A/N: I know I said that last chapter was to be the last for at least 2-3 weeks. But the truth is I got bored. Lol. I do have other stories to update, but I wanted to write this one. Im gonna miss writing Kara/Becker romance. I hope this one shows u how much fun the cousins have. Lol.
It also gives a lil insight into Kara and Becker's future. Can u see it?
Enjoy
Chapter Nine
The Embolotherium
The house was quiet, nothing was stirring, there was the faint noise of the ticking clock on the wall, but she didn't register anything else other than that clock. And even that was starting to irritate her. She was on her hands and knees, her face pressed against any cool surface she could find, it had been a month since she had gotten Nick back, and she was still really happy about it, but she feared it would happen again. But at this particular moment in time, she couldn't think about anything other than the knot in her stomach.
Her hair had been held back in a low ponytail at the base of her neck, and she was at this particular moment pressed against the cool wall of the bathroom, near the toilet. She had been feeling sick, the majority of the night, and right now she could feel it more than ever. Tears clouded her vision as she threw up again. She hated this feeling, and she hadn't felt like this in a long time. The last time she had felt like this, was when she was having Nick -
No! She couldn't be?
But the more her stomach knotted, and the more she felt like she could pass out at any given moment. She couldn't think of a better answer. There was one way she could find out, but she'd have to do it later.
Glancing at the clock, she realised it was nearing 8:00am. It would be time to head to the ARC soon, and she wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to go into work today. She wasn't feeling at her best. But she knew she would have too, she prayed there wouldn't be any anomalies today, but when did she ever get her wish?
Another low groan, escaped her lips as her stomach churned once more, and she held her arms around her waist tightly, but weakly.
"Kara!"
There came a loud knock on the door, along with the call of her name. She shut her eyes against the loudness, as it ached inside her head. The voice belonged to Grace.
"Kara, open up!" Grace yelled again, carefully pushing herself to her feet, she cleaned up the bathroom and herself, before pulling the door open. It seemed Grace had just started to speak when the door had opened, she stuttered mid-sentence, taking in her cousin's appearance. "What's wrong?" she asked almost immediately
Kara, turned to look at her reflection in the mirror, her face was pale. Deathly pale, she had been sweating and the lose pieces of hair that had fallen from her ponytail had clung to her face and the nape of her neck. Her blue eyes was illuminate against her pale skin. All in all, she looked worse than death. She merely shook her head, slowly, and made her way out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom. Becker was still there, it was like he had moved in. But she didn't have a problem with that, she liked having him around. It felt comfortable.
He was still asleep, and so was Nick.
Quickly grabbing some clothes, and her make-up kit. Now normally she didn't wear make-up, but today she had too. She couldn't go out looking like Death. So once, after she had showered and dressed, she applied a small amount of foundation, just to bring colour to her face. Once she was finished, she still looked tired but at least she had a little colour to her face.
"Kara," Grace said, opening the bathroom door once more "Have you -"
She cut off once she saw her cousin was dressed and ready, she also took in the make-up bag, before walking to her cousin's side and placing an hand on her shoulder "Are you sure your okay?" she asked quietly "You're not looking so good."
"To be honest with you Grace," Kara said "I don't feel at all so good,"
"Could it just be a common bug?"
"It could be," Kara answered "But I think I know what it is that's wrong. But I need to be sure. Do you think you could do something for me?"
"Sure, anything" Grace answered, becoming more and more worried by the moment.
Half an hour later, Grace, Becker, Kara and Nick pulled into the ARC car park. Kara, who had been too tired to drive, had sat in the passenger seat while Becker drove. She knew, he knew something was wrong.. Nick was chatting to Grace in the back, at 11 months, he was able to form small words and sentence's. He was now also crawling, which at the time had been a surprise to everyone. But now, he was getting into everything, and he knew how to keep his mum on her toes.
Once they were stationary, Kara unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out of the car. Since Nick was strapped into his car seat, behind the drivers seat, she allowed Becker to get him out. It was a surprise to both him and Kara, how fast Nick took to him, but the biggest surprise happened last night, and it was, Nick turning to Becker and calling him daddy. Kara, had stared at her son for what felt like an hour, before turning to Becker, she was speechless and didn't know what to say, but he had brushed it off.
Kara, had to admit though, Becker had been like a dad to Nick, and he was around him often and was around her often. So at 11 months, Nick obviously thought that Becker was his dad.
Taking her son from her boyfriend, the four of them entered the ARC. They immediately realised something was wrong, when they entered the main ops room, Abby and Connor weren't there, but neither was Danny. Where was everyone? The usual ground staff where there, but the only members of the field team where them. The others, where no where to be found. And after what Kara had learned, went on between Connor and Abby, she suspected they wouldn't see the two for some time.
