All For You
Title: All For You
Fandom: Primeval
Characters: Connor, Abby, Matt, Becker, Lester, Jess plus special guests
Words: 5,007
Rating,Warnings: 15. Not Denial compliant.
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Primeval.
Spoilers: This starts in the last few minutes of Season 4, episode 7, but then breaks from canon. Also spoils all that has come before it.
Beta: Huge thanks to whuffle for inspiration and being a wonderfully ruthless beta. Thanks to emyrldlady for handholding and panic soothing and my long suffering flatmate for last minute typo checking.
AN: Written for primevalathon . Recipient: Keenir; prompt: The good news is, Helen and Stephen and Ryan and all the other dead ARC employees have been returned, alive and healthy to the ARC. The bad news is, what did it, and why.’ (sorry, this is not exactly adhere exactly to this, but I hope it is okay.)
Connor stared at the projections on the wall of his lab, and waited for it to happen. His mind ticked over as he stared; processing, jumbling, looking for patterns and links. In his head all the markings and equations moved around the wall. He watched in his mind’s eye as they re-ordered themselves, piecing themselves together, slotting into place and completing the puzzle.
Realisation started to dawn and his eyes flicked between the wall and his notepad. Connor traced lines on the wall between the equations before running to his laptop. His eyes opened wide. He could see it all so clearly now. He could see what had happened and what would happen. It was catastrophic. This could mean the end of everything. He had to tell Phillip; had to find Phillip right now and tell hi... no…wait.
Connor stared at the screen some more. He swallowed heavily and forced his breathing to slow down. It didn't have to be catastrophic, it could be the opposite. This could...this could solve everything.
Working on a hunch he made some more calculations on his notepad and a grin spread across his face. He looked around him quickly, before tearing the page out and jamming it into his pocket. It was an unnecessary precaution as Phillip was the only person who would even stand a chance of interpreting what he had found, but it wasn't worth taking the risk.
Connor unclipped his black box and pulled his ear bud out, putting them both into his desk drawer. He stuffed his laptop into his bag, selected some equipment from his desk and added a small EMD. He grabbed the bag and headed quietly out of the lab.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sirens wailed and Jess called out.
"We’ve got another anomaly. Sending co-ordinates through as soon as I've got them."
"Another one?" Lester asked coming out of his office, "How many does that make today?"
"We lost count at the prison. There were too many popping up. Lots though."
"That’s a very scientific assessment; what would I do without you? Is the team on the way?"
"Will be as soon as the system locks on. It’s zeroing in now. Okay, it's close. It’s...oh my god."
"What?" Lester was suddenly at Jess' shoulder.
"The anomaly; it's here, it's in the building. It’s in the ARC, but I can’t get a precise location. It’s as though the system is interfering with the signals."
"Right. Get..." Lester didn't get to the end of his sentence before Jess had put all the comms onto the open channel.
"Attention; anomaly located within the building; exact location unknown. We are initiating primary lock down procedures. All non-essential personnel are to report to their secured positions. Response teams report to the armoury for weapons before patrolling in designated teams. Comms are on open channel; please keep to essential communications only. Report any and all anomaly or creature sightings immediately.”
Lester huffed stiffly by her side. "Do you just want to do my job?"
"Don't I already?" Jess dead-panned back.
Becker and Matt both entered the control centre at a dead run.
"Is everyone okay?" Becker asked.
"Yes we're fine. The anomaly isn’t in here."
As Jess answered Abby ran into the area. "Any word on where it is yet?" she looked around, "and where's Connor?”
The others shrugged and Matt spoke into his comm; "Connor? Connor where are you?"
Silence.
"Report in Connor." ordered Becker.
"His black box has him in his lab," Jess supplied with her usual efficiency.
"Right, come on then."
Matt lifted his weapon and headed out of the room, Becker and Abby both close behind him.
"Anomaly suspected in lab fourteen. Team Two respond to lab fourteen. Other units continue your search patterns." Becker ordered over the comms as they raced to Connor’s lab.
The door was shut as they approached. Matt nodded at Becker and raised his weapon to cover the door. Becker braced his own, then pushed the door open. Matt moved forward, followed by Abby, and Becker brought up the rear.
Letting their weapons lead the way it took only a moment to realise that the anomaly wasn't in the lab. But neither was Connor. Becker told Team Two to stand down and continue their search of the ARC.
"Where is he?" Abby asked.
"Jess, are you sure that Connor’s black box shows him being in the lab? We’re here and there’s no sign of him." Matt asked.
"According to the signal, Connor should still be in that lab," came the reply.
"Does everything in here look as it should?" Matt questioned Abby.
Abby shook her head. "I don’t really know. I only came here once before Burton kicked me out. Connor’s laptop is missing and his desk doesn't look as cluttered as normal."
Becker had been looking around the room while they were talking and was now opening the drawers in Connor’s desk.
"Guys, I've found his black box and his comm." He held up the two devices for them to see.
Abby continued to peruse the room seeking an explanation. Becker and Matt exchanged a glance and Matt silently held up Connor’s notebook. They could both see a page had been ripped out in haste.
"Where are you Connor?” Abby asked an unresponding room.
Before they could investigate any further a call came over the comms. “This is Team Five. We've found the anomaly sir.”
“Report. Where are you?” Becker barked.
“Sub-basement three. There’s so sign of an incursion. But there is something strange, Captain; the anomaly is already locked.”
Locked? Abby and Matt looked at each other grimly before bolting for the nearby stairs followed by Becker.
“Connor must have heard the alarm, found the anomaly before us, but forgotten to take his comms. At least he's got it locked already,” panted Abby as they ran.
“Negative ma'am,” came the voice of one of the SF officers over the comms. “No sign of Temple here.”
“Perhaps he’s gone to get help,” Abby theorised.
Matt wondered who Abby was trying to convince; herself or everyone else.
They reached the anomaly being guarded by the Special Forces team. It hung in the air, sparkling in the dim fluorescent light of the basement.
Looking around the room, Matt clicked off the microphone for his comm and spoke quietly to Abby and Becker; finally voicing what they were all thinking.
