Fic - Future Foe Scenario (part 2)
Title: Future Foe Scenario
Author: Prehistoric Cat
Rating: PG
Characters: Connor, Abby,Danny, Burton, Jess, Becker
Genre: Gen
Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended
Warnings: Some spoilers for series 4 so far
Danny's told Abby what Burton is up to, but can they convince Connor?
Connor stretched and rubbed his eyes. It was almost 3am, and apart from the night security patrol, he was the only person still at the ARC. He liked the peace and quiet usually, but today he felt uneasy. He hadn't seen daylight in over a week, and he'd slept at the ARC three times in the last fortnight. He was within a hair's breadth of making this work; he could feel it in the air... if he could just work out the right combination of the chemicals...
Knocking back yet another cup of coffee he'd let go cold, he blinked and picked up the device he'd been working on. He hooked it up to the power unit he'd devised and flicked the switch to the 'on' position. Yawning, he turned automatically to his computer to start looking at the data, ready to analyse it and add it to the list of failed attempts. Suddenly, the room lit up and his ears were blasted by the sound of the anomaly alarm. Mouth open and suddenly wide awake, Connor stared. It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen - he had created an anomaly from nothing and all those hours spent bent over a computer and soldering iron had finally paid off. It was like his entire body had been taken over by a giant spring as he began bouncing around the lab like an excited toddler; his grin as wide as his face. The glow lit up the entire room and there was the feint crackle of electricity in the air making the hairs on Connor's neck stand up.
Coming to his senses, Connor disabled the alarm system. Burton had said this needed to be kept secret until they were certain it all worked properly. He wished Burton was here to see it; witness his success and know that his faith in him had been justified. Then, he wished Abby was here too. If she could see for herself what he'd been doing, then maybe she'd forgive him for neglecting their relationship and all the arguments. Finally, his thoughts turned to Professor Cutter; the man that had started him on this incredible journey. If he was here now, he'd be grinning from ear to ear just like Connor was and saying “Good work, Connor.” How he longed to hear those words.
Deciding that he should do a few tests to determine if this anomaly behaved like the ones they encountered outside, he grabbed his compass from the table at the side. His heart was pounding as he watched the needle spin uncontrollably - it was certainly looking very promising. However, when he took out his black box sensor to do more readings, the anomaly began to fade slowly in front of him, then disappeared completely. Connor stared into the space it left behind for several minutes. His heart pounded so hard in his chest he was certain it would burst straight through. He had done it! He had actually done it!
-o-
“That's odd.” Jess said, mostly to herself but also to anyone who was listening. She was starting up the manual systems and checking the overnight data from the automatic system.
“What's wrong?” Becker said.
“An anomaly was detected at 2:56am this morning, but the alarm was manually switched off.” Her face scrunched in concentration as she tried to work out where the alarm had been switched off from.
“Maybe it was a fault?” Becker said.
“Unlikely.” She clicked a few more buttons on the computer then frowned. “Whoever it was has covered up their ID on the remote system.”
“Someone who knows what they're doing then... which means its either you or …” Before Becker could finish, the door to Burton's office was flung open and he was almost running towards Connor's lab. He went inside without knocking, and the door was slammed firmly shut. Jess gave Becker a strange look, and Becker shrugged his shoulders before walking away towards the armoury. They were all used to Burton and Connor blanking everyone else out by now.
Jess continued to explore the data, determined to find out more. Burton and Connor were up to something - it HAD to be one of them that had turned the alarm off, but why? Maybe it was a fault like Becker had said? When she checked the co-ordinates of the anomaly that had triggered the alert, she gasped … it was right here, inside the ARC! Surely that couldn't happen? It was definitely a fault, there was no other explanation.
She tried to put it to the back of her mind, but as the day wore on it kept niggling at her. The security logs showed that Connor hadn't left last night, so he must have turned off the alarm. It didn't make sense; if there had been a fault with the system, he would have told her or at least put it in the log. He was the one that had insisted any problems were noted down in case they recurred. Jess sighed and decided to go and speak to Abby. It was a long shot, but maybe Abby would have an idea.
