Collision Course

by Twix3780

Sofi Wyatt is an ambitious young grad student working on her Master's degree and researching her PhD thesis. During a morning appointment with Professor Nick Cutter at the Metropolitan University she is invited out on a hoax hunt, which ultimately sets her on a collision course with the past. Season 1&2.

4. Parasitic Deception

Sofi rolled her neck back and forth across her shoulders as she stood between Jayden and Shawn outside the interrogation room at Home Office. On the other side of the two-way glass sat Helen Cutter, opposite of her were Home Office officials Claudia Brown and James Lester.

The previous afternoon, Helen had been forced through an anomaly from the late Cretaceous period by Military personnel, and into what Sofi could only image felt like a cage. Helen Cutter had been gallivanting through anomalies for eight years, so to be stuck inside a government building couldn't have been more suffocating.

"Have you been home yet?" Jayden asked, glancing at Sofi. He hadn't been aware of the plan to bring Helen Cutter back, no matter the cost. He had been just as surprised to see half his team holding Sofi at gunpoint, and even tried to intervene. He had, obviously, been unsuccessful.

Sofi nodded. "Didn't stay long," she said. "Managed to sort Toby and Figaro out, change my clothes, and recharge my phone."

"Why are you here, anyway?" Shawn asked. He, unfortunately, had known about the operation to bring Helen Cutter back to the 21st century. He hadn't been happy with it, but he had been following orders. His friendship with Sofi didn't matter.

"Professor Cutter wants me to observe his wife," Sofi answered. "He wants to see if I can pick up any patterns in her behaviour during the interview."

"Why?"

Sofi shrugged. "I guess we'll find out," she replied.

"So he wants you to profile his wife?" Jayden asked.

"I profile everything else," said Sofi. "So, why not?"

Jayden and Shawn shared a look over Sofi's head, just as the interrogation began beyond the glass.

"Presumably there are still laws against kidnapping?" Helen asked before anyone else had a chance. Sofi couldn't blame her or blame the question. She had, without a doubt, been kidnapped by the government.

"Mmm. Though officially, you're dead," James Lester replied, consulting the file in front of him. "We can't have kidnapped someone who doesn't actually exist, can we?"

Helen didn't reply and her behaviour changed only slightly. Sofi pursed her lips as she watched the older woman carefully. She knew quite a bit about Helen Cutter, not just from what Nick and Stephen had told her, but from her work. Every paper Helen had published, Sofi had read it. Drinking in the words and forming her own ideas and theories.

The woman had been - was - an idol to Sofi.

"The only way you get out of here is by telling us everything you know about the anomalies," said Lester.

"I'll tell you one thing," said Helen, leaning forward on the table. "You're the spitting image of a Utahraptor I once met in the Jurassic."

Sofi scoffed as she smirked.

"Utahraptor?" Shawn questioned.

Sofi pulled out her phone and quickly search for an image of a Utahraptor, showing it to Shawn.

"So, the Raptors in Jurassic Park?" Shawn asked.

"Yep. Except, the real things were a lot smaller than them," Sofi answered.

Jayden furrowed his brow. "Hang on, Alan Grant called those dinosaurs Velociraptors," he said. "How can they be the same thing?"

"Because of Micheal Crichton's presentation of 'fiction as fact'," Sofi answered. "That book may have been based on real-life information taken from Archaeological digs and Dinosaur fossils, but none of it would hold any value in the real world."

"Woah, you read the Jurassic Park movie?" Jayden asked.

Sofi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It was a book first," she said.

"But, basically everything in the book and the movie is all fake?" Shawn asked.

"Yep," said Sofi, nodding

Beyond the glass, the interrogation continued.

"Sir?"

Sofi, Shawn, and Jayden turned as an even younger military cadet entered the room. He was carrying a small slip of paper, which he handed to Jayden.

"Thanks," Jayden said, opening the slip and then closing it again. He passed behind Sofi and Shawn, entering the interrogation room and handing the paper to Claudia.

Shawn and Sofi shared a look.

"I'll take that as a refusal to cooperate, shall I?" Lester asked. He was still engaged with Helen, almost completely oblivious to everything else that was going on around him.

Sofi watched as Claudia sighed and set the paper down on the table. "It seems we have another one," she said. "In a block of flats in the city centre."

"Happy now?"

The edges of Helen's lips curved upwards, not a lot, but enough for her to inadvertently smirk at Lester.

Sofi watched her, curiously.

~X~

Over an hour later, Sofi felt a hand brush against her back. She turned and smiled at Captain Ryan. "False alarm?" she asked.

"How did you guess?" Ryan asked.

"She told me," Sofi said, nodding at Helen.

Ryan frowned. "She told you?" he asked, confused.

Sofi smiled at his confusion. She hadn't actually been into the interrogation room to speak with Helen, although she would've probably jumped at the chance to do so. "She didn't use her words, to be exact," she said. "But her body language shifted when Claudia mentioned the location. She seemed relaxed, almost cocky, like..."

"She knew..." said Ryan.

"Yep," said Sofi, nodding. She turned her attention away from Ryan, and back onto Helen. The older scientist was staring at Lester, the same cocky smirk on her lips that had been there since Claudia had announced a possible anomaly.

The door opened at the back of the room, and Sofi became aware of Jayden's return. He stood at her left shoulder, flanking her along with Ryan.

"Anything new?" Jayden asked.

"Since the last two minutes, you text me?" Sofi asked.

Jayden smiled, sheepishly. "Sorry," he apologised.

Sofi lightly shook her head. "No, nothing's changed," she said. "And, unfortunately, Helen holds all the cards at the moment."

"How do you make that one?" Jayden asked.

"Lester thinks he's in charge, yeah?" Sofi asked.

Jayden nodded.

"But, unless Helen wants to talk, he's not going to get what he wants," said Sofi. "We all know that she doesn't want to be here. So, why is she going to give up the only leverage that she has? At this precise moment, we need her more than she needs us."

Jayden sighed and Sofi leaned forward, towards the glass.

"We need something that is worth more to her than the information she holds," said Sofi with a sigh.

"Like what?"

"The only thing that means anything to her right now is getting out of this cage," said Sofi.

"She'll get out if she talks," said Jayden. "Lester has already promised that, hasn't he?"

Sofi turned to look at him. "Please don't tell me you're not that naive?" she asked.

"What?"

"She's not getting out of here," said Sofi. "You really think Lester is going to let her go that easily? She's his metaphorical golden goose. Her knowledge about anomalies is something she has accumulated over eight years of travelling, it's going to take more than a few hours in a holding cell for her to explain it all, much less for us to understand it."

Sofi turned back to the glass.

"Helen Cutter is one of the smartest people I know," said Sofi. "I have read every word she has ever written. Hell, she was my inspiration for my thesis. She knows she's not getting out of here."

Jayden turned away from Sofi and looked to his Captain. "Was there an anomaly?" he asked.

"No," Ryan replied. "An illegally imported pet. Nothing dangerous."

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what kind of illegally imported pet?" Jayden asked.

Sofi grinned at him.

"A python."

Jayden shuddered and Sofi chuckled.

"Aren't you glad you didn't go?" Sofi asked.

"Very."

Sofi smiled and turned her attention back to the interrogation.

"You told your husband you knew how to find the anomalies," Lester said, staring at Helen.

"Whatever I said to Nick is between me and him," Helen replied. She had stopped playing with her wristwatch and leaned forward onto the table again.

"Prior knowledge of anomaly locations would be priceless," said Lester, folding his arms. He was clearly annoyed. Sofi didn't need to read his body language to know that. "If you can give us that information, it is your absolute duty as a citizen to do so."

"He's got a point," Ryan murmured.

Sofi half glanced at him. "But technically she isn't a citizen anymore," she said. "As far as human records go, she's dead."

"You know, I have the power to make your life extremely unpleasant," Lester said, chuckling almost.

"How can you bear to work with this man?" Helen asked, coolly.

Sofi couldn't help but grin at her calm and collected demeanour.

"At the end of the day, this is about something very simple," said Claudia, trying to diffuse the situation. "Saving lives. Now, you can do that. So if you know anything at all, just tell us."

Helen considered the two officials with great regard. Her eyes flickering between them and then over to the glass where Sofi was watching. The teenager was aware that Helen couldn't see her, but had she guessed that someone was watching?

"Do you think she'll talk?" Jayden asked.

"Maybe not to them," said Sofi.

"Bring Nick to me and I'll tell you everything I know," said Helen.

Sofi looked at Jayden.

"Do you think she's being truthful?" Jayden asked.

"Honestly? No." Sofi answered.

Ryan considered the teenager curiously. "Why ask for her husband if she's not willing to help us?" he asked.

"Because this is a game to Helen," Sofi answered. "She probably thinks it is easier to manipulate someone who has actual feelings for her, like Nick, as opposed to someone like Lester."

Jayden stared at Helen through the glass and then looked at Sofi. "What about you?" he asked.

"What about me?"

"Do you think she'd be able to manipulate you?"

Sofi looked considerate. "I'd like to say no," she answered, but she looked and sounded unsure. "But... she is also one of my scientific idols, so I would probably go out of my way to try and impress her."

"So that's a yes?" Jayden asked.

"To being manipulated? That's a definite yes," Sofi replied.

Jayden smirked and shook his head. "Pretty sure you're not supposed to admit that, Sofi," he said.

"I could've lied and said definitely not," said Sofi. "At least you can't fault my honesty."

Jayden chuckled.

~X~

Sofi yawned and closed her eyes for a few moments. She had been at Home Office for almost three hours observing Helen Cutter's behaviour while she was interrogated. So far, all she had managed to deduce was that Helen was cool under pressure, and could play the system better than most.

Her demeanour hadn't changed all that much, except for the little hiccup earlier with the false anomaly alert. But, even then, Sofi was sure that it hadn't been a mistake. Helen was well aware that she was being watched from behind the two-way glass, and even possibly recorded for future purposes.

Sofi was sure that the 'hiccup' had been part of a bigger plan that Helen was planning. Maybe she was hoping someone would pick up on it, maybe she believed that her husband was observing her, and she had hoped he was picking up on it. Maybe it was a signal that she hoped someone would decipher.

"Tired?"

Sofi's eyes snapped open and she looked to the left. Charlie Shepherd, a young scientist working under her father, rested against the wall beside the glass window.

"Just a little," Sofi answered. She hadn't spoken to Charlie in full-length, yet, but given the lad worked for her father, it was only a matter of time before they were thrown together. Although she was curious as to why a scientist was here. She was here as a favour to Nick, her profiling skills were the desired component where Helen Cutter was concerned, while her scientific skills were desired out in the field.

Charlie nodded silently, but his eyes roamed over Sofi from head to toe. "You're Christopher Wyatt's daughter," he said.

"Yep," Sofi said. Way to point out the obvious.

"You don't look like him."

"I look more like my mum," Sofi answered. "My brother used to look like my dad."

"Brother? I didn't know Christopher had a son, too."

Sofi offered a small smile and turned back to the glass. Helen Cutter had been left alone in the interrogation room, her only company were two armed guards standing either side of the door. They didn't say or do anything but merely tried to look intimidating.

Charlie continued to eye Sofi. "So, how old are you?" he asked.

"Nineteen."

"I remember being nineteen," Charlie said. "Fun times. College parties, galore. Been to any good parties lately? I bet you're a party animal. Love to get wild."

Sofi forced a smile and shook her head. "I prefer being at home," she said.

"Really? You don't like the loner type."

"I have a select group of friends," said Sofi.

Charlie made a small noise but his gaze never wavered from Sofi. She tried her hardest to not feel uncomfortable, but she couldn't help the way her skin crawled under his intense gaze. Her father had already warned her about Charlie Shephard, and she wished and prayed that Jayden or Ryan would hurry up and return.

"So, I was thinking..." Charlie started.

Sofi felt her heart sink. She had been anticipating this since he had disturbed her.

Thankfully, the door opened at the back of the room and Nick Cutter stepped inside. He spotted the two more youngest's near the glass and quickly made his way over.

"Sofi."

Sofi sighed in relief. "Professor," she chimed, smiling up at him.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked. He glanced warily at Charlie and then back at Sofi.

"Just fine now," Sofi answered. "What can I do for you?"

Nick glanced at Charlie one more time.

"I'll see you around, Sofi," Charlie said, leaving the room. He closed the door with a snap and Sofi relaxed instantly.

"Thank you," Sofi said, looking up at Nick.

"That's the one your father warned you about?" Nick asked.

Sofi nodded. "I think he was about to ask me out when you walked in," she said.

"Glad I walked in when I did," Nick said, smiling.

"Are you going in to talk to Helen?"

Nick nodded. "Do you mind listening in?" he asked.

"Of course not," said Sofi. "But if you hear a thud against the glass, it means Charlie has come back and I've made a break for it."

Nick chuckled.

Sofi smiled and looked back at the glass. Despite having been here for over three hours already, she found that she couldn't turn down Professor Cutter, even if she tried.

"Why don't you accompany me?" Nick asked, suddenly. "You can observe Helen from across the table, rather than behind a glass window. While I won't deny any information you have already collected, I am sure profiling someone from up close is easier than from in here."

Sofi glanced between Nick and his wife. "I don't think she will talk with me there," she said. "She has already refused to speak with Claudia and Lester. She only wishes to speak with you."

"I think she may make an exception for someone as ambitious and bright as you," said Nick. "You remind me a lot of Helen when she was your age. A perfectionist, and a lover of learning and experimenting."

Sofi smiled.

"What do you say?" Nick asked.

Again, Sofi glanced at the glass. She wanted to say yes, but she also didn't want to be the reason that Helen refused to give up any information.

"If you're sure she will talk with me present, then yes," Sofi said, nodding.

"Great. Let's go," said Nick. He placed his palm on the bottom of Sofi's back and led her out of the one room, and through the door into the interrogation room.

Helen looked up at her husband entered. Her eyes narrowed and zeroed in on Sofi, instantly. She had seen the young girl with Nick at the Dexter house yesterday afternoon, she had been staring, transfixed at the scene as it unfolded before her.

But there was something about the youngester that didn't sit right with Helen. Maybe it was the fact that Sofi seemed older than her intended age, or maybe it was because she was involved in something that sent most adults running for safety. Or, it could've even been the closeness between the teenager and Nick.

"Who's this?" Helen asked, her voice ringing in the silence. She looked from Sofi to Nick, waiting for an explanation.

Sofi hesitated and glanced Nick.

"This is Sofi Wyatt," Nick answered. He motioned for Sofi to take a seat and sat opposite Helen. "She's one of my students at the University. She has a brilliant mind."

Sofi ducked her head and blushed.

Helen stared at the teenager and then leaned forward on the table. "How brilliant?" she asked, curiously. "Tell me something, Sofi. What drew you to Zoology?"

Sofi was quiet for a moment before she lifted her head and met Helen's gaze. "I have always been an animal rights activist. Ever since I was old enough to make my own decisions, I have put animals ahead of humans. I'm not saying all humans are bad, but those that think they own this planet? The ones that kill for sport and fun? They're a stain. They make me feel ashamed to be a part of the same race."

The room was silent as Sofi thought carefully.

"Animals... they just do what comes naturally," said Sofi. "They kill for survival. They try and raise their young in a safe place, and human interaction ends up with them being a prize, something that someone can hang on their wall, or clothes to wear. I was drawn to Zoology so that I learn more about the impact our world as on various different species."

Helen smirked as she stared at Sofi. She then turned her attention to Nick. "Interesting student," she commented.

"Her thesis is an ambitious project," said Nick. "And a very interesting read."

"I'd love to read it sometime," Helen said.

Sofi blushed again, ducking her head and allowing her red hair to block her face.

Nick chuckled and brought Helen's attention back to him. "Sofi is not only my student," he said. "She's my current creature profiler. Her observational skills are off the charts, and I have to admit, I asked her to profile you during your interrogation with Lester and Claudia."

"I had a feeling someone was watching," Helen said, glancing at the teenager. "What did you profile about me, Sofi?"

Sofi glanced at Nick. He nodded.

"You knew it was a false alarm before the team had even been deployed," said Sofi. "The minute Claudia read the location of the possible anomaly site, your body language changed. You became... cocky, whereas before you were relaxed. You gave Lester a smirk, he didn't notice the hidden meaning, but I could tell that you were silently telling him that he had been misinformed."

Helen smirked. "Impressive," she said.

"Thank you," Sofi whispered. She paused and then added. "For the record, I don't agree with the way they handled things. It should've been your choice if you had wanted to come back. They should never have forced you."

Helen considered her simply and then turned to Nick. "I like her," she said.

Nick glanced between his wife and student. He had a feeling Helen would've appreciated Sofi as much as he did.

"Speaking of yesterday," said Nick, bringing the conversation back to the topic at hand. "Are they looking after you properly?"

"If you cared about that then you wouldn't have set me up in the first place," Helen snapped.

Sofi looked between the two. "He didn't set you up," she said. She knew she should've kept quiet. The dispute between husband and wife was not her business, but she knew that Nick had no intention of setting Helen up and hadn't known about the double cross until it was too late.

Helen looked quickly over at the teenager. She should've guessed Sofi would defend her husband. "No?" she asked.

"No," Sofi answered, firmly. "The decision was made without the field teams knowledge. Lester went above all our heads. All he cares about is the information you may have learned about the anomalies for the last eight years, and he is willing to do anything to get his hands on it."

Helen licked her lips and turned her attention back to her husband. There was indecision in her eyes, and Nick sighed.

"Thanks, Sofi, but she's entitled to believe what she wants," Nick said.

Helen looked around. "If you have been watching me since the start of this interrogation, Sofi, then am I right to believe that they are listening now?" she asked.

Sofi nodded. "They have recorded the entire conversation from the very beginning," she said.

"You need to get me out of here, Nick," Helen said, turning her attention back to her husband.

"Well, then, tell me what you know!" Nick shouted, his voice echoing loudly in the room. "Tell me where the anomalies are. Tell me why they're happening. Then, maybe, I can help you."

"Right now why is the least of your worries," Helen said, her voice a lot calmer than her husbands.

"You see, what does that mean?" Nick asked.

Sofi stared silently at Helen.

"You want me to help?" Helen asked, glancing up at the camera above the table. "Alright, I'll help. Unless you act within the next few hours, a pride of sabre-toothed killers will be rampaging through Central London."

Sofi felt her heart stop and a gasp escaped her lips. Sabre-toothed killers could mean only one creature - Smilodon.

~X~

Jayden followed Sofi outside the Home Office building. They were still within the general vicinity of the Maximum Security Wing, and it was heavily guarded by Special Forces officers and cameras. If anyone had tried to escape from here, their attempts would be futile.

"Smilodon?" Jayden asked. "That's a Sabre-toothed tiger, right?"

"There is actually no such thing as a sabre-toothed tiger, but yeah," said Sofi. She had reached her car and opened the door. She sat on the passenger's seat and retrieved her backpack from the back seat.

"If there is no such thing as a sabre-tooth tiger, why do they call it that?" Jayden asked.

Sofi shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "I only know that Smilodon is actually not related to any modern day tigers or cats."

"What else do you know about them?"

Sofi lifted her gaze to meet his. "Are you seriously asking me that?" she asked. "I have a based my entire college experience on Prehistory and Zoology, and you're asking me if I know anything about Smilodonn's?"

"I'm challenging your knowledge," said Jayden. "I mean, I know quite a bit about Sabre-tooth, myself. Shall we see if our knowledge matches up?"

"Well, given you called it a Sabre-Toothed Tiger..."

"Hang on! It is more commonly known as a Tiger," said Jayden. "It doesn't matter if it isn't related to the modern day animal or not."

Sofi grinned. "Okay. I'll give you that," she said. She stood and slammed her car door, leaning against it instead and folding her arms. "You go first. I'll chime in with correct information if I have too, and then we'll loop around to me. Deal?"

"Why do I have to go first?" Jayden asked. "Can't you be the Show and Tell master?"

"I did it last time," said Sofi. "It's your turn."

Jayden huffed and folded his arms. "Fine," he said, caving. "I know they were popular prehistoric animals that lived during the Ice Age. They are extinct carnivorous mammals, not dinosaurs."

Sofi grinned.

"They are called Sabre-Toothed because they had two long canine teeth in their upper jaws which were shaped like swords," Jayden continued, his eyes locked with Sofi's. "These teeth were up to 8 inches long and remained out of their mouth even with it was closed."

Sofi nodded as Jayden fell silent. "Anything else?" she asked.

"Plenty, but I thought I would give you a chance to chime in," said Jayden.

"No, please, continue," said Sofi. "I'm interested in what else you have to say."

Jayden chuckled and sighed. "Alright. Don't be too upset when I outshine you, alright?"

Sofi laughed.

"Sabretooth's were found in the grasslands and woodlands of North and South America some 12 million years to 10,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch. They were among the prime predators just like Lions and Tigers of today. They hunted other animals for their food, mostly herbivores. They went extinct due to major changes in the Earth's climate."

Jayden took a deep breath as he finished speaking.

"Nice," said Sofi. "You know quite a bit about Smilodon. I'm impressed."

Jayden rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Professor," he teased.

Sofi shook her head. "Just answer me one question - Did the Sabre-Tooth exist alongside Neanderthals and Cavemen?" she asked.

Jayden looked thoughtful. He racked his brains for any information he may have stored while watching Smilodon on Walking with Beasts and Prehistoric Hunters. "I want to say yes, but I can't remember," he said, unsurely.

"If you say yes," said Sofi. "You'll be correct."

"Really?"

Sofi nodded. "Yep. 14,000 years ago, just as human hunters were colonizing North America, the Sabre-Tooth already dominated the continent."

"Nice. Can't believe I remembered as much as I did, truth be told."

"If the subject matter is something you're interested in," said Sofi. "Then you shouldn't have a hard time remembering it. Dinosaurs and Prehistoric mammals are something that I love to learn about."

"Yeah, but you also have an Eidetic memory."

"You can nurture an eidetic memory," said Sofi. "You don't have to be born with one. There are scientific ways of remembering information. Ever year of stimulations? For example, when I was taking my exams in secondary school. When I would revise at home, I would eat a certain snack or listen to a certain type of music, then before the actual exam I would eat that snack or listen to that music again, and it would open the receptors in my brain that stored the information I had was researching the first time."

Jayden looked thoughtful. "That was proven true?" he asked. "Because I always struggled with my exams. That technique never worked for me."

"There are tons of techniques out there," said Sofi. "Not all of them work for everybody. Maybe you just need to find your own technique and nurture it. I can help, if you want?"

"Sure. Sounds fun."

A side door, leading out from the maximum security centre, opened at the top of the building, and two armed guards walked out; between them came Helen Cutter. She looked around as the sunlight hit her and her gaze locked with Sofi's. She smiled and Sofi found herself smiling back.

"Showtime," said Jayden.

"Yep," Sofi agreed, as Captain Ryan, First Lieutenant Graham, Jacobs and Shawn stepped out of the building. They each got into their own SUVs - Graham calling for Jayden as he climbed in behind the wheel.

Last to appear was Professor Cutter and Claudia Brown. The former caught Sofi's gaze and nodded, climbing into his own truck. Pushing off of her Mustang, Sofi hopped in behind the wheel, started the engine, and pulled out of the lot behind her Professor.

~X~

"Here?" Claudia asked as Helen Cutter led her, Nick Cutter, Sofi Wyatt, and several Special Forces officers onto the pitch of Millwall's F.C. Stadium. The young Home Office official found it almost hard to believe that an anomaly could open up in such a public location.

Helen looked over her shoulder at the brunette and nodded. "Do exactly as I say and this doesn't have to be a disaster," she said, leading them off along the outside of the pitch.

Sofi fell into step beside Jayden.

"I used to come here as a kid," Jayden said, looking out at the field. "My parents are rabid football fans, and they would bring me, my brother, and my sister here when we were younger to watch the home team play."

"You have a brother and sister?" Sofi asked.

"Yeah - Peter and Jessica, 16."

"Twins?"

Jayden nodded.

Sofi smiled and looked down. "I had a brother," she said. "His name was Abel. He was a few years older than me."

"Was?"

"He died a long time ago," Sofi whispered. "He and my mum."

Jayden wound an arm around Sofi's shoulder's and hugged her. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Thanks," said Sofi.

Jayden released Sofi as they reached the door leading inside the stadium. Helen led the group through the hallways, and down into the kitchens. Everything in here was metal, and Sofi found it odd that none of it had reacted yet to the anomaly. Normally, if an anomaly was present, everything metallic was drawn to it like a magnet.

"Spread out," Ryan ordered over his shoulder.

Jayden squeezed Sofi's arm and fell away from her, heading deeper into the kitchen with Jacobs and Shawn, his rifle ready for any disturbances or sneak attacks.

Feeling eyes on her, Sofi looked around and spotted Helen. The older brunette smirked and looked away once Sofi and met her gaze, and it left Sofi feeling slightly on edge. Why was Helen showing so much interest in her?

Shaking her head, Sofi trailed her fingers across the shining surface of a metal cabinet and then jumped up onto it. She was soon joined by Nick Cutter as the others filed in around them.

Stephen, Connor, and Abby had also arrived and were milling around nearby as Helen and Claudia stood in the centre of the room, opposite two giant metal doors leading to a fridge freezer.

"In there?" Claudia asked.

"Yep. In there," Helen confirmed.

Claudia stared at the older woman for a split second longer and then turned to Connor. "Connor," she said, urging him forward.

Connor hesitated and glanced at Nick. Once he received a reassuring nod from his Professor, Connor stepped up to the metal doors and helped up his pocket compass. "There's no trace of a magnetic field," he said, turning back to the others.

"The doors are too thick. It can't penetrate the metal," Helen said, supplying an answer.

"Is that true?" Claudia asked Nick.

"Possible," Nick said, nodding.

"Watch her," Claudia said to Ryan. She then approached the freezer and reached for the lock.

"Hey!" Helen cried, startling those around her. "What if the cats have already come through? They could be right behind that door."

Claudia sighed and turned around, clearly agitated. "You know what? She's really starting to get on my nerves!" she growled.

"I can understand that," Nick said.

From the corner of her eye, Sofi saw Stephen grin and couldn't help but grin herself.

Helen shot Nick an amused look.

"You're bluffing," said Claudia, staring at Helen.

Helen smirked at the brunette's ploy. She had to admit that Claudia had balls, but she was the wrong person to be calling out.

"Try me," Helen challenged.

"Stephen," Claudia said.

Stephen sighed and pushed past Helen and Claudia. He stopped in front of the freezer and lifted the lock. He didn't know the code, and he didn't have time to search for it. His only options were tried and guess it, or break it.

"Sof," Stephen called, waving her over.

Sofi jumped down from the cabinet and approached Stephen. She looked at the lock and furrowed her brow. It was a heavy circular lock with a spindle knob in the centre and little numbers around the outside. SHe groaned and turned to Stephen. "That's a four-digit number/code," she explained. "There are 10,000 possible combinations. We don't have time to go through them all."

Stephen sighed and dropped the lock. How was he supposed to get into the freezer without the combination?

"Oh!" Sofi squeaked as Helen held out her knife. The blade was pointed at the older scientist and the handle was directed at them.

Stephen took the handle and Helen let go. With the knife, Stephen cut through the chain and turned to hand it back. He smiled his thanks and turned to Sofi. "Ready?" he asked.

Sofi nodded and pushed against the one door with all her might. It creaked as the door Stephen was pulling at opened, steadily. She then took hold of the edge and pulled, easing the second door open and revealing a ball of glittering energy on the other side.

"Get down!" Ryan called.

Sofi ducked back, behind the second door, just as a metallic pot flew overhead and disappeared through the anomaly.

Pivoting on the spot, Stephen caught a strainer seconds before it crashed into Connor's head. "This is where you duck," he said.

"Okay," said Connor, ducking out of view.

Stephen released the strainer and it too disappeared through the anomaly.

"You'd make a terrible poker player," Sofi heard Helen say to Claudia.

~X~

"Anybody hungry?" Connor asked, brushing past Sofi and reaching into one of the boxes that lined the shelves around the anomaly. He pulled out a cold steak and kidney pie.

Helen's eyes widened. "Oh, my God. We've got to get rid of them," she whispered. "The meat will act like bait!" She attempted a dash towards the freezer, but Graham and Ryan stopped her.

Sofi looked up at Connor as Nick bypassed her and started to pass Stephen box after box.

"Unless you want your men to be breakfast, I suggest you do something," Helen shouted at Ryan.

The Captain glanced over at Claudia. She nodded and Ryan released Helen, turning to help Nick and Stephen. "Okay. Clear them out," he said, taking a box.

"Quickly. Here," said Nick, passing a box to Connor and directing him out of the freezer.

Sofi stepped back as Nick pushed a large shelf out of the way, leaving the route to the anomaly open for anyone.

Then Helen was running.

Sofi's eyes widened and she looked from Helen to the anomaly and then back again. She had to do something to stop her from getting through, but what?

"Sofi, look out!" Jayden yelled.

Sofi screamed as Helen barrelled into her, knocking them both through the anomaly. She groaned as they rolled together, down a small hill and stopped at the bottom.

"You should come with me, Sofi," Helen said, detangling herself from the teenager and straightening up. "You'd love it."

Sofi groaned and sat up. Her world was still spinning and her head hurt more than usual.

"But I know you," Helen continued. "You're ambitious, yes, but you're not daring enough to leave it all behind. You still want to please everyone, especially Nick."

Sofi pressed a hand to her head and closed her eyes. She was sure that she had a concussion.

"One day you'll be ready," said Helen. "And when that day comes. I'll be waiting for you."

Then she was gone.

"Sofi..."

Sofi looked around. The new voice came from behind her, and it belonged to Captain Ryan. He had followed her through the anomaly. "Ryan...?" she whispered.

"Yeah, it's me," Ryan said. He helped her stand, wrapping an arm around her waist as she stumbled. "Careful. You're okay."

Sofi pressed her head against his chest as her world slid out of focus again. "I think I hit my head," she groaned.

"I wouldn't be surprised by the way she ran into you," said Ryan. "You okay?"

"Has the world stopped spinning?"

Ryan laughed.

Sofi smiled and opened her eyes. She breathed out slowly and then lifted her head so she could meet his gaze. He was so close to her, closer than she had expected him to be. "Uh..." she breathed, looking down. Their bodies were pressed tightly together, and his arm was still around her waist.

"Yeah, um, well, the thing is..." Ryan stammered. "I'd let you go but I'm afraid you'd fall over. You were very disorientated when I found you, and you're still looking a little pale. So..."

"Right," Sofi said, nodding slowly. She felt a light blush in her face and forced herself to look anywhere but at him. Instead, she set her focus over his shoulder, taking in the sights. They were standing in an open field, possibly in the countryside. Blooming white and yellow flowers sprouted from the ground and lush green grass covered the whole area, but that wasn't all. It wasn't the fact that they were in the countryside that kept Sofi's attention, it was the many glittering calls of magnetic energy that hovered inches above the ground, and in all directions.

Ryan sucked in a breath and Sofi looked back at him.

"This place is amazing..." Sofi said.

"Where are we?" Ryan asked.

Sofi shook her head, casting her gaze away from him again and looking back at the anomalies. They were everywhere. "I don't know," she replied.

~X~

Spaghetti Junction of Anomalies.

That's what Connor had decided to call the vast open fields full to the brim with glittering balls of energy. Sofi couldn't blame him, though, the name fit. It did look like a junction of anomalies, and she was pretty sure that they all led off into different timelines.

"Are you sure you don't know where she went?" Claudia asked Sofi.

"I could barely see straight," Sofi answered. "I could remember her talking, I'm not sure what she was saying, but she was definitely talking to me. And then she was gone."

Claudia sighed and placed a comforting hang on Sofi's shoulder. The SAS medic had already diagnosed the teenager with a grade one concussion since she hadn't lost consciousness and her symptoms hadn't lasted longer than 15 minutes, she was safe to stay at work.

"You tried to follow her," Claudia continued, turning her attention to Nick instead. Not wanting to be part of the conversation any more than she already was, Sofi pulled away from the couple and wandered over to where Jayden, Shawn, and Jacob were standing.

Jayden looked around as Sofi wedged her way between him and Shawn. "You feeling okay?" he asked.

"My world has stopped spinning so that's a plus," Sofi said, smiling. "Thanks for the warning, by the way."

"I'm just sorry I wasn't quick enough," said Jayden.

Sofi shook her head. "No one saw it coming until it was too late," she said. "So don't blame yourself."

Jayden looked like he wanted to argue, but loud noise from the anomaly caused him, and everyone else in the kitchens, to look around. The anomaly pulsated and the noise beyond it grew louder and louder. But it didn't sound like a roar from a cat, it sounded more like a bird.

Suddenly, the anomaly pulled inwards and then exploded back out, allowing a plump bird with grey feathers to pop through. It's medium-sized beak opened and it let out a loud squawk, as it rushed forward, weaving its way between everyone's legs and disappearing between counters.

Behind the first, came several more.

Sofi laughed as a bird brushed between her and Shawn.

"Round them up, everybody, don't let them get out!" Cutter called.

Not needing to be told twice, Sofi turned away from the anomaly and chased a bird down the second aisle on her left. It squawked and rushed around, crashing into the metal cupboards and knocking pots and pans off of low shelves as it tried to evade her.

A thud caught Sofi's attention and she chanced a glance over the side of the counter, laughing as she found Jacobs laying on his stomach, his arm outstretched and another bird standing just out of reach. "Laying down the job?" she teased. "Disgraceful."

Jacob huffed and pushed himself up. "These things move like my three-year-old nephew," he said.

"I think they're Dodo's," said Sofi.

"Well, these Dodo's move like my three-year-old nephew," Jacobs said.

Sofi smiled and turned her attention back to her own bird. It had stopped at the end of her aisle and was staring at her. When their gazes met, the bird cocked its head to the side and then squawked at her.

"I think he likes you," Jacobs said, laughing.

"He must think this is a game," said Sofi.

"It's not fun."

Sofi rolled her eyes and jogged the short distance to the dodo. It squawked and turned on a dime, dodging around another dodo coming towards it and disappearing around the end of a table.

"Watch out!"

Sofi squeaked as she and Abby collided. They managed to grab onto one another and remain standing.

"Sorry," they both apologised.

The two dodo's that they had been chasing stopped and looked back at the two girls'.

"I don't know who is having more fun," Abby said, blowing a strand of hair from her face.

"I'd say definitely them," said Sofi. She stepped around Abby and took off after her dodo. Chasing it back down the kitchen and into a room at the end. "Gotcha!" she declared, slamming the door closed behind it.

Peering in through the window, Sofi watched as the dodo jumped up on the desk, kicking papers all over the floor, it's little wings flapping against its plump body.

"They're great," Nick whispered.

Sofi glanced back at her Professor. He was standing at her shoulder, staring through the window at the bird. Sofi smiled and nodded. "I love Dodo's," she said.

"That doesn't surprise me anymore," said Cutter.

Sofi grinned and turned her attention back to the Dodo. Its head swivelled around and its eyes locked onto hers again. It lunged forward, off the desk, and squawked loudly as it headbutted the window.

"I think it likes you," said Nick.

"So everyone keeps saying," Sofi muttered.

~X~

With all the Dodo's rounded up and secured inside the office, Nick couldn't help but step into the office himself and kneel amongst the birds. He had read and learned so much about Dodo's over his years as a student and a professor, but coming face-to-face with one was exciting in itself.

Many people believed that the Dodo resembled a turkey, when in fact it was actually larger than a turkey. It weighed roughly 23 kilograms and had blue-grey plumage, a big head, a 23 cm blackish bill with reddish sheath forming the hooked tip, small useless wings, stout yellow legs, and a tuff of curly feathers high on its rear end.

The Dodo squwaked as Nick settled down around them. They reached eyed him curiously but paid no heed to him. Their danger levels were not high and they obviously didn't perceive him as a threat.

Sofi laughed as a Dodo head-butted a stack of boxes on a chair and knocked them off onto the ground. It squwaked and jumped over them, flapping its tiny wings. Nick looked up at his student and motioned for her to join him.

"Dodo's?" Claudia asked, leaning against the doorframe and observing the creatures.

"Oh, they're so cute," Abby cooed.

"And dumb..." Connor nodded, watching as one of the Dodo's continued to bump the fallen boxes. Its legs intertwined and it all-but fell over itself as it turned around.

"They're not stupid, just trusting," Abby said. "It's not their fault they became extinct."

"Funny, you weren't this sentimental about the Gorgonopsid," said Connor.

"Probably because the Dodo is less likely to kill us," said Jayden. He, too, had been watching the Dodo's from over Claudia's shoulder.

"Is that the lot?" Claudia asked.

"Yep, that's it," Stephen confirmed, returning and leaning on Connor's shoulder.

Sofi laughed as a Dodo nudged her hand, lifting it up and staring at the human as it rested on top of its feathery head. It nudged her cheek with its beak, and Sofi carefully trailed her fingers over the bird's plumage.

The dodo shivered and a ripple run down its feathery back.

"I think it likes you, Sof," Jayden said.

Sofi looked up at her friend and caught Ryan's eye as he stood behind the others. He smiled and Sofi bit the inside of her lip as she turned back to the Dodo's.

"We better ship this lot back before we upset Darwin," said Nick. He looked around the office and then back at the door with a happy sigh. "Now, everybody, um... Grab a Dodo."

Abby and Stephen grinned as Connor pursed his lips, smiling. Claudia forced an unsure smile, and Jayden merely stared at Sofi, as she continued to play with the Dodo that was showing her attention.

"Come on, Sof," said Jayden, as Nick, Claudia, Abby and Stephen, herded four out of five Dodo's from the office. They interacted with each one, setting up a sort of system to send them back through the anomaly one at a time, rather than a large group.

Sofi sighed and looked back at the Dodo. "Aw, but he's going back to an extinction event," she said, curling her fingers through the feathers again.

"I know, but you made the rule about putting these creatures back, remember?" Jayden asked.

"I know," Sofi said. She leaned forward and smiled sadly at the Dodo. "Sorry, little guy."

The Dodo squwaked as Sofi stood and nudged her knee with its head.

Jayden laughed and stepped outside the office, and Sofi followed him. The dodo waddling along behind her. "I'll be right back," he said.

Sofi nodded and Jayden walked away.

"Making friends?"

Sofi laughed and looked up as Ryan took Jayden's place at her side.

It hadn't been twenty-four hours yet since the night out, and already the dynamic between them was shifting. They had both felt it shift the morning after, and it had shifted again at the Dexter house. While they were alone in the basement, he had asked her what was happening between them, and she couldn't answer him. She couldn't answer him now, but even she was curious about what was transpiring between them.

She liked him, that was obvious.

He liked her, again, that was obvious.

So why was it so hard to admit those feelings out loud?

She felt the dodo nudge her legs with its head, trying to get her to keep petting its feathers. She lightly traced her fingertips over the feathers on its head, feeling the vibration of its trill through her jeans.

Then... it was gone.

Looking down, Sofi gasped as she saw the Dodo she had been interacting with laying at her feet.

"No..." Sofi whispered, lowering herself to her knees. She threads her fingers through the feathers of the Dodo and peered closely at it. Its chest was no longer rising and falling, and it was motionless, despite its body still being warm. It could only have just died.

Ryan placed a comforting hand against Sofi's shoulder. "Professor," he called across the room. "We have a dodo down."

"Oh, no," Claudia gasped.

Nick sighed and knelt beside Sofi. He placed his hand over her's, grasping it tightly.

"Oh, how did that happen?" Abby whispered.

"Maybe it ate one of the pies," Connor suggested. He was still stood beside the freezer, checking the magnetic pull of the anomaly with his compass. He grinned and then let it fall as every eye turned to him, clearly unamused. "Sorry."

"Poor little guy. We should do an autopsy to find out how he died," said Nick. He glanced at Sofi, taking in her visibly distressed face. He wound his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him.

"Could have been the shock," suggested Stephen.

"Well, we've been through and we're all right," said Nick, referring to the four of them in the one corner alone.

Stephen looked sceptically at Cutter. "As far as we know," he said, cocking his head to the side.

"Cutter?" Connor called from the freezer. He looked up from the anomaly, a grim expression on his face. "The anomaly's fading."

~X~

Once back at the Home Office, Abby, Stephen, Nick, and Sofi occupied one of the labs on the fourth floor. Their objective at this point was simple - perform an autopsy to find out the exact reason as to why an obvious health, yet already extinct bird, died.

There had to be an answer to it.

Once the Dodo was laid out on the slab, Cutter took a surgical knife and placed the blade against the Dodos throat. The legs moved, and instinctively the four pushed away from the table in alarm.

"It's muscle spams," said Stephen, trying to offer a plausible explanation.

"No, it's been dead for hours," said Nick. He paused and then sighed, taking a step closer to the table. He put the blade back to the Dodo's throat and, just like before, the creature moved. This time, however, its beak opened and a rather large worm hit the ground with a squelch.

The worm squealed and snaked across the floor towards Abby. Panicked, the blonde squeaked and shuffled away, backing herself into a corner as the worm advanced closer.

"Stephen, grab that!" Nick called.

Lifting a glass bell jar from a table, Stephen slammed it down over the worm and Abby sighed in relief. The worm whined and squealed as it launched itself at the glass jar, slamming its head into the roof before slowly receding onto the floor.

"What is it?" Abby asked, curiously.

"It looks like a parasite," said Sofi.

"A parasite?" Abby repeated.

Sofi nodded. She carefully lifted the glass jar and, grabbing a set of tongs, picked up the parasite by the body and set it on a tray. "It could be a T. brucei gambiense or a T. brucei rhodesiense," she explained.

Abby blinked. Being a Zookeeper, and working with animals her entire life, she was well adapted to know about parasites that could affect the animals she looked after, but despite this, she didn't also know the scientific names for said parasites.

"Do you know which?" Stephen asked.

"I'd have to run specific tests to be sure," said Sofi. "Both T. brucei gam and T. brucei rho can live in animals. The scary thing is though, they can also live in humans, and be passed between both species."

"What's the fatality rate between species?" Abby asked.

"There is no rate," said Sofi. "Both these parasites will kill a human just as well as an animal."

Abby sighed and looked back at the parasite. She was thankful that it hadn't managed to get inside her. She just wished she could've said the same thing about the dodo.

Looking away from the parasite, Sofi skimmed the dodo for any marks to indicate where the parasite had got into the dodo's systems. "I need to run specific tests on the dodo before I can determine which parasite we are dealing with," she said.

Nick nodded. "Tell me what you need," he said.

Sofi held up a syringe and passed it to Nick. "Blood," she said. She then passed a swab to Abby. "Saliva," she added, before turning to Stephen. "I also need an X-ray."

The trio nodded and set to work as Sofi moved the parasite to an empty table and set to work collecting the same samples as the others.

~X~

Later that afternoon, once Sofi had had time to finish all her tests, and analyse the results did she call for Lester. The self-proclaimed 'leader' of the anomaly project had wanted to be kept up-to-date on all things strange and abnormal, and nothing got more abnormal than a prehistoric parasite and a dead dodo.

As she was pulling together her results, the door to the lab opened and Sofi looked around to see Lester step instead. He was wearing identical clothing to her, Nick, Abby, and Stephen, and he did not look impressed at all by it.

Sharing a look with Abby, Sofi bit her lip and turned back to her evidence.

"What did you find?" Lester asked, immediately. It was obvious that he didn't want to be in the room any longer than he needed to be.

Shuffling her results into a neat order, Sofi slipped from her chair and returned to the table where the others were waiting. It was a state-of-the-art LED light table fitted with a bright box light, excellent for analysing X-Ray images.

"I can tell you it's not a larva," said Sofi. She pulled out a copy of the Dodo's X-Ray and set it down on the table, flicking the switch on the side and allowing the others a chance to adjust to the bright light.

"It's not?" Stephen asked.

Sofi shook her head. "It's actually an adult," she explained. "A giant cestoid, to be exact. See here," she passed him the parasite between a set of tongs and indicated to the mandibles on its mouth. "It uses those to burrow into an animals skin; I found similar marks under the dodo's wing. I also found scratch and bite marks. The parasite is passed on through biting."

"So, when the dodos were fighting?" Abby asked.

"Yeah," said Sofi. "Fights over food, or even mating."

Nick analysed the X-Ray in front of him. He had already gone over Sofi's findings with a fine-toothed comb, and together they had managed to come up with the plausible explanations that everyone was looking for.

"It's destroyed the internal organs and attacked the central nervous system," Nick explained.

"I thought the trick of being a good parasite was to live off the host creature without killing it," Lester suggested.

"This one doesn't compromise," said Nick, shaking his head. He pointed at the entry point on the X-Ray with a pencil. "It enters the bloodstream as larvae, it feeds off the host, and then it moves up the body to lay its eggs."

"Keeping itself alive just long enough to reproduce itself," said Stephen. He passed the parasite over to Lester, immediately the man backed off and Stephen quickly returned the cestoid to the table.

"And then, mission accomplished, they both die together," said Nick.

"Isn't nature wonderful," Lester asked, rhetorically.

Abby turned to Sofi. "If it managed to reproduce itself, where are the fresh Larve?" she asked.

"Inside a new host," said Sofi. "Once the parasite is ready to pass itself on, it does so when the Dodo attacks another animal. Passing itself on through the attack and directly into the bloodstream."

"This new host," said Lester. "Is it another Dodo?"

Sofi shrugged. "Probably. But we sent all the other Dodo's back through the anomaly," she answered. "If they were infected, they shouldn't be able to hurt anyone now."

"That's a good thing, I guess."

"Not so good, I'm afraid," said Nick. He stood, away from the table, staring at his phone. A look of indescribable disbelief on his face.

~X~

While Abby and Sofi had queried the new host, Cutter's phone had buzzed with an incoming call from Connor. Apparently, two of Connor's university friends had found a stray Dodo - how it had got out with no one seeing was nobody's business - and decided to take it home with them.

Everything had been going great until the Dodo had attacked one of the blokes. Which was why, with a heavy heart, Sofi had gone with Nick and the rest of the team out into London and to the flat where Tom and Duncan shared together.

She didn't know the two boys personally, but she had seen them around campus, and they were in a few of her classes. They were reasonably smart people, except she was starting to wonder if that was too generous a term. Who in their right minds took an extinct animal from under the noses of government officials?

"How infectious is this?" Claudia asked, sliding out of the passengers' seat of Cutter's 4x4.

"It's not a virus. It's a parasite," Nick answered. He looked behind him as Sofi jumped out of the driver's seat of her car.

"And Tom's the host," said Claudia. "Do we know what kind of parasite? Surely there aren't that many that can affect both human and animal?"

Sofi shook her head. "We have a choice of two, and unfortunately they both do exactly that," she said.

Claudia sighed.

"Either way, we have to isolate him before he can pass it on to anyone else," said Nick, clapping Captain Ryan on the shoulder. "Now, whatever you do, when you go in there, don't let him come anywhere near you."

"Right," Ryan nodded. He entered the house ahead of Nick, taking Jayden and the rest of his men with him.

Quickly bypassing Claudia, as she turned on Duncan, Sofi followed the darkened hallway to the front door. She couldn't help but wonder why the corridor was darkened, especially in the middle of the day, but didn't have time to query it before she stepped through into the flat, itself.

Sofi shook her head as a small smile crept onto her face. The whole flat was decorated in warped out wallpaper, funky couches and seats, a few potted plants lined the windows and tables, and a few alien and weirdly shaped decorations were slotted in around the place.

"This does not give me hope for your place," Sofi said to Connor. The computer expert smiled and stepped further into the room.

Looking around herself again, Sofi headed off down the hall towards the bedrooms. Inside one she found Ryan, Stephen, and Nick.

"You know the movies when you think the killer's finally dead and then all of a sudden they just jump up again?" Stephen asked.

"Yeah, I hate those films," Ryan said, causing Stephen to jump. It was obvious that he hadn't expected anyone to be behind him, much less answer him.

"I take it neither of you are fans of horror movies, either?" Sofi asked, leading Claudia, Connor, and Duncan into the room.

Stephen shook his head. "You're telling me you are?" he asked.

"Maybe," Sofi answered with a grin. "I like Thriller's, too."

"Remind me to never go to the cinema with you."

Sofi grinned and looked around at Ryan. "What?" she asked. "Don't want to go with me to the cinema, either?"

Ryan cleared his throat and Sofi turned her attention back to Nick. He was on all fours and reaching under the bed.

"It's dead," said Nick, after a few hard pats to the head.

"Are you sure?" Claudia asked.

"Pretty sure," Nick said. He straightened up and overturned the bed, along with Stephen.

Sofi sighed and knelt down beside the second dead dodo. "Poor thing," she cooed, running her fingers over its feathers. She carefully lifted its wing and found an almost identical mark to the dodo back at the lab. She looked up at Stephen as he stood over her.

"Alright. Bag it up, but be careful," Nick warned.

"One minute it was friendly, and the next it just went crazy," Duncan explained.

"There parasite changed the dodo's behaviour to suit its own purposes," Nick explained, helping Sofi back to her feet.

"Which where?" Claudia asked.

"To pass itself on," Sofi answered. "That's why it bit Tom, so it could incubate its eggs in the new host."

"He's not safe to be around," said Nick. He sighed heavily and glanced at Connor. "I'm sorry. But maybe if we had got to him straight away, then he'd have stood a chance."

Connor looked back at Duncan.

"There is one thing I would never have found in a lab," said Sofi, looking up at Nick. "The parasite is light sensitive."

"How do you work that out?" Stephen asked.

"This bulb has been burnt out," said Sofi, swatting at the low hanging glass ball above her head. "Under the bed is one of the darkest places in a whole house, and the main hallway is shrouded in darkness given the time of day it is."

"What is it you like to say? One time is a..."

"Once is a chance, Twice is a coincidence, Three times is a Pattern," Sofi answered.

"So, you're saying that where ever Tom is, he's going to be trying to stay in the dark?" Nick asked.

Sofi nodded.

~X~

Beep. Beep.

Sofi looked up from her reference book. She was sitting outside the Home Office building, taking a break and doing some more research for her thesis paper when Nick had pulled up in front of her in his 4x4. Sitting shotgun was Claudia Brown and in the back, already getting out was Stephen.

"Where have you guys been?" Sofi asked. "I thought you were bringing the dodo back to Abby?"

"We were. Then your dad called and said that the labs were being used, and he needed to move the Dodo elsewhere," Claudia answered.

"So where are they now?"

"At the University," Nick answered. "It's not ideal. But on such short notice, it will do."

"You should've said something earlier," said Sofi. "You could've used my lab at home."

"You have a lab at your home?" Claudia asked.

"Yep. Dad paid a lot of money for me to have my whole loft tricked out," Sofi explained.

"I would love to see that," said Nick.

Sofi grinned. "It's where I do all my Uni research assignments," she said. "I am also using it for the research we're doing on anomalies. So, Abby has the Dodo's?"

Nick nodded.

"Then where have you been in between?" Sofi asked.

"What do you mean?" Stephen asked. He took a seat beside her on the steps, bringing his knees up to his chest.

Sofi shrugged. "Well, it takes, what? Roughly half an hour from Tom and Duncan's place to the University; that's without traffic. So, let's say 45 minutes with rush hour. From the University to here it takes around an hour, with traffic," she looked up at the trio. "That's an hour and forty-five minutes, you've been gone longer than that." She checked her watch. "I got back here around 1:30, and it is now 2:15."

Nick chuckled and shook his head.

"So...?"

"We were at the Hospital," Nick answered.

Sofi's eyes widened. "Uh-oh," she whispered.

"We're fine," said Stephen. "But, we got a call that a surgeon had been bitten. He was calling the Hospital of Tropical Diseases."

"Tom," Sofi said, looking from Stephen to Nick. "He's passed on the parasite already?"

"Not exactly," said Nick. "We were right about it incubating its eggs inside a host. But we wrong in thinking that both eggs and parasite co-existed inside one animal."

Sofi swallowed. She didn't like the way the conversation was heading.

"It's incubating and then passing each egg onto a different host," said Stephen. "Each person Tom attacks, he is infecting them."

"But there's only been one recorded attack," said Sofi. "If the parasite was changing Tom's personality to fit its own needs then there should be a lot more attacks going on. Why only one?"

"I believe it is due to Tom being human," said Nick. "His moral compass is telling him that attacking and hurting these people is wrong, and he is fighting the Parasite's control over it."

Sofi looked thoughtful. The explanation sounded plausible. The only thing that set humans apart from any other animal was their conscious and moral code. "Alright. I'll buy it," she said, nodding. "What is being done about finding him? Surely we aren't going to wait until he attacks someone again?"

Nick shook his head. "We're going to question Connor and Duncan," he said. "Would you like to join us?"

"You're going to put them in an interrogation room," said Sofi. "That alone is going to ruffle Duncan's feathers, and he's going to get real defensive. Also, I think by locking him in with three people, four if you include Connor, all of whom are going to be judging him on taking the Dodo, to begin with, you're not going to get any answers out of him."

"What do you suggest?" Claudia asked.

Sofi looked from Nick to her. "I think it should be just two interrogators," she said. "Maybe just you and Stephen," she told Nick. "It makes the situation less...threatening. Duncan is still going to be defensive, but he's not going to feel like we're ganging up on him."

Nick and Claudia shared a look.

"Alright," said Claudia. "I'll make sure the room is empty." She walked away.

"What are you going to do while we're in there?" Stephen asked.

Sofi looked up at him. "I have quite a bit of work to finish," she said, indicating to the notes and books on her lap, and inside her backpack. "I'll probably make myself comfortable in the room behind the two-way glass."

Stephen nodded and reached for one of the books on the step beside Sofi. "This parasite case must be ideal for your thesis, huh?" he asked, reading the title. "I mean, didn't you base two-thirds of your paper on parasitic growth in prehistoric times?"

"Give me that," Sofi said, taking the book back. "But, yes, this is rather helpful."

Stephen chuckled and, once Sofi had packed away the rest of her belongings, he and Nick led her back into the Home Office building.

~X~

"Okay. When Tom is in trouble, what's his first reaction?"

Sofi looked up as Nick started to speak. They had decided to go with her plan when talking to Duncan, and she had guessed correctly that the student was still on the defence. He sat, rigid in his seat with his hands in his lap. He was red-faced and suspicious as he glanced around the room.

"Tom doesn't get in trouble," Connor answered. The sincerity in his voice was plainly obvious.

"He's not that sort of bloke," Duncan agreed.

Sofi found that she believed them, both. She didn't know Tom, at all, but she had seen him around campus before. He didn't look like the type of person that caused havoc or chaos. He was an unforeseen victim in all of this.

"Then put yourself in his shoes," said Nick. "What's... What'll he be thinking? Where will he go?"

"He'll be trying to find out what this whole conspiracy's about," Duncan replied, quickly.

Sofi's head shot up and she stared at the two-way glass.

"There is no conspiracy," Stephen groaned.

"So what's all this, then? Meeting of the local Women's Institute? The CIA? The Freemasons? The Illuminati?"

Sofi scoffed but couldn't help but grin. She could remember the conversation topic with Connor a few weeks back, he had been adamant that the whole Loch Ness Monster ordeal was a conspiracy covered up by the government. She should've guessed that his friends were big on the topic as well.

"You people are always hiding the truth," Duncan continued. "Tom was right about everything. That's why we put the transmitter on you."

Connor paused and looked back at his friend. "What? You bugged me?" he asked. He scoffed as realisation dawned. "Of course you did. Because that's how you found the dodo, right?"

"Well, you were the one with all the secrets. SWAT teams, girlfriends..."

"Duncan, just tell me where it is," Connor interrupted whilst checking his pockets.

