Prologue
Nick Cutter slowly opened his eyes and gazed around the dark room he was in. A sharp pain through his head made him wince. He heard the groans of his fellow comrades Stephen, Abby, Connor, and Claudia. Suddenly his mind flashed to earlier that day, about eight hours earlier.
Nick strolled through the open doors of the Home Office with Claudia Brown by his side. He turned his head to look at her and studied her face. She turned up her face and smiled at that he and Helen Cutter had formally divorced and she had disappeared, he was free to start another relationship. There was only one problem. He had never told Claudia that he loved her.
"I will tell her someday." he thought. He waved at Stephen from across the room and beckoned him to join them. The whole team met in the main office where Sir James Lester was waiting for them. "We have reports of an anomaly in a junkyard a couple miles from here. But this isn't any ordinary anomaly, it is a horizontal one." The team groaned. Horizontal anomalies were not only hard to get to, but very dangerous. A large gravitational pull could be felt anywhere near a horizontal anomaly. And no one can predict the direction of the anomaly from the other side, whether it be facing vertical like a normal anomaly, or horizontally in the sky or underground. The team packed up their gear to go see this strange phenomenon.
Stephen drove the truck up as close to the anomaly site as he could without arousing suspicion. As they piled out of the truck they were met by Captain Tom Ryan, a man who had saved their lives multiple times. Ryan guided them to the anomaly. A large pipe about ten feet high stood on its' end. The pipe rested on a lower step about six feet lower than the main level. Two of Ryan's men stood on either side of it.
"I suggest for you not to get too close." Ryan cautioned. All of them could feel the gravitational pull as they got closer. Nick however gripped the sides of the pipe as he gazed downward. He saw the familiar flickering of the anomaly at the very bottom of the pipe. The pipe was so wide a small car could fit inside . He turned around and rested his body against the pipe.
"Captain Ryan, you and your men should guard the entrances to this place so no one wanders in here." The two other men agreed and proceeded, but Captain Ryan hesitated. He did not feel comfortable leaving them alone. "Go with them Captain. We'll call if we need you."
"Got it sir." As Ryan walked away, Abby stood beside Nick to see the anomaly. Connor also looked in and then went to stand by Stephen and Claudia."At least this time we don't have to worry about anything coming out." Just as Connor finished his sentence, two very long tentacles reached up out of the anomaly and grabbed Nick and Abby from behind and tried to pull them in. Nick imagined what there might be on the other side. He hoped he was wrong. Stephen and Claudia held on to Nick's arms while Connor grabbed Abby's. But the three of them lost their balance and were also pulled inside the anomaly. Their screams echoed around the area as Captain Ryan and his men rushed in. But they came to an empty lot. Ryan ran to the pipe and looked down. He was only greeted with one thing: silence. The anomaly was gone.
Chapter One
All five of them fell from the sky and hit the ground at a phenomenal speed. They rolled down a small hill multiple times. All were knocked unconscious from the fall except for Nick and Stephen, who were slowly fading. Nick reached over to Claudia beside him and checked for a pulse. There was a pulse, but it was weak. She was more seriously hurt than outward appearances showed. Nick just couldn't bear to lose someone he loved again. He quickly turned his mind to their circumstances as he felt the darkness of unconsciousness threatening to overtake him. He saw that Stephen had already passed out. Why had the tentacles released he and Abby? And why were they gone now? Is the creature going to come back? The last things he saw as he drifted away were the familiar boots and ripped pants of his former wife standing over him. He rested his head against thesand as the darkness enveloped him.
As Nick looked around the dark room he was in, he remembered seeing his ex-wife Helen. What was she doing here? Obviously up to no good, but yet, was she the one who saved them? Helen was always a mystery to Nick, even when they were married. When he heard his friends waking up, he went to each of them to see if they were alright. Abby had bruised some of her ribs, and Stephen had sprained his ankle. Thankfully Connor was not hurt. But Claudia was another matter. She was still unconscious, and her heart beat was getting weaker. With Connor's help they lifted her up on to a sturdy crate nearby. Nick checked her for broken bones. She had none. But why wouldn't she wake up?His thoughts were interrupted by a bright light filling the room. Someone had opened the door. Helen stood in the doorway.
"Well, well, Nick, we meet again."
"Where have you taken us?" Abby said, clutching her side.
"All your questions will be answered in time. For now, all of you need your rest." With that, she shut the door, once again plunging the room into darkness. Once they were alone, Stephen limped over to where Nick was sitting beside Claudia.
"Is she all right?" he asked.
"I don't know." Nick replied. Claudia's face now had become pale. He slowly twirled his fingers around her long, light brown hair and rested the top of his fingers against her cheek. He felt her head press against his hand. Her eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Nick..." She whispered. Nick quickly stood up and leaned over her face.
"I'm here. I'm here Claudia."
"Everything...is slowly fading."
"You have to hang on, stay with me." Claudia opened her eyes fully and stared into his light gray eyes.
"I'll be all right. I know. You're taking care of me." With a pained smile on her face, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
"No Claudia! You have to stay awake!" But she was unconscious once again. "Don't leave me," he thought.
Nick couldn't bear to dwell on her condition any longer. He stood up and walked over to a stack of boxes where he saw a small bit of light coming through. He remembered Stephen's ankle and beckoned Connor to help him. As they were moving the boxes, Nick caught a glimpse of a window. When all the boxes were moved aside, Nick joined Connor at the window. Abby slowly stood up, careful not to jar her ribs, and looked out as well. All of their eyes were wide open as they gazed at the landscape outside. The sky was blue, and there wasn't a single cloud, but there was sand as far as the eye could see. There were depressions in the sand that looked like quicksand. Out of these many depressions lashed out huge tentacles, like the same ones that grabbed Abby and Nick, threatening to snatch away anything that got too close. Nick was thankful that it was not like the visions he had in his head. Abby was startled when Stephen placed his hand on her shoulder. But Stephen then edged closer to the window, and the four of them looked across the landscape in the hopes that an anomaly would appear. But there was none.
