DISCLAIMER – Not mine.
A/N – Hey – no one told me whether they wanted Foster and Plunkett back in later stories – which is somewhat fortunate, because I will probably take a loooooong break after this one. Unless I get an idea that just won't quit, of course. In any case, please enjoy this chapter, and (as always) please REVIEW. Thanks to those who have done, you have cheered me up lots.
They crept across the field, fanning out to make sure they caught the creatures. Foster and his men went ahead, closely followed by Cutter's team. It was a slow, quiet process. The two raptors were lurking somewhere in the woods ahead. Their unnerving low screeches made Abby wish she had chosen another profession – something safe, like filing. Yeah, she said to herself, office work sounds like a great plan. She kept going though, fuelled by curiosity and a sense of duty. It made her feel odd, this knowledge that a whole village was relying on Abby Maitland for protection.
Guiltily, the young woman glanced round at her team. It's not just me, she reminded herself, even if it feels that way. She shook herself, all too aware that they were closing in on the raptors. Plus she was sure she'd caught Stephen and Cutter checking on her. It was all very well having a hero complex, Abby thought, but those two had to have something wrong with them.
Next to her, Connor was trying not to quake in his boots. Well, his Converse All-Stars, actually. They were soaked through. He had been so out of it that morning that he hadn't bothered to check the weather. Converse were not good in muddy, rainy conditions. The palaeontology student scowled. They were a present from his mum – who he strongly suspected had been told what to get. She would be furious. A light went on in his head. It would, Connor reflected later, have been more of a eureka moment if he hadn't picked then to trip over a stick. He landed with a squelch in the mud.
"You alright?" Cutter asked gruffly, as he helped the young man to his feet. It looked like the Professor was trying not to laugh.
"I'm fine." Connor said. "Meant to do that."
"Pay attention."
He nodded, embarrassed that he had been caught with his head in the clouds again. Connor brushed ineffectually at the mud, and sighed.
"You look a state." Abby whispered.
"Thanks. I feel so much better now."
"No problem. What are flatmates for?"
At the front of the group, Foster stopped short. He held up a hand, and gestured for everyone to crouch down. They stayed there, silently, as the raptors started to move. Massive creatures with mottled green-brown leathery skin, they had surprising grace. Cutter watched them carefully for any sign that they were about to launch themselves into an attack. He remembered all too well what could happen if you were caught unprepared. A flash of movement caught his peripheral vision. Cutter looked back at the raptors.
"Get ready..." he whispered. The team tightened their grips on the heavy-duty tranquillizer guns. This had better work the first time, he thought, or we could be in trouble.
Jenny Lewis was beyond furious. She knew that the situation was dangerous, but that didn't stop her from wanting to be involved at every stage. Logically, she also knew that her clothes were not suitable for a trek through muddy fields. And finally, she also knew that Lester was just as aware of all of this as she was. Which hadn't stopped him from calmly asking why she hadn't gone after the utahraptors with the others. Sometimes, she thought furiously, I wish I'd stayed at my old job. It had been boring, yes, but at least she hadn't been forced to deal with one idiot boss and one idiot professor. Not to mention the others...
With an undignified snort, Lewis flopped into a chair. She ignored the dubious glances of her hosts, who had wisely chosen to remain quiet. It was her job to shut them up, she knew, but this one wasn't going to be a problem. Rachel had brought up the issue before her first attempts had even been made. All of which meant that she was essentially useless. Jenny Lewis did not like feeling useless.
For one thing, it gave her time to think. She was aware that most people didn't consider this a bad thing, but in her book, it could only lead to trouble. Case in point – Cutter's very odd behaviour. It had annoyed her to the point of distraction, and now it intrigued her. Knowing what she did about the anomalies, Lewis was fairly sure that his story was possible, even if it was ridiculous. That troubled her. What if he was right? What if, in an original reality, she had been Claudia Brown?
"Do you want another cup of tea?" Franklin asked tentatively.
Lewis smiled. It was the kind of smile that made you want to run and hide. "Please."
In truth, she was grateful for the distraction. Rachel – who was going up and up in her estimations – leant forward, and launched into a raft of questions about the creatures. The young woman was no fool. She knew they were dinosaurs – had really known that before she had been told – and she knew there needed to be a cover-up. Lewis wished for a moment that Rachel had been, say, an expert palaeontologist.
"So, can you tell me anything?"
"No." Lewis said. "And I have no idea what you're talking about."
Rachel smiled. "Ah."
Her cousin appeared with the tea, which Lewis took with relief. As useful as the distraction had been, the young woman unnerved her. She sipped her tea, and stared dutifully into space.