Chapter Text
The unusual quiet that had fallen over the factory was disrupted as the Underworld staff all awoke. Their shuffling and chaotic chatter filled the building. Carla lifted her head from her desk as Sean came rushing in to check on her. Her breathing was heavy, confusion etched on her face, "Sean? What happened?"
"Don't worry, it wasn't just you. Seems like everyone was out,” he replied.
Carla continued to stare at him with a blank look. She could see he was still talking but her mind was more focused on what she had seen while passed out. It was like a dream but more somehow. It was like a memory of something that never happened. It felt like a moment she actually lived.
She returned to her flat to find one DS Lisa Swain getting dressed, who she then proceeded to tell not to get dressed. The same DS Swain who was currently trying to get Roy sent down for murder.
She shook her head wondering why her brain had conjured up her and the detective about to sleep together.
By the time her attention was back in the room, Sean had already left to rejoin the rest of the staff. Carla slowly got to her feet and made her way out of her office to check on her employees.
At the station, Lisa woke up in an interview room, the suspect in front of her using the collective confusion to his advantage as he shoved her head down onto the desk and made his exit as his duty solicitor and the other detective checked Lisa was okay.
She brought her hand up to her head and covering the area that'd hit the desk. "Go after him," she barked at the detective sat next to her. She moved her hand back from her head, blood trickled down her fingers.
The young detective didn't make any effort to move, still dazed by the events that had unfolded. Lisa sighed getting up from her chair and ran out the room. The DC finally got up and followed his superior, "wait shouldn't you get checked out first, you could have a concussion."
"Fine, you go after him." This time he followed her instruction while Lisa went to get medical treatment.
It was only then, while waiting to be seen, that she had time to think about what she saw while she was unconscious.
Her in one Carla Connor's flat, getting dressed when Carla returned home and told her not to. The same Carla Connor who Lisa was confident was lying to the police about Lauren's case.
Carla joined her staff, checking no one had gotten hurt when they'd fallen unconscious. There were a few cuts and bruises but they'd managed to come out relatively unscathed. The factory boss heard whispered conversations from her staff asking each other what they saw.
She observed them silently, it became clear that during the blackout the majority of the staff had seen the same thing right down to the conversations had, them all at the factory working but exactly six months in the future, a date which Sarah had seen in her vision.
Then came the question to her, "Mrs Barlow, what did you see?"
"What did I see?” Carla repeated, giving herself time to decide how she was going to answer. “I saw that I went home. Nothing much happened," she lied, remembering how excited she felt to finally be with Lisa, the electricity between them as they kissed, the anticipation as they headed into the bedroom. The desire she had felt was overwhelming. She'd almost been disappointed that the vision stopped before they got a chance to do more than kissing. Almost. Until she remembered who the other woman was.
"And you didn't see anyone there? No Bobby? No Ryan?"
"Nope, it was just me.”
There were a few mumbles in response and they moved on to question someone else.
“Right you lot, back to work,” the Underworld boss ordered. “As fascinating as all this is, we do still have an order to complete.”
The medic had taken a while to get to Lisa, a handful of other people had also been injured during the blackout. Lisa was given the all clear, "don't suppose you know what happened?" she asked the woman.
"Don't understand how but looks like everyone in the building blacked out at the same time and that's not even the strangest part."
Lisa furrowed her brows, "what's stranger than everyone losing consciousness at the same time?"
"While unconscious, everyone had a vision of the future. I've already confirmed what I saw in mine with two of the people I saw in it. I don't know how else they would have known what I saw."
Lisa cleared her throat, "how far into the future is this- this vision supposed to take place?" She felt silly even asking the question.
"During my vision I saw the date and it matches what everyone else is saying, the 22nd of November. What did you see?"
"I don't remember, must be the knock to my head," Lisa lied, her mind flickered to her surprise at Carla's forwardness, to the butterflies in her stomach as she realised what was happening, to the passion in their kiss, to the desire to be together, to the hope for their future.
"Well hopefully it comes back to you, love." The medic replied cheerfully, leading Lisa to conclude that the other woman’s vision had been a positive one.
"Yeah, thanks." Lisa gave her a courteous smile, then proceeded to ask her what she had seen and listened intently at the woman’s tale. Could these visions really be the future? She had a hard time believing it.
When Carla returned to her flat, Ryan and Bobby were waiting expectantly. "Who's going first?" Bobby spoke up before Carla even had a chance to take her coat off. "I'll go first," he proceeded before either had chance to answer. "I was on my phone the entire time but that's not the bit you'll be interested in. I had a text from Max about Lauren turning herself in. So clearly she's not dead. Gonna ignore the fact she's going to commit at crime and turn herself in for it. Other than that, this has to be good news right."
"That does sound promising for Roy and obviously great news about Lauren being alive. We'll have to see where the police stand on the visions though." Carla said, not allowing anyone to get their hopes up too much. "Ryan?"
"I was at Underworld and got trapped in a conversation with Sally about Tim, more details than I would have liked. It's going to be even better then second time," he joked. Carla had already heard this from Sally's perspective, the spin on it had been very different and she couldn't help letting out a laugh.
"So auntie Carla, what did you see?"
"I returned home. Not much happened."
When Lisa got home, she knew Betsy's first question would be what she saw, so decided to get in there first.
"I was just out with a couple of mates. You don’t know ‘em." Betsy lied, thinking about her real vision - being cornered by two lads and them intimidating her. She didn't know who they were or what they wanted but she knew how fearful she felt around them. She concluded it must be because of someone she pissed off. Or someone she would piss off. She played dangerous games with people but now she knew their faces she could avoid them. She didn't want to tell her mother. She didn't need to. She could handle it, that's what she told herself. "What did you see?"
"I don't remember." Lisa replied, busying herself in the kitchen, ready to begin preparing dinner.
"What!? You didn't get one? You know what people are saying about anyone who didn't get one - that they'll be dead in 6 months," the teenager replied, getting visibility upset.
Lisa stopped in her tracks, her gaze meeting Betsy's anguished expression. "What no, I didn't say I didn't get one. I said I don't remember."
"That's the same thing, besides how would you know if you don’t remember. I knew this would happen again," Betsy cried. "I can't lose you too," she added between shaky breaths.
"Woah, I'm not going anywhere Betsy." Lisa comforted, grabbing hold of Betsy's hands. "I lied, I did have one, okay. It was... something I'd rather not share."
"What? Why? Was something bad happening to you in it?" Betsy asked, her mind racing, wondering if it was related to the two lads in hers.
"No, nothing like that. Betsy, I promise nothing bad was happening to me." It was the truth but she knew, if the visions were to be believed, she would get hurt badly at some point between now and then, given the remnants of bruises decorating her body in her vision.
"So you don't want to share? Was it something really embarrassing?" The girl queried wiping her tears away with a short laugh.
"Yeah it was," Lisa replied after a moment, concluding that going with this explanation was the best way to get Betsy off her back, "but you will not be finding out what my blunder was."
The blackout was all anyone spoke about for the rest of the day. And the day after. And the day after that. And the day after that too. It was brought up in conversations as readily and frequently as the weather. During that time the two women kept up their lies about what they saw. Both wondering if they should visit the other but both ultimately deciding against it.