The Trouble with Connor Temple.

I own Caroline Lester, Bertie Becker, Luke Temple, Mike Malonino, Commander Bedford, General White and Justin McDonalds .

Not Beta read, all mistakes are mine.


The following day, Mike woke with an extreme headache. In fact, he was aching all over. Tariq had really done a proper job on him and he was stiff from his beating. Slowly he rolled his shoulders, wincing in pain. He hurt so much that he wondered whether he should actually go into work.

Glancing at his watch, he noticed the time. - 6.15. If he was going to make it into work he would have to get up and go now. He wondered briefly about grabbing a shower, and then decided against it. He was going to run to work and then grab a shower and fresh clothes when he got there.
Struggling out of bed, he stretched out. Ensuring that every muscle was well and truly stretched before venturing out. The action made him feel better and the pain in his heart had numbed to a dull ache, and Mike felt that he could actually get through the day without any further discomfort.

Opening the door, he stepped into the hallway. Judging by the snoring emanating from the room adjacent Danny, was still asleep. Quietly he went to the bathroom, looking into the mirror, he took in his haggard features. He remembered what Major Becker had ordered, but he was not about to use Danny's razor, a shave would have to wait! Washing his face woke him up considerably and he felt even more energised. Trying unsuccessfully to be quiet, he reached the bottom of the stairs.

He noticed Matt standing in the kitchen, a cup of steaming coffee in his hands.

"Morning," Matt called.

"Hey," Mike grunted. Sauntering into the kitchen he helped himself to a cup of coffee.
"How are you feeling?"

Mike wasn't in the mood for conversation. He just wanted to drink his coffee and go for his run. He took a large gulp and looked into his already half-empty cup. "Been better," he grunted.

Matt looked over to his half-brother. He realised that Mike was not going to socialise much today, he was probably still feeling quite rough. Things were not going to get better overnight, but he promised himself that he would be there for his brother, whether he needed him, or not. He could understand a little of what Mike was going through, after all, he had left his entire family and childhood in the future, when he had travelled back in time with his father.

He watched as Mike finished his hot drink.
"I can give you a lift into work if you want."
"No... Gonna run there," Mike mumbled. Then feeling a little guilty about being so abrupt with the man in front of him he continued. "It'll clear my head, make me feel better."


Reaching the ARC, Mike was breathless and sweaty. He passed Matt, who grinned, as he went for his shower. He nodded in acknowledgement before disappearing into the shower stall. As the blisteringly hot water cascaded down his body, he felt all the aches and pains of the last two days, disappear.
The spray of water felt like needles against his broad back, and he actually groaned as it hit a particularly sore spot on his shoulder. Craning his neck from side to side, he let the water massage his aching muscles where Tariq had beaten him and tried to strangle him.

Turning around, he let the water run over his face, refreshing him and washing away the pain in his cheek. He smirked, if only the water could soothe the ache in his heart, he could get on with his life. He thought of Samira now...
Beautiful, beautiful, Samira... Her lovely lightly tanned skin, those gorgeous eyes, that lovely long hair... And a body to die for...

He remembered the last time he had seen her properly...
Her father had found out about their relationship, and had promptly sacked him, he had been refused entry to their home, and Tariq, his then best friend, had beaten him to within an inch of his life.

He groaned again miserably. This was not helping... If he wanted to carry on in life, he would have to forget her. He gulped; it was not going to be easy. Turning again in the shower, he let the hot water soothe his back, his waist, his aching backside and his sore legs.

His eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he heard footsteps. He wondered who it was that had wondered in to the locker rooms; he groaned and hoped it was not one of the women.
"Who's there?" He shouted.
"It's me, Connor!" Mike relaxed, and blew out the unconscious breath that he had been holding. Poking his head around the shower curtain, holding the rest against his waist, he shouted.
"You couldn't pass me a towel Conn?" He pointed to one that he had left just outside the cubicle.

"Sure," Connor smiled as he passed the necessary item to his brother.

"You must be feeling better today..."

Mike frowned questioningly as he looked over to his twin.

Connor grinned. "I don't feel as bad as I did yesterday!"

Mike smiled as he remembered how his emotions were connected to Connor.

"See you later," Connor waved as he exited the locker rooms.
Not wanting to say much more Mike gave him a thumbs up.


Mike finished clipping on his Kevlar vest, and then went to find Captain Becker. He hated reporting to Becker, the man disliked him and it showed. He was sure that Becker still hadn't forgiven him for trying it on with Abby.

