"Whoa! Please tell me this all means something?"
Sofi looked up from her work station and smiled at the surprised tone in Jenny's voice. The older brunette had just entered the evidence lab were Connor, Sofi, and Nick had gathered, each one informing the other and inputting data into the new Anomaly Matrix.
"This is a 3-D model representing all known anomalies throughout history," Connor explained.
Jenny glanced over the matrix before turning to Sofi. "You've been studying this for the past two years?" she asked.
"Not all of it," said Sofi. "I just researched mythical beasts and how they affect different cultures around the world. Like, the Inkanyamba from South Africa. This," she nodded at the Matrix, "is all Nick."
"And I guess that where there's a myth, we'll find an anomaly," said Nick. He was standing in the middle of the matrix, holding another pole in his hands. "Now, all we have to do is date these myths accurately."
"Like a road map of time," Connor summarized.
"Then we can start to predict where and when new anomalies might start to open," Nick added, sliding his pole between two others. He stood and hooked in in place with a large black clip.
Creeping closer, Sofi peered at the first clip beneath the new pole. She checked the date and time on her iPad and quickly jotted it down on a new slip of paper, adding it to the second clip.
"Call me stupid, but, um, couldn't we have done all this on a computer?" Jenny asked.
"I did start," said Sofi. "But the data input was too much for my hard drive to handle, and I can't afford more at the moment. This way is more tangible, and makes for easier interpretation."
Jenny cocked her head to the side.
"It makes them feel more like god," Connor explained.
Sofi rolled her eyes and ducked out of the Matrix.
"You know, Connor, you might be right," said Nick, looking up. "But, if I'm not mistaken, we just made our first prediction."
"Getting the coordinates now," said Sofi, returning to her laptop.
~X~
After triple checking the prediction against her findings and the coordinates, Sofi headed out into the Main Ops room with Nick. Sitting at their desks working, for a change, were Connor and Abby, while Jenny stood nearby with Becker and Ryan.
"All right, listen up," Nick called, earning himself everyone's attention. "We've analyzed the most recent anomalies and put them into the model. The prediction is specific and local, but there's a problem. It could happen tomorrow, or it could happen many years from now."
"I thought your calculations were usually spot-on, Sof?" Jayden asked, wandering over with one of the new SAS recruits. He was a young lad, only eighteen, and fresh out of the Sandhurst Academy. His name was Cadet Officer Williams.
Sofi shot him a look. "Some anomalies come back and some don't," she said. "I can't be perfect all the time."
Jayden chuckled and Sofi smiled.
"What do you want us to do?" Jenny asked Nick.
"I want you to go check it out, and take Sid and Nancy with you," Nick said whilst pointing at Connor and Abby. The pair paused and shared a look, their eyes flittering over their choice of clothing.
Sofi smiled at the pair.
"How come she doesn't get a nickname?" Connor asked, nodding at Sofi.
"Maybe because I'm not going," said Sofi.
"What? Why?" Connor asked. "Don't you want to see if your hard work has paid off?"
Sofi shrugged. "You don't keep dogs and bark yourself, Connor," she teased. "Besides, haunted houses are not my thing."
"Did you say 'haunted houses'?" Abby asked.
"Yep. The place is just off Rookwood Road," said Sofi, handing over the coordinates. "I looked it up. It's an old Tudor house that's been abandoned for almost ten years. Local legend is that the place is haunted, but it has never been proven true."
Abby grinned and she passed the coordinates to Jenny. "Cool," she said.
Connor only grimaced.
"The Military should handle this," said Becker, asserting himself into the conversation.
Jenny shook her head. "No, no, Cutter's right, we'll go," she said.
"Anything happens, you call either me or Sofi, understand?" Nick asked.
"Crystal," said Jenny with a nod.
Cutter turned and left the Main Ops area.
"Why does it have to be a creepy abandoned place?" Connor whined, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair.
Sofi hugged her binder to her chest. "You're the guy that watches Texas Chainsaw Massacre on repeat, and you're afraid of abandoned houses?" she asked.
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre is fictional," Connor defended.
"Hate to rain on your parade, Connor, but while most of the film's plot was largely fictional, some minor story details and the character of Leather-face were inspired by crimes of murderer Ed Gein."
"Not helping," said Connor.
Sofi nudged him as he passed. "You'll be fine," she said. "Although, if two little girls' suddenly appear asking you to play, you have my permission to turn tail and run."
"You're not funny," said Connor, his eyes wide.
"Depends on your point of view," said Sofi.
"Connor, come on!" Abby called, disappearing out in the hallway with Jenny. Connor made a small whimper and followed after them, leaving Sofi to smile and wave.
As the trio left, Jayden wandered over to Sofi. "You're mean," he said.
Sofi laughed. "Don't tell me you believe in haunted houses?" she asked.
"You do this job and you're telling me you don't?" Jayden asked.
