Primeval Art Fic: First Meetings (4/5)
Title: First Meetings (4/5)
Author: knitekat
Word Count: 1875 for this part 1905
Characters: James Lester, Danny Quinn with Monty, Abby Maitland, Hilary Becker and OCs & OMs.
Rating: 18
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures. Certainly not me. Writing for fun and will replace.
A/N: For the Primeval Art Fic Prompt: Thanks go to Fififolle for the beta, all remaining mistakes are mine - especially as I've added to it since Fi looked at it. Also thanks go to Fred for her wonderful art.
Warning: Offscreen animal death and mutilation.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Danny nodded as he inspected his carefully constructed scene - Lester had reluctantly agreed to sprawl on the floor, at least, he had once Danny reminded him that he had been the one knocked unconscious. Danny frowned when he realised just how pale Lester was, his real worry lending sincerity to his cry for aid. Still, he had been somewhat surprised when his plan worked; the man on guard duty had peered into their cell, taken one look at a motionless Lester and stepped inside. Danny had felt a moment of remorse at the way the man's head had bounced on the floor after his left-hook, at least, he had until he remembered the man was a poacher.
“Are you ready to leave, Quinn?” Lester's drawl had Danny looking down to meet the man's amused eyes.
“Course, guv,” Danny replied as he held out his hand and hauled Lester to his feet. He paused to hog-tie the poacher before stepping through the door to join Lester. “This way.” He stopped and turned back after a few steps when he realised Lester hadn't followed him, that he was looking around as if trying to decide which way to go. “Guv?” Danny returned to Lester's side. “We've got to get out of here.”
Lester nodded but still resisted Danny's attempts to urge him on. “I can't.”
“Lester?” Danny's worry grew as he took hold of Lester's chin gently, tilting his head until Danny could look in his eyes again. “Are you feeling OK?”
“Yes.” Lester pulled free of Danny's grip, wincing at the sudden movement and swaying slightly until Danny steady Lester by holding his arm. “I can't leave him, Quinn.”
Danny exhaled before nodding, he didn't want to leave the calf either. “I was going to get you out first and then come back for him.”
“We'd stand a better chance together.” Lester frowned and turned towards a faint sound, one that Danny recognised as from a mammoth... from the calf. “Come along, Quinn, don't dawdle.”
Danny shook his head when Lester pulled free of his grip and strolled off down the corridor. The man was walking into danger with a bloody head injury and he called Danny reckless. Oh fuck! Did Lester even know what he was doing? Did he knew when he let Danny kiss him? When he'd kissed Danny back? Fuck! “Lester?”
Lester spun around, staggering slightly, but the glare he shot at Danny was clear. “Either shut up and help me, Quinn,” he spat, “or piss off.”
Danny's mouth opened and closed without a sound before he shook his head and jogged after Lester. Damn the man for making sense when all Danny wanted was him outside and safe. “Wait up, Lester.”
“Good of you to join me, Quinn.”
***
Danny followed Lester as the man strolled down the corridor as if he owned the place, and he knew it might actually work. Look like you belonged and most people would assume you did. Still, Danny kept his eyes open for trouble and half his attention on Lester in case the man collapsed again. He blinked as a smell began to waft towards them, heavy and musky. “What the hell is that?”
Lester paused, taking a deeper breath than Danny thought advisable and then he was moving faster, and Danny had to jog to catch him up. Bloody hell, if Lester ever accused Danny of being reckless, he would bring this situation up. “Lester! Wait, will you?” Danny finally caught up with Lester in time to help him open a door, the stench that hit him making Danny's eyes water.
Lester didn't seem to notice the stench as he walked into the room, although Danny noticed the man's whole body tense before he said, “Bloody hell.”
Danny quickly checked the corridor before closing and locking the door behind them. He turned to see what had Lester swearing, he leaned over the railing of the walkway they were on, his eyes widening at the sight below them. “Bloody fucking hell.”
“Quite, Quinn.”