He trudged to the gym where he knew Becker would be waiting to spar with him.

He was quite surprised to see Bertie Becker. He blinked and rubbed his hand, remembering how she had nearly broken his finger.

"Morning Major Becker," he spoke tonelessly, he looked over to his superior. "Captain Becker." He kept his eyes focused on the floor and hands to himself.

"You'll be sparring with Major Becker today." Becker smiled, indicating his sister.

Mike almost groaned, he couldn't... He couldn't fight a woman. He may have been many things, including being an ex-con, but he could not fight a woman!

"Sorry sir, but I can't." Becker raised his eyebrows in reply. Was Mike refusing a direct order?

"Major Becker needs to see you fight so that she can assess your suitability." The Captain sounded irritated.

Mike looked up at Bertie; she had tied up her long hair, and stood with her back to him.

Oh God ... That long hair...

An unwanted memory pinged its way into Mike's head. He sighed heavily.

Bertie turned around to look at the soldier who was currently refusing to carry out orders. She noticed that he had not shaved off his beard as she'd asked him to. There was something about the man that wasn't right...

"Never mind, I'll watch him spar with you," she turned to her brother. "If that's ok with you, Captain?"

"You've fought me before... Come on." Becker urged Mike to come forward.

Mike sighed... He was not ready for this. He was still sore from yesterday, and now Becker wanted him to fight! Nevertheless, Mike prepared for the inevitable tussle that was coming, and hoping that he would not be in too much pain afterwards.

Bertie watched the soldier as he prepared to fight her brother. His actions were slow, almost reluctant...

She frowned... and wasn't that a...

"STOP!" She shouted. Slowly she padded over to Mike. Carefully she adjusted the neckline of his t-shirt. There it was! She was right! This was the real reason why the man was so uncooperative. This was the soldier, who had been beaten black and blue only yesterday.

"Take off your shirt for a moment." She ordered. Mike's mouth fell open. She wanted him to strip! In front of her!

Bertie closed her eyes as she realised what she had just said.

"Come on, quickly, I haven't got all day! I've seen enough bare chests to last a lifetime; one more is not going to make a difference."

Mike gulped as he lifted his shirt.

He heard two audible gasps from the people in the room, as they looked at his chest which was starting to discolour.

"There will be no sparring today." Becker deadpanned. Bertie nodded, agreeing with her brother's decision.

"Go to the infirmary and get that checked." The Captain ordered.

"I'm fine sir," Mike growled. He was now looking forward to this scrap and he wanted to get it over with now!

Becker looked at him incredulously.

"If you want to have a go at something, use a punch bag. I will notbe sparring with you today." He snarled.

Bertie watched as the soldier visibly deflated. She could tell something was wrong by his demeanour. She had often seen soldiers under her command, like this when they spent long periods away from their loved ones. Bertie didn't have to be told, she just knew... He was missing something, someone... Someone close.


Lester had called upon General White to help. He had told him about the collision of the meteor with the earth and the destruction it could bring down upon the world.

The General could not help but feel confused, how could Lester know what was going to happen in the future? Nevertheless, he posed the question to Bertie. Knowing that her superior was also bound by the official secrets act, Bertie could reveal certain secrets that were only known to a select few. She felt able to tell him about the anomalies and how they could be used to their advantage.

Bertie also told him how they had tried to avert this disaster before only for the dreaded asteroid to return. This time their plan was to destroy the huge stellar rock before it hit the earth. The only problem was that they could not afford any of the particles to fall to the earth.

General White sighed; this problem meant that the team would have to be given specialist training. Going into outer space was dangerous and it was not something that could be taken lightly. However, he couldn't see any other way around this particular problem and he helped put Lester in touch with a high-ranking official at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

Commander Bedford was a slim, well-toned woman in her fifties, who kept in shape by regularly working out at her personal gym at home. She met with General White and Lester for dinner at a hotel not far from the airport, having flown in especially.

She had researched the meteor's trajectory, and confirmed that it would indeed hit the earth unless something was done to ensure its destruction.

General White gave permission for Bertie to be part of this mission. The General also agreed with Lester that the people to be trained would be ARC operatives. They were to be trained to go up into space, and they would have to fire explosives into the meteor causing it to deflect and travel towards the sun, where it would be destroyed for good.


Bertie and Danny relished the fact they would be going in this mission together. Becker on the other hand wished that his sister wasn't so deeply involved and that she stayed behind.

