Things Left Behind (5/6)
Title: Things Left Behind
Character/Pairing: Wash/Taylor, Mark/Maddy
Word Count: ~4025
Genre: Drama, Adventure, Romance (Always)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Over three years later, they realize that something was left behind in the Badlands, and going back for it will be more trouble than they ever expected.
Author’s Note: Fill for morganel’s Week 30 Friday one word prompt “Force” for Wash and Taylor.
Apologies for the slow posting. Add a nasty case of bronchitis to my work drama, and real life has been a bit of a drag! There will be one more chapter after this one.
This is set in the context of my other stories, post-series.
Disclaimer is as usual - no profit, not mine, just borrowing.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
“OK, let’s stop for a minute.” Nathaniel puts a hand on her shoulder. She looks up at him, a questioning expression on her face. “The last question was a softball, and I think if Lucas assumed I’d be the one here, he’d have known that I wouldn’t leave, same with you.”
She nods slowly. “I think that’s probably accurate. You’re thinking the next question is going to be hard.”
He sighs. “Yes. That, and just because we haven’t been timed before, that doesn’t mean it can’t change. Also,” his eyes sweep the remaining active equipment, “Even though it has been working so far, that doesn’t mean that time hasn’t taken a toll here. Remember what Malcolm said about Lucas - he was a great physicist, but not much of an engineer. If he built this stuff himself, it might not be as reliable as we’d like it to be.”
“Fair enough.” She looks at all the equipment again herself. “It looks as though five consoles are still active, including the one asking the questions.” She cocks her head, thinking about how this must all work. “If he was playing fair, the question console and the answer console will likely shut down together, and the barrier generator must be housed in one of those two consoles.”
“If he was playing fair.” Nathaniel’s eyes meet hers.
She suddenly is annoyed with herself for not seeing this sooner. “There has to be a catch here, Nathaniel. From the hologram, it’s clear he was betting that it would be you or me trapped here. Do you really think he’d let either of us out of here intact? I mean, clearly, he hated me. And we know he wanted nothing more than to punish you.”
“So, what do we think that means?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. Either it’ll be rigged to malfunction, or maybe the last question will be so hard that he figured neither of us would be able to answer it.”
He’s silent at that, looking thoughtful, when Carter’s voice gets their attention. “Wash, what’s going on?”
They look back into the cave on the other side of the barrier, and they see Malcolm and Carter standing there. Jim and Mark are behind them with Maddy, who appears to be tearfully apologizing over and over again.
She grabs her plex and heads over to the barrier, Nathaniel right behind her. “We’re both worried that Lucas might’ve had something more up his sleeve.”
Malcolm and Carter exchange a glance. Carter looks back at them. “I hate to say it, but we’ve been thinking the same thing.”
“What do you think? Do you need my help?” Malcolm looks concerned. “It’s my fault we’re here at all. I’m the one who found the damned signal. I should be the one stuck in there, not the two of you.”
Nathaniel takes the plex from her. “Nonsense, Malcolm. And Wash and I are the two best people to be in here, because we honestly knew him the best. Maddy was a help, though.”
He holds the plex up for Malcolm and Carter to read, and then he types something else. Alicia watches as he types, and she starts nodding immediately when she realizes what he’s going to tell them. “That’s what I was going to suggest too, Nathaniel.”
He holds it up again. “Time to fall back, boys. Take Reynolds, Maddy and Shannon and get down to the vehicles. Give us an hour. If we don’t come out by then, one of you come and check on us. I mean that - one of you.”
“We’re not leaving you two.” Carter looks determined, his words getting Jim’s attention. The three of them join Carter and Malcolm.
“Hell no, we’re not leaving!” Jim looks appalled at the idea.
Nathaniel holds the plex up again. “It’s an order. Fall back now.”
Mark looks from Nathaniel to Alicia, his face looking almost like he feels sick. “Sir, Wash…”
She shakes her head firmly, mouthing two words clearly. “Fall back.”
He blinks a few times, and then he swallows hard. “Yes ma’am.” He takes Maddy’s hand and pulls her back from the barrier.
Malcolm nods and backs away, but Jim and Carter both stay by the barrier. “Alicia.” Carter’s eyes are begging her to let them stay, and so are Jim’s.
She takes a deep breath and holds out her hand to take the plex from Nathaniel. She types for a moment before showing it to Nathaniel. His eyes soften as he reads and he cups her face with his hand as he nods his agreement.
She turns and holds it up for Jim and Carter to read. “Shannon, I hope more than anything that we’ll be fine, but if this goes south, I need you to promise us that you and Elisabeth will take care of Gracie. She loves you two and the kids, especially Zoe, and I know you’d treat her like one of your own. And Carter, she idolizes you. We need you to promise to be there for her when Shannon and Elisabeth can’t. Please, guys. Fall back now.”
