Disclaimer: I don't own Primeval
A Glimpse of Matt's past
It had started like a normal anomaly alert, and a quite pleasant one if you could say that too: no creature incursion, no injured or dead innocents and no bystanders.
Connor had nearly finished setting up the closing device when laughter sounded through the anomaly.
While the unexpected sound caused the team to look at each other in surprise, Matt's blood ran cold.
It was a laughter the team leader had heard so many times in his teenage years, a laughter that he missed dreadfully, one that he had locked up deep in his heart.
Before the astonishment left his team mates, Matt disappeared through the anomaly. Speechless, the rest stared after their leader's unforeseeable behavior.
Becker was the first to get into gear, he shouted orders to Connor, Abby and Emily to not follow them through for any circumstances and to not close the anomaly, before he disappeared as well.
Matt recognized the place in an instant: the dim light that strained the eyes, the smell of contaminates in the air, the lack of oxygen and the ringing laughter which caused all the negatives to fade out, at least for a while.
Becker stepped out of the anomaly with his EMD raised. He found himself at Matt's side, who pushed the weapon down.
"They won't recognize the anomaly," the Irish man stated.
Confused, Becker stared at his friend. "How do you know, and where are we?"
"We're in my past!"
The Captain scanned the room from his hiding spot. The anomaly had appeared in the rearmost nook. A shelf packed with boxes, in various sizes, burrowed the view to the gleaming light and served as visual cover for Matt and Becker.
The room was packed with shelves, some with canned food, some with blankets but most of them with cases and test tubs. A water tank was placed on one wall and a generator catered for an engine on the opposite wall.
About fifteen people sat in the middle of the room, and the soldier's glance landed on the two youngest of the group: a boy around fifteen years old, who was unmistakablely Matt in his younger years, and a girl not older than six.
She had black long hair, which was held back in two pigtails. The young girl was the source of the infectious laughter and the centre of attention. She told a story, disguising her voice as she went and winning everyone over with her light-hearted manner.
"Her name is Libby. With her childhood innocence and her love for acting, she was able to let us forget about the predators and our impasse for a while. She wasn't a planned child! Who would have wanted to give birth to a child in a world like this, stuck under ground, with toxic winds and monsters on the surface. We had to move from shelter to shelter, to survive." Matt whispered.
When Becker looked at his team leader he noticed that Matt couldn't take his eyes off the little girl.
A mid-aged man, who had been standing between to shelves packing stuff together, moved into the center of the group when Libby's act was over.
"You're dad?" Becker asked keeping his voice in a low tone.
Matt only nodded in response.
"We will leave this shelter tomorrow! We all should get as much rest as needed." said Gideon.
Without any objection everyone did as they were told. Libby and young Matt moved a little away from the group and laid down together. The girl cuddled into Matt's arms, who embraced her protectively.
"I love you, Matt and I'm so proud of you!" She said loud enough for everyone to hear, before she snuggled closer to him.
"I love you, too," fifteen-year-old Matt whispered and placed a kiss in her hair.
Becker took another glance and the man beside him and saw tears in Matt's eyes.
"She was never afraid to voice her feelings. I don't know where she got that strength. Libby was stronger than most of us."
For a moment, Matt took in the rest of the room.
"She will die tomorrow! Libby won't make it to the next shelter, just like five others." Matt averted his eyes from the view in front of him and faced his colleague. "I wish I had some kind of memento of her."
Without another word, Matt turned around and stepped back through the anomaly.
Becker's next action surprised the soldier himself, he took out his mobile and snapped a picture of the young duo on the floor. Something in Matt's voice let Becker know that his friend cared a lot for this little girl.
Matt waited for Becker to appear back in their time before he ordered close the anomaly. Not waiting for his teammates, he got into the next SUV and drove off, leaving a stunned team behind.
Two days after the anomaly alert Becker met the Irish man alone in the break room. The soldier pulled out the photo and handed it to Matt.
"Why didn't you warn them?" Becker asked the question that had weighed heavily on his mind since they stepped back through the anomaly.
Laughter escaped Matt's lips. "You spend too much time with Jess!" He made a short pause. "If I would have done it, I might have caused a lot of trouble. After Libby's death my dad and I separated from the group. He taught me all he knew about the anomalies and what he found out of the end of the world. Gideon always prepared me for the mission, but after we left the group the lessons became harder and more pretentious. I don't know if it would be the same if Libby wouldn't have died, or if she would have died later.
All I can do now is to hope that with New Dawn destroyed, she will have a peaceful childhood, and a future she can survive."
Matt sat on his bed and caressed Libby's face on the picture. He couldn't say how long he sat like that when Emily walked into the bedroom.
Without a word she sat down beside him, looking at the picture in his hands.
"Who's that girl beside you?"
Matt placed the photo on his nightstand, took Emily's hand and kissed the back of it gently, before getting up and guiding her out of the room moments later.
"Libby's my sister."