Lester's voice was hard and Danny looked up at him with a frown before following his guv's gaze to the rifle rest set around the walkway. This didn't make sense, why slaughter the mammoths outside yet hold this group captive for some rich idiot to shoot? Except... maybe... and the evidence did point that way. The group who had captured them must have been trying to make money on the side, killing for the ivory and hiding it without giving the rest of the group a cut; it wouldn't be the first time crooks had double-crossed each other. It would certainly explain the makeshift cell he and Lester had been held in. He turned to ask Lester what he thought and cursed when he realised the bloody man wasn't there. Where the hell had he gone now? He peered over the side when he heard a noise, his eyes widening again when he located Lester, climbing down a ladder into the herd of large and nervous mammoths. Fucking huge mammoths. “Lester! What the hell are you doing?”
“I'd have thought it was obvious, Quinn. How did you ever become a policeman with your woeful lack of observation?”
“Like you're doing something fucking stupid and are about to get trampled. I thought I was supposed to be the reckless one?” Danny muttered to himself before clambering down to join Lester. Someone needed to keep an eye on him when the bloody man wasn't thinking straight. Danny winced when he reached the bottom and realised he'd put his foot in something. His best pair of boots too, maybe he could put them on expenses? Which reminded him that he needed to find Lester and get him out of here in one piece.
Danny manoeuvred his way past the stamping, squealing, farting and shitting mammoths as he searched for Lester. He smiled when he found Lester, not that it should have been a surprise to find him with the calf, which was squealing happily as he wound his trunk around Lester's wrist once more as the man petted and stroked him. Danny felt a twinge of jealousy at the attention the calf was getting before suppressing it, the calf had been through hell and deserved the fuss, even if Danny wanted it to be him... He shook his head and wondered if mammoth shit was hazardous to his mental health. “Can we go now?”
“In a minute,” Lester murmured, stroking the calf and looking up into the eyes of one of the mammoths, her trunk stretched out towards the penned calf. “Do you think they’d adopt him?”
“What?” Danny exclaimed, his gaze going to the mammoth herd and he knew just what Lester was suggesting. “This is bloody reckless,” Danny muttered.
“I have a plan, do you ever have one?” Lester asked.
“Oh?” Danny pointed at one of the mammoths, it's tusks looking rather dangerous as swung it's head around to peer at them. “Do they know?”
Lester paused to look at the mammoths. “They are intelligent, possibly more than you.”
Danny glanced at the mammoths before turning back to Lester and swore when he realised the man had disappeared again. He followed the calf's gaze and saw Lester ducking around the front of one of the mammoths, seemingly unconcerned that the massive beast could trample him or even gore him with one of its tusks. When they got back to the ARC, he was going to make sure whatever medics they had gave Lester a thorough check-up, for brain damage as well, after this. He snorted, it made a change for someone else to be acting recklessly and causing others to worry about him... maybe he'd have to be more careful in the future? He snorted, surprising a squeal from the calf, who was he kidding? Reckless was his middle name. A second squeal from the calf reminded him he needed to find Lester and get him and the calf out of there.
Danny moved cautiously through the trumpeting mammoth herd, ducking a tusk as one of them turned to look at him and sidestepping rapidly as another almost had a shit on him. He finally found Lester near to a set of large doors and grabbed his shoulder. “Lester? What the hell are you doing?”
“I thought you wanted to rescue them?” Lester replied, absent-mindedly patting a mammoth, seemingly oblivious that he could be trampled at any moment.
Both men jumped at a noise, before realising it was one of the mammoth's shouldering the door, which gave slightly but remained stubbornly closed. Danny held his breath when Lester moved around the mammoth, patting its side before stepping in front of it. “Lester...” He breathed, almost too scared to move in case he panicked the mammoth and it squished Lester against the doors.
Lester appeared to be completely ignoring the danger as he examined the chain. A trunk reached over his shoulder, wrapped around the chain and gave it an experimental tug. Lester just patted the trunk before turning towards Danny, an eyebrow quirked in enquiry. “Would your résumé include picking locks, Quinn?”
