Thick as Thieves chapter 21
Title: Thick as Thieves (21/?)
Warnings: None for this chapter.
Characters: Lucas Taylor, Michael Taylor (OC), Nathaniel Taylor, Skye Tate, Alicia Washington, Mira, Boylan, the Shannon family
Summary: This is an AU story about Lucas having a twin brother. Instead of rebelling like Lucas, Michael - his brother - remains loyal to their father. This fic explores their relationship and what would have happened in the series had Michael existed.
This Chapter: Commander Taylor is OTG, leaving Jim in charge to find the Sixer Spy. Michael helps Skye when she almost breaks her cover.
The colony was on lock-down nobody got in and nobody got out. Everybody was starting to feel uneasy; the cheeriness from the harvest long gone. Taylor and Jim were determined to find out who the spy was, and that meant things weren't looking good for Skye.
Michael was expecting to see her at the Infirmary, but it looked like she wasn't on shift yet. Doctor Shannon was seeing him for his check-up, asking him all the generic questions, how his headaches were, if he was doing his exercises, etcetera, etcetera. He told her he felt much better since he started taking the sleeping tablets. His head felt clearer, he was rested, he was even walking better without the aid of crutches. In fact, things were really looking up. But as things improved for him, they got worse for Skye.
After the appointment, Michael thanked the doctor for her help. "Just enough time to see my father off," he said, getting to his feet. "Looks like the torch is being passed to your husband for the time being." He paused, trying to hide his bitterness. "I'm sure he'll do a better job than I could have."
"I heard about what happened with you two," she said. "I hope you've resolved things."
Michael smiled awkwardly. "To be honest, your husband and I don't really get along."
"I'm sure you just got off on the wrong foot. Jim can come on a bit strong sometimes."
Michael thought they had got off on several wrong feet, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't apprehensive about Jim being in charge today. But he had no choice. He'd just have to accept it. Besides, his father trusted him and he supposed that was enough to reassure him for now.
He saw the two by the gate as he left the Infirmary and Taylor smiled at him. He patted him on the shoulder. "I'll be back soon, and then we can discuss what I have in mind for you. In the meantime, you'll be in safe hands with Jim here."
"Looking forward to it," Michael said through a forced smile.
"Relax, kid," Jim smirked. "Since you're not a Corporal anymore, you won't have to take orders from me."
"Well, that's a relief," he joked, although this didn't help to pacify his frustration.
"I'll see you soon," Taylor said, embracing his son. He then said his goodbyes and Michael watched him mount his bike and drive away from Terra Nova.
"Just so you know, Michael, I haven't ruled you out as being the spy," Jim muttered to him. "I know what happened with Phillbrick was to protect your father, but you still lied to us."
"My father understands," Michael replied, disgruntled by his remarks. "He's forgiven me."
"Has he?" Jim questioned sceptically, walking off before Michael could retort anything else.
Michael felt like hitting him again, but he restrained himself. No one had really had this effect on him before. He had been sure that Taylor had seen things from his perspective, that he no longer suspected him as the spy. But it was clear Jim still had doubts, and as he walked through the colony he was sensing something off about the way people looked at him.
He knew the reason his father had left the colony today had something to do with Lucas. With Mira. With all of this. Sometimes Michael thought their father still had a soft spot for Lucas, that he still loved and cared for him and if Lucas begged him for forgiveness maybe some way, somehow, Taylor would give him a second chance.
Just then he saw Skye heading for the Infirmary. Perfect. He could finally catch up with her about the recent events he had endured. But as he approached, she looked rather panicked.
"Starting your shift?" he grinned at her. "Told you you'd make a good doctor."
"I'm just helping out," she said, embarrassed. "And I actually just forgot something in my locker so I gotta go."
He noticed her pained look and the way she was hiding her hand behind her back. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
He took her hand. His eyes widened, seeing the blood. The wound was deep.
"How did this happen?" he asked.
"It's stupid."
"It looks bad."
"I can fix it. That's why I need to go, okay? I'll see you later."
Michael caught her arm as she tried to escape. "You seem edgy, Squirt."
"I'm fine. Honestly. You don't need to look out for me."
"Well, actually, I do. I've been meaning to talk to you."
