Fic - Future Foe Scenario (part 1)
Title: Future Foe Scenario
Author: Prehistoric Cat
Rating: PG
Genre: Gen
Characters: Abby, Connor, Danny, Burton, Jess, Becker, Matt
Warnings: spoilers for series 4
Disclaimer: not mine, no copyright intended
A/N: Title comes from "Future Foe Scenarios" by Silversun Pickups, thought it was appropriate ....
"When present tense gets strangled in the woes
Made of our future foe scenarios "
An anomaly opens, and Danny Quinn returns... bringing revelations from the future
“Coffee?” Jess asked. Abby looked up from her computer slightly confused. “I said, did you want a coffee? It's my turn.”
“Sorry, I was miles away. Yeah, coffee would be good, thank you.” Abby sighed. She'd been staring at the computer screen for over an hour and hadn't typed anything. Ever since Connor had walked out of the flat they'd been sharing with Jess for the last three months, Abby had been having trouble concentrating on anything.
“It's Connor isn't it?” Jess said. Abby glared at her. “Sorry, its none of my business.” She disappeared off to make some coffee, leaving Abby alone in the control room of the ARC. Becker was in the gym, Matt in his lab and Connor was shut away in the office with Burton. She'd barely seen him the last couple of weeks; he said he was working on something “important”. She missed him; his warmth, his laughter, his whole presence... but she couldn't be with him whilst he worshipped Burton the way he did - Not after Burton had threatened to put all the creatures down in the ARC. She didn't trust him in the slightest, and hated the way Connor had been blinded by the science and resources Burton threw at him. He wasn't her Connor any more; he had stopped caring about anything other than this project Burton had him working on.
Jess came back with the coffees and went to go and sit at her post in front of the ADD. Then she turned to Abby. “If you ever want to talk... “
“Thank you. I'll be OK, just finding it hard being alone after everything Connor and I went through - even before we spent the year in the Cretaceous.” Abby held the cup in both hands, cradling it as she spoke. Jess grabbed a spare chair and pulled it up next to Abby's. “He's changed Jess, and I miss him.”
Jess reached for Abby's hand, seeing tears beginning to form in her eyes - and then the anomaly alert went off. With an apologetic look, Jess rushed to her seat. Everyone sprung into action, and moments later, the soldiers, Becker, Matt and Abby were all assembled and waiting for their instructions. “The anomaly is at the test track on the outskirts of town - I'm just downloading the co-ordinates to your vehicles now.” Jess said.
Abby looked at Becker, her heart pounding. Becker had gone pale and swallowed hard. “Jess, is it...?”
Jess nodded. “Yes, its in the same location as the one Abby, Connor and Danny disappeared through... and the one where Sarah died.”
“I'll understand if you guys don't want to be in on this one.” Matt said. “The soldiers and I can handle it. And there'll be no-one going through it.”
“No, we should go.” Abby said. “If it is the same one, then it leads to the future. You haven't met a future Predator yet have you.?” Abby said.
“I haven't no, but I read all the files on your disappearance and the rescue attempts. I know what we're up against.” Matt said. He was already almost out of the door.
“We're coming with you.” Becker said, glancing at Abby. She gave him a half smile. At least Becker hadn't forgotten the reason they were all here. As she followed Matt and Becker, she gave one last look at the door where she knew Connor was working. The door hadn't even opened, and she doubted he'd even registered that the alarm was sounding. With a sad sigh, she ran to catch up with the others.
-o-
“It all seems to work when you run it through the computer model.” Connor said. “But when I run the program through the device nothing happens.”
“We're missing something, Connor!” Burton said. “So near and yet so far!” He was pacing around the room and visibly agitated. Connor was agitated too, and very tired. He could barely keep his eyes open; for the last week he'd been working into the small hours on this device and had been surviving on a couple of hours sleep and take-out pizza, washed down with weak coffee from the vending machine.
He stretched and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to massage out the knots forming in his muscles. Abby used to do that for him; he said she had magic fingers. He felt a tightening in his chest at the thought of Abby - Why couldn't she see that this was important? She'd said Burton couldn't be trusted after he'd said he was going to have all the creatures put down. That had been their first argument - Connor had chosen to go and help out at the anomaly call instead of helping her to rescue the creatures. He'd said she was being un-reasonable; there were lives in immediate danger at the anomaly site whereas the creatures could be left another couple of hours. After that, any time Burton was mentioned,Abby's hackles were raised. Finally they'd decided that it wasn't fair on Jess that they argued all night, so he moved out. Burton had allowed him to use the company apartment that he and Abby had used that first night they came home. That place has been so welcoming on that first night back in the modern world, but without Abby it was just a clinical space; void of any real comfort.
