A Rip in Time Read online

  Books in the Primeval series

  A RIP IN TIME

  DANGEROUS DIMENSION

  THE LOST PREDATOR

  FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL

  PUFFIN

  PUFFIN BOOKS

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

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  First published 2008

  1

  Text copyright © Impossible Pictures, 2008

  Photographs copyright © Impossible Pictures, 2008

  Adapted by Kay Woodward

  All rights reserved

  The moral right of the author has been asserted

  Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

  978-0-14-191859-4

  It was night and the crowds of frantic shoppers had driven home hours ago. Now the out-of-town supermarket was virtually deserted, apart from a lone cleaner who mopped the floor, working his way up one aisle and down the next. Nodding to the rhythm of the music blaring through his headphones, it took a moment for him to notice a faint thumping in the background. When he looked up, he saw a woman hammering urgently at the glass doors. She had long dark hair and fine features.

  The cleaner smiled at the stupidity of the general public. The shop had been closed for hours, so she’d just have to make her purchases tomorrow. Then, without removing his headphones, he carried on making neat, glossy arcs with his wet mop.

  Outside the supermarket, the woman gave up trying to attract the cleaner’s attention. The terrible noise was growing louder. Something was crashing through the dense forest that bordered the car park. She whirled round and her eyes widened in horror.

  Then she ran.

  With an almighty roar, a huge creature burst from between the trees and pounded towards her. It was bigger than a rhino, with small, beady eyes, powerful legs and clawed feet. Evil-looking sabre teeth glinted in the pale lamplight. The beast paused for only a moment before thundering after its prey.

  The woman hurled herself between two parked cars. Crash! One car was sent cartwheeling across the car park. She rolled underneath the second vehicle and out the other side, just in time. A split second later, the car crumpled beneath the animal’s colossal weight. Then it was chasing her once more.

  In desperation, the woman grabbed a hub cap from one of the wrecked cars and hurled it like a Frisbee. The beast stopped, distracted by the shiny disc of metal flashing in the light. It was just the chance she needed. The woman hurtled towards the edge of the car park, vanishing into the dark forest beyond. Behind her, the creature realized that its quarry had slipped away and roared its frustration to the dark skies.

  Inside the supermarket, the cleaner continued mopping.

  He saw nothing.

  Eight years later…

  Professor Cutter walked briskly through the university campus. Lean and laid-back, he was far too good-looking to be a lecturer. Beside him was a young man with dark hair and soulful eyes – his trusty lab assistant, Stephen Hart. Their destination was the Department of Evolutionary Zoology.

  ‘Professor Cutter!’

  A student stumbled eagerly towards them, his progress hampered by a bag of very heavy books. He had a likeable face, unruly hair and the pasty complexion of a man who avoided exercise. In his haste, he tripped, scattering books across the ground. Bending to retrieve them, he looked up at Cutter awkwardly.

  ‘Connor Temple, Professor,’ he gasped.

  ‘Never heard of it,’ said Cutter absent-mindedly.

  The student rolled his eyes. ‘It’s not a place,’ he said. ‘It’s my name. I’m one of your students.’

  ‘Really?’ asked Cutter. ‘Why don’t I recognize you?’

  ‘You never turn up for our seminars,’ said Connor.

  Stephen grinned. Knowing the professor as he did, this sounded a totally reasonable explanation.

  Cutter sighed and gestured for Connor to follow them.

  Although it looked out on to a busy laboratory, Cutter’s office was an oasis of untidy calm. Pictures of ancient and modern animals plastered the walls. Books and papers were stacked on every available surface. And on the desk was a photo of an earnest-looking woman with long dark hair and fine features.

  Cutter opened his canvas sack and produced a fossil. ‘Tell me what this is,’ he said to Connor.

  ‘A fish?’ the student replied uncertainly.

  The professor sighed. ‘Obviously,’ he said. ‘It’s a Sarcopterygian – lobed, finned fish. No trace of them in the fossil record for seventy million years and then suddenly one pops up in the Indian Ocean. Totally inexplicable in traditional evolutionary terms.’ He paused and looked at the fossil fondly. ‘Darwin provides most of the answers. It’s the pieces that don’t fit that interest me.’

  Connor’s expression brightened at once. ‘That’s why I was wondering if you’d seen this.’ He produced a sheaf of crumpled newsprint with the headline: MONSTER HOAX OR TRULY BEASTLY? Beneath was a grainy photograph. ‘It looks like the real thing to me,’ the student continued. ‘Some kind of giant undiscovered predator.’

  Cutter smiled kindly. ‘It’s a blatant hoax dreamt up for newspaper silly season. Forget it.’ The subject closed, he returned his attention to the fossil, running his fingers along the ancient patterns in the stone.

  But Connor wasn’t going to give up this easily. He said the one thing that he knew would get the professor’s attention. ‘Your wife wouldn’t have ignored something like this.’

  Startled, Cutter looked at the photo on his desk, his eyes lingering on the image of the beautiful woman. ‘My wife was a serious scientist,’ he said coldly, ‘not some gullible monster hunter.’

