James Lester strode confidently down the polished hallway of the Anomaly Research Centre. His shoes clicked lightly on the linoleum flooring. He pushed open the swinging double doors and entered the main operations centre affectionately dubbed the hub. As always, the space was a buzzing hive of activity.
Glass workstations held various pieces of equipment and half-completed inventions. Technicians and other personnel working the science division milled around, scribbling on clipboards and doing various tasks. Despite the apparent mess, he knew it was an efficient and organized system that functioned like a well-oiled machine and felt a swell of pride before allowing himself a slight smile.
His features quickly settled back into an emotionless mask though. After all, he had a reputation to uphold. Someone in this hubbub had to appear well cultured.
His looked up to the bay of monitors positioned in the centre of the room. Jess Parker sat alertly on her chair in front of the Anomaly Detection Device, her fingers confidently tapping keys and monitoring the screens.
The young woman's petite frame and brightly coloured outfit seemed to contrast the complex computer system yet she had proven her tenacity on a number of occasions. The screens displayed a confusing multitude of screens, diagrams and charts which he himself couldn't make head or tail of. He stepped up to the computer.
"Morning Parker." He greeted.
She jumped slightly then turned and smiled cheerfully at him
"Lester, you scared me! Good morning! I just got some coffee, would you like one?" She replied
Her usual bubbliness was almost infectious and the corners of his mouth lifted upwards momentarily as he took the steaming cardboard cup then quickly frowned once more.
"Well chop chop! Get back to work Parker!" He instructed.
She rolled her eyes when a commotion from the doors drew his attention. The facility's ingenious idiot, Connor Temple, sailed in, perched atop a battered skateboard.
"Lester, Jess morning!" He called to them.
He turned to wave and overbalanced, careering into a workbench. The workstation toppled with a crash, spilling broken glass across the floor while he sprawled across the broken glass.
"Connor!" Jess exclaimed.
She sprang from her seat and ran to help her roommate.
"Are you okay?!" She asked, gently taking his arm.
He moaned and slowly sat up while she watched anxiously.
"Oww, yeah m'fine." He muttered
He reached up and gingerly touched his head. His fingers were stained with blood. Her eyes widened.
"Your head's bleeding!" She exclaimed
"It's okay Jess m'fine." He insisted
"No we've got to get you to the infirmary right now." The field coordinator replied firmly
"Temple get to the medical bay. That's an order." Lester instructed
He sighed and got up, picked up his skateboard before limping off in the direction of the infirmary. The director rolled his eyes.
"Jess, get someone to clear this glass up." He told her.
She nodded then her eyes softened as she watched Connor limp away.
"Do you think he'll be ok?" She asked quietly.
"Temple? Certainly, you can't get rid of him. Unfortunately. "He quipped.
She rolled her eyes knowing he was only joking. With that, he turned and marched up the steps into his private office and sat down in the relative peace to fill in some paperwork.
Abby Maitland smiled as she stepped into her office. The desk was littered with various reports on matters like feed and creature inventory. Several animal crates were stacked in one corner and specimen slides and a microscope sat on a bench. The space was small but felt like a sanctuary. Animalistic bellowing sounded from beyond the revolving doors and she tapped a command into the keypad to open the airlock to the creature containment facility.
The menagerie itself comprised an entire floor with a facility where creatures where held and an adjacent laboratory for analyzing biological samples from the creatures to study their anatomical features, their chemical makeup and genetics as well as to concoct treatment if any of the animals fell ill.
She entered the holding facility. A familiar green lizard swooped down onto the table. She smiled affectionately at her pet
"Hey Rex." She said to the reptile.
The lizard trilled at her and she tickled the reptile under the chin before he swooped back into the rafters. She turned to the nearest cell and gazed down through the window at the captured mammoth.
The staff had affectionately dubbed the animal Monty as he was the menagerie's longest resident. The creature had lived in the facility for the last five years and during that time it had survived an explosion in the building during Helen Cutter's brief takeover, before being transferred to the new building a year later after the A.R.C. was temporarily decommissioned, then restarted as well as surviving Phillip Burton's culling attempt to destroy the creatures then survived an incursion in the facility by prehistoric beetles and then surviving another incursion less than a month later of deadly predators from the future.
