Once they arrived in Vancouver, Connor and E messaged their loved ones and headed to the hotel that Lester had booked for them.
They then spent the next day or so resting, to ward off their jet lag.
And although E enjoyed the beautiful city, she found it colder than home, and she was also starting to miss Matt.
Which is why she started trying to distract herself by following Evan Cross around, at a distance.
It was then that E and Connor began to detect a recurring anomaly at the local park.
The anomaly never stayed open for very long, and it never returned to exactly the same spot, which made it harder to track.
"It's O.K to admit it you know" said Connor one evening.
"Admit what?" Questioned E.
"That you are missing Matt" replied Connor.
"We've only been gone a few days, so it's too early for me to be missing anyone. Besides, last time I went away, I was away for months"
"Yes, but things were different back then. And it's O.K to admit that you are missing him. Missing someone isn't a weakness you know"
"It is for someone like me. I am not supposed to have weaknesses. Which is why I've spent so long trying not to form attachments".
"I know that you used to distance yourself from people, but you've changed recently, and you've started to let us all in to your life" reminded Connor.
"Yes, I have. But it wasn't easy for me to open up to you all-" E faltered as she looked over at her anomaly detector on the other side of the room, which had begun to beep.
"Great" she continued.
"It looks like the anomaly is back" sighed Connor.
"I guess we had better get going then" mumbled E as she got off the sofa and grabbed her coat, as Connor picked up the hand held detector.
"Is it normal for an anomaly to move around like this?" Questioned Connor, as the pair made their way out onto the street.
"I wouldn't say that it was normal, but it's not unheard of. Anomalies do sometimes move around like this" answered E, as she placed her hands into her pockets to keep them warm.
"The second anomaly we ever came across, was like this. It kept moving around and leading to another body of water. But it always lead to the same place"
"I remember that anomaly. That was the first time my parents spoke to each other, after 8 years apart. It was also the time when ARC soldiers came and dragged my mother back through the anomaly, leaving me alone".
"I'm sorry that you had to witness that" Connor said quietly.
"And I'm sorry that what I did after she was taken from me, lead to your friends' death" apologised E.
"I've told you before that I don't blame you for Tom's death" replied Connor.
"I know, but I can't help but feel guilty over what happened. I didn't know that the dodo's were infected by a parasite when I opened that anomaly. But my actions still lead to Tom's death. At first it didn't bother me, but the more time I spend with you guys, the more human I become. And the guiltier I feel about my past actions".
"You can't blame yourself for the things you did as a child... Anyway, we've got more important things to worry about right now" admitted Connor.
"You're right. You were asking me about recurring anomalies, before we got sidetracked. Sometimes two time zones do become connected, but the anomaly is unstable and comes back several times, in different spots. I don't know why this happens. All anomalies will come back at some point, but not normally for quite a few years. However, anomalies like this, that reappear several times a week are different, but I don't know why" replied E.
"This is the third time that this one has returned, right?" Asked Connor.
"Yes, I don't think it was here before we arrived" answered E.
"Don't you know for sure? I thought you had mapped out all the natural anomalies?"
"I have. But I can't remember them all off the top of my head. And I left most of my tech at home, as I couldn't risk anyone here getting their hands on things like my anomaly map. So I can't look this anomaly up in my database, because it's not here"
"Well, I guess all we really needed for this mission was our detectors. Although things would have been easier if we didn't need them, and hadn't come here when there was an anomaly".
"I disagree. I think it is good luck that we turned up when there is an anomaly hanging around. Because this way, we get to watch Evan in action and see how much he really knows" admitted E.
"I guess you have a point, but I still think this would be easier if we didn't have to worry about bumping into any creatures" replied Connor.
"I know I promised Matt that this mission was 100% safe. But I kind of like walking around at night, unsure of what creatures we might come across"
"That's weird. We really need to find you a safer, more normal hobby".
A few minutes later, the pair entered the park and came across the anomaly.
"Well, there it is" smiled E, triumphantly.
"Yep. But it's weak, I'm not sure how much longer it's going to be open for" admitted Connor, as he looked down at the detector in his hand.
"Watch out!" Hissed E, as she pushed Connor back against a neabry tree.
"It's Evan" she whispered, nodding her head to the side.
Connor looked to the right and saw Evan running towards the anomaly with an old man by his side.
Luckily the anomaly closed before Evan and his partner got too close.
"Damn it" panted Evan, as he tried to catch his breath back.
"I'm slowing you down" replied his friend.
"No you're not" insisted Evan, as they began to walk back the way they had come.
"I think it's time we started the plan. We need to take back our detector, and talk to Evan about the anomalies" E said quietly, once they were out of ear shot.
"I'm ready when you are" replied Connor.
"Good. Now, let's get back and prepare ourselves for tomorrow's mission. We are going to need to be well rested, if we want things to go to plan"
"After you".
YOU ARE READING
Relative Strangers (book 3) Nature VS Nurture
FanfictionE Cutter has finally started adjusting to her life in the 21st century, working alongside the ARC team. She has started to trust all of the team, and not just Matt, which has opened a new chapter in her life. Although life at the ARC is almost perfe...
