Dangerous Dimension

by Pippa Le Quesne

  As Cutter waded into the water, he allowed himself one backward glance, then turned away. He had a job to do. With or without Helen.

  Cutter was a strong swimmer, even with all the diving gear on, so it was not long before he saw the faint glimmer of the anomaly in the distance. The water around him was tranquil and empty and he felt assured of a safe passage back to his own world.

  Suddenly, there was a chilling wail and, seemingly out of nowhere, a huge shadow moved across him. Cutter looked up.

  His worst fear was confirmed. It was a Mosasaur, but unimaginably larger than the previous one that he’d seen. It was well over twenty metres long with a proportionately huge mouth and long protruding teeth. It made the one that he’d glimpsed in the reservoir look like a goldfish in comparison.

  The monstrous creature began to close in on him, hoovering up stray fish in its path, fixing him with its great unblinking eyes. As Cutter reached for the harpoon gun, he realized how defenceless he was against such a colossal beast; it would be like firing a toothpick at a tank. Nevertheless, his finger tensed on the trigger as he waited for it to move in for the kill. But, as if by a miracle, the giant fish appeared to lose interest and in the last instant, it passed him by.

  Cutter closed his eyes in momentary relief and turned back to the anomaly… only to see a seven-metre Mosasaur, slimmer and infinitely more agile, heading straight for him, its crocodile mouth already open. With barely a second to react, he dived away, but the predator snapped at him savagely, clunking against his oxygen tanks and knocking him sideways. Cutter struggled to regain control, raising the harpoon gun as the monster came circling back. He aimed and fired…

  The harpoon did little more than glance off the Mosasaur’s armoured head. It drew blood but missed the vulnerable mouth and soft eyes. However, it forced the creature to retreat briefly and Cutter took his chance, swimming frantically for the distant anomaly. But the beast was far too quick for him and it was already going in for another strike. He thrashed through the water, trying to create some distance, but the Mosasaur lunged at him, catching his back with its vicious teeth and ripping through his wetsuit.

  Cutter reeled back, stunned by the incredible pain searing through his body. And then he saw the real damage the monster had done. He was surrounded by a snowstorm of oxygen bubbles – the Mosasaur’s teeth had sliced through his oxygen tanks and the precious gas was bubbling out uselessly into the water. Trying to control his panic, the professor shed his tanks and swam furiously for the anomaly. He had to get out of there.

  But, once again, the Mosasaur circled back, its jaws widening, ready for the final blow. Clocking it, Cutter realized he had no chance – the beast was between him and the anomaly and he was utterly defenceless, his lungs screaming for air. Then, something astounding happened…

  His attacker was plucked from his path, caught in the enormous jaws of the much larger Mosasaur. Cutter looked on in amazement as the larger reptilian creature violently shook its prey – and then crunched through its armoured body like a dog devouring a bone. A cloud of dark blood billowed into the churning water as the smaller sea monster thrashed about in agony.

  Cutter had no time to waste. He was swimming for his life now, his lungs about to explode. The anomaly was a mere few feet away, just a few more strokes…

  Then everything went black.

  Stephen stared bleakly at the limp safety rope. Claudia and Ryan crouched on the platform beside him. They were silent, intently studying the basement pool for any sign of Cutter. It wasn’t looking good.

  ‘Stephen.’ Abby’s voice came through the walkie-talkie, snapping them to attention. ‘It’s been two hours. He’ll be running out of air.’

  Immediately, Stephen began hauling on the rope for all he was worth. There was a weight on the line now, but it felt heavy and immobile. He kept pulling, Ryan heaving with him too.

  And then, suddenly, Cutter’s body bobbed to the surface.

  ‘He’s lost his tanks!’ Stephen shouted, jumping into the water. ‘Cutter!’

  ‘Quick, get him out!’ Claudia shrieked.

  Ryan and Stephen hauled the limp body of the professor on to the platform and rolled him over. ‘He’s not breathing!’ Stephen yelled.

  Claudia was already on her knees, raising Cutter’s head. She pinched his nose and began to administer mouth-to-mouth. She worked steadily, forcing air back into his lungs. A long second passed and then Cutter coughed, turning his head to the side and vomiting water.