Aside from Rex, the beast had been stranded in the present day longer than any of the other creatures. Though it was far from tame and was still a wild animal, it had come to recognize those it saw on a daily basis and showed affection towards her and the other keepers.
The animal snorted through its trunk and flapped its small ears. The pachyderm looked almost lonely. Her smile fell and she sighed sadly to herself. These extraordinary animals spent their entire lives confined in these enclosures with poor lightning, an unnatural diet and little space.
After the worldwide anomaly event they had taken in a number of animals including a Kaprosuchus, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Smilodon, several raptors, a woolly mammoth and a male Dracorex as well as a dozen Galliminus, a giant prehistoric armadillo, an Elasmotherium, a giant predatory scorpion, an Ankylosaurus, two dire wolves, an Arthopleura, a Scutosaurus, a docile juvenile Triceratops, three terror birds, one stranded pterosaur, an arboreal dinosaur and a female Coelurosauruvus. She was somewhat hoping the female lizard would breed with Rex.
They were running out of space for these creatures. Almost all the enclosures were full. Soon they would have to start placing animals together in enclosures like how they kept Rex with the mammoth or find a new facility to keep these extraordinary yet deadly animals. Despite her respect these magnificent beasts, she was under no illusion of their power and ferocity.
She had always been aware of the risks of working with these animals but her year in the Cretaceous had taught her even more about some of the creatures she encountered on a daily basis. She moved to the next enclosure where the Dracorex roared back at her through the glass and took a defensive stance.
In the adjacent cage, the two Diictodons, Sid and Nancy, played in a corner, wrestling and tumbling over one another. The two creatures spotted her and cooed. At least they seemed content. She moved across to a nearby enclosure where a green lizard was flying around. It landed on the window and she smiled.
Below it, the Triceratops shook its horned head and snorted. The sabre toothed cat in the next enclosure circled unhappily and uttered low growls. Upon spotting her, it roared a challenge and swiped at her with its clawed paw. However she was unafraid, knowing it couldn't jump high enough to reach her or break through the glass
Suddenly her pet coelurosauruvus trilled and whistled. Turning, she saw him hovering by the door.
"Rex? What's going on?" She asked the lizard.
She moved to the window and spotted her fiancé limping down the corridor. She frowned and instantly noticed his pronounced limp and how he clutched his head. She ushered the lizard back into the enclosure alongside the Mammoth and sealed the airlock. She stepped out in the hallway.
"Connor?" She called to him.
He froze and quickly straightened his posture, realizing how much trouble he was stuck in as she marched up to him.
He swung around to face and stood straight, gritting his teeth at the searing pain in his left leg
"Abby! Abby hi." He said calmly. His eyes darted around nervously "I was, just, on my way to the lab."
She however wasn't fooled and; looked at his posture.
"You're hurt. She murmured.
He sighed reluctantly and nodded before cringing at the pain returned sharply. She placed her hand against his cheek
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked him gently.
"I thought you might be mad at me." He said.
"Why? How'd this happen?" She asked him.
He sighed and she noticed his skateboard and rolled her eyes.
"Connor, how many times have I told you not to ride that thing at work!" She chastised him frowning slightly.
"I know I'm sorry Abby." He apologized looking at her pleadingly.
After a moment, she relaxed and smiled.
"All right. Apology accepted. But don't scare me like that again! I thought you were seriously hurt." She said.
"Might be actually." He said.
She rolled her eyes and a smile tugged at her lips
"Come on let's get you to medical." She said.
She slung his arm around her shoulder and supported him as they headed to the infirmary.
Captain Hilary Becker strode through the hallways of the Anomaly Research Centre. Walking tall and straight with hands held behind his back, he was a model of discipline and efficiency. He thought himself the way all soldiers should be though he never let pride overtake him. His father Steven Becker had always advised that pride came before a fall so he always looked for ways to improve himself.
He passed the menagerie and sighed. Despite the reinforced lead walls, he could still the roaring and animalistic bellowing. He sighed and shook his head, he himself had overseen the transfer of nearly a dozen new creatures to the menagerie. He knew the facility couldn't didn't have space to keep many more.
He wondered if Lester had a backup plan. Plus, there were more dangerous animals now including a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex. If it escaped there would be absolute carnage. The dinosaur would easily break out into the streets and rampage through London.
