The coordinates on the detector sent us to campsite, and once I'd parked up at the edge of the field and saw the soldier's truck pulling in behind, we got out, and I rounded the rear of the vehicle to pull my backpack from the boot.

Connor followed after me, holding the detector out between us. 'I think it's that way,' he said, as he pointed off down the path between the tents.

'Okay,' I replied, 'go on then. We'll follow you.'

And I saw the corners of his mouth curl up into a smile, as he reached back behind him to pull his gun from the waistband of his trousers. 'Okay.'

Becker fell into step beside me as we negotiated our way past the first few tents and tiptoed through the grass. Connor stepped over another guide rope and pointed to it to make sure I saw it then we stepped into a small clearing in the centre of a circle of tents. Connor led the way through a group of guys who were standing around. And I must have got in the way; I noticed a rugby ball hurtling towards me way too late and only just caught it before it could hit me in the stomach.

'Hey!' I heard one of the guys complain, like he thought I'd been trying to intercept his shot. And part of me was really tempted to reach for my knife and pop it before I gave it back, but instead I just quirked an eyebrow, and turned my head towards the guy he was obviously aiming for. I reached out, shoved the ball into his chest and kept going without even breaking my stride. 'What the hell?'

'What's all this?'

'The anomaly is somewhere over there,' Connor said, turning his head back over his shoulder as he came to a stop at the edge of the field and pointed into the treeline. 'Oh, that's weird, my detector's gone all funny.'

I glanced down it and frowned. The screen started to crackle and shift with some sort of interference, and I quickly averted my attention up and around at my surroundings like I expected to find some sort of far–off pylon.

'What could cause interference like that?' Connor continued. He wacked the detector like it was just a tv remote with a loose wire, and sighed. 'God, why is it so depressing when something you've made yourself breaks.'

I pouted. 'Hmm. Sausage?'

Breakfast usually made him feel better.

He raised an eyebrow as he looked up from the barbeque in front of him and back to me, but he didn't have the chance to respond before there was noise– a visceral sort of sound that echoed back from somewhere beyond the trees, and his head snapped around towards it.

'Maybe later,' he said.

'What was that?' Becker asked.

I heard him cocking his gun as I started towards the noise. 'Um… sounds like we have an incursion.'

The first thing that came into sight as I ducked through the trees and followed the track through the dirt was an abandoned quadbike.

The engine was still running but the seat was cold when I pressed a hand against the leather. I reached for the keys and turned off the engine. In the silence that followed, I could hear Connor and Becker trampling through the leaves on the track behind me but it was quickly covered by more of the same guttural sort of growling we'd heard back at the campsite, only this time it was closer.

Connor and I shared a look. He pointed, I nodded in agreement, and we both set off again in the direction we thought the noise was coming from.

He stopped at the edge of a clearing with a large marquee situated in the centre. I walked up the embankment, came a halt beside him and looked down. My breath caught in my throat.

'There's so many.'

I groaned. 'Ah, god…'

'They're incredible.'

Becker stopped beside us. 'What are they?'

'Embolotherium. They're…'

'Prehistoric rhinos,' Connor added. 'Peaceful grazers.' And as if on cue two of the creatures collided just in front of us, and Connor was forced to rescind his statement, 'most of the time.'

'Peaceful?' Becker repeated, 'you sure about that?'

'Sure, as anyone can be on the basis of a fossilised tooth. But they were named after a battering ram.'

'I have to evacuate this place,' Becker said.

I nodded. 'Yeah,' I agreed, 'quickly.'

'Yeah.'

Connor looked down, something in the grass had caught his attention and he ducked to collect it. A moment late he extended a hand towards me. It took me a second to realise that he was in fact holding onto something.

I looked up from the pink, satin bra in his hands and narrowed my eyes. He held it out like he wanted me to take it but I just stared at him.

He blinked back at me for a moment with the same sort of complex confusion. I raised an eyebrow at him. He tutted. 'It's not mine!'

'It's not mine either. What, you think I whipped it off and threw it down there?' I returned in amusement.

'Of course not,' he returned, 'just–'

'Look at the size of it. I could get my whole head in that cup.'

'Can you just take it?'

'I don't want it!' he thrust his hand towards me again desperately. 'Fine,' I said, and reached out to take it from him. 'That's a shame though. It really brings out your eyes.'

'Oh, ha–ha.'

'You know I thought you would have been a lot more comfortable with underwear now you've had a girlfriend.'

'Yeah well I've seen too much of yours.' I shot him a weird look. 'Not like that, just, you know–'

'Help!'

'Oh, thank god,' Connor sighed, as he was interrupted by the shout emanating somewhere nearby. 'Was that Becker?'

'No,' I returned, as I shoved the bra into my skirt pocket, 'the tent,' I said, as I pointed through the herd towards the marquee, 'I think.'

