This fic is going to be my biggest endeavor to date. It will focus on Connor Temple from sometime in season three of Primeval. It will be a milti-fandom fic starting in Neverland from the Once Upon a Time universe, then it will move onto Oz and finally Wonderland where it will pick up with SyFy's Alice. The idea originally came to me because Connor Temple and Hatter are both portrayed by the same actor, Andrew Lee Potts. One thing led to another and all of a sudden I am writing a four verse fic with a possible sequel. Never let it be said that I do not have large aspirations.
Thanks so emmylouuwho for beta-ing for this.
He leaned over the edge of the cliff to get a better look at the anomaly. It had opened halfway up the cliff side, just about fifty feet below them. As far as they could tell nothing had come out of it and they hoped that no one had fallen in. A stream raged at the base of the cliff, the past week's heavy rain making what would normally be a lazy river rush down the hill with a ferocity rarely seen in the countryside. Still, Mother Nature found more rain to pelt them with as the ARC team tried to secure the area and get the anomaly device set up.
"Connor!" Becker yelled, "Take a step back, the ledge is slick!"
"I'm fine!" he yelled over his shoulder, but he did take a step back just in case.
"Where do you think this one goes to?" Abby asked loading a pistol with tranquilizer.
"Haven't the slightest," Becker said, loading his own pistol, "What do you say we seal it before we find out?"
"Right, Connor do you have the anomaly device ready?"
"Yeah almost," he said running back to the group gathered around the back of the land rover, "first I want to get the base set up and secure on the ledge before I take the actual device out. I don't want to risk it falling over the cliff."
"Right then, be careful out there," Abby said handing him the piece.
"You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine. Been in scrapes worse than a bit of rain before."
"Connor, I'm serious. You have to get right on the ledge to get a good shot and it's not the best footing."
"Abby, don't worry about me. I know what I'm doing," he said wrapping his coat a bit tighter. She didn't look convinced, "Kiss for luck?"
"Fine," she said and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Just hurry okay?"
"Back in a jiff," he smiled, fixed his hat and headed back out onto the ledge. With every step a pool of water came out of the ground and puddled around his feet and before he was halfway there it had seeped through his shoes and was now wetting his socks. Towards the edge of the cliff the grass had eroded away and all that remained was a layer of mud and rocks before the drop. He made it within a few inches of the edge and set the base down. Kneeling, he started working each of the legs into the ground so that they held firm. Just as he pushed the third leg into the mud the ground below him gave a bit.
"Guys! The ground isn't stable enough out here,"" he yelled to the group waiting just feet from him, "I'm going to bring the device back, we need to try from a different location or we could loose the whole system."
"Alright, take your time," Becker yelled back and turned to a few men to instruct them to try and find another spot to close the anomaly.
He knew what was happening as soon as he went to stand. Once he placed his foot on the ground he felt it shift and give way, before he could right himself his other foot lost it's purchase and slipped. He tried to catch himself on the base but the wet metal was smooth and his hands merely slipped down it's surface. He slid down the cliff face, roots and rocks cutting into him as he moved past them at an alarming speed. He desperately tried to grab onto something but roots slipped through his fingers and rocks gave way their hold when he tried to grab onto them. He was only a few feet away from the anomaly when the cliff side became less steep and slowed him down. His boots hit a large rock and he felt it tear up his body, ripping at every piece of him as he slid over it. He got his head out of the way just in time and grabbed onto the rock, its jagged edges cutting into his fingers. He came to a sudden halt, tearing at his arms, but he didn't let go. The rain continued to pelt down upon him as he looked below and saw a few pieces of debris continue down the cliff and into the anomaly just a couple of feet below. He let out a sigh just as Abby's head appeared over the ledge, her hair slicked down from the rain and her clothes clinging tightly to her body.
"Connor! Connor oh thank god you're okay," her relief was visible even from the distance. She gave a small smile before yelling to the troops behind her to get some rope, "It's okay Connor, we're going to get you back up here. Safe and sound."
"Sounds fantastic," he yelled back up to her, his terror evident in his voice. He glanced below him just as the anomaly started to pulse, "The anomaly is closing!"
"Connor hold on, we're going to come get you!" Just as soon as she yelled down to him a knotted rope flew over the ledge and landed just beside him. He felt the rock move a bit as he tried to go for the rope yet it stayed just out of reach. He heard Abby's cries of encouragement and tried once again for the rope. This time he caught it but the movement pulled the rock out of the cliff. As it fell away it hit him in the side, the next thing he knew Abby was screaming and he was falling.
