Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright is intended
A/N: This final part is dedicated to my friend iEvenstarEstel *g* Thanks also to everyone who has commented or favourited. I hope you like the conclusion.
Can Abby and Jess save Connor? Will they realise what Abby's illness really is before its too late? Can Danny stop Burton's plans?
Danny watched the ARC personnel all filing out into the car park and standing around looking slightly bored. He could hear an alarm and guessed that perhaps this was some kind of fire-drill. Burton was stood at the far end, watching everyone and smiling without seemingly a care in the world.
After a few minutes, Danny grew concerned. There was no sign of Abby – or Connor for that matter, and Jess seemed to be missing too. For someone who gave the impression that he ran a very slick operation, Burton didn't seem to be worrying that three of his key staff were not assembled with the rest. He was certain that he hadn't seen Connor or Jess leave, and he knew Abby was inside because he'd spoken to her only an hour or so ago. Something was wrong.
He strolled over to where Burton was standing. "What's this then? A drill? All present and correct?" Danny said casually.
"I believe so, yes." Burton smiled. "But this is no practice run I'm afraid. The ARC goes into lockdown when a dangerous creature escapes. Always reassuring to know an evacuation procedure works well isn't it?"
"Yes it is, although I am a little concerned that I can't see Abby, Connor or Jess around."
Burton's face changed; his eyes narrowed and his lips tightened into a straight line. "It's unfortunate that Jess has been tangled up in this, but she'll be OK once she's got over the trauma. I shall encourage Captain Becker to look after her a little more and see that she gets the proper care."
"Tangled up in what?" Danny felt his frustration swelling inside, but he tried to keep calm. Getting angry at Burton now would not help if he wanted answers.
"Follow me." Burton said, quietly; checking to make sure no-one was looking. He led Danny around to the side of the building where they couldn't be seen. "I'm afraid Connor has become a liability, thanks to you and Abby. He asks too many questions and is in danger of exposing my project. I would have liked to keep him on for a while longer; he has a great mind, but sadly he seems intent on stopping the anomalies and was beginning to realise that I wanted to use them. I'm terminating our arrangement, permanently."
"You've locked them inside the ARC with a creature? How sick is..."
"Oh no, I've only trapped Connor. No doubt Jess is at her computer now, trying to work out how to over-ride the lockdown. It's quite a complex system and I'm the only one with access to it – although young Connor did find a back door in using his old system. I doubt Jess will be able crack either in time to save him. If the creature doesn't kill him, then the lack of oxygen will."
Danny's right hand curled into a fist. The things he'd read about at the ARC in 2042 seemed to be making sense now; events fitting into place. "You're murdering Connor!"
"They'll never be able to pin it on me. It'll all look like a terrible accident, and it will have to be kept quiet of course – we wouldn't want it getting out that he was killed by a prehistoric creature would we? And poor Abby, witnessing the death of the man she loves; killed by one of those creatures she thinks so much of. Rather ironic isn't it? She'll be wishing she'd let me have them put to sleep after all. It'll be so easy to make her death look like suicide after this." Burton turned to walk away.
"You're forgetting one thing." Danny said. "You've just told me everything."
Burton laughed. "No-one will believe a word you say. This morning, one of the doctor's employed by Prospero filed a report on the state of your mental health. He has recommended very strongly that you be committed under the mental health act and held in a secure hospital. You're clearly unbalanced, it must have been rough out there on your own for ..."
Danny had had enough. "Well maybe I should give them one more reason to think I'm crazy, eh?" he said calmly, pulling a small handgun from his pocket. Three rapid shots were fired, each hitting their intended target; stomach, groin and heart. He would have preferred to deal out a more painful and slow death, but he couldn't risk Burton being found and having a chance of recovery. It had to end here and now with no room for doubt.
He crouched by the bloodied body; taking a moment to make certain he really was dead. Once satisfied, he took a deep breath and stood up. By now, the sound of gunshots had alerted the attention of some of the ARC staff, and there were several people stood watching in disbelief. "Where's Captain Becker?" someone yelled. "We need security here!"
Danny took out his mobile phone and handed it to one of the men. "Call him and tell him what's happened. Tell him Connor, Abby and Jess are trapped inside the ARC and dying." He ran towards the doors and frantically tried to open them. "How do I get in?" he yelled at anyone who was listening.
"The lockdown shuts all the computers down." someone said. "Everything is electronically sealed; no-one gets in or out until the lockdown is stopped."
Danny fired his one remaining bullet at the lock on the door, hoping it would demolish the electronics and enable him to get inside, but nothing happened. A hand was placed on his shoulder and as he turned around, someone punched him. He was surrounded, he heard voices saying something about him killing Burton and then he blacked out.
-o-
Abby pulled herself together. The last thing Connor needed at the moment was to see her losing it. She pressed the intercom. "Connor? Can you hear me?"
"Yes." Connor said, quietly.
"Jess says you know a back way into the computer system? Can you talk her through it?"
