Connor and Abby bring home a roommate

Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, but of Impossible Pictures

1.

"Hey mate, get ready with the sails, because a fair wind is blowing!" Connor was cheerfully signing under his breath. "Abby, you ready to go home?"

Abby glared, not quite understanding Connor's enthusiasm. The skies were grey and overcast, the rain was coming down steadily in small clumps, the puddles were gaping wide on the doorway, and overall it was a very typical autumn morning, complete with a cold wind blowing. "How can you be so cheerful?" Abby asked her friend. "It certainly can't be the weather, it's ghastly!"

"Yes, yes it is, but after spending the night in the ARC's guest quarters I am happy to leave anyhow, you know," Connor shrugged. "Besides, if worst comes to worst... there's no need to be glum on top of it, you know?"

"Connor," Abby said after a brief pause. "You're not making too much sense, you know?"

"I'm sorry, but, well, I guess I am just a cheerful person – usually," Connor shrugged, his face actually clouding now. "Besides, today will probably be quite exciting, you know?"

"No, yesterday was exciting, today will be just dealing with yesterday's spillovers," Abby shrugged. "Hey, the fog is lifting up, see?"

"That's an abrupt shift in the conversation – what brought it on?" Connor asked suspiciously, "and besides, the fog is setting down again-" he blinked. "Are we arguing about the weather now?"

"Connor," Abby sighed, "yes we are, because we're dawdling. You don't intend to be actually late, do you?"

Connor exhaled, clearly upset that Abby had cut through their little ploy. "No."

2. Several hours earlier

"Helen, good morning," Jenny smiled, though the smile was somewhat subdued. "Are you excited about today?"

"Yes."

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "That's... laconic. Are you nervous about today?"

"Yes."

Jenny raised her other eyebrow. "And are you sure that it has nothing to do with last night?"

"No."

"Then please talk about it," Jenny said, trying to be stern. "I'm sure that it not that serious."

It was Helen's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Very well. What exactly were you thinking when you suggested that I become the head of the new department, aka Connor's boss or something along those lines? I am an anthropologist Jenny, I study human evolution – the time anomalies are definitely not human evolution, in fact I suspect that it was the other way around: our descendants invented the technology that made time anomalies possible-"

"Look," Jenny waved her hand in a sort of dismissive way. "Before you try to sidetrack me, let me point out that Connor himself deals in dinosaurs, mainly, which means he probably no better in dealing with this than you are, or maybe even worse, because he lacks your experience."

"Experience comes with time, quickly enough, especially if it is coupled with survival," Helen shook her head. "I have no intention of becoming redundant."

"Oh Helen!" Jenny exhaled. "You're not going to – look. You do look at Connor as some sort of a student nowadays, right?"

"When I see him and his girlfriend argue, it reminds me of me and Nick at that age – we were so young and stupid," Helen said quietly. "I cannot help but feel – or rather, I cannot help but want to try and help them not to end the way I and Nick had."

"That's very... noble," Jenny said after a long pause, "and if you ever try to use that line on them the resulting fireworks will be even more impressive, but that is my point. Helen, look. Everybody grows old, and that is why we have children, to father – or, well, mother – the next generation."

Helen gave Jenny an unreadable look. "That's an interesting philosophy, but let's remember, for the moment, that I am still evil."

"Oh," Jenny grinned wildly, "do try to remember that while you're an anthropologist, I had to study liberal arts and sciences – you do not want to mess with me with philosophy... At any rate, I think that you were never evil: amoral, venal, and corrupt – certainly; arrogant and insane – you said so yourself; but never evil per se."

"I deserve that," Helen said slowly, "but I think we're getting sidetracked: me working for the ARC is a good idea why?"

"Because you don't have anything else to do – your drawings are obviously just a second-hand hobby after science," Jenny replied. "You're a scientist, Helen, hence why you gotten into drawing in the first place. You need something or someone to challenge you as well – otherwise you can get tricked by someone like Leek."

"That was a low blow, but you may be onto something here, Jenny," Helen said, with something suspiciously like a smile flickering briefly upon her face, "but let's not get carried away, Jenny. First, I want to get over the book release, okay?"