"If there is an incursion then it's not haunted, is it?" Sofi asked.
Jayden rolled his eyes. "Whatever. How busy are you?" he asked, changing the subject.
"I'm just about to head home for a shower and to change my clothes. Why, what do you need?"
"Nothing major," said Jayden. "Just, Craig landed an hour ago and my car is in the shop. Think you could give me a lift to the airport?"
"Sure. Come on," said Sofi, nodding.
~X~
Unlocking the door to the house she now shared with Ryan, Sofi smiled and petted Toby and Figaro as they jogged down the stairs to meet her.
"Hey, you two," Sofi said, scratching them both affectionately. "You guys hungry? Want some fresh air?" She headed into the kitchen and refilled both the cat's water and food bowls, and then moved on to the dogs. While Figaro and Toby chowed down, Sofi unlocked the back door and opened it a smidge, just enough for them to slip out the back without her needing to be there.
Satisfied that her babies were taken care of, Sofi headed upstairs and into the main bedroom. She stripped off her old clothes, tossed them into the hamper, and wandered into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
The shower was warm, and Sofi sighed in relief as the tension in her shoulders washed away, along with the grime. She hadn't realised how badly she had wanted, much less needed this shower. The ARC had a shower facility, but Sofi had never felt the desire to try it out.
Closing her eyes, Sofi tilted her head back and let the warm water run through her hair. It felt heavier but at least she knew it was getting a good cleaning. She moaned as she run her fingers through her hair, easing them over her scalp and massaging the shampoo and conditioner into a lather.
Creak.
Sofi's eyes snapped open and she paused. The noise had come from right outside the bathroom, which means whoever had made it was in her bedroom. "Ryan?" she called over the fast-flowing of the water.
There was no reply.
Sofi strained her hearing, but she couldn't hear anything more. Shaking her head, and convincing herself that she was just hearing things, Sofi returned to her shower. She rinsed her hair and turned off the water when she heard another creaking.
"Ryan, is that you?" Sofi called. She wrapped her towel around her body and ripped open the shower curtain. She opened the bathroom door and walked into the bedroom, looking around. There was no one there.
But she could hear someone moving around downstairs.
Throwing on her dressing gown, Sofi hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed her phone from the table and was about to call Ryan when she felt a nudge on the back of her legs. She looked down and yelped as Toby looked up at her with his big brown eyes.
Breathing heavily, Sofi laughed and sighed. If there had been someone in the house then Toby would've realised it and started barking. He had never been a dog that liked strangers, and it had taken him a while to warm up to Ryan, much less moving to a new home.
"Are you trying to kill me off, baby, huh?" Sofi asked, scratching the bloodhound behind the ears. "Mummy nearly had a heart attack."
Toby whined and nuzzled Sofi's legs as Figaro jumped up onto the kitchen table. He purred and brushed against Sofi's arm, feeling neglected by the lack of attention.
Sofi laughed and scratched the cat under his chin.
~X~
No less than an hour later, Sofi arrived back at the ARC. She had every intention of returning to her lab and finishing up her research, but first, she had to get past security at the front gate.
Becker smirked teasingly as he looked down at Sofi. "Nobody gets in without a pass," he said, shaking his head.
"It's not like you don't know who I am," said Sofi, checking her bag over and over again for her pass. She knew she had it in there when she had gone home.
"Sorry. No exceptions," said Becker.
Sofi rolled her eyes. "Where the hell is it?" she swore, dropping the bag onto the floor and kneeling to search it.
"Sir, according to this, Sofi Wyatt checked into the building a quarter of an hour ago," said Officer Cadet Williams from behind Becker. Both the Captain and Sofi shared a confused glance, and then Becker was running. He slammed his fist against the alarm beside the door and took off down the corridor towards the main ops room.
Sofi packed up her things and darted past the security desk, chasing after her brother. She dodged Ryan, and almost collided with Nick as he stepped out of the Matrix lab.
"What's going on, Sof?" Nick asked.
"Someone stole my pass and used it to get into the ARC," said Sofi. "Becker's hunting them down -"
"DROP YOUR WEAPON AND GET DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW!" Becker yelled. There was a split-second pause and then a round of gunfire.
Sofi gasped and darted forward, evading Nick's clutches and ducking into the gym. She found Becker with his back to the door and his gun trained on a figure lying on the floor. "Becker?" she asked, quietly.
Becker turned to her and sighed, lowering his weapon. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her as Ryan and Nick appeared in the doorway.
Ryan lowered his weapon as he saw the incident had been taken care of, while Nick stepped up to the body and stared in confusion.
"I know this man," said Nick, quietly.
Sofi pulled away from Becker and looked down at the corpse. "Isn't he the cleaner?" she asked.
"The cleaner?" Becker repeated.
