Life is so busy right now! ARGH! Anyhows, you don't care about that!
We are all aware that I do not own Primeval :(
Enjoy.
The team was late into the break room, an incursion delaying them. They found Jess waiting, having run in there while Becker dealt with the animal problem.
"I have a question for you, Becker."
"Go on." The soldier smiled indulgently at their co-ordinator.
"What are you afraid of?"
The entire team laughed.
"Not spiders."
Jess went pink in embarrassment. She honestly hated spiders with a passion. It wasn't an anomaly alarm but her scream that had warned the team of the animal five minutes earlier.
"Well I know that! I thought you were just going to kill it."
"Abigail would have killed me."
"So? What's the answer?"
Becker leant forward in his seat, planting an elbow on his knee and biting his thumb nail as he thought. He evidently gained an answer in his head as he scrutinised his colleagues one by one. After a minute or so he opened his mouth.
"WAIT!"
Everyone turned to look at Sam as she approached with the drinks.
"Umm. I didn't actually mean to yell but… can he not answer that?" At the expression on their faces she elaborated. "I… I don't like the idea of Becker being afraid of anything. You know? It makes him really… Well, human."
"This may surprise you Samantha but I am human."
"I- I know that! I'm not stupid. It's just, you're Becker. You fight G-rex's in a mini! You- can't be afraid of stuff. The idea is kinda scary."
"She has a point." Connor frowned. "But I wanna know anyway!"
"Me too! We know about his tea fetish-"
"I do not have a tea fetish."
"- but we could have something else to blackmail him with too!" Abby continued as if he hadn't interrupted.
"If you don't have a tea fetish what fetishes do you have?" Sam winked at the remaining members of the team.
"You've already asked me a question, Sam. And the other's wanted to hear that answer to that one."
"JESS!" Sam half shouted, pointing at the girl. "File that question in your head for later!"
Jess laughed and nodded that she would remember.
"Okay."
The team mellowed as Becker began to speak, his eyes fixed on the floor in front of him.
"I…" he sighed, "The thing I'm afraid of is…"
He started to chew on his thumb again. The others waited expectantly. The soldier sighed.
"The anomalies. I… I'm afraid of the anomalies."
There was a long silence that no-one wanted to break.
"That's the most rational fear I've ever heard of." Matt eventually spoke.
Becker's head shoot up to look at the man next to him. "What?"
"They're called 'anomalies' for a reason. Because they are anomalies. They don't make sense. Despite Connor's attempts, we still don't know that much about them. We can't control them- where they open, where they lead, when they lead. It's a rational fear."
"Don't you think it's stupid?" Becker looked worried, as if he expected them to start laughing at any second. "I work with them. It's my job to protect you from them and what may come out of them."
"It's not stupid." Jess put in. "By being afraid of anomalies you respect them more."
"You've been keeping us- minus Matt-" Abby mock glared at the man, "from going through them for the past few years. Can you imagine how many team members we could have been through if it weren't for you?"
"What about Sarah though?" Becker's voice was low and they could tell that merely bringing up the subject of the archaeologist was hard for him.
"Technically their fault." Sam pointed at Connor and Abby. "Theirs and Danny's.
The two accused looked in shock, disbelieving that Sam would actually blame them for the death of their friend.
"I'm kidding of course. It's no-one's fault. Really Becker, you do an amazing job at keeping us safe. There's no-one better than you for this work. Honestly, we may tease you, give you nicknames. But without you- and I mean you not some other ex-army man- working here would be impossible."
"It's true." Jess smiled. "I'm replaceable. It'd be hard to do," she stuck her tongue out at her own cockiness, "but I am. As is Sam. Abby isn't the only person who can look after animals and Connor can be replaced by some other scientist. You just need another person employed to know the prehistoric creatures, which we rely on those two for. Matt's hard as his general knowledge and skills are invaluable but hey! - you aren't."
Matt nodded in agreement. "Your respect for the anomalies is a quality we will never be able to find in anyone else with your skill."
"Although, sir." From the honorific the team knew Sam was about to insult him. "You need to get on with your paperwork, clean out your locker- you really shouldn't preach at the others when yours is so bad- aaaaannnnd," Sam sang the conjunctive, "we need more lethal weapons- more paperwork."
Becker did not looked amused.
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Thanks.