The two men stand there, stunned. She feels Nathaniel step up close behind her and wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her back into his chest. Carter is the first to blink. “OK, Wash, we’ll fall back. But you and Taylor just need to get the hell out of there, you copy?” At her weak smile and nod, Carter takes Jim by the arm to pull him away.
He resists, first looking at Nathaniel and then at Alicia. “Carter’s right. You two both need to get the hell out of there,” he pauses, taking a deep breath, “But if you don’t, you have my word that nothing will ever happen to Gracie. I’d die before I let anyone or anything hurt her.”
Nathaniel hugs her even tighter to him, and Alicia nods, not trusting herself to do more than that. Jim nods back, and after appearing to try to say something else but being unable, he turns and leaves, Carter close on his heels.
“We should have talked about that before. Why didn’t we?” His voice is soft in her ear.
“I don’t think it’s something we wanted to face, so we just didn’t face it.” Her voice is equally soft. She turns in his arms and looks up at him. “I hope you’re really OK with it being Shannon and Elisabeth.”
“I am. The only other choice, to me, would be Mira and Guz, and they’re about to have their hands full. Carter could handle it, but I think it would be too much for Skye.” He kisses her. “But Shannon and Carter are right. Let’s get the hell out of here.” He steps away from her to head back to the consoles.
“Nathaniel, wait.” He turns back to her. “Are you OK? I know this isn’t easy.”
His eyes dart away from hers, and he shrugs a little. “I’m as OK as I can be when once again faced with the reality that my son hated me as much as he did. I’m honestly not as OK with how much he hated you, when your only sin was caring about me.”
He goes quiet for a moment, and she steps up to him, putting one hand on his chest. His eyes come back to hers. “You know, every time I start to feel bad about him being gone, all I have to do is think about what he was going to do to you and Gracie. Then, I’m ashamed to admit, all I can think is that I would have killed him myself, with my bare hands if necessary, if I’d been the one there. In a way, it was lucky that Carter is the one who got there in time. At least the three quick bullets were borderline merciful.”
“Oh, Nathaniel.” She blinks back the tears in her eyes. “I know you’re as at peace with it as you can be, but I hate this so much. I hate everything that happened, but more than anything I hate that this happened to dredge it all back up again.”
He pulls her to him, hugging her close. She wraps her arms around his waist and presses her face into his neck. After a moment, he says, “I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but I’m really glad you stayed.”
She squeezes him tighter. “Does that mean I’m not in trouble for disobeying orders?”
He chuckles. “No, but I promise you’ll enjoy your punishment.”
She drops a kiss on his neck and pulls back, grinning. “Can’t wait.”
He reaches up and cups her face with his hands, pulling her towards him for a kiss. When he pulls back again, his face is serious. “I love you, Alicia.”
She reaches up and runs her hand through his hair, coming to rest on his cheek. She brushes her thumb across his cheekbone, and he turns his face to press a kiss to the palm of her hand. “I love you too, Nathaniel. Now let’s finish this so we can go home.”
“Yes ma’am.” He kisses her hand one more time before turning to the questions console. She steps up next to him and nods at him that she’s ready. He taps the spacebar, and soon one of their concerns comes to fruition.
The hologram camera comes back on, and the image of Lucas returns. “Now I know it’s you or Wash, Dad, because I can’t think of anyone else ridiculously noble enough to stay behind just to try to shut this system down. So now, there are just three more questions. And it won’t take long because once you activate each question, you’ve only got ninety seconds to answer it. I’d say good luck, but I know luck won’t help. I know there’s no way you’re going to get all of these, but I almost wish I could be there to watch you agonize over them.” The hologram laughs, something Alicia finds more than a little disturbing.
Once it’s done laughing, the hologram appears to compose itself. “Just for your information, unless something goes wrong with my construction, this thing won’t melt down when you don’t get the answers. It’ll just explode. It’ll make a mess, I’m sure, but the barrier will contain that. See you on the other side, Dad.”
Alicia hears Nathaniel mutter, “Well don’t get all warm and fuzzy on us, son,” and she can’t help the snort of laughter that escapes. If nothing else, she’s glad he’s being sarcastic instead of gloomy about the situation.
The question blinks up. “What did I first study in college?”
Alicia gives Nathaniel a funny look. “That seems too easy. It was quantum physics, right?”
Nathaniel looks thoughtful for a moment, and then he snaps his fingers. “No. He started in fluid dynamics, but he didn’t like the professors. Surprise, surprise, he got into a fight with a few of them, not physical - just an argument, and he left in a huff. Even at barely fifteen he had that temper.” As he speaks he types in the answer.
This time, the password that pops up is “neglect.” To his credit, the melodramatic words are now making Nathaniel just roll his eyes in apparent exasperation. She lifts an eyebrow at him as he goes over to the other console and types in the password, and he shakes his head. “You know, I tried to visit him at college. And he, at fourteen, is the one who demanded that I let him start. When they accepted him, I let him go, because that’s what he told me he wanted. After what happened, the last thing I wanted to do was say no to him.”
