Wait, What? (6/?)
Title: Wait, What?
Character/Pairing: Wash/Taylor, Elisabeth Shannon, Skye Tate, Carter
Word Count: ~4305 for this chapter
Genre: Romance, Drama, Friendship
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Language, Physical Violence
Spoiler Alert: Season 1
Summary: Alicia gets an object lesson in the meaning of percentages, namely that a three to four percent chance of something happening isn’t the same as a zero percent chance of something happening.
Author’s Note: Post-finale, essentially another installment in my series of Wash/Taylor fics - this does get a little dark, just as a warning. You’ve probably seen this coming, so I hope it doesn’t disappoint. I think there will only be two more chapters after this one, but we'll see. Disclaimer wise, I just wrote this because I enjoy writing, no copyright infringement intended, and I certainly do not own Terra Nova.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Thirty-Two Weeks
Alicia moves through the market as quickly as her body and her daily well-wishers will allow. Her walk, much to Nathaniel’s delight, has turned into a full-on waddle. It drives her crazy, but Nathaniel has decided that it’s completely adorable - and he reminds her of that as often as possible, probably because he knows it irks her.
She finally gets to the command center and she waddle-stomps into Nathaniel’s office. He looks up from the plex in his hand at her noisy entrance, smirking. “Rough morning?”
She nearly growls at him. “If one more person asks me how I’m feeling, I’m going to bury a boot in their ass.”
“Should I warn Shannon, or do you really want to kick someone today?” He can’t disguise his amusement, irritating her further.
She huffs out a frustrated breath and drops into a chair at the conference table. “Don’t tempt me, Nathaniel.”
He chuckles softly at that, and she smiles in spite of herself. He goes back to what he was doing, and she pulls a plex and some diagrams out of her bag, going to work herself. In the six weeks that have passed since they stopped doing the runs on the Phoenix Group units, they’ve completed all of the defensive fortifications they decided that they needed. All she has left to do is make sure both Guz and the engineers have signed off on the completion of them.
Within days of their meeting when they set the game plan, Nathaniel gave one of his balcony speeches, alerting the colonists of the potential impending invasion attempt and letting them know that a plan for their safety would be forthcoming.
Surprisingly, many of their civilian colonists, the men in particular, but also some of the women, have volunteered to help defend the colony. Some were turned away for various reasons, but Reynolds, Reilly and Dunham have been tasked with training the balance of them, both in some basic hand-to-hand combat and more extensively in use of weapons.
Most of those new “recruits” will be placed in the guard towers and along the colony fence lines for cover support. Others of them will be given sidearms, mostly stun or pulse weapons, and be asked to stay back with the other civilians, protectors folded into the protected.
For her, Elisabeth is still pretty happy with her progress. Alicia is happy that she’s only gained about sixteen pounds so far, though it feels like it’s all up front, which puts a lot of strain on her lower back. Not only that, but her fatigue has also returned with a vengeance. It’s not as bad as it was in the first trimester, but she does find it necessary to grab a short nap every afternoon.
She’s chafing a little, though, against the restrictions that Elisabeth has placed on her. No more perimeter walks, no more resistance training in the afternoons. Usually, a woman wouldn’t have those restrictions, but Elisabeth is worried about the scar tissue in Alicia’s uterus becoming a problem. She’s not on bed rest, but she’s also not supposed to overexert herself.
So, for Alicia, it feels like most everything in her life these days is in wait and see mode. The colony is there and so is the pregnancy. The planning is done, now all they can do is hold their collective breath. She pauses for a moment in her review of the plans for moving the colonists out of harm’s way.
Dropping her hand to her stomach, she feels rhythmic kicking from the baby, who is apparently feeling quite energetic today. The feel of the baby reminds her of the one other source of frustration for her right now, and that is the fact that she can do little or nothing to help when and if the Phoenix Group attack begins.
They now have a secondary comm station set up in the infirmary, and if they come under attack, she is under a standing order to fall back to that comm station and coordinate communications if it becomes necessary. She knows it’s the right thing to do, but it still bothers her.
She is and must look pensive, because she jumps when Nathaniel suddenly appears, leaning his hip against the table. “Are you all right? You seem distracted today.”
She huffs out a breath. “What have I said about making noise when you walk?”
He looks only slightly contrite. “You really are going to put a bell on me one of these days, aren’t you?”
She smiles, once again in spite of herself. “I really am.”
His face turns serious. “You do look distracted, though. Are you OK?”
“I’m fine, Nathaniel. I just hate this feeling that I can’t do anything to help whenever they decide to come at us.”
He gives her a concerned look. “Alicia, we all just want to keep you safe.”
She takes his hand. “Don’t get me wrong. I know that I have to be on the sidelines. I’m just not happy about it.”
His expression softens and he entwines their fingers. “I know.” He starts to say something else when both of their comms go off.
Their eyes meet, and they both know in that moment that it’s starting. Guz is on the other end of the comm, calling both of them to the guard tower near the gate. They’re both up and moving in seconds, him grabbing his body armor from next to his desk.
Even though the walk to the gate from the command center is short, she knows it will take her longer than usual to get there. Once they’re to the bottom of the command center stairs, she says, “Nathaniel, go. I’ll catch up.”
He hesitates, clearly torn between needing to get to the guard tower and not wanting to leave her. She gives him a light shove. “Go! I’ll be fine.”