All of the core ARC members were being given training of being in space including Mike although Lester made it clear he was only going with the team as a last resort should one of the other members fall ill.

Poor Abby could not join the team, as she had recently given birth and, although the mission was to take place in three years time, Connor had insisted that one of them should stay behind to look after Luke. Lester had also specifically instructed her that she would not be allowed to go. Emily however was still very much a part of the team and she had no ties to the outside world, she was free to join the others.

Emily relished this, and looked upon the mission as some sort of adventure. Part of her was also pleased that she was able to stay with Matt, and both of them would be going together. Matt on more than one occasion, had to remind her that this mission could go wrong and that they could all die.

Mike heard about Connor's trip into space, and frankly, he was concerned. He had seen the closeness his brother shared with Abby, the bond he had developed with Luke and wished that his twin didn't have to go.

In fact, since coming out of prison, he had been the one to convince their mother to move to London to be closer to Connor and Abby. The move resulting in Connor, Abby and Luke forging a closer bond with Diane.

Their training began as soon as Mike and Diane came to live in London.

Emily found the training to go into space very intensive. There were so many gadgets and instruments they had to learn about, one of the most difficult, she realised, was putting on the heavy spacesuit. The suit itself was heavy and trying to move around in it was even harder. But she did not complain.

The team worked hard, often working into the night to complete their tough and rigorous lessons that had to be learned. Jess was brought up to speed on how to monitor their spacecraft, and how to assist them should they have any difficulty.

The space shuttle was to take off from the Kennedy Space centre near Miami.


Connor often wondered who 'Sam' was and every so often would catch his brother staring wistfully at his wallet. He thought back to when his brother had first mentioned the name, how he had responded with so much anger and distress that he had not questioned any further. That had been almost a year ago and now although Mike had mellowed and become calmer he still remained aloof when it came to certain parts of his teenage years.

Being a twin had its disadvantages, because Connor often knew how his brother was feeling, even before anyone else, such as now. Something was bothering Mike, and Connor didn't know how to broach the subject. He shrugged he was beginning to understand Mike and his nuances. It was best to leave Mike; hopefully he would speak to him when he felt the time was right.

Emily watched the two brothers from a distance. She understood that they were like chalk and cheese. Connor was easy to talk to, pleasant company, and always had a smile on his face. Mike on the other hand, was secretive, broody, she felt awkward around him, and she was sure that the other women in the establishment felt the same, and he hardly, ever smiled at anyone.

She walked over to Mike now, trying her hardest to be nice to the man.
Mike noticed her coming and abruptly put his wallet away.
"Mike, I was having trouble with this, I wondered if you could help?" She pointed to a collapsed shelf in the break room.
"Yeah. Sure."
Mike regarded Emily carefully; he had learned the hard way not to mess with the ladies at the ARC. Carefully he reassembled the lopsided shelf.
"Is everything alright Mike?"
Mike gave her a sideways glance.
"It's just that you seem ... A little ... Distracted." She waited for him to answer.
"Yeah..." he turned around to face her. "If that's all... I'll be off..."
Emily walked up to him. Her stomach twisted into knots but she knew there was something wrong.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, she spoke softly. "You really ought to talk to someone, about what's bothering you?" She smiled as he looked at her hand.
Emily pulled away quickly, almost as if she had been scorched. Mike turned and walked away without another word.

Connor came up behind her.
"You're right... There is something on his mind!" she told him.


Training for the flight into space took two and a half years and in that time, Jess learned all she needed to know to help the team in when they went into outer space. There was a lot to learn, but the speedy learner that she was, she understood a lot more than Colonel Jefferson gave her credit for.

Colonel Jefferson was an old school army man. An older gentleman nearing retirement. He knew Commander Becker, and he knew of the entire Becker household. However, he disliked the idea of any of the women going into space. More than once, he had assigned them desk jobs and Commander Bedford intervened making sure all training was completed by allmembers of the team. Colonel Jefferson did not like working under Commander Bedford, the simple fact that she was a woman grated on his nerves, but the woman had saved his life once, and for that, he respected her for it.

Danny disliked the Colonel from the very first day that they met. He and Mike were often questioning the man about why certain things had to be done in a certain way.

Connor had been kept busy. He had been given orders by Lester himself that he was to assist not only the American team in the set up of their own Anomaly Detecting Device, but also a Canadian team too.