They both look up as one of the remaining five active consoles goes dark. He looks back at her, and she moves over to him, taking his hand and squeezing it. “I would go see him frequently, especially that first year when they technically had me on a desk but just let me do what I wanted. I lost count of how many times I tried to talk to him, to reach him. He would just shut down or tell me to leave. I admit it, I did stop trying so hard after a while, because it seemed clear that he had no interest. So now, his ‘neglect’ and ‘betrayal’ nonsense is really starting to piss me off.”
He hangs his head. “And Ayani would hate that I let it come to this. She’d...”
“Hey.” She reaches up with her free hand and tips his face back up with her fingertips. “She would hate this. I won’t argue that. But you know that she would hate the circumstance and not you, right? You get that? Because I honestly don’t think Ayani had it in her to hate anyone, least of all you. And she would be pretty annoyed with Lucas, too. Even as a child, he had his ‘I’m smarter than everyone else’ moments, and every time I saw one, she called him on it.”
He huffs out a small laugh. “She did, didn’t she?”
“You know it. You could tell that it was the only part of him that she didn’t like, because it was the only part of him she seemed to work to change.” She squeezes his hand again. “And she would know that you tried. You aren’t a miracle worker, though, Nathaniel. Lucas was determined to blame you, to hate you. I’ve come to believe that it was futile to try to sway him from that, but even so, I’m glad that you did try, if for no other reason than because at least you know you did your best. And you kept trying long after most of us would have given up.”
“Not true, Alicia.” She looks at him, confused. “You would do the same if it was Gracie.”
Alicia blinks a few times, but then she nods. “You’re right. I would.”
“And so would I. I’d go through it again for her if I had to. It’s just what you do.”
She expels a breath. “So. Next question?”
Without letting go of her hand, he turns and goes back to the console, taking her with him. With his free hand, he hits the space bar. “Shit. I have no damned idea. I was already here, and I know that means he moved. He wouldn’t ask it if he thought I’d been there.”
Not able to see the question where she’s standing, Alicia releases his hand and steps forward, peering at the screen. “My address in August 2142?”
Alicia gasps. “Wait, I know this! It’s where he and I fought about you, when I went to see him to tell him what had happened to you.” She closes her eyes, trying to recall the exact location.
“Running out of time, Alicia.” He checks his watch.
Her eyes snap open. “I’ve got it!” She steps up and types, “1240 Elmwood #132, Evanston, Illinois.”
She holds her breath and stares at the screen. Nathaniel stands behind her, his hands wrapped around her upper arms. A moment later, the screen blinks and pops up the password. Nearly physical relief floods her, and she relaxes back into Nathaniel’s chest. He wraps his arms around her. “Jesus, Alicia. That was over ten years ago. How did you remember that?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I just closed my eyes and there it was.”
“Well, I’ve never been more grateful for your elephant’s memory than I am right now.” He drops a kiss on her temple. “What’s the password this time?”
She leans forward. “Isolation. That seems a lot less angry. Of course, he did say it was a random generator. I’m guessing he just entered a bunch of words and it selects from them?”
“I’m not even going to try to figure it out, Alicia.” He steps over to the other console and types in the password. Two of the four consoles go dark, leaving, as expected, the question and answer consoles on.
The hologram projector powers up again. Nathaniel sighs audibly when the hologram of Lucas appears again. Alicia walks over and stands next to him as the hologram speaks again. “Impressive. If you got that second one, I know it’s either Wash by herself or you and Wash together. There’s no way you knew that one, Dad, because it’s where I lived after you got stranded here alone. And since neither of you will ever know the last answer, if you are indeed both here, enjoy your last moments together. Or, if it’s just you alone, Wash, enjoy thinking of my father finding your charred, dismembered body and how that will break him. Goodbye.” The hologram blinks off.
Alicia curls her hands into fists. “Man, I wish that thing had a physical manifestation, because I’d really like to deck it right now.” Nathaniel raises an eyebrow and looks down at her. Her cheeks go pink, but she shrugs and says, “Really, you don’t want to pop him one? Tell the truth, Nathaniel.”
He crosses his arms across his chest, but his face takes on a small smirk. “Maybe a little.”
“Thought so.” She looks at the consoles. “Let’s finish this.” He goes to try to hug her, but she won’t let him. “Don’t you dare try to say goodbye to me. We’re going to answer this last damned question, and we’re getting the hell out of here, period. Understood?” She puts her hands on her hips and levels a hard look at him.
He holds his hands up. “Understood.”
He motions to the console, and she steps up to it and taps the space bar. They both watch as the last question appears. “What was the date and journal name for my first ever science publication?”
“He had something in 2139, in one of the theoretical physics journals, didn’t he?” Alicia looks up at Nathaniel, but he’s frowning.
“He did, but that wasn’t first. His first was before Ayani died.”
She shakes her head. “The first hologram said questions about his education and about his life after Somalia.” But then something occurs to her. “Maybe he meant his education in general, not just post-Somalia?”
