Fic, Dreadnought, Part 8 of 8, Ryan, 15
Nov. 12th, 2020 04:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fredbassettTitle : Dreadnought, Part 8 of 8
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 15
Characters : Ryan, Claudia, Becker, Lester, Lorraine
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Spoilers : None
Word Count: 20,000, split into eight parts.
Summary : Waking up in the Permian under a pile of rock wasn’t a high point in Ryan’s life, nor was jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, but then help comes along from a very unexpected direction.
A/N : This fic was started four years ago for the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
primeval_denial art fic challenge for this wonderful artwork by the very talented ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tli. Naturally, it grew into an utter monster all too quickly and when it became obvious I’d never finish it in time, I wrote The World After as a prequel.
The blast from their weapons echoed around the cavern like thunder. Soul Stealers dropped from the roof and scurried towards them like cockroaches.
Ryan was operating without conscious thought now, adrenaline flooding his system, every moment stretching to hours as he verified a target and fired, moving as fast as he could across the chamber glad of the more even ground underfoot. Lorraine was still at his side, but he could see that she was limping, the gash in her left leg steadily oozing blood. He slowed, staying at her side, matching her steps, ready to grab her if she fell, ignoring her when she told him just to leave her.
The chittering from the creatures flayed his nerves. The noise of the nail gun and the shotgun bought them some respite, but ahead the fucking things were massing, and Ryan knew their remaining life span was going to measured in minutes not hours. They would manage to take a few more of the ugly fuckers down with them but that’d be all.
A roar and a burst of light on the other side of the chamber brought them up short. Predators fell from the roof, fire sticking to their grey hides. A moment later, a high-pitched whine filled the cavern, ringing inside Ryan’s ears, burrowing into his skull and blotting out the chittering.
The cavalry had arrived.
They kept running, shooting anything grey that got too close.
In the flaring light cast by two large flamethrowers, Ryan could see Becker firing a nail gun in a silent tableau, the noise of the weapon totally blotted out by the penetrating whine coming from a large box slung over Connor’s shoulder. The lad looked terrified, but he was resolutely fiddling with various knobs on the machine, relying on Becker and six of the Dreadnought’s aircrew to cover him.
At his side, Lorraine stumbled and would have fallen, but one of their rescuers jumped forward and slung an arm around her waist, hauling her up until she found her feet and was able to carry on at a limping run.
As the cavern sides closed in around them and the ceiling lowered, it was harder for the soul stealers to come at them at what had started as a suicide run started to resemble an almost orderly retreat.
The two soldiers with the flamethrowers brought up the rear, with Connor and his noise machine in the middle of the group and Becker leading the way. Ryan’s breathing was harsh, his chest heaving, and he could hear small gasps of pain from Lorraine as she desperately matched his pace.
They kept running through two smaller caverns and then they burst out onto the plain, the red glow of dawn turning the rock pillars and the desert floor to a warm golden rose gold. Ryan didn’t think he’d seen anything more beautiful.
“Keep moving!” Becker yelled. “We’re going to blow the entrance!”
A long cord was stretched out on the rocky floor and as soon as they had one of the towering rock pillars between them and the entrance, Becker bent down and lit the fuse. Sparks leaped up and fire danced with lightning speed along the cord.
Two predators came barrelling out of the tunnel entrance to be hit by a barrage of nails and bullets. Becker looked like he was having a hell of a lot of fun with the M4 carbine, but his ammunition wouldn’t hold out much longer. One dropped instantly, the other bounded on and was promptly engulfed in fire from one of the flame throwers.
The dull boom of the explosion echoed off the rock walls all around them. A large chunk of the cliff peeled off, sealing the entrance under tons of rubble. Nothing else was going to get out of there.
“We need to go,” Becker ordered. “We’re too close for Claudia to bring the Dreadnought down here.” He looked at Lorraine. “Ma’am, can you…”
“I can run,” she said, her voice steady.
The attacking airships had already backed off out of range, leaving only the Dreadnought to complete the extraction. As they ran, the stately vessel started its descent to the plain, the artillery barrage from the tower falling just short of the huge gas filled canopy.
By the time they reached the extraction point, Ryan was running on nothing more than fumes and he knew that Lorraine had pushed herself almost beyond endurance, but she was determined to reach their rescuers under her own steam.
As soon as the Dreadnought neared the parched earth, ladders were thrown over the side and airmen swarmed down to help haul them up. As soon as Ryan, Lorraine and Connor had been pulled over the polished copper gunwale, the airship started to rise, with Becker and his men clinging to the rope ladders.
As the last of their rescuers scrambled over the side and collapsed on the deck, Ryan started laughing, adrenaline coursing through his system like a drug. “Fucking hell, Becker, that was a bit dramatic.”
The young soldier grinned. “Most fun I’ve ever had with my clothes on.”
“You have an unusual definition of fun,” drawled a cool voice that Ryan knew all too well, even if its owner had only met him for the first time the night before.