-o-
Abby had not slept; not that that was unusual these days. Not having Connor at her side was taking a lot of getting used to after being so close and reliant on him being there. Her conversation with Danny was still ringing in her head - Burton somehow got access to an anomaly with Connor's help. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and groaned as her mobile vibrated. It was Danny. He wanted Abby to try and get Connor to meet him later. That was easier said than done, especially today. Connor usually made an appearance mid morning to get a coffee, or a can of coke and chocolate from the vending machine. Abby was grateful that Connor was a creature of habit; she could plan her own breaks around him and at least get a “Hi, you OK?” from him. - but today the door to his lab had stayed firmly shut and neither he or Burton had come out.
Jess was hovering in the doorway, until she caught Abby's eye and came in. “Do you know anything at all about what Connor is doing for Philip?” Jess said.
“I was going to ask you the same.” Abby sighed. She wanted to share what she knew with Jess, but she didn't know if she could trust her completely. There were few people that she did trust these days.
Jess sat down next to Abby and told her about what she'd found earlier. Alarm bells began to ring in Abby's head. It was clicking into place and it made sense. Ever since Connor had made the anomaly in the cave at Witchfield strengthen by throwing petrol on it, she'd seen him change. He'd babbled on then about the possibility of creating his own anomaly - and it was round about that time that Burton set up Connor in his own lab too. Had Connor actually done it?
“Jess, I need to get Connor on his own somehow. We need to get Burton out of his lab for a while.” Abby said.
“OK. I can come up with a phonecall from one of his associates asking him to meet him. It'll get him out for a short time if nothing else.” Jess smiled. She leapt to her feet and made her way over to her console. Abby waited nervously - if she didn't speak to Connor soon, it could be too late; if it wasn't already. Jess's fingers sped over the computer keyboard as she skimmed through the logs of all phonecalls made and received into Burton's office. “This'll do!” Jess finally declared. “Scott Hancock, he calls occasionally. He works at Prospero's labs over in Guildford. By the time Burton's got over there and realised it's not genuine, you'll have had 45 minutes to speak to Connor.”
“Thank you.” Abby said quietly.
Jess stood up and got ready to go and tell Burton that Scott needed him to go over to Guildford. “You're welcome. If Connor's getting himself into something, then you're the only person who stands any chance of helping him.”
Abby nodded. “I don't know about that any more. But we have to try.”
-o-
Philip was annoyed. He'd hired Scott to take care of the lab and use his own intuition and experience to run the place without needing to pester him. This had better be good! he thought, not liking having to leave Connor at such a crucial time in the research. He stormed past Abby and Jess without a word.
Abby waited until he'd disappeared completely and then pushed her way into Connor's lab, not waiting to be invited inside.
“We need to talk, Connor.” she said. He didn't even look up from the gadget that he was fiddling about with. “Connor?”
Connor huffed his annoyance at being disturbed. “I thought we already said everything we had to say to each other?” He finally turned to face her, and they both stared at each other. It was more than a little awkward. The last time they'd spent more than just a fleeting moment together had resulted in a blazing row and they'd both said hurtful things.
Abby fought the urge to cry. Connor was a shadow of his former self; dark circles around his eyes, pale skin that used to be slightly sunkissed, the lines of muscle tone he'd developed barely there … he was thinner than Abby had ever seen him, even in those first months way back when they had only just met. “I'm just worried about you, that's all.”
Connor snorted. “I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me. I love what I'm doing.” But he was far from fine. Seeing Abby standing there looking concerned made him really ache to hold her. There was an Abby-sized hole in his life right now and he wished he could take back everything he'd said.
“What is it you do in here?” Abby said, looking at the array of wires, circuits and odd looking creations scattered around the room. She was used to this sort of scene and it was somewhat reassuring to see there was still a bit of the Connor she loved there.
“I can't tell you.... not yet. But soon. It's all coming together and Philip says....” he stopped. He knew he couldn't say any more, despite wanting to share everything with her. The look of distaste on her face when he said Philip's name hurt.
“I've been talking to Danny.” Abby said. “He's seen things. The future... the near future. If you won't listen to what I have to say, will you at least meet Danny?”
Connor thought for a moment. It would be good to catch up with Danny. He'd caught snippets of conversations between Lester and Burton and knew Lester was desperately trying to find a suitable position for Danny at the ARC. Danny had been the leader and now Matt had that role, and Connor couldn't really picture Danny working under Becker in 'security'. “OK.” He said quietly. “I'll meet Danny in the pub across from Jess's place at eight.”
