A Raptor Problem

Matt Anderson stepped out of the operations room lift and started towards the main computer, passing desks populated with laptops filtering through pages of information on the anomalies, stacks of shelves with different containers, and busy workers jumping from station to station. The white lights bathed the operations room as Matt approached the central computer. Their eager field coordinator, Jess Parker, monitored her army of computer screens. She danced between her screens with a fluent elegance that Matt admired.

"Morning, Matt." She smiled.

Matt returned her infectious smile. A year has passed since Phillip Burton's New Dawn project almost destroyed the world. Matt still remembered the rush to stop the misguided scientist's infernal machine, but since then the Anomalies have been less frequent. They had time to enjoy their lives and each other without worrying about the next prehistoric creature they'd have to face. Matt had time to come to terms with the new future he helped to create and the new family he had become a part of.

Just then, Emily Merchant, alongside Abby and Connor, entered the operations room, smiling and chatting to each other. Matt greeted them and took Emily aside, embracing her lovingly. Smiling to her, Matt noticed Connor and Abby whispering and laughing. Ever since they got married, the two of them had been noticeably happier, a far cry from the secretive, illusive behavior of Connor a year ago. Seeing his friends' content brought a smile to Matt's face.

This day is off to a great start, Matt thought.

At that moment, the operations room was cloaked in a dark red light and filled with the all-too-familiar noise of the alarm. Matt instantly kicked into action, jumping up to stand beside Jess as she batted her keyboard. The computer screens flashed. Pages of information filled the monitors and a location was marked on a map of England.

"We have a new Anomaly in what looks like an old warehouse. I'm sending the coordinates to your phones." Jess said as Captain Becker arrived, tossing Matt a black box.

"Let's get to work." Matt raced back to the lift to the loading bay, his team following close behind. It had been a few weeks since the last Anomaly alert, but Matt has performed the same routine enough times for it to become engraved in his subconscious.

Matt and the team arrived at the empty warehouse in the early hours of the morning. Slamming the car door shut, Matt started towards the large doors of the old building while Becker handed EMDs to the rest of the team. Matt grabbed the handle of the warehouse door and pulled it open revealing a large open space inhabited by piles of rubbish and debris, rusting pillars, and bins cut open and filled with kindling. But right in the middle of the space hung the Anomaly.

Connor brought the Anomaly Locking Device before the flickering hole in time while Abby, Emily, and Becker cautiously paced the perimeter. Matt felt a cold shiver run up his spine. An uneasy instinct cradled his mind.

He scanned the surroundings again. Nothing. However, Matt couldn't shake his unease, so he checked the area again, examining every single little detail. From behind a debris pile rolled a small tin can. Matt heard a scratching noise as he crept towards the pile. Taking a breath, he peered behind the debris.

A Raptor stood nudging a can with its snout, its feathers ruffling inquisitively. Matt gulped as the creature sniffed the air. It cocked its head. Slowly, the Raptor turned to stare Matt in the eyes.

"Guys." Matt called. "We've got a creature incursion." The Raptor's feathers stood on end, rattling like the tail of a rattlesnake. The creature cautiously stepped towards him and he noticed the Raptor had a large scar just beneath its upper jaw.

Becker advanced towards the Raptor on Matt's left. The Captain raised his EMD, poised ready to fire. Suddenly, Matt had an idea.

"Don't shoot!" Matt said causing his team to shoot him looks of confusion. "We can lure it back through the Anomaly." He noticed the Raptor lean back on its hind legs, preparing to pounce. Here we go, Matt thought.

Quickly, Matt pivoted on the spot and dashed towards the Anomaly. He could hear the Raptor's claws scrape the ground, the rattling of its feathers, the grumbling of its throat, and the increasing speed of its footfalls. Just before reaching the threshold of the Anomaly, Matt abruptly stopped and twisted around. Seconds later, the Raptor lunged at him, teeth bared, claws pointed. He hit the floor as the creature flew through the sky, missing his head by centimeters. Matt heard the creature screech before disappearing through the Anomaly. Emily raced over, helping him off the floor.

"Now you know how I felt." Becker chuckled, shooting Matt a quick wink.

Matt cracked a slight smile. "Thanks, mate." He said, brushing the dust off his trousers.

"Oh no!" Connor gulped. "We've sent a Raptor back to 1985." The team shared a collective gulp. Horrified, Matt quickly devised a plan. Go through the Anomaly, capture the Raptor, and bring it back. No interfering, quick and easy.

"I'll go through. No questions. We need to right this wrong." Connor tossed Matt his EMD. Charging it, Matt stood before the Anomaly. He didn't know where in the world he would appear, but he knew he had to stop the Raptor, lest he risk jeopardizing more innocent lives. Emily took his hand.

"Be careful." She whispered. "Promise you will return unharmed."

"I promise." Matt said, stepping through the glistening portal in time.

Matt's foot hit the ground, cracking sticks, and burying itself in mud. Around him rose a sprawling mass of tall trees, green bushes, and a sparkling array of wildlife. A chilly breeze rustled the forest leaves. Matt breathed in a breath of blissful, fresh air. It was a welcomed relief from the congested air of London. Kneeling down, Matt checked the ground and quickly came across tracks from the Raptor. He followed the tracks through the undergrowth until he reached a green metal fence. A sudden branch snap caught Matt's attention. He squinted, examining the bushes carefully. There was nothing but the soft rattling of leaves in the wind. He could have sworn someone or something was watching him, but, seeing nothing, Matt shook the feeling from his mind and refocused.

