OTG unless you consider it necessary for his work. If you are called away on another assignment he goes back to the brig and remains there until someone is available to escort him again. The Commander will review his case in a week's time."
Reilly nodded and headed down the steps to collect her charge, Alicia found a spot to lean again the wall and watch Malcolm be escorted up, her gaze cold. The man could not continue to pull his stunts, maybe this would teach him what life would be like if he continued; at least it would keep him safe.
Alicia turned and headed to the gate, they had been given a taste of the other settlement's culture yesterday, the men went to Nathaniel and the women had drawn her aside. There was a lot they needed to learn, but first they had to build some trust. She passed work crews heading out for the day and watched as they all headed away from the camp built on the river bank; casting long looks at the collection of tents and huts that had gone up overnight.
Alicia strode towards it, pausing near the edge of the camp, she had a feeling these people rarely camped in such an open area. But the clear view had allowed them to watch her approach and several of the woman who she had met yesterday came towards her.
The mother of the leader was called Storme, and Alicia followed her through the huts to the river bank where all of the woman were gathered. It felt like stepping back in history as she joined the women on the bank, some were doing laundry and down stream others were scrapping and stretching hides on a frame. Storme led her to the group around the frame and paused, tying long grey hair up with a piece of cord.
Alicia had seen it done before, they did a bit of work with hides in the colony but never like this. She was guided to a frame that had clearly been in progress awhile, it was being detached and turned. When she touched it the side that had been set in the sun was soft and almost smooth. That side was turned down and between three of them it was pulled tightly over the frame and fastened with clamps that did not push through the hide but held it snug.
She was nudged back then as the women worked and conversation picked up; it was all she could do to track that. Tapping her comm and engaging the translator Maddie had installed. However watching them was interesting, they used a rock to scrape the scales and rough hide, rubbing a cloth over it occasionally to remove the pieces they loosened.
Slowly Alicia learned a little of their history. Storme Etna was the oldest person living in their settlement, her great grandparents had come through what she knew was the portal; they referred to it as the attack. Storme's great grandfather had been the captain of the Royale Merchant. In the year of 1849 the ship had been attacked during a trade run from the Americas back to England. They had come through the explosion into a desert with their enemies.
The old woman told the stories with an ease that showed she had told them many times over. A group of children that had joined them listened with rapt attention. Alicia made mental notes, if she could piece together a timeline from the tales maybe they could get some idea of how the Phoenix had found them.
By her math Storme was born in 2054, the woman told the story without pausing in her work. She had been a child when the group made their way to the mountains to get away from a group who had come through with them; there had been pirates on the decks when the ship passed through the portal.
At first they had lived in the sparse lands just before the badlands. Wanting to remain near the place that brought them here so that if a day came they could leave the opportunity would not be missed. But that day had never come and as years passed the idea was forgotten. Tensions rose and the two people groups forced to survive together and eventually they split away. The descendants of the ships crew headed inland to find a place to live.
Choosing a place to live where they could use the river to their advantage, and over time learned that there were few predators high in the mountains. They moved twice a year, at the beginning of the hot season they moved down to the area where she had encountered them to live in the shelter of the jungle. Spending the wet season higher up the mountain where they had settled when they made the journey to this region.
Alicia listened quietly, a toddler was deposited in her lap and she held the child gently. The baby didn't seem phased by being passed to a complete stranger but she knew her body armour was not like the soft hides the other women wore which he could cuddle into to sleep.
Her comm crackled and Alicia switched channels. Nathaniel knew where she was, he might want her to listen in on something but they had discussed using technology around the new camp; they wanted to make inroads. The signal meant she needed to listen in.
'Sixers are on the gate, Mira's brought a party up; we've got red reads in the trees.' Reynolds reported, she had posted him on the main gate this morning.
'Raise the gate. I'll come out.' She heard Nathaniel reply, then heard a double tap in her earpiece, reaching up she flipped it up to scan for an open channel. He opened a private channel and her comm clicked on. 'She's nervous Alicia, keep an eye out on your side.'
She clicked it again to let him know she copied his message and took a moment to survey her surroundings. The main threat would come before the banks but she could see clearly up to the colony. She looked up to where the river turned a bend, heading away from their lands and up into the mountains.
Thick foliage grew on the banks, it was the only area someone could take cover and still have an avenue to attack. Watching carefully her eye caught the flash, light reflecting off metal. Someone was watching.
….
It had taken some time to soothe the Sixers' nerves and explain what he knew. Nathaniel understood Mira's fears, and the doubts she held onto even after the introductions had been made. Mira was on edge, wary of these new people and of the colony's relationship with them. And on that she should be, the Sixers were still establishing their alliance with the colony and the past was not forgotten.