All too soon, the day came when they had to go into space. Colonel Jefferson became very argumentative and he refused to give permission to the female members of the team to be sent.

Colonel Jefferson disliked the idea of the women going up into space and he organised a way of ensuring that only the men he wanted to be sent, were sent. He told the team that only three people were needed for this particular mission and they had to pick out coloured balls from a black bag. They were told that half the balls were blue and the other half were white.
Picking out a blue ball meant that you were chosen to complete this mission. A white one meant no go.

Becker went first. He picked a blue ball. Danny was next; he also picked a blue ball. Connor although reluctant went next.

Much to his dismay, he also pulled out a blue ball. He looked up and saw the look of dismay on Bertie's face too, anger on Matt and Mike's faces. All too quickly, the Colonel whipped away the bag and put it in his desk drawer.
"How do we know this hasn't been fixed? Sir?" Bertie voiced her discontent. She was unhappy at the decision and challenged the older man.

"If you insist," he pulled out another bag from his desk and emptied the contents. Four white balls rolled onto the table. Surreptitiously he closed his drawer, preventing the anyone seeing the extra bag, preventing anyone from seeing the four blue balls which rolled out from inside.

Bertie breathed in deeply. Her heart was breaking, but the soldier refused to let any emotion show. She waited until she had excused herself to go to the toilet, and then she broke down into tears. She knew this was a dangerous mission. One that could result in death. She sniffed. She could lose her brother, she could lose her lover, or she could even lose both.

Mike left the meeting room feeling as all the training he had put in over the last two years was an utter waste of time. The majority of his anger directed towards the General who had chosen only three members of staff. He decided he would speak to Matt about it later. If anyone could do anything about it, Matt could.
He was making his way to the break room of the training centre when he walked past one of the training rooms. Abby was sat inside, he watched as she dabbed at her eyes. Was she...?

Mike stopped for a moment. He gathered up the courage to go and speak to his brother's girlfriend.

"Hey Abby,"

Abby gulped, she blinked away her tears.
"Hi Conn,"

Mike shook his head, and wished that the general had not insisted that he shave his beard and moustache.

"Sorry, Mike..." Abby relaxed a little. She had thought Connor had come in for a chat. She had not wanted him to see her crying. But knowing it was Mike; she could not help but let her tears fall. She had just found out that Connor was going to be one of the elite who would be going into space to ensure the destruction of the asteroid headed towards them and the thought that she could still lose Connor forever tore at her insides, wrenching at her guts and twisting them.
She knew that Connor had changed the future, simply by being at Luke's birth. Nevertheless, she still had a horrible feeling that something could go wrong. She told Mike now, of her hopes, her fears, and the way she felt.

Mike wanted to hug her, make her feel better, but this was Connor's girlfriend, and he respected that. Instead, he told her that he agreed with her, how he wished that he could go in his place.


On the day of the shuttle flight, Becker woke early. Or rather, he was woken by gentle sobbing. Opening his eyes, he looked around the sparse apartment they had been given.

He had hoped to find Jess curled up next to him but her side of the bed was empty and cold. Standing up, wearing nothing but a pair of jogging bottoms, he let his hearing find her.

Jess was in the living area, her legs tucked beneath her on the sofa that she sat on. She held in her hands a photograph, and her sniffling verified her tears. Sitting down next to her Becker prised the frame from her hands. He looked down at the photograph now. It was a picture of Jess, Becker, Caroline, Lester and of course Danny and Bertie. He smiled, as the picture brought back memories of Christmas gone past.

Leaning back, he put an arm around her.

"I will be back you know..." He smiled as she turned to face him.

"But what if you don't?" Jess sniffed, her eyes were puffy and red, and Becker could tell that she had spent most of the night in tears.

"Oh I'll be back... Because you'll be waiting... You'll wait for me won't you Jess?" He whispered into her hair kissing it gently.

Slowly she turned to look at him properly, and nodded. He gazed into her sapphire blue eyes, his breath caught in his throat and he leaned down to kiss her gently. Pulling away for a moment, he stared at her, taking in the shape of her nose, her mouth, her ears, and her mouth...

Oh god...!

He pulled her onto his lap for another kiss... Her hands roamed all over his muscular body as she did so...


Danny woke to the smell of strong coffee. He rolled over hoping to find a warm body curled up beside him, but no. Bertie was up. Damn! She was up before him... Again.

