Emmy's life was about to change, but she didn't know if it was going to be for the better or for the worst. She never imagined that, after her six years of being trapped in a cell so small, she would have been able to breathe in the fresh air—real air. She never imagined being able to feel the warmth of the sun caressing her skin or hear the birds sing again. There was a lot that Emmy had long forgotten about as she was forced to spend the remainder of her life in a cell block, forced to listen to her own blood flowing through her body and the sputtering of the broken vent above her head. She had given up on what could have been and instead settled on what there was.
That was until she managed to break out and sneak onto one of the trains departing from the Golad prison blocks and towards Hope Plaza; a place that would soon lead her to a new life, a better life that she could have only dreamt of years ago. There was no denying the fear that coursed through her veins, pumping adrenaline throughout her tired and broken body as she slowly stalked towards what would be the beginning of a new and more hopeful life. The memories of the past six years flashed almost instantaneously behind her eyes as each step seemed to feel heavier and more slower than the last.
It was only the thought of seeing Tanya again that made her push through the awful visions and images of a life she was now leaving behind. She had held on for so long to finally see her sister again, and now, as she stood in front of a mass of people invited to the latest pilgrimage, she finally felt as though fate and her own destiny had finally aligned. For once in her life, Emmy had the opportunity to start again, to have a second chance with her sister in Terra Nova. A land set in the past, but giving a future to humankind. Soon, Emmy thought, soon she would see her sister. Soon she would be in the arms of the woman she fought for hard for every single day.
Soon she'd be home.
Nerves began to set in and her hands shook in anticipation. She knew she was spotted long before she stepped off from the train. It was only a matter of time before the guards caught up to her and sent her back into Golad under strict and high intensive watch. She couldn't go back there. She couldn't face the same walls over and over again as she rotted away into nothing. She couldn't just sit and listen to the coughing and choking of the other prisoners as they were forced to watch each other from the transparent wall in each of their cells. She couldn't eat the same slop again and again, day-in and day-out. She wouldn't go back there.
The only place Emmy could go now was to Tanya. That was the only destination she would accept. If any other destination was chosen, she'd fight to get back to her sister. She would fight with everything she had left. To her, she had nothing, but she had everything to lose. She breathed out, trying to steady her racing heartbeat when a hand slipped into hers, she turned her head and smiled at Michael. If anything she was glad that he was sticking by her side, joining her in Terra Nova, it made the experience a lot less nerve-racking than what her mind was beginning to make it out to be. He gave her hand a squeeze and offered her a smile.
"We're so close," he spoke with a light voice.
"Yet so far away. I don't know if this was a good idea."
"Emmy, we've been planning this for a very long time, you can do this. A little fear is expected. But I won't allow for you to go back there. Golad is not an option," he whispered the last part to her, making sure that no one around them heard and caught them out by the guards. "Tanya has been waiting for you, remember that."
"I know, that's why I'm trying to be strong." She nodded. "But I've heard of this happening once before, during the third pilgrimage. A man was meant to join his wife and unborn child, but one of the guards had recognised him—that could end up being me Michael, they know me almost off-by-heart by now with the amount of trouble I've caused them. I can't be the man who doesn't get to follow his wife and child." She shook her head, squeezing his hand for comfort.
"Don't worry about it Emmy," he told her calmly. "You haven't made trouble since the incident."
"Actually, I made trouble less than an hour ago."
Michael chuckled to himself. "That you did, Emmy, that you did." Michael glanced at her. "But all of that will be behind us."
"Technically it will be in front of us—" She paused when she saw the look on his face. "But I understand what you mean."
"Good. Now remember to just keep your head straight, you won't pull attention to yourself if you just keep looking straight ahead. It's always the ones who look suspicious that are picked out of line."
"It's not that easy when you've technically been arrested twice; one of those arrests being conducted in Golad itself."
"Doesn't count."
"Why not?"
"Because that was during your original arrest, you hadn't been pardoned or bailed, so technically it was just a warning for a misdemeanour."
"You know, I should probably be worried about your knowledge on this sort of thing, but, I just can't be bothered to ask how you know so much right now."
"You are bothered, you're just scared of being heard," his voice matched hers in the quieter hushed tone. Although they had already been quiet, he made sure to lower his voice to satisfy her worry of being heard. "We're going to be okay. I know I've promised you a lot recently, but I never break my promises. Do I?"
"No. You don't."
"Right, see? So, just breathe, and it will all be fine."
Emmy nodded her head while Michael kissed the side of her head. As they both neared the front of the line to enter the time fracture, Emmy couldn't help herself, she glanced at one of the guards at the side, he wasn't looking at her, instead, he was pursing his lips, staring off at the time fracture. She let out a shaky breath and looked at one of the guards up ahead on the other side of the platform. The other guard, who was around the same young age as the first guard, was talking diligently to an older guard with greying hair—almost silver or completely white on the top of his head.
