Fic, Calamity in Costa, OC, Connor, 12
Apr. 27th, 2019 07:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fredbassettTitle : Calamity in Costa
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 12
Characters : OC, Connor
Disclaimer : Not mine (except the OC), no money made, don’t sue.
Spoilers : None
Summary : Sometimes the tattoos on the serving staff aren’t the strangest things to be seen in Costa.
A/N : A late entry for Connor Month.
“Americano with milk, please.” Ian Jackson held out his reusable Costa mug and wondered how long in the gym it would take to get rid of the calories he’d take on from a pain au chocolat.
As he handed over the mug, the sound of a high-pitched scream from someone in the armchairs by the window made him swivel round to see what the hell was going on. It sounded like someone was being poked with a very sharp stick.
A large, grey-green scaled head thumped into the window, warm breath steaming on the glass as something very large and with far too many teeth pulled back and delivered another head butt.
The woman in the window wasn’t the only one screaming now. Two young kids sitting behind her were yelling fit to bust, then he heard an older girl, maybe 14, say, in a tone of utter disbelief, “Fucking hell, it’s a dinosaur!”
For a brief instant, an older woman with her looked more shocked by bad language than she was by something that looked horribly like the T. rex in Jurassic Park smacking its head against the toughened glass window.
“Everyone get away from the window!” Ian yelled, as loudly as he could. His army career had ended abruptly when he’d badly shattered the bones in his right foot and ankle in a botched parachute jump, but he still knew how to yell loudly when the need arose. “Get to the back here! Move it!
If the creature carried on thumping its head into the glass like that, it would be through in no time. He could already see a thin network of cracks radiating out from the point of impact. The scramble away from the window had started, but the woman with the two kids still hadn’t moved. Ian pushed past the customers who were already jostling to get past him and grabbed one under each arm.
“I said, move!” he ordered, hauling the kids to the back of the coffee shop. The woman followed, her eyes wide with shock. He set the two kids down in the disabled toilet and said to their mother, “Stay in there until I tell you its safe to come out.”
Other people had had the same idea, and the toilets were filling up fast. Those who couldn’t fit inside huddled behind a makeshift wall of upturned tables.
The girl who’d said the thing outside Costa was a dinosaur joined them, but was clearly having a problem tearing her eyes away from what was happening in the street.
With a loud crack, the glass broke and the creature’s head pushed in, jaws widening in a roar that put Ian’s earlier yell to shame.
The girl swore loudly, and Ian didn’t blame her. “Is it true they can’t see you if you don’t move?” he demanded.
She looked at him like he’d just grown an extra head. “How the fuck should I know?”
“You said it was a dinosaur. Thought you might know something about them.”
“You want my kid brother for that, not me. He’s gonna be gutted he missed this.”
Ian decided not to tell her they’d all be gutted if the thing outside managed to get more than its head and shoulders into the coffee bar. He put himself between the girl and the dinosaur, looking around for something he could use as a weapon. In the absence of anything better, he overturned another table and stamped on one of the legs, breaking it off. It wasn’t much, but it was definitely better than nothing.
The creature suddenly jerked its head back and roared again. Then it shuddered and buckled at the knees crumpling slowly to the ground. Behind it, a dark-haired man with a heavy-looking rifle in his arms yelled to someone Ian couldn’t see, “This one’s down! Get that anomaly locked before any more of them come through!”
Ian’s eyes widened in surprise. He knew that voice, but it wasn’t one he associated with carrying guns – a games console would be more appropriate. The last time he’d seen Connor Temple had been when they were both 15, before Ian’s parents had hauled him off on yet another posting. The problem with being an army brat was that he never stayed in any one place long enough to put down roots, but he and Connor had been friends for nearly 18 months, which at that age had seemed like a lifetime.
“Stay where you are!” Connor called. “We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.!
He didn’t associate Connor with giving orders, either. His friend hardly exactly been the decisive sort, unless it concerned the latest computer game. Connor had been a shy kid, a world away from the confident young man standing over the still-twitching body of a dinosaur.
“Do you need a medic?” Ian asked, certain Connor wouldn’t recognise him. “I’ve had some field training in the army.”
“Thanks, mate, but we’re good,” Connor said.
He’d be no older than 25, the same age as Ian, but his dark eyes seemed a decade older as he calmly looked around the messed up interior of Costa before moving away from the shattered window and calling out some instructions to a team of black-clad soldiers who were already wrapping hauling straps around the fallen dinosaur. The shot from Connor’s rifle had clearly only stunned it. The funny-looking rifle seemed to be some sort of souped-up Taser and Connor had a smaller one strapped to his right thigh.
Out in the street, more soldiers were herding sightseers back inside shops, ignoring people who wanted to know what was going on, and deftly plucking mobile phones out of hands and quickly deleting any photos and video footage, even though they were probably already on a lose where uploads to social media were concerned.
