themusemanor | Meme - Nikola Tesla | Helen Magnus ---> the rescue me meme

Usually when Tesla feels the need to drop in at one of the Sanctuaries, it's the one in Old City. It's the one where he's at least not going to be turned away at the door simply by trying to explain himself and to be honest, he tends to prefer Helen over most everyone else. Really, he's only in Australia because he happens to need a few things that are native to the country for his latest pet project, and it's only because he's already in the area that he decides to drop in.

He's not expecting what he finds when he actually gets past the front gates, and the obvious signs of something being amiss have him on edge as he slips quietly in through the mercifully unguarded gate. The door, however, is less so. Not surprising, really, although he can't say he much enjoys get shot for his troubles, even if the guards like his answer less.

And once he's in he figures he can at least help out. He vaguely remembers that Helen had supposed to be coming out this way for something and well. What can go wrong with a little bit of easing the way. Especially when it comes so neatly with earning himself a bit of favor. After all, he doesn't see anyone else taking care of the situation, whatever it actually is.

It takes a while before he manages to work his way down to the basement room that Helen's chained up in. He doesn't know this Sanctuary as well as the Old City one. Still, get there he does... only to run into yet more guards. But at least the sound of a scuffle outside will be of some comfort?

It's both a comfort and a concern for Helen. By this point, she's wriggled her knife out of her sleeve and is attempting to use it to force the lock on the chains open. The unfortunate thing is that it's taking a lot more effort than she has strength for. Whatever these people did to her has affected her terribly. She feels weak, almost sick, and standing up long enough to fiddle with her chains is taking its toll on her. The only reason she's still upright is because she's using the chains to brace herself. As soon as the lock is opened, she'll fall and hard.

Helen doesn't even know how her Sanctuary came to be occupied - or who is even doing the occupying. What she does know is that she needs to get out of here to inform Declan, so he can call in an emergency team to clean things up. That will have to wait until she's more stable. And free. For now, she works on the chains and hopes that whatever is causing that noise out there can wait until she's worked her way free.

Judging by the sounds, there's a decent fight going on out there, and save for the sounds of something - or someone - getting knocked into the walls it doesn't seem to be threatening to at break into the room she's in. Threatening the livelihood of someone perhaps, but not actually concerned with her. Admittedly, given some of the things that can and do live in the Sanctuary this is just as much a blessing as it is a curse, but it'll give her ample time to work her way out of her chains.

In time, however, the noises start to drop off, until with one last thud that rattles the door in its frame there's nothing but silence from the other side of the door. If she hasn't worked her way free, now is probably the best time.

It's unnerving to say the least and Helen pauses at some of the sounds, attempting to work faster but not having much luck with it. She's still trying to work her way free when the sounds stop altogether and she pauses long enough to attempt to discern if that's a good thing or not. It's hard to tell from where she is.

Even though she isn't yet free from her bindings, she's holding still. If someone comes into her room, she doesn't want them to know she's close to escaping. She wants the element of surprise. It's the only thing that will save her life here.

After another long moment, the silence is broken by the sound of a key turning in the lock. For all that he's glad to help take care of the problem, he's pretty sure that no one on the Sanctuary will thank him for destroying the doors. Not when he was able to actually find the key on one of the now unconscious people strewn throughout the hall, a fact that while unexpected was certainly something he was going to make good use of.

There's a complete and utter lack of caution as he opens the door. He's not really expecting much that he can't handle, although to say he's a bit surprised at who he finds is more than a slight understatement.

"Helen?"

She's quiet as she waits, shifting the hand she almost has loose in such a way as to have it one hard tug away from being free. Once ready, she waits to see who's coming through the door and as soon as it opens, she pulls the one hand free, dragging the chains off the wall as she does so, and were she in better condition, she would use that chain as a weapon against the intruder.

But she's not and the force of her tug pulls her straight to the ground. Her sill-bound hand holds her weight and she winces at the strain to her shoulder as she looks up at who's just come in.

"Nikola? Oh thank God." A friendly face among all of the hostility. "Help me out of this."

