fredbassett

Title : Busman’s Holiday, Part 2 of 3
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 15
Characters : Stephen, Lester, Connor, Becker, Ryan
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Word Count : 6,000 in three parts.
Spoilers : None
Summary : Stephen takes time out from the team on Lester’s orders.
A/N : Written for the

primeval_denial Art Challenge for this wonderful artwork by the incredibly patient

goldarrow.

A loud braying jerked Stephen awake. Out of habit, he groped for the gun he no longer carried before memory flooded back and he realised where he was. A quick glance at his watch told him it was 5.30am. Outside the window, inky darkness had already given way to a lighter grey in a cloudless sky that held the promise of another fine day.

Remembering he’d seen a pair of donkeys grazing the grass behind the hotel, Stephen turned over to go back to sleep when the braying started again and this time he recognised the note of alarm in the animal’s call.

In less than a minute, he was dressed in teeshirt and cargo pants. He grabbed his battered old leather jacket and pulled it on. It had provided some protection against teeth and claws in the past and made him feel marginally less unprepared.

He took the stairs two at a time. The main doors were closed but unlocked. Outside, the noise of the braying donkey echoed off the walls of the Commanderie. A second one joined the chorus, high-pitched with fear.

Stephen needed a weapon. He knew that charging in unprepared and unarmed was a recipe for disaster – he’d done it often enough in the past, and it had nearly killed him. He glanced around the wide entrance hall. On one wall were two crossed swords, moonlight glinting off their polished blades. He grabbed them off their mountings and hefted one in each hand. Their weight was comforting and despite the lack of a honed edge, they’d still do some damage if needed.

Outside the hotel, the silvery moonlight was already giving way to the pale colours of dawn. The cloudless sky meant he had no problem seeing the donkeys, standing shoulder to shoulder, tossing their heads and stamping their feet restlessly, tails lashing backwards and forwards. One had a long red gash on its shoulder and blood was smeared across its grey-brown coat.

A flash of movement caught Stephen’s eye.

Open jaws, a crest running from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. A therapod of some sort, standing about shoulder height to him, facing off against the injured donkey.

“Oi, you!” Stephen ran across the grass, swords ready in his hands.

The therapod turned its head, homing in on the sound of Stephen’s voice. Cutter had expounded a theory that many of the therapods were crepuscular hunters, most active at dawn and dusk. If his former friend was right, the therapod would be at its most dangerous now, its eyesight adapted to the current conditions, unlike Stephen’s.

Seeing the creature drop into a position that looked a knife-fighter’s crouch was all the warning Stephen needed. It was getting ready to fight rather than to run. A glance down at its strong lower legs provided the unwelcome sight of two large, spurred heels capable of delivering a disembowelling strike. The donkey had been lucky, its thick coat had provided some protection but after seeing the injury Stephen was glad he’d grabbed his leather jacket.

He swayed to one side, moving lightly on his feet, He wanted a tree at his back. For all he knew, more of the sodding things had come through. Of all the creatures they’d had to deal with, deinonychus had never been his favourite. They were vicious, unpredictable and determined. He was going to have to play this fight for keeps.

The creature tracked his movement with its small, sharp eyes and lunged for him, fast and silent. Stephen struck with the sword in his right hand. He caught the deinonychus a glancing blow on the shoulder. but it wasn’t a killing stroke. Speed had saved his opponent. One - nil to him. It was a good start.

The deinonychus struck again, moving so fast that Stephen was almost caught unawares. The light was still against him. He felt teeth seize hold of his left sleeve and try to drag him off his feet. Bringing the sword in his other hand into play wasn’t easy. A shorter dagger would have been more manoeuvrable, He swung the sword as hard as he could. The edge wasn’t sharp enough to penetrate the creature’s thick hide, but he was able to deliver a heavy thwack. He felt the teeth slacken their grip on his sleeve and tried to pull away. The powerful jaws tightened again, worrying at his arm like a terrier with a rat. Luckily the teeth were gripping the leather not his flesh.

Stephen pivoted on his left foot and delivered a hard kick to one of its legs, aiming for the knee-joint. It was a risky strategy, but it paid off, and he felt the jaws loosen their hold enough for him to tear his arm away. The dinosaur hopped sideways, as light and agile as a dancer, readying itself to bring the heel spurs in for a strike. Stephen prepared to lunge with one of the swords…

The deinonychus lurched forwards, a sudden squawk bursting from its mouth. It was off balance, caught unprepared by something. Stephen saw his opportunity and drove the sword in his right hand forward hard, aiming for the creature’s chest, hoping to hit a vital organ. It staggered, almost ripping the sword from hand. He pulled back and struck again, this time with his left hand. The deinonychus now moved like a drunk, weaving from side to side. It was losing blood fast. Stephen guessed he’d caught a major organ. He hated having to kill an animal that was doing nothing more than follow its natural instincts, but this was not a time to let sentimentality get in the way of the need to survive.

A triumphant bray rose above the raptor’s gasping breaths, and Stephen realised why it had been driven forward onto his blade. The larger of the two donkeys, the one with the blood-matted coat had delivered a thunderously hard punch with both hindlegs, knocking the raptor off balance and giving Stephen the advantage he needed. He struck again with one of the swords, straight into the chest cavity. The deinonychus dropped to the ground, gave a barking cough and was still.

Stephen leaned back against the tree, his heart hammering in his chest. “Thanks, mate,” he gasped, grinning at the donkey. “Nice one.”

The donkey brayed again, clearly knowing it had been the victor in that fight.

Stephen stuck both swords point first in the hard ground and went to examine the donkey’s injured shoulder. Obviously used to human contact, it let him run his hands through its shaggy coat, parting the hair until he found the source of the blood. The cut was about a foot long and half an inch deep. The blood flow had already slowed to nothing more than seepage. It would need cleaning, and possibly stitching, but was certainly not fatal. He stroked the donkey’s velvety nose, letting his breathing and heartrate return to normal.

He’d survived the first encounter. But he still needed to find the anomaly and check nothing else had come through. He also needed to work out what the hell to do with a dead dinosaur.

This was turning into a bit of a busman’s holiday.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

nietie.livejournal.com

Eek! Trouble in paradise. But very good acting of Stephen.

He hated having to kill an animal that was doing nothing more than follow its natural instincts, but this was not a time to let sentimentality get in the way of the need to survive. Alas, but the right thing to do.

From:

fredbassett

I think he would have to be pragmatic in the circumstances.

From:

goldarrow

*pants*
*catches breath*

That was great action. I love how Stephen is both caring and pragmatic about the creatures and their lives.

Yep, the donkey is definitely a hero. And they pack one hell of a punch in those back hooves!

Loving this!

From:

fredbassett

Oh yes, you'd be daft to underestimate a donkey!

Glad you;re enjoying it!

From:

knitekat.livejournal.com

Eek! Not what Stephen wanted on his holiday. Nice look at Stephen not wanting to kill but knowing he had too.

The donkey is definitely the hero.

From:

fredbassett

*g* I'm very fond of the two donkeys at the hotel.

From:

knitekat.livejournal.com

They sound great.

From:

bigtitch.livejournal.com

Oh no, Stephen just can't keep away from trouble can he?

Great action sequence. I like the donkey!

From:

fredbassett

The donkey's the real star!

From:

fififolle

Poor, but heroic, donkey!

Of all the creatures they’d had to deal with, deinonychus had never been his favourite. <\i>
:D

Ah yes, it was never going be a relaxing trip *g*

Loving it.