He considered himself personally responsible for the health and safety all the personnel at the facility so he checked the efficiency of all the snipers, rifles and other conventional weaponry in the armoury. He practiced with all weaponry and ensured correct functioning.
He consistently checked the comms units for efficiency so communication between team members or the team and Jess was never an issue. He carried out security tests and practiced the drills for all possible scenarios; hostile takeover, incursion, menagerie escapee. He oversaw all creature transports to prevent escapees.
He drilled all his soldiers mercilessly with mental and physical tasks to keep them physically fit as well as alert and sharp minded so they could operate at full capacity during anomaly alerts and could think and react quickly if events took an unexpected turn. He tested all the new electro muscular disruptor weapons.
He always checked Abby had closed the airlock for the menagerie so no dangerous creatures escaped their confines. He still remembered the last time when the Dracorex bolted. He had never been so worried in his life. Admittedly, the beast was a herbivore but it was easily taller and heavier than a human and heavily armored with a pair of horns atop its skull. He considered personally involved, especially with the main field team, some of the first real friends he'd ever had. He'd already failed three of them; first there was professor Cutter, then Sarah Page and finally Danny Quinn.
He was never very close to professor Nicholas Cutter. He'd initially seen him as distant, eccentric and reckless, but as he grew to know him, he came to respect him for his depth of care towards the team, his goodwill and kindness behind the aloofness. He'd been deeply saddened when the professor was shot and furious at himself for allowing such a major slip up in security.
However, he was drawn to Sarah instantly, her sparky personality, warmth and friendly nature had meant he bonded with her. He'd had no romantic feelings towards her, their bond was purer and deeper like a sibling bond. Her death had torn him apart; days afterwards were like a living nightmare and he struggled to live with himself.
If he closed his eyes he could still vividly picture the scene; the oppressive silence in the debris of a crumbling city, a breeze whistling mournfully through collapsed homes like a wailing banshee, rats running down the street. Suddenly, gunshots sounded, men screaming, blood chilling snarling and high-pitched clicking, those evolved futuristic bat-like predators leaping from the crumbling buildings, soldiers falling left and right.
He had grasped her hand and dragged her behind him in a mad dash through the debris littered streets, dodging and ducking, running with Sarah's hand grasped firmly in his. They had made a desperate dash for freedom back to the anomaly site and could see the light glimmering in the distance then an awful growling sounded and a mammalian creature resembling a demonic aye aye jumped down from the rusting wreck of a crashed car.
They had both skidded to a halt and she sheltered behind him as he drew his pistol and fired at it but it moved with incredibly agility, ducking and dodging his shots. The creature suddenly disappeared before suddenly reappearing with vicious snarls. Shots had no effect then she uttered a final, bloodcurdling scream. The camouflaging beast had gone behind him and mauled her in a matter of seconds with its razor sharp claws.
She lay in a crumpled heap on the ground with terribly wounds. One look told him she was losing blood fast. He screamed with rage and blasted the creature several times at close range, knocking it back. He heard an unearthly clicking close by followed by snarling. The gunshots hadn't gone unheard. The predators were on their way. The creature uttered a mournful scream as it died.
He knelt by her side and remembered blood pooling everywhere. He recalled holding in the tears and trying to stem the blood from her numerous wounds. He remembered her hand slippery with blood and how she told him to find the others and to take care of himself before drawing her last breath.
Amazingly, when he limped back through the streets in a haze, bloodied and limping badly, he stumbled through in a haze and literally collapsed on the floor. As Lester ran up in alarm at the fearless captain's sudden collapse, he recalled mumbling "she's dead" and feeling a moist tongue licking his cheek. He'd thought he was dreaming as he lost consciousness but upon waking he'd learnt a bloodied dog trailing a broken leash had followed him through the time fracture to the twenty first century. He had been confused as Connor had told him those predators would have hunted most animal species to extinction but suddenly remembered.
Canine units were used by the original team to find the predator during the first incursion. Helen Cutter had revealed they used sound to track prey by emitting high pitched sounds like their ancestors, the bats. The dog had the uncanny ability to pick up these sounds and alert the team. By using a team of highly trained German shepherd dogs, Captain Tom Ryan, Stephen Hart, professor Cutter, Connor Temple and Helen Cutter had found the nest of predator offspring allowing them to lure and kill one of the adult creatures.