"Can it wait? I'm just really late, so…"
"For what?" he said suspiciously.
"Just something…"
He paused a beat. Then realisation. "You're going to meet with them."
"Shh!" she hissed, looking around her quickly. "Are you trying to get me caught?"
"Don't go, Skye. You can't. Terra Nova's on lock-down."
"I'm not leaving my mother there," she insisted. "I need to see her. I'll find a way."
"Skye - "
"Michael," she intoned. "I can take care of myself."
"Clearly," he said sarcastically, nodding to her bleeding hand.
She huffed with annoyance. "Look, you're out. Your name's been cleared and I'm happy for you, but the less you know the better. You've kept enough secrets for me. Just let me deal with this alone."
He exhaled heavily in defeat, seeing how much little Skye had grown. "I think your parents would be proud of you, y'know. I'm sure your mom is."
"That's what Taylor said," she smiled sadly. "Wish I could believe it."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Squirt." He paused in thought. "Look, I hear there's a group about to go on work detail. That Josh kid's going. You could sneak out with him."
"That'd work," she said happily. "Thanks."
"Just be careful, Skye."
"I will."
He smiled at her before she departed, hastening towards the Infirmary to treat her wound. He hoped she'd be okay. But she was a grown woman now, perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Nothing he could have said would have changed her mind. He still remembered that scared young girl huddled underneath those trees, hidden behind a mass of curly hair. How she'd grown indeed. And at the same time that feeling of protectiveness over her was stronger than ever. Stronger than he had ever felt for Lucas. She was the closest he'd have to a sister, and that's why he wouldn't let anything happen to her.
That's why he had to do what he did next.
During the course of the day, he'd heard rumours of a blood sample, and suddenly it all fit. Skye's cut hand. Her panic. She must have been compromised. And now she was one blood test away from being found out. But he had to be sure.
He ran into Reynolds on patrol. Truth be told, they hadn't talked much since Mark found him with Mira's peculiar box, whatever that turned out to be. In fact, he hadn't talked to any of the old officers much. Perhaps they didn't trust him anymore, or maybe he didn't trust them. Either way, now was the ideal time for a reconciliation.
"I heard you guys got a blood sample," he said to Mark casually.
Mark looked at him unsurely, narrowing his dark eyes.
Michael stood beside him and nudged him lightly. "Come on, Mark. We used to be friends."
"Something like that," he mumbled.
"I took you under my wing when you were a new recruit, remember that?"
"Yeah…" He looked like he was beginning to break.
"Hey, I'm just as concerned as you about this spy," Michael insisted. "You trust me, right?"
Mark shot him an uncertain look before giving in and explaining how some of the evidence had been destroyed so Jim had handed the sample over to Malcolm for some tests.
"That's great news," Michael said, trying to hide the fact his palms were sweating.
"Maybe we'll finally catch this traitor, huh?" Mark said hopefully.
"Finger's crossed…I'll see you later."
"Michael," Reynolds said, stepping towards him. "Maybe when you've got some free time…you'd wanna join me and the guys for a drink?"
This, after everything, he had not expected. It was just like old times. Almost. He felt his smile widen. "Sure. I'd like that."
He waited until dark, until the Infirmary began to empty and the science lab was closed. Malcolm would be running tests on it. Tests that would likely take a while - this was his chance. He ruffled his hair, took a deep breath and stumbled through the doors, groaning.
"Doc, you gotta minute?"
"Of course," Doctor Shannon answered, her voice full of concern. "What's wrong, Michael? You look awful."
"It's these damn headaches," he complained, clutching at his head. "I can feel it coming on afterall. You gotta give me something for the pain."
"I really think I should run some tests, Michael," she advised.
"If the meds don't work, I promise, I will."
"Fine. Wait here, I'll find you something."
He smiled through a wince and as she left he began scanning the area. The doors to the science lab were open and he saw one of the rooms with a flashing light. He got up and on further inspection saw that the light was from a computer which was scanning the blood sample.
