FIC: Matters of Dragons and Their Humans - Chapter 6 - Sharing a World AU - Lyle and Crew
Title: Matters of Dragons and Their Humans
Characters: Lyle*,Finn*, Kalti*, Roger Kenstone* (*OCs)
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Lyle and Finn belong to the awesome fredbassett, I promise to return them in one piece. Kalti and Roger belong to joereaves and I.
Summary: Crews should be sticking together.
A/N 1: This is a big jump into the AU world. There are still anomalies, there's still a team and there is even an ARC. There has also been a slight twist in evolution somewhere along the line and one more sentient species shares the Earth with humans, dragons.
A/N 2: Finally we got to the main storyline all the prequels have been building up to so far. This takes place around what would have been season 2 of the series, in 2008.
A/N 3: For a full list of all Sharing a World AU stories please have a look here. Thanks to fredbassett as always for the great beta, all remaining mistakes are mine.
Chapter 6
“I swear, if you don’t switch that noise you insist on calling music off. I’m going to find your collection of porn and burn it, Finn.”
Kenstone’s words were followed by a swift kick of steel-toed boots to the back of the other soldier’s seat which would almost certainly have sparked off another round of insults to each man’s ancestry if Lieutenant Mather had not put his foot firmly down.
In this particular case he did so on the brake pedal, causing Roger to end up hugging the passenger seat in front of him and nearly sending Finn through the windshield.
“For fuck’s sake you two, I swear I miss the way the winds drown you out when we’re flying.” Kalti’s glare was enough to quieten the two men’s sniping for the time being and the Lieutenant took advantage of the fact to reach over and switch the radio off, disconnecting Finn’s ipod and tossing it to the other man.
“I hope you’ve brought headphones along, Corporal.”
Obviously Finn had brought his headphones with him but that would have prevented him from annoying Kenstone to death, so he simply kicked back and stretched as loudly and obnoxiously as possible in the small passenger seat of Kalti’s battered jeep before starting to hum softly one of the tunes from his music collection.
“Remind me why exactly you two are coming along with me?” the Lieutenant asked, dryly.
“Because we caught you sneaking out of the ARC and we figured if you were going to corner the Captain and knock some sense into him then we might as well come along to provide moral support,” replied Roger from the back, his head peeking between the front seats.
“And in case you need to hold him down, sir, with all due respect, of course,” added Finn with a cheeky grin before Roger could continue, causing the younger man to glare at him.
“Sir, it’s just that it’s about time the Captain saw some sense. Everyone knows there was nothing else we could have done and if you two had been trapped on the other side of the anomaly with Gostegion, Ditzy said he would have most likely not have lasted long. It’s not right that he’s pushing everyone else away. We want to get Ghosty back as much as he does but everyone knows you and Captain Ryan are the only one who can knock some sense into him.” On a normal day Finn would have taken the piss no end about the way the younger soldier’s pale skin had flushed as he delivered what was obviously a long-rehearsed speech gone astray, but this was not a normal day. Even taking into account that they tended to chase extinct creatures for a living nowadays.
“I’ll talk to him first, I don’t want to make it look like we’re ganging up on him, even if you two seem to think it’s the way to go.” Kalti knew Lyle well enough to be sure that an approach like that would only spur the other soldier further away.
Moments later, the lieutenant took the small road off the A39, making his way down a narrow lane and past the last few houses before parking at the edge of the large field.
“Stay by the car, don’t get yourself into trouble and no, don’t even open your mouth, Finn. You could find trouble in a deserted field in the middle of the British countryside, in fact, you have done - several times - and you’re as bad, Roger. I’ll call you if I need you, otherwise, stay here.” And with that he was gone, taking with him the pack of beers he was hoping would serve both as bait and a pacifying gift.
The path was pitch black and the air freezing cold but Kalti had been around the anomaly site nearly non stop for the first few weeks, he and the rest of the crew having volunteered for as many guard duties as they had been able to get away with, up until the order had been rescinded.