“There’s no locking device here which means someone must have locked it from the other side. We need to see if we can unlock it.” Turning his mic back on he said; “we need an anomaly locking device down in sub-basement three immediately.”
Before Matt could provide further information Jess' voice came through again.
“A second anomaly’s opened. Also inside the building.”
“Another one?” said Abby, “not again.”
Becker motioned two of the SF men in the room. “You two with me; Abby, Matt, stay here and monitor this one, we'll help the search teams looking for the new anomaly. All teams: complete and then repeat your search patterns. Keep prepared for possible creature incursion.”
Becker and the two soldiers ran from the room.
“We'll search the other rooms down here first.” They went from room to room, covering each other as they opened doors. They were all startled to hear Jess' voice again, a hint of fear running beneath her words.
“We have another one; another anomaly. No…wait. Another two…three!”
Becker could hear the rising panic in Jess' voice and willed her to keep calm. Before he could issue an order Matt's voice came through his ear piece.
“All units, keep looking. Get a locking device to each one as soon as you can and keep guard. Keep your wits about you everyone.”
“The signals are changing again.” It was Jess again, her voice urgent. “Some of the anomalies are closing. The second one just disappeared. And another one. I...I don't understand it, maybe the anomaly detector’s malfunctioning? Now I’ve got a new one opening. I can’t tell if they’re the same ones re-opening or not. Do you want me to shut down and re-initialise the detector, Sir?”
Lester's voice responded.
“No, just keep tracking them for now, Miss Parker. Captain Becker I expect your men to find and contain these things immediately. And for god’s sake will someone please find Connor and get him to work out what the hell is going on!”
“Sir!” tens of voices chorused back at him.
Becker and his team of two approached another door. Using all the care they had previously demonstrated they opened the door. Becker moved in first, his gun raised. A woman stood in front of him. He lowered his weapon in shock.
“Jenny?”
The woman put her hands on her hips. “My name is Claudia Brown and I demand to know where I am!”
Lester stared at the video monitors as if he would find the answer there. He’d heard Becker’s conversation over the open comm. Claudia Brown? That was the name Cutter was always muttering about.
“Report Captain Becker,” he demanded.
“A woman sir, no anomaly. She says she came through alone, no other incursion. And she said…well I think I should say that on a private line.”
“Get her up to one of the interrogation rooms. I'll meet you there.”
Lester wiped a hand over his face. “Update please, Jess.”
“The anomalies are still appearing and disappearing. But there's only two active now, the original and one other.”
A roar suddenly sounded through the comms followed by a harsh shout.
“Team Two reporting! We have a live anomaly and incursion!”
Lester and Jess glanced at each other, tension palpable in the air as the sound of EMD’s being fired filled the airwaves. The comms went silent for a moment before a soldier’s voice came through.
“We have a raptor subdued and one man down.”
“One of your team?” Matt's voice came through.
“No Sir, a civilian. He must have come through the anomaly with the raptor. The anomaly is closed now. I need a medic team here immediately.”
“Medic leader speaking. Location please?”
“Second level meeting room”
“Med leader. A team is on its way.”
Lester took a deep breath. This was getting out of hand. He knew that he should call Burton, but he was reluctant when the only report he could provide was that he didn’t know what the hell was happening. As neither Jess nor Matt had suggested contacting Burton either, he assumed they were thinking along similar lines.
Lester’s thoughts were disrupted by a shout breaking through the chatter on the comms.
“Stay where you are and lower your weapon! I said lower your weapon now!”
“Report” shouted Becker, Matt and Lester simultaneously from their positions.
“Team Four. We have an armed man on the premises. Lower level lab fifty six. The man is refusing to lower his weapon.”
The comms were now a confusing mix of orders and response in the lab being picked up by the open mics. As soldiers barked intimidating orders for the intruder to lower his weapon, they were met with a strong voiced refusal.
“Jess, CCTV, now,” Lester ordered.
Jess quickly brought up the CCTV image of the room.
Lester sucked in a deep breath and shouted “Team Four lower your weapons immediately. I said NOW!”
He watched as the team lowered their weapons at his command and saw the opposing soldier cautiously half lower his weapon in response.
It was impossible, but Lester would have recognised that soldier anywhere; he was one of dozens of faces imprinted on Lester’s brain. Standing in the centre of the lab was Captain Tom Ryan.
A knot of dread formed in Lester's stomach as a thought crept into his brain. He turned and bolted from the control room, running through the ARC. He shouted into his comms as he ran.
“Has anyone found Connor yet? Does anyone have Temple's location?”
A series of negative responses flooded his ear and the knot in his stomach firmed into a fist of apprehension. Lester arrived quickly at the medical bay and dashed inside, flinging the door wide.
“Steady!” shouted the lead medic, “we've just got him in here.”
“Let me see him,” Lester demanded.
“We need to fully assess him, Sir.”
“Let me see his face,” Lester pressed.
Lester's expression allowed no room for argument. The medic stepped back and Lester found himself face to face with the equally dead, but now quite alive Stephen Hart.
Lester's heart sank as the thought he had been trying to avoid took full hold and his blood turned to ice as it ran through his veins.
The medic watched the colour drain from Lester's face despite the fact that he’d assured him the man would be fine. Lester backed slowly out of the med bay without another word. Stephen was still dazed and fortunately hadn't seen him. He turned on his heel and headed swiftly for the lower levels where Matt and Abby were still stationed with the first anomaly.
Pushing open the door, he quickly held up his hand to stop anyone in the room greeting him. He motioned for the two soldiers to leave the room. Once they were gone he pulled his earpiece out and switched the receiver off. He motioned for Abby and Matt to do the same.
With confused looks the pair both copied Lester's actions.
“James?” Matt started.
“You said that anomaly is locked, but not from this side?”
“Yes,” confirmed Abby. “We’ve tried unlocking it, but the equipment won’t work. It must have locked itself somehow.”
“Or maybe someone went through and locked it from the other side.” Lester's raised eyebrow was the only thing that indicated this could ever be anything but fact. Abby's eyes opened wide.
“You're not suggesting...?” she scoffed.
“That's exactly what he’s suggesting,” Matt countered. “What do you know, James?”