The anomaly alarm was ringing out loud. For a brief moment, Connor had felt an urge to leap up and join the others. He knew the team would be setting off; EMDs loaded, hearts racing … and Abby. He hated not being with her, and he hoped that once he had finally worked out how to open an anomaly she would realise that what he and Burton were doing was a major piece of the greater picture - and most importantly, a step closer to completing Cutter's work. Burton hadn't even flinched when the alarm went off. It was his opinion that that side of the ARC ran smoothly on its own without his interference, and any problems Lester would deal with.
Suddenly, Burton banged his fist on the desk, then stomped across the office and flung the door open. “Jess, is it really necessary for the alarm to continue sounding once the team have dispatched?” he said angrily.
“Sorry, I'm trying to switch it off now.” Jess's voice said back. Connor felt sorry for her; it wasn't her fault. The alarm usually turned itself off after 10 minutes anyway; that was how Connor had originally designed it. The door slammed shut, and Burton was stood behind Connor.
“Let's try looking at this from a different angle.” he said to Connor, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You can do this, Connor.” He walked away, seemingly calmer now that the alarm had stopped, and he sat at his desk tapping away on his computer. Connor smiled. At least someone still believed in him.
-o-
Abby felt sick as they drove past the security hut at the gate. She'd been here twice before of course - the first time she'd almost lost her brother, and the second time … well, it was the start of the year long nightmare for her and Connor. Becker too was unusually quiet. He was nervous, his fingers tapping anxiously on the handle of his EMD. Abby took his hand and squeezed it. “It's OK, Becker.” she whispered. “We're all better equipped to deal with it this time around.”
“I know, but I can't help being concerned. This place has a habit of springing very nasty surprises. I just want to get the anomaly locked and dealt with.” he replied. Abby had to agree; the sooner this anomaly was closed, the better.
Matt had already arrived at the site, and he radioed to Becker that it looked like nothing had come through yet. That was a relief; neither Becker or Abby fancied a battle with a future predator. Becker parked up beside Matt's car, and Abby leapt out. Two soldiers were already setting up the locking device, and Matt was patrolling the area for signs of a creature incursion. Abby had to admit that although she didn't like such a heavy military presence, it was somewhat reassuring in this case. She shuddered as she looked at the anomaly, remembering how she, Connor and Danny had gone through.
“There's something coming through it!” one of the men shouted, and a semi-circle was formed immediately, guns raised. Abby's mouth went dry; this could get very messy within seconds. She could see it now too, a dark figure walking towards them. It was human, not a creature.
“Hold your fire!” Becker ordered. Matt nodded, and the men relaxed a little whilst still keeping their guns pointed at the anomaly. Moments later, the figure was through. He glanced around and grinned.
“There really was no need for a welcoming committee!”
“Danny!!” Abby yelled, running towards him. She flung her arms around his neck and he lifted her up to kiss her cheek. “I can't believe its you!”
“Hello, sweetheart.” Danny whispered, hugging her. “Its good to see you too.” The pair held each other tightly for a few moments, then released. Abby slid her arm around his waist. “So, what's been happening then?” he said, looking around the group of soldiers surrounding them. Then he spotted another familiar figure striding over.
“Danny Quinn!” Becker said. “Where the hell have you been?!” His face was stern, then broke out into a smile.
“Here and there. Could murder a decent pint though!” He hugged Becker briefly, then pulled away, exchanging a look of mutual respect.
“I think that can be arranged.” Matt joined them. “I'm Matt Anderson, team leader. We'll get you back to the ARC where you can get a shower and some clean clothes, and then we'll fill you in on everything.” Matt shook his hand and then ordered the soldiers to get back to dealing with the anomaly.
“Team leader?” Danny said.
“It's been a very long year.” Becker said. “Although I have to say, not as long as the year you seem to have had.”
