Connor Temple was excited, giddy even as they raced up to the latest potential anomaly site. It was the Natural History Museum, a paradise for the young man who couldn't help but geek out just a little as they entered the extravagant lobby with its many golden arched hallways and the centrepiece skeleton of Dippy the diplodocus.

Claudia's team had already evacuated the building, no small feat as even though it was a Monday morning the museum had still been hiving with tourists and school children. As it was a large site, Claudia wasn't entirely convinced that it was fully evacuated but she now had the business of concerned police to deal with and knew that soon word would spread of the closure bringing nosy reporters.

Connor immediately rounded on the newest member of their team, Melina, with a wide smile as he gestured to the plaster cast skeleton replica with one hand. "Now here's something that hasn't changed from your day," he quipped excitedly, "do you remember Dippy?"

Melina was already looking at the skeleton with a slightly parted mouth and a gaze mixed with both shock and fondness.

"My dad brought us here,"she murmured, "I got a Dippy toy."

The young woman bowed her head with a smile. "It's nice that some things really don't change."

"Speaking of dinosaurs," Connor remarked as he stepped up to her, "I just saw that Jurassic Park is back in the cinemas for a retro re-reviewing, would you fancy it?"

Melina looked back at him in confusion. "Um, I haven't heard of that one," she admitted.

"Nineties, Connor," Stephen murmured from behind the smaller man. He cocked a serious stare at Melina and offered her a smile. "It's good if you're into that sort of thing."

"Oh come on now, it was a blockbuster," Abby commented. "You're underselling it Stephen."

Connor's smile widened with Abby's enthusiasm. "How about we all go see it?" he suggested. "Remind Stephen and show Melina just how great a film it is."

"It would be interesting to see what cinemas are like now," Melina murmured.

"How about we find the creature and focus on the dating later," Nick chided them.

"Oh Cutter don't get so serious," Connor jested.

Captain Ryan gave the redhead a stern glance. "And everyone wonders why I don't want civilians involved in this," he murmured.

Stephen gave the blonde a sympathetic smile. "No one wonders mate it's just it's a little hard to expect people to forget time travelling is a real thing and that dinosaurs aren't entering our world on a whim." He gestured pointedly to Connor who was now gaping over a poster advertising a dinosaur exhibition. "Especially the nerdy ones," Stephen added.

"And the time travellers," Melina commented brightly as she stepped between them and smiled up at the brunette. "It's a little hard to not have me involved when I've literally travelled through time."

"And got yourself injured by a giant bear," the captain reminded her with a disapproving stare.

Melina shrugged even as her hand reached up instinctively to the hidden fresh scars the attack had left on her torso. Dr O'Hare hadn't been impressed by the wound although he had admired her dressing of it and commented dryly that she might have delayed infection by five days instead of three. He had of course insisted on cleaning and redressing it and had rechecked it a few days later to ensure it was healing properly. Although the worst was past, if she turned or stood too quickly she would feel a sharp ache where the wound was.

"What's the creature this time?" Melina quipped. "A second big bear is unlikely, right?"

"We're not sure," Claudia confessed.

"We rarely are," Stephen retorted sardonically with a mocking smile.

Claudia gave the man a brief frown before summoning back her determined expression of a woman in charge. "On that note, can we all please act with caution and respect- Connor this is not an excuse to touch expensive exhibits!"

At Claudia's yelling, Connor leaned back from the railing he was hanging over and withdrew his hand from the large, colourful vase contained behind it. He gave a sheepish smile that turned into an awkward snicker when he saw Abby's disapproving look.

"He's the reason for barriers isn't he?" Melina quipped sardonically as they started walking.

Stephen nodded as he matched pace with her. "And all those warnings you read and think, who was stupid enough to do this, well look no further."

Reaching the end of the lobby, the group was prompted to divide in half to search either side. Nick gave a small smile when he noticed Claudia looking to him and Melina glancing to Captain Ryan before they made their decision over which direction to go. The four of them plus three more soldiers veered to to the right whilst Abby, Connor and Stephen headed left with another three soldiers.

"Oh wait a minute," they heard Connor complain as he walked after Abby, "this is the fish section, the dinosaurs are on the other side."

"He means the exhibit fellas not the creature," Abby remarked swiftly as the soldiers tensed at Connor's words.

Claudia let out a gasp of alarm as and grabbed Nick's arm tightly as she headed through a double set of doors.

Nick grinned as he cocked his head slightly to give her a teasing stare. "It's not that real is it?"

