Ryan was surprised to see Melina running back up the hill she had fled down, he was wary she would pass him as he put himself in her way to force her to a halt.
"You're getting good at leaving memorable impressions," he mused.
When she didn't reply he gave her a look of concern, his blue gaze turning wary as he realised she was shaking. "Melina?"
"In...in the...the water," she stammered as she pointed back to the lake. "There's something there."
Ryan looked down past her but the sun was back out and it was impossible to see past its reflection on the water. He waited and watched for a moment but there was no sign of anything amiss. His gaze was forced to squint as the smooth sheen of white remained dazzling his eyes, it put him a position of vulnerability he didn't like.
"What sort of something?" he queried.
"I want to see where the ducks went!"
Melina turned her head sharply at the sound of the girl's voice. She saw a young girl tugging a bored looking male teen towards the lake.
Ryan's eyes widened as Melina bolted back down the hill without warning, veering to the right towards the child and teen as if she was driven by something possessed. He wondered if Melina really had seen something or if it had just been a trick of the light. Concerned, he reached for the Glock he had brought under his jacket.
The water came bubbling up as if boiled, spurting up like a fountain without warning as a great beast launched itself up, determined to seize its prey.
Melina jumped towards the bewildered girl and boy. Her arms flailed outwards in an attempt to push them both from danger. She was successful in shoving them away but it was a wild rush of movement and it left her stumbling in the path of an aquatic predator.
The children's screams were drowned out by the churning of the roar as a behemoth of scales and teeth launched itself towards them, a long leathery green muzzle heading towards Melina.
It was Melina's clumsiness that saved her, sending her down and away from the jaw full of deadly fangs.
Ryan, who had broken into a run, raised his left wrist to snap orders to his men who were waiting nearby. "We have a breech by the lake! Creature present!"
He took aim with his gun, his eyes growing wide as he took in the size of the only partially revealed beast. It was like a crocodile except it was the biggest one he had ever seen, far exceeding the size of any living today.
"Run!" Ryan roared to the now screaming girl and teenager who were clutching at other, rooted to the spot in terror. "Run!"
The creature reached to Melina again, determined not to be deprived of lunch.
BANG!
Ryan aimed for the only vulnerable part he could spy- a golden, reptilian eye. The bullet darted off the hard flesh beneath the amber orb prompting the beast to jerk back slightly as it snapped its jaws closed.
Ryan halted near the children, grabbing the boy with one hand and tugging him hard to the right. "Run already!" Ryan snapped at him.
Ryan released the boy and pushed him hard.
The boy blinked up at the grey suited soldier in confusion before glancing to the hill Ryan pointed at. He nodded dumbly, pulled at his sister and finally broke into a run.
The beast was alerted to the movement and the dark slits of its pupils seemed to dart in their direction.
Melina, now on her hands and knees attempted to move in the other direction in a rushed crawl.
The long snout turned suddenly at Melina's movement, reaching out in a flash of movement to snatch at its prey. It misjudged the distance, over exerting itself so that its muzzle was close beside her.
The creature attempted a turn to compensate for its mistake as it sensed movement directly beside its head.
Melina screamed as she felt the edges of teeth clamp down about her left arm, she was saved from it being severed off only by the sheer luck of her arm being caught between a gap in the teeth.
"Melina!"
Ryan yelled her name as the creature began to retreat to the water, pulling the screaming woman with it.
BANG! BANG!
Ryan fired furiously at the eyes but his bullets sank into flesh so thick they barely penetrated it.
He holstered the gun and hastened into the water in a moment of erratic alarm.
Melina gurgled and choked up water as she felt herself starting to submerge. Her free hand jerked about helplessly as she tried to grasp at something but found nothing except water and the grains of soil beneath it. Her head bobbed up and down swapping blurry images of the lake for the image of Ryan's grey trouser legs getting soaked as he hastened in after her.
Ryan grabbed Melina about her torso and pulled back. He pulled with such a force he slipped back into the water, hitting it with a heavy splash.
Melina screamed as she felt the creature attempt to take a stronger grasp of her and pull back.
"No," Ryan snarled as he continued to pull her.
The blonde gritted his teeth and strained as he tried to keep his arms bound about her waist.
"Don't let me go!" she begged as tears streaked down her face to mix with the lake.
"I won't!"
The waters churned angrily as the great beast began to thrash.
Ryan cursed as it turned without warning, putting itself into a roll. The force caused Melina to slip out of the solider's grasp suddenly and into the waters.
