Title: Separation
Author: Pinkcat4569
Rating: T
Spoilers: No
Description: An anomaly separates the team and a pair of prehistoric wolves. Jess and the female wolf have something in common. They miss their mates. Jess/Becker couple.
Disclaimer: I don't own Primeval or the characters
Author Note: I was looking for a prehistoric creature that might mate 'for life." I found several sites that stated scientists theorize Dire wolves were probably monogamous like gray wolves. After wanting more creatures, I did research, and put this story in the Oligocene period, the time of early mammals. So, these are probably not dire wolves, they were later. I'm not an expert, keep in mind this is for fun.
This isn't a sequel to any other stories, but some of my characters appear.
Separation
"I can't wait to try this gadget," said Connor.
"I don't see what the big deal is," said Becker. "We have locking devices."
"Oh, this is so much more, Action Man. It can close, open, stabilize and hold anomalies. Plus, tell the year."
"You think," said Matt.
"Well, I have to test it," said Connor.
"Matt, we have an incursion at the site, now," said Jess, over comms. "Two dire wolves."
"Lovely," said Becker. "Bone smashing jaws and teeth like spikes."
"Pretty much," said Connor.
"They're right at the front entrance, by the anomaly."
"I see them," said Becker, pulling up.
"They're too small for Dire wolves," said Connor. "Probably an ancestor."
"Can it still crush bones in one bite?"
"Oh, sure."
"Thanks."
"Anytime Action Man."
Connor and Abby went after one wolf, pushing it toward the anomaly.
"It's destabilizing," said Matt. "Connor!"
Connor aimed the device at the anomaly, but the other wolf came to the defense of the first, knocking the device out of Connor's hands. Emily picked it up.
"Emily!" screamed Matt.
A wolf dove on Emily, but Matt knocked her out of the way. Unfortunately, the other wolf tried to help it's mate attack. It advanced on them, catching the humans between both wolves.
Becker fired, causing one wolf to fall, it skidded toward Matt and Emily. They were in an even worse place. They had three choices: be crushed, be eaten, or go through the anomaly.
"No!" screamed Becker, as the pair fell through. The other wolf advanced on him, and he fired, but the wolf was angered, and would not go down.
"Becker!" screamed Connor.
Abby and Connor advanced on the wolf, causing it to panic. It was now dangerously close to Becker, and when it thrashed it knocked Becker through the anomaly.
"No!" screamed Jess.
Then the wolf lost it's balance, hit his fallen mate and fell back through the anomaly.
And the anomaly closed.
"No! Becker!" screamed Jess. "Emily! Matt!"
"They're gone," said Abby.
"With my prototype. We have no way to open it back up."
"Yet," said Abby.
"Right," said Connor. "Yet."
Becker fired as the wolf lunged again, and quickly put it out.
"I cannot make it work. Matt?"
Matt took the device. "No, me either."
"You mean, we can't get back," said Becker.
"No," said Matt, putting an arm around Emily.
Becker looked back at the anomaly, or where it had been. "Jess," he whispered.
"I don't understand. Make another," said Lester.
"I can't. I mean, I can, but it won't open the anomaly to that time. I have to calibrate it to that time, first, and I didn't get a chance to do that. I'll make another device, and I can open an anomaly, but the odds of the right time and place?"
"A billion to one," mumbled Jess, sadly. Abby looked at her sympathetically, and held her.
"More than that even," said Connor. Abby frowned at him.
Lester groaned. "Do what you can." They nodded.
"I've been working on the assumption that the readings could each be slightly different, for different times. Kind of like a fingerprint," said Connor. "Jess, help me create a program that will run the readings against this particular anomaly. Maybe we'll find a match."
"If there is such a thing as anomaly fingerprints," said Abby.
"Well, yeah," said Connor.
"Anything," said Jess. "Let's try anything."
"Sure, we will," said Connor.
Jess nodded.
A few hours later, Jess had been waiting for Connor to finish up the program they'd devised. She was restless and worried sick. She went to visit Abby.
She was with the female wolf. It paced its cage, growling, but not attacking the cage or hissing in defiance like other wolves they'd encountered. At one point it howled in misery, and hung its head almost sadly.
"She misses her mate," said Jess.
Abby smiled. "She does. Some wolves were probably monogamous, one male mating with one female. How did you know that?"
"I didn't. I can just tell, Abby. She's anxious, unsettled and irritable. Like me."
Abby gently laid her arm around Jess. "He'll be back, they all will be."
"I know. I just miss him. I love him."
"I know that too, Jess. You're doing all you can. That program you helped make will hopefully find the next anomaly to their time."
"It isn't enough Abby."
"Jess, have faith."
Jess started to cry. "My faith left with him," she said. Abby hugged her close.
"We'll find him. We will. I promise."
"You can't make that kind of promise."
Abby smiled. "Sure I can. I promised Connor we'd make it home, and we did."
"We should stay here," said Becker. "The anomaly could re-open."
"Becker, that wolf is going to wake up. Plus, those growls we've been hearing are awful close. Look around at the ample grass and trees. There's water nearby, which means, this is probably a well-populated area."
Howls.
"We must find shelter," said Emily.
Becker looked around as more howls came. "You're right," he said.
They started off, when Emily was attacked by several monkey-like things. They easily fought them off, but one of them grabbed the device.
"No!" Matt screamed. "That was our best hope," he said, watching the thieves escape into the giant trees.
"It did not work," said Emily.
"Doesn't mean it was the device. We could have kept trying."
The howls were getting thicker. "We should move," said Becker.
Matt nodded.
They found a small, thick matting of fallen trees, and, along with a fire, they managed to keep predators away.
In the morning they had a 'debate.'
"It's a mistake! We need to look for that device, you said it was our best hope!"
"Becker, you saw all the different kinds of creatures around here. We should move, away from the lake. At least a distance away."
Becker fumed. He was outnumbered, and Matt was the creature expert. Emily agreed with Matt, and she had years of survival experience in the past.
"Fine," he said at last.
Jess sighed. Two weeks, no reading match. No anomalies with creatures like the wolf. Connor believed it was from the Oligocene era. Great only a span of around 11 million years.
'We'll never find them.'
Immediately she shook her head, trying to shake that thought away. Every day, though, it became harder. She was getting more depressed, more frantic, and more miserable. She missed Becker so much.
'He could be dead. Technically he is dead, all three of them are.'
She shook her head again. At this rate, she'd shake it off.
'I don't care if I do.'
She heard the lift. She turned to see several figures in black. She used to love those uniforms. Now, she hated them. Her heart didn't flutter at their sight, anymore, and she dreaded seeing them, because she knew a certain gorgeous, fit body was not in any of them.
Thankfully, Lester had not brought in any replacements. Connor and Abby led the team together, Flowers and other soldiers filling out the team. Jess liked Lieutenant Flowers, Becker's second. She was glad that he was leading Security, temporarily.
'Right.'
She sighed, and reached for her last chocolate bar. She'd been rationing them, trying to put off having to buy them herself. The thought of eating chocolate that Becker had not given her made it all the more real that he was gone.
'Maybe forever.'
End of Chapter One