Chapter 7

Jenny could feel pain shooting through her leg as she began to become aware of her surroundings. Her head was pounding also; a dull repetitive pain that made her eyes water slightly. She suddenly realised that her eyes were actually closed, and she tried to open them. It took all of her strength to part her eyelids a crack, and she found herself having to close them again. The pain in her leg had become more pronounced and attuned; she was certain that it was her ankle that it was coming from. Her thoughts were slow and sluggish; unable to come to her in any logical order as she tried with all her might to remember what had happened. All of a sudden, the image of a Future Predator took over her brain, making her yelp in fright and sit up slightly. Her eyes flew open, and she looked around the room quickly in a blind panic.

"You're alright," Cutter's voice said suddenly from her side. She felt his hands on her chest trying to push her back down gently, but she resisted them with difficulty.

"What happened?" she breathed, unable to adjust her eyes.

Cutter didn't answer her, but put his hand on the side of her face and pulled her gaze towards himself. Her eyes focused on him, and saw that his expression was a mingle of relief and worry.

"Can you see anything?" he asked, stroking her hair back from her face.

"Of course I can," she answered, feeling slightly confused. Why wouldn't she be able to see anything?

"Does anywhere hurt?"

Jenny thought for a moment, still trying to organise her thoughts. Her ankle gave a particularly nasty twinge as if to remind her of her ailment.

"My left ankle," she said quietly. "And my head. What happened?" she asked again, more urgently.

Again, Cutter didn't answer her; instead taking off her boot on her left leg. At this, her ankle throbbed again as though in protest, but Jenny gritted her teeth and didn't complain. She watched him as he pulled up the leg of her pants - her ankle was extremely puffy and swollen.

"Can you flex it?" he asked gently.

She tried to move her foot, but stopped immediately as a bout of nausea washed over her - it just hurt too much.

"No," she answered, fighting the overwhelming desire she had to lean over the other side of the bed and vomit. "Not really."

Without another word, Cutter pulled out some bandages and began to wrap them around her ankle tightly, making her squirm slightly.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I don't think it's broken - it's probably a fracture."

"Will you just forget about my ankle for one second Nick," she snapped, knowing that he was avoiding her question. "What happened?"

He sighed and got off the floor slowly, and perched on the bed that she was sitting on.

"You don't remember?" he asked.

"I remember the creature's coming through the anomaly," she said, straining her memory. "But after that . . . nothing . . ."

"Well, they got into the ARC," he informed her, seemingly unable to meet her eye. "We're in the safe house. You were knocked out."

"How long have I been unconscious for?" she demanded, unable to believe that she hadn't been awake to help them - or worse, that she had been a burden on them and prevented them fighting back efficiently.

"Just a few hours."

"And everyone else?" she asked in trepidation, unable to fathom losing any more of the team.

"They're in the other room," Cutter answered.

"Then what are we waiting for?" she said shortly, swinging her legs off the bed.

"You're not going anywhere," Cutter laughed in disbelief. "You need to rest!"

"Nick, this whole overprotective thing is very sweet and all, but in's not necessary," she smiled, rolling her eyes slightly. "I'm a big girl."

He smiled weakly.

"Okay," he said finally. "But I'm helping you walk."

"I don't need help," Jenny insisted, determined not to play the damsel in distress roll any more than she already had - the thought of it made her cringe inwardly.

She made to stand up, but as soon as she put weight on her left ankle, she sat back down, whimpering involuntarily.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Cutter asked, sounding a tad amused at her determination.

She paused for a second, weighing up her desire to be with the team over her desire to be independent.

"Yes please," she eventually said quietly.

"What was that?" Cutter asked, feigning deafness.

Jenny sighed and glared up at him. How could she be this attracted to someone this infuriating?!

"Nick Cutter, would you please assist me in walking since I seem incapable of doing it alone," she said in a monotone voice.

"Well since you asked me so nicely Jenny Lewis, I would be happy too," he teased, as he took her left arm around his shoulders.

She staggered against him, trying to not put her foot down, and he grabbed her around the waist to stop her from falling.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked him in disbelief as she spotted him smiling.

"Maybe a little."

They made slow progress, but finally made it to the other room. Jenny looked around as they entered; it was rather large and incredibly dull. It had in it a little kitchenette in the far corner, and a big round table next to it. There were many cupboards, and shelves with generic food packages on them. On the other side of the room, there was a small sofa, with many tiny chairs and squashy bean-bags around it. There were no windows, but a few minuscule vents dotted around the walls. Abby, Conner, Lester and Becker were all gathered around the table with mugs in their hands, talking quietly. As Jenny and Cutter approached, they all looked around, and appeared happy to see them.

"You're awake!" Abby sighed in obvious relief, getting up and pulling out a chair for her to sit down on.

Cutter dropped her in the chair and took a seat next to her.

"We though you were a goner then," Conner said cheerfully, as usual displaying his knack for saying things that were uncomfortably true. "Coffee?" he added, looking from Jenny to Cutter.

Jenny, however, was confused. Why were they all sitting round drinking coffee when the ARC was being ransacked by Predators? This certainly wasn't what they were paid for. She looked over at Lester, who was draining the last of his drink; he looked as if he hid out in secret safe houses everyday for the concern he was showing. Becker was the only one who looked tense, his tanned face contorted in worry.

