Don't mess with me!

Masterlist
2x01 Part 1


CASTLE CROSS SHOPPING MALL TAKE 4:
Abby and Connor are taking the cleaner down an escalator.
Cleaner: I haven’t got my jacket.
Abby: You can get it later.
Cleaner: I need my wallet and my keys.

Nick and Stephen are examining some damage at the laser quest arena.
Nick: Smashed clean off its hinges. It’s big.
They go through the smashed doorway and into the laser quest arena. A target drops down, making them jump. They split up. Nick wanders through a doorway. A raptor jumps into an opening on the other side of the room. It moves away and drops down behind him. The raptor knocks some pillars down and they land on Nick. Stephen appears and tries to hold the raptor off with one of the targets, losing his gun in the process.
Stephen: Cutter!
Nick lunges for the gun and takes aim.
Stephen: In your own time!
Nick fires but nothing happens.
Stephen: Shoot! Shoot the damn thing! Shoot it!
Another target drops down and scares the raptor off.
Nick: Are you all right? Gun jammed.

Abby, Connor and the cleaner are in the access corridors. They reach a locker room.
Abby: Wait, did you leave that door open?
Cleaner: What? I don’t remember.
Connor: Give me the gun.
Abby: What?
Connor: Come on.
Abby: No.
Connor: Please?
Abby: No.
Connor: It’s just for a minute. You want to go in first?
Abby sighs and hands over the gun.
Connor: Thank you.
Connor goes into the locker room and checks it out in a James Bond style.
Connor: Clear! Clear, guys.
Abby: Connor. You’re ridiculous.
Connor: What?
Connor heads over to Abby as the cleaner goes to his locker.
Abby: I said you’re ridiculous.
Connor: What do you mean, I’m ridiculous. I’m just doing my job.
The cleaner opens his locker, and his attacked by a baby raptor. It bites him in the neck. Connor and Abby follow the raptor. It’s hiding under a bench.
Abby: Shoot it!
Connor: All right. Fine. Got it, got it. It’s fine.
Abby: Come on.
Connor: It’s not exactly staying still for me, is it?
Abby: Shoot it, Connor!
Connor: Got it, I’ve got it.
Connor fires and Abby yells as the dart hits her in the leg.
Abby: You idiot.
Connor: Abby, I’m sorry, sorry.
Abby passes out.
Connor: Okay, I’m just going to have to do this. I’ll be back with you in a minute, all right?
Connor reloads the tranquiliser gun. He aims at the baby raptor, then turns his head away when he fires. He manages to hit it and it collapses.

Nick and Stephen are walking through an electronics store, their picture is on all the TVs for sale. Nick stops and Stephen turns to face him.
Nick: Now hold on. So you think that I would have just stood by and watched you get torn to pieces?
Stephen: Well, I guess that depends on how much you resent me for what happened with Helen.
Nick: Yeah, you know, you’re right. I do, I resent you. But if I wanted you dead, I’d have shot you myself.
Neither notices the image of a raptor that flashes across the TVs behind them. Nick passes the gun back to Stephen and starts to walk off. He stops when he hears a chattering sound. They run down an escalator to a home ware shop. Things can be heard being knocked over and broken in the background. Stephen notices a wobbling garden parasol and raises the gun.
Nick: Stephen.
The raptor jumps along the top of some display cases towards them. Stephen fires but nothing happens.
Nick: Run.
Stephen: It’s jammed.
They run down an escalator and the raptor crash lands behind them. They go down another floor then stop and look back. Stephen heads back up the escalator.
Nick: Stephen, wait here.
The raptor jumps over Stephen’s head. He fires but the dart bounces off the raptor’s scales. It advances on Nick, and collapses at his feet.
Stephen: You all right?