'Help me! Please! I'm in the tent.'

We shared a look. Yep. There we go. 'Come on.'

'What?' Connor replied, as he tried to locate a path through the herd. 'You want us to go through that lot?'

'Well unless you've learnt to fly…' There was a snapping of twigs behind us. I spun around on my heel to find another creature in the surrounding woodland trampling a steady path through the trees.

'I'm guessing that's the bull?' Connor said in irritation.

I winced. 'Yeah…'

'And he's disrupting the herd.'

'We can't risk going in with him behaving like that.'

Connor nodded. 'Someone needs to distract him.' I turned my head towards him, and sensing my gaze, Connor turned to meet my eye. I watched the realisation trickle through his expression. 'Me?'

'I'd do it,' I said quickly in return, 'but if someone's injured in there…'

'Yeah, yeah,' Connor agreed knowingly. 'Off you fly, then…'

'Thanks.'

'Any suggestions before you go?'

'Um? You could feed it those sausages?'

'Oh, ha–ha.'

'Be careful.'

Connor nodded back at me. 'You too.' He cupped his hands round his mouth and turned back to the woodland. 'Hey, hello, look at me.' He crept away, whistling, trying to shift the bull's attention off me and the herd, and steer it elsewhere. 'Come on, hey, stop eying up my cousin. She's way out your league, mate. I've got his attention, A, I think he likes me.'

'Hello! Is there anyone there!' the same voice cried out from the tent again. 'They've got me surrounded.'

'Go,' Connor called out. 'I've got this.'

I adjusted my grip around the straps of the backpack and before I stared to take a few tentative steps down the bank towards the marquee.

I tried to negotiate a quick and careful path through the herd, and by the time I'd reached the centre half the creatures had started to move away to follow after the bull. I crouched down, grabbing my knife, and cutting a slit in the bottom of the canvas just big enough for me before I slipped through into the tent.

'Whoa!'

The sound of his voice brought my attention round to the man– naked– no, he had boxers on. I felt my heart jump from the almost fright of it all. 'Hey…' I said, with an air of caution and a look in my eye I knew wasn't too far from confusion.

'What?' he returned like he'd forgotten about his near–nakedness. 'Oh,' he quickly continued, as he snatched his arms up to cover his chest, 'it's my stag weekend.'

I wasn't going to ask. I just raised an eyebrow. The noise from the infant Embolotherium sounded, and I quickly looked over towards a barricade of tables built up around a creature. 'Is it hurt?'

'I don't know…what is it? And what are those things, out there?'

'Long story. Come on. Let's get out of here, then we can talk.' I nodded my head back to the entrance I'd carved through the canvas and gestured with a lazy hand for him to come over.

To my surprise, the guy didn't move. 'Wait…' he cocked his head at me. 'You're not– you're not the stripper, are you?'

My mouth opened, as though it was aware of my offense before I was, and I looked down, somewhat suspiciously even though what I was wearing shouldn't have had anything to do with it. 'The fuck?'

'I'm sorry!'

'Do I look like a stripper?'

He cocked his head. 'Well…'

'No. Don't!' I dead eyed him as I continued past towards the upturned tables, and looked over the barricade to find the creature caught beneath a football table below. 'Oh baby, what you done to yourself, huh?' I climbed over then I jumped down onto the grass on the other side. I let my cold gaze wash once over the guy once more before I knelt down in front of the football table. 'What's your name?'

'John.'

'I'm Anna. Two things.' I carefully tipped the football table and the creature onto their sides. 'First, I need your help to get this calf out of here. Because that…' I lifted a hand as though by explanation just to highlight the sound of heavy footsteps rapidly approaching the tent, 'is probably this baby's mother coming back to look for its kid and it is not gonna be so concerned about us being in the way, so unless you want to get flattened, get over here.'

And for a second, he looked back at me like he thought I could have been joking, but something in my expression must have displayed my uncompromising sincerity because a moment later, he stepped forward and climbed over the tops of the tables to join me.

And a second after that a terrible screeching like the tearing of plastic and nylon sounding from the other side of the tent and an Embolotherium's nose poked in through a gap in the canvas. She sniffed in search for a trace of her infant's scent then pushed further, knocking a wall of equipment, speakers, and cables, and stacks of chairs came tumbling down behind us.

'Anna?'

'It's okay,' I said, 'look, it's not injured it's just stuck. I need you to hold it still, okay?'

John nodded back at me. 'Okay.' He crouched down beside me, bare knees crushed into the dirt and reached out to lay a couple of tentative hands on the creature's side. 'Like this?'

'Yeah.' My hands slipped up the bar caught around the infant's middle. I tried to push the creature to slip either its front legs and head, or hind legs behind it so that it could slide free. There was no movement at all. 'I need to break this bar.'

