Title: In The Heat Of The Night Chapter 11/14
Title: In The Heat Of The Night Chapter 11
Author: TalliW
Characters: James Lester/Connor Temple
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to the wonderful Fredbassett for beta duty.
Summary:
Lester and Connor have to fight for survival in a future where a climatic catastrophe has drastically changed the world.
"Where are they?
"Connor, calm down. Your pacing is making me dizzy."
"But they should have arrived by now."
"They’ve probably had car trouble and will arrive later than expected," Lester replied, hiding his own worry successfully. "Now go to work. It won't help matters if the foreman gets suspicious. Besides the calculating will steady your nerves."
"I don't think anything can steady my nerves today. I wish it was already over. The suspense is killing me. "
Lester sat down on his sleeping mat and ran his fingers through his hair.
"I remember Ryan telling me once that the waiting before a mission was more worse than the mission itself," Lester said quietly. "He said he had seen a lot of soldiers getting killed simply because they lost their nerve. Connor, please be careful today."
"I'm safe in the building. You are the one in danger outside with the workers in the heat. Don't overexert yourself and don't play the hero again. Not today, okay?"
When Lester gave a curt nod, Connor withstood the impulse to smooth down the hair Lester had ruffled up earlier.
"Uhm, you and Ryan... Were you close?"
Connor had tried to sound casual but it was obvious from Lester's inquiring look that Lester had picked up on the slight tone of jealousy in Connor's voice.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Connor blurted, afraid he'd just broadcasted his feelings all over the place and was forcing Lester to act. "I know, it's none of my business. I’d better go to work now."
"Connor, wait."
Connor froze on the spot and swallowed heavily, not sure he really wanted to hear the truth about Lester's relationship with Ryan.
"We sometimes met in my office after hours and talked about the day. A few times we also shared a drink. That is all there ever was between me and Captain Ryan. I was too cowardly to go for more. Besides I was his superior. It would have been wrong for us to get involved with each other."
"Thanks for telling me," Connor whispered and quickly left for work.
Frustrated, Connor threw his pen down on the table. The calculations had indeed taken his mind off their planned escape but soon his thoughts had turned towards another matter. Had there been a hidden meaning to Lester's explanation about his relations with Ryan? A hint that he was waiting for Connor to make the move and take their relationship to a new level because he was too cowardly to do it himself? But why then had Lester reacted so awkwardly after the kissing? As if he was afraid of that grade of intimacy. Or was it a statement that Lester didn't deem it prudent to continue having sex with Connor once they had returned to their old positions in the ARC?
The first option worried Connor almost as much as the second. Although Lester had made it easy for him to take the lead, taking control didn't come naturally to him. He just wasn't a born leader like Cutter and Danny had been. And why should Lester even consider a permanent relationship with him once they'd returned home? Ryan had been smart, strong and a hunk of a man, but still Lester had rejected the soldier so as not to compromise his reputation. What had a little geek like him to offer Lester by comparison?
With a groan Connor put his head into his hands. Why couldn't Lester be straightforward and just tell him what he wanted? That would less painful than these speculations that slowly ate away at his hard-won self-esteem.
All Connor could see right now was that returning home was likely to put an end to their relationship and he didn't want it to end.
Although there was only a small chance that Lester might want him for forever he would have to talk with Abby. He didn't intent to live a lie. Abby deserved better.
The upcoming thought that they might never make it home at all he quickly banned from his mind.
Connor was waiting for Lester when Lester's shift ended. He didn't mention that the lorry caravan still hadn't arrived. The turmoil around them and his own facial expression was already giving that away. Half the camp was already in an uproar and the rest would be by the end of the day.
"The caravan was raided again. The third time this year." Mattie passed the information he'd just received from Beacher on to Connor.
"And what happens now?"
"The same as the last few times. They will send another caravan and we hope that the lorries will arrive safely in our camp. In the meantime, the food and water will be rationed."