But he wasn't thinking to burn any bridges, for this world to be different than the last they did not need to be making enemies now; one was already enough. And he figured there was plenty that both settlements could learn from each other. However he noted that Mira had again asked if Alicia could speak with her, she had asked that in the jungle months before as well. He hadn't seen his wife since she left for the camp early that morning and was interested in her report.
Even though she was just beyond the gates he was not going to interrupt her, Alicia had inroads with that camp and he had a feeling he made them nervous. He'd had to tell her he would be home late over the radio; he would wait to tell her of Mira's inquiry face to face. Evenings were their time together and Fridays signaled a little extra as there were no early briefings or dispatches the next morning. They could spend Saturday together as they had fewer duties to handle, right now they needed that time; there was still something off between them but he couldn't name what it was.
By the time he handled the outpost report and got home it was nearly midnight, he found his wife in bed and Boxer in his spot. Nathaniel removed the dinosaur and settled in beside her, in sleep she turned into him.
"Hi." He had been wrong, she wasn't asleep; or at least not as sound as he had thought.
"I didn't mean to wake you." He trailed his fingers lightly over her cheek, brown eyes were bleary.
"I need to talk to you. I meant to wait up." She was propped up on an elbow now. "Elisabeth caught me on my way home. She and Malcolm have a drug ready to trial, an immune booster, she didn't get into details; we need to see her tomorrow."
He nodded, shifting his hand to rub her back; his wife was the guinea pig. It was a comfort to know Elisabeth Shannon was a friend, but it still worried him. However Alicia was willing to do this and the colony needed a way to fight back as their supply of modern medicine dried up. But at what cost?
Now he held her close, reassuring himself with the feel of her, in the morning they would deal with what ever the doctor had come up with. It was only a few hours before the early light of dawn woke them both.
She dealt with shift change as he reviewed work plans from the day and the security details assigned to each. It was mid morning before they met up at the infirmary. The open ward was full, Alicia was sitting on the edge of a bed talking to a little girl who was half in her lap.
He stood and watched for a moment while she was unaware of him, she was distracting the little girl as the doctor lanced an infected insect bite; his wife knew something of what the child was going through. Alicia kept the child's attention on her, he saw the child flinch and a strong hand turned the child's cheek into her chest.
It was a few minutes before she was able to slip away, but he enjoyed the time watching her instinctively comforting a child and caught her eye. They wanted that, the good moments and the hard ones of parenting. It was important, and something they had to keep separate from the duty of the colony; it was going to be on his mind as they went into this.
He rested a hand against the small of her back when she fell in beside him, Elisabeth Shannon beckoned them through to the back. Malcolm started to follow them into an exam room, Nathaniel turned back to stop him. "This is an exam room."
"I assisted in designing the treatment plan. I need to observe to refine it." Malcolm looked entirely disgusted at being questioned.
"No." He shut the door with the scientist outside of it, he didn't know what Dr Shannon intended to do with his wife but he wasn't going to have her watched like a lab rat.
And if he needed any reassurance that he was right Alicia was already out of her cargos and boots as Dr Shannon told her to remove any clothes containing metal. Her body armour joined the pants on a chair and she slipped onto the exam bed.
The doctor rucked Alicia's tank up and began placing small tabs across her torso, as she began to explain what they were doing. "I need about an hour today, I will give you the highest dose and monitor vitals; as long as you hold steady you can continue at home. If you are going to have an adverse reaction it will happen quickly."
Alicia just nodded, he knew the doctor wasn't done but he had thought repairs had been finished in the infirmary. "Is the bio-bed inactive?"
"Yes, the core fused. It has happened to several of our beds, it's the age of the equipment, and there isn't anything to be done about it unless we find a way to source promethium. We have phased the active cores out of service to save them for surgery, most of the beds on the floor are inactive." Elisabeth explained deftly as she wrapped a cuff around Alicia's arm.
"It was projected, I thought we had a bit more time." He knew they had both read the report.
"We've reduced the general use to save them for surgery, we have modified one and hard wired it to the solar panels." And the science division was on it, but the reality was it would take time. "Now for Alicia the treatment will have to run for several months to have full effect and prepare her system for us. It will be an injection, she can handle that at home."
He listened as Alicia asked what the dose and frequency would be, how much they would give her to take home as the doctor administered the injection. Dr Shannon gestured to a kit sitting by the sink, they were giving it to her all in one shot; he hesitated. Alicia could look after herself but it didn't sound like the doctor intended to do much follow up for almost three months. But Alicia asked the question he had been trying to sort out, the side effects of high doses were nasty. By keeping the dose low and introducing it to her system gradually the doctor hoped to avoid shocking her system.
"What are the side effects I need to watch for?" Alicia asked, he saw her squirm a little it and it annoyed him that he couldn't touch her.
"If you have any chest pain, dizziness or disorientation I want you to get in here immediately. Those are indicators of toxicity. But you are probably going to have muscle cramps, headaches and nausea." Elisabeth spoke but kept her eyes trained on the machine tracking Alicia's vitals.