'That's metal,' John returned.

I hummed. 'I'd noticed.' I wrapped a hand around the perpendicular join and tugged. 'No. Damn it.' I swung my backpack down to the ground beside and ripped the zip open. I dug my hand in, rooting around in the bottom for a reel of thin steel wire I kept wrapped around a bobbin, for cases of emergencies in stitching up any animal wounds. My hand closed around it, I yanked it out and immediately started wrapping the wire frantically around the join between the bar and the table leg.

'What are you doing?'

I reached back into the backpack for the digital thermometer. I pulled it out and quickly flipped it over in my hand to pop the casing off the back and remove the battery. 'Watch out.' I brushed the battery against the wire and watched as it set alight. Then I waited, counting to five to allow the heat to transfer right through to the metal beneath before a grabbed a hold of the bar again and ripped it off the adjoining table leg.

The creature let out a short noise, like a growl of relief as it scramble free.

I spun around, grabbed a hold of my knife, and held it up towards the canvas at the edge of the marquee again. 'What the hell is that?' I swung it down and sliced through, cutting a large vertical laceration then shepherded the creature towards the hole.

'Come on, baby, out you go now.'

I grabbed the strap of my backpack as I followed it out into the clearing and watched as it scampered away to find its mother. John stumbled out behind me. 'Okay…' he said, as he tried to brush some of the dirt from his knees, 'what the hell was that?'

I was saved from the necessary response by the sound of a car engine and a moment later an A.R.C vehicle ground to a wheel–spinning stop in the dirt beside the remnants of the tent.

Becker jumped out from the driving seat, grabbing his shotgun, and throwing it over his shoulder as he moved quickly towards me. 'Anna?'

'We're okay,' I answered like I'd been aware of what he was asking. More soldiers climbed down from the truck.

Becker looked around to the near–naked man behind me. 'Oh…' he said, 'what… what– you been doing here then?'

I kept my undivided attention on Beckers' somewhat strange expression. And wondering just what he thought we'd been doing made my brow furrow. 'Get him a blanket, will you?'

Becker straightened up. 'Yes, of course, I think we should have one...'

'In the truck.'

'Yes.'

'Thank you.'

Becker turned quickly on his heel and walked back towards the vehicle in search for something John could use to cover up. I could tell he was cold. 'Here you go mate,' Becker called, as he came quickly back towards us with a blanket and tossed it to him. 'You'll be fine now.'

'Cheers.' John caught the blanket and quickly pulled it around his shoulders.

I pointed to the truck by way of explanation, and without needing to say anything John nodded his head and took a couple of tentative steps towards it. 'So, thanks, Anna, for saving me from those…'

'Rhinos,' I said. 'Rare species.'

'Right.' He gave me a half smile, almost apologetic, presumably still feeling a little guilty about what he'd said before, and then quickly lifted an eyebrow. 'Oh, you said back in there two things, but you never finished.'

'Oh, right,' I returned. I straightened my shoulders, digging a hand back into my pocket. 'Second thing.' I pulled out the bra and threw it to him. 'Guessing that's yours.'

He blushed as he caught the item in his hand and scrambled to get it hidden beneath the blanket. 'Thanks.'

'My pleasure,' I said with a grin. 'In the future, John, try not to objectify women based on how they look.'

And I watched his expression fall in horror. 'Oh, god, I didn't–'

'It's okay.' I smiled. 'I'm still not … I'm not gonna give you a lap dance though.'

And if at all possible the redness in his face grew even more intense. 'Yeah, you don't have to.'

'Oh, thanks,' I said. 'Take care.'

'Yeah, you too, Anna.' And he gave a final half wave before he jumped up into the truck and sunk into the seat. The truck pulled away.

'I think you enjoyed that.'

I jumped at the sound of Beckers voice beside me; I hadn't realised he was standing so close. I folded my arms over my chest as I glanced up at him. 'Huh?'

'Humiliating that guy,' he clarified.

'Well,' I returned, as I turned my head back to watch the vehicle disappearing through the trees. 'Maybe, a little. To be fair he was doing a pretty good job of humiliating himself…'

Becker let out a short and stifled laugh. 'Okay. Do you have any immediate ideas on how we get a herd of prehistoric rhinos back through the anomaly?'

With sudden realisation, I looked around. 'Where the hell is Connor?'

Becker frowned, his mouth opening as though ready for his response, when his gaze shifted suddenly towards the path. 'Oh,' he said.

And I followed his line of vision, turning on my heel just in time to see the tractor turn down the path and start towards us. I narrowed my eyes. That could work.

'Just here,' I told the driver, as I finished directing him and the herd along the path and back to the anomaly. 'Real slow. Brilliant. That's great, thanks.'

'Oh, you're welcome love,' he responded.

'Oh, one sec,' I said, 'keep going, can I just hop out?'

'Of course.'

The driver slowed down enough to allow me to open the door and climb down from the tractors cab. 'Thanks.' I slammed the door shut and stomped a path back through the grass towards the Becker and the truck. It was a surprise to see Danny step out from the vehicle. 'Danny!' I called.

'Hey, Ace!' he returned.

I came to a stop in front of him. 'Where've you been?'

He didn't answer right away. Instead, with a half guilty expression on his face, he glanced back over his shoulder towards his car, and I leant in peering through his driver window to find a woman in his passenger seat.

'Danny?' I asked.

'I know.'

'Who is she?' Becker continued, as he too peered in at the stranger in the vehicle.

'That's her– that's the woman,' I said, even though it wasn't really an explanation. A harrowing realisation dawned on me. 'Have you been at Johnson's this whole time?'

Danny winced. 'Yeah.'

We shared a look, I grimaced back at him through gritted teeth . '…Lester's going to kill you,' I said.

'I know,' he returned, 'where's Connor?'

'We're not really sure,' Becker answered. 'But at least this is working. The creatures are going back through. Good idea.'

'Well done,' Danny mimicked as he nudged me.

I rolled my eyes glancing back towards the anomaly. I watched it flickered. 'Shit.' I'd seen it a hundred times before. Anomalies had closed in my face too many times to count. Right in front of me before I could make it through. Right behind me almost cutting my body in half. It was closing. 'Look.' I brought their attention up to it as I pointed across the path. 'It's fading.'

'We need to get them back through faster.'

I shook my head, catching Becker's elbow as he moved towards his truck as though thinking he could use the vehicle to shepherd them through the anomaly faster. 'It's too late.' The anomaly pulsated, it collapsed back in on itself and closed.

'Oh, fuck sake– now what do we do?' Danny asked.

'We have to– Connor?' I'd pulled out my phone, and already speed dialled before I could even finish my response, '–keep them away from–'

'Hello?'

'Connor? Hey, where are you?'

'Dunno, in the woods somewhere, I've got the bull on my tail though so–'

'The anomaly's closed.' I heard him curse. 'We need to keep the bull away from the herd, it'll cause a charge?'

'A charge?' Danny repeated.

'A stampede,' I quickly clarified. 'We're gonna have to walk them, keep them in a circuit or something until we can figure out what the hell to do–'

'Yeah alright A, but, bit of an issue…' Connor called back from the other end of the phone. 'I'm almost back at the–'

I couldn't hear the rest of the statement, the sound of the engine of the quadbike drowned out his voice as he came spinning round the corner of the track. The bull was at his heels. Its pace made it unagile, it careered into the lead Embolotherium at the front of the herd and knocked her completely off track. Then, in turn, she started after the bull.

'Shit!'

'Where does that path lead?' Danny asked.

'Back to the campsite.' I groaned again, wiping a hand down my face. 'Right, Danny, go with her. We'll get Connor and follow you.' I leant in towards Danny's window to look at the woman again and offer her a straight lipped smile. 'Might as well make yourself useful,' I said, 'we've got to clear the site. Let's go.'

By the time Connor had climbed off the quadbike and made it back to the vehicle, Danny was already out of sight. Becker tossed me the keys and I drove us after them, closing down the herd quickly and pulling up at the campsite just a second after the others had.

Everyone took off in all directions, shepherding people out of tents and back towards the treeline running parallel to the field.

As I climbed down from the truck, I turned back to glance over my shoulder just once, quickly, to check the progress of the herd behind us when I noticed the woman still standing by Danny's truck.

'Hey,' I said as ran towards her, 'come on, we've got to go.'

To my surprise, she shook her head. 'No,' she said, 'it's okay.'

She didn't lift her head. And in confusion I cocked mine, wondering just how her assessment of this situation lead her to that conclusion. But as I stepped forward again to take a hold of her elbow, about to pull her back out the way when I saw she was holding something in her hands. 'What's–' And the light on the little glass screen of the device lit up. '… the matrix…' I mumbled.

She turned her head to me. 'Stand back prin–' she cut herself off, catching herself before her guilt bled out.

Our eyes met. And she waited, just for a moment as though to study me in the hope I wouldn't realise what she'd done. She turned slowly towards me. But it took me a second, to work out how it was possible when she looked like someone else. My brain didn't want to believe it, because it didn't understand but in my heart I knew. My mouth opened. 'You–'

In a second she lifted the device towards me. And I didn't have a moment to react before the light appeared in front of me just as I lunged out to grab her and I fell through.

Instantly, the scenery around me changed. The colour shot out of my vision, not in trickle, but all at once like I'd shut my eyes but I continued to blink and there was nothing but darkness.

As I spun back, I saw the briefest glimpse of an anomaly just as it spiralled closed.

And I didn't know where I was.