"After Danny's message I did a bit of background research on Phillip and his company. The records I found were useful but not very recent. The best way to find out what Burton means for the future is to go inside Prospero so I came up with a plan and here I am."
"What part of team do you not understand!" Becker demanded.
"So that's why you didn't have enough time to tell me about Danny!" murmured Abby in realisation.
She'd been busy in the creature menagerie for the majority of that day whilst Becker and Jess had been relatively free in the main room going about business as normal. The only place Matt would be able to find out so much was at the ARC.
"Becker I'm going in whether you like it or not." Matt argued firmly.
"Well I'm going in with you." Abby announced.
She could tell from one glance at his face he was not keen on this idea. He'd wanted to do this on his own, hence all the secrecy. Becker was right though, they were a team.
"Abby – " Matt began, but Abby didn't let him finish.
"Connor is in there. I'm not going to sit back and watch."
"How are you going to get in? It's Matt who has the ID." Jess reminded her.
"I have a plan."
10 minutes later a small BMW pulled up by the gate entrance. The young man who sat inside rolled down the window and showed his ID to one of the security guards.
"Hello. I'm Matt Anderson, here to deliver. I've got quite a bit of technology in the boot, it's rather fragile so I'd rather get in sooner than later."
The guard examined the ID closely before nodding. He gestured to another man who opened the gate.
"Head right on in, take a left at the carpark and you should be able to drop everything off there." he directed.
Matt drove in and parked by the delivery area the guard had described. He got out of the car and rushed to the boot. As the boot opened Abby sat up making the most of the fresh air. She dangled her legs on the edge of the boot before sliding out. Together the pair began searching for some back door.
"Go into the storage area. There should be a way in there." Jess instructed.
Sure enough they found it.
As they entered the Prospero building for the first time they were faced with space. There was an extraordinary amount of it. The place looked like a bigger version of the ARC in structural aspects. In the middle of the ground floor sat a reception desk. In front of it was space stretching out to the entrance doors they'd carefully avoided. Behind it were busy employees at work on computers. By the door they stood at there was a map of Prospero. There were at least four floors to the gigantic place. Abby and Matt looked at each other.
"We need to split up." they announced in unison.
"Don't you dare!" Becker growled. "Abby you need all the help you can get. Plus I don't think I trust Matt to act responsibly on his own."
"You sound like his mother!" Jess laughed.
Matt winced, his mother was dead and even she'd trusted him more than Becker. She had to; he was one of the chosen few from the future who had to save the world. So many lives were in his hands. They needed to do this properly.
"You'll do a more thorough job together." Becker encouraged, ignoring Jess's last comment.
"Fine. Come on Matt, the map says level four consists of ARC related research." Abby said dragging him towards a nearby lift.
"Abby no, take the stairs. I have no desire to bump into Phillip on our way up!" Matt hissed.
Connor lay on the floor half buried in the mess of his own clutter. He had a feeling that he was supposed to be worrying about something but he couldn't remember what. He'd finished his invention, so now he could sleep.
As a result Connor never saw Phillip enter the room. Burton laughed at Connor's snoring, he had expected no less of the young man. His boss made his way towards Connor's invention wading through the mess. Phillip picked up the newly made solution and broke it in half. He picked up one of the pieces he'd split it into and left.
"I'll see you again soon Helen." Phillip murmured as he left the room with Connor's remote control part of the contraption in his hand.
Shortly afterwards Matt and Abby found Connor like this. At first Abby was worried and recklessly ran towards Connor. She was lucky the room was desserted apart from him. There was no CCTV, Phillip evidently thought that Connor was his, or maybe he no longer needed Connor. Either way Abby was relieved to hear that he was simply snoring. Matt followed her cautiously reviewing the room but came to the same conclusion as Abby.
The room was like an obstacle course. Matt stepped over a pile of notes and narrowly avoided hitting the table when he tripped over something.
"What have you been up to Connor?" he murmured temporarily forgetting about his earpiece.
"What's going on?" chirruped Jess.
Becker silently marvelled at her ability to always sound bubbly and optimistic, even when concerned.
"Yes, what's going on?" echoed Lester from behind the solider.
Becker prayed that Jess would leave the talking to him. She was a rubbish liar.
No such luck.
"Well – erm – we're just –" she stuttered.
Becker scratched his ear, turning off his comm. in the process. A few seconds later Jess mirrored the action.
"We're just keeping an eye on Matt and Abby. They're acting strangely according to Jess." Becker interrupted.
"Just make sure they don't do anything I'll regret." Lester warned dryly.
James frowned, his team was acting weirdly according to his instinct, but then again in such a job when didn't they? Lester decided whatever they were doing he'd rather not get the blame and started to walk away. They were relatively good at sorting themselves out, although he'd never admit it.