A Phoenix By Any Other Name (1/8)
Title: A Phoenix By Any Other Name
Character/Pairing: Wash/Taylor
Word Count: Total for all chapters ~21,000; this chapter ~1000
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Language, Mild Violence
Spoiler Alert: All Season 1 episodes
Summary: Waking up is, in itself, a surprise, but Wash is even more surprised by the help she gets with her efforts to get home.
Author’s Note: This is a short prologue; my current goal is to post a chapter every day, but I have a not-quite-six-week-old baby girl who might disapprove of that schedule, so that could potentially turn into every other or every third day. Story is mapped and approximately halfway complete already, though. Disclaimer wise, I just wrote this because I enjoy writing, no copyright infringement intended, and I certainly do not own Terra Nova.
The report of my death was an exaggeration. - Mark Twain
Vibration. Bumps. Noise. Voices. Those are the things she becomes aware of, in that order. The fifth thing she becomes aware of is pain in her head, what feels like a migraine of epic proportion. She can’t decide if she’s annoyed by the pain or happy to be feeling anything at all, since waking up is not something she ever really expected to do again.
Her eyes flutter open, and even the small amount of light where she is sends more pain lancing through her skull. She squeezes her eyes closed, almost overcome by a wave of nausea. After a few moments of deep breathing, she cautiously tries to open her eyes again, this time only risking opening them into slits. She can see enough to know that she has no idea where she is, but judging by the bumps and vibration, she knows that whatever the location is, it’s moving.
Her eyes start to slowly adjust to the light, so she opens them further, peering around the shadowy space. It appears to be a truck of some sort, loaded with supplies. As far as she can tell, there isn’t anyone in the truck with her, but she can’t see all the way to the back. She tries and fails to move her uncooperative arms to pull herself into a sitting position.
Looking down, she sees that her wrists are bound in front of her. Even minimal effort to try to loosen the bonds sends more pain through her head, so she gives up for now, once again closing her eyes against the pain. The truck goes over a large bump, making her bounce against the hard surface of the truck floor. Her head hits, and she can’t stop herself from crying out softly.
A moment later, she hears a woman’s voice. “Welcome back, Lieutenant.”
She knows the voice, and she thinks the identity of the owner is probably not a good sign for her. Without opening her eyes, she mutters, “Mira. Just my damned luck. What the hell is going on, and why the hell am I still breathing?”
Mira laughs mirthlessly. “You could sound a little happier about that, Lieutenant. To make a long story short, like the true mercenaries they are, the Phoenix Group soldiers knew you could potentially be worth more to them alive than dead, whether with Taylor or as a carrot to keep Lucas focused, so they’d adjusted Lucas’ gun to make sure they’d get their possible bargaining chip, and frankly, to help prevent Lucas from turning on them.”
“How long was I out, and where are we going?” As long as Mira is answering, Alicia figures she’ll keep asking questions.
“You’ve been out for about two days, which is why you’re starting to smell pretty rank, and we’re heading for the Badlands.”
Alicia blinks and looks up at Mira, who is standing over her. “The Badlands? Why? And why leave the colony?”
Mira shakes her head. “I’m not telling you that right now.”
The truck hits another bump, making Alicia close her eyes again. “Bet Lucas is pissed at the Phoenix guys about me failing to be dead.” That gets another chuckle from Mira, who Alicia feels settling near her on the floor of the truck.
“That’s an understatement, but they aren’t really concerned. It didn’t take long for them to figure out that he’s pretty much batshit crazy by now. They didn’t openly defy him, but they’re sneaky as hell. And no matter how smart he is, Lucas is so damned focused on his revenge that he isn’t exactly tuned into everything going on around him. Anyway, not long after shooting you, he was in the group headed for the portal, ran into Taylor at some point. He didn’t even find out that you’re alive until he got back.”
Alicia’s eyes fly back open. “He came face to face with Nathaniel? What happened?”
Mira gives her a pointed look. “‘Nathaniel’ is it?” At the insinuating tone, Alicia narrows her eyes at Mira, who snorts. “You know, it’s not like I give a damn, and I won’t act like it’s all that surprising. As for what happened, Lucas came back with multiple gunshot wounds, apparently courtesy of Skye. When last seen, Taylor was still alive, if bleeding.”
Relief that is almost palpable rushes through her, but she can’t help but feel a little suspicious. “Why are you telling me all this, Mira? Why the making nice?”
“Maybe I’ve decided I like you,” Mira offers.
“Bullshit. Not only do you not like me, I’m pretty sure you completely despise me and Taylor both. Try again.” Alicia’s head is still pounding, and her patience is basically non-existent.
Mira gives her a funny look which morphs into a wry smile. “Good call, Lieutenant. I can’t stand you. But I’m learning to like a few others even less, and you’ve got potential value to me and my people.” The truck suddenly stops, and Mira gets to her feet. She looks down at Alicia. “I’d pretend to still be out, Lieutenant, or they might put you out. As for who I like the most and the least, just pay attention, because things are about to get interesting.”
With that cryptic sentiment, Mira heads towards the back of the truck, yelling at someone to ask why they stopped. Alicia suddenly feels herself fading, and the medic in her takes over, mentally cataloging symptoms and injuries. She knows she should try to stay awake because she likely has a concussion, but it’s becoming clear that she isn’t going to have to pretend to be out.
As her eyes drift closed, she ponders Mira’s words, and then worry clouds her mind, worry for Nathaniel, as it occurs to her that he almost certainly doesn’t know she’s alive. Before losing consciousness again, she whispers, “I’ll be home soon, Nathaniel. I promise.”
On to Part Two
Character/Pairing: Wash/Taylor
Word Count: Total for all chapters ~21,000; this chapter ~1000
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Language, Mild Violence
Spoiler Alert: All Season 1 episodes
Summary: Waking up is, in itself, a surprise, but Wash is even more surprised by the help she gets with her efforts to get home.
Author’s Note: This is a short prologue; my current goal is to post a chapter every day, but I have a not-quite-six-week-old baby girl who might disapprove of that schedule, so that could potentially turn into every other or every third day. Story is mapped and approximately halfway complete already, though. Disclaimer wise, I just wrote this because I enjoy writing, no copyright infringement intended, and I certainly do not own Terra Nova.
The report of my death was an exaggeration. - Mark Twain
Vibration. Bumps. Noise. Voices. Those are the things she becomes aware of, in that order. The fifth thing she becomes aware of is pain in her head, what feels like a migraine of epic proportion. She can’t decide if she’s annoyed by the pain or happy to be feeling anything at all, since waking up is not something she ever really expected to do again.
Her eyes flutter open, and even the small amount of light where she is sends more pain lancing through her skull. She squeezes her eyes closed, almost overcome by a wave of nausea. After a few moments of deep breathing, she cautiously tries to open her eyes again, this time only risking opening them into slits. She can see enough to know that she has no idea where she is, but judging by the bumps and vibration, she knows that whatever the location is, it’s moving.
Her eyes start to slowly adjust to the light, so she opens them further, peering around the shadowy space. It appears to be a truck of some sort, loaded with supplies. As far as she can tell, there isn’t anyone in the truck with her, but she can’t see all the way to the back. She tries and fails to move her uncooperative arms to pull herself into a sitting position.
Looking down, she sees that her wrists are bound in front of her. Even minimal effort to try to loosen the bonds sends more pain through her head, so she gives up for now, once again closing her eyes against the pain. The truck goes over a large bump, making her bounce against the hard surface of the truck floor. Her head hits, and she can’t stop herself from crying out softly.
A moment later, she hears a woman’s voice. “Welcome back, Lieutenant.”
She knows the voice, and she thinks the identity of the owner is probably not a good sign for her. Without opening her eyes, she mutters, “Mira. Just my damned luck. What the hell is going on, and why the hell am I still breathing?”
Mira laughs mirthlessly. “You could sound a little happier about that, Lieutenant. To make a long story short, like the true mercenaries they are, the Phoenix Group soldiers knew you could potentially be worth more to them alive than dead, whether with Taylor or as a carrot to keep Lucas focused, so they’d adjusted Lucas’ gun to make sure they’d get their possible bargaining chip, and frankly, to help prevent Lucas from turning on them.”
“How long was I out, and where are we going?” As long as Mira is answering, Alicia figures she’ll keep asking questions.
“You’ve been out for about two days, which is why you’re starting to smell pretty rank, and we’re heading for the Badlands.”
Alicia blinks and looks up at Mira, who is standing over her. “The Badlands? Why? And why leave the colony?”
Mira shakes her head. “I’m not telling you that right now.”
The truck hits another bump, making Alicia close her eyes again. “Bet Lucas is pissed at the Phoenix guys about me failing to be dead.” That gets another chuckle from Mira, who Alicia feels settling near her on the floor of the truck.
“That’s an understatement, but they aren’t really concerned. It didn’t take long for them to figure out that he’s pretty much batshit crazy by now. They didn’t openly defy him, but they’re sneaky as hell. And no matter how smart he is, Lucas is so damned focused on his revenge that he isn’t exactly tuned into everything going on around him. Anyway, not long after shooting you, he was in the group headed for the portal, ran into Taylor at some point. He didn’t even find out that you’re alive until he got back.”
Alicia’s eyes fly back open. “He came face to face with Nathaniel? What happened?”
Mira gives her a pointed look. “‘Nathaniel’ is it?” At the insinuating tone, Alicia narrows her eyes at Mira, who snorts. “You know, it’s not like I give a damn, and I won’t act like it’s all that surprising. As for what happened, Lucas came back with multiple gunshot wounds, apparently courtesy of Skye. When last seen, Taylor was still alive, if bleeding.”
Relief that is almost palpable rushes through her, but she can’t help but feel a little suspicious. “Why are you telling me all this, Mira? Why the making nice?”
“Maybe I’ve decided I like you,” Mira offers.
“Bullshit. Not only do you not like me, I’m pretty sure you completely despise me and Taylor both. Try again.” Alicia’s head is still pounding, and her patience is basically non-existent.
Mira gives her a funny look which morphs into a wry smile. “Good call, Lieutenant. I can’t stand you. But I’m learning to like a few others even less, and you’ve got potential value to me and my people.” The truck suddenly stops, and Mira gets to her feet. She looks down at Alicia. “I’d pretend to still be out, Lieutenant, or they might put you out. As for who I like the most and the least, just pay attention, because things are about to get interesting.”
With that cryptic sentiment, Mira heads towards the back of the truck, yelling at someone to ask why they stopped. Alicia suddenly feels herself fading, and the medic in her takes over, mentally cataloging symptoms and injuries. She knows she should try to stay awake because she likely has a concussion, but it’s becoming clear that she isn’t going to have to pretend to be out.
As her eyes drift closed, she ponders Mira’s words, and then worry clouds her mind, worry for Nathaniel, as it occurs to her that he almost certainly doesn’t know she’s alive. Before losing consciousness again, she whispers, “I’ll be home soon, Nathaniel. I promise.”
On to Part Two