E Cutter was sat in the lab, going over some of her most recent research with the ARC team.
Only a week earlier she had collapsed because of exposure to a particularly strong anomaly. And while partially conscious, she had managed to create anomalies without the need for any electronic device.
This event had caused the team a lot of concern, and had forced E to reveal that the radiation from the anomalies was slowly killing her.
E wasn't too bothered about her potential death in the near future, as she was more interested in finding out how she had created the anomalies without her devices.
"Matt, I've been thinking" announced E.
"You thinking, well now I'm getting worried" teased Becker.
Matt ignored him and sat forward in his chair, "About what?".
"Who I am" replied E.
"What do you mean?" Questioned Matt.
"Well, I've been thinking that it's time I gave myself a name, a proper name"
"Like Elizabeth?"
"No. Definitely not. Elizabeth was Helen Cutter's daughter, and I never want to go back to being her again. E was the person I became after my mother's death, to hide my true identity. But I'm not that person anymore. I've hidden behind the code name E, for so long. And I think it's time I found a new name to fit who I am now. Because afterall, E is not a real name, it's a letter. I chose it so that no one could ever discover who I was. But I don't need to live behind a lie and a secret any more".
"What kind of name were you thinking?" Asked Matt.
"I'm not sure" admitted E.
"Barbara?" Joked Becker.
E grinned, "No, I don't think so. I want something that is connected to my old name, preferably something that starts with an E".
"How about Eliza?" Suggested Emily.
"Hmm, I don't think that sounds like me" replied E.
"What about Beth? I know it doesn't start with an E, but it is the end of your official name" admitted Matt.
"I don't hate Beth, but I still want a name beginning with E".
"Well just get a baby name dictionary, and look up the letter E. I'm sure you'll find something that you like" sighed Becker.
"I wanted your input, since you guys are my friends" revealed E.
"I'm glad that you wanted to hear our suggestions. But a name is something personal to you. So you should be the one who chooses it" said Matt.
"El is a nickname sometimes used to shorten a name like yours" announced Connor.
"That sounds like another letter though" reminded Becker.
"He's right Connor. But maybe I can use El in my new name. What if I became Ellie? That's a normal name right?" Questioned E.
"It is often just a nickname, but I think that it can be a real name" answered Abby.
"Ellie. I like it. But the question is, do you like it?" Asked Matt.
"I think so" replied E.
"Well, why don't we give it a trial run, and call you Ellie for a while. So you can see if you like being called it. If you don't, then we can go back to calling you E" suggested Matt.
"O.K, let's give it a go" agreed E.
"You know that we're all going to slip up and call you E a bunch of times, don't you. Because that's what we've been calling you all year" admitted Becker.
"If she wants to change her name, then that is her right. And we should do our best to help her with the transition. I'll tell Lester and Jess about her name change when we have our lunch break later" replied Matt.
"Fine. So, Ellie, do you agree that what happened to you last week, was due to the anomaly in the centre of the island?" Asked Becker.
E looked down at the papers on her desk, and nodded her head.
"I think so. After careful consideration, I have reached the same conclusion that you all came too. That anomaly increased the level of radiation inside of me, some how. Which led to anomalies literally bursting out of me, because of how much radiation I had in my body" announced E.
"Do you think it is likely to happen again?" Asked Connor.
"I don't know. That anomaly is unlike any anomaly that I've seen before. But I can't definitively say that it won't happen again" answered E.
"Then you need to be careful when approaching all anomalies in the future" warned Matt.
"Don't worry, I will be" reassured E.
"Good" replied Matt.
"How is my island anyway? Since I don't know what happened after we left, because none of you have let me return, after what happened there last time. So, have all of General MacNamera's soldiers definitely left?" Asked E.
"Yep. They were all shipped back home the day we arrived. Over the past week we've had a team on the island taking down fences. The area around the island is also a no fly zone, and no one is allowed to have a boat anywhere near it. Only our boats are allowed to get that close" revealed Matt.
"Lester wanted to enclose the island in a massive circular wall in the water, to stop any underwater creatures from getting out into the ocean. But Matt convinced him that it was a bad idea" admitted Becker.
"It's a good idea in theory, but it's not practical to build a big wall like that halfway across the world. Building a wall, will just make it look more appealing to people who might want to sneak onto it" said E.
"That's what I thought" replied Matt.
"I am going to look into planting some sensors around it, so that we can tell if a boat is getting too close. So that we can stop them from reaching the island"
"I'm fine with you making the tech, but I don't want you putting it on the island, as I don't want you going back there any time soon"
"You can't tell me what to do Matt"
"No. But I'm not going to let you put your life on the line like that, not on my watch".
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...
