Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
1.3-2 Moving Target
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Abby put the kettle on as soon as she got home. As she waited for the water to boil, Abby looked through the cabinet finally selecting a nice rooibos. She stared off in space, remembering the events of the day, as it steeped.
Not every day you almost get eaten by a dinosaur. And the Professor's wife was back… she'd been travelling through the anomalies… how weird was that?
Abby removed the tea leaves from her cup and stirred a little milk in to it before heading towards the couch.
Stephen had finally remembered their conversation in the ambulance, just when Abby was glad he hadn't remembered. He already had a girlfriend!
And really, what was up with Connor? The younger man had noticed her perfume, told her she looked really nice and seemed to want to impress her. When Abby had teased Connor, saying Stephen looked better in a wetsuit, Connor had been quick enough to disagree. Abby thought the young man had a bit of crush on her, but moments later he was defending Stephen… reminding her "poison might have affected his judgment just a little bit." Did Connor like her or not, Abby wondered. But more importantly, Abby wondered... did she like him?
Rex chirped as she settled in on the couch.
"Well come on you," coaxed Abby. Rex settled into her lap as Abby took a sip of tea.
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Connor had been trying to work up the nerve to ask Abby to let him share her flat for a week now, and he still hadn't done it. But he had saved her from a mosasaur today. And, he had got a chance to hug her.
He gave a happy little sigh at the memory as he put the key in the lock, turned it and pushed the door open.
The overhead light came on. Connor raised his left arm to shield his eyes from the blinding, bright white light. Something hit his elbow then, shooting pain all the way down his arm. From the sound it made as the something hit the floor and shattered, Connor guessed it was the casserole dish his mum had left after her visit. He stumbled backwards out the door. The brunette followed him through the door and onto the street, her eyes wild, her face a twisted mask of hatred.
This wasn't the woman Connor had once thought he loved. What was it the constable had said last week? Something about bipolar, and not taking her meds, and abusive relationships… men can be abused just as women… but they don't always report it. The officer had given him a handout… a list of behaviors… to watch for. Later, looking at that list, Connor thought it pretty well described her. Glass shattered beside his foot, probably the lid to the casserole dish.
Connor scrambled to his feet and ran. Some people were more dangerous than dinosaurs.
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Claudia was filling out innumerable reports. One of their men had died today.
Far from being the one off, she had first thought, these anomalies seemed to keep coming. The second one was still open in the tubes. The expense reports for guarding that area were going to need to be finished next Claudia thought. And the anomaly today… it had moved. For a government report… did that make it one anomaly or three?
On the plus side, they had only lost one man today. Claudia remembered, her attempt at resuscitation had been successful. Professor Nicholas Cutter was still spouting his theories, trying to tell Lester what to do, and thankfully… the scientist was still breathing.
On the minus side… they had gained a woman. Helen Cutter. Who would have thought?
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Tom Ryan came home late. He sat down on the sofa in his stiff dress uniform and began to untie his shiny black shoes. His wife came and sat down beside him.
Taking his hands from his shoes, she then reached one hand to turn his head to face her.
"Tom," she asked "who was it?"
He began to tell her about the friend they had lost today… a diving accident was all he could tell Bryan's widow… all he could really tell his own wife.
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James Lester was on the phone to the minister… demanding support… trying to explain the needs of a department that didn't officially exist.
"We'll need a dedicated space," he explained "something with detention areas for people, as well as for the rather… exotic creatures… we might encounter."
The voice on the phone was not as cooperative as one might hope when the fate of the world rested on your decisions.
"At the very least," Lester shouted "we need a place with real walls… not all those bloody windows in the home office building!"
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Professor Nick Cutter remembered the feel of Claudia Brown's lips on his. That was twice now, right?
Well, to be fair, the first time she had kissed him had been to scare off some objectionable sod at a bar… and today… it wasn't really a kiss, but mouth to mouth resuscitation. Still, Nick wouldn't mind getting to know the woman with those lips better.
Pity Helen had come back now. She always had the most inconvenient timing.
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Stephen was sitting at the table in the restaurant, tapping his foot. Alison was late. The bright lights and strident pulse of canned music didn't make this restaurant a particularly romantic setting he thought. When Alison had asked to meet here, instead of at her companies flat, Stephen had been a bit surprised… but maybe the company she worked for had rules about guests sharing their accommodations.
He had stopped at a couple of shops on the way back to his place after work. Picked up a bottle of wine, some cheese and crackers, didn't need anything from the chemists... had plenty of those supplies at home. After he showered and changed clothes, he changed the linens. And he had made it to this restaurant on time. Where was Alison?
A familiar lilting laugh sounded. Stephen turned his head to look at the entryway. He smiled and started to rise to his feet. Alison was coming in the restaurant. She was followed by Grace, Elspeth and Robert. Oh no. This couldn't be good.
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