September, 2015

The streets weren't particularly busy. It was a typical Sunday morning and the day had been graced with sunshine. The streets of London were alight, and the air was calm. She adjusted her sunglasses, daring a peek across the road. Her eyes found him. He walked down the pavement parallel to her, unaware that she'd been accompanying him the whole way from his house. She hesitated as he brought his pace to a stop. She smiled. She'd recognise that café from a mile away. It was their café, where they had been brunch regulars once upon a time. She headed towards the magazine stand a little further down the street, keeping an eye on him as he walked inside. Only a minute or so passed before he was back out, sat at one of the tables with a cup in hand, tea if she had to guess. Just as he glanced at his watch she saw them. The pair appeared from around the corner, and she had to be careful not to stare. She wasn't supposed to be here.

Nick stood from his seat, a smile on his face as he shared a hug with their daughter and nodded at the man with her, Captain Becker. The three sat at the table, and she ignored the voice in her head telling her to be more careful as she stepped a little closer to the curb, only the road separating them. They were too engrossed in their conversation to notice. Her daughter held hands with the soldier sat beside her, smiling up at him, before she faced Nick. They talked. She stretched her left arm out. Nick had looked down at her hand before a smile grew. More talking. She knew what this meant. Becker had proposed to her daughter, and Jayme had said yes. A part of her envisioned herself sat right next to Nick, congratulating the pair together. Maybe in another life.

Helen turned away from the scene. She wasn't supposed to be here. She knew better than that. Yet she couldn't resist. There was a force in her, one she'd never felt before, one that overpowered every sense of strength she thought she possessed. Rare they were, these glimpses into the life of her daughter and ex-husband filled her with a warmth she couldn't describe, and a sorrow she couldn't deny. Would it have been better to not have been brought back at all? She was a shadow, living on the outside of a life that, despite what had happened, she so desperately wanted to be a part of. The desire for self-preservation destroyed those wonders every time. She was a survivor after all. She always had been. She didn't think anything could take that away from her, not even her family.

The array of screens was set out in front of her, each one showing a different view of the building. All but one held any significance. All but one held any sign of life. It stood out more than all the other images put together. It may not have been the clearest feed, and the room wasn't particularly bright, but there right in the middle of the camera view was Abigail Temple. Bound by chains in the corner of the room, there was little chance of escape. Yet the blonde remained fierce, determined, a strength radiating from her that Helen admired greatly. It was pitiful nevertheless. Abby wouldn't break out, and she knew the blonde understood that. That didn't stop her desire to live.

Footsteps broke her concentration. They approached, a set of two, and without a doubt belonging to Antonio and Jade. He remained smug as ever, a smirk on his lips, a constant irritable reminder that he was in fact in charge, no matter how anyone else wanted to play it. Helen had met her match. That was something she didn't admit lightly.

"Looks like you'll be reunited with your daughter soon than expected," Jade announced, the phone moving from left to right hand as she spoke. She caught Helen's eye, a smile playing on her lips. "Something wrong?" She asked, that irritating innocence to her voice.

Helen didn't say a word. She folded her arms, throwing one last glance towards the screens she had once been so intently watching. "I didn't think taking Abby was part of the plan."

"No, but it was fun," Antonio said, smirking at the brunette. She didn't falter under his gaze. "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

She cocked her head, resisting the temptation to lash out. She kept cool under his demeanour, forcing her voice to be as void of emotion as she could muster. "Ringing Jayme wasn't meant to happen yet either. Something worrying you?" She matched his smirk.

"Not at all," he countered.

"I just assumed with such a well thought out plan," she began, slowly walking across the room, her eyes moving back to his as she stood, "that you'd have followed it a little more carefully."

"Screw the plan," Jade snapped, marching over towards the screens. "It's time she paid for murdering my sister." The blonde's eyes were back on the brunette.

The outburst hadn't fazed Helen in the slightest. Though a worry had shot through her body like an icy blast. "You're letting your emotions take over."

Jade laughed, a hysterical shrill sound that one would mistake for insanity. "Emotions? They're the very reason I'm doing this!"

Helen's gaze flittered to Antonio. It had only been for a second. But she knew he'd altered the plan to account for Jade's growing restlessness.

"She killed my sister!" She took a step in Helen's direction. "This is revenge."

Helen smirked, cocking her head towards Antonio. "And you're okay with this?"

Jade spoke before he even had a chance to concoct his lie. "He wants this just as much as I do."

Antonio continued to watch the brunette, barely registering the words coming out of Jade's mouth. "You know, it's funny," he began, taking a few steps towards Helen. His composure didn't change once throughout the whole ordeal, still calm, still calculating every single action. "You're beginning to sound like you care."