Chapter Two
"What do you mean they're gone?!?" Lester yelled at Ryan.
"I'm sorry sir, but they've disappeared."
'Unacceptable!" He slammed his fist on his desk. "How am I supposed to believe that our whole scientific team has just vanished?" He sighed loudly and plopped himself into his revolving chair and spun around. "I trust you have men posted at the former anomaly site and the area surrounding it?" "Yes, sir."
"Join them while I get a new response team set up in case another anomaly appears. You don't know how difficult this job has become for me." Then he muttered under his breath "Cutter's more trouble than I bargained for." As Ryan walked out of his office, Lester grabbed a stack of papers and prepared himself to sort through them.
Nick turned away from the window. He put his hand against his head and rubbed his temples. He looked over to where Claudia was lying. He thought in his mind "It's all my fault. It's all my fault that Claudia is here, injured, and I can't help her." He couldn't bear to tell the others that he requested her presence on this mission, wanting her near him. "And now my selfishness may have killed her." he thought. He walked over to where she was and pulled out a handkerchief that she gave him a few months ago. He wiped away the oncoming tears. Nick was a very personal man, not prone to showing feelings. He looked at the handkerchief sitting in his hands and remembered another who used to give him handkerchiefs. He felt his blood boiling as he pictured Helen's face in his mind. This was her doing! He put the handkerchief in his pocket and quickly stood up, startling everyone in the room. He walked over to the door and slammed his fist against it.
"Helen!" He yelled. "Helen!!" He yelled louder after no response. He stepped back when the door opened and Helen stepped in. "Helen, I want some answers now! We need to talk." He said in his thick Scottish accent."Fine." She said simply, then turned her back and walked to the next room. Stephen stood up and Nick ran over to give him his shoulder for support. With Stephen limping beside him, they made their way to the other room. Connor stayed behind to look after Abby and Claudia.
The room the three of them entered was semi-circular and consisted of three large windows, all set close together. These windows gave a much larger view of the strange world outside. Nick helped Stephen to a large box to rest on and went to stand in front of Helen.
"Where are we Helen?" He asked.
"I can't tell you Nick, all my research was lost when I fell in here. Yes, I also fell through the horizontal anomaly just as you did, except a lot earlier, six days in fact. I've just been trying to stay alive. I don't know where or when we are. I can't even tell you what those things are out there." She jerked her head back as a tentacle smashed on the window. "I can only tell you that we definitely are in the past, and that these creatures are ruthless and relentless. They will stop at nothing until we are all gone. Thankfully this structure should keep us secure...for a while."
"What do you mean, for a while?" Stephen interjected.
"Ah, Stephen, always the inquisitive one. I think that was why you always were my favorite student." Stephen stood up as Helen walked over to him.
"Enough of the games Helen, why did you save us?" Nick said.
"Oh Nick, I'm human. I do have compassion, you know." While saying these words, she edged closer and closer to Stephen. When she was nearly up against him, she put her finger on his chin. "Isn't that right, Stephen?" Nick couldn't figure out if she was trying to get a reaction out of him or Stephen. But it was working for Stephen. As Helen leaned forward to kiss him, he looked like he was about to give in. But then anger flashed in his eyes and he shoved her shoulders hard and turned away from her.
"You're just using me Helen." He said. Helen just merely brushed herself off and went over to look out the center window.
"I bet you're wondering why the creature released you and Abby. Well, here it is." She held out her hand. Sitting there was a metal orb about the size of a softball. It had a bluish glow on the inside which was emanating through a few cracks in the orb. "I figure someone from the future became trapped here, built this shelter and made this." She said as Stephen inspected it with his hands. "It creates a buzzing sound when a creature gets close and scares it away."
"A very peculiar object indeed." remarked Stephen. Nick went over to the left window by Stephen and gazed out. He suddenly turned around and looked at Helen.
"But where did all this stuff come from? Obviously the future, but there is no anomaly close by for all this stuff to be transported safely." Helen just stammered and said
"I, I don't have the answers, Nick." He eyed her closely but did not press her further. Instead he turned around to look out the window again.
"Now that the creatures are taken care of, all we need is an anomaly."
"There is an anomaly about two miles west of here, over treacherous ground." Said Helen. "But there is a problem. The orb. It's getting weaker. There will be no escape for you if it shuts down."
"We'll just have to take that chance. If it dies here we'll never get out. Now is the time to go." Nick said. Helen dragged out a box in the corner and rummaged through it.
"Stephen, use this for your ankle." she tossed him a small cloth band just wide enough to fit on his ankle. "You'll still be sore, but at least you will be able to walk." She handed him a much larger one for Abby's ribs. "When these bands come in contact with one area for a while, it gives the impression that it feels better, making one strong enough to get to a medical facility. I'm sorry I don't have anything for Claudia." Nick pictured her face in his mind and felt a longing to be by her side."Thank you." He said. Stephen sensed his rush to leave and followed Nick out the door.
"I'll prepare packs for us." Helen yelled as they left the room.
Chapter Three
Stephen told the others the plan for departure while Nick prepared Claudia for travel. Then Stephen came over to help Nick by softly binding her arms and legs to make her easier to carry.
"I'll carry her myself." Said Nick. "It's my fault anyway."
"What do you mean 'you're fault'?" asked Stephen. Knowing Nick was a personal man, he did not say any more when he did not reply. Instead Nick said
"How did you know that Helen was using you?" He stopped what he was doing to look at Stephen.
