Abby's ringtone blasted through the ARC attracting many irritated glances. But she didn't want to miss Connor if he did call her. Mouthing sorry at her various co-workers she picked up her phone, saw who was calling and answered it instantly.
"Hi Abby it's Connor." he greeted.
"Connor! Where the hell have you been?" she queried in relief.
Jess looked up at Abby on hearing this news. Connor on the other side of the line however looked at the room he stood in. The white lab floor was almost as cluttered as his office desk back at the ARC.
"I'm not sure." he admitted.
"Are you at Prospero?"
"Could be. That name rings a bell." Connor deadpanned.
"How can you not know where you are?" asked Abby in frustration.
"Sorry." Connor paused, accidentally allowing the drowsiness to consume him before continuing. "I'm just so tired!"
"Come home then and get some sleep!" Abby encouraged, barely hiding her alarm at how exhausted he sounded.
"No. I need to get this done." he declared.
"Get what done?"
"You wouldn't understand."
Connor hung up.
Abby knew with a grim sense of conviction that even if she'd told him of Danny's message; it wouldn't have sunk in considering his current mental state. She'd hoped that a call from him would reassure her, now she was more worried than ever.
"He's hung up on me." she reported to nobody in particular.
"Okay I've got the location." Jess acknowledged.
"Of what?"
"I just tracked your boyfriend's phonecall."
This took a few seconds to sink in. A look of wonder slowly spread over Abby's face as she realised what this meant.
"Jess you are amazing!"
"All in a day's work. He should be just...here!" she smugly explained gesturing to a building now mapped out on the screen. "I'll send you the co-ordinates."
"Thanks." Abby expressed gratefully.
She left the ARC at a fast walk, not wanting to raise suspicion then ran as soon as she was out of view. She raced to her car and jumped in. Abby put her foot down, her earpiece in and she was off.
Becker, who'd witnessed the whole exchange, joined Jess by the computer screens. He'd been watching the couple ever since Abby's mobile went off. He was many things, but he wasn't stupid.
"What's going on?"
Jess nearly jumped out of her seat in surprise.
"Oh erm – stuff. Nothing important." she remarked nervously scratching her nose.
Nose scratching was a signature sign of lying, along with the rest of her disastrous body language. Becker saw right through her.
"You're a rubbish liar Jess. Matt told me about Danny's message. Tell me what's happening." Becker observantly noted that she was wearing a comm. If his instinct was correct Abby could hear Jess's every splutter. "Jess I'm head of security around here. If there's a problem I should know about it."
"You might as well tell him if Matt passed on Danny's message to him Jess." prompted Abby, her voice echoing through the earpiece.
No longer bothering to be surprised by Matt's strange behaviour she kept her eyes on the road as she listened to Jess's guilty confession. Abby tried to concentrate on the increasingly nagging Satnav at the same time, wherever Connor was it was proving difficult to find. Or maybe that was just due to her multitasking.
"- and so Abby has gone to find Connor." Jess finished.
Becker turned on his comm placing it in his ear. He wanted to make sure Abby heard what he was about to say. Sure enough, it came through crystal clear.
"Let me get this straight. Abby has gone into enemy territory to retrieve her boyfriend. This enemy territory is heavily guarded and contains a powerfully dangerous man who is connected to a psychotic scientist. Abby is armed with her comm, a car and no back up?" Becker summarised angrily.
"No, not exactly." Abby replied. "I am going into enemy territory."
"What does the tense matter? Either way you're being incredibly reckless and stupid!" Becker exploded.
Fortunately to curious onlookers it just appeared that he was giving Jess a good telling off.
"You sound just like Lester!" Jess squeaked as her crush raged.
"I think Danny must have rubbed off on me." Abby commented.
Becker stood there, the anger plain on his face. He fumed in silence for a few seconds before letting it go. Temporarily.
"Just this once I think you two are both right." he agreed.
Jess instantly calmed down and Abby's smirk was almost tangible. Becker gritted his teeth. He knew that there was a time to hold petty grudges later, there was something far more important at stake.
Abby finally found Prospero. She parked just down the road before creeping up to get a closer look at the strange white building. It was huge! Becker however had been wrong about the security. There was little need for armed guards considering the large metal fence that boxed in the complex and the discreet CCTV cameras. However there were a few by the entrance gate wearing the Prospero logo on their uniform.
The familiar picture was of a test tube tilted onto its side with an eyebrow above it to form a curiously shaped eye. It was meant to represent a 'scientific outlook'. Abby knew all this because she'd made the mistake of listening to Connor ramble on appraisingly about his work. Now however she was glad she'd listened. Maybe the information Connor had given her could help her to break in. She racked her brains for several silent minutes before giving up. She'd never paid that much attention. She made a mental note to do so when she got her boyfriend back.
"Guys I've arrived, any suggestions on how to get in?"
The easiest way is by the front door." Jess informed her as she examined the building via Google earth.
"But I don't have any ID, at this place they'll be sure to check for that." argued Abby.
"Does Prospero ever receive deliveries?" Becker pondered.
"According to the website they have the latest technology so they must do." Jess answered.
"Maybe you could impersonate a delivery girl and claim to have lost your ID?" Becker suggested.
Abby jumped as a hand touched her shoulder. She whirled round in a defensive pose.
"Abby what are you doing here?" exclaimed Matt.
She glanced at his clothes and smirked.
"I might ask you the same thing."
"Abby what's going on?" demanded Becker aware that she was talking to someone else.
Abby critically examined the team leader in amusement. He was wearing a red delivery boy uniform along with a dorky cap to match his red face. She also noted a fake ID tag clipped to his belt.
"Matt's here."
"What's he doing there?"
"He's wearing a delivery boy outfit coupled with an ID tag."
Jess stifled a laugh. She couldn't quite imagine quiet, serious Matt dressed like that.
"Sounds like he's one step ahead of us. Get him to put his comm. on, I want to hear this excuse." Becker demanded.
"Matt put your earpiece in." Abby passed on.
"Why?"
"Becker wants to hear your excuse for..." she paused, unable to sum up Matt's fashion sense. "this." She gestured finally.
"Technically he should be answering to me." Matt muttered as he turned on his comm.
"I heard that."
Ignoring this comment Matt started to explain.