St Sanity's College:
It was two days after the tragic incident of Tom. Indie was at her 'catch-up' college, daydreaming like usual. So many things running through her mind. Her mother, Tom, Stephen and the anomalies.
'Indie Cutter! Are you listening?' The tutor shouted across the class room.
She jumped and became focused.
'I'm sorry Miss Smith.' Indie apologized, picking up her pen and jotting some words down on her pad.
Miss Smith looked up at her. Just moving her eyes.
The bell went.
'Class dismissed for lunch. Except you.' Miss Smith announced whilst pointing at Indie.
Indie rolled her eyes and sighed as she went over to the tutors desk.
'Indie, you know how important this is. You really need to start focusing more. You're an intelligent young woman with potential but you're letting yourself down with your poor attention span. I've been looking through your note pad, it's just full of doodles of dinosaurs. Please Indie, if you want to carry on living a normal life you need to know the basics. To read, write, maths and a basic understanding of science.' Miss Smith explained.
'My science is fine.' Indie replied bluntly.
'Yes, but your literature is not. Please Indie I'm just asking you to focus. I can suggest for you to go to the library at lunch and have ago at reading a few pages of a book. It will help, I promise.' Miss Smith answered.
Indie sighed. 'Alright, I'll give it a go.'
She grabbed her rucksack and swung it over her back, opened the door and left the room.
Library of St Sanity's College:
The library was empty. Indie scanned the book shelf and picked up a book. She sat at a small table and attempted to read a line from it.
'On-Once up-on a time.' She attempted to read before sighing.
'Cinderella... classic fairy tale. Though I thought you would have picked up something a bit more...relative to your past or the past.' A voice neutrally said behind her.
Indie jumped and turned around. Helen.
'Mum?' Indie asked quietly.
Helen just smiled at her.
'You came back!' Indie beamed.
'Of course, all those years of being away from you, no way to find you. I had to come back and spend some time with you.' Helen replied.
Indie smiled.
'So what adventures have you been on?' She asked eagerly.
'Well meeting an Neanderthal was an experience and that's not to mention the amount of unrecorded creatures I have come across. It's truly unbelievable.' Helen answered with an expression of accomplishment in her voice.
' Anyway enough about me, what about you?' She added.
' Um, yeah things are good. Just been helping out with Dad really. It's nice to be back home.' Indie replied vaguely.
' You settled back in well then?' Helen asked.
'Yeah, of course people have helped. Connor and Abby have been good friends and helped and Stephen has been, well amazing to be honest.' Indie explained.
Helen raised her eyebrows when Indie mentioned Stephen.
'Well, it's been great to catch up.' Helen smiled as she went to turn away.
'Are you going again?' Indie asked sounding disappointed.
'Yeah, more adventures and times to explore.' Helen answered.
She saw the disappointment on Indie's face. It was just what she wanted. She looked at Indie and smiled.
'Of course there is always that option of you coming with me. Like the old times. Just you and me travelling through eternity.' Helen suggested with a sly looking smile.
Indie hesitated. She thought for a bit.
'Um, actually, I quite like it here. It's safe and I like the company. Sorry Mum'
Helen looked at her and forced a smile.
' Alright, suppose this is bye then. For a while anyway.' Helen finally said before walking out the room and once again miraculously disappearing.
Golf club:
At the Forest Heights Country Club. Andy drove up to the top of a fairway on a golf buggy, and selected a club.
'Tiger Woods, eat your heart out.' He shouted out as he swung at the ball, missing it.
His mate, Jeff had got stuck in a sand bank and sprayed sand everywhere.
Andy swung a few more times before he actually hit the ball, sending it into a small pond. His mobile rang as he was about to dip his arm in.
'Jeff.' He said down the phone
' I got stuck on a bunker. Are you on the green yet?' Jeff asked.
Andy stared into the pond.
'Yeah. Easy.' He replied.
Jeff hung up. Andy dipped his arm down to the pond floor to try to retrieve his ball. He felt around until he found a ball, completely missing the other 2 balls, and the sheep skull that was submerged there. He chucked the ball over his shoulder onto the green.
