Chapter 8

Abby recognised the signs well enough. How could she miss them? She knew Connor better than he knew himself. Every little expression, the secret smiles, the way his eyes shone when he spoke about what they had done together, his anticipation of their next meeting. She could read him like a book and it hurt her.

While they were away they had spoken about everything. Without the distractions of the modern world all they had was survival, sleep, sex and soul-searching.

They started by confessing their misdemeanors. He told her about nearly freezing to death in her lab when all her plants were destroyed. She confessed to him about her horrendous date with the soldier, and he finally told her about Connor Therapy, Project Abby and Project Caroline. That earned him a smack on the arm and the silent treatment for a day, before she forgave him and kissed him until his brain melted.

She told Connor all about her childhood both before and after Gary. It helped him to truly understand and it finally helped her start purging Gary from her mind. Slowly her vile inner voice was being replaced by a gorgeous one with a northern lilt telling his Abby that she was brilliant, beautiful, wonderful, and occasionally, an idiot. But the voice always resonated with love.

Likewise, Connor told her of his life. She was shocked to hear that he, too, had been abused as a child. She adored his mother for helping him heal and hoped one day to meet her. She understood why he was so passively accepting when he was used as the team's whipping boy and why he so rarely got angry. She also came to understand why he was so fiercely loyal and stupidly brave, always willing to put himself in the line of fire to protect others. She was mildly stunned and surprisingly relieved when he confessed his sexual experiences at Uni. She also came to understand his need for computer games, and his obsession with Cutter.

Connor explained about the relationship he had craved with his father, but that was stolen from them by his abuser. He explained the significance of the ring he always wore around his neck, and how he hoped, one day, to wear it as his wedding band. She remembered how he had blushed so sweetly at that admission and given her a coy smile.

She understood his father fixation with Cutter. But Cutter was a good man and looked upon Connor almost as a son. He was worthy of Connor's admiration and never abused Connor's trust. She too had loved and respected Cutter. Continuing Cutter's legacy and solving the mystery of the anomalies was a worthy ambition and something that she fully supported Connor in.

-0-0-0-

They were now back at the ARC full time and were getting used to the new team.

Becker was a lot more introverted and guarded than she remembered. He seemed to relax with her, but with the others he was so shut down and isolated. She saw the looks he gave the new Field Coordinator, and his obsession with bringing her chocolate. The problem was he was now so emotionally repressed that he would never do anything about it. She talked to him often in the break room over coffee. Once, she managed to drag him out to a secluded bench in a local park so they could talk privately.

It was then he had told her about Sarah, how she had died in the future world when they were ambushed by predators. He told how he carried her meagre remains back through the anomaly, his fear of how he would explain what happened to Danny, and he cried in Abby's arms as he remembered the funeral and his resignation.

"Becker, you resigned? But the ARC means everything to you." She was unable to keep the shock from her voice.

"Yeah, and it took everything from me in a way Iraq and Afghanistan never did. I can accept losing my men, however hard it may be. We are all trained soldiers and know the risks. Whilst none of us wants to die, any one of us will lay down our life to protect the civilians, be they team members or the public. But this was different. First I lost Cutter, then I nearly lost Jenny and then I lost all of you. You, Connor and Danny lost in time with little hope of return and then Sarah." He was shaking and his eyes looked moist with unshed tears.

"But you're still at the ARC. How is that if you resigned?"

"Lester. When the ARC reformed in partnership with Prospero, Lester had two conditions. That there was a new and improved menagerie with all the animals transferred to the new building and properly cared for, and that I was reinstated without loss of privileges and resumed as Head of Security." His voice was flat, emotionless, but his body was taut and shaking with emotion.

"But after everything you'd been through, why did you come back?"

"Because it was the only way I could come to terms with what had happened. I had to make sure no-one else went through that. I got Lester to agree that no-one goes through an anomaly again, no matter what the reason. We lock them and only re-open them to put creatures back. That's it, despite what Matt does. Burton wasn't too happy about it - I think he wanted scientists to go through to carry out research, but it was non-negotiable. I don't think Burton fully appreciates the implications of interferring with the anomalies. He's only interested in the anomalies as a scientific phenomena, and not the animals or the eras they open to. Or the implications for history."

Abby filed what she'd heard away, before focussing back on Becker. He was still so distressed. She wrapped her arms around him in a sisterly hug and held him, gently stroking his back, until his shaking abated.

After a while Becker took her arms and gently pushed her away."Thanks Abby. I feel better now. We should head back." His eyes were still red, but he looked more in control.

On the walk back to the ARC, Abby asked what Becker thought of the new team members.