Upon their trip to the future they had taken an army service dog, a German shepherd, with them. The dog had strained on its leash and barked wildly just as the first predator attacked. He'd assumed it was eaten by one of the predators. By after its handler was killed fighting, the dog had fled and successfully avoided the creatures. Then it had tracked him and followed him through to the present.
He had taken the dog out of service and kept him. Unlike Lester, it had seen the horror he'd witnessed so he felt more able to talk to it than any other person. He knew it sounded insane. He still had the animal, named Lightning, at home. He'd never had a pet of his own but now he understood why some people valued dogs so much.
At first he had strongly disliked Danny for his recklessness, lack of respect and disregard for protocol and regulations. But he'd come to recognize his fierce loyalty to the ARC, his care for the team and his deep sense of responsibility, a feeling Becker could relate to. He recalled the crushing disappointment when he never returned. He remembered the happiness when he finally came back and their brotherly reunion though quickly remembered his rank as captain and he hid his joy behind his discipline though the former police officer paid his composure no heed and joyfully slapped him on the back.
He had grown stronger during an entire year and a half living in prehistoric times, fighting, avoiding or running from giant terror birds, aquatic reptiles and mammoths, to name but a few, and nearly bowled him over to everyone's amusement. Despite his initial annoyance, he couldn't help the happiness at reuniting with the last member of the team. He'd never quite understood why Danny returned to the past to find and reconcile with a brother who regarded him with hatred but he respected his decision. He just hoped that they would see him again one day…
Shaking himself from his stupor, he continued and entered the hub. He strode up to Jess sand smiled warmly, his first smile of the day.
"Hey Jess." He greeted her.
She turned and her eyes lit up with unbridled happiness.
"Becker! Hi! Morning. How are you? I'm really good!" She said rapidly.
"I'm fine Jess." He replied simply.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a candy bar wrapped in purple paper.
"No orange" He told her with a smile.
She grinned, eagerly opened the chocolate and bit into it. As she ate she kept smiling at him and felt unease at his will to hold her and kiss her soft lips versus his strong sense of fear at getting too close to people. He was a soldier and a figure of authority. He couldn't afford to be drawn into relationships. He swallowed hard as her smile sent unease shooting through him. He gazed at her and could almost inhale her rose flavoured perfume. The scent was intoxicating and he threw caution to the wind as if entranced. Before long, their eyes locked. Hazel brown met light grey and they found themselves leaning towards each other. Her breath caressed his cheek…
The klaxons sounded and crimson lights flashed, lighting up the facility. He jerked upright with a start as though waking suddenly and quickly settled into a stoic expression and stance as he grabbed his black box. Matt raced up, barely winded.
"What have we got Jess?" The team leader asked in a flat tone as he scanned the screens. He was as always business-like and efficient. He seemed almost robotic then Emily joined them, as always tall and proud and loyally at Matt's side yet elegant and lady-like at the same time. Jess meanwhile gave a series of commands
"Coordinates 765432196, New Forest, no civilian population. I can't monitor the anomaly or any creature activity though." She reported.
Abby ran up breathing heavily and Connor joined her a moment later. Both were winded. Matt raised an eyebrow.
"Everything ok?" He asked in his thick accent.
"Yeah. We were just in the infirmary. I hit me head" Connor explained.
"Are you sure you're ok?" The captain questioned.
He wouldn't have Connor out fighting ancient creatures if he was wounded. He nodded as he caught his breath
"Yeah m'fine." He insisted.
"Connor are you-" Abby began.
He pressed his lips against hers and cut her off. The others either chuckled or rolled their eyes. After a moment, she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss then he pulled away
"M'fine." He replied and grinned at her.
She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her flustered look.
"Come on." She replied crossly.
The team grabbed their EMD weapons and ran to the elevators and headed down to the parking garage. Moments later, two shiny black sports utility vehicles sped from the garage out onto the streets to the forest. The vehicles pulled up at the forest and the team clambered out. Connor checked the handheld detector.
"It's this way." Connor told them.
Nodding he set off, Becker and Matt held the EMD weapons aloft and scanned the foliage for creature activity.
