And it came.

Senior Detective Christine Jules could taste bile in her mouth as she stared at what was left of a tortured corpse laying face down in the long grass.

"Kinda looks as if he was trying to get as far away from that river as he could," the voice of her assistant investigator Shaun O'Neil cut through her thoughts.

"But something caught up to him and ate the bottom half of his body before he could get too far?" Detective Jules replied.

"Or he managed to drag himself this far before he finally bled out? Going by the drag marks."

They followed the trail of flattened grass and gore back towards the river.

"This is the point where his blood trail starts. So what ever was chasing him caught up to him about here."

They followed the flattened grass back until they reached the rivers edge where they had originally found the unknown mans fishing site. His chair now laying on its side to one side of a small tree. His tackle box and ice bin also laying on their side, their contents strewn across the ground with his car further back up a walking track parked just off the road on the outside of a style that he used to climb over a wire fence.

"As far as we can tell he has been here since yesterday morning. His wife rang the station late last night and reported him missing as well as their four year old son." Shaun told her.

"Why didn't anyone come out last night to look for them? Considering that she must have known where they had gone?"

"There was that explosion in town that had everyone running around. There was no one left to follow up on this case." Shaun answered her.

"And no one knew what caused that explosion?"

"Reports were coming in from all over town. It seems that everyone heard it but no one could pinpoint exactly where it came from. Officers were roaming around town all evening and into the night making enquiries looking for the cause of the sound but came up empty?"

"And now we have half a corpse laying in the middle of a paddock with traces of burns over what's left of it with no explanation?"

"And a missing four year old."

"What do you suggest we do now Chris?" Detective Oneil asked.

"Leave forensics to do their job and see what they come up with. Tell them to look for any traces of footprints or anything similar around the rivers edge that we might have missed. Or any other tracks up around his car."

"Do you think that there might be a connection between yesterday's blast and what happened to our victim?"

"Too early to make that kind of speculation Shaun considering that we are at least a half hours drive out of town."

Chris radioed for a search party to look for the toddler

Two well dressed men attracted the attention of the locals as they entered the small eatery. Well dressed men had passed through their town in the past but none stood at the entrance of the small business looking around at everything as if they had never seen such an establishment before. Most, like everyone else looked for the service counter and headed straight to it and ordered food. These two acted like foreign tourists who had never seen the inside of a burger bar before and stood there staring around like they were very pleased with what they saw as if they intended to buy the place or something.

"What can I get you guys." The middle aged server called from the service counter.

The two men looked at each other and walked over to him, then one said, "If it's your pleasure, my associate and I would like to try some of those, one of those and some of those" pointing at the pictures above the counter displaying burgers, chips and other food products.

"Would you like something to drink with that?"

"If it's your pleasure, what do you have to offer."

"My pleasure don't matter," the server replied, "what would be your pleasure? A hot drink or cold? On a day like this I would recommend something nice and cool."

"We shall abide by your recommendation, something cold will do."

Recognising that these patrons were unfamiliar with this type of establishment the server pointed out a table for them to sit at as he would send a waitress over with their food once it is ready.

Less than an hour after the two men had eaten and left detectives Jules and O'Neil arrived to get themselves a bite to eat.

"We'll have our usual please Sam." Detective Jules told him.

"With coffee as well?" Sam answered.

"Definitely with coffee as well too please," O'Neil agreed.

"We had an odd couple of guys show up just before you two arrived." Sam mentioned as he proceeded to make their coffee orders.

"What do you mean odd?" Chris asked.

Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a glass marble. "They paid for their meal with this? They had left it on the table after they were finished eating, then walked out." He then handed the object over to Chris.

Chris inspected the marble then passed it to Shaun to look at. Sam continued, "I think it's made from diamond? I tested it on that glass display case and it left a gouge in it. Must be worth at least a grand or more if it is what I think it is."

"I don't know why anyone would cut a diamond into a spherical shape? Considering that you get more sparkles from a faceted diamond?" Shaun mentioned as he stared at the object in his palm with deep interest.

"Was there anything else different about the men?" Chris asked.

"Yes, the way that they spoke."

"Were they foreigners?" Shaun asked.