He saw the glow of the anomaly pass around him and suddenly Abby was gone. He continued falling, tumbling through the tall brush and thick vegetation of the new land until the cliff stopped and level ground met him. His momentum kept him rolling for a few more feet until he came to a rest on his back. Consciousness fading, he glanced up the cliff side just as the anomaly give a final pulse and close before blackness took him over.
"Connor! Connor hold on, we're going to come get you! Connor...Connor...Connor..."
He heard murmurs, distant and faded, they weaved their way into his mind, rising and falling and quieted just often enough so that he could not grasp the words that were being said. The more he tried to focus on them the more his head hurt, forcing the voices away. He tried to move but all he could muster was a grunt and a shrug of his shoulders. At his movement the voices stopped. He forced open his eyes just as he felt a sharp jab on his left ribs. He let out a groan at the new pain and turned his head to look at his surroundings.
He was lying in long, lush grass that tickled the side of his face with every gentle breeze. Not far from him he could see a cliff rising up and out of his sight. Behind him the sun must have been setting because it was nearly dusk. A pair of feet came into his vision, clad in tall boots and green pants. He tried to look up to see whoever had found him but once he tried something was placed on the side of his head, preventing him from moving it.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice said and he could only assume that it belonged to the pair of legs before him. Out of his peripheral vision he saw the figure standing above him, a cloak hiding most of his short frame, he was holding what looked to be an old musket, the barrel of it pressing into Connor's cheek. "Who are you?" the voice asked. When he gave no reply the musket pressed harder onto his head and the man asked again, less kindly this time.
"I-I don't know...Connor, I think," he said, trying desperately to recall his name, where he was from. The more he tried the more it hurt until he gave up.
"You think? How do you not know your own name?" The voice asked, apparently out of patience. His head was pressed harder onto the ground and he gave a cry at the added pain.
"Enough!" A second voice said, he couldn't tell from where, "Let the poor fellow up."
"But Captain!"
"I said let him up," at the order the gun was lifted off of his head and the figure took a step back, "Stand up sailor."
He tried to stand but everything hurt. He managed to roll over and make it onto his knees before two pair of hands gripped either arm and lifted him to his feet. He gave a cry and his vision blurred before him. He tried to focus his vision on the figure before him but all he saw was a black shape, he wasn't even sure it was a man.
"Where are you from?"
He was going to throw up.
"I said where are you from? How did you get here?"
No, not throw up, he was going to fall.
"Answer me! How did you get here."
He could tell that the man was angry but he couldn't do anything. He couldn't focus, he was too dizzy to stand. A blackness was once again forcing it's way across his vision and he could do nothing to stop it.
He was moving. No, he was still, it was the ground that was moving. He forced his eyes open to inspect his surroundings. He was inside now, lying in a small hard bed. The room was small and had no lighting except for whatever was filtering through a sunlight above him. He tentatively moved his arms, remembering the pain last time he had tried to move. There was still pain there but it was nothing like what he had experienced before. Slowly he moved into a sitting position then eased one leg, then the other onto the floor. He could feel the floor rising and falling below him, wood creaking every now and then with the gentle movement. Holding onto the wall for support he lifted himself into a stand and moved himself from one beam to the other until he reached what he thought had been a skylight. In reality in was a set of stairs leading through a small hatch. He could now smell salty air and in the back of his mind he pieced together that he must be on a boat. He heard shouting and shadows passed over the opening above him. Grabbing tight onto the the rope railing he slowly made his way onto the upper deck.
There was a commotion all around him, men ran from one end of the ship to the other. Some secured ropes, others disappeared from his sight before he could see their intent. A massive white sail was being lowered and men tried to tie it off before it could get the better of them in the wind.
"Come on! My gran can move faster than you sorry lot! Secure that mast!" A familiar voice barked loudly from behind him. Turning he saw a man in all black standing at the ships wheel and looking properly annoyed. "You're the sorriest excuse for sailors I've ever seen, I've got half a mind to throw you to the Lost Boys, that is if they don't catch us first!" At the threat the sailors picked up their pace and got the mast secured, once they did the ship gave a jolt and picked up speed. "That's it boys, good job." The man in black, obviously the captain, checked his compass and gave up the helm to another man standing just beside him.
"Well would you look at that!" The Captain said, noticing him for the first time and making his way down the steps, "Back from the dead are we mate? I'll be honest, for a while, we didn't think you were going to make it." The Captain stood before him, a wide grin on his face, "Glad you did. You raised quite a few questions that we would like answered."
"Where am I?" he croaked out, his voice weak, "What happened to me?"
"You're in Neverland mate, and as for what happened, I was about to ask you the same thing."
I hope to update this as often as I can but who knows on when that will actually be, hopefully at least once a month. I love reviews or any suggestions that you guys have, I love feedback.