Within minutes, he had made his way to the edge of the trees, the flickering light of a campfire now visible through the branches. Moments later Kalti finally had an unobstructed view of the clearing. Lyle was sitting close to the fire, elbows resting on his knees as he stared into the flickering flames. A battered-looking book was next to him on the ground and the casual observer would have thought the soldier totally oblivious to his surroundings. Kalti knew better.
As expected, the lieutenant hadn’t even stepped into the faint glow of the fire when he realised that Lyle’s eyes were following him.
“This place is starting to feel like Piccadilly Circus.” The captain’s usually jovial voice sounded hoarse and tired, the attempted joke not enough to disguise how he felt.
Kalti moved closer to the fire and flopped down next to the other man, putting the beers between them on the ground.
“Fields in the middle of the Somerset countryside have become a main tourist attraction lately, didn’t you know?” replied the Lieutenant, his lips twitching into a small smile when the words made the other man chuckle.
“Are you on your own?”
“Nah, I left the peanut gallery in the parking lot, told them to stay in the car.” As they spoke Kalti took a quick look around, noticing Lyle’s kit sitting a little further apart, packed and ready to go.
“Right, so that means they’ll probably be along in about five minutes then.” This time it was the lieutenant’s turn to grin as he shrugged and offered his captain one of the beers.
“I didn’t actually make it an order so probably less than that. Better get a head start on the beer before then.” Lyle chuckled tiredly again and took a healthy swig of his beer before looking into the fire for a long moment.
“Listen, Dean…” Lyle had barely started speaking, when Kalti interrupted him, firmly ignoring what was most likely to be an apology he didn’t need.
“I talked to Ryan and Stringer and since Kenstone, Finn and I are just acting as back up for their crews right now we sorted out a rota so that one of us can be here with you nearly ‘round the clock.” The soldier’s voice held a tone of finality which didn’t leave room for argument.
Lyle shook his head and chuckled softly. “Even if I told you to sod off it wouldn’t make you mutinous lot change your minds anyway,” Lyle scoffed and took another swig of his beer.
“About time you figured that out, Jon.” The lieutenant was not completely surprised by Lyle’s reaction, the many visits from Ryan over the course of the last several weeks must have started mollifying the man, or maybe all it had taken to hammer some sense into the the captain was time. Either way, no matter what Kalti had been telling Claudia about knowing that it wasn’t his fault Gostegion had been trapped on the other side of the anomaly, it still felt like a very heavy weight had been lifted off his chest.
They sat in companionable silence for a few more moments before the sound of broken branches and several muttered curses heralded the arrival of the rest of their crew. It was obviously all for show since the two soldiers were both more than capable of sneaking up on a dragon brooding over his egg.
Kalti checked his watch and whistled softly. “Nearly a full ten minutes, I’m impressed.”
As he spoke, Roger walked into the clearing, closely followed by Finn. “We didn’t hear any shouting or gunshots so we figured you two had managed not to off yourselves,” the young man offered with a small smile, in explanation for their appearance.
“Don’t be an idiot, Kenstone, they would have used knives anyway.” Finn grinned as they sat down around the fire and he swiped a can. “We just didn’t want you two to finish all the beer.”
Roger picked up a can of his own, fiddling with the tab as he glanced at Lyle who was still looking pensively into the fire. “So, does the general lack of bloodshed and bruises mean that we can start looking forward to regular bollocks-freezing trips to this lovely meadow in the middle of nowhere?”
Finn barely managed not to snort beer through his nose at the words before elbowing the younger man and mumbling something along the lines of eventually being able to make a man out of him.
“It means that I’ve got fed up trying to keep your mutineering lot in check. So, yeah, if you want to spend some time enjoying the luxuries of this lovely patch of dirt and scrub you’re welcome to it.” Lyle finally lifted his head and met the soldiers eyes one by one, the twisted smile on his lips enough for men who knew him so well to show how much their presence meant to their captain.