“I know that Claudia Brown, a hitherto mythical person existing only in Professor Cutter's head, is currently sitting in one of our interrogation rooms; I know that the very dead Stephen Hart is now being treated for non-fatal injuries in our med bay and that Captain Ryan - also dead by the way - is talking his way out of a face-off in one of the labs. People thought dead or imaginary from Connor’s past are sauntering through anomalies that close abruptly after discharging them. And Connor is missing. I trust I don’t have to spell this out any further.”
Abby's expression hardened.
“You can't believe that he would do this? Not Connor.”
“Abby,” said Matt gently, “it’s the best explanation we have at the moment. Its one we have to consider.”
“Yes, one we have to consider. But, while you're doing that, Connor could be anywhere. He could be lying injured by one of the anomalies we didn't find before it closed. He could have been taken through one by some predator, or Ethan could be back. He won't survive out there on his own. We should be looking for him, not accusing him.”
“I agree that finding Temple is now our number one priority,” Lester said, “but we keep this quiet. Detail the teams to continue searching for him and ensure the building is free from incursion. Everything else, we keep quiet. We don’t tell anyone who these people are. I will interview this Claudia Brown; Matt I want you to speak to Stephen as soon as he’s cleared by the medical staff. I'll have Becker speak to Captain Ryan. We tell them that they are in an offshoot of the ARC. They are not prisoners, but neither are they free to leave. Find out how the hell they got here. Understood?”
“And what about me? What am I supposed to do?” asked Abby.
Lester considered her for a moment.
“Keep your faith in Connor. He's going to need it.”
With that Lester refitted his ear bud and waited while Matt and Abby followed suit.
“Update, Miss Parker.”
“Haven't you been listening?”
“Humour me; I requested an update.”
“All the anomalies are shut apart from the first one. The raptor is still subdued and being transported to the menagerie. One civilian is in the med bay, now conscious; the other two are in interrogation rooms. A systematic sweep of the building is still ongoing. Sir,” Jess added as an after thought.
“Right, then the situation is under control; there is no reason to call anyone else in or report this to anyone. Is that understood?”
“You’re meaning is quite clear, yes.”
“Good. Captain Becker, leave your civilian and report to my office immediately for a debrief.”
“She's very shaken sir, but is demanding to see you.”
“Well that is interesting. Get a cup of tea to her if you must, but I want you in my office now.”
Lester smoothed down his jacket and strode back to his office. This was going to be a very late night.
Captain Tom Ryan
Becker sat, stiff backed, opposite the dead captain he had been brought in to replace. He had seen and dealt with things he had never believed possible since joining the ARC, but this was the strangest yet. People didn’t come back from the dead, they just didn’t. But the proof was sitting in front of him. And according to the debrief he had just had with Lester, he wasn’t the only one. And Lester hadn’t been in the least bit surprised to hear that the female intruder was asking to speak to the long since dead Nick Cutter.
The officer had the look of a caged animal about him, but was trying to mask his feelings. There was a very particular look soldiers wore when they were trapped in a situation they couldn’t immediately see their way out of. The face was steel, but the eyes alert and searching. Ryan was leant back, apparently nonchalantly, in his chair, but Becker could see tension in every muscle and knew he could spring into action at any time. He had been stripped of all his own weapons, and Lester had instructed that all personnel around Ryan should not carry weapons of any sort. Said that they didn't need any one getting excited and going off half-cocked. When Becker had first walked into the interrogation room he had held his arms away from his body, showing, silently, that he was unarmed.
And now they sat facing each other, locked in a silent deadlock. Becker knew that as far as the Captain was concerned this was an interrogation and so Becker ran it as such. Softly softly wouldn't work on a soldier.
"For the record, state your name and rank."
"Tom Ryan. Captain. Special Forces," he added with a wry smile and a glance at Becker's uniform.
Becker kept his own face impassive. "Tell me how it is that you came to be found to be standing, armed, in one of our labs."
Ryan examined him with his eyes, clearly trying to get the measure of the man in front of him. Becker could feel the stalemate deepening; something he couldn't risk if he wanted to get answers. He leant forward across the table.
"Okay Captain, I’ll go first. You are in the ARC. A separate, newly instated top-secret wing of the ARC. And we are very interested to know how you managed to by-pass our security systems and get inside. And quite far inside at that."
Becker hoped the lie would level the playing field and engage the soldier’s natural need to protect security.
“You needn't worry about your security features; I didn't bypass any. I came through an anomaly that shut again almost as soon as I was through. I was actually quite relieved to see your men running at me. Armed men are easier to fight than some things I have witnessed. And how fortunate that I've been lucky enough to stay at work, in a super top-secret wing of a top-secret building.” A knowing smile did nothing to disguise the sarcasm in his words.
Despite the sarcasm, Becker felt his gamble had paid off. The officer was speaking to him as a colleague now rather than someone to be wary of. He had also seen Ryan eyeing the ARC patch on his uniform he had been careful to display while entering the room.
"Where did the anomaly come from?”
"I was on patrol duty in the grounds. Connor Temple came running towards me calling that he needed help. He led me to an anomaly and requested that I went through with him, claiming the team were on the other side and needed help. I didn't believe him as I would have already been accompanying any members of the scientific team going through an anomaly. But I am tasked with protecting the scientists so if Connor had got himself into some sort of trouble I was duty bound to help him. I went through the anomaly and on the other side there were two more.”
Ryan paused in his efficient description and his expression changed; curiosity replacing the dead-pan delivery of before.
“One looked different though; it was a perfect sphere, not as big or fractured looking as they normally are. Connor said the trouble was through the second normal looking one, so I went through the anomaly ahead of him. And that's when it closed behind me.”
Ryan stopped talking and looked Becker squarely in the eye, his face hardened once more.
"Now stop lying to me and tell me exactly where I am."
Stephen Hart
Stephen was sitting up in the hospital bed nursing a sore head and some fortunately not deep raptor scratches on his chest and arms when Matt entered the room and pulled up a chair.
"Hi. I'm Matt Anderson. You're at a specialised ARC medical facility. How are you feeling?"
"Like I've just been attacked by a prehistoric killing machine. How are you?"