Abby smiled. It was a start. As she turned to leave, she heard Connor take a deep breath.
“Abby?”
“Yes?” she said, a hint of hopefulness in her voice.
“Will you be there too?”
“Would you like me to be there?”
Connor blushed and nodded, swallowing nervously.
“I'll see you later then.” She turned on her heels and left, her heart racing.
-o-
Danny ordered a second round of drinks for him and Abby. The pint he'd bought for Connor still sat on the table untouched. It was almost nine o'clock, and there was no sign of him. Abby had texted him but he hadn't replied. The positive feeling she'd had all day was slowing seeping away. She gratefully took her drink from Danny and sighed. “He's not coming.”
Danny nodded. “It looks like we might have to consider another approach. If Connor's already so far under Burton's influence that he misses an evening with two of his oldest friends...”
Abby tried not to let her emotions run away with her. “What else do you know about 2042? Your friend at the ARC, Tom... did he tell you anything?”
“I just know a lot of things went wrong, and I need to try and put things right.” Danny said, staring into his pint.
“Did you see me?” Abby said quietly. “Do you know what happens to me?”
“Abby, I can't answer that.” There was a slightly awkward silence, and Abby sensed that Danny did know something about her - something awful if the fact he couldn't make eye contact with her was anything to go by.
Suddenly, like a whirlwind, Connor was joining them at the table. He was full of apologies for being late and muttered something about Burton being annoyed at being led on a wild goose chase. Abby grinned, but hoped he hadn't worked out it was Jess and her that had set him up.
The three spent some time catching up; swapping survival stories, near misses, ingenious ways of handling things and making the whole experience sound like a weekend camping on the Yorkshire moors. It was almost fun, like old times.
“Abby says you saw the future too?” Connor finally said. The mood instantly changed and Connor glanced from Danny to Abby and back again. “Danny?”
“I spent a bit of time in 2042.” Danny took a deep breath and began to tell Connor everything he knew about Burton and Prospero Industries. Abby watched Connor as he listened, and could see him tensing up; the anger slowly burning inside him. His fists were clenching and the tendon in his neck became very prominent. Abby knew the signs well - Any minute now, Connor was going to explode.
“Abby put you up to this, didn't she?” Connor said. He was shaking, but desperately trying to hold back his anger. Losing it in a place like this would get him arrested, and deep down he knew Danny would send him sprawling to the floor with a swift right hook anyway.
“No. I know what I saw, Connor. Burton's using you to help him get what he wants, and then he'll eat you up and spit you out when he's done - after he's destroyed everything else you hold precious in this world.” Danny stared angrily at Connor.
“You're wrong!” Connor spat, blinking back tears. Then, he turned to Abby. “Why can't you just be happy for me? I'm finally getting somewhere with the anomaly research that Cutter wanted me to do thanks to all the equipment Philip provides, and all you can do is...”
“You're not doing Cutter's work!” Abby hissed back. “He wanted to find a way to control them, predict them and eventually stop them. You're creating them and allowing them to be used for selfish gain!”
Connor pushed past her and made to leave. “To understand how they work, you have to know how to create them, Abby!”
Danny followed and squared up in front of him. “Connor, don't be an idiot! Wake up and open your eyes!”
“I'm not the one with my eyes closed.” Connor replied. He sniffed, then walked out of the pub leaving Abby and Danny staring in disbelief.
“That went well.” Danny said after a few minutes. Abby slumped down onto the seat and sat with her head in her hands, elbows resting on the table. Danny sat beside her and stroked her back comfortingly. When Tom had told him what had happened to Abby, he had refused to believe it, but now … he could see she was already falling apart in front of his eyes and he was beginning to understand how she had got herself into such a bad place.
“We're going to have to deal with Burton on our own.” Abby said. “Connor's too far gone to turn around now.” She closed her eyes. The anomaly alert that Jess had found on the system had to be Connor creating an anomaly in the lab, and Burton probably already had his hands on all the data he needed. She prayed that Connor had held something back and not given Burton complete control yet. If he had, then there was no hope.
-o-
Connor sat in the car, staring at the huge electric gates across the gravelled driveway. Something was bothering him and he needed reassurance. What if there was some truth in what Danny had said? He couldn't think of a reason why Danny would be so against Philip Burton, unless Abby had influenced him - but Danny was not the sort of man that let others control the way he thought. He got out of the car and pressed the buzzer on the gate and waited.