"Well," He leaned in closer so none of the others could hear them. "Just before she tried to kiss me, I saw her look your way, to see if you were watching. She wanted a reaction out of you, not me." There was a long pause from both of them.
Thanks for not kissing my ex-wife." Nick finally said and stuck out his hand for Stephen to shake.
"No problem." Stephen took his hand and shook it firmly. They both smiled. They had been friends for many years. Stephen had both Nick and Helen for professors in college when he was a student. He later became Nick's assistant and constant companion. Nothing could separate their friendship. Not even Helen.
Abby stood up and stretched her arms above her head. The cloth band around her waist could be seen when she stretched up. The cloth was about seven inches wide, just right for Abby's stature.
"Aren't you still a little sore?" asked Connor, who was sitting nearby watching her.
"Yeah, a little bit, I feel much better than before though." She bent down to touch her toes. She winced knowing she had done too much. She stopped and stood up. She then realized that Connor was staring at her. "Oh stop it!" she playfully pushed him.
"Hey!" He yelled when he almost fell off the box he was sitting on. She giggled as she sat next to him. She noticed and was concerned when she saw Connor put his head in his hands.
"Are you all right? She asked.
"I thought I was all right before, but lately I've been having splitting headaches. I hope I won't impair the team in any way." He held his head as it throbbed again.
"You won't" Abby put her arm around his shoulder until he lifted his head. "We'll all get outta this." She looked over at Claudia. "We'll all get out of this alive" she reiterated. The four of them stood up when Helen opened the door with five packs, one larger than the others. She tossed the bags around and gave the larger one to Nick and kept one for herself.
"Claudia's things are in your's Nick." She said. "The packs contain essentials like water, food, compasses. I found the supplies in the boxes here." Nick guessed that someone must've been doing research here with an anomaly close by. Helen went to the wall directly behind them. She bent over to grab the handles to a large door that slid upward. She heaved on it and stepped backwards as it slid up. Everyone shielded their eyes to the bright sun overlooking the sand. Helen threw on her pack and walked out the door. The others did likewise and followed her. Stephen walked out first, followed by Connor and Abby. Claudia had no broken bones, so Nick placed one arm under her neck, and one under her legs and picked her up. He was surprised on how light she was. He followed the group out the door to find the anomaly.
Chapter Four
Captain Ryan sighed as he kicked pebbles around his feet. It had been six hours since the team's disappearance. He stood up and went to the pipe that once held the anomaly. He gazed down in the hopes to see at least a single flicker. But there was none. He personally blamed himself for the loss of the team. He knew he should have trusted his instincts and stayed with them. He could have saved them. He sat back down on an old chair and thought.
"But now they're lost, or maybe even dead." He couldn't sit there any longer doing nothing. He had to do something. He stood up and looked around the area and noticed some large cables hanging down from a side wall.
"That's it!" He yelled. He ran off to get some help. He later came back with one of his men
carrying a large coil of rope about an inch thick and twenty feet long. Ryan talked to his companion as they walked back, covered with the rope head to toe. Ryan pushed some strands away from his face and let them drop to his shoulders. "Seeing those cables up there gave me an idea."
"What's that sir?" the other man commented.
"Well, if we put this rope down the pipe, tie the end to something secure, and an anomaly happens to appear, the team might see the rope, and try to come up. That is, if they're still alive."
"I'm sure they are sir, knowing Cutter, he'll find a way to stay alive." Ryan nodded his agreement and proceeded to tie one end of the rope to a secure railing. They both grabbed the rest of the rope and threw it down the pipe. Ryan tested the rope's strength. It would definitely hold somebody planning to climb up. He sat down and continued his vigilance, this time with a stronger hope.
Helen was in front of the group because she was leading them to the anomaly. She smiled when she knew nobody could see. Of course she had her own agenda. "How stupid of him to think I would help my ex-husband merely out of compassion." She thought to herself. "It's just like Nick to be so trusting. Someday he will regret it.."
They had been walking for a little while when Stephen found a place to stop and rest for a while. Connor and Abby sat together while Nick placed Claudia down in a comfortable spot then went to stand with Stephen who was overlooking the area. Helen sat off at a distance, fiddling with the orb. "If Helen's right, the anomaly should be just over that hill." Stephen pointed over to a large hill facing them. The area that they had come to was different than before. The ground had become more rocky and mountain walls ran along side of them. Stephen and Nick walked over to where there were fewer rocks and more sand. Stephen sat on a large rock and squinted his eyes against the sun.
Nick brushed off the ever-present sand from his tan jacket and stood straight up staring out into the endless desert. His arms were weary of carrying Claudia, but he would not complain. He would not give up on her. Connor wanted to see if he could spot the anomaly. While Abby opened her bag to grab her water, Connor grabbed his binoculars and ran up the hill. The anomaly was down in a valley at the bottom of the hill. What he saw gave him cause for concern.
"Cutter!" he yelled. "The anomaly, it's closing!" Nick also grabbed his binoculars and confirmed his worst fear. The anomaly was closing. Everyone leapt up and grabbed their things. Nick picked up Claudia and ran with all his might. He ran alongside Stephen with Connor and Abby behind them. He remembered the time he and Stephen were in the Silurian Desert, racing for an anomaly. They all recalled later that Helen was nowhere to be seen, but at the time no one noticed her absence. They slid down the large hill and raced across the valley. Amazingly, Cutter reached the anomaly first. With Claudia in his arms, he disappeared through the anomaly, followed by Stephen. Abby was just about to step through when Connor yelled her name. She turned around and saw him collapse about ten feet behind her. She ran to him tried to help him up, but convulsions had overtaken his body. She watched helplessly as the anomaly flickered and disappeared. What would they do now?
Chapter Five
Captain Ryan was gazing up into the sky watching clouds roll by when he felt himself being drawn to the pipe.