Nick and Stephen are sitting on one of the mall’s walkways, the unconscious raptor is wrapped in a sheet between them.
Nick: Look at it, just a perfect killing machine. Do you know, in a fair fight, mammals wouldn’t stand a chance.
Stephen: Well, speaking as a mammal, I’m all in favour of cheating. Yeah, about the gun… I was wrong.
Nick: Never mind. Listen, you could have gone with Helen, you could have left, but you didn’t, and right now that’s all that really matters. So… so just forget about the rest.
Stephen: You think she’ll be back?
Nick: Do you mean, do I think she’s finished messing with us? I seriously doubt it. Helen never handled rejection particularly well.
Connor: Professor? Stephen?
Nick and Stephen get up and go to the end of the walkway. Connor is pulling Abby on a trolley. She’s still unconscious.
Nick: What happened?
Connor: I shot her. Collateral damage though, because I got the raptor, too.
Nick: You brought down a full-sized raptor on your own?
Connor: Yeah. He’s nearly full-sized. Is she going to be all right?
Stephen: She will have a nasty headache, but she should be fine.
Nick: Well she better come around soon, because I’m going to need all of you to get the raptors back alive.
Connor: Alive?
Nick: Yeah.
Connor: These things are trying to make sushi out of us and we have to play nice, that doesn’t seem fair.
Nick walks away.

Connor and Nick are in the locker room. There is no sign of the cleaner.
Connor: The cleaner was attacked, he was badly injured… I don’t get it, he was right there. He was in a really bad way.
Nick: Well he must have recovered and got himself out.
Nick goes to pick up the baby raptor.
Nick: One raptor is a problem, two means we’ve got an infestation and god knows how many others are running around out there. I want you to take this back to the bowling alley and come and meet us over at the store.
Connor: On my own?
Nick: It’s unconscious. You’ve got nothing to worry about.
Connor: What if it’s just playing dead?
Nick: Playing dead?
Connor: Yeah.
Nick: Well, it’s a cretaceous era predator, so this creature is pretty smart, so… yeah, he’s probably… Watch out for that.
Nick walks out the door.
Connor: Yeah. Really?

Nick and Stephen are using the sheet to drag the raptor through the electronics department. As they go past the radios, Nick notices that the music coming from them keeps being interrupted by static.
Nick: Interference.
Stephen: Sounds like…

Back in the bowling alley, Connor has arrived and deposited the baby next to its parent, which is wrapped in the sheet with its mouth tied shut. Both are still unconscious. Connor pulls Abby in, still out of it, on the trolley. Stephen is standing nearby.
Connor: She’s going to kill me when she wakes up.
Stephen: Mmm-hmm.

Stephen goes to join Nick in the security office. Nick is reviewing the tapes.
Nick: First security guard was attacked here, second one here, both attacks happened within seconds of one another, which means there’s at least two of them.
Stephen: We’ve only found one.
Nick: Yeah.
Connor walks up behind them.
Connor: And a baby.
Nick: What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be looking after Abby.
Connor (to Stephen): I thought you were doing that
Nick: Look.
The other raptor appears on one of the screens.
Connor: Oh, god. Abby.
Nick: Stay here, tell us where it’s going.
Nick and Stephen leave the office and Connor picks up a radio.
Connor: Right, stay here, tell them where it’s going.
He looks at the screens and can’t see the raptor.
Connor: Where’s it gone?

Abby is still unconscious on the floor behind the reception at the bowling alley.
Nick and Stephen run through the mall towards her.

Connor still can’t find the raptor.
Connor: Come on, come on, where are you?
He catches a glimpse on a screen and uses the radio.
Connor: I can see it, Cutter, it’s on the level beneath you. I repeat, in the level below.
Nick and Stephen head down the stairs as the raptor vanishes off the CCTV again.
Connor: I can’t see it, it’s disappeared again. Where’s it gone? Oh, for crying out loud, how hard can it be to see a raptor in a shopping centre. Oh my god. Guys, it’s heading straight towards the bowling alley. He’s going towards Abby, you’re going to have to be quick, he’s moving pretty fast.
Nick and Stephen are racing down the mall. The raptor is ahead of them.
Connor: Come on, come on, come on, guys, you can do this.
Nick and Stephen reach the bowling alley. Abby is fine, although still passed out. Nick sighs in relief.
Nick: Connor, she’s fine.