Matt continued following the Raptor's trail, leaving the forested area and finding himself tracing the outline of a road. Suddenly, a blurred mass smashed into him, sending him flying through the mud. As he tumbled and rolled across the muddy ground, Matt's arm hit a rock, opening his hand and he let go of his EMD. Swiftly, Matt picked himself up, cradling his injured arm. In the grass beside him lay a woman dressed in green trousers and hiking shirt. Her long brown hair masked her face. The woman must have been running from something in order to crash into Matt so dramatically. Matt bent over to check on the woman, but, just as he was reaching for her wrist, the Raptor burst out of the trees. It growled, hissed, and tapped the ground with its giant killing claw. In the corner of his eye, Matt could see his EMD sat mockingly just out of reach. Matt dove for the weapon, but gritted his teeth when he felt the Raptor's jaws clamped around his ankle. Desperately, he kicked at the Raptor's head with his free leg while he stretched with his arm to reach his EMD. With all his strength, Matt threw his arm into the grass and gripped the handle of his EMD. All of the sudden, the Raptor viciously yanked his leg, pulling him closer to its teeth infested jaws. The creature opened its mouth, exposing a horde of blood soaked daggers. As the mouthful of swords came closer, Matt aimed his EMD. He fired one shot.

The creature shrieked.

Matt fired again and the Raptor fell to the ground with a thud. Relieved, he lay back in the mud. The wound in his leg stung, but at least he was alive. And, it seems, the creature hadn't attacked anyone other than this woman. He sat up, wiped his forehead, and then checked the bite mark in his leg. Not too serious, He thought, though it hurt like hell. Forcing himself to stand, he knelt down beside the woman and checked her pulse. Good, he thought, she's not dead.

The woman stirred, held her head, and then sat upright with her back to Matt.

"Are you alright?" Matt asked.

"Yes, thanks." The woman's voice was strikingly familiar to Matt: an uneasy familiarity. "What was that thing?"

Matt scrambled for a cover story, but he couldn't pull away from the strange sense of familiarity. The woman's voice reminded him of someone. Someone he never thought he would ever see. The woman turned around and Matt's eyes widened in terror. Standing before Matt Anderson was none other than… Helen Cutter.

Swearing to himself mentally, Matt stared at the woman who almost ended the whole of humanity. Matt looked to the Raptor, back to Helen, and then down at his EMD. He realized he could change the whole future. At a high enough level his EMD can be fatal. He looked back at Helen, who was distracted by the Raptor.

"I was right!" She beamed, though Matt was still completely aghast. "That's a Raptor! From the Cretaceous! Everything we thought we knew about the past is wrong!"

Matt's fists clenched around the handle of his EMD. He could end everything before it began. He could stop Helen before she even knew about the Anomalies. But if he did kill Helen here what would that say about him? If he changed the entire course of history how different would he be from Helen? The torrent of emotions seemed to catch Helen's attention.

"What's wrong?" She asked inquisitively. Matt shivered. She didn't know yet, that she would become the bane of humanity. What could he do? What could he say?

"I'm fine." He said behind gritted teeth. No, he thought, I can't kill her.

"Where did this Raptor come from? Did you see?" She questioned.

Matt turned his EMD down to its lowest setting. "This isn't what you think." He began. "Don't try to pursue this. Your theories are wrong."

"How can you know that?"

"The answers are in the past, not the future. The past never changes after all."

"What does that even mean?"

"There are some things about the world that we were never meant to understand."

"Are you say there's something bigger at play here?"

"No! Look, I'm sorry about this." In one swift action, Matt raised his EMD and fired, knocking Helen unconscious. He breathed in heavily. How is he going to explain this to the team? Shaking the thoughts from his head, he steeled himself. Matt grabbed the Raptor by the tail and began dragging it back along the tracks towards the Anomaly. The Raptor weighed heavier than he first imagined, but he was more concerned about what he should tell his team about Helen. Should he even mention Helen? He shuddered at the thought of someone like Connor finding out that the murderer of his mentor was only moments away. Nevertheless, Matt continued dragging the creature until he reached the Anomaly. He noticed it flicker. Its fading! Matt put one hand under the Raptor's hip and the other at the base of its neck. He summoned all the strength in his arms and, with one almighty push, he shoved the Raptor through the flickering Anomaly. He looked back for a moment. Maybe she did heed his warning? Regardless, the Anomaly was beginning to fade and he didn't belong in this time. Taking in a deep breath, Matt stepped through the Anomaly.

Matt arrived, tripping over the Raptor. He cursed under his breath. "It's done..." He expected to see Connor, Abby, Emily, and Becker waiting for him, but there was no one. "Guys?" He questioned the air, but there was no sign of anyone. No locking device, no car, the warehouse doors were shut, and there was no sign of his team. "Jess, has there been another Anomaly alert?" No response. "Jess?" Still nothing. Is this a joke? Panicking, Matt raced to the warehouse entrance and pulled open the large doors. His eyes widened in horror. The street was empty, the buildings were crumbling, cars were rusted, shattered glass littered the street. There was a small fire amongst a shrinking pile of screwed up paper. A mouse rushed from one crumbling hole to another. Stacks of broken concrete and twisted steel bars lined the edge of a pot-hole riddled road. Streaks of grey clouds stretched gnarled fingers over the sky consuming the last fading rays of sunlight. A disembodied screech rippled throughout the abandoned city. This place was devoid of life. This place was like a warzone. What happened to the congested air? Where were the bustling cars, the constant clatter of footsteps and car engines? Where was everyone?

What have I done?