"A gravitational pull!" He leapt up and ran over. He laughed out loud when he saw the anomaly flickering at the bottom of the pipe, sturdy and no signs of disappearing. He checked the strength of the rope again and made sure it was going through the anomaly. He grabbed his gun when he heard a noise behind him. He turned around and walked towards the entrance. But he lowered his gun when he realized it was Lester."Don't shoot!" He yelled. "I just came to see if the anomaly had reopened."
"What a coincidence sir, the anomaly has just reappeared."
"Well splendid then. Take me to it Captain." Ryan noticed that the gravitational pull was stronger than before. He laughed out loud again when he saw that objects that were close to the pipe were being pulled closer. "A little help Captain." Ryan turned and saw that Lester was struggling to keep an anvil from flying towards the pipe. They both got to work on moving objects that were close to the pipe farther away.
Abby had set Connor up against a rock where they had rested before. A flash of blue caught her eye. "The orb?" She climbed over the rocky terrain to retrieve it."Helen must've dropped it." She went back over to Connor and noticed he was awake, but looking a little worse for wear.
"The anomaly?" he said weakly.
"Gone." she replied. Connor sighed and rested his head back against the rock.
"I'm so sorry Abby."
"It's not your fault. Besides, I'd rather be here with you." she hugged him and shared her water with him from her own bag.
"We have to find the other anomaly. The horizontal one. There may be help there." Abby kicked herself mentally. Why didn't she think of that? She pushed him back down when he tried to stand up.
"Just rest for a few minutes, we don't want you collapsing again."
A few minutes later Connor stood up and grabbed his things. He stopped all of a sudden and looked at Abby.
"What?" she asked.
"The orb." Abby looked down in her hand and saw it was glowing bright blue and buzzing.
"We better get out of here. The orb may not have enough strength to keep the creatures away." As Abby stood up she slipped and fell into Connor's grasp. They both stared up in horror as a creature rose up out of a depression and towered over them.
Chapter Six
When Stephen entered the anomaly he saw Nick standing there with his eyes wide open. Stephen looked around and laughed.
"It's the anomaly passageway!" Stephen had been in here once before with Captain Ryan when they were chasing Helen. This was the junction of about fifteen or more anomalies. They were spread out across a green valley. Nick had never been here before now, but he had heard about it."Do you think you know the way back?" Nick asked Stephen.
"Already on it Cutter." He stood in front of a couple different anomalies before he made his decision. "This one." He said.
"I hope you're right." Nick said as they walked through. Instead of coming home though, they found themselves inside a pine forest. "Hmm." Nick said "This doesn't look much like home."
"Shh!" Stephen whispered. Nick looked up and saw him standing as still as a rock. He gazed ahead and saw two Smilodons feasting on a long dead carcass. Trying to be as quiet as possible and shaking like a leaf, Nick slowly backed into the anomaly without being seen. Stephen did the same. Thankfully neither beast saw them before they were gone. Nick sighed loudly once they were back inside the passageway. He glared at Stephen like he wanted to throttle him.
"Sorry, I thought that was the one. But I remember now, it was this one." He walked over to the next closest one. Still Nick hesitated
"You first." He said to Stephen.
"I know I'm right this time." Stephen replied. When they entered the anomaly they noticed that the temperature was a lot colder and they were in a cramped, dark space. With the anomaly giving off some light Nick looked to his right and saw a shelf full of pies. "Yes!" exclaimed Stephen. They were in the same freezer that Helen had escaped through, where a flock of dodos entered from. They tried to open the door but realized it was stuck. Stephen banged on the door. "Help! Let us out!!" Finally, after much banging and yelling, the door opened and there stood a man in a white apron with a startled look on his face. Nick and Stephen walked out of the freezer and made their way to the door.
"Thank you." Nick told the surprised man. As they were walking out, Nick commented
"Didn't we have guards placed there? It's an active anomaly site." Stephen shrugged his shoulders. When they walked out the door, Stephen pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911."We'll get Claudia help and we'll get a ride." Stephen mentioned after he flipped his phone shut. When the ambulance arrived, Stephen hopped up front. Nick watched them as they placed Claudia on a stretcher and put her in the back. He looked around, then jumped into the back to be by her side.
Chapter Seven
Abby and Connor were too horrified to even move. The creature had a long oval-shaped body and miniature legs which it stood on. It had two tentacles that were more insect like than anything else. It had fangs and compound eyes and it was about the size of a small house. It basically looked like a cross between a scorpion, a spider, and a beetle. Both Abby and Connor awoke from their frozen reverie as the creature banged on the rock wall, causing many boulders to fall around them.
"Run!" yelled Connor as a boulder fell towards them. There was an opening in the rock wall that was just big enough for Connor and Abby to comfortably fit into. The opening was so surrounded by rocks that the creature could not reach them. It slammed its tentacles around the area, until all the boulders were shoved aside. It now had a clear shot at Abby and Connor. Abby looked at the orb in her hand.
"It's worth a shot." She pushed Connor to the back of the tiny cave and put herself in front.
"What are you doing?" Connor yelled at her.
"Saving our skins!" she shouted back. She felt the creature wrap a tentacle around her waist and pull her out. She screamed out in agony as the creature tightened its grip around her rib cage.
"Abby!" Connor yelled. But he could do nothing except helplessly watch. Still grasping the orb, Abby waited until the creature's mouth was open, baring its fangs. The orb was buzzing and vibrating like crazy, so much that Abby almost dropped it. But she hurtled it into the creature's mouth, hoping that the vibrating and buzzing inside the creature would cause it distress. It did. The creature dropped Abby and retreated into a depression in the sand. Abby fell to the ground and lay in a heap. Connor ran over to her and helped her up.