"Well, they didn't really have an accent. It was the way that they used their words. It wasn't how you or I speak to each other. They were polite enough, maybe too polite though. I dunno, just sounded odd."

"Would you be able to give us a description of these men?" Chris asked.

"I can do better than that. They asked Teri our waitress about somewhere to stay the night. She recomended that they ask at ole Madelines lodging house down the end of this street."

"Do you mind if I borrow this so that I can get our forensics team to have a look at it?" Chris asked.

"No problem, go for it." Sam replied.

They ate whilst they drove down to the end of the road to Madelines Lodging House.

"There's been some strange going ons in town lately Shaun. I want to see if there is any connection between them all."

"I have to agree with you Chris. First that explosive sound that got everybody riled up yesterday, then hikers find the body of poor Mr Mathews, his kid is still missing and now a couple of strange characters show up in town."

A call came in from the head of forensics, "The burn marks found on our victim were caused by some sort of corrosive liquid which we haven't quite narrowed down yet."

"Okay thanks Victor, no sign of footprints or anything of that nature?"

"No Chris, but it seems that our victim ran towards the long grass as a means to hide from what ever did this to him considering that it was closer to him than his car or to draw this thing away from his kid. Most of the bones in his upper body is shattered as if it had been shaken up and down against the ground until his upper torso separated from his lower."

"Could whatever it was that may have done this, have come from the river or the nearby forest?"

"It is quite possible that it came from the river, the ground is a little damp around where he was sitting but the trouble is, there are no marks showing that anything had dragged itself from out of the river. This thing would have had to have wings to leave the forest area without leaving some trace on the ground. Inconclusive results as far as things are concerned Chris but I put my money on the river."

"Okay thanks Victor, keep up the good work."

It didn't take them long to reach the boarding house.

"Yes I believe that they are in their room at the moment. I didn't see them leave so they should still be there. By the way this is what they paid up front with." Madeline passed them the same kind of crystalline marble as the one Sam had been given. "They assured me that it is a pure diamond. I haven't had a chance to go and get it checked at the jewelers yet to see what his opinion of it is. If they are lying they are outta here."

The two detectives made their way to the room rented by the two men. One answered their knock on the door.

"Hello," Chris greeted him, both her and Shaun had their badges out as they identified themselves. The other unknown man was standing behind the first, obviously interested to see who had come to their door. The two men were dressed in suits of a shimmering fabric that Chris wasn't too familiar with. "Do you mind if we come in and ask you a few questions?"

The stranger smiled as he stepped to one side to allow them inside the room.

Everything looked normal, twin beds, kitchenette, a small table with two chairs behind which was a doorway to what they assumed to be the bathroom and toilet. A small carry case sat closed on one of the beds made from some kind of material that resembled aluminium with an overall space age design. The venetian blind over the large window sat half opened creating a cosy atmosphere to the room. The television showed the news and had been set to mute.

"Is it your pleasure to accept a cold drink?" One of the men asked.

"No thank you." Chris replied, "Detective O'Neil and I had just finished a cup of coffee each," she smiled. They were directed to sit in the two available chairs while the two men sat on the ends of their beds.

"Will you excuse me while I get my companion and I a cold drink?" One of the men asked.

"Of course, by all means." Chris replied.

They both noticed when the refrigerator in the kitchenette was pulled open that it was stocked full with cans of cola.

"That's some cola addiction you have there." Shaun smiled.

"It is a drink that we had learnt a lot about but is unable to acquire where we come from. It has a very interesting flavour," one of the men smiled back at him.

"Where exactly do you come from?" Chris asked.

"A place you two probably have never heard of before," the other replied.

"Try me." Shaun answered.

"A country we refer to as Taured."

"Ya got me there." Shaun grinned.

Chris reached into her pocket and pulled the marbel out which was now sitting in a small plastic bag.

"Do you recognise this?"

"Yes, we give them in exchange for goods and services that we might receive."

"What is it?"

"A small ball of diamond."

"Where did you get it from?"

"Our country manufactures them to use as currency."

"A synthetic diamond?"

"Correct. The speed of manufacture with such clarity is a secret that only our country has the rights to."

"And where exactly is this Taured situated?"