Home office
Indie walked in the day after Helen visited.
'Ind, you alright?' Nick asked as he walked alongside his daughter.
'Yeah. I'm good.' She smiled.
'You just seem very subdued since you came back from college yesterday.' Nick pointed out as he tried to make eye contact with her. She hesitated.
'Dad, stop worrying. I'm just tired, that's all.' She smiled as she walked into the locker room.
Golf club:
Andy is drove his buggy slowly down the green. Jeff walked quickly behind him, lugging his bag of clubs along with him.
'Jeff. I mean, you could have got your own buggy. You didn't have to be such a tightwad, did you?' Andy joked as he saw his friend struggling.
'Oh, come on. Give us a lift.' Jeff asked
' Come on, hurry up.' Andy answered, implying that he was willing to give him a lift.
Jeff went to put his bag on the buggy, but Andy drove away, laughing.
'You're joking.' Jeff called out after him.
Andy tee-ed off at the next green. He hit his ball into a tree line and went in after it.
'So where are you, you little git?' He mumbled to himself.
He looked through the fern trees, and winced as he scratched his hand on something sharp. He shook his hand and a blob of blood flew away and hits a tree.
He walks out of the trees, inspecting his injured hand. He turns and looks towards where he has just walked from, when he sees something. Andy drops his golf club and starts to run. We see from the view of the creature chasing him, and it swoops down behind him. Andy glances over his shoulder.
Jeff is playing nearby and stops as he hears Andy's screams as his is lifted into the air. Jeff runs towards where the screams are coming from, and finds Andy's body. All we see is a bloodstained shoe.
Manor house:
An ambulance was parked outside. Claudia was inside talking to about the body and sealing the area off.
Claudia approached Nick and discussed about what the witness saw. Claudia became impatient and started throwing subtle threats. Indie was stood with Stephen talking to Jeff.
'Are you sure you saw nothing?' Stephen asked.
'No, like I said, I just heard screaming and then I ran over and his body was just there.' Jeff explained.
'Did you hear anything else that maybe came across a bit...strange?' Indie asked.
'No, why?' Jeff replied.
'No reason.' Indie smiled walking off towards her Dad.
'What's happening now?' Indie asked with her hand on her hip.
'Well, I have to go and look at the body with Claudia...' Nick explained.
'Eww, I'm going to pass on that one.' Indie cringed.
Nick laughed at his Daughters disgusted expression as he walked into the room where the body was being held.
She turned around and walked back over to Stephen.
A soldier exited the room that Nick entered and closed the door behind him.
'Ugh, decapitated bodies aren't my thing.' Indie winced as she walked over to Stephen.
'I think we're going to have to get used to it in this job.' Stephen replied.
'Anyway where's Abby and Connor?' He added.
'Oh, they'll be here in a minute, they're on their way.' Indie smiled.
Shortly after Nick and Claudia came out of the room. Claudia walked off where as Nick walked straight over to Indie and Stephen.
'Right, we need to go and search for the anomaly. What ever the creature is it's very powerful judging by the wounds on the body.' Nick explained.
'Great...' Indie sighed.
'Abby will meet us out on the green.' Nick continued.
Golf club:
Nick stood in the middle of a field. Stephen, Indie and Abby walked up to him.
'No trampled or broken vegetation. No track marks and no sign of any anomaly, but there is one hell of a magnetic field, so it's to be here somewhere. Unless there's a pylon causing interference.' Stephen explained.
' Can't see anything.' Abby said gazing around her.
'Me neither...' Indie added.
'Be quiet a minute and let me think here.' Nick ordered.
All four of them stood silent.
'Quiet!' Nick shouted out.
'We didn't say anything.' Abby corrected him looking confused
' No, I mean it's too quiet. Listen. There's no birdsong.' Nick continued
'They're scared off.' Stephen said as he looked around.
'What would scare the birds away? You were wrong, it's not a pylon. There is an anomaly.' Nick announced.
' Where?' Indie looked around confused.
'We're standing right underneath it.' Nick answered
All four of them looked up and gasped.