“It's Connor. I need to see Philip.” he said into the intercom. There was a pause, and then the sound of the gates beginning to creak open. Jumping back into the car, he took a deep breath and drove into the grounds of the large house where Philip lived. A dog barked from somewhere in the darkness, and as Connor's car approached the front of the house, a flood light came on to illuminate the driveway. He'd been here once before; a couple of weeks after he'd officially become a Prospero employee. He'd felt completely out of his depth amongst all those scientists, and 'cheese and wine' wasn't really his thing - still, Burton thought it was important that Connor gained some useful contacts who might be able to help him, so he'd grinned and bared it.
The front door was opened as Connor approached, and the housekeeper ushered Connor inside. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company at this time of the evening?” Burton said. “Can I get you a drink? Some brandy? No … wait, you're a beer man aren't you? I think there should be a bottle or two in the fridge.”
“I'm OK, thank you. I'm driving, and I've already had one drink. I won't keep you long, I just need to ask you something.” Connor suddenly felt incredibly nervous.
“I see, very sensible of course! You'd better come into the lounge.” Burton indicated towards a door to the left, and he followed Connor inside. The lounge was bigger than Jess's entire flat, and furnished completely in black leather, black wood and white soft furnishings and walls. To Connor, it didn't have that “lived in” feel. No photographs or ornaments, nothing that personalised it at all. “Take a seat.”
Connor sank down onto one of the huge leather chairs and swallowed nervously. Burton perched himself on the edge of the sofa facing Connor. “I was wondering what you intended to do once we'd perfected creating anomalies.” He finally said.
“What's brought this on, Connor?”
“It's a reasonable question isn't it?” Connor said. He didn't like the look Burton was giving him.
“I suppose it is.” Burton replied. “To be honest, I haven't really thought that much beyond controlling them. I thought that was some way off yet.”
“You see, when I started this, it was my intention to understand them and work out how to stop them. That was what Cutter was working towards before he died and he wanted me to...”
“Connor, you're racing ahead of yourself! You created one anomaly that lasted for no more than a few minutes. I think we just need to focus on one thing at a time.” Burton smiled.
“You're right. I am racing ahead. I guess I'm just excited that's all, and after what Danny told me... I'm sorry I disturbed your evening.” Connor felt relieved.
“Danny? What did he say?” Burton's face changed.
“Oh nothing really. He said he'd seen things in the future and I think he put two and two together and made five... and maybe he's been listening to Abby as well.”
“Whatever Danny Quinn thinks he saw needs to taken with a large dose of salt I'm afraid.” Burton lowered his voice as if he was afraid someone might overhear. “ Between you and I, the psychological tests they ran on him when he came back indicate that he's not stable. It wouldn't surprise me if he ended up needing some kind of psychiatric help in the near future. If Abby is taking advantage of his vulnerable mind and filling it with her venom...”
“Don't speak about Abby like that!” Connor spat. “I know you and her have never seen eye to eye, but she's not the bad person you make her out to be!”
“I'm sorry. I know you're still very fond of her and I shouldn't say things like that to you. Look, it's late, we've both had a very long day and I need my sleep. I suggest you go home and get some rest too, and then we can start working out how to keep the anomaly open for longer.” Burton almost shoved Connor out of the door into the hallway.
“You're right. A good night's sleep will do me the power of good. Thank you Philip.” Connor grinned, said good night and left.
Burton watched Connor leave and waited until his car had disappeared into the darkness before taking out his mobile phone. Scrolling down his list of contacts, he found the one he needed and dialled the number. “It's me. We have a problem. I think we're going to have to put the plan into action sooner than we anticipated; he's starting to ask questions.... yes, I know the research isn't complete but it's as good as. I've placated him for the moment, but it won't be long before he realises what's going on. ... I trust I can leave it in your hands to get what I need? Good.”
He slid the phone back into his pocket and poured himself a brandy. It would be a shame to end Connor's career with Prospero before it had really begun, but that couldn't be helped. He'd always intended to get rid of Connor once he'd served his purpose anyway and he couldn't risk the project being exposed now. He was also going to have to work out how to keep Danny and Abby quiet as well.
