'A!' Connor called after me as he chased me down the corridor between my labs and Ops. 'I need to talk to you.'

And without slowing to allow him a chance to catch up, I glanced down at my watch. 'I'm a bit late but… if you talk quick…'

'Have you heard from Matt?' Connor replied.

'Matt?' I repeated questioningly.

'He's not in his chair again.'

It wasn't a surprise, but it was strange how he managed to get away with that so much. We came around the corner into Ops and sure enough, even from all the way across the room, I could see over the back of the chair and tell that it was empty.

'Do you think it's suspicious,' Connor continued, 'that he's never actually here?'

'I don't know how he has the time to have a life outside of this place. I mean, if we didn't work together, when would we hang out?' I paused with another realisation. 'When was the last time we saw Nana?'

Connor's eyebrows rose in agreement. 'Too long.'

'You spent a day with him,' I continued, as my gaze washed over the empty chair behind the detector again, 'when you were locked in. What did you think?'

He shrugged. 'I don't know. He seems… normal. He's a nice guy but that's about it, you get me.'

I nodded. Normal was weird– it was an impossible concept that existed when literally everyone, by default, is different. I'd met enough normal nice guys to know that anyone who seems normal is usually the furthest from it. Normal was a screen, it existed because enough people used it to hide secrets.

Danny was standing at my desk. He looked over just as we reached the steps. As soon as he saw me he quickly turned in confusion to look at the clock. 'Shouldn't you be in your meeting?'

'I'm late,' I agreed. But I could see through the glass that Lester wasn't in his office, so I was guessing I was okay.

'Do you need your report?' he questioned further, as he started sifting through the papers on my desk to find the brown folder. We came down the steps and stood opposite him.

'Probably. I ran some tests on the dead woman we found at the theatre, strange thing is she actually died from an infection antibiotics would have cleared in days. And she was showing antibodies for smallpox.'

Connor frowned. 'How is that possible?'

'Becker said it wasn't Victorian London on the other side of that anomaly but from the look of her clothes that's where she'd come from originally. She might have stumbled into an anomaly, or maybe the creature found her but there's no way of knowing how many anomalies she's actually been through or how long she had been out there.'

'Oh, bless. She must have been petrified.'

I hummed. 'I don't think that's what the meeting's about though. Lester said Philip was coming and he wanted me there too.'

Connor immediately straightened up. 'Philip rocks!' he declared excitedly. I wanted to tell him to calm down because Philip wasn't here to hear him. Danny and I shared a brief look of concern. 'He's like the smartest man I have ever met.'

And again I had the urge to correct him. Nick Cutter was the smartest man he would ever meet and he didn't use my research and talk about his papers that came from that right in front of me without ever mentioning it.

'You're beginning to sound like a groupie,' Danny informed him bluntly.

'I am a groupie.' Connor wasn't ashamed. 'Just without the sordid bits and the low self–esteem.'

'We discussed this James, you agreed to the policy.' My head snapped up at the sound of Philip's voice echoing back from somewhere down the corridor.

A moment later, both him and Lester came striding around the corner, and they appeared to be in some sort of hurry.

It was instantly obvious that my tardiness was about to cause me a few problems. I retraced my steps across the floor, coming up the stairs just as Philip and Lester came past, and glancing back at me with some sort of relief, Lester sighed.

'Oh, good, Anna, yes,' he said, wearisomely, 'you've found us.' But neither him nor Philip stopped, they just continued towards his office.

'I don't remember meetings involving so much cardio before,' I noted. They reached the door and both reached out for the handle. There was an awkward moment where they both pulled back and waited for the other to concede in a strange sort of power play.

Lester eventually gestured for Philip to take the handle. He grabbed it, opened the door, and before either of them could take a step, I glided through between them and went into the office first. 'Oh, thank you,' I said.

'Are you… joining us, Doctor Havisham?' He asked, with an amusing sort of strain in his voice.

'Yes,' Lester answered for me. 'I thought as Team Leader she has every right to know about the creatures her team have faced that have unfortunately been somewhat marooned here.' Lester came into the office behind me and quickly moved around to sit in his chair before Philip could steal it.

I frowned. 'This is about the creatures?' I asked in clarification.

'We can't risk a repeat to the airlock fiasco,' Philip said. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

Back on the other side of the glass, I saw Danny and Connor both coming up the steps to get closer, and I knew they'd be trying to read our lips to catch any snippets of information within our conversation.

'I think you'll admit human error played it's part in that,' Lester replied.

'Yes, but these creatures present an ongoing and potentially uncontrollable threat, now if you have a better solution…'

I cocked my head, suddenly curious about what exactly I must have missed already. 'Better solution than what?' I asked.

Philip refused to respond or even acknowledge that I'd spoken.

After a moment of silence, Lester cleared his throat. 'Philip thought it would be a good idea to put them down.'

My head whipped around so quickly I almost gave myself whiplash. 'What!'

