Trapped in Time 1: The Time Takers

by Saxon Andrew

  “Linnae felt she had to protect the other women.”

  “He shouldn’t have raised his hand; there were mistakes on both sides. This man doesn’t look like a killer.”

  “He’s from your time, isn’t he?”

  “About a third of them are from my time. I suspect it’s really easy for the Time Takers to find people about to die during that time.”

  Dernzak ran to the front of his men and stopped ten yards from Andy. Andy looked at Dernzak and saw him staring at Carrie. He was obviously attracted to her. He was sure Carrie saw it as well. So much lost. He looked at the tall man and said, “It looks like you’re going to live another day.”

  “I am truly sorry one of my men killed your wife. I know he wouldn’t have done it unless something tragic forced him.”

  Andy looked at Carrie and back to Dernzak, “It appears it was an accident. There is a part of me that screams to kill every one of you but I know my wife would be disappointed in me if I indulged my feelings.” Andy saw Dernzak suddenly look toward the tree line next to the river and he saw scores of Raptors gathering. He saw Dernzak and his men were frightened; they weren’t armed and they were easy prey for the fast carnivores. Carrie pulled her whistle out of her shirt and blew it. The Raptors instantly disappeared. Dernzak looked at Carrie, “What is that?”

  Andy sighed, “It’s a whistle only dinosaurs can hear. We’ve taught them that to hear it means death is close by.”

  “How long did it take you to teach them?”

  “Not long.”

  Dernzak looked at Andy, “What happens now?”

  “I’m taking every hand beam you possess and I’m locking them away.”

  Dernzak’s eyes narrowed, “And just how will we defend ourselves without them?”

  “We’ll teach you.”

  “What do you use?”

  “Bows and cutters. This world will not have hand beams in it.”

  “Why not?”

  “How long do you think those beams will continue to work?’

  “At least a hundred years.”

  “And then what happens?”

  “I’m more worried about being alive tomorrow; a hundred years will have to take care of itself.”

  Andy shook his head, “I can’t allow that short sighted vision to lead us into the future. We have to learn the skills that will be good for centuries to come so that our descendants can defend themselves. The hand beams will be locked away and kept under safe keeping in the event we encounter another group of humans that possess them. If they’re not used, they’ll last thousands of years if their energy is shut off.”

  Dernzak looked at Carrie, “Are you able to kill the big reptiles with your bow?”

  “I can kill the biggest. Every archer here can defend themselves in this new world.”

  Dernzak looked around, “How many archers are here?”

  Andy looked over his shoulder, “ARCHERS, REVEAL YOURSELVES!”

  Dernzak and his men suddenly saw hundreds of bodies appearing around them as the archers pulled down their camoshirts. Dernzak saw all of them had a hand beam in each hand. He looked at Andy, “Will you promise to train us and leave us until you do?”

  Andy looked at Carrie, “You will go with them and lead the training. I expect most of the people from your time to become our best warriors.”

  Carrie looked at Andy, “I’m not going anywhere without you. Where you go, that is where I’m going to be.”

  Andy saw Dernzak’s disappointment and smiled, “No Carrie, you are the one that needs to train them; you’re the only one with their reflexes and superior physical skills. I will be waiting for you to come to me once you complete their training. I will always be there, Carrie.”

  Carrie stared into Andy’s eyes and smiled, “Linnae was right.” Andy nodded. Carrie turned to Dernzak, “We’ll give your community what it needs to survive. I suspect you’ll like the bow better than the hand beam. It has a longer range and with your eyesight and strength, you’ll really be dangerous.”

  Dernzak looked at Andy, “I think we should work together in the future. Will you accept us as a friend and ally?”

  Andy looked at Dernzak and after a moment held out his hand. Dernzak took it and they shook hands. “I’m going to send fifty of my archers back with you. They will stay with you until you develop the skills necessary for survival.”

  “Will you give us the suits that make you invisible?”