"Better it appears than you are,” Matt offered wryly, a small grin playing on his face briefly before he turned serious again. “Now I know that you don't know me, but I do know who you are. And I'm very interested to know how you got from a creature holding facility and certain death and into one of my second floor meeting rooms. Can I assume a timely anomaly was involved?"
Stephen gave him a slow smile.
"A timely anomaly and Connor Temple. Can I assume you know him too?"
Matt returned Stephen's smile with his own knowing look.
"Then you'll know that admitting to having your life saved by the village geek is not something I'd confess to very loudly. But," Stephen’s face turned serious, “he did. The creatures were closing in on me and an anomaly just opened up. Connor appeared and pulled me through. He tried to close it but one of the raptors got through with us. There was another anomaly open and I kept running with the raptor behind me. I don't know what happened to Connor. I thought he was right there with me, but then the anomaly was closed and he was gone.”
"He pulled you through two anomalies?”
“That’s the bit that concerns you?” Stephen raised his eyebrows, “That there were two anomalies? Not that Connor is missing?”
Matt leant back in his chair. “I’ve learnt that Connor has something of a knack for surviving.”
Claudia Brown
After briefing Becker, Lester walked to the first interrogation room. He took a deep breath and schooled his features before pushing open the door. Only years of practice kept the look of shock from his face. Sitting on the hard plastic chair on the other side of the table from him was Jenny Lewis. Only she was calling herself Claudia Brown. It appeared that Cutter hadn't been quite as mad as Lester had assumed.
Claudia looked up as he entered.
“James! What a relief. What am I doing here? Where am I? This isn't the home office.”
He pulled out his own chair and sat down.
“No it isn't. I’m sorry to say that I’m not permitted to discuss the details of your situation until you’ve answered a few questions for me. Please trust me when I say that we’ll tell you everything as soon as possible, Ms. Brown.”
“You forget James, I actually know you.”
“A fair point. Very well. Forget about trust and listen to me. I need to know how you got here and how you got through that anomaly and I am not telling you a thing until you do. Is that clear?”
Claudia glared at him and then her confident front faltered somewhat.
“It…it was Connor. An anomaly opened in my office and Connor came out. He looked…different. Older somehow, messy as usual, but in a different way. He wasn’t the Connor from my time was he?” She gave a humourless laugh and shook her head. “When did the phrase ‘from my time’ become so easy to say?”
Lester kept quiet and Claudia took a deep breath and carried on.
“Connor came through the anomaly and told me that I had to go with him. I said no, that I couldn’t go and he said I needed to if I wanted to save my life. I told him that I wouldn’t go anywhere without the rest of the team, but he said that the rest of the team was safe and he needed me specifically. He told me that he needed me to get Nick.”
“To ‘get Nick’?”
“Connor said that he needed me here to make sure Nick would come through too. He said it was the only way to save him. So I followed him through the anomalies. Only he disappeared between the first and the second. But tell me, James, is he okay? Is Nick okay?”
Lester steadied himself with a breath.
“I rather feel we’re going to find out soon.”
Nick Cutter
Connor hid inside the ARC while the alarms sounded. He heard everyone rushing out, heard the shouts and the screams and heard the explosions. He remembered from last time - the first time - the few parts that hadn't been severely damaged and where he knew he would be safe.
He hid until the voices and screams inside the building quietened before letting himself creep out. He crept along the corridor, trying to keep as low as he could to avoid the smoke. Connor nearly panicked when waves of memory washed over him with the roar of the fire, sounds of secondary explosions and the hiss of burst pipes. The electric smell of the smoke caught in the back of his throat, where he knew it would linger for days afterward.
Connor could hear voices in front of him and his steps became more stealthy. He was here; just around this corner was where he had found him. Connor sped up slightly, he might not have long. He rounded a corner quietly and had to restrain himself from gasping. Nick was there, alive, turned away from Connor to face Helen standing before him with her gun raised. She was ranting about the future, about needing to stop Nick.
Connor raised his EMD. He had already set it and had no qualms about what he was about to do. He saw the set of Helen's face change, and aiming around Nick he pulled the trigger. The noise in the burning ARC disguised the sound of the weapon discharging. He watched Helen's eyes briefly widen and her body spasmed as she fell backwards. She hit the floor and lay still.
"Helen!" Nick shouted and dashed forward. He pressed two fingers to the pulse in her neck for a few seconds before jerking back his hand and covering his mouth. It was only then that he looked around to see Connor holding his weapon.
"Connor? Connor, what have you done?"
"You need to come with me, Professor. Now."
"But you've killed Helen."
"She was going to kill you! I've just saved your life! Please Professor, you need to come with me." Connor begged.
He reached forward to grab Nick and pull him back towards the anomaly.
"The exit is that way, Connor."
"We’re not going out there, we can't go out there; you need to come with me. I found her for you, Nick. I found Claudia. She’s waiting for you."
"What? How?"
"I know how to control them," Connor's face shone with glee. "I don’t have it quite perfect yet, but I’m getting there. But I worked it out. These aren't anomalies to different times, there are no different times. It's all the theory of convergence; don't you see? Time isn't a straight line; these aren't gateways to different times. All times are happening now, everything, everywhere, every possibility. All at the same time. The anomalies just let us slip between the walls dividing us from everywhen else. I've saved Stephen and Captain Ryan. And I found your Claudia. The woman none of us remembered. Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Oh Connor, but how? Is it the artefact?"
"No, I don't need the artefact; the artefact is nothing. It’s all me. I control them, Professor, I can control them all. The whole of time, all of it, it’s ours, Professor. With what I know we can go anywhere, anywhen. Think of it; all the wrongs we can right, all the things we can change, all the people we can save. And it starts with us, now. We can all go back and start again.”
Nick looked sadly at Connor, tears forming in his eyes. Connor looked so sincere, but so old. Something was so damaged behind those eyes. The spirited, eccentric young lad he knew was gone; replaced by a man who looked like he had seen too much.
"Oh, Conn. What did this to you? What's happened to you?"
Confusion crossed Connor’s features.
"You happened to me, Professor. Understanding the anomalies was your dream. I did this all for you."
Nick hung his head and tears streaked tracks in the smoke that clung to his face.
