Chapter 3 : Clue
AN: Sorry, short chapter today, and the next one'll probably be next week! I'm trying to pace this carefully, don't want to give too much away too quickly... But there'll be more scenes of our favorites next chappie. Anyways, hope you enjoy, and thanks for the reviews!
There were three anomaly calls over the course of the next two days, completely ruining any plans for a day off, and any plans Connor had to work on the model, as by the time they returned to the ARC, they were all exhausted.
Each time the ADD had gone off, Connor's heart began to race, and he was the first one at Jess' side, peering over her shoulder. Everyone but Matt and Jess looked at him like he'd grown another head, as at each call, he displayed the same level as enthusiasm whilst they were ready to take naps. He was disappointed - and also, strangely, relieved - each time the dating calculator told them that the anomalies lead to the past, and not the future.
After the latest Anomaly had closed, Connor carefully put the last component of the locking device into its case, snapping it closed with a sigh. Creature incursions, even the relatively non-life-threatening kind, took a lot of energy. They'd had to round up a herd of Anchitherium, which were small, quick little equines. The team had had to chase them all over the car park the anomaly had opened in.
"Conn." He looked around at the sound of Abby's voice. "Time to head back; come on, before Matt decides to leave us here!" She said, smiling tiredly.
"Right. Maybe I'll have time to add this one into the model before we go home..."
"As long as you're home in time for dinner, I can't complain." Abby told him. Connor chuckled, standing and following her to the cars.
"I'll try me best!" He replied. "Action man's turn for dvd's tonight, though, so I might skip out..." Abby swatted at him, and he danced away, laughing.
Matt honked the horn, and Connor stuck his tongue out at the team leader, refusing to walk faster.
"We're not in a rush ta get anywhere, Matt!" He called. Abby rolled her eyes. Becker leaned forwards from the back seat to look at Connor.
"You're not the one covered in mud!" The Captain complained through the open window. Emily shared a look of amusement and exasperation with Abby.
Will was finding it difficult to stay off the radar whilst trying to find out information about doctor Reni's death. The rumor mill didn't have anything conclusive, and the newspapers didn't say much. He wasn't even sure - he realized, with a pang - if his old friends still counted themselves as such, or if they'd turn him in without remorse. Will sighed. He didn't have many choices.
He headed out of his hideout, walking swiftly through the crowds towards an old ice cream parlour he used to go to as a child. There was a good chance Clue would be there, as the last time he'd been here, she'd gone to get ice cream ever day during spring. He could only hope she'd be willing to help him.
Will was pretty sure he wasn't being followed, but he took a detour and circled back to the parlour, to be on the safe side. He stopped before he reached the door, suddenly unsure and uncomfortable. He didn't have any money, and he'd raise suspicion if he sat in the parlour for hours for no reason.
"Oh!" The young man laughed, pulling out his mobile from a pocket in his trousers. "I'm a bloody idiot! I can call her..." He dialed the number, waiting impatiently. A passerby gave him a weird look, so Will leaned nonchalantly against the wall near the door, holding the mobile to his ear.
There was a crackle, and Will found himself holding his breath. "Hello?" A feminine voice came on the line, and Will grinned.
"Hey Clue!" For once he hoped his cousin wouldn't protest the use of the nickname.
"Will?! Oh my gosh, you're alive!? Where are you?" She blurted. He nearly fainted in relief.
"I'm by the ice cream parlour, you know the one, yeah?"
"I'll be right there! Don't you dare move a muscle William Temple!" He laughed - slightly hysterically, but hey, he was allowed it. He'd been so damn scared that his own family would believe he was a murderer. But he should've known: the Temple family had never liked Reni's ways, and didn't trust him. He was ol' Phillip Burton's grandson - and a much more dangerous man than the old man had been, by far, at least as far as what drove his decisions. (Burton, according to his grandparents' stories, had been manipulated by Helen, and was driven by his ego, but was still mostly moral. Reni had never been moral at all, as far as Will knew.)
"I'll be right here." He told her, as she hung up. He mused about his cousin. Claudia Young was her full name, but Will had always called her Clue. She was, in his opinion, the brightest of his cousins, and as close to him as a sister. He knew the story behind her first name, of course. His granddad had told it a billion times, about Nick Cutter and Claudia Brown...
Will hummed as he waited for Clue, tapping his foot slightly to the off-key beat. Eyes trained from a year of travelling through anomalies and the past kept watch for coppers and soldiers alike.
He wasn't sure he wanted to ask Clue to help him prove his innocence, but she still worked at the ARC, and ought to know something about Reni's death. Information was key.
Connor snored, face pressed to his desk where he sat in a chair in his office. A few centimeters away, his mobile lit up with 'Abby calling' on the screen, and buzzed quietly, vibrating against the tabletop. The scientist slept on. The computer screen before him was filled with a near exact copy of the physical model taking up most of the space in the room.
There was one difference: the simulation model had a section that was lit up, a red circle around a 'tag' at one intersection of 'piping'.
At the top of the page, in large font, the words 'Prediction made' flashed. Like the mobile, it went unnoticed.
TBC
