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Primeval Art fic: First Meetings (1/5)
Title: First Meetings (1/5)
Author: knitekat
Word Count: 2095 for this part
Characters: Danny Quinn, James Lester with Monty, Abby Maitland, Hilary Becker and OCs & OMs.
Rating: 18
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures. Certainly not me. Writing for fun and will replace.
A/N: For the Primeval Art Fic Prompt: Thanks go to Fififolle for the beta, all remaining mistakes are mine – especially as I've added to it since Fi looked at it. Also thanks go to Fred for her wonderful art.
Warning: Offscreen animal death and mutilation.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Danny knew his curiosity would probably get him another rollicking from his guv'nor but... how could he not look into this? If it had just been a suspicious death that apparently wasn't a police matter, which just yelled security forces, he might not have poked his nose into it. Those buggers could be bloody territorial when a simple copper poached on their turf and even Danny wasn't that curious. He would have left it alone, at least he would have until he'd discovered the victim had been listed as missing for the past five years in mysterious circumstances. How could he not look into it after discovering that?
Which is how he came to find himself sitting astride his motorbike across from a building site and wondering just what the fuck he'd stumbled across. He half-wondered if it was an anti-terrorist op with all the black-clad men toting rifles wandering around, but who in their right mind would target a building site in this part of town? Just as the classily-dressed woman who was giving the – Danny frowned, he supposed soldiers would be nearest to the mark if this was something security forces related – didn't quite fit. Something was going on... something that might finally give him some answers about Patrick and what had really happened to his brother.
He frowned and moved back into the shadows when another car drew up, expensive and totally out of place in this neighbourhood. The man who climbed out appeared to agree from the way he was looking down his nose at the area. Danny grinned when he noticed the soldiers snapping to attention when they noticed the man, it looked as if he had found the guv'nor. Now all he needed to do was meet him face-to-face and convince him to let Danny in on whatever they were doing.
Danny strolled casually around the perimeter, his eyes open for any point of access and for the soldiers – at least until he noticed several had slunk off for a crafty fag. Bloody amateurs and he had to wonder if they really were soldiers... and if they weren't, what the hell had he stumbled onto? His copper's nose twitching with all the inconsistencies, Danny knew he needed to find out. If it was something illegal, he'd call it in and if it wasn't... well, it wouldn't be the first time he had a disciplinary mark on his record. His misspent youth made it easy for Danny to spot the weak point, a quick kick and the fence gave. He squeezed through and took the time to pull the fence back into position, the maybe soldiers might be fucking useless but even they might notice and investigate a gap in the fence.
He crept around the piles of bricks and timbers, past the silent JCB and other construction vehicles, until he could see the group gathered in front of one of the half-built houses. The guv'nor looked pissed at being there, as out of place as the classy-looking woman, the geeky boy and the feisty-looking blonde. Danny frowned, he could see the guv'nor and classy-looking woman being security forces, but the other two? Not to mention the useless security? It was beginning to look as if he'd stumbled across something criminal.
A cleared throat behind him had Danny spinning around, his hands raised as he came face-to-face with a rifle. He put on his most charming smile and cursed that he'd been discovered by the one guard they had who was actually doing their job. “Hi, I'm looking for my lost dog.”
The man snorted, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Likely story. Come with me.”
“Worth a try.” Danny shrugged good naturedly, he wasn't going to argue with a man with a gun. He was convinced he'd be able to talk himself out of any trouble and, well, if he was right, if this was anything to do with what had happened to Patrick, he wanted in, legit or not. “Take me to your leader.”
The man snorted. “Oh, Lester's going to love you.” He motioned Danny to stand and indicated with a jerk of his rifle that Danny should move towards the group he'd been spying on. “Sir James!”
Lester – Sir James – glanced up from his phone, the look of disdain back on his face. Danny swallowed, that tailored pinstripe and yellow tie looked good on him... really good on him. Fuck! Danny really didn't need to be attracted to his guv-to-be, it never ended well in his experience. “Captain Becker?”
“I found him spying on you, Sir.”
