Primeval - A Grave New World

13. The Fatal Flaw

Mac bent down over the crater in the ground and swore to himself. Just as he'd thought, Leeds had lost his black box. The ARC had used these since before he'd joined to keep track of people in the field. They weren't any use if the wearer didn't bloody keep them on though. He snatched the piece of technology out of the muck. Dribbles of brown water leaked from the insides and ran down Mac's palm. He grimaced at the mess and shoved the black box into his jacket pocket.

He stood himself back up and surveyed the area. The city was beginning to wake now. The essential workers were bustling to their jobs as the protesters continued their bitching and moaning at the other end of the green. For once, Mac paid no mind to these fools. All they were was an incentive for him to find Leeds, track the Ceratosaurus down, and get the hell out of this city. As much as he despised the protesters, the fact that they were sitting ducks was impossible to ignore. He hoped the loud noises of the city would be enough to keep the predators away but judging by the three-toed footprints in the mud, this was not the case. There were a lot of them too. Some of them more rounded and less distinct but unmistakably dinosaurian in nature. Mac wondered just how many of these creatures made them. He suspected the Tanycolagreus but there were many other small predators in that time period. Too many to count.

"For fuck's sake!" He muttered.

"Bad news, I take it?" Danny stepped up behind him.

Mac gritted his teeth. Even the sound of this man's voice sent ripples of rage through his body. He wished to say something back to Quinn but Lester was confident that Toby would yell at him for doing so. That, and Lester was likely listening through his earpiece.

"Mac!" shouted Toby, "there you are! Where've you been?"

Mac didn't answer, he couldn't be bothered to deal with anyone or anything except to find Leeds and finish this now. Luckily for him, Toby didn't push with the questioning.

Toby and Danny were scanning the ground looking for anything that could indicate where Leeds ran off too. So far, nothing but the tracks and a few human footprints were found. Toby's eyes followed the path they appeared to make. Many footprints were clustered together and on top of each other. Toby seemed to think it indicated a battle between two creatures but all Mac was able to see was a cluttered mess. He wished Dylan would have been sent along with them. If there was anyone who could track the little bastards, it would be her.

"So, Toby," Mac approached her just as she was getting up, "any ideas?"

Toby shrugged. Her messy burgundy-coloured hair whipped across her face in the wind. It was obvious to Mac that she'd rushed out the door. She'd recycled the red tank top from the other day and hastily threw her ARC jacket over it. She moved over to join Mac with all the mannerisms of a reanimated corpse. Her faded makeup from the night before added to this illusion.

"Jess is trying to hack into the cameras nearby but it'll take a bit of time to sift through all the footage."

Mac scowled. "Perfect."

The cries of the protesters seemingly grew louder. Mac gritted his teeth again. Their presence combined with Quinn was driving him mad. Maybe it was the fatigue too. Being out all night sure didn't help his sanity. Knowing him, he'd snap at Quinn or the protesters eventually. Considering his standing with Lester, the protesters seemed to be the best outlet.

"I don't get it," Toby's voice distracted Mac from the garbage the crowd was spouting. "We double checked the security footage. Nothing else came through the bike trail anomaly."

"Well, It's obvious something came through." Danny chipped in again. "Maybe the hospital anomaly then?"

"No," Toby corrected. "Nothing could've gotten out of there. The place was sealed up tight."