Lester held a hand down to Becker and hauled the soldier to his feet. Becker held onto the slim fingers several heartbeats longer than strictly necessary, then looked amused as Lester took a spotless white handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped away a trail of blood coming from one a think gash in one of Becker’s eyebrows. From the fond expression the politician was failing to adequately disguise, Ryan half expected the man to tell Becker to spit into the hanky so he could wipe the smuts from his face.
They stood at the rail, watching the tower recede into the distance.
“You all need to report to the medical bay.” Claudia made no attempt to mask the relief in her voice. She looked exhausted, but there was a wide smile on her face.
“Thank you all,” Lester said, then he put his arms around Lorraine and gave her an awkward hug. “I owe my life to you all. I just hope it was worth the cost.”
“We’ll be the judge of that, Sir James,” Claudia said, with a tired smile. “And I think you already know what our answer will be.” She held her hand out to Ryan. “Welcome back, Ryan.”
Her fingers were strong in his and her smile, familiar and at the same time unfamiliar, made him feel like he’d already found his way home.
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Primeval
Rating : 15
Characters : Ryan, Claudia, Becker, Lester, Lorraine
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Spoilers : None
Word Count: 20,000, split into eight parts.
Summary : Waking up in the Permian under a pile of rock wasn’t a high point in Ryan’s life, nor was jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, but then help comes along from a very unexpected direction.
A/N : This fic was started four years ago for the
primeval_denial art fic challenge for this wonderful artwork by the very talented tli. Naturally, it grew into an utter monster all too quickly and when it became obvious I’d never finish it in time, I wrote The World After as a prequel.The blast from their weapons echoed around the cavern like thunder. Soul Stealers dropped from the roof and scurried towards them like cockroaches.
Ryan was operating without conscious thought now, adrenaline flooding his system, every moment stretching to hours as he verified a target and fired, moving as fast as he could across the chamber glad of the more even ground underfoot. Lorraine was still at his side, but he could see that she was limping, the gash in her left leg steadily oozing blood. He slowed, staying at her side, matching her steps, ready to grab her if she fell, ignoring her when she told him just to leave her.
The chittering from the creatures flayed his nerves. The noise of the nail gun and the shotgun bought them some respite, but ahead the fucking things were massing, and Ryan knew their remaining life span was going to measured in minutes not hours. They would manage to take a few more of the ugly fuckers down with them but that’d be all.
A roar and a burst of light on the other side of the chamber brought them up short. Predators fell from the roof, fire sticking to their grey hides. A moment later, a high-pitched whine filled the cavern, ringing inside Ryan’s ears, burrowing into his skull and blotting out the chittering.
The cavalry had arrived.
They kept running, shooting anything grey that got too close.
In the flaring light cast by two large flamethrowers, Ryan could see Becker firing a nail gun in a silent tableau, the noise of the weapon totally blotted out by the penetrating whine coming from a large box slung over Connor’s shoulder. The lad looked terrified, but he was resolutely fiddling with various knobs on the machine, relying on Becker and six of the Dreadnought’s aircrew to cover him.
At his side, Lorraine stumbled and would have fallen, but one of their rescuers jumped forward and slung an arm around her waist, hauling her up until she found her feet and was able to carry on at a limping run.
As the cavern sides closed in around them and the ceiling lowered, it was harder for the soul stealers to come at them at what had started as a suicide run started to resemble an almost orderly retreat.
The two soldiers with the flamethrowers brought up the rear, with Connor and his noise machine in the middle of the group and Becker leading the way. Ryan’s breathing was harsh, his chest heaving, and he could hear small gasps of pain from Lorraine as she desperately matched his pace.
They kept running through two smaller caverns and then they burst out onto the plain, the red glow of dawn turning the rock pillars and the desert floor to a warm golden rose gold. Ryan didn’t think he’d seen anything more beautiful.
“Keep moving!” Becker yelled. “We’re going to blow the entrance!”
A long cord was stretched out on the rocky floor and as soon as they had one of the towering rock pillars between them and the entrance, Becker bent down and lit the fuse. Sparks leaped up and fire danced with lightning speed along the cord.
Two predators came barrelling out of the tunnel entrance to be hit by a barrage of nails and bullets. Becker looked like he was having a hell of a lot of fun with the M4 carbine, but his ammunition wouldn’t hold out much longer. One dropped instantly, the other bounded on and was promptly engulfed in fire from one of the flame throwers.
The dull boom of the explosion echoed off the rock walls all around them. A large chunk of the cliff peeled off, sealing the entrance under tons of rubble. Nothing else was going to get out of there.
“We need to go,” Becker ordered. “We’re too close for Claudia to bring the Dreadnought down here.” He looked at Lorraine. “Ma’am, can you…”
“I can run,” she said, her voice steady.
The attacking airships had already backed off out of range, leaving only the Dreadnought to complete the extraction. As they ran, the stately vessel started its descent to the plain, the artillery barrage from the tower falling just short of the huge gas filled canopy.