"We have to leave. Without the orb, there is no stopping the creatures from attacking us." He looked at the rock wall beside them. That gave him an idea. "We have to climb to the top." Abby looked at him like he was crazy. He pointed to a pile of boulders that was perfect for them to climb on to reach the top. Once they had climbed all the way up, they continued their trek towards the horizontal anomaly. They were safe from the creatures, for now.
When Abby and Connor reached the end of the rock wall, they looked on the left side of thewall and noticed it sloped down.
"Look." Abby said. Connor looked up and saw the horizontal anomaly shining bright. He also saw a bright red rope hanging down from it.
"That's our ticket out of here." Connor said excitedly. They were careful to watch their step as they climbed down the wall. They they ran over to the rope. She noticed Connor was swaying and gripping his head.
"You go first, you may not have the strength later." Abby was still weary and sore from her fall, but she knew Connor would become useless in a few minutes. Connor grasped the rope and started to climb up.
Meanwhile, Ryan and Lester had finally moved everything away from the pipe. They wearily sat down at a good distance away. Captain Ryan noticed that the rope had become taunt.
"Somebody's trying to climb up." He said excitedly. Ryan started pulling on the rope while Lester went to fetch some of Ryan's guard to help them. Once Connor was a good distance up the rope, Abby grabbed the end and prepared to follow him up.
Lester returned with three of Ryan's men. Two of the guard helped Ryan pull on the rope while the other one with Lester prepared to help anybody coming up. Finally, Connor emerged from the anomaly. Once he was high enough, Lester and the other guard grabbed him under his arms and hoisted him out of the pipe. By that time, Connor had nearly lost consciousness. After one of the men checked up on Connor, he yelled
"Somebody call an ambulance!" Ryan noticed the rope was still taunt so he encouraged his men to keep pulling.
Abby was about halfway up the rope when a tentacle rope up out of a nearby depression and grabbed her ankle. She gritted her teeth and growled inwardly. She was getting really tired of these creatures threatening her. Using her other free sneaker clad foot, she kicked it hard against the tentacle around her leg. The creature released her foot and Abby continued her climb. Once she was out of the anomaly and pulled out the pipe, she walked over to Connor. She saw he needed medical help now. When the ambulance arrived, she knew she needed medical attention too. She knew the effects of the mysterious wrap around her waist might start to wear off at any time. She climbed into the back of the ambulance to be with Connor by his side.
Chapter Eight
Both Claudia's and Connor's ambulance arrived at the local hospital at the same time. Abby, Stephen and Nick climbed out of the vehicles and followed the men pushing Connor's and Claudia's gurneys in. Both of them were fully unconscious. Once they were inside, Stephen and Abby checked into get their medical needs seen to as well. Nick felt fine, but a nurse told him it was a standardprocedure to give him a check-up, so Nick settled in to wait.
Abby stood straight up as a nurse took off her wrap, who was being careful not to touch the gaping wounds from the creature attack. All of a sudden she was hit by a wave of pain so bad that she had to sit down. She barely heard the nurse muttering something about broken ribs. She was so overwhelmed by the pain that she could barely talk.
"Broken ribs? But Cutter said it was only a sprain..." Then she remembered when the creature grabbed her the second time. The wrap must've prevented her from feeling the full force of the break. Stephen had a smaller but similar reaction when he took off the wrap binding his ankle. Out of the five of them, Nick was the only one who was unhurt.
Nick and Stephen were the only ones well enough to be immediately released. They both had on a change of clothing and were standing outside by the team's truck, discussing Helen's disappearance. Nick leaned over on the hood of the truck, studying the paperwork strewn across the hood."I believe Helen was the one doing the research, with an anomaly close by the structure we were in." Nick said. "She knew everything about that time period, the creatures, everything. How else would she have known where the other anomaly was?"
"But then why didn't she just take us through the closer anomaly?" Stephen asked.
"Did you notice how evasive she was when I asked her where the technology came from? Most likely the anomaly she didn't want us to know about led to the future, and she stole all that equipment for her selfish purposes. She didn't want us to discover what she had done, or what she was doing. She helped us to get out of there quickly so we would not discover her secret. The failing orb just added to the reality of her story. She probably had ten more orbs in a box somewhere." Nick looked disgusted and shoved the paperwork closest by him away. Stephen could tell Nick was getting upset.
"Let's grab a bite to eat while we wait for Connor's and Claudia's prognosis." Nick seemed to sober down at the mention of Claudia's name.
"Okay." Nick replied. He gathered up his paperwork for Lester and they both hopped inside the truck.
Chapter Nine
Abby was released form the hospital later that day. This time she had real bandages around her middle. But she didn't care about herself at the moment. She wanted to see Connor. After checking at the front desk, she found out that Connor's room was adjacent to Claudia's. She saw Stephen walk through the front door, so she waited for him to catch up with her. When they got to Connor's room, they saw he was still unconscious, or asleep, they couldn't tell which. Stephen caught sight of the man in charge of Connor's medical needs and beckoned him to come over. After exchanging greetings, Stephen got right to the point.
"Can you tell us of the condition of Connor and Claudia?" He motioned to the two rooms.
"Yes, um, Mr. Temple and Ms. Brown." He cleared his throat before continuing. "It seems that Connor took a serious blow to the head. It has been known that sometimes side effects are not immediately noticeable, which is why he didn't know that he was hurt at first.. Symptoms can eventually lead to dizziness, headaches, and convulsions. But his condition now is stable, barring any unforeseen complications, he will make a complete recovery." Abby and Stephen smiled at each other.
"That's our Connor, always the fighter." The Doctor turned around, but before he could depart, Stephen placed his hand on his shoulder.
"What about Claudia?" preparing himself for the worst.
