Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me. 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… reminder the ARC is now under the direction of the Ministry of Defense… story picks up right after Trimming The Tree (AU)
5.2-3 AU Trust Me
…"what we're working on is important"…
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Murmured sounds of confusion followed Lester's words.
"Are you talking about Philip Burton?" asked Becker. "There's been an ongoing search for him all over London ever since he disappeared. We want to question him about his involvement with Helen Cutter."
"You won't get to question him," said Lester. "It would seem as though Burton never left the ARC."
"What do you mean?" asked Abby.
"Human bones and Philip's ID card were found in the smilodon den," replied Lester. "We won't know for certain until we get the forensic report, but it may be Burton…"
"I'm going to have to buy Lucy an extra large beefsteak," said Cutter. His lips were compressed in a grim line.
"Nick!" exclaimed Claudia. She reached her hand across the table to squeeze Cutter's hand. "No one deserves that kind of death…"
"Burton's actions put you and Stephanie in danger," reminded the Professor.
Abby was shaking her head.
"How is that possible?" she asked. "If Burton went into the menagerie it would have been seen on the security camera."
"One of the modifications Burton installed into the mainframe," answered Lester "was to set the security camera in the menagerie to replay a continuous loop. Duncan found the problem, and set it back to a live feed his first day working at the ARC."
"Then why didn't we know about the problem then?" asked Becker. "We would have done a full scale search of the ARC if we'd known."
"It's all in Duncan's log report," replied Lester, "but no one except him can read his scribbles."
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The Colonel and his aide arrived later in the afternoon. Jess brought the two men to Lester's office.
"Colonel Harper and Second Lieutenant Bledsoe to see you," introduced Jess before returning to her station in front of the Anomaly Detection Device.
Lester rose to greet them. The shoulders of the Colonel, an older thickset man, were embellished with insignia identifying his rank, two Bath Stars below St. Edwards Crown. The second lieutenant's shoulder looked bare in comparison with only one Bath Star. Bledsoe was carrying a clipboard and holding a pen. He pushed his glasses nervously up on his nose.
"Welcome," said Lester. "It's not often we get military visitors."
"Over sixty percent of your staff is military," reminded the Colonel.
"Yes," agreed Lester as he adjusted the cufflinks on the sleeves of his gray suit. "Our permanent staff, both civilian and military, are all part of the ARCs team. The last time we had military visitors…"
The subtle emphasis Lester placed on the last word did not go unnoticed.
"All your personnel are now part of the ministry of defense," reminded the Colonel, "but we're not planning a take over like Christine Johnson tried."
"What exactly are you here for?" asked Lester.
The colonel and his aide exchanged a glance. The colonel turned away from Lester and stared through the glass. Across the central room of the ARC, Jess could be seen sitting at in front of the computer array.
"We'll want to do a standard inspection," explained Bledsoe.
"Inspection?" asked Lester. "What kind of inspection?"
"Personnel… equipment… processes… everything really," answered Bledsoe. "We're here to determine if the ARC… and its mission are necessary… or if funding should be withdrawn and the ARC closed down."
"Oh that would be a colossal mistake," replied Lester.
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Lester, Colonel Harper and Second Lieutenant Bledsoe were in the armory.
"A fully equipped armory?!" huffed the Colonel. "Government tax dollars could be better spent…"
The loud strident clanging of the anomaly alert interrupted.
"What's that?" asked the Colonel, but Lester was already out of the armory and striding towards Jess's workstation. The Colonel and Bledsoe hurried to catch up.
"Jess," asked Lester "where is it?"
"It's the race track," replied Jess. "I'm trying to bring up the CCTV visuals."
From various hallways, Becker, Matt, Abby, Sarah and Cutter converged on Jess's workstation.
"It was locked," protested Becker. "I've got a security team with canine units and LRAD equipment at the site… how can it be open again?"
"LRAD equipment!" exclaimed the colonel. "Do you have any idea how much that stuff costs?"
Becker looked at the senior officer. The slight raise of his eyebrow at the colonel's outburst was the only indication of the Captain's struggle to maintain his composure.
"Yes," Becker replied "I filled out the requisition forms."
"And I approved them," snapped Lester. "We don't go buying equipment because we think it's pretty you know... we buy it because it's needed."
The Colonel and Bledsoe exchanged a glance. Bledsoe jotted something down on the paper in his clipboard.
"I can't get a visual," said Jess in a worried tone.
"What?" asked Cutter. "Did something come through and take out the CCTV?"
"No," answered Jess. "The signal is still present… the camera is working… but the image… I'm just getting static."
"Becker, I know you've got men on guard there," said Matt "but we should really check it out."
Becker, Matt, Abby and Cutter were halfway down the corridor, when the Colonel spoke.
"Wait for us," called the Colonel. "I want to see the team in action."
Lester looked at the staff officer in some surprise.
"There is no waiting in this business," said Lester. "If you want to go… you best hurry."