"Between the countries you now call Spain and the other country you now call France."

"They have always been called by those names?"

"One day they no longer will be."

"How do you know that for certain?"

"We are not at liberty to divulge that information."

Chris knew she couldn't force these men to answer her questions and they had no reason to arrest them. If people were willing to barter their goods and services for something other than money, that too wasn't illegal as long as both parties agree to the terms.

"Is there anything else that we can aid you with detective Jules and detective O'Neil?"

"Were you in town yesterday?" Shaun inquired.

"No," both men answered.

"So you didn't hear the loud boom that everyone in this town heard yesterday?"

"Yes." They both answered.

"How could you have heard it yet not been in town where it was reported from the most?"

"Because we caused it."

Both Chris and Shaun's eyes snapped open wider, "You caused it? How?"

"No damage was caused to anything nor anyone."

"That's not what I asked," Chris told him.

"Our vehicle has the unfortunate side effect of creating a sonic boom when entering a time shift. For that we do apologise, we do assure you that our scientists are working hard on overcoming that problem."

"Sonic boom?" Shaun asked, the look of shock still in his eyes. "You have a vehicle that travels faster than the speed of sound?"

"Very much faster."

"Where is this vehicle now?"

"Directly above us orbiting at the highest edge of the atmosphere. We can retrieve it at anytime we require it."

"Okay...Let's just say everything you say is true,why have you come here?" Chris asked.

"To capture or destroy an animal that has escaped our time of existence and entered yours."

"What does this animal look like? Maybe we can help to track it?"

"It resembles a very large crocodile, two wings give it the ability to fly and it's acidic breath is hot enough to melt some metals."

"Where did it come from?"

"A scientific experiment created by splicing the DNA of several different species."

"But why would anyone want to create such an abomination?"

"Unfortunately the world is full of people wanting to push science in directions that we don't all agree with."

Shaun asked, "How did it end up here?"

"This isn't the first time that we have been sent after this creature. Once they had escaped the confines that they were originally kept in they got into the wild and multiplied quite vigorously. One adult female can lay up to forty eggs. For us to travel from one time shift to another we had long ago invented what we call a jump ring. It is composed of two very small black holes orbiting each other. These jump rings are heavily guarded but when faced with an angry rogue reptile with wings your chances of keeping them away from the jump rings are very slim especially if the reptile is being pursued and will do what ever it needs to escape.

Every year hunting parties are sent out to shoot them with tracking devices so that we can keep track of their movements. Animal rights laws prevent us from exterminating them out right. Through competition among themselves for supremacy and a taste for cannibalism, not many of them make it through to adulthood."

"Only the biggest and meanest?" Chris asked.

"Correct."

"So you are saying that this one has a tracking device embedded in it?" Shaun asked.

"Correct. The receiver is inside that case upon this sleeping platform over here."

"You mean the bed?"

"Correct."

"What else can you tell us about this creature?"

"It needs to be in or near water or it can over heat itself."

Shaun asked,"You say that this isn't the first time that this creature has broken into one of your jump rings. Were you able to recapture it in the past?"

"If we had not, you would still be dealing with it before now."

"Can you elaborate on that for us please?" Chris asked.

"Depending on what direction the animal hits the jump ring will depend on what time line that it will arrive in. You are most likely familiar with legends from your history that speak of flying fire breathing reptiles? We still have remnants of those legends that have survived into our time period."

"You mean dragons?" Chris was incredulous.

"If it helps your mind to register what we are telling you, yes, dragons."

Shaun pulled her aside and spoke in a quiet voice to her."How else would you explain what happened to Mr Mathews?"

"Can we see some identification?" Chris asked.

"We came here not expecting to need to show identification," one of the men answered her.

"Well what do we call you two? Do you have names?"

"I am known as Paz," said one.

"And I am known as Iro," said the other.

"We are government agents sent to rectify this situation," Paz told them.

"At what ever cost," Iro added.

"How soon can we use your tracking device to hunt for this animal?" Chris asked.

"As soon as it leaves the water," Paz replied.

"Why do we have to wait till then?" Shaun asked them.

"Your water has too many metals dissolved in it for us to get a clear reading."