They soon found the anomaly. The dancing crystalline shards floating in a clustered ball seemed captivating yet for the team that knew of the terrifying threats behind the light, they were as terrifying as they were beautiful.
"Jess, no sign of incursion." Matt spoke into the earpiece.
"Copy that." She replied
"What was that?" Emily asked suddenly.
Her senses and reflexes were sharpened beyond belief after years of living in prehistoric times. Instantly the team, tensed and raised their EMD weapons. Suddenly the leaves rustled. Crackling and rustling echoed through the forest. Connor moved closer to Abby as she gripped the trigger on her EMD.
Suddenly a loud snarl sounded and a grey blur streaked into the clearing.
"Look out!" Matt shouted.
Becker fired but missed the agile creature as it landed in a crouch on the forest floor. The animal was a huge cat of some sort and was slightly larger than a lion. Its lithe yet powerful body rested on stocky limbs and powerful claws were unsheathed. Its furry pelt was patterned with striking sports like black smudges. Its large rounded ears swiveled back and the beast opened its jaws to reveal slavering fangs.
"Dinofelis!" Matt exclaimed.
"It's a sabre-tooth" Abby added.
Connor gulped realizing he was unarmed and exposed. Abby swiftly moved in front of him with her weapon raised. Becker raised his EMD and fired. The beast sidestepped and crouched "Becker!" Matt yelled. The soldier threw himself down as the creature pounced. He scrambled back up, grabbed his EMD and blasted the creature, knocking it over. The others heaved an audible sigh of relief.
Suddenly its forelimb twitched and it sprang back to its feet, baring its teeth. "Damn it!" He shouted. A huge burst of blue light lit up the clearing as Abby suddenly fired several times as it crouched to pounce, blasting the creature off its feet as it uttered a pitiful yowl. The soldier paused to regain his breath and nodded thankfully at the team leader.
"Is Becker okay?" Jess asked in a trembling voice.
The team grinned and the soldier rolled his eyes.
'I'm fine Jess." He replied but made a note to talk to her later. He got up
"Let's send it back." The captain said.
Together, Matt and Becker grabbed the huge feline's forelimbs and dragged it up to the anomaly. Despite their strength, the animal was huge and after several long moments of grunting, heaving and cursing, they pushed the unconscious cat through the lights.
"So that's it then?" The captain asked.
Suddenly loud hooting resounded through the trees.
"Apparently not." Connor said.
Becker groaned and raised his EMD.
"Up there!" Abby cried, pointing towards the treetops.
The team, spotted a large figure resembling an ape or a primate swinging through the treetops hooting and grunting. The pointed their weapons to fire and knock it out of the trees before it could drop down to attack them.
"Guys hang on!" Connor suddenly shouted.
Becker rolled his eyes "What is it Temple?"
"I think I know what it is and it's not dangerous." He replied.
Suddenly, the creature dropped down onto the forest floor in a crouch. Becker tightened his grip on the EMD. Stuff Temple. If the thing attacked, he was going to blast it on the highest setting possible. Then to their astonishment, the ape rose and walked towards them on its hind legs. The ape had a light coloured coat and humanoid limbs with fingers and toes on the feet. The face was more ape-like but bore some resemblance to humans. The primate stopped a meter away and hooted at them so clearly hadn't learnt to speak yet.
"I was right!" Connor exclaimed gleefully.
Matt looked shocked
"It's a hominid." Abby murmured.
"What?" Emily asked.
"It's an ancestor of modern humans." Matt explained.
Becker was unconcerned. Getting over his initial shock, he took aim. Humans were dangerous too. Look at Helen Cutter who's manic plan to alter the course of evolution by poisoning the earliest known humans to prevent humanity's rise had nearly unleashed utter chaos on the universe which could have erased the entire timeline and cause untold devastation to the history of life on earth
Then there was Oliver Leek who had sent private mercenaries to anomalies and collected dangerous prehistoric creatures as well as predators from the future to further his own position in government by threatening to unleash the beasts, one by one, onto the population. If they had got out, there would have been nobody left. Only Stephen Hart's noble sacrifice had contained the predators and creatures and saved them all from the madman's gladiatorial games.