Abby looked properly at Danny for the first time. He was a mess, and she could see he was physically exhausted and had been through more than his fair share of trauma. She noted with interest though that the wound on his leg appeared to be from a bullet - it was obvious he hadn't just been in the prehistoric past. “Where have you been, Danny?” she said.
“Its a long story, but let's just say this is the tenth anomaly I've been through trying to get back. You wouldn't believe some of the things I've seen … speaking of which .. Connor. There's something I need to tell him.” Danny looked around, trying to see Connor.
“He's back at the ARC.” Abby said sadly. Danny looked at her, sensing something was wrong. “I'll explain....” she was interrupted by shouting - Matt was demanding to know why the anomaly hadn't been locked yet. Abby could hear the soldier explaining that the locking device had failed, and Matt was anxiously trying to get advice from Jess. Abby could tell from his face that she wasn't much help.
“Well go into his office and get Connor now!, this is potentially dangerous, Jess - especially this particular anomaly!” Matt was almost shouting. It was really the first time she'd seen Matt get so annoyed. He was stomping around, looking extremely anxious.
“What's wrong, Matt?” Abby asked calmly, hoping her quiet tone would ease the situation.
“Jess doesn't know how to fix the locking device and she's under strict instructions not to disturb Burton and Connor.” Matt said.
“Burton?” Danny said, looking concerned. “Philip Burton? As in founder of 'Prospero industries'?”
“Oh don't you bloody start!” Abby sighed. “It's bad enough Connor practically hero worships him without you....”
“Abby - you have to get me to the ARC, before it's too late. If Connor's already working with Burton, then we have a massive problem unless we....” Danny began, but before he could finish what he was saying, there was a yell and several soldiers raised their EMDs. Becker, Abby and Danny turned around, just in time to see the terrifyingly familiar sight of a future predator leaping through the air towards the group of soldiers surrounding the anomaly.
Becker was on the comms straight away. “These creatures locate their prey using sound, so keep yourselves as silent and still as possible.”
Abby shut herself inside one of the vehicles so that she could use her phone. She called Connor's mobile, but it cut straight to his voicemail. “Damn you, Connor Temple!” She yelled into the phone “You should be here, sorting out the locking device instead of fawning over Burton! If you were, we wouldn't be under attack from a Future Predator right now! I hope you're happy? Call me!”
She hardly dare look out of the window. The EMDs seemed to be having very little effect on the predator and the soldiers were all looking at each other, questioning what to do next. Danny answered them. The silence was shattered by the sound of three rounds of gunfire from his handgun, and the creature fell to the ground in a pool of its own blood.
-o-
Jess had knocked twice on Burton's door already, but there'd been no reply. She knew he and Connor were still in there because she could hear voices. Matt's voice rang in her head; he had sounded extremely desperate - there was no choice other than to just walk in and worry about the consequences later.
“Connor is needed urgently at the anomaly site, the locking device....” she began.
“I thought I made it perfectly clear that we were not to be disturbed!” Burton barked.
“Danny Quinn came through from the future, and the anomaly is open because the locking device failed and...” Jess gushed.
“Danny?” Connor stood up. “Danny came back?” His heart began to pound - was he hearing it right?
Jess smiled and nodded excitedly. “It's amazing isn't it? All three of you back safe and well!”
“I should go...” Connor said, looking at Burton pleadingly.
Burton sighed. “I suppose you had better assist. And then perhaps we should consider you training one of the technicians to maintain the device properly so that we don't get disturbed like this again.”
Connor nodded sheepishly and followed Jess out towards the ADD console. She passed him an earpiece. “Matt, its Connor, put me on to one of the techies and I'll talk them through the reset procedure for the device.”
“You took your time, mate.” Matt said. “I'm passing you through to Ross. Jess, we'll be on our way back shortly - with a dead body. You'd better prepare Lester and Burton.”
“A body?” Jess said shakily.
“Yeah, seems old habits die hard with some people. Our friend Danny shot the creature.”
Connor couldn't help but smile. Danny really was back.
-o-
Danny was frustrated and angry. No-one would give him a straight answer. All he wanted to know was how long Burton had been at the ARC for and what was the work Connor was doing for him.
“If you have information that you think could be of importance...” Matt began.
