Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
3.1-2 Fully Briefed
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Sarah had filled out innumerable forms for her new position with the ARC. She wasn't about to miss out on the biggest opportunity to research living legends imaginable. Signing the official secrets act was just the first of many forms she had to complete.
It was late afternoon by the time she remembered to call the British Museum and give them her resignation. Quitting without notice was going to mean she wouldn't get a reference or ever be able to apply for a job there again. But this new job was worth it. She asked to be connected to the Middle East Antiquities department head, so she was surprised when Jamal answered.
"You're going to need to cover the children's lecture tomorrow," Sarah told her boyfriend. "I've got a new job."
"What? When are you starting?"
"I've already started," Sarah replied. "Can't tell you much… official secrets act… see you for dinner, yeah."
"Yeah," answered Jamal sounding puzzled.
As she hung up the phone, Sarah looked at the bottle Cutter had given her earlier that morning. This was a great opportunity, she reminded herself as she poured the contents of the bottle down into the sink, but she didn't need that.
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Percy was ecstatic that Sarah was joining the team. In the months since Stephen had died, the Professor had been primarily focused with safety issues. Cutter hadn't seemed interested in the anomalies, the reason they existed or how to stop them. But today, for the first time in a long time, Percy thought he'd seen the old Cutter. The man had been excited by Ammut and what the creature had represented.
Ancient civilizations had known about anomalies. If following up on old legends was going to bring Cutter around, Percy was going to help. He had connections at the British Library. Percy picked up his cell phone and dialed.
"Susan," he asked "do you remember me, Percy… we met a Brighton a while back?"
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James Lester hung up his suit jacket and started to undo his tie.
"You'll never guess," he began "who I ran into today."
"Who?" asked Vivian.
"Christine Johnston," James answered "she's back from Jamaica… wants to discuss the military involvement with the ARC."
Vivian narrowed her eyes and looked at him with a frown. "I thought we'd seen the last of her," she replied with a worried tone. If there was anyone Vivian thought more dangerous than Helen Cutter, it was Christine Johnson.
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Cutter looked at the bottle he had been carrying around all day with some surprise. Really, since when was it acceptable to have beer bottles in a work environment he wondered.
It wasn't his fault that Stephen was dead. Claudia had been telling him so, and she was right. But he had felt guilty. He knew he had been spending too much time at work… and too many nights working. It was time for that to change. He couldn't change the past… or at least he didn't think he could.
Nick poured the contents of the bottle down into the sink and went home to Claudia. He had some making up to do.
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Christine Johnson leaned back in the chair and put her feet up on her desk. Not really ladylike behavior, she thought as she crossed her ankles, but who gives a damn. She brought her hands together and started to rub them back and forth. A cold, calculating smile started from the corners of her lips.
James Lester didn't know what was coming.
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Abby thought she would like Sarah. Teasing Connor about the Sun Cage being cursed was brilliant. But when Abby saw how interested Connor was in everything the Egyptologist had to say, Abby began to wonder. Was Connor interested in the woman's theories, or the woman?
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Connor was thinking. The new project Cutter had assigned him, researching magnetite and its properties, was exciting. But the really interesting part was the way the electricity combined with the magnetite to affect the anomalies. And if what Dr. Page and Professor Cutter were theorizing about the legends and anomalies was correct… maybe… just maybe they had made a real breakthrough today.
He glanced at Abby. She was driving the mini back to the flat. Her eyes were fixed on the heavily trafficked roadway in front of her. They were going home. Connor hoped that Rex had eaten all the salad off his sofa bed… and hopefully hadn't done anything that would require washing sheets before Connor could get some sleep. He wondered if he should interrupt her concentration or not. Connor was also wondering a few other things.
"Abby," ventured Connor "what did you think about the new folks?"
"Well," answered Abby "That Captain Becker seems to know his stuff. For the first time in ages, we had a full security contingent with us on an anomaly call."
Connor swallowed. So she had noticed the new security Captain. The man appeared to be quite a bit younger than Captain Ryan had been. He reached one hand clad in red fingerless gloves up to his red and blacked striped scarf. Connor pulled it away from his throat… it suddenly seemed just too tight.
Abby continued, "So what did you think of Sarah?"
Connor blinked, thinking again, wondering who Abby was talking about, then realization hit. "Dr. Page is wonderful," he began babbling "her work on legends and myths was part of the supplementary reading in…"
Abby never took her eyes off the road, but as Connor continued chattering on, she smiled. Yeah, she liked Sarah Page.
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Becker had been fully briefed. Tom Ryan had been thorough. Becker just hadn't believed the references to dinosaurs in the briefing reports actually meant real live dinosaurs in London. He'd thought the terms were code names of some sort. Detect anomalies and fight dinosaurs. Really?
He shook his head thoughtfully as he opened the door to his new efficiency flat. He'd only been back in England for three weeks now. The better part of that time had been spent getting his mother moved into the rehabilitation facility and closing up the family home. The solicitor would handle the sale.
The return to London and the extra hazardous duty pay this new assignment provided had both been incentives for him to take this new position with the ARC. Hopefully his extra pay, combined with the proceeds of the sale, and the insurance settlement from the accident, would provide enough funds to maintain Becker's mother for as long as she needed care. The small widow's pension she received since his father's death certainly wouldn't cover much.
If today was a typical example, Becker was sure he could handle the job. No one had gotten killed. Becker just wasn't sure he could handle that young geeky scientist calling him Action Man.
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