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fredbassettTitle : Détente et Dinosaures, Part 1 of 4
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 15
Characters : Stephen/Ryan
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Word Count : 13,790. overall. This part 3,128
Spoilers : None
Summary : Stephen and Ryan are still working with the French anomaly research team.
A/N : 1) Set in my Stephen/Ryan series which can be found HERE. This immediately follows the events in Entente Cordiale but can be read as a standalone. 2) Many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bigtitch for the beta. I’ve made substantial additions since she last saw it, so any mistakes are all my own.
A long neck rose gracefully above the surface of the water and a small head set with two dark eyes turned to fix Stephen with a positively reproachful look.
“I don’t think he likes the boats,” Stephen commented.
“I don’t remember asking his opinion,” Ryan said.
A pair of wrap-around sunglasses concealed Capitaine Etienne Lafarge’s opinion of their running commentary on the efforts of his men to herd a reluctant plesiosaur back through an anomaly in the middle of an extremely picturesque – and all-too public – lake, but when he spoke, there was no mistaking his amusement. “Monsieur le Maire thinks we should keep him here as he’ll be good for tourism. I tend to agree. My boss takes a rather different view.”
“You can’t use your EPMs,” Stephen said quickly, before the Frenchman could issue any instructions to the soldiers in the boat closest to the creature. “Not unless you want it to sink to the bottom of the lake and drown.”
The Brigade Forces Spéciales de Terre had access to very effective non-effective non-lethal weaponry in the form of some extremely souped-up tasers that Stephen was keen to acquire for the ARC’s anomaly response teams, but this was neither the time nor the place for the electro perturbateur musculaire rifles to be deployed
“Then what do you suggest, mon ami?” There was no challenge in Lafarge’s voice, just simple enquiry.
For all Ryan’s description of the Special Forces captain as the most psychotic fucker he’d ever worked with apart from Blade, Stephen had seen no sign of that so far. The captain was calm, courteous – apart from an ability to swear in several languages that would have caused even Joel Stringer to applaud – and good-humoured, despite the plesiosaur’s best efforts to prevent its repatriation.
“How fast can your men drive on these roads, Etienne?” Stephen asked, an idea starting to form in his mind.
“Probably a lot faster than me,” Ryan said. “And you know what that did to your nerves, sweetie.”
“I wasn’t suggesting I go with them,” Stephen said. “Payback’s a bitch, honey. As the nearest thing this team’s got at the moment to a creature expert, I’m going to stay here and keep our friend entertained, no doubt under Capitaine Lafarge’s imperturbable supervision. You’re the one who’s going to get a white-knuckle ride to St. Leon and back.”
It took a moment for Ryan to cotton on to Stephen’s train of thought and then his eyes widened as he very definitely jumped to the right conclusion. Stephen fought to suppress a grin and failed.
Etienne Lafarge pushed his sunglasses up to nestle amidst his short, ash-blond hair, revealing pale grey eyes rimmed with a disconcertingly dark halo; eyes that were currently gleaming with knife-sharp amusement. “St Leon from here is approximately a 50 minute drive each way. A small wager should ensure that our driver will endeavour to get there and back in less than une heure, I feel. Now is either of you going to enlighten me on the reason for the visit to St Leon?”
“No. Unless you’ve guessed by the time Ryan leaves the car park, the drinks tonight are on your expense account.”
With a resigned expression on his face, Ryan quickly transferred from their commandeered speedboat to one of the small inflatable boats that they’d been using in the abortive attempt to herd the plesiosaur back to its own time, while Lafarge shouted instructions to his men.
Stephen watched as the small craft sped back to the sandy beach at the water’s edge. He had a feeling this was one bet that the Frenchman was going to lose.
“And what do we do now?” Lafarge enquired. “Sadly, I failed to pack a picnic.”
“We do our best to keep our friend entertained for an hour,” Stephen said. “If he dives, then we run the risk of losing him.”
In a lake approximately six kilometres long, in the region of 500 metres wide and probably up to 20 metres deep in places losing the plesiosaur was going to be their greatest problem. Three of Lafarge’s men were kitted up in full sub-aqua gear, but hadn’t yet been ordered into the water. Memories of the loss of one of Ryan’s men in very similar circumstances were still too vivid for Stephen to want to take any unnecessary risks, and Lafarge had seemed happy to bow to their greater experience.