"Well honestly, we're all baffled. She appears to be in a coma, but she has no signs of a head injury or anything that would cause one. It might be due to trauma of some unknown kind. A few more hours and we wouldn't have been able to help her, but she's still not out of the gray yet. She is stable now, but it's up to her to wake up." All three of them gazed at Claudia's sleeping form. Stephen thanked the doctor before he left.
"Hopefully she'll make it through." Abby commented.
"She will. She has to...for Cutter." Stephen replied. Both of them were startled by a loud beeping coming from Stephen's pocket. He pulled out his cell phone.
"Text from Cutter. Meeting at the Home Office in twenty minutes." Abby took one last look at Claudia, then ran off to catch up with Stephen who was walking to the truck.
Upon arriving at the Home Office, Stephen saw Lester and Cutter waiting for them. Even Captain Ryan was there, standing a few feet away. Upon seeing Abby and Stephen, Lester sat down at the head of the table, with Cutter to the right of him.
"Oh good." Lester said upon seeing them. "Now all the wandering heroes have returned." He emphasized "wandering heroes" in a sarcastic voice. Stephen sat down next to Cutter and Abby across from them both. Lester pulled a small stack of papers sitting in the middle of the table to right in front of him. Directly behind Cutter and Stephen and in front of Abby stood a large television screen,. Lester grabbed a remote sitting on the table and turned the screen on. The image on the screen showed the first anomaly site, with way many more men standing guard than before. They were looking through a live video camera sitting in the junk yard. Lester sat down the remote.
"As you can see here, the anomaly site has been secured." At a signal from Lester, Ryan grabbed his radio-remote and spoke with one of the men at the anomaly site. The man walked behind the video camera and zoomed in on the pipe containing the anomaly. Large concrete slats stood on the top and around the pipe.
"Nothing will get in or out of there." With that, Lester flicked the screen off. "Now on to other business. Stephen?" Stephen remained seated but leaned in closer on the table.
"Connor will be okay, they're not sure about Claudia yet." He looked right into Cutter's eyes and leaned back in his chair. Lester also looked at Cutter.
"And Helen?" Cutter merely shrugged his shoulders.
"Gone." he said.
"Well, I guess that's a good thing, considering the trouble she's caused for us in the past." After Lester said this, Abby leapt out of her chair.
"But she saved our lives! Even if it was for her advantage!" She shouted. Stephen stood up and gently pulled the quivering Abby back into her seat. Nick answered her outcry.
"It was for her advantage alone that she helped us. She could've made life a lot easier, or `she could've killed us. Whatever the reason, Helen did what she did merely for her own gain.
Meanwhile Helen stood in the front room of the structure in the middle of the desert. She laughed evilly, as she took notes of the area around her. Just a little more research, and her new invention would be complete.
"Soon I will have control of the anomalies, the key to the power of time will be mine!" Her laughter echoed around the wasteland of desert.
Connor slowly opened his eyes and saw that Abby had stuck her face right in his.
"Whooh!" he cried out and sat up quickly almost bumping right into Abby's head.
"Ooh, my head...where am I?" He looked around and realized he was in a hospital bed. He saw a tv directly across the room, and flowers and gifts. He then gazed at Abby. "Wow" he said. She was wearing a bright yellow tank top and a green and yellow flowered mini-skirt. Abby's short blond hair corresponded with her colorful clothes. "You look gorgeous."
"Oh come on you sleepy head, you sound better already." Now that he thought about it, he was feeling a lot better than before.
"How long have I been out of it?" Connor said, unprepared for what came next.
"About two days." was the reply.
"Two days!!" He shouted, then winced at the loud noise he made. Abby grabbed a bag sitting on a chair nearby and sat it on his bed.
"In case you're feeling well enough to get up, I brought you a change of clothes." Connor looked down at the white patient robe he was wearing.
"Not the best selection for a dinosaur hunting team member huh?" Abby laughed softly and stood up to leave, grabbing her black jacket that she had brought.
"Glad you're feeling better." She flashed Connor a smile that made his heart melt. She walked out the door to his room. Connor gazed at the door almost in a trance as it swung shut. Abby's smile always put him a spell. He leaned back on his bed, put his arms behind his head and smiled contently.
Chapter Ten
It was a few days later. Stephen walked through the main room of the Home Office and looked at the video screen in the middle. The anomaly was still there. Stephen was baffled at howlong this one had stayed open without any signs of growing weaker. He had this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that the immediate crisis was not over yet. He tried to dismiss the thought but it kept returning. He knew he had to go to the anomaly site again. He looked through the glass that separated the main room from one of the smaller rooms and saw a familiar figure. He walked throughthe doors connecting the two rooms and stood behind the man. He clasped his hand on Connor's shoulder.
"Hey" Connor said when he turned around and saw Stephen. Stephen looked over Connor's shoulder and saw that Connor had drawn up sketches of the orb. "In the short time I was able to study it, I actually learned a lot. It works on the principal of magnetic energy, or electricity. Whoever designed these had to know the basic structure of those tentacled creatures. The creatures are very sensitive to electricity, even the smallest dose sends it into a tizzy."
"That's quite fascinating, Connor." Stephen replied after studying Connor's notes.
"I know isn't it?" Connor replied, clearly excited. Stephen changed the subject."I'm heading to the anomaly site, wanna come?"
"Only if we have backup." Connor laughed.
"Captain Ryan's already there." Stephen said as they walked out the door.
When they arrived at the anomaly site, they went to talk to Captain Ryan. Ryan shook Connor's hand and gave him a nod. Being a man of few words, Ryan took them straight to the pipe that had become the semi-permanent home of the anomaly.
"It shows no signs of fading." said Captain Ryan. Connor rested his elbows on the solid concrete slab sitting on top.
