Tevun-Krus #27 - FanFic SF

Search and Rescue - Pt. II

Sarah Page glanced at the piece of paper that she held in her hand for the final time before she folded in two and slipped it between a crack in the brickwork of what would in the future become St. Albans Cathedral. She had chosen that particular building because without her computer, it was the only building that she could remember that would still be standing in the Twenty-First Century.

Written on the piece of paper was a message to Sir James Lester, giving details of the predicament in which she found herself including the year and her location, in Swinley Forest close to where the Anomaly had opened.

When she had escaped from a herd of future predators through the Anomaly in the distant future she'd had upon her back her rucksack which contained, amongst other things a pop-up tent, and that was what she had been calling home for three months, having created a camp well off the beaten track in the depths of the forest.

It was a good fortnight's walk from St. Albans back to her camp and as she began the long, arduous trek, she hoped that her message would reach it's intended recipient. Sarah was a researcher and definitely not built for living in the outdoors. She craved her home comforts and would most likely have killed for a steaming hot shower.

She ran a hand through her black, greasy hair, and chuckled lightly to herself.

"Only you could get yourself into a mess like this Sarah," she said, quietly.

During her time there, Sarah had rarely spoken in front of other people for fear that her accent and Twenty-First Century dialect would result in too many questions being asked of her.

"Only you."

***

Connor tumbled through the Anomaly, a future predator clawing at his heels. He yanked his feet out of the way as Captain Mitchell released a volley fire straight into the creature's skull.

With the creature dead Connor accepted Mitchell's hand and scrambled to his feet as the Anomaly faded and quickly disappeared. He had been the last of the team to escape through the Anomaly from the distant future and he glanced around at his peers, grinning cheekily.

"So where are we Connor?" Jenny asked as she looked out over the desert that the team found themselves in.

"The Mid-Silurian," Connor replied, forgetting for a moment that not everyone knew what that actually meant.

"About four-hundred and twenty million years ago," he explained after a brief silence.

"How far to the next Anomaly?" Danny asked as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Already the heat was intense and the Sun was only low in the sky.

"Fifteen miles..." Connor paused for a moment whilst he gathered his bearings, and finally he pointed towards the distant horizon. "...that way."

"On the plus side, I don't see signs of any scorpions," Abby added to the conversation, her blonde hair already matted to her head with sweat.

"Scorpions?" Mitchell said with a shrug. "If all we have to worry about here are scorpions then this should be a walk in the park." He breathed in a lungful of the hot, desert air. "A walk in the park with low oxygen, anyway."

"These scorpions aren't like normal ones, mate," Connor spoke quietly so as not to send unnecessary vibrations through the ground. "Haven't you read up on our mission reports? They're enormous, and hunt using vibrations in the sand."

"How big is enormous?"

"Larger than the future predators that we just escaped from," Abby replied, noticing the look in Mitchell's eyes as she spoke.