Danny fought down a shiver as those cold green eyes fixed on him, and shrugged. “I was just curious. All these armed soldiers and all.”
Lester's gaze turned back to his phone when it buzzed, a frown appearing on his face as he read the message, before he looked back up when Danny cleared his throat. “Lock him up in one of the portacabins. I'll deal with him later.”
“Sir!” Becker snapped a salute.
Danny stalked around the portacabin he'd been locked inside and considered his options. One, he could make a break for it, the security here was a joke and he could kick the door open or be out a window before anyone noticed. Or two, he could wait and see if he could convince this Sir James Lester to hire him, whether to finally learn the truth about Patrick or bring them down if they were just crooks. He sighed, if he wanted in he knew he only had one choice and sat down, putting his feet up on the desk to wait.
His eyes lit up when he noticed the abandoned laptop, if he was lucky it would have power and WiFi and a bloody crap password. It had and he grinned as he opened up the search engine and entered 'Sir James Lester' into the search box. Now to see who the man was and what the hell Danny had got himself mixed up in.
Danny closed his eyes in relief when he discovered Lester worked for the government, knowing it meant he might be one step closer to the truth about what had really happened to his brother. He quickly found other websites and became so engrossed in reading what he had at first dismissed as a conspiracy site that he failed to realise he had company until a throat was cleared. He looked up, knowing he had to look guilty, to meet Lester's eyes and the familiar look of disdain, and wondered if Lester had any other expressions. “What am I going to do with you, Mr Quinn?”
Ah, it looked as if he hadn't been the only one looking up information. Then Lester's words registered with another part of his brain and Danny had to swallowed the quip that rose unbidden in his throat as images of exactly what Lester could do to him popped into his mind. Bloody hell, this really wasn't the time or place to be thinking about things like that, especially as he didn't know if Lester swung that way. Danny took a deep breath and took a moment to wrestle his libido into submission before replying, “Let me join this ARC of yours.”
“And why would I want to do that?” Lester asked, his attention turning to his phone when it buzzed once more, another frown appearing on his face as he read the message.
Danny got the clear impression that he was being dismissed as an annoyance, something to be dealt with quickly so Lester could get on with his day. Fuck! Just what he needed, another pretentious guv with a stick up his arse and that was so not a thought to be having right now. “Because I'd be useful, certainly more use than your bloody security.” He pointed outside. “I was watching this place for a good half hour and that bloody shower didn't even see me. Too busy gossiping and having a fag break.”
Lester quirked an eyebrow, something that Danny took as a point in his favour. “How did you get in?”
“Wandered around the perimeter fence, found a loose section and kicked it in. It was easy. You've really got to do something about your security.”
“I believe you've already mentioned that, Quinn,” Lester replied, his eyebrow quirking again at something on his phone.
Danny shrugged. “Just pointing out why you should hire me.”
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Danny leaned forward. “I was curious about what you were doing. Suspicious deaths, missing people turning up, all this secrecy and no coppers. Now I'm here, I just want to help, that's all.”
“You didn't even know about the ARC until an hour ago.” Lester tilted his head as if considering a bug under a microscope. “Mr Quinn.”
Danny just knew Lester was going to tell him to fuck off, although probably in somewhat politer language. “It's Danny.”
Lester sighed. “Mr Quinn. The fate of the nation, possibly the world, hangs on what we do. It's not a place for chancers and wideboys.”
“Look.” Danny turned the laptop around so Lester could see what he'd discovered. “You've seen what I can do. I want in.”
Lester looked as if he was suppressing another sigh. “You don't get to make demands, Mr Quinn.”
Danny rose to his feet, knowing this might be his only opportunity and that he needed to convince Lester to give him a chance. “Come on, you need me.”
“Really?” Lester quirked his damned eyebrow again. “Why would I need another maverick? I already have a mad professor and his equally unstable assistant.”
“Your security is shit,” Danny started, he had to try something, anything. “I can make it better. I'm also a damn fine investigator and you need me.”
Lester gave a long-suffering sigh, tiredness slipping through his façade for a moment before an irritated expression concealed it. “Don't you ever give up, Quinn?”