Melina had the sensation of tumbling through a washing machine as white foam blinded her vision and she whirled about water rapidly without control. She screamed, filled with fear as her sensibilities left her.
"Look at the size of that gator!" Connor shouted from the hilltop.
"It's got something!" Abby exclaimed.
"No, it's got someone!" Nick corrected as he and Stephen started to run down to the lake.
Nick was armed with a tranquilliser gun whilst Stephen raced down clutching the pistol he had sneaked in under his trouser leg.
Ryan moved through the water in a frantic panic, cursing and spluttering as he splashed about, looking frantically for Melina in the blur of foamy water the creature had created.
Under the water Melina kicked frantically with her feet. Her body turned slightly prompting her to come face to face with the thing that wanted to eat her. It was huge, its head almost as high as she was tall and its muzzle longer than her body. She extended her free hand to its snout as she made a fist and punched again and again.
Ryan saw an amber eye glinting through the water. He pointed his Glock down and fired.
Blood streaked up in a scarlet mist and a low roar was heard thundering up from under the water. Ryan saw death as he looked down, teeth just below his feet, seconds away from devouring him. It was luck that the creature chose instead to turn away from the thing that had just ruined its eye, hurtling itself back to the deeper water.
Ryan swallowed hard, trying to still his fear before he forced himself to duck his head under the water. The waters were tinged red and Ryan knew it was from more than just a shot eye. He searched about frantically, worried that he would find body parts instead of a body.
The blonde filled with relief when he saw her bobbing about in the water, free from the sharp jaws again. He stretched out to her, grasping her arms and pulling her up to the surface quickly.
Melina immediately starting coughing and choking as her head broke the surface. "Nnno no," she stammered, "no."
Ryan pushed back some of her damp hair from her face before paddling her to the shore where Nick and the others waited.
"Her left arm is injured," Ryan advised as he reached the shallows of the shore with relief.
Nick looked on with worry as he saw the waters turn crimson about the blonde.
Ryan stood upright and hoisted Melina with him. When she let out a scream of pain, he was compelled to pluck her up, cradling her sideways in his arms.
"Don't let go," she begged again as she continued to cough up mouthfuls of water, "don't let go."
Ryan sighed, he'd already let go and she had almost been taken. He glanced back to the lake warily before hastening to the shore.
Abby tugged out a knife from under her maid's skirt and sliced off part of her apron quickly before hurrying forward to try and bind the bloodied arm with it.
Connor's jaw dropped slightly at the movement as he wondered exactly where the knife had been.
"She's going to need a hospital," Abby advised.
Ryan nodded in agreement. "I'll carry her up, make sure there are no more causalities, my men are coming."
Ryan gave them all a serious stare. "No more heroics," he ordered sternly, "you saw the size of that thing. The anomaly must be in the water, we need it contained in the lake until it goes back where it came from."
Nick's blue gaze turned suspicious as he glanced out to the lake. What were the odds that Helen, eager to see Melina back to her own time, would alert them to an anomaly that was brought a prehistoric beast through the water? Had Helen known what would happen? Did she appreciate the irony of it? Perhaps hope to have Melina traumatised to the point of having to go home or go mad? Nick wondered and worried, unwilling to believe that it could all be a coincidence.
"We've dealt with worse," Connor assured with a grin.
Ryan frowned but didn't argue.
"Just go captain," Nick said, "before she loses anymore blood."
Ryan moved to the slope of the hill and hurried back up it with the young woman. She had turned a horrible ghostly white and the apron bindings were dripping crimson.
Ryan was met by James Lester and a couple of arriving soldiers at the top of the hill.
"What the hell is going on?" James demanded.
"Anomaly," Ryan retorted, "in the lake."
The soldiers nodded and continued moving down towards the lake.
"And why are you retreating?" James demanded angrily as he gave the captain a disapproving stare.
Ryan frowned and held out Melina pointedly. His grey blazer was ruined now, soaked a dark crimson with her blood.
"She pushed some kids out of danger and got attacked. If we want to save her arm she needs an ambulance now."
James looked to Melina's bloodied body part and wrinkled his nose slightly. "Right, I'll call ahead, you'll have one quickly," he advised.
James hesitated for a moment before tugging off his navy jacket and bundling it over the young woman, concealing the telltale carmine soaked strips of a makeshift bandage. The apron strip had left a few deep gouges exposed.
"Wouldn't do to have hypothermia and a missing arm," James murmured awkwardly.
Ryan was surprised by the humane gesture from his boss but didn't comment on it. "I'll get her to a first aid kit," he advised.
