Still don't own Primeval. Not yet… (Cue maniacal laughter.)

TTIPF

4. You say with determination that you watch for the plot while pausing and sighing every time Cutter, Stephen, Connor, Becker, or Danny says or does something absolutely adorable.

3. You go to FYE just to walk around the sci-fi section waiting for the geek in fingerless gloves with a ring on a leather band around his neck to walk by, and you believe with all your heart he will.

2. You take a graphing calculator and walk around shouting at the top of your lungs, "We need to evacuate! There's an anomaly in here!"

Chapter 8

Connor held his aching head. They sat in uncomfortable silence, Becker brooding, Jade watching both of them with uneasy eyes, and he unable to speak with the splitting headache he was suffering from.

He and Becker had never been particularly close; Becker was just as condescending as Cutter and Stephen had been and Danny was, and even Abby on occasion, but Becker rarely had the deep-down caring smile the others put behind their words. Even though Connor was a year Becker's senior, the soldier was always sure to have the last word in any argument for the sheer reason that he was…better. Connor knew it. Becker was more athletic and more coordinated and didn't spend half as much time with his head in the clouds as Connor did. Connor supposed the only times they ever did get along was when they were helping someone else. Finding Cutter as the ARC was destroyed, before Cutter ran back in like a fool. On every other term, they were polar opposites.

The door opened, thrusting Connor from his thoughts. In peered the Leader's smirking face. "Come on, Temple. I need you. Not you, Captain," he added as Becker was beginning to get to his feet. "You get to stay here with the girlies…and a few other guests."

As Connor stepped warily from the cell, three others entered: Caroline Steel, Jack Maitland, and Jenny Lewis. Connor stopped a moment, turning to face Jenny.

"Jenny--are you okay?"

She nodded, and though her words were strong her eyes betrayed her. "I'm fine, Connor. Go on."

He paused a moment, looking at Jenny, who was like an older sister to him. He bit his lip before his eyes crossed over Jack, and then Caroline.

He was marched along to another room, where Stephen sat alone, his arms crossed over his chest. "Temple," he said, his eyes narrowed on the younger man. "Never believed I'd say this, but I need your help."

***

The door to the cell opened. Danny got to his feet and made for the entrance but was shoved aside by a pair of soldiers before he saw them coming.

Another soldier stepped in, his eyes running over all of them silently. "Don't try anything funny," he snapped. "There's twenty soldiers outside of this room ready to shoot dead anyone who thinks of escape."

"Twenty?" Danny asked. His eyes narrowed on the soldier. "I'd fight forty to get my friends out alive."

"Try and chance it, I dare you," the soldier replied. He laid his eyes on Abby, then gestured for the men behind him to take her. "This one's it."

"Don't you touch her," Danny growled. Lester was also getting to his feet, and Sarah. Danny put his arms up in front of Abby.

The soldier didn't hesitate, landing a blow on Danny's chin. Lester and Sarah caught him as he fell but they couldn't do that and protect Abby. The blond girl was pulled away, barely putting up a fight.

"Abby!" Sarah called after her. "Abby!"

She stared at the door as it closed behind them, looking down at Danny, frightened. "Why didn't she put up a fight, Danny--tell me everything that happened while I was gone!"

Danny sighed. "Don't suppose I'm having much luck with you girls or soldiers today," he said with a wry smile that didn't reach his eyes. "When you got taken, Becker punched me in the jaw." Sarah raised her eyebrows at that, but he continued. "Then, we were getting ready to scour…well, everywhere, to find you. Men from the ARC showed up and shoved us into an armored van, then blindfolded us for the rest of the trip. Abby had been making noises the whole time--I think the men…" He let his voice trail off, his eyes closing in regret. Sarah made a little sound of horror. "I don't know why she didn't fight, even handcuffed--I'd take her for the kind of girl who could fight a guy off with her little finger if she had to."

Sarah looked about to say something, stopped herself, then went on.

"You can't ever tell Abby I'm telling you this," she said quietly. Danny narrowed his eyes at her and she continued. "We were out getting a drink after that future anomaly, and we talked. She told me about when she was a kid, and her parents…weren't really parents."

Danny's expression didn't change; he'd guessed what she was saying. "She was too scared to fight back because she tried fighting back before."

Sarah nodded, looking away. "Not just her parents. Stepdad after stepdad. She took kickboxing a few years ago, but I guess when push came to shove she was blindfolded and cuffed, and surrounded by armed soldiers. Man, I feel so horrible for her."

"Hey, Abby's a tough girl," Danny said. Sarah looked up with a weary smile. "Toughest kid on the team, right? They can't do anything to her."

***

Connor shook his head. "I won't do it. I'd never do that."

"Oh, don't be that way." Stephen stared him down and spoke in that ever-so-condescending voice of his. The voice he'd always used with Connor, anyway. "That's what I said to Helen at first, believe it or not. Before she showed me the future."

"Helen murdered the professor," Connor scowled, speaking through his teeth. "And now you're her psychopathic slave, still bowing to your dead master."

"Are you any different?" Stephen replied. "You people worship Cutter. All he ever gave you was more questions. He never told any one of us the whole truth. Not to mention he was mad. Helen was saving the planet."

"Helen's a murderer," Connor replied. "I'd rather worship a crazy hero over following a homicidal environmentalist any day."

At this point the door flew open and in fell Abby, shoved forth by the Leader.

"Here she is," the soldier said. Connor dove to the floor to Abby.

"Are you okay? Abby!" He enveloped her in a hug, which gave her a shiver and she pushed him away.

"I'm fine, Connor…" She got to her feet, ignoring his proffered hand. Stephen smiled.

"Take her into the next room, Pullman," Stephen said carelessly; Abby was pulled through a door and Connor was left staring after her. Stephen turned to Connor then and smiled smugly. "Alright, Connor. This is how it works. If you don't give me what I want, you can watch Abby get shot between the eyes."

Connor froze as one of the walls of the dark room lit up--it was a window to the adjacent room, where the Leader, Pullman, was forcing Abby into a chair, where he strapped her wrists and ankles down.

Connor's eyes were locked on Abby, who was staring up at her captor fearfully. "She can't see us," he said. Stephen nodded, though he was answering that question and the deeper question hidden beneath it:

She can't see me betray the ARC.

Connor nodded. "I'll do it."