Chapter 9, part 1
I knocked on the door of Jess's flat and she answered it. She was wearing a sparkling red dress with black heels and there was a rose in her hair.
"You look amazing." I said to her.
"Not too bad yourself. You look better out of that black bullet proof vest and black uniform." She said holding my hand.
"Come on, we'll see the movie then get dinner." I said to her.
We walked down to my GT-R and I opened the door for her and she climbed in. I got in the driver side and turned the engine on. The engine roared into life with a large growl.
"How much did this cost you? I can barely afford a decent car with what the ARC pays me."
"Forty grand or there about, I still get stuff from the army cause I am still technically part of the military." I revved the engine and drove off.
We pulled up to a set of traffic lights and on either side of us pulled up a couple of pimped up cars. The driver rolled down the window of his car and I done the same.
"Nice ride, what you got in the back of that?" he asked.
"Twin turbo, super injector system, fuel air mixer to boost power, all together boost 550 BHP to about 620 BHP, as well as a specialised AMG engine. Able to smoke your Focus basically." I looked at his car taking in the spoiler on the back and the fact he had ruined his car.
Jess tapped my arm, "What are you doing?"
"Trust me Jess, this is what I do when I'm off." I told her.
"Okay, you so certain about that, half mile stretch, next two lights, my Focus, his Celica," he said pointing to his friend, "Against your GT-R."
"It's on, half mile drag." I said rolling the window up.
"What are you doing? This is going to go wrong." Jess said.
"Jess, do you trust me?"
"Well yeah, but this isn't how I expected to start our date." She said.
"Jess, its fine, they can't win. If you read my entire file you would know about my youth." I told her revving the engine in the back of my car
"You boosted cars before you got your licence, and then as soon as you got it you went into street racing for two years before you joined the military." She said.
"Exactly, the most that Fiesta can have is about 450 BHP with the right parts. Then that Celica can have about 300 BHP with the right parts. If I guess right, they'll both be fitted with nitrous oxide and that will boost their power by about 100 BHP. So even still they can't beat me."
"Fine, if you know what you're doing." She said sitting back.
They revved their engines to try and intimidate me. I put my foot down hard on the accelerator and revved all 620 BHP so it drowned out the other engines. The lights turned green and I put the car in gear and floored the accelerator. I shot off in front of the other two and shifted into second. The engine was revving so much I was worried I would blow the manifold. The other two cars used their nitrous and started to close the gap. We passed the first set of lights and I shifted into third. I was making more distance all the time. The second set of lights was approaching and I shifted up again into fourth. I sped past the second set of lights and put my foot on the brake slowing all the way down from 150 mph to 50 mph.
The other two pulled up beside me. I rolled down my window to talk to the driver of the Focus.
"How the hell did you do that?" he asked.
"A combination of experience and power." I told him driving off leaving a cloud of tire smoke behind me.
"You know that was against the law?" Jess said.
"Yeah, I do. It's what I do when I get a day off though, surprised they didn't know who I was. Every street racer in London knows who I am."
"Obviously not then." Jess said smiling a bit.
"Yeah, so you okay after that?" I said looking at her.
"Yeah, it was fun. Better than an anomaly." She looked at me smiling.
"We're almost there, film starts at ten so we've got a couple of hours to eat." I said slowing down.
"Okay, you know you really don't look like someone who understands anything about the anomalies."
"Yeah well, I may have been a bit the type of person who never listened at school but after I left the army I met Stephen and we became friends, that's why his death hit me and Cutter the hardest because we had known him for the longest. But then when Cutter hired Stephen the only way he was going to work for him was if I was allowed the work for Cutter as well. So Cutter let me help and Stephen was the one that had gotten me an amazing job. I started to learn stuff on the Job with Cutter and realised how much I missed out on at school. So Cutter managed to get me a spot at the University he was at and I stayed there on a palaeontologist course. I finished it within half a year and then went back to work with Cutter and Stephen. Then we found out about the anomalies and now I'm here." I told her not taking my eyes off the road.
"It makes sense then, why Becker put you forward for team leader. You were the closest to Cutter and knew how to work all of this." She said.