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"The SUV is gone," said Becker as the ARCs team pulled up to the old storage building near the race track. "It should be parked right here."
"Well I don't think a predator or one of those nasty bugs Sarah hates so much would be driving off with your SUV," replied Cutter in his rolling brogue. "What would make your security team leave?"
"They wouldn't abandon their post," replied Becker.
The tall soldier was already by the door, back against the wall, trying to peer through the tiny glass pane to the interior. The heavy metallic slide of Becker's gun being readied was almost drowned out by the arrival of the second SUV. The Colonel slammed the door as he exited the vehicle, followed by Bledsoe and the other members of the ARCs security team.
"What is the meaning of this?" roared the Colonel.
Becker turned towards the man, the barrel of his weapon turning in the same direction also.
"Sir," replied Becker in carefully controlled tones "as Officer In Charge, I respectfully request you to remain silent."
The colonel spluttered for a moment.
"Or," continued Becker "if you wish to relieve me of my command… and take over..."
"You talk like you're on a battlefield," hissed the Colonel.
"A battlefield might be safer," said Cutter quietly.
The Colonel was no fool. He'd read the reports, knew the mission. He nodded.
"Carry on," said the Colonel "this will be part of my observation."
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The initial confrontation was over in less than ten minutes. The nasty bugs swarming over the bodies of two German Shepherds were dispatched quickly. Sarah nervously typed in the commands to re-lock the anomaly.
"It's not locking!" the archeologist exclaimed.
"Matt, get the back up locking device," ordered Becker.
"No!" said Sarah. "The locking device is working… but something is jamming the signal."
"Jess," called Cutter into the comm. device "are you picking up any signals… anything that would interfere with the locking device…"
Clanging noises sounded from a truck parked just past the locking device. Becker looked at the beat up old vehicle.
"That wasn't here yesterday," Becker said slowly.
He and Abby approached the dented and rust covered machine, holding their weapons before them.
"We need to make the noise stop," said Cutter, "before the sound attracts something else through the open anomaly."
Muffled voices could be heard from inside the back compartment of the truck. Becker and Abby both smiled as they recognized the voices of the missing security detail. Becker opened the door. Private Sharma cradled a wounded Lieutenant Andrews.
"We need an ambulance," said Private Sharma "one of those creatures stung D. J."
Abby looked at the thing impaled in Lieutenant D. J. Andrews calf.
"It's not a stinger," Abby said "but you're right… we do need an ambulance."
Behind them, Sarah was frantically reconnecting wires on the locking device.
"Jess," said Sarah "if you're right about the polarity… this should work…"
A clicking, chittering noise sounded from the anomaly… a head full of teeth poked through the golden lights. Sarah thrust her finger at the locking device. The anomaly pulsed, shimmered… and the front half of a future predator fell to the floor as the anomaly locked.
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The next morning, Patrick helped Abby get Connor down the stairs and into the mini. Abby chattered as she drove to the doctor's office.
"I wish you could have seen Cutter's face," said Abby, "when the colonel asked if we couldn't just blow up the anomalies."
"I wish I had been there," replied Connor.
"After the colonel and his aide left," continued Abby "Lester said the ARC shouldn't have any problems getting the budget renewed."
The corners of Connor's lips were turned up in an almost smile as Abby pulled into the car park. She stepped out of the car and hurried around to the passenger side. Connor slowly climbed out of the mini.
"You can lean on me," offered Abby.
"The pavement is flat Abby," huffed Connor "trust me… I can manage to walk to the office by meself."
Abby watched as Connor slowly made his way from the car to the door of the doctor's office. She decided not to mention the two women who had come through the race track anomaly in the beat up old truck, nor the device in the truck that reversed polarity on anomalies. The device had a triangular logo with initials CT imprinted inside… and the two women… Private Sharma had identified one of them right off when Lester showed her the picture of the people who'd abandoned the white panel van near the race track several days earlier.
"Yes, that small blonde woman drove the truck through the anomaly," confirmed Private Sharma. "She ran right over Cupcake and Luna!"
The mention of the two German Shepherds brought tears to Private Sharma's eyes.
"Their truck stalled out," continued the soldier. "They dropped that device and it skidded across the pavement when they got out of the vehicle. I picked it up... D.J. and I were chasing them, but the bugs..."
"Can you tell us anything about the other woman?"
"I really can't say for sure, maybe... she could be the other person," answered Private Sharma, "but the picture is so blurry..."
"Thank you," replied Lester. "If you think of anything else to help us find these two..."
"Just one more thing," added Private Sharma, "the smaller woman called the tall one... Aurora."
April Leonard, the driver of the car that hit Connor, was back, with a tall blonde woman named Aurora… and they knew how to travel through anomalies… and they had returned with a device that had Connor Temple's design logo on it.
No, Abby shook her head as she followed Connor into the doctor's office. She wasn't going to tell Connor about any of that.
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