Danny shrugged, he had a chance if Lester was still talking to him. “Not when it is something I really want.”
Lester narrowed his eyes as he considered Danny. “What I should do with you is throw you in a cell and leave you to rot.”
“What you should do?” Danny asked, a sliver of hope in his heart that maybe, just maybe, Lester was considering something else, hopefully hiring him.
“Of course.” Lester nodded. “You're a security risk, Quinn.”
Ah, maybe showing Lester what he'd figured out about this operation hadn't been such a good idea. “Look, Lester...” Danny began, before a blood-curdling scream sounded. He was heading towards the door before it died. “What the fuck?”
“Where the hell do you think you're going, Quinn?” Lester demanded.
“Out there, to see what's happening and give your crap security a hand.” Danny gestured outside as he met Lester's piercing gaze. “Look, how about I watch your back? See it as a pre-employment test?” A second scream sounded and Danny's eyebrow rose when he noticed the pistol in Lester's hand. He took a moment to look around for a weapon before smiling as he hefted the cricket bat someone had left behind.
“Fine,” Lester ground out after a moment, just when Danny thought Lester would turn him down flat; not that it would have stopped Danny and maybe Lester knew that. “But the management takes no responsible for injury.” He looked thoughtful for a moment before adding, “Or death.”
Danny grinned, now that was more like it. Now he'd have a chance to show Lester what he was capable of. He followed on Lester's heels when the man opened the door and stepped outside, ready to find out what the hell was going on out there.
The bright light – the anomaly, the website had called it – hadn't been difficult to find. What had been worrying was that no one else was around and finding a pool of blood. Danny's lips twitched when he overheard Lester's muttered comment.
“Damn security's on a bloody tea-break again.” Lester paused as he checked the clip in his pistol. “I will be happier when Ryan and his men are back.”
Danny smiled, half-turning to quip at Lester when he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Something large and deadly-looking that was moving with silent grace across the portacabin roofs. Something that had Lester in its sights. He yelled a warning and threw himself forwards, knocking into Lester and waiting to feel the creature's claws or teeth in his unprotected back.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Author: knitekat
Word Count: 2095 for this part
Characters: Danny Quinn, James Lester with Monty, Abby Maitland, Hilary Becker and OCs & OMs.
Rating: 18
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures. Certainly not me. Writing for fun and will replace.
A/N: For the Primeval Art Fic Prompt: Thanks go to Fififolle for the beta, all remaining mistakes are mine – especially as I've added to it since Fi looked at it. Also thanks go to Fred for her wonderful art.
Warning: Offscreen animal death and mutilation.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Danny knew his curiosity would probably get him another rollicking from his guv'nor but... how could he not look into this? If it had just been a suspicious death that apparently wasn't a police matter, which just yelled security forces, he might not have poked his nose into it. Those buggers could be bloody territorial when a simple copper poached on their turf and even Danny wasn't that curious. He would have left it alone, at least he would have until he'd discovered the victim had been listed as missing for the past five years in mysterious circumstances. How could he not look into it after discovering that?
Which is how he came to find himself sitting astride his motorbike across from a building site and wondering just what the fuck he'd stumbled across. He half-wondered if it was an anti-terrorist op with all the black-clad men toting rifles wandering around, but who in their right mind would target a building site in this part of town? Just as the classily-dressed woman who was giving the – Danny frowned, he supposed soldiers would be nearest to the mark if this was something security forces related – didn't quite fit. Something was going on... something that might finally give him some answers about Patrick and what had really happened to his brother.
He frowned and moved back into the shadows when another car drew up, expensive and totally out of place in this neighbourhood. The man who climbed out appeared to agree from the way he was looking down his nose at the area. Danny grinned when he noticed the soldiers snapping to attention when they noticed the man, it looked as if he had found the guv'nor. Now all he needed to do was meet him face-to-face and convince him to let Danny in on whatever they were doing.