Connor’s once-mismatched charity shop clothing had been replaced by a pair of black trousers tucked into army boots, a tight black teeshirt and a black jacket with a bright red lining. A close-cropped beard completed the transformation from adolescent geekery to gun-wielding competence.
Before Connor could turn away again, Ian thrust out his hand. “Connor Temple, Remember me, Ian Jackson?”
Connor’s dark eyebrows shot up as he did a rapid double-take before seeming to realise that yes, he did know who’d just spoken to him. He took Ian’s hand and shook it. Connor’s grip was firm, the sort of handshake that had nothing to prove.
“Mate, good to see you. How’s your nan?” Connor asked.
Ian couldn’t stop himself grinning. Connor had always been a favourite of his nan’s. “She’s OK, thanks. But shaky on her legs these days, but still makes the most amazing ginger cake.”
Connor grinned back. “Tell her I asked after her. Look, gotta go…”
“Sure.” Ian looked down at the dinosaur. “Is that for real?”
“Student prank,” Connor deadpanned. “Left over from RAG week.”
“Sure, course it was.” Ian had seen some weird in his time in the army, but nothing like real life dinosaurs. “Can I get everyone out of the toilets now?”
“Just let us finish the mopping up. Won’t be long, just got to deal with matey here…”
Two of the soldiers attached the straps around he dinosaur’s hind legs to a winch on the back of a black Range Rover and started to reel it in like a improbably sized fish on a line.
“Fancy a drink sometime?” Ian said, expecting a polite brush off from Connor. “Or come round for tea at nan’s. She’ll do you some cake.”
Connor’s grin widened. “That’s be great.” He fished a business card out of his pocket. All it contained was his name and a mobile number. “Give me a call.”
Ian took the card. “Good to see you.”
“Likewise.” Connor nodded then turned away to call out some more instructions to the soldiers, as a blonde-haired woman also carrying one of the weird-looking guns bent down to check that the dinosaur was still breathing.
Ian turned the card over in his hand, wondering at what point in the last 10 years Connor Temple had learned to issue orders to a load of blokes with guns whilst dealing with dinosaurs.
His nan had always liked Connor. He’d better tell her to get baking.
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 12
Characters : OC, Connor
Disclaimer : Not mine (except the OC), no money made, don’t sue.
Spoilers : None
Summary : Sometimes the tattoos on the serving staff aren’t the strangest things to be seen in Costa.
A/N : A late entry for Connor Month.
“Americano with milk, please.” Ian Jackson held out his reusable Costa mug and wondered how long in the gym it would take to get rid of the calories he’d take on from a pain au chocolat.
As he handed over the mug, the sound of a high-pitched scream from someone in the armchairs by the window made him swivel round to see what the hell was going on. It sounded like someone was being poked with a very sharp stick.
A large, grey-green scaled head thumped into the window, warm breath steaming on the glass as something very large and with far too many teeth pulled back and delivered another head butt.
The woman in the window wasn’t the only one screaming now. Two young kids sitting behind her were yelling fit to bust, then he heard an older girl, maybe 14, say, in a tone of utter disbelief, “Fucking hell, it’s a dinosaur!”
For a brief instant, an older woman with her looked more shocked by bad language than she was by something that looked horribly like the T. rex in Jurassic Park smacking its head against the toughened glass window.
“Everyone get away from the window!” Ian yelled, as loudly as he could. His army career had ended abruptly when he’d badly shattered the bones in his right foot and ankle in a botched parachute jump, but he still knew how to yell loudly when the need arose. “Get to the back here! Move it!
If the creature carried on thumping its head into the glass like that, it would be through in no time. He could already see a thin network of cracks radiating out from the point of impact. The scramble away from the window had started, but the woman with the two kids still hadn’t moved. Ian pushed past the customers who were already jostling to get past him and grabbed one under each arm.
“I said, move!” he ordered, hauling the kids to the back of the coffee shop. The woman followed, her eyes wide with shock. He set the two kids down in the disabled toilet and said to their mother, “Stay in there until I tell you its safe to come out.”
Other people had had the same idea, and the toilets were filling up fast. Those who couldn’t fit inside huddled behind a makeshift wall of upturned tables.
The girl who’d said the thing outside Costa was a dinosaur joined them, but was clearly having a problem tearing her eyes away from what was happening in the street.
With a loud crack, the glass broke and the creature’s head pushed in, jaws widening in a roar that put Ian’s earlier yell to shame.
The girl swore loudly, and Ian didn’t blame her. “Is it true they can’t see you if you don’t move?” he demanded.
She looked at him like he’d just grown an extra head. “How the fuck should I know?”
“You said it was a dinosaur. Thought you might know something about them.”