Until a military Land Rover, driven at no doubt highly dangerous speeds, returned all Stephen could do was admire the scenery and hope he could do something to maintain the plesiosaur’s interest. As the creature didn’t appear overly fond of the inflatable boats, Stephen sent the second one on a quest to commandeer as many fish as possible from the nets left by the fishermen who had been forced to leave everything behind when the members of the Gendarmerie Nationale had rather enthusiastically evacuated the immediate area. But even the robust attitude to policing that the French habitually employed wouldn’t be able to prevent high-powered binoculars or camera lens obtained an excellent view of the proceedings from any of the neighbouring hills, although they had been able to enforce a no-fly zone in the vicinity, which was one less thing to worry about.
“I think he likes you,” Lafarge said, his sunglasses now firmly settled back on his nose.
The plesiosaur leaned towards Stephen, seemingly determined to prove Lafarge right. Stephen lifted up one hand, palm vertical, and received a gentle head-butt in what was probably the strangest high-five ever.
“I like him, as well,” Stephen said. “Any damage he does is going to be wholly accidental, which is why I want to make sure we get him – or her – home safely. The creatures we have to deal with are stranded out of time, frightened and sometimes injured. Yes, they hunt and kill, but they’re only following their instincts. Someone in your organisation must view things the same way or they wouldn’t have instructed you to carry EPMs and use them where you can.”
“La Directrice de le Centre Recherche Scientifique holds strong views on such things. She is committed to studying these anomalies and returning the creatures to their own time alive, wherever possible.”
“She’ll get on with Cutter.”
“Does he like fierce women?”
“He’s got past history with them,” Stephen said quietly. He could see that his own expression, reflected back at him in Lafarge’s sunglasses, now looked guarded. Stephen quickly transferred his attention to the plesiosaur and was both surprised and relieved when Lafarge didn’t press him further on the subject.
He looked away, suppressing thoughts of the past, even though he knew it was unlikely to stay buried forever. The scenery surrounding the lake was beautiful; green hills rising up on three sides with the one to the south, overlooking the water, topped by a church constructed in the honey-coloured stone that abounded in the region.
The Lac du Causse was obviously a popular spot in the summer months for tourists and locals alike, and the current warm, sunny weather had brought people out in droves. Fortunately, only the top two metres of the glittering ball of time was visible. Some hasty improvisation meant that the site of the anomaly was now surrounded by orange buoys bobbing in the water from which were suspended large nets, hastily fashioned into an enormous string bag surrounding the rip in time, hopefully preventing an exchange of fish and any larger creatures. The newts would remain in place until the plesiosaur could be persuaded to swim in that direction.
After 15 minutes of doing little more than play pat-a-cake with the curious, gentle creature, Stephen saw one of the inflatable boats returning with a catch of fish. Lafarge’s men had been told via their comms link not to use the outboard engine, so the boat was now being rowed back out to join them.
When the fish had been handed over, Stephen held one fish out, feeling rather foolish under Lafarge’s sharp gaze, but he was gratified when the small head bent down and took the fish out of his hand, quickly swallowing the treat and butting against his hand for more.
“You have definitely made a friend,” Lafarge said after the second fish had met with as much approval as the first.
“Then let’s hope he’s happy to hang around for more until Ryan and your men get back. By my reckoning, you’ve got about 40 minutes to work out what the plan is and after that you’re definitely buying the drinks.”
Stephen took hold of another fish and offered it to his new-found friend.
* * * * *
Etienne Lafarge stared at the results of Ryan’s foraging expedition and laughed. “Most inventive, mon ami. If this works, the drinks are on me for the rest of your stay here, not just tonight.”
Ryan stared at the large model of a plesiosaur that he had appropriated from the Parc aux Dinosaures in St Leon sur Vézère. Its head was titled at a rather odd angle, and at some point had obviously fallen off and then been re-fixed with the aid of duct tape painted a greenish-grey, which was now holding it together. The head and neck topped a bulbous body with short flippers resting on the sand of the beach. It almost certainly wasn’t the best representation of a plesiosaur in existence, but it was likely to be the only one within a 50 kilometre radius of the Lac du Causse, so they’d just have to make do with what they had and hope Stephen’s plan worked.