"It's not on your bag. Inside Roswell."

Connor stopped short and offered his friend an unimpressed look. "You sneaky little..." he trailed off, shaking his head.

"Wait, wait. How did you track it?" Nick asked.

"Tom modified the Sat Nav on his Palmtop," Duncan answered.

"Then he's going to come here," said Nick, getting to his feet. He rounded the table and patted Connor on the shoulder. "If Tom wants answers he's going to follow the transmitter. He's coming to you."

But Duncan shook his head. "Not exactly. The Dodo swallowed it," he said.

"The transmitter's in the dodo..." Stephen said, trailing off.

Sofi's eyes widened as she realised the severity of the situation. "Oh no..." she whispered, abandoning her notes and research. She grabbed her phone and quickly dialled an all too familiar, yet new number.

The phone rang and rang.

But Abby didn't answer.

~X~

"Try Abby again!"

"I've tried several times, Stephen, she's not answering!"

Stephen closed his eyes and sighed in annoyance. He knew it wasn't Sofi's fault that Abby wasn't answering her phone. If their calculations were correct, and he knew that they were, then Tom had followed the signal coming out of the dodo to the University and was in direct contact with the zookeeper. He was well aware that Abby could defend herself, she was a martial artist, but given she was up against something unpredictable, he didn't want her to run the risk of getting hurt, or worse.

Having arrived at the University, only to find Abby and Dodo gone. The team decided to try the transmitter from Tom's van to figure out where they had gone. While Stephen, Nick, Duncan, Connor, Claudia, and Ryan had headed inside; Sofi remained outside with Jayden, Shawn, Graham, and Jacobs.

"Is it working?" Stephen asked when he returned from Nick's office. He found Sofi leaning against her car, the transmitter in hand.

Sofi fiddled with the palmtop for a few seconds and then held it up. There was a blinking red dot on the screen, and it was moving erratically around. "They're at the football stadium," she had said.

"Why would they have gone there?" Claudia asked. "The anomaly has closed."

"Tom wants proof," said Sofi. "He thinks this is a conspiracy. That we're up to something with these creatures, and to prove a conspiracy you need proof of your allegations before anyone will believe you."

"He's got the Dodo," said Stephen.

"It looks like an animatronic," Sofi said. "Besides, no one is going to believe that prehistoric creatures are alive again in the 21st century. Tom want's proper, undiluted proof of Dodo's existence. He doesn't know that the anomaly has closed. Abby is obviously trying to buy time. She knows that we're going to figure out Tom's plan, she knows we're coming for her."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Stephen asked. "Let's go get her."

Sofi nodded and hopped into her car as the others filed into theirs, and pulled away.

~X~

"No. Don't do it, Tom! Get off! No. Tom!"

Abby's voice raised louder and louder as Sofi followed the rest of the team through the football stadium gates and up into the stands. She had just reached the top of the stairs as Ryan, Graham, Jayden and the rest circled Tom, as he was leaning over Abby, braced to bite and infect her.

"I've got a shot," Ryan declared. "I can take him out."

"No!" Connor shouted, running out in front of the line of fire. "Don't shoot him!"

"Connor, what are you doing?" Claudia asked.

"Just, please, don't shoot him!" Connor pleaded.

Sofi caught Nick's eye and nodded. There had to be a chance that they could get through to Tom. He had managed to fight off the parasite thus far, there was a possible chance that, if Connor could get him to remember who he was, then he could find off the parasite completely. It wouldn't save his life, but he would die as himself, rather than something he wasn't.

"Alright, let him try. Let him try," Nick whispered to Nick.

Ryan nodded but didn't surrender on his target. He kept the rifle poised and ready to fire.

"Tom. Tom, it's me," Connor said, turning his back on the team and looking directly at his friend. He didn't look at Abby, or even acknowledge her. This was all about Tom. He needed to show his friend that he was there for him.

Tom looked from Connor to the soldiers. There were fear and anger in his eyes.

"Let her go, mate," said Connor, softly.

Abby grunted as Tom's grip on her tightened.

"Easy. Easy!" Connor said, reassuringly. "Easy."

Sofi watched with bated breath. The situation couldn't have been anymore tense. Abby's life was still on the line, but she was Tom's and Connor's. One false move and Ryan's orders would be to shoot. His job was simple - protect the team, at all costs.

"You remember Thursday nights, don't you?" Connor asked. "Battlestar Galactica, Blakes 7? Pepperoni Pizza?"

Tom gave a faint, unsure smile, as he looked up at Connor. "Connor?" he asked.

"Yeah," Connor breathed. He still had his hands held out in front of him. Not threatening. "They were good times, weren't they? You can fight the dark side, mate. You really can."

Tom tensed and looked down at Abby. Sofi watched as his expression faltered and then broke, and he sat back.

Abby squeaked and rolled away, scrambled to her feet and made a beeline for the stands. She took the steps two at a time and stopped beside Sofi.

"Are you alright?" Sofi asked.

Abby gave a wobbly smile.

"You, too, Connor. Move away. He will kill you," Ryan called.

But Connor didn't budge. He remained where he was, staring at Tom. "No, he won't," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper now. He wasn't sure if the others could hear him, but he was sure his body language was easy enough to read. He lowered his arms to his sides and stepped closer to Tom, kneeling down so they were on the same level. "He's my friend."

Tom looked up at Connor. His expression was still weary.

"You come with me," Connor said, nodding. "We can... We can help you."

"It was a conspiracy, wasn't it, Con?" Tom asked. He knew that there was nothing his friend could do. He knew whatever was inside of him was slowly killing him. He could feel it.

Connor forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "Big time. Straight to the top."

"Was there any mind control?" Tom asked. The boyish, child-like grin on his face made Sofi's heart clench.

"Yeah," Connor whispered.

Tom sniffled a laugh. "Brilliant," he said. "Brilliant."

Then, Sofi noticed, Tom's demeanour changed. His body tensed, his jaw clenched and he slowly lifted his head. From over Connor's shoulder, Sofi could see the darkness creep into Tom's eyes, their usual dark colour turning a translucent blue as the parasite took control again.

"Connor," Sofi called in warning. She teetered dangerously on the edge of the step, and only remained there due to Abby's deathly clutch of her arm.

"Connor, back away!" Stephen yelled.

Tom lurched forward, toppling into Connor's arms and burying his face in his friend's shoulder.

Sofi turned away, her eyes closing as her heart sank. The end was nearing.

"It's okay," Connor murmured, nursing his friend. "You're okay." He carefully lowered Tom onto the ground.

"They tried to take me over, but I fought them, Con. I fought them," Tom whispered. His breathing was becoming laboured.

"You did a really good job," said Connor.

"Mmm. I'm a hero," said Tom.

Sofi noted that Tom was now shaking. She could only guess that it was due to the parasite dying within his system. If she had to venture a guess, she'd have said the parasite's body was releasing toxins that were fighting Tom's red and white blood cells, causing multiple organ failures and shut down. His shaking could be due to lack of oxygen and the fact that his blood was growing thinner and thinner the more time that passed.

Tom's death wasn't easy, and he was suffering greatly. Sofi felt heartbreak for him.

All to soon, Tom's body seized up and his eyes closed. His breathing stilled and he collapsed onto the ground at Connor's feet.

Sofi choked back a sob and leaned into Abby, as the older blonde wound an arm around her shoulders.

Down in the stadium, Connor had risen from Tom's body and turned to meet Nick's approach. He shook his head at his professor and pointed at Tom's body. "I can't do this anymore," he said, his voice breaking.

"We need you," Nick said, softly. He took Connor's arm and led him a short distance away.

"If I hadn't have been involved, Tom would still be alive," said Connor.

"No. There's a handful of people in the whole world that know what's going on here, what we're grappling with, and you're one of them," said Nick, shaking his head. "That would've made his day. He'd have loved it."

Connor forced a teary smile.

"So you can't bail out now. Okay?"

Resolve to break, Connor nodded tensely. "Okay," he said. But the facade didn't last long. His face crumbled again and tears pricked at his eyes.

"Now, come here!" said Nick. He pulled Connor to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and squeezing him tightly.