He glanced around him quickly and, seeing that the coast was clear, entered the room quietly. He saw a beaker with the tiniest mist of blood inside, the computer whirring away to find a match. "Dammit Skye," he breathed, searching the room for something to destroy the evidence. In one of the drawers he found a pipette and with it, collected a few drops of water to drip into the container. Within seconds the sample was diluted. "You better thank me for this," he murmured before clearing up after himself and sneaking back to the clinic. He sat back on his cot and wiped moisture from his brow as Doctor Shannon returned with the medication.
"Take one, only when the pain is bad."
"Thanks, doc," he said with relief.
He nearly bumped into Skye on his way out, all ready for her shift that evening.
"Woah," he said, clamping his hands on her arms to steady himself. "Hey, Squirt."
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
He held up the medication Doctor Shannon gave him.
"Head still bothering you, huh?"
He bit his lip. "Not really." He lowered his voice. "I took care of it, Skye."
"What?"
He leaned in closer. "The blood."
"I didn't want you to get involved!" she said, clearly upset. "I didn't ask you to do that."
"You didn't have to. I'm your friend. Friends look out for each other. Besides, I know how hard it is to cover your tracks. A little help never hurt anyone."
Skye folded her arms.
"I was only trying to protect you," he explained.
"And I said I don't need protecting!" she snapped. "I'm not some little girl, I can take care of myself."
He was taken aback by her response. "I know that…"
She sighed and held her palm to her head. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Rough day. I'm worried about my mom and it's just…this time of year."
He nodded. The anniversary of her father's death. "I know," he smiled sympathetically. "I miss him too. He was a good soldier. My father was fond of him." He placed a hand gently on her arm. "Look, I understand. I just didn't want you to go through this alone."
She looked up at him warily, a frightened look still in her eye. "I know. Thank you. For what you did."
There was a small silence.
"Michael?"
He watched her face crease together worriedly as if she had something important to tell him. But after a short moment, she glanced back down.
"Nothing."
"You sure? You can tell me anything, Skye."
She shook her head, still frowning. "I better go for my shift," she announced. "Talk to you later."
"Okay."
He watched her enter the building and leave him standing there, wondering what was wrong or how he could help. On the way home he tried to come up with something he could do to cheer her up, to help take her mind off everything. But with the colony being on lockdown that didn't leave them with many options.
At home, he flopped down on the sofa, beginning to feel fed up. But his mood lifted when he retrieved his old security tag from his pocket and flicked through photographs of he and Alicia together. Of course they weren't supposed to be on there, but all the guys had pictures of their girls on there and Michael was no exception, although he obviously kept these secret. Most of the time the old thing was hidden at the bottom of his sock draw. For starters it had a tracker and if his father was to discover the photographs, he and Alicia would be in for a world of trouble. He smiled as he looked through photos of Wash smiling. He missed her, but he knew she wouldn't be back for a while yet. There was nothing left to do but wait.
The next morning, word of the Commander's return reached Michael, but he was more bothered about Jim's reaction to the destroyed blood sample in the lab. It was safe to say he was not pleased, but something had come of the tests. Michael was stood outside of the Command Centre when he heard Jim tell his father that the Sixer mole was female. Michael cursed under his breath when he saw Skye approaching behind him, giving him a look that suggested she had heard too.
"It'll be okay," he whispered to her and she silently nodded.
"He asked you here too?" she said.
His turn to nod.
Jim greeted him on his way out. "Seems I owe you an apology."
"What?" Michael said, perhaps a little too much surprise in his tone.
"I'm sure you heard about the blood sample we got from the spy. It was tampered with, but we managed to narrow it down a little and determine the spy is a woman."
"A woman," Michael repeated, unsure what else to add.
Jim cleared his throat. "I'm sorry I suspected you. I was following my gut, but I…wanted to apologise for how I treated you."
Michael didn't really feel like acting pals with Jim at that moment, but he surmised that there was no point in holding grudges. "Apology accepted."
Jim nodded appreciatively. Then he turned his attention to the girl beside him. "Hey, Skye. I'll see you over our house for dinner later?"
"Sure, Mr. Shannon," she smiled nervously, and as soon as he was gone Michael gave Skye a look.
"What? Josh invited me," she said defensively.
"Skye, Michael," Taylor greeted as he walked onto the balcony. "Thanks for coming. I thought the three of us could take a visit to Memorial Field. Pay our respects."
