Treasure Trail

Marley was walking towards the hub distracted when she saw Jenner running towards her. He was in a rush she could see but the running had not caused him to sweat. He was trained for this kind of thing. Handling weapons, running and following orders was all part of his training.

'Just the girl,' he explained as he grabbed her wrist and lead her to the hub quickly with a smile. Marley was worried as she kept pace with the Lieutenant easily. Jenner was surprised as she did and they darted into the hub neither out of breath.

'What's going on?' Marley asked as he released her wrist. 'Where's Jess?' Marley looked around the almost empty hub in which there were only a few scientists, herself and Jenner. Marley's eyes settled on the empty ADD chair, Jess's chair. 'Where is everyone? Lieutenant?'

'I'm sorry but I'm meant to give you this.' Jenner replied pulling an envelope from his pocket and holding it out to her. Marley, it said in Matt's neat handwriting. Marley's heart raced as she struggled to open it.

'The pen is mightier than the sword' the note inside read.

'The pen is mightier than the sword?' Marley repeated as she put the note back in the envelope and sat down on Jess's chair deep in thought. Matt wasn't one for notes there would be a message in it and very important reason for it. He wouldn't disappear for no reason and not try to let Marley know where he was going. She would bet on that. Matt had always been there for her not matter what more so than her father most of the time. They'd survived the sandstorms together and gotten out of a few scrapes in their own time through teamwork.

'The armoury!' Marley shouted in realisation as she darted towards the exit leaving a very surprised Jenner.

Marley rounded the corner and quickly ran into the deserted armoury. What's with the note she thought to herself as she noticed a sky blue envelope on the table amongst some gun parts. Marley quickly opened it to find another note. This time written by Becker, she could tell by the squarest writing she had ever seen developed for report writing.

'You confide in me. You tell me everything but you lock me away.'

Marley looked and read it again. She sighed trying to focus as she paced around the room. It felt funny to her without Becker there as if something wasn't right. He was almost a fixture of the room except for when there were anomaly alerts.

'Lock me away? Lock me away. My journal. The locker room.'

Marley was out of breath as she reached the locker room. Scaring Jenner as she dived to her locker, jumping over a bench with ease. Taped to it was another envelope, daisy yellow in colour this time. Marley sat down on the bench as she opened it. Jenner watched interested. He knew something was happening but didn't know what Matt had arranged, all he knew was that Matt had asked him to watch Marley today.

'Live. Laugh. Love. Got to the place you laugh and live.' Emily had written in her delicate handwriting.

'I live here. Live. Laugh. Love. Got to the place you laugh and live? Jenner do you know what's going on?' Marley asked as he left out loud.

'Not a clue,' came the response, not really a lie.

'Clue?'

Elsewhere in the hub Jess was putting up a birthday banner as Connor and Emily blew up some balloons and Abby helped Jess put the banner up straight. Matt was sat nearby getting caught up in cello tape as he tried to wrap up a present. Emily watched him as he struggled with the renegade tape with a smile only to get distracted by a wayward balloon Connor had let go of with a smirk.

'Sorry.' Connor apologised as the rest of the team looked at him. Becker smiled.

'How far do you think Marley's got on our trail?'

'Becker's note?' Connor answered.

'Matt's was easy. I'm going to say Becker's too.' Abby responded.

'Emily's' Matt said as he stood up.

'She's probably getting to Abby's now' Jess nodded. They all laughed as they continued their preparations. It had been Matt's idea. The trail, Jenner keeping an eye on Marley, the present. To him the little girl he once knew was growing up although she would always be Marley Rose, headstrong Anderson girl to him. Marley was no longer just a girl she was becoming a young woman.

Marley was still in thought as she opened her locker and looked at the photo taped to the inside of the door. The photo of her, Jess, Emily and Abby taken in the lounge. Marley had been laughing when it had been taken. She hadn't had the heart to have Jess delete it in the end. Looking at it she realised what Emily's clue had been referring to. The lounge! It was in the place she lived and often laughed. Why hadn't she thought of it sooner? How could she be so blindsided? What did the notes lead to?

Jenner interrupted the preparations as Matt sat next to the carefully wrapped present. Jess and Abby had managed to get the banner straight. Becker, ever the gentleman, offered Jess his hand to help her down from the chair which she took gratefully. Matt smiled as he watched Becker and Jess as she stepped down from the chair. Connor sniggered at Jess's blushing as she realised they were all watching.

'Miss Anderson is on her way to the lounge.'

'Thank you Jenner,' Matt responded.

'Everything looks great.' Jenner replied looking around.

'All for Marley' Matt thought out loud as Emily joined him and he found his arm resting on her shoulder. He realised then for the first time in quite a while he was content. His mission (and Marley's) would never be over but he could live with that, he had his friends, his world was complete.