She looks as exhausted as she feels, but what she doesn't know is that her face is severely bruised with minor lacerations across her cheeks and jawline. Everything aches evenly at this point and it's a slight miracle she can even speak. Her neck looks just as bad and what's visible of her hands under the long coat she's wearing show the same. Whatever happened to her before she woke up, she was apparently beaten up pretty badly.

There's a surprised blink, and then he's moving to Helen's side without so much as a second thought. This is no time for banter and he knows it. He can't quite keep from commenting all the same, though, as he moves to both bare as much of her weight as he can and work on the chains.

"You look like hell."

The chains don't last long, once he's turned his attention to them. He's careful to not pull them too much in the process, but it's pretty clear that no one's going to be using the lock again anytime soon, and the chains pretty much fall off as soon as the lock's gone.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she murmurs. With how she feels, it certainly is. She glances up at him momentarily as she falls against his body. It's lucky he's strong or else she might have hit the floor again. As soon as the other chains fall to the ground, she reaches for Nikola, wrapping an arm around his neck to support herself and wincing as she pulls something that doesn't want to be moved. If she isn't careful, she might lose consciousness before they even leave the room and then they'll both be sitting ducks.

"How are things up there?" she asks after a moment of simply breathing to beat back the haze threatening to overcome her senses.

Edited 2012-05-29 20:56 (UTC)

To be honest, he'd meant it more as a simple - if understated - comment. But he won't argue with her taking it as a comment, and doesn't offer anything further as she uses him to support herself. He doesn't even make a comment about the fact either. This is too serious for their usual banter and for all that he probably could carry her out if he had to, he doesn't want to. Not when there could easily more of whoever those people had been.

"Well, it's better," he admits after a long silence. "But we need to get you out of here, first."

It takes her another minute before she can force herself to hold her own weight. She'd been there for a long time, apparently. A nod is the only thing she offers by way of response to his words before she's attempting to push away from him.

"I don't even know how long I was down here."

She sways and reaches out to grasp his arm to hold herself steady. "The guards should have guns on them. If you can disable them, or if you have already, I can use one of theirs and help cover us while we get the hell out of here."

Without knowing her schedule, he can't honestly answer. If she's this badly off, he'd guess it's been some time, but he doesn't know for sure. It's another point that can be dealt with later. He's more concerned about how unsteady she is on her feet.

"They have guns."

He's been shot at enough to be sure of that. Whoever the attackers were, they certainly hadn't known that shooting a vampire was generally not a great plan of action and he was fairly certain his jacket would never be the same again. But even this too is irrelevant at the moment. He can (and probably will) complain later.

"There should be some outside."

It's a point in her favor that she can stand upright at all, but that's mostly because she's using the adrenaline to force herself to stay up. She needs to get out of here and fast. Getting medical attention can wait. Even if she does suspect she's courting a concussion.

"Good. Let's get out there so I can get one."

She'll have to lean on him to get out, but at least it's no more than just entwining her arm with his at the moment. They can make it outside the room with relative ease, but when she kneels down to grab a gun off a fallen guard, her head swims and she sways violently.

"Concussion. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

And she's fairly certain something somewhere is infected. Her mental assessment of her injuries isn't a good one. She's considering herself lucky whoever was responsible didn't break any of her bones.

Given that the faster they get out, the less he has to put himself in the line of fire, this is perfectly acceptable to Tesla. That she's got a concussion is equally concerning, of course, and so he nods at her comment. The only real problem is the fact that the route he originally took to get down to the basement is - as far as he can guess - not the fastest route possible. But it's the one most likely to be clear, and the one he's most certain he can figure out. He'd rather not get them unfortunately lost and he isn't going to ask Helen for directions out of the Sanctuary.

"This way."

He doesn't wait for a nod of agreement, either. He just heads on out, picking his way around the fallen - but not dead - attackers. Theoretically, he should have bound them, but he hadn't felt like the time when he'd been coming through and there isn't really the time now either. He can always come back to get them dealt with better later, and with any luck, there ought to be someone else who can pick up where he's left off.

Someone other than Helen, he amends a moment later, as he glances back to make sure she's still with him.

Considering she has no idea which routes are heavily guarded and which aren't, this is likely a good idea on Nikola's part. She grips the new gun tightly in her hands and turns to follow him. Her senses are completely dulled from having been down there for so long and she feels as though she's been hit repeatedly. Everything in her body still aches - it's the worst she's felt in a very long time and that's saying something - but she's trying her hardest to push past it all and move onward.