Although he was amused he felt a small prickle of pride that the woman chose him to grasp for protection. He could smell her jasmine shower wash, faint but sweet as it mingled with her flower based perfume.

Claudia's brown eyes were frozen up in horror at a life size reconstruction of a Tyrannosaurus-Rex which was looking down upon them with hungry yellow eyes. Realising her error she released Nick's arm hastily and gave him a glower before smoothing down her grey jacket.

"Right, of course not," she said hastily, "just checking we're all alert."

"Well whatever we're hunting probably is now," Ryan chided.

Melina stepped forward to peer up at the dinosaur exhibit curiously. She glanced over her shoulder to Nick. "Is it true to life?" she quipped.

Nick grinned back at the young woman. "Well I don't know," he confessed as his grin widened, "I haven't met one yet."

"Yet," Claudia repeated dryly as she continued to eyeball it warily.

"Do you think they're green?" Melina pondered. "I always figured brown."

"Camouflage," Ryan remarked bluntly, "in the green foliage."

He frowned when he saw Claudia, Nick and Melina all staring at him. "What? Can't I have an opinion on the appearance of a dead lizard?"

Nick winced slightly before grinning. "You were doing well too, I mean they're not lizards."

Ryan cocked his head and gave Nick a serious stare. "Professor, what does Tyrannosaurus Rex mean?"

Melina let out a giggle. "He's got you there," she remarked chirpily.

The sound of screams and gunfire drew their attention back to the way they had come saving Nick from answering.

"I guess it's with the fish," Nick murmured before he raced for the doors.

Claudia was quick to run with him as if anxious that she was exposed without him. Ryan moved swiftly, bypassing the pair of redheads to sprint ahead with the other soldiers. Melina was not quite as quick to turn and follow, laboured slightly by the ache in her side from her still healing wound.

Melina skidded to a halt in the lobby, swallowing back a gasp of alarm as she saw a form blocking her path.

She had no weapon save for Claudia's kitchen knife and she doubted that was going to do much good against this thing. She was lobbying hard for a gun and to sharpen up on her shooting skills. She had had some basic lessons at the safari park but that wasn't enough to convince Captain Ryan, Lester or anyone else that she could be armed with a gun. The captain had commented dryly that her permit probably wasn't valid in this age.

The creature was on four long limbed legs, it had a spindly form with a smooth, grey skin and a diamond shaped head that was full of sharp teeth.

Melina blinked in confusion as she tried to take the thing in. It was like nothing she had ever seen before, its eyes or rather lack of were perhaps the most disturbing part of it, it had bumps where they should have been and yet judging from the way it cocked its head about somehow Melina knew it was aware of her.

The sound of gunfire brought Melina back to her senses. As the creature cocked its head and let out a shriek at the noise, Melina took her chance to run. She veered to the right and ran for the stairs without looking back.

Panting and gasping the woman hurried through a new set of doors at the top of the stairs, slamming them hard behind her as she heard the sound of claws scraping on hard ground indicating a fast pursuit.

The woman searched for a place of concealment and let out a sudden scream as she faced with something much more terrible than the beast in the lobby. Before her was the monstrous form of a black scaled snake.


For a moment Claudia was almost deafened by the gunfire. There were shards of glass everywhere. Water treated with preservatives had leaked onto the floor. Claudia had jumped when the long, damp tentacle of a giant squid slid out and almost brushed against her. For a moment she had feared another monster before realising it was an escaped exhibit.

One soldier was down, lying propped against a collection of ancient fish bones and shark teeth, he bore a nasty collection of slash marks down his chest. Their foe's claws had been sharp enough to cut through his kevlar.

"What are we dealing with?" Nick demanded.

"A future predator!" Connor advised.

Connor had backed up against Abby, nervous as his eyes roved about the area frantically, searching from floor to ceiling for the creature. It was a beast they were only mildly familiar with and not one Connor had any desire to learn anymore about. Curious as he was about all beasts anomaly related even he didn't think close encounters with this species was worth the knowledge they might gain.

Abby looked only mildly more in control than Connor as she searched the shadows of the exhibits warily. Her blue eyes fell upon a stuffed crocodile and she pointed. "There!"

It was a blur of grey flesh, claws and teeth. The creature moved with great speed, rushing across the floor before leaping for an attack.

Everyone scattered to try and evade the monster as it tried to seek out the weakest one of them to pursue.

Bullets cut through the air resulting in a shriek of annoyance at the noise along with a splash of dark red blood that let them know it had been injured.