"Okay," Jenny nodded, seeing that this wasn't the time to push it. "But think about it, please?"

3. Now

"Well, we're here!" Abby turned to Connor. "And the rains have stopped as well."

"Lucky us," Connor muttered, as he glanced at the sky: the fog was still hanging up there and heavy clouds were being herded along by the wind like some sort of a low-key wild hunt. "Abby, you want to know something?"

"What, Connor?"

"This isn't about Nick's death and the ARC's temporary destruction anymore. It's Jenny and Lorraine now who are going over Lester's head-"

"And you were excited about it last night-"

"I was just putting a brave front for you..." Connor's voice trailed away as he recognized several people in the crowd from his past. "Abby, get into the book shop – I think that the others will need our support!"

4.

The opening is going on smoothly enough, Jenny muses. Helen may have a very limited range of facial expressions beyond the ultimate poker face and some very similar nondescript expressions of amusement, bemusement, curiosity and irritation, but her smile seems to be pleasant enough, even if rather strained around the edges, though you could never tell unless you were practicing-

And then a stranger – a rather dignified-looking older gentleman approached the anthropologist turned time traveller, and the latter stiffened, so Jenny began to edge closer to them: whenever Helen's hackles were raised in the past, some sort of a bad thing was usually sure to happen.

"Hello, Helen," the other woman's interlocutor speaks cheerfully. "It's so good to see you again – you aged just fine."

"So have you, sir," Helen admitted in a voice that was carefully calibrated to please. "How is your circle of colleagues and friends?"

"Oh, just fine, just fine, Helen," the man speaks with a throaty chuckle. "I see that after Nick's demise you have come back from your domestic life and back into your theories with a vengeance."

"No, I have changed them somewhat – everything and everyone changes with age," Helen smiles calmly, but her smile now has an edge. "If they don't, they stagnate and die out, no matter how successful and powerful they once were. Father Time waits for no man."

"You have grown philosophical Helen, in your old age," the man replied, musingly. "Ah, well. You know that when I backed-up Nick in those arguments of yours I never expected the two of you to drift so far apart? Your marriage seemed to have been really working at that time."

"Yes sir, it did – at that time," Helen's voice was completely emotionless by now. "Here, have one of my first books for free – it's on me." She thrust one of her books into the man's hands. "I'm sure that your grandkids will enjoy the pictures."

A mix of pain, ruefulness and embarrassment rushed across the man's face. "I'm afraid that they're not as enthusiastic about my job as I have been at their age... but thank you for the gift, really. Now, uh, about your sponsors-"

"Um, Helen, this does sound somewhat like our cue," Connor and Abby had joined Helen and her interlocutor, "but, in reality, Lorraine Wickers has called to say that the center's HQ has just come onto another emergency, and since you are a part of the field team-"

"Of course, of course," Helen smiled graciously, "sir, may I introduce you – albeit briefly – to Connor Temple, one of Nick's best students? I'm sorry that I have to leave so abruptly, but I'm afraid that the job has irregular hours-"

"Can you be more specific?" the man asked, clearly and honestly curious now.

"Ah! Ms. Lewis over here handles such specifics," Helen smiled and pushed Jenny gently towards her interlocutor. "I'm sure that she'll be happy to explain the details to you. Connor, Abby – let's go."

5.

"That was kind of cold what you did to Jenny, she's used to come to the field with us," Connor says as he, Helen and Abby drove away from the book store.

"True," Helen agrees, "but she's gotten somewhat out of shape lately, hasn't she?"

"Yeah," Abby and Connor reluctantly agree, "but still-"

"When dealing with dinosaurs, speed is important," Helen says, "especially with the big ones – their motor skills aren't developed for delicate details or manoeuvres. But there are plenty of smaller predators wandering through the ages, from the raptors to gorgonopsids to the futuristic wolverines, who are much more manoeuvrable, fast and smart than the dinosaurs."

"What futuristic wolverines?" Abby can't help but ask.

"Descendants of the wolverines from about the same time that the giant weasels that currently plague France are," Helen says calmly, "resemble polar bears in character."

Abby winces. "That's just nasty – you think that we'll run into them?"