  ‘Quick, get him up,’ Stephen instructed Ryan.

  But the SAS officer was already on to it, lifting Cutter to his feet and whisking him up the stairs where the paramedics’ stretcher was waiting.

  Claudia’s pale face loomed over Cutter. Now that she knew he was going to be all right, her deep concern of a moment before was instantly replaced by her usual brisk manner.

  ‘Was Helen there?’ she demanded.

  Cutter nodded and tried to talk, but Claudia had already turned her attentions to Ryan.

  ‘You know what to do.’

  The paramedics wheeled the professor away and made room for the team of SAS divers who had appeared in the hallway to await instruction.

  ‘Let’s go,’ Ryan said and they started to push past Stephen, who stood motionless, unable to fathom what was going on.

  ‘What’s this?’ he asked Claudia accusingly.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘It’s out of my hands now.’ She turned and walked away.

  Cutter sat up on the stretcher and shook his head. He was inside an ambulance. Abby was at his side and a paramedic was stationed at the door.

  ‘How long have I been out for?’ he asked her, trying to clear his befuddled brain.

  ‘Not long,’ she soothed, her eyes drifting to what was happening outside.

  ‘I have to talk to Claudia,’ Cutter said, getting to his feet.

  ‘There’s something you should know.’

  Cutter frowned. Abby’s voice had a note of urgency to it and he immediately sensed something was wrong. He tried to get out of the vehicle, but Connor was in the doorway, raising his hands as if to stop the professor. At that moment there was a flurry of activity as a team of SAS men ran towards the ambulance.

  ‘Don’t move!’ one of them yelled.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Cutter demanded.

  ‘Stay still!’ the same man ordered, training his gun on him.

  Nevertheless, Cutter climbed out of the ambulance, just as Lester hurried out of the house. He didn’t even glance at them, but hurried to the car with the blacked-out windows that had its engine running on the Dexters’ drive.

  Moments later, two SAS men emerged from the house, a figure pinioned between them.

  Cutter’s eyes widened in shock.

  It was Helen.

  As she was rushed towards the waiting vehicle by the group of armed men, she craned round to look at Cutter.

  His heart constricted in his chest. In his wife’s face he read bewilderment, but also something much more chilling – an icy implacable fury.

  Right until the moment she was crammed into the car, Helen held eye contact with him. Then the door was closed and Cutter watched Lester and Claudia get into another car, their expressions cold and unreadable.

  The doors slammed and the car roared away, accompanied by a motorcade of SAS vehicles.

  Cutter remained motionless, stunned at what he had just witnessed. Helen obviously thought he had deceived her, when in fact it was Claudia and Lester who had betrayed him.

  ‘Oi, you lot! Pack it in!’

  Mrs Davis leant over the balcony and yelled at the group of kids below who were playing a noisy game of football, using the NO BALL GAMES sign as a target.

  As usual, the kids laughed and jeered and carried on with their game.

  Mrs Davis sighed and went back into her flat. Nothing changed around here. It was the usual monotony, day in, day out.

  Six-year-old Rashtan Davis submer
ged his plastic submarine below the bubbly bathwater. He had his back to the room, absorbed in his imaginative play.

  Suddenly, there was a rattling sound. At first he ignored it, but as it grew louder he dropped his toy and turned round. It was coming from the toilet.

  Gradually, the toilet seat lifted. And then a reptilian head emerged.

  Rashtan’s eyes widened in fear.

  Helen Cutter sat at the illuminated table of the Home Office interrogation room. The rest of the room was in darkness. She looked up at the camera suspended from the ceiling, then over at the two-way mirror. Claudia Brown sat across the table from her and James Lester was circling the room, flicking through a sheaf of notes in his hand. He was a small compact man, immaculately turned out in a designer suit. And she could just tell they weren’t going to get along.

  ‘Presumably there are still laws against kidnapping?’ Helen said, glancing at the armed security men positioned at each exit.

  ‘Officially you’re dead,’ Lester replied flippantly. ‘We can’t have kidnapped someone who doesn’t actually exist, can we?’

  Helen smiled faintly but didn’t reply.