(TBC!)
Author: Prehistoric Cat
Rating: PG
Characters: Connor, Abby,Danny, Burton, Jess, Becker
Genre: Gen
Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended
Warnings: Some spoilers for series 4 so far
Danny's told Abby what Burton is up to, but can they convince Connor?
Connor stretched and rubbed his eyes. It was almost 3am, and apart from the night security patrol, he was the only person still at the ARC. He liked the peace and quiet usually, but today he felt uneasy. He hadn't seen daylight in over a week, and he'd slept at the ARC three times in the last fortnight. He was within a hair's breadth of making this work; he could feel it in the air... if he could just work out the right combination of the chemicals...
Knocking back yet another cup of coffee he'd let go cold, he blinked and picked up the device he'd been working on. He hooked it up to the power unit he'd devised and flicked the switch to the 'on' position. Yawning, he turned automatically to his computer to start looking at the data, ready to analyse it and add it to the list of failed attempts. Suddenly, the room lit up and his ears were blasted by the sound of the anomaly alarm. Mouth open and suddenly wide awake, Connor stared. It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen - he had created an anomaly from nothing and all those hours spent bent over a computer and soldering iron had finally paid off. It was like his entire body had been taken over by a giant spring as he began bouncing around the lab like an excited toddler; his grin as wide as his face. The glow lit up the entire room and there was the feint crackle of electricity in the air making the hairs on Connor's neck stand up.
Coming to his senses, Connor disabled the alarm system. Burton had said this needed to be kept secret until they were certain it all worked properly. He wished Burton was here to see it; witness his success and know that his faith in him had been justified. Then, he wished Abby was here too. If she could see for herself what he'd been doing, then maybe she'd forgive him for neglecting their relationship and all the arguments. Finally, his thoughts turned to Professor Cutter; the man that had started him on this incredible journey. If he was here now, he'd be grinning from ear to ear just like Connor was and saying “Good work, Connor.” How he longed to hear those words.
Deciding that he should do a few tests to determine if this anomaly behaved like the ones they encountered outside, he grabbed his compass from the table at the side. His heart was pounding as he watched the needle spin uncontrollably - it was certainly looking very promising. However, when he took out his black box sensor to do more readings, the anomaly began to fade slowly in front of him, then disappeared completely. Connor stared into the space it left behind for several minutes. His heart pounded so hard in his chest he was certain it would burst straight through. He had done it! He had actually done it!
-o-
“That's odd.” Jess said, mostly to herself but also to anyone who was listening. She was starting up the manual systems and checking the overnight data from the automatic system.
“What's wrong?” Becker said.
“An anomaly was detected at 2:56am this morning, but the alarm was manually switched off.” Her face scrunched in concentration as she tried to work out where the alarm had been switched off from.
“Maybe it was a fault?” Becker said.
“Unlikely.” She clicked a few more buttons on the computer then frowned. “Whoever it was has covered up their ID on the remote system.”
“Someone who knows what they're doing then... which means its either you or …” Before Becker could finish, the door to Burton's office was flung open and he was almost running towards Connor's lab. He went inside without knocking, and the door was slammed firmly shut. Jess gave Becker a strange look, and Becker shrugged his shoulders before walking away towards the armoury. They were all used to Burton and Connor blanking everyone else out by now.
Jess continued to explore the data, determined to find out more. Burton and Connor were up to something - it HAD to be one of them that had turned the alarm off, but why? Maybe it was a fault like Becker had said? When she checked the co-ordinates of the anomaly that had triggered the alert, she gasped … it was right here, inside the ARC! Surely that couldn't happen? It was definitely a fault, there was no other explanation.
She tried to put it to the back of her mind, but as the day wore on it kept niggling at her. The security logs showed that Connor hadn't left last night, so he must have turned off the alarm. It didn't make sense; if there had been a fault with the system, he would have told her or at least put it in the log. He was the one that had insisted any problems were noted down in case they recurred. Jess sighed and decided to go and speak to Abby. It was a long shot, but maybe Abby would have an idea.