"I have no idea," Helen shrugs. "I'm willing to bet, though, that this isn't another dinosaur like the ones you met in your home – sort of. Otherwise we'd be urged to go much, much faster – where are we going, though?"

"To the docks," Connor says slowly. "The anomaly has opened in the industrial area of the harbour."

6.

The time anomaly is twinkling brightly and clearly in the otherwise overcast air, and there are no signs of dinosaurs, either singular or plural; however, the air that comes out from it is dry, and hot, and smells of blood.

"So, uh, Jurassic?" Connor suggests weakly, looking up at Helen, who shrugs nonchalantly:

"I have no idea – to me, just like to you, blood of all animals smells the same. Maybe it is the Jurassic time period – or maybe not. Still, the animal that has got out – it is a mammal and not a Mesozoic one either, but a real one."

"I say!" Connor says, as he looks in the direction that Helen is pointing: the creature is the size of a large calf, but is built quite differently: like the ground sloths, whose fossils Connor had studied before joining the ARC team, with a head that resembles a horse's, not a cow's. "I think... that it's a chalicothere of some sorts."

"What's a chalicothere?" Abby asks, genuinely curious, "and don't tell me the obvious!"

"I won't, I won't!" Connor almost laughs. "The chalicotheres were a clan of plant-eating animals, more closer related to horses and zebras, than gazelles and deer."

"I have seen similar animals in the Pliocene Africa," unexpectedly, Helen backs Connor up. "Only then they didn't have claws but more ordinary-looking hooves."

"Yeah, some of them had claws, others had hooves, but they all died out eventually," Connor nodded sagely. "Anyways, all we now have to do is to return the little fellow through the time anomaly-"

"Connor, it smells of blood from there," Abby says slowly, "and the 'little fellow' seems spooked – very spooked. I'm betting that his parents – or older relatives anyways – are out there somewhere, eaten."

"Yes – by them!" Helen says sharply, pointing abruptly in the direction of the time anomaly, through which came three very large animals, resembling dogs, but built rather like bears."

"Connor, what are they?" Abby says quietly.

"Bear-dogs, I bet," Connor thoughtfully replied. "What were they called, anyways? Agriotherium? Sarkastodon? Oh yes, amphicyon! They were probably some of the bigger meat-eaters of that time-"

"And they're going to kill that-that foal!" Abby snaps. "Connor, we got to save it!"

"Abby, we can't!" Connor tries his best not to groan – now is so not the time for Abby to get back to being emotional. "We outnumber them! Well, not exactly outnumber as being tied-" she gets out of the car just as the little chalicothere makes a plaintive sound and the bear-dogs move to attack.

Helen grabs the younger woman harshly by the collar and jerks her backwards. "What are you doing, you crazy-" Abby sputters and falls silent as she sees the grisly spectacle outside: there aren't three bear-dogs, but five – the other two had flanked their prey and prevented it from escaping. Working together, the five bear-dogs didn't give the young herbivore any chance – wouldn't have given Abby any chance either if she'd have tried to get between them and the chalicothere: the bear-dogs are a meter tall each and about two meters long, the size of some of the lions in the zoo, but much heavier and act much more like wild dogs or wolves than bears.

"This isn't good," Connor mutters, his face pale. "We must call the center for back-up, these animals-"

The bear-dogs finish eating the chalicothere and leave back through the time anomaly. Connor, at any rate, notes that at least two of them are bleeding from wounds of their own, which have clearly resulted from chalicothere claws, albeit from bigger ones that had belonged to the now-deceased juvenile. At any rate, the time anomaly closes shut behind the tail of the last bear-dog, and there's only silence and chalicothere bones left on the docks.

"Come on," Helen says gently, seeing how Abby went into something like shock. "We need to clean up still."

7.

Jenny is most unamused when they return to the ARC; still, seeing their own faces, including Abby's shocked one, softens her face somewhat. "What has happened?" she asks quietly, as Helen and Connor help the still-shocked Abby leave their car.

"We have seen some bear-dogs in action," Connor admits. "It wasn't pretty, but at least no lives were lost besides a chalicothere's."

"Say whose?"

"An herbivore, whose species had gone extinct a long time ago," Connor says. "What has happened on your end?"