Ryan started to move again as James tugged out his phone and started to call for aid.
Melina awoke with a confused groan, her head tilting slightly against the flat pillow under it as she squinted at the light above her.
"Morning," Captain Ryan's voice grunted at her.
She turned with surprise at the voice and suddenly became aware of a pressure on her right hand.
"Are we hand holding?" she queried sleepily.
Ryan raised his hand revealing hers grasped in it. "I wasn't letting go again," he admitted.
"Again...oh, oh shit!" Her eyes widened in alarm as she attempted to push herself up the bed rapidly.
The gesture caused a sudden flare of pain to course through her left arm prompting a scream of agony from her. The limb was stiff, bound in a cast rendering it useless to her.
"Hey, hey, settle unless you want someone to stick you with a needle," the blonde advised. "It's okay, you're away from the water."
Tears of pain spilled down her cheeks as she winced and let out a whimper. "Snake."
"It wasn't a snake and you are safe," Ryan said seriously.
She shook her head and shuddered. "It was a monster."
Ryan gave her hand a light, reassuring squeeze.
"It was a primordial creature displaced in time," he corrected, "but we got it back, no causalities except you."
She nodded as she looked up to him. "You're still in the suit," she said hoarsely.
"Yep, hospital staff didn't appreciate the dripping from it mind or the bloodstains."
She cocked her head in confusion and attempted to look down at herself. "Am I still a maid?"
Ryan gave a brief chuckle at this. "Nope, hospital gown this time. You had to get surgery, you've some deep bite marks on that arm. You're certainly racking up the scars with us."
"Huh. Gee doc, will I ever skip rope again?" she queried sardonically.
"Am I to assume you could before?"
"No."
"Then no but you will clap hands just fine."
"Well that's a positive. Can you help me sit?"
Ryan nodded and helped Melina into an upright position, letting her lean back against her pillow for support.
Melina glanced about the room hastily, it was a plain, off-white hospital room, private which had her curious, with an above average bed and a more comfortable looking than the norm chair for Captain Ryan.
Melina continued to pursue a different topic, purposely taking the conversation away from the creature. "Did anyone find out what carpaccios are?"
"Italian appetisers, expensive, meat or fish based."
"You snob," she groaned at him, "I knew it."
"My mother likes them," he grumbled as he frowned down at her.
"Your mum...she was there, wasn't she?"
Melina she felt a tightness at her brow that threatened to bud into pain.
"Yep, got to see me carrying you, she wants to know why I'm having a relationship with James Lester's lover."
"Um..." Melina looked puzzled at this. "I think...do I have amnesia? I remember appetisers, I don't remember an affair with Lester."
"Well you were wearing his jacket and when you scream at a man at a party and then charge off barefoot, flipping him off and calling him a prick it does prompt speculation."
"Oh." Melina looked puzzled again as she tried to remember that. "Well he can be a prick but...wearing his jacket?"
"Yes, he wanted to stop you getting hypothermia, I think he just didn't want the party guests seeing your bloody arm and maybe a tiny part of him felt bad after you yelled at him but I don't know why, he doesn't normally care when people are mad with him."
"Huh and you and I are in a relationship too?" Melina gave the blonde a wide smile. "Gosh I'm doing well, a captain and a bureaucrat!"
Ryan cracked a small grin at this. "Don't get cocky, I carried you wounded from the lake, quite the cliché I know, didn't help with the rumours. Had to tell everyone you cut yourself while swimming. The maid getup did wonders for the rumours."
"Oh I'm sure, spoiled son of wealthy family caught canoodling with bureaucrat's secret maid lover in the lake and makes up a story to conceal the affair." She nodded seriously at this. "Yep, sounds about right. Maybe, spoiled son is thought to have a secret fetish for maids," she added mischievously.
Ryan frowned again even as he felt his ears redden slightly at the edges. "Just a sec." He pointed down at her before scratching at his hair. "I'm not spoiled!"
"Oh but you do have a maid fetish then?" she teased.
Melina broke free from Ryan's gasp to push herself further upright with her right hand, giggling as the captain scowled and suddenly turned away from her.
"I dig it," she mused, "your secret's safe with me foxy fella."
"Foxy fella?" he echoed as he turned back to her with an expression of confusion and slight incredulity.
"And there's that cute little expression you get when I use slang," she mused happily.
"You're a pain in the ass sometimes," Ryan muttered.
"Sure but you said morning so it means you spent the night here so I think part of you likes me anyway."