“Let’s get it tied it to one of the inflatable boats,” he instructed.
Five minutes later, they dragged the boat and its improbable occupant onto the water. Ryan took up position at the oars of the second boat, while one of the divers settled himself at the rear of the small inflatable and paid out a long rope to put as much distance as possible between then and something that looked like the results of a student prank on Loch Ness.
“Take it nice and slowly,” Stephen said over the radio. “I want him to focus on that little beauty, not you.”
“Little beauty? Are we looking at the same thing?” Ryan muttered, as the other two divers slipped into the water and finned alongside the boat, ready to unhook the net from the buoys.
“He’s looking at you.” There was a note of excitement in Stephen’s voice. “Or rather he’s looking at Nessie.”
“Who wouldn’t?” Lafarge commented. “I imagine that computer technicians from the Ministry are already doing their best to stop this whole thing going wild on the internet.”
“Going viral,” Ryan said.
“Thank you. Going viral.”
Ryan spared a glance at the object of all their attentions slowly circling the sleek white speedboat containing Stephen and Lafarge. The plesiosaur was definitely looking in his direction now, although whether their decoy stood any chance of keeping its attention for long was another matter.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” Lafarge said, a note of concern creeping into his voice for the first time. “But the light from the anomaly is less bright than it was before. That generally means…”
“It’s about to close,” Ryan finished for him. “Your mayor might be about to get his wish.”
“He’s right. You’re going to have to get a move on, Ryan,” Stephen told him. “Get the boat past the anomaly then make sure the divers shove it sideways and hope it gets through.”
The divers had been thoroughly briefed by Lafarge and knew that under no circumstances were they to get closer to the anomaly than the orange marker buoys. The metal of the sub-aqua tanks would feel the magnetic pull and they would need to make sure that they stayed close to Ryan’s boat rather than the decoy at the crucial moment.
Over the radio link, Ryan could hear Stephen quietly urging their visitor to go home, speaking warmly but urgently, even though there was no prospect of being understood. He watched as his lover held up a fish and threw it in the direction of the decoy, clearly hoping to transfer the plesiosaur’s attention away from him and towards the other boat. For a long moment, Ryan thought their efforts were doomed to failure and then he watched, almost not believing his eyes, as the small head on the graceful, swan-like neck turned away from the speedboat.
“That’s it, beauty,” he heard Stephen urge. “Go on, take a closer look, she might just be your type.”
Gliding effortlessly through the still water of the lake, the plesiosaur closed the distance between it and the decoy, whether attracted because of the resemblance – however slight – of the ridiculous model to its own kind, or just by the same simple curiosity that had drawn it to the speedboat and Stephen, Ryan couldn’t say.
Doing his best to keep his boat moving smoothly but slowly, Ryan barely dipped the oars into the water. The divers were doing their best to stay inconspicuous, but the time was soon coming when they would need to release the nets from the buoys and that would be the most dangerous part of the whole manoeuvre when they would be at risk of something else gate-crashing the party. Ryan’s instincts as a soldier were telling him that that what they should be doing was hitting the creature with a low charge from Lafarge’s EPM and then getting the divers to see if they could bundle it back through the fading anomaly, but he knew there was no way Stephen would countenance that plan, and even Ryan had to admit that the chances of being able to haul the plesiosaur up from the bottom of the lake if it did sink were probably not good.
“Keep moving, Ryan, you’ve got his attention,” Stephen told him. “We’re going to need to drop that net when he gets a bit closer.”
“Just say when we’re good to go.”
The oars dipped into the water again and the boat glided on, passing close to the anomaly, but its magnetic pull was clearly waning now and Ryan felt none of the familiar tug at the metalwork of the borrowed HK416 assault rifle slung across his back. He drew in a long breath and kept watching as the plesiosaur swam up alongside the other inflatable and bumped its head against that of the plastic figure, paying more attention to the decoy than it was to the two divers bobbing in water next to the buoys.
“Gather up the nets,” Stephen instructed.