  ‘The only way you can get out of here is by telling us everything you know about the anomalies,’ Lester continued, taking a seat.

  ‘I’ll tell you one thing,’ Helen leant forward as though she was about to share an important secret. ‘You’re the spitting image of a giant reptile I once met in the Jurassic era.’

  Lester smirked. ‘I’ll take that as a refusal to cooperate, shall I?’

  Helen held his gaze as the door opened and an SAS officer came in to hand Claudia a note. The civil servant examined it for a second, then threw it on the table in front of her. ‘We’ve got another one. In a block of flats in the city centre.’

  ‘Happy now?’ Lester addressed Helen, who was studying her hands intently.

  A knowing smile flitted across her face. She raised her eyes to look at him, but didn’t speak.

  The SAS van pulled up outside the block of flats and Ryan jumped out, leading a fully armed squad.

  Assuming they were in deep trouble, the children playing football stopped their game and stood with their hands in the air, but the soldiers ignored them and ran past into the building.

  Just then, Cutter’s Toyota screeched to a halt, and he, Connor and Stephen got out and hurried towards the entrance lobby.

  As they passed the kids, Stephen couldn’t resist flipping the football up on his toe and volleying it against the wall where it smacked straight into the NO BALL GAMES sign.

  ‘Fluke,’ remarked Connor as they ran on.

  ‘Jealous,’ Stephen quipped back.

  Ryan and his men were positioned in the hallway ready to launch an assault on the bathroom. Cutter put his ear to the door, trying to anticipate what monstrous creature lurked behind it.

  ‘I didn’t expect the SAS,’ Mrs Davis remarked, blinking in surprise.

  ‘The town hall takes pest control very seriously, Mrs Davis,’ Cutter said with a smile. Then he turned to Ryan. ‘You ready?’

  The SAS officer nodded and motioned for his men to go through the door.

  All at once they rushed into the bathroom, fingers on the triggers of their guns. Cutter was close behind them.

  There, coiled in a corner of the room, was an enormous snake.

  Cutter chuckled. ‘Relax, everyone. It’s only a python.’

  There was a loud scream behind him and he spun round to see what had happened. It had come from Mrs Davis.

  ‘Only a python?’ she exclaimed. ‘Just what were you expecting?’

  ‘It turns out that it was an illegally imported pet, escaped from an upstairs flat. Been living in the drains,’ Claudia informed Lester.

  He raised his eyebrows and turned his attention to Helen.

  ‘Did you know it was a false alarm?’ he asked suspiciously.

  Helen allowed herself a sardonic smile but she said nothing.

  ‘You told your husband you knew how to find the anomalies,’ Lester went on.

  ‘Whatever I said is between him and me,’ Helen said seriously.

  ‘Prior knowledge of anomaly locations would be priceless,’ Lester informed her. ‘If you can give us that, it is your absolute duty as a citizen to do so.’

  ‘But as you pointed out, I don’t even exist. So how can I be a citizen?’ Helen replied triumphantly.

  ‘You know,’ Lester said through gritted teeth, ‘I have the power to make your life very unpleasant.’ He had had enough of games and this difficult woman was irritating him. A lot.

  ‘How can you bear to work with this man?’ Helen asked Claudia, not taking her eyes off Lester.

  ‘At the end of the day, this is about something very simple,’ Claudia said, brushing aside the trifling remark. ‘Saving lives. You can do that. If you know anything at all, just tell us.’

  Helen absorbed this for a second.

  ‘Bring me Nick, and I’ll tell you everything I know.’

  Cutter ran down the spiral staircase that led to the ground floor of the block of flats. He was talking to Claudia on his mobile.

  ‘Do you have any idea how many times I’ve called you today?’ he said.

  ‘I’ve been busy,’ Claudia replied. Her tone was curt, but Cutter could tell that she was smiling. ‘And you should be thanking me you’re still involved at all.’

  ‘You can’t get rid of me. You need me,’ he informed her.

  ‘The truth is, we need each other.’ She paused. When she spoke again, her voice was full of meaning. ‘All of us. Now more than ever.’

  He sighed. He guessed she was referring to Helen. He knew that there was no way she’d be cooperating.

