If I had any control over Terra Nova there would be little Mark/Maddy babies running around by the fourth episode

The mess hall at noon was full of soldiers eating, talking and relaxing between shifts. Most of the men and women were relatively clean except for one table of soldiers who looked like they had spent the morning rolling around in a mud pit, which was close to the truth. A tree had been struck by lightning during a storm the night before and after catching fire it fell across the parameter fence with enough force to leave a ten foot opening. A team had been sent to keep the fire from spreading and afterwards to guard the whole for the rest of the night. By the time their replacements arrived they were covered in mud and ash and near exhaustion but even so they headed directly to the mess hall, showers and sleep taking second place to a hot meal. Struggling to keep his eyes open Mark nearly stabbed his chin with his fork as he went to take a bite. He was about to call it a day and head for the barracks when pieces of a conversation from the table next to them drifted over.

"You have any plans for tonight Wayman?"

"I was going to ask the Shannon girl to the concert."

All thoughts of sleep left him as he stayed in his seat to listen. In the back of his mind he knew eavesdropping on fellow soldiers was wrong but twenty four hours without sleep did wonders to keep that voice silent.

"The cop's daughter? Since when do you like your women smart."

"Since I saw her in the market this morning. She's young but has one hell of a figure."

The two men shared a short laugh that made Mark see red. He took a deep breath and counted to ten, reminding himself that he was a soldier and would maintain control over his emotions regardless of his physical state or what was said around him.

"I hear she's a talker so you might want to invest in a pair of ear plugs."

"I figure if I keep her mouth busy she won't have time to ramble."

The hell with it, he might be a soldier but he was also a man. Twisting around Mark lunged at Wayman, knocking them both to the floor. Despite the surprise the other soldier recovered quickly pushing up against Mark with enough force to slip out from under him. Back on their feet they traded blows in the middle of the mess hall. An elbow to the gut and a left hook sent Wayman stumbling into a table and Mark was quick to push him further back until he was flat against the table top. The man struggled but was unable to break free and accepted defeat.

"What's your problem Reynolds!"

Even though his adrenaline was pumping and his body was nearly shaking Mark kept his voice steady as he spoke.

"Madelyn Shannon is taken."

Surprise and understanding flashed in Wayman's eyes.

"Sorry, didn't know. Won't happen again."

With a glare that was similar to Washington's Mark straightened up and made his way out of the hall. No one tried to stop him and quite of few people took a step back as he passed. Despite the healthy coating of mud, a split lip and obvious exhaustion Reynolds like he could take on half the mess hall and still come out on top.

Within an hour word had spread amongst the ranks that Maddy Shannon was off limits unless you wanted to risk pissing off Mark Reynolds.