Her eyes peeled away quickly as the younger guard flashed his eyes at Emmy. Her mind was coming up with too many scenarios to keep track of. She stepped closer to Michael—who was on her right—and squeezed his hand tighter, wanting the nightmare to be over. Michael furrowed his eyebrows as he looked down to Emmy, noticing the fear stricken look plastered over her face, and clearly evident in her eyes. He leaned his head down, closer to her head, and spoke in a hushed voice, knowing that she'd probably do something drastic if she was pushed over the edge;
"You okay—?"
"If anything happens, just keep walking. Don't wait for me," she spoke quickly.
"Emmy, what are you—?"
"I mean it Michael if at any point we get separated I want you to keep walking and go to Tanya. Tell her that I still love her and that I'm incredibly proud of the woman that she is. Tell her I'm sorry that I couldn't see her achievements for myself, but that I know—with all my aching heart—that she did everything that she could. That this wasn't her fault."
"Emmy, what the hell are you talking about? You're not backing out of this. Not now. They'll probably kill you."
"I know. I'm okay with that," she whispered with her eyes watering slightly. "I love you both, so much."
"Emmy—"
A guard made his way in front of them. "Excuse me, Sir, I need to talk to your daughter for a minute."
"She's not my daughter." Michael shook his head, refusing to part from her.
"Well, whatever this may be between you, I'm still going to need to talk to her, outside of the line."
"Why?"
"Sir."
"No. What—?"
"It's fine, Michael." Emmy nodded, squeezing his hand one last time before she let go and walked off to the side. "Remember what I said to you." Michael was pushed with the current of the crowd. She could hear him yell her name, but it was drowned out as he got closer to the time fracture.
"Miss—"
"Yeah?" Emmy interrupted, looking away from where she last saw Michael and to the guard.
"I believe you dropped this." He held up an old worn out picture of Tanya and herself. She drew her head back in confusion. "A man picked it up and asked if we could find out who it belonged to, if not, then to give it back to him before he went through the time fracture to find you himself."
"Oh," Emmy responded as she gently took it out of his hand.
"That's all." He nodded and offered her a smile. "Enjoy Terra Nova."
"Thank you." Emmy looked at him weirdly and she walked back into line. She began to walk when the guard called out again;
"Hey! Your wrist!" Emmy froze and looked down, her mark from Golad was clearly on show. She looked back at the guard with wide eyes. He got out his stun gun and called for other guards while Emmy took off.
Emmy pushed past other people in the queue for the time fracture. They all protested and yelled at her. She didn't look back to see if the guards were any closer to her. The blue light from the time fracture blinded her. This was it. Emmy knew that there was no going back, she couldn't slow down or else she'd be caught. She couldn't do anything but push herself harder. A few guards tried to jump in front and cut her off, but she dropped to the floor as she ran and slid between the two of them. Just as she pushed herself back up, and shoved past a woman, she entered the time fracture.
It was nothing like she had ever seen before, she couldn't explain or comprehend what she was feeling as wisps of different shades of blues and purples and whites blurred past her. Another blinding light came to view as she stumbled onto the hard, uneven ground. Her body fell to the ground, the wind was knocked out of her immediately. She began to wheeze and sputter up as she struggled to breathe in the clean air. Her lungs weren't ready for the clean air—no one's lungs were, but given that her lungs had been damaged in Golad, she was experiencing things a lot worse compared to the others.
A blinding light, from up above through the canopies, burned her eyes. She squinted until she was forced to squeeze them shut tightly. As she laid on her back, struggling to breathe, she clutched the photograph in her left hand tightly. Faintly, she could hear the yelling and screaming of the others who came through with her or just before. She turned her head—her face more than likely going red—and saw guards pointing their guns directly at her. But she didn't focus on them. All around them were luscious green leaves, dark brown trunks of tall winding trees that shot up into the sky. The soiled ground with roots and fallen leaves with springs of small flowers Emmy had only ever seen in books.
She rolled onto her side, laying her head on the ground as three figures pushed their way to the front. Emmy could see Michael standing there, a grin spread across his face as he breathed out a sigh of relief. He hunched over to place his hands on his legs and he let out a wheezed laugh, looking over at her nodding. Next to him, a man—whom she could only assume was Commander Nathaniel Taylor—with a solemn and guarded look resting on his wrinkled brows. His arms were on his hips, Emmy could see the gun strapped just underneath his left arm. But the one she really cared about knelt down beside her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Tanya held the side of Emmy's face as she knelt down just above her head. She laughed with a sob while she turned back to Commander Taylor. "This is her," she told him. Emmy's jaw tightened as Commander Taylor stepped closer, not really caring about how intimidating he looked. His eyes never left her own as he stopped just in front of her.
Commander Taylor held out his right hand to Emmy. She slowly, and hesitantly, grabbed hold of his hand, her sleeve lifting up to show her mark. Commander Taylor gave her a grin before he spoke, "Welcome to Terra Nova, kid, we've been waiting for you."