-o-
Abby had not slept; not that that was unusual these days. Not having Connor at her side was taking a lot of getting used to after being so close and reliant on him being there. Her conversation with Danny was still ringing in her head - Burton somehow got access to an anomaly with Connor's help. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and groaned as her mobile vibrated. It was Danny. He wanted Abby to try and get Connor to meet him later. That was easier said than done, especially today. Connor usually made an appearance mid morning to get a coffee, or a can of coke and chocolate from the vending machine. Abby was grateful that Connor was a creature of habit; she could plan her own breaks around him and at least get a “Hi, you OK?” from him. - but today the door to his lab had stayed firmly shut and neither he or Burton had come out.
Jess was hovering in the doorway, until she caught Abby's eye and came in. “Do you know anything at all about what Connor is doing for Philip?” Jess said.
“I was going to ask you the same.” Abby sighed. She wanted to share what she knew with Jess, but she didn't know if she could trust her completely. There were few people that she did trust these days.
Jess sat down next to Abby and told her about what she'd found earlier. Alarm bells began to ring in Abby's head. It was clicking into place and it made sense. Ever since Connor had made the anomaly in the cave at Witchfield strengthen by throwing petrol on it, she'd seen him change. He'd babbled on then about the possibility of creating his own anomaly - and it was round about that time that Burton set up Connor in his own lab too. Had Connor actually done it?
“Jess, I need to get Connor on his own somehow. We need to get Burton out of his lab for a while.” Abby said.
“OK. I can come up with a phonecall from one of his associates asking him to meet him. It'll get him out for a short time if nothing else.” Jess smiled. She leapt to her feet and made her way over to her console. Abby waited nervously - if she didn't speak to Connor soon, it could be too late; if it wasn't already. Jess's fingers sped over the computer keyboard as she skimmed through the logs of all phonecalls made and received into Burton's office. “This'll do!” Jess finally declared. “Scott Hancock, he calls occasionally. He works at Prospero's labs over in Guildford. By the time Burton's got over there and realised it's not genuine, you'll have had 45 minutes to speak to Connor.”
“Thank you.” Abby said quietly.
Jess stood up and got ready to go and tell Burton that Scott needed him to go over to Guildford. “You're welcome. If Connor's getting himself into something, then you're the only person who stands any chance of helping him.”
Abby nodded. “I don't know about that any more. But we have to try.”
-o-
Philip was annoyed. He'd hired Scott to take care of the lab and use his own intuition and experience to run the place without needing to pester him. This had better be good! he thought, not liking having to leave Connor at such a crucial time in the research. He stormed past Abby and Jess without a word.
Abby waited until he'd disappeared completely and then pushed her way into Connor's lab, not waiting to be invited inside.
“We need to talk, Connor.” she said. He didn't even look up from the gadget that he was fiddling about with. “Connor?”
Connor huffed his annoyance at being disturbed. “I thought we already said everything we had to say to each other?” He finally turned to face her, and they both stared at each other. It was more than a little awkward. The last time they'd spent more than just a fleeting moment together had resulted in a blazing row and they'd both said hurtful things.
Abby fought the urge to cry. Connor was a shadow of his former self; dark circles around his eyes, pale skin that used to be slightly sunkissed, the lines of muscle tone he'd developed barely there … he was thinner than Abby had ever seen him, even in those first months way back when they had only just met. “I'm just worried about you, that's all.”
Connor snorted. “I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me. I love what I'm doing.” But he was far from fine. Seeing Abby standing there looking concerned made him really ache to hold her. There was an Abby-sized hole in his life right now and he wished he could take back everything he'd said.
“What is it you do in here?” Abby said, looking at the array of wires, circuits and odd looking creations scattered around the room. She was used to this sort of scene and it was somewhat reassuring to see there was still a bit of the Connor she loved there.
“I can't tell you.... not yet. But soon. It's all coming together and Philip says....” he stopped. He knew he couldn't say any more, despite wanting to share everything with her. The look of distaste on her face when he said Philip's name hurt.
“I've been talking to Danny.” Abby said. “He's seen things. The future... the near future. If you won't listen to what I have to say, will you at least meet Danny?”
Connor thought for a moment. It would be good to catch up with Danny. He'd caught snippets of conversations between Lester and Burton and knew Lester was desperately trying to find a suitable position for Danny at the ARC. Danny had been the leader and now Matt had that role, and Connor couldn't really picture Danny working under Becker in 'security'. “OK.” He said quietly. “I'll meet Danny in the pub across from Jess's place at eight.”