He frowns but then nods. He drops a quick kiss to her lips, and he’s gone, tearing towards the guard tower at full speed. She puts her hand on her gun and follows him as quickly as she can. Before she makes it halfway there, a loud explosion goes off outside the fence. She taps her comm. “Washington to Taylor. Was that one of the mines?” She references the land mines they’ve set out well beyond the fence line.
“Affirmative. They’re here, and they’re not pulling any punches. As far as we can tell they’re throwing everything they have at us at once. Fall back, Alicia. Fall back to the infirmary now. Do you copy that, Lieutenant?” He sounds on edge. He hasn’t called her by her rank in months, and she can’t help the tremor of dread that runs through her.
“I copy, Nathaniel. Falling back. Is this a private call?” She turns and heads straight for the infirmary as other members of the military begin moving the civilians to the common areas and homes deeper inside the colony, getting them as far from the fence and gate as possible.
She hears a click in her ear. “It is now, Alicia.”
“You be careful, Nathaniel, do you hear me? Gracie and I need you, and I am going to be very upset with you if you manage to damage yourself when I’m not right there to patch you up.” She can’t help the slight catch to her voice, so she just tries to push through it.
“I hear you. I love you, Alicia. You be careful, too.” She hears a similar catch in his voice, and it’s oddly comforting.
“I love you, too, Nathaniel. We’ll be fine, I promise. Kick some ass for me, OK? Washington out.”
She’s pretty sure she hears a chuckle from him as she closes the comm line. She arrives at the infirmary, and she heads straight for Elisabeth’s office. At the sight of her, Elisabeth jumps up from her desk. “Alicia, are you all right?”
Alicia nods. “I’m fine, Elisabeth. The Phoenix Group is here, though.”
“I gathered that. The two doctors we designated for field work were already called to the fence, so they’re there if something happens and they’re needed. I sent another with the other civilians, just in case anyone panics and there are injuries.” Elisabeth looks anxious already.
Putting a hand on the smaller woman’s shoulder, Alicia is starting to try to reassure her when her comm goes off again. “Boylan to Washington, do you copy, Wash?”
Knowing that Boylan was assisting with moving the civilians, she taps her comm. “Go ahead, Boylan.”
“Hey Wash, I just told Taylor that we have the civilians moved to the designated areas. Have you found a shady spot too?” She can hear people talking nervously in the background where he is, and he is yelling over the din.
“I did, Tom. You all lay low. Hopefully, this will be a pretty fast smackdown.”
She hears him bark out a laugh at that. “Amen, Wash. You stay safe, OK?”
“Copy that, Tom. Washington out.” She ends the connection and turns back to Elisabeth. “I’m going to head back to the secondary comm station. I can monitor the radio traffic from there, maybe at least keep some idea of what’s going on. Who all is left here with us, Elisabeth?”
She swallows hard. “Skye is here, along with two other nurses and one other doctor.”
Alicia nods. “OK, you all stay put. Is anyone else here armed?”
Elisabeth starts to reply when Skye’s voice cuts in. “I am, Lieutenant.”
Alicia turns to stare at the young woman, and she sees a small gun strapped to Skye’s leg. “Have you trained on that, Skye?”
“Yes ma’am. Carter has been teaching me. I’m not a great shot, but I can at least help protect us here.” Skye sounds nervous, but Alicia can’t fault her for that, given that she’s scared herself.
“All right, Skye, but you only draw that thing if absolutely necessary, do you hear me?” Alicia gives her a hard look.
Skye nods quickly. “Yes ma’am.”
With that, Alicia gives Elisabeth what she hopes is a reassuring look, and she heads towards the secondary comm system they have set up in the exam room at the back of the infirmary. Moments later, after she powers up the system, she’s perched in a chair, one hand on her stomach, listening in on the chatter between the guard towers and defensive fortifications.
Gunfire, by both pulse weapons and conventional weapons, is a constant soundtrack, but every time she hears a mine go up or another sort of explosion, Alicia can’t help but flinch. As the afternoon wears on, Alicia begins picking up the occasional sit rep from Nathaniel or Guz, and they help her get a clearer picture of what’s going on.
She can tell that things are going well, better than they really expected. Being the professional mercenaries that they are, it seems that the Phoenix Group soldiers, in their arrogance, have grossly overestimated their ability to overpower the colony forces. Especially since several of the Sixers were folded into their numbers, the colony military is pretty formidable.
The most telling thing to her, though, is that it doesn’t sound like the Phoenix Group is interested in surrender or compromise of any sort. The distinct impression that she gets from the battle is that they don’t care to be taken alive. She’s heard what sounds like more than one enemy combatant commit suicide by soldier. Those chilling moments make Alicia realize just how desperate the Phoenix Group must have become.
After a few hours, the frequency of explosions tapers down to almost none, and the gunfire starts to sound further and further away. She knows they’re likely putting a scary dent in their ammo supply, but in the future, if they have to, they can get by with the sonic and pulse weapons. She can also imagine that Malcolm will relish getting to blow things up in the name of developing some new munitions.