As soon as he heard the words, Ryan lifted up one hand and brought it down in a chopping motion. The divers, who had kept their eyes fixed on him rather than the pantomime being enacted in front of them, promptly unclipped the nets from the buoys and dropped below the surface of the lake, drawing it away from the anomaly.
“Clear,” Ryan said, pulling harder now on the oars, hoping that if he could only lure the plesiosaur slightly closer to the anomaly it might feel whatever strange attraction that caused so many creatures to investigate the shimmering balls of light and simply decide to return to its own time.
The decoy was within two metres of the anomaly now, the rope connecting the two boats almost within the shining shards sparkling about the surface of the water. Ryan wasn’t sure what would happen if the rope actually passed through the anomaly, but it was becoming increasingly clear that he would have to do something to draw the plesiosaur’s attention in that direction. He quickly laid both oars inside the inflatable and gave the rope a sharp sideways tug, pulling it forwards on a different tack, moving towards the anomaly now, not past it.
“He’s following,” Stephen said quietly. “He’s bloody following. Do that again, Ryan. We can’t risk a diver that close, not if it’s about to close any minute. See if you can get the decoy actually into the anomaly. He’s interested in it, I swear he is.”
Hoping Stephen wasn’t just indulging in wishful thinking, Ryan jerked the rope again. The inflatable spun slightly, as if the metal on various parts of the craft was now close enough to the anomaly for the magnetic pull to exert its influence. The plesiosaur darted forward like a hen suddenly picking at grain and the boat spun around until it was face to face with its replica. As rough as the model was, there was definitely a likeness between the two; even the greenish-grey colour wasn’t dissimilar. Curiosity drew the plesiosaur on until it was almost touching the ever-moving fragments of time.
Half of the decoy boat was now actually in the anomaly, gradually being drawn out of sight.
“Hart, does it matter if we lose the boat through there?” Ryan asked urgently.
“No. Getting Nessie back is all that matters.” Stephen drew in a sharp intake of breath. “He’s going through, Ryan, he’s bloody going through!”
The decoy was out of sight now. Ryan watched as the plesiosaur seemed to hesitate for a moment, its head almost within the anomaly. The anomaly could close at any minute, and if it did, the creature’s head would be severed, making a mockery of all their efforts to return it safely to its own time.
In one fluid movement, the plesiosaur dived beneath the surface, vanishing from sight, but whether it had returned home or simply gone deeper into the lake, Ryan couldn’t tell.
An indrawn breath and a rude word in French sounded simultaneously in Ryan’s ear.
A heartbeat later, the anomaly vanished, cutting the rope connecting the two boats, and taking with it the inflatable and its decoy. Whatever happened, the Parc aux Dinosaures was going to need a new model, but whether the local mayor had gained a tourist attraction, Ryan simply didn’t know.
Ripples disturbed the surface of the water just beyond the anomaly site. One of the divers, rapidly followed by the other, bobbed into sight. With demand valves still clamped firmly between their teeth, verbal communication was impossible, but there was no mistaking the clenched fist with thumb firmly uppermost that one of them thrust into the air.
Ryan let out a long breath, feeling his stomach start to unclench for the first time since he’d rowed out onto the lake.
“You did it, Hart,” he acknowledged, making no attempt to keep the warmth out of his voice. It had been a bloody mad idea, but it had worked.
The drinks were on Lafarge.
And his bosses would have to foot the bill for a new model plesiosaur.
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 15
Characters : Stephen/Ryan
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Word Count : 13,790. overall. This part 3,128
Spoilers : None
Summary : Stephen and Ryan are still working with the French anomaly research team.
A/N : 1) Set in my Stephen/Ryan series which can be found HERE. This immediately follows the events in Entente Cordiale but can be read as a standalone. 2) Many thanks to
bigtitch for the beta. I’ve made substantial additions since she last saw it, so any mistakes are all my own.A long neck rose gracefully above the surface of the water and a small head set with two dark eyes turned to fix Stephen with a positively reproachful look.
“I don’t think he likes the boats,” Stephen commented.
“I don’t remember asking his opinion,” Ryan said.
A pair of wrap-around sunglasses concealed Capitaine Etienne Lafarge’s opinion of their running commentary on the efforts of his men to herd a reluctant plesiosaur back through an anomaly in the middle of an extremely picturesque – and all-too public – lake, but when he spoke, there was no mistaking his amusement. “Monsieur le Maire thinks we should keep him here as he’ll be good for tourism. I tend to agree. My boss takes a rather different view.”
“You can’t use your EPMs,” Stephen said quickly, before the Frenchman could issue any instructions to the soldiers in the boat closest to the creature. “Not unless you want it to sink to the bottom of the lake and drown.”
The Brigade Forces Spéciales de Terre had access to very effective non-effective non-lethal weaponry in the form of some extremely souped-up tasers that Stephen was keen to acquire for the ARC’s anomaly response teams, but this was neither the time nor the place for the electro perturbateur musculaire rifles to be deployed
“Then what do you suggest, mon ami?” There was no challenge in Lafarge’s voice, just simple enquiry.
For all Ryan’s description of the Special Forces captain as the most psychotic fucker he’d ever worked with apart from Blade, Stephen had seen no sign of that so far. The captain was calm, courteous – apart from an ability to swear in several languages that would have caused even Joel Stringer to applaud – and good-humoured, despite the plesiosaur’s best efforts to prevent its repatriation.
“How fast can your men drive on these roads, Etienne?” Stephen asked, an idea starting to form in his mind.
“Probably a lot faster than me,” Ryan said. “And you know what that did to your nerves, sweetie.”
“I wasn’t suggesting I go with them,” Stephen said. “Payback’s a bitch, honey. As the nearest thing this team’s got at the moment to a creature expert, I’m going to stay here and keep our friend entertained, no doubt under Capitaine Lafarge’s imperturbable supervision. You’re the one who’s going to get a white-knuckle ride to St. Leon and back.”
It took a moment for Ryan to cotton on to Stephen’s train of thought and then his eyes widened as he very definitely jumped to the right conclusion. Stephen fought to suppress a grin and failed.
Etienne Lafarge pushed his sunglasses up to nestle amidst his short, ash-blond hair, revealing pale grey eyes rimmed with a disconcertingly dark halo; eyes that were currently gleaming with knife-sharp amusement. “St Leon from here is approximately a 50 minute drive each way. A small wager should ensure that our driver will endeavour to get there and back in less than une heure, I feel. Now is either of you going to enlighten me on the reason for the visit to St Leon?”
“No. Unless you’ve guessed by the time Ryan leaves the car park, the drinks tonight are on your expense account.”
With a resigned expression on his face, Ryan quickly transferred from their commandeered speedboat to one of the small inflatable boats that they’d been using in the abortive attempt to herd the plesiosaur back to its own time, while Lafarge shouted instructions to his men.
Stephen watched as the small craft sped back to the sandy beach at the water’s edge. He had a feeling this was one bet that the Frenchman was going to lose.
“And what do we do now?” Lafarge enquired. “Sadly, I failed to pack a picnic.”
“We do our best to keep our friend entertained for an hour,” Stephen said. “If he dives, then we run the risk of losing him.”
In a lake approximately six kilometres long, in the region of 500 metres wide and probably up to 20 metres deep in places losing the plesiosaur was going to be their greatest problem. Three of Lafarge’s men were kitted up in full sub-aqua gear, but hadn’t yet been ordered into the water. Memories of the loss of one of Ryan’s men in very similar circumstances were still too vivid for Stephen to want to take any unnecessary risks, and Lafarge had seemed happy to bow to their greater experience.
Until a military Land Rover, driven at no doubt highly dangerous speeds, returned all Stephen could do was admire the scenery and hope he could do something to maintain the plesiosaur’s interest. As the creature didn’t appear overly fond of the inflatable boats, Stephen sent the second one on a quest to commandeer as many fish as possible from the nets left by the fishermen who had been forced to leave everything behind when the members of the Gendarmerie Nationale had rather enthusiastically evacuated the immediate area. But even the robust attitude to policing that the French habitually employed wouldn’t be able to prevent high-powered binoculars or camera lens obtained an excellent view of the proceedings from any of the neighbouring hills, although they had been able to enforce a no-fly zone in the vicinity, which was one less thing to worry about.