“Right, where’s the rest of the beers? These better not be the only ones you’ve brought, you cheap sods!”
Characters: Lyle*,Finn*, Kalti*, Roger Kenstone* (*OCs)
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Lyle and Finn belong to the awesome fredbassett, I promise to return them in one piece. Kalti and Roger belong to joereaves and I.
Summary: Crews should be sticking together.
A/N 1: This is a big jump into the AU world. There are still anomalies, there's still a team and there is even an ARC. There has also been a slight twist in evolution somewhere along the line and one more sentient species shares the Earth with humans, dragons.
A/N 2: Finally we got to the main storyline all the prequels have been building up to so far. This takes place around what would have been season 2 of the series, in 2008.
A/N 3: For a full list of all Sharing a World AU stories please have a look here. Thanks to fredbassett as always for the great beta, all remaining mistakes are mine.
Chapter 6
“I swear, if you don’t switch that noise you insist on calling music off. I’m going to find your collection of porn and burn it, Finn.”
Kenstone’s words were followed by a swift kick of steel-toed boots to the back of the other soldier’s seat which would almost certainly have sparked off another round of insults to each man’s ancestry if Lieutenant Mather had not put his foot firmly down.
In this particular case he did so on the brake pedal, causing Roger to end up hugging the passenger seat in front of him and nearly sending Finn through the windshield.
“For fuck’s sake you two, I swear I miss the way the winds drown you out when we’re flying.” Kalti’s glare was enough to quieten the two men’s sniping for the time being and the Lieutenant took advantage of the fact to reach over and switch the radio off, disconnecting Finn’s ipod and tossing it to the other man.
“I hope you’ve brought headphones along, Corporal.”
Obviously Finn had brought his headphones with him but that would have prevented him from annoying Kenstone to death, so he simply kicked back and stretched as loudly and obnoxiously as possible in the small passenger seat of Kalti’s battered jeep before starting to hum softly one of the tunes from his music collection.
“Remind me why exactly you two are coming along with me?” the Lieutenant asked, dryly.
“Because we caught you sneaking out of the ARC and we figured if you were going to corner the Captain and knock some sense into him then we might as well come along to provide moral support,” replied Roger from the back, his head peeking between the front seats.
“And in case you need to hold him down, sir, with all due respect, of course,” added Finn with a cheeky grin before Roger could continue, causing the younger man to glare at him.
“Sir, it’s just that it’s about time the Captain saw some sense. Everyone knows there was nothing else we could have done and if you two had been trapped on the other side of the anomaly with Gostegion, Ditzy said he would have most likely not have lasted long. It’s not right that he’s pushing everyone else away. We want to get Ghosty back as much as he does but everyone knows you and Captain Ryan are the only one who can knock some sense into him.” On a normal day Finn would have taken the piss no end about the way the younger soldier’s pale skin had flushed as he delivered what was obviously a long-rehearsed speech gone astray, but this was not a normal day. Even taking into account that they tended to chase extinct creatures for a living nowadays.
“I’ll talk to him first, I don’t want to make it look like we’re ganging up on him, even if you two seem to think it’s the way to go.” Kalti knew Lyle well enough to be sure that an approach like that would only spur the other soldier further away.
Moments later, the lieutenant took the small road off the A39, making his way down a narrow lane and past the last few houses before parking at the edge of the large field.
“Stay by the car, don’t get yourself into trouble and no, don’t even open your mouth, Finn. You could find trouble in a deserted field in the middle of the British countryside, in fact, you have done - several times - and you’re as bad, Roger. I’ll call you if I need you, otherwise, stay here.” And with that he was gone, taking with him the pack of beers he was hoping would serve both as bait and a pacifying gift.
The path was pitch black and the air freezing cold but Kalti had been around the anomaly site nearly non stop for the first few weeks, he and the rest of the crew having volunteered for as many guard duties as they had been able to get away with, up until the order had been rescinded.