"I'll see you later, yeah?" Becker asked turning to Kara,
She nodded and looked up at him, he kissed her lips lightly before heading back out of the main Ops room. Where he went, when he wasn't out in the field was a complete mystery to Kara, but she turned back to Grace, and smiled as she saw Sarah had arrived.
"Are you okay?" Sarah asked, eyeing Kara curiously
"Yeah. I think I got the stomach bug or something," Kara answered "I'll be fine." she then turned to Grace "Did you get it?" she asked
Grace nodded and reached into her bag, before pulling out a slim blue box. Sarah gasped, when she saw it, but Kara placed her hand over her friends mouth, before she could say anything. Sarah's eyes was staring at her curiously.
"Don't say a word," Kara said "I don't know for sure. That's why I got this. I don't want anyone knowing. Understand?"
Sarah nodded, and Kara removed her hand
"What about Becker?" she asked
"I don't want him knowing, until im fully sure" Kara answered "Could you watch Nick?" and she handed the little boy over to her cousin, before turning and heading back out of the Main Ops room once more.
Stupid alarm! She had just found out the truth, and the stupid anomaly alarm had gone blaring, at this moment in time she didn't care about time nor space or whatever they had been dealing with. All she cared about was the fact that she could very well have been -
"Kara!" Grace's voice sounded loud in her ear, and she cringed away from it
"What!" Kara snapped, turning in her seat to face her cousin
"We are here" Grace answered, motioning around.
Kara looked around and then down at her detector, they were in fact at the site where the Anomaly had opened, it was a campsite and people had already set up tent. How could this day end? She didn't really want to know. Connor, Abby and Sarah were ahead of them. Once they had come to a complete halt, Kara and Grace where the first out of the SUV's, Becker and his men following behind.
"I hate sitting in the back" Grace whispered as she followed her cousin through two boys who where throwing the rugby ball back and forth. She caught it and carried on walking.
"Hey!" one of the boys shouted, and Grace returned the ball to them, Kara laughed softly before catching up with Connor, Abby and Sarah.
"What's going on?" and "What's all this?" were the two questions anyone could hear.
They finally came to a stop beside a flaming BBQ grill, as Connor spoke, his detector in his hand, and postioned in front of him. "The anomaly is somewhere over there" he said, indicating to an empty stretch of land in front of him.
"What's going on?" Grace suddenly asked, she was staring at her detector "My detectors gone all funny,"
"Yeah, so as mine" Sarah and Connor answered
"Let me see," Connor said looking at the three hand held's, the screens were awful fuzzy.
"Where's Danny?" Abby asked, appearing at Connor's shoulder
"Huh?" Connor asked
"Where's Danny?" Kara asked this time
"Um…" Connor started "Im sure he's on his way. Sausage, anyone?" he added pointing at the grill
There was a roar in the distance, and Kara turned towards the trees. "This way!" she said to her team and headed off towards the trees.
"Maybe later, yeah?" she heard Connor say but she didn't stop to look to see if he was following, she automatically assumed he was.
Sprinting into the trees. Kara looked around for the sound of a engine, it was close. Running towards the noise, she stumbled along two Quad bikes, one had been over turned and the engine had been cut, but the second was laying against a tree, the engine still running. Abby had over taken her, and had reached the Quad bike first, she turned the key that was still in the ignition and the engine became silent.
By now the entire team was there, and were now surrounding her, There was a low growl from ahead of them, and Kara, Abby and Connor exchanged the same glances. They were close.
"Lets go," Kara said, nodding in the direction of the sound.
And starting in the direction of her indication, the team headed for the clearing. They passed through the trees, stopping at the edge of the clearing and staring at the herd of creatures before them. There were so many of them to count, they were surrounding a rather large cream and red tent.
"Wow," Grace said softly "There is so many of them"
"I'd better get this place evacuated," Becker said, from behind them, and Kara turned to nod at him, watching him head back into the trees.
"They're incredible" Connor murmured
"What are they?" Sarah asked
"Embolotherium," Kara answered "Their prehistoric rhino's. Peaceful grazers"
At that moment, directly in front of them, two of the Embolotherium, charged at one another and clashed horns, with a thundering noise. Sarah turned to Kara.
"Peaceful?" she questioned "Are you sure about that?"
"As sure as anybody could be on the bases of a fossilised tooth," Kara answered
She hadn't noticed Abby duck down and pluck something from a near-by thorn bush, until the blonde had stood back up, holding the object in her hand. Kara looked at it, and bit her lip. It was a pink and black, Dominatrix bra.
"Help!" a voice shouted from the tent, as the team turned in its direction once more.
"There's someone in there" Abby said
"Help me, please" the male voice rang out again "Hello? Help!"
"Come on," Abby said, as she made her way to the front
"Through that lot?" Grace asked
"Yeah," Kara answered
"Im in the tent!" the male voice was yelling
There was a growling from behind them, as the four girls and Connor turned to see the largest Rhino of all, appear out of the trees. It raised its head for the heaves hanging over its head. It was the bull.
