Fic, Silk and Steel, Part 80

[fredbassett]

Title : Silk and Steel, Part 80
Authors : fredbassett & munchkinofdoom
Fandom : Primeval
Characters : Nick, Stephen, Connor, Abby, Annie, Blade, Stringer, Lacey, Matt Rees.
Rating : 18
Disclaimer : Not ours, no money made, don’t sue
Spoilers : None
Summary : The team are called away from the ARC to an anomaly.
Warning : Slave!fic.
A/N : The links to all previous parts can be found HERE. Tanya Lacey appears with kind permission of reggietate and Matt Rees appears courtesy of telperion_15.

Annie Morris frowned as she followed Nick out of the atrium into the cavernous garage. She knew that she shouldn't let Helen Cutter get to her, but with Ryan’s death and its hideous sequel still fresh in her mind, Annie would be the first to admit that she was still feeling on edge, and Helen was enough to unsettle anyone. The back of her neck still prickled from the ferocity of Helen's venomous stare before the other woman had turned it on Oliver Leek. Annie didn't envy him in the slightest. Helen was a force to be reckoned with, and Annie still wasn’t sure how much of a backbone Leek possessed.

"Have there been any reports of creatures yet?"

Annie's head jerked up as Nick's question intruded on her thoughts. She barely avoided stepping on the other professor's heels as he came to a stop beside the four-wheel drive that he and Stephen always used on call-outs. She stepped hurriedly around him, offering Blade a vague smile as he automatically changed direction to allow for her sudden presence. She found it a comfort, as usual, that Niall was so aware of her at all times. It made her feel safe, which was a luxury that had become increasingly rare since she had taken up James' offer of a position in the ARC.

Connor's voice responded from the other side of the vehicle. "Nothing yet," he said as he concentrated on his mobile phone.

He was a smart boy, that one, Annie mused, exactly the sort she liked to take under her wing. The studious, hard working ones were a useful commodity in academia, but if you were managing a hi-tech experimental laboratory, it was the ones who thought out of the box – and who could back up their wacky ideas with hard science – who were to be treasured. Connor definitely came into that category. Annie only hoped that the young man survived the Anomaly Project long enough to realise his full potential.

She sighed – the survival of all of them was inextricably linked to the Cutters. For better or worse, both Nick and Helen, each in a different way, held the lives of everyone on the project in their hands. And, somehow, Annie had to make Nick understand that. God only knew how long it would take before she could deliver this world's Nick Cutter back to James Lester – and to Oliver Leek, too – and so the Nick they now had was all they had to work with for the moment.

As Annie approached the vehicle, Blade’s hand on her arm quickly brought her to a halt. “I haven’t checked the vehicle yet, Professor.”

He carried out a rapid inspection of both the interior and the underside of their transport. As Annie watched him work, she couldn’t rid herself of the feeling that something was bothering him, and it concerned her that even with their level of intimacy, he still seemed unable – or unwilling – to fully confide in her. Several times the previous night he had to be appeared on the verge of saying something, but then the invisible shutters had come down again and he’d skilfully deflected any questions designed to elicit his own reactions to the death of his commanding officer. For all Blade’s reticence in discussing personal matters, she knew he had held Ryan in high regard, but the young soldier seemed determined not to open up on the matter and eventually she’d simply ended up letting go of her own pent-up emotions in his arms and crying herself into an exhausted but unfortunately not dreamless sleep.

His inspection finished, Blade held open the door of the second ARC vehicle for her. Annie smiled again at him. Something was still bothering him, she was certain of it, but now wasn’t the right time for introspection. She only hoped that her young guardian would eventually be willing to confide in her.

The three ARC vehicles pulled out of the garage in an orderly line, Stephen driving the first, with Nick, Connor and Abby as passengers, Tanya Lacey riding shotgun for the two younger members of the team as ever. Annie was in the front seat of the second car, with Blade driving, and from her vantage point she could see Connor leaning toward Abby's blonde head. It looked like the two were hovering over whatever Connor was displaying on his phone.

Annie looked over her shoulder, beyond the two soldiers in the back seat of their vehicle. They were Thomson’s men, but she didn’t know their names. She could just make out Captain Stringer in the driver's seat of the third car, with the remaining members of his team filling out the rest of the seats.

"Don't worry, Professor," Blade said quietly beside her. "We have plenty of back-up."

She sighed softly and turned back to him. "It isn't that, Niall. It just seems strange without…" She came to an abrupt halt, not wanting to bring up Ryan’s death again. She needed to concentrate on the task at hand – they all did.

Acting instinctively, she reached across and laid her hand softly for a moment on Blade's. His face froze again and she was about to apologise. But then he shot a quick glance in the rear view mirror, swallowed, let go of the steering wheel with one hand and gave hers a brief, gentle squeeze. Then he returned his attention to driving as if nothing was amiss.

Annie swallowed compulsively and closed her eyes, praying silently that she would not embarrass him with tears. Blade deserved better than that. She turned her head blindly toward the window, blinked a few times and gave a surreptitious sniff. A hand appeared in the corner of her bleary vision, waving a handkerchief. She took it gratefully and blew her nose. She leaned her head against the window and watched the scenery as the car drove at speed down a dual carriageway heading for the motorway.