  ‘I hope she’s driving Lester crazy?’ he remarked as it dawned on him that there was an upside to this situation.

  ‘You better get over here. Now.’

  Abby Maitland was enjoying herself. Because of her experience in the reptile house at Wellington Zoo, she knew how to handle snakes. Stephen quite clearly didn’t and was having a terrible time. While Connor made himself busy looking up facts on his laptop, the two of them were carefully trying to ease the python into a sack.

  Connor looked up from his screen. ‘Don’t worry; this one’s only a baby. Fully grown they can be up to twenty feet long.’

  ‘That makes me feel so much better,’ Stephen replied sarcastically.

  Abby grinned at Stephen. ‘Are you OK?’ she asked lightly.

  ‘Of course.’ He smiled nervously. ‘I love snakes.’

  Abby giggled.

  Stephen held out the loops of the python’s body that he had been holding and Abby took them, shooting him a quizzical look.

  ‘We’re going to need a bigger sack,’ he explained, then promptly left the bathroom.

  ‘Stephen!’ Abby exclaimed.

  Connor shut his laptop. ‘Abby, can I ask you a quick favour?’

  ‘Bit busy now,’ Abby said distractedly, looping the python coils round her shoulders.

  ‘Only, I’m having a bit of hassle with my flat,’ Connor said slowly. He bit his lip. ‘I wondered if I could crash on your sofa for a few days…’

  Abby wasn’t really listening to what he was saying; she was trying to keep her mind on the job. ‘Does this look like t’ai chi I’m doing?’ she retorted.

  Connor pressed on. ‘… just until I sort something out.’

  ‘Yeah, whatever,’ Abby replied, wondering where Stephen had got to. ‘We’ll talk about it later.’

  ‘How’s this?’ Stephen asked, coming back into the bathroom with a much larger sack.

  ‘That’s good.’ Abby nodded. ‘Right,’ she said, once she’d manoeuvred the python into the sack, ‘I’ll see you in a minute.’

  ‘Where’re you going?’ Stephen asked anxiously as he held the sack at arm’s-length.

  ‘Tea break.’ Abby grinned and sauntered out of the room.

  Nick Cutter stared at his wife across the table in the interroga
tion room. They had been left alone but neither of them had said a word.

  ‘Are they treating you properly?’ he eventually asked, breaking the silence.

  ‘If you cared about that, you wouldn’t have set me up,’ Helen said icily.

  ‘I didn’t,’ Cutter responded, but he could tell from her hard expression that she didn’t buy it. He sighed. ‘Believe what you like. I don’t have to justify myself to you.’

  Helen glanced around. Up at the camera and to the side-mirror that ran the length of the wall.

  ‘They’re listening to every word, aren’t they?’ she said calmly.

  ‘I don’t know,’ replied Cutter. ‘Probably.’ He felt irritated by this question. It seemed to be beside the point.

  Helen sighed wearily, as if he was wasting her time.

  ‘Tell me what you know,’ Cutter suddenly exploded. ‘Tell me where the anomalies are, why they’re happening. Then maybe I can help you.’

  Unruffled, Helen leaned in conspiratorially. ‘Right now, why is the least of your worries.’

  ‘What does that mean?’ Nick asked tersely.

  ‘You want me to help?’ Helen looked up at the camera again, then back to Cutter. ‘All right, I’ll help.’ She paused and then spoke more slowly, deliberately. ‘Unless you act within the next few hours, a pride of sabre-toothed killers will be rampaging through central London.’

  She stared at her estranged husband. She had really shocked him now.

  ‘Thanks for the lift.’ Connor grinned at his two friends.

  Tom had insisted on driving him, and for some reason Duncan had seemed keen to come along for the ride too.

  ‘Man, you could have kipped on our sofa,’ Tom said insistently, swivelling round in the driver’s seat.

  Connor shook his head. ‘Better offer,’ he replied.

  ‘Who from?’ asked Tom, narrowing his eyes inquisitively.

  Connor pushed aside the VW van curtain and glanced across at Abby’s flat. He hoped she was in. She wasn’t expecting him exactly, but she had agreed to him staying – sort of. ‘You wouldn’t know her,’ he said casually, turning back to his friends.