“I think he likes you,” Lafarge said, his sunglasses now firmly settled back on his nose.
The plesiosaur leaned towards Stephen, seemingly determined to prove Lafarge right. Stephen lifted up one hand, palm vertical, and received a gentle head-butt in what was probably the strangest high-five ever.
“I like him, as well,” Stephen said. “Any damage he does is going to be wholly accidental, which is why I want to make sure we get him – or her – home safely. The creatures we have to deal with are stranded out of time, frightened and sometimes injured. Yes, they hunt and kill, but they’re only following their instincts. Someone in your organisation must view things the same way or they wouldn’t have instructed you to carry EPMs and use them where you can.”
“La Directrice de le Centre Recherche Scientifique holds strong views on such things. She is committed to studying these anomalies and returning the creatures to their own time alive, wherever possible.”
“She’ll get on with Cutter.”
“Does he like fierce women?”
“He’s got past history with them,” Stephen said quietly. He could see that his own expression, reflected back at him in Lafarge’s sunglasses, now looked guarded. Stephen quickly transferred his attention to the plesiosaur and was both surprised and relieved when Lafarge didn’t press him further on the subject.
He looked away, suppressing thoughts of the past, even though he knew it was unlikely to stay buried forever. The scenery surrounding the lake was beautiful; green hills rising up on three sides with the one to the south, overlooking the water, topped by a church constructed in the honey-coloured stone that abounded in the region.
The Lac du Causse was obviously a popular spot in the summer months for tourists and locals alike, and the current warm, sunny weather had brought people out in droves. Fortunately, only the top two metres of the glittering ball of time was visible. Some hasty improvisation meant that the site of the anomaly was now surrounded by orange buoys bobbing in the water from which were suspended large nets, hastily fashioned into an enormous string bag surrounding the rip in time, hopefully preventing an exchange of fish and any larger creatures. The newts would remain in place until the plesiosaur could be persuaded to swim in that direction.
After 15 minutes of doing little more than play pat-a-cake with the curious, gentle creature, Stephen saw one of the inflatable boats returning with a catch of fish. Lafarge’s men had been told via their comms link not to use the outboard engine, so the boat was now being rowed back out to join them.
When the fish had been handed over, Stephen held one fish out, feeling rather foolish under Lafarge’s sharp gaze, but he was gratified when the small head bent down and took the fish out of his hand, quickly swallowing the treat and butting against his hand for more.
“You have definitely made a friend,” Lafarge said after the second fish had met with as much approval as the first.
“Then let’s hope he’s happy to hang around for more until Ryan and your men get back. By my reckoning, you’ve got about 40 minutes to work out what the plan is and after that you’re definitely buying the drinks.”
Stephen took hold of another fish and offered it to his new-found friend.
* * * * *
Etienne Lafarge stared at the results of Ryan’s foraging expedition and laughed. “Most inventive, mon ami. If this works, the drinks are on me for the rest of your stay here, not just tonight.”
Ryan stared at the large model of a plesiosaur that he had appropriated from the Parc aux Dinosaures in St Leon sur Vézère. Its head was titled at a rather odd angle, and at some point had obviously fallen off and then been re-fixed with the aid of duct tape painted a greenish-grey, which was now holding it together. The head and neck topped a bulbous body with short flippers resting on the sand of the beach. It almost certainly wasn’t the best representation of a plesiosaur in existence, but it was likely to be the only one within a 50 kilometre radius of the Lac du Causse, so they’d just have to make do with what they had and hope Stephen’s plan worked.
“Let’s get it tied it to one of the inflatable boats,” he instructed.
Five minutes later, they dragged the boat and its improbable occupant onto the water. Ryan took up position at the oars of the second boat, while one of the divers settled himself at the rear of the small inflatable and paid out a long rope to put as much distance as possible between then and something that looked like the results of a student prank on Loch Ness.
“Take it nice and slowly,” Stephen said over the radio. “I want him to focus on that little beauty, not you.”
“Little beauty? Are we looking at the same thing?” Ryan muttered, as the other two divers slipped into the water and finned alongside the boat, ready to unhook the net from the buoys.
“He’s looking at you.” There was a note of excitement in Stephen’s voice. “Or rather he’s looking at Nessie.”
