Helen's Return

A dark haired woman wearing a worn trench coat stood in front of a large anomaly. She checked her watch and shifted her weight to her other leg. She straightened as a figure came through the anomaly.

"Dr. Lynda," She said. "I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about our little agreement."

"I can assure you," The woman replied. "That we could never turn down your generous proposal."

"I'm sure." The woman in the trench coat grunted. "Did you bring him?"

"Of course," The doctor stepped to the side, and another figure came through the anomaly. "Here he is."

The newcomer was a tall man with short brown hair and a freshly shaven beard.

"Just how I asked?" The woman asked. "No chip, nerve alteration or any augmentation at all?"

Dr. Lynda nodded.

The man squinted at the woman. "Is that you?"

"Yes, Stephen, its me; Helen!"

"But... I'm dead!" Stephen gasped.

"No, you're not," She said soothingly. "But our guest..." Helen trailed off. "She won't be for much longer..."

Dr. Lynda's eyes widened. She began to back away towards the anomaly.

"Oh, I wouldn't leave just yet, doctor!" Helen stepped past Stephen and closer to the doctor.

"G-get away from me!" She stuttered. "You'll regret it!"

"Oh, I'm sure," Helen grinned wickedly. She reached into her trench coat and removed a sidearms used by police officers in Canada as their standard issue weapon.

"D-don't!" Doctor Lynda stumbled backwards into the anomaly. Her oppressor didn't vanish. She looked back too see that the anomaly had faded away. She looked back just in time to see the flash from the gun as Helen pulled the trigger.

"Helen..." Stephen's mouth hung open.

Connor Temple sat in his new office at the Central Metropolitan University. His hat was tipped far back on his head as he read through some A.R.C files on his desk. Lester had heard rumours o a creature overseas which had been causing a lot of trouble, and decided to give the job of discovering what they where dealing with.

In the past month, the creature was said to have killed over ten people and injure one within a month, but was believed to have been here for several years. He flipped the page and a sketch of the creature.

"Oh, God..." His eyes widened as he examined the picture. He fumbled for his office phone and dialled Cutter's number.

"This is Cutter," The professor spoke into the phone.

"Cutter? This is Connor,"

"Is something wrong?" Cutter asked, hearing slight panic in is colleague's voice.

"Yes," Connor said. "Something is very, very wrong."

"What is it?"

"I think you'd better see this for yourself." Connor said. "You remember that creature rumour?"

"The one in Canada?" Cutter said.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"What about it?" he asked. "Did you find a match in the fossil record?"

"Not in the fossil record, but we definitely have a matching creature." Connor explained. "And we need to get over there, now."

The entire team sat in the A.D.D room in the A.R.C; Lester, Claudia, Cutter, Connor, Abby, Becker, Jess (who typed away furiously at the large computer screens on the A.D.D), Matt, Emily, Danny, and their newest addition, Mac Rendel.

Becker had his hands clasped behind his back as he spoke. "So, we finally managed to stop these things, and they're back already."

"Basically." Connor nodded.

"Will we ever get rid of them?" Lester asked, looking directly at Matt.

"Don't look at me," He said. "Now that you changed the world that I came from, I am no nothing about the future. Nothing that can help us, anyways."

"Then in the meantime we will assign part of the team to go overseas and find it." Lester said.

"Connor," Jess said from the A.D.D, interrupting them. "Where where the creature sightings again?"

"Edmonton, Alberta, Canada" He replied. "Why?"

"I looked through the A.D.D's records just now," She explained as he others squeezed in around her to look at the screen. "And it said that the anomaly hasn't opened for over three years. It's been there a while."

Cutter's eyes widened. "Long enough to reproduce!" He whipped around to face Lester. "We have to get a team over there immediately!"

"I agree." He said. "You four," He pointed to Connor, Abby, Mac, Nick, and Matt. "Pack your things, you're to leave for Canada first thing tomorrow."

"Isn't Becker coming too?" Abby asked.

"He hasn't missed an incursion since he came here," Connor said.

"He is staying here, I need him for when the Prime Minister pops by this week." Lester explained. "That is why I am sending Mac with you."

"What?" Mac asked the others. "Am I not good enough for you guys? I'm as cute as Becker!" He joked.

The others laughed- with the exception of Lester.

"Connor," Abby whispered, elbowing her husband.

"What is it?" He said, rubbing where she had hit him.

"I don't think I can go with you." She said.

"Why can't... Oh, right!" He remembered something. "I should tell Lester," He whispered back. He stepped close to his boss and spoke quietly into his ear.

Lester nodded and Connor stepped back. "Alright then, Emily," Lester said. "I have just been informed that Abby will not be accompanying you to Canada, so you will be taking her place."

"What happened?" Emily asked. She turned to Abby. "You always help with incursions, why can't you come?"

"I'm just busy," Abby said. "That's all."

Emily looked at her. She could tell she was hiding something, but judging by the smile she was trying to hide she was staying for something good.

"Would anybody explain what creature we're going after?" Mac asked.

Connor, Matt, Cutter, Emily, Danny and Mac sat in a private jet graciously lent to them by the Prime Minister. Ever since the A.R.C had prevented the end of the world Lester had been moved to the very top of the Prime Minister's friend list.

"Same here," Danny said. "Seeing as how everyone but us two automatically knew what you where talking about, I'm guessing that it introduced itself when we weren't around."

"This creature," Cutter began to explain. "Has been bothering us since about the time that Connor, Abby and I started helping Lester with the anomalies- give or take a few months."

"That is over four years ago; before the A.R.C!" Mac said.

"What species is it?" Danny asked.

"Its isn't in the prehistoric fossil record." Connor said.

"Why not?"

"Because it isn't prehistoric." Matt said. "It doesn't have a name either, even in the future, where we all know about them."

"So what? Do you just say 'It' when referring to it?" Danny scoffed.

"We've got a name for it, although it isn't very specific. We've been using what we called it the first time we ran into it." Connor said.

"And what is that?"

Cutter reached into his pocket and pulled out the drawing that Connor had found in the files-which they had brought with them for any extra details- and held it out to Danny and mac.

"That is one ugly bastard." Mac commented.

"We call it," Cutter said. "The Future Predator."