Just after nightfall, she can tell that the end is near, based on the exchanges she keeps hearing across the comms, many soldiers reporting in that their areas are now clear. It sounds as though their injuries and casualties have actually been miraculously light, and for that, she’s very grateful. She waits, though, to hear Nathaniel, Carter and Reynolds report in that they’re OK. Mira, Guz and Shannon have all posted positive updates, so she knows they’re all right.
She gets so wrapped up in listening to the comms that she misses the commotion at the front of the infirmary, or maybe the sounds just get lost in the sounds she still hears from the battlefield. All she knows is that one moment, she’s standing up to stretch out her back, and the next moment, she hears a whooshing sound as her feet are swept out from under her.
She’s able to twist enough to make it so that none of her front hits the floor, her right hip taking the brunt of the impact as she lands hard on it. Her left hand goes to her stomach protectively and her right hand reaches for her gun. She hears another gun power up near her, and every fiber of her being tenses with dread.
She rolls to her knees as quickly as her awkward body will allow, gun powered up, but a kick to her wrist makes the gun fly out of her hand, landing nearby with a loud clatter. Her heart jumps to her throat at the sight before her. It’s Lucas, filthy dirty and clearly even more deranged than he was before. She pulls her damaged right arm to her chest and glares at him.
“So, what I heard the soldiers saying is true, and that’s why you’re hiding out here. You’re knocked up and it’s his kid, isn’t it? I always knew you were blindly, stupidly loyal, but I didn’t know you were a whore.” The venom in his voice literally makes Alicia’s blood run cold.
She’s tempted to refute his labeling her a whore, but she knows it isn’t worth it. “Well you learn something new every day, don’t you, Lucas?” She eyes the door, trying to figure out a way to get out of here.
There’s a noise from the front of the infirmary, and he looks away briefly, giving her just enough time to drop her ear to her shoulder, activating her comm and hoping that someone, anyone, is listening. She uses his name when she talks to him, so if someone does hear, they’ll know she’s in trouble. “How did you get inside the fence, Lucas? All the entrances we know of are guarded.”
He laughs derisively. “That’s your problem right there. The entrances you know of. Trust me when I say I can get in and out of this place any time I please. Now tell me, Lieutenant,” his voice drips with disdain at the use of her title, “When is your little spawn due to arrive?” He dips his gun towards the baby.
Her left hand tightens across her belly, and her now throbbing right hand joins it there. “She’s due in eight weeks. Your half-sister is due in eight weeks.” She knows the effort will likely be fruitless, but she wants to at least try to get through to him about what he is so obviously threatening.
His face softens, but only briefly. After a moment, his angry, crazed scowl returns. “Unlucky kid. It’s the half that I don’t want. The half that killed my mother.”
She and Nathaniel have both been down this road with Lucas before, trying to make him understand that Nathaniel made the only choice he could that day. She’s not going to bother to try again. Instead, she tries to deflect him a little, praying that by now, someone has heard their conversation and is heading for the infirmary. “Where are Skye, Dr. Shannon and the others, Lucas?”
“Ah, the little Bucket and the good Doctor. They’re still here. Bucket tried to shoot me again, but I was quicker than she was this time. She’s out cold. Found them a nice quiet room up front. The doc put up a bit of a fight. She’ll have a nice bruise or two for her trouble.” He gives Alicia a chilling grin. “Now, as much as I’m enjoying this little tête-à-tête, Lieutenant, I think it’s time I got on with the business I have here.”
Alicia’s heart sinks a little. Where the hell is everyone? She is out of time, and she knows there isn’t anything she can do about it. He’s just too damned insane, and she’s too damned vulnerable. Still, when she speaks, her voice doesn’t betray fear. “What business is that, Lucas?”
“Oh, you know, Lieutenant, destroying my father by taking everything he gives a damn about away from him. And, this is a bonus for me. Not only do I get to kill his precious Lieutenant for real this time, I also get to kill his unborn child. This may actually end him completely.” His eyes sparkle with a terrifying evil euphoria, and he begins to advance on her.
Still on her knees, Alicia desperately tries to figure out a way to get some cover. Then, she thinks she hears another noise from the front of the infirmary, but Lucas clearly is too caught up in the task at hand to notice this time.
She fixes her eyes on him. “Lucas, you do know that you won’t get out of the colony alive, don’t you?”
“I don’t really give a damn either way, Lieutenant.” With that, he gets to her, but instead of pulling the trigger, he swings his gun hand around, nailing her right cheek with the gun. She can’t stop herself from crying out at the pain that explodes behind her eye, and she drops to her hands, crouched over.
He apparently sees that as an opportunity. She’s vaguely aware of him, and she can tell that he has moved to line up with her side. Suddenly, she realizes that he’s going to try to kick her in the abdomen, so just as his foot pulls back, she twists around and drops to her side. His boot connects with her back instead of his intended target, and he roars in anger.
She isn’t aware of much more than pain, but she can tell that he’s coming around to her front to take another shot. He won’t get one, though. At that moment, a hail of gunfire fills the air. She curls in on herself and on the baby as she hears Lucas drop to the floor near her. That and a man’s voice yelling her name are the last things she’s aware of before the pain in her back and head make everything fade to black.
*****
As Alicia fights her way through the foggy haze in her head, she slowly becomes aware of a quick, steady beat and hushed voices. It takes her a moment to mentally sort it all out, and given the pain she still feels behind her eyes, she decides that trying to open them right now would likely be a bad plan.