'It's an aerial predator.' Stephen stated
'Yeah, that's one way of putting it. Now how the hell do we cordon off the sky?' Nick wondered.
' Cutter.' He calmly said.
' I mean, this thing could be anywhere by now.' Nick carried on gabbling.
Abby and Indie joined Stephen, and they were all looking at the huge creature flying directly at them. Nick remained oblivious to its existance.
Abby and Indie threw themselves to the ground , and Stephen tackled Nick as the creature dived at them.
'Found it.' Indie smiled as she got to her feet.
Cutter watched the flying monster through a pair of binoculars. Indie was sat down on the hill looking up at the anomaly. Abby and Stephen stood by Nick.
'What is it?' Abby asked.
' Pterodactylidae pterosaur. It's probably a Pteranodon.' Nick answered.
'They had something similar to it where I used to be.' Indie added.
' Is it what killed the golfer?' Abby asked.
'I'd say it's definitely in the frame.' Stephen answered.
' Well, Pteranodon was supposed to have mainly eaten small reptiles and fish.' Nick confirmed.
'Probably just snacking until human's came along.' Stephen continued.
'Why's it circling?' Indie wondered out loud.
' Looking for a roost?' Stephen suggested.
'Well, it's spoilt for choice. Certainly looking for something.' Nick said still looking through his binoculars.
Stephen noticed movement at the other end of the fairway.
' Is that Connor?' Stephen asked.
'What.' Nick sounded all of a sudden concerned.
'I'll ring him?' Indie suggested.
'No!' Nick answered sharply.
'What's he doing?' Abby thought out loud.
'He's not looking for a roost. He's looking for lunch.' Stephen announced.
Abby, Indie and Stephen started yelling across the green 'Connor! Connor!'
'Connor! Come here, quickly!' Nick shouted
Connor winced unaware of the creature above him.
Claudia, Ryan and two of Ryan's men hurried over to where Nick and the others were standing.
Connor turned and saw the Pteranodon diving towards him.
' Get into the trees!' Abby screamed out.
'Run you idiot!' Stephen called out.
The two of them started to run towards the trees.
They all continued to shout. went to shoot but Nick stopped him.
Just as the Pteranodon was about to reach them, Connor and Rex jumped down an incline and it missed and continued to fly off.
'Really wish you hadn't done that. God knows how many people you just condemned to death.' Claudia shrieked
Nick ignored Claudia and continued to look through his binoculars to where Connor is lying.
'Wait a minute. There's a lizard with him.' Nick noticed.
'A lizard?' Claudia questioned
'Salurosorophus.' Nick replied putting down his binoculars and looking at Abby.
' Oh, he let Rex escape!' Abby cursed.
Everyone turned to look at Abby.
'You kept him?' Nick asked not looking to impressed.
'No. Yeah. Yes. He came back. I was just looking after him.' Abby admitted.
'Don't get angry with her. What else could of you done with him?' Indie stuck up for her.
'I'm sorry, guys.' Abby apologized.
Claudia continued to have ago at Nick and whilst they discuss what to do next. Nick agreed to let Abby keep Rex as long as she found him first. Abby walked into the woodland area with Connor to search for Rex.
Manor house:
Nick, Indie and Stephen were talking to Claudia and Ryan about Pteranodon.
' Pteranodon hunted from high vantage points. Cliff tops, mountains, anywhere that gave it a good sight of potential prey.' Nick explained.
'We need to be looking at all the highest points within a couple of miles.' Stephen added.
Ryan got a message on his radio and pointed to the laptop.
'Real-time images are coming through now.' announced.
Stephen zoomed in on a satellite image, until the Pteranodon can be seen, resting on top of a building in the city.
'There it is.' Indie said pointing to the screen.
' Office building less than a mile away. Should be empty on a Saturday. Let's go!' hurried off.
'We've got to get there first.' Nick quietly said looking at Indie, Claudia and Stephen.
The four of them quickly hurried out and got into the truck.
Office building:
Nick, Indie, Claudia and Stephen pull up outside the office building.
' We should wait for Ryan.' Claudia suggested
Stephen pulled out a rather large gun. They headed inside the building.