He closed his eyes and tried to think. When he'd done this before, a lot of it was trial and error and a bit of luck. His head felt weird; the lack of oxygen in the air was beginning to have an effect on him. "I'll try." he called back. "Tell Jess to bring the laptop over to the window so I can see the screen."
Jess moved everything over, and Abby moved to one side so that Jess and Connor could work together. At first, it seemed to be going well. Abby watched in wonder; not understanding most of what they were saying. Her head was pounding and she could feel herself shaking; barely able to stand. The room seemed to be spinning, and for a moment she thought she was going pass out. It was the thought that she had to keep her finger on the intercom so that Jess and Connor could talk that kept her awake. She just had to focus on that one thing.
The Hyenadon was laid in a heap on the floor a few feet from Connor, panting for air. If the creature was struggling to breathe, then Abby guessed Connor must be too. It had already been 15 minutes since the lockdown had started, and Jess had estimated that all the air would be gone in 20. "We have to hurry, Jess!" she said urgently.
"I know, I know!" Jess said.
"You can do this!" Connor said. "We're almost in."
Jess was getting flustered, and more and more frustrated by the second. Her fingers wouldn't work properly and she kept typing the wrong thing. Abby came over and hugged her. "Stay calm, Jess."
"I'm sorry. I can do this." Jess took a deep breath, composed herself, then started on the sequence again.
Abby went back to the intercom, and glanced into the room. Connor was no longer by the window. "Connor?" she said. There was no reply. "Connor?" She moved to get a better view and saw Connor slumped on the floor. "Noooooo! Jess, you have to get into that system now!" Her tears were falling like rivers down her cheeks.
"I'm almost there... If I remember correctly, then …. yessss yessss!" Jess bounced up and down in her seat. The blue screen in front of her looked very familiar; it was the entry screen into Connor's old system and it was waiting for the password.
"Damn! Trust Connor to have everything password protected!" Abby cursed.
"It's OK. I was here when he did it before. I know what it is." Jess's voice changed. She did know Connor's password, but this could be a slightly awkward moment. "You should look away, Abby. You know what Connor is like about security."
"Just put the bloody password in, Jess! He's dying in there!" Abby yelled. Through her tears, Abby watched the screen as the letters appeared. A B B Y T E M P L E. Her jaw dropped open and it felt like everything had come to a standstill. She almost didn't register the fact that the lights were back on and that the computers across from her were restarting; she barely noticed the sudden burst of activity as people rushed back inside, and she was only vaguely aware that an oxygen tank had been dragged into the lab and Connor was surrounded by people trying to revive him. She just stared at the laptop screen.
A soft voice spoke, "Abby. It's OK sweetheart." Danny placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her towards the lab.
"I don't want ..." she protested. If Connor was dead, she didn't want to see him. She stood by the door, watching Danny kneel beside Connor. He took the oxygen mask from the girl that was holding it and held it over Connor's mouth himself. The people surrounding moved back a little, and someone said that an ambulance was on its way.
"Abby!" Danny said, his voice sounded sharp. "He needs you."
She edged a little closer, but seeing his lifeless body there was too much and she backed away again, her face crumpling.
"Abby!" Danny said again. "You need to forget everything that has happened between the two of you these last couple of months and focus on now. When he comes round, he is going to be more than a little embarrassed about his behaviour, and he probably thinks everyone hates him. You have to remember how manipulating Burton was and that none of this was really Connor's fault."
"Was?" Abby said, shakily.
"Burton's dead. He won't bother us again." Danny said, matter of factly. "Now, come and let Connor know that you still care about him!"
Abby crouched beside Connor, and took his hand in hers. Her fingers tangled into his and she pressed the back of his hand against her cheek. He felt cold, and it was almost like he wasn't there. She feared it was too late. "Connor! Wake up!" she squeaked out, choking on her sobs. "We can talk, start over again if you want."
Connor's eyes flickered open, he coughed and squeezed Abby's hand. She went to hug him; the relief overwhelming, but she couldn't move. A jolt of pain shot through her entire body and everything went black.
"Abby!" Jess screamed. Danny shifted the oxygen tank and mask over to her and he took her wrist, trying to feel for a pulse. "She hasn't been well for a few days, Danny." Jess said. "We thought she had flu."
"Arsenic." Connor gasped, trying to sit up.
"What was that mate?" Danny said.
"Burton. He's..." Connor was struggling to get his words out.
"Take your time. What's Burton done?"
"Poisoned her. Arsenic in her drinks."
Danny scooped Abby up into his arms and pushed his way through the door and out into the main hub. "Where the hell is that ambulance?" He glanced down at Abby's pale face. He could barely feel her weight in his arms, and he realised just how vulnerable she really was underneath all the bravado and confidence. He'd come back to put everything right that he knew went wrong; if Abby died, then he would have failed. He cursed himself for not spotting her symptoms earlier – he should have realised she was being poisoned.
