Eleven

Something was wrong with the ARC.

They all knew once they entered the building as no-one was guarding the enterence and it was too quite. No not quiet because they could hear shouting.

Specifically a woman shouting.

'Oh no' Connor moaned and looked at Danny and Becker.

'What?' Danny said.

'Helen' Connor replied.

They started to run to the operations room.

They stopped abruptly as they saw all of the ARC personnel gathered in the middle and looking up at Helen.

Helen upon seeing them said 'ah just in time'.

'In time for what?' Connor asked, fully aware that he couldn't see Abby anywhere. Helen ignored him and turned to her soldier and nodded.

Once the soldier left the room she began speaking again.

'The ADD has a bomb wired to its mainframe as per my instructions to Abby, if you try to stop it then it will go off unless you give me the artefact'.

'What if we refuse?' Danny said.

'If you refuse the ARC gets blown up and' Helen paused as her solider came back into the room dragging a bruised and annoyed looking Abby.

'Get of me!' she said.

'ABBY!' Connor shouted in relief.

'What have you done to her?' Connor asked Helen once he'd taken in the state Abby was in.

'Punishment for failing to shoot you and trying to escape'

Abby looked down at the ARC personnel. She glanced at them until she found Connor, her eyes locked onto his and she smiled.

'You didn't finish my question, what happens if we refuse?' Danny said.

'Miss Maitland here dies' Helen replied simply.

This was new news on Abby as she paled along with half of the ARC.

'No' Connor shouted 'you can't'.

Everybody was surprised at who spoke next.

'Phase 1; knock members of ARC team out, phase 2; bribe ARC, phase 3; go back on your word, she wouldn't even hesitate to kill me'.

'She's right Connor' Danny said gently 'if we give her the artefact what's to stop her from going back on her word and there would be nothing we could do about it because she has Abby'.

Connor looked up at Helen.

'Let her go first'.

'What? So she can run down to you and save the day? I don't think so'.

'No, just so that the soldier isn't holding onto her'.

Helen thought this over for a second before nodding to her solider and saying 'listen to my voice; let her go'.

The soldier obeyed and let Abby go.

'Thank you' Abby said to Helen.

Abby went over to the bar and gripped it tightly.

It was the only thing she could do to prevent herself from screaming out in pain.

Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult and painful. But she didn't want Connor to know that, he'd just get upset and worried.

Abby didn't like it when Connor got upset.

Connor knew something was wrong from the way Abby was standing. Her hands gripping the bar so tightly it was as if she were afraid she would fall. He could see her knuckles getting whiter.

'Abby are you okay?' he asked.

Taking a deep breath she replied 'yeah'.

But Connor wasn't convinced.

Biting her lip against the pain Abby slowly started to walk down the ramp.

'I'm fine Connor' she flashed him a smile but gasped in pain.

'Your right Connor. You see Abby here is not at all well, in fact she has been coughing up blood for the past half hour' Helen said not noticing Abby was making her way down the ramp.

'The ARC will be gone soon as will Abby, and you Connor'.