Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, nor does the book or film Misery. This is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
A/N Part of the Claudia story verse, story picks up right after Trimming The Tree (AU)
5.1-3 AU
"…evidence…"
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The police wouldn't release the mini.
"Evidence," barked the burly investigator when Abby had asked for the keys. "You never know what little thing might lead us to the culprits."
Matt and Emily drove Abby and Jack home. When they arrived at Abby and Connor's home, the front door opened before the foursome even got to the steps.
"Connor where have you b…" asked Patrick as he pulled the door wide.
His words faded away as he realized Connor wasn't with them. Charlotte and Connor's Mum stood behind him. The older woman gazed at Abby, her bottom lip trembled. Abby hurried to explain.
"There's been an accident," said Abby, "and some sort of mix-up… we don't know which hospital Connor's been taken to…"
"Hospital…," gasped Mrs. Temple.
Jack stepped forward, moving in between Patrick and Charlotte to take the older woman by the arm.
"Calm yourself woman," Jack said with a bit of a smirk "or you'll get your blood pressure up…"
Her questions came shrill and fast.
"What kind of accident?" asked the Connor's mother. "How bad is Connor hurt? Why is it that you don't know where he is?"
"Some good Samaritans picked him up," said Jack. He glanced at Abby over the woman's head. "It can't be too bad… or they would have called an ambulance."
Abby followed Jack and Connor's Mum into the front room. When she came back, Matt and Emily were whispering together by the stairway.
"When I came back, to this world… so unlike what I was prepared for," said Matt in his soft lilting voice, "I thought my mission was over… before it began."
He looked at the lovely woman standing so close to him. He reached a hand up and twisted one finger through a dark curl dangling by her ear.
"With no sign of Burton, a policy of non-interference with the anomalies… and Connor… being the way he is, I thought I could have a life," Matt continued "I wanted to have a life with you…"
"We can have a life together," responded Emily, as she stepped forward to wrap her arms around him tightly. "You should tell Lester, tell him everything."
Abby hated to interrupt them. The newlyweds looked so sweet hugging each other in front of the stairs.
"Ahem," coughed Abby as she stepped nearer the pair. "It's late… you can't go back to the Forest of Dean now."
Matt and Emily stepped quickly apart, looking perhaps a little flustered, or maybe something else.
"Oh no," protested Emily, "we don't want to be a bother."
"Nonsense," replied Abby "you and Matt can have our room."
Abby glanced through the open door from the hallway to the front room. Jack had gotten Connor's Mum settled on the sofa. The older woman insisted that she wouldn't sleep a wink… couldn't go to bed.
"And Charlotte can have the spare room," continued Abby "since Connor's Mum won't be using it."
"What about you?" asked Patrick as he came down the stairs. He held up the inflatable mattress in one hand and a blanket in the other. Charlotte stood behind him, holding sheets and another blanket. "I got this for Jack since Gran's got the sofa, but where are you going to sleep?"
"I don't think I'll be sleeping," replied Abby.
It was after midnight before the home was finally quiet. Abby was in the kitchen, staring out the window over the sink. She couldn't see the back yard, just the dim reflection of her face on the darkened glass. Jack entered the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Light spilled across the floor as Abby turned to look at her brother.
"A good Samaritan," Abby asked bitterly "how could you tell her that?"
"Abby…," whispered Jack, glancing back towards the front room "ssh… lower your voice."
"Connor could be dead for all we know."
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In the ARCs control room, Jess was busily trying to trace the path of the car that had driven away with Connor, but there were a lot of traffic cams… and a lot of dingy gray sedans.
"What are so many people doing out driving around on Christmas night?" asked Jess in exasperation. Her quick fingers typed keystrokes, bringing up one image after another.
"Not everybody celebrates Christmas," reminded Duncan.
He was on another laptop, hands hovering over the keyboard as he slowly typed one keystroke at a time alternating use of his index fingers.
"Besides," he added "it's been Boxing Day for over two hours now… maybe they've got to work… or think there's a really great sale they can't miss…"
"Boxing Day is supposed to be a holiday," harrumphed Lester. "People should be at home… with their families…"
"Not everybody can do that," responded Duncan, "look at us."
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Lester and Becker left the ARC. The two men walked across the street to talk to the investigating officers. It was a very short conversation.
"Not very communicative," sighed Lester, "are they?"
Becker hadn't expected any information… not really, and he said as much.
"You're right," agreed Lester "they've got a job to do."
"Shouldn't we call the Cutter's… and Sarah?" asked Becker.
Lester shook his head.
"No," he replied "no sense disturbing them… better to wait until we know… something."
Across the street, the tow truck driver had been busily working while Lester and Becker had tried talking to the police. It wasn't until the man climbed into the cab of his truck, and slammed the door shut as he turned the ignition, that either member of the ARC noticed him.
"Hey!" shouted Lester. "That's my car!"