Determined to get her to the hospital, he forced his way through a group of men who were trying to stop him from leaving and made his way out into the car park. Two of the black ARC vehicles screeched to a halt in front of him, and Becker leapt out, pointing a gun straight at Danny. "What the hell is going on, Quinn? I got a call saying you'd shot Burton and that there was a creature loose inside the ARC?"
"There's no time to explain. She needs to get to hospital – Burton's been poisoning her." Danny hissed. "Jess will fill you in. There's an ambulance on its way for Connor but I think he'll be OK."
Matt stuck his head out of the car window. "Danny, get her inside here; we can drive to the hospital much quicker in this. Becker, go and speak to Jess and make sure Connor is looked after." Danny nodded and laid Abby across the back seats of Matt's car before jumping into the passenger seat that Becker had just vacated. With a screech of tyres, Matt turned the car around and seconds later they were out onto the main road heading for the hospital. Danny preyed that they would not be too late.
-o-
"You see it all here, don't you?" Danny mused. "New lives beginning, old lives ending."
Matt nodded silently. He felt sick to the stomach – Why hadn't he realised what Burton was up to? They'd all had their suspicions about what he and Connor were working on, but nothing like this had entered his mind. He'd taken all of them in; they'd trusted him because he had rescued the ARC and provided them with resources and technology beyond their wildest dreams. But it had all been a smoke screen for his true intentions, and Abby had been the only one who had seen through him. She had to pull through...
Becker came and sat beside Danny. "The doctor gave Connor a clean bill of health."
"I knew he'd be OK." Danny smiled. "Where is he?"
"You really need to ask?" Becker laughed. "He's with Abby."
Danny breathed a sigh of relief. That was a good sign; after everything that had happened those two needed each other. "Let's just hope he's the medicine she needs eh?" They all looked awkwardly at each other; all sharing the same concern. They would wait hours – days if necessary – until they knew Abby was going to be OK.
-o-
Connor couldn't get his head around the last few hours. He should have listened to Abby right from the start, this was all his fault. The doctor had said Abby was out of immediate danger; they'd managed to stabilise her after completely flushing her system out, but it was still touch and go. There was also a chance that permanent damage could have been done to her liver and kidneys. At first, he'd been afraid to even touch her. She seemed so delicate just laid there, like she'd snap in two at any moment. "She's just sleeping." He told himself. "Just like that time she got ill in the Cretaceous after eating that weird fruit." Back there, with no medicines, he had feared the worst and almost thought about eating some of it himself – if she was going to die then he was going with her; being alone was not an option. She had said the one thing that got her through that illness was having him close to her; she'd known he was wrapped around her. He had to help her in the same way now. Sliding next to her on the bed, he wrapped his arm around her tiny body and rested his head between her neck and shoulder, allowing his tears to fall silently down his cheeks.
The room was in darkness when he felt her move. She sighed heavily and Connor sat up. "Abby?"
"Connor?" she said, her voice barely a whisper. "What happened?"
"Shh, its OK, you're safe now." He stroked her cheek. "It's all over."
"Burton... he..."
"He's dead. Danny shot him." Connor said. "And good riddance to him."
"I'm sorry." Abby said.
"You don't have anything to apologise for! I was the stupid one." Connor looked away. He wouldn't blame Abby if she pushed him away. He had said some pretty bad things over the last few weeks and he knew he had hurt her.
"He had everyone fooled, Connor. If Danny hadn't come back when he did, then we would probably both be dead now." She squeezed his hand and both sat in silence, contemplating what had almost happened. This had been a wake up call. From now on, they listened to each other, they stuck together and most of all, they remembered who and what was really important.
-o-
Danny watched Connor and Abby through the window of the intensive care ward. The future was changing; a future free from Burton and a future that would have Connor and Abby in it – together as they should be. When he'd seen the ARC records in 2042, it tore his heart into shreds. None of it had made sense until now. Connor disappeared mysteriouslyearly in 2011; no trace of him was ever found and his flat had been completely cleared out as if he had never existed. Danny now guessed that Burton had murdered Connor and disposed of his body in some other distant era through an anomaly. Then there were the reports on Abby's apparent suicide. She'd been found in the ARC clutching an empty bottle of pills and interviews with ARC staff suggested Abby had been so devastated at losing Connor she had shut herself off. That was what had triggered the alarm bells with Danny. He knew Abby was stronger than that; there was no way she would take her own life. Burton had been clever, slowly poisoning her and then planting enough seeds in people's minds to make suicide seem plausible.
Matt had told him that no charges would be brought against him for Burton's murder - "You did us all a favour." Matt had said. He'd also made sure that the psychological report had been destroyed, so Danny was a free man. Free to come and go wherever … and whenever he pleased.
For a moment, he thought about saying goodbye to them but they were lost in each other; making up for lost time. Besides, it wouldn't really be goodbye because he would come back – one day. The next anomaly that opened would be his exit, leading him to the next step in his search for his brother. With a final glance back at his two old friends, he set off with a renewed determination that he would find him.