Title: Live or Let Die

Summary: "A trade, of sorts. We'll give his son back if you give us ammo to last us a few more months." When the Sixers kidnap Josh, the Shannons and Commander Taylor must find a way to get him back without risking the lives of others.

Author's Note: Yes, in my messed up mind, the Sixers eventually kidnap Josh. Just because it seems like Skye is partially working with them and since the Sixers seem dead set on destroying Jim in some way, why not take one of his own outside the comforts of Terra Nova?

No, there's not actually gonna be romance in this story. I think this is a story that works better if it's family oriented. Sorry to burst your bubble, people.

.-.

"Dad!" the name rolls off his tongue as he grips the gun in his hand, sweating as he runs through the forest, looking around him nervously. His blue eyes dart to the right, and then to the left before he bolts toward another tree, taking cover. He feels the earth shake beneath him as he shuts his eyes tightly, hearing the rustling of the trees. He hears Mira bark orders at him as she runs past. The sound of gunfire echo in his ears as he forces his eyes open, barely taking in the beauty of the forest before a shadow begins to loom over him.

He doesn't hesitate into running with Mira, glancing behind him only once to shoot at the dinosaur chasing them. He almost trips on his own feet, but Mira grabs him quickly to steady him before bolting with him in tow. He doesn't have time to make any mistakes right now; he's fresh and new at this and it's freaking terrifying, but if he stops and thinks about the mess he's in, then he's dead. He feels his lungs try to expand as he gulps in as much air as possible. It's hard to when he's still running, but he can't stop. Stopping will definitely lead to his death and he's only seventeen. He feels the gun almost slip out of his hand but he steadies himself, pausing only for a brief moment to shoot at the creature behind him and then dodging to the right, toward the cave where the rest of the remaining Sixers are. He ducks into the cave, hearing the hard laboured breathing of the others as he forces himself to stop and take a deep breath himself. Mira stops beside him, gripping her gun tightly as her eyes narrow.

"Damn Taylor," she mutters under her breath before turning to him. He glances at her for a moment before looking away, feeling pissed at the situation he's in. She ignores his look as she sets a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes are steeled and hold determination and anger.

"You can thank Commander Taylor for not giving into all of our demands if we make it back to his camp," she tells him sarcastically but her tone is anything but. She takes a sharp breath before turning to the twenty Sixers in the cave. She crosses her arms as she positions herself in front of them, squaring her shoulders as she looks over all of them. He looks at a couple of the older folk, who look just as exhausted as he does.

"Mira, what's going to happen to us? We can't stay in this cave forever and it's gotta be at least a six hour walk back to Terra Nova-" an older gentleman asks before Mira cuts him off.

"-Well, obviously I hadn't been anticipation mechanical failure, now did I?" she glances at the rest of the paranoid people before walking briskly toward the entrance, glancing out. It's a small cave that bigger dinosaurs can't access, so it's as safe as they can get for now.

"We will stay here for the night and discuss strategy. If we feel it's safe, we'll head out in the morning to try to establish any contact with Terra Nova. If we can't, then we will continue to the enemy's base and, judging on how many actually make it, we will demand for ammo, a truck and other necessities that we will need to get back to our base. Now-" she points outside quickly, "food is going to be hard to find, especially since it's starting to get dark. We'll split into groups. One group with get firewood and the other will work on finding food. We'll come back here in forty five minutes and not any later. Then we shall discuss plans for tomorrow. Any questions?"

When nobody speaks up, Mira nods as she points at a certain group of men. "You seven will go get firewood. The rest of us will go get food. Remember, do not stray far and stick to the general area. Watch out for dinosaurs and if you feel like it is not safe, return here immediately. We will not be sending out search parties when it's dark. Do you understand? Ok, let's get going," she says as the group all moves. He walks up to their leader, shaking and unsure. She glances at Josh before he speaks.

"Do you think we'll actually make it to Terra Nova in one piece? We're going by foot and-" he asks before Mira curtly cuts in.

"-Of course we all won't make it in one piece. I'm sure there will be a few lost out there. However, I do promise to try to get you back to Terra Nova alive. I-I did tell Commander Taylor that I would return you safely and successfully and that is what I plan to do," Mira admits. Her tone is still harsh and commanding but her eyes seem to tone down a bit. He nods as he turns to the entrance. However, a hand grabs his arm, pulling him back.

"But this doesn't mean, Shannon, that you go all soft and scared on me. Being out here means that you're going to have to do things that you've never wanted to do. Sometimes, unethical things. But that's how you survive out here. You have to be tough and brave in order to survive. One hesitation, one mistake and you're as good as dead. It's not all rainbows and sunshine like it is back there. Commander Taylor tries to promote and safe and wonderful lifestyle but it isn't. You best be remembering that piece of advice next time you come across a dinosaur," Mira tells him. Josh nods as he looks down at the gun still in his hands. It's running out of ammo and they all know that they have very limited ammo left.

"I got it," he says, nodding as Mira purses her lips. She looks at him once more before turning to the entrance, walking toward it. Josh takes a deep breath before following her.

Ok, so that's the prologue of sorts. I actually really enjoyed writing that. The next chapter will basically just catch you up to what happened before all of this that got Josh kidnapped and now out in the forest, with no truck and very little ammo, trying to get back to Terra Nova.