“Has to be, because his first publication was something promoted by his physics teacher at that high school for the gifted, back when he was twelve. Ayani had it framed. It was before we went to Somalia, just before we left southeast Asia.” He reaches down and starts typing, speaking as he does. “November 2136, American Journal of Physics.”
He hits enter and steps back, taking Alicia’s hand. The console blinks, and the word “mother” pops up. Nathaniel shakes his head. “If that was random, I’ll eat my damned gun.”
Alicia squeezes his hand, and then she goes and types in the last password. After hitting enter, she quickly moves back to Nathaniel’s side. With no fanfare, the two consoles flicker off and, with a light flash, the barrier drops. They look at each other. He’s the first to speak. “Grab your pack. We’re getting the hell out of here.”
She does as he said, grabs her pack and waits for him to get his. Just as they’re about to move beyond the barrier, the hologram camera powers back up. Lucas appears again, his face completely calm. “There’s no way you knew that, either one of you. You were off on one of your adventures, leaving us alone again. You gamed the system somehow, and I don’t like cheaters.”
They hear a click, and one of the consoles lights up again. Nathaniel grabs her and pushes her towards the cave entrance. “Go, Alicia!” He follows right behind her. As they get to the cave entrance at a flat out run, she hears an explosion, and they’re both thrown forward. Nathaniel lands on top of her, and she feels him using his arms to cover her as a secondary explosion goes off, debris raining down around them.
When it finally stops, Alicia is trapped under Nathaniel’s bulk, his heavy upper body pressing her down. “Nathaniel?” When he doesn’t respond, Alicia’s heart sinks. “Nathaniel!” She struggles to gently pull herself out from under him. As she does, she can hear voices approaching the cave.
They’re getting closer when she realizes that she doesn’t know if any radiation was released in the blast. As loud as she can, she yells, “Everyone stay back until I tell you to come in!”
A moment later, Carter calls back, “Just tell us when, Wash!”
Given that Nathaniel is clearly unconscious, she replies, “Carter, Nathaniel’s injured. Get a med kit for when I let you in!”
“Will do, back in a minute.” His voice comes back.
She finally gets herself free of Nathaniel’s weight. Sitting up, she sees her pack nearby. She drags it to her, knocking the rocks and dust from it before digging out a flashlight. She shines it on Nathaniel, and she’s relieved to see that he’s clearly breathing but then winces at the bump she sees forming on the back of his head. Moving the light down his body, she sees that he has a piece of metal, probably from one of the consoles, embedded in his right shoulder, above the shoulder blade.
He moves suddenly, letting out a groan. “Nathaniel?” She gets down on her knees, but before she talks to him, she checks the radiation sensor. It hasn’t changed at all, still showing safe. She twists and yells, “It’s all clear. Be careful, there’s a lot of debris.”
She turns back to him, and he’s trying to turn to his back. He gets to his left side before she can stop him. “Whoa, wait, Nathaniel.” He blinks at her, looking groggy, but he stops moving. “You have a piece of metal in your shoulder, probably a piece of one of the consoles. Carter and I need to look at it before you move, OK?”
He nods, closing his eyes. She brushes her fingers through his hair, ignoring the stinging scrapes she’s becoming aware of all over her arms. After a moment, he mutters, “For the record? No more trips OTG with Malcolm. Gracie will insist anyway, but I’m with her on this. The man’s just trouble.”
At that, after the two days she’s had, she just melts down. It’s not tears at first. Instead, she lets loose a small giggle and then another one, until she’s laughing uncontrollably. Then, just as Carter, Shannon and Reynolds come in, Alicia’s laughter turns, and her shoulders begin to heave. Nathaniel, opening his eyes again, realizes what’s happening. “Come here.”
She doesn’t argue, she curls up in front of him and scoots close to his chest. He carefully wraps his arms around her, and he lets her let go, something he knows she very rarely does. Carter doesn’t say anything, he just silently goes about looking at Nathaniel’s injured shoulder. After a few minutes Alicia is just sniffling lightly, and Carter says, “Taylor, I need you to sit up.”
He looks down at her, and she sheepishly nods, pulling away and helping him to sit up. As she moves behind him to help Carter, Malcolm joins them. “Are you both all right?” The man is clearly genuinely concerned.
She just nods, but Nathaniel replies, “We’ll both be fine, but you might want to worry about yourself.” Malcolm looks confused, and Alicia suddenly realizes where this is going, a small smile blooming on her face as she starts to stitch up Nathaniel’s shoulder. He holds still for her, continuing to talk to Malcolm. “Malcolm, you get to explain to Gracie what happened here. You do know, don’t you, that this is the last time you go OTG with either me or Alicia?”
The scientist sputters for a moment about how it’s not his fault before dropping his shoulders in defeat. “How much ice cream do you think it’ll take for me to get back on her good side?”
Alicia snorts, making him look from Nathaniel to her. “Malcolm, I’m pretty sure there isn’t that much ice cream in the entire colony.”