Nick looked to the blood spatter curiously as he wondered where the thing had gone. That was one of many dangers from the future predator, despite their size they had an uncanny knack for concealing themselves.

A scream distracted them from their search. It was distant, barely audible and yet just loud enough for Nick, Claudia and a few of the soldiers to detect it.

Captain Ryan scanned the room hastily. "Damn it where's Melina?" he snapped.

"Wasn't she with you?" Connor queried innocently.

The blonde soldier gave the young man an angry glower prompting Connor to throw his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"Not an accusation mate just an observation," Connor said hastily.

Captain Ryan shook his head in annoyance before he headed for the doors they had come through followed closely by Nick.

Stephen contemplated following but figured he was better continued to search for the predator stalking them here.

Nick and Ryan hurried upstairs tracking the source of the scream and entered through a double set of doors at the top of the stairs.

They couldn't see anyone present in the room but Nick immediately guessed at the reason behind the scream. He pointed wearily with one hand to the new display of a life-size construction of a Titanaoboa.

"Damn it," Ryan cursed quietly.

The soldier looked to the thing with a small measure of disgust. To him it was an obvious fake, a little too shiny about the scales indicating a combination of resin and paint, lifeless in the eyes and poised in a coiled up position rather than one of attack with only part of its neck stretched out to expose its head, obviously a means of keeping it from taking up too much space. He could understand however how Melina would have been instantly triggered by the sight of it.

"Let's search the area for her," Nick suggested. "She's probably in hiding."

Ryan nodded back although he was a little chagrined not to be the one giving the orders.

The pair separated, moving slowly through the exhibitions on display.

Nick tensed as he heard a sound, a slight rustle of cloth suggesting movement, prompting him to walk hastily round a glass exhibition of fossilised eggs. His eyes widened at the sight of Melina, shrunk down as small as she could make herself, hunched back in the corner two exhibitions formed whilst clutching tightly at a knife.

Nick approached the woman slowly, wary of startling her further. He moved almost in a crouch, ready to reach out a calm touch when she turned her head up sharply without warning to face him.

"Get down," she ordered bluntly.

Her voice was quiet and her eyes wide with terror.

Nick looked back at her in astonishment, certain that the statue of the giant snake couldn't be the only cause of her fear.

The redhead tensed as he felt a cold sweat bud on the back of his neck. It was instinct and he knew it, his primal senses picking up on something his logical mind was ignorant to, activating the flight or fight mode in him. He could see the woman's pupils dilating and realised that there was something else with them.

"Duck."

The word was quiet and calm but Nick heard it and obeyed. He had his gun out but he didn't think he would be able to turn fast enough.

Ryan approached softly, treading as gently as one could in black army boots. He was disturbed by what he saw. It was a future predator just as Connor had said, the same one Melina had encountered in the lobby but it was just standing there, stoic and calm as it watched something. It was its calmness that unnerved Ryan, it almost appeared like the thing was intrigued, perhaps studying something.

Ryan raised his gun, knowing from experience that it was dangerous even though it hadn't attacked.

Ryan didn't see the knife being thrown, he just saw the creature pull back suddenly and sharply with a violent, high pitched wail.

The blade of Melina's knife had embedded itself in the front of its large skull, thrown with enough force to cause injury but it was doubtful it had gone deep enough to be deadly.

Melina watched in a quiet horror as the creature reared up on two legs, reaching its clawed front limbs up in rapid succession in an attempt to find the blade.

Nick watched too, part of him wanted to grab Melina and run but he knew how fast these things could be. It would be upon them in a flash, ripping them to shreds before they made it two feet. So the redhead raised his gun, ready to attempt a defence.

Ryan sprayed the room with bullets, purposely targetting the glass exhibits. It had the desired effect as with the sudden noise the predator had a sensory overload. From all directions it sensed sound, too much for it to focus upon, for those split seconds whilst its brain hummed pain it also screamed of danger.

The predator bolted with another screech but Ryan wasn't willing to let it escape.

The bullets followed again but this time the blonde aimed as well as he could at the creature's skull. It was the only vulnerability they were aware of, despite having lean forms with no indication of armour, it took a lot of bullets to do any kind of real damage to the things.

