Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.

Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.

2.5-2 The Next Move

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Connor's first thought when he saw the mess at the flat was to be grateful that he had broken up with Caroline via text. He wasn't sure if Caroline's aim was as good as his last girlfriend's aim, but he sure didn't want to find out. There were broken dishes and books on the floor. But then Abby called for Rex, and there was no answering chirp.

Abby turned to Connor, her blue eyes wide and worried. "Where's Rex?"

They checked the fridge first, and then they searched the rest of the flat. Rex was nowhere to be found. And there was no trace of Caroline or any of her things. It appeared that she had gone and taken Rex. This wasn't like someone nicking your Gran's old furniture thought Connor. Rex was a living, breathing creature… with feelings… irreplaceable. And Abby loved Rex.

"We'll get him back," Connor promised Abby. She looked up at him. Her blue eyes filling, bottom lip trembling. Connor stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her.

"I promise," he whispered.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Oliver Leek quailed at the woman's angry shout.

"Your clone soldier is gone," he said soothingly "but I got the camera back. Cutter won't be able to prove a thing."

"Do you have any idea how long it takes," Helen hissed angrily "to generate a clone?"

Looking at the rows of clone soldiers standing behind the woman, Leek shrugged. He didn't know and he didn't care. He just wanted to keep Helen Cutter thinking he was on her side, but really… he had his own agenda.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

James Lester had accompanied Abby and Connor to the anomaly alert at the Lost World Adventure Park personally. He didn't know where their security team had disappeared to again, but with Cutter and Stephen missing Lester wasn't going to take any chances on losing the rest of the core team.

When Lester got back to the ARC he met with Ryan again.

"I thought you said you fixed the security team assignment schedule," Lester said with a glare.

Ryan looked up from his desk calendar in surprise. "I did."

"The team went out on an anomaly alert today," Lester replied "and there was no security back up."

Ryan pulled up the assignment file on the computer screen in front of him. Pointing at the names on the screen, he turned to Lester.

"Hendriks and Stephenson were sent to Liverpool this morning… there was a creature sighting… but it appears to have been a false tip," the captain said "the other four should have been with the core team… the records show they left for the anomaly site in the other SUV…"

"Then why weren't they there?" asked Lester.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Nick Cutter was thinking about the spyware contaminating the anomaly detection device, the missing camera, and the security officer that apparently moonlighted as a cleaner at shopping malls while he twisted the corkscrew. He pulled the cork out of the bottle and began to pour two glasses of white chardonnay.

Claudia pushed the diced celery and carrots off the cutting board and into a bowl. She then switched knives to begin deboning the chicken. She looked at him.

"Did you remember to talk to Stephen about next week?" Claudia asked Nick.

"What?" Cutter looked at his fiancée. In the dim kitchen light, holding the curved deboning knife in her hand, she looked amazingly like a velociraptor.

"Next week," Claudia reminded him gently "when we go for the ceremony… we'll need two witnesses."

"Oh yeah," replied Nick "he can't make it, so I asked Connor… you said you were asking Abby right?"

"Yeah," agreed Claudia with a smile.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Stephen was sure. There was a traitor on the team. He just didn't know who.

He turned the new key in the lock on his flat door and stepped cautiously inside. A noise from the kitchen stopped him in his tracks. He hoped that Helen hadn't broken in again.

"Stephen," called his mother "is that you?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you doing here so soon?" he asked his mother as he walked into the kitchen. "Thought you weren't coming back until November…"

The older woman narrowed her eyes appraisingly at him. "Last time I saw you, you were soaked," she replied. "Today… you look like you've been playing in a sandbox… you're covered with dust and sand…"

"I got the locks changed since your last visit," Stephen continued "how did you get in?"

The woman frowned at her son. "Your landlord trusts me," she answered. Reaching up to pull a twig from behind his ear, she asked "And what's that you've got in your hair?"

The timer on the stove dinged. And the woman turned, bending and reaching to take a casserole dish from the oven. The aroma made Stephen's mouth water.

"Is that…"

"Sheppard's pie," she replied with a smile.

Stephen grinned as he reached for the plates.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Abby didn't know which was harder to believe. That Connor had broken up with Caroline by text… or that the woman had retaliated by taking Rex. She punched her pillow and rolled over again, trying in vain to get some sleep.

It had been scary today. They had almost lost Cutter and Stephen… and Connor too. If she hadn't grabbed him, he would have gone through that anomaly. She shivered. They were lucky to have gotten Cutter and Stephen back… she knew that. And tonight, when they got back to the flat… Rex was missing.

Connor said he would get Rex back for her… he'd never let her down yet, so she really shouldn't worry about Rex. If Connor said he would get Rex back, he would.

But Abby still found it hard to sleep.

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