Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
A/N after Graduation chapter 8
8.6 The Start of Something
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Becker was driving the huge black SUV. Connor was sitting in the passenger seat reading through reports. They were coming back from the newly opened Edinburgh ARC, and had a brief detour scheduled for the Forest of Dean Outpost.
Connor sighed. He was tired and he would love to set the documents to one side and curl up in the back seat to sleep until Becker got them home, but that wouldn't be fair to Becker. And he needed to finish reading these case reports.
Jess's voice crackled over the comms. "What's your ETA to the Forest of Dean Outpost?"
Becker gave a quick glance at the satnav. "About a half hour," he replied.
"Can you make it quicker?"
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The security detail stationed at the Forest of Dean Outpost had notified the London branch of the ARC that the Permian anomaly had reopened. The team at the outpost was readying the anomaly locking device, but there was an unexpected problem. Power surged, something sparked, the anomaly locking device appeared to have shorted out.
The cadet reporting the situation to Jess wasn't worried at first. The anomaly still seemed quiet, it was just shimmering. But then there were sounds… it sounded like a stampede. Then Jess had heard shouts, followed by screams. Then silence.
Lester was sending in the Bravo team via helicopter, but they wouldn't be there for another forty minutes.
Becker floored the accelerator, while Connor set the documents to one side and reached into the backseat for the EMDs.
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"Jess," Connor spoke into the comm. Looking at the carnage in front of him, he closed his eyes for a moment and said "We won't need any ambulances…" The three men at the outpost were dead.
Dimetrodons were everywhere. It looked as if several of the creatures had come through the anomaly trampling everything in their path. The inner perimeter fence around the anomaly site had been breached. The guard shack was flattened. The creatures were now moving restlessly between the inner fence and the outer electrified fence.
Parts of the outer perimeter fence appeared to be bowed outward as if the creatures had run into the fence headlong, but at least the fence had held. Becker and Connor tried their best to keep the creatures away from the perimeter until the Bravo team arrived.
The security team fired blasts from their EMDs. They were trying to herd the dimetrodons back towards the open anomaly, but the creatures seemed resistant to the idea of returning to their own time.
"It's almost as if there's something frightening them," said Becker. "They don't want to go back."
"Yeah, it's probably safer here," replied Connor. At Becker's puzzled expression, he added "There are lots of scary things back in the Permian… plus, that's where the first future predators came through."
"The race track anomaly has been closed since New Dawn," said Becker "and no future predators have been seen since we destroyed Philip's anomaly. That future is gone."
"Yeah," agreed Connor "I'm just saying… if a future predator was visiting the Permian when that future disappeared… it might be stuck there."
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Matt and the Charlie team arrived later from Manchester. Together Bravo and Charlie teams had enough manpower and weaponry to force the dimetrodons back through the anomaly. Charlie team's technical specialist locked the anomaly with the device they had brought, while Connor looked at the broken remains of the Forest of Dean Outpost's anomaly locking device.
"Any idea why the equipment failed?" asked Matt.
"I'll have to take it back to London," answered Connor "check it at the lab… can't say yet."
He picked up the pieces of equipment. Carrying an armload of gear towards the SUV, he overheard snatches of Becker and Matt's conversation. The Forest of Dean Outpost was too small to protect this area, it was the most frequently recurring anomaly… a security risk… they needed more than three special forces troops.
Connor started stowing the broken gear in the back of the SUV. He heard a small chirping sound and spun around, brown eyes open wide. He thought that all the dimetrodons had been sent back through the anomaly, but what else had come through?
The chirp came again. Connor knelt down beside the SUV and leaned towards a nearby bush. The sound had come from that direction. It almost sounded sad. Connor pushed a branch back. Huddled at the base of the plant was a coelurosauravus… or at least it looked like Rex thought Connor.
He was taking his jacket off, trying to scoop up the small reptile when he heard Matt and Becker coming up behind him.
"Connor," called Matt "what have you found?"
Connor turned to face them, holding the small creature snuggly in his arms, a smile beaming across his face.
"No Connor," said Becker "we're not bringing anymore pets back to the ARC.
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Back at the ARC, Abby examined the creature Connor had brought her from the Forest of Dean.
"It looks like a coelurosauravus," she agreed in response to Connor's question, "but it's different… see the coloring along the frill…"
Rex landed on the counter beside her, tilting his head, he gave a low chirrup.
The new creature twisted loose from Abby's grasp to turn and look at Rex. It gave an answering chirp. Abby stepped back, pushing Connor back with her. They watched the two coelurosauravus introduce themselves to each other.
Abby was grinning. "Conn you were right," she said "it is a coelurosauravus… it's a female."
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At Tuesday's briefing, Lester informed the team that he had secured funding from the minister for a permanent security station and an expanded creature preserve at the Forest of Dean anomaly site. Construction would begin at once.
Abby named the new coelurosauravus Regina.
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