It begins slowly, insidiously, lulling them into a false sense of security. All around the world, newspapers talk about the risks and deaths while medical personnel plead for calm rational thought.
In New York, a mother organises a sleepover for her son's friends. They're shut in a warm room, the door closed tightly while her boy coughs and coughs and coughs. Five days later, the friends of her son are wrapped up warm in their own beds, cold compresses on their foreheads.
The words deliberate infection and before it mutates hang in the air.
In London, Jenny picks up the phone, her mouth set in a grim line.
-***-
"The Mexican government have been sending people through the anomalies for years," Lester tells them.
Abby stares. "What's your source?" She can feel a small twist of panic in her stomach. "Are you trying to tell us that this new flu, that this swine flu came through the anomaly?"
The door behind her clicks open. "I'm his source."
Abby turns around and sees Jenny Lewis marching in. She's dressed smartly but looking subdued.
"We just received information from our US allies," she tells them. "They inform us that the Mexican government has been sending exploratory expeditions into both the past and future. The US President seemed less than pleased that we did not see fit to inform him of these threats to international security."
Connor opens his mouth but Jenny raises her hand. There is a hard light in her eyes and Abby realises that the past few months have changed her more than any of them. It wasn't just Nick's death or the fact Danny was now lost to them forever or even the thousands of sick, panicking civilians. Abby isn't sure, but it almost looks as though she was a completely different person.
"You are expected in Mexico. Your plane will leave in an hour." Jenny places down a stack of files. "You will read these on the flight and be fully briefed by arrival." She turns on her heel and walks out of the room, leaving them all staring at her.
Abby picks up one of the briefs and opens it. Emblazoned in huge letters is: TOP SECRET.
-***-
The air in Mexico City is stifling and humid. Everywhere Abby looks, people are wearing face masks and there is the stench of rotting bacon and ham in the air. They're escorted to a large building, past guards holding large guns and into a windowless room.
There, several other burly men are sitting, waiting.
"This is an international effort," one of the men says, standing up. The door slams behind Abby and she looks back fearfully. Connor's hand clasps her own and she's thankful for the show of support. The man's accent is crisp and American.
"Who might you be?" Sarah demands.
"That is inconsequential," the man snaps. "You British took unilateral action that has endangered this entire planet."
"That's completely unfair," Connor bursts out. "We weren't the one who caused the pandemic. We've done all we could to ensure that these anomalies are safe."
"Besides, the flu is not as serious as the media claims." Sarah's arms are folded in front of her chest.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that," the man says and Abby feels a shiver slide down her chest. "You, together with my men, will travel through this anomaly. The Mexican government informs us that this anomaly has been open for months and always goes to the same place. You will take scientific swabs of anything that looks suspicious."
"Why us?" Abby says, her eyes narrowing.
"We feel that you have the most experience with these anomalies," the man says. "The British government has been most co-operative in offering you up."
-***-
Abby stares at the anomaly, breathing through her face mask. Beside her, Becker, Connor and Sarah stand, their hands on their weapons. She doesn't think she's felt this much fear in front of an anomaly for a very long time. On the other side, is a dangerous virus, one that has killed thousands and infected tens of thousands of people.
"Well," Connor says, his voice trembling slightly, "here goes nothing."
-***-
The other side is nothing like what Abby thought. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but it wasn't this. As Abby looks around, she feels an almost unspeakable terror flow through her. The scenery is certainly unusual.
"This," Connor says and then falls silent.
"Is strange," Sarah finishes and Becker simply nods. The American men who had come along with them are open-mouthed.
In front of them, are rows and rows of sunflowers, as far as the eye can see. The flowers are taller than Abby. Looking up, she gulps. She has always liked flowers, but sunflowers had always been strange to her. Flowers taller than a human just weren't quite normal.
"Well," one of the American men growls, "what are you waiting for? Collect samples."
-***-
"There's nothing except flowers here," Connor says, after they've been walking for five minutes.
Abby nods, clutching her samples. The flowers above her head wave gently and she shivers. She's seen sunflowers before and they didn't cause the unnameable fear that now swells up inside her. "I think we should turn back," she says quietly.
One of the flowers above her head gently dips its head and Abby feels petals brush her head. She shudders and looks up.
What she sees terrifies her. The centre of the sunflower, what should be yellow, is now black and yawning wide. The flower's stem bends further despite the lack of breeze.
"What the fuck?" Connor yells and drags Abby out of the way.
They're running, stumbling and panting back towards the anomaly. The flowers are moving around them, their petals slamming shut around them. Abby is shuddering and barely able to move but Connor is dragging her along.
-***-
"There's nothing there," Sarah reports and everybody else nods. The American soldiers are shaking and Abby thinks she might be as well. She sneezes.
Connor looks concerned. "Are you alright?" he asks.
"Probably the pollen," Abby says lightly.
"Why didn't anybody tell us there were carnivorous flowers?" Sarah demands.
"They weren't there last time," one of the American soldiers reports. "We've read the Mexican reports. They haven't been back for months. Apparently last time there were a few old ruins, some skeletons, nothing major."
There's a thought niggling at the back of Abby's mind but she brushes it away. It's far too ridiculous.
-***-
Abby is coughing in her bed, her fever up to 40 degrees, when Connor brings her a newspaper article. She stares up at him, her gaze blurry. Connor is sniffling as well. "Not you too," she croaks.
"I'm afraid so," he says, his voice subdued. "Look at this."
Abby stares at the article.
Sunflowers growing on grave of swine flu victims.