"Sounds good," Skye said and Michael agreed.
It was quiet at Memorial Field. Across the way there were a few farmers tending to their crops, but otherwise it was silent. Michael gripped Skye's hand before she wandered off to where her father - and supposedly her mother - was buried, placing flowers at the grave.
"Never easy losing someone you love," Taylor said to his son as they watched Skye mourn. "I still miss your mother. Every damn day. Miss her like crazy."
"Me too," said Michael quietly, hesitant whether he wanted to bring this up again now, but his father seemed adamant.
"I just want you to know, I did all I could for her. For all of you." He swallowed back his pain, his voice softening. "When you and Lucas were born, I held you both in my arms, and I looked at you…these tiny little things…and I promised that I would try my damned hardest to protect you. Whatever it took."
Michael looked over at his father, seeing his tragic eyes stare at the floor. "Dad…what's wrong?"
He took a moment to respond. Then, he took a deep breath and looked up, his expression solemn, maybe even slightly pained. "While I was OTG I ran into Mira. She confirmed that the Sixers are working for Lucas. We were right; he's trying to get the portal working both ways again. It's only a matter of time."
Michael wasn't sure how to react. He'd had time to prepare for this, but somehow, it didn't make Lucas' betrayal sting any less. Now he was sensing what his father wanted to talk to him about.
"What do you want me to do?"
"I need you to go out into the jungle for me and find the Sixer camp. I want you to pretend we never found you out. Keep visiting Mira, keep making deals with her as if nothing's changed. While you're there, you're gonna report everything back to me. I want you to find the spy…and I want you to find Lucas. Can you do that for me?"
"You want me to be your spy?" Michael questioned, hesitance in his voice. "I don't know, dad…"
"Michael, this is your chance to earn back what you've lost in all this. You want to still be a part of this colony, well here's your chance."
Michael knew it was a bad idea, but he also knew he couldn't refuse. After a pause, he agreed, seeing his father's face brighten. He felt like he was already starting to win him back. He would be ready for this. He would be ready for Lucas. This was all going to end soon, and the right side was going to win.
TBC
Warnings: None for this chapter.
Characters: Lucas Taylor, Michael Taylor (OC), Nathaniel Taylor, Skye Tate, Alicia Washington, Mira, Boylan, the Shannon family
Summary: This is an AU story about Lucas having a twin brother. Instead of rebelling like Lucas, Michael - his brother - remains loyal to their father. This fic explores their relationship and what would have happened in the series had Michael existed.
This Chapter: Commander Taylor is OTG, leaving Jim in charge to find the Sixer Spy. Michael helps Skye when she almost breaks her cover.
The colony was on lock-down nobody got in and nobody got out. Everybody was starting to feel uneasy; the cheeriness from the harvest long gone. Taylor and Jim were determined to find out who the spy was, and that meant things weren't looking good for Skye.
Michael was expecting to see her at the Infirmary, but it looked like she wasn't on shift yet. Doctor Shannon was seeing him for his check-up, asking him all the generic questions, how his headaches were, if he was doing his exercises, etcetera, etcetera. He told her he felt much better since he started taking the sleeping tablets. His head felt clearer, he was rested, he was even walking better without the aid of crutches. In fact, things were really looking up. But as things improved for him, they got worse for Skye.
After the appointment, Michael thanked the doctor for her help. "Just enough time to see my father off," he said, getting to his feet. "Looks like the torch is being passed to your husband for the time being." He paused, trying to hide his bitterness. "I'm sure he'll do a better job than I could have."
"I heard about what happened with you two," she said. "I hope you've resolved things."
Michael smiled awkwardly. "To be honest, your husband and I don't really get along."
"I'm sure you just got off on the wrong foot. Jim can come on a bit strong sometimes."
Michael thought they had got off on several wrong feet, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't apprehensive about Jim being in charge today. But he had no choice. He'd just have to accept it. Besides, his father trusted him and he supposed that was enough to reassure him for now.
He saw the two by the gate as he left the Infirmary and Taylor smiled at him. He patted him on the shoulder. "I'll be back soon, and then we can discuss what I have in mind for you. In the meantime, you'll be in safe hands with Jim here."