“You want my kid brother for that, not me. He’s gonna be gutted he missed this.”
Ian decided not to tell her they’d all be gutted if the thing outside managed to get more than its head and shoulders into the coffee bar. He put himself between the girl and the dinosaur, looking around for something he could use as a weapon. In the absence of anything better, he overturned another table and stamped on one of the legs, breaking it off. It wasn’t much, but it was definitely better than nothing.
The creature suddenly jerked its head back and roared again. Then it shuddered and buckled at the knees crumpling slowly to the ground. Behind it, a dark-haired man with a heavy-looking rifle in his arms yelled to someone Ian couldn’t see, “This one’s down! Get that anomaly locked before any more of them come through!”
Ian’s eyes widened in surprise. He knew that voice, but it wasn’t one he associated with carrying guns – a games console would be more appropriate. The last time he’d seen Connor Temple had been when they were both 15, before Ian’s parents had hauled him off on yet another posting. The problem with being an army brat was that he never stayed in any one place long enough to put down roots, but he and Connor had been friends for nearly 18 months, which at that age had seemed like a lifetime.
“Stay where you are!” Connor called. “We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.!
He didn’t associate Connor with giving orders, either. His friend hardly exactly been the decisive sort, unless it concerned the latest computer game. Connor had been a shy kid, a world away from the confident young man standing over the still-twitching body of a dinosaur.
“Do you need a medic?” Ian asked, certain Connor wouldn’t recognise him. “I’ve had some field training in the army.”
“Thanks, mate, but we’re good,” Connor said.
He’d be no older than 25, the same age as Ian, but his dark eyes seemed a decade older as he calmly looked around the messed up interior of Costa before moving away from the shattered window and calling out some instructions to a team of black-clad soldiers who were already wrapping hauling straps around the fallen dinosaur. The shot from Connor’s rifle had clearly only stunned it. The funny-looking rifle seemed to be some sort of souped-up Taser and Connor had a smaller one strapped to his right thigh.
Out in the street, more soldiers were herding sightseers back inside shops, ignoring people who wanted to know what was going on, and deftly plucking mobile phones out of hands and quickly deleting any photos and video footage, even though they were probably already on a lose where uploads to social media were concerned.
Connor’s once-mismatched charity shop clothing had been replaced by a pair of black trousers tucked into army boots, a tight black teeshirt and a black jacket with a bright red lining. A close-cropped beard completed the transformation from adolescent geekery to gun-wielding competence.
Before Connor could turn away again, Ian thrust out his hand. “Connor Temple, Remember me, Ian Jackson?”
Connor’s dark eyebrows shot up as he did a rapid double-take before seeming to realise that yes, he did know who’d just spoken to him. He took Ian’s hand and shook it. Connor’s grip was firm, the sort of handshake that had nothing to prove.
“Mate, good to see you. How’s your nan?” Connor asked.
Ian couldn’t stop himself grinning. Connor had always been a favourite of his nan’s. “She’s OK, thanks. But shaky on her legs these days, but still makes the most amazing ginger cake.”
Connor grinned back. “Tell her I asked after her. Look, gotta go…”
“Sure.” Ian looked down at the dinosaur. “Is that for real?”
“Student prank,” Connor deadpanned. “Left over from RAG week.”
“Sure, course it was.” Ian had seen some weird in his time in the army, but nothing like real life dinosaurs. “Can I get everyone out of the toilets now?”
“Just let us finish the mopping up. Won’t be long, just got to deal with matey here…”
Two of the soldiers attached the straps around he dinosaur’s hind legs to a winch on the back of a black Range Rover and started to reel it in like a improbably sized fish on a line.
“Fancy a drink sometime?” Ian said, expecting a polite brush off from Connor. “Or come round for tea at nan’s. She’ll do you some cake.”
Connor’s grin widened. “That’s be great.” He fished a business card out of his pocket. All it contained was his name and a mobile number. “Give me a call.”
Ian took the card. “Good to see you.”
“Likewise.” Connor nodded then turned away to call out some more instructions to the soldiers, as a blonde-haired woman also carrying one of the weird-looking guns bent down to check that the dinosaur was still breathing.
Ian turned the card over in his hand, wondering at what point in the last 10 years Connor Temple had learned to issue orders to a load of blokes with guns whilst dealing with dinosaurs.
His nan had always liked Connor. He’d better tell her to get baking.
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no subject
Date: 2019-04-27 08:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-27 11:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-27 08:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 09:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 11:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-27 08:32 pm (UTC)It's cool to see the more mature Connor from an outside perspective. And it was great that the outsider was someone who'd known him back in the 'old days'.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 09:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 11:27 pm (UTC)Also we need Ian at the ARC *nods*
no subject
Date: 2019-04-29 02:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-05-02 08:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-05-02 09:40 pm (UTC)