DISCLAIMER: I do not own Primeval or any of it's characters.

(AN) I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I will continue to take ideas for creatures and characters for a long time, please leave any ides you have and please let me know what you liked or would liked changed.

Episode 8

Target

Cutter sat in his truck outside the A.R.C. He was aware of what he was doing but he couldn't seem to control his body. He opened his car door and walked to the back of his truck, where he opened the trunk and removed a silver case. He set the case on the ground and unclasped the lid. He reached inside and pulled out a sidearms. After putting the gun in is jacket and the case in his truck he walked briskly towards the A.R.C.

"Professor." The guard nodded as he passed.

"Morning." Cutter nodded back.

He entered the building and his body stopped, waiting. A voice came through an earpiece he wore. Find James Lester, it said. kill him, and anyone who tries to stop you.

Cutter again moved against his will. His mind screamed out, his muscles ached from trying to resist his moving forward. His every step took him closer to Lester's office; closer to killing a man that had become his friend.

"Cutter," Connor rounded a corner and stopped in front of the professor. "I need you to look at the map; think I may have made a mistake in the calculations again."

Cutter looked at Connor. "I can't." He said, slowly. "Do you know where James Lester is?"

"Uh, yeah, he's in the A.D.D room," Connor replied. As Cutter walked off, Connor called after him, "Since when do you call Lester by his first name?"

Cutter didn't answer; he couldn't! He wanted to shout out to Connor, to tell him what was happening- and to tell him that he needed to be stopped!

Cutter's uncontrollable body pushed through the doors and entered the A.D.D room. He paused just inside and scanned the room, looking for Lester.

"Cutter," Abby had been standing next to Jess at the A.D.D when he had walked in, and was watching him intently. "Is something wrong?"

He looked at her, and in a deadpan voice said, "Where is James Lester?"

"You just missed him." Abby replied.

Cutter stared at her for several moments, then walked further into the room. He looked around thoroughly before facing Abby again. "Where is he?"

"I told you," Abby said, concerned. "He isn't here,"

"I was told he was."

"But he isn't." Abby insisted. "Cutter, you're really starting to scare me."

"Where is he?"

"Cutter," Jess swivelled around in her chair to face him. "Are you alright?"

"Where is he?"

Abby reached her hand out to take Cutter's arm. "Maybe we should get you to the nurse,"

As soon as Abby's hand took a hold of Cutter's arm he pushed her back.

"Cutter!" Abby began, but Cutter reached into his jacket.

"Oh my god!" Jess shrieked.

"Cutter..." Abby said, terrified. "Please... put the gun away!"

Cutter stood there with the gun pointed directly at Abby's forehead. He pulled the hammer back, and it clicked. Armed.

Just then the doors to the A.D.D room opened, and Becker walked in. Next to him was Lester.

"I'm telling you," Lester said. "We can't go looking for average soldiers, they're too trigger happy."

Becker was about to respond when he saw Cutter, Abby, Jess and the situation which they were in. His eyes widened as Cutter looked over at them, bringing the gun along his his gaze.

"Move!" Becker shouted. He tackled Lester, and as they were tipping over he heard a gunshot. They hit the floor, and Becker carefully led Lester back through the doors. "Abby, Jess, what's going on?"

From behind the pillar in the centre of the room, Abby called back, "I'm not sure! we thought he needed medical treatment, but when he went to take him to the nurse he puled out a gun!"

Becker crouched behind a corner, his own sidearms drawn. Although he would never shoot Cutter, he was beginning to remember an event that took place during the last of their hours with the professor. Looked across the room, where he could see an E.M.D lying on the edge of a table. If he could only reach it without getting shot...

Becker bolted to the table. He heard more gunshots as he neared the table. He knew that if he stopped running he would be shot, but the table blocked his way to another spot of cover. Becker hit the floor and slid underneath the table, grabbing the strap of the E.M.D as he went. He rose up on the other side and ducking behind cover. He had made it. From where the girls hid he could hear Jess emit a sigh of relief. Becker peeked out from safety to look for Cutter. A shot fired, and Becker fell backwards, clutching his shoulder. He grunted, trying to bite back the pain. Becker managed to scramble back to safety, but the E.M.D had skittered across the floor..

Claudia heard gunshots coming from the direction of the A.D.D room, and had immediately gone to see what had happened. On her way she bumped into Connor, who seemed to be doing the same thing as her.

"You heard them too?" Connor asked.

"Yes." Claudia nodded. "They sounded like they cane from the A.D.D room."

"The A.D.D room..." Connor whispered. "Abby was in there!"Connor ran off to the A.D.D room.

"Connor!" Claudia shouted. "Come back; you're going too get yourself killed!" Either didn't hear her or ignored her, for he kept running. Claudia ran after him, and was relieved to see that he hadn't gone in. "Lester!" Claudia said worriedly. "What happened? We hear gunshots!"

"It's Cutter." Lester replied. "He's gone mad and is shooting up the place."

"We have to do something!" Connor said, his face full of concern.

"Don't worry," Lester said, although he himself looked slightly distraught. Claudia could tell just how bad the situation was; Lester had never showed any physical signs of emotion. "Becker is in there now, he'll sort this all out without any bloodshed."

Just then they heard another gunshot, followed by someone's grunt, which everyone could recognize as Becker.

"You where saying?" Claudia stared at the man. "Let me in there; I can talk some sense into him!"

"You will not go in there, I don't feel like filling out paperwork if you get yourself shot." Lester said, his calm air about him once again.

Claudia looked imploringly at Connor.

"Lester, Claudia is right; if anyone can help, it's her."

"I will not repeat myself again, Mr. Temple. No one is going into that room!"

Connor looked as though he wanted to punch Lester in the face right there. Then he did. "Sorry Lester, but I'm not going to sit by and watch Abby die." He apologized as Lester fell into the wall and sank down to the floor. Connor then looked to Claudia. "Go stop him."

Claudia nodded and pushed through the doors. She found herself face to face with Cutter.

Nick's body screamed as he shot Becker. He walked past him and towards the door, where he could see Lester through the window. He raised then gun. Lester dropped out of sight. No shots had been fired. Cutter moved towards the door cautiously, He loaded a new mag into the gun and raised it in front of him. The door opened.

"Nick!" Claudia cried out. "Put the gun down!"

Cutter kept the gun trained on her.

"Nick, this isn't you! Put the gun away, please!" She begged.

Cutter pulled back the hammer.

"Nick! Please!" A tear began to slide down her face. " I love you!"

Nick's body tensed. He fought this strange paralysis with a new found strength, trying to force his gun hand away from Claudia. His muscles screamed and his head pounded as his entire body shook violently from the pain he was going through.

Shoot her! The voice in the earpiece commanded. Kill her, then kill Lester!

Cutter's knees buckled and his gun clattered away from him.

Connor burst into the room and grabbed the gun up off of the floor. He pointed the gun downwards as he eased the hammer forward slowly. With the gun out of Cutter's reach the others came out from behind their cover. Becker took the gun from Connor, and Abby ran up to him. They held each other tight.

"Something is wrong with Cutter!" Claudia said loudly.

Indeed, something seemed to be hurting him. He sat on his knees and leaned forwards so that his forehead law on the floor, and his hands seemed focused around a small spot on his neck.

Becker stepped forwards. "Hold him down!"

The others all grabbed a limb and held him to the floor.

"My god..." Becker murmured. "There's something in his neck!"

"Is it one of those parasites?" Claudia asked worriedly.

"No," Abby responded. "His behaviour didn't match that of Tom when he was infected."

"What ever it is," Becker pulled his knife out of it's sheath. "It's causing him to act like this."

"What is going on?"

They all looked up to see Lester standing above them, massaging his jaw.

"Be quite, Lester; we're trying to help Cutter!" Claudia scolded him.

Lester seemed like he would speak again, but didn't. He stood there and watched.

Becker lowered his knife slowly.

"Becker!" Abby grabbed his wrist. "Let me; you're injured, and I've operated before."

"On people?"

"On lizards and other animals you'll find at the zoo, but this isn't that different."

"Abby!" Claudia spoke. "If you do this, you may kill him!"

"And if I don't, he may kill us!" Abby countered.

Becker paused, then handed the knife to Abby. She carefully cut into Cutter's neck. She pulled back the skin and saw a tiny, flat microchip nestled in his flesh.

Jess gagged and turned away, and Lester took her place holding one of Cutter's legs down.

"Hold his head still!" Abby said to Claudia.

"I'm trying!"

Abby slid the blade beneath the chip and Cutter's flesh, then pried it out. It came out easily, Abby handed the knife back to Cutter. Immediately Cutter's body went slack.

"That chip was definitely causing this!" Connor said. "And he's still breathing!"

"Let's get him to the infirmary." Lester suggested.

They all nodded, and Connor and Abby helped Cutter up and assisted him in walking out of the A.D.D room.

In the halls they passed Danny.

"What happened?" He asked, seeing cutter and the blood dripping down his neck.

"You missed the party!" Becker patted Danny teasingly on the back. He then followed them to the infirmary.