Propping himself up on his elbows he yawned. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up. Following his nose, he set off to find the love of his life. He found Bertie in the kitchenette, her back to him with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands.

"G' Morning." He mumbled. Reaching over he took the cup from Bertie and took a gulp.

"Mmm ..." he moaned as the hot beverage began to wake him up. He blinked as he took in the incredulous look on Bertie's face. Then he looked closer... She was wearing make-up! He was sure of it, it was subtle, but it was there. Just a little around her eyes... Hang on...

"Have you been crying?" He peered again into Bertie's brown eyes. Usually they were a lovely chocolate brown, and clear, but today they were bloodshot, tell tale signs that she had indeed been crying.

She shook her head and blinked, blinked away the tears that threatened to fall; she was NOT going to cry. Not today!

"You know, I'm gonna miss you..." Danny sighed, as he looked her over. Putting the coffee down on the counter he pulled Bertie into his arms, and he kissed her, his tongue entwined with hers, and her ran his hands all over her body, committing her figure to memory.

"I'm going to miss you too!" She leaned in to kiss him...


Connor couldn't sleep. He paced the living quarters of the apartment; they had been given, caressing Luke, holding the toddler in his arms as he cuddled him back to sleep. Abby was tired and she slept uneasily tossing and turning as she snoozed. She had woken once, when Luke had woken in the night. It seemed that the small child knew something was going to happen, and he was restless. Having settled him once, Connor had insisted that he look after little Luke.

That was an hour ago, and every time Connor tried to put him down, he would only start to cry again. The only way the child settled was by being held against his bare chest, the sound of Connor's heart soothing the toddler.

It wasn't long before the alarm rang and Abby came to find her boyfriend. Connor sat down on the sofa, Luke's head continued to rest against his chest. Abby snuggled down next to him, as he raised his arm so that she could get closer. Connor sighed. This was bliss, but for how much longer? He really didn't want to go with Becker and Danny, but he knew that this job needed to be done, and with his computer expertise, he was definitely an asset to the team.

He looked up at the clock. 6.30 am. The shuttle was due to take off at 8 o'clock sharp.

Rubbing his eyes, he passed Luke over to Abby.

"I'm going to get ready." Abby cuddled Luke and mother and son dozed on the sofa together whilst Connor got ready.

Connor padded into the shower, and turning it on waited for the water to warm up. He folded his pyjamas and threw his boxers onto the floor before stepping into the shower cubicle. Unconsciously he scratched his bum as the water began to cascade down his body. He ran his fingers through his short hair, and he smiled. He had cut it for the mission, to the same short length as Mike's, but once this mission was over, he was going to let it grow. Colonel Jefferson had insisted that he cut it and had insisted that Mike shaved now the only way people knew who they were talking to was by reading their nametags. Abby preferred him to have some sort of difference to Mike in appearance, that way she didn't end up kissing the wrong twin.


At half past seven, there was a knock on the door of Connor's apartment.

"Be there in a minute," Connor shouted, and he leaned into Abby for another kiss.

He opened the door expecting Becker or Danny, but was surprised to see Mike.

"Can I see you for a minute?"

"Yeah sure... Come in."

Mike hesitantly came in. He paused as he saw Abby.

"I wanted to talk to you alone."

"That's ok; I was just going to see Danny and Becker anyway." She turned to Connor. "See you down there."

Mike waited until Abby left the room...

He looked at his twin sadly.
"Sorry Conn, but I have to do this," He grabbed his brother, and twisted him around. Getting behind him, he pulled out a prepared handkerchief from his pocket and clamped it around his brother's face.

Connor struggled, he knew what Mike was trying to do and this time he was not going to succeed. He tried hard not to breathe in the chloroform that Mike had sprayed onto the cloth around his nose and mouth, but he couldn't help it. Slowly Connor sagged to the floor.
"I'm sorry, I really am, but I can't let you do this... I'm doing this for Abby."

Pulling Connor into the bathroom and leaving the drug soaked handkerchief on his nose, he undressed Connor and put on his jumpsuit, and then he locked the door from the outside. The only way Connor could get out was when Abby let him out.

Looking into the mirror, he practised Connor's dorky grin, when he was satisfied, left.

He arrived at the launch site with minutes to spare. Quickly he donned the huge spacesuit, and joined Becker and Danny who were ready to go up.

Danny and Becker had already said their goodbyes to their respective partners and loved ones, and Abby had even given both Becker and Danny a peck on the cheek.