"See, im guessing that's the bull" Connor said, turning to Abby
The blonde grinned sheepishly "Yeah," she answered
"Hello?" the man shouted again, and Abby turned to the females.
"The bull's disrupting the herd," she said turning back to her friends "We're at risk going in with him like this. We need someone to distract him"
She said all this whilst looking at Connor.
"Aboslutely," he agreed not getting the bit picture, Kara exchanged looks with Abby before shaking her head
"Yeah," she said turning to Connor, before Sarah and Grace joined in. She watched as realization dawned on his face.
"Me?" he asked "Im not…"
"Please?" Ness asked sweetly
Connor sighed before heading back up the banking towards the Bull.
"Hey," Connor said as he whistled "Look at me. Come on"
"Help me, please" the male voice shouted again
"Ignore the girls," Connor was saying behind them "Okay, I've got his attention. Oh, I think he likes me"
"Is there anyone her?" The male voice asked "they've got me surrounded"
"Go," Connor ordered "Go!"
"Come on," Kara said, and she lead the way forward with Abby. "We should split up! Try to edge our way through"
As soon as the suggestion and left her lips, a female backed up, breaking up the four girls. Kara and Grace one way and Abby and Sarah the other. "Come on!" Kara heard Abby say to Sarah, as she heard Sarah scream.
"Kara!" Grace yelled, and next moment Kara was lying on her back, Grace beside her
"What was that for?" she asked her cousin, as she rolled back up onto her feet, Grace had rolled away from the Embolotherium that was hovering over her, kicking it in the mouth. Kara rolled her eyes, at her cousin as she attempted to crawl under the Prehistoric rhino. Kara followed around, and laughed softly, as Sarah and Abby came to a stand still in front of Grace, who was still on her hands and knees.
"Are you okay?" Abby asked
"Yeah," Grace answered trying to brush off her ungracefullness "Im fine"
Helping the Grace from the floor, Kara pulled her in the direction of the tent, with Abby and Sarah following behind. There was a low growl in the distance, and the females started moving in the direction.
"Their following the bull," Abby said, before turning to the sound of squealing coming from inside the tent, she grinned at an amused Abby.
"What?" Grace asked
"It sounds like a baby," Abby answered "Come on," she added to Kara as the two scrambled under the tent and inside
The inside of the tent proved to be much larger than the outside, it also showed why it was so large. Kara assumed it was a pit-stop tent, for the quad bikes or something of the sort. There was a man standing before her with nothing but a pair of boxes on, she cleared her throat as she looked at Abby, then looked away.
"None of our business," she said
"Oh," the man said "My Stag Weekend"
"Mmmm," Abby said, with a small nod "Shh!" she added as the baby started squealing again
"What is it?" the man asked "What are those things out there?"
"Listen," Kara said "Let us get you out of here, then we can chat right"
"Wait," the man said looking at them both "Your not the strippers are you!"
Kara scoffed "Do you want to get out of here alive, or not?" she asked
"Sorry," he apologized, and Abby turned Kara towards the infant
"You know we should come camping," Kara murmured to her friend "Make the guys come" she grinned, and Abby caught onto what she was saying.
"Who needs a Stag Weekend with us around?" Abby asked
And the two started laughing, the were still chuckling when the reached the tables that were around the pin-ball table that the calf had wedged himself under. Kara sighed.
"What have you done to yourself?" Kara asked, looking down at the calf as it struggled to get free "Listen, don't worry, we're going to get you out of here. I promise"
"Do we look like strippers?" Abby asked, her back still facing the man behind them
"Well," he said
"Don't answer that!" the two girls said, without turning
"Sarah!" Grace said startled, as she tugged at her the girls sleeve
"What?" Sarah asked, her answer was given to her by the thundering footfalls of the mother Embolotherium
"Abby! Kara!" Grace yelled "it's the mother. She's come back!"
Backing away from the tent slowly, the two watched as the mother tried frantically to get inside.
"Abby!" Sarah yelled
"Kara!" Grace also screamed
"She's going around the other side," Sarah shouted, telling her friends inside the tent what was happening"
"You've got to calm the cow down!" Kara shouted from inside the tent "She's gonna kill us and the calf at this rate!"
Grace and Sarah exchanged looks, before the two headed towards the cow. She growled at them. A warning growl, telling them to stay back. Female animals were like female humans, very protective of their young.
"Easy," Sarah said softly, starting forward, but Grace held her back
"Don't try to move towards it, you'll just scare her" she explained "Let her come to you"
Sarah nodded, as she held out her hand, still trying to calm the cow down.
"That's it, good girl" Sarah said "Its okay. You're okay"
The cow growled at them, and stomped her feet.