"One sugar or two Jenny?" Conner asked her from the kitchenette. "The milk's powdered I'm afraid, but it tastes alright - "

"I'm sorry," Jenny snapped, unable to stop herself from voicing her mind. "But have I entered into a twilight zone?"

"What do you mean?" asked Abby uncertainly.

"Why on earth are we sitting around here playing house when we've got an army of Predators that need killing?!"

She looked around at them, and saw them exchange cynical glances.

"We're locked in Jenny," Cutter spoke up. "We need a code to get out of here. I don't suppose you know it?"

She shook her head slowly, realisation dawning upon her - they were stuck in here?

"So what now?" she asked quietly, looking at Cutter.

"Well, we need to wait and see if some one comes and lets us out," he answered, not looking incredibly hopeful.

"And the Predators?" Jenny asked in disbelief. "We've just got to accept the fact that they might be up there right now killing innocent bystanders?"

"The soldiers have probably got them all," Cutter answered quietly. "Their probably looking for us - "

"And if they didn't?"

No one answered, but looked down at the table. They had obviously discussed this at length whilst she had been unconscious, but had not come up with a solution, except optimism.

"Well at least we're safe in here," Lester chimed in, his tone rather cheerful.

Jenny usually found his selfish remarks rather amusing, but now the situation was a little too serious. She rolled her eyes at him, but before she could retaliate:

"Look," Cutter began, talking not just her, but to everyone. "There is absolutely nothing we can do. There's no reason to think that the worst has happened - the only thing it'll do is drive us all insane. Lets just . . . try and think positively okay?"

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There were only four beds in the bedroom, and seeing as there were six of them in there, the sleeping arrangements were rather hard to establish. Eventually, it was decided that Lester, Abby and a reluctant Conner (who voiced his opinion of "but you're a lot older than me Professor", much to Cutter's annoyance) slept in the beds, as well as Jenny, who Cutter insisted upon being in one. Becker slept on the sofa, mumbling something about preferring to be alone anyway. Cutter had dug out a sleeping bag from one of the many storage units, and had made a bed for himself on the floor next to Jenny. She wished that they could share the same bed (despite the size of them) as they were, after all, a couple. A secret couple, but a couple none-the-less. But she supposed that it would set tongues wagging if they did. So she had to settle for knowing he was right next to her.

"If I hear anyone so much as grunt in their sleep, they're fired," Lester told them in his most condescending voice as they climbed into their beds.

"I laugh in my sleep," Conner informed them, as he pulled back the covers to slip inside his own bed.

"Oh wonderful," Lester said, his voice sagging with sarcasm as he slammed his head into his pillow. "Some one get the lights."

Cutter helped Jenny into her bed, before crossing the room and flicking the light switch. Jenny heard him stumbling back with difficulty in the dark, and resisted the urge to laugh . . . what was wrong with her? Something terrible was possibly happening above them that they could do nothing about, and she was fighting back a fit of giggles. Next to her, she heard Cutter attempt to get into his sleeping bag. He seemed to be struggling to coordinate himself in the blackness, and a second later, a crashing sound told her that he fallen against the wall and slid down it, landing on the floor.

She couldn't help herself - she burst into a fit of laughter with her hand over her mouth to try and stifle it. She could hear Conner and Abby joining her, all of them giggling like school children.

"Very funny," Cutter mumbled, fidgeting about of the floor; he'd obviously decided that wriggling into his sleeping bag was safer.

"Will you lot be quiet!" Lester shouted at them.

"Sorry," Jenny said, still trying hard to fight back the unusual giddiness that had enveloped her.

"Yeah sorry," Abby added, her voice shaking with the effort of not laughing.

Jenny turned and shoved her face in the musty smelling pillow to try and suppress the inappropriate desire to laugh again. From beside her, she heard Cutter lie down on the floor. Then suddenly - unexpectedly - he started laughing.

That was it - Jenny started cackling unstoppably. She had no idea what was so funny, but she couldn't stop. She heard Abby and Conner wheezing beside her as they drew breath from their own laughs. Then something very unlikely happened - from the far corner, she heard Lester actually chuckle slightly, before clearing his throat loudly.

"For goodness sake it's like rooming with a bunch of kids!" he scolded them. "For the last time - GO TO SLEEP!"

They all obeyed reluctantly, despite the odd titter that came from Conner's direction. Jenny's mood has soared; it was a release that they had all needed, especially herself. And since sex didn't seem to be on the menu at all, it was the only release she was likely to get down here.

About an hour later, the room was filled with the intermingled sound of heavy and soft breathing (the latter presumably coming from Abby). Jenny tossed and turned, unable to get to sleep. Now that the unexpected fit of laughter had abated, her ankle was throbbing badly, and they had found no pain relief in the place. This was rather annoying, as the safe house seemed to be stocked with everything else. For some reason, she put her arm over the edge of the bed to the side that Cutter was on. She thought he had been asleep, but a few seconds later, she felt him take her hand and hold it gently. She closed her eyes and sighed to herself - she felt comforted.

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