(AN) I hope you all enjoy this chapter. R&R! I still need suggestions for creatures for season eight! i will take ALL suggestions into account.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Primeval or any of it's characters.
Season Seven, Chapter Four
Stranded Again
Connor sat at a table in the Hareville tavern, focused intently on his jacket. He finished removing the seam that held the A.R.C badge to the shoulder of his jacket and stuffed the futuristic article of clothing into a sack. He forced himself to think of Mac.
Mac is gone, he has to be. Why else wouldn't he have been with Dylan and Evan? If he is dead, then how did he die? Did the Albertosaurus get him? Did he get shot by one of those rude military men? Or is he still alive? Is he a hostage? Is he trapped in another anomaly?
So much had happened in that span of thirty minutes, Connor could hardly remember what had happened in what order.
He had been stuck in the year eighteen eighty-one for two weeks so far, and was forced to accept what was what. So, he decided to continue his job of keeping people safe from creatures. He, Trevor and Stephen- who was in his late forties- decided to make their own A.R.C program. Admittedly they did not have the technology or materials do track the anomalies, but they would survey the area surrounding the town of Hareville and keep the people that lived there safe.
Connor put the trench coat- which he had purchased shortly after their arrival- on the table. Stephen had graciously given the stranded men money to buy clothing suitable for the time, seeing as they had no acceptable money.
Connor took the sleeve of the trench coat and began to sew the A.R.C badge onto it. As he forcefully pushed the needle through the thick leather, he thought of what Stephen had told him.
Stephen had been revived in Connor's time by the same people who brought Cutter and- Connor learned- Helen back from the dead. The body that the A.R.C had on ice was a clone, placed by these same people where the actual Helen Cutter's body had been. After reviving Helen, they offered her a deal; if she gave them information about the anomalies, they would revive Stephen for her. Stephen got lost through the same anomaly that Connor and Trevor had a year after his revival. Only difference was that he had been sent back many years before the others had come through. Stephen would not tell them any more, saying that it would greatly affect their future.
Connor struggled with the badge for over an hour, and when he finished his fingers where bloody and sore. He stood up and threw the grey coat on. He tossed the bag over his shoulder and walked towards the bar.
"May I interest you in a glass of whiskey, Mr. Temple?" The barman asked as we wiped the wooden counter top.
"Not at the moment, Ivan, but thank you anyways." Connor nodded to the short man politely. "I need to ask you about the Wolfe."
Ivan stopped cleaning the counter and moved down past the other men sitting at the bar to face Connor. "Mr. Temple, most everybody in Hareville is familiar with your interest in our myths 'n' rumours, but they aren't all just myths. Before you even consider lookin' into the Wolfe, I suggest you get yourself a weapon."
Connor thought. "Thanks, Ivan, I think I'll head over to Marley's right now."
"You do that, then come back and ask about the Wolfe."
Connor nodded and walked to the swinging bar doors, ignoring the looks from the scantly clad prostitutes on the second floor. Even if he wasn't married, he'd never consider buying one of them for a night.
Connor pushed through the doors and bumped into Stephen. "Oops, sorry, Connor!" Stephen said.
"That's alright, Stephen."
"Where're you off to?" Stephen asked curiously.
"I'm getting a gun." Connor said matter of factly.
"Connor, you can't even-"
"That as the last time you saw me, Stephen. So much changed, I didn't even have a girlfriend then!" Connor said.
"Does that mean you have a girlfriend now?"
"Er, well, not a girlfriend..."
"Then you're..." Stephen's eyes widened. "Are you married?"
"Yes, I am." Connor said, "Married to the most beautiful woman in the world!"
"Who?"
"Do you remember Abby Maitland?" Connor asked.
"You and Abby?" Stephen sounded surprised.
"Yeah," Connor said, stepping off of the boardwalk and walking towards a garage tucked in between the butcher shop and Marley's Firearm's Dealer. Connor pulled open one of the large doors and stepped inside. The wooden floor was littered with bits and pieces of metal, and a workbench sat in the centre of the room. A bed and nightstand where tucked in the corner.
Stephen could see a picture of Abby on the stand. "You really miss her, don't you?"
Connor nodded as he sat at the worktable. "More than anything." he said. "I should be there; I have to get back as soon as I can. She shouldn't be alone at this time."
Stephen watched Connor as reached under the table and retrieved his laptop. "Its almost out of power, but if I find a way to recharge the battery pack, I might be able to use it to create a simple anomaly detector."
"How will you do that?" Stephen asked, watching as Connor poured a liquid- presumably a chemical or an acid- into a glass.
"Do you remember what batteries car's use?" Connor asked as he picked up a piece of metal- about the size of a stick of gum- and wrapped a copper wire around the end of it. "Copper..." He murmered.
"Wet cells."
"Right!" Connor wrapped another wire to a similar piece of metal." "Zinc..." he whispered. "If I make this simple, single celled battery correctly, I should be able to recharge my computer's battery..."
"And power a detector!"
Connor nodded again. Popped the battery pack out of his computer and set it on the table. "Do you have a knife?"
"Yeah." Stephen opened his coat and pulled a six inch knife from a concealed sheath. He twirled it around in his fingers, so that he was holding it by the blade and offered it to Connor.
"Thanks." He pushed the tip of the blade into the seam of the plastic and popped the battery pack open, revealing the circuit board inside. Connor grabbed the loose end of in of the cords, saying, "Positive to negative..." He attached the wire to a prong and wound it tightly around it.
"If you don't mind me asking," Stephen said. "Why not just hook the wet cell directly to the detector instead of giving the effort to charge another battery?"
"The pack's easier to carry than a cup full of acid." Connor said blandly.
"Oh, I see now." Stephen stood in silence for a few seconds as Connor finished wiring the battery pack. "Well, I'm not helping around here." He said, walking towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Connor asked.
"Shopping." Stephen said with a grin, before stepping out of Connor's workshop, closing the door behind him.
Abby sat at the kitchen table in Claudia's home. In her hands she grasped a cup of coffee,but had not taken a sip from it in the ten minutes she'd had it. She simply stared into the black liquid, thinking about Connor. She wondered how much time had passed where Connor was, and if he was safe.
"Abby," A voice said gently. It was Claudia. "It's past midnight; you should o to bed."
"I can't sleep."
"You haven't slept since he disappeared, Abby; three days!' Claudia sounded concerned. "You're pregnant; even if you're only a few weeks in you shouldn't put that strain on your body."
Abby didn't respond.
"Come on, at least sit on the couch." Claudia said, taking Abby's arm. He led her from her chair to a soft leather couch and sat her down in it. She sat down beside her.
"Thanks for being here for me." Abby said quietly.
"That is what friends are for, aren't they?" Claudia smiled kindly, putting a comforting arm around Abby.
Abby sighed, and rested her head against Claudia's shoulder and closed her eyes. Soon, she was fast asleep, breathing softly. Claudia stroked her hair tenderly as she slept, feeling sad for Abby. She didn't deserve to have her husband locked on the other side of an anomaly- he didn't deserve it either. She sat there for the rest of the night, Abby back to sleep all of the various times she woke through the night. At one point she whispered, "Don't worry, Abby. We'll get Connor back; I promise."