It was a quiet day in the ARC, Matt and Emily were obviously together by now. They were sat in the lounge bit of the ARC which had 3 sofa's and a mini fridge filled with cans of pop and buiscits. Matt smiled at Emily as she said in her delicate chiming voice, "Matt, where is the Cola Cola?"
He grined at her and went in the mini fridge retreving what she wanted wispering in her ear "Its Coca Cola, Emily." He took her by the waist and kissed her gentley on the nose and they stood there in an embrase... Then the Anomally alarms went off.
Bailey wasn't you typical teenage girl. She was a kickass fighter with a soft side for nature and animals. They facinated her, what could she say? Sat in the yorkshire dales with a pencil and a note book she was drawing insects and spiders noting down what they were and where she found them. It was one of her favorite pass times now that she lived on her own and didn't go to school.
Becker was hovering over Jess near the ADD as she got it into gear, handing out black boxes and distributing ear pieces. The girl worried Becker sometimes, how could she be so organised?
"Where's the anomally, Jessica?" Becker said towards her as he zipped his coat up.
She threw him a glare "It's Jess!" She spun around on her chair and started shouting out coordinates to all the team as they an around gathering weapons.
There it was, a big cat... just stood there in the middle of the yorkshire dales like it belonged there. Belonging... that was a feeling Bailey hadn't felt in a long time. A part of her wanted to run away from the huge cheetah, but the bigger part wanted to stay, study the majestic beast that was before her. It wasn't the normal size for a cheetah, she could tell that by how close it was to her. She knew it was stupid to get out her pad and pencil but she just had to. As she took off her back-pack the wind changed direction. It blew her scent towards the beautiful creature, and as it sniffed at the air it's back arched into the grass then rose again, eyes locked on Bailey, it slowly started to stalk her.
The Anomally was 5 hours away by jeep... or 30 minutes by helicopter. Jess got a helicopter to the ARC within 10 minutes. Abby and Connor stood around and were the last ones to get on the flying machien, they seemed different lately, shiftey somehow. As the helicopter rose into the sky, the team would not have expected what would have happened as they arrived.
This was it. Death. Supprising how it wasn't scary... there was just that feeling of regret on Bailey's sholders. She could have gone to collage, universtity, got a masters degree and became a vet or a paleontologist! Maybe a singer or a great actor who would have won a grammy... but now, staring into the face of death, she knew with a little regret that she would never achieve anything now... but inside she was happy, knowing how much of an impression she would leave on people.
Then the cheetah stopped. Stood infrount of her, bearly moving, the creature gazed up at young, 16 year old Bailey with its intelligent brown eyes that sparkled with the wisdom and knowledge she thought only humans could possess. The cheetah arched its back again, placing at Bailey's feet a very small, weeks old ball of fluff. Its fur was the colour of rowan bark, not the beautiful magical spotty coat the mother had. She slowly bent down lifting the cub of the ground, taking it in her arms stroking the soft fur on its back. Beautiful.
There was a young girl, stood there. Paralised with fear he thought. How wrong he was. Becker took aim with his gun and fired. Streight through the cats skull, killing it instataniously.
She screamed. A scream of loss and devistation ripped from her. She clutched the young cub to her chest and stared at the man who had just shot her cheetah. He was evil. How could he kill that poor animal with no second thought and just stand there GRINNING! Grinning like he had just done something great and victorous when he had basically murdered a person. She looked into his warm hazel eyes and then spun on her heal, running as fast as she could into the forest.
Becker had just saved the young girls life and that was how she repaid him? With a look of disprovment and then utter hate? The girl ran into the forest with her black tarten skirt blowing out behind her and her short spikey hair swaying in the breeze.
"Johnson, Thomson and Peters, go get the girl while i lock his anomally and deal with the dead cat." Said Becker.
"Yes, Sir." Said three soilders willing to prove their worth.
It was as if she had lost another person in her life, a friend. She had lost too many people damnit! Her real mother had run away when she was only 6 years old, her father couldn't cope with looking after her and her other 2 sisters so he gave them up. Abbandoned. Then they went to the Ellis's. Lovely people who eventually adopted them, it was funny you see, she never really though of her biological mother as her real mom, it was always her adopted mom. Then they died. 2 years ago almost to the day. It broke her heart as they were yet again made to go live with different forster families and have lots of stupid temporary homes that had little effect on her. Eventually, she turned 16, she just... moved on. Got over it and realised that you have to be tough in life and that you cant trust anybody, not humans anyway. All they do is die on you and leave a handprint on your heart that nobody can replace. Her sisters, 14 year old Taylor and 12 year old Sienna found a home with their grandparents. That's what they called them anyway, they were an old couple willing to take on some older responsible children. How was it that one cheetah you had known for a few seconds leave such a horrid void in your heart?