The next day, the workers at Interserve only received a normal food ration instead of a double. And over the course of the week, the rations were reduced more and more until Lester had to start buying additional nutritious food from the Interserve shop to conserve his energies.
"The shop has been closed."
Mattie didn't seem surprised when Connor informed him.
"Yes, I know. All the shops were cleared of foodstuff and water on Beacher's instruction. They fear vandalism if the workers find out. That's why they have closed them entirely."
"Did that happened the last time too?"
"No, the shops were always open to the workers. Somehow it looks like the administration is preparing for an emergency. Come on, we are going to find out what's going on."
Beacher was sitting in the living room in the middle of the day. As if that wasn't already unusual enough he also had several bottles of beer, two of them already empty, standing on the table.
"Here, Mattie, Connor, drink. It is probably the last you will ever get."
"What are you talking about? Beacher, what’s happened?"
With a deep sigh, Beacher leaned back against the backrest of the couch. His eyes were bloodshot like he'd been crying.
"The raiders attacked again. This time they didn't just take the load. They killed the drivers and blew up the lorries. The suppliers have decided not to send another caravan before the route is safe again. Troopers are on the way to neutralise the raiders. We have to hold out in the meantime."
"But that's crazy. They can't leave us without food."
Beacher grasped an empty beer bottle and smashed it against the wall.
"Apparently they can. One of those pompous dickheads had the audacity to tell me that our food orders always have been unusually high in comparison to other camps. So there shouldn't be a problem to hold out a few more weeks if we stopped being wasteful. Those bastards. They know about Interserve's policy of giving their workers double rations to keep up their efficiency and that we are the only camp working with this company in this area."
"How long can we hold out?" Mattie asked fearfully. From growing up in the orphanage he knew what it was like to go hungry for days.
"Another week, maybe one and a half to two weeks if we reduce the rations to the bare minimum. The drinking water will last for six weeks though."
"Okay, that's doable then. A few days without food won't kill us. As long there's still enough water the men can deal with a growling stomach. And some of them still have groceries from the shops in reserve."
Despite Mattie's optimistic estimation, the hopeless look in Beacher's eyes didn't vanish. Beacher's hands, cramped around a new bottle of beer, trembled as he muttered something about people going berserk, just like in camp four. It was obvious that Beacher didn't trust his superiors to send the next food delivery in time.
Quietly, Connor retreated to his bedroom and started to mull over the situation. They couldn't afford to wait any longer. They had to find another way to get out of the camp before the lack of food made an escape well-nigh impossible.
Connor eyed Lester with open worry. For the last few days, Lester had looked worn and had gone to bed early. The rationing had taken its toll on all of them but the midday shift workers had been affected the most.
Today, Lester's complexion appeared positively sallow, his eyes looked bruised and there was an air of fragility about him that was quite shocking. Lester had always been so full of energy.
Impulsively, Connor grasped Lester by the arms and pushed him down onto the bed mat.
Lester mumbled some sort of protest but it was lacking his usual acerbity. His voice got stronger, however, when Connor started to tug the blanket around Lester's body and it finally registered with Connor that Lester was complaining about his clothes getting all wrinkled.
Connor helped him out of his clothes, that Lester allowed that to happen spoke volumes about his condition, and discarded his own clothes as well.
Finally, only in underwear, Connor settled down next to Lester and pulled him in his arms.
For a short moment, Lester resisted before he sought comfort in Connor embrace.
"Have you heard about Gimpy? The killed him because of a piece of bread," Lester mumbled against Connor's cheek.
Connor swallowed heavily. Gimpy hadn't been one of his favourite people but the old man hadn't deserved such a fate.
"People are starting to lose it, Connor. Just like Beacher predicted. There are horrible rumours about the happenings in camp 4. In the end only a third survived the starvation period."
"Beacher must know all that. Yet he still keeps us all imprisoned here," Connor said bitter.