Instead, she methodically catalogs what hurts - head, back, hip and wrist - and she tries to figure out where she is. After a moment thinking about it, her head clears a little more, and she realizes that she’s in a biobed, turned on her left side. She thinks, “Makes sense, Wash, everything that hurts is on the right side, and being on your left is better for circulation to the baby.” That last thought makes her almost move, but even with just a slight shift, the pain reminds her that movement isn’t a good idea.
Instead, she concentrates on her abdomen, trying to focus on any movement the baby might be making. Her body goes briefly tense as she waits, and a moment later, she’s rewarded with the feel of a fluttering kick. She lets out a deep breath, exhaling audibly.
A moment later, she feels a hand wrap around her uninjured hand. “Alicia?”
The sound of Nathaniel’s voice, obviously gruff with emotion and likely fatigue, prompts her to try to open her eyes. She flutters her eyelids, but her right eye isn’t cooperating. Eventually, she’s able to get both eyes slightly open, but the light above the bed makes her close them immediately.
Nathaniel must notice and realize what happened. “Doc, can we lose the overhead lights?”
She lightly squeezes his hand in gratitude, and when she hears the click of the light switch, she tries to open her eyes again. She gets them open, and after a moment, she’s able to focus on his face. The guilt and anxiety in his expression break her heart, but she has to ask him the one question that matters to her right now, her voice low and scared. “Is Gracie OK? I felt her kick a minute ago, but is she OK?”
He nods, but still looks towards someone or something she can’t see. Elisabeth steps into her line of sight, a nasty bruise around one eye clearly visible. “She’s fine, Alicia. That’s her heartbeat on the monitor. You did a very good job protecting her. Your water didn’t break, and while you had some light spotting at first, that has stopped. You’re completely stable right now.”
Relief that is almost palpable floods through her, and she tightens her hand around Nathaniel’s. She then remembers Lucas saying that he’d roughed Elisabeth up. “And are you OK, Elisabeth? That’s a nice shiner.”
Elisabeth gives her a game smile. “Thanks. It’s my first. And yes, I’m fine, and so is Skye.” She pauses. “You, on the other hand, will be here for a while.”
Alicia frowns a little at that, and Elisabeth can apparently tell that she wants to argue. “Alicia, you have a concussion, a hairline fracture to your right cheekbone, more hairline fractures in your right wrist, a massive contusion on your right hip, several bruised ribs and another huge contusion on your back. You will stay right where you are until I say otherwise, even if we have to tie you to the bed.”
Realizing that she has neither the will nor the energy to argue, Alicia just gives Elisabeth a slight nod. She attempts a small smile, but the movement actually makes her face hurt. She swings her eyes back to Nathaniel. He has a small smear of blood on his face, and he looks as near to broken as she has ever seen him. His demeanor is akin to what it was when he first visited her in the hospital after Ayani’s death.
Keeping her eyes on his face, Alicia says, “Elisabeth, can we have the room for a moment? I promise I won’t move.”
“Of course.” Elisabeth leaves, the door closing quietly behind her.
“Nathaniel?”
As he looks at her, she can see tears in his eyes. When he speaks, she can almost feel the pain in his voice. “I almost lost you, Alicia. I almost lost you both. I’m so sorry. I’m so damned sorry.”
“Nathaniel, you didn’t do anything wrong.” She pulls their joined hands to her chest. “And bumps and bruises notwithstanding, you heard Elisabeth. We’re all right.”
He shakes his head, looking away. “I should’ve realized that Lucas would use the fight as cover to come after you. I should’ve had guards on this place.”
“Nathaniel.”
He turns back to her. “He almost killed you. If Carter hadn’t gotten here when he did…”
She blinks in surprise. “Carter?”
“Yes. Carter is the one who saved you two. When you turned your comm on, all of us could hear you.” He drops his head and takes a deep breath, prompting her to squeeze his hand again, encouraging him to continue. “Most of us were outside the fence cleaning up the last of the Phoenix Group soldiers. I knew we couldn’t get to you in time. But we’d left Carter, Dunham and Reilly at the gate to take care of anyone that got by us. According to Reilly, Carter took off for the infirmary the moment we first heard you say Lucas’ name.”
She notices that Nathaniel’s voice drops at little when he says his son’s name. She’s about to tell him that he can stop, that he doesn’t have to tell her this, when he goes on, his voice almost impossibly soft. “Carter found Skye, Elisabeth and the others first. They pointed out where you were, and when Carter got there, Lucas was moving around to kick your front. Carter opened fire.”
“Is Lucas…” She finds herself unable to finish the question.
“He’s gone. Carter hit him three times, the last one in the head. He’s out of his misery, and he’ll never hurt anyone again.”
Nathaniel sounds and looks completely lost. All she wants to do is hug him, but she knows her body won’t grant her that kind of movement right now. She has to settle for hanging onto his hand with her left hand and reaching out with her injured right to comb her fingers into his hair. With a little force, she draws his head to hers and presses his forehead gently to hers, only wincing slightly at the complaints from her head and wrist.
“Regardless of what he’d become, Nathaniel, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
At that, his clear resolve to be strong for her disintegrates before her eyes. He drops his head to her chest and slides his free hand down to the baby. His broad shoulders start to heave with silent sobs, and she does her best to hold on to him, offering whatever comfort she can as he grieves for the loss of his son.
