Disclaimer: Primeval and all its characters belong to someone else.

Summary: - This is a first for me- an adventure story rather than just fluff!

I hope you find this chapter exciting with a little angst! Please enjoy…

Shards of Glass

Chapter Five- Despair

It was beginning to get dark when the door opened with a crash. Two 'Cleaners' stood there, guns trained on Abby and Connor.

"Move" one of them said, indicating that they should go out of the door with the nozzle of his revolver. They moved past the 'Cleaner' and went through the door, down a corridor and out into the evening air. They both took a huge breath once they were outside in the fresh air. They had been cooped up too long and savoured the moment of freedom. Helen appeared in front of them…

"It won't be long now" she said "But for now you need some air and exercise"

They looked at her in surprise. "I told you, I don't want to hurt you. No that wouldn't suit my purpose at all, especially you…" she said to Connor, practically purring in his ear, and stroking his cheek. Connor just saw red! Abby noticed his expression, and grabbed his arm, squeezing him hard.

"Ah, look!- the little Abby's jealous" taunted Helen "Now, behave you two" she said "Or I'll send you back to the cellar." Abby and Connor tried to make their expressions as bland and neutral as they could. They didn't want to be sent back to the cellar.

"That's better" taunted Helen, caressing Connor's shoulder and chest. "Shame you ever met Nick! If only you'd met me first, things would have been different!"

Connor knew she was playing games with them. She had manipulated every male she came in contact with. Well, she wouldn't get him, he thought. He remained expressionless and still, not reacting to her at all. Beside him he felt Abby stiffen, and she seemed ready to burst.

"Who was that man you were with?" Abby blurted out. Connor looked at her in astonishment, thankful she hadn't mentioned Philip by name. But Abby gave him a look and a tiny shake of the head to indicate she knew what she was doing.

"What man" Helen snapped back, moving right up into Abby's face

"We saw you kissing a man. Who is he? What about your husband?"

"He's no one- a work colleague. We have great plans together he and I- and you two had to come barging in here, disturbing everything!" Helen suddenly became enraged, and pulled back her hand and slapped Abby hard on the cheek with a stinging blow. Connor grabbed Helen's wrist to stop her and the 'Cleaners' jumped in, pulling him away from Helen. They grabbed Connor and Abby and made them move back towards the cellar to the sound of Helen's maniacal laughter echoing behind them as they were pushed away.

"Abby, are you OK?" Connor said when they'd been bundled back into the cellar "Why did you do that?" he asked. Abby slowly looked up, a small smile on her face, her right cheek bright red from the slap she had received. She slowly raised her arm. In her hand she held a large knife. It was the very knife Helen had used to cut the apple with at breakfast.

"Abby! You're brilliant!" laughed Connor, and moved in to kiss her.

"I thought if we could use this to get out of here and sneak around a bit, we might find something to help us?"

"I thought we couldn't interfere?" said Connor

"I know, but maybe we'll find something that would be of some use. Maybe we'll be able to find her anomaly device. If we could take that back with us you could figure it out… I don't know Connor, but she's just plain evil. I just saw the opportunity and took it!"

"OK, let's just see what we can find then!" said Connor, his huge grin lighting up his face. They started working on the door with the knife. It took a lot of time and effort. Connor and Abby took it in turns to work on the door. Eventually the wood by the lock was splintered enough for them to push the door open. They looked at each other in triumph, then Connor carefully pushed open the door a crack and peered out. The corridor was empty, and they silently moved forward towards the rooms above.

They didn't meet anyone on the stairs- it all seemed eerily quiet. They finally reached the room Helen used as an office, and looked through the open door.

"She's not here" Connor whispered. They went into the room and shut the door behind them. They separated and started to look through Helen's papers and equipment. Connor stopped to read some of Helen's papers, but they didn't seem to be anything of importance.

Suddenly, Abby called out to him- "Connor! - here's the device! We can get home! Maybe you'll be able to work out how it works?"

"C'mon, let's get out of here" Connor replied. They started to move out of the room and along the corridor. Suddenly they heard footsteps coming nearer.

"Quick- in here!" Connor cried, opening a door to a cleaning cupboard. They dived inside as a large group of identical men marched past them, and turned the corner. At the rear of the army of men marched none other than Philip Burton, chatting animatedly to someone they could only presume was Helen, on his mobile phone as he walked. Connor started to follow them, but Abby pulled him back.

"No, Connor- he mustn't see you. It could change everything!"

Connor turned back and they fled in the other direction, Connor sadly looking back over his shoulder at Philip as he went. They had just about reached the door when suddenly a 'Cleaner' jumped out in front of them. They skidded to a stop, and turned around. But some more 'Cleaners' appeared in front of them. They turned to the left, but more appeared. Suddenly they were surrounded on all sides by the 'Cleaners'. Connor and Abby put their hands in the air, Connor still holding the anomaly opening device.

Helen slowly walked to where they were. She took the device from Connor's hand and looked at them both.

"You really are both so tiresome" she said "The sooner I get you out of here the better! I never wanted to hurt you, but keep this up, and I will have to punish you! You're driving me to it. All you had to do was wait. Then I was going to send you home, safe and sound. Now- DON'T disappoint me again!" She grabbed the knife out of Abby's hand and held it to Abby's throat before turning away.

Connor felt shivers down his spine at Helen's words. He had no doubt she would carry out her threat. The 'Cleaners' once again grabbed them and made to drag them away to another room. They were none too gentle about the way they handled Connor and Abby, and this time Helen did nothing to stop their rough handling. They snatched the anomaly device from Connor's hand and manhandled them to a room where they were thrown into it and the door was slammed shut and locked behind them. Both Connor and Abby had to pick themselves up from the floor where they had fallen.

"Sorry- stupid idea" said Abby, crestfallen

"No- no. It wasn't! We nearly got the device. Arrgh! I feel so useless!" he yelled in frustration.

"We'd better just wait it out… she said she's going to send us home soon. Shame to go back empty handed, though. That device would have been very useful"

"Well, there's nothing we can do. We can't stop Helen. We can't save Philip. We can't get the device- we can't do anything!" Connor banged his fist on a table in frustration.

"Hey- at least we know we win in the end. It all turns out fine…"

"Yes, but Abby, people died. April… Philip… we had a chance to stop all that. I wish Matt was here- he'd know what to do. I'm so useless- I'm not a leader- never have been!"

With that Connor held his face in his hands and sobbed. His shoulders shook as he let out all of his despair. Abby sat beside him, tears also streaming down her face, and they just sat together afraid and not knowing what to do…

To Be Continued…..

Well, what did you think? I hope it was as much fun to read as it was to write it!