“The only person I am going to share what I know with is Connor! This involves him and he has a right to know so that he can do something about it!” Danny hit the desk with his fist. He'd been back two days and he was quickly realising that getting to Connor was near on impossible. For a start, Danny had only very limited access to the ARC so that he could attend his debrief interviews. He couldn't just wander around, he had to be accompanied by a soldier at all times whilst he was there. He'd seen Connor briefly; they'd exchanged hugs and “Great to see you again!” but that was it. Connor disappeared into an office and Danny was ushered away. He couldn't help noticing the sad look in Abby's eyes as she worked, and how she kept looking hopefully over at the door he'd disappeared through. It seemed things were already going wrong for them and that he'd mis-timed his reappearance by several weeks.
He'd arranged to meet Abby at a coffee shop in town. If he couldn't get to Connor, then he'd have to hope Abby could. She was already waiting for him when he arrived and had ordered him a large cappucino. “Thanks for this, Abby.” he smiled and sat down.
“I'm glad we've finally got chance to catch up! They've kept you pretty much away from the rest of us.” Abby said. “Has Lester found you a job at the ARC?”
Danny shook his head. “Wouldn't take it if they offered one, Abby. I'm not planning on staying around for long.”
“Really?” Abby was dismayed. Her joy at having him back was seeping away. “Why?”
“I spent a number of months travelling through anomalies with other people, just like me, who were trapped in the wrong time and trying to find a way home. Some got lucky, others continued to wander with no real purpose - and some saw themselves as being on a crusade to put things right.” He took a mouthful of coffee and leaned back.
“And which group do you fit into?” Abby said.
“At first, I just wanted to go home. I got lucky and fell in with a group who had been travelling for a while and knew a route that would take me to the future. I expected to find the ARC there, or something similar, and meet someone who had a device like Helen's that could get me back here. But the more I travelled, the more I realised that getting home wasn't what I wanted. If people survived when they went through anomalies, then maybe one day I'd find Patrick.”
Abby swallowed. She remembered the first time they'd met Danny at the old house where his brother had disappeared. For years, he'd believed that Patrick had been murdered, but after their encounter with a creature he had a new hope that Patrick had simply gone through an anomaly. It was for that reason that Danny had quit the police force and joined the ARC team in the first place; taking on the rather unenviable task of stepping into Cutter's shoes as leader. “So you're just passing through then?”
Danny nodded. “There's a few things I need to sort out, and that's why I wanted to meet you today.” he dropped his eyes and stared at the salt and pepper pots on the table; he wasn't sure he could look Abby in the eyes. “I found myself in 2042, a world where Prospero Industries owns about 90% of everything that can be bought. They seemingly stumbled upon a super fuel to replace fossil fuels and it made Philip Burton an incredibly rich and powerful man.”
Abby grimaced at the mention of Burton's name. “It's so unfair that people like him get to be so powerful.” She could see the look on Danny's face and knew there was more to come. “Sorry, carry on.” she stroked the back of his hand.
“No-one knew how he managed it. The technology he used was far beyond anything that had been seen before. He just grew richer and richer, buying out all his competitors and then any other industry. He's hated the world over and he disappears for long lengths of time because there are people who want to kill him.”
Abby could completely identify with that sentiment, and smiled to herself. At least she wasn't imagining her feelings towards him. Then a thought hit her. “Hang on! You're talking about 30 years from now, he'd be in his 70s?”
Danny cleared his throat. “I met a guy who works at the ARC in 2042, decent sort. Tom. He was tasked with helping me get back here but we got tangled up in a call to an anomaly. To cut a long story short, the anomaly was at Prospero's head office and it turned out it had been there for some time, just under a cloaking device like that one Christine Johnson had. When our guys got there, we uncovered the secret behind Burton's success. The Burton of 2042 is the same Burton of 2011 … and the same Burton of 2105.”
Abby scowled. “He travels through anomalies?”
Danny nodded. “How else do you think he manages to come up with all these amazing inventions? He doesn't, he just steals them from the future and brings them back. He has two anomalies, one that takes him back to his own time here, and the other to the future where he gets all his resources, and he conducts his business affairs in 2042 where he can't be traced.”
“How the hell does Burton have access to an anomaly in 2011 without us knowing about it?” Abby was in shock.
“He hasn't, not yet. But he's close. And that's where Connor comes in.” Danny looked Abby in the eye at last. “Abby. I have to speak to Connor.”
“Is he in danger?” Abby's voice trembled.