She needs to get out of here.

Of course, it's not that easy and she stumbles just as he looks back to check on her. She'd been there, following closely with her gun pointed ahead, but halfway up to the surface, her strength gives out and she falls to the floor, wincing horribly at the pain in her side.

"--Nikola!"

Dear God, what did they do to her down here? She takes a moment to catch her breath and then reaches for him. The amount of unconscious bodies is a good thing, even though she's not entirely sure if she's comforted or unnerved that she doesn't recognize any of them. It means a lack of guards and a lowered risk of being caught and having to fight their way out.

At this point, Helen isn't even sure if she can help fight if it comes down to it.

That's a question he's starting to want to know the answer to as well. More so for the fact that he's starting to get really irritated with whoever these guys are, even if it really is more for Helen's sake than his own. She's usually in better control of herself than to stumble like this, even if she does have a concussion.

He's at her side almost before she's collapsed all the way to floor, offering a hand for whenever she needs it. It does, of course, still bother him to be going somewhat more slowly than he'd like. They're already risking either getting caught or Helen's condition worsening beyond what it already is.

"You're sure you can handle this?"

He knows the most likely answers, really. But he can't help but ask anyway. It doesn't hurt anything to actually try and she's certainly not going to be any help on the floor.

She's leaning heavily on him by the time he asks his question, choosing not to answer until she's on her feet. The look on her face is answer enough anyway, especially as she turns her gaze away almost immediately. No, she's not sure, but what choice does she have? They can't stay to let her rest - they might get caught or she might slip into unconsciousness again - and she's certainly not going to say just how injured she is, not until they're a good distance away from this Sanctuary.

"I'll be fine, Nikola."

Her answer is a blatant lie and they both know it, but one she has to tell anyway. Though perhaps they'd be going faster if he were carrying her. Not that she would say as much.

"We need to get out of here as fast as possible. There's a shortcut ahead. If we take the passage to the left, it'll get us to one of the lesser-known entrances. With luck our guests don't know of it."

Of course, she would know of it, being the head of the Sanctuary network and the one who had overseen the building projects of every Sanctuary except London. She knew of many things that others didn't know could exist.

"Come on. Quickly, Nikola."

Helen won't pretend that she's perfectly capable of walking on her own, but perhaps with Nikola's help, she'll be able to make it faster than she is now.

Edited 2012-06-12 03:59 (UTC)

Of course she won't say it. He knows it's a lie just as much as she does - really, it's not like there's much point to trying to hide it from him, when he knows her so well - but it's honestly more trouble than it's worth to do anything more than let the lie stand. It might be faster if he was carrying here, but the effort isn't one he wants to make if she thinks (however erroneously) that she'll be able to manage.

Instead, he nods somberly at her question. If she says there's a faster way out, there's a faster way out, and without too much further ado he ducks down the passage in question.

As it turns out, they're in luck. The 'guests' in question don't seem to have found much of interest down the passage in question, leaving them in relative peace. It's just as well, too, now that Helen's leaning on him so heavily. For all that he's easily able to deal with the unwelcome visitors, most of that is dependent on being able to move freely and right now that same movement is hampered. Understandably hampered, and he certainly isn't going to leave Helen without a shoulder to lean on, but hampered nonetheless. Either way, they make decent enough time on their way to the entrance in question, which Tesla is going to consider as a stroke of comparative luck.

There's absolutely no point in lying to him and she knows it well, but she wouldn't be Helen Magnus if she hadn't brushed it off like it was nothing. That was just how she was: worry about getting out of there alive and then worry about whether or not she would survive these injuries.

The passageway leads to a side exit. Getting there is far too easy, but Helen isn't going to knock it at the moment. She's very pleased at this stroke of fortune, especially as she knows she's preventing Nikola from being very useful if they are attacked. But if that does happen, she's more than willing to cling to the wall and let him deal with things.

Fortunately, they don't need to see how well this works and they're outside within minutes. Helen's barely able to pay attention as Declan and his team arrive on the scene. They've apparently been searching for her for the last half hour and they've got a helicopter a good, safe distance away for transport. Helen barely even has the presence of mind by now to tell them to be careful before she's being ushered into the helicopter by the UK team.