  “I’ll send one of those that can open the door where they are located. If you don’t have them in your cave, I’ll send you enough for your warriors. We will be training your women as well as the men.”

  Dernzak looked around, “I can see half of your archers are women. Are they as good as the men?”

  “Some of them are better.” Andy looked at Carrie, “She is our best.”

  Dernzak smiled, “I imagine she is.”

  Carrie smiled, “Flattery is nice but it won’t get you anywhere.”

  “I can see you’re already taken. I respect that.”

  Andy smiled, “I’ll be sending a group to pick up the hand beams in seven days. I expect you to hand them over to them.”

  “Are you growing crops?”

  “We are.”

  “We’ll have them ready for transport. Thank you for not going through with your plans.”

  Andy looked at Carrie, “She’s the one that made that happen. She deserves your thanks.”

  “That’s true; but you’re the one that they listen to. I suspect that will also be true of us once this agreement starts moving forward.”

  Andy nodded and looked at Harvey, “I want you to take them up the wall and go with them to their cave. Take a representative from each group and see how many doors can be opened.”

  Harvey nodded and said, “Who do you want to go with Carrie to train them?”

  “Send Arashi and Akira; I’m certain they don’t want to be separated. Select an equal number of male and female archers to be the other trainers. Make sure they qualified as a master.”

  “Do you want me to stay?”

  “No, I want the scouts back to go and work with the southern cave as well as taking a look at the next cave beyond them.”

  Dernzak said, “Another cave?”

  “You’re the second one to join us. We went to them to get the hand beams.”

  Dernzak looked at Carrie, “Will you tell me all that has happened?”

  “Only if you put your best effort at learning the bow.”

  Dernzak laughed, “I can see this is going to be fun.”

  Andy smiled, “Be careful what you ask for.”

  “I know, I know. What’s this about the cliff?”

  “We’re going to teach you how to get around.”

  Andy looked at Carrie, “I’ll pick up the glider and take it back.”

  “No you’re not!”

  Andy jerked his head back, “Why is that?”

  “It’s going to be at least two days before the training starts. I’m flying it back to the community and spend that time with you. I’ll fly to their cave in three days.”

  Dernzak looked at them, “Did you say fly?”

  Carrie laughed, “I’ll show you in three days.” Dernzak nodded and looked out at his men and the archers, “Well introduce yourselves to our new friends, men.” The two groups began moving together and talking with each other. Andy yelled at Dernzak, “You’re going to have to learn Latin.”

  “What is that?”

  “The language we’re all going to use to communicate.”

  Dernzak shook his head, “I do hope it’s not hard to learn.”

  Andy smiled and put his arm around Carrie.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Four months passed and the leaders of the three caves came to the community to plan what they were going to do next. Andy sat next to the fire in the center of the clearing and waited for the other leaders to come out and join him. Anna came out of the cave and walked over beside him and lowe
red her head. Andy rubbed it she started her groaning. He guessed all the new leaders passed inspection. A month earlier, Anna had chased a scout away from the cliff wall. Harvey had rushed over to see what had Anna upset and saw a nest dug out next to the cliff wall with ten eggs in it. Anna wouldn’t allow anyone near it. Harvey reported the find to Andy and he went out and saw Anna was extremely agitated. He walked over to the nest saying soothing words to Anna and after a few minutes she allowed him to approach the eggs. Harvey stood ten yards away shaking his head, “What are you going to do?”

  Andy looked up and saw twenty Pteranodons circling high overhead. The eggs wouldn’t be safe outside even though they were inside the walls. He put out his hand and Anna slowly came over. He stroked her head and he could feel her tension. “Harvey, go get me a large pouch.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Move them inside the cave next to a back corner.”

  Harvey shook his head, “I don’t think she’s going to let you do that.”

  “Just go get the pouch and tell Carrie to come out here.”