"Caroline had forced Christine to admit, sort of, that she was behind Leek's little terrorist plot," Jenny shrugs, keeping a careful look at their faces, "but at this point in time it doesn't matter so much anymore – what do you think?"

"Why is Caroline here?" Connor is carefully keeping his voice neutral.

"I think she wants to talk to you," Jenny replies, as if she's stating the obvious, "and speaking of talks, your new 'friend' from the book shop wants to have a tour of the ARC – one of you couldn't have told me that he's a very prominent pillar from the science community?"

"So what does he want from us?" Connor can't help but ask. "I had the impression that the avoided the ARC-"

"Yeah, but your books have peaked their interest," she turns to Helen, "and while Lorraine and I were able to raise enough BS to have him go to the PM for clearance, it won't take him that long." She pauses, "Connor, go and talk to Caroline, please. Helen, help me get Abby into the medical wing."

"I'm okay," Abby mumbles.

"Perhaps," Jenny says gently yet firmly. "But we're still going to have you checked out on the grounds of shock, okay?"

With only minimal reluctance, Abby submits.

8.

"Helen, what was the big idea leaving me behind to deal with that man?" Jenny exhales with an angry huff, but Helen seems to be unimpressed by her attitude. "I mean, I am a part of the team-"

"Yes, you are," Helen says gently, "but there is the little problem of you steadily getting heavier – you just don't want to exercise, do you?"

"...no," Jenny finally admits, "but what's the point? All of my life I tried to be in shape and be pretty, because, well, I wanted to be pretty for others – my boyfriends, my eventual fiancé, Nick – and it didn't pay-off when I wanted it to, especially with Nick. Now, well, I seem to be shaping up to be an old maid, and it just doesn't seem to be any reason-"

"Jenny," Helen takes the other woman gently yet firmly by the elbow, "we're working under conditions where quickness and manoeuvrability are a very important requirement: you never know when you have to run away from a ceratosaurus, say, or a sand storm. Unless you try to get in shape you'll be stuck behind the lines, in the office – unless that is what you want?"

"I don't know what I want anymore – I just don't want to go back the way I was when Nick died," Jenny whimpered quietly. "I am not sure just how I want to look either!"

"How about we start on the power walking tomorrow?" Helen sighed. "This should help you decide what do you want and how you want to look."

"Thanks-"

"Oh, don't thank me – Christine Johnson's going to be your motivator during the exercises-"

"What?!!"

It was at this moment that Lorraine chose to appear, saying that the ARC had a very important visitor, so could Ms. Lewis – being the center's PR agent – go out and greet him?

9.

Connor found Caroline sitting in one of the secondary offices of the ARC and walked over to her:

"Hey!" He wanted to add some useful or witty comments about Abby's acceptance of her, but somehow what came out of his mouth was:

"So, what's that about Christine Johnson?"

"I heard Leek mention the name of Johnson several times during our discussions and asked her if she knew him – and she somehow just imploded, really, and admitted that she was behind him," Caroline replied, watching Connor carefully. "And then Ms. Lewis had this strange look on her face and told her that Christine has already paid for this, somewhat, so it doesn't count, and Christine Johnson had some sort of a breakdown and had to be taken to the hospital wing – where's your friend?"

"You mean Abby? She's there as well – she's in shock."

"More terror birds?"

"Bear-dogs actually, but that's not what you think," Connor shook his head.

"I've booked us an appointment with the doctor this Saturday-" Caroline began, but abruptly shifted gears. "Oh, hello, Abby."

"Hello to you to," Abby said dismissively and shifted to Connor. "We have another problem."

"What is it?" Connor said warily: something was wrong. Abby's next words had proven rather neatly this theory to be true, too.

"Connor? Remember when Helen caused us to be stranded in the Cretaceous? Remember our second day – before we jumped into the Jurassic instead?"

"Yeah – that was the day when we..." Connor trailed away, as realization hit for the first in weeks.

"You had sex – not the safe version, obviously," Caroline has also realized what has happened. "Connor has gotten to you too, haven't you?"

"That's not how I would describe it, but yeah, exactly," Abby looks at Caroline. "And to think that I have just realized that I'm going to be more mature and make you a part of my life as well."