Their attempts to convince Beacher to open the gate had been fruitless. The man was convinced they were safer in the camp, even without food, than outside in the heat of the desert with the ruthless raiders. Finally, Connor had lost control and in his rage had revealed that they had come from another timeline and needed to get out of the camp to return. Beacher hadn't believed that and had threatened to imprison them both if they didn't stop pestering him.
"Word has got around that the Garrand workers are planning a riot tomorrow evening," Lester whispered.
Connor's heart leaped in his chest. Since he had worked as assistant accountant he was almost completely cut off from the ongoing discussions between the workers. His only sources of information were Lester and Mattie.
But if that rumour about the Garrand workers was true, it was the opportunity they'd been waiting for. Beacher wouldn't have enough security men to guard the administrative building effectively if he had to send men out to break up the riot.
"You know where the control room is located?" Lester asked quietly.
"First floor on the right from the main entrance. I talked it out of a guard who thought he might get a cheap fuck. Boy was he furious when he realised it wasn't going to happen."
For a moment Lester's hand tightened on Connor's shoulder, his nails digging painfully into Connor's flesh, before Lester realised what he was doing and relaxed his fingers again.
Connor was surprised and delighted about Lester's bout of jealousy. Whilst he'd thrown that bit of information in spontaneously just to see if Lester cared he hadn't expected such a strong reaction.
"Good," Lester said finally. Then you know what you have to do. I will distract the remaining guards whilst you deactivate the electric fence."
"Okay."
"If you are successful don't wait for me. Just fetch the bundle with food and water and climb over the fence somewhere shadowed. I will follow you as fast I can."
Connor wanted to protest but Lester's finger on his mouth stopped him.
"Please, Connor, don't argue with me. Our plan is dangerous. We'll have a better change if we separate."
Connor eyes softened and he was about to relent when a horrible thought crossed his mind.
"Promise me that you will stay alive," Connor demanded as soon as Lester had removed his finger from Connor's lips. "That you don't plan such nonsense as sacrificing yourself so I can escape. I will wait outside the fence. I'm not going without you."
"Connor..."
"No, I'm serious, James. If you have to kill the guards, Beacher, or anyone else from the camp in order to survive, then don't hesitate to do it. I can live with that. But if you don’t show up within an hour I will come back for you."
Lesters regarded him carefully, as though he was seeing Connor from a whole new perspective.
"You brave, loyal fool, you," Lester muttered affectionately. "I won't give you a promise that I might not be able to keep. Just know that I will do everything in my power to get us home. Both of us, alive and kicking."
"I guess that will have to do."
With a sigh, Connor pressed his face against Lester's neck and inhaled deeply. He liked the smell of sweat and Lester's unique scent. Tentatively, his tongue tip flickered out and trailed along Lester's jugular.
"Are you hungry?" Lester asked ironically.
"Not for food."
Connor suggestively rubbed his crotch against Lester hip. He knew he should let Lester rest but there had barely any bodily contact between them for the last two days and now he was horny as hell. Besides this could be his last night with Lester. So many things could go wrong on their flight attempt. And there was no guarantee that Lester would still want him should they actually make it back to their own universe. He didn't plan to waste what would probably be their last hours together.
"We would be better conserving our energies," Lester said seriously. "Tomorrow will demand a great deal of us."
"Tell that to Mr. Spock. He desperately wants some attention."
Lester gave a snort as Connor referred to his genitals with the odd nickname he'd given them but nevertheless played along with Connor's antics.
"That's quite unusual for a Vulcan."
"You forget he's only half-Vulcan. Must be his human side that’s horny," Connor joked back, knowing he'd already won Lester over.
"Well, then I will see what I can do for Mr. Spock."
With a gleam in his eyes, Lester nipped on Connor's neck before he started a slow descent down Connor's front.
Gone was the tired, worn man from earlier. Once again Lester was full of energy as he trailed kisses down Connor's stomach and licked and sucked on Connor's dick until Connor convulsed in helpless pleasure.
