6Well guys, I am pretty daggon excited about this story! I love Terra Nova to death and I was devastated when it got cancelled! One thing I need to clear up is yes, there will be interracial love in this. If it offends you, don't read! Simple as that! If it doesn't, well, enjoy the story! :)
UPDATE 5/24/2013: I forgot to mention that if you're having a hard time imagining what the characters look like, you can go to my file to refer to them! Thanks!
"At the dawn of the 21st century, the world is on the verge of environmental collapse. Mankind's hope for survival lies 85 million years in the past."
It was the time of the 8th Pilgrimage and Ariel Miller was devastated when she found out that her brother, Lonnie Miller, did not win the trip to Terra Nova in the lottery like they had hoped. She sighed in her breathing mask as she walked past families excited on their way to their destination. She arrived in the apartment building in which she lived with her brother and stepped inside the elevator.
Their mother passed away from an asthma attack that the horrible air quality with which the earth was doomed with did not help. Their father was offered a job by a man named Weaver and he accepted in order to be able to provide for his kids. He was not allowed to discuss what his job was but they did not pry because he provided food on the table. He himself did not know why he was given half of the tasks he was given, but he performed them in order to be able to provide for his family.
As soon as Lonnie turned eighteen, their father convinced him to move to Chicago and to take Ariel with him. It was merely months after the first pilgrimage was deemed a success and he wanted them to be nearby if they were to be selected to go to Terra Nova on future pilgrimages. He paid for their move and their first payment on their apartment. He offered to pay their rent every month but Lonnie insisted on getting a job because he did not want his dad to struggle to make ends meet. Their father accepted but insisted on paying for their chance to Terra Nova every year until they won. As much as he begged and pleaded, Weaver would not allow him to move claiming he was one of his most needed men. He promised them that if he was not around by the time they were selected to go on a pilgrimage, he would follow them one day. Ever since then, he would pay to have Lonnie's name in the lottery to win as much as possible to increase his chances of getting drawn. Ariel would automatically go with him since he became her legal guardian when she was ten.
Alas, five years have passed and Lonnie had no luck. Ariel walked along the dark and unpleasant corridors of her apartment building and removed her breathing mask as she entered the apartment of their good friends, the Shannons. Lonnie was already there chatting with Elisabeth Shannon and her son Josh Shannon when she arrived.
"Hi Ariel." Elisabeth smiled and greeted her.
"Hi." Ariel smiled back.
"Well hey, someone finally decides to show up." Lonnie smirked to his sister.
"Oh, bite me." Ariel retorted sarcastically causing him to chuckle and shake his head at her and causing Elisabeth to chuckle as she went into the other room.
The Shannons were good friends with them ever since they moved in next door to them. Ariel and Josh got along since they were the same age with Maddy being only one year younger than them. They were inseparable ever since and even though Jim and Elisabeth Shannon were older than Lonnie, they got along with him just like they would with anybody.
Jim entered the apartment removing his breathing mask and with that, Josh jumped down from the shelf he was sitting on and greeted him. "Hey buddy." he greeted back as he set down a brown paper bag. "What's in the bag?" Josh asked reaching for it until Jim stopped him. "Come on, what's in the bag?" Josh grinned as he pressed on about it.
Jim pulled out an orange which in that day and age was a rare find. "No way!" Josh was amazed. "Where'd you get it?" Ariel asked him equally perplexed.
"Get what?" Elisabeth asked as she reentered the kitchen holding their three-year-old daughter Zoe. Zoe was born illegally when Ariel and Josh were twelve. Ariel and Lonnie were trusted to keep the secret and helped in any way they could to cover it up. He arranged to let them have her at their father's house because it was in a secluded area. They spent quite a while there, but eventually were able to return home. However, Ariel had a feeling it was only a matter of time before they were caught if they too were not recruited on the next pilgrimage to Terra Nova.
"Dad scored an orange!" Josh informed her. "No!" she exclaimed just as shocked. "From where?"
"Man, I can't even remember the last time I've seen one of those." Lonnie spoke up. "Me neither." Jim smiled at him.
Elisabeth sat Zoe on the table and allowed her to touch it and Josh offered to peel it for her. Jim gave Elisabeth a kiss on the lips as she proceeded to ask about his day. "I missed you." he told her. "How's yours?" She then told him the usual about work being hectic.
"It's getting worse and worse out there." Lonnie commented. "Yeah, even a rebreather isn't enough anymore." Jim agreed.
Josh and Ariel were playing with Zoe when Maddy quickly rushed into the apartment. "They're coming!" she urgently informed them. "I was downstairs when I saw them and they're on their way now!" Lonnie removed the vent cover so that Elisabeth could hide Zoe inside. Everybody could tell she was scared but he and Jim had to replace the cover so that Jim could answer the door. It was population control and they informed him that they were being investigated.