“Who wouldn’t?” Lafarge commented. “I imagine that computer technicians from the Ministry are already doing their best to stop this whole thing going wild on the internet.”
“Going viral,” Ryan said.
“Thank you. Going viral.”
Ryan spared a glance at the object of all their attentions slowly circling the sleek white speedboat containing Stephen and Lafarge. The plesiosaur was definitely looking in his direction now, although whether their decoy stood any chance of keeping its attention for long was another matter.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” Lafarge said, a note of concern creeping into his voice for the first time. “But the light from the anomaly is less bright than it was before. That generally means…”
“It’s about to close,” Ryan finished for him. “Your mayor might be about to get his wish.”
“He’s right. You’re going to have to get a move on, Ryan,” Stephen told him. “Get the boat past the anomaly then make sure the divers shove it sideways and hope it gets through.”
The divers had been thoroughly briefed by Lafarge and knew that under no circumstances were they to get closer to the anomaly than the orange marker buoys. The metal of the sub-aqua tanks would feel the magnetic pull and they would need to make sure that they stayed close to Ryan’s boat rather than the decoy at the crucial moment.
Over the radio link, Ryan could hear Stephen quietly urging their visitor to go home, speaking warmly but urgently, even though there was no prospect of being understood. He watched as his lover held up a fish and threw it in the direction of the decoy, clearly hoping to transfer the plesiosaur’s attention away from him and towards the other boat. For a long moment, Ryan thought their efforts were doomed to failure and then he watched, almost not believing his eyes, as the small head on the graceful, swan-like neck turned away from the speedboat.
“That’s it, beauty,” he heard Stephen urge. “Go on, take a closer look, she might just be your type.”
Gliding effortlessly through the still water of the lake, the plesiosaur closed the distance between it and the decoy, whether attracted because of the resemblance – however slight – of the ridiculous model to its own kind, or just by the same simple curiosity that had drawn it to the speedboat and Stephen, Ryan couldn’t say.
Doing his best to keep his boat moving smoothly but slowly, Ryan barely dipped the oars into the water. The divers were doing their best to stay inconspicuous, but the time was soon coming when they would need to release the nets from the buoys and that would be the most dangerous part of the whole manoeuvre when they would be at risk of something else gate-crashing the party. Ryan’s instincts as a soldier were telling him that that what they should be doing was hitting the creature with a low charge from Lafarge’s EPM and then getting the divers to see if they could bundle it back through the fading anomaly, but he knew there was no way Stephen would countenance that plan, and even Ryan had to admit that the chances of being able to haul the plesiosaur up from the bottom of the lake if it did sink were probably not good.
“Keep moving, Ryan, you’ve got his attention,” Stephen told him. “We’re going to need to drop that net when he gets a bit closer.”
“Just say when we’re good to go.”
The oars dipped into the water again and the boat glided on, passing close to the anomaly, but its magnetic pull was clearly waning now and Ryan felt none of the familiar tug at the metalwork of the borrowed HK416 assault rifle slung across his back. He drew in a long breath and kept watching as the plesiosaur swam up alongside the other inflatable and bumped its head against that of the plastic figure, paying more attention to the decoy than it was to the two divers bobbing in water next to the buoys.
“Gather up the nets,” Stephen instructed.
As soon as he heard the words, Ryan lifted up one hand and brought it down in a chopping motion. The divers, who had kept their eyes fixed on him rather than the pantomime being enacted in front of them, promptly unclipped the nets from the buoys and dropped below the surface of the lake, drawing it away from the anomaly.
“Clear,” Ryan said, pulling harder now on the oars, hoping that if he could only lure the plesiosaur slightly closer to the anomaly it might feel whatever strange attraction that caused so many creatures to investigate the shimmering balls of light and simply decide to return to its own time.
The decoy was within two metres of the anomaly now, the rope connecting the two boats almost within the shining shards sparkling about the surface of the water. Ryan wasn’t sure what would happen if the rope actually passed through the anomaly, but it was becoming increasingly clear that he would have to do something to draw the plesiosaur’s attention in that direction. He quickly laid both oars inside the inflatable and gave the rope a sharp sideways tug, pulling it forwards on a different tack, moving towards the anomaly now, not past it.