The soldier felt an unfamiliar surge of panic as it started to come towards him, anger replacing its own urge to flight as it determined to stop this attacker. It was fast, bouncing along the ground rather than running as it moved. An apex predator, Ryan knew that nature even if he didn't know the specifics of the future predator. Ryan still understood the simple instinct it followed- kill or be killed. There was no room for co-existence with this thing, it dominated or it died.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The creature hit the floor with an agonising cry, its body skidding across the wood as its bullet indented skull smacked hard on the floor. Its limbs twitched awkwardly as it made a feeble attempt to right itself but the damage was done.

Ryan stared down at the thing numbly. He didn't feel his usual sense of victory, he just felt an uncomfortable vulnerability as he saw its mouth open exposing several needle like fangs and he realised how close he had come to his own end. There was always a vague sense of the possibility of fatality when dealing with the predators from the anomaly but something about this creature had Ryan feeling his own sense of mortality more and he loathed it.

Nick rose up slowly to peer over the glass cabinets where he and Melina had remained. He spied the large, still twitching corpse on the floor and determined that the predator was dying.

The redhead turned his attention back to Melina and wasn't surprised to see that she still looked shocked.

Nick offered a hand down to her and when she glanced up to him he gave a small smile.

"It's dead," he assured.

Melina grasped his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

"What is it?" she demanded quietly. "I haven't seen that in any books."

Nick's smile faded slightly as he contemplated an answer. Given this was Melina's future he wasn't sure how she'd handle the news of another future. He wondered curiously how far ahead the anomalies extended into the future and just how set in stone the future could be. After all what hadn't happened yet could theoretically be changed surely, unless one happened to get stuck in the future. Melina's circumstance added a new layer to the theory, for if she was able to return to her own time as she believed then she could influence her future which was their present. Nick contemplated that there were only two ways this could make sense, one- she created an alternate timeline that they would probably never come to have knowledge of or two- she didn't get to go home.

"It's another creature from the anomalies," Nick retorted, purposely vague.

Nick led the way over to the captain, pausing when he realised Melina's footsteps weren't echoing behind his. He glanced over his shoulder and saw her staring over at the Titanaoboa display.

Melina clenched her fists as she gazed over to the giant snake with terror. She knew now that it was fake, it had been motionless the entire time after all but she still found the thing abhorrent. She could see it moving through the water for her sister, a brown reptilian eye glancing her way briefly before it delivered death to her friends and family.

"It shouldn't be real," she murmured with a shake of her head. She glanced over to Nick with wide eyes before her stare turned apologetic as her mouth wavered towards a weak smile. "I get why civilians shouldn't be involved, it's just one big creature after another but God damn it what else do I do?"

Nick looked back at her sympathetically. For all the disagreements their group had about Melina and what she should be doing they could all at least agree that she was definitely displaced in every sense of the word. Unfortunately, he had no answer for her. There was no quick fix for her problems.

"One day at a time," Nick advised quietly before he headed back to the captain.

Melina walked awkwardly towards them, keeping her head turned to the snake as if fearful it would pounce at her if she looked away. "I don't even know how my sister died, I went under the water before it happened," she said softly. "It was so fast in the water."

Ryan gave Nick a wary look but withheld his grumble about civilians. "Let's get back to the others," he advised.

Nick cocked a small smile. "Claudia isn't going to be too happy with the mess," he mused. "Priceless artefacts can't be easily repaired from bullet damage."

"Would you have preferred I preserved the history and let it kill you both?" the captain remarked sardonically.

"Well now," Melina piped up as she stepped between them, "haven't you technically preserved history by saving me?"

Nick let out a soft chuckle at this whilst the soldier shook his head with a frown.

The trio started to retreat to the doors. Melina kept glancing back to the snake, unhappy with having it at her back even if it was fake.

Ryan let out a heavy sigh as he saw what she was doing and was forced to stand and hold the door open for her to save her walking into it.

"You know, there's another one of those predators about," Ryan reminded them grimly. "I could do with both hands for my gun."

Melina turned her head back to him as she escaped the room. She gave him a gentle smile. "I thought chivalry had made a comeback."

The captain released the door and gripped his gun with both hands in response.

"Don't fall down the stairs," he grumbled before he headed for them.

They stopped suddenly as they heard a loud clatter of footsteps before Connor, Stephen and Abby appeared in a run in the lobby.

"Oh you're alright!" Connor called excitedly as he grinned up to them. He gestured to Stephen with a wave of his hand. "He got it!"

Stephen gave a proud grin but was silent as he let Connor brag for him.

"It nearly took a chunk out of Claudia but Stephen got it, clean shot straight through its skull!"

Nick immediately looked concerned and started to hurry down the steps. "Is Claudia alright?"

