Fic: Cross-World Hunt (Multiverse!ARC) (1/8)

[goldarrow]

Title: Cross-World Hunt (Multiverse!ARC) (1/8)
Author: goldarrow
Word Count: 2,615 of 24,135
Characters/Pairing: Stephen, Ryan, Abby, Claudia, Blackwood, Captain Ross, Hemingway, Christine, Connor, Ditzy, Hartley, Helen, Becker, Lester, Jenny, Stringer, Lyle, Lorraine, Matt, Blade, Cutter, Finn, Sarah, teams; Ditzy, Stringer, Lyle, Finn, and Blade belong to fredbassett, who kindly lends them out. Blackwood, Hemingway and Hartley are mine, along with a host of OCs.
Rating: 15
Disclaimer: Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures, not me. I will return everyone when I’m done, slightly mussed but in superb spirits nonetheless.
Synopsis: The search for Abby
Sequel to First World.


Cross-World Hunt – Part 1

Location: Earth 9-081 – United Kingdom

"Damn it, where's Abby?"

It was Ryan's voice and words that finally forced Stephen to his feet. The mind-blast that Helen had used on the two ARC teams so she could escape had left all of them – with the exception of Captain Stringer – with blinding headaches. Stringer might actually be worse off than any of the others, though: she'd shot him instead, since his mind-protection power had shielded him from her mental attack.

"Helen's taken her." Stephen didn't know how he knew, he just knew. "Why, I couldn't tell you, but there's no way that Abby would have gone chasing after Helen on her own, she's too sensible."

Ryan nodded, then winced. Stephen sympathised, because just the idea of nodding his head or even moving it quickly made his stomach churn.

"Yes, we can be sure Helen's got her. But the why will have to wait until we get back to ARC."

"We need to start searching," Quinn put in. "If we spread out, we can – "

"We can do what?" Ryan said tiredly. He glanced at his timepiece, wincing again as his eyes moved in their sockets. "She's been gone for close to an hour local time, and we have no idea what direction she took. For all we know she opened a portal right here. It took us two weeks to find Helen before, and we have no guarantee that they're even still on this Earth."

Quinn sat back, cursing, and Stephen felt like copying him. Ryan was right. Helen had a damned portal device, so she could be anywhere, on any Earth in the multiverse.

With Abby as her hostage.

~*~*~*~
Location: ARC

Stephen watched, along with the other four members of Ryan's and Stringer's teams as the two captains reported first to Lorraine, then directly to Sir James.

He was still rather in awe of the amount of healing that these people were capable of in such a short length of time. Luckily, Stringer's head wound had been a superficial, glancing blow, leaving no skull fracture and only a moderate concussion. Fifteen minutes in the healing booth had been enough to put him back on his feet sufficiently to join Ryan and the others as they hashed out plans to find Abby.

The members of Ryan's and Stringer's teams were still watching the meeting going on in Lester's office, no one in their group doing any talking, when Captain Becker of Team 2 and Lieutenant Lyle – now on the list for official promotion to captain after his team's successful swing through the 8- worlds – of Team 3 arrived.

Lyle nodded to Claudia – his replacement as Ryan's Team Second – as he passed. He clapped Stephen, Ditzy and Quinn on the shoulder, then followed Becker up the ramp. A few minutes later, an angry-looking Nick Cutter strode up the ramp and joined them.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Quinn said savagely. "If they don't mobilise every fucking team, right fucking now, I think there's going to be a mass exodus of ARC personnel heading out on private searches."

Stephen looked over at him. The man's expression was as savage as his tone of voice. "I know that everyone is close here, but isn't that a bit extreme? From what I understand, they didn't do that for my parents. What's the difference?" He made sure his voice didn't hold any antagonism or sullenness, merely curiosity.

"We did search," Claudia said quietly, touching his shoulder. "It just didn't have quite the savage fury of this reaction, though, for two reasons: first, we had no idea what had happened to your parents. They weren't kidnapped from what we could see, they simply disappeared. We had nowhere to start. We didn't even know exactly when it happened." She turned to stare up at Lester's office door. "And second, as you know, family is very important to us. Abby is the last of her direct line. If we lose her, we lose the future of her family."

There must have been something in Stephen's DNA, because just the thought of that made his blood run cold. He shivered. "So, given that, and I do fully understand now, you're also saying that I have some close relations?"

"You remember me mentioning the name Rob Finn to you when we were training?" Claudia asked with a slight smile and a twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah, guy with physical protection power, right?" Stephen cast his mind back to their training session.

"That's him. The physical protection power is related in many ways to your telekinesis. Sort of the mirror of it. Rob's the son of your mother's second cousin on their mother's side." Claudia's smile widened to a grin at the expression that must have been on Stephen's face as he tried to work out the relationship. "In our world, that's pretty close – when it's of the same maternal line."

"So, we track families by maternal links rather than paternal links, then?" Stephen, having come from a world where the paternal line took precedence, was fascinated.

"Yes." Blackwood glanced over at him. "One always knows who the mother is, no matter what," she said blandly. "The father, one can be absolutely sure of only by DNA testing."