Abby smiled. It was a start. As she turned to leave, she heard Connor take a deep breath.
“Abby?”
“Yes?” she said, a hint of hopefulness in her voice.
“Will you be there too?”
“Would you like me to be there?”
Connor blushed and nodded, swallowing nervously.
“I'll see you later then.” She turned on her heels and left, her heart racing.
-o-
Danny ordered a second round of drinks for him and Abby. The pint he'd bought for Connor still sat on the table untouched. It was almost nine o'clock, and there was no sign of him. Abby had texted him but he hadn't replied. The positive feeling she'd had all day was slowing seeping away. She gratefully took her drink from Danny and sighed. “He's not coming.”
Danny nodded. “It looks like we might have to consider another approach. If Connor's already so far under Burton's influence that he misses an evening with two of his oldest friends...”
Abby tried not to let her emotions run away with her. “What else do you know about 2042? Your friend at the ARC, Tom... did he tell you anything?”
“I just know a lot of things went wrong, and I need to try and put things right.” Danny said, staring into his pint.
“Did you see me?” Abby said quietly. “Do you know what happens to me?”
“Abby, I can't answer that.” There was a slightly awkward silence, and Abby sensed that Danny did know something about her - something awful if the fact he couldn't make eye contact with her was anything to go by.
Suddenly, like a whirlwind, Connor was joining them at the table. He was full of apologies for being late and muttered something about Burton being annoyed at being led on a wild goose chase. Abby grinned, but hoped he hadn't worked out it was Jess and her that had set him up.
The three spent some time catching up; swapping survival stories, near misses, ingenious ways of handling things and making the whole experience sound like a weekend camping on the Yorkshire moors. It was almost fun, like old times.
“Abby says you saw the future too?” Connor finally said. The mood instantly changed and Connor glanced from Danny to Abby and back again. “Danny?”
“I spent a bit of time in 2042.” Danny took a deep breath and began to tell Connor everything he knew about Burton and Prospero Industries. Abby watched Connor as he listened, and could see him tensing up; the anger slowly burning inside him. His fists were clenching and the tendon in his neck became very prominent. Abby knew the signs well - Any minute now, Connor was going to explode.
“Abby put you up to this, didn't she?” Connor said. He was shaking, but desperately trying to hold back his anger. Losing it in a place like this would get him arrested, and deep down he knew Danny would send him sprawling to the floor with a swift right hook anyway.
“No. I know what I saw, Connor. Burton's using you to help him get what he wants, and then he'll eat you up and spit you out when he's done - after he's destroyed everything else you hold precious in this world.” Danny stared angrily at Connor.
“You're wrong!” Connor spat, blinking back tears. Then, he turned to Abby. “Why can't you just be happy for me? I'm finally getting somewhere with the anomaly research that Cutter wanted me to do thanks to all the equipment Philip provides, and all you can do is...”
“You're not doing Cutter's work!” Abby hissed back. “He wanted to find a way to control them, predict them and eventually stop them. You're creating them and allowing them to be used for selfish gain!”
Connor pushed past her and made to leave. “To understand how they work, you have to know how to create them, Abby!”
Danny followed and squared up in front of him. “Connor, don't be an idiot! Wake up and open your eyes!”
“I'm not the one with my eyes closed.” Connor replied. He sniffed, then walked out of the pub leaving Abby and Danny staring in disbelief.
“That went well.” Danny said after a few minutes. Abby slumped down onto the seat and sat with her head in her hands, elbows resting on the table. Danny sat beside her and stroked her back comfortingly. When Tom had told him what had happened to Abby, he had refused to believe it, but now … he could see she was already falling apart in front of his eyes and he was beginning to understand how she had got herself into such a bad place.
“We're going to have to deal with Burton on our own.” Abby said. “Connor's too far gone to turn around now.” She closed her eyes. The anomaly alert that Jess had found on the system had to be Connor creating an anomaly in the lab, and Burton probably already had his hands on all the data he needed. She prayed that Connor had held something back and not given Burton complete control yet. If he had, then there was no hope.
-o-
Connor sat in the car, staring at the huge electric gates across the gravelled driveway. Something was bothering him and he needed reassurance. What if there was some truth in what Danny had said? He couldn't think of a reason why Danny would be so against Philip Burton, unless Abby had influenced him - but Danny was not the sort of man that let others control the way he thought. He got out of the car and pressed the buzzer on the gate and waited.