"Nikola," she manages to gasp out, making certain to reach for him as best she can. "Please. Stay with me?"

She's too afraid to be away from him at the moment. He's the only thing that feels real, the only part of the last few hours that she's certain of, and if he lets her go here, she's not certain she'll be able to manage. That thought scares her more than she wants to admit.

The question of how well she can survive the injuries is a very important. Helen's not the one with the ability to heal from a surprising amount of injuries, and while he won't say it, he doesn't really want to lose her any more than she wants to lose him.

So the fact that they don't run into any trouble on the way is welcomed, as is the fact that Declan's team is already there. At least something is going right. He doesn't have any intention of leaving either and despite whether Declan wants him to be there or not, he follows her into the helicopter. He knows nearly as much - if not more - than she does right now, and is likely to be somewhat more sensible with his answers.

He doesn't really answer Helen's request verbally, but given that he's being fairly adamant about not going anywhere else, his answer is likely to be fairly obvious anyway. He'll be right there at her side, regardless of what else he might be doing at the time.

He might even manage to not be too actively horrible, out of concern and the general business of getting the interlopers out of the Sanctuary.

Helen hears enough of the conversations going on around her as Declan and Nikola climb into the helicopter behind her to understand that the UK team is only there long enough to get her out. They'll deal with invading and taking over control later, once they're certain Helen herself and the rest of the Australian Sanctuary staff are taken care of. She sighs in relief as Declan tells her they got all of the staff out safely.

Focusing on what he's saying the whole time they're flying - they're heading for the closest Sanctuary, as she refuses to allow a normal hospital to treat her because of the Source Blood in her veins - Helen struggles to keep herself awake. She knows what it'll do if she doesn't, particularly with injuries like this.

At some point, her hand finds Nikola's arm, gently resting against him to keep herself grounded in the only reality she could come up with. Her muddled brain isn't making this any easier and after a while, she falls silent, concentrating entirely on the vampire next to her and the conversation being tossed from the UK head.

Death by hostile take over of one of her Sanctuaries is definitely not on her list of acceptable ways to go. Stubbornly, that's one of the only reasons she's fighting as hard as she is. If she's going to die, she wants it to be on her terms and this definitely doesn't count.

As well it shouldn't. Even if Tesla doesn't know Helen's thoughts, he would agree that this is an absolutely terrible way to go, and it's mostly only because he knows that Helen knows what to do just as much as he does that he doesn't natter away at her. Concerned as he is, he isn't about to let Declan know the full extent of his worries.

He'll fuss over her state later, when there's not quite so many people to witness it. He does, however, glance over as she falls silent. Though he can understand silence in the circumstances, he figures it's perfectly acceptable that she hasn't actually fallen asleep.

Satisfied that she hasn't, he too turns his attention back to the conversation that Declan's still offering. There's not much that's anything new, especially not with Tesla having no idea who the people were, but he does his best. Fortunately, the question of why he was there is either being deliberately ignored or overlooked in favor of the fact that it turned out to have been helpful anyway.

It's just as well, and he fully expects it'll come up later, but for now he's quite content to overlook the matter. Especially with Helen resting against him as she is.

Edited 2012-06-18 20:17 (UTC)

Helen will likely needle Nikola for information regarding why exactly he was there at that particular Sanctuary, but for now she's too grateful that he was the one to help her out of a very dangerous situation to care much about the reason. If it wouldn't give Declan too many ideas about how bad off she really is, she might be tempted to lean her head against Nikola's shoulder just to give herself a little more stability. But Declan's presence and the way the helicopter is bouncing around in the air prevent her from doing that.

Instead, she closes her eyes, trying not to wince every time her head is jostled. She fully expects him to ask her what she was doing and how she got herself into such a terrible situation at some point, but she's glad that time isn't now. At the moment, she can't manage too many thoughts. Just listening to Declan and processing what happened is more than what her mind can handle.

Relief floods her when they finally land. Someone helps her out of the helicopter and through all of the cries of, "Dr. Magnus!" and "What happened?" she keeps that hand on Nikola's arm. Her grip on the fabric of his shirt is weak, far too weak to be hers, and somewhere in the back of her mind she recognizes it, but can do nothing about it. As long as she has a general idea of where he is, she'll be fine.