"We first met him when we had a Raptor incursion at Castle Cross," said Sofi. "We thought he was just a cleaner. Turns out he worked for Helen. He showed up a few more times after that, but didn't you say he attacked you, Stephen, and Taylor in the Silurian?" she asked Nick.
Nick nodded. "Which is why this moment is impossible," he said.
"Why?" Becker asked.
"Because he didn't make it out of the Silurian desert," said Nick. "I watched him die at the jaws of a Scorpion."
~X~
After the body of the cleaner had been moved and disposed of, Sofi returned to the matrix lab with Nick. She sighed heavily and pressed her hands to her eyes, trying to erase the image of the man's dead body from her memory. She was still a little shaken by the whole ordeal, and couldn't work out how the man had managed to get her ID pass.
"Hey."
Sofi looked up and smiled as Jayden appeared, breathlessly in the doorway. He hurried over to her and instantly wrapped his arms around her.
"Ryan just told me what happened," said Jayden, pulling away and holding her at arms length. "Are you okay?"
"A little confused but fine," said Sofi. "How's Craig?"
"Jet-lagged," said Jayden. "I've left him sleeping."
Sofi nodded and then took a deep breath. "We need to figure out how and why the cleaner was here," she said, addressing Nick. "I mean, if he was eaten millions of years ago by a giant scorpion, him being alive is next to impossible."
"It could be his identical twin," said Jayden.
"So what's he doing here, then, going through my laundry?" Nick asked.
"You killed his brother, so he steals your shirt," said Jayden. He paused at the ridiculousness of the idea and then chuckled.
Sofi slapped his chest. "It's not funny," she said. "Whatever this is, it isn't funny."
"It's a little funny," said Jayden.
"What about Helen?" Sofi asked with a sigh. "Could she be back?"
"And what? She brought the cleaner back from the dead only to have him sneak into the ARC and steal Nick's shirt?" Jayden asked. "Why? What's so important about this shirt?"
Sofi shook her head.
"You might be onto something, Sof," said Nick. "You remember what rule number one is?"
"If something inexplicable happens, Helen's usually behind it," said Sofi.
Nick nodded. "Trust me. She's back," he said.
Sofi sighed and rested her head on Jayden's chest. The last thing she wanted, much less needed, was another encounter with Helen Cutter.
Especially since she had barely walked away from the last one.
~X~
A few short hours later, Ryan returned to the lab and found Sofi sitting cross-legged on the floor with Topaz in her lap. The Dire Wolf pup was snoozing soundly, and Sofi was still working. He watched for a few moments, taking in her whole appearance from his vantage point. She'd thrown her shoulder-length red hair up into a high ponytail, shrugged out of the jacket she had been wearing earlier and was simply clad in a pair of shorts and a tank-top.
He swallowed hard and forced himself back into composure. "Knock, knock," he called, alerting her to his presence.
"Hey," Sofi grinned, looking up.
"Hey, just checking in," said Ryan. "You all right?"
Sofi shrugged. "I'm still trying to work out how a dead man managed to get his hands on my ID," she said.
"Maybe you misplaced it somewhere and he picked it up?" Ryan suggested.
"And, what? He just happened to know that I worked for a secret part of the government that only a select few people know about?" Sofi asked, shaking her head. "If I'm honest and stop me if you think I am being paranoid, but I think he's been following me."
"What makes you think that?" Ryan asked, sitting himself down on the lab floor. "Has something happened?"
"I'm hardly ever alone for something to happen to me," said Sofi. "If I'm not here, surrounded by ARC employees, I'm in the field surrounded by soldiers. I mean, even today, the only time I was alone was when I went home..." she trailed off, her eyes widening in shock.
Ryan stared at her. "Sof, what is it?" he asked.
"After I dropped Jayden and Craig off at their flat, I went home to shower, change, and make sure Toby and Figaro were okay," said Sofi. "When I was in the shower I heard a noise. I thought it was you, but when I got out there was nobody there. I put it down to Toby and Figaro coming in and out from the back garden, but I didn't think to check if anything was missing." She covered her face with her hands. "Oh god, Ryan. It was him! He was there, outside the bathroom when I was in the shower."
"Which means he was in our room, too," said Ryan, standing up.
Sofi whined and buried her face in her hands. "Ryan, I'm sorry, this is all my fault," she apologised. She shifted Topaz into her arms and stood, facing him. "I left the back door open when I went to shower, he must've got in that way."
Ryan shook his head and pulled Sofi into his arms. "I don't care about that," he said. "I'm more concerned with the fact that he watched you while you showered. He's lucky that he's dead."
"I'm still sorry," Sofi whispered, burying her head in his chest.
"From now on, you don't go anywhere alone," said Ryan. "Not even at home. Either you come and find me, or you take Jayden or Becker, all right?"
Sofi raised her head to meet his gaze and nodded. "All right," she agreed.
Ryan studied her for a few seconds, and then he leaned down and captured her lips with his own.