Character/Pairing: Wash/Taylor, Elisabeth Shannon, Skye Tate, Carter
Word Count: ~4305 for this chapter
Genre: Romance, Drama, Friendship
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Language, Physical Violence
Spoiler Alert: Season 1
Summary: Alicia gets an object lesson in the meaning of percentages, namely that a three to four percent chance of something happening isn’t the same as a zero percent chance of something happening.
Author’s Note: Post-finale, essentially another installment in my series of Wash/Taylor fics - this does get a little dark, just as a warning. You’ve probably seen this coming, so I hope it doesn’t disappoint. I think there will only be two more chapters after this one, but we'll see. Disclaimer wise, I just wrote this because I enjoy writing, no copyright infringement intended, and I certainly do not own Terra Nova.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Thirty-Two Weeks
Alicia moves through the market as quickly as her body and her daily well-wishers will allow. Her walk, much to Nathaniel’s delight, has turned into a full-on waddle. It drives her crazy, but Nathaniel has decided that it’s completely adorable - and he reminds her of that as often as possible, probably because he knows it irks her.
She finally gets to the command center and she waddle-stomps into Nathaniel’s office. He looks up from the plex in his hand at her noisy entrance, smirking. “Rough morning?”
She nearly growls at him. “If one more person asks me how I’m feeling, I’m going to bury a boot in their ass.”
“Should I warn Shannon, or do you really want to kick someone today?” He can’t disguise his amusement, irritating her further.
She huffs out a frustrated breath and drops into a chair at the conference table. “Don’t tempt me, Nathaniel.”
He chuckles softly at that, and she smiles in spite of herself. He goes back to what he was doing, and she pulls a plex and some diagrams out of her bag, going to work herself. In the six weeks that have passed since they stopped doing the runs on the Phoenix Group units, they’ve completed all of the defensive fortifications they decided that they needed. All she has left to do is make sure both Guz and the engineers have signed off on the completion of them.
Within days of their meeting when they set the game plan, Nathaniel gave one of his balcony speeches, alerting the colonists of the potential impending invasion attempt and letting them know that a plan for their safety would be forthcoming.
Surprisingly, many of their civilian colonists, the men in particular, but also some of the women, have volunteered to help defend the colony. Some were turned away for various reasons, but Reynolds, Reilly and Dunham have been tasked with training the balance of them, both in some basic hand-to-hand combat and more extensively in use of weapons.
Most of those new “recruits” will be placed in the guard towers and along the colony fence lines for cover support. Others of them will be given sidearms, mostly stun or pulse weapons, and be asked to stay back with the other civilians, protectors folded into the protected.
For her, Elisabeth is still pretty happy with her progress. Alicia is happy that she’s only gained about sixteen pounds so far, though it feels like it’s all up front, which puts a lot of strain on her lower back. Not only that, but her fatigue has also returned with a vengeance. It’s not as bad as it was in the first trimester, but she does find it necessary to grab a short nap every afternoon.
She’s chafing a little, though, against the restrictions that Elisabeth has placed on her. No more perimeter walks, no more resistance training in the afternoons. Usually, a woman wouldn’t have those restrictions, but Elisabeth is worried about the scar tissue in Alicia’s uterus becoming a problem. She’s not on bed rest, but she’s also not supposed to overexert herself.
So, for Alicia, it feels like most everything in her life these days is in wait and see mode. The colony is there and so is the pregnancy. The planning is done, now all they can do is hold their collective breath. She pauses for a moment in her review of the plans for moving the colonists out of harm’s way.
Dropping her hand to her stomach, she feels rhythmic kicking from the baby, who is apparently feeling quite energetic today. The feel of the baby reminds her of the one other source of frustration for her right now, and that is the fact that she can do little or nothing to help when and if the Phoenix Group attack begins.
They now have a secondary comm station set up in the infirmary, and if they come under attack, she is under a standing order to fall back to that comm station and coordinate communications if it becomes necessary. She knows it’s the right thing to do, but it still bothers her.
She is and must look pensive, because she jumps when Nathaniel suddenly appears, leaning his hip against the table. “Are you all right? You seem distracted today.”
She huffs out a breath. “What have I said about making noise when you walk?”
He looks only slightly contrite. “You really are going to put a bell on me one of these days, aren’t you?”
She smiles, once again in spite of herself. “I really am.”
His face turns serious. “You do look distracted, though. Are you OK?”
“I’m fine, Nathaniel. I just hate this feeling that I can’t do anything to help whenever they decide to come at us.”
He gives her a concerned look. “Alicia, we all just want to keep you safe.”
She takes his hand. “Don’t get me wrong. I know that I have to be on the sidelines. I’m just not happy about it.”
His expression softens and he entwines their fingers. “I know.” He starts to say something else when both of their comms go off.
Their eyes meet, and they both know in that moment that it’s starting. Guz is on the other end of the comm, calling both of them to the guard tower near the gate. They’re both up and moving in seconds, him grabbing his body armor from next to his desk.
Even though the walk to the gate from the command center is short, she knows it will take her longer than usual to get there. Once they’re to the bottom of the command center stairs, she says, “Nathaniel, go. I’ll catch up.”
He hesitates, clearly torn between needing to get to the guard tower and not wanting to leave her. She gives him a light shove. “Go! I’ll be fine.”