There was a ripping noise and a squealing and the calf suddenly came tumbling into view. Grace smiled, as the calf and the mother, made a slow retreat back towards the rest of the herd. Abby and Kara stood up from the tent, and slowly made their way towards the friends, trying not to give the mother a reason to attack them.
"You alright?" Sarah asked, turning to the two girls from the tent
"Yeah" Kara answered "Sweet" she added to the mother and calf
"Not him!" Abby said, and Kara turned towards Sarah and Grace who where staring at her, Abby and John
"What you been doing in there?" Grace asked
"Never mind" Kara answered
"Oh," Sarah said, turning away
"No!" Abby and Kara said, knowing what Sarah was getting at.
Once Becker had arrived, his reaction to John was just like Sarah and Grace's, this only caused Kara to hit him, before he supplied John with a long shawl to cover himself with.
"Here you go mate," Becker said "You'll be fine now"
"Cheers" John said, wrapping the shawl around his shoulders and covering himself up.
Kara and Grace who had been whispering about something as this was going on burst into giggles, causing the others to turn to them, and the two girls to smother their laughter with their hands and turn away from the group.
"What' so funny?" Becker whispered, causing Kara to jump and turn around
"Oh, don't do that!" she said, looking up at him "And we were just talking about camping"
"Oh?" Becker asked, looking at them curiously
"Yeah, me and Abby were discussing it in the tent. If that's what John's friends did to him for his Stag Weekend. And then Abby said that you lot wouldn't need a Stag weekend with us around!" she grinned as Becker's face changed.
"Please don't say your planning a camping trip?" he asked
"Oh," Grace said, "You've done it now"
"Well, I wasn't, mostly cause I hate camping." Kara said "But if you want to go camping, I guess Lester could let us have the weekend off"
Becker groaned, what had he gone had done now?
"So does anyone have any immediate idea on how we get a herd of prehistoric rhino's back through the anomaly?" Becker asked, as he, Kara and Grace turned back to Abby and Sarah after John had headed back to the campsite.
"That is a good question" Grace said
"Oh," Kara said, as she turned to the sound of an engine. There was a JCB rolling towards them, carrying one of the Quad Bikes. She turned to Abby who had a grin on her face.
"Lets do it" Abby said, and she hurried off towards the JCB, as the others clambered up onto the back of Kara's Silver 4x4, to watch the creatures head towards the Anomaly.
Moments after the plan had been put into action, Danny arrived.
"Well, it about time" Kara murmured, as she jumped down from the back of the 4x4, alongside Becker and Danny. There was a woman in the car with Danny, but she was unfamiliar.
"Right stay there" Danny said to the woman, as he got out
"We're wasting time" the woman said from inside the car
"Look, this is important" Danny answered turning back to the car "All right? Stay there"
Tearing her gaze away from the woman, Kara turned to Danny "Danny, who is she?" she asked
"Long story," Danny answered her, and Kara gave him a unreadable look, she wasn't in the mood to play games "Where's Connor?" Danny asked her
"I don't know," Kara answered "He should have been back by now"
And she dropped down onto the back of the car.
The creatures were still walking beside them, paying absolutely no attention to them whatsoever. Abby had chosen that moment to appear. She slid out of the back of the JCB and hurried past them, passing them a smile as she went.
"Well its working," she said "Their going through"
"Well done" Danny said
"Good job" Sarah shouted after the blonde
"Thanks" Abby shouted over her shoulder, and Kara smiled
"Danny do you like Camping?" Grace asked, and Kara rolled her eyes, she had only been joking about the Camping trip, she really wasn't going to plan it, she didn't even like camping so what was the point?
"Grace," she said turning to her cousin "I was kidding!"
"Kidding about what?" Danny asked curiously
"They were gonna plan a camping trip for us" Sarah answered
"Oh," Danny said turning back to the cousin's who where bickering in light whispers
"I don't like Camping! And you know I don't!" Kara hissed
"That's cause you've never been,"
"Because I've never seen the point," Kara said "Id rather spend the night at home in my bed, that in a synthetic tent with a sleep bag."
Grace rolled her eyes, as Abby reappeared at the edge of the ferns ahead of them
"The Anomaly is closing," she shouted to them "We've got to get them back through faster" she pointed behind her.
"Lets go" Kara said, and as Danny re-entered his car, she, Becker, Sarah and Grace hurried towards Abby, as they walked along side the Embolotherium. "Call Connor" she said to Abby.
Abby did has told and dialled Connor's number "Connor," she said when he had picked up
"Abby?" he said down the line
"You've got to get the bull to the anomaly now" Abby instructed,
The anomaly was pulsating. It was gonna close.
"Im driving as fast as I can" he sounded panicky
"Tell him to calm down," Kara whispered to Abby turning back to the anomaly as it closed before her very eyes, her mouth dropped open "Abby -" she pointed towards the close Anomaly.