“I don't know.” Danny replied simply.
Author: Prehistoric Cat
Rating: PG
Genre: Gen
Characters: Abby, Connor, Danny, Burton, Jess, Becker, Matt
Warnings: spoilers for series 4
Disclaimer: not mine, no copyright intended
A/N: Title comes from "Future Foe Scenarios" by Silversun Pickups, thought it was appropriate ....
"When present tense gets strangled in the woes
Made of our future foe scenarios "
An anomaly opens, and Danny Quinn returns... bringing revelations from the future
“Coffee?” Jess asked. Abby looked up from her computer slightly confused. “I said, did you want a coffee? It's my turn.”
“Sorry, I was miles away. Yeah, coffee would be good, thank you.” Abby sighed. She'd been staring at the computer screen for over an hour and hadn't typed anything. Ever since Connor had walked out of the flat they'd been sharing with Jess for the last three months, Abby had been having trouble concentrating on anything.
“It's Connor isn't it?” Jess said. Abby glared at her. “Sorry, its none of my business.” She disappeared off to make some coffee, leaving Abby alone in the control room of the ARC. Becker was in the gym, Matt in his lab and Connor was shut away in the office with Burton. She'd barely seen him the last couple of weeks; he said he was working on something “important”. She missed him; his warmth, his laughter, his whole presence... but she couldn't be with him whilst he worshipped Burton the way he did - Not after Burton had threatened to put all the creatures down in the ARC. She didn't trust him in the slightest, and hated the way Connor had been blinded by the science and resources Burton threw at him. He wasn't her Connor any more; he had stopped caring about anything other than this project Burton had him working on.
Jess came back with the coffees and went to go and sit at her post in front of the ADD. Then she turned to Abby. “If you ever want to talk... “
“Thank you. I'll be OK, just finding it hard being alone after everything Connor and I went through - even before we spent the year in the Cretaceous.” Abby held the cup in both hands, cradling it as she spoke. Jess grabbed a spare chair and pulled it up next to Abby's. “He's changed Jess, and I miss him.”
Jess reached for Abby's hand, seeing tears beginning to form in her eyes - and then the anomaly alert went off. With an apologetic look, Jess rushed to her seat. Everyone sprung into action, and moments later, the soldiers, Becker, Matt and Abby were all assembled and waiting for their instructions. “The anomaly is at the test track on the outskirts of town - I'm just downloading the co-ordinates to your vehicles now.” Jess said.
Abby looked at Becker, her heart pounding. Becker had gone pale and swallowed hard. “Jess, is it...?”
Jess nodded. “Yes, its in the same location as the one Abby, Connor and Danny disappeared through... and the one where Sarah died.”
“I'll understand if you guys don't want to be in on this one.” Matt said. “The soldiers and I can handle it. And there'll be no-one going through it.”
“No, we should go.” Abby said. “If it is the same one, then it leads to the future. You haven't met a future Predator yet have you.?” Abby said.
“I haven't no, but I read all the files on your disappearance and the rescue attempts. I know what we're up against.” Matt said. He was already almost out of the door.
“We're coming with you.” Becker said, glancing at Abby. She gave him a half smile. At least Becker hadn't forgotten the reason they were all here. As she followed Matt and Becker, she gave one last look at the door where she knew Connor was working. The door hadn't even opened, and she doubted he'd even registered that the alarm was sounding. With a sad sigh, she ran to catch up with the others.
-o-
“It all seems to work when you run it through the computer model.” Connor said. “But when I run the program through the device nothing happens.”
“We're missing something, Connor!” Burton said. “So near and yet so far!” He was pacing around the room and visibly agitated. Connor was agitated too, and very tired. He could barely keep his eyes open; for the last week he'd been working into the small hours on this device and had been surviving on a couple of hours sleep and take-out pizza, washed down with weak coffee from the vending machine.
He stretched and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to massage out the knots forming in his muscles. Abby used to do that for him; he said she had magic fingers. He felt a tightening in his chest at the thought of Abby - Why couldn't she see that this was important? She'd said Burton couldn't be trusted after he'd said he was going to have all the creatures put down. That had been their first argument - Connor had chosen to go and help out at the anomaly call instead of helping her to rescue the creatures. He'd said she was being un-reasonable; there were lives in immediate danger at the anomaly site whereas the creatures could be left another couple of hours. After that, any time Burton was mentioned,Abby's hackles were raised. Finally they'd decided that it wasn't fair on Jess that they argued all night, so he moved out. Burton had allowed him to use the company apartment that he and Abby had used that first night they came home. That place has been so welcoming on that first night back in the modern world, but without Abby it was just a clinical space; void of any real comfort.