  ‘I just thought you might want to check it out, that’s all,’ said the student quietly, aware that he was treading on thin ice. ‘It’s not as though the Forest of Dean is that far away.’

  ‘The Forest of Dean…?’ breathed Cutter.

  Abby Maitland sat observing her beloved Tuatara lizards. Young and pretty, what she didn’t know about lizards wasn’t worth knowing. She looked up as her boss, Tim Parker, entered the Reptile House, her smile fading as she saw his grim face.

  ‘Abby, I’m sorry,’ said Tim. ‘The sponsors have pulled out. I have to slim down the reptile programme.’

  Abby scowled. ‘And my job comes under the heading of instant weight loss, right?’

  Tim nodded, looking uncomfortable. ‘There’s an attachment going at the Bug House,’ he said hopefully. ‘I could put i
n a word for you.’

  Her heart sank. ‘I’m a lizard girl,’ Abby said. ‘You know that.’

  Her boss’s mobile rang, and as Tim answered it the stack of papers under his arm began to slide, cascading across the floor. He retreated to a corner to continue his conversation, while Abby picked up a jumbled mass of files. At once, she spotted a photograph of a boy aged about eleven. He was cradling an oddly beautiful lizard with a thin body, large head and enormous eyes. Instantly, her miserable expression turned to one of amazement.

  Tim finished his call and came over to her. ‘Letters from people asking the zoo to collect their animals,’ he explained, pointing to the papers. He sighed. ‘If they don’t want exotic pets, why do they buy them?’

  Abby’s eyes were fixed on the photo. She didn’t hear a word. And, in less time than it takes a Tuatara lizard to eat its lunch, she was on her way to investigate.

  The walls of Ben Trent’s room were plastered with pictures of Stegosaurus, Diplodocus and T-rex, to name but a few.

  Abby stared round in wonderment. ‘I see you like dinosaurs,’ she said to the boy.

  ‘They’re awesome!’ he replied.

  Her eyes wandered over to the cage in the corner of the room. Inside was the lizard she recognized from the photo.

  ‘I found him in the forest,’ said Ben. ‘His name’s Rex. I looked him up in a book – it said he was a flying dragon from South-East Asia.’

  ‘Draco volans,’ Abby said automatically, gazing at Rex in wonder and disbelief. Then she corrected herself. ‘He’s not Draco volans. In fact, I don’t know what he is.’

  Ben looked disappointed. ‘I thought you were an expert.’

  ‘I am,’ replied Abby. ‘If I’m right,’ she said, ‘you’ve discovered a completely unique species.’ She took a breath, trying hard to control her excitement. ‘I need you to show me exactly where you found him.’

  Ten minutes later, Abby and Ben were wading through thick undergrowth, moving further and further into the dark and gloomy Forest of Dean.

  Abby had wrapped the strange lizard in a scarf and held him close. ‘It’s too cold for him here,’ she said. ‘He must have escaped from a local zoo or something…’

  Ben glanced at his watch and pulled a face. ‘Mum’ll go mental if I’m not home in time for tea,’ he said. Then, abruptly, he stopped and pointed upwards. ‘Abby…?’ he said, his voice wavering.

  Abby stared in horror. High above their heads, half-hidden in the branches of a tall tree, hung the carcass of a dead cow. She gulped. It was a sight so surreal and so utterly sinister that it made her stomach churn.

  A second later, a menacing growl echoed through the forest.

  Professor Cutter, Stephen and Connor had reached the Forest of Dean industrial park – a glum, soulless place at the edge of town. The only things that occupied it were huge metal containers that were stored here before being whisked away to far-off places.

  But one container wasn’t going anywhere. It was a wreck – ripped from top to bottom. Whoever – or whatever – had torn it open had been desperate to get inside.

  ‘Can you imagine how much force it took to rip this thing open?’ Connor exclaimed. ‘Look at these marks! If you want my opinion…’ His voice faltered as he met the professor’s steely stare. ‘Oh,’ he mumbled. ‘You don’t.’

  Cutter flicked his eyes towards Stephen, who was clearly puzzled.

  The lab technician ran his fingertips over the scratches that scored the metal on either side of the jagged tear. ‘If I’d found these scratches in the wild, I’d be certain we were searching for a very large predator,’ he said softly.

  ‘A wildcat, maybe?’ suggested Cutter. ‘Or an escaped panther?’

  Keen to join in, Connor squeezed between the two men. ‘Look at the size of that gash!’ he said enthusiastically. ‘Unless it’s a panther with a serious steroid habit, you can forget it.’

  Cutter ignored him. ‘All right,’ he said decisively. ‘Someone ripped open the container with a forklift. Later, a wild boar or a big cat came foraging for food.’

  Stephen touched a rust-coloured stain high up on the jagged metal. ‘Blood,’ he said simply.

  ‘All right,’ said Cutter, with a sigh. ‘Give me a logical explanation.’

  ‘A hoax, obviously,’ said the lab technician. ‘But difficult to pull off.’

  As they spoke, Connor was jiggling with excitement. ‘Can I say something?’ he butted in.

  Cutter glared at him, before striding away to stare moodily into the nearby forest.