"Oh no," Abby muttered "Connor," she had returned to her call "Keep the bull away"
"What?"
"The Anomaly's closed," Abby said
"Its too late"
And seconds later Connor came out of the trees cutting across their path in a go-cart. Abby and Kara pulled him out of the way, as the Bull came thundering out of the under-bush after him. It collided with the head female, causing a stampede to head through the forest towards the campsite.
"Their heading for the camp-site" Sarah said, as Danny appeared in the car beside them
"We gotta get those people out of there," Kara said
"Lets go," Danny said, and he sped forward, Kara returned to her car, as the others followed. Abby and Sarah had gone on ahead with Danny and the mysterious woman, leaving Becker, Grace and Connor in the car with Kara.
The creatures were running full out towards the campsite, their little legs weren't exactly built for speed, but they were making it look easy. Danny was head of them with the others, he was swerving every few minutes trying to get the creatures to turn back in the opposite direction.
"Is he insane?" Grace asked, and received four looks "Don't answer that" she added
"He's trying to get them to change direction" Kara said from the driver's seat, "We've got to get to the campsite"
"Then step on it!" Grace said, and Kara rolled her eyes once more, before accelerating forward. Danny had seemed to have the same idea, for he was ahead of her still, but not by much. He had reached the campsite and within seconds she stopped beside him. And without a word, the team scrambled out.
"You've got to get out of here," Danny had yelled, as the doors to the second car had opened and closed, they then rushed into the crowd of curious people "Come on…get out, go!"
"What?" Kara heard someone ask, but she didn't turn to see who it was, as she hurried to a travel van that held three girls, she pulled open the door
"Come on, you've got to get out of here" she said, helping them out one by one and turning them towards the back of the camp "Go!"
All around her there were various people running towards the back of the camp, she pushed her way through the running crowd back towards the team, as they pulled people from tents and headed them out. There were a number of shouts and questions going around, but no one refused to move, it was like they knew something was wrong. And besides, the team all seemed to share the air of seriousness, and this wasn't the time to act stupid.
"Stay calm" Kara said to a woman, and small child "Leave everything, we don't have time. Come on"
They had been trying to collect their belongings, but there was no time for collecting everything. They needed to get out now.
"Move it! Move it!"
She could hear Becker over everything, but soon it was like Thunder in the distance. The Embolotherium were getting closer. She could hear them first, and then she saw them.
"Lets go! Lets go!" Danny said, as she passed him, he was helping a woman out of her tent.
The woman he had drove in with, was walking around staring at a glass object like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
"Everybody get out!" Connor yelled, and Kara looked around, he, Abby and Grace where behind her. Sarah was not that far from her, and Becker was in front of her with his men. They had started to open gunfire.
"NO!" Abby yelled
"Becker! Stop!" Kara said, as he readied himself to fire
"What?" he asked, but she didn't get the chance to answer
"If you're gonna do something," Danny said, from the centre of the group "Now would be a real good time"
The woman raised the glass object, and there was a gush of wind as the sparkling prisms of an Anomaly opened up right before their eyes. Grace, Connor and Abby stumbled, as Kara landed with a thud, as Becker hit her legs as he fell back. She groaned, as she raised herself off the floor with her elbows staring at the anomaly in amazement. It had just appeared.
"How did you do that?" Connor asked, once the Anomaly had closed and disappeared after the last of the creatures had gone through
The woman turned to him, "Technology," she answered "Its simple enough"
"Really?" Connor asked "Try me"
"Another time"
"I don't believe her" Connor said looking around.
Kara caught his eye, as Becker pulled her back to her feet. "Don't look at me," she said "Im still trying to take it all in"
How the hell could this woman have created an Anomaly? That wasn't possible, was it? Anomalies just appeared, they weren't created by anyone.
Turning back to the woman, Kara noticed she was staring at her. She looked towards Grace who was sharing a look with Sarah, before she looked up at Becker, he had noticed the stares the woman was giving her. He wrapped his arms around her, and she sighed. Resting her head on his chest. This was too much to take in.
"Now, will you please help me?" the woman asked, and Kara turned her head slightly, to see Danny had appeared "I have to get a message to a man called James Lester"
"Im taking her to the ARC," Danny said "we'll meet you there"
"I don't understand" Kara said, looking at the empty space where the Anomaly had been opened.
Danny seemed to stop, say something to the woman and turn back to them. "Look this is her book" he said to Sarah, handing her a journal "See what you make of it. I'll see you at the ARC" he added to Kara.
"Abby," she said quickly, "Go with him"
The blonde nodded, and hurried after Danny towards the car
As Danny, Abby and the woman headed out of the campsite and back to the ARC, Kara left Becker so that he and his men could help any people who had been injured in anyway, out of the campsite. She hurried towards Connor, Grace and Sarah, as they talked about the journal, Danny had left.