Character/Pairing: Wash/Taylor, Mark/Maddy
Word Count: ~4025
Genre: Drama, Adventure, Romance (Always)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Over three years later, they realize that something was left behind in the Badlands, and going back for it will be more trouble than they ever expected.
Author’s Note: Fill for morganel’s Week 30 Friday one word prompt “Force” for Wash and Taylor.
Apologies for the slow posting. Add a nasty case of bronchitis to my work drama, and real life has been a bit of a drag! There will be one more chapter after this one.
This is set in the context of my other stories, post-series.
Disclaimer is as usual - no profit, not mine, just borrowing.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
“OK, let’s stop for a minute.” Nathaniel puts a hand on her shoulder. She looks up at him, a questioning expression on her face. “The last question was a softball, and I think if Lucas assumed I’d be the one here, he’d have known that I wouldn’t leave, same with you.”
She nods slowly. “I think that’s probably accurate. You’re thinking the next question is going to be hard.”
He sighs. “Yes. That, and just because we haven’t been timed before, that doesn’t mean it can’t change. Also,” his eyes sweep the remaining active equipment, “Even though it has been working so far, that doesn’t mean that time hasn’t taken a toll here. Remember what Malcolm said about Lucas - he was a great physicist, but not much of an engineer. If he built this stuff himself, it might not be as reliable as we’d like it to be.”
“Fair enough.” She looks at all the equipment again herself. “It looks as though five consoles are still active, including the one asking the questions.” She cocks her head, thinking about how this must all work. “If he was playing fair, the question console and the answer console will likely shut down together, and the barrier generator must be housed in one of those two consoles.”
“If he was playing fair.” Nathaniel’s eyes meet hers.
She suddenly is annoyed with herself for not seeing this sooner. “There has to be a catch here, Nathaniel. From the hologram, it’s clear he was betting that it would be you or me trapped here. Do you really think he’d let either of us out of here intact? I mean, clearly, he hated me. And we know he wanted nothing more than to punish you.”
“So, what do we think that means?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. Either it’ll be rigged to malfunction, or maybe the last question will be so hard that he figured neither of us would be able to answer it.”
He’s silent at that, looking thoughtful, when Carter’s voice gets their attention. “Wash, what’s going on?”
They look back into the cave on the other side of the barrier, and they see Malcolm and Carter standing there. Jim and Mark are behind them with Maddy, who appears to be tearfully apologizing over and over again.
She grabs her plex and heads over to the barrier, Nathaniel right behind her. “We’re both worried that Lucas might’ve had something more up his sleeve.”
Malcolm and Carter exchange a glance. Carter looks back at them. “I hate to say it, but we’ve been thinking the same thing.”
“What do you think? Do you need my help?” Malcolm looks concerned. “It’s my fault we’re here at all. I’m the one who found the damned signal. I should be the one stuck in there, not the two of you.”
Nathaniel takes the plex from her. “Nonsense, Malcolm. And Wash and I are the two best people to be in here, because we honestly knew him the best. Maddy was a help, though.”
He holds the plex up for Malcolm and Carter to read, and then he types something else. Alicia watches as he types, and she starts nodding immediately when she realizes what he’s going to tell them. “That’s what I was going to suggest too, Nathaniel.”
He holds it up again. “Time to fall back, boys. Take Reynolds, Maddy and Shannon and get down to the vehicles. Give us an hour. If we don’t come out by then, one of you come and check on us. I mean that - one of you.”
“We’re not leaving you two.” Carter looks determined, his words getting Jim’s attention. The three of them join Carter and Malcolm.
“Hell no, we’re not leaving!” Jim looks appalled at the idea.
Nathaniel holds the plex up again. “It’s an order. Fall back now.”
Mark looks from Nathaniel to Alicia, his face looking almost like he feels sick. “Sir, Wash…”
She shakes her head firmly, mouthing two words clearly. “Fall back.”
He blinks a few times, and then he swallows hard. “Yes ma’am.” He takes Maddy’s hand and pulls her back from the barrier.
Malcolm nods and backs away, but Jim and Carter both stay by the barrier. “Alicia.” Carter’s eyes are begging her to let them stay, and so are Jim’s.
She takes a deep breath and holds out her hand to take the plex from Nathaniel. She types for a moment before showing it to Nathaniel. His eyes soften as he reads and he cups her face with his hand as he nods his agreement.
She turns and holds it up for Jim and Carter to read. “Shannon, I hope more than anything that we’ll be fine, but if this goes south, I need you to promise us that you and Elisabeth will take care of Gracie. She loves you two and the kids, especially Zoe, and I know you’d treat her like one of your own. And Carter, she idolizes you. We need you to promise to be there for her when Shannon and Elisabeth can’t. Please, guys. Fall back now.”
The two men stand there, stunned. She feels Nathaniel step up close behind her and wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her back into his chest. Carter is the first to blink. “OK, Wash, we’ll fall back. But you and Taylor just need to get the hell out of there, you copy?” At her weak smile and nod, Carter takes Jim by the arm to pull him away.