The rest of the trip passed quietly, the handkerchief a comforting presence in her grip.

* * * * *

Epping Forest was calm and silent in the afternoon sun. There were still a few hours left before the slight chill of early spring would give way to a colder night. The leafless trees looked cold and stark, much like Annie’s own mood. The only thing that did anything to brighten the scene was the low-slung sunlight, shining through the trees, golden and bright, in harmony with the silver and gold tones of the anomaly that had produced the call-out.

Abby and Stephen were out of the car in front, already well on their way to the anomaly. Nick stood beside the open door of the Land Rover, surveying the area, and Connor was – somehow – walking slowly toward the anomaly while concentrating on the mobile phone in his gloved hands.

"Still no reports of animals," Connor called.

Nick nodded absently as he turned toward the second car, meeting Annie's gaze. He looked at her enquiringly, as though gauging her composure, and then turned away to join his team. The nod she’d given him had presumably proved enough reassurance that she was in full control of her emotions.

Members of Captain Stringer's team streamed past her as they hurried toward the anomaly, rifles held ready. Stringer stopped beside her, nodding his head at Blade and Lacey, the only members of Ryan's people present.

"Ma'am," Stringer said politely. "Have you got particular instructions for us?”

"Thank you, Captain, yes. We need to examine the anomaly from the other side."

"I'm not sure Captain Thomson would approve of Connor going through the anomaly, considering his current work with the ADD."

Annie smiled. "Then we won't tell Captain Thomson."

Stringer shook his head ruefully. "You’re putting me in a difficult position, Professor."

"I think I can deal with the good captain," she replied a little cheekily.

"Just remember you said that if he gets on my case about it, ma'am," Stringer said, his words softened by a small smile. He shook his head ruefully and then waved her forward.

Annie returned his smile and then turned in the direction of the anomaly. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Blade's troubled expression and sighed softly to herself. She had survived decades of politicking in academia – not to mention a major creature incursion in the ARC. She could take care of herself – and more importantly, she knew when to yell for help while running like hell in the other direction. But his concern was also rather touching.

Blade stayed by her side, matching her stride effortlessly as she walked toward the anomaly. Abby and Stephen were crouched in front of it, their tousled heads, one dark, one blonde, close together as they inspected the ground.

Nick nodded to her as Annie joined the small group. Connor looked up and smiled, his face still drawn and tired. The boy really needed to sleep for a few days. Actually, she thought as she looked around, all of Nick's team needed to get some proper rest. Every one of them had dark shadows under their eyes, faces pale and drawn. And frankly, the soldiers weren’t much better off.

"Are we in any danger, Nick?" she asked.

Nick was careful not to leave his back exposed to the anomaly. He stood guard, almost instinctively, over his two charges, looking out at the area around them. "Too soon to tell," he replied. "Abby? Stephen?"

"Pug marks," Abby said. She looked up at Nick and continued. "Soft pads, non-retractable claws. I can't narrow it down yet, but from what I've seen at the zoo, I'd guess some sort of hyaena."

"Four, maybe five of them," Stephen added. He pointed at the scuffed up ground. "There's a blood trail."

"Is one of them injured?" Annie enquired.

Abby looked up and shook her head. "They're tracking some sort of herbivore. Mid-sized at most. Probably an antelope of some sort."

"This all sounds very modern," Stringer said, joining the conversation.

"I've seen similar footprints for both animals at the zoo," Abby confirmed.

Nick nodded. "We won't know until we see what's on the other side of the anomaly, but my guess is that it's going to be modern era North Africa or Eurasia. Pleistocene, maybe, well within the last million years. But I won't know until I see the creatures and their habitat."

"Hyaenas? Are we talking African hyaenas?" Stringer asked. "Dangerous?"

"A pack of hyaenas would definitely present a danger," said Nick. "But we don't know what species we're looking at here."

"It makes a difference?"

Abby stood up and nodded. "Definitely. If they're spotted hyaenas, we could be in trouble. They live in large, social packs and kill up to 90% of their diet. But we've only got four or five animals here. That's a small group for spotted hyaenas."

"And I'm pretty sure that half of these animals are juveniles," Stephen added.

"A family unit," Nick said, nodding agreement.

"So, not dangerous?" Stringer pressed. “Help me out here, Professor, I need some idea of the threat level.”

"Again, it's too soon to tell. Until we know, we have a job to do."

"Okay, Professor, so what do you want us to do?" Stringer, like all the soldiers, had perfected the art of disguising his irritation with the science team.

Nick looked at Annie. "I take it you need some tests done on the other side of the anomaly?"

She nodded.

He turned his attention to Connor. "And I suppose you just have to go through?"

Connor grinned. "Wait for me! I need to get my mobile probe."

"I’m sure Annie wouldn't dream of going anywhere without you, Connor," Nick said playfully. "But you're not going anywhere until we get an all-clear on the other side of the anomaly."

"What about us?" Stringer pressed.

Nick held up one hand. "Annie, are you sure you want to go through?"

"Yes. I need to take some readings."