"Yeah, I guess." I breathed slowly.
"What's wrong?" she asked putting her hand on my arm.
"Nothing, it's fine." I pulled into the car park of the restaurant and parked the car.
I turned the engine off and climbed out of the car. I walked around and opened the door for Jess. She climbed out and held my hand.
"Listen, if anything is wrong you can tell me, I'm here for you alright." She said kissing me.
"Thanks Jess." I said hugging her.
We walked into the restaurant holding hands. We stood at a desk waiting for someone to notice us. A waiter noticed us standing and he ran over.
"What can I do for you sir?" he asked me.
"I have a reservation for eight o'clock." I said.
"Your name sir?"
"Jones, Robert Jones." I told him looking around.
"Ah yes, here you are sir, if you would like to follow me." He said turning around.
Jess and I followed the waiter to our table and he put the menus down on the table.
"I will be with you in ten minutes to take your order for you drinks." He said walking away.
I pulled a chair out for Jess to sit on. She sat down and I sat opposite her.
"You know, I think we might have finally caught a break from the anomalies." She said.
"I think you're right. I hate having to be constantly dealing with some sort of creature no matter where it's from." I looked at the menu.
"Being stuck at a computer does get a bit boring. At least you're out in the field." She said.
"Yeah, but then I've got to do all the reports for that days mission, I've got to keep everyone safe, even Becker. There is a lot of work with being out in the field as team leader. Cutter never had to do reports or anything like what I have to."
She laughed a little bit.
The waiter came back over to us.
"Are you ready to order?" he asked.
"Yes, I'll have a large glass of iced coke." I said
"I'll have the same as well with a slice of lemon." Jess said.
"Is that all?" the waiter asked writing it down.
"Yes for now." I said.
The waiter walked off again towards the kitchen.
Ten minutes later he came back with our drinks on a tray. He placed our drinks on the table taking his notepad out again.
"What would you like?" he asked.
"I'll have the steak and chips, medium rare steak please." I said.
"I'll have the spaghetti carbonara." Jess said.
About thirty minutes after the waiter had taken our order he came back with our meals on a tray. He placed our food on the table and walked off again.
Another forty minutes had passed until we finished eating. We got up and went to the counter and we got the bill. I handed over my credit card and they put it in the machine. I put my pin in and paid for the meal.
We left the restaurant and walked back out to my car. We got back in and started driving off to the cinema to catch the film.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Jess asked.
"You know how Stephen died right?" I said knowing she would.
"Yeah, he locked himself in the creature containment area at Leeks warehouse."
"Well, I blame myself for his death, I could have stopped it if I had just locked the door myself when I was in there."
"It's not your fault Robert. You couldn't have stopped it." She said putting her hand on my leg.
"The thing is I could of. Before we all ran out, we were in the containment area, I could of locked the door and shut the creatures in there." I said to her.
"Listen, what's done is done okay? You can't keep blaming yourself for it."
"Yeah okay." I said accelerating.
I looked around at the surroundings and put my foot on the brake and came to stop.
"What is it?" Jess asked.
"Guess we spoke to soon about getting a break from the anomalies." I pointed into a building site at the side of the road.
"Great, guess that means we miss the movie then." She said.
"Yeah, unfortunately." I said.
I turned the wheel and went down a side road that went into the site. I pulled the handbrake and slid into the dusty car park. The dust cleared and I could see the glowing light of the anomaly through the trees.
"You want me to alert the rest of the team?" Jess said.
"Yeah," I said tapping on the screen bringing up the synchronised ADD display and console on the centre screen in the car, "Send out the alert on there. If the ADD has been off the alarm won't have gone off. You stay here while I go check it."
I climbed out of the car and popped the front. I opened a chest and pulled out a new design of weapon. I took a power cell and slid it into the back of the pistol version turning the charge setting to medium. I walked over to the anomaly raising the weapon. I put my head through looking at the time period. There were a lot of trees and some rivers that were very large running through the landscape and in the distance there were mountains. I recognised the time period as the late cretaceous.