"Can you crack it?" Connor had asked
"Its not a code," Sarah answered
"Then what is it?" Grace asked
"Its just loads of diary entries and charts"
"Well, what's it say?" Kara asked, this time as she came to a stop beside them
"Not much" Sarah answered her "There's, look, 333 here. Here. Here" she pointed out three pages full of the number '333' "there is time's, places."
Kara sighed, what was so significant about '333'?
"Im gonna have to read all of it, to see if it makes any sense" Sarah said, and Kara nodded.
Her mind was reeling, consumed with thoughts, of the fact that someone could conjure an anomaly out of thin air, She had never seen that happen before, it was all new and hard to comprehend and take in.
"Lets get back to the ARC," Kara said suddenly "We can figure the journal out there"
She wanted to go back to talk to the future woman with Danny, but she also had a bad feeling that something was going to happen, there was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, and a little voice telling her to get back as soon as possible.
Grace eyed her curiously, but Kara just hurried to the car. Becker met her half-way and the two occupied the front seats, Grace, Connor and Sarah scrambled into the back, as Kara led the rest of the SAS soldiers out of the campsite. The stories of the people who had witnessed the Anomaly, had been dealt with, it was harder than anticipated and the team wished the Jenny was still with them.
The only time they stopped was when they had gotten into the ARC's underground parking space. Kara climbed out and walked to the end of the car, she tossed her keys to one of the SAS soliders.
"Mate, turning this around?" she asked, he nodded "Thanks" and she turned back to the others, she was about to enter the ARC when Sarah's voice called her back.
"Guys," Sarah said "Check this out"
Kara looked over her shoulder as she headed back towards Sarah, following Connor and Grace. Sarah was pointing at something in the book, Kara read the name and froze.
"Claudia Brown" Connor said, as he shared a look with Kara
"Out of all the names to be in her notebook, why that one?" Sarah asked
"Coincidence?" Grace asked
"I don't believe in Coincidence's anymore" Sarah said,
"Who's Claudia Brown?" Becker asked
"Hang on," Kara said, her blood had turned cold and dread filled her body as the little voice in her head became silent. "There were only two other people who knew about Claudia Brown beside us. One of them was Dad and the other was -"
"Come on," Sarah said
And sprinting towards the door, Kara and Connor were the first ones through. Side-by-side they sprinted down the hall of the ARC and burst through the doors into the Main Operations room,
"What's going on?" Christine Johnson asked
Kara hadn't noticed her at first, but when she spoke she had, what was she doing here? But now wasn't the time for questions because the future woman had gripped Christine's hand and held her in front of her.
Connor headed straight towards Abby and the Artefact. And Kara collected Nick from one of the ground staff, whom she had left him with earlier. She held him tightly, as she turned back to the group around the future woman and Christine. All around her, Wilder, Becker and Becker's men, aimed their guns and Christine's captive.
"Thanks for bringing me here, Danny" the woman said "I really don't know how I would have done it without you"
Lester then appeared, late as usual.
"You know im not bluffing," the woman said
And Kara's thoughts were answered, this woman was in fact -
"Now hand me the Artefact," the woman continued cutting off Kara's thoughts, her face had started to change "or she dies" the Mysterious woman became no longer a mystery, as Helen Cutter took her place.
"Mum!" Kara muttered
"Helen!" Abby said, in surprise.
"That's close enough," Helen said over her shoulder as she spotted Danny trying to get closer. He tried his luck "Back off!" she yelled, her gun edging closer to Christine. Kara handed Nick to Grace, and stepped around Becker's men.
Kara caught a glimpse of Connor reaching for the artefact, they couldn't hand it over, they hadn't finished inspecting it, and to hand it over to her mother was a big no anyway.
"There is no way out, Helen" Lester said finally
"I killed Nick," Helen said, turning back to her hostage "You know im not bluffing"
"And you know I have absolutely no intention of letting you walk out of here" Lester said, this wasn't going to end well
"You're playing games with her life, James" Helen said, in a soft voice. The kind of voice that she used to use with Grace and Kara when they were children. She looked at the two in question, although they had changed from children to adults, she could still see the two that loved her more than anything, in their faces.
"Oh go ahead," Lester said looking around "Shoot her"
Within seconds, every single gun in the room had been raised.
"Perfectly fine with me" Lester finished
"No!" Kara said, her voice sounding awfully loud in the surrounding silence. "Death is NOT an option. Its not something you joke about!" she threw a glare in Lester's direction
"It really depends on where your standing" Lester said, inclining his head slightly to the side "Lower your weapons. Connor, give her the artefact" he ordered
"No," Connor said, and Kara looked towards him
"Do it" Lester said "We cant let her kill Christine. Contravenes Health and Safety. In any case, she wont get far"
Kara looked at Connor and bit her lip before nodding slowly.