"Um, no, there must be some mistake, I'm a cop too." Jim tried but to no avail. The man shoved past him into the house and ordered everyone to step outside. He asked Lonnie and Ariel what they were doing there. "We're neighbors and family friends." Ariel informed him. "We're just visiting."
"That's nice." he sarcastically said. "Step outside."
As they searched and knocked everything around, Zoe could not contain her fear and let out a small cry. Then the inevitable that Ariel feared happened. The next thing she knew Jim started towards them with Lonnie attempting to hold him back. Unfortunately, he broke free then assaulted the authority and an all-out brawl happened. Jim got tased, arrested, and ended up going to prison. Lonnie tried to see if he could adopt Zoe but kept being rejected and told he did not qualify due to the fact that he lived next door to the violators of the population law.
Two years have passed and Josh and Ariel were hanging out in the kitchen of her apartment. Josh had just arrived home from hanging out with his girlfriend, Kara, and decided to keep Ariel company when he found out that she was alone. Kara did not mind because she trusted Ariel, but more importantly she trusted Josh no matter what girl he was hanging out with. That was one thing Josh loved about her.
"Just do it already." said Ariel. "Do what?" Josh asked. She gave him a teasing look and let the words "propose" pass freely between her lips. "Very funny." Josh said. "I'm only seventeen."
"And this wasteland of a planet ain't getting any younger." she retorted. "I'll get married when you do." Josh countered her. "Ha, good one!" she said. "I don't even have a boyfriend."
"Why not?" Josh asked. "I just simply don't want one." she told him. "After dealing with Dale, I just don't want one."
Ariel was in an abusive relationship with Dale, an eighteen-year-old soldier, when she was sixteen. She only put up with it for six months before deciding to leave him. However, before she could leave him, he forced her into giving him the one thing that still resembled innocence within her. Lonnie found him and mercilessly beat and hospitalized him. He got off with a one thousand dollar fine considering the circumstances, but Dale feared him from then on. Ever since then, she never let anyone that was not already close get close to her again. This all happened one year after Jim Shannon got arrested for assaulting population control.
"You know, not every guy is going to hurt you like Dale, Ariel." Josh told her. "I'll be god damned if I let it happen again."
"Josh, it's not your fault." she said softly. "It took me six months to tell anyone."
"I know but you're like a little sister to me." Josh said. I'm supposed to watch out for you."
"I'm not little, Josh. I'm the same age as you." she gave an amusing retort. "Yeah, but I've got you beat by a few months." he smirked. "Plus, you're smaller than me, therefore, you're little." he ruffled her hair. "Whatever!" Ariel laughed. "I just really wanna get to Terra Nova to start over."
"I don't." Josh said. "Unless, of course, Kara was going too."
"Well let's hope that if your family goes, Kara's does too." she said. "Yeah, let's hope so." Josh said. Just then, Lonnie entered the apartment and ran up to Ariel swinging her off her feet in a hug and spinning her around. "Whoa, what's with the craziness, Lonnie?" she laughed at him as he set her down to her feet. "It finally happened!" he exclaimed. "All those years of waiting have finally paid off! We're going to Terra Nova!"
Tears rolled down Ariel's cheeks as she let out the scream she could not contain and she jumped into her brother's arms as he lifted her off the ground in another joyful hug. "Hi Mom, hi Maddy." Josh acknowledged Elisabeth who followed in behind Lonnie. Ariel did not notice them until Josh spoke up. Elisabeth had a joyful smile across her face as well.
"Mom, what's the good news that was so great that we had to wait until Josh was in our presence for you to share?" Maddy asked already having an idea judging by Lonnie's news to Ariel and the fact that they were in their apartment. "We have finally been recruited to Terra Nova!" she said. "That's great!" Ariel exclaimed. "We're already like family and we get to go together!"
"This is amazing!" Maddy shrieked. "When are we leaving?"
"In one month!" Lonnie said excitedly. She hugged Lonnie and he returned the hug in the same way he returned it to Ariel. "What about Kara?" Josh asked. "Is her family going too?" Elisabeth's face immediately fell. "I'm sorry Josh." she said. "But when I got to have a look at the list of who was going, her name was not on it." Josh immediately stood up and quickly found his way out of the apartment. The whole room was silent and Ariel immediately felt bad because she knew exactly how Josh felt. "I'll go find him." she offered. She was always good at getting through to him. "Thank you." Elisabeth said. "Maddy and I will head home. Good night, Lonnie."
"Good night." he said. "Don't worry. He'll come around."
"I sure hope so." And with that, Elisabeth and Maddy went home.
Ariel started towards the door.
"Ariel." Lonnie said causing her to turn to face him. "Don't stay out too late okay?"
"I won't." she said. "I know exactly where he's going." She immediately left the apartment and headed to the place she knew he was going. Kara's house.
Well, I hope y'all like my twist of the story! R&R! :)
