Order And Symmetry
Title: Order And Symmetry
Author: TalliW
Characters: James Lester, Team 5th season
Rating: K
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Fredbassett for beta-reading.
Summary: Lester knows the value of a tidy room
Lester turned his back to the door and checked the cushions on the couch once more. Maybe if he ignored the knocking on the door then whoever was standing on the other side would go away. He didn't like visitors. Visitors only brought chaos to his orderly world.
For a moment it seemed his strategy might be crowned with success, then whoever it was knocked again. Lester ground his teeth and sweat broke out on his forehead. The intruder had only knocked three times. Three was a bad number. No symmetry, no balance. The paragon of chaos.
Lester quickly rapped his knuckles against the table to make it four, relieved when it didn't sound all too different. Everything had to be straight and in a particular order.
"Lester, please open the door," someone called from outside.
He knew that voice. It belonged to the nice, blonde girl with a foible for lizards. The last time she had come over she had brought him grapes and a stack of books.
Lester took a step towards the door when a male voice mumbled, "Come on, Lester. We don't have all day."
That must be the young man who had been so clumsy that he had tripped over the carpet and almost knocked down the fruit bowl on the table.
Quickly Lester moved away from the door again. He didn't want to have such a chaotic fool in his room.
He heard a mumble of voices from outside, too indistinct for him to tell how many people had gathered before his door. That was followed by the sharp voice of the man he had dubbed soldier boy.
"Don't you dare to leave us standing outside again, James. I promise you this time I will break down the door."
"Becker, shut up. You’ll frighten him."
"Frighten him? Me? Don't be silly, Emily. He faced a horde of future predators with a half-empty EMD."
"Yes, and look what that did to him. He hasn't been himself since that day."
Lester was glad when soldier boy quietened down after that. For some reason he couldn't fathom, the man's voice sent little spikes of pain through his heart every time.
Now a girl chirped, "Lester, please open the door. We have a surprise for you."
Jess. That was Jess. He liked the bubbly girl in her miniskirts and ridiculous high-heels. She often had chocolate in her handbag.
Lester laid his hand on the door handle and asked suspiciously, "Is it a good surprise?" Proud of himself that he had remembered in time that surprises weren't always good.
"A good one of course," Jess assured him.
The door slid open to reveal six people clustered tightly, waiting to be let in.
With dismay Lester noticed that none of them carried a bag with presents. So there wouldn't be grapes or more books today. At least they hadn't brought flowers either. As beautiful as the floral bouquets had been the first days the flowers had withered fast and had made a mess on his pristine white tablecloth and on the carpet. He had spent half of a night cleaning up the dropped pollen and dried flower petals.
"Well." Lester looked expectantly at Jess, hoping she would come straight to the point and not wander from one topic to another as was her custom.
Fortunately Jess seemed to be quite eager to reveal the surprise. Lester watched in amusement how Jess positioned herself in the middle of the room and puffed herself up to make what she was about to say sound more important. Her eyes sparkled with happiness as she announced loudly, "You’re allowed to go home."
Lester furrowed his brows, trying to decipher if there was a hidden meaning to her words.
At his lack of excitement about her declaration Jess grew insecure and she began to babble, "Isn't that great? If you want than we can leave immediately. Becker will stay with you until you’ve settled in. Tonight you can sleep in your own bed again."
Lester's face stayed blank, not understanding what Jess was talking about. He was at home. Why should he want to move somewhere else, together with soldier boy on top of it?
In confusion Lester's eyes flickered through the room, to land on the young man who was about to flop down on his couch and mess up the accuracy of his cushions.
"No," he screeched and stumbled towards the couch, shoving the young man he suddenly remembered was called Connor to the side.
"Lester, didn't you hear what I just said? You can leave the hospital."
Lester blocked out Jess' desperate voice and eyed with resignation the cushion Connor had already touched. It would take hours to get it back in line accurately with the other five. Maybe he should just put it in the drawer and forget about it.
Then he remembered that five was a bad number and he froze in shock at the thought that he had considered letting chaos reign in his home.
"Come on, Jess, you see that he isn't in the best of condition today. It's better if he stays here for a while longer," Lester heard the blonde say. Her words were followed by the murmur of a series of subdued goodbyes.
"Please, bring some grapes the next time you come visiting," Lester called over his shoulder before he devoted himself to the difficult task of straightening out the rumpled cushion. He had to restore the order. Because symmetry was good, was safe.
When the door closed with a squeak, Lester shook his head to dispel the image of claws and teeth tearing into his flesh, reminding himself that monsters hated order and symmetry. As long as he kept everything tidy and clean the monsters couldn't get in.
Lester knew that everyone thought him crazy, that no one believed his assertion that he had seen glimpses of the future in the eyes of the dying predators. But soon they would realise that he had been right all along. In a couple of months an anomaly to the future would open at the place New Dawn had been located which couldn't be closed by a locking device. Within days monsters would overrun the world and destroy everything in their wake. Then neat, little basement rooms like this, with a hidden stash of food and water would be the only hope for mankind to survive.