  Andy continued to rub Anna’s jaw and she went down on her belly and started groaning. Carrie arrived with the pouch and Anna immediately jumped up. Carrie walked directly up to her and said, “Anna, stop that!” She reached forward and rubbed Anna’s head and after a few moments, Anna relaxed. “Carrie, try to get her to go with you to the river to eat.”

  “I don’t know if she’ll leave the eggs.”

  “Just walk away like you normally do and tell her breakfast.”

  Carrie shrugged and turned her back on Anna and said, “Time for breakfast.” Anna jumped up out of force of habit and followed Carrie for ten yards and then came to a stop. She looked back at the next and saw Andy sitting next to it. Carrie said, “Breakfast.” Anna swung her head back and forth and, after a moment, turned and followed Carrie down to the river. Her hunger overcame her fear.

  Andy waited for them to enter the trees and he carefully picked up the eggs and put them in the soft pouch. He stood and went into the cave and made a bee line to the back right corner. No one lived in that section due to the heat from underground hot springs and Andy scraped the dirt and formed a small crater shaped hole. He put the eggs in it and went back out the entrance. He knew he had to get Anna to follow him into the cave before she missed the eggs. He called out her name and saw her come running out of the tree line. He continued to call her as he turned his back and entered the cave. Anna hesitated at the entrance but then followed Andy inside. Andy led her to the back corner and Anna saw her eggs. She pushed by Andy and smelled them. She looked around and saw everyone was staring at her but were not moving toward the nest. She laid down next to the nest and watched everyone. Andy laid down with her and rubbed her jaw. After a moment, she began groaning. Three days later she started leaving the cave to eat. Andy figured Anna had determined her eggs were not in danger from anyone in the cave.

  Carrie mounted a cutter in the back wall and the light and heat from it kept the eggs warm. Anna knew the danger of coming near a cutter and she stayed away from the back wall. Each day Carrie would change the cutter for a new one and take the discharged cutter outside to recharge.

  • • •

  Andy rubbed Anna and tried to decide what kind of dinosaur she was. She was as large as a Utah Raptor but nowhere close to the size of an Allosaurus. She was able to enter the cave, but just barely. She would walk on four legs but she would go up on her two powerful hind legs to run. She was incredibly fast. Her head was large and had the beak of many of the herbivores. The top of her head was rounded and had a foot long horn just above her two eyes. As Anna grew, the top of her head appeared to develop a hard conical cover that appeared to be for ramming. Andy just never saw any fossil that looked anything like her in all his studies of dinosaurs. She had laid eggs so that had to mean there were others like her out in the forests. He shook his head and continued rubbing her head.

  The inhabitants of the other caves were shocked that Andy had a pet dinosaur. He told them that he was more Anna’s pet than she his. After some time, they became used to her. Andy saw the leaders coming out of the cave being led by Carrie and Andy said, “Anna, home.” Anna stood and after a small groaning protest, she walked away. Andy saw Dernzak, Rison, Mark, and Jenna walking down the slope toward him. Rief, Maxus, Togawa, and Harvey were walking with them and they were discussing something that had all of them talking at once. Carrie came out of the cave and jogged to catch up with the others.

  Andy looked and wondered where the others were. He saw Maranda, Belenca, Ayo, and Joshua exit the cave a few moments later. Andy sat down and stared at the fire as the sun settled over the horizon. It was too warm for a fire but Andy liked having one at night. The communities’ leaders sat down around the fire and stopped their discussion. Andy smiled and then hundreds of people started exiting the cave and walking down the hill. Andy chuckled; he wondered why the community hadn’t come out sooner. He sat and waited for them to gather around the leaders and sit down.

  Dernzak looked at Harvey, “Does everyone listen in on your meetings?”

  “They’ve listened in on everything since the first day we arrived here.”

  “That’s interesting.”

  “They have a vested interest in what we decide. They should be listening.”

  Belenca looked at Dernzak, “I think we should adopt this practice as well.” Dernzak put his arm around her and nodded.

