Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
3.11 Changing Times
"If an anomaly opens anywhere in the park today, we'll know about it."
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Cutter's nose was starting to turn pink. His hat lay long forgotten on the red blanket. Blue skies with just a tiny scattering of fluffy white clouds, warm weather and lots of sunshine had brought people crowding into Hyde Park on this beautiful June day. The bright sun soon heated up the day and some tempers were getting frazzled.
There had been forty seven anomalies already and it wasn't even lunch time. Granted the anomalies just flickered briefly and were gone. There had been no creature incursions and worse yet, no sign of their friends return.
"This is ridiculous," huffed Cutter. "The hand held anomaly detector must be on the fritz. If there were really any anomalies opening, the ARC would have sent a team by now."
"If they could," said Mrs. Lester worriedly.
"I've checked everything I know how to," sighed Sarah "we need Connor to do any in depth testing of the equipment. He's really the only one who understands it all."
Sarah was sitting on the red blanket, the equipment spread out in front of her. The cooler full of water bottles she and Jamal had brought was long since emptied. Jamal had left for work at the British Museum hours ago, promising to return later with takeaways.
"Just a thought," said the new intern thoughtfully, "if the detector is calibrated to find radio magnetic waves… maybe the handheld devices are registering the anomaly signals because of proximity… the main equipment in the ARC might not be able to receive the signal…"
"Jess," Cutter asked shaking his head in confusion, "what are you talking about?"
Jess blushed. Her first day on the job and she had already annoyed the man her new boss told her not to aggravate. Behind him though, Jess could see Mrs. Lester nodding reassuringly. Jess squared her shoulders and spoke up.
"It's like when you're driving… listening to your favorite song on the car radio," Jess explained "but you go too far away from the station, and you can't pick up the signal because it's too weak."
"What?" asked Cutter still looking puzzled.
"These blinkers," said Jess "maybe… the signal is not strong enough to register on the equipment unless you are close to it."
At that moment, the handheld detector lying on the blanket beside Cutter went off again. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look.
"There," said Cutter pointing across the water in the direction of the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. The huge anomaly flickered briefly and then was gone.
"It was big enough for a spinosaurus to come through," said Mrs. Lester softly, staring at the empty space. Beside her, Claudia reached out, placing her hand on the other woman's arm. Claudia patted Vivian's arm reassuringly.
"Yeah," agreed Cutter "but the anomaly didn't open in this universe."
Cutter turned to gaze at the young communications specialist.
"So Jess," asked the Professor "are you saying the detector at the ARC is only catching the signal from the anomalies that are strong enough to actually open in our universe… and the only reason we're finding these other blinking anomalies is because we are sitting right on top of them?"
Jess nodded.
"Now how am I going to put that into the research model?" muttered Cutter.
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Danny splashed, frantically trying to keep his head above water.
"Stephen!" he called. Danny's eyes began to adjust to the night sky.
"Over here Danny," responded Stephen "it's shallower, you can stand up."
"There's something in the water with us," exclaimed Danny "we need to get out of the water!"
"No," argued Stephen "we need to get back through this anomaly and the next, or we'll be stuck here."
A small pliosaur swam between the two men. The water was so shallow that the creature was partially exposed
"Get out of the water," ordered another voice. A man was standing in the deep night shadows beneath a tree. "That creature's dangerous."
Stephen and Danny both splashed towards the shore. The pliosaur turned in the deeper water behind the men, and raced towards them. The man who had ordered Stephen and Danny out of the water raised a weapon and fired. The creature turned, swimming back towards the glowing anomaly. It paused for just a moment, then swam through. The glowing lights shimmered briefly, then shut completely as Stephen and Danny climbed up the embankment.
The armed man stepped forward into the moonlight. Behind him, other figures were running towards him.
"Becker!" exclaimed Danny in surprise.
"Danny!" responded Becker. "Where are Abby and Connor? And who is this with you?"
Cutter skidded to a stop beside Becker. He looked from Danny to Stephen.
"You can't be Stephen," said the Professor "I watched you die."
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Abby shivered in the cold wind. The oxcart had broken down. They were near the village Percy assured her, but they needed a cart to carry Connor and the barrels the rest of the way. Henri carefully moved Connor from the cart and laid him down beside a group of large rocks in the clearing near the road.
"We're going to have to leave some people here," said Percy. "I have to take Louis, so he can drive the oxcart back."
Abby nodded.
Pointing at the woman in the green dress, Percy continued speaking. "It would be better if you and she came to the village now."
"No," said Abby "I'm not leaving Connor like this."
Connor had been waking in fitful starts and then lapsing back into sleep or unconsciousness all through the long night. Abby was worried. From the way both Jean and the dark haired woman kept glancing at Connor, she could tell they were worried too.
Percy frowned, and started to disagree.
"We'll be fine," Abby told "Jean has a sword."
"That little thing," laughed Percy. "That's only good for cauterization or teaching children at play sword fighting."
Percy withdrew the long sword at his saddle from its scabbard. The thing was huge, almost as long as Abby was tall.
"Now this," said Percy "this is a sword."
Percy left Henri in charge. The big man was proudly standing guard, holding the huge sword, when Percy, the monk and Louis, doubled up on one horse with the boy, rode off. Abby, Jean and the woman in the green dress were sitting beside Connor huddled together against the cold wind.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Connor woke as daylight started to stream through the bare tree branches. He struggled to sit up.
"Ooh," he groaned. He didn't know which hurt worse, his ankle, his calf or his head.
"Connor," hissed Abby "sssh!" She nodded her head in the direction of the other people.
