'I'm gonna wake up soon, I know I am. It's just a dream.'

I peered somewhat cautiously around Connor, back in the holding room, just to try and glimpse Caroline and see if she was okay.

Opposite her, arms folded over his chest and very muchly in a bad mood now, Jensen shifted. I had no doubt that crying women probably made him uncomfortable, especially women he didn't know. 'Please stop snivelling,' he said wearisomely.

Connor stuck his head around the corner of the wall we were leaning against and eyed Jensen, but said nothing.

I nudged him. 'You okay?'

He brought his attention back to me. 'Hmm?' when I nodded towards Caroline, he responded by rolling his eyes. 'Right. Yeah…'

I patted him gently on the arm. 'I'm sorry.'

'Thanks, A, but yeah,' he said genuinely in response, voice barely breaking above a whisper, 'I'm fine about it.'

'You know, I should have seen it,' I said, 'it's on me. It was weird that she was lovey–dovey but never let you kiss her.'

He paused, brow furrowed and mouth open just for a moment before, he closed it again. He leant in, 'actually she did,' he said, 'just, obviously, never when you were around…'

Oh… 'Well…' I said eventually, 'couldn't you tell she was faking it?'

The expression that proceeded his response transcended anything he could have said.

He didn't need to speak. I had already worked it out. This wasn't just about kissing. 'Connor.' My mouth dropped open. 'You had sex and didn't tell me!' I hissed in a whisper.

He looked back at me uncomfortably. 'Um…'

'I told you when I lost my virginity.'

'No I walked in on you, there's a difference. And believe me I've been trying to bleach that right out my memory ever since, so thanks for bringing it back up.'

'What did I say every time, you had to learn to knock.'

Connor sighed. 'Yeah, I know.' He nudged me back. 'Anyway, you did know. You tried to warn me. I didn't listen.'

I frowned. 'When?'

'The canal,' he explained.

Oh, right. I'd had a lot on my mind that day. It was barely a surprise that I had basically no recollection of it. Some of the stuff that happened before the concussion was a little bit hazy– or at least that's what I'd told some people. None of it really mattered at the end of the day.

'I hate myself for what I did to you,' Caroline said. Her voice felt loud in the space, louder than I was expecting anyway, and it made me snap my head around in her direction. 'I was greedy and stupid, and I'm sorry.'

I pursed my lips and nodded carefully. 'Um, right, okay,' I noted under my breath.

'What did Leek want?' Connor questioned.

'Oh.' I waved a hand by way of explanation. 'Recruitment programme.' As I caught his eye, I gave him a lopsided smile. 'Don't worry,' I said, 'much rather get shot than do anything for him.'

Connor grimaced. 'That's not reassuring at all,' he replied.

The door opened suddenly this time, and instead of it being Leek one of the guards barely took two steps into the room before he threw something towards me and it clattered down to the floor.

'My knife!' I said with some intense form of relief. I gripped the handle and pulled it back towards my body like a comfort blanket.

'Get up!'

I looked back at the guard. 'No thank you.'

Unamused he reached forward and grabbed me by the neck. It took him no effort to pull me up onto my feet, and I realised after that I probably should have tried to fight him there and then, because as soon as he'd plonked me down on my feet, now upright, he took a step back to train his weapon on me.

'Move!'

The gun followed me all the way round to the door, where after I'd stepped out into the hallway, the guard followed, slamming the door shut and gesturing with the weapon for me to go ahead of him.

I didn't know where I was going. Moreover, I didn't know I'd got to where I was going until I was shoved quite roughly into a room.

It was pitch black.

I heard the door slam shut, and then, nothing.

And when the lights came on, I was expecting something theatrical almost, like this was curtain call.

The room was much bigger than I had expected. There were huge circles of lights, beams breaking up out the floor and reaching right up to the ceiling way above me.

There was a noise, a beeping, like a warning, or a countdown, and immediately I got the feeling I wasn't going to like what happened at the end of it.

I gripped the handle of the knife tighter.

There came a hissing, like steam in a vent, and somewhere across the room I could see something opening, a mist of fog proceeded to roll out across the ground and a shady figure followed, prowling towards me on its paws.

The Smilodon.

I rolled my head, mobilising the joints before I took up an overly familiar protective stance. 'Hello, Diego.'

There was a wink of acknowledgement in its own eye, a recognition of me that he'd tried to eat me before, but I'd got away then too.

I flexed an eyebrow. I supposed I should have felt scared– that was probably Leek's plan– that I might scream and beg for my life but he didn't see me in the field, the reports didn't cross his desk. He had no idea.

It circled and I remained still, moving only on the spot to keep him in my line of vision at all times.

I was hungry– I suddenly realised– I had no idea what time it was but it felt like I'd probably missed at least two meals by now. I was used to that feeling enough to recognise it.

I wonder what I've left in the fridge. Did we finish the pie? I really fancy some pie.

The Smilodon growled– a tell I'd learnt was the first sign it was getting ready to pounce; it was warning me I was prey.

I flipped my knife around, exhaled one long breath and I was ready.

I started backwards, just one step at a time, matching its own speed to insure I didn't spook it, as it crept towards me and I backed up toward the wall.

I was close enough when suddenly I heard the bell of the automatic doors, the cat pounced, but already I was where I needed to be.

It leapt towards me, and I took a step, twisting sidewards as its outstretched paws reached for my chest, but I was too quick. I lifted my arms about to stab down on the back of its neck behind the first cervical vertebrae to kill it quickly and painlessly, but at the last second I stopped; I didn't need to. The Smilodon slammed against the wall. The wires caught on its claws, sparks rained down like iridescent confetti and the Smilodon mewled with pain. It wasn't bothered with me anymore, and retreated, quickly, back towards the safety of the hangar it came from.

I didn't wait.

I threw myself through the doorway and stopped, checking the hallway, before I sprinted down towards the holding room.

The guard outside the door didn't have enough time to mount a defence. I rounded on him so quickly, kicking out his knee and grabbing a fist full of his tack vest to haul him up closer and smash a fist into his face, that the shock was still evidently clear in his eyes before he was knocked unconscious.

I threw the door open with so much force, Connor leapt back in fright. He reeled around, eyes wide and slammed a hand down over his heart.

'Hey,' I said, somewhat out of breath and shaking with adrenaline.

'What the hell happened to you?' He returned.

I quickly gestured for them to get out of the room. 'Long story,' I answered. 'Come on!'

Connor moved quickly towards me, Jensen following after him, stopping as he passed the unconscious guard to grab the man's gun. A fragile looking Caroline was the last to step out into the hallway.

'I– uh– did you punch that guy?'

I rolled my eyes and gave her a gentle push towards the others. 'Yeah,' I said. 'He'll be fine. Mostly. You guys need to go, you've got to get up to ground level, alright?'

'You're staying?' Connor returned.

'Gonna find Nick.' I lifted a hand to point off down the corridor in the direction they needed to go in. 'That way. Go on. I'll be fine.'

'Okay,' Connor nodded, 'be careful.'

I winked, 'yeah, alright, you too. See you up there soon.' I waited to see them to the end of the corridor, and once they were out of sight, I turned and started back in the opposite direction towards the base of operations.