He resists, first looking at Nathaniel and then at Alicia. “Carter’s right. You two both need to get the hell out of there,” he pauses, taking a deep breath, “But if you don’t, you have my word that nothing will ever happen to Gracie. I’d die before I let anyone or anything hurt her.”
Nathaniel hugs her even tighter to him, and Alicia nods, not trusting herself to do more than that. Jim nods back, and after appearing to try to say something else but being unable, he turns and leaves, Carter close on his heels.
“We should have talked about that before. Why didn’t we?” His voice is soft in her ear.
“I don’t think it’s something we wanted to face, so we just didn’t face it.” Her voice is equally soft. She turns in his arms and looks up at him. “I hope you’re really OK with it being Shannon and Elisabeth.”
“I am. The only other choice, to me, would be Mira and Guz, and they’re about to have their hands full. Carter could handle it, but I think it would be too much for Skye.” He kisses her. “But Shannon and Carter are right. Let’s get the hell out of here.” He steps away from her to head back to the consoles.
“Nathaniel, wait.” He turns back to her. “Are you OK? I know this isn’t easy.”
His eyes dart away from hers, and he shrugs a little. “I’m as OK as I can be when once again faced with the reality that my son hated me as much as he did. I’m honestly not as OK with how much he hated you, when your only sin was caring about me.”
He goes quiet for a moment, and she steps up to him, putting one hand on his chest. His eyes come back to hers. “You know, every time I start to feel bad about him being gone, all I have to do is think about what he was going to do to you and Gracie. Then, I’m ashamed to admit, all I can think is that I would have killed him myself, with my bare hands if necessary, if I’d been the one there. In a way, it was lucky that Carter is the one who got there in time. At least the three quick bullets were borderline merciful.”
“Oh, Nathaniel.” She blinks back the tears in her eyes. “I know you’re as at peace with it as you can be, but I hate this so much. I hate everything that happened, but more than anything I hate that this happened to dredge it all back up again.”
He pulls her to him, hugging her close. She wraps her arms around his waist and presses her face into his neck. After a moment, he says, “I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but I’m really glad you stayed.”
She squeezes him tighter. “Does that mean I’m not in trouble for disobeying orders?”
He chuckles. “No, but I promise you’ll enjoy your punishment.”
She drops a kiss on his neck and pulls back, grinning. “Can’t wait.”
He reaches up and cups her face with his hands, pulling her towards him for a kiss. When he pulls back again, his face is serious. “I love you, Alicia.”
She reaches up and runs her hand through his hair, coming to rest on his cheek. She brushes her thumb across his cheekbone, and he turns his face to press a kiss to the palm of her hand. “I love you too, Nathaniel. Now let’s finish this so we can go home.”
“Yes ma’am.” He kisses her hand one more time before turning to the questions console. She steps up next to him and nods at him that she’s ready. He taps the spacebar, and soon one of their concerns comes to fruition.
The hologram camera comes back on, and the image of Lucas returns. “Now I know it’s you or Wash, Dad, because I can’t think of anyone else ridiculously noble enough to stay behind just to try to shut this system down. So now, there are just three more questions. And it won’t take long because once you activate each question, you’ve only got ninety seconds to answer it. I’d say good luck, but I know luck won’t help. I know there’s no way you’re going to get all of these, but I almost wish I could be there to watch you agonize over them.” The hologram laughs, something Alicia finds more than a little disturbing.
Once it’s done laughing, the hologram appears to compose itself. “Just for your information, unless something goes wrong with my construction, this thing won’t melt down when you don’t get the answers. It’ll just explode. It’ll make a mess, I’m sure, but the barrier will contain that. See you on the other side, Dad.”
Alicia hears Nathaniel mutter, “Well don’t get all warm and fuzzy on us, son,” and she can’t help the snort of laughter that escapes. If nothing else, she’s glad he’s being sarcastic instead of gloomy about the situation.
The question blinks up. “What did I first study in college?”
Alicia gives Nathaniel a funny look. “That seems too easy. It was quantum physics, right?”
Nathaniel looks thoughtful for a moment, and then he snaps his fingers. “No. He started in fluid dynamics, but he didn’t like the professors. Surprise, surprise, he got into a fight with a few of them, not physical - just an argument, and he left in a huff. Even at barely fifteen he had that temper.” As he speaks he types in the answer.
This time, the password that pops up is “neglect.” To his credit, the melodramatic words are now making Nathaniel just roll his eyes in apparent exasperation. She lifts an eyebrow at him as he goes over to the other console and types in the password, and he shakes his head. “You know, I tried to visit him at college. And he, at fourteen, is the one who demanded that I let him start. When they accepted him, I let him go, because that’s what he told me he wanted. After what happened, the last thing I wanted to do was say no to him.”