Indie shot her Dad a look of I have a plan.
'It's okay, the Pteranodon doesn't know where he is, he's probably scared. Imagine if you were somewhere you didn't know and all of a sudden you were shot dead. It's not nice, is it?' Indie tried her best to make the creature sound innocent.
'You've got until Ryan gets here. One chance, one shot.' Claudia warned.
Nick and Stephen headed off down the corridor in front of Claudia. Indie walked along side her.
' Never thought she'd buy that.' Stephen muttered to Nick.
' No. Neither did I.' Nick muttered back.
The Pteranodon perched on the edge of the roof. Stephen aimed his gun, but the Pteranodon flew off before he could shoot.
' Damn it!' Nick cursed.
The Pteranodon circled the building.
' Look. We're going to have to find a way to bring here back into range. You see the red crest on the top of her head? Red. That's it!' Nick exclaimed
' I need your shirt.' Nick said sharply to Claudia.
'What?' She replied with looking rather shocked.
'Your shirt.'
'Come on. It's magenta. It's nothing like red.' Claudia gasped .
Nick turned to Indie who was wearing a crimson vest top.
'Are you being serious.' Indie slammed her eyes.
Nick ran across the roof. She could see Stephen in the corner of her eye smirking to himself.
'Oh hang on a minute. Stephen, is that a bright red T-shirt under your white jumper?' She asked rhetorically.
Stephen turned around laughing and handed her the gun.
'You owe me.' He joked.
Indie gave him a sarcastic smile.
Nick grabbed a metal pole, as Ryan's men started to enter in the building. Nick tied the red shirt to the end of the pole. Stephen pulled his other shirt back on and Indie passed the gun back.
Nick whistled and manged to attract the pteranodon's attention, and started to wave the pole, as Stephen takes aim. Claudia backed away slowly as the creature flew nearer.
'Right. In your own time.' Nick said sarcastically
His first shot missed.
'The wind took it.' He quickly mentioned afterwards.
'Yup. Try again. Quick as you like there, Stephen.' Nick said still being sarcastic.
The second shot also missed. The soldiers were making their way through the building.
'Shoot it!' Indie shouted as it flew closer and closer.
'Damn thing keeps moving.' Stephen replied.
'Yep. That's what they do.' Nick said sarcastically.
'This time. Come on, fellow.' Stephen mumbled to himself as he took aim.
'Stephen, shoot it. Stephen, for God's sake, will you shoot it?' Nick shouted as the creature flew even closer.
Claudia stepped back in panic. The Pteranodon was right on top of them before Stephen finally shoots, finally hitting it. The huge creature tumbled across the rooftop, backing Claudia further against the wall. Where it lies, unconscious.
Indie punched him in the arm out of frustration.
' You see that?' Nick shouted at Stephen.
'No need to shout... or be aggressive. What are we going to do with it?' Stephen calmly said looking at Nick and Indie, who were not looking impressed.
'Take it back to the anomaly site. Send it back.' Nick replied bluntly.
Claudia started gabbling on about how she's given Nick enough chances and how things are going to change before the Pteranodon tried to scramble back to it's feet but failing to do so, it's huge beak hit Claudia over the head, knocking her out.
'Whoops.' Nick scratched his head as the three of them looked down at the unconscious Claudia.
Nick and the medics took Claudia back to the manor house, whilst Indie and Stephen stayed behind with to remove the Pteranodon from the office roof back to the anomaly site. They managed to get the creature strapped,covered in large, plastic sheets on the back of a trailer.
In the car.
Stephen was driving, Indie was in the passenger side and was in the rear passenger side.
'I feel so bad about Claudia, I hope she's alright.' Indie worried as she fiddled with the radio.
'She'll be fine, might have knocked some sense into her.' Stephen smiled.
Indie raised her eyebrow at him.
'You're such an arse.' She told him.
Stephen laughed.
' You still owe me for earlier.' He joked.
'I owe you nowt.' She smiled at him innocently.
He looked at her and raised his eyebrow.
'Will you please watch the road!' called out from the back.