Fandom: Primeval
Characters: Connor, Abby, Matt, Becker, Lester, Jess plus special guests
Words: 5,007
Rating,Warnings: 15. Not Denial compliant.
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Primeval.
Spoilers: This starts in the last few minutes of Season 4, episode 7, but then breaks from canon. Also spoils all that has come before it.
Beta: Huge thanks to whuffle for inspiration and being a wonderfully ruthless beta. Thanks to emyrldlady for handholding and panic soothing and my long suffering flatmate for last minute typo checking.
AN: Written for primevalathon . Recipient: Keenir; prompt: The good news is, Helen and Stephen and Ryan and all the other dead ARC employees have been returned, alive and healthy to the ARC. The bad news is, what did it, and why.’ (sorry, this is not exactly adhere exactly to this, but I hope it is okay.)
Connor stared at the projections on the wall of his lab, and waited for it to happen. His mind ticked over as he stared; processing, jumbling, looking for patterns and links. In his head all the markings and equations moved around the wall. He watched in his mind’s eye as they re-ordered themselves, piecing themselves together, slotting into place and completing the puzzle.
Realisation started to dawn and his eyes flicked between the wall and his notepad. Connor traced lines on the wall between the equations before running to his laptop. His eyes opened wide. He could see it all so clearly now. He could see what had happened and what would happen. It was catastrophic. This could mean the end of everything. He had to tell Phillip; had to find Phillip right now and tell hi... no…wait.
Connor stared at the screen some more. He swallowed heavily and forced his breathing to slow down. It didn't have to be catastrophic, it could be the opposite. This could...this could solve everything.
Working on a hunch he made some more calculations on his notepad and a grin spread across his face. He looked around him quickly, before tearing the page out and jamming it into his pocket. It was an unnecessary precaution as Phillip was the only person who would even stand a chance of interpreting what he had found, but it wasn't worth taking the risk.
Connor unclipped his black box and pulled his ear bud out, putting them both into his desk drawer. He stuffed his laptop into his bag, selected some equipment from his desk and added a small EMD. He grabbed the bag and headed quietly out of the lab.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sirens wailed and Jess called out.
"We’ve got another anomaly. Sending co-ordinates through as soon as I've got them."
"Another one?" Lester asked coming out of his office, "How many does that make today?"
"We lost count at the prison. There were too many popping up. Lots though."
"That’s a very scientific assessment; what would I do without you? Is the team on the way?"
"Will be as soon as the system locks on. It’s zeroing in now. Okay, it's close. It’s...oh my god."
"What?" Lester was suddenly at Jess' shoulder.
"The anomaly; it's here, it's in the building. It’s in the ARC, but I can’t get a precise location. It’s as though the system is interfering with the signals."
"Right. Get..." Lester didn't get to the end of his sentence before Jess had put all the comms onto the open channel.
"Attention; anomaly located within the building; exact location unknown. We are initiating primary lock down procedures. All non-essential personnel are to report to their secured positions. Response teams report to the armoury for weapons before patrolling in designated teams. Comms are on open channel; please keep to essential communications only. Report any and all anomaly or creature sightings immediately.”
Lester huffed stiffly by her side. "Do you just want to do my job?"
"Don't I already?" Jess dead-panned back.
Becker and Matt both entered the control centre at a dead run.
"Is everyone okay?" Becker asked.
"Yes we're fine. The anomaly isn’t in here."
As Jess answered Abby ran into the area. "Any word on where it is yet?" she looked around, "and where's Connor?”
The others shrugged and Matt spoke into his comm; "Connor? Connor where are you?"
Silence.
"Report in Connor." ordered Becker.
"His black box has him in his lab," Jess supplied with her usual efficiency.
"Right, come on then."
Matt lifted his weapon and headed out of the room, Becker and Abby both close behind him.
"Anomaly suspected in lab fourteen. Team Two respond to lab fourteen. Other units continue your search patterns." Becker ordered over the comms as they raced to Connor’s lab.
The door was shut as they approached. Matt nodded at Becker and raised his weapon to cover the door. Becker braced his own, then pushed the door open. Matt moved forward, followed by Abby, and Becker brought up the rear.
Letting their weapons lead the way it took only a moment to realise that the anomaly wasn't in the lab. But neither was Connor. Becker told Team Two to stand down and continue their search of the ARC.
"Where is he?" Abby asked.
"Jess, are you sure that Connor’s black box shows him being in the lab? We’re here and there’s no sign of him." Matt asked.
"According to the signal, Connor should still be in that lab," came the reply.
"Does everything in here look as it should?" Matt questioned Abby.
Abby shook her head. "I don’t really know. I only came here once before Burton kicked me out. Connor’s laptop is missing and his desk doesn't look as cluttered as normal."
Becker had been looking around the room while they were talking and was now opening the drawers in Connor’s desk.
"Guys, I've found his black box and his comm." He held up the two devices for them to see.
Abby continued to peruse the room seeking an explanation. Becker and Matt exchanged a glance and Matt silently held up Connor’s notebook. They could both see a page had been ripped out in haste.
"Where are you Connor?” Abby asked an unresponding room.
Before they could investigate any further a call came over the comms. “This is Team Five. We've found the anomaly sir.”
“Report. Where are you?” Becker barked.
“Sub-basement three. There’s so sign of an incursion. But there is something strange, Captain; the anomaly is already locked.”
Locked? Abby and Matt looked at each other grimly before bolting for the nearby stairs followed by Becker.
“Connor must have heard the alarm, found the anomaly before us, but forgotten to take his comms. At least he's got it locked already,” panted Abby as they ran.
“Negative ma'am,” came the voice of one of the SF officers over the comms. “No sign of Temple here.”
“Perhaps he’s gone to get help,” Abby theorised.
Matt wondered who Abby was trying to convince; herself or everyone else.
They reached the anomaly being guarded by the Special Forces team. It hung in the air, sparkling in the dim fluorescent light of the basement.
Looking around the room, Matt clicked off the microphone for his comm and spoke quietly to Abby and Becker; finally voicing what they were all thinking.