"Matt seems too good to be true. That man has secrets. But he's a good Team Leader and he never gave up on you, despite that you'd been officially ruled Missing, Presumed Dead. He refused to accept it and told all of us to keep looking. I respected him for that. Despite his secrets I trust him."

Abby knew that Becker's trust was not easily earnt, so to hear him speak of Matt like that gave her confidence in the Team Leader she barely knew.

"And what about Jess? She's been so fantastically generous to us, but what do you think?"

He flushed lightly and composed his features before he answered "She's very good at her job, brilliant even. It brings a new dimension to being in the field, knowing that we have someone watching our backs and anticipating our needs."

"You don't think she's too young?" It was a leading question and she knew it.

"Possibly a bit young to cope with some of the horrors we deal with, but not immature. Just ... bubbly." He smiled, and his eyes unfocussed slightly as if he was lost in a pleasant thought. Abby smiled to herself - Jess and Becker. Well, well. More there than just chocolate!

They'd reached the ARC and were approaching the Hub. Becker turned to Abby. "Well I should head back to the armoury. Thanks for the talk Abby."

"My pleasure. We should do it again."

"Yeah." And he was gone, striding down the corridor, head held high and shoulders back.

-0-0-0-

Abby didn't trust Philip Burton at all. Not only had he threatened to kill the animals in the menagerie, against her advice and all existing ARC protocols, but she trusted Becker's instincts about him - that he had no interest in any aspect of the ARC's work except the physical anomalies themselves. He was obsessed with collecting data about them irrespective of the danger or cost in human life to obtain that data.

She recognised in Burton some of the traits she had seen in Jack. He was self-absorbed and had that self-satisfied smirk. He believed himself to be always right and the authority on everything, not listening to reasoned arguments or alternative views. That he thought he knew more about the anomalies than Connor was frankly absurd, but Connor bowed to his 'superior' knowledge, even though he sometimes confessed to her privately that some of Burton's assumptions were wrong. His disregard for the creatures, maintaining the timeline and for human life were downright scarey. But the worst part was the effect he was having on Connor.

Connor was totally obsessed. He saw in Burton the next Cutter. His father fixation was coming back with a vengeance and he would not listen to Abby's words of caution.

Abby knew that, unlike Nick Cutter, Philip Burton cared nothing for Connor. All he cared about was Prospero and his work. As more and more demands were made on Connor she could see that Burton would have no compunction about working her poor, trusting man into the ground if it gave Burton what he wanted.

She guessed that Burton had read Cutter's files and was subverting Cutter's own theories to persuade Connor that this is what Nick had wanted all along. But the more she listened to Connor as he explained the basics of what he was doing for Burton, the more she realised it sounded like the wrong Cutter - it sounded like Helen's theories, not Nick's. She tried to talk to him about it, but Burton had him so blinkered he couldn't understand her concerns.

And Connor was becoming secretive. He would come home in the early hours of the morning, but refuse to tell her what he had been doing, citing confidentiality agreements, or telling her she wouldn't understand. They had agreed early in their relationship that they would be totally honest with each other. That he was now being forced to keep things from her was hurting him.

Abby was feeling more and more isolated from Connor. She was increasingly convinced that this was Burton's intention. To drive a wedge between her and Connor so that he could have Connor's genius all too himself.

The arrival of April Leonard as Connor's assistant seemed too contrived. She was obviously a confident and pretty woman, yet she dressed and behaved like the stereotypical computer geek. Every time she saw April, she was reminded of those awful programmes where the mousey lab tech suddenly takes off her glasses and shakes down her hair to transform into the glamorous seductress. Yes, a seductress to tempt Connor away from Abby. If that was Burton's plan he really had no idea. The ties that bound Connor and Abby together ran much deeper than mere physical attraction, and would be much harder to break. She wondered if Burton had read about Caroline Steele and assumed the same ploy would work again.

That April kept Connor in the lab all night after he'd already been working 24 hours straight, had been dragged underground, knocked unconscious, gassed and then blown up, showed how little regard Burton had for Connor's well being. Between them Burton and April would suck Connor dry and Abby would not allow that.

-0-0-0-

Becker had been right about Matt's secret, and now Abby knew about it she realised just how much trouble Connor was in. She had to save him from himself before he destroyed the world and himself. She needed Matt's help, and he needed hers, but she would not allow her beautiful Connor to be used so cruelly.

"Matt, tell me everything. I will help you, but understand this, I will not sacrifice Connor."

"What if we can't save him?"

"Matt, if you want my help then that is my only condition. Connor and I are everything to each other. What we do, we do together. Burton is subverting Connor's need to complete Cutter's work to accomplish his own goals. I will protect Connor to my dying breath and if that's what it takes so be it, but I WILL save Connor."

tbc