Chapter Text
The anomaly pulsed once, twice, and Abby took a few hasty steps backward. “Incoming!” she yelled over her shoulder, raising her pistol as she heard the sharp snap of Becker priming his shotgun.
The portal bulged towards her once more, and then a figure tumbled out of it, rolling over and over until it came to rest almost at her feet, panting heavily as it looked up at her.
“You might want to…get ready. There’s a whole pack of…Hyaenodon…after me.”
Behind her Becker barked a quick instruction at Connor, ordering him to lock the anomaly. The sparkling shards coalesced into a shimmering ball of light, but Abby barely noticed. She couldn’t stop staring at the man on the ground, unable to believe her eyes.
Stephen grinned up at her and held out a hand. “Are you going to help me up then?” he asked, almost cheekily.
Mechanically, she did so, the touch of his hand on hers doing nothing to dispel the notion that she was dreaming, or hallucinating, or something. She knew she was still staring, but she didn’t know what else to do.
“Wow.”
Connor’s exclamation cut across the stunned silence, and Abby smiled suddenly. Trust Connor to sum it up so succinctly.
“I mean, wow. How did this happen? How did you get here?” The young man seemed to be having no problem believing what he was seeing, hesitating only momentarily before bounding up to Stephen and enveloping him in a hug.
“It’s good to see you too, Connor,” said Stephen, his voice slightly muffled by Connor’s hair.
“Seriously, though. How did you…?”
“Wait a minute. Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?”
Stephen looked past Abby and Connor to where Danny was standing, still looking somewhat flummoxed by the turn events had taken. “And you would be…?”
“Quinn. Danny Quinn. And no offence, mate, but aren’t you supposed to be dearly departed?”
“You know who I am, then?”
“One Stephen Hart. Died in a creature attack in the bunker of a certain Oliver Leek. Saved the world, by all accounts.”
Abby flinched and glared at Danny. Then she turned back to Stephen. “He could have put it better, but he’s not wrong. You’re dead, Stephen,” she said quietly. “You’ve been dead for months.”
“Do I look dead?”
“Well, no, but…we went to your funeral, for heaven’s sake!”
Stephen’s expression turned sombre. “I’m sorry about that, I really am,” he said. “But I had no choice. There was no way to…look, take me back to the ARC, and I’ll explain everything. I don’t really want to have to do it more than once, anyway. I assume Cutter’s back there? The operation must have expanded if you’ve managed to go on a recruitment drive.” His glance shifted between Danny and Becker, obviously unsure what to make of them.
Oh. Oh no…
“Stephen, there’s something we have to tell you…” Abby began softly. Beside her she could feel Connor tensing up, and knew that he was remembering what had happened on that fateful day so many months ago.
“What? What is it?”
“It’s…Cutter. He’s dead. I’m so sorry, Stephen.”
“What?”
“It was a while back. There was a fire…a bomb…” Connor stuttered to a halt, clearly uncertain how to relate precisely what had happened to Cutter.
“Look, let’s go back to the ARC like you said, yeah?” Abby suggested gently. “Lester will want to see you, and then we can tell you everything. Let’s not do this here, okay?” she persisted, and Stephen nodded dumbly.
He looked like he’d been completely knocked for six, and Abby’s heart ached for him. He’d obviously been through a lot to get back to them, and then to find out something like this…unfortunately, she knew all too well what it felt like to lose a friend so suddenly.
Taking his hand again, she pulled him gently in the direction of the trucks, Connor and Danny following while Becker and his men stayed behind to guard the anomaly. As Stephen allowed himself to be led, Abby wondered just how she was going to explain things to him.
* * * * *
“Tell me everything,” said Stephen dully.”
“Stephen, I’m sorry…”
“Just tell me,” he snapped, and then looked contrite as Abby jumped. “Sorry,” he sighed. “I just…I need to know, okay?”
Abby nodded. She’d purposely led Stephen to this out of the way, unused office so she could talk to him in private, but now they were here she didn’t know quite how to begin. Stupidly, she wished Connor were here with her, even as she knew she couldn’t have put the young man through the ordeal. He had been there when Cutter died, that was enough. He didn’t need to deal with this too.
So she’d sent him and Danny to tell Lester about Stephen’s return, knowing they weren’t the best two to break the news, but unwilling to leave Stephen, or bring him into Lester’s presence before she’d had a chance to tell him what she wished she didn’t have to.
“How did it happen?” Stephen prompted her softly.
“He was shot,” she replied, equally quietly.
“By who? Was it some ally of Leek’s?”
“No…”
“An accident then? In the field?”
“No, it was…”
“What happened, Abby? Please…”
“It was…Helen. She shot him.”
“What?” Stephen looked confused, as if he thought he’d misheard. “No, that can’t be right. Why would she?”
Slowly, haltingly, Abby explained about Helen’s belief that Cutter was the first rung on the ladder to a devastated future, that the anomaly project was responsible for the future predators, and for the destruction of mankind. She related how Helen had used a clone of Cutter to access the ARC and plant a bomb, and how Cutter had gone back into the burning building to rescue her. And how then Helen had…
Her voice dried up.
“Destroying the ARC wasn’t enough,” Stephen finished for her. “She wanted to be certain.” He laughed, a dry, brittle sound. “That’s just like Helen. She always wanted to be certain.” Then he looked at Abby sharply. “Did it work? Did she prevent that future?”
Wordlessly, Abby shook her head.
“Not as certain as she could have been, then,” Stephen said flatly. “Where is she now?”
“She’s dead as well.”
“What?”
“She was trying to wipe out the human race before it evolved. That was her Plan B. She didn’t manage it, obviously, but she was killed in the past. Danny saw it happen. She’s gone, Stephen.”
There were a couple of moments of silence. “It doesn’t seem possible,” Stephen said eventually. “I can’t believe she’s really gone.” Then his face hardened. “She deserved it.”
“Stephen, I…”
He shot her look. “Tell me you don’t agree with me.”
Abby fell silent. She couldn’t say the words.
“Well, I for one certainly agree with you. Life’s been a lot quieter, that’s for sure.”
They both turned to regard Lester standing in the doorway, Connor and Danny hovering behind him.
“The prodigal son returns. I can’t decide if I’m happy to see you or not.”
Stephen smiled grimly. “Hello to you too, Lester.”
“Would you care to explain how you got here? I’m sure it will make for a fascinating tale.”
“Can’t you give him a moment?” Abby interjected. “He’s exhausted, and he’s just found out…”
Lester held up a hand in interruption. “Very well. You can have a shower and some food, but then I want you in my office with your storytelling hat on.” He glanced at Abby. “But he is not to leave the ARC, and he is not to be given any more information until we’ve established that he is who he says he is. Understood?”
Abby and Stephen both nodded. Lester’s face softened almost imperceptibly. “I am sorry for your loss,” he said formally, but not unfeelingly, “but we must find out what has happened here. That comes first.”
Stephen nodded again. “I understand.”