The anomaly alarm was ringing out loud. For a brief moment, Connor had felt an urge to leap up and join the others. He knew the team would be setting off; EMDs loaded, hearts racing … and Abby. He hated not being with her, and he hoped that once he had finally worked out how to open an anomaly she would realise that what he and Burton were doing was a major piece of the greater picture - and most importantly, a step closer to completing Cutter's work. Burton hadn't even flinched when the alarm went off. It was his opinion that that side of the ARC ran smoothly on its own without his interference, and any problems Lester would deal with.
Suddenly, Burton banged his fist on the desk, then stomped across the office and flung the door open. “Jess, is it really necessary for the alarm to continue sounding once the team have dispatched?” he said angrily.
“Sorry, I'm trying to switch it off now.” Jess's voice said back. Connor felt sorry for her; it wasn't her fault. The alarm usually turned itself off after 10 minutes anyway; that was how Connor had originally designed it. The door slammed shut, and Burton was stood behind Connor.
“Let's try looking at this from a different angle.” he said to Connor, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You can do this, Connor.” He walked away, seemingly calmer now that the alarm had stopped, and he sat at his desk tapping away on his computer. Connor smiled. At least someone still believed in him.
-o-
Abby felt sick as they drove past the security hut at the gate. She'd been here twice before of course - the first time she'd almost lost her brother, and the second time … well, it was the start of the year long nightmare for her and Connor. Becker too was unusually quiet. He was nervous, his fingers tapping anxiously on the handle of his EMD. Abby took his hand and squeezed it. “It's OK, Becker.” she whispered. “We're all better equipped to deal with it this time around.”
“I know, but I can't help being concerned. This place has a habit of springing very nasty surprises. I just want to get the anomaly locked and dealt with.” he replied. Abby had to agree; the sooner this anomaly was closed, the better.
Matt had already arrived at the site, and he radioed to Becker that it looked like nothing had come through yet. That was a relief; neither Becker or Abby fancied a battle with a future predator. Becker parked up beside Matt's car, and Abby leapt out. Two soldiers were already setting up the locking device, and Matt was patrolling the area for signs of a creature incursion. Abby had to admit that although she didn't like such a heavy military presence, it was somewhat reassuring in this case. She shuddered as she looked at the anomaly, remembering how she, Connor and Danny had gone through.
“There's something coming through it!” one of the men shouted, and a semi-circle was formed immediately, guns raised. Abby's mouth went dry; this could get very messy within seconds. She could see it now too, a dark figure walking towards them. It was human, not a creature.
“Hold your fire!” Becker ordered. Matt nodded, and the men relaxed a little whilst still keeping their guns pointed at the anomaly. Moments later, the figure was through. He glanced around and grinned.
“There really was no need for a welcoming committee!”
“Danny!!” Abby yelled, running towards him. She flung her arms around his neck and he lifted her up to kiss her cheek. “I can't believe its you!”
“Hello, sweetheart.” Danny whispered, hugging her. “Its good to see you too.” The pair held each other tightly for a few moments, then released. Abby slid her arm around his waist. “So, what's been happening then?” he said, looking around the group of soldiers surrounding them. Then he spotted another familiar figure striding over.
“Danny Quinn!” Becker said. “Where the hell have you been?!” His face was stern, then broke out into a smile.
“Here and there. Could murder a decent pint though!” He hugged Becker briefly, then pulled away, exchanging a look of mutual respect.
“I think that can be arranged.” Matt joined them. “I'm Matt Anderson, team leader. We'll get you back to the ARC where you can get a shower and some clean clothes, and then we'll fill you in on everything.” Matt shook his hand and then ordered the soldiers to get back to dealing with the anomaly.
“Team leader?” Danny said.
“It's been a very long year.” Becker said. “Although I have to say, not as long as the year you seem to have had.”