“There’s no locking device here which means someone must have locked it from the other side. We need to see if we can unlock it.” Turning his mic back on he said; “we need an anomaly locking device down in sub-basement three immediately.”
Before Matt could provide further information Jess' voice came through again.
“A second anomaly’s opened. Also inside the building.”
“Another one?” said Abby, “not again.”
Becker motioned two of the SF men in the room. “You two with me; Abby, Matt, stay here and monitor this one, we'll help the search teams looking for the new anomaly. All teams: complete and then repeat your search patterns. Keep prepared for possible creature incursion.”
Becker and the two soldiers ran from the room.
“We'll search the other rooms down here first.” They went from room to room, covering each other as they opened doors. They were all startled to hear Jess' voice again, a hint of fear running beneath her words.
“We have another one; another anomaly. No…wait. Another two…three!”
Becker could hear the rising panic in Jess' voice and willed her to keep calm. Before he could issue an order Matt's voice came through his ear piece.
“All units, keep looking. Get a locking device to each one as soon as you can and keep guard. Keep your wits about you everyone.”
“The signals are changing again.” It was Jess again, her voice urgent. “Some of the anomalies are closing. The second one just disappeared. And another one. I...I don't understand it, maybe the anomaly detector’s malfunctioning? Now I’ve got a new one opening. I can’t tell if they’re the same ones re-opening or not. Do you want me to shut down and re-initialise the detector, Sir?”
Lester's voice responded.
“No, just keep tracking them for now, Miss Parker. Captain Becker I expect your men to find and contain these things immediately. And for god’s sake will someone please find Connor and get him to work out what the hell is going on!”
“Sir!” tens of voices chorused back at him.
Becker and his team of two approached another door. Using all the care they had previously demonstrated they opened the door. Becker moved in first, his gun raised. A woman stood in front of him. He lowered his weapon in shock.
“Jenny?”
The woman put her hands on her hips. “My name is Claudia Brown and I demand to know where I am!”
Lester stared at the video monitors as if he would find the answer there. He’d heard Becker’s conversation over the open comm. Claudia Brown? That was the name Cutter was always muttering about.
“Report Captain Becker,” he demanded.
“A woman sir, no anomaly. She says she came through alone, no other incursion. And she said…well I think I should say that on a private line.”
“Get her up to one of the interrogation rooms. I'll meet you there.”
Lester wiped a hand over his face. “Update please, Jess.”
“The anomalies are still appearing and disappearing. But there's only two active now, the original and one other.”
A roar suddenly sounded through the comms followed by a harsh shout.
“Team Two reporting! We have a live anomaly and incursion!”
Lester and Jess glanced at each other, tension palpable in the air as the sound of EMD’s being fired filled the airwaves. The comms went silent for a moment before a soldier’s voice came through.
“We have a raptor subdued and one man down.”
“One of your team?” Matt's voice came through.
“No Sir, a civilian. He must have come through the anomaly with the raptor. The anomaly is closed now. I need a medic team here immediately.”
“Medic leader speaking. Location please?”
“Second level meeting room”
“Med leader. A team is on its way.”
Lester took a deep breath. This was getting out of hand. He knew that he should call Burton, but he was reluctant when the only report he could provide was that he didn’t know what the hell was happening. As neither Jess nor Matt had suggested contacting Burton either, he assumed they were thinking along similar lines.
Lester’s thoughts were disrupted by a shout breaking through the chatter on the comms.
“Stay where you are and lower your weapon! I said lower your weapon now!”
“Report” shouted Becker, Matt and Lester simultaneously from their positions.
“Team Four. We have an armed man on the premises. Lower level lab fifty six. The man is refusing to lower his weapon.”
The comms were now a confusing mix of orders and response in the lab being picked up by the open mics. As soldiers barked intimidating orders for the intruder to lower his weapon, they were met with a strong voiced refusal.
“Jess, CCTV, now,” Lester ordered.
Jess quickly brought up the CCTV image of the room.
Lester sucked in a deep breath and shouted “Team Four lower your weapons immediately. I said NOW!”
He watched as the team lowered their weapons at his command and saw the opposing soldier cautiously half lower his weapon in response.
It was impossible, but Lester would have recognised that soldier anywhere; he was one of dozens of faces imprinted on Lester’s brain. Standing in the centre of the lab was Captain Tom Ryan.
A knot of dread formed in Lester's stomach as a thought crept into his brain. He turned and bolted from the control room, running through the ARC. He shouted into his comms as he ran.
“Has anyone found Connor yet? Does anyone have Temple's location?”
A series of negative responses flooded his ear and the knot in his stomach firmed into a fist of apprehension. Lester arrived quickly at the medical bay and dashed inside, flinging the door wide.
“Steady!” shouted the lead medic, “we've just got him in here.”
“Let me see him,” Lester demanded.
“We need to fully assess him, Sir.”
“Let me see his face,” Lester pressed.
Lester's expression allowed no room for argument. The medic stepped back and Lester found himself face to face with the equally dead, but now quite alive Stephen Hart.
Lester's heart sank as the thought he had been trying to avoid took full hold and his blood turned to ice as it ran through his veins.
The medic watched the colour drain from Lester's face despite the fact that he’d assured him the man would be fine. Lester backed slowly out of the med bay without another word. Stephen was still dazed and fortunately hadn't seen him. He turned on his heel and headed swiftly for the lower levels where Matt and Abby were still stationed with the first anomaly.
Pushing open the door, he quickly held up his hand to stop anyone in the room greeting him. He motioned for the two soldiers to leave the room. Once they were gone he pulled his earpiece out and switched the receiver off. He motioned for Abby and Matt to do the same.
With confused looks the pair both copied Lester's actions.
“James?” Matt started.
“You said that anomaly is locked, but not from this side?”
“Yes,” confirmed Abby. “We’ve tried unlocking it, but the equipment won’t work. It must have locked itself somehow.”
“Or maybe someone went through and locked it from the other side.” Lester's raised eyebrow was the only thing that indicated this could ever be anything but fact. Abby's eyes opened wide.
“You're not suggesting...?” she scoffed.
“That's exactly what he’s suggesting,” Matt countered. “What do you know, James?”