'We agreed to it, James,' Philip returned.

Lester calmly shook his head. 'No… I would never do that.'

'It's the safest, and the kindest, and the only humane solution–'

'Humane? I repeated. My lips curled up in disgust. 'Are you shitting me?'

'Realistically, how many of them do you think will make it home?'

'Most of them,' I nodded.

'But not all of them? They'll be forced to live a miserable life in a world they don't understand.'

'And you know about that do you, Philip?'

'Something needs to be done.'

'Not this. They need natural light, greenery, more space. Surely we can give that to them, that's all they need, as long as they continue to be cared for and looked after.' Then, inhaling quickly just so that I didn't run out of breath, I narrowed my eyes at him. 'Okay,' I said, 'let's forget for one moment that these things are living, breathing beings– like you obviously have– you don't understand the risk we face putting these creatures down. We can't do that, it's called the domino effect. Killing just one of these creatures even by accident could change the entire history of the world. All of this–' I gestured first around the room before I flapped a hand in the direction of Ops, '– could cease to exists. We might never have been born, and believe me, the worlds a lot better off with us in it.'

'You theorized that killing these animals in our time has a paradox the moment they step through the anomaly,' Philip said.

'That's a theory,' I stressed back. 'But we can't test it. The risks are astronomical.'

Philip sighed. 'I was almost killed by one of those creatures.'

'Really,' I snapped back, 'a one–foot–long vegetarian lizard almost killed you? Bit dramatic?' Bit pathetic.

'Quite frankly, Doctor, you don't have a say in this.'

Either way, I wasn't giving up. 'Over my cold, dead body,' I said.

Philip opened his mouth to respond again, but he was interrupted by the sudden blare of the alarm overhead, and I immediately made for the door.

'Don't think this means this conversation is over,' I continued, as I threw the door open. Then, one hand still on the handle I paused, and turned back around to give Philip one final wary glance, I stepped out the room and pulled the door to a firm close behind me.

The alarm always brought everyone out the woodwork. Becker came running down the hallway, just as Connor and Danny crossed the room towards the detector, and by the time I'd made it back down the stairs, he had fallen into step beside me. 'Where's Matt?' he questioned exasperatedly, as he gestured once again to the empty chair.

I shrugged. Someone should really do something about that.

Connor looked back at me with a frown. Yeah.

…me?

You're in charge.

'Right…' I noted. He nodded back at me.

I caught Danny's eye. Maybe you should call him.

I nodded again. 'Yes, I'll do that.'

What was the meeting all about?

My eyes rolled. I'll tell you later.

Connor raised an eyebrow understanding then leant over the keypad and tapped the keys to bring up the anomaly's location onscreen. 'Co–ordinates: 19.162. Distance: 8.6 miles, heading 2.62.'

I watched the dot home in on the geographical location on screen. 'My god,' I said as I stopped over a building. 'That's a school, isn't it?'

I heard Connor swallow. 'What day is it?' he questioned fearfully.

'Saturday.' Becker and I looked back to one another as though surprised that we'd spoken at the same time. And I guess he had reason for that because I never used to know what day it was. The only reason I knew was because I'd been up half the night watching a Big Brother omnibus.

'Good,' Danny said, as he leant across as picked up 4 black boxes to pass to each of us, 'that means it'll be empty.'

'Come on then.'

And as Connor turned back away from the detector, I nodded down the hallway. After you. Danny passed me first, hand to my arm to tell me he would take the lead, and Connor followed after him.

Just as I turned to make my own exit, bringing up the rear, I caught Beckers eye and held his gaze as I tried to determine just what the look in his eye was for. 'What?'

Becker just blinked back at me with a look of amusement. 'Okay,' he started as we walked quickly back through Ops towards the lift and the doors to the staircase. 'I know you guys were all each other had when you were stuck out there but you need to stop with all the– you know– group huddles and silent communication. I'm not sure it's healthy.'

And I hadn't realised we were doing it. It wasn't that bad, was it? … no… surely it wasn't that bad.

I met his eye again. 'Are we…' I paused thoughtfully. 'Sorry, I'm not sure I know what you mean.'

'You don't communicate with words,' he explained. We hopped up the steps and continued past Lester's office.

'oh,' I said, because I hadn't noticed. 'I guess… we don't really need to anymore.'

'That's my point.'

I'd had to leave a voice mail. Matt finally replied over the radio just as I was pulling the truck up outside the school.

Connor was the first one through the doors, armed with an EMD and a handheld detector.

'I've located the anomaly,' Matt informed us. Becker was next through the revolving doors and I gestured for Danny to go after him. 'It's in the canteen on the other side of the school.'

'Okay,' I returned, 'thanks, we'll head that way and lock it up.'

'We might get lucky,' Becker added hopefully, 'find there's no incursion this time.'

'Ah!' Connor returned quickly. He glanced back up from the detector to stare questioning at Becker, 'why would you say that?'