Connor sighed visbly and stepped forward handing the artefact over to Helen, but he didn't let go. He spoke,
"Just…tell me how," Connor said "How could you kill, your own husband?"
Kara looked up quickly at the question, she wanted to know this too. She watched as her mother's eyes swept away from Connor and locked with her.
"I had no choice," Helen said addressing her, like it had been Kara who had asked the question "I loved him, Connor. But he was apart of all this. Part of everything that goes wrong. This is the beginning of the chaos. It all starts here" and she pulled the Artefact from Connor's slackened grip.
"What are you talking about?" Lester asked
"Then why not kill me too?" Kara asked, she felt every single person in the ARC turn to stare at her. "You killed Dad, because he was apart of all this, apart of everything that goes wrong, or so you say. Why not kill me too? Im apart of the exactly the same thing as Dad, yet, you let me live. You have killed off nearly everyone, I've gotten close to. Why not just kill me too!"
The tone in Kara's voice matched the look on her face, it was demanding. She demanded that once and for all her mother tells her the truth.
"I dunno," Helen said
Kara scoffed "Enough with the cryptic Crap mum!" she shouted "We both know there is a reason behind why I survived every single attack on this team in the past 2 and half years! So don't you dare stand there and tell me you don't know!"
Grace exchanged looks with Sarah. As the others continued to stare and watch the slow developing argument between mother and daughter
"You want to know the reason?" Helen asked, quietly
Kara was silent for a moment "Yes!" she finally said
"Its because I love you!"
The ARC became even more silent if it was possible. Kara had become motionless, and speechless as she stared at her mother in surprise. Had the three words that Kara had waited for her mother to say for the past 12 years actually been spoken, by Helen Cutter?
"That's right, Kara," Helen said softly "After all these years. After everything you have been through…I still loved you. That's why I couldn't never deliver any physical damage to you. That's why I didn't even try, because I knew if anything happened to you, then I would die too. You are my daughter. MY child. I could never do anything to hurt you. I love you. I always have…and I always will. No matter what happens. You are mine. And you always will be"
Still watching her mother, Kara could see her team and Christine's men watching her. What was she to say to that? Did she love her mother? Should she let her back into her heart? After everything she had done to them? To her. She had ruined her life the moment she walked out on her 12 years ago, destroyed Kara's only chance at a proper loving family when the Police had told Kara and her dad that Helen was dead.
"No," Kara whispered "You may love me…but I sure as hell don't love you"
She was numb. Her body had shut down, and she couldn't function properly. All postive memories of her parents and her together were being pushed out by the negative thoughts that her mother had left her with.
"I'll never be able to forgive you for what you have done! Not just in the past 2 and half a year, but also in the past 12 years of my life! You left when I needed you the most -"
"What are you saying?" Helen asked
"Im saying," Kara said "I want you gone! Out of my life, for good. I don't want to see you, hear from you, or even speak to you again - for the rest of my life. You're to stay as far away from me as possible. I don't care where you go, as long as its away from me. I lost all love and respect for you, the day I found out about you and Stephen!"
And she fell silent. And although everything she had said, was the truth and she wanted nothing to do with her mother anymore. She felt her heartbreak, but she wouldn't cry. No, she was over that. She wasn't going to cry anymore, she would hide away like she used to do. Hide away every last pain she felt. And when her mother left, maybe then, she could get her life back.
After a few more agonizing silent minutes, Helen spoke.
"Fine," she said, her eyes never leaving Kara. "I'll do as you wish." she turned back to Christine "I have just one thing to finish before I leave…" and she pulled the government woman towards the back of the room "You follow and she's dead" Helen called before she disappeared.
"Are you okay?" Grace asked, as she made her way towards Kara who remained stood in the middle of the ARC, although she wasn't the only one. Danny, Sarah, Abby, Connor and Becker were there too. With a deep sigh, Kara nodded and turned to her cousin.
"Im fine," she said "Lets go get Johnson"
And kissing Nick's forehead, and smiling at the woman who had said she would watch him until they got back, Kara was the first through the double doors and into the garage. There was the screech of tyres, and as she burst through the single door, she watched her mother speed away in one of the Silver SUVs.
"Lets go!" Kara said, hurrying around to the driver's side of the 4x4. Grace scrambled into the passengers seat, and the engine roared to life, as Kara pulled out. Danny and Connor where behind them, and behind the two men was Becker, Sarah and Abby.
Kara followed behind Helen, as close as they possibly could, but they lost her at the intersection.
"Where too now?" Grace asked, as she looked around for any sign of the Silver SUV. Just at that moment Grace's phone rang, as did Kara's. Each girl flipped open their phones, Danny on Grace, Abby on Kara.
"What's happened?" Danny asked, as Grace put him on Loud speaker
"Why have you stopped?" Abby's voice asked
"We're trying to think about where she could have gone," Grace answered both of them
"Hang on," Kara said, "There was an Anomaly alert a few months back at Johnson's HQ, was it not?"