There was a roar of to the left and the ground started to shake. I turned my head and looked off and saw a juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex running towards me being chased by a Nanotyrannus. The T-Rex ran over to the anomaly and I dived out of the way but not before I was kicked yet again by a dinosaur. I went flying through the air and landed on the ground. I carried on rolling until I smashed into a concrete block. My muscles relaxed as I started losing consciousness. My eyes shut and I fell unconscious.
I opened my eyes to see Jess, Connor, Abby, Becker, Matt and Emily standing over me. I sat up but as I did this I regretted it straight away as my head felt as if it had been ran over by a Land Rover. I put my hand on my head to cushion it.
"What happened?" Connor asked.
"A juvenile Tyrannosaur came through the anomaly being chased by a Nanotyrannus. The Rex kicked me and knocked me out." I said being able to stand up.
"Do we know where it went?" Matt asked.
"No, Robert got knocked out and then I lost sight of the creatures." Jess said.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"Half past ten." Abby said.
"I was out for that long."
"Yeah, it was a hard hit, you just went flying hit the ground and slammed your head into the block." Jess said.
"Right, well unless they went up the side road they're still on the building site," I said looking around, "Everybody split up. Becker, Connor and Abby, you go left. Matt, Emily and I will go right. Jess you stay here. Open the glove box of the car and you'll find a projector. Stick it to the dash board, turn it on and it will show the screens of the ADD, then there is also a keyboard in there, hook that up and you'll have a mobile ADD, look for the creatures and keep us up to date." I said to everybody.
"Got it." They all said in unison.
I walked back to the car and got out another one of my new weapons. It was a larger, longer and more powerful rifle version of the one I had in my hands.
"Becker, use this. It sends out an electrical charge that disrupts the muscle movements."
"It's a toy gun." Becker said.
"Becker, if you trusted me with the old guns when I first started using them. Trust me with these ones." I told him.
"Fine, but the minute someone gets hurt we shoot to kill." he took the rifle and loaded the power cell.
"Right, split up, keep in touch, anyone see the creatures shoot, no hesitation. We can't afford them to get into general population, not after the fully grown T-Rex in the city centre." I walked off to the right from the car.
Matt and Emily caught up with me and walked behind me holding the older pistols. We walked through the construction site looking for any sign of the creatures. There were a lot of open spaces which if the Nanotyrannus had caught the juvenile Tyrannosaur it would have been in one of those. I turned my head to the right and saw the T-Rex run behind a half built house. I sprinted off without Matt and Emily realising.
I ran into the clearing and turned around as I felt the ground shaking and saw the Nanotyrannus coming towards me. It stopped a few metres in front of me and looked at me. It opened its jaws and I could see the large serrated teeth that I knew could bite through me with one snap. I raised the rifle and aimed at its open mouth. I squeezed the trigger and fired off a shot of concentrated electrical power into its mouth. It jaws shut straight away and I carried on firing down the body until it collapsed in a heap on the dusty concrete floor.
"Jess, where did the Rex go?" I said into my radio.
"It's heading in the direction it came from." She said.
"Jess, get of the car, now!" I shouted.
"Why? Nothing else has come through."
"Jess, don't argue with him," Matt said, "Get out of the car."
"But, what about the rest of the gear?" she asked.
"Leave it, just get out now!" I ran back to the car.
"Robert, the Rex just ran past us and we're on our way back to the anomaly." Abby said.
"I know, I'm on my way back. It's heading straight for the anomaly and the car is right in front of it." I said breathing heavily.
I ran into the clearing with the car. I sprinted over to it just as the Rex came out from between the steel girders. I ran round to one side and opened the door reaching for Jess to grab my hand. She was trying to stuff the projector into her handbag. The Rex was a few metres away. It may have only been a juvenile but it was still a few tonnes which would be perfect to flip the car.
"Jess, leave it. Just grab my hand." I said looking at the Rex.
"I can't not with how much this can help us." She said.
The Rex was one step away from flipping the car.
"Jess, come on, leave it all. I can make more." I told her.
"No, we have this we might as well keep it."
The Rex lifted its foot catching the car and flipping it through the anomaly.
"Jess!" I shouted running towards the anomaly.