Becker locked the anomally, no sign of an incursion exept the carcus of the cat he had shot. Another perfect day... exept for the rouge child they now needed to find for questioning at the ARC.
He turned around at the sound of foliage been stood on. Nothing. He looked in the same direction again and then emerging through the tree's were Becker's men with the young child, or what she a young woman?
"Let me go you stupid lumbering idiots!" Bailey screamed as they litrally carried her to the anomally site as she clutched the cub still.
"Becker, what do we do with the child?" Emily asked poiletly.
"Restrain her and make sure she doesn't get away again." Becker replied a little pissed off at how long it had taken the soilders to retrieve her.
"Hey, you with the curly hair!" Emily looked at her curiously "I'm not a child, i'm 16, that makes me a legal ADULT." Bailey said with a bit of bitchyness in her tone.
"whats your name?" Abby said walking upto Bailey.
"My name's Bailey, Belle for short." Bailey replied.
"Ahh, beautiful in french. Nice." Connor came out of no where placing his arm around Abby's sholders.
"Yeh, that's partly why the nicknames Belle, but mostly is just because my mother called me it."
"Interesting. So, Bailey, what's that your holding?" Abby asked obviously curious.
"She's called Rowan and she is a giant cheetah from that light thing." Bailey said nuzzling the cub with her chin as it squirmed playfully.
"Acinonyx pardinensis, interesting. She does't seem to have the marking's of a cheetah." Connor said after a small obsevation of the cub.
Bailey stared gob smacked, "Did you just say it was the EXTINCT genesis of cheetah? Like... from the past?"
"Yes he did Bailey." Abby said smiling, as she took hold of Bailey's arm and lead her to the helicopter.
It all happened at once, Bailey jumped at the roars that erupted from the under growth, Abby and Connor held there EMD's ready on guard. Looking at the place where the roars came from one smilodon creeped out then another and another, until there were about 15 of them, huge and beautiful. Powerful, graceful hunting machiens that could kill somebody instantly.
As stood there unprotected as the rest of the team retreated, she's attacked. The animal clawing at her chest and stomach, the unbareable pain of blood been drawn from her, but she layed there and roled over taking an EMD that one of the soilders had dropped at a feable attempt of running away.
She shot upwards still clutching the cub that was making horribal and distressing noises as it called for its mothers protection. As the smildon fell after third shot, Bailey stood up and seeing it as her only chance to save all the people, she shouts and draws the smilodons attention.
Like the idiotic girl she was, she ran. She ran as fast as she could in a deathly persuit that was bound to end in her death, but she did it anyway, kicking over the locking mechanism to open the anomally, she jumped. Grabbing onto a tree branch with one hand, she dangled just above the anomally, and the cats were so stupid that they didn't even realise that she was hanging there like a piniata. They ran through just as the anomally closed and Bailey dropped from the tree panting and colapsed in a heep.
Matt, Abby and Emily soon rush to her aid wrapping bandages around her wounds and giving her a drink of water. Becker managed to pry the cub from her arms giving it to Abby as they flew back to the ARC with Bailey firmly sat in the back seat next to Abby and Connor.
They got to the ARC and Becker took Bailey to go see Lester.
"Bailey Ellis, you have done a great public service for us today, but you cannot tell anyone about it." Lester said patronising her.
"Do not patronise me. I may only be young but i am NOT thick. Where's Rowan?" Bailey asker he question that had been on her mind since they got hear.
"The cub is contained and fine, but unfortunatly you wont be seeing her again. You don't work hear and you are too young anyway. Go Miss Ellis and you can have the very happy memories of you and that furball together."
Thats when she lost her temper. She didn't loose it that often but this was just patronising and humiliating. She raised her hand and slapped Lester around the face, the sound as her hand collided with his face made a deafing crack off the walls and she smiled satisfied, until she was grabbed by Becker. She was restrained and put in a room with a small bed and a few chemical substances. She layed on the bed remembering the time before her real mother dissappeared and reherese the scene of her reading a story and stroking her hair as she fell asleep...