"Gotcha." Stephen knew that the subject was shelved for the moment as Claudia's communicator chimed.

"Yes, Lorraine?... Audience Room 5…Ten minutes… Right… We'll be there."

She turned to the rest of them. "Ditz, Lorraine is starting an in-call of all teams."

Ditzy, Stringer's Team Second, nodded, his grin tight. "Audience Room 5 and in-call. Excellent. That means we're mobilising. They have a plan."

"Why does a particular room number mean mobilisation?" Stephen was by this point just 'faint but pursuing' as far as knowing what the blue blinding blazes was going on.

Ditzy grasped his shoulder. "Audience Rooms are those that are big enough for a large group. So, if we need some place that size, it means they're calling in all team members, both roving – like us – and in-reality watchers – like your parents were. Which means they know what's about to happen next."

"Thanks." Stephen followed as Ditzy and Claudia led the way along a few corridors that he didn't remember having seen before, to end up in what on his adoptive world would have been called an auditorium. He followed them to take his seat along with the others in the front row, leaving two empty spots for Ryan and Stringer. They also left one other that Stephen guessed was probably for Nick Cutter, since it was front and centre.

~*~*~

It took a little more than the assigned ten minutes to fill the audience room. Claudia told Stephen that a few of the in-reality watchers were in places where they couldn't open portals immediately, so they were being given an extra five minutes. He was fairly impressed at that – even fifteen minutes to get out of a meeting, or out of a car speeding down the motorway, or any of the multiple other things he could think of that would throw a spanner into the works in order to get to a portal, was actually pretty fast.

Finally, the last of the stragglers hurried into the room and took their seats.

Within a minute, Sir James Lester – Director of ARC; Charles Hemingway – Liaison to the Council; Jennifer Lewis – Liaison to the Cross-Reality Teams; and Lorraine Wickes – Lester's Second; strode in and took seats at the long table on the stage in the front of the room. The rest of the group who had been in the meeting in Lester's office followed them in, nodded their thanks to Claudia for saving spaces for them, and sat in the empty seats in the front line. Lester touched the tabletop in front of him and a screen lit up on the wall behind him.

"As you know, Agent Abigail Maitland has been kidnapped by Helen Cutter." Lester wasted no time on pleasantries, instead going straight to business. He gestured to the man on the stage beside him. "Mr Hemingway, your report, please."

Hemingway stood, looking as always like the mildest of bureaucrats – until one saw the implacable fury in his eyes. Pics of Helen Cutter and Abby Maitland appeared on the large screen behind him. "As liaison to the Council, I have spoken with the Chair and have been informed that ARC have permission to do whatever is necessary to retrieve Ms Maitland." He nodded to the Team Leads in the front row. "As always, we will attempt not to actively interfere with the various realities, but Helen Cutter is fair game. If interference takes place, it will, in this case only, be treated lightly. They would, however – if time permits – prefer to be consulted before any powers that might cause actual issues on the alternate Earths are used." Gazing sadly at Nick Cutter, who nodded stiffly in return, he finished, "In addition, the Council have decided that there is no reason to use up any more time or energy trying to capture Helen Cutter. She is to be put down as soon as she is found." With a general look around, his gaze making many of those present shiver a bit at the ferocity it contained, he sat down again.

The room erupted in a buzz of talk, but quieted immediately when Lester pressed another icon and a chime sounded.

Lester stood. "As Mr Hemingway has reported, we at ARC have free rein to take down Helen Cutter. I ask now, do any Team Leads assigned to any of the realities have anything particularly unusual to report at this time regarding their realities?"

Three individuals stood.

"Damn it," Quinn muttered. "It just couldn't be fucking easy, could it?"

Stringer elbowed him, and he subsided.

"Very well. Mr Wapasha?"

The aged man, who with his iron-grey hair worn in two long braids could easily have passed for a First Nations elder on Stephen's world, stepped forward. "Team assigned to North America 6-903. I was preparing a report of these occurrences when we received the in-call," he said, his accent having taken on a slight tinge of the clipped language of the reality he had been occupying for a couple of decades now. "The Palace has been in a bit of an uproar. Nothing extreme, nothing that would make one believe that there is war or even diplomatic conflicts about to break loose, but there's a definite toing-and-froing amongst the nobles and the priesthood."

There was another eruption of sound as people gasped and a few cursed.

Stephen glanced at Claudia, who whispered. "You remember Abby saying that the worlds where the Aztecs won against the Spanish were very dangerous?"

Nodding, Stephen felt his face go pale.

"That's all the 6- worlds. And 6-903 still practices human sacrifice."

"Oh, no, no, no," was all Stephen could get out past his suddenly tight throat.

Claudia clasped his arm, and Ditzy on his other side put a hand on his shoulder in comfort. Stephen started feeling a bit better immediately, until he clocked that Ditzy was using his power of empathy. He gave Stringer's Team Second a surprised look, and Ditzy just smiled and winked as he released Stephen.

Whilst Stephen was getting hold of himself again, Lester asked Mr Wapasha to make a full report to Captain Ryan as soon as the meeting adjourned. The agent gave a dignified bow and sat.