Danny cautiously sidled past the largest mammoth, he assumed the matriarch of the herd, to join Lester at the door. “No, guv.”
“Hmm,” Lester murmured thoughtful. “I thought kicking doors open was more your style.”
“Only bit of being a copper I really liked.”
Lester snorted. “Why am I not surprised? Now, pass me that nail.”
“Guv?” Danny did as he was asked, frowning when Lester began to pick the lock. “Where the hell did you learn to pick locks.”
“I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you.”
“Ha, ha, guv,” Danny muttered before jumping when the chain fell to the floor with a loud clatter. He listened intently for footsteps, wondering if anyone had heard before remembering that the mammoths probably made more noise than they had. “Now what?”
“We let them out,” Lester informed him before pushing on the door.
“And then?” Danny had the feeling Lester wasn't going to let this facility remain standing.
“Then we destroy this place and go home.” Lester raised an eyebrow.
“Right, guv.” Danny said before pulling Lester out of the way when the matriarch standing over them pushed the door open. She caressed first Lester and then Danny with her trunk before rumbling and stepping through the door, the other mammoths following her. A panicked squeal from the calf had the herd stopping and milling as the matriarch turned around to move back inside the cage.
Lester cursed before hurrying over to the calf and opened his pen as Danny kept watch. Danny swallowed hard as he watched the calf wrap his trunk around Lester, almost reluctant to let go of him as Lester walked past the herd until he reached the matriarch. Lester stared up into the mammoth's eyes before he gave the calf a final stroke, unwound his trunk and stepped back. “Go with them.” The calf raised his trunk, sniffing and caressing Lester, before he trumpeted at the matriarch rumble and wrapped his trunk around her tail.
Danny smiled as the herd moved into the sunlight, knowing they'd done all they could for the mammoths and the little calf.
“Quinn!”
“Guv?” Danny tore his attention from the herd and turned towards Lester. A very angry and determined looking Lester. “Time to blow this place?”
“Definitely, Quinn.”
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Author: knitekat
Word Count: 1875 for this part 1905
Characters: James Lester, Danny Quinn with Monty, Abby Maitland, Hilary Becker and OCs & OMs.
Rating: 18
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures. Certainly not me. Writing for fun and will replace.
A/N: For the Primeval Art Fic Prompt: Thanks go to Fififolle for the beta, all remaining mistakes are mine - especially as I've added to it since Fi looked at it. Also thanks go to Fred for her wonderful art.
Warning: Offscreen animal death and mutilation.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Danny nodded as he inspected his carefully constructed scene - Lester had reluctantly agreed to sprawl on the floor, at least, he had once Danny reminded him that he had been the one knocked unconscious. Danny frowned when he realised just how pale Lester was, his real worry lending sincerity to his cry for aid. Still, he had been somewhat surprised when his plan worked; the man on guard duty had peered into their cell, taken one look at a motionless Lester and stepped inside. Danny had felt a moment of remorse at the way the man's head had bounced on the floor after his left-hook, at least, he had until he remembered the man was a poacher.
“Are you ready to leave, Quinn?” Lester's drawl had Danny looking down to meet the man's amused eyes.
“Course, guv,” Danny replied as he held out his hand and hauled Lester to his feet. He paused to hog-tie the poacher before stepping through the door to join Lester. “This way.” He stopped and turned back after a few steps when he realised Lester hadn't followed him, that he was looking around as if trying to decide which way to go. “Guv?” Danny returned to Lester's side. “We've got to get out of here.”
Lester nodded but still resisted Danny's attempts to urge him on. “I can't.”
“Lester?” Danny's worry grew as he took hold of Lester's chin gently, tilting his head until Danny could look in his eyes again. “Are you feeling OK?”
“Yes.” Lester pulled free of Danny's grip, wincing at the sudden movement and swaying slightly until Danny steady Lester by holding his arm. “I can't leave him, Quinn.”