Then there was Phillip Burton whose multi billion pound scheme to manipulate the anomalies to obtain free boundless ecofriendly energy to solve the current energy crisis had nearly sterilized the planet and strangled all the world's life with toxic dust storms that would have forced the survivors of humanity underground. Matt had seen the destruction caused by New Dawn first hand; the toxic air, the dwindling water, the vicious predators that stalked the land.
Finally, there was Ethan who travelled through time, killing dozens and wreaking havoc.
"Becker no!" Abby yelled.
"Becker mate if you kill this creature you could wipe out all of humanity!" Matt yelled.
He baulked and despite his distrust of the ape, he lowered his EMD. Connor was grinning and nearly hopping with excitement.
"I can't believe it, a real human ancestor. Danny must have seen these when he went to stop Helen. Real Australopithecus afarensis!" Connor exclaimed.
"It's spectacular." Abby murmured, fascinated. Even Matt seemed intrigued.
"The anomaly must lead to the Pilocene." The futuristic man commented.
"What creatures lived back then?" Emily asked
"A prehistoric ancestor of elephants called Deinotherium that could weigh many tonnes with backward curving tusks protruding from its lower jaw and a much shorter trunk as well as well as Alcynotherium, a grazing mammal that walked on its knuckles like a gorilla." He replied
He'd seen so many creatures from the earth's distant past including a pack of Utahraptors, a cave bear, a herd of Iguanodon, several great auks and a thylacine to name but a few and even creatures from the future, but this, the first hominid, was beyond all those experiences.
"It's remarkable, this ape with a brain no bigger than an orange will eventually give rise to the dominant species on the planet" The team leader mused.
The way he phrased made Becker stop and admire the hominid for himself. It was now crouched and observing them. Suddenly a rustling in the bushes caught his attention. Matt spun around and raised his EMD. He spotted a dark shape flitting through the bushes
"What is it?" Becker hissed.
The man from the future shook his head. He had no clue. The foliage was too thick. Connor stood close by Abby.
The hominid grew agitated, shrieking and slapping the ground before getting up. That did it. Becker was instantly convinced the presence in the bushes was a carnivore, if not a Dinofelis, then maybe some other predator. He fired at the highest setting to blast the thing back into the prehistoric past.
A flash of blue light lit up the entire clearing and a agonized shriek echoed through the clearing, uncannily like an infant's wail, not the ferocious roar of a wild predator and was followed by the hominid's own agonized screams. As the light faded and the others looked around, Becker realized his mistake.
The tiny body a of a young ape lay sprawled in the middle of a clearing, charred and deathly still. The hominid gave a terrible wail and ran to the infant, picking it up and cradling the body in its arms, cooing softly and trying to revive the infant. With a horrible stab of guilt, Becker realized the ape was its mother.
Tears filled Abby's eyes at the heart-breaking sight and Connor folded her into his arms as he solemnly watched. Matt looked shaken and Emily looked horrified. The mother hominid had given up trying to wake her dead infant and turned to them with an agonized cry as if asking why they killed her infant.
Then her eyes grew cold, scrambling up she charged with a wild roar. A flash of light suddenly blasted her backwards onto the floor. Becker swung around. Matt lowered his EMD with an unreadable look in his eyes.
"Matt-" Emily began in a shocked tone
"It had to be done. She was going to kill him. Its maternal instinct. I had no choice. Let's send the bodies back" He said flatly.
The futuristic man walked over and surprisingly tenderly scooped up the infant and gently dropped it through the anomaly. Next he dragged the mother hominid's body through the anomaly. Becker looked around and noticed Connor was looking at him with shock and fear in his eyes.
He wasn't angry like he would've expected. He was afraid of him. That was even worse and Emily too looked at him with sudden caution. Abby wouldn't even throw a glance his way. He looked down at his hands. He had killed an infant and not just a baby dinosaur or a mammoth calf but a hominid infant, practically a family member. He swallowed hard and looked to his teammates
"I didn't know, I was sure…" He began but his voice trailed off.
"It's ok. It's fine." Matt assured him curtly.
He still looked sad though Becker guessed it was more from his own sadness than anger.
"You were just doing your job. I can understand that. I've got no hard feelings." Matt continued
Hearing the logic in his argument, the others save Abby nodded.
"I suppose. I had to kill a young mammoth once when I visited a cold time. I didn't want to but I was starving and would soon die of cold. I had no choice and I had to run when its mother charged at me. I'll accept it wasn't your fault." Emily said.