Connor waved off his concerns. "Yeah she's fine mate," he dismissed. "You should have seen it, just one shot and down it went!"

"Hmm, and you were saying civilians just aren't cut out for this work," Melina teased quietly as she sneaked a glance up to Ryan. "How many bullets did you use?"

"Too many to keep you and Nick safe," Ryan grunted back.

Melina smiled again. "Oh come on now, don't get crabby."

"Crabby?" he echoed.

"What, is that not a term in this time? Does it mean something else?"

Ryan shook his head again. "It means what you think," he retorted flatly before he headed down the stairs.

"Melina!" Connor greeted her happily. "Where did you go? One of the soldiers was saying you saw a pretty good looking Rex, made Claudia jump anyway." He snickered at this. "It won't be a patch on the ones in Jurassic Park."

"Oh. Right..." Melina pushed back two long strands of hair on either side of her face. "I..." She gestured back to the stairs with her right hand. "There was a creature."

"Another predator," Ryan explained. His blue gaze was on the young woman, he saw that she was tense and figured she was trying to process what had happened.

Anomaly attacks were like water off a duck's back for everyone else here, even a future predator didn't do much to phase them once all was said and done. As long as there were no fatalities, they all just got on with it like it was another day in the office but Ryan could understand how that mindset wasn't easy to pick up on for a newcomer.

"How many bullets?" Stephen queried curiously with a cocky stare.

"One knife," Melina blurted out, "mine and then maybe some help from the captain and his rifle," she added quietly.

"A knife," Connor marvelled with wide eyes. "What kind?"

"Just a regular old kitchen knife, given how little Claudia used it I was surprised it was still sharp," Melina admitted.

"Do you know how to use knives?" Abby pried with an intrigued look. "I mean as weapons."

"Well I used the odd machete for clearing stubborn growth on the park," Melina retorted, "and it didn't hurt to have it on hand in case you strayed into hyena territory."

Connor let out a chuckle. "So the kitchen knife, not quite a knife compared to a machete hmm?" He gave a wide grin. "That's not a knife, this is a knife!" he exclaimed in a bad put on Australian accent.

Melina looked back at him in confusion whilst Stephen rolled his eyes and Abby shook her head scornfully.

Connor gestured out to Melina. "Oh come on, you must get that one, it's from the eighties! Crocodile Dundee!"

Melina shook her head. "Nope but I was nineteen-eighty-four remember? Not the entire eighties." She frowned at this. "I missed most of the eighties really," she realised.

Connor's smile faded as he lowered his hand. "Right, well it's a good film, we'll have to watch it but dinosaurs first. Oh hey," he suddenly exclaimed as his eyes filled with glee, "wait a minute, what about Jaws, you must have seen that right?"

Melina nodded. "Sure, first date with my high school boyfriend." She pulled a face of revulsion. "It was kind of gnarly, not a film for a first date."

"Gnarly?" Stephen mimicked with a teasing glint in his blue stare.

Abby gave the taller man a soft dig in the side with her elbow.

"Oh that would be a brilliant date!" Connor marvelled. "That movie never gets old! Same director you know, Jaws and Jurassic Park."

"Huh." Melina suddenly looked uncomfortable again and her frown returned. "I...I guess I kind of didn't consider people still existing. I mean I thought about my parents but I suppose all the celebrities I knew, they've all kept going in the world, growing, changing, only I got stopped in time. That's...weird. Um...I don't think I'm up for anymore dinosaurs today, I'm starting to feel like one."

If the young woman hadn't said it with such bitterness Connor might have groaned at her wordplay but instead his face filled with dismay.

Hearing footsteps, they glanced over to see Nick and Claudia emerging from the aquatic exhibit accompanied by the soldiers who were supporting their wounded member. Claudia was already on the phone, gaze full of exasperation as she listened to Lester yell.

"But you've got to see what a cinema's like, come on, it'll be fun," Connor tried to urge the young woman.

Melina shook her head apologetically. "I'm sorry, I think I just need some fresh air and open space for a bit. Another time though," she added, "I really would like to see what cinemas are like."

Connor nodded even as he continued to look distraught. He glanced in Abby's direction. "What about you Abby, are you still up for it?"

Abby resisted the urge to reject the man as she saw the hope budding in his eyes. She knew he had been looking forward to the film as it was a firm favourite of his. "Sure Connor, why not?"

Connor's smile returned. "Perfect, we can split the popcorn."

Abby frowned but Connor missed it as had hurried over to Nick.