Author: TalliW
Characters: James Lester/Connor Temple
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to the wonderful Fredbassett for beta duty.
Summary:
Lester and Connor have to fight for survival in a future where a climatic catastrophe has drastically changed the world.
"Where are they?
"Connor, calm down. Your pacing is making me dizzy."
"But they should have arrived by now."
"They’ve probably had car trouble and will arrive later than expected," Lester replied, hiding his own worry successfully. "Now go to work. It won't help matters if the foreman gets suspicious. Besides the calculating will steady your nerves."
"I don't think anything can steady my nerves today. I wish it was already over. The suspense is killing me. "
Lester sat down on his sleeping mat and ran his fingers through his hair.
"I remember Ryan telling me once that the waiting before a mission was more worse than the mission itself," Lester said quietly. "He said he had seen a lot of soldiers getting killed simply because they lost their nerve. Connor, please be careful today."
"I'm safe in the building. You are the one in danger outside with the workers in the heat. Don't overexert yourself and don't play the hero again. Not today, okay?"
When Lester gave a curt nod, Connor withstood the impulse to smooth down the hair Lester had ruffled up earlier.
"Uhm, you and Ryan... Were you close?"
Connor had tried to sound casual but it was obvious from Lester's inquiring look that Lester had picked up on the slight tone of jealousy in Connor's voice.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Connor blurted, afraid he'd just broadcasted his feelings all over the place and was forcing Lester to act. "I know, it's none of my business. I’d better go to work now."
"Connor, wait."
Connor froze on the spot and swallowed heavily, not sure he really wanted to hear the truth about Lester's relationship with Ryan.
"We sometimes met in my office after hours and talked about the day. A few times we also shared a drink. That is all there ever was between me and Captain Ryan. I was too cowardly to go for more. Besides I was his superior. It would have been wrong for us to get involved with each other."
"Thanks for telling me," Connor whispered and quickly left for work.
Frustrated, Connor threw his pen down on the table. The calculations had indeed taken his mind off their planned escape but soon his thoughts had turned towards another matter. Had there been a hidden meaning to Lester's explanation about his relations with Ryan? A hint that he was waiting for Connor to make the move and take their relationship to a new level because he was too cowardly to do it himself? But why then had Lester reacted so awkwardly after the kissing? As if he was afraid of that grade of intimacy. Or was it a statement that Lester didn't deem it prudent to continue having sex with Connor once they had returned to their old positions in the ARC?
The first option worried Connor almost as much as the second. Although Lester had made it easy for him to take the lead, taking control didn't come naturally to him. He just wasn't a born leader like Cutter and Danny had been. And why should Lester even consider a permanent relationship with him once they'd returned home? Ryan had been smart, strong and a hunk of a man, but still Lester had rejected the soldier so as not to compromise his reputation. What had a little geek like him to offer Lester by comparison?
With a groan Connor put his head into his hands. Why couldn't Lester be straightforward and just tell him what he wanted? That would less painful than these speculations that slowly ate away at his hard-won self-esteem.
All Connor could see right now was that returning home was likely to put an end to their relationship and he didn't want it to end.
Although there was only a small chance that Lester might want him for forever he would have to talk with Abby. He didn't intent to live a lie. Abby deserved better.
The upcoming thought that they might never make it home at all he quickly banned from his mind.
Connor was waiting for Lester when Lester's shift ended. He didn't mention that the lorry caravan still hadn't arrived. The turmoil around them and his own facial expression was already giving that away. Half the camp was already in an uproar and the rest would be by the end of the day.
"The caravan was raided again. The third time this year." Mattie passed the information he'd just received from Beacher on to Connor.
"And what happens now?"
"The same as the last few times. They will send another caravan and we hope that the lorries will arrive safely in our camp. In the meantime, the food and water will be rationed."