He frowns but then nods. He drops a quick kiss to her lips, and he’s gone, tearing towards the guard tower at full speed. She puts her hand on her gun and follows him as quickly as she can. Before she makes it halfway there, a loud explosion goes off outside the fence. She taps her comm. “Washington to Taylor. Was that one of the mines?” She references the land mines they’ve set out well beyond the fence line.
“Affirmative. They’re here, and they’re not pulling any punches. As far as we can tell they’re throwing everything they have at us at once. Fall back, Alicia. Fall back to the infirmary now. Do you copy that, Lieutenant?” He sounds on edge. He hasn’t called her by her rank in months, and she can’t help the tremor of dread that runs through her.
“I copy, Nathaniel. Falling back. Is this a private call?” She turns and heads straight for the infirmary as other members of the military begin moving the civilians to the common areas and homes deeper inside the colony, getting them as far from the fence and gate as possible.
She hears a click in her ear. “It is now, Alicia.”
“You be careful, Nathaniel, do you hear me? Gracie and I need you, and I am going to be very upset with you if you manage to damage yourself when I’m not right there to patch you up.” She can’t help the slight catch to her voice, so she just tries to push through it.
“I hear you. I love you, Alicia. You be careful, too.” She hears a similar catch in his voice, and it’s oddly comforting.
“I love you, too, Nathaniel. We’ll be fine, I promise. Kick some ass for me, OK? Washington out.”
She’s pretty sure she hears a chuckle from him as she closes the comm line. She arrives at the infirmary, and she heads straight for Elisabeth’s office. At the sight of her, Elisabeth jumps up from her desk. “Alicia, are you all right?”
Alicia nods. “I’m fine, Elisabeth. The Phoenix Group is here, though.”
“I gathered that. The two doctors we designated for field work were already called to the fence, so they’re there if something happens and they’re needed. I sent another with the other civilians, just in case anyone panics and there are injuries.” Elisabeth looks anxious already.
Putting a hand on the smaller woman’s shoulder, Alicia is starting to try to reassure her when her comm goes off again. “Boylan to Washington, do you copy, Wash?”
Knowing that Boylan was assisting with moving the civilians, she taps her comm. “Go ahead, Boylan.”
“Hey Wash, I just told Taylor that we have the civilians moved to the designated areas. Have you found a shady spot too?” She can hear people talking nervously in the background where he is, and he is yelling over the din.
“I did, Tom. You all lay low. Hopefully, this will be a pretty fast smackdown.”
She hears him bark out a laugh at that. “Amen, Wash. You stay safe, OK?”
“Copy that, Tom. Washington out.” She ends the connection and turns back to Elisabeth. “I’m going to head back to the secondary comm station. I can monitor the radio traffic from there, maybe at least keep some idea of what’s going on. Who all is left here with us, Elisabeth?”
She swallows hard. “Skye is here, along with two other nurses and one other doctor.”
Alicia nods. “OK, you all stay put. Is anyone else here armed?”
Elisabeth starts to reply when Skye’s voice cuts in. “I am, Lieutenant.”
Alicia turns to stare at the young woman, and she sees a small gun strapped to Skye’s leg. “Have you trained on that, Skye?”
“Yes ma’am. Carter has been teaching me. I’m not a great shot, but I can at least help protect us here.” Skye sounds nervous, but Alicia can’t fault her for that, given that she’s scared herself.
“All right, Skye, but you only draw that thing if absolutely necessary, do you hear me?” Alicia gives her a hard look.
Skye nods quickly. “Yes ma’am.”
With that, Alicia gives Elisabeth what she hopes is a reassuring look, and she heads towards the secondary comm system they have set up in the exam room at the back of the infirmary. Moments later, after she powers up the system, she’s perched in a chair, one hand on her stomach, listening in on the chatter between the guard towers and defensive fortifications.
Gunfire, by both pulse weapons and conventional weapons, is a constant soundtrack, but every time she hears a mine go up or another sort of explosion, Alicia can’t help but flinch. As the afternoon wears on, Alicia begins picking up the occasional sit rep from Nathaniel or Guz, and they help her get a clearer picture of what’s going on.
She can tell that things are going well, better than they really expected. Being the professional mercenaries that they are, it seems that the Phoenix Group soldiers, in their arrogance, have grossly overestimated their ability to overpower the colony forces. Especially since several of the Sixers were folded into their numbers, the colony military is pretty formidable.
The most telling thing to her, though, is that it doesn’t sound like the Phoenix Group is interested in surrender or compromise of any sort. The distinct impression that she gets from the battle is that they don’t care to be taken alive. She’s heard what sounds like more than one enemy combatant commit suicide by soldier. Those chilling moments make Alicia realize just how desperate the Phoenix Group must have become.
After a few hours, the frequency of explosions tapers down to almost none, and the gunfire starts to sound further and further away. She knows they’re likely putting a scary dent in their ammo supply, but in the future, if they have to, they can get by with the sonic and pulse weapons. She can also imagine that Malcolm will relish getting to blow things up in the name of developing some new munitions.
Just after nightfall, she can tell that the end is near, based on the exchanges she keeps hearing across the comms, many soldiers reporting in that their areas are now clear. It sounds as though their injuries and casualties have actually been miraculously light, and for that, she’s very grateful. She waits, though, to hear Nathaniel, Carter and Reynolds report in that they’re OK. Mira, Guz and Shannon have all posted positive updates, so she knows they’re all right.
