Primeval Fic: Permian Surprise :
Title: Permian Surprise
Characters: Thomas Nicholas Temple (Tommie Temple), Abby Temple, Connor Temple, various others...
Summary: Post S5. 15 years down the line. Curiosity leads to trouble.
Rating: K+
Genre: Adventure, Family.
AN: Written for a friend on Tumblr, as little bits sent to her inbox on anon ^^' It's not quite finished yet, but I'll post the last bits later :B
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A young man stepped through the glittering shards of time and space, looking around cautiously. He let the backpack slung over his shoulder slip to the ground, pulling out a device that looked a bit like a radio, and a bit like a remote control for a toy car, but was really nothing like either. Wind whistled across the hills, a thousand or more tears in the continuum dotting the landscape. The little box in the young man's hand beeped, and after closing the bag and putting the strap over his shoulder again, he continued walking,leaving the swath of anomalies behind him. A growl sounded, close by; much too close for comfort. The young man darted away, skittish and pale-faced.
"Tommie!" The sound of his name being called, then repeated by two distinctly different voices reached his ears, despite the wind. He turned, edging backwards. Blue eyes contrasted sharply with dark hair.
A creature growled again, and Tommie skittered away, climbing a nearby tree - like a monkey, or a gecko - with surprising ease, tucking his legs up and pressing his back to the trunk. His parents were armed; he had not thought to bring an EMD. He knew he was bad at planning, but the anomalies called to him. The sound of the EMDs firing stilled his trembling, though he silently cursed when his mother's voice rang out.
"Thomas Nicholas Temple, get down here, right now!" Tommie winced: he knew it was bad even without mum using his full name, but that just made it perfectly clear how bad.
"Tommie, why..."
"Conn, let's save it for when we all get back home, yeah?"
"Right." The young man sighed at his parents' discussion, slithering down to the ground. He avoided his dad's gaze, though his mum's wasn't much better. The handheld device gave another beep, but this one was different. He glanced at it, and his eyes widened.
"Oh no! It's closin'!"
"What?!" his parents exclaimed, crowding closer. Tommie waved the handheld. "Our anomaly is closing!" He wailed. (he would later deny it - 15 year olds do not wail!) Abby looked at her husband, eyes wide with panic.
"Hurry!" They all started running, full-out, knowing that at any second, they could be permanently stranded in the past. The handheld's beep sounded as frantic as their collective heart beats as they desperately fought to reach the anomaly in time. Tommie tripped, gasping. He fell to the ground with a bone- jarring thud, crying out in pain as his ankle twisted. Tommie reach out - and his parents helped him up, putting their arms around his waist and his arms over their shoulders. The anomaly was swirling rapidly, they could see it, but they were going as fast as they could; Tommie felt his stomach sink with hopelessness and guilt. It was his fault if they got trapped here. His parents spoke,
"We're no' done till tha' closes."
"And even if it does, we'll be OK"
"We're almost there!" Tommie's dad said, a grin starting.
"Just a little further, hon." Abby murmered in her son's ear; he nodded and grit his teeth, and ignored the pain in his ankle. They just *had* to get home. The anomaly shuddered, suddenly. They were only a few feet away. A sharp growl startled them, sending them backing away: a Gorgonopsid stood between them and home.
"No!" The handheld gave one last shrill beep, and Tommie's knees gave out with his cry. His parents turned their EMD's on. Tommie felt helpless and disgusted with himself for being so, as his parents dodged around and shot at the Gorgonopsid with their EMD's. He cursed himself for not thinking, for not bringing a weapon of his own, for tripping... for deciding to go through the anomaly in the first place. Their anomaly was closed, and even he knew the chances of any of the dozens around them leading home were nil. Tommie took a deep breath and pushed the self-conflagration away, along with the pain.
A dozen or so anomalies sparkled innocently on the hill, each inanimately and obviously ignorant of the ones that closed. A dazed Gorgonopsid staggered to it's feet, stumbling off in its lumbering gait towards greener pastures, so to speak. Abby looked over at her husband, their son's head pilowed on her lap. He'd helped them, and it had exhausted him.
"This is a bit familiar, Conn." She said.
Connor chuckled. "A bit different, too."
"Well, it's not the Cretaceous."
* * *
Tommie woke in the middle of the night, embarassed - what 15 year old needs a nap? Still, he had distracted a Gorgonopsid so his parents could knock it out with electric pulses, and not every 15 year old could say that and tell the truth. The three of them were in a tree, and he was comfortable sadnwhiched between his parents. The handheld detector was silent - not keyed to pick up on the other anomalies, on purpose. The itch of curiosity bubbled in him, that which had got them into this mess. Tommie was grateful when he nodded off, because it meant he wasn't able to succomb to the temptation to wander off on his own - something he was blaming on his parents' genes. Of course, the 'blue jeans' pun affiliated with that thought was all his dad's fault. He woke the next morning with a crick in his neck. His parents were already up, and making plans.
"Trees aren't very comfy, eh?" his dad noticed he was awake, and his mum's eyes were dancing with amusement. They were looking for a more permanent shelter, since odds were they'd be here a while, and trees most certaintly weren't comfy. A further venture from the tree and anomaly site revealed thicker forest, and a somewhat familiar chirruping greeted the three as they walked. His ankle had only been twisted - like his father's when he and mum had been lost in the past - and it was better now, thankfully.
"I'm hungry."
His mum chuckled, though Tommie could hear the edge of worry in it; he wondered what his parents had been talking about before he'd woken up. Still, he was having a hard time concentrating, since his stomach was protesting the lack of food.
"Are there any emergency rations in that bag of yours?" Tommie frowned.
"A handful of granola bars. Brilliant." He said dryly. His dad didn't look any happier with the turnout, "I think this time should have some of the same sorts...roots n bulbs..."
Abby turned to her husband. "You think?"
"I didn' really study th' plant side 'o things, but..."
"Let's go! I'm starvin'!" Tommie interrupted their little discussion, swinging 'round to face the trunk of the tree.
"Tommie, wait for us!" His mum scolded; He let his dad go first, rolling his eyes. As he did so, his gaze caught on the sight of a Courlevosurevous - like their pet Rex, but this one was smaller - peeking at them from a branch above.
"Oh, hullo there." He smiled at it. It chirped.
* * *
"The EMD's don't have too many charges left." Connor commented quietly, glancing back at Tommie in the tree, his new lizard friend on his shoulder. Abby slipped her hand into her husband's, squeezing his hand gently.
"We'll be okay, Conn. There might be extras in Tommie's pack, after all." Connor nodded. They had been in the Permian for a day and a half now.
"We will get home, though." He added; Abby smiled at him. Ever the optimist, which was definitely a good thing.
"Yeah."
Tommie watched his parents walking hand-in-hand, and smiled. They were going hunt-gathering again. Tommie didn't exactly mind not going with them this time - because he was happy with the thought that they trusted him on his own. He glanced at the silent handheld detector. He hoped it wouldn't beep while they were gone. He wouldn't be able to do anything at all.
His new little friend had been hanging around since the day he greeted him, and Tommie was glad that the small creature had taken a liking to him. A bit of worry formed in the back of his mind, that he would have to leave her behind when they went home, but he ignored it.
"I think you need a name." The lizard chirruped, settling down on his shoulder. Tommie ran through a list of pet names, but kept coming up blank. He hummed quietly under his breath.
Tommie thought his parents were cool - super cool, to be honest. He wanted to be just like them, in any way possible. Uncle Lester had said that none of them - the kids of the team members - were allowed to join the ARC 'till they were adults. Tommie personally thought that he was adult enough already... but then again, he was pretty much a coward... even Sarah Becker had said so, and that hurt. Still, he had stood up against a Gorgonopsid, and Sarah definitely couldn't say she'd done that...
They were taking awhile, and even though he knew they were probably fine, Tommie was getting worried. And antsy. The sun was high and bright, and a few wispy little clouds drifted across the sky, a flock of coelurosauravus flying by overhead. He glanced at Angel - that was what he'd named his new friend - and then glanced at the ground below.
"I know I shouldn't." He said slowly, "but..." Tommie paused. "I'm going to go find them." He grabbed the EMD they'd left, and climbed down the tree.
The young man looked around nervously. The prehistoric forest was quiet, frighteningly so. With ears strained for any sound, threatening or otherwise, he ventured forth, tentatively leaving the shelter of their temporary home. The fact that it was so quiet made Tommie nervous : it couldn't mean anything good. He hoped his parents were okay. He firmly avoided the thought that danced across his mind: nothing bad had happened, he had to believe that. Angel took off from his arm with a quiet cry.
