Abby leans into Connor putting her head on his shoulder, "I don't feel... good." Connor nods his head,

"Abby, it's going to be okay. It's going to be fine. Stephen and Nick went to get help. It's all going to be fine." He wraps his arm around her and rubs her shoulder.

"Are you saying that to convince me, or to convince you?" He looks down at her bleached head,

"Is it wrong for it to be a bit of both?"

"No. I'm trying to convince myself too. Connor?"

"Hm?"

"We need to get this creature back into the anomaly." Connor screws his face up,

"But Cutter said-"

"I know what Cutter said, but if we don't get him back then more people will end up like me."

"But what do you suppose we do?"

"Well Stephen's truck is ruined, so I'm not sure. We could... I don't know, drag him back to the anomaly. Before it closes." Connor stands up,

"I guess we could try..."

"Thanks Connor." She holds her uninjured arm out for Connor to help her up, to which he obliges.

"If we get into trouble, I blame you."

"That's right, blame it on the injured one."

PRIMEVAL

"Come on Lester! This is important! Abby might die!"

"And thousands of other people out there will see it, and they could die. I'm not stopping an operation just so that one of your people can be 'saved'. What's more important Cutter? Abby or London?" Lester stops outside his office door to face Stephen and Cutter who had been trailing him down the hallway.

"London." Stephen mumbles quietly. Cutter nudges him in the ribs.

"What was that?" Stephen looks up at Lester,

"I said London."

"Good. Glad to see we agree, now go out there and fix the problem!" He slams the door to his office, leaving the two in the hall. Cutter kicks at the wall before shouting past the door,

"We need Abby to fix this Lester! What's more important now? London or Abby?" Lester's office door opens,

"I'll send you another... reptile geek. Fix this Cutter." He starts to slam the door again, but Cutter slides his foot into the opening before it can close,

"No one else will work with us. We need Abby." For once Lester looks pained.

"I can't. I can't do anything for her. Find someone else Nick. I'm sorry." He kicks Cutter's foot out from his door and closes it with a snap. Stephen groans before kicking the wall in exasperation.

"What do we do?" Nick shakes his head.

"I don't know Stephen. He was our last- Wait. Claudia Brown." Stephen rolls his eyes,

"What about Claudia Brown?"

"She can help Stephen. She can help!" He pulls out his phone before dashing down the hall, leaving Stephen outside Lester's door looking baffled.

PRIMEVAL

Lester paces back and forth in his office. He feels wretched. He can't believe that he can't do anything. That team is the best one they have, and Abby is important to the crew, and he doesn't think that Connor would be able to function properly if she were to die. He really likes her, Lester can tell. He turns to his desk and in one move sweeps the papers to the floor in anger. Working with people you don't like really makes you start to like them. Abby might be a bit impulsive, but she's a nice girl. She's sweet and kind, and she really wants to help the animals. She's the heart of the group, and without a heart, the team would fall apart. He resumes pacing. He needs to find a way to save all of them. Abby. She needs to be saved, but he can't think of anything that would help her. He can't think of a way that would be discreet enough. He doesn't need the team calling him soft, doesn't need the rest of the ARC talking about how he might be growing fond of Cutter's group. It wouldn't be right. He pauses mid-step as an idea takes hold. Claudia Brown. In charge of pretty much everything, she's sure to have a poison expert at her fingertips, as well as an ambulance. And Stephen wants to be reimbursed for his totaled truck. She can help that too. He's sure of it. He whips out his phone and quickly dials her number.

"Hang on Ms. Maitland. Help's on the way."

PRIMEVAL

Abby tugs pathetically on the creature's leg, moving it about a centimeter before giving up.

"How far away do you think we are?"

"About two blocks." Abby groans, "I think." Connor brushes his hands on his pant legs before helping Abby pull the huge tiger-thing down the pavement toward the anomaly. "So what do you suppose it is?" Abby blinks hard before looking at the creature carefully.

"I think it's a fabrication."

"A what?"

"A fabrication. A mixture of two animals. Maybe a tiger and a snake of some sort, probably green and poisonous." She falls quiet and starts to help drag the creature. "What do you think Connor?"

"Me? I think you're right." The two fall silent and continue to pull the creature down the road toward where the anomaly was. Connor glances at Abby, "Are you okay? You look a little..." he searches for a word, "peaked."

"Me? Peaked? Naw. I'm fine Connor. Really. I just want to get this guy home." She gestures to the creature before them.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She wipes at her flushed and sweating forhead. "I'm fine. Just need a glass of water or something." She swallows hard and blinks rapidly.

"Abby?" She stumbles over the creature's leg,

"Connor? Connor where are you?"

"Abby! I'm right here. Abby!" She falls to the ground, reaching out, still calling to Connor. "Oh God. Abby! Help's on the way!" He gather's her in his arms, laying her across his lap, "At least I hope so."

PRIMEVAL

Nick hangs up the phone, letting out a sigh of relief. Help was coming. He looks over his shoulder,

"Stephen?" Stephen jogs down the hallway,

"Good news I hope."

"The best. Claudia is dispatching a team now." They smile at each other.

"That's great!"

"I just hope nothing's happened to them while we've been gone."


Author's Note: Didn't get many reviews, so this will be the last chapter for a while until I know that people are wanting to read it. Yes. You read correctly. I'm holding the next chapters hostage until you people give me some feed back. Thanks for those who have shown their support. You are all brilliant. Time to go work on another fiction that I'm doing, a 'Sherlock' one this time. Thank you and good night!

Mischief Managed

-P