"And if she conceives?" If there was any risk to her or the baby they were going back to using a birth control.
"Another reason we want to use a low dose, the drug boosts the immune system which would be good for her and the baby." The doctor explained, taking a moment to look at each of them. "I know what you want, we would be having a different conversation if I didn't know this would be safe for you."
…
Her husband was nervous, and she knew he wasn't going to admit it. He didn't like that she was doing this but he wasn't going to ask her not to because the colony needed it. She gave herself the quick shot she took twice a week now and continued getting ready for work.
He had paused to watch and she knew she couldn't let him see that her body when started aching in the next couple hours. It was her third week on the drug, she was getting used to what it did to her, and she was fairly sure she could figure out if it was starting to send her over.
She pulled on her armor, letting him fix the straps as they began to plan the day. "Are you taking the science team or am I?"
"Shannon wanted me to meet with the construction crew today. Time I'm done it will be too late to go and we'll be tripping over Malcolm until we do it." Nathaniel shook his head, dealing with the scientists was a headache; Malcolm submitted requests with incredible speed.
"I'll take Reynolds and Reilly, get out to the ravine and back as quick as possible. It's going to be most of the day either way." She strapped on her weapon harness and slipped the pistol into place on her thigh. "What were they looking for again?"
"Some kind of fern." He shrugged, and she knew he had skimmed the request too; she had read so many lately it was hard to keep them straight. Malcolm was flooding them with paperwork as he had been confined to the colony after trying to sneak out.
They cut through the market on the way to the Command Center, it was quiet as only a few venders were up and getting ready for the day. Nathaniel split off to the stairs and she headed down to the gate to start the shift and grab the team she wanted to help babysit the scientists.
Reilly had been babysitting Malcolm and she deserved some fun, it was a miserable task but the soldier had never complained. It was good to have someone she knew she could count on. Nathaniel was busy managing colony business, Guzman was off colony more than he was on but the man seemed to enjoy it and as she dealt with the Seagoers and organized the security. Having a few soldiers that they knew they could count on helped.
She sent Reynolds to get a rover and he returned as the science team showed up; she knew it was going to be a long day. The cramps were starting but she wasn't about to let anyone with her know that. At least she knew one of the scientists going, Dean Combs was level headed and one of the better scientists to deal with; he wouldn't waste their time.
And within minutes they were loaded up and rolling through the gate. It was impressive to roll out with a finished section of stone wall on either side, the barrier was thick and strong; it had been a lot of work but it had been a good decision.
Conversation was easy as the scientists rode quietly in the back while she and Reilly needled Reynolds about his upcoming wedding. Once they left the track things slowed down considerably and it took almost two hours longer than projected to get out to the ridge. She tried hard to ignore the way her stomach turned as they rolled over bumpy terrain.
As the scientists searched for the plants they wanted the soldiers fanned out around them, keeping watch for predators. Reilly eased up next to her. "Are you alright Wash?"
"I'm good." She was not about to let Reilly know she wasn't feeling great.
"How late do you think we're going to be?" The woman asked, as they continued to follow the scientists who had yet to dig up any of the plants they were looking at.
"Late, are you on rotation for tonight?" She wasn't sure who was on the gate for the midnight shift but it was one Reilly worked a lot.
"Nope. I actually have a date. But he might have to wait for me." The soldier grinned a little and Alicia wondered how serious that was. "It's drinks at Boylan's and he will stay open till dawn if people are buying."
"True enough." But she didn't want to be out here that long.
It was another hour before the scientists found the samples they wanted. By her math they were going to be at least four hours late and she reported that at check in. And the sun had set when they rolled through the gates, she smirked when she noticed Maddie Shannon lurking in the shadows; there was more than one date tonight.
Releasing both soldiers she took the rover around to the bay herself before walking home. Lights were on, and she realized she was really happy to be home for the night. She and Nathaniel very rarely went out on dates, they hadn't even before they were married but she liked what they had.
He was reading reports when she stepped in but it melted her heart a little as he rose to unfasten her armour. "Everything go alright?"
"Yeah, the route was just rougher than we anticipated. Scientists took a number of plants, they should be happy for awhile." She shook her head as she pulled the tie out of her hair and rubbed her head; feeling his hands working the straps on her weapon harness.
"Did you pick up any meat on the way home?" She changed into one of his shirts and didn't bother with pants; they weren't going anywhere tonight.
"No, when I was walking the patrol this evening Terrell gave me a fish. Storme sent it for us. I haven't filleted it yet; I haven't seen a fish like it before." He smirked at her before opening the cold box and pulling out a large fish.
"That's really nice of them." She was touched, she liked the group of women who lived between the fence and the barrier wall but sometimes it shocked her at how considerate they could be. "It is different, it's good."