"Okay. Captain, I'd like to send a small military team with Stephen through the anomaly for a quick reccie. We need to know what to expect on the other side before letting anyone else go through. How many people can you spare?"

"You think we've got hyaenas on this side and you can’t tell me how dangerous they are," Stringer summarised. “And you want me to split my lads up so you can gather some data.” The soldier’s tone made his disapproval clear.

Nick nodded. "That's why I'm staying back here with Abby. I'd like to keep one of our animal experts on this side of the anomaly, at least for now."

Stringer thought for a moment and then turned away to call out to his soldiers. "Rees! Over here and bring Hennessy with you." He turned back to the scientists. "Hart, is that enough for you?"

Stephen nodded. "We're not going to be there long. I just need to have a quick look at the lie of the land and hopefully get some warning of anything else about to come through."

Annie watched with interest as Lieutenant Rees joined the small group huddled in front of the anomaly. He was one of the few newcomers she knew by name. The attractive young man was something of an enigma. He was one of Captain Thomson's men, which wasn't a tick in his favour, but he'd already proven himself to be both honest and compassionate in the short time he'd been in the ARC.

Rees studiously avoided Nick's gaze as he handed a rifle over to Stephen. The boy learned fast, Annie mused.

"I'll take the tranquilliser gun as well. Hopefully we won't need to use the M4s," Stephen said quickly, clearly trying to reassure Nick.

"I should hope not. This close to the modern era, we're probably dealing with animals that are still in existence. We can't take any chances with them."

Stephen nodded.

"That goes for anything that happens on this side of the anomaly too," Nick added, turning his attention back to Captain Stringer.

The captain sighed. It was obvious that he'd heard it all before. Annie wondered if he would have been so open in his disapproval if he’d been dealing with the man Nick had replaced in this world. She was reminded rather forcibly of the fact that if she succeeded in her goal, there would be some adjustments to be made to how a number of people went about their jobs.

"I mean it. We aren't talking extinct animals here. Killing them could have all sorts of unanticipated results."

"I hear you, Professor. We'll do everything humanly possible, but I'm not putting lives at risk."

Nick frowned but nodded reluctantly.

Everyone was soon ready and at their posts – Stephen, Rees and a soldier called Hennessy, who Annie only vaguely knew, were ranged in front of the anomaly. She hadn't had as much contact with Stringer's men, even though they were the back-up team in the ARC.

Then Annie sighed to herself – well, they had been the back-up to Ryan's men. How things would work out now with Thomson in charge of the military operation was anyone's guess, but for the moment at least, he seemed content to leave Stringer and his team to handle the field response.

Nick, Abby and Connor were waiting to one side, with Connor's mobile probe parked at the young man's feet. Annie was rather proud of the modifications they'd made to his toy. It was an ingenious piece of kit and was more than paying for its keep. Annie also had a bag full of her own gear, which included hand-held versions of an oscilloscope and a magnetometer.

A soldier took the heavy pack from her shoulder when she joined the others, and she smiled gratefully. "Thank you, dear." She lifted an eyebrow in question, trying not to smile at Blade's presence behind her.

The other soldier blanched for a moment, looked over her shoulder, then answered her. "Marsden, Professor Morris, ma'am," he said. The 'ma'am' seemed tacked on for Blade's edification, and Annie made a point of smiling at the nervous man in gratitude. Her Niall was a dear, but he did take his role as her protector just a bit too seriously on occasion.

"Ready," Stephen said. He nodded one last time to Nick, then turned and stepped through the anomaly with Lieutenant Rees beside him. Hennessy followed immediately behind. It seemed a bit of an anti-climax. One minute they were there and the next they were simply gone.

Annie smiled at Marsden as she walked over to where Connor was standing, staring at the anomaly.

The afternoon air was still quiet, but then a strange, high-pitched, chattering laugh echoed through the trees and was quickly answered in kind.

Annie felt the hairs standing up on the back of her neck.

"Definitely hyaenas," said Abby with commendable calm.

Then the call sounded again, even closer. Something was coming out of the trees, moving toward them, if the calls were to be believed.

The soldiers came immediately to attention. Stringer set his men in a loose half-circle in between the civilians and the eerie calls. The men raised their rifles in readiness.

"No!" Nick yelled as a lone animal peered out from behind some undergrowth.

The soldiers held their fire, but didn't for a moment let down their guard.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Abby ran for the closest vehicle, grabbing Tanya Lacey’s arm and hauling the soldier along with her. Annie gasped as the hyena's gaze locked on to the young woman, terrified that she had just incited the creature to attack. Her actions made absolutely no sense.

Then another chattering call sounded from nearby and a second hyaena appeared. It was larger than the first, but not by much. Its fur was grey with dark stripes, the animal’s large dark ears giving the blunt face a slightly softened look.

Then Abby was back, a small fire extinguisher in her hand. Lacey held another. Annie blinked in confusion.

"Good girl," Nick said admiringly.

Abby grinned back at him. "It's a trick I picked up from the zoo."

Annie could only hope that Abby knew what she was doing, because now they were facing five sleek, grey and black striped hyaenas.

The eerie sound of chattering echoed amongst the trees.