"Looking forward to it," Michael said through a forced smile.
"Relax, kid," Jim smirked. "Since you're not a Corporal anymore, you won't have to take orders from me."
"Well, that's a relief," he joked, although this didn't help to pacify his frustration.
"I'll see you soon," Taylor said, embracing his son. He then said his goodbyes and Michael watched him mount his bike and drive away from Terra Nova.
"Just so you know, Michael, I haven't ruled you out as being the spy," Jim muttered to him. "I know what happened with Phillbrick was to protect your father, but you still lied to us."
"My father understands," Michael replied, disgruntled by his remarks. "He's forgiven me."
"Has he?" Jim questioned sceptically, walking off before Michael could retort anything else.
Michael felt like hitting him again, but he restrained himself. No one had really had this effect on him before. He had been sure that Taylor had seen things from his perspective, that he no longer suspected him as the spy. But it was clear Jim still had doubts, and as he walked through the colony he was sensing something off about the way people looked at him.
He knew the reason his father had left the colony today had something to do with Lucas. With Mira. With all of this. Sometimes Michael thought their father still had a soft spot for Lucas, that he still loved and cared for him and if Lucas begged him for forgiveness maybe some way, somehow, Taylor would give him a second chance.
Just then he saw Skye heading for the Infirmary. Perfect. He could finally catch up with her about the recent events he had endured. But as he approached, she looked rather panicked.
"Starting your shift?" he grinned at her. "Told you you'd make a good doctor."
"I'm just helping out," she said, embarrassed. "And I actually just forgot something in my locker so I gotta go."
He noticed her pained look and the way she was hiding her hand behind her back. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
He took her hand. His eyes widened, seeing the blood. The wound was deep.
"How did this happen?" he asked.
"It's stupid."
"It looks bad."
"I can fix it. That's why I need to go, okay? I'll see you later."
Michael caught her arm as she tried to escape. "You seem edgy, Squirt."
"I'm fine. Honestly. You don't need to look out for me."
"Well, actually, I do. I've been meaning to talk to you."
"Can it wait? I'm just really late, so…"
"For what?" he said suspiciously.
"Just something…"
He paused a beat. Then realisation. "You're going to meet with them."
"Shh!" she hissed, looking around her quickly. "Are you trying to get me caught?"
"Don't go, Skye. You can't. Terra Nova's on lock-down."
"I'm not leaving my mother there," she insisted. "I need to see her. I'll find a way."
"Skye - "
"Michael," she intoned. "I can take care of myself."
"Clearly," he said sarcastically, nodding to her bleeding hand.
She huffed with annoyance. "Look, you're out. Your name's been cleared and I'm happy for you, but the less you know the better. You've kept enough secrets for me. Just let me deal with this alone."
He exhaled heavily in defeat, seeing how much little Skye had grown. "I think your parents would be proud of you, y'know. I'm sure your mom is."
"That's what Taylor said," she smiled sadly. "Wish I could believe it."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Squirt." He paused in thought. "Look, I hear there's a group about to go on work detail. That Josh kid's going. You could sneak out with him."
"That'd work," she said happily. "Thanks."
"Just be careful, Skye."
"I will."
He smiled at her before she departed, hastening towards the Infirmary to treat her wound. He hoped she'd be okay. But she was a grown woman now, perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Nothing he could have said would have changed her mind. He still remembered that scared young girl huddled underneath those trees, hidden behind a mass of curly hair. How she'd grown indeed. And at the same time that feeling of protectiveness over her was stronger than ever. Stronger than he had ever felt for Lucas. She was the closest he'd have to a sister, and that's why he wouldn't let anything happen to her.
That's why he had to do what he did next.
During the course of the day, he'd heard rumours of a blood sample, and suddenly it all fit. Skye's cut hand. Her panic. She must have been compromised. And now she was one blood test away from being found out. But he had to be sure.
He ran into Reynolds on patrol. Truth be told, they hadn't talked much since Mark found him with Mira's peculiar box, whatever that turned out to be. In fact, he hadn't talked to any of the old officers much. Perhaps they didn't trust him anymore, or maybe he didn't trust them. Either way, now was the ideal time for a reconciliation.