***
Danny strolled casually around the perimeter, his eyes open for any point of access and for the soldiers – at least until he noticed several had slunk off for a crafty fag. Bloody amateurs and he had to wonder if they really were soldiers... and if they weren't, what the hell had he stumbled onto? His copper's nose twitching with all the inconsistencies, Danny knew he needed to find out. If it was something illegal, he'd call it in and if it wasn't... well, it wouldn't be the first time he had a disciplinary mark on his record. His misspent youth made it easy for Danny to spot the weak point, a quick kick and the fence gave. He squeezed through and took the time to pull the fence back into position, the maybe soldiers might be fucking useless but even they might notice and investigate a gap in the fence.
He crept around the piles of bricks and timbers, past the silent JCB and other construction vehicles, until he could see the group gathered in front of one of the half-built houses. The guv'nor looked pissed at being there, as out of place as the classy-looking woman, the geeky boy and the feisty-looking blonde. Danny frowned, he could see the guv'nor and classy-looking woman being security forces, but the other two? Not to mention the useless security? It was beginning to look as if he'd stumbled across something criminal.
A cleared throat behind him had Danny spinning around, his hands raised as he came face-to-face with a rifle. He put on his most charming smile and cursed that he'd been discovered by the one guard they had who was actually doing their job. “Hi, I'm looking for my lost dog.”
The man snorted, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Likely story. Come with me.”
“Worth a try.” Danny shrugged good naturedly, he wasn't going to argue with a man with a gun. He was convinced he'd be able to talk himself out of any trouble and, well, if he was right, if this was anything to do with what had happened to Patrick, he wanted in, legit or not. “Take me to your leader.”
The man snorted. “Oh, Lester's going to love you.” He motioned Danny to stand and indicated with a jerk of his rifle that Danny should move towards the group he'd been spying on. “Sir James!”
Lester – Sir James – glanced up from his phone, the look of disdain back on his face. Danny swallowed, that tailored pinstripe and yellow tie looked good on him... really good on him. Fuck! Danny really didn't need to be attracted to his guv-to-be, it never ended well in his experience. “Captain Becker?”
“I found him spying on you, Sir.”
Danny fought down a shiver as those cold green eyes fixed on him, and shrugged. “I was just curious. All these armed soldiers and all.”
Lester's gaze turned back to his phone when it buzzed, a frown appearing on his face as he read the message, before he looked back up when Danny cleared his throat. “Lock him up in one of the portacabins. I'll deal with him later.”
“Sir!” Becker snapped a salute.
***
Danny stalked around the portacabin he'd been locked inside and considered his options. One, he could make a break for it, the security here was a joke and he could kick the door open or be out a window before anyone noticed. Or two, he could wait and see if he could convince this Sir James Lester to hire him, whether to finally learn the truth about Patrick or bring them down if they were just crooks. He sighed, if he wanted in he knew he only had one choice and sat down, putting his feet up on the desk to wait.
His eyes lit up when he noticed the abandoned laptop, if he was lucky it would have power and WiFi and a bloody crap password. It had and he grinned as he opened up the search engine and entered 'Sir James Lester' into the search box. Now to see who the man was and what the hell Danny had got himself mixed up in.
Danny closed his eyes in relief when he discovered Lester worked for the government, knowing it meant he might be one step closer to the truth about what had really happened to his brother. He quickly found other websites and became so engrossed in reading what he had at first dismissed as a conspiracy site that he failed to realise he had company until a throat was cleared. He looked up, knowing he had to look guilty, to meet Lester's eyes and the familiar look of disdain, and wondered if Lester had any other expressions. “What am I going to do with you, Mr Quinn?”
Ah, it looked as if he hadn't been the only one looking up information. Then Lester's words registered with another part of his brain and Danny had to swallowed the quip that rose unbidden in his throat as images of exactly what Lester could do to him popped into his mind. Bloody hell, this really wasn't the time or place to be thinking about things like that, especially as he didn't know if Lester swung that way. Danny took a deep breath and took a moment to wrestle his libido into submission before replying, “Let me join this ARC of yours.”
“And why would I want to do that?” Lester asked, his attention turning to his phone when it buzzed once more, another frown appearing on his face as he read the message.