Connor looked around. The big man in mail was leaned against a large rock pillar; the gaunt man dressed in brown was leaning against him. They both were snoring a bit. Beside Abby, the woman in the green dress was curled into a tight little ball. It looked like she might be sleeping too.
Connor blinked. Abby noted his eyes were bright and alert.
"How are you feeling?" she asked hopefully.
"Sore," admitted Connor. "Sleeping in a tree followed by a night sleeping on the ground tends to make me achy."
"Well actually Connor," said Abby "you haven't spent the whole night on the ground… part of the time you were in the cart."
"Huh," responded Connor in confusion. "Have I lost a day? I thought it was only two nights since we lost Danny."
"No, no Connor," reassured Abby "it's only been two nights… it's just we moved you a few times last night."
If anything, Connor looked more confused. "What?"
But before Abby could explain, a branch snapped. They both turned to look in the direction of the sound. Three young dracorex peered from the edge of the forest.
"Oh the poor things," said Abby "they'll freeze in this climate."
"I left the anomaly opening device hidden," said Connor quietly, "thought you would be able to find it… get home…"
Abby turned towards him. Lifting the rucksack up where he could see it, she smiled. "I found it."
Connor held the anomaly opening device in his hands. He pointed it at a space just in front of the three dracorex. He pushed some buttons, the air shimmered, fractured and an anomaly opened. A warm breeze came through. The three dracorex quickly disappeared through the opening.
"We should get going," whispered Connor.
"Can you walk?" asked Abby worriedly.
"I'll try me best," Connor promised. Abby handed him the staff, and then reached for his other arm.
They made it four steps before Connor collapsed on the ground with a groan. The anomaly opening device landed in the leaves and bounced forward.
"Go on Abby," urged Connor. "Find Danny…"
"No," replied Abby shaking her head "I'm not going without you."
The petite brown haired woman was suddenly at Connor's other side. She was trying to lift his other arm. Beyond her, Abby could see Jean and Henri sitting beside the huge stone. Their eyes were opened wide as they stared at the glittering anomaly.
"No, really," said Connor "you don't want to come with us."
A barking call echoed through the anomaly and into the clearing.
"Connor… raptors…" said Abby worriedly "we need to close the anomaly, now!"
Connor leaned forward, reaching for the anomaly opening device. It was just beyond his grasp. He crawled on his forearms towards the device, reaching it just as the raptor came through the anomaly. The vicious creature was snapping and snarling. It lunged towards Connor.
"No!" screamed Abby. She pulled Connor back. The raptor's jaws snapped shut on empty air where Connor's hand had been just moments before.
Behind them Henri scrambled to his feet. Grabbing Percy's huge sword, the big man charged at the creature. The raptor and the man did some sort of macabre dance in the clearing. Sword thrusting alternated with snapping teeth. One of them, Connor was never sure which one, stepped on the anomaly opening device.
The doorway to the Cretaceous closed.
"No," cried Connor. He struggled to move forward, reaching for the device.
"Connor No!" cried Abby. She grasped him by the shoulders and pulled him back again.
Their screams distracted Henri. The raptor swung its heavy tail like a club, knocking the big man flat on his back. The huge sword fell to the ground in the autumn leaves. The vicious creature pounced on his chest with both feet. Long claws tried to rip through the chain mail.
Beside them, the woman in the green dress rose and ran towards the sword. Somehow, she managed to lift the heavy metal object. From the rocks behind Abby and Connor, Jean also ran forward towards his fallen friend. He stepped on the anomaly opening device, slipping and tripping to fall beside Henri.
The dark haired woman stepped forward, placing herself between the two men and the raptor. She held the sword high; her fierce and determined gaze never wavered from the creature. The air beyond her shimmered, fractured, and a second anomaly opened. As the raptor advanced, the woman backed up, stepping through the anomaly. The raptor followed. Through the anomaly, Abby and Connor could see the woman swinging the sword in a high arc, slicing through the creature's neck. The air shimmered and the anomaly closed
"No," cried Connor yet again. He crawled forward, reaching the anomaly opening device.
"Connor, what are you doing?" called Abby "Open it, we've got to go after her!"
"I didn't close it Abby," replied Connor. He held up the broken device. "I can't bring her back."
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Percy knew something was wrong the moment he rode into the clearing.
Jean was hovering over Henri. The big man made no attempt to rise, he just moaned in response to Percy's questions. Jean pointed to the twisted and torn metal sheathing that had once been the big mans chain mail and continued wrapping bandages around Henri's chest. Abby and Connor were huddled together beside Jean and Henri.
"What happened," asked Percy.
"An anomaly," replied Abby shortly.
"A raptor came through," answered Connor.
"Where is the girl? Where is the raptor?" Percy demanded, instantly on the alert. "And where's my sword?"
"The woman in the green dress took your sword," said Abby "she and the raptor both went through another anomaly."
"What?" exclaimed Percy. "How am I ever going to explain that to her stepfather?"
"Who?" asked Abby.
"Her stepfather is the equivalent of the mayor in the village, for this time and place he's pretty important," Percy explained. "He's arranged a influential marriage for his daughter."
"Is that why she didn't want to come back to the village?" asked Abby indignantly. "An arranged marriage?"
"That might have something to do with it." Percy admitted. "It is the way things are done in this time and place.
"Well, she's gone to somewhen in the mid-twentieth century," sighed Connor "but I can't be more specific, and without knowing when exactly she went, I can't get her back."
"I'll never be able to explain that," sighed Percy. "Her stepfather will probably throw us all in the dungeon."
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