They both look up as one of the remaining five active consoles goes dark. He looks back at her, and she moves over to him, taking his hand and squeezing it. “I would go see him frequently, especially that first year when they technically had me on a desk but just let me do what I wanted. I lost count of how many times I tried to talk to him, to reach him. He would just shut down or tell me to leave. I admit it, I did stop trying so hard after a while, because it seemed clear that he had no interest. So now, his ‘neglect’ and ‘betrayal’ nonsense is really starting to piss me off.”
He hangs his head. “And Ayani would hate that I let it come to this. She’d...”
“Hey.” She reaches up with her free hand and tips his face back up with her fingertips. “She would hate this. I won’t argue that. But you know that she would hate the circumstance and not you, right? You get that? Because I honestly don’t think Ayani had it in her to hate anyone, least of all you. And she would be pretty annoyed with Lucas, too. Even as a child, he had his ‘I’m smarter than everyone else’ moments, and every time I saw one, she called him on it.”
He huffs out a small laugh. “She did, didn’t she?”
“You know it. You could tell that it was the only part of him that she didn’t like, because it was the only part of him she seemed to work to change.” She squeezes his hand again. “And she would know that you tried. You aren’t a miracle worker, though, Nathaniel. Lucas was determined to blame you, to hate you. I’ve come to believe that it was futile to try to sway him from that, but even so, I’m glad that you did try, if for no other reason than because at least you know you did your best. And you kept trying long after most of us would have given up.”
“Not true, Alicia.” She looks at him, confused. “You would do the same if it was Gracie.”
Alicia blinks a few times, but then she nods. “You’re right. I would.”
“And so would I. I’d go through it again for her if I had to. It’s just what you do.”
She expels a breath. “So. Next question?”
Without letting go of her hand, he turns and goes back to the console, taking her with him. With his free hand, he hits the space bar. “Shit. I have no damned idea. I was already here, and I know that means he moved. He wouldn’t ask it if he thought I’d been there.”
Not able to see the question where she’s standing, Alicia releases his hand and steps forward, peering at the screen. “My address in August 2142?”
Alicia gasps. “Wait, I know this! It’s where he and I fought about you, when I went to see him to tell him what had happened to you.” She closes her eyes, trying to recall the exact location.
“Running out of time, Alicia.” He checks his watch.
Her eyes snap open. “I’ve got it!” She steps up and types, “1240 Elmwood #132, Evanston, Illinois.”
She holds her breath and stares at the screen. Nathaniel stands behind her, his hands wrapped around her upper arms. A moment later, the screen blinks and pops up the password. Nearly physical relief floods her, and she relaxes back into Nathaniel’s chest. He wraps his arms around her. “Jesus, Alicia. That was over ten years ago. How did you remember that?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I just closed my eyes and there it was.”
“Well, I’ve never been more grateful for your elephant’s memory than I am right now.” He drops a kiss on her temple. “What’s the password this time?”
She leans forward. “Isolation. That seems a lot less angry. Of course, he did say it was a random generator. I’m guessing he just entered a bunch of words and it selects from them?”
“I’m not even going to try to figure it out, Alicia.” He steps over to the other console and types in the password. Two of the four consoles go dark, leaving, as expected, the question and answer consoles on.
The hologram projector powers up again. Nathaniel sighs audibly when the hologram of Lucas appears again. Alicia walks over and stands next to him as the hologram speaks again. “Impressive. If you got that second one, I know it’s either Wash by herself or you and Wash together. There’s no way you knew that one, Dad, because it’s where I lived after you got stranded here alone. And since neither of you will ever know the last answer, if you are indeed both here, enjoy your last moments together. Or, if it’s just you alone, Wash, enjoy thinking of my father finding your charred, dismembered body and how that will break him. Goodbye.” The hologram blinks off.
Alicia curls her hands into fists. “Man, I wish that thing had a physical manifestation, because I’d really like to deck it right now.” Nathaniel raises an eyebrow and looks down at her. Her cheeks go pink, but she shrugs and says, “Really, you don’t want to pop him one? Tell the truth, Nathaniel.”
He crosses his arms across his chest, but his face takes on a small smirk. “Maybe a little.”
“Thought so.” She looks at the consoles. “Let’s finish this.” He goes to try to hug her, but she won’t let him. “Don’t you dare try to say goodbye to me. We’re going to answer this last damned question, and we’re getting the hell out of here, period. Understood?” She puts her hands on her hips and levels a hard look at him.
He holds his hands up. “Understood.”
He motions to the console, and she steps up to it and taps the space bar. They both watch as the last question appears. “What was the date and journal name for my first ever science publication?”
“He had something in 2139, in one of the theoretical physics journals, didn’t he?” Alicia looks up at Nathaniel, but he’s frowning.
“He did, but that wasn’t first. His first was before Ayani died.”
She shakes her head. “The first hologram said questions about his education and about his life after Somalia.” But then something occurs to her. “Maybe he meant his education in general, not just post-Somalia?”