“He’s following,” Stephen said quietly. “He’s bloody following. Do that again, Ryan. We can’t risk a diver that close, not if it’s about to close any minute. See if you can get the decoy actually into the anomaly. He’s interested in it, I swear he is.”
Hoping Stephen wasn’t just indulging in wishful thinking, Ryan jerked the rope again. The inflatable spun slightly, as if the metal on various parts of the craft was now close enough to the anomaly for the magnetic pull to exert its influence. The plesiosaur darted forward like a hen suddenly picking at grain and the boat spun around until it was face to face with its replica. As rough as the model was, there was definitely a likeness between the two; even the greenish-grey colour wasn’t dissimilar. Curiosity drew the plesiosaur on until it was almost touching the ever-moving fragments of time.
Half of the decoy boat was now actually in the anomaly, gradually being drawn out of sight.
“Hart, does it matter if we lose the boat through there?” Ryan asked urgently.
“No. Getting Nessie back is all that matters.” Stephen drew in a sharp intake of breath. “He’s going through, Ryan, he’s bloody going through!”
The decoy was out of sight now. Ryan watched as the plesiosaur seemed to hesitate for a moment, its head almost within the anomaly. The anomaly could close at any minute, and if it did, the creature’s head would be severed, making a mockery of all their efforts to return it safely to its own time.
In one fluid movement, the plesiosaur dived beneath the surface, vanishing from sight, but whether it had returned home or simply gone deeper into the lake, Ryan couldn’t tell.
An indrawn breath and a rude word in French sounded simultaneously in Ryan’s ear.
A heartbeat later, the anomaly vanished, cutting the rope connecting the two boats, and taking with it the inflatable and its decoy. Whatever happened, the Parc aux Dinosaures was going to need a new model, but whether the local mayor had gained a tourist attraction, Ryan simply didn’t know.
Ripples disturbed the surface of the water just beyond the anomaly site. One of the divers, rapidly followed by the other, bobbed into sight. With demand valves still clamped firmly between their teeth, verbal communication was impossible, but there was no mistaking the clenched fist with thumb firmly uppermost that one of them thrust into the air.
Ryan let out a long breath, feeling his stomach start to unclench for the first time since he’d rowed out onto the lake.
“You did it, Hart,” he acknowledged, making no attempt to keep the warmth out of his voice. It had been a bloody mad idea, but it had worked.
The drinks were on Lafarge.
And his bosses would have to foot the bill for a new model plesiosaur.
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Date: 2013-10-08 09:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-15 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-08 11:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-15 08:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-09 07:11 am (UTC)For those who want to know what the lake looks like:
And the decoy!:
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Date: 2013-10-15 08:51 pm (UTC)And thanks for the photos!
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Date: 2013-10-09 09:44 am (UTC)I loved the interaction between the plesiosaur and Stephen.
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Date: 2013-10-15 08:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-09 05:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-15 08:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-09 06:15 pm (UTC)“I imagine that computer technicians from the Ministry are already doing their best to stop this whole thing going wild on the internet.”
“Going viral,” Ryan said.
“Thank you. Going viral.”
That tickled me a lot *Veg*
Really great to see Etienne :D
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Date: 2013-10-15 08:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-10 01:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-15 08:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-10 03:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-15 08:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-11 08:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-15 08:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-12 03:01 am (UTC)I'm glad that model Nessie got a new lease of life - now the Mayor can have a new one built, based off actual photos and videos *G*
Love Stephen and his new friend bonding, and Lafarge returning!
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Date: 2013-10-15 08:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-12 08:04 pm (UTC)Lovely and fun! ^_^
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Date: 2013-10-15 08:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-12 09:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-15 08:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-17 05:38 pm (UTC)I was panting by the end. Loved the byplay between Stephen and Ryan, and am intrigued by Ryan's description of Lafarge.
Yay for an innovative plan by Stephen, and awwww for him making friends with the creature.
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Date: 2013-10-22 11:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-18 06:30 pm (UTC)Oh, and have you seen the Girl and her Pleisaur?
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Date: 2013-10-18 08:22 pm (UTC)No, I hadn't. that's sooooo sweet!