She gets so wrapped up in listening to the comms that she misses the commotion at the front of the infirmary, or maybe the sounds just get lost in the sounds she still hears from the battlefield. All she knows is that one moment, she’s standing up to stretch out her back, and the next moment, she hears a whooshing sound as her feet are swept out from under her.
She’s able to twist enough to make it so that none of her front hits the floor, her right hip taking the brunt of the impact as she lands hard on it. Her left hand goes to her stomach protectively and her right hand reaches for her gun. She hears another gun power up near her, and every fiber of her being tenses with dread.
She rolls to her knees as quickly as her awkward body will allow, gun powered up, but a kick to her wrist makes the gun fly out of her hand, landing nearby with a loud clatter. Her heart jumps to her throat at the sight before her. It’s Lucas, filthy dirty and clearly even more deranged than he was before. She pulls her damaged right arm to her chest and glares at him.
“So, what I heard the soldiers saying is true, and that’s why you’re hiding out here. You’re knocked up and it’s his kid, isn’t it? I always knew you were blindly, stupidly loyal, but I didn’t know you were a whore.” The venom in his voice literally makes Alicia’s blood run cold.
She’s tempted to refute his labeling her a whore, but she knows it isn’t worth it. “Well you learn something new every day, don’t you, Lucas?” She eyes the door, trying to figure out a way to get out of here.
There’s a noise from the front of the infirmary, and he looks away briefly, giving her just enough time to drop her ear to her shoulder, activating her comm and hoping that someone, anyone, is listening. She uses his name when she talks to him, so if someone does hear, they’ll know she’s in trouble. “How did you get inside the fence, Lucas? All the entrances we know of are guarded.”
He laughs derisively. “That’s your problem right there. The entrances you know of. Trust me when I say I can get in and out of this place any time I please. Now tell me, Lieutenant,” his voice drips with disdain at the use of her title, “When is your little spawn due to arrive?” He dips his gun towards the baby.
Her left hand tightens across her belly, and her now throbbing right hand joins it there. “She’s due in eight weeks. Your half-sister is due in eight weeks.” She knows the effort will likely be fruitless, but she wants to at least try to get through to him about what he is so obviously threatening.
His face softens, but only briefly. After a moment, his angry, crazed scowl returns. “Unlucky kid. It’s the half that I don’t want. The half that killed my mother.”
She and Nathaniel have both been down this road with Lucas before, trying to make him understand that Nathaniel made the only choice he could that day. She’s not going to bother to try again. Instead, she tries to deflect him a little, praying that by now, someone has heard their conversation and is heading for the infirmary. “Where are Skye, Dr. Shannon and the others, Lucas?”
“Ah, the little Bucket and the good Doctor. They’re still here. Bucket tried to shoot me again, but I was quicker than she was this time. She’s out cold. Found them a nice quiet room up front. The doc put up a bit of a fight. She’ll have a nice bruise or two for her trouble.” He gives Alicia a chilling grin. “Now, as much as I’m enjoying this little tête-à-tête, Lieutenant, I think it’s time I got on with the business I have here.”
Alicia’s heart sinks a little. Where the hell is everyone? She is out of time, and she knows there isn’t anything she can do about it. He’s just too damned insane, and she’s too damned vulnerable. Still, when she speaks, her voice doesn’t betray fear. “What business is that, Lucas?”
“Oh, you know, Lieutenant, destroying my father by taking everything he gives a damn about away from him. And, this is a bonus for me. Not only do I get to kill his precious Lieutenant for real this time, I also get to kill his unborn child. This may actually end him completely.” His eyes sparkle with a terrifying evil euphoria, and he begins to advance on her.
Still on her knees, Alicia desperately tries to figure out a way to get some cover. Then, she thinks she hears another noise from the front of the infirmary, but Lucas clearly is too caught up in the task at hand to notice this time.
She fixes her eyes on him. “Lucas, you do know that you won’t get out of the colony alive, don’t you?”
“I don’t really give a damn either way, Lieutenant.” With that, he gets to her, but instead of pulling the trigger, he swings his gun hand around, nailing her right cheek with the gun. She can’t stop herself from crying out at the pain that explodes behind her eye, and she drops to her hands, crouched over.
He apparently sees that as an opportunity. She’s vaguely aware of him, and she can tell that he has moved to line up with her side. Suddenly, she realizes that he’s going to try to kick her in the abdomen, so just as his foot pulls back, she twists around and drops to her side. His boot connects with her back instead of his intended target, and he roars in anger.
She isn’t aware of much more than pain, but she can tell that he’s coming around to her front to take another shot. He won’t get one, though. At that moment, a hail of gunfire fills the air. She curls in on herself and on the baby as she hears Lucas drop to the floor near her. That and a man’s voice yelling her name are the last things she’s aware of before the pain in her back and head make everything fade to black.
*****
As Alicia fights her way through the foggy haze in her head, she slowly becomes aware of a quick, steady beat and hushed voices. It takes her a moment to mentally sort it all out, and given the pain she still feels behind her eyes, she decides that trying to open them right now would likely be a bad plan.