Stephen prepares another dose of tranquiliser as the baby raptor starts to wake up.
Stephen: Oh, she’s coming around again. I’ll just give it a quick…
Nick: No, hang on, just wait a minute. There are three raptors, one of them is a baby, so the chances are they’re a family unit. So maybe we don’t have to go looking for daddy. ‘Cause maybe this little fellow will bring him to us.
Nick and Stephen have the (now wide awake) baby chained up. Connor arrives with Abby’s gun.
Nick: That’s right, you shout for your daddy. Now lets just hope they’re a close family.
Connor: Where do you want me?
Nick: I want you in there, with Abby. Go.
Nick takes the gun of Connor, and the three of them walk away from the raptor. The baby starts calling. Daddy hears.
Nick and Stephen are crouched behind the racks of bowling balls. Connor is sitting in the entrance to the reception area. Abby is still out cold. They hear the call of the adult raptor, before it jumps onto a counter. It heads towards the baby and Stephen takes aim. Abby is starting to come around. The adult moves forwards, and kills and eats the baby. Abby is now awake and stands up.
Abby: What’s going on?
The raptor turns and sees her. Connor gets up and grabs Abby’s hand, pulling her away.
Connor: I’ll tell you later.
The raptor jumps onto one of the pool tables, heading towards Abby and Connor. Nick and Stephen get up and start firing, but it’s not affected. Connor grabs a couple of pool cues and tosses one to Abby.
Connor: Watch out.
Nick and Stephen reload and take aim as Connor and Abby get into a fighting stance with the pool cues. One of the games machines suddenly starts playing music, distracting the raptor. It jumps at it and smashes it, before running off. Nick and Stephen fire at it as it goes.
Connor: What just happened?
Nick: That’s two doses of tranquiliser and it’s still on its feet. We’re going to have to up the amount.
Stephen lays his rifle on the pool table and walks off. Nick follows.

In the underground car park, Nick and Stephen go to the car.
Stephen: They’re too dangerous. We can’t keep taking stupid risks.
Nick: Stephen, everything we do has an impact.
Stephen: We’ve killed creatures before and nothing’s happened.
Nick: Yeah, how do you know that for sure?
Stephen: Look, maybe the strain of going through the anomalies has got to you. Maybe you only think these changes took place.
Nick: What? Do you think I dreamed Claudia Brown?
Stephen: The whole pattern of evolution changes, but just one person disappears? One person who happens to be a friend…
Nick: No, it’s not that simple! The ARC didn’t even exist before I left, there’s a whole team of people in there I’ve never even met. There may be countless other things, big and small, I don’t know yet.
A car alarm starts going in the background. Stephen reaches into a case for a new gun.
Stephen: Look, I’ll only use it if I have to.

Nick and Stephen run through the mall to the walkway where the team entered the shopping centre. The shutter has been mangled, and the car alarm sounds louder.
They run along the walkway and into another car park. Two boys are riding motorbikes around, another two are watching and Nick and Stephen approach them.
Nick: Hey! Hey! Did you see an animal pass this way?
Boy 1: A dog, a polar bear, what?
Nick: No, trust me, you’d know if you’d seen it.
The boys turn back to their mates as a squawking sound is heard from the other end of the car park.
Nick: We’ve got to get it back to the mall.
Nick and Stephen get on the bikes belonging to the boys who are watching their mates. They start them up and Stephen chases after the raptor, which is seen running around at the other end of the car park.
Boy 1: What the hell was that?
Nick: A radio-controlled, cretaceous-era raptor, probably be in the shops by Christmas.
Nick drives after Stephen, and the two of them play hide and seek with the raptor. It jumps onto a car and over the top of Stephen. He drives off, and Nick chases the raptor. Nick pops a wheelie and as the raptor charges him, he kicks it in the face.
Nick: Chase me.
It chases him. Stephen follows.
Boy 1: You’ve got to admit, that’s pretty awesome.
Boy 2: Pretty cool, but you could tell it was a model.
Boy 1: Yeah, of course. Oi! What about my bike?
Nick and Stephen drive back into the mall and the raptor follows them. They pause on a walkway, and Nick stalls. He gets the bike going again, and then dumps it as he follows Stephen into a lift. The raptor sticks it’s head in the doors as they close, but Nick thumps it on the nose and it retreats. As the lift goes up, Nick gets out a radio.
Nick: Connor, where the hell are you? We’re on our way up to the second floor.
They fail to notice that the raptor is clinging onto the bottom of the lift car. They get out of the lift and lean over the balcony to try and spot the raptor. The raptor jumps over the balcony on the opposite side of the lift and advances on them.
Connor: Look out, out of the way!
Connor runs up and shoots the raptor. He hits it in the shoulder on the first shot. It doesn’t seem to do anything at first, and then the raptor collapses at Nick’s feet. They all sigh in relief, and Stephen sits down.
Connor: I bet you boys are glad you gave me a gun now. Huh? Yeah.
Connor tries to twirl the gun and almost drops it. Nick goes over and claps Connor on the shoulder, leaning on him slightly.

