Out of Time

Reuniting

It's been about three months since the plane crash, in which we lost not only Jamie but the cure as well. Over these past few months I've watched Jackson slip in and out of sanity. He has been recording video logs, much like this father did before he died. He and I had been working with Chloe and a US government program to help find another cure, but it wasn't going well. Abe went to work for an escort company, provided safe travel to people in Washington and I'm not sure what Mitch is up to. After the crash, he went into hiding. Almost all hope seemed lost when a multinational team of crisis managers was brought in, after which Jackson and I believed we would quickly be shown the door.

It was late one night and I had spent my evening curled up on the couch with a book. Jackson walks in from the bedroom after changing out of his work clothes, "what are you doing?"

"Just reading," I comment, not looking up from the book, "it's the only thing that makes me feel normal anymore."

Jackson sits next to me and wraps an arm around my shoulders, as he does I shift so that I'm leaning against him. "I get it, it's hard to feel normal in this crazy world. But we will find another way to cure the animals." As the two of us cuddle up we hear a loud bang coming from the next apartment. Jackson jumps up and steps over to the door, "I'll be right back."

I nod and take a deep breath as Jackson leaves our apartment, closing the door behind him. When he does the phone goes off and I answer, "hello?"

On the other end, I hear Chloe's voice, "Kat, hi. Our team in Zambia they found the leopards again."

"That's great."

"We can start working on the cure tomorrow morning."

"That's amazing news, Chloe. I'll tell Jackson and we'll see you in the morning."

"I'll see you then."

As I hang up the phone Jackson pokes his head back into the apartment, "hey, I'm gonna run out and get a refill for Goldy's medication since he can't leave."

"Jackson, wait"

"What's up?" He steps into the apartment, wearing Goldy's bike gear.

"Chloe just called, they got the leopard and are being it back."

"Then we need to celebrate when I get back. I'll pick up a sixer when I'm out."

"We still need to find a way to spread the cure to the animals."

"We will, don't worry," Jackson walks over to me and kisses me softly.

I kiss him back and nod, "be safe."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too," Jackson head's out and I sit back down on the couch, Goldy was our next door neighbor who had been attacked by a pack of dogs and lost his legs. Since the elevator doesn't work, he can't get in and out so Jackson and I help him as much as we can. A little while after Jackson leaves the phone goes off again and it is Chloe, again, "hello."

"Kat, Reiden has proposed a plan called the Noah Objective, they want to eliminate all the animals and repopulate the planet."

"That's ridiculous. The animals kingdom would collapse even more than it already has and either way we would face mass extinction."

"I know, so we need to make sure they don't get the chance," with that Chloe and I hang up.

It doesn't take long for Jackson to get back to the apartment, maybe about an hour, but now that is all too long for me, with all the animals running around out there. He has changed out of Goldy's bike gear and had a six-pack in his hand, "hey, baby."