"Well then, I booked a doctor's appointment for Saturday – you want to come along too?"

"Yes – but I still don't like or trust you," Abby says slowly. "But that's why I am coming along all the same: one way or another, when it ends this Saturday, I'll be there."

The two women look at each other more guardedly yet less violently than before, while Connor just stands there as realization that he may end up as a father twice over strikes him in the head time and again.

10.

"Hello again, sir," Jenny's professional smile is back on her face, and there it'll stay, no matter what. "Let me first say that we're sorry about the bother, but-"

"Oh no," the gentleman from the book shop – Nick's former scientific superior – smiles calmly. "It was no bother at all – this old body needs all the exercise that it can get."

"Splendid," Jenny nods as she looks-over the papers signed by the PM's signature. "So, what questions about our center do you want answered?"

"Here's the thing," for the first time today the interlocutor seems somewhat unsure of himself, "for months since the center has been opened there have been some rather crazy rumours about it, yet nothing concrete. Can you please summarize as quickly as possible what is it that you do and how does Helen Cutter configure in it?"

"Oh, we're dealing with the breakthroughs of the fourth dimension," Jenny said airily, "with Helen Cutter assisting Connor Temple – and vice versa – with the more paleontological issues."

"I see," the aged scientist said softly, "and here is the thing. Many years ago, when Helen was still young, only recently married to Nick she was quickly gaining reputation as one of the more talented yet eccentric members of her field. Anthropology, as an aside, often does encourage various unorthodox theories in its' adepts, but that wasn't the point. The thing is that Nick was asked to reign in his wife, to prevent her from doing something that could damage her career – as a prominent scientist and a woman she had a lot riding on it and her philosophy wasn't easing things any – but unfortunately he didn't do a very good job."

"A good job," Jenny repeated mechanically, but her interlocutor blithely went on.

"In my opinion, Nick and Helen had married too young, too quickly, and once maturity began to settle in, they began to have problems... Still, Helen managed to get her doctorate without any visible problems, and frankly too intent involvement on their family life would've backfired badly, no doubt about it, on both them and others, so no further intrusions were made. Things came to a boil, obviously, when Helen had left Nick under suspicious circumstances. Obviously, now it can be comprehended that our Majesty's government was involved and that the ARC under the patronage of James Lester had been in the planning for a long time, and," he took a breath, "one of the latest employees is one Sarah Page, another promising female scientist who is also highly unorthodox. So," he paused, and for the first time looked like no one more than a tired old man, "when you will launch your scientific warhead, try to remember that we, scientific conservatives aren't truly retrogrades and obscurtantists, would you? Sir Lester, good day."

The palaeontologist turned around and left, leaving Jenny and others in company of James Lester, who had finally returned from France...

11.

"So, Sir James now is it?" Helen asked mildly, watching Lester without any particular emotion on her face. "It must've been a lot of weasels back in France."

"Yes, Dr. Cutter, it was – I mean, there were," James Lester exhaled sharply. "And by the way, do you prefer Cutter or Hunter, your maiden name?"

"My maiden name, actually," Helen continued, matching her poker face against Lester's. "My married name carries too much baggage with it, don't you think?" Her vocal tone was mild and that was probably what finally set Lester off.

"Of all the colossal gall!" he shouted at no one in particular. "Why does this keep happening? A simple save-and-retrieve mission turns into an international incident that turns into an international emergency when giant weasels from the future, of all things, follow Mr. Quinn into the breach, and back home-"

"James," Danny Quinn chose to make the appearance on the scene, "did you know that there's a really convincing Christine Johnson look-alike currently being told-off by Lorraine-" he froze and stared as he saw that James Lester was busy talking not only with a rather different-looking Jenny Lewis, but with another very familiar person as well.

"Hello Danny," Helen said, half turning around, her smile now having a definite shark-like quality. "Lorraine ought to have told you: this whole coming back to life thing? It's contagious."

12.

It was at this tense moment that Lorraine chose to make her appearance:

"Mr. Lester? Sir? The ITV has just broadcasted live that some sort of a giant T-Rex-like dinosaur with a sail on its' back is stalking the shoreline of Thames!"

It was then that it all fell apart.