Marley hadn't rushed to the lounge like she had the armoury or locker room. The note trail hadn't seemed urgent and she'd used the time it took her to think. She'd worked out that Becker, Matt, Emily and even Jenner was in on whatever the trail was for. Jenner had conveniently been around for Emily's clue and then disappeared. He knew what was going on. Entering the lounge she began to search the table and then the drawers. Taking a breath she flounced onto the couch, arms behind her, to get a paper cut. Marley looked at her finger as it started to bleed and then promptly stood up to see a flash of green tucked behind the cushion. Got you! She thought to herself as she dug out a plaster for herself, put it on, then sat back down. The envelope was leaf green with her name written on it (Connor's writing) once again. Marley opened the envelope carefully to find a note from Abby.

'The colour of the envelope is the clue'

'P.S A friend would like to see you in his own habitat' Connor had added. Marley sighed as she stared in front of her. Green? Leaf green? Habitat, Friend. Then it hit her. Rex! Abby and Connor's Coelurosauravus. She had her next destination. The menagerie. As she went to leave though she noticed a note under the TV stand. Intrigued, she picked it up and was surprised to find it was a list of chocolate bars written by Becker. Realising what it meant she quickly replaced it and started towards the menagerie.

Once she got past the coded door she could hear the life in the giant room. There were creatures everywhere. Those who had been unable to get home which included Rex and a woolly mammoth. Rex flew towards her as he usually did forcing her to duck quickly with a smile.

'Hello Rex,'

Rex quickly landed on the table as Marley stood upright. He watched her as she moved around the room, only stopping for a leaf to give him.

'Are you in on the plan too?' Marley joked as she gave him the leaf in her hand and he flew off. 'You could help Rex!'

Marley laughed as she noticed what she was looking for the way Rex had flown. A rectangle of pink on the memo board. Not very Abby Marley thought to herself as she pulled it down. This envelope was decorated. It had her name on it in very precise and curly letters with a drawn heart and star sticker. Jess. Definitely! Carefully Marley opened the baby pink envelope to discover yet another note.

'A hive of activity, bright and bold is where you need to go.'

Bright and bold Marley thought to herself. In the ARC?

'Thanks Rex' Marley called as she left the room the door closing quickly behind her.

Wandering around the ARC aimlessly in thought Marley was questioning the trails purpose. Was it some sort of exercise devised by Becker or Matt? A joke by Connor? There had been thought put into it she realised as she looked at all the envelopes. All were different colours, all by different people, all clues to the next place. A goose chase but who would organise all that? When Marley looked up she realised she was back in the hub. She had been so distracted she hadn't realised where she had been going. Not too distracted to notice the birthday banner and balloons which had been put up. Marley smiled as she realised who they were for. She had completely forgotten it was her birthday! Looking around she noticed the team watching her from Lester's office with Jenner smiling the smile of a fellow conspirator.

The team joined Marley with a babble of 'happy birthdays' and 'surprise'. Marley looked down as Matt stepped in front of her and pulled her into a hug.

'Happy birthday Marley Rose.'

'Thank you uncle Matt' Marley replied as she returned the hug and looking at the group of people standing behind him. Emily right behind Matt, Connor and Abby next to her then Jess next to Abby with Becker behind her a hand on her shoulder. All of them were smiling. Jenner stood further behind still stood by Lester's office wary.

'So who's had me going on a wild goose chase?'

'Guilty.' Matt responded as he re-joined Emily and Jess gave Marley a hug and then a card. Becker saluted and then also gave her a hug before stepping away awkwardly. Marley laughed.

'You organised all this?' She asked incredulous.

'With help,' Matt acknowledged with a nod.

'Thank you guys. I'd forgotten it was even my birthday.'

'Forgotten?' Matt asked shocked as he passed her the carefully wrapped present. '21 today'

'There's cake too.' Jess piped in as Emily disappeared from the room to get it.

Jenner watched from the stairs careful not to interfere. He'd played his part. Matt had asked him to watch Marley nothing else. Yet still he wanted to join in. He wanted to walk over, share a hug with Marley and be a bigger part of the day. He knew that would not go down well with Matt. Although progress had been made, Jenner knew things with Matt regarding Marley were still in progress. Jenner couldn't help but wonder if he should leave and was about to when he heard Marley call him as he neared the doors.

'Sneaking off Lieutenant?!'

'Um no.'

Everyone turned. Matt and Becker seeming surprised at the authority in Marley's voice as she took a step away from the group.

'It seems so to me,' she continued with a smile. Jenner looked down for a moment guiltily. How could he have thought to leave without a word? Why did Marley have to be so darn observant? It was her birthday. It was impolite to just walk off without a word, an explanation! His thought cut off as she stood in front of him looking questioningly with those blue eyes at him. He could get lost in those eyes if he let himself.

'I'm sorry Miss Anderson' was all he could muster.

'It's Marley Lieutenant.'

'Marley…'

'Yes Jordan.' She said with a smile. He looked up to see that smile. The one only for him which he'd noticed a few days into the job. Immediately he relaxed as he looked into Marley's smiling face which was developing a blush. How could I have walked away from this? He thought to himself as he watched Marley re-join the others when Emily came in with the cake.

'Make a wish Marley Rose'

Marley pulled her hair to one side in a blonde makeshift ponytail to blow out the lit candles and then closed her eyes. A wish as she blew them out and the team clapped. They had needed this as much as Marley had after everything.

'So Marl what did you wish for?' Connor asked.

'Now wouldn't that be telling?'