unfortunate ➸ primeval

Chapter 8

Nick pulled up a little way from the office building, much to Jenny's disapproval. She had already tutted at the fact that she'd had to sit in the back for the whole journey, as Nick wanted Clara to sit in the front so he couldn't be distracted by the new recruit's face. Clara herself found the whole ordeal more than amusing.

"You don't really expect me to buy all that stuff about dinosaurs," Jenny laughed disbelievingly, following Nick and Clara as they walked towards the office building.

"Honestly?" Nick raised an eyebrow. "No." He looked to her, his gaze lingering on her for longer than would be considered professional and acceptable.

"Can you stop doing that, please?" Jenny somehow managed to stay polite as she asked, which Clara kind of admired.

"Doing what?" Nick asked.

"Staring at me," Jenny answered.

"I'm not allowed to look at you?" Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Not like that," she told him.

"Like what?"

"Like you know me," she sighed. Clara suppressed a grin.

"See, I feel like I do know you," Nick replied.

"But you don't, because if you did then I'd be aware of it, wouldn't I?" She said, her temper about to snap.

"No, not necessarily," Nick argued.

"Lester told me you were. . . odd," she commented. Clara's annoyance for that pompous civil servant reignited.

"I wouldn't put too much faith in anything Lester says," Clara intervened, skipping past the two of them and flashing her ID card to the two police officers in front of the tape. Her other two teammates did the same, ducking under the tape when it was lifted.

"I don't see why not," Jenny frowned. "He seems like a very impressive man."

Nick scoffed. "You're right, I probably don't know you."

"You can't come in here," a burly fireman stepped in front of them. Clara's eyebrows raised; he was probably one of the tallest men she'd ever met.

"Sorry," Jenny batted her lashes. "This is a matter of national security. Can you tell all your men to withdraw until I give them the all clear." She said it more as a demand than a question, and before the firefighter could look more than baffled she gave him further orders. "So, I want all these people back about half a mile, and if any of your team speak to the press, they're fired."

The man looked at Nick and Clara for an explanation. "I would do as she says," Nick shrugged. He turned to Jenny. "You always this bossy?"

"I understand the objective is to get the job done," she deadpanned, before spinning on her heel and walking away.

"So," Clara asked the fireman as Nick watched Jenny sashay away. "What have we got?"

"Some kind of chemical leak," he explained. "We've got a few idiots who ignored the alarm trapped on the fourteenth floor. Two of my firefighters are in there as well."

"Okay," Clara nodded just as Nick turned around.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," a familiar voice sounded behind them, and they turned to see Stephen jogging over to them. "I got here as soon as I could."

"Everything alright?" Cutter asked him.

"Yeah," Stephen confirmed after a momentary pause. "Everything's fine."

Exchanging a glance, the trio began to walk towards the entrance to the office building. "Where are you going?" Jenny called after them. "What am I supposed to do?"