"We need to find the anomaly," Nick said sternly. "We'll have to search the building."

Connor winced and glanced at his watch. "Alright, we've got two hours before the next showing at the cinema, let's get it done!"

Nick frowned, the grooves at the corners of his mouth deepening when Connor grinned at him.

"Come on Cutter," he said excitedly, "it's a date."

"It's not a date Connor!" Abby chided loudly.

"It is though," Connor murmured quietly as he continued to grin at Nick.

"Work first then play," Claudia admonished as she snapped her phone closed.

Well we'd one predator here and one a floor up," Stephen remarked.

"But that one was down here in the lobby to begin with," Melina advised.

"Right, then the anomaly is probably on this floor," Stephen ventured.

"Well it's definitely not with the fish," Connor said firmly. "Did you guys check the dinosaur sector?"

"Not really," Nick admitted, "we heard your gunfire."

Connor smiled again before turning on both feet in a sliding motion. "Great I can see the dinosaurs now!"

The group started heading after Connor but Melina paused and glanced towards the sign for the toilets opposite the entrance to the aquatic section.

Melina hung back this time, following at the back of the group but just in front of two soldiers. They were down to five soldiers and their captain now as one had escorted their injured member out of the museum for first aid.

Ryan glanced back and arched a pale blonde eyebrow as he saw Melina following at a slower pace. "Had enough of the dinosaurs?"

Melina gave him a smile but there was no spark to this one and the corners of her mouth wavered slightly. "Is there such a thing as a quota for dinosaurs in a day?"

They bypassed the Tyrannosaurus-Rex and a collection of replicated skeletons on display.

"Here it is!" Connor's cry of awe was their alert to it.

It hovered near the wall hanging of a Triceratops' fossilised head, illuminating the grand display with a flash of gold light. It was a fading shimmer in the air, twinkling and humming lightly as it started to buzz out of existence.

Melina stared at it with both wonderment and fear. She remembered the odd feeling as she had slipped through a twinkle of lights in the warm, the shift in temperature in the water and the sudden sensation of being elsewhere. Except it wasn't just elsewhere, it was another time as well. She took a step forward, putting herself between Stephen and Abby and before the fading portal.

"What makes them?" she wondered aloud.

"We don't know yet," Abby retorted quietly. "In fact we really don't know much about them but we're trying."

The soldiers stood at the ready with their guns aimed, waiting until it finally blinked out of sight.

With one finally flicker the anomaly was gone as if it had never been.

"And you don't know when they might come back?"

Abby glanced sympathetically at the young woman and shook her head. "No, if there's a pattern we haven't cracked it yet."

Melina bowed her head. "I see."

"Well at least that's over," Claudia commented with relief. "Now I just have to assess the cost of all the damage."

"All the damage to irreplaceable fossils and artefacts," Connor mused.

Nick glanced Ryan's way at this and gave him a grin before he remarked, "now Connor, everything truly irreplaceable is right in this room and was preserved."

Stephen only just stifled a snort at this earning him a questioning look from Abby.

"Touching Cutter," Stephen sneered.

"Anyway," Connor interrupted chirpily, "Abby we have just enough time to get some snacks and I'm starving."

"Hurray popcorn for dinner," Abby murmured sardonically.

Connor stepped up to Melina and gave her a hopeful look. "Sure you don't want to come?"

Melina nodded. "Yes but thanks, I do appreciate the offer," she said sincerely.

Claudia looked her way with slight concern. "Well I have to report to Lester again and start sorting out damage control here. You've got the key to my apartment, I'm sure I can arrange a lift back there for you."

"It's on my way," Captain Ryan remarked.

Claudia raised her eyebrows slightly at this but refrained from responding.

Nick looked to Claudia. "Stephen and I will help with the report," he offered.

"What?" Stephen spluttered in annoyance.

"It can't all be action, there's paperwork involved too," Nick said with a sparkle of mirth in his eyes.

Stephen frowned back at his superior.

"You could always come see the dinosaur movie," Abby suggested.

Connor couldn't quite conceal his look of dismay at this and fixed his gaze upon Stephen as he waited for the man's response.

Stephen smiled and shook his head. "No thanks."

Only Melina noticed as Connor gave a fist punch to the air and mimed a 'yes'. It made her smile.

"Well let's get going then," Connor said hastily to Abby. He was determined that they leave now before anyone else could tag along.

The group started to disperse at this, Melina heading in the captain's wake back to the waiting cars and trucks parked outside.