Lester started to run into the street, but Becker grabbed the director and pulled him back. The driver was oblivious to either man standing on the sidewalk. He pulled the huge vehicle forward and shifted gears. The tow truck clanked and groaned as it pulled the jaguar out of the entryway to the ARCs car park. The truck and its load disappeared down the road. Lester stared after it in disbelief. For a moment… he was without words.
"You can let go of me now."
"Oh, yeah," said Becker, releasing his boss. He flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry… just didn't want anyone else getting run into tonight."
Before anything else could be said, Becker's cell phone vibrated in his pocket.
"It's Jess," Becker said. "Duncan's traced Connor's computer."
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Becker and his men had the dilapidated building surrounded. The vacant shop stood all alone in a central parking area. Demolition equipment and the rubble remaining from what had once been a group of shop buildings surrounded the area. The streets and the building before them were still in darkness. Night goggles helped with vision. Ear pieces carried Becker's orders to the team.
"On my signal," said Becker. He took one last look around, then nodded. "Now!"
The security team stormed the building, front and back entrances. A man on each corner kept watch on the perimeter. Becker and three others went down the hallway.
"We're at the stairwell now," Becker reported "which way Jess?"
The voice that answered him wasn't the one he expected to hear.
"Um… uh… according to the signal," said Duncan "the laptop is below you."
"Where's Jess?"
"She's checking the CCTV scan again… said she saw something," answered Duncan "told me I could handle giving you directions."
Becker shook his head. He and his men proceeded down the stairs. Duncan directed them through the maze of vacant store rooms in the basement, until finally they faced a narrow door.
"The laptop should be right in front of you."
Unlike Danny, Becker didn't like breaking down doors. You never really knew what might be on the other side. In his experience it was usually armed terrorists or frightened families. In a hostage situation… so many things could go wrong… best to get it over… quickly now.
The old door gave way easily. This storeroom wasn't vacant. It looked like someone had been living here. The room held two beds, a chair and a desk with a laptop blinking on the smooth surface… and a body sprawled across the concrete. Becker knelt by his friend. The hard concrete was cold beneath Becker's knee. He reached out to touch Connor's wrist.
"Duncan!"
"Hil," replied Jess's voice "that car… it left… an hour ago… I've been trying to trace it… so we could find Connor, but…"
"Jess," interrupted Becker. "Connor's here… and we need an ambulance… now."
While the other security team members searched the room, Becker stayed by his unconscious friend. The soldier had seen enough combat injuries to know that Connor's pallor, rapid pulse and uneven breathing were signs of a body going into shock. Getting to the hospital… quickly… was crucial.
"Stay with us…," said Becker. "just… hang on mate."
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"What?" asked Jess.
In the ARC, Jess sat back in her chair, blinking her eyes in surprise. She was startled momentarily by Becker's news, but then Jess was pushing buttons, speaking into the phone, efficiently directing the emergency team.
"Hurry please."
Lester was hovering behind her when she finished.
"They found Connor?" he asked.
Jess nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak just then. Connor had probably been lying on the concrete for the better part of the night. If they hadn't of found Connor now, there was no telling when, or if, the dark haired scientist would have been found.
"What kind of people kidnap a person," asked Lester "and then leave him?"
"The kind that don't know what they're doing," said Jess.
She started pointing out traffic on the CCTV scans she'd monitored most of the night.
"You can see where they put Connor in the car and drove off," Jess explained "and here is where we lost them… they started into the hospital car park, but then disappeared… it wasn't until I backtracked from the laptop location…"
Lester listened to the young woman babble on, but he had his own theory about what kind of people they were dealing with… the kind that didn't care whether Connor lived or died.
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The eastern sky was starting to brighten, when the dirty old red Volkswagen Beetle pulled off to the side of the road. The tall thin woman opened the car door and ducked her head as she stepped outside. She stretched, rolling her shoulders and unkinking muscles too long confined in the tiny car. Even if it hadn't been for the dim, early morning light, her short bristly blonde hair and loose, baggy clothing made it difficult to determine her gender.
"Here?" asked April in surprise "You want me to stop out here? In the middle of nowhere?"
The other woman reached into the car and grabbed her bag from the back seat. She slung it over her shoulder. She regarded her protégé critically. April had recognized the message on the laptop as a tracing program and they'd been able to avoid capture. They'd left the dingy gray sedan in a car park, and stolen a smaller car. But if April hadn't run into the man to begin with… there wouldn't have been a problem. The small blonde woman was becoming a liability.
"There's something I must do," said the woman. Her angular, bony face regarded April for a moment, before frowning. "And you really shouldn't be a part of it… anymore."
The tall woman pulled her coat tight, then turned without another word and strode off. April was shocked into silence momentarily as the woman disappeared into the woods.
"Wait! You said you'd take me to the future with you," called April. She clambered out of the tiny Beetle and ran after the tall woman. "Aurora!"
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