"I never thought of that," Chris mentioned as she looked towards Shaun, "considering that the reason this town is here in the first place is because it's an old mining town."

"What would cause that animal to leave the water?" She asked.

"Hunger." Iro replied.

"How regularly does that happen?" Shaun asked.

"Depends on the size of its last meal."

Shaun turned to Chris, "If Mr Mathews was its last meal and he weighed about 190 or more pounds and we only found half of him remaining. Lets just say his last meal was around 100 pounds of flesh. How long would that last it?" He turned back to Iro.

"The creature we hunt by your measurements is approximately 30 feet long and weighs nearly 3000 pounds. A meal of 100 pounds would allow it to survive for at least 24 hours before it starts to get hungry again. They can last longer if threatened and forced to hide. They are very intelligent, have both keen eyesight and a keen sense of smell."

"Mr Mathews time of death is estimated at around midday yesterday. It is just about that time now. So we can't hang around while this creature picks off another resident." Chris mentioned then added, "I'll get on the radio and put a warning out for everyone to stay away from any permanent water features like rivers and lakes in the area. Get that machine of yours out and operational we need to find out where it is especially if it surfaces."

"We still need to find the boy, there are people scouring the river bank looking for him at this very moment."

Shaun was sent off to buy a cell phone to give to Paz and Iro so that they could establish a communication link between themselves and the two men.

It was getting on dark when they received a call from Paz and Iro telling them that they got a strong signal from the banks of the towns reservoir.

Chris shouted the message through her radio to get a chopper crew to warn any boats or fishermen away from the area and mobile units to block off any roads to the reservoir.

"Do you have anything to capture or take this creature down with?"

"We have a large net made from spun glass that's stronger than steel and also resistant to acid that will do the job." Paz told her.

Iro added, "Form a line of high powered weapons to keep the creature from leaving the lake the bullets of your age are quite impervious to it but may irritate it enough for it to try and avoid them. We will use our craft to drop the net down upon it."

A call came in from one of the squads overlooking the reservoir, "It's lept out of the water and taken the chopper down!"

"Somebody do something! This thing is smashing the boats on the water and killing everyone on board!"

Another frantic call came in, "We can't get out to save the survivors there's a film of acid on the lake surface that's eating into the flesh of those who thought that they could swim away."

Chris was almost in tears when she called Paz and Iro, "How much longer will you be? Detective O'Neil is down there somewhere on a police launch helping to pull survivors aboard."

"We are nearly there."

As soon as Paz could see the police spotlights on the creature hovering above the lake looking for his next victims as they tried to flee. He squeezed every second of speed out of their craft as they raced towards it. Iro counted him down as they closed in 10...9...8...7..6...5...4...3...2...1...now! Paz hit supersonic speed as their craft raced past the creature. The resulting sonic boom knocked it senseless as it spun around in mid air coming down onto the lake surface with a crash. Paz turned the craft back as Iro readied the net to be dropped onto their prey.

From her car window Chris could see the animal starting to stir as it came out of its stupor.

"Come on guys don't give it a chance to orient itself." she said under her breath.

Then BOOM! another pass knocked the animal and a tower of water into the air. This time she noticed that the creature was wrapped in a transparent mesh of glistening ropes. Paz and Iro had caught it. Before it could do anymore damage Paz and Iro's craft shot straight up into the sky. After about an hour or so they returned minus their cargo.

The following morning the news came out that the boy had been found wandering near the edge of the forest. He kept asking for the dinosaur that had looked after him and brought him fresh fish. Chris had to wonder if all that commotion by the dragon last night was due to the animal trying to somehow protect the boy?

Things settled down in their town after that night. After leaving the creature to suffocate in the vastness of space, Paz and Iro returned to their own timeline. Shaun took a few days off to come to terms with the gruesome sights that he'd had to endure that night.

Christine settled back in a deck chair under an umbrella beside her pool ready to take a sip from her margarita when she noticed two men walking towards her in familiar suits.

"Paz! Iro! what brings you back here?"

"Something has gone wrong Detective, that creature we got rid of, was once a pregnant female. It seems that it must have been looking after the boy to feed to her young once they had hatched."