Danny exhaled before nodding, he didn't want to leave the calf either. “I was going to get you out first and then come back for him.”
“We'd stand a better chance together.” Lester frowned and turned towards a faint sound, one that Danny recognised as from a mammoth... from the calf. “Come along, Quinn, don't dawdle.”
Danny shook his head when Lester pulled free of his grip and strolled off down the corridor. The man was walking into danger with a bloody head injury and he called Danny reckless. Oh fuck! Did Lester even know what he was doing? Did he knew when he let Danny kiss him? When he'd kissed Danny back? Fuck! “Lester?”
Lester spun around, staggering slightly, but the glare he shot at Danny was clear. “Either shut up and help me, Quinn,” he spat, “or piss off.”
Danny's mouth opened and closed without a sound before he shook his head and jogged after Lester. Damn the man for making sense when all Danny wanted was him outside and safe. “Wait up, Lester.”
“Good of you to join me, Quinn.”
***
Danny followed Lester as the man strolled down the corridor as if he owned the place, and he knew it might actually work. Look like you belonged and most people would assume you did. Still, Danny kept his eyes open for trouble and half his attention on Lester in case the man collapsed again. He blinked as a smell began to waft towards them, heavy and musky. “What the hell is that?”
Lester paused, taking a deeper breath than Danny thought advisable and then he was moving faster, and Danny had to jog to catch him up. Bloody hell, if Lester ever accused Danny of being reckless, he would bring this situation up. “Lester! Wait, will you?” Danny finally caught up with Lester in time to help him open a door, the stench that hit him making Danny's eyes water.
Lester didn't seem to notice the stench as he walked into the room, although Danny noticed the man's whole body tense before he said, “Bloody hell.”
Danny quickly checked the corridor before closing and locking the door behind them. He turned to see what had Lester swearing, he leaned over the railing of the walkway they were on, his eyes widening at the sight below them. “Bloody fucking hell.”
“Quite, Quinn.”
Lester's voice was hard and Danny looked up at him with a frown before following his guv's gaze to the rifle rest set around the walkway. This didn't make sense, why slaughter the mammoths outside yet hold this group captive for some rich idiot to shoot? Except... maybe... and the evidence did point that way. The group who had captured them must have been trying to make money on the side, killing for the ivory and hiding it without giving the rest of the group a cut; it wouldn't be the first time crooks had double-crossed each other. It would certainly explain the makeshift cell he and Lester had been held in. He turned to ask Lester what he thought and cursed when he realised the bloody man wasn't there. Where the hell had he gone now? He peered over the side when he heard a noise, his eyes widening again when he located Lester, climbing down a ladder into the herd of large and nervous mammoths. Fucking huge mammoths. “Lester! What the hell are you doing?”
“I'd have thought it was obvious, Quinn. How did you ever become a policeman with your woeful lack of observation?”
“Like you're doing something fucking stupid and are about to get trampled. I thought I was supposed to be the reckless one?” Danny muttered to himself before clambering down to join Lester. Someone needed to keep an eye on him when the bloody man wasn't thinking straight. Danny winced when he reached the bottom and realised he'd put his foot in something. His best pair of boots too, maybe he could put them on expenses? Which reminded him that he needed to find Lester and get him out of here in one piece.
Danny manoeuvred his way past the stamping, squealing, farting and shitting mammoths as he searched for Lester. He smiled when he found Lester, not that it should have been a surprise to find him with the calf, which was squealing happily as he wound his trunk around Lester's wrist once more as the man petted and stroked him. Danny felt a twinge of jealousy at the attention the calf was getting before suppressing it, the calf had been through hell and deserved the fuss, even if Danny wanted it to be him... He shook his head and wondered if mammoth shit was hazardous to his mental health. “Can we go now?”
“In a minute,” Lester murmured, stroking the calf and looking up into the eyes of one of the mammoths, her trunk stretched out towards the penned calf. “Do you think they’d adopt him?”
“What?” Danny exclaimed, his gaze going to the mammoth herd and he knew just what Lester was suggesting. “This is bloody reckless,” Danny muttered.
