Elizabeth Cutter | Primeval

★ S6 E3 - I Told Myself To Go Back

The Rubik's Cube spins gracefully in my hands as I walk down the corridor to my office. My broken ribs mean I'm out of the field for two weeks and can't get away from Grange...which is annoying. He's given me several reports to write up that Matt and I never got round to doing from previous field missions. 

I've only been in my office about ten minutes when the door opens without a knock but I don't look up, expecting it to be Grange, however in the computer screen, I see the reflection of Matt.

"You got my message then," I say, keeping my eyes focused on the papers in front of me.

"I did," he says, leaning himself against one of the cabinets. "What's up?" 

I spin in my chair to look at him. "I think I should be the one asking you that." He looks confused so I elaborate. "Look Matt, you're team leader, you get to worry about all of us, but who's looking out for you? Because I know for a fact it isn't Lester. Something's going on, and I don't know what, but you need to start talking."

He sighs, moving to lock my office door. The Colonel won't be happy about that when he realises. "You can't tell anyone Lizzie." I nod. "The day we stopped New Dawn and we went out on the anomaly after, you came back to get me."

"Yeah, and you looked like you'd seen a ghost." His face answers my question, kind of. "You saw a ghost?" 

I stand, crossing my arms over my chest lightly so not to cause myself anymore pain.

"I...saw me." 

"You saw you? Were you feeling okay that day?"  

He steps forward. "Lizzie, I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me. I know what I saw. It was me, but I looked a mess. Dirty, bloody..." 

"And what did you say to you?"

"I told myself to go back. Lizzie, I don't think New Dawn was the reason for the way the future is."

I don't get a chance to respond as the anomaly alarm goes off. "We'll finish this later," I say, turning back to my computer. 

He places a hard drive on my desk and I look up. "Look through this. There's articles and reports from the future on there. The detailed ones have been redacted - I need you to find out what they say."

"Can't Jess?" 

"Lizzie, I can't tell anyone anything until I know what it all means."

I nod. "Okay, leave it with me." 

I delve so deep into trying to access the redacted files I forget all about finishing the reports. That is until there's a knock on my office door and I curse, quickly shutting down my laptop and shoving it under the pillow on my couch along with a bunch of articles I've printed. 

"Are the reports done?" Grange asks walking in.

I move to stand in front of the couch when I realise some of the reports are on show and put my hands behind my back, crossing my fingers.

"Not yet," I say, my confidence never wavering. "I've been busy."

He steps in further and I step back, trying to cover the articles. "Doing?" By now I'm almost leaning backwards over the couch, trying to still act normal but it doesn't work. He pushes me aside - yes, literally - and grabs them, rifling through. "What are these?"

"Nothing."

He steps closer. "Decide your next words very carefully."

"Lizzie?" I turn to see Jess at the door and sigh quietly in relief. "Everything okay?"