“I know that Claudia Brown, a hitherto mythical person existing only in Professor Cutter's head, is currently sitting in one of our interrogation rooms; I know that the very dead Stephen Hart is now being treated for non-fatal injuries in our med bay and that Captain Ryan - also dead by the way - is talking his way out of a face-off in one of the labs. People thought dead or imaginary from Connor’s past are sauntering through anomalies that close abruptly after discharging them. And Connor is missing. I trust I don’t have to spell this out any further.”
Abby's expression hardened.
“You can't believe that he would do this? Not Connor.”
“Abby,” said Matt gently, “it’s the best explanation we have at the moment. Its one we have to consider.”
“Yes, one we have to consider. But, while you're doing that, Connor could be anywhere. He could be lying injured by one of the anomalies we didn't find before it closed. He could have been taken through one by some predator, or Ethan could be back. He won't survive out there on his own. We should be looking for him, not accusing him.”
“I agree that finding Temple is now our number one priority,” Lester said, “but we keep this quiet. Detail the teams to continue searching for him and ensure the building is free from incursion. Everything else, we keep quiet. We don’t tell anyone who these people are. I will interview this Claudia Brown; Matt I want you to speak to Stephen as soon as he’s cleared by the medical staff. I'll have Becker speak to Captain Ryan. We tell them that they are in an offshoot of the ARC. They are not prisoners, but neither are they free to leave. Find out how the hell they got here. Understood?”
“And what about me? What am I supposed to do?” asked Abby.
Lester considered her for a moment.
“Keep your faith in Connor. He's going to need it.”
With that Lester refitted his ear bud and waited while Matt and Abby followed suit.
“Update, Miss Parker.”
“Haven't you been listening?”
“Humour me; I requested an update.”
“All the anomalies are shut apart from the first one. The raptor is still subdued and being transported to the menagerie. One civilian is in the med bay, now conscious; the other two are in interrogation rooms. A systematic sweep of the building is still ongoing. Sir,” Jess added as an after thought.
“Right, then the situation is under control; there is no reason to call anyone else in or report this to anyone. Is that understood?”
“You’re meaning is quite clear, yes.”
“Good. Captain Becker, leave your civilian and report to my office immediately for a debrief.”
“She's very shaken sir, but is demanding to see you.”
“Well that is interesting. Get a cup of tea to her if you must, but I want you in my office now.”
Lester smoothed down his jacket and strode back to his office. This was going to be a very late night.
Captain Tom Ryan
Becker sat, stiff backed, opposite the dead captain he had been brought in to replace. He had seen and dealt with things he had never believed possible since joining the ARC, but this was the strangest yet. People didn’t come back from the dead, they just didn’t. But the proof was sitting in front of him. And according to the debrief he had just had with Lester, he wasn’t the only one. And Lester hadn’t been in the least bit surprised to hear that the female intruder was asking to speak to the long since dead Nick Cutter.
The officer had the look of a caged animal about him, but was trying to mask his feelings. There was a very particular look soldiers wore when they were trapped in a situation they couldn’t immediately see their way out of. The face was steel, but the eyes alert and searching. Ryan was leant back, apparently nonchalantly, in his chair, but Becker could see tension in every muscle and knew he could spring into action at any time. He had been stripped of all his own weapons, and Lester had instructed that all personnel around Ryan should not carry weapons of any sort. Said that they didn't need any one getting excited and going off half-cocked. When Becker had first walked into the interrogation room he had held his arms away from his body, showing, silently, that he was unarmed.
And now they sat facing each other, locked in a silent deadlock. Becker knew that as far as the Captain was concerned this was an interrogation and so Becker ran it as such. Softly softly wouldn't work on a soldier.
"For the record, state your name and rank."
"Tom Ryan. Captain. Special Forces," he added with a wry smile and a glance at Becker's uniform.
Becker kept his own face impassive. "Tell me how it is that you came to be found to be standing, armed, in one of our labs."
Ryan examined him with his eyes, clearly trying to get the measure of the man in front of him. Becker could feel the stalemate deepening; something he couldn't risk if he wanted to get answers. He leant forward across the table.
"Okay Captain, I’ll go first. You are in the ARC. A separate, newly instated top-secret wing of the ARC. And we are very interested to know how you managed to by-pass our security systems and get inside. And quite far inside at that."
Becker hoped the lie would level the playing field and engage the soldier’s natural need to protect security.
“You needn't worry about your security features; I didn't bypass any. I came through an anomaly that shut again almost as soon as I was through. I was actually quite relieved to see your men running at me. Armed men are easier to fight than some things I have witnessed. And how fortunate that I've been lucky enough to stay at work, in a super top-secret wing of a top-secret building.” A knowing smile did nothing to disguise the sarcasm in his words.
Despite the sarcasm, Becker felt his gamble had paid off. The officer was speaking to him as a colleague now rather than someone to be wary of. He had also seen Ryan eyeing the ARC patch on his uniform he had been careful to display while entering the room.
"Where did the anomaly come from?”
"I was on patrol duty in the grounds. Connor Temple came running towards me calling that he needed help. He led me to an anomaly and requested that I went through with him, claiming the team were on the other side and needed help. I didn't believe him as I would have already been accompanying any members of the scientific team going through an anomaly. But I am tasked with protecting the scientists so if Connor had got himself into some sort of trouble I was duty bound to help him. I went through the anomaly and on the other side there were two more.”
Ryan paused in his efficient description and his expression changed; curiosity replacing the dead-pan delivery of before.
“One looked different though; it was a perfect sphere, not as big or fractured looking as they normally are. Connor said the trouble was through the second normal looking one, so I went through the anomaly ahead of him. And that's when it closed behind me.”
Ryan stopped talking and looked Becker squarely in the eye, his face hardened once more.
"Now stop lying to me and tell me exactly where I am."
Stephen Hart
Stephen was sitting up in the hospital bed nursing a sore head and some fortunately not deep raptor scratches on his chest and arms when Matt entered the room and pulled up a chair.
"Hi. I'm Matt Anderson. You're at a specialised ARC medical facility. How are you feeling?"
"Like I've just been attacked by a prehistoric killing machine. How are you?"