Stephen quickly put his focus back onto the road and just about managed to swerve out the way of a parked car.
Golf club:
Stephen, Indie, and some soldier arrived back at the anomaly site with the Pteranodon, which is still wrapped in sheets and strapped to the back of a trailer.
'I wouldn't get too close if I were you. That thing could come around at any time.' warned as Indie lifted one of the sheets back to stroke her head.
'She's going to be out for hours yet.' Stephen replied as he went around to join Indie.
'She's beautiful.' Indie admired.
'She is.' Stephen agreed.
There's gurgling noise as the Pteranodon got rid of some waste.
'Oh, nice.' muttered, pulling a disgusted face.
'You have no idea how revealing dung can be. You can learn a lot from it. It's exciting stuff.' Stephen replied as he moved to the back of the creature.
The soldiers made their disgust known as Stephen tasted the dung.
'That's just not right.' remarked.
'Yeah but he ain't right...' Indie joked.
nodded in agreement.
'Well, I can reveal some not so good news.' Stephen announced.
'What?' Indies face dropped.
'There's no human remains... just fish and reptiles. Meaning she didn't kill the golfer...' Stephen explained.
'Does that mean something else is out there?' Indie asked concerned.
'Unless it's gone back through...yes.' Stephen replied.
'Brilliant.' commented sarcastically.
'Hold fire. Let me phone Cutter.' Stephen grabbed his phone and started dialling.
Nick is still at the manor house with the now conscious Claudia discussing her temporary blindness.
'Nick?' He asked down the phone.
'Stephen.'He replied.
' Listen, you know that hunch of yours? You were right. Old leather face didn't kill the golfer. The beak, it's all wrong. The dung is the clincher.'
'Yeah, let me guess, no human remains.'
'No, just a few small reptiles and some fish bones. That's it.'
'Exactly what I though. It wasn't Connor it was after, it was Rex.'
'Yeah.'
'Stephen, listen, I'm going to have to call you back. My phone's out of juice.'
'Okay.'
Stephen hung up the phone.
'What did he say?' Indie asked.
'Not a lot. His phone went dead.' Stephen replied.
'So what do we do?' asked.
Stephen thought for a moment.
'You and your men stay and look after big bird, me and Indie will start searching for what ever else is out there.'
'Okay.' replied.
Stephen loaded his gun, then set off towards the woods with Indie following closely behind.
Woods:
'Do you have any idea what we're looking for?' Indie asked.
'Not a clue.' Stephen replied.
'Great.' Indie sighed.
'So, what was up with you this morning?' Stephen asked curiously as he looked around at the tree tops.
Indie stopped. 'What do you mean?'
'You just didn't seem your self.' He answered.
'No. I'm fine.' She said sharply before walking off as her Mum came back into her mind.
'Ind.' He called out after her before rolling his eyes and following her.
When he finally caught up with her she was sat on a log. Tears running down her cheeks. Stephen sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her waist.
'Ind, what's up. Don't say nothing because otherwise you wouldn't be sat here in tears.'
'I can't say.' She replied trying not to look at him.
Stephen gently pushed her face so she was looking at him. He wiped the tears of her face and tucked her hair behind her ear, just like he'd done back when he bought her back through the anomaly where he found her. They caught each others gaze once again. This time Indie didn't panic but she felt herself flutter slightly. He leant over and kissed her gently on the lips. As he pulled away the panic grew over Indie. She quickly stood up and dusted herself off.
'Um, right, I suppose we should actually find this...thing.' Indie said awkwardly. She started walking away.
Stephen watched her confused. His phone vibrated. It was .
'Captain.'
'You need to come back, me and my men need to go and sort something out.'
'Sort what out?'
'Don't worry, just get back, quickly.'
'I'll be right there.'
Stephen hung up the phone and looked at Indie who was walking off in the wrong direction.
'Wrong way!' He called out after her.
Golf club:
Indie was perched on the edge of the trailer stroking the Pteranodon's head. Stephen walked over to her.
'My Dad's going to kill you if he finds out.' Indie said quietly.
Stephen rolled his eyes.