Abby and Connor are heading down some stairs. Abby is taking the steps one at a time, and wincing.
Abby: Ow.
Connor: How are you feeling?
Abby: Terrible.
Connor: Do you want me to get you something? I could run and get you a glass of water…
Abby: Stop fussing, Connor, I’m fine.
Connor: Okay. You know, Abby, I want you to know something. If I was going to shoot anyone, you’d so be like the last person I’d shoot. Apart some me mother, obviously. But you’d be way down the bottom of the list with her. In fact I don’t think I’d shoot either of you.
Connor has started playing with the gun whilst saying this.
Abby: Can you drop this?
Connor: Yeah.
Abby: Can you move the gun out of the Abby area?
Connor: Sure.
Abby: Thanks.
Abby walks past Connor. He waves her on.
Connor: Go, I’ve got your back.

The stairs apparently lead to the room with the anomaly. Abby is feeling the arm of one of the raptors.
Nick: What can you feel?
Abby: It’s strange. His bone structure feels more like a bird’s wing than anything reptilian.
Nick smiles at her, then gets up and stands in front of the anomaly. Stephen is sitting opposite Abby, and Connor is standing between them.
Connor: So, guys, let me get this straight. All we have to do is drag two of the angriest creatures in the known universe, through a hole in time, back into an ancient world where we don’t know what’s waiting on the other side for us.
Stephen: When you put it like that it sounds so easy.
Nick: I’m going to do this on my own.
Abby: We’ll help.
Connor: Who’s we?
Abby gives him a Look.
Connor: I didn’t say I wouldn’t. I just prefer it if I could do my own volunteering. Thank you.
Nick: Look, I’m going to do this on my own. I don’t want any arguments. Connor.
Nick turns to face the anomaly and Connor moves over to join him. Abby and Stephen exchange a look.
Nick: How long have I got?
Connor: Uh… I don’t know. You know, it’s so hard to say. Ninety percent of the anomalies are gone within hours, this one’s been here most of the night already.
Nick: Come with me.

Nick takes Connor to the electronics department. The radios are still playing their strange mix of music and static.
Nick: Okay, what I want you to do is, I want you to tune every one of these radios to 87.6 on FM.
The two of them start tuning the radios. As they do, the static becomes clearer, a strange pulsing becomes apparent.
Nick: Now, doesn’t that sound strange to you?
Connor: Interference. Why?
Nick: Come on.
Connor: You think it’s got something to do with the anomaly. It could just be a technical problem at the radio station.
Nick: Well then I want you to get onto that and find out.
Connor: Sure. But if it is the anomaly that’s causing this that means there could be radio interference on this wavelength any time that one opens.
Nick: Which would explain why Helen was always one step ahead of us. She must have some kind of receiver to spot them.
Connor: We could build our own detector, something that traces the anomalies within seconds of it appearing.
Nick: If the interference stops when the anomaly disappears, the maybe we’re onto something. Now, if I don’t make it back this time, Connor, it’s down to you.
Connor nods, Nick walks away.

Back downstairs, Nick has picked up a couple of weapons. Abby is giving one of the raptors another dose of tranquiliser.
Abby: Cutter, I’ve been meaning to ask you, this Claudia Brown, what was she like?
Nick: What does it matter? I mean, to you she never even existed.
Abby: Tell me anyway.
Nick: She was okay. Good at her job, loyal. Team player. And not as tough as she pretended to be. But she was strong when it mattered.
Abby: She meant a lot to you.
Nick: Yeah.
Abby: I’m sorry.
Nick: What for?
Abby: That I didn’t know her, and ‘cause you lost her. I want to believe you. I really do. But it’s hard.
Nick: I know.

Nick pushes a trolley towards the anomaly. The raptors and a rifle are on it. Stephen, Abby and Connor are standing behind him.
Nick: These two won’t be asleep for much longer. Okay, this is as far as you go.
He pushes the trolley through the anomaly.