“I have a plan, do you ever have one?” Lester asked.
“Oh?” Danny pointed at one of the mammoths, it's tusks looking rather dangerous as swung it's head around to peer at them. “Do they know?”
Lester paused to look at the mammoths. “They are intelligent, possibly more than you.”
Danny glanced at the mammoths before turning back to Lester and swore when he realised the man had disappeared again. He followed the calf's gaze and saw Lester ducking around the front of one of the mammoths, seemingly unconcerned that the massive beast could trample him or even gore him with one of its tusks. When they got back to the ARC, he was going to make sure whatever medics they had gave Lester a thorough check-up, for brain damage as well, after this. He snorted, it made a change for someone else to be acting recklessly and causing others to worry about him... maybe he'd have to be more careful in the future? He snorted, surprising a squeal from the calf, who was he kidding? Reckless was his middle name. A second squeal from the calf reminded him he needed to find Lester and get him and the calf out of there.
Danny moved cautiously through the trumpeting mammoth herd, ducking a tusk as one of them turned to look at him and sidestepping rapidly as another almost had a shit on him. He finally found Lester near to a set of large doors and grabbed his shoulder. “Lester? What the hell are you doing?”
“I thought you wanted to rescue them?” Lester replied, absent-mindedly patting a mammoth, seemingly oblivious that he could be trampled at any moment.
Both men jumped at a noise, before realising it was one of the mammoth's shouldering the door, which gave slightly but remained stubbornly closed. Danny held his breath when Lester moved around the mammoth, patting its side before stepping in front of it. “Lester...” He breathed, almost too scared to move in case he panicked the mammoth and it squished Lester against the doors.
Lester appeared to be completely ignoring the danger as he examined the chain. A trunk reached over his shoulder, wrapped around the chain and gave it an experimental tug. Lester just patted the trunk before turning towards Danny, an eyebrow quirked in enquiry. “Would your résumé include picking locks, Quinn?”
Danny cautiously sidled past the largest mammoth, he assumed the matriarch of the herd, to join Lester at the door. “No, guv.”
“Hmm,” Lester murmured thoughtful. “I thought kicking doors open was more your style.”
“Only bit of being a copper I really liked.”
Lester snorted. “Why am I not surprised? Now, pass me that nail.”
“Guv?” Danny did as he was asked, frowning when Lester began to pick the lock. “Where the hell did you learn to pick locks.”
“I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you.”
“Ha, ha, guv,” Danny muttered before jumping when the chain fell to the floor with a loud clatter. He listened intently for footsteps, wondering if anyone had heard before remembering that the mammoths probably made more noise than they had. “Now what?”
“We let them out,” Lester informed him before pushing on the door.
“And then?” Danny had the feeling Lester wasn't going to let this facility remain standing.
“Then we destroy this place and go home.” Lester raised an eyebrow.
“Right, guv.” Danny said before pulling Lester out of the way when the matriarch standing over them pushed the door open. She caressed first Lester and then Danny with her trunk before rumbling and stepping through the door, the other mammoths following her. A panicked squeal from the calf had the herd stopping and milling as the matriarch turned around to move back inside the cage.
Lester cursed before hurrying over to the calf and opened his pen as Danny kept watch. Danny swallowed hard as he watched the calf wrap his trunk around Lester, almost reluctant to let go of him as Lester walked past the herd until he reached the matriarch. Lester stared up into the mammoth's eyes before he gave the calf a final stroke, unwound his trunk and stepped back. “Go with them.” The calf raised his trunk, sniffing and caressing Lester, before he trumpeted at the matriarch rumble and wrapped his trunk around her tail.
Danny smiled as the herd moved into the sunlight, knowing they'd done all they could for the mammoths and the little calf.
“Quinn!”
“Guv?” Danny tore his attention from the herd and turned towards Lester. A very angry and determined looking Lester. “Time to blow this place?”
“Definitely, Quinn.”
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5