The next day, the workers at Interserve only received a normal food ration instead of a double. And over the course of the week, the rations were reduced more and more until Lester had to start buying additional nutritious food from the Interserve shop to conserve his energies.
"The shop has been closed."
Mattie didn't seem surprised when Connor informed him.
"Yes, I know. All the shops were cleared of foodstuff and water on Beacher's instruction. They fear vandalism if the workers find out. That's why they have closed them entirely."
"Did that happened the last time too?"
"No, the shops were always open to the workers. Somehow it looks like the administration is preparing for an emergency. Come on, we are going to find out what's going on."
Beacher was sitting in the living room in the middle of the day. As if that wasn't already unusual enough he also had several bottles of beer, two of them already empty, standing on the table.
"Here, Mattie, Connor, drink. It is probably the last you will ever get."
"What are you talking about? Beacher, what’s happened?"
With a deep sigh, Beacher leaned back against the backrest of the couch. His eyes were bloodshot like he'd been crying.
"The raiders attacked again. This time they didn't just take the load. They killed the drivers and blew up the lorries. The suppliers have decided not to send another caravan before the route is safe again. Troopers are on the way to neutralise the raiders. We have to hold out in the meantime."
"But that's crazy. They can't leave us without food."
Beacher grasped an empty beer bottle and smashed it against the wall.
"Apparently they can. One of those pompous dickheads had the audacity to tell me that our food orders always have been unusually high in comparison to other camps. So there shouldn't be a problem to hold out a few more weeks if we stopped being wasteful. Those bastards. They know about Interserve's policy of giving their workers double rations to keep up their efficiency and that we are the only camp working with this company in this area."
"How long can we hold out?" Mattie asked fearfully. From growing up in the orphanage he knew what it was like to go hungry for days.
"Another week, maybe one and a half to two weeks if we reduce the rations to the bare minimum. The drinking water will last for six weeks though."
"Okay, that's doable then. A few days without food won't kill us. As long there's still enough water the men can deal with a growling stomach. And some of them still have groceries from the shops in reserve."
Despite Mattie's optimistic estimation, the hopeless look in Beacher's eyes didn't vanish. Beacher's hands, cramped around a new bottle of beer, trembled as he muttered something about people going berserk, just like in camp four. It was obvious that Beacher didn't trust his superiors to send the next food delivery in time.
Quietly, Connor retreated to his bedroom and started to mull over the situation. They couldn't afford to wait any longer. They had to find another way to get out of the camp before the lack of food made an escape well-nigh impossible.
Connor eyed Lester with open worry. For the last few days, Lester had looked worn and had gone to bed early. The rationing had taken its toll on all of them but the midday shift workers had been affected the most.
Today, Lester's complexion appeared positively sallow, his eyes looked bruised and there was an air of fragility about him that was quite shocking. Lester had always been so full of energy.
Impulsively, Connor grasped Lester by the arms and pushed him down onto the bed mat.
Lester mumbled some sort of protest but it was lacking his usual acerbity. His voice got stronger, however, when Connor started to tug the blanket around Lester's body and it finally registered with Connor that Lester was complaining about his clothes getting all wrinkled.
Connor helped him out of his clothes, that Lester allowed that to happen spoke volumes about his condition, and discarded his own clothes as well.
Finally, only in underwear, Connor settled down next to Lester and pulled him in his arms.
For a short moment, Lester resisted before he sought comfort in Connor embrace.
"Have you heard about Gimpy? The killed him because of a piece of bread," Lester mumbled against Connor's cheek.
Connor swallowed heavily. Gimpy hadn't been one of his favourite people but the old man hadn't deserved such a fate.
"People are starting to lose it, Connor. Just like Beacher predicted. There are horrible rumours about the happenings in camp 4. In the end only a third survived the starvation period."
"Beacher must know all that. Yet he still keeps us all imprisoned here," Connor said bitter.
Their attempts to convince Beacher to open the gate had been fruitless. The man was convinced they were safer in the camp, even without food, than outside in the heat of the desert with the ruthless raiders. Finally, Connor had lost control and in his rage had revealed that they had come from another timeline and needed to get out of the camp to return. Beacher hadn't believed that and had threatened to imprison them both if they didn't stop pestering him.
"Word has got around that the Garrand workers are planning a riot tomorrow evening," Lester whispered.
Connor's heart leaped in his chest. Since he had worked as assistant accountant he was almost completely cut off from the ongoing discussions between the workers. His only sources of information were Lester and Mattie.
But if that rumour about the Garrand workers was true, it was the opportunity they'd been waiting for. Beacher wouldn't have enough security men to guard the administrative building effectively if he had to send men out to break up the riot.
"You know where the control room is located?" Lester asked quietly.
"First floor on the right from the main entrance. I talked it out of a guard who thought he might get a cheap fuck. Boy was he furious when he realised it wasn't going to happen."
For a moment Lester's hand tightened on Connor's shoulder, his nails digging painfully into Connor's flesh, before Lester realised what he was doing and relaxed his fingers again.
Connor was surprised and delighted about Lester's bout of jealousy. Whilst he'd thrown that bit of information in spontaneously just to see if Lester cared he hadn't expected such a strong reaction.
"Good," Lester said finally. Then you know what you have to do. I will distract the remaining guards whilst you deactivate the electric fence."
"Okay."
"If you are successful don't wait for me. Just fetch the bundle with food and water and climb over the fence somewhere shadowed. I will follow you as fast I can."
Connor wanted to protest but Lester's finger on his mouth stopped him.
"Please, Connor, don't argue with me. Our plan is dangerous. We'll have a better change if we separate."
Connor eyes softened and he was about to relent when a horrible thought crossed his mind.
"Promise me that you will stay alive," Connor demanded as soon as Lester had removed his finger from Connor's lips. "That you don't plan such nonsense as sacrificing yourself so I can escape. I will wait outside the fence. I'm not going without you."
"Connor..."
"No, I'm serious, James. If you have to kill the guards, Beacher, or anyone else from the camp in order to survive, then don't hesitate to do it. I can live with that. But if you don’t show up within an hour I will come back for you."
Lesters regarded him carefully, as though he was seeing Connor from a whole new perspective.
"You brave, loyal fool, you," Lester muttered affectionately. "I won't give you a promise that I might not be able to keep. Just know that I will do everything in my power to get us home. Both of us, alive and kicking."
"I guess that will have to do."
With a sigh, Connor pressed his face against Lester's neck and inhaled deeply. He liked the smell of sweat and Lester's unique scent. Tentatively, his tongue tip flickered out and trailed along Lester's jugular.
"Are you hungry?" Lester asked ironically.
"Not for food."
Connor suggestively rubbed his crotch against Lester hip. He knew he should let Lester rest but there had barely any bodily contact between them for the last two days and now he was horny as hell. Besides this could be his last night with Lester. So many things could go wrong on their flight attempt. And there was no guarantee that Lester would still want him should they actually make it back to their own universe. He didn't plan to waste what would probably be their last hours together.
"We would be better conserving our energies," Lester said seriously. "Tomorrow will demand a great deal of us."
"Tell that to Mr. Spock. He desperately wants some attention."
Lester gave a snort as Connor referred to his genitals with the odd nickname he'd given them but nevertheless played along with Connor's antics.
"That's quite unusual for a Vulcan."
"You forget he's only half-Vulcan. Must be his human side that’s horny," Connor joked back, knowing he'd already won Lester over.
"Well, then I will see what I can do for Mr. Spock."
With a gleam in his eyes, Lester nipped on Connor's neck before he started a slow descent down Connor's front.
Gone was the tired, worn man from earlier. Once again Lester was full of energy as he trailed kisses down Connor's stomach and licked and sucked on Connor's dick until Connor convulsed in helpless pleasure.