Danny got the clear impression that he was being dismissed as an annoyance, something to be dealt with quickly so Lester could get on with his day. Fuck! Just what he needed, another pretentious guv with a stick up his arse and that was so not a thought to be having right now. “Because I'd be useful, certainly more use than your bloody security.” He pointed outside. “I was watching this place for a good half hour and that bloody shower didn't even see me. Too busy gossiping and having a fag break.”
Lester quirked an eyebrow, something that Danny took as a point in his favour. “How did you get in?”
“Wandered around the perimeter fence, found a loose section and kicked it in. It was easy. You've really got to do something about your security.”
“I believe you've already mentioned that, Quinn,” Lester replied, his eyebrow quirking again at something on his phone.
Danny shrugged. “Just pointing out why you should hire me.”
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Danny leaned forward. “I was curious about what you were doing. Suspicious deaths, missing people turning up, all this secrecy and no coppers. Now I'm here, I just want to help, that's all.”
“You didn't even know about the ARC until an hour ago.” Lester tilted his head as if considering a bug under a microscope. “Mr Quinn.”
Danny just knew Lester was going to tell him to fuck off, although probably in somewhat politer language. “It's Danny.”
Lester sighed. “Mr Quinn. The fate of the nation, possibly the world, hangs on what we do. It's not a place for chancers and wideboys.”
“Look.” Danny turned the laptop around so Lester could see what he'd discovered. “You've seen what I can do. I want in.”
Lester looked as if he was suppressing another sigh. “You don't get to make demands, Mr Quinn.”
Danny rose to his feet, knowing this might be his only opportunity and that he needed to convince Lester to give him a chance. “Come on, you need me.”
“Really?” Lester quirked his damned eyebrow again. “Why would I need another maverick? I already have a mad professor and his equally unstable assistant.”
“Your security is shit,” Danny started, he had to try something, anything. “I can make it better. I'm also a damn fine investigator and you need me.”
Lester gave a long-suffering sigh, tiredness slipping through his façade for a moment before an irritated expression concealed it. “Don't you ever give up, Quinn?”
Danny shrugged, he had a chance if Lester was still talking to him. “Not when it is something I really want.”
Lester narrowed his eyes as he considered Danny. “What I should do with you is throw you in a cell and leave you to rot.”
“What you should do?” Danny asked, a sliver of hope in his heart that maybe, just maybe, Lester was considering something else, hopefully hiring him.
“Of course.” Lester nodded. “You're a security risk, Quinn.”
Ah, maybe showing Lester what he'd figured out about this operation hadn't been such a good idea. “Look, Lester...” Danny began, before a blood-curdling scream sounded. He was heading towards the door before it died. “What the fuck?”
“Where the hell do you think you're going, Quinn?” Lester demanded.
“Out there, to see what's happening and give your crap security a hand.” Danny gestured outside as he met Lester's piercing gaze. “Look, how about I watch your back? See it as a pre-employment test?” A second scream sounded and Danny's eyebrow rose when he noticed the pistol in Lester's hand. He took a moment to look around for a weapon before smiling as he hefted the cricket bat someone had left behind.
“Fine,” Lester ground out after a moment, just when Danny thought Lester would turn him down flat; not that it would have stopped Danny and maybe Lester knew that. “But the management takes no responsible for injury.” He looked thoughtful for a moment before adding, “Or death.”
Danny grinned, now that was more like it. Now he'd have a chance to show Lester what he was capable of. He followed on Lester's heels when the man opened the door and stepped outside, ready to find out what the hell was going on out there.
***
The bright light – the anomaly, the website had called it – hadn't been difficult to find. What had been worrying was that no one else was around and finding a pool of blood. Danny's lips twitched when he overheard Lester's muttered comment.
“Damn security's on a bloody tea-break again.” Lester paused as he checked the clip in his pistol. “I will be happier when Ryan and his men are back.”
Danny smiled, half-turning to quip at Lester when he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Something large and deadly-looking that was moving with silent grace across the portacabin roofs. Something that had Lester in its sights. He yelled a warning and threw himself forwards, knocking into Lester and waiting to feel the creature's claws or teeth in his unprotected back.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5