"I heard you guys got a blood sample," he said to Mark casually.
Mark looked at him unsurely, narrowing his dark eyes.
Michael stood beside him and nudged him lightly. "Come on, Mark. We used to be friends."
"Something like that," he mumbled.
"I took you under my wing when you were a new recruit, remember that?"
"Yeah…" He looked like he was beginning to break.
"Hey, I'm just as concerned as you about this spy," Michael insisted. "You trust me, right?"
Mark shot him an uncertain look before giving in and explaining how some of the evidence had been destroyed so Jim had handed the sample over to Malcolm for some tests.
"That's great news," Michael said, trying to hide the fact his palms were sweating.
"Maybe we'll finally catch this traitor, huh?" Mark said hopefully.
"Finger's crossed…I'll see you later."
"Michael," Reynolds said, stepping towards him. "Maybe when you've got some free time…you'd wanna join me and the guys for a drink?"
This, after everything, he had not expected. It was just like old times. Almost. He felt his smile widen. "Sure. I'd like that."
He waited until dark, until the Infirmary began to empty and the science lab was closed. Malcolm would be running tests on it. Tests that would likely take a while - this was his chance. He ruffled his hair, took a deep breath and stumbled through the doors, groaning.
"Doc, you gotta minute?"
"Of course," Doctor Shannon answered, her voice full of concern. "What's wrong, Michael? You look awful."
"It's these damn headaches," he complained, clutching at his head. "I can feel it coming on afterall. You gotta give me something for the pain."
"I really think I should run some tests, Michael," she advised.
"If the meds don't work, I promise, I will."
"Fine. Wait here, I'll find you something."
He smiled through a wince and as she left he began scanning the area. The doors to the science lab were open and he saw one of the rooms with a flashing light. He got up and on further inspection saw that the light was from a computer which was scanning the blood sample.
He glanced around him quickly and, seeing that the coast was clear, entered the room quietly. He saw a beaker with the tiniest mist of blood inside, the computer whirring away to find a match. "Dammit Skye," he breathed, searching the room for something to destroy the evidence. In one of the drawers he found a pipette and with it, collected a few drops of water to drip into the container. Within seconds the sample was diluted. "You better thank me for this," he murmured before clearing up after himself and sneaking back to the clinic. He sat back on his cot and wiped moisture from his brow as Doctor Shannon returned with the medication.
"Take one, only when the pain is bad."
"Thanks, doc," he said with relief.
He nearly bumped into Skye on his way out, all ready for her shift that evening.
"Woah," he said, clamping his hands on her arms to steady himself. "Hey, Squirt."
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
He held up the medication Doctor Shannon gave him.
"Head still bothering you, huh?"
He bit his lip. "Not really." He lowered his voice. "I took care of it, Skye."
"What?"
He leaned in closer. "The blood."
"I didn't want you to get involved!" she said, clearly upset. "I didn't ask you to do that."
"You didn't have to. I'm your friend. Friends look out for each other. Besides, I know how hard it is to cover your tracks. A little help never hurt anyone."
Skye folded her arms.
"I was only trying to protect you," he explained.
"And I said I don't need protecting!" she snapped. "I'm not some little girl, I can take care of myself."
He was taken aback by her response. "I know that…"
She sighed and held her palm to her head. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Rough day. I'm worried about my mom and it's just…this time of year."
He nodded. The anniversary of her father's death. "I know," he smiled sympathetically. "I miss him too. He was a good soldier. My father was fond of him." He placed a hand gently on her arm. "Look, I understand. I just didn't want you to go through this alone."
She looked up at him warily, a frightened look still in her eye. "I know. Thank you. For what you did."
There was a small silence.
"Michael?"
He watched her face crease together worriedly as if she had something important to tell him. But after a short moment, she glanced back down.
"Nothing."
"You sure? You can tell me anything, Skye."
She shook her head, still frowning. "I better go for my shift," she announced. "Talk to you later."
"Okay."
He watched her enter the building and leave him standing there, wondering what was wrong or how he could help. On the way home he tried to come up with something he could do to cheer her up, to help take her mind off everything. But with the colony being on lockdown that didn't leave them with many options.