CRETACEOUS TAKE 2:
Nick arrives on the other side of the anomaly. He’s at the top of a hill. The trolley starts rolling down, knocking the gun and Nick’s jacket to the ground. Nick tries to stop it, but loses his grip and the trolley rolls to a stop a little further away. Nick uses his knife to cut the ropes holding the raptors on the trolley, then goes back and gets his jacket. He stares at the anomaly for a moment before walking away.
Stephen: Yeah. Thought you might try something like this, so I followed you through.
Stephen walks up to Nick.
Stephen: Just in case you had some crazy idea about not coming back.
Nick: I have no idea what you’re talking about. All right, I know exactly what you’re talking about, but so what, maybe it’s for the best.
Stephen: What? Dying out here in this godforsaken place?
Nick: Look, I figure if I travel through enough anomalies, then maybe I can fix it, maybe I can change things back the way they were.
Stephen: What if there’s no way back? What if this world is the only one there is? I mean, look, it’s suicide.
Nick: Now, look, I don’t want to die, Stephen, I just want to try and make things right.
Stephen: Okay. Okay, well lets suppose you do change things. How do you know this time around we’re not all just going to get wiped out?
Nick: I don’t.
Stephen: You could change a million things and still not get Claudia back. All you know, is what’s happening right here, right now. Now, for once in your life, forget about the past, ‘cause you’ve got a job to do.
Nick: You’re right. Just don’t overdo it, you know, you haven’t been right for a while.
Stephen holds his hands up in mock surrender.
Nick: Is it just me or is that anomaly closing?
They both start to run up the hill towards the anomaly. As they do, the raptors start to wake up. Nick is in the lead, Stephen turns to look at the trolley, to see only sheets. The raptor is running after him.

CASTLE CROSS SHOPPING MALL TAKE 5:
Nick dives through the anomaly, and Connor and Abby help him up.
Connor: You all right?
Abby: Where’s Stephen?
Stephen’s hand appears through the anomaly, he is screaming.
Connor: The anomaly’s closing.
Stephen: Pull.
Nick and Connor grab his hand and start pulling. The raptor has Stephen’s boot in its jaw.
Stephen: Come on. Pull, pull!
The anomaly closes. Stephen stands, groaning in pain, and uses Nick’s shoulder for support. As it closed, the anomaly has chopped off the raptor’s head.

In the electronics department, all of the radios are free of static. Nick and Connor are sitting amongst them.
Connor: Well, you were right. It was the anomaly causing the interference.
Nick: Yeah. We don’t have to sit around waiting for the creatures any more. We’ll know the anomalies are open before they do.
Connor: Now all we have to do is find out what’s causing the anomalies in the first place.
Nick: That might take a wee bit longer.
Connor: Yeah.

THE ARC TAKE 3:
Nick is talking to Lester over the phone.
Nick: The place is clean and the anomaly’s gone, you can give the all clear.
Lester: Excellent, we’ll handle it from here. Oh, good work by the way. It could have been very nasty.
Nick: Indeed.
Lester: Yeah, you deserve a rest and a chance to recover. Take an hour. No, lets not be mean. Take two. I’ll see you back here at nine.
Nick: Forget it, I’m going home to bed.
Lester: Well, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. A new member of the team.
Nick: Who?
Lester: Oh, some sort of PR wizard. Basically he’ll be our cover-up specialist. Protecting the public from what they don’t need to know, that sort of thing. An unpleasant job, but it has to be done.
Nick: Fine, whatever.
Leek enters Lester’s office with a folder full of papers.
Lester: What’s this?
Leek: Revised details on the new recruit, sir. Seems that the new man is not actually a man.
Lester: Hmm. Her qualifications impressive enough, anyway.

Nick enters the main room of the ARC, Connor and Abby are already there. Lester is waiting.
Nick: Morning.
Lester: You’re late.
Nick: So fire me.
Lester: We can all dream. Well, now you’re finally here, perhaps we can get going. Ah. Well.
JENNY LEWIS enters the room.
Jenny: Hello.
Lester: I’d like you all to meet your new colleague. This is Jennifer Lewis.
Nick turns from where he’s been talking with Abby and Connor. He looks shocked and walks up to Jenny.
Nick: Claudia Brown.
Jenny: Jenny. Nice to meet you.

End credits.