Declan's team parts with them at the doors to this Sanctuary and Helen bids him good luck, knowing they'll be heading straight back into the fray, hoping to liberate the Australian Sanctuary within a day. Vaguely, she recognizes the head of this Sanctuary and tries to nod in respect to him, but her body gives out halfway.

She doesn't remember hitting the floor this time and she's not entirely sure she ever did. Nor does she remember the team working tirelessly to stabilize her vital signs, deal with the cracked and bruised ribs and other internal issues. The next thing she can recall is prying her eyes open hours later. She can feel the IVs in her arms and how her body utterly protests existence at the moment, but she wants to be conscious. Something in her has to be sure she's okay... and that this really did just happen.

"Nikola?" Her voice is weak from misuse, but at least it's a start.

He knows she will. The question of why he's been anywhere is far too constant a fact in their relationship for him to not expect it to come up now. He can't really say it's a question he much looks forward to, but he knows better than to imagine that it isn't going to come up sooner or later.

Still, he's glad enough to have it not come up in midair. Not so much because he needs time to come up with an explanation - he knows she'd just call him on any attempts to lie - but because it means he can pretend that there's no urgency. It also lets him keep a closer eye on both her and the conversation, and that's more useful just at the moment. Someone's going to need to stay on top of all that's been going on, and he certainly can't trust Helen to manage it just at the moment.

It's something of a relief when they finally land for him as well, even as he lets himself be held. The strength of her grip is worrying him too, even if he doesn't say it. There's no point in calling the fact to light like that, and instead he simply stays with her until the team carries her away to tend to her various injuries.

He's there when she wakes up. Though he couldn't really help with the stabilizing - and hadn't wanted to either - he hasn't really wanted to leave her side. It's not really all that often things get this bad (when he's around to see it) and he can't help but be concerned.

"Yes?" It's a start, yes, and that's certainly better than nothing.

Her muddled mind is barely able to comprehend the fact that he's there, let alone that he's answering her call. Helen doesn't like this feeling of lethargy, being unable to champion her own decisions and movements, let alone deal with her health. That she has to rely on an entire team of people outside those she normally deals with - whether or not they're members of her network - isn't what she wants to do. But she's had to do it anyway.

Her hand lifts to her head, weakly avoiding the issue that she can't actually see Nikola. "How long...?"

How long has it been? Did he go anywhere? Is he really there? How is Declan's team faring at the other Sanctuary? A thousand questions are floating through her head but only one really comes to light.

"How long has it been?"

Her voice is slowly returning, but she still feels as though she's swimming through an ocean of mud just to comprehend that one simple question.

It's not a lovely situation by anyone's count, as far as Tesla can tell. Still, everyone's at least pulled through and neither of them can exactly undo the latest set of events. For now, he'll settle for this, even if it's distinctly uncomfortable to see her so vulnerable - and can she even see him? It's hard to tell for sure, and moves closer almost unconsciously just in case.

"Hours. I wasn't keeping track past that."

No, instead he'd been pacing and fretting. Quietly, of course, and out of the way who would have asked any prying questions - vampiric senses came in handy sometimes - but fretting all the same. Still, that her voice is returning is at least tempting. Even if she should rest for a while longer.

But she's Helen Magnus, so of course she won't be resting, even though she really should be. No, indeed, she attempts to sit up, but the throbbing in her head forces her to lie back down. Her hair is a mess and she feels as though she's been hit by a train. His movement flits at the edge of her vision and she manages to turn her head to see him. He appears fine and that brings a sigh of relief from her. Good. She would have worried far more if he hadn't been. Not that he wouldn't have been all right if he'd been hit. But she would worry nonetheless.

"Of course it would be. I sustained far more injuries than I had anticipated." Far more than she'd allowed anyone to know until they'd gotten out of the Sanctuary. At least her voice is getting stronger the longer she speaks. "I'll have to check in on Declan's team later. I don't want them out of contact range for too long. That place has become a death trap and I need to figure out who took over, how they managed it, and why."

