Nick had been pacing in the ARC, as Connor frantically tried to keep up with his speech. He thought he had come up with a reason for the rips, but he was also finding it incredibly difficult to put it into words.

"And because of the Ozone…The volcano's, Tsunami's, Tornado's, floods, it all added up…to the Anomalies! Every natural disaster…this is just another one of them…the most extreme" He was rambling, and Connor was doing his best to get it all written down, aware that Cutter was probably going to need it all later, when he'd forgotten most of it.

Then Jenny, Abby and Sarah came in followed by Danny. They were all laughing. Nick ran, literally, to them, bouncing on his heels.

"Whoa…why so…" Jenny seemed to be searching for the right word, but Sarah held it out for her.

"Chipper!" She put in, happily, and Jenny turned to her and smiled.

"Because, I have just made the most efficient and world-changing discovery of mankind!" He said, and Connor thought he was going over board a little, as no one actually knew about the anomalies.

Cutter grabbed Jenny by the wrist and pulled, well dragged really, her to the Anomaly Detector and the notes Connor had jotted down. Connor stood up, as the others approached and exchanged a smile with Abby. She walked to his side and slid her arm around his waist. He returned the gesture by putting an arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head, affectionately.

"The anomalies," Cutter continued, "Are like volcano's erupting, Tidal waves, Tsunami's and Tordano's, Earthquakes, they all fit into the same categories: They're all natural disasters! The anomalies are just another natural disasters!" He finished, and they all looked at her.

"That's your break through?" Connor asked, looking abashed that he'd had to write all that down for, in his opinion, nothing.
"Yes, because it means we have to start looking for more ordinary reasons!" Cutter said, sitting down and bringing up the map of all of the Anomalies that Connor had made when he'd been on his roll with the model.

He brought up the map, and the earth. There, on the screen was the answer. Each and everyone of the anomalies that had ever happened were all on one of the plates of the earth.

Connor walked forwards, followed by Danny. They each took up their places, Connor on Nick's right and Danny on his left.

"This is the answer!" Danny said, smiling at his boss. Cutter barely noticed, he was staring at the screen. He could see Connor out of the corner of his eye, mirroring him. The girls, behind them, were looking as surprised as Connor had.

"That's it?" He heard a voice say. Lester had obviously heard his ranting, and come to see what the commotion was all about, "That's what we've speant nearly five years looking for?"

"Five years?" Cutter said, looking confused.

"Don't you know?" Abby said, and she glanced at Connor. Nick was relieved that Danny, Sarah and Jenny looked as confused as he did.

"Tomorrow is the anniversary of the…our very first Anomaly!" Connor said, taking his place back up, wrapping Abby in his arms, his arms sliding around her waist from behind.

Well, it made sense that Jenny, Sarah and Danny wouldn't know that, because they hadn't been here, but even Lester had remembered. How had he forgotten?

There was a sudden bang from behind them and Nick turned to see his ex-wife stood in the door way. He watched Danny's wrist flick, suddenly the Detector's screen was blank.

Nice thinking! Nick thought, Helen would do anything for that kind of information, if she didn't already have it!

"Hello, everyone!" Helen said, and Nick found himself stepping backwards instinctively, putting his body between Helen and Jenny. He felt her step forwards, so there was barely five inches between their bodies. He heard her gasp, and turned to see that there were solider's on each level of the ARC, but they were all the same man.

"The cleaner!" Abby said, trying to mould herself closer to Connor, if that were possible. Nick noticed that they were stood in a similar position to him and Jenny.

Abby's back was to Connor, facing the other side of the ARC. Turning his head slightly, he saw that Jenny's eyes were on the cleaner's too.

Danny and Sarah were in the same position, on Nick and Jenny's other side. He was suddenly reminded of school. Lester stood alone, by the detector, his exterior showing not the slightest bit of uncomfortably. Then Nick saw something that made his stomach flip. Behind Helen was a man he knew well.
Stephen.

He was stood behind Helen, staring at the team with the same expression as she was. Superiority and Callousness.

He heard Connor gasp and felt Jenny turn.

"My god!" She said, in a ghost voice, walking to stand next to Cutter. He automatically took her hand. They stood close enough together to be able to hide their hands behind them.

"What do you want, Helen?" Lester said, in a cold voice. The team were stood in a line now, an unmovable unit, defending their sacred spot. Their ARC.

"What do I want?" Helen said, with a trace of laughter in her voice, as she stepped forwards into the ARC. Nick could see that she had changed very much. Her hair, the hair that used to be chocolate brown and cut short was black an dlong, curly. It was thick and luscious. Her eyes were more than their usual blank brown. They were cruel, evil.

The clothes she wore were strange. She wore a long, black coat over a black, playsuit beneath which she wore black tights and black boots. Black always was her colour, Nick thought with slight amusement, it matched her heart.

But something was obvious to Nick, this wasn't 'their' Helen. This was a Helen from a different time-line. This was, however, their Stephen. He was wearing the clothes he had worn the day he died, and his face bore the same expression, just colder.

Nick could sense a small edge of thoughtfulness to Stephen's posture, and he shifted his posture slightly.

Nick became aware that Helen was talking again and he stopped in his musings to listen.

"I want what I always want! I want knowledge!" She was saying, in a voice that was way past the madness of the Helen from this world. Nick inclined his head slightly towards her.

"Yeah, right, Helen, and how do you plan to get this information?" He asked.

"Why, Nick," She said, with a smile that implied warmth, but was completely fake, "How do I usually get what I want?"

And a second later there were three screeches, and Nick saw Connor and Danny jump forwards at the same time he did. Three of the cleaners had obviously been behind them the entire time, and now they held each of the women captive. The cleaners were holding their wrists together behind their backs and forcing them to walk towards Helen.

"Kneel" Helen said, simply, and Sarah, Abby and Jenny looked at her in disbelief and disgust.

"I said Kneel!" Helen repeated, and she pulled something out of her pocket.

Sarah buckled to her knee's the second the Taser touched the skin beneath her thin, cotton blouse. Danny made an angry noise and went to run forwards, but the soldier who was stood behind him grabbed him and pistol-whipped him. Danny buckled like Sarah had and lay motionless.

Abby stayed on her feet for about a mili-second longer, the taser having nothing to slice through, as she was wearing a black and blue, front tie crop top. Connor took half a step forwards and then glanced towards Danny, and then to Nick, who shook his head, his face portraying his anger. He dared Helen to do it to Jenny, mentally.

Jenny glared at Helen, as she stepped forwards. Helen looked at her for a minute, and then spoke again.

"Kneel…"

Jenny did the least lady-like thing she'd ever done in her life, and Nick had never been prouder. She spat in Helen's face.
"Screw you!" She said, and Helen wiped the saliva from her face slowly, shaking her head, in mock dissapointment.

"You brought this on yourself, Miss Lewis!" Helen said, and she nodded to the soldiers behind Connor and Nick before slicing the Taser through Jenny's Cotton, red dress

Nick felt the pain of the gun on his neck, and then saw nothing.


Thats your first Chap...What do you think?

Much More, very soon!

Stephanie x