Abby looked properly at Danny for the first time. He was a mess, and she could see he was physically exhausted and had been through more than his fair share of trauma. She noted with interest though that the wound on his leg appeared to be from a bullet - it was obvious he hadn't just been in the prehistoric past. “Where have you been, Danny?” she said.
“Its a long story, but let's just say this is the tenth anomaly I've been through trying to get back. You wouldn't believe some of the things I've seen … speaking of which .. Connor. There's something I need to tell him.” Danny looked around, trying to see Connor.
“He's back at the ARC.” Abby said sadly. Danny looked at her, sensing something was wrong. “I'll explain....” she was interrupted by shouting - Matt was demanding to know why the anomaly hadn't been locked yet. Abby could hear the soldier explaining that the locking device had failed, and Matt was anxiously trying to get advice from Jess. Abby could tell from his face that she wasn't much help.
“Well go into his office and get Connor now!, this is potentially dangerous, Jess - especially this particular anomaly!” Matt was almost shouting. It was really the first time she'd seen Matt get so annoyed. He was stomping around, looking extremely anxious.
“What's wrong, Matt?” Abby asked calmly, hoping her quiet tone would ease the situation.
“Jess doesn't know how to fix the locking device and she's under strict instructions not to disturb Burton and Connor.” Matt said.
“Burton?” Danny said, looking concerned. “Philip Burton? As in founder of 'Prospero industries'?”
“Oh don't you bloody start!” Abby sighed. “It's bad enough Connor practically hero worships him without you....”
“Abby - you have to get me to the ARC, before it's too late. If Connor's already working with Burton, then we have a massive problem unless we....” Danny began, but before he could finish what he was saying, there was a yell and several soldiers raised their EMDs. Becker, Abby and Danny turned around, just in time to see the terrifyingly familiar sight of a future predator leaping through the air towards the group of soldiers surrounding the anomaly.
Becker was on the comms straight away. “These creatures locate their prey using sound, so keep yourselves as silent and still as possible.”
Abby shut herself inside one of the vehicles so that she could use her phone. She called Connor's mobile, but it cut straight to his voicemail. “Damn you, Connor Temple!” She yelled into the phone “You should be here, sorting out the locking device instead of fawning over Burton! If you were, we wouldn't be under attack from a Future Predator right now! I hope you're happy? Call me!”
She hardly dare look out of the window. The EMDs seemed to be having very little effect on the predator and the soldiers were all looking at each other, questioning what to do next. Danny answered them. The silence was shattered by the sound of three rounds of gunfire from his handgun, and the creature fell to the ground in a pool of its own blood.
-o-
Jess had knocked twice on Burton's door already, but there'd been no reply. She knew he and Connor were still in there because she could hear voices. Matt's voice rang in her head; he had sounded extremely desperate - there was no choice other than to just walk in and worry about the consequences later.
“Connor is needed urgently at the anomaly site, the locking device....” she began.
“I thought I made it perfectly clear that we were not to be disturbed!” Burton barked.
“Danny Quinn came through from the future, and the anomaly is open because the locking device failed and...” Jess gushed.
“Danny?” Connor stood up. “Danny came back?” His heart began to pound - was he hearing it right?
Jess smiled and nodded excitedly. “It's amazing isn't it? All three of you back safe and well!”
“I should go...” Connor said, looking at Burton pleadingly.
Burton sighed. “I suppose you had better assist. And then perhaps we should consider you training one of the technicians to maintain the device properly so that we don't get disturbed like this again.”
Connor nodded sheepishly and followed Jess out towards the ADD console. She passed him an earpiece. “Matt, its Connor, put me on to one of the techies and I'll talk them through the reset procedure for the device.”
“You took your time, mate.” Matt said. “I'm passing you through to Ross. Jess, we'll be on our way back shortly - with a dead body. You'd better prepare Lester and Burton.”
“A body?” Jess said shakily.
“Yeah, seems old habits die hard with some people. Our friend Danny shot the creature.”
Connor couldn't help but smile. Danny really was back.
-o-
Danny was frustrated and angry. No-one would give him a straight answer. All he wanted to know was how long Burton had been at the ARC for and what was the work Connor was doing for him.
“If you have information that you think could be of importance...” Matt began.