"Better it appears than you are,” Matt offered wryly, a small grin playing on his face briefly before he turned serious again. “Now I know that you don't know me, but I do know who you are. And I'm very interested to know how you got from a creature holding facility and certain death and into one of my second floor meeting rooms. Can I assume a timely anomaly was involved?"
Stephen gave him a slow smile.
"A timely anomaly and Connor Temple. Can I assume you know him too?"
Matt returned Stephen's smile with his own knowing look.
"Then you'll know that admitting to having your life saved by the village geek is not something I'd confess to very loudly. But," Stephen’s face turned serious, “he did. The creatures were closing in on me and an anomaly just opened up. Connor appeared and pulled me through. He tried to close it but one of the raptors got through with us. There was another anomaly open and I kept running with the raptor behind me. I don't know what happened to Connor. I thought he was right there with me, but then the anomaly was closed and he was gone.”
"He pulled you through two anomalies?”
“That’s the bit that concerns you?” Stephen raised his eyebrows, “That there were two anomalies? Not that Connor is missing?”
Matt leant back in his chair. “I’ve learnt that Connor has something of a knack for surviving.”
Claudia Brown
After briefing Becker, Lester walked to the first interrogation room. He took a deep breath and schooled his features before pushing open the door. Only years of practice kept the look of shock from his face. Sitting on the hard plastic chair on the other side of the table from him was Jenny Lewis. Only she was calling herself Claudia Brown. It appeared that Cutter hadn't been quite as mad as Lester had assumed.
Claudia looked up as he entered.
“James! What a relief. What am I doing here? Where am I? This isn't the home office.”
He pulled out his own chair and sat down.
“No it isn't. I’m sorry to say that I’m not permitted to discuss the details of your situation until you’ve answered a few questions for me. Please trust me when I say that we’ll tell you everything as soon as possible, Ms. Brown.”
“You forget James, I actually know you.”
“A fair point. Very well. Forget about trust and listen to me. I need to know how you got here and how you got through that anomaly and I am not telling you a thing until you do. Is that clear?”
Claudia glared at him and then her confident front faltered somewhat.
“It…it was Connor. An anomaly opened in my office and Connor came out. He looked…different. Older somehow, messy as usual, but in a different way. He wasn’t the Connor from my time was he?” She gave a humourless laugh and shook her head. “When did the phrase ‘from my time’ become so easy to say?”
Lester kept quiet and Claudia took a deep breath and carried on.
“Connor came through the anomaly and told me that I had to go with him. I said no, that I couldn’t go and he said I needed to if I wanted to save my life. I told him that I wouldn’t go anywhere without the rest of the team, but he said that the rest of the team was safe and he needed me specifically. He told me that he needed me to get Nick.”
“To ‘get Nick’?”
“Connor said that he needed me here to make sure Nick would come through too. He said it was the only way to save him. So I followed him through the anomalies. Only he disappeared between the first and the second. But tell me, James, is he okay? Is Nick okay?”
Lester steadied himself with a breath.
“I rather feel we’re going to find out soon.”
Nick Cutter
Connor hid inside the ARC while the alarms sounded. He heard everyone rushing out, heard the shouts and the screams and heard the explosions. He remembered from last time - the first time - the few parts that hadn't been severely damaged and where he knew he would be safe.
He hid until the voices and screams inside the building quietened before letting himself creep out. He crept along the corridor, trying to keep as low as he could to avoid the smoke. Connor nearly panicked when waves of memory washed over him with the roar of the fire, sounds of secondary explosions and the hiss of burst pipes. The electric smell of the smoke caught in the back of his throat, where he knew it would linger for days afterward.
Connor could hear voices in front of him and his steps became more stealthy. He was here; just around this corner was where he had found him. Connor sped up slightly, he might not have long. He rounded a corner quietly and had to restrain himself from gasping. Nick was there, alive, turned away from Connor to face Helen standing before him with her gun raised. She was ranting about the future, about needing to stop Nick.
Connor raised his EMD. He had already set it and had no qualms about what he was about to do. He saw the set of Helen's face change, and aiming around Nick he pulled the trigger. The noise in the burning ARC disguised the sound of the weapon discharging. He watched Helen's eyes briefly widen and her body spasmed as she fell backwards. She hit the floor and lay still.
"Helen!" Nick shouted and dashed forward. He pressed two fingers to the pulse in her neck for a few seconds before jerking back his hand and covering his mouth. It was only then that he looked around to see Connor holding his weapon.
"Connor? Connor, what have you done?"
"You need to come with me, Professor. Now."
"But you've killed Helen."
"She was going to kill you! I've just saved your life! Please Professor, you need to come with me." Connor begged.
He reached forward to grab Nick and pull him back towards the anomaly.
"The exit is that way, Connor."
"We’re not going out there, we can't go out there; you need to come with me. I found her for you, Nick. I found Claudia. She’s waiting for you."
"What? How?"
"I know how to control them," Connor's face shone with glee. "I don’t have it quite perfect yet, but I’m getting there. But I worked it out. These aren't anomalies to different times, there are no different times. It's all the theory of convergence; don't you see? Time isn't a straight line; these aren't gateways to different times. All times are happening now, everything, everywhere, every possibility. All at the same time. The anomalies just let us slip between the walls dividing us from everywhen else. I've saved Stephen and Captain Ryan. And I found your Claudia. The woman none of us remembered. Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Oh Connor, but how? Is it the artefact?"
"No, I don't need the artefact; the artefact is nothing. It’s all me. I control them, Professor, I can control them all. The whole of time, all of it, it’s ours, Professor. With what I know we can go anywhere, anywhen. Think of it; all the wrongs we can right, all the things we can change, all the people we can save. And it starts with us, now. We can all go back and start again.”
Nick looked sadly at Connor, tears forming in his eyes. Connor looked so sincere, but so old. Something was so damaged behind those eyes. The spirited, eccentric young lad he knew was gone; replaced by a man who looked like he had seen too much.
"Oh, Conn. What did this to you? What's happened to you?"
Confusion crossed Connor’s features.
"You happened to me, Professor. Understanding the anomalies was your dream. I did this all for you."
Nick hung his head and tears streaked tracks in the smoke that clung to his face.