At home, he flopped down on the sofa, beginning to feel fed up. But his mood lifted when he retrieved his old security tag from his pocket and flicked through photographs of he and Alicia together. Of course they weren't supposed to be on there, but all the guys had pictures of their girls on there and Michael was no exception, although he obviously kept these secret. Most of the time the old thing was hidden at the bottom of his sock draw. For starters it had a tracker and if his father was to discover the photographs, he and Alicia would be in for a world of trouble. He smiled as he looked through photos of Wash smiling. He missed her, but he knew she wouldn't be back for a while yet. There was nothing left to do but wait.
The next morning, word of the Commander's return reached Michael, but he was more bothered about Jim's reaction to the destroyed blood sample in the lab. It was safe to say he was not pleased, but something had come of the tests. Michael was stood outside of the Command Centre when he heard Jim tell his father that the Sixer mole was female. Michael cursed under his breath when he saw Skye approaching behind him, giving him a look that suggested she had heard too.
"It'll be okay," he whispered to her and she silently nodded.
"He asked you here too?" she said.
His turn to nod.
Jim greeted him on his way out. "Seems I owe you an apology."
"What?" Michael said, perhaps a little too much surprise in his tone.
"I'm sure you heard about the blood sample we got from the spy. It was tampered with, but we managed to narrow it down a little and determine the spy is a woman."
"A woman," Michael repeated, unsure what else to add.
Jim cleared his throat. "I'm sorry I suspected you. I was following my gut, but I…wanted to apologise for how I treated you."
Michael didn't really feel like acting pals with Jim at that moment, but he surmised that there was no point in holding grudges. "Apology accepted."
Jim nodded appreciatively. Then he turned his attention to the girl beside him. "Hey, Skye. I'll see you over our house for dinner later?"
"Sure, Mr. Shannon," she smiled nervously, and as soon as he was gone Michael gave Skye a look.
"What? Josh invited me," she said defensively.
"Skye, Michael," Taylor greeted as he walked onto the balcony. "Thanks for coming. I thought the three of us could take a visit to Memorial Field. Pay our respects."
"Sounds good," Skye said and Michael agreed.
It was quiet at Memorial Field. Across the way there were a few farmers tending to their crops, but otherwise it was silent. Michael gripped Skye's hand before she wandered off to where her father - and supposedly her mother - was buried, placing flowers at the grave.
"Never easy losing someone you love," Taylor said to his son as they watched Skye mourn. "I still miss your mother. Every damn day. Miss her like crazy."
"Me too," said Michael quietly, hesitant whether he wanted to bring this up again now, but his father seemed adamant.
"I just want you to know, I did all I could for her. For all of you." He swallowed back his pain, his voice softening. "When you and Lucas were born, I held you both in my arms, and I looked at you…these tiny little things…and I promised that I would try my damned hardest to protect you. Whatever it took."
Michael looked over at his father, seeing his tragic eyes stare at the floor. "Dad…what's wrong?"
He took a moment to respond. Then, he took a deep breath and looked up, his expression solemn, maybe even slightly pained. "While I was OTG I ran into Mira. She confirmed that the Sixers are working for Lucas. We were right; he's trying to get the portal working both ways again. It's only a matter of time."
Michael wasn't sure how to react. He'd had time to prepare for this, but somehow, it didn't make Lucas' betrayal sting any less. Now he was sensing what his father wanted to talk to him about.
"What do you want me to do?"
"I need you to go out into the jungle for me and find the Sixer camp. I want you to pretend we never found you out. Keep visiting Mira, keep making deals with her as if nothing's changed. While you're there, you're gonna report everything back to me. I want you to find the spy…and I want you to find Lucas. Can you do that for me?"
"You want me to be your spy?" Michael questioned, hesitance in his voice. "I don't know, dad…"
"Michael, this is your chance to earn back what you've lost in all this. You want to still be a part of this colony, well here's your chance."
Michael knew it was a bad idea, but he also knew he couldn't refuse. After a pause, he agreed, seeing his father's face brighten. He felt like he was already starting to win him back. He would be ready for this. He would be ready for Lucas. This was all going to end soon, and the right side was going to win.
TBC