The next reporter, a tall, whip-thin man with pepper and salt hair, stepped forward. "Marcus Yates, England, Earth 7-354. King Henry XXI and his Council have been doing the same thing as the guys in 6-903. To and fro, fro and to, constant meetings and to-dos. I'll send a detailed report to Captain Ryan as soon as I have any particulars." He bowed and returned to his seat.

Stephen looked at Claudia, who whispered, "Too much to tell. Will fill you in later." He nodded agreement.

And finally, a dark-skinned man stepped forward. He looked younger than the other men, and much fitter. "Captain Ross," he said. "Team Lead for United Theocratic States of America, Earth 9-081. We've had the same as the other two: the President Bishop, along with his priests and deacons, are all running around like ants in a kicked anthill. We don't have a lot of details yet; we're waiting on contact from a couple of informants." He gazed calmly at Lester. "I did leave one of my team behind at our base, in the hopes that he'll be able to update us soonest."

"Your action is approved, Team Lead."

Ross bowed and sat.

After conferring quickly with Hemingway, Lewis and Wickes in undertones, Lester nodded, then stood to look out over the audience.

"Your assignments are as follows:" He looked at Lyle. "Lieutenant Lyle, please take your team to Earth 6-903 with Mr Wapasha, and report back whatever you find."

Lyle grinned fiercely. From what Stephen had seen of the Lieutenant, that place seemed to him to be right up Lyle's alley.

"Captain Stringer, please take your team to Earth 7-354 with Mr Yates. Report back whatever you find."

Stringer gave a quick salute, and Quinn looked like he was about to cheer until a quick glance from Blackwood made him twitch and subside. Stephen grinned internally. It seemed that her far-speech worked well even close up, and could come in handy for more than just reporting in.

"Captain Becker, please take your team to Earth 9-081, along with Captain Ross. Report back anything you find."

Becker nodded expressionlessly. Stephen sometimes wondered if the man actually had any emotions at all. He certainly seemed to have a very large stick up his arse. Even his hair looked like it didn't dare put a strand out of place. But then, such a stoic exterior would make him a good candidate for infiltrating the theocratic country. And his team was all-male, which would fit in safely.

Lester looked over the audience again, and the slight rustles of movement that had begun when Lester finished speaking stilled immediately. "You have all been in-called, not only to hear what has happened to our agent and what we're doing about it, but also to know that you must be extra-vigilant over the next few weeks. We will not allow Abigail Maitland to be lost to us. Anything – and I mean anything – that seems out of place or that even sets your intuition off is to be reported, it doesn't matter how trivial it seems. I want daily reports from all of you, and any reports of unusual happenings as quickly as you can write them up."

He turned to face Ryan, whose face had gone blank after the listing of assignments. With sympathy in his tone, Lester gave his last set of orders.

"And finally, I must ask Captain Ryan and his team to remain in-ARC at this time to coordinate those reports. You three will know more than anyone else what details in the reports could be of most importance at any time. And, I'm afraid, at this point you are also too close emotionally to the loss of your teammate."

When he saw that Stephen was tightening up, ready to object, he shook his head sadly and looked directly at him. "I can guarantee you all that once she is found, your team will be instrumental in the rescue of Abby Maitland."

Stephen closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded sadly. He understood. Lester acknowledged his capitulation without words.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lester said formally, "the hunt is on." The other three on the stage stood and gave short bows, then all four strode out the exit.


Part 2.

Comments

[telperion-15.livejournal.com]

This AU gets more and more interesting! Here's hoping they get some information soon that leads them to Abby — although I'm rather looking forward to finding out what's going on on those three Earth's to cause all the unusual happenings that have been reported :)

[goldarrow]

*g* Points at number of parts and wordage. Um. It's going to take a while!

Yeah, one just might think Helen has been busy...

[knitekat.livejournal.com]

Helen is really causing trouble, isn't she. Hope the teams are all safe... especially Lyle's with the world they're going too.

More *kitty kat eyes*

[goldarrow]

She certainly is!

Luckily Lyle's team has the local guy. :)

All parts are complete, queued up for posting every second day.

Thanks!

[knitekat.livejournal.com]

True, but it doesn't sound like a nice world.

Yay!

[purplecat]

Right!! The hunt is on!!

[goldarrow]

*g* Yes!

Thanks!

[fredbassett]

I just love all the world building in this! All the worlds are horrifically believable, especially the Aztec one and the theocratic states of america. So good!

[goldarrow]

Thanks!
I'm so glad you're liking it.

*g* I even wrote it before the latest fuckwittery in the current Xtian US...

[fififolle]

Theocratic states, ha! Very believable.
And Stephen is Finn's cousin, awww!
Well, this is a brilliant world(s) and I hope they can get Abby back!!

[goldarrow]

*g* Yeah, I think I was prescient on that one!

Yeah, I wanted them to be connected. Finn is adorable.

Thanks so much!

[thelibraniniquity]

Finally getting around to reading this (oops!). This is a fab opener, and I love the idea of getting to explore some of the more alternative Earths out there. Looks like Helen has been a very busy little bunny!

[goldarrow]

LOL No hurry! They'll stay there until you get the time...

She has, and I'd love the chance to do it myself!

Thanks.