Well, she could figure out the why. Clearly, someone knew she was coming and they wanted to pay her a house call. She's feeling stronger now that she's been awake for a few minutes, and even though she knows she shouldn't, even though she still feels absolutely terrible, she wants to sit up again. The second attempt doesn't even get half as far as the first before she's resting on her back again, eyes closed in defeat. When she opens them again, her lips are pursed and she's looking off to the other side, holding back the tears of pain, worry, and fear she's been hiding since she was taken prisoner in the Sanctuary. She fully expects Nikola to question her about what happened, but she's not certain she can answer just yet.

If absolutely necessary, he's prepared to insist that she at least take things easy. He knows her habits too well, and he's not willing to risk her making matters worse so soon after everything's been taken care of. Hopefully her own body will help with that, or so he seems to remember (it's been a while since he's been bedridden). Of course, that was long before most modern medicine, so he simply trusts to the fact that between the two of them, something will work out.

"I'll see about getting in contact with him." Even in a Sanctuary he's not at all familiar with, there's still phones, and Tesla's quite certain then Helen knows that much about Declan. If not more. Still, it's a start and if he can do something of use he might as well.

He's tempted to ask what happened too. Sorely tempted, even. But he's trying to be at least somewhat understanding, even if it's entirely possible the question will slip out later down the line. For something to actually have Helen this defeated... it's clear there really was more wrong then anyone had guessed, and that fact does little for Tesla's opinion of the people he'd run into on the way. If Declan's not careful he might actually find his team outclassed.

He may need to insist with physical force at some point, as she's rather disinclined to stay still any longer than she has to. It's bad and she knows it, but she's worried about her Sanctuary and its staff. Also Declan's team. They'd at least seen how badly she'd come out of the place. With a little luck, they wouldn't get caught off-guard like she had.

Of course, Nikola's offer catches Helen more off-guard than even finding her Sanctuary in the hands of some unknown and very hostile organization. She frowns at him, her eyes clearly echoing the thought that she's not sure if she should be suspicious of this or not. And that alone is a little unnerving. He did just save her life, but at the same time it is Nikola.

"They'll be all right," she murmured, attempting to reassure one of them, likely herself. "If they aren't back in a day..."

Well, she'll be beyond worried if they're caught. For now, though, she has faith in Declan's team. They have to be all right or she'll never forgive herself for not catching it sooner, for not seeing the signs. She sighs heavily and turns her attention back to the ceiling, though she isn't really seeing it. Her attention is clearly elsewhere.

"Nikola, I..."

She wants to thank him for saving her, but she can't quite figure out the words to say it. They don't exactly do heartfelt speeches well, after all, especially when one or the other of them is in such a bad state. The reason one of them is in such bad form this time is not one she particularly wants to think about at the moment, even if she is still expecting Nikola to comment on it.

To be perfectly fair, Helen is a higher profile target than the majority of the staff at any Sanctuary. That and for all that Tesla had made a full top to bottom search of the Sactuary, he hadn't seen any other people locked up. Presumably the rest of the staff had matters tolerably well in hand then, apart from the whole hostile takeover thing. Right now though, he's more concerned about keeping her resting, which is part of the reason he'd even offered in the first place. She might be suspicious about it, but at least he has a good reason to offer this time.

He nods at Helen's question though. If they aren't back in a day, then it'll be a sign that things are dreadfully wrong in more ways then one and it's not like he can't wait. They aren't even really 'his' people - he's only connected to them through Helen, and that only partially. (He does, of course, still hope nothing untoward happens, but that's more for Helen's peace of mind than his own.)

"If they're not back, we can deal with it then. Ah, and if you're going to thank me, you don't actually need to. It's not like I was planning to interrupt a-- a raid, or whatever you want to call it."

True, he did. But why should he be thanked for what was basically serendipity in the first place?

Perhaps she doesn't need to, but Helen feels she should at least attempt it anyway. He could have just as easily left the Sanctuary before he found her or left her in her cell while he did god only knew what with the insurgents. But he hadn't. He'd saved her life. Coincidence and good fortune or not, she feels he deserves it nonetheless.