  Taking pity on the confused student, Stephen explained. ‘Helen Cutter came to this area eight years ago,’ he said quietly. ‘She was investigating a creature sighting – a large reptile. She disappeared in the forest. No blood, no clues, nothing. She simply vanished.’ He paused for a moment. ‘When he lost her, he lost a part of himself.’

  That evening, Cutter went for a drink at the hotel bar. He didn’t want company and was pleased to see that the place was deserted except for a beautiful woman in a smart suit, who was talking to a fat businessman. Suddenly, she rose elegantly to her feet and came to sit beside Cutter. To his total astonishment, she gave him a long kiss.

  ‘Don’t panic,’ she muttered under her breath. ‘I told Slimeball over there that you were my boyfriend.’ She smiled at the businessman, who slunk back to his booth.

  ‘Glad I was here to help,’ said the professor wryly. ‘Nick Cutter.’

  ‘Actually,’ said the woman, ‘I know who you are.’ She smiled at his startled face and introduced herself. ‘Claudia Brown – Home Office. I’m hoping you can do me a favour, Professor.’

  Cutter raised an eyebrow. ‘Another one?’

  Grinning, Claudia gestured to the barman for drinks. Then she opened her briefcase and pulled out a series of familiar grainy photographs. ‘I suspect this is why we’re both here,’ she said.

  ‘Why should the Home Office be interested?’ Cutter asked slowly.

  ‘There are dozens of rogue animal reports every year,’ the woman explained. ‘Someone has to check them out and liaise with the local police.’ She stopped and smiled. ‘You’d be doing me a great service if you could just confirm that this is all nonsense.’

  ‘I can’t dismiss the evidence out of hand,’ replied Cutter, suddenly suspicious of Claudia’s motives.

  ‘Surely you’re not giving this monster story any credibility?’ she said.

  Cutter chose his words carefully. ‘It depends on how you define “monster”,’ he said. ‘A wild panther might look pretty terrifying on a dark night.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Whatever it was, the last sighting was near the forest. Care to join the search?’

  ‘I suppose I owe it to the taxpayer to do more than sit in my room sucking the minibar dry,’ she said, with a grin. As they left the bar, she merrily waved the businessman goodbye.

  Connor and Stephen were waiting in the hotel car park.

  ‘This database contains constantly updated information on all known extinct vertebrates,’ Connor said, pointing proudly to his laptop. ‘I’ve been building it every spare minute since I was fourteen.’

  ‘Impressive,’ drawled Stephen. ‘And slightly sad.’

  Connor spoke in a low, confidential tone. ‘You know we’re not talking about a wildcat, don’t you?’ he said.

  At this, Stephen looked suddenly unsure. But before he could reply, Cutter appeared with the woman from the hotel bar.

  ‘This is Claudia Brown from the Home Office,’ he introduced her.

  Connor exploded with indignation. ‘It’s a cover-up. I knew it!’ he shouted.

  Professor Cutter smiled at Claudia. ‘Connor never met a conspiracy theory that he didn’t like,’ he said.

  Something large rustled through the undergrowth, cracking foliage underfoot. Abby and Ben stared at each other nervously as the noise faded away.

  ‘How does a dead cow get up a tree?’ whispered the boy.

  ‘There’s probably a perfectly
simple explanation,’ said Abby, sounding unconvincing even to herself.

  Ben shivered uneasily. ‘Some predators take their prey up into the trees and come back for it later,’ he said.

  ‘There’s no predator alive that could do that with a cow, Ben,’ said Abby. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that.

  ‘Look, I found Rex round here somewhere,’ said Ben, swiftly changing the subject. ‘Can we go home now?’ An ominous shadow flitted between the trees. ‘What was that?’ he breathed.

  At once, the chilling growl echoed through the forest again, this time much closer. Ben stared at Abby with wide, frightened eyes, before turning on his heel and running helter-skelter back the way they’d come.

  ‘Ben!’ cried Abby. She raced after him, but Rex chose that moment to wriggle out of her arms and shoot off into the undergrowth. Abby stumbled to a halt, torn between the exotic lizard and the disappearing boy. ‘Ben… wait!’ she called, before diving under the bushes where Rex had vanished. There he was, staring at her solemnly from beneath the thick leaves. She reached towards the lizard and spoke, her voice pleading. ‘Not now, Rex. Please, come back.’

  The lizard moved towards Abby. Then, neck stretched and eyes alert, he froze.

  ‘Rex?’ said Abby. ‘What’s wrong?’

  A second later, the bushes around her trembled and the earth began to vibrate. She looked round in astonishment as the sound of a heavy body crashing through undergrowth filled the air. The terrifying creature stopped so close that Abby could see its huge reptilian legs and feet. Then, without warning, it thundered away, the bushes shielding its massive body from view.

  Rigid with terror, Abby dared to breathe again. Then, remembering Ben, she looked around frantically for the boy.

  He was nowhere to be seen.

  Torchlight sliced through the darkness. Map in hand, Stephen led the way. Connor followed close behind, consulting his compass, while Cutter and Claudia brought up the rear.

  ‘If there really were some creature here, wouldn’t the journalists have found it by now?’ Claudia reasoned.