You slip into work that morning unnoticed and without question as to how your date went with Robinson last night. As much as you'd wanted to keep it quiet, word had spread and you'd received a message from Jess this morning that Becker had found out and was worse that a Rhino with a spear in his butt. You're seriously considering getting to your office through the air vents when someone clears their throats behind you. You jump and turn, expecting to find Becker stood behind you. Thankfully, it's Lester. "Miss Si," he drawls. "since you are too important to listen to your earpiece, I've come to tell you that there's a compulsory meeting in my office in twenty minutes. And yes, our beloved Captain and his 2IC will be present." Lester adds with a sigh before turning on his heel and stalking towards his office. You swallow nervously, scampering away from your office and towards the menagerie where you pray you'll find Abby.
You slip into the room and find Abby talking to Rex as she types on her laptop. "Hey." she smiles, looking up and closing the lid. "Everything okay?"
"For the next," you pause as you check your watch. "seventeen minutes, yes."
"Ah, you've heard about the meeting then." Abby laughs, getting to her feet and coaxing Rex into nibbling a lettuce leaf.
"Lester made me jump." you sigh. "Which bodes well for the rest of the day."
"Well, if it's any consolation, Connor literally ran into Becker earlier and he didn't seem any worse that normal." you hum in appreciation, scratching the top of Rex's head absent-mindedly. "But me, Jess and Sarah will be there for you should things go pear-shaped."
"You mean when." you correct her with a small smile and she nods.
"When things to pear-shaped."
You jump as the door opens, spinning around so fast it makes your head go funny. You breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of Sarah. "Someone's paranoid." she accuses, resting her hand on her hip. "You're obviously expecting the worse."
"Wouldn't you be?" you snap, wincing at how harsh you sound. "Sorry."
"No worries." Sarah smiles, brushing her hair back from her face. "Either of you two know what this 'compulsory meeting' is about?"
"I imagine we've been overspending or the public are getting to nosy again." Abby shrugs. "Either that or our pay-check's about to get smaller."
"I just hope Helen Cutter isn't back." Sarah says with a shudder. "You should be grateful you've never met her." she adds, turning to you.
"Oh, she will." Abby sighs. "Helen meets everyone. And usually at the most inconvenient time."
"Isn't any time with this job inconvenient?" you ask with a frown. And Abby smiles.
"Yes, as poor professor Cutter found out."
Something slides into place in your mind and you drop the file you're clutching to the floor. "Hang on a sec. Helen Cutter and Professor cutter."
"What about them?" Abby frowns, her frown mirrored by Sarah.
"They were married."
"Yes. So?"
"Helen's maiden name. Was it Ambrose?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure what that has to do with anyth-" you hear no more. You're out of Abby's office and racing towards Lester's office, the other two forgotten. You reach the hub and don't bother to slow down. Your brain registers that Danny, Connor, Jess, Matt, Becker, Robinson and Lester are already in the latter's office. You also register, but take no notice of the fact that, Robinson and Becker are stood as far apart as physically possible. All seven of them jump and look up startled.
"Miss Si." Lester drawls, obviously unimpressed with you now he's gotten over his initial shock of you barging into his office. "Care to explain where the fire is?"
"Romsey Hospital, 2006."
"I peg your pardon?" Lester asks but you ignore him, spinning to face Becker. "We'd gone to visit your mother in hospital and I told you that I'd run into a strange woman whilst getting coffee. I said she was confused as to the year and that she had a sling on her arm. She said her name was 'Helen Ambrose'. It was her. That was Helen Cutter!" Becker stares at you blankly for a few seconds before his eyes darken and he straightens up. "She had short hair, not like in the file photo, but when she killed Cutter!" you see Connor wince but you ignore him. "She asked about the nearest science facility and if they'd managed cloning yet. I think that was after all of this. She's still here and she's looking for a lab to clone something. Like a repeat of the cleaners."
"Well, this really buggers up my day." Lester sighs, raising to his feet. "Right, go do what it is you do best. I want her head on a silver platter by tea time. Go on, shoo!" Lester raises to his feet, straightening his jacket and flapping his hands towards the office door whilst reaching for his office desk. You turn to the door to find Abby and Sarah gawking at you from the door. You slip past them and head out into the hub as the others pile from the office. Becker and Robinson are giving each other the obvious cold-shoulder and Becker grabs your wrist as he passes you.
"How did you not realise it was her?" he hisses.
"What, then?" you hiss back, wrenching your wrist from his grasp. "Try the fact I didn't even know dinosaurs were still popping into existence! Or do you mean now? You saw her too, so that makes you as equally stupid!"
Becker's reply comes through gritted teeth. "I never said you were stupid."
"You were sure as hell thinking it!" you spit, your voice rising slightly with each passing word.
"Don't put words into my mouth!" he threatens, stepping towards you and using his height to intimidate you. For the second time in the numerous years that you've known him, you're scared.
You stumble back a few paces and a hand comes to rest on your back, supporting you. It's Robinson. "Sir, the men are requiring a run down on procedures in preparation of Helen cutter returning." Robinson states in monotone. The darkness of Becker's eyes seems to fade back to their normal brown and his shoulders loose some tension. He bares no recognition that he's heard Robinson's words but turns and leaves. "Are you okay?" Robinson's voice holds emotion as he lets his hand drop from your back and allows you to turn to face him.
"Yeah." you smiles slightly at him. "Last time he did that I couldn't speak to him for weeks." you frown, glancing over Robinson's shoulder to see Jess waving at you frantically. "Thanks. Excuse me." you slide over to Jess to find her flicking through rather old CCTV footage.
"Is this you?" she asks, freezing on one frame and zooming in. You squint at the picture and fond yourself looking down on a younger version of yourself talking to an older looking Helen Cutter.
"Yeah, that's me."
"So, that means this is Becker?" she skips forwards a few more slides and shows a much younger looking Becker. You nod. "This is turning into an episode of CSI." she chuckles, pressing 'play' on the CCTV. "This is definitely an older Helen. I'd say she's aged about the same as the others have."
"Interesting," you sigh. "but I don't think that helps us."
"You're right." Jess smiles sadly. "I don't get it though. Helen went back to 2006 to look for a cloning lab. Dolly the sheep was cloned in 1996 but surely it would've been better to come to a later time?"
"You can't control anomalies." the two of you turn to find Connor stood behind you, his hands absently folding the corner of a file over. "This is a record of all the times we've seen, or thought we've seen, Helen. The last few times she's had a device that we think opens anomalies."
"Well that's useful." Jess groans sarcastically. "You're right." she adds as an afterthought, turning to face you. "This is way too much like a CSI episode." Jess sinks into her seat at the ADD just as alarms start to blare and the room flashes red.
"Anomaly?" Connor calls over the sound.
Jess frowns, shaking her head and you watch as all three screens zoom in on the same spot on the floor plan of the ARC, the level above. The map turns 3-D and zooms in on a brown-haired woman dressed in sandy colours and with a scowl on her face.
Looks like you're about to meet Helen.
In case you haven't realised, I'm going down an almost completely different route with this story. I will get back on track but it may take about 10 chapters.