andom: Primeval Characters: Connor Temple, Abby Maitland Rating: PG, at most Timeline: Set between 3.4 & 3.5 Disclaimer: Obviously a copyright infringement, but surely not worth suing over Summary: A string of bizarre deaths brings Abby Maitland face-to-face with a past she'd tried to forget, and her friendship with Connor Temple is tested as the team races to find the source of an ancient, deadly toxin.

Abby took another sip of coffee, then set down her cup and rested her chin in her palm, her expression glum. She stared down at the little nest of notes on the table before her, hoping that somehow the answers that had eluded her for three weeks would suddenly leap off the page. She had sought out the quiet of the staff lounge to give her work a final look-over and to gather her composure before reporting to Lester with her findings – or lack thereof. The team status meeting was only moments away, and Abby dreaded having to admit to her colleagues that she had learned virtually nothing new. Abby wasn't accustomed to failure, and she didn't like it.

Granted, the task she had been given wasn't exactly within the scope of her expertise; she was a herpetologist, not a chemist. But they had discovered that the toxin that had been killing young drug users all over London for a month was entirely new — and there was reason to believe that wherever it was coming from had something to do with the anomalies. After all, the first confirmed death had happened at the Glastonbury Festival, in rather close proximity to an anomaly that had been detected by the ARC's detection system at almost the same time. The anomaly had opened and closed within minutes, before they could get a team on the scene. But a subsequent sweep of the area had uncovered no evidence of creature incursion or any witnesses to the anomaly phenomena. They thought they had dodged the proverbial bullet …

But when a string of strange deaths was traced back to a bizarre incident at the Festival – and that the victim died raving about spinning lights and creatures – it began to look like they hadn't been so lucky after all.

Not long after, a new party drug had started turning up in underground clubs. It quickly acquired the name Gob, as users described an experience that left them gobsmacked. When ingested, it produced a vivid hallucinatory experience and intense euphoria … and, quite often, death. At least 15 deaths had been attributed to the drug already, victims apparently succumbing to cardiac arrest while in the throes of horrific visions only they could see.

So far the authorities hadn't been able to trace the substance to its source, or even obtain a sample of it. All they had were an ever-increasing number of bodies and autopsy reports suggesting the victims had subjected their bodies and brains to something so strange that it seemed almost alien. If the toxin did come from the other side of an anomaly, the Home Office was particularly keen that the origin was discovered and neutralized by the ARC team rather than local investigators. This lent a special urgency to the operation, and Abby felt the burden of expectation heavy on her. As the team's reptile expert, she was tasked with identifying what kind of creature might account for a substance like this. So far, however, she'd had precious little success.

Abby knew psychedelic effects could be produced by ingesting a wide variety of plants, fungi, insects and animals. But whatever produced this stuff was an entirely new species … possibly a very ancient one. What it was, where and when it came from and who was harvesting and processing its deadly emissions remained a mystery.

And that was all Abby had to report to Lester and the rest of the team.

She rifled through her papers, trying to sort them into a sequence that might yield some insight. She was tired and frustrated … and suddenly aware of a strange buzzing sound. A shout came from behind her – "Incoming!" – at almost the same moment that a shoebox-sized contraption with propellers on all four sides dropped like a stone from overhead, crashing onto the table. It overturned Abby's coffee cup, sending a cascade of hot liquid over her sheaf of papers and into her lap. She leapt to her feet, shocked and sputtering. "Connor!"

The computer whiz stood in the doorway, a radio control unit in his hand and a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry, Abby. It got away from me."

Abby snatched up her sodden notes, shaking the remains of her beverage off the pages and brushing at her wet clothes. There was no time to change before the meeting, and she'd be hard-pressed to salvage much of anything from her ruined papers. As if she wasn't under enough pressure! "Damn it! Just what do you think you're playing at, Connor Temple?" she snapped.

He hurried to help her, grabbing a fistful of napkins from the counter to sop at the spreading pool of coffee around his crumpled device and the remnants of her research. "I was testing a remote surveillance unit I've been working on," he explained. "When I've perfected it, we can send it through anomalies for aerial reconnaissance."

"Come on, Connor. You know you were just messin' about with your new toy, like a big kid," Abby retorted. "I don't know why I'm surprised. I've long since given up expecting you to behave like an adult."

She regretted the words even as they left her lips. In fact, she had seen a change in her former flatmate since the recent death of his mentor, Dr. Nick Cutter. His boyish enthusiasm had been blunted by that tragedy, and the goofy grin that used to light up his open, eager face had been replaced by a solemn, slightly anxious frown. They had all been gutted by Cutter's death, but Connor had been devastated. It worried her to see him so sad, so driven to live up to the confidence his hero had expressed in him with his dying breaths. Just how much she worried about Connor Temple worried Abby even more.