“Has to be, because his first publication was something promoted by his physics teacher at that high school for the gifted, back when he was twelve. Ayani had it framed. It was before we went to Somalia, just before we left southeast Asia.” He reaches down and starts typing, speaking as he does. “November 2136, American Journal of Physics.”
He hits enter and steps back, taking Alicia’s hand. The console blinks, and the word “mother” pops up. Nathaniel shakes his head. “If that was random, I’ll eat my damned gun.”
Alicia squeezes his hand, and then she goes and types in the last password. After hitting enter, she quickly moves back to Nathaniel’s side. With no fanfare, the two consoles flicker off and, with a light flash, the barrier drops. They look at each other. He’s the first to speak. “Grab your pack. We’re getting the hell out of here.”
She does as he said, grabs her pack and waits for him to get his. Just as they’re about to move beyond the barrier, the hologram camera powers back up. Lucas appears again, his face completely calm. “There’s no way you knew that, either one of you. You were off on one of your adventures, leaving us alone again. You gamed the system somehow, and I don’t like cheaters.”
They hear a click, and one of the consoles lights up again. Nathaniel grabs her and pushes her towards the cave entrance. “Go, Alicia!” He follows right behind her. As they get to the cave entrance at a flat out run, she hears an explosion, and they’re both thrown forward. Nathaniel lands on top of her, and she feels him using his arms to cover her as a secondary explosion goes off, debris raining down around them.
When it finally stops, Alicia is trapped under Nathaniel’s bulk, his heavy upper body pressing her down. “Nathaniel?” When he doesn’t respond, Alicia’s heart sinks. “Nathaniel!” She struggles to gently pull herself out from under him. As she does, she can hear voices approaching the cave.
They’re getting closer when she realizes that she doesn’t know if any radiation was released in the blast. As loud as she can, she yells, “Everyone stay back until I tell you to come in!”
A moment later, Carter calls back, “Just tell us when, Wash!”
Given that Nathaniel is clearly unconscious, she replies, “Carter, Nathaniel’s injured. Get a med kit for when I let you in!”
“Will do, back in a minute.” His voice comes back.
She finally gets herself free of Nathaniel’s weight. Sitting up, she sees her pack nearby. She drags it to her, knocking the rocks and dust from it before digging out a flashlight. She shines it on Nathaniel, and she’s relieved to see that he’s clearly breathing but then winces at the bump she sees forming on the back of his head. Moving the light down his body, she sees that he has a piece of metal, probably from one of the consoles, embedded in his right shoulder, above the shoulder blade.
He moves suddenly, letting out a groan. “Nathaniel?” She gets down on her knees, but before she talks to him, she checks the radiation sensor. It hasn’t changed at all, still showing safe. She twists and yells, “It’s all clear. Be careful, there’s a lot of debris.”
She turns back to him, and he’s trying to turn to his back. He gets to his left side before she can stop him. “Whoa, wait, Nathaniel.” He blinks at her, looking groggy, but he stops moving. “You have a piece of metal in your shoulder, probably a piece of one of the consoles. Carter and I need to look at it before you move, OK?”
He nods, closing his eyes. She brushes her fingers through his hair, ignoring the stinging scrapes she’s becoming aware of all over her arms. After a moment, he mutters, “For the record? No more trips OTG with Malcolm. Gracie will insist anyway, but I’m with her on this. The man’s just trouble.”
At that, after the two days she’s had, she just melts down. It’s not tears at first. Instead, she lets loose a small giggle and then another one, until she’s laughing uncontrollably. Then, just as Carter, Shannon and Reynolds come in, Alicia’s laughter turns, and her shoulders begin to heave. Nathaniel, opening his eyes again, realizes what’s happening. “Come here.”
She doesn’t argue, she curls up in front of him and scoots close to his chest. He carefully wraps his arms around her, and he lets her let go, something he knows she very rarely does. Carter doesn’t say anything, he just silently goes about looking at Nathaniel’s injured shoulder. After a few minutes Alicia is just sniffling lightly, and Carter says, “Taylor, I need you to sit up.”
He looks down at her, and she sheepishly nods, pulling away and helping him to sit up. As she moves behind him to help Carter, Malcolm joins them. “Are you both all right?” The man is clearly genuinely concerned.
She just nods, but Nathaniel replies, “We’ll both be fine, but you might want to worry about yourself.” Malcolm looks confused, and Alicia suddenly realizes where this is going, a small smile blooming on her face as she starts to stitch up Nathaniel’s shoulder. He holds still for her, continuing to talk to Malcolm. “Malcolm, you get to explain to Gracie what happened here. You do know, don’t you, that this is the last time you go OTG with either me or Alicia?”
The scientist sputters for a moment about how it’s not his fault before dropping his shoulders in defeat. “How much ice cream do you think it’ll take for me to get back on her good side?”
Alicia snorts, making him look from Nathaniel to her. “Malcolm, I’m pretty sure there isn’t that much ice cream in the entire colony.”