She looked at him suspiciously and wondered why Mike had not come along. Slipping her arm though his she posed the question to him.

When he paused and didn't give a straight answer she looked at him again, and frowned.

"You ready?" Danny called. He nodded and looked down at Abby.
She looked up at him and gasped. Lightly she ran a fingertip along the scar on his chin... An involuntary tear ran down her cheek.
"Thank you," she whispered into his ear, and she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

Smiling at him she stepped back, feeling grateful, and oh so happy.

"Connor, come on." Danny dressed in his own space suit beckoned.

The three men walked up the ramp to the awaiting craft and with a last wave to the crowds that had gathered, as well as their loved ones, they stepped inside and prepared to embark on their tough mission.

The launch went well and once the craft had lifted off Abby went back to the apartment she shared with Connor. With tears rolling down her face, she prepared to meet her lover. Would Connor ever forgive her? She had just sent his brother on a dangerous mission, one that could result in death. She had sent him knowingly, she had realised the minute she had seen the scar on his face which twin was going. Yet she had kissed him goodbye, without even a lump in her throat. Without a care.
She scrunched up her face miserably. Would she ever forgive herself if anything happen to Mike? -No.

Opening the door, she called out.
"Connor... Connor where are you?" She searched the flat for her beloved. Finding the bathroom locked, she carefully opened it.

She saw Connor sprawled out in the floor, just as Mike had left him. Picking the damp handkerchief off his face, she grabbed a damp towel and patted his face.

Connor woke to the cool damp cloth dabbing at his forehead.

He blinked several times before his focus returned and he looked into the eyes of an angel. He smiled - his angel.
"Mmm," he moaned. It took a while for Connor to come to his senses. He smiled at Abby, sat up and kissed her tenderly.
Abby was pleased to see him; she was relieved when Connor came round. She had not wanted him to go, and Mike had helped her. Mike had seen her distress and he had gone in Connor's stead.


Connor was distraught that Mike had knocked him out and he had gone in his place. He wondered if Danny or Becker had noticed the difference.

Leaving Abby sobbing, he ran down to the operations room where Jess was monitoring everything.

Grabbing the microphone to speak to those on board, he found that Danny and Becker were arguing, about who was going to fly the small shuttle which was going to collide with the rock to send it into the sun.

"Danny, Becker, just stop arguing and listen!" he shouted.
"Mike!" Danny acknowledged.
"No! I'm not Mike! I'm Connor! You've got Mike with you! Where is he?"
Becker's mouth fell open. "Of course, when Abby said Goodbye, she kissed you on the cheek!" He stared at Mike.

Danny was about to rush forward to stop Mike but it was too late. He had pressed the door button to the shuttle, and it closed before Danny or Becker could get there.
"No!" Danny shouted. He pounded in the door to the shuttle. "Open up Mike! This isn't what we agreed!"

Mike's voice came across the tanoy; unfortunately, the only people to hear were Danny and Becker.

"I'm sorry Danny; it's got to be this way. I couldn't let Connor come, he's needed down there. He's the one with a family now... Doesn't make a difference what happens to me." Mike sniffed. The only people to miss him would be Diane and Derek, maybe Connor and Matt, but no one else cared.

"Mike, listen, we can sort this out. You don't have to go!" Danny retorted.

"Bertie's waiting for you guys. If one of you doesn't make it, then she's lost either her brother or her boyfriend... I can't let that happen either. Besides, Becker has Jess, you've got Bertie, and Connor has Abby. Who have I got waiting?"

Connor had been tapping buttons on the console of the ADD trying to listen in on the conversation. He had just managed to hear Mike talking about various partners. He felt a twinge in his heart that hadn't been there before. He couldn't help but think that Mike was wrong. He would be missed, and not just by himself!

He tapped a few more buttons trying to establish a link so that he could talk to Mike.
Finally, he was able to see and talk to Mike. He told him of his anguish at seeing him there. He told him about the people he was leaving behind, but to no avail.

Matt listened with a heavy heart. He had not been able to bond with his half brother, and now it gnawed away at his insides, he just had to do something. Nudging Connor so that they could both see Mike he asked a simple question...

"What about Sam? Won't Sam miss you?" The only people Mike had told about Sam was Matt and Danny and now it was coming back to haunt him.

Matt and Danny had made their own investigation on Mike to see if they could uncover the truth behind his past. Not only had they found Sam, but also discovered the awful truth that he had kept a closely guarded secret.
Mike seethed upon hearing the name, his extreme anger evident on his face.
"You leave her out of this! She's not to be approached, or told anything, you hear me!"