It takes her a little time to work herself upright, moving the pillows to support her. Even though she's still mostly lying down, she wants to at least be in a position that doesn't feel quite so vulnerable. Ignoring the way her head is swimming still, she hesitates a moment longer before reaching out with one hand for him. In her tired, pain- and drug-induced state she's having a difficult time with words, and normally she wouldn't do something like this, but she feels action may speak louder than her voice is currently capable of.

"Even so, you saved my life," she reminds him, gratitude and confusion mixing in her eyes. The emotional walls she normally has around herself have fallen. Or perhaps they were never up this day to begin with.

"You didn't have to. You could have left me there while you cleaned up the rest of them."

In essence, she now owes him her life and she's not entirely certain about that. It can be both a good and a bad thing, though it'll be entirely up to him which version he decides to go with. For now, Helen is still stuck in bed feeling rather lost and confused. Also in pain and she's not particularly pleased by this.

Yes, she does owe him her life. He's not really sure what he's going to do with it either, save for hold it against future need or potential bartering. But he does have it, for what good it may be worth. To be honest, he's not even really thinking about the possibilities. The simple fact that she's honestly grateful has him almost drastically out of his depth. It's been decades since anyone has expressed such honest gratitude for him.

He should have expected it, really. Especially given all the chaos that had been going on. But he hadn't and so it leaves him all turned around in its wake.

"Don't tell me you actually thought I would."

He should have expected it from her. Out of all the people in the world who would have said something even remotely close to this, she was the only one who would be direct about it. She lets her arm hang over the edge of the bed, sitting up and turning just a little bit more on the bed so she can see him better. It takes a little bit of effort not to pull out her IV as she moves, but she manages.

"I didn't think you would be there at all," she admits softly. "I thought I would have to get myself out." Because that was how it usually worked. She just would have had to wait until she regained her strength, if they even let her do that much. In the condition she'd been in, there was no way she could have gotten herself out and judging by what they'd done to her, she honestly doubted she would have been able to rest long enough to hold herself up, let alone fight her way out.

She's lucky to be alive and she knows it well.

There's another long silence before Tesla speaks. This one's less immediately awkward than the one previous, but there's still a sense that he isn't quite certain what to say. He knows it was only luck that he was there, but can he actually say that, without sounding overly callous? How much can he admit to sheer blind luck?

The answer, after careful consideration, turns out to be 'not very much at all.' Even if it was the honest truth, it wasn't really something he was ready to admit. Not to himself and certainly not to Helen, even if he wasn't going to claim that he knew something was going on. She'd only have called him out on it if he'd tried.

"I'd be more concerned about what they thought they were going to get, actually."

Helen gives a short bark of derisive laughter at that, rolling over onto her back and moving to fold her arms over her stomach protectively as she looked away from Nikola. Really, even though neither of them knows the overarching reason why Helen was captured instead of killed outright, they both can guess as to why she was tortured so severely. Those people wanted something from her, something only the Sanctuary head herself could give. She was leverage, plain and simple. If they hadn't needed her, they would have killed her.

"I think we both know what they wanted out of that," she answers, her jaw tightening. "I mean, obviously they needed me to do something, hand over the network or something of the sort."

The sudden strength and tightness to her voice belies the fear and relief she feels. She'd nearly died under there. But for once, Nikola isn't the one she needs to be angry with and she takes a deep breath to steady herself before she glances in his general direction. She can't quite see him, not as fully as she wants.

"Nikola, I can't see you like that." One of her arms unfolds, giving the space on the bed next to her one very soft pat. It's a clear invitation for him to sit down on the edge so she can see him better. A part of her is still trying to decide if he's the only other real thing in that room.

Edited 2012-07-12 18:38 (UTC)

It's true enough that they must have wanted her for something. But considering that anger is better than sitting idly around, Tesla is going to count this as a good start. Even if Helen can't really go anywhere, he can at least keep her mind on other things. He's known her long enough be good enough at distractions, if absolutely nothing else. All the same, her request comes as something of surprise. He can tell exactly what she means, and he's certainly not about to ignore it, but it's still not in the last what he expected.

He doesn't hesitate. His approach is slower than it might have been otherwise, but come he does, until at last he's sitting on the edge of the bed as invited.

"Well yes, obviously. But the question is what. We can't exactly just ask them, now.""

Not until Declan's team comes with something and even then, he's not entirely sure they'll just spill everything because they ