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The Terra Nova Witch	By : MarianTheBlackadder Category: S through Z > Terra Nova Views: 1215 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: All rights and characters of Terra Nova belong to the creators and writters of Terra Nova. I do not recieve any money for this writting, only enjoyment for me and readers.

Chapter List
- 1-The Terra Nova Witch
- 1
(For anyone that is not familar with the show, who would like faces to go with names, or are curious as to the settings of this story, please check out the Terra Nova Wiki: http://www.terranovawiki.org/wiki/Terra_Nova_Wiki )
Visitations
            “What are you doing here Taylor?” The young woman said, quite unhappy to see him standing at her door. “Even the Sixers have the good sense to stay away from me.”
            “You haven’t picked up supplies in a month. Some of us were wondering if something had happened to you.” Taylor said remaining on his guard.
            “Wondered? Or hoped.” She said turning and walking back inside to a chair and sat down. Carefully the Commander stepped into the hut and took another chair never taking his eyes off her.
            “Bridget,” He began, “Regardless of your unique circumstances, you are still a Terra Novan. You aren’t in exile, and you weren’t banished. Why you keep moving when we’ve . . . .”
            “I have to move further away from the colony.” She said stopping his speech which she had heard more than once.
            “Why?” He asked. “Was there someone bothering you?”
            “All of you.” She said seriously. “The dreams started again. Then the headaches. I had to move away just to get a decent night’s sleep. The supply drop off point is to close to the colony. I can’t get in to retrieve them and get back out before getting sick.”
            Taylor gave a nod, “You should have sent word. We can move the drop point further out so you can get what you need.” Bridget reached up and rubbed her eyes slightly. She was never too fond of company, especially when it was Taylor. “Maybe, it’s time the medics took another look at you. This ability you have seems to be getting stronger.”
            “No.” Bridget said in a definite and final tone. “I know your medical staff and the first thing they always want to do is take me back into Terra Nova. Maybe you’ve forgotten what happened the last time, but I haven’t.”
            “It was a mistake, Bridget. It was as much my fault as anybodies.” Taylor admitted. “We shouldn’t have tried to take you back like that. I’ve apologized . . . I don’t know how many times.” He sighed, “Bridget, you’re a 19 year old young woman, you shouldn’t be out here on your own like this. We can’t help you if you won’t let us . . . .”
            “You can’t help me Taylor. There is no help for me. Eleven pilgrimages have come through the portal, has this happened to anyone else?” She asked pointing at her head with both hands. “Anything even remotely like it? Man, woman or child? Anyone?” Taylor fell silent as she was still the only case. They scanned everyone when they came in and she was still the only one it had happened to. What’s worse was that even though they had volumes of theories, they didn’t know the actual reason why or how it happened. “19 or 68, I’ve still become Terra Nova’s own witch.”
            “No one’s saying . . .” Bridget just gave him a look arching a brow. Taylor sighed, “How do you know about that?”
            “How do I know everything Taylor.” She said with a frustrated sigh, “Why don’t you just let me disappear? One less problem for you to worry about.”
            “You came here having been given the same promises as every other person, colonist and solider that has come through the portal. You shouldn’t and will not be excluded or forgotten because of something that happened to you. Something completely out of your control. You have every right to the medical supplies, provisions, whatever you need as everyone else in Terra Nova.”
            “I am in no way an asset to the colony. Isn’t that your main concern? If an individual is useful to the Colony? I’m just a charity case, a drain on resources if your being honest.” Taylor folded his hands together and looked at her. She smirked, “Back to this old song and dance?”
            “If you could find a way to control your ability, to focus it, I could use your help in security. Interrogations would take minutes instead of days and they couldn’t lie to you.” Taylor said, “We’d know we’d be getting the truth.”
            “It isn’t that easy. There are over a thousand people in the colony. A thousand people’s thoughts, and fears, and emotions, and voices crowded into my head with no way to quiet them or shut them out. And you want me to deliberately dive into someone’s soul and take out the bits and pieces of information you want? You must be insane.” Bridget said. She leaned forward, “I know all your secrets, Taylor. You know I am nothing but a threat to you, and the myth you’ve built Terra Nova around.”
            Taylor looked at her in silence for a moment before speaking, “You aren’t a threat to me, Bridget. There is only one thing you’ve wanted since the first day you came here. It has nothing to do with money or power.”
            “And what is that?” She asked.
            “To feel normal again. To feel like you’re in control of your own life.” Taylor answered. Bridget looked away, as he couldn’t have been more right. “A woman by the name of Elizabeth Shannon came in on the 10^th pilgrimage with her family. She is the best medical doctor I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something. She has equally impressive skills as a scientist, that she’s proven time and again. If there is anyone that can help you, Bridget. I think she can.”
Situation Assessments
            “I don’t understand any of this.” Dr. Shannon said looking at the file on her monitor as Taylor stood next to her. “If she has a condition that is so serious she needs isolation, she should be here in the colony, in quarantine.”
            “She can’t be.” Taylor sighed as Bridget’s situation was never easy to explain to new comers. “Look, she has to be a certain distance away from large groups of people otherwise it makes her sick.”
            “Sick how? Does she have an immune system deficiency . . .” Dr. Shannon began to ask not understanding.
            “No, no. Nothing like that. She’s actually very healthy, strong for living out there on her own like she does. The problem is . . . .” He paused not certain how to describe what it was. “Haven’t you read her files?”
            “Of course I have, but they are incomplete. Not to mention there are parts of it that is complete nonsense.” She said.
            “Like what?” He asked. Dr. Shannon pulled up the section that she’d been writing off as someone’s hop dream.
            “Here, look. ‘Bridget Sullivan exhibits signs of physical empathy, telepathy, and in extreme cases, even telekinesis although it has not been witnessed or proven directly.’” She said pointing at the words. “It’s complete nonsense. None of those things exists.”
            “Maybe not in 2149, but they do here.” He nodded towards the files, “In her.”
            “That’s insane, I can’t believe you are falling for this Commander . . .” She said frustrated.
            “I am just a soldier, not scientist. I don’t make assumptions or educated guesses, I just go by what I have seen with my own eyes. This isn’t rumor or someone trying to pull a con, Dr. Something happened to her when she came through the portal, to her brain and when she came out this side she had these abilities.” Dr. Shannon still looked incredulous and of course very skeptical. “At first it was small things, she thought she heard voices. She had strange dreams of places and people she’d never seen before. It didn’t take long to realize that it wasn’t in her head, it was in other people’s heads around her.”
            “Commander . . . .” Elizabeth said not sure she wanted to entertain this for another minute.
            “No, just listen to me now Doc.” He said holding up his hand to stop her so he could finish. “What started out as an occasional occurrence started to happen more frequently, then every day, then every moment of every day. She couldn’t stop it, she couldn’t keep it out, so she removed herself from the colony. That was 4 years ago, just a kid. Every so often she moves further away from Terra Nova because this ability gets stronger. Like picking up radio waves or transmissions, only not with technology but in her head. Over a thousand people live in the Colony now, and she tells me it’s like being in a football stadium full of roaring fans constantly making noise.”
            “Why?” Elizabeth asked, “If she really has these abilities, why would they still be getting stronger? This says that she came through on the 3^rd pilgrimage with her parents who both were killed shortly after arriving. She was 14. Why would this still be evolving?”
            “Well, that’s why I want you to take a look at her, Doc. See what you can find out, if there’s anything you can pick up on that the other medics missed.” Taylor explained.
            “That’s simple enough, if she’s brought into the infirmary I can do a full biological work up, take some brain scans and see if there’s any . . .” She began but the Commander stopped her shaking his head.
            “That isn’t going to work, Dr. Shannon. She can’t be brought into Terra Nova. If she comes within 3 clicks of this place she gets sick again. She gets overwhelmed with the noise of so many people’s thoughts and feelings inside her head that she becomes physically ill, and then . . . . well, then things get a bit dodgy.”
            “How?” The Doctor asked still having a hard time believing any of this.
            Taylor pointed at the small section that the Doctor had read out, “in extreme cases, even telekinesis”. He said looking at her, “Couple years ago, some people . . . well we had the bright idea that we were going to bring her back to the colony weather she agreed to it or not. The closer we got to the colony, the more distraught and upset she would become. At one point, she fell unconscious and fell into seizures. We were near a power grid on the south side of the colony when it happened. As soon as she fell to the floor of the rover, four transformers spontaneously blew, I mean these things were absolutely fried, doc. Some other weird occurrences happened as well. Things only calmed down after our medic heavily sedated Bridget. I mean, gave her enough sedative to knock out a Carnatorious for a week.” Elizabeth sighed and looked away, “I know it all sounds insane to anyone new to this place, hell I saw it with my own eyes and I still have a hard time believing it. The long and the short of this fantastic story is, she’s getting worse and she needs help.”
            “How am I supposed to do any kind of in depth study if she can’t be brought back in to the colony? The equipment I need to do the proper tests and scans is in the infirmary.” Elizabeth said.
            “We have a fair amount of portable equipment that can be used in the field and we have outposts outside of the area that is her safe zone. She can be brought to one of those and you can use the medical facilities to test and maybe even treat her there.” Taylor said.
            “I thought you said she couldn’t be around people.” Elizabeth pointed out.
            “She can handle a small amount. 5 or 6 she can deal with. We have outposts that are staffed with only 3-4 people research teams.” Elizabeth still looked completely skeptical about the whole thing. “Doc, she’s just a kid. She has no family left, she’s on her own. Long term . . . . I want her to be able to live here in Terra Nova with her own kind. Safely behind these gates with us. You might be the one who can finally give her the help she needs to feel normal again.”
            The Doctor looked at the young woman’s picture on the screen next to her files and tapped her fingers on the desk. She closed her eyes and scoffed slightly, “Wait.” She said remembering something she’d heard from her daughters, “There is some urban legend going around the colony that the kids pass back and forth about a witch. Maddy came home talking about it after the other kids told her at school.”
            “Well,” Taylor said having heard the stories and rumors, “There she is, Doc. If you’re willing, I’d like to introduce you in person.” The doctor gave him a look still having the feeling that she was being put on somehow but there wouldn’t be any harm in looking.
Preparations
            “Is everything ready?” Malcolm said walking into the lab where Elizabeth had been working.
            “Yup. Commander Taylor has had most of the equipment I requested scrounged up and made sure that it is here and in working order. I have all of her information programmed into the computers and ready to analyze any and all data we record.” She looked at her watch. “And they are officially 32 minutes late.”
            Malcolm looked at Elizabeth, “You still don’t believe any of this, do you.”
            “You’re honestly going to tell me that you do?” She said pausing and looking at the chief science officer. “Malcolm, you’re a scientist. You know that these things don’t exist and they are just theories.”
            “Well, before coming here I would agree with you. However, I’ve met Bridget and I know for a fact that it’s no parlor trick. What Taylor and we might call an ‘ability’ she counts as a disease or a curse and she is desperate for a cure.” Malcolm said. “You’ll see for yourself, Elizabeth. Whether you want to or not, you’re going to believe like we do.”
            “There has to be a scientific explanation for such an ability.” Shannon countered.
            “I’m not arguing that. I’m anxious to see if we can pinpoint what it is that happened to her. You have a fresh look on things, and somehow Taylor has managed to talk her into coming in and letting us have a look. It’s an extraordinary opportunity. Although it’s going to be a challenge.” Malcolm admitted.
            “How so?” Doctor Shannon asked.
            “Well, we can’t touch her.” Malcolm stated. “No skin contact whatsoever.”
            “We wear gloves anyway, but why can’t she be touched?” She inquired as this already strange situation was getting stranger by the moment.
            “It causes instant transference. Where she might have learned some control to block out other people’s thoughts and feelings, if she touches someone or is touched with bare skin, it’s like she’s completely plugged into the person she’s touching. She won’t have any control over it and it overwhelms her. It doesn’t have any effect on the person that is touched that we’ve seen or know of, it just sort of shocks her system.” Malcolm explained.
            Elizabeth sighed, “The more I find out from you and Taylor the less I can believe this is real.”
            Suddenly a voice came in the com system, “Taylor and Miss Sullivan have just arrived. They’re on their way down to the lab.”
            Malcolm looked at Elizabeth, “Ready?” She took a breath and gave a nod not certain what she was about to see.
Rules
            “Bridget, this is Doctor Shannon.” Taylor said. Introducing them, Dr. Shannon gave a nod and a smile.
            “Hello.” She said trying to be friendly and as nonthreatening as possible.
            “And of course you know Malcolm Wallace.” Taylor said.
            “It’s nice to see you again, Bridget.” He said with a smile.
            Bridget looked a bit nervous and unsure of the situation and she looked at Taylor. “It’s just us?” She questioned.
            “Us, and two guards. But they are going to remain on the other side of the outpost unless we need them. Watch the perimeter to make sure everything is secure.” Taylor reassured her. “It’s just the four of us, like I promised.”
          She still looked uneasy but gave a nod. “You don’t believe anything they’ve said about me.” Bridget said looking at Dr. Shannon. “You think everything you’ve read and heard is a lie.”
            Elizabeth looked at her stunned, and then glanced at Taylor wondering if he had told her about her reservations. Taylor shook his head letting her know she hadn’t said a word. “It is all a bit fantastic, Miss Sullivan.”
            “Bridget. Call me Bridget.” She said never having liked to be called ‘Miss Sullivan’ it made her feel old. “Have they told you the rules?”
            “You . . . you don’t know?” It already popped out of her mouth and Dr. Shannon knew she was being rude, as it was another form of accusing her of lying. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean . . .”
            “I try not to.” Bridget answered. “I don’t actively look into people’s thoughts, Dr. Shannon. I try to ignore them. It’s worse than eavesdropping on private conversations, and I do what I can to avoid it.”
            “Oh, I see.” Elizabeth said still feeling a bit sheepish for her lapse in bedside manner. “I’ve been told to keep calm, and that it’s preferable that you not be touched with bare skin.” She said. “Was there anything else you needed?”
            “That covers it, I think.” Bridget said smiling slightly. “As long as it’s just the four of us.”
            Elizabeth gave a nod as it fell silent. “Well,” Malcolm finally said, “Let’s get started shall we?”
Tests
            “This is absolutely fascinating.” Elizabeth said as she and Malcolm starred at the screen wide eyed. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
            “It’s amazing.” Malcolm said.
            “What is?” Taylor said sitting on the counter top opposite them.
            “The activity in her brain is . . . extraordinary.” Malcolm said.
            “Here, look.” Elizabeth said calling Taylor closer. The Commander hopped off the counter and walked behind them looking at the screen. “These are her initial brain scans when she came through the portal. The first week or so she was here. A very healthy, very active brain already, fully functional.” She punched up the scans they’d just taken putting them alongside the old ones. “This, is her brain today.”
            The images were quite different. The one that they had taken today was lit up like a Christmas tree. All the colors in the spectrum of the scan were glowing. “What does this mean?” Taylor asked.
            “Human beings on average use only 10% of their brains at a time. Some parts of the human brain aren’t even active, it’s just . . . well it’s gray matter that takes up space. It’s just dead tissue, that evolution has deemed useless, or perhaps has yet to be made active, we don’t know.” Malcolm explained. “Bridget’s entire brain is active and at a far higher level of function then . . . well anyone’s ever has to my knowledge.”
            “Something happened to her in the rift when she came through the portal. She’s been mutated into something far different than any human has ever been.” Elizabeth said. “She’s . . . . extraordinary.”
            “How did it happen?” Taylor said, “What caused it? Could this happen to someone else?”
            “I’m still going through her files, seeing what was different about her crossing. There might have been something medically or physically . . . . I don’t know. I need to see her health records from before she came through the portal. Those are back in Terra Nova, I’ll need to compare the data we have now, with the ones collected when she got here, and the medical scans from before she came through.” Elizabeth said.
            “Okay.” Taylor said looking between the two scientists that were absolutely beaming with the discovery. “What are the chances you can come up with some way to help her?” He said trying not to be annoyed with how excited they were.
            “We may be able to synthesize a compound or develop a treatment that will at least help her to cope with being around others.” Elizabeth said. Reaching up she touched a small cluster of lights, “Here, this is the part of the brain believed to seat telepathic abilities. Usually it’s black, completely lifeless. Hers . . . is glowing. The same thing with this part of the brain, it’s empathy. It’s always more developed in women, but not to this extent. She really would be able to feel the emotions of people around her.” Elizabeth’s eyes were still bright, “It’s fascinating.”
            “I’m going to go check on her,” Taylor said not wanting to smack his two head researchers and he was seriously considering it. “Are there any more tests or scans you want to run on her today, or can she get some rack? She’s probably exhausted.”
            “Yeah, we need to go through the data we’ve collected today, so any other tests we need to run can wait until tomorrow.” Malcolm said. Taylor gave a nod as both dived right back into the test results they had. Rolling his eyes he turned and left the lab heading down to the barracks where Rae was resting.
Conversations
            “You look tired.” Taylor said walking in to Bridget’s room seeing that she hadn’t turned in yet. She looked up seeing him come in, black circles around her eyes.
            “I was doing alright until they started getting so excited. It’s exhausting with that much excitement pouring into my head from two sources.” She said covering her face with her hands and sighing.
            “I tried to stay back.” Taylor admitted taking a seat next to the wall away from where she sat on the bed trying to give her plenty of room. “I knew you didn’t need more stress.”
            Bridget looked up at him, “You’re not too bad to be around.” She admitted, “You stay pretty steady, even when things get . . . interesting. Usually stay in control and ordered.”
            Taylor half smiled, “I think that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
            She looked away a moment before sighing a little, “I know I haven’t been the most pleasant or cooperative person to come through Terra Nova. I can be pretty . . . standoffish.”
            “It’s understandable. To go through everything you have gone through, on your own, by yourself away from the colony. It’s bound to make even a saint cranky.” Taylor suggested. Bridget smiled and laughed a little bit.
            “I know you’re just trying to help me, when the rest of the colony has pretty much written me off to rumors and urban legends.” Bridget said knowing the stories that circulated about her. It wasn’t just the children, a good amount of the adults held the same beliefs however archaic. “But I wish I could make you understand what it’s like inside my head, Taylor. Why I avoid people.”
Treatment Options
            “You’re kidding.” Taylor said looking between the two scientists.
            “Commander Taylor, this is the honest truth. She needs physical contact. She’s forgotten what it’s like to connect with another human being, really connect. To be able to control her abilities she needs practice, and she needs to become accustomed to the way her body reacts if she’s ever going to learn to control it.” Elizabeth said. “It’s the first step to any sort of treatment; she has to be willing to allow herself to experience these things.”
            “You weren’t here before; you didn’t see what these things did to her. Now her abilities are stronger than they were before who knows what it will do to her.” Taylor argued.
            “I was, Taylor.” Malcolm said breaking in. “This is the only way she’ll ever find a way to be acclimated back into Terra Nova, around people again.”
            Taylor sighed shaking his head realizing that perhaps they were right. If Bridget was ever going to be able to be with her own kind again, instead of out in the wild on her own. “Does she have any other family, any friends in Terra Nova that she would be willing to let help her with this?”
            “No.” Taylor said, “And she doesn’t trust anyone. She’s definitely not going to let herself be exposed to someone’s thoughts and feelings on purpose.”
            “Bridget has to do this. She has to choose someone that she can trust enough to help her get used to being around humans again.” Elizabeth said. “It’s going to be hard, there’s no question but someone has got to be willing to help her with it.”
            Taylor looked between the two scientists thinking that this situation was somehow worse than before. They were the two brightest minds in the research and medical departments of Terra Nova, but even he who had the most contact with Bridget didn’t fully understand what she was going through. How could they?
Therapy
            “That’s what you came all the way out here with?” Bridget said giving Taylor a look, “That’s what all those tests and pokes and prods and scans turned up?” She shook her head in disbelief. “I thought you said they were smart, Taylor.”
            “They are, and they are still working on this diligently.” The Commander said. “You still count this as a disease rather than an ability right? This is just like any other illness, Bridget. You have to follow the steps to treat it if you are going to get better.”
            “This isn’t a step!” She exclaimed standing from where she’d been sitting, “This is a big freaking leap off a cliff!”
            “Bridget, no one is suggesting that you go march right back into the colony head first. Just start small, one person here in your home. Once you get more comfortable with that, and maybe even find a certain amount of control, then we can move on to the next step. Something a little bigger. As slow or as fast as you want. No one is going to rush you into something you aren’t comfortable with.” Taylor explained. He saw that she was still wearing the digital monitors they had fixed on her person before she’d left the outpost so they could record and monitor any changes in her vitals.
            Bridget just looked at him feeling frustrated. “Who?” She asked. “Whose going to volunteer to be the Terra Novan Witch’s guinea pig?”
            The Commander looked at her a moment before he took off his coat tossing it aside, and then pulling off his gloves. Reaching out, he offered his bare hand to her. At first she stepped back to avoid being touched and looked at him. Hardly expecting him of all people to volunteer. “You’ve been around me more than anyone else in Terra Nova since you left the colony. Like you said, you know everything about me. All my secrets so there isn’t anything to hide. No surprises, nothing new.”
            “Do you have any idea, what this will do to me?” Bridget said starring at his hand before looking into his eyes. “What it’s like?”
            “It’s the first step to regaining control of your life, Bridget.” He said seriously looking back into her eyes.
            She was quiet and took a breath before looking at his hand again which he still held out offering it to her. She stepped forward and slowly reached out towards it. Hesitating another moment she closed her eyes and placed her hand in his.
            Instantly it was like a shock to her system. A thousand memories, a hundred emotions from different instances and points in his life, millions of images flashing inside of her at once. Her knees buckled and she started to collapse but Taylor quickly reached out and caught her. His arms bare, both of her hands rested on his forearms so she didn’t break contact.
            “Bridget, listen to me. You have to breathe honey.” He coached as she cried out her entire body trembling. “Bridget, breathe!” He said a bit louder not wanting her to pass out or break contact. Her eyes were tight closed as it felt like every one of her senses were being assaulted by a barrage of attacks from every direction. Elizabeth and Malcolm warned Taylor about this, but it was hard to watch her suffer this much. “Bridget, open your eyes. Open your eyes and look at me.” He said trying to pull her back. Her body was soaked with sweat, and there was no color in her face but her hands still clung on his arms not willing to let go yet. Bridget sunk down to the floor and Taylor followed with her so she wouldn’t hit it hard and injure herself “Come on, you can do this.” Taylor said, “Open your eyes.”
            The struggle and pain she was feeling seemed to subside a little and she opened her eyes staring into his bright blue ones that she had come to know. Bridget started to breathe easier as she kept eye contact with him.
            “Deep breathes.” He said coaching her, “That’s a girl.” Taylor said reaching up with one hand and smoothing the hair back off her face resting his hand against her cheek. “It’s alright, you’re alright.”
            She was out of breath and was still struggling for air but kept her eyes on his, “The things you’ve seen,” She whispered gasping . “The things you’ve had to go through.” Tears filled her eyes as though she was experiencing every pain, every sorrow, every anguish he’d ever experienced in his life at once. And it hurt her, like a large knife in her heart twisting over and over, every part of her body aching with sorrow and heartbreak. “Oh, God how do you bare it?”
            “You’re focusing on all the bad things, Bridget.” He said still trying to walk her through this, even though he hadn’t anticipated it to be so harsh and rough on her. “Focus on the other things, focus on the good memories, the good emotions.”
            “What, like what, tell me what?” Bridget gasped still overwhelmed by the flood of it.
            Taylor thought quickly, “My wedding day. When Lucas was born. The day that Lucas came through the portal to Terra Nova.” He said, “Can you find those memories? Those emotions?”
            “Okay, okay.” She said swallowing the lump in her throat and closing her eyes for a moment. Looking for his wedding day when he married his wife Ayonie. “You were married in a small chapel . . . both of you were in your uniforms.” She said trying to focus everything on that memory.
            “Yes, that’s right.” He said encouraging her further.
            “She held three roses, with baby’s breath and fern for her bouquet.” She said still trying to breathe. Taylor could see her physically starting to calm down as she latched onto his wedding day. One of the happiest days of his life. “She’s so beautiful.” Taylor half smiled remembering as well. “She’s laughing.”
            The Commander nodded, “I was nervous, mispronounced her middle name.” He said. Bridget smiled a little, feeling the flutter in his heart he felt when he slipped the ring on Ayonie’s finger. She laughed at the overwhelming joy that seemed to fill his body when they pounced them Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Taylor. Her body finally seemed to relax as he still held fast to her not letting her fall.
            “I love you.” She whispered seeing Ayonie’s eyes full of love as she gazed at her groom.
            “Forever and over again.” Taylor said repeating the words that Ayonie had answered him with. Tears flowed from Bridget’s eyes at the memory but she was smiling. Such happy memories, such loving emotions.
            Suddenly, the smile and the joy that she’d been experiencing drained from her face and her body started to shake again. Taylor wasn’t sure what was happening. “Choose.” Taylor’s eyes went wide, “Choose one!” She shouted.
            “No, No Bridget. Listen to me.” He said reaching up with both hands holding her face. Bridget’s hands clung to his wrists almost as if she couldn’t let go if she wanted to. “Don’t think about that, move away from that.”
            “Choose one or lose them both!” She screamed.
            It didn’t take much to know what she was experiencing now, it was the worst day of his life. The day they had made him choose between the life of his son and the life of his beloved wife. “Bridget, go somewhere else, think about something else . . . go back to when Lucas was born. Think about the day my son was born!” He said raising his voice when she started to cry and double over in pain.
            Her eyes opened and her eyes had turned grey, there was no color left in her skin she was absolutely white. She was losing consciousness fast and would be out in seconds. “Don’t break contact.” Bridget breathed before her entire body went limp and she plunged into darkness. The Commander caught her before she fell, and kept his hand at the back of her neck cradling her head. He sighed feeling a bit tired himself not haven’t expected that.
Nightfall
            Bridget woke with a start, but found that she wasn’t alone. Taylor had gotten her to her bed and lay her down, but was still close holding her hand. Keeping contact with her just like she had asked before she blacked out.
            “It’s okay, Bridget.” He said, “I’m still here.” He said reaching up and smoothing his hand over her head.
            She took a slow deep breath looking up at him, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.” She whispered.
            “Good.” Taylor said finding this to be a good sign, “That’s good, honey. That’s real good.” Reaching over he picked up a cup he’d filled with water and held it to her lips. She raised her head and took a sip finding her mouth was dry as a desert. “You’re probably a little dehydrated after everything.”
            “What happens when you let go?” Bridget asked looking at his hand.
            “I don’t know.” Taylor said. “It’s been 9 hours since you passed out. Your mind probably became used to it when you were asleep.”
            “You’ve held onto me, for 9 hours?” She said in surprise looking up at him. Taylor nodded.
            “I told you I was going to help you, Bridget. I wasn’t going to abandon you that easily.” He answered giving her another drink of water.
            “Don’t you feel violated?” She asked, “My intruding on your memories, your private feelings.”
            Taylor paused a moment before giving her another drink of water wanting to get as much fluid in her as possible. “A little bit.” He said honestly. “I did volunteer for this, and you already knew a lot about me, but . . . you hadn’t experienced it like I did before.” Only now did the Commander realize just how deep this so-called ‘ability’ went. When she spoke of souls before, he didn’t know what she meant until he could actually feel her touch his. Not just his skin, but deep inside. Bridget looked at his hand again knowing that he couldn’t hold onto it forever. Taylor put the cup aside and looked at her bracing himself. “Are you ready?” He asked.
            Bridget thought for a moment before she clinched her jaw and looked at him giving a nod. There was a moment of hesitation and then they let go of each other’s hand. Bridget felt as though the ground had disappeared from under her feet, like she was falling down a deep black hole and there was nothing to grab onto or slow her down. She gasped for air never having felt so alone, so disconnected from the world and everything around her before. “Oh my God.” She said starting to breathe harder. “Oh my God!” She cried out.
            Taylor wasn’t sure what to do but quickly reached out grabbing a hold of her arms with his hands, “Bridget!” She crossed her arms over her chest clinging to him as though she was afraid she’d fall if she’d let go. She started to calm down again and Taylor sighed finding this was getting more complicated by the moment. It went much further, much deeper then Malcolm and Elizabeth had estimated.
Mistakes
            All of the readings from Taylor and Bridget’s session together had been transmitted back to Terra Nova and downloaded into Malcolm and Elizabeth’s computers. When Taylor returned to the colony he went to find them and found a pair of grim faces waiting for him.
            “We made it worse, didn’t we.” Taylor said having already had that feeling.
            “She has gone so long without any physical human contact, Commander.” Elizabeth said. “The prolonged contact she had with you . . . .” Elizabeth paused not sure how to explain it.
            “Bridget’s developed a connection with you, Commander Taylor.” Malcolm stated. “Things haven’t changed she needs contact with other people . . . but now you’ve become part of her situation.” Malcolm said, “Like closing a circuit. Bridget had no control when she connected with you. She went far deeper then should have been possible, than we could have anticipated.”
            “So what are you saying?” Taylor asked.
            “We had hoped that after the first person we would be able to introduce her to more people, but . . . it’s just not safe. Until she learns some amount of control, Bridget can’t be exposed to anyone else.” Elizabeth said. “You are the only one she can touch. That can touch her.”
            Taylor sighed, “Okay.” The commander thought for a moment, “You monitored all of it then, yeah?” The two nodded, “So what happened to her when she woke up, when I let go of her . . . that’s the downside to all of this.”
            “Yes.” Malcolm said. “You . . . became a part of her. When you let go, she felt it, and it frightened her.”
            The Commander shook his head, “You two said that this would help her. This was the first step towards a way for her to be able to come back to the colony. Now you are both standing there telling me, that not only is she still out there on her own, but now she’s going to suffer even more then she has before because of this?” Taylor looked at them, “Damnit, I brought you in on this because I thought you could help her! Not make things worse!!!”
            “We are doing what we can, Commander!” Elizabeth said. “This isn’t a quick fix! You wanted immediate answers and we rushed our diagnosis and we’ve paid a price. We have more information now, more readings, more results then we had before. This is a good thing we can sus out a more effective treatment, but I’m afraid you’re going to be more involved in this from now on then we originally thought.”
            Taylor was disgusted with both of them and scoffed slightly. “This? Unless an emergency situation comes up, SHE is your first priority. Both of you!”
Visitation Rights
            When Taylor went back out to find Bridget, he was dismayed to find that she had moved again. She hadn’t left word, she hadn’t left a note, and she hadn’t left a trace. She disappeared into the jungle again.
            It took him two days to track her down, and by then Bridget had already built her shelter inside a small cave in the hills. Animals didn’t seem to bother Bridget, almost as if they purposely gave her a wide birth. Perhaps they could sense that she wasn’t like other humans, who knew the reason. But it was something to be thankful for.
            When he went inside, he found that she was asleep in her bed. There was a shelf like formation in the rock of the wall, and she had filled it with leaves and covered it with her blankets. It seemed rather comfortable considering what little she had to make a bed with. Pausing a moment he walked over and sat down next to her. There were dark circles around her eyes, who knows how long she’d been without sleep when she moved like this.
            Suddenly she took a deep breath and her eyes opened and she looked up seeing Taylor. “Hey kid.” He said with a smile. “You’re a hard one to keep track of.”
            Bridget stretched a little and rubbed her eyes. “Leaky roof.” She said softly, “Was easier to just move then to try and make repairs.”
            Taylor looked around the cave and gave a nod, “Well this is much more defensible. More secure than your old place. Sort of a condo in comparison.”
            Bridget sighed a little looking up at him, “What are you doing here, Taylor?” She asked as she sat up pulling her legs underneath her. “Wasn’t the last time enough to convince you it isn’t worth it to keep tracking me down?”
            “We made a mistake, Bridget.” Taylor admitted after a moment. “We shouldn’t have rushed you like we did.”
            She looked into his eyes a moment, “Did I hurt you?” She asked softly.
            Taylor shook his head, “No. Maybe, stirred up a few memories here and there, but you didn’t hurt me. You’re the one who got it the worst.”
            “So why are you back?” Bridget said repeating her question from before, “You want to see how much worse we can make this, or you want me to invade your memories that I left alone last time?”
            The Commander gave her a look, “No, we’re going to continue.” The smirk left her face and a genuine look of fear crossed her face. When Bridget started to shake her head he held up his hand, “Now, we started this and it will help you in the long wrong, we have to keep going if you’re going to have any practice controlling this thing.”
            “Why are you doing this?” Bridget demanded all of a sudden. “You have over a thousand people in Terra Nova to worry about, and for some reason you keep concerning yourself with me. Are you insane? Is having someone who could make your job of interrogation a little bit easier THAT important to you??”
            “The rest of the colony is safe behind gates and guards and Sonics, and we all live together there in relative safety and comfort. You, who are also a Terra Novan, have been stuck out here by yourself for years. It’s time you were able to come home.” The Commander said sternly. “Whether you want to join my security team or not is up to you, but you can’t make that choice if you’re stuck out here all alone.”
            Bridget ran her hand over her face looking away for a moment before she looked at him again. “Alright, fine.” She said not certain if she was ready to go through all that over again.
            Taylor gave a nod and reached over to his pack taking out the canteen, opening it, and handing it to her. “You got really dehydrated last time.” Bridget looked at it then rolled her eyes and took it taking a deep drink. The Commander took off his jacket and his gun putting it aside, and then removed his gloves like he had last time. Bridget took another big drink before handing him back the canteen, and Taylor took a drink as well.
            “Ready?” He asked putting the canteen down facing her.
            Bridget sighed and she adjusted the way she was sitting crossing her legs beneath her and then gave a nod. Taylor held out his hands like before and she closed her eyes taking a few deep breaths and bracing herself. Reaching out she placed her hands in his but unlike before, there didn’t seem to be an electric zap, or jolt that hit her entire body. He could feel her tense up as her hands clinched his, but she seemed to be in much more control then last time. It wasn’t hurting her like before.
            “How are you doing?” He asked after several moments.
            “I can . . . I can block them. I can keep from looking inside . . . . it’s . . .” Bridget’s body shook slightly as it seemed one slipped through and she lost her control for a moment but then she regained her composure. It seemed to be taking a lot of effort, but she was managing it.
            This went on for another 20 minutes and then Taylor decided she needed a break, “Alright, alright that’s enough.” He said releasing her hands. All the strength seemed to flood from her body and she collapsed against him. Reaching over he moved her pillow back and helped her to lie down. He reached for the canteen and held it to her lips as she reached up taking it taking a deep drink. “Easy, easy.” He said not letting her gulp it down to fast. He put the canteen back down and started to move away but she caught him.
            “Don’t, don’t leave.” Bridget said softly.
            “I’m not, I was just going to go unload your supplies from the rover while you got some rest.” Taylor reassured her.
            “Don’t go yet.” She said looking at him, “Please stay here with me.”
            Taylor looked at her a moment before giving a nod. She moved over a little giving him room and turned to sit down beside her leaning against the rocks that acted as a headboard to the shelf. She rolled over and rested her head on his stomach, closing her eyes and holding onto him. The Commander wrapped his arm around her and smoothed her hair with his hand gently kissing her head and holding her tight.
Mornings
            Taylor woke up to the sound of thunder and opened his eyes finding that he’d fallen asleep when he was sitting with Bridget. However he found that he was alone and looked around not seeing Bridget anywhere. “Bridget?” He said getting up looking around. Her things where still there so she hadn’t run off too far. He reached for his gun and strapped the holster on as he made his way to the entrance of the cave to see where the young woman had gotten too.
            Going outside he walked down the hill to the stream he had come up through with the rover looking for her. It looked like it could rain any minute with how black the sky had become. He found Bridget sitting on a formation of rocks just below the stream which had swollen into a river as it was obvious it was raining upstream somewhere. She was washing in the water with her hair clipped up off her neck.
            Taylor felt like he was intruding a bit and started to turn away but then stopped. It was still out in the wild, and it was next to a place where animals would come to water, and there was always the threat of Sixer’s. He couldn’t just leave her out here alone and vulnerable. The Commander moved in closer and then crouched down by a tree behind a rock, keeping an eye on her.
            She washed thoroughly and then slipped deeper into the water to rinse off, before she came back up and stood. Taylor knew he should look away, but he couldn’t right away. Bridget walked over to where she had clean clothes and dried off before putting them on. Then she picked up her things and started back up the hill.
            Taylor quickly and quietly slipped from where he was sitting and moved back up to the rover that was sitting next to the cave, as he started to unload the supplies he’d brought out with him to give to her taking them inside. Bridget came in a few minutes later seeing how busy he looked and just smiled putting her things away in one of her bags before walking out to the rover to help him unload.
            “You don’t have to do that.” Bridget said carrying the last box in and setting it down behind him.
            “What? I’m just making sure that you have everything you need.” He said looking over the supplies they’d brought it.
            “No.” She said stepping closer to him, “You don’t’ have to pretend you weren’t down by the stream while I was taking a bath. I knew you were there.”
           The Commander felt a little sheepish and cleared his throat. “I was just making sure you were safe.”
            “Uh huh.” Bridget said walking passed him getting two large fruits that she had brought back with her. “Breakfast.” She said putting one down on the box nearest him so he could eat it when he was ready.
            “I’m an old man, Bridget. I wasn’t peeping.” Taylor said. Bridget just gave him a sly look knowing full well that he found her very attractive. “You’re looking better.” Taylor said wanting to change the topic as soon as possible. “You were sleeping pretty good last night.”
            “You too.” Bridget said sitting down and cracking open her piece of fruit on a rock taking a large bite. “I guess making you look for me for two days didn’t help very much.”
            Taylor picked up the fruit and walked over sitting down next to her as he cracked his open as well. “I must have been more tired than I thought. Don’t usually sleep like that. I should have felt when you got up and left.”
            “More tired then you thought it seems like.” Bridget said taking another bite of fruit. “Do you go back to Terra Nova today?”
            Taylor looked towards the cave entrance and could hear the rain pounding, the lightning and thunder crashing just outside. “Probably not the best day to be traveling through the wild. If things clear up by tonight, I should be heading back tomorrow morning.”
            “Okay.” She said with a nod. They ate in silence for a moment before she sighed putting down her fruit and picking up a bottle holding it up in front of him, “What are these?” She asked a little frustrated when she found them in the supplies.
            “Didn’t Dr. Shannon send instructions?” He asked.
            “Yes, but . . . I don’t think these are a good idea.” She said looking at the pills in the bottle. “They don’t know the side effects, and it’s not like I can get any help if I have an adverse reaction. I live by myself in seclusion, remember?”
            “You can call us on your com link, and to be honest I think you should move back towards the colony as close as you can stand. You’re getting beyond our perimeters all the way out here.” Taylor said.
            “I can’t. You know I can’t.” She said seriously.
            “Look, we’ll keep working on things you and me, and if these meds work then you should be able to move back closer to the colony.” Taylor explained. “You can’t keep running away, that’s why we started this whole endeavor.”
            “You can’t keep chasing me.” Bridget said, “You have a whole colony that depends on you. These day trips, or two or three day trips have to be interrupting more important things you should be doing.”
            “Sometimes.” Taylor admitted, “But you’re worth it. Every single Terra Novan is worth fighting for, Bridget.” The young woman sighed and stared at the bottle a moment not certain if she was willing for this ‘next step’. “Finish eating, then we’ll try again.”
In Depth Studies
            “Tell me about before you came to Terra Nova, Bridget.” Taylor said sitting opposite her at the fire drinking a cup of coffee. “You know pretty much everything about me, much better then anyone else does. I hardly know anything of you before you came through the portal. So tell me.”
            “There’s nothing to tell really.” Bridget said taking another sip of her own drink. “I was just a kid before coming here. Went to school with a breather, like pretty much every other student in the world we left. Wasn’t like there is anything I miss back there, anything I was afraid of leaving behind.”
            “Well, your parents won the lottery. But your dad was a psychologist, and your mother was a teacher.” He said trying to encourage her to remember her own past. “Must have had some impact on your life.”
            “Got extra tutoring. Something most families couldn’t afford for their students. And my father . . . well, he worked a lot. The circumstances in the future left a lot of people a bit out of their heads. A lot of depression, suicide was common place, he worked at a county facility, people who couldn’t afford help that really needed it.” Taylor took another drink of his coffee looking at her. “Sometimes things get jumbled. Every since I came through the portal, I lived in other people’s heads. Sometimes it’s hard to sort out what memories are mine, and what belongs to someone else. Especially when there are so many people with such intense experiences, extreme hardships, horrid memories and terrifying ones. They tend to squeeze out and overpower a hum drum life like mine.”
            “I don’t think that’s true.” Taylor said. “I think maybe if this had started when you were younger, it would be more common place for you instead of a daily struggle.”
            “Who’s to say it didn’t?” She asked looking at the commander.
            “How do you mean?”
            “Well, my mom always said I had a strong intuition about things sometimes. I always knew when my father needed a hug. Always seemed to know when the animals wanted to be fed, or played with, or something like that. Always knew when my mom . . . . .” She stopped as though she was remembering more then she wanted to. “Maybe there was something there, that my trip through the portal just pushed to the surface. Without being sent back, it would have never come out all the way like this. The portal isn’t exactly completely predictable, if it was then you wouldn’t have been here for 4 months before those behind you arrived.”
            “Bridget, why do you keep pushing your own memories aside like that?” He asked.
            “Because I’m not that person anymore. Whoever I was. So many things have happened since I was that kid wearing a breather that didn’t fit quite right.” She said looking away. “Taylor,” Bridget began looking at him, “I never believed in anything like this stuff I can do now. I never even believed all that religious nonsense about ‘souls’ and deeper ‘spirits’ in people. But . . . I do now. Because I’ve seen them. I’ve touched them. I feel them.” She sighed, “Like even right now, even though I’ve gotten so good at protecting myself and blocking out one or two people when I’m near them . . . I can feel yours.” Taylor watched her as she spoke, strangely knowing what she was speaking about. He wasn’t particularly a religious man himself, but he definitely could feel something inside of him when they were connected. “I can feel your heart. So full of scars, and old wounds. Some still fresh that have a long way to go to heal, if they do ever heal. There are things inside of you that you’re so ashamed of. Even afraid of. Afraid that they’ll come out, afraid people might see. Strangely not the homicidal streak you seem to have running through you.” Taylor half laughed when she said that. “About how you don’t feel as strong as you appear to everyone. When it seems like you have control of the situation, of the colony, of everything around you. When you’re actually hanging on by a thread.”
            Taylor’s smile faded as he listened to her. Of course it was his emotions, his thoughts, feelings, memories she was talking about. But somehow when she spoke of them it was like they were all being laid out before him in a book. He didn’t necessarily like what she saw. But, as it had been proven time and again, it wasn’t a parlor trick and he’d committed to being the one that helped her, he couldn’t get angry at her for knowing what she did when she couldn’t control her abilities. “I think I meant to talk about your life, but we seem to keep coming back to mine.”
            “Well you’re three times older than me and your life is far more interesting than mine is.” Bridget said. Taylor chuckled a bit when she said that. “What’s going to happen when they want me to touch someone else?” She asked. “Am I going to forget what it’s like to be connected with you? Am I going to have to start from square one and feel like I’m being electrocuted and being ripped apart from the inside all over again?”
            “I don’t think so. You’ve learned a lot, you’ve improved a lot since the first time. I think that you’ll have control over yourself now, it won’t hurt you like it did before.” Taylor admitted.
            Bridget gave a nod. “We’ll see.”
Weekly Visits
            “You haven’t taken the meds at all? Bridget!” Taylor exclaimed, “How can we find out if this is the right treatment for you if you aren’t willing to cooperate!”
            “I did take them, I tried but the side effects were to ridiculous. I got nausea, a serious migraine, and I couldn’t sleep on top of that. Not good things when you’re living alone and have to defend yourself.” Bridget said.
            Taylor quieted looking at the bottle of pills. “how many days?” He questioned.
            “Three. I stuck to it for three days, and then I stopped. I should have quit sooner but like you said, how else would we know if I didn’t try?” Bridget answered.
            “Well. Then obviously these aren’t going to work. I’ll take them back to the colony and the Doc can find something else that doesn’t make you sick.” Taylor put them in his pack before turning back to Bridget. “Other than that, how have you been getting along? Have you been practicing?”
            “As much as I can with limited resources to do so.” Bridget admitted. There was a quiet and uneasy moment before Rae spoke again. “We’re still keeping our association professional, right?”
            Taylor thought that was an odd turn out of the blue. “What? What do you mean?” He asked.
            Bridget hesitated for a moment before she explained herself. “You’ve been thinking about me a lot, Taylor. Not just about my situation, but . . . . about me in general.”
            Now the commander was a bit uncomfortable and cleared his throat. “Bridget, you’ve had this ability long enough to know that men are wired a certain way, and we can’t always help the way our thoughts tend to wonder when a beautiful woman . . . .”
            Before the Commander could explain his words were cut short when Bridget suddenly lunged forward and kissed him hungrily. It was surprising but Taylor didn’t stop her or protest. After a moment he wrapped his arm around her body pulling her hard against him returning her kiss even deeper.
            A few moments of intense passion passed between them before a moment of sanity broke the flood of kisses and affection. Both were breathing hard looking into each other’s eyes. “I’m sorry.” Bridget apologized starting to blush bright red as she looked away. “I don’t know why . . . . I am so sorry.” She said completely embarrassed as she pulled away and stepped back putting her hands behind her. She couldn’t believe she’d just done that, to the Commander of all people.
            Taylor still seemed a bit surprised and stunned at the sudden onrush of passion that came from the young lady. “Seems like I wasn’t the only one with me and you on my mind.” He pointed out. “Could be you’ve spent a few sleepless nights thinking about . . . things.”
            Bridget was still bright red as a look of shame crossed her face and she looked away still extremely embarrassed. Taylor was conflicted now. It was apparent that they found each other attractive on some level. Yet at the same time, they’d shared a lot. He’d shared a lot with her from his own mind and as she would say his ‘soul’ and it was hard to know if the physical attraction was hers, or his. If she was feeling what he wanted, or if she wanted it herself.
            “Bridget. . . .” He began not certain how to handle the situation. “I don’t want . . . . with your special circumstances, I don’t want to take advantage of you. I mean you’re a vulnerable young lady, and I’m the only one you’ve had any real contact with since your parents passed away . . . . It isn’t that I don’t find you attractive, you know that I do, you know how much I do . . . . and how much I would like to . . . ” He stopped at a loss for words not even knowing what he was trying to say.
            “How would you be taking advantage of me?” Bridget asked curiously. “I’m a big girl, I know what I’m doing.”
            “You think you know what you’re doing, but we’ve both seen that sometimes you absorb others emotions, others feelings and thoughts. How do you know what you’re feeling is really yours and not, you know some kind of ricochet off of me?” Taylor said not certain if that even made any sense.
            Bridget thought for a moment just studying his face before she stepped closer to him again. “We could test that theory.” She said.
            “How?” He questioned.
            Bridget looked into his eyes before she leaned forward and whispered into his ear. Taylor listened and arched a brow as he listened to her bold words. Then Bridget stepped back and looked up at him again. “Whose thought was that? Was that yours?” She questioned.
            “No,” Taylor said clearing his throat trying to focus back on the situation rather then what she’d just described in graphic detail to him. “No, I think it’s safe to say that has to be yours.” He half laughed looking at her realizing that perhaps she had been fantasizing on her own after all. Then he gave a nod, as she had said she was a big girl and could make her own choices. “Are you certain?” He asked, “I mean . . . you know what contact means, but . . . intimate contact might mean something entirely different.” Reaching up he cupped her face in his hand stroking her cheek gently with his thumb looking at how beautiful she was.
            The young woman looked down before giving a nod, but paused keeping her eyes lowered. “Commander Taylor,” Bridget said in a soft and sheepish voice. “I don’t know how . . . I mean, I never actually . . . .” There was a lot of stuttering going on between them at this point, but the awkward satiation was the culprit and they had gotten through much worse. “I’m not . . . .”
            Taylor smiled as he looked at her, “Don’t worry about that.” He said softly. Bridget looked up at him listening to the gentle tone of his voice and feeling his tender caress. Carefully he placed a kiss on her lips and she closed her eyes, returning his gentle affections. “I won’t hurt you Bridget.” His voice was gentle and soothing, “I promise.” It was good enough knowing that he was a man of his word and she kissed him again as Taylor wrapped his strong arms around her kissing her a bit more passionately and she anxiously kissed him back loving the feel of his body against hers.
Mornings
            Bridget woke up a little disoriented a moment and moved to sit up looking around. Then she remembered where she was, and then what had occurred the night before. It took a moment or two to realize she was lying alone. Turning she stood up wrapping the blanket around her and moving over to the fire seeing Taylor adding some logs of wood to build up the flame again. He was crouching down wearing his pants, but nothing else.
            “Is everything alright?” Bridget asked softly seeing that there was something on his mind, but as usual when they were alone she tried not to read into his thoughts and feelings. Even though she was feeling nervous right now about if things had changed between them.
            Taylor didn’t answer right away and a chill went down Bridget’s spine not knowing what to think or what to do. Taylor finished building up the fire again and then stood up walking over to her, wrapping his arms around her like he had the night before and kissing her. There was a sense of relief that came over Bridget as she was afraid that things had changed significantly between them after last night. “How you feeling this morning?” he asked genuinely concerned.
            “I’m okay.” She said with a small smile. “You?” She asked which was the real question she was concerned with.
            Once again he was quiet and looked down a moment rubbing her shoulders as a chill had come over the cave, which was what had woken him up to start on the fire. “Bridget, I felt it.” He said seriously looking into her eyes.
            “What?” She asked.
            “You know how you say when you see into a person, their thoughts, feelings, it’s like touching their soul?” He questioned. She gave a nod. “I felt it . . . . I felt you touch my soul. And I felt mine touch yours. After these last months and all the work we’ve done trying to help you adjust to your abilities . . . I never felt it before. Not like that, not that . . . deep and intense. I could hear your thoughts, feel your heart.”
            “Really?” Bridget said surprised and a little excited. “You really could see it? Feel it?”
            “Yeah.” He said with a nod looking sad. Bridget’s smile faded a little when she saw this.
            “Was it bad?” She said worried.
            “No.” Taylor said instantly, “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. I didn’t know it was possible.” The light returned to Bridget’s face and she smiled still excited that there was someone who knew what she felt like, what she experienced. “But I’m sorry, for what I’ve done to you.”
            “I don’t understand.”
            “I didn’t understand what Elizabeth and Malcolm meant when they said we had a connection. I didn’t know how deep it ran and how permanent it was. We didn’t know what we were doing when we began Bridget. You were forced into this. I was forced into your head and your heart.” Taylor said. “You always have talked about violating me, but I think the violation was yours.”
            Bridget shook her head and smiled, “No. You got a taste of what it is I feel every moment of every day, Taylor. That’s all. Like I did when I started out, you’re reading it all wrong. Your reading echoes of my consciousness as yours. Feeling like you forced your way into me, when it was me who forced my way into you. You’re feeling my guilt for my intrusion on other people. That’s all.” She explained. Taylor thought for a moment wondering if that was true, if his thoughts and feelings were getting mixed up with hers.
            “I’m starting to see why you ran away from Terra Nova.” Taylor admitted.
            A silent moment passed by and she looked down a moment, “Are you . . . are you sorry for . . . you know. Last night?” She asked.
            Taylor half smiled and reached up cupping her face in his hand brushing her cheek with his thumb. “No. If there was one thing that wasn’t a bit confusing last night, it was being with you.” He said kissing her tenderly on the lips before looking into her eyes. “And you? Do you regret anything? Me being the first and all.”
            Bridget smiled and blushed a little looking away, “Not single moment.” She looked up into his eyes again, “It was heaven.” Taylor smiled at her before kissing her once, then again embracing her tightly.
Medical Meetings
            Taylor was walking with Malcolm and Elizabeth into the lab debriefing them on his last session with Bridget. “So she did try to take them, but they made her sick so she stopped.” He explained handing back the small bottle of pills. “You’re going to have to come up with something else because those aren’t doing it.”
            “I was worried about that. Some of the chemicals might have been too harsh on her stomach, but I imagine living out there partly on what she finds or catches to eat might have had something to do with it disagreeing with her stomach. She’ll need supplements for vitamins and enzymes she might not be getting with anything else we try.” Malcolm said.
            “What about otherwise? Was she alright?” Elizabeth asked, “Did she have any questions or . . . . anything?”
            Taylor gave a nod, “She did have a couple of questions about there being some kind of technological buffer that could be used to keep others thoughts and feelings out of her head.” He said taking out a small data pad and handing it to them, “It makes more sense when Bridget explains it. Here she wrote a letter to you two asking about it.”
            Malcolm and Elizabeth took it and opened the files reading her ideas. “That’s actually something worth looking into, and it makes a certain amount of sense.” Malcolm said with a nod.
            “Yeah, and it might be a quicker fix then . . . . .” Elizabeth stopped cold starring at the pad as her eyebrows arched. Malcolm looked at her not sure why she stopped talking and she turned the pad towards him. “Really? What would she need that for?”
            “What?” Taylor asked seeing the way their faces changed after reading something she’d written.
            Elizabeth glanced at Taylor and cleared her throat, “Umm. Last night, we observed some strange readings from Bridget’s vital monitors.” She began, then she paused a moment not certain how to continue.
            “What kind of readings? Is she alright?” Taylor asked not being able to read their faces.
            “The readings were iritic, and we were going to call you about them. Then they happened again 3 more times through the night.” Elizabeth said beating about the bush a little bit not certain if she could get it out. “The readings were consistent with someone having a heart attack . . . . . or . . .”
            “She didn’t have a heart attack, I think I would have noticed if she had been having a . . . .” Taylor said cutting her off.
            “. . . intercourse.” She said closing her eyes a bit embarrassed. Taylor fell silent, his turn for his brows to arch as he cleared his throat and looked down. “Which would explain why she’s included a requisition for birth control.” Elizabeth said turning the small data pad towards him. Malcolm hadn’t caught on until Elizabeth said it but now it was quite clear and he was certifiably shocked.
           “You had sex with her!?!” He exclaimed, blurting it out rather brashly.
           Both Elizabeth and Taylor gave him a look as they had been more candid about it. “Commander,” Elizabeth began now that the atmosphere was decidedly uncomfortable in all directions. “What happens between you and Bridget is your business. But her health and on a certain level, her sanity is ours.”
           “I’d never hurt her.” Taylor said in a defensive tone.
           “That’s not what I mean. You are the only one she’s had physical contact with in years and that might have made her emotionally vulnerable after all the time you’ve spent with her. You see her at least once every week.” Elizabeth said.
            “All points that I made before anything happened, doc.” Taylor said. “There was a long discussion that led up to those . . . events.”
            “You do realize that you’ve probably made the connection between the two of you even more solidified then it was before.” Malcolm said looking at Taylor. “She’s not going to be able to break it or separate herself from you now, all hope for that is gone.”
            “You don’t know that, Malcolm.” Taylor answered.
            “Well, neither do you Taylor!” Malcolm said getting upset again. “This girl, this entire operation and case have been extremely sensitive and vulnerable. This is a little ham-handed even for you.”
            Taylor stood up from where he had been leaning taking a stance that said he was getting ready to punch out someone’s lights if he didn’t reign it in. Elizabeth quickly stood and stepped between them holding her hand up towards Taylor to try and calm down the situation. “All he is saying is, that you may have unintentionally made things more complicated. Not only for her but for you as well.”
            “Look, the girl isn’t stupid. Nor is she exactly a weak and wilting flower. She’s a grown woman who knows her own mind. And mine, and yours, and everyone else she meets.” Taylor countered.
            “What happened to ‘she’s just a kid’.” Malcolm said.
            Taylor gave him a look and Elizabeth put her finger up to her mouth to quiet Malcolm. “I didn’t know her as well then as I know her now.” He stated. Malcolm started to say something else but Elizabeth gave him a warning look that said she’d pop him herself if he opened his mouth again.
            It was quiet for a moment as it seemed that the two doctors had reservations about the situation, but it wasn’t really any of their business and there was nothing they could do about it. Bridget and Taylor were adults and they had the final say in their own lives. “She doesn’t need birth control.” She said finally relenting and going back to the situation at hand. “The medical scans we took . . . . she can’t have children.”
            The Commander looked horrified on Bridget’s behalf for a moment and then looked down. She was such a young woman, her whole life ahead of her. “How come you didn’t say anything about this before?”
            “It wasn’t relevant to anything we were trying to do before. I put it in her medical files but it simply did not come up in conversation.” Elizabeth explained.
            He sighed putting his hands on his hips thinking a moment. He didn’t ever remember Bridget saying anything about wanting kids, or how she felt on the matter. Nor when he could see into her mind for those briefest of moments, but how could he be certain? She was conscious enough about the subject to ask for birth control. “Give it to her anyway.”
            “What?” Malcolm said not understanding what the commander was talking about.
            “The meds, the birth control. Give it to her anyway.” He said. Both looked confused as to why they would do that, “You said that the situation is more complicated, so let’s not complicate it further by telling her she’s barren.”
            “How in the world are you going to keep it from her, Taylor? You know about it, and as soon as you see Bridget again she’ll know about it too.” Malcolm said.
            “Not necessarily. If I don’t think about it, it won’t draw her attention to it. There are plenty of other things going on in my mind, without her digging for something specific like that.” Taylor said.
            “How do you . . . .”
            “It doesn’t matter. I just do.” Taylor said not wanting to argue. “So give her the meds. At least until I can figure out how she feels on the subject before breaking it to her. This request of hers might just be her being responsible, or maybe it’s a sign she doesn’t want them all together. I don’t know. But until I do know, just . . . give the woman what she asked for.”
            The doctors looked at each other not certain how wise it was but what else could they do?
Interrogations
            “Hey.” Taylor said putting his hand on Bridget’s shoulder. “If you aren’t ready for this, you don’t have to do it. You don’t have to do anything that you don’t feel comfortable with.”
            “This is the next step, right?” Bridget answered. “So, let’s . . . let’s do it.”
            Taylor was still a little unsure about it, but it was too late to turn back now. “Bring him in.” He told the two guards who had brought the prisoner with them. They both disappeared a moment then brought in a man. He’d already been worked over pretty well if the bruises on his body, arms and face were any indication. “Two weeks and he hasn’t said one word relevant to anything I need to know. We got his name and that’s pretty much it. Eric Boeham.”
            Bridget sighed, “He’s Mira’s second in command. That’s why he hasn’t talked. His real name is Mark Cornell. He came on the fifth pilgrimage not the sixth. Scouting out what and who they needed to take over Terra Nova.” Bridget kept her eyes on the prisoner focusing her mind. “He’s ex special forces. It’s why interrogation hasn’t had any affect. He’s specially trained to withstand even the most intense questioning. Even now he’s reciting nursery rhymes in his head.”
            “Not going to help you at this point, son. Might as well sit back and relax.” Taylor said, “I’ll ask the questions and she’ll answer them.”
            “Taylor.” Bridget interrupted, “He took a sliver of metal off one of your soldiers in the Rover. He’s almost cut through the restraints.”
            Instantly the two guards fell on the prisoner taking away the bit of metal and replacing the restraints with cuffs. “The cord was probably much softer but it seems you can’t be trusted.” Taylor said, “Anything else we need to know before we get started?”
            “What are you?” The man asked starring at Bridget. She didn’t answer and simply turned her eyes away. “WHAT IS SHE!!” He yelled.
            Rather than draw this out, Taylor wanted to hurry things along knowing how uncomfortable this was making Bridget, just by the look on her face. “How many campsites does Mira move between? How many to the Sixer’s have in total?”
            Bridget closed her eyes to help her focus, “14. Three main sites. Two in the canopy, one underground. The smaller sites they use as cashes for supplies and weapons. Two they use to store goods from mining activities.” Bridget said as one of the guards was recording everything.
            Taylor half laughed looking at their prisoner. “I’ve learned more about you and the Sixer’s in the last 40 seconds then I have in the last 8 years.” The man, Marc, looked incredibly distraught not knowing how to stop this. “Now the next obvious question. Where are they?”
            The solider handed Bridget a Plex and she pulled up area maps and started to mark out where each one was, what they held, and how many people could be found at each one when the group moved. They were, understandably spread out and not all in one place. “Who is this, Taylor.” The man said still having a hard time catching his breath likely having more than one broken rib. “WHAT is she?”
            “She is very special. Sometimes unique things happen to individuals that come through the portal. So far, she has been the most gifted as a result. Instead of doing things the old fashioned way and interrogating you until there isn’t anything left but a pile of mush and volumes of data that are more than likely lies, she can tell me what I want to know and cut through all the red tape.” Taylor said feeling a sense of pride that Bridget had come so far to be able to do this. “How many Sixer’s are in Mira’s ranks now?”
            “62 adults, 17 children, at least 2 on the way.” Bridget answered into the recorder that the guard kept close to her to gather up the information she extracted.
            “At least two?” Taylor said looking at Bridget thinking that an odd answer.
            Bridget looked back at the commander, “I can only tell you what he knows, and camp numbers aren’t his specialty. If he doesn’t know if there are more pregnancies in the Sixer camp then . . . .”
            “Alright, I get it.” Taylor said knowing there were limitations to what she could tell them but forgetting that for a moment. “How about weapons, how are they fixed for weapons?” This time, Bridget didn’t answer right away. Taylor turned towards her and could see that she was growing pale, her body shivering a little bit. “Bridget?” he said walking closer to her seeing that perhaps this was starting to get to her.
            “He thinks you’re wrong.” She said reaching up and resting her hand to her head, “In your treatment of prisoners, he thinks . . . you’re incredibly wrong.”
            Taylor looked between her and the prisoner, “Of course he does, he’s an enemy and doesn’t want to tell me what I want to know . . . .” Taylor began but Bridget pointed to one of the soldiers.
            “It’s what he believes, and he’s considered helping Marc escape.” Bridget corrected. Taylor looked at Harkin.
            The solider shook his head, “No . . . no that isn’t true. I mean . . . maybe the thought crossed my mind . . . for a second, but I wasn’t honestly thinking about it. I would never ever act on it. Not ever sir. I’m loyal to you and Terra Nova.” The guard spoke quickly almost tripping over his own tongue trying to explain himself.
            “I’ll deal with you, later, right now keep an eye on the prisoner and get him out of here.” He ordered the two soldiers. Instantly the guards picked up the man from the floor and headed back out of the cave. Bridget exhaled feeling a little week, but Taylor caught her wrapping his arms around her. “Alright, honey. It’s okay. You did great!” He praised her. “You did real good.” Taylor rubbed her shoulder and kissed her head holding her tight.
            Bridget caught her breath, “Malcolm and Elizabeth don’t know you’re out here. Do they.”
            “It’s a matter of colony security. They didn’t need to know.” Taylor admitted.
            “Is that really it? Or is it your tired of them telling you what we should and shouldn’t do?” Bridget said giving him a look. Taylor half smiled and kissed her head hugging her close. “I’ll stay here tonight. They’ll take Mr. Marc back to Terra Nova.”
            “Are you certain that’s a good idea?” She asked looking up at him, “Can they handle him? With one already fixing to rabbit with your prisoner?”
            “I’ll take care of that right now.” He said stepping back and taking her hands kissing the back of them. “You get some rest, it seems like that took a lot out of ya.” Bridget gave a nod and walked to her bed laying down when Taylor left the cave.
To Be Continued??
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The Terra Nova Witch