By the time they reached the extraction point, Ryan was running on nothing more than fumes and he knew that Lorraine had pushed herself almost beyond endurance, but she was determined to reach their rescuers under her own steam.
As soon as the Dreadnought neared the parched earth, ladders were thrown over the side and airmen swarmed down to help haul them up. As soon as Ryan, Lorraine and Connor had been pulled over the polished copper gunwale, the airship started to rise, with Becker and his men clinging to the rope ladders.
As the last of their rescuers scrambled over the side and collapsed on the deck, Ryan started laughing, adrenaline coursing through his system like a drug. “Fucking hell, Becker, that was a bit dramatic.”
The young soldier grinned. “Most fun I’ve ever had with my clothes on.”
“You have an unusual definition of fun,” drawled a cool voice that Ryan knew all too well, even if its owner had only met him for the first time the night before.
Lester held a hand down to Becker and hauled the soldier to his feet. Becker held onto the slim fingers several heartbeats longer than strictly necessary, then looked amused as Lester took a spotless white handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped away a trail of blood coming from one a think gash in one of Becker’s eyebrows. From the fond expression the politician was failing to adequately disguise, Ryan half expected the man to tell Becker to spit into the hanky so he could wipe the smuts from his face.
They stood at the rail, watching the tower recede into the distance.
“You all need to report to the medical bay.” Claudia made no attempt to mask the relief in her voice. She looked exhausted, but there was a wide smile on her face.
“Thank you all,” Lester said, then he put his arms around Lorraine and gave her an awkward hug. “I owe my life to you all. I just hope it was worth the cost.”
“We’ll be the judge of that, Sir James,” Claudia said, with a tired smile. “And I think you already know what our answer will be.” She held her hand out to Ryan. “Welcome back, Ryan.”
Her fingers were strong in his and her smile, familiar and at the same time unfamiliar, made him feel like he’d already found his way home.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2020-11-12 05:55 pm (UTC)*happy dance*
A perfect ending to a superb fic.
I was on tenterhooks at the beginning, hoping but not sure that there would be a rescue, and then Becker and his men came in with a bang!
I love how you had both Ryan and Lorraine make it to the airship under their own steam - so true to the stubborn courage of them both.
*g* I have a feeling that Becker is going to be asking Connor to retro-design a few M4s...
Excellent fic, well worth the wait, m'dear!
no subject
Date: 2020-11-13 08:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-12 06:06 pm (UTC)Aww, it must feel like a home for Ryan.
Lovely stempunk fic with great action, especially from Ryan and Lorraine.
no subject
Date: 2020-11-13 08:06 pm (UTC)I think Ryan could get used to it here.
no subject
Date: 2020-11-12 06:27 pm (UTC)That was a wonderfully exciting story. Loved the steampunk setting almost as much as the action!
Great stuff!
no subject
Date: 2020-11-13 08:06 pm (UTC)It was fun to write, even though it did take me ages!
no subject
Date: 2020-11-12 07:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-13 08:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-15 03:26 pm (UTC)Lol over the hanky bit. I think Lester needs to throughly check Becker for other injuries ;)
Ryan and Lorraine are both stubborn, good on them making it back under their own steam.
Brilliant AU... any thoughts of adding to it?
no subject
Date: 2020-11-15 06:11 pm (UTC)No plans at the moment, but it's not impossible.
no subject
Date: 2020-11-17 08:12 pm (UTC)OK. Just thought I saw some Ryan/Jenny at the end (and more Lester/Becker is always good too).
no subject
Date: 2020-11-15 06:11 pm (UTC)So happy when Becker arrived, wooo!
Adorable ending with Lester and Becker xxxx
Brilliant fic! Fabulous action, drama and, frankly, terror, haha.
no subject
Date: 2020-11-15 06:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-20 09:44 pm (UTC)'Twas a fabulous story all round!
no subject
Date: 2020-11-21 03:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-27 10:03 am (UTC)I think we might need a sequel, because a) Ryan is still in the wrong timeline!, b) he trusted them blindly but how does he really know he fought for the good guys?, c) if everyone is there in this parallel universe, where is steampunk!Ryan? Could he be with the opposition?! That would be so awkward!, d) will he ever find an anomaly back home?
Questions over questions!
No seriously, this was superb! Absolutely great fic! 🤗
no subject
Date: 2020-12-27 03:21 pm (UTC)I think Ryan trusted them because it was Claudia, and he had nowhere else to be and nothing else to do.
I rather think Ryan has decided this is home now.
Thank you for all the lovely comments and for taking the time to comment on each part! It's been an absolute pleasure following your progress through the series. I'm so glad you liked it.
no subject
Date: 2021-07-10 12:19 pm (UTC)Great fic!
no subject
Date: 2021-07-10 07:42 pm (UTC)It's been lovely getting your comments.