Matt nodded. The man from the future realized she must have visited the Pleistocene, a historical time when many ice ages swept the planet and giant mammals such as Smilodon and woolly mammoths ruled the earth.
"I know you were just trying to protect us. I get it and its ok but just, look before you shoot next time eh mate?" Connor said gently.
The captain nodded solemnly. Abby pulled away from Connor's chest and scowled at him through red rimmed and watery eyes
"It's just an infant, you won't learn. You were going to kill the Dracorex even though it was hurt. Doesn't change anything." The zoologist spat.
She coldly stormed back to the vehicles.
"She'll come round eventually." Connor said sadly.
Becker nodded. Connor trudged back to the vehicles and grabbed the locking machine. He tapped the key and it shrank to a condensed ball of whirling light.
"Jess we're on our way back" Matt reported.
"Copy that. How'd it go?" She asked.
The team leader sighed heavily and closed his eyes
"We'll tell you when we get back Jess. Send some soldiers here to monitor the anomaly until it closes." He said curtly.
Then pointedly switching off his commas he climbed into the car and they drove back.
No sooner had they arrived, the klaxons sounded. Matt groaned.
"There aren't any escapees from the menagerie." Jess said, scanning the security footage.
"So anomaly then?" Matt asked.
She nodded. Suddenly her eyes widened
"Oh my god, guys it's here, it's in the ARC!" She exclaimed with wide eyes
The team sprang into action. Becker checked the charge of his EMD and ran. Matt turned to the others.
"Jess initiate lockdown then stay with Lester. Don't leave until I give the order. Emily, go and wait in the menagerie. It's probably the most secure place here. Connor stay here and only lift lockdown on my command. Abby you're with me." Matt ordered the team. His firm tone left no room for argument. Connor gave Abby a quick kiss on the cheek
"Be careful." He told her.
"You too." She replied.
She turned and followed Matt. Jess started lockdown, gave him a reassuring smile and headed for Lester's office where the director stood watching with a concerned look on his face
Metal shutters descended over the windows and doors clicked shut. Emily raced to the menagerie. Her physical fitness ensured she got there in record time. She got into Abby's office as the system locked the door. She sighed as the overhead lights blinked out, plunging the room into darkness. She'd spent many nights sleeping outside, sometimes in the wilds of an unknown period with all manner of dangerous creatures all around so the darkness didn't frighten her.
But she was concerned for Matt. He was the fearless team leader so he wasn't scared. She knew he'd seen horrors in his home time that far exceeded the threat posed by any person or dinosaur but even if he wasn't afraid of dying, she couldn't lose him. They were both victims of the time they'd lived in that prevented them from living free lives and that connection drew them together. She just hoped he would be okay.
Through the dim lightning, she watched as Rex soared around the enclosure before it landed on the glass. The lizard titled its head and chirped curiously at her. The giant Mammoth trumpeted in the background. Thanks to Abby, she had learned that not all creatures were ferocious and deadly.
Most animals, like the mammoth or Dracorex, only attacked when provoked. Some were even fairly cute such as Rex or the Diictodon. Even the carnivorous animals weren't evil or sadistic. They only attacked out of hardwired instinct.
Matt and Abby raced to the laboratory where Becker was stood in front of the flickering light with EMD held at the ready. They could feel heat pulsing from the anomaly as if the anomaly had opened near or in a source of heat such as a firestorm. They had to be ready. Panicked or injured creatures could charge through.
Suddenly the lights pulsed and they tensed, readying their weapons. Suddenly a figure stumbled through the lights and collapsed. He was a tall and lean middle aged man with blond hair that neatly framed his face. His black shirt and khaki trousers were caked with ash and he was obviously injured. A growing pool of blood was rapidly forming around him.
Matt and Becker ran to help the man.
"Connor lift lockdown. Jess, you and Lester can come out now. Emily, it's okay. You can leave the menagerie. Jess we need medics now!" Matt barked into his comms.
Then Becker turned the wounded man over and they caught sight of his face. Abby's eyes widened in astonishment. Becker baulked and even Matt nearly dropped his EMD in shock.
"That's impossible!" The team leader exclaimed.
"It's professor Cutter…." Abby murmured.