'I really don't know what your problem is? One minute you're fine and laughing and the next minute you go like this.' Stephen sighed.
'It just came as a bit of a shock... that's all.' Indie lied. She knew what she was doing but the thought of what her Mother told her many years back always managed to stop her.
' You didn't stop your self.' Stephen looked at her unconvinced.
Indie looked to the floor.
'You don't understand.' Indie muttered shaking her head.
'No, I don't because you won't tell me.' He replied.
Indie didn't say anything back.
'I care about you, I just don't know if you've realised.' Stephen continued.
Indie looked up and smiled ever so slightly.
'I have. I'm just being stupid.' She replied.
She stood up and hugged him. Stephen sighed and hugged her back.
'We won't mention anything to my Dad though... not yet.' Indie said with a smile.
Manor house:
Claudia was trapped in the manor with the small pterosaurs surrounding the building. Nick managed to reach an ambulance and called for back up. In the ambulance he found a canister of gas and a lighter. As he emerged from the ambulance a small pterosaur flew at him.
'You little sh..' He cursed as he burnt it into a crisp.
'Whoops. Light.' He chirped to himself as the fire burnt out.
As he re-lit the canister the house went up into a mass of flames.
He stared for a while trying to take in what just happened knowing Claudia was still inside. He jumped when she walked up behind him. She mentioned Helen and how she saved her but then disappeared into thin air.
and his men arrived, running up behind them. had a double take at the still burning building, state Nick and Claudia are in, and Nick's gas canister.
' What? Yeah, it was me. It was me with a Zippo and a bottle of flammable gas.' Nick said sarcastically.
'Um, anyway. I've left Stephen and Indie with the dinosaur bird.' explained as he still stared at the burning manor.
'Right, we better get back just in case Stephen was wrong about it not eating humans. As I know Indie is one to get a little to close. She's probably sat right next to her beak aswell.' Nick sighed.
Woods:
Abby and Connor were still in the woods. Rex had now been found. Abby still wasn't pleased with Connor but they had made an agreement that would make up for it.
-
Golf club:
Everyone had arrived at the anomaly site, with the Pteranodon.
'Guys, you'd better be quick. I don't think the anomaly's going to hold much longer.' Connor warned.
Claudia's phone rang. She checked who was, but decided not to answer.
' Lester. What can I say? The battery was down and I just didn't get to the call in time.' She smiled as she turned to Nick.
'You saying Lester doesn't know about this?' Nick asked
'Wouldn't be happy if he did.' She replied
' I thought you weren't going to take sides.' Nick smiled
Stephen walked up to Nick and Claudia, carrying a big, red flag. He handed it over to Nick, he and Stephen went back to where Abby and Indie were looking after the Pteranodon that was laid on the trailer.
'It's okay, baby. You'll be home soon.' Abby soothed as she stroked its leathery face whilst it started to awake.
'So, you're absolutely confident that this creature doesn't eat mammals?' Nick asked to make sure.
' Dung never lies. And if I'm wrong about that, at least you'll always have a special place in the history books.' Stephen smiled
' I always wanted to be famous. Let's do it.' Nick laughed.
Connor, Stephen and Ryan released the ropes holding the Pteranodon down.
'All right, we're ready. Let her go!' Nick shouted down to the team.
The sheets are removed, and after a few moments, the Pteranodon started to get up. It flapped its wings a couple of times, and then flew off in the opposite direction to where Nick was waving his flag in front of the anomaly.
They all started shouting to try to get the creature to change its track. As the Pteranodon turned and started to fly towards them Stephen discreetly intertwined his fingers around Indies so they were holding hands. Indie looked up at him and smiled even though his concentration was fully on the Pteranodon.
' Okay, come on. Come on.' Nick shouted out.
' It's beautiful.' Claudia admired with a slight change of heart from earlier.
Everyone ducked as the Pteranodon swooped over them. It flew straight past Nick and into the anomaly, just before it closed. Everyone cheered, Stephen threw Connor's hat in victory before Indie jumped on him.
'Safe journey.' Nick muttered to himself as he stared to where the anomaly once floated.