Now, seeing the wounded look in his puppyish eyes, Abby felt a wave of remorse. It had been an accident, after all. As awkward and infuriating as Connor Temple could be at times, he had the best heart of anyone she knew. She reached out and gave his arm an affectionate squeeze. "Sorry I went off on you like that, Connor," she sighed. "I'm just so knackered by all this." She gestured at the pile of damp papers and shrugged miserably.

His brown eyes softened as he looked at her and he smiled encouragingly. "You'll figure it out," he assured her. "You're the cleverest person I know … next to myself, of course."

She laughed in spite of herself, warmed by his words of support. "Well, I wish I were clever enough to come up with something to tell Lester. I suspect he doesn't have the same confidence in me that you do."

Just then the man himself appeared, striding toward them with characteristic briskness. Dressed as always in an impeccably tailored suit and silk tie, James Lester's polished appearance was a marked contrast to Abby's damp and rumpled appearance.

Lester cast a cursory glance at the chaos around them. "Dare I hope, Miss Maitland, that your current state of dishevelement is the result of a raucous celebration of having finally figured out what we're dealing with?"

Abby looked at her shoes. "Sorry, no. We just … I had a little accident."

"It was my fault," Connor interjected.

Lester gave him an arch look. "I'm stunned." He turned his attention back to the pretty young herpetologist. "No progress, then."

"No … not as such."

The administrator sighed impatiently. "How very unfortunate, as it means the effort must be placed in other hands."

"That's not fair!" Connor blurted. "Give Abby a chance, she can do this." He took a step toward Lester, and Abby grabbed his arm to calm him.

"It's all right, Connor," she murmured.

Connor stepped back, but his outrage still showed plainly on his face. "Lester, you know Abby is capable of figuring this out if you just give her a little more time. She knows more about this stuff than anybody."

Lester remained unruffled. "Unfortunately, my opinion on the matter makes very little difference. The Minister seems to believe a fresh perspective on the problem might produce a more immediate result. He's sending in his own man." Before his stunned subordinates could respond, he turned on his heel and strode off toward the conference room, calling back over his shoulder, "I'm off to meet the boffin right now, as he's expected to attend our status meeting this morning. I suggest you join me."

Connor and Abby hustled after him, firing questions at his receding back. Questions he pointedly ignored. It was only when the trio arrived at the door to the meeting room that he halted abruptly and turned to face them, holding both hands up to command silence. "I suggest you adopt a semblance of professional composure," he said crisply. "Perhaps if you impress him, he'll allow you to bask in the glow of his brilliance."

Abby paused to adjust her clothing and arrange her papers as Lester turned again, pushed open the door and entered the room, followed by Connor. Becker, Danny and Sarah were already seated around the conference table along with a distinguished-looking man, about Lester's age but rather better looking and wearing a suit even more stylish and expensive than the administrator's.

"Ah. I see our guest has preceded us," Lester said. "I assume the rest of you have already introduced yourselves to —"

"Michael!" All eyes in the room turned to the doorway, where Abby stood with a stunned look on her face.

"Abigail Maitland. What a delightful surprise." The man's voice was smooth and refined, his crisp accent clearly signaling an upper class background.

"I gather you are already acquainted with a member of our team," Lester remarked.

"I was a student of Dr. Barrington's at university," Abby said quietly, sliding into an empty chair next to Connor at the table.

A slight smile played at the corner of the academic's lips. "Student? Rather more than that, surely," he said coolly.

Abby felt the blood rush to her face as the man continued, "Abigail was my protégé, one of the most promising young minds I encountered in my entire academic career. I foresaw a brilliant career ahead of her … so you can imagine my disappointment when she ran off to become a zookeeper." He chuckled humorlessly. "But I'm glad to find that my investment in her was not entirely for naught."

Before Abby could respond, Lester spoke. "Indeed, Miss Maitland's contributions to our work here have been extremely valuable." He fixed Barrington with a level gaze. "I think you'll find she's laid quite a substantial groundwork in this case, which I'm sure will be very helpful."

"Of that I have no doubt."

"Right, then," Lester continued. "I suggest you accompany me to my office where I can brief you fully on the present situation." He briefly turned his attention to the others at the table. "We'll reconvene once Dr. Barrington is up to speed."

As Barrington rose to follow him, Lester shot a quick look at Abby, who was studiously avoiding her colleagues' questioning glances. "In the meantime," he said, "Abby will compile her findings into a detailed report for Dr. Barrington's careful review."

"Absolutely!" Abby answered, giving her boss a grateful look. "I'm on it." She scooped up her papers and made a quick exit. Behind her she heard Lester issue a final order with his customary brusqueness: "The rest of you … go run a security drill or something."