Connor raised his eyebrows, up until now he had thought of Sam as a bloke. A dear friend, Connor felt strange, an ache in his heart told him that this was Mike's anger and heartache he was feeling, and now he realised that she was an old girlfriend.

Connor sniffed as Lester put a hand on his shoulder. He was going to lose his brother, and the pain was so immense that he was barely able to hold himself in check.

"Why don't you tell her how you feel about her yourself?" Connor spoke into his earpiece, knowing that Mike could hear him. "Why don't you look her up when you get back? Hmm?" Mike shook his head. How could he explain, how could he tell his brothers that Sam was no longer his? That if he wanted her to live he would have to stay away from her?

Danny and Becker watched their own screens; Danny wished he could do something. But opening an anomaly was too dangerous, and who knew what sort of effect it would have in outer space? The only option was to talk Mike into coming back with them. But he had to act quickly, the further away Mike got, the harder it would be to get him back. He set a course for the shuttle to follow Mike's space pod.

"I know about Sam," Danny spoke into his microphone. "I went back in time to when you were going out together... She really is beautiful Mike."
Mike had told Danny and Matt little bits about Sam, but wondered aloud how much more Danny actually knew.
"Let's put it this way..." Danny gulped. He didn't want Mike to think that he'd been prying. "I know why you split up! That couldn't have been easy... Seeing Sister Mary, being killed like that! ..."
An involuntary tear rolled down Mike's cheek.

"I know who did it... The death threats you received afterwards... And I can understand that your love for her is so great that you're prepared to live without her if it means that she lives." Danny knew he had to get him to change his mind and fast.

"But do you know how unhappy she is?" He watched Mike's face for a reaction, then seeing anger flicker in his eyes he continued.

"That her husband beats her? That her husband forces her to doing the most disgusting things? And that she does it thinking of you?" Danny lied.

Mike's anger grew, this time in another direction. He had to do something! She didn't deserve that, she didn't deserve to be beaten, forced into doing things she didn't want to do. He had known about her marriage, the way her father had taken her away to Pakistan to be forced into a relationship she didn't want. Samira deserved the best in life. He would go back to see her, once and once only, if only to teach that wretch of a husband a lesson that he would never forget.

With renewed determination, Mike insisted that Connor should talk him through what needed to be done. He had received the basic training, but Connor would have to reiterate how the Meteor needed to be destroyed. Danny smiled; Mike was going to try to come back... It was a long shot, but it might just work.


Mike prepared to leave the capsule. Putting on the heavy space suit, he prepared to exit the small space pod. He blew out the unconscious breath he had been holding. With a last message to Connor down on earth, and Danny across in the space shuttle. He opened the door to the vast expanse of nothing. Heaving a huge breath, he recalled everything he had learned about space walking. Taking one-step and then another and another. In the distance, he saw Becker in his own space suit he was walking towards him. Taking another deep breath, he disengaged the tether tying him to the spacecraft. Now he was relying on his air supply lasting until he made it across to the main shuttle.

He closed his eyes for a moment, knowing that the small space pod behind him was going to crash into the meteor in the distance, sending it flying towards the sun where it would be burnt to cinders.

Opening his eyes, he carried on walking towards Becker. The action becoming harder, at times it seemed as if he was drifting away from destination. Breathing heavily he thought of his mother, one of the few people, alongside his brothers who wanted him to return. But most of all he thought of Sam.

Samira, with the beautiful, long, dark, hair, lightly tanned soft skin, those gorgeous, bluish, grey eyes ...

Becker in his own spacesuit gazed at the soldier walking towards him. It would not be long before he could grab the man and return to safety. He blinked; he recalled the time Mike had saved his own life. Now it was time to return the favour. Without Becker to haul him back the ex-con was bound to drift off into space.

The men reached out to each other, Becker gloves touched Mike's, but missed. Cursing himself he tried again, it was only a matter of time before Mike's air supply ran out, it was now or never...

Mike was drifting...

Drifting away...

He just wasn't close enough, if the shuttle behind him crashed into the meteor, the resulting blast would hurl Mike right out of reach and he would most certainly die...

Becker reached again...


Will Becker be able to Save Mike?

Or will Mike spend eternity floating through space?

Will he ever see Sam again?

Or is he destined to lose his lady-love?