“The only person I am going to share what I know with is Connor! This involves him and he has a right to know so that he can do something about it!” Danny hit the desk with his fist. He'd been back two days and he was quickly realising that getting to Connor was near on impossible. For a start, Danny had only very limited access to the ARC so that he could attend his debrief interviews. He couldn't just wander around, he had to be accompanied by a soldier at all times whilst he was there. He'd seen Connor briefly; they'd exchanged hugs and “Great to see you again!” but that was it. Connor disappeared into an office and Danny was ushered away. He couldn't help noticing the sad look in Abby's eyes as she worked, and how she kept looking hopefully over at the door he'd disappeared through. It seemed things were already going wrong for them and that he'd mis-timed his reappearance by several weeks.
He'd arranged to meet Abby at a coffee shop in town. If he couldn't get to Connor, then he'd have to hope Abby could. She was already waiting for him when he arrived and had ordered him a large cappucino. “Thanks for this, Abby.” he smiled and sat down.
“I'm glad we've finally got chance to catch up! They've kept you pretty much away from the rest of us.” Abby said. “Has Lester found you a job at the ARC?”
Danny shook his head. “Wouldn't take it if they offered one, Abby. I'm not planning on staying around for long.”
“Really?” Abby was dismayed. Her joy at having him back was seeping away. “Why?”
“I spent a number of months travelling through anomalies with other people, just like me, who were trapped in the wrong time and trying to find a way home. Some got lucky, others continued to wander with no real purpose - and some saw themselves as being on a crusade to put things right.” He took a mouthful of coffee and leaned back.
“And which group do you fit into?” Abby said.
“At first, I just wanted to go home. I got lucky and fell in with a group who had been travelling for a while and knew a route that would take me to the future. I expected to find the ARC there, or something similar, and meet someone who had a device like Helen's that could get me back here. But the more I travelled, the more I realised that getting home wasn't what I wanted. If people survived when they went through anomalies, then maybe one day I'd find Patrick.”
Abby swallowed. She remembered the first time they'd met Danny at the old house where his brother had disappeared. For years, he'd believed that Patrick had been murdered, but after their encounter with a creature he had a new hope that Patrick had simply gone through an anomaly. It was for that reason that Danny had quit the police force and joined the ARC team in the first place; taking on the rather unenviable task of stepping into Cutter's shoes as leader. “So you're just passing through then?”
Danny nodded. “There's a few things I need to sort out, and that's why I wanted to meet you today.” he dropped his eyes and stared at the salt and pepper pots on the table; he wasn't sure he could look Abby in the eyes. “I found myself in 2042, a world where Prospero Industries owns about 90% of everything that can be bought. They seemingly stumbled upon a super fuel to replace fossil fuels and it made Philip Burton an incredibly rich and powerful man.”
Abby grimaced at the mention of Burton's name. “It's so unfair that people like him get to be so powerful.” She could see the look on Danny's face and knew there was more to come. “Sorry, carry on.” she stroked the back of his hand.
“No-one knew how he managed it. The technology he used was far beyond anything that had been seen before. He just grew richer and richer, buying out all his competitors and then any other industry. He's hated the world over and he disappears for long lengths of time because there are people who want to kill him.”
Abby could completely identify with that sentiment, and smiled to herself. At least she wasn't imagining her feelings towards him. Then a thought hit her. “Hang on! You're talking about 30 years from now, he'd be in his 70s?”
Danny cleared his throat. “I met a guy who works at the ARC in 2042, decent sort. Tom. He was tasked with helping me get back here but we got tangled up in a call to an anomaly. To cut a long story short, the anomaly was at Prospero's head office and it turned out it had been there for some time, just under a cloaking device like that one Christine Johnson had. When our guys got there, we uncovered the secret behind Burton's success. The Burton of 2042 is the same Burton of 2011 … and the same Burton of 2105.”
Abby scowled. “He travels through anomalies?”
Danny nodded. “How else do you think he manages to come up with all these amazing inventions? He doesn't, he just steals them from the future and brings them back. He has two anomalies, one that takes him back to his own time here, and the other to the future where he gets all his resources, and he conducts his business affairs in 2042 where he can't be traced.”
“How the hell does Burton have access to an anomaly in 2011 without us knowing about it?” Abby was in shock.
“He hasn't, not yet. But he's close. And that's where Connor comes in.” Danny looked Abby in the eye at last. “Abby. I have to speak to Connor.”
“Is he in danger?” Abby's voice trembled.
“I don't know.” Danny replied simply.