Connor grabbed Abby's hand and pulled her back, urging her on as the creature snarled, bounding after them. Abby fumbled the EMD, and Connor steadied her as she aimed and fired at the Lycaenops. It hesitated, but didn't go down. The EMD fizzled: it had run out of charge.
"Run!" Abby exclaimed, pushing her husband.
"Good idea." He agreed, and they began to run. A shot was fired from a gun, the bullet narrowly missing Connor's ear. It downed the archosaur with a thud of impact, and it's collapse...
Tommie heard the sound of a gunshot, and his eyes widened. A million different thoughts whirled through his mind, all the possible bad things that might've happened. Was it Helen?! It could be Helen! Please let it not be Helen, please let them be okay... He sped up, glancing up every now and then at Angel, flying quietly overhead. She seemed to be leading him in the right direction, the way towards where the gunshot sound had come from. His heart in his throat, Tommie pushed onwards.
Connor and Abby twisted around and stopped running. They breathed a sigh of relief when the Lycaenops didn't move again. Abby looked up.
"Jenny!?" Connor followed his wife's gaze, brow furrowed. The glare from the sun made it hard to see. 'Jenny' approached them, smiling wistfully.
"The name's Claudia Brown, actually." Connor gaped. The woman's hair was lighter in color, and she was dressed differently than Jenny usually did. But in all other respects, she was identical to their friend.
"Woah."
Tommie stayed low as he reached the top of the hill, fear and worry bunding together in his head to almost incapacitate him, but he did his best to work through it. He had to know; not knowing what had happened was worse. He crouched, peering over the crown of the hill between some shrubs, hidden in the shade of a giant fern 'tree'. His eyes widened at what he saw, unbelievably relieved at seeing his parents alive and well. Tommie frowned. Jenny? a gun?
Abby glanced at Connor, and then back to Claudia.
"As in, Cutter's Claudia?!" The woman chuckled.
"After a different Nick came through the anomaly, I decided to go looking for myself. Turns out it's not being lost in the past that made Helen psychotic, since I'm perfectly fine..." Connor was still gaping blankly.
"Conn." Abby said fondly; he blinked.
"Erm, wow. So, differen' universes, eh?" He paused. "Cutter's alive there?!" Connor exclaimed, sounding like the air had been punched out of him. Claudia hesitated.
"I've not been back in three years; for all I know, the same even might have occured there as in your world."
"How do you know what happened in our world?" Abby asked, ever initially suspicious of intentions. She balanced Connor out, who trusted implicitly. Claudia smiled, fondly.
"I've been travelling through anomalies for three years, Abby. Enough to know that you probably want to go up that hill over there before your son decides I'm a danger and does something silly."
Connor turned to look where Claudia gestured to, squinting against the sunlight. There, in the shade of a fern...
"Abbs, I think she's right. Should've known Tommie wouldn' sit still."
"When we get home, he's doubley grounded." Abby grumbled. She turned back to Claudia, and smiled. "It's nice to meet you - and thanks, for saving us." She said. Claudia inclined her head slightly, and shrugged. The gun, now back on safety, went into a holster at her waist.
"Let's go find him, and get you all home."
Connor looked 'round at Claudia; his surprise was mirrored in Abby's eyes as well.
"You're going to get us home?"
"I've learned a thing or two, and unlike Helen, I'm willing to share my knowledge." The time traveler told them. She opened the bag she had over her shoulder and pulled out a device. "This locates and reveals anomalies that aren't quite open yet." It was similar to the devices they had found in the future. Connor grinned.
"Brilliant."
"Come on then." Abby said, heading towards Tommie.
Angel chirped, swooping down on a wingtip and settling on the scrubby ground beside him. Tommie glanced at her, before peeking back over the bushes again. The woman had put her gun away... and his parents were looking his way! Tommie silently cursed, sighing. Yeah, they knew he was here, and whoever that was must not be dangerous; at least not to them. (to lycenops with the intentions of eating them, she clearly was a threat.) He got to his feet, waving sheepishly at his parents.
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TBC
AN: This Au's Claudia Brown somehow got mixed up with Doctor Who's River Song in my head, because travelling through anomalies always does /something/ to you, and making her more confident is it's effect upon Claudia, I guess. Idek, kay? ^^'