Within minutes, he had made his way to the edge of the trees, the flickering light of a campfire now visible through the branches. Moments later Kalti finally had an unobstructed view of the clearing. Lyle was sitting close to the fire, elbows resting on his knees as he stared into the flickering flames. A battered-looking book was next to him on the ground and the casual observer would have thought the soldier totally oblivious to his surroundings. Kalti knew better.
As expected, the lieutenant hadn’t even stepped into the faint glow of the fire when he realised that Lyle’s eyes were following him.
“This place is starting to feel like Piccadilly Circus.” The captain’s usually jovial voice sounded hoarse and tired, the attempted joke not enough to disguise how he felt.
Kalti moved closer to the fire and flopped down next to the other man, putting the beers between them on the ground.
“Fields in the middle of the Somerset countryside have become a main tourist attraction lately, didn’t you know?” replied the Lieutenant, his lips twitching into a small smile when the words made the other man chuckle.
“Are you on your own?”
“Nah, I left the peanut gallery in the parking lot, told them to stay in the car.” As they spoke Kalti took a quick look around, noticing Lyle’s kit sitting a little further apart, packed and ready to go.
“Right, so that means they’ll probably be along in about five minutes then.” This time it was the lieutenant’s turn to grin as he shrugged and offered his captain one of the beers.
“I didn’t actually make it an order so probably less than that. Better get a head start on the beer before then.” Lyle chuckled tiredly again and took a healthy swig of his beer before looking into the fire for a long moment.
“Listen, Dean…” Lyle had barely started speaking, when Kalti interrupted him, firmly ignoring what was most likely to be an apology he didn’t need.
“I talked to Ryan and Stringer and since Kenstone, Finn and I are just acting as back up for their crews right now we sorted out a rota so that one of us can be here with you nearly ‘round the clock.” The soldier’s voice held a tone of finality which didn’t leave room for argument.
Lyle shook his head and chuckled softly. “Even if I told you to sod off it wouldn’t make you mutinous lot change your minds anyway,” Lyle scoffed and took another swig of his beer.
“About time you figured that out, Jon.” The lieutenant was not completely surprised by Lyle’s reaction, the many visits from Ryan over the course of the last several weeks must have started mollifying the man, or maybe all it had taken to hammer some sense into the the captain was time. Either way, no matter what Kalti had been telling Claudia about knowing that it wasn’t his fault Gostegion had been trapped on the other side of the anomaly, it still felt like a very heavy weight had been lifted off his chest.
They sat in companionable silence for a few more moments before the sound of broken branches and several muttered curses heralded the arrival of the rest of their crew. It was obviously all for show since the two soldiers were both more than capable of sneaking up on a dragon brooding over his egg.
Kalti checked his watch and whistled softly. “Nearly a full ten minutes, I’m impressed.”
As he spoke, Roger walked into the clearing, closely followed by Finn. “We didn’t hear any shouting or gunshots so we figured you two had managed not to off yourselves,” the young man offered with a small smile, in explanation for their appearance.
“Don’t be an idiot, Kenstone, they would have used knives anyway.” Finn grinned as they sat down around the fire and he swiped a can. “We just didn’t want you two to finish all the beer.”
Roger picked up a can of his own, fiddling with the tab as he glanced at Lyle who was still looking pensively into the fire. “So, does the general lack of bloodshed and bruises mean that we can start looking forward to regular bollocks-freezing trips to this lovely meadow in the middle of nowhere?”
Finn barely managed not to snort beer through his nose at the words before elbowing the younger man and mumbling something along the lines of eventually being able to make a man out of him.
“It means that I’ve got fed up trying to keep your mutineering lot in check. So, yeah, if you want to spend some time enjoying the luxuries of this lovely patch of dirt and scrub you’re welcome to it.” Lyle finally lifted his head and met the soldiers eyes one by one, the twisted smile on his lips enough for men who knew him so well to show how much their presence meant to their captain.
“Right, where’s the rest of the beers? These better not be the only ones you’ve brought, you cheap sods!”