Instead, she methodically catalogs what hurts - head, back, hip and wrist - and she tries to figure out where she is. After a moment thinking about it, her head clears a little more, and she realizes that she’s in a biobed, turned on her left side. She thinks, “Makes sense, Wash, everything that hurts is on the right side, and being on your left is better for circulation to the baby.” That last thought makes her almost move, but even with just a slight shift, the pain reminds her that movement isn’t a good idea.
Instead, she concentrates on her abdomen, trying to focus on any movement the baby might be making. Her body goes briefly tense as she waits, and a moment later, she’s rewarded with the feel of a fluttering kick. She lets out a deep breath, exhaling audibly.
A moment later, she feels a hand wrap around her uninjured hand. “Alicia?”
The sound of Nathaniel’s voice, obviously gruff with emotion and likely fatigue, prompts her to try to open her eyes. She flutters her eyelids, but her right eye isn’t cooperating. Eventually, she’s able to get both eyes slightly open, but the light above the bed makes her close them immediately.
Nathaniel must notice and realize what happened. “Doc, can we lose the overhead lights?”
She lightly squeezes his hand in gratitude, and when she hears the click of the light switch, she tries to open her eyes again. She gets them open, and after a moment, she’s able to focus on his face. The guilt and anxiety in his expression break her heart, but she has to ask him the one question that matters to her right now, her voice low and scared. “Is Gracie OK? I felt her kick a minute ago, but is she OK?”
He nods, but still looks towards someone or something she can’t see. Elisabeth steps into her line of sight, a nasty bruise around one eye clearly visible. “She’s fine, Alicia. That’s her heartbeat on the monitor. You did a very good job protecting her. Your water didn’t break, and while you had some light spotting at first, that has stopped. You’re completely stable right now.”
Relief that is almost palpable floods through her, and she tightens her hand around Nathaniel’s. She then remembers Lucas saying that he’d roughed Elisabeth up. “And are you OK, Elisabeth? That’s a nice shiner.”
Elisabeth gives her a game smile. “Thanks. It’s my first. And yes, I’m fine, and so is Skye.” She pauses. “You, on the other hand, will be here for a while.”
Alicia frowns a little at that, and Elisabeth can apparently tell that she wants to argue. “Alicia, you have a concussion, a hairline fracture to your right cheekbone, more hairline fractures in your right wrist, a massive contusion on your right hip, several bruised ribs and another huge contusion on your back. You will stay right where you are until I say otherwise, even if we have to tie you to the bed.”
Realizing that she has neither the will nor the energy to argue, Alicia just gives Elisabeth a slight nod. She attempts a small smile, but the movement actually makes her face hurt. She swings her eyes back to Nathaniel. He has a small smear of blood on his face, and he looks as near to broken as she has ever seen him. His demeanor is akin to what it was when he first visited her in the hospital after Ayani’s death.
Keeping her eyes on his face, Alicia says, “Elisabeth, can we have the room for a moment? I promise I won’t move.”
“Of course.” Elisabeth leaves, the door closing quietly behind her.
“Nathaniel?”
As he looks at her, she can see tears in his eyes. When he speaks, she can almost feel the pain in his voice. “I almost lost you, Alicia. I almost lost you both. I’m so sorry. I’m so damned sorry.”
“Nathaniel, you didn’t do anything wrong.” She pulls their joined hands to her chest. “And bumps and bruises notwithstanding, you heard Elisabeth. We’re all right.”
He shakes his head, looking away. “I should’ve realized that Lucas would use the fight as cover to come after you. I should’ve had guards on this place.”
“Nathaniel.”
He turns back to her. “He almost killed you. If Carter hadn’t gotten here when he did…”
She blinks in surprise. “Carter?”
“Yes. Carter is the one who saved you two. When you turned your comm on, all of us could hear you.” He drops his head and takes a deep breath, prompting her to squeeze his hand again, encouraging him to continue. “Most of us were outside the fence cleaning up the last of the Phoenix Group soldiers. I knew we couldn’t get to you in time. But we’d left Carter, Dunham and Reilly at the gate to take care of anyone that got by us. According to Reilly, Carter took off for the infirmary the moment we first heard you say Lucas’ name.”
She notices that Nathaniel’s voice drops at little when he says his son’s name. She’s about to tell him that he can stop, that he doesn’t have to tell her this, when he goes on, his voice almost impossibly soft. “Carter found Skye, Elisabeth and the others first. They pointed out where you were, and when Carter got there, Lucas was moving around to kick your front. Carter opened fire.”
“Is Lucas…” She finds herself unable to finish the question.
“He’s gone. Carter hit him three times, the last one in the head. He’s out of his misery, and he’ll never hurt anyone again.”
Nathaniel sounds and looks completely lost. All she wants to do is hug him, but she knows her body won’t grant her that kind of movement right now. She has to settle for hanging onto his hand with her left hand and reaching out with her injured right to comb her fingers into his hair. With a little force, she draws his head to hers and presses his forehead gently to hers, only wincing slightly at the complaints from her head and wrist.
“Regardless of what he’d become, Nathaniel, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
At that, his clear resolve to be strong for her disintegrates before her eyes. He drops his head to her chest and slides his free hand down to the baby. His broad shoulders start to heave with silent sobs, and she does her best to hold on to him, offering whatever comfort she can as he grieves for the loss of his son.