  • • •

  Andy looked over to the left and saw Chatan and Enapay taking two teams of archers out for advanced night training. The archers were close to attaining master archer status and night time patrols was one of the requirements. Andy went over to the two teams and said, “Don’t you want to stay for the meeting and go out afterwards?”

  “No, these trainees need to do this during dusk as well as at night. We’ll be filled in after we return.” Andy smiled and nodded. The two ten archer teams went to the gate and went out.

  Andy turned to the assembled leaders and said, “You were discussing something on the way here; what was it?”

  Jenna said, “We can see the lights from other caves to the south of us. We need to go and see what’s going on in them.”

  Dernzak nodded, “There are lights north of us as well.”

  “How are your communities doing in learning the weapons?”

  Mark looked at Dernzak and nodded for him to go first. Dernzak tilted his head, “You were right about the people from my timeline; all of them have mastered the bow.”

  Carrie interrupted, “They’re as good as I am, Andy; some of them are better.”

  “Andy nodded and looked at Dernzak, “How many of those archers do you have?”

  “A hundred and six.”

  “What about the others?”

  “Half are close to being rated a master archer. The other half are still working on their skills.”

  Andy looked at Mark, “What about your community?”

  Mark smiled, “Andy, we’re all one community now.”

  Andy tilted his head and sighed, “You’re right; I apologize for my inaccuracy.”

  “No apology is needed. As you know, more than a hundred of the women that lived here moved to our cave. When they arrived, they were already trained archers. Three quarters of the ones that lived in our cave prior to their arrival are full archers. We have about two hundred master archers. About fifty still need more training.”

  “What about teaching the carnivores?”

  Dernzak shook his head, “That is an ongoing exercise. A lot of them now run when they hear the whistle but new ones are constantly moving in as we remove them. It’s still not safe to go out alone. A flock of Raptors can overwhelm a single archer.” Andy looked at Mark and he nodded.

  “I suspect it will always be dangerous to go out alone. If we kill all the carnivores, the giant plant eaters will over run us. We need to teach the carnivores to respect the whistles.”

  Je
nna said, “Are we ever going to just eliminate them from our territory?”

  Andy shrugged, “There’s an entire planet full of them. You remove them and others fill the void. There’s not enough of us to really do the job effectively.”

  • • •

  Chatan and his group of archers went south and Enapay’s group went north. Chatan led the way telling the archers what to look for in the trees and how to recognize the sounds and smells of a lurking carnivore. A mile into their trip Chatan was continuing his narrative, when one of the trainee’s interrupted him, “Uh, excuse me.”

  Chatan stopped talking and looked at the apprentice, “You should be silent and listen!”

  “I just wondered what that cave is doing here.”

  Chatan looked to his left and saw the opening to a cave in the cliff wall. His eyes went wide and he said emphatically, “GET BACK TO THE COMMUNITY…NOW!!!”

  The eleven archers turned and ran back the way they had come. Chatan ran away from them and knew there was immense danger to the community.

  • • •

  Andy was listening to Maxus about how to get warriors back and forth quickly between the communities to support each other when he saw Chatan come sprinting from the gate. Andy saw Maxus’ eyes as he stopped speaking and turned to see the scout come sprinting up the hill. He stood up and Harvey stood with him. Chatan rushed up out of breath and said, “There is a cave a mile south of here.”

  “What!?!”

  Suddenly, Enapay came through the gates and sprinted up the hill, “There is a cave a mile north of here.”

  Andy looked at the leaders and said, “ALL ARCHERS, GET YOUR WEAPONS AND ASSEMBLE OUT HERE!! Half of you will go with Harvey to the south cave and the other half will go with me to the north cave. Everyone will wear camosuits. Get moving.”

  Carrie stood up and pulled her camopacket out of a pouch and began putting it on. Dernzak and Belenca also pulled a camopacket out of a pouch and started pulling it on. Carrie said, “We’ll go to the north cave and meet you there.”

  Andy nodded, “Get moving.”

  Mark and Jenna looked at Andy, “We don’t have a camosuit with us.”