“It's Connor. I need to see Philip.” he said into the intercom. There was a pause, and then the sound of the gates beginning to creak open. Jumping back into the car, he took a deep breath and drove into the grounds of the large house where Philip lived. A dog barked from somewhere in the darkness, and as Connor's car approached the front of the house, a flood light came on to illuminate the driveway. He'd been here once before; a couple of weeks after he'd officially become a Prospero employee. He'd felt completely out of his depth amongst all those scientists, and 'cheese and wine' wasn't really his thing - still, Burton thought it was important that Connor gained some useful contacts who might be able to help him, so he'd grinned and bared it.
The front door was opened as Connor approached, and the housekeeper ushered Connor inside. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company at this time of the evening?” Burton said. “Can I get you a drink? Some brandy? No … wait, you're a beer man aren't you? I think there should be a bottle or two in the fridge.”
“I'm OK, thank you. I'm driving, and I've already had one drink. I won't keep you long, I just need to ask you something.” Connor suddenly felt incredibly nervous.
“I see, very sensible of course! You'd better come into the lounge.” Burton indicated towards a door to the left, and he followed Connor inside. The lounge was bigger than Jess's entire flat, and furnished completely in black leather, black wood and white soft furnishings and walls. To Connor, it didn't have that “lived in” feel. No photographs or ornaments, nothing that personalised it at all. “Take a seat.”
Connor sank down onto one of the huge leather chairs and swallowed nervously. Burton perched himself on the edge of the sofa facing Connor. “I was wondering what you intended to do once we'd perfected creating anomalies.” He finally said.
“What's brought this on, Connor?”
“It's a reasonable question isn't it?” Connor said. He didn't like the look Burton was giving him.
“I suppose it is.” Burton replied. “To be honest, I haven't really thought that much beyond controlling them. I thought that was some way off yet.”
“You see, when I started this, it was my intention to understand them and work out how to stop them. That was what Cutter was working towards before he died and he wanted me to...”
“Connor, you're racing ahead of yourself! You created one anomaly that lasted for no more than a few minutes. I think we just need to focus on one thing at a time.” Burton smiled.
“You're right. I am racing ahead. I guess I'm just excited that's all, and after what Danny told me... I'm sorry I disturbed your evening.” Connor felt relieved.
“Danny? What did he say?” Burton's face changed.
“Oh nothing really. He said he'd seen things in the future and I think he put two and two together and made five... and maybe he's been listening to Abby as well.”
“Whatever Danny Quinn thinks he saw needs to taken with a large dose of salt I'm afraid.” Burton lowered his voice as if he was afraid someone might overhear. “ Between you and I, the psychological tests they ran on him when he came back indicate that he's not stable. It wouldn't surprise me if he ended up needing some kind of psychiatric help in the near future. If Abby is taking advantage of his vulnerable mind and filling it with her venom...”
“Don't speak about Abby like that!” Connor spat. “I know you and her have never seen eye to eye, but she's not the bad person you make her out to be!”
“I'm sorry. I know you're still very fond of her and I shouldn't say things like that to you. Look, it's late, we've both had a very long day and I need my sleep. I suggest you go home and get some rest too, and then we can start working out how to keep the anomaly open for longer.” Burton almost shoved Connor out of the door into the hallway.
“You're right. A good night's sleep will do me the power of good. Thank you Philip.” Connor grinned, said good night and left.
Burton watched Connor leave and waited until his car had disappeared into the darkness before taking out his mobile phone. Scrolling down his list of contacts, he found the one he needed and dialled the number. “It's me. We have a problem. I think we're going to have to put the plan into action sooner than we anticipated; he's starting to ask questions.... yes, I know the research isn't complete but it's as good as. I've placated him for the moment, but it won't be long before he realises what's going on. ... I trust I can leave it in your hands to get what I need? Good.”
He slid the phone back into his pocket and poured himself a brandy. It would be a shame to end Connor's career with Prospero before it had really begun, but that couldn't be helped. He'd always intended to get rid of Connor once he'd served his purpose anyway and he couldn't risk the project being exposed now. He was also going to have to work out how to keep Danny and Abby quiet as well.
(TBC!)