"Wonder if this one will be a permanent opening?" Connor replied to which Stephen gave an exhausted groan. He had seen enough. Why did he have this instinctive feeling to come here? Everything was fine, no problems to report. He shook his head and walked back to the truck. Connor followed him. Stephen stopped at main gate but kept his back to Connor. As he caught up with him and stood by his side Connor asked,
"What is it Stephen?"
"Something's just not right..." He was cut short by the sound of a loud crash and the sounds of guns firing.
"Oh no" Connor's words were filled with dread. They both ran back inside the main area as fast as they could.
Chapter Eleven
Nick had received a call from the hospital that Claudia was awake. Now he and Abby were there by her side. Nick was closest to her willing her to look at him, speak to him, anything. Finally Claudia turned her head slowly and gazed at them with weary eyes.
"You gave me quite a scare there Claudia Brown." Nick loved to say her full name, he loved the way it fell across his lips. He was smiling, just being able to see her eyes open gave him great joy. Seeing his face also made Claudia feel a lot better. She sat up in her bed and took Nick's hand. Abby saw they needed some private time and stepped out the door. After she had left, Claudia looked up at Nick and smiled.
"I knew I wasn't going to die." her eyes shone brightly and she felt renewed, like she had undergone a magical transformation, she moved her feet to the side of the bed. "Help me up, Nick." she said. Nick grabbed both her hands and hoisted her up, she stood up with ease. "Oh Claudia." Nick sighed and pushed away some loose strands of hair that had fallen into her brown eyes. They both seemed frozen in a dream until Abby burst through the door with her cell phone in hand and a look of pure horror on her face.
"That was Connor, he said the biggest tentacled creature he's ever seen has burst through the pipe, knocking over the slabs of concrete and destroying everything in sight." She seemed almost near hysteria. What would she do if Connor was gone? She had resolved to tell him how she felt about him since she had nearly lost him before, but there just hadn't been the time. She felt sick to her stomach just thinking about it. "We have to help them." Abby ran out the door. Nick tried to follow but was stopped by Claudia's hand on his shoulder.
"Nick, let me come with you."
"No, Claudia, it's too dangerous.
"But, Nick..."
"I said no Claudia!" he shouted at her, then sighed and looked at her. "I can't bear to lose you again." He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. "I would die without you Claudia, I need you, I can never lose you, not again." A tear drifted down his cheek.
"Oh, Nick" Claudia felt close to tears herself as she embraced him. She then gently pushed him away and pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and dried his eyes. Knowing he was a man who normally kept his feelings to himself, she knew he'd be mortified for anyone to see him shedding a tear. As Nick walked out, she said "What about you? I can't lose you either." Nick stopped in the door's entrance and looked back at her.
"I'll be okay, trust me." He gave her a longing look before he turned around and disappeared into the corridor.
Chapter Twelve
Nick and Abby opened the gates and went to the anomaly site, surprised that they were still closed. They rounded a corner and saw one of the trucks had been overturned. There was destruction everywhere, but the creature was nowhere in sight. Abby got on her knees and looked inside the truck but it was empty.
"This is a very large area, the creature still has to be here." Before she could continue, Cutter put a finger to his lips at Abby, then walked over to the right of her. There in front of a wall sat a large pipe laying on its side about five feet high. He stood in front of it. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Connor popped his head out from behind the pipe.
"Cutter! Abby! Behind here, quick!" He said softly but energetically. Abby's heart leapt at the sound of his voice. Cutter and Abby raced behind the pipe and met Connor and one of Ryan's men, a man neither of them recognized.
"Where's Stephen?" Cutter said quietly.
"I don't know, he ran off to help Captain Ryan and the rest of his men. I don't know where he went. We've just barely manage to stay alive, hiding from that, that monster." Nick looked contemplative at Connor's statement.
"How did the creature get through? We had the area secure." Abby asked.
"Somehow it was able to get a grip on the pipe and pulled itself up into the anomaly. It's sheer strength knocked over the slabs and the pipe." He stood up and pointed over to the area, then sat back down.
"We have to get the creature back through the anomaly." Cutter was very adamant about the survival of the creatures and safe returns to the anomalies. Connor looked apprehensive. Cutter just looked at him, mentally asking him what had gone wrong.
"Well, sir, the anomaly, it just closed, right after the creature came through." Cutter swore under his breath. He motioned for the other man to give him his gun. He loaded it and slammed the back of the gun with his hand, making a loud click.
"What are you doing?" Abby asked him.
"I have to kill this creature. We have to stop it before it kills somebody, if it hasn't already. He saw Stephen's face in his mind. He stood up, Connor following likewise.
"But you don't stand a chance against that creature with only a small gun." Connor tried to stop him.
"I have to take that chance." With a determined look in his eye, he walked out from behind the pipe to find the creature and his best friend. After Cutter had left, Abby turned to Connor and grabbed his hands.
"I thought I lost you again. This time, I'm not putting off what I have to say to you any more. I..." Connor stopped her and embraced her saying "I know."
After he had walked quite a distance with no sign of the creature or Stephen, Cutter stopped to get his bearings. All of a sudden, there was a loud crash in front of him. He raced ahead and looked up. He saw Stephen and Ryan and some of his men sitting on a high ledge, with the creature trying to reach them from below. The men had found just the right spot to hide from the creature's long tentacles. Nick grabbed his gun and aimed for the creature's head. But right when he fired, the creature moved and the bullet bounced off the creature's rock hard shell on its' back. The creature whirled around and saw that Nick was a much easier prey than the men on the ledge. Nick's eyes went wide with fear as the creature descended upon him. He tried to run but the creature knocked him down. Stephen started climbing down from the ledge as quickly as he could. The creature flailed it's tentacles in every direction, trying to reach Nick. Stephen noticed some large cables next to Nick had become damaged and were sparking. But Nick was now on his back and the creature was standing over him. As the creature leaned in to finish him off, a large rock flew out of nowhere, hitting the creature on one of it's legs, causing blood to gush out.
"Stay away from him!" a female voice cried. As the creature decided to switch targets, Nick looked up and to his dismay saw Claudia standing in front of the creature. She had now become vulnerable.
"Claudia!!" He screamed. As the creature advanced on her, Stephen shouted to Nick
"The cables!! Electricity will kill the creature!!" Nick grabbed one of the cables, rushing to reach the beast before it got to Claudia. She screamed as Nick tripped and fell over. But he was close enough to the creature. He lunged with all his might and plunged the cable into the creature's open wound. He cried out as electricity coursed through him and the creature. But the creature was so overwhelmed by the current that it toppled over, dead. Nick lay where he had fallen. Claudia rushed over to him and found he was unconscious. As Stephen checked to make sure the creature was dead, Claudia leaned in close and spoke to Nick, even though she knew he couldn't hear her.
"Oh Nick, I tried so hard to be the hero that you were to me, but you ended up saving me anyway once again." She sat by his side. "What would I ever do without you?" She put her hand on his chest to see if he was breathing. She felt teardrops from her eyes fall from her face to her lap. She put her other hand against the side of his head and cried softly. She felt his head press against her hand and saw his eyes flutter open."Oh Nick!" She leaned over and hugged him. When she sat back up, Nick smiled at her.
"Now this time you're taking care of me Claudia Brown." He laughed softly, then burst into a fit of coughing. Claudia waited until the coughing had ceased, then spoke to him quietly.
"I tried my best to save you, because I can't let anything happen to you." She seemed rather frustrated. "We wouldn't be in this mess if I hadn't requested to be on this mission merely to be with you." Nick looked surprised
"You? But I requested you." Emphasizing 'I'. Claudia looked confused.
"Well I did too." Nick looked relieved. She had wanted to be with him too.
"I love you Claudia." Nick said softly. "With all my heart, from the moment I met you." Claudia laughed softly, remembering the first time they met was when she had kissed him. But before she could give a reply, he faded off into unconsciousness. But she stayed by his side.
"I love you too, Nick." She replied softly to his still frame. She had waited a long time to hear Nick tell her that he loved her, but it was worth the wait, because he loved her with all his heart. And she returned that love.
Epilogue
Nick woke up in a hospital bed and was surprised to see Lester standing a few feet away. He looked to his right and saw a huge bunch of daisies sitting in a blue vase. He returned his gaze to Lester quizzically. He had never showed much interest before whether any of them lived or died, much less bring them flowers. Lester cleared his throat.
"From Claudia." He mumbled. He then stood straight up and looked him in the eye. "You guys just can't stay out of trouble, can you?" Nick just smiled
"No, I guess not." Lester handed him a stack of papers and prepared to walk out, but not before looking at him and saying
"Do get better soon, Cutter." It sounded more like a command than a wish. Nick heard him mutter under his breath as he was leaving. "Because everything is such a rotten mess with you gone." Nick was laughing as Claudia stepped in to see him.
"What are you laughing at? Not me I hope." Nick was looking through the papers Lester had given him.
"He gave me forms to fill out! Look here, forms on the team's performance, forms on the orb, forms on the creature, where that man gets all these forms I'll never know." He set the stack of papers down beside him and looked at Claudia. "Thanks for the flowers by the way."
"You're welcome." Claudia replied. Nick was thankful that it was Claudia who brought the flowers, not Lester. "Now, come on." Claudia spoke "The hospital is releasing you today, so here's a change of clothes." Nick sat up straight in bed.
"Releasing me? How did you manage to do that? I just woke up!"
"But you feel fine don't you?" Nick thought about how he felt.
"I do feel fine, but that doesn't answer my question." Claudia headed towards the door with a mischievous smile on her face."It's all part of the job, Nick. I'll be waiting for you outside." Nick just gazed at her with wonder as she walked out the door. After Cutter changed, he met Claudia outside his room. She had a hot cup of coffee for him. She handed it to him and got one for herself. They then walked out into the sunlight together.
When they entered the Home Office, it was strangely quiet. Cutter didn't see anybody and usually the Home Office was crowded with people.
"Why did you bring me here, Claudia? I should be getting home."
"Just come on." was the reply. She stopped to let him enter the main room first. He walked through the door and all of a sudden was blasted by music and his friends yelling "Surprise!" Cutter laughed out loud and looked around. All the tables and chairs had been moved to make a giant dance floor in the middle of the room. Decorations filled the entire room. Everybody was wearing party hats, even Lester, which did not match his suit. He still looked unwilling to participate in anything fun. Connor was dancing like a maniac in the middle of the floor with Abby following suit a little more refined. He saw Stephen watching Abby and Connor. Claudia took his empty coffee cup out of his hands and handed him a glass of punch instead.
"A party for all of us, for safe returns, for good health." She told him. Cutter laughed as he saw Connor swinging Abby around and Lester's party hat about to fall off his head. Lester saw them and walked over. "Don't expect a party every time you leave and then amazingly come back." All of a sudden they saw Lester do something none of them could imagine. He took off his suit jacket and joined Connor and Abby on the dance floor, getting down with the best of them. Cutter was laughing so hard he could barely breathe. Nick looked at Claudia standing next to him. She grabbed a party hat and placed it on his head, then embraced him, her own hat poking his chin. She then stood by his side with her arm entwined in his. Nick placed his other arm on Stephen's shoulder, who had stood next to him.
"Life is good." He thought. He had everything he wanted, friends, a woman who loved him, and a job that required him to save the world nearly everyday. He sighed contently and joined his friends in their celebration, enjoying as much as he could before he would called on to save the world once again.
The
End