Helen laughed. Not once ounce of her body would let him have any control over her, no matter how seriously she believed every threat he uttered. "They would rather I had stayed dead. So why exactly would I care?" She countered. "I've made my loyalties perfectly clear."

"Good," Antonio said, folding his arms and looking over towards the screens. He smirked before facing the brunette again, a cold look in his eye. "Then you'll have no problem with us killing her."

The ADD was going insane. Or more accurately, the man controlling it had. Maps, cell towers, and codes plastered every screen. Lines upon lines of random letters and numbers flooded any free space there may be. The only break from the nonsensical computer jargon was an image. Positioned in the centre of the screens, acting as a constant reminder, was a screenshotted piece of video footage. Blue eyes looked pleadingly up at the screen, hair matted with sweat, a cold sweat brought on by fear no doubt. Yet even in this still, Abby Temple's stubbornness and strength shone through. Her hands were in fists from pulling at the chains with all her might. The image made Nick's heart stop every time he looked. The two former team leaders stood not far from the ADD, unable to turn away from overwhelmingly determined force controlling those very screens. Nick could've sworn he'd never seen Connor more focused in his entire life.

Danny and Nick's attention faltered for a moment as Becker stepped into the control room, a nervous look in his eye as he moved from the ADD, to Connor, and finally back to the two men. He moved forward, taking in each screen at a time as he tried to make sense of the inner mind of the man. "I see you're back to work?" He asked, though he was only met with silence. The tapping of the keys didn't stop for a second, as if his voice hadn't even registered with Connor. "How long has he been like this?"

Danny shrugged, his eyes not leaving the ADD. "Ten, fifteen minutes maybe. I lost track."

He's trying to narrow down the location of where the video footage had been sent from, but he can't get hold of the signal," Nick explained. "It just keeps bouncing off different cell towers."

"Well, we expected that, didn't we? They're not exactly amateurs."

"No," Connor began, speaking for the first time since he'd sat at the ADD. "But if I can keep pushing through, I might be able to fixate on a location. I'm not exactly an amateur either."

Becker nodded, not saying another word to avoid disturbing Connor's rhythm any further. He took a quick sweep around the room. "Where's Jayme?"

"She was looking for you a while ago," Danny told him. "She's probably just letting herself up for air."

"Yeah, maybe," Becker said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just don't think it's a good idea to leave her alone right now."

Nick nodded. "I'll tell you what, I'll go look for her, and you go grab yourself a coffee. You need to give yourself a break too. I'm sure Jayme is fine."

"You looking for Jayme?" Riley intervened, placing the last of the files in his hand down and walking over to the group. "Sent her to the armoury about fifteen minutes ago, she didn't find you?" He furrowed his brows, watching the Captain's expression falter.

"I just came from the armoury, I haven't seen her," Becker stated, swallowing his nerves as he glanced back at the corridor. "Something doesn't feel right," he said, looking between the men.

"Why don't you ring her before jumping to any conclusions?" Nick suggested, tossing his phone over to Becker. "It hasn't been that long since Riley saw her."

"It's been long enough." Becker took the phone and called his wife, pacing the control room as each ring went unanswered. "Voicemail. Connor, can you bring up Jayme's phone logs?"

"Yeah, why-"

"Just do it." He headed back to the ADD, passing Nick his phone in the process. The screens changed numerous times, each one only leaving him more confused and anxious. Once the movement ceased, he stepped closer. "There." He pointed towards the unknown number. "Can you track it?"

"I can try," he began, looking at Becker for the first time since he'd entered the room. "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then it's going to lead back to the same situation I've been trying to unravel for twenty minutes now."

"Connor…"

"Just warning you." He turned back to the screens, pausing just before his fingers hit the keys. "I've got a better plan." He didn't wait for a response, his fingers returning to the keys. "The only number we need to track is Jayme's."

"Don't you need to be on the line for that to work?" Nick asked.

Connor didn't stop what he was doing for a second. "I'm using her work phone. If she has it on her, then it shouldn't matter. Ark standard issue, contains a tracking chip that can be activated as long as the phone is switched on. Happened after the incident with the black-boxes, not that Lester has ever had the need to use it."

"How didn't I know about this?" Becker asked, folding his arms.

"Need to know," Connor stated. "Got it."

"Damn it," Becker muttered, eyes leaving the screen as quickly as they had first looked. Everyone jumped as a box of files hit the floor, landing in a heap beside the ADD. "She went to them," He said, giving the box one last kick before grabbing his jacket and racing down the corridor.

"Armoury?" Danny asked.

Connor nodded. "And not for EMD's. He knows we need real weapons if we're going to end this."