Author: TalliW
Characters: James Lester, Team 5th season
Rating: K
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to Fredbassett for beta-reading.
Summary: Lester knows the value of a tidy room
Lester turned his back to the door and checked the cushions on the couch once more. Maybe if he ignored the knocking on the door then whoever was standing on the other side would go away. He didn't like visitors. Visitors only brought chaos to his orderly world.
For a moment it seemed his strategy might be crowned with success, then whoever it was knocked again. Lester ground his teeth and sweat broke out on his forehead. The intruder had only knocked three times. Three was a bad number. No symmetry, no balance. The paragon of chaos.
Lester quickly rapped his knuckles against the table to make it four, relieved when it didn't sound all too different. Everything had to be straight and in a particular order.
"Lester, please open the door," someone called from outside.
He knew that voice. It belonged to the nice, blonde girl with a foible for lizards. The last time she had come over she had brought him grapes and a stack of books.
Lester took a step towards the door when a male voice mumbled, "Come on, Lester. We don't have all day."
That must be the young man who had been so clumsy that he had tripped over the carpet and almost knocked down the fruit bowl on the table.
Quickly Lester moved away from the door again. He didn't want to have such a chaotic fool in his room.
He heard a mumble of voices from outside, too indistinct for him to tell how many people had gathered before his door. That was followed by the sharp voice of the man he had dubbed soldier boy.
"Don't you dare to leave us standing outside again, James. I promise you this time I will break down the door."
"Becker, shut up. You’ll frighten him."
"Frighten him? Me? Don't be silly, Emily. He faced a horde of future predators with a half-empty EMD."
"Yes, and look what that did to him. He hasn't been himself since that day."
Lester was glad when soldier boy quietened down after that. For some reason he couldn't fathom, the man's voice sent little spikes of pain through his heart every time.
Now a girl chirped, "Lester, please open the door. We have a surprise for you."
Jess. That was Jess. He liked the bubbly girl in her miniskirts and ridiculous high-heels. She often had chocolate in her handbag.
Lester laid his hand on the door handle and asked suspiciously, "Is it a good surprise?" Proud of himself that he had remembered in time that surprises weren't always good.
"A good one of course," Jess assured him.
The door slid open to reveal six people clustered tightly, waiting to be let in.
With dismay Lester noticed that none of them carried a bag with presents. So there wouldn't be grapes or more books today. At least they hadn't brought flowers either. As beautiful as the floral bouquets had been the first days the flowers had withered fast and had made a mess on his pristine white tablecloth and on the carpet. He had spent half of a night cleaning up the dropped pollen and dried flower petals.
"Well." Lester looked expectantly at Jess, hoping she would come straight to the point and not wander from one topic to another as was her custom.
Fortunately Jess seemed to be quite eager to reveal the surprise. Lester watched in amusement how Jess positioned herself in the middle of the room and puffed herself up to make what she was about to say sound more important. Her eyes sparkled with happiness as she announced loudly, "You’re allowed to go home."
Lester furrowed his brows, trying to decipher if there was a hidden meaning to her words.
At his lack of excitement about her declaration Jess grew insecure and she began to babble, "Isn't that great? If you want than we can leave immediately. Becker will stay with you until you’ve settled in. Tonight you can sleep in your own bed again."
Lester's face stayed blank, not understanding what Jess was talking about. He was at home. Why should he want to move somewhere else, together with soldier boy on top of it?
In confusion Lester's eyes flickered through the room, to land on the young man who was about to flop down on his couch and mess up the accuracy of his cushions.
"No," he screeched and stumbled towards the couch, shoving the young man he suddenly remembered was called Connor to the side.
"Lester, didn't you hear what I just said? You can leave the hospital."
Lester blocked out Jess' desperate voice and eyed with resignation the cushion Connor had already touched. It would take hours to get it back in line accurately with the other five. Maybe he should just put it in the drawer and forget about it.
Then he remembered that five was a bad number and he froze in shock at the thought that he had considered letting chaos reign in his home.
"Come on, Jess, you see that he isn't in the best of condition today. It's better if he stays here for a while longer," Lester heard the blonde say. Her words were followed by the murmur of a series of subdued goodbyes.
"Please, bring some grapes the next time you come visiting," Lester called over his shoulder before he devoted himself to the difficult task of straightening out the rumpled cushion. He had to restore the order. Because symmetry was good, was safe.
When the door closed with a squeak, Lester shook his head to dispel the image of claws and teeth tearing into his flesh, reminding himself that monsters hated order and symmetry. As long as he kept everything tidy and clean the monsters couldn't get in.
Lester knew that everyone thought him crazy, that no one believed his assertion that he had seen glimpses of the future in the eyes of the dying predators. But soon they would realise that he had been right all along. In a couple of months an anomaly to the future would open at the place New Dawn had been located which couldn't be closed by a locking device. Within days monsters would overrun the world and destroy everything in their wake. Then neat, little basement rooms like this, with a hidden stash of food and water would be the only hope for mankind to survive.