"The same day, you guys chased the G-Rex," Grace supplied
"That's the one," Kara said "Christine said it was nothing. If I know my mother as well as I know I know her. She's gonna head for the next available anomaly. I know where she is going."
And flipping her phone closed, she hit the accelerant once more and sped straight through intersection, ignoring the other people around her. The lights had already turned green, and she had gone. Danny and the other behind her. But Kara was a lot faster. She was more driven with determination more than anything else.
Reaching Johnson's Headquarters, Kara slammed on the brakes, as she and Grace climbed out of the car, and slamming the doors closed behind them hurried into the building. The others were no where in sight, and at the sped Kara was going, it was no doubt that they had lost them.
"This is place is deserted again," Grace commented
"Come on, we got more pressing issues to deal with," Kara said, and sliding her fingers between the automatic doors she slid them open.
There was a white double door, ahead of them and it was closing slightly. Helen had been through here, recently, maybe even seconds before they had arrived. Kara reached the door first and pushed it open, and looking around at Grace, the place was empty. What the hell was going on?
"Come on," Grace said, and pushing through the second set of double doors, the two girls caught sight of Helen disappearing into a room. There was the flickering of a light and they knew it was the anomaly.
There was a scream and the two girls sprinted for the door, they had reached it at exactly the same time as Helen disappeared through the anomaly with a grim smile.
"NO!" Kara yelled as the anomaly closed on her mother's retreating form. She had lost her again!!
That moment, Danny and Connor appeared with the others. Kara turned to face them and shook her head
"Its too late," Grace told them
"She's gone," Kara said with a heavy sigh of frustration
"What about Johnson?" Sarah asked,
Kara opened her mouth to speak, but was blinded by the bright light of the anomaly as it reopened. There was a terror filled scream and Johnson reappeared. She was bleeding from her forehead, and there was terror and pain written on her face.
"Help me!" Johnson cried, as she looked up at Kara and Danny as the two made a dive for her, latching onto her upper arms and hands.
"We've got you," Danny said "you're safe"
There was a growling and Johnson screamed once more. As she was pulled backwards towards the anomaly. By now the others had dived for her too, each catching hold of any possible part of the woman then could, although Kara and Danny remained a firm grip on her arms and hands. It was like tug-of-war. Between the humans and the Future Predators.
A Future Predator appeared through the anomaly, its talons hooking into Christine's torso, she screamed as the predator pulled her backwards. She slipped from the teams grip as they had backed up away from the creature, and she was pulled back through just as the anomaly re-closed. Falling backwards, Kara stared at the empty space before her, and sighed heavily. That wasn't an image was going to get out of her mind so easily.
"We gotta stop Helen," Danny said "before anyone else gets killed"
"We don't know where she has gone" Abby said
"I think we do," Kara said, looking back at her friend "The same place we lost your brother. The Future"
And she pushed herself to her feet, as she faced her team. This was only the beginning. But the end was yet to come. So leading the way out the Headquarters, Kara walked between Becker and Danny.
"The Anomaly at the race-track" Connor said, as she looked around at him, he was stood on Becker's other side "It leads to the same place"
"Then that's where we are going" Danny said
"What are we going to do?" Sarah asked
"Follow Helen," Kara answered "Wherever she goes, to the end of time, if necessary"
A/N: WHOOP!!!
I actually didn't think I could get this out to you by the time I went away. But I did. Am wicked proud of myself. And I hope you all enjoy it. A very big thank you to Grace who helped me come up with the idea of Kara and Helen having a little discussion about why Helen killed Nick and left Kara alive. I hope you enjoyed it.
Please. Please. Please. Leave me reviews. I will be taking my Laptop on Hols with me (and I know what you are all thinking. Why is she taking it on hols with her?) Well the truth is, I would miss it too much if I didn't have it. Plus, if anything happens at home, when I am not here, I don't want my laptop going missing. I wouldn't be able to bring you the last chapter of this story then.
Oh no! it's the last chapter after this. What we going to do?
While on the subject. Thank you to all who took the poll on my profile. The results so far are:
Danny - 7 (53%)
Becker - 5 (38%)
Alone - 1 (7%)
So as far as I can see, it will be Danny and Kara going through the anomaly. (Lets hope Becker doesn't get Jealous, of Kara being alone on the other side of the Anomaly with another man. I mean, there's already been signs of Kara/Danny [I didn't mean for those, they just sort of appeared. Along with a certain plot bunny. Lol])
Right. Im off, I hope you enjoyed this, cause I enjoyed writing it. I hope it doesn't seem rushed, and I would love to hear what you think. Gots to go now, my holiday starts tomorrow. And I need my rest.
Love you all.
See you when I get back
Love
~Kara
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