Danny hummed in agreement. 'Not cool.'

'What?' Becker demanded in response.

'You've properly jinxed it now!'

Becker glanced back to me like he thought I was going to save him somehow. I shrugged. 'You said it.'

He groaned. 'Matt, I'll radio in if we need backup.'

'Copy that.'

'Happy now?'

Connor pursed thoughtfully. I could tell he was waiting to sense a shift in the atmosphere. It was too late. 'Not really,' he replied.

There was a buzzing in my pocket. I reached down to pull my phone out and stared at the number on the caller I.D. I didnt recognise it. I hit decline and slipped the phone back into my jeans pocket. 'Matt,' I directed into my earpiece, 'I can see cameras. Is there a central system?'

'Yeah,' he replied, and I could just about make out the sound of the keyboard rattling on the other end of the line. 'It controls the CCTV and all the doors. I'm hacking it right now.'

'You know, next time you want a change of career you should think thought about robbing banks,' Connor quipped back. He led the way through the school foyer, following the dot on the screen of the palm–held.

Matt hummed. 'I've considered it.'

'Why do all schools smell the same?' Connor continued. He glanced into the rooms off the hallway as we passed them. 'Like spot cream. And misery.'

'I quite liked school,' Becker replied unironically.

'Yeah, that figures,' Connor returned. I could hear the amusement in his tone. And when I looked at him, I saw his eyes were wide in exaggerated delight. He nudged me. 'Suppose you were far too busy to enjoy it, A?'

I shrugged. 'Most of it was boring to be honest, but I enjoyed A–Level physics,' I admitted.

'Yeah, well, that was because it was like the one lesson we actually had together.'

'Think they might have wised up to the fact it was a bad idea after that.'

'You two causing trouble?' Danny started sarcastically. 'I can't imagine what that must have been like for your teachers.'

'We weren't even that bad. Duncan used to smuggle all sorts of different snacks into the lab, every day he had a different snack and a different way of hiding it to get it past Mr Stead. He only got caught because of the monster munch, but I don't know what he was thinking, everyone knows it's far too crunchy.'

'Amateur,' Connor tutted with an accompanying roll of his eyes.

'But it started a whole thing, like, a game: who could sneak the most outrageous thing in without Mr Stead noticing.'

'Didn't BTEC Darren come in with like an open bowl of Frosties one day?'

'Oh yeah. Spoon and milk and everything. Completely got away with it.'

Connor laughed. 'Oh, yeah. Physics was the best. Except when you it came to like exam results and you humiliating me by getting, like, crazy high marks.'

'Hey,' I responded with a touch of offense, 'you're the one who was always too busy drawing little X–Wings onto the back of your test papers.'

'No, it's fine. Physics was always your thing than mine anyway,' he continued, 'I only did the A-Level because I wanted to build a lightsabre so it was all a waste of time anyway.'

'Other than the module on electromagnetics, it would seem,' I pointed out.

'Yeah,' he said, 'other than that. What about you Danny?' Connor asked.

'I didnt do any A-Levels, I left school at 16 but I'd spent most of my time up to that point in detention.'

'Why does that not surprise me?'

'Come on,' Becker rallied, as he kept his attention flitting up and around at our surroundings, so that at least one of us was paying attention. 'Let's get this anomaly locked then we can get out of here.'

'Somewhere to be?' Danny teased. And the way Becker wouldn't look at him told me he did long before Becker actually replied.

'Yes,' he drew out in response, 'is that…a problem?'

Connor oooed, which earnt him a look of annoyance, before Becker suddenly reached out, halting my progress as his arm came out and caught me before I could continue. He pointed by way of explanation, down an adjoining corridor. I leant forward to look past.

There was a random constellation of blood dotted across the tiled floor in front of a vending machine, but the glass had been shattered and the contents scattered in and amongst the pools.

I crunched my way across the shards, reaching back to unclip the handle of my knife from its holster just in case. But it didn't make any sense; it hadn't been smashed in. It looked like something had burst out.

But before I could make any sorts of comments about who or what could have done something like this, there was a noise that travelled back from somewhere on the level above us.

'So much for a dead school,' Connor noted. He turned to glare at Becker.

Becker frowned back at him. 'How is this my fault?'

'You jinxed it.'

'Yeah right.' And I couldn't tell if it was the idea of hexes he didn't believe, or superstition all together.

'Matt,' I said, as I lifted a hand to adjust the radio over my ear. 'We have a possible incursion.'

'Copy.'

A pitter–patter of noise brought my head round just as I saw something dripped from the balcony above us. It hit the tiles and splattered. I saw the redness of it.

'There's blood.'

I started running, rounding the corner towards the staircase, and taking the steps two at a time.

'Standing by for back-up and medical.'

I knew the guys were behind me; I could hear them but they didn't catch up until I stopped halfway down the hallway beside the severed arm.