"It's my job to protect you," he pointed out flatly.
"From anomalies, I don't think there was one here."
Ryan folded his arms and frowned. "You're a bloody anomaly," he grumbled sarcastically.
Melina smiled before leaning forward suddenly to give the captain a kiss.
Ryan's blue eyes went wide and for a brief moment he was stunned as he felt the warm brush of her lips against his mouth.
There was a knock on the ajar door.
"Are we interrupting?" Connor queried chirpily as he grinned in at them.
Abby lowered her knuckled hand from the door and offered them an awkward wave.
"No one's great with timing here are they?" Melina queried sarcastically as she leaned back. "Bit ironic really considering the business we're in."
"So, does this count as work captain?" Stephen queried sarcastically.
"Shut up," Ryan muttered as he scowled down at his lap.
Melina flashed a smile at the trio. "Are you all here to sign my cast?" she queried merrily as she tried to raise the bound arm slightly prompting a wince.
"Ryan can put his number on it for you," Stephen continued to mock the man.
"Do people do that?" Melina asked with a mystified look. "What if someone else in the house answers?"
Connor laughed at this as he stepped forward. "Mobile number," he explained, "most people have mobile phones, you know what they are, we've talked about that."
"Oh, right." Melina nodded. "Yep because they're mobile," she said as she continued to smile.
Abby looked at her curiously, her blue eyes darting up to the drip of clear liquid she was linked too. "Pain killers working?"
Melina nodded. "Yeah a little, still hurts though."
"You're lucky you didn't lose that arm," Abby murmured. "First it's bears now this." She gazed down at the woman with admiration and scorn mixed into her stare.
"Still not sure what this or rather that was," Melina murmured. "But it surely earns me a gun now, right?"
"Wrong," Ryan answered sharply. "It earns you bed rest, that's it."
"Captain no fun," Melina grumbled.
"Captain needs a shower," Stephen chided as he eyed Ryan's bloodstained garments pointedly. "Isn't your jacket a health violation?"
Ryan eyed the younger male with a glimmer of annoyance. "I was preoccupied with things other than fashion," he grumbled.
"Well we're here now," Stephen retorted. He gave him a disarming smile. "We can watch Melina, you go home and change."
"Didn't you have any other guards to swap with mate?" Connor pried innocently. He had started to doodle a dinosaur on Melina's cast with a black inked pen.
Abby giggled at Ryan's sheepish expression before the blonde banished it.
Ryan stood up hastily, pausing to glance down to Melina. "Will you be alright?"
"She'll be fine mate," Connor assured. "She's got us." He wrinkled his nose slightly and glanced up to the soldier with a smile. "Stephen's right, you kind of...I mean it's the blood, it does smell."
"Thanks," Melina chirped up, "it is my blood you're offending after all. I expect your blood would smell too after a while. Can't be helped but all in all it's nice blood."
"I think the medication is kicking in again," Abby murmured quietly.
The blonde woman gave the captain a reassuring smile. "Go ahead captain," she said gently. "We will be fine." She frowned as she heard a clatter as Connor accidentally knocked a lead out of a pulse monitor. "Melina will be fine," she corrected quickly. "I can't vouch for Connor."
"I will be," Melina mused, "but you're coming back, right? I feel like we need to work on our story, you know for your mother, in case she asked. I mean who made the first move in the lake? Were you a rebound for Lester?"
"What?" Stephen interrupted. With wide eyes he glanced mischievously from Melina to Ryan. "What's that about?"
"Nothing," Ryan growled out. "Just the painkillers talking. Right, I'll see you soon and I'll send a guard down."
"Do you expect an anomaly here?" Connor queried.
"No."
"Well then you don't need a guard."
"Connor," Abby chided him.
Connor glanced over to the blonde in surprise. "What?"
"Ryan is only being concerned," Abby attempted to explain.
"Well I don't see why," Connor muttered as he occupied the seat Ryan had been using. "Oh still warm, nice," he said happily.
Ryan hastened from the room, knowing he didn't want to hear any more of Connor's blunders or Stephen's teasing. He tugged out his phone for an update and wasn't surprised to see a missed call from Claudia and Lester on it. He cursed his own sentimentality for having it on silent mode while Melina had been sleeping.
Away from the young woman he was able to switch back into soldier mode and his thoughts immediately roamed to Helen. She had warned them about the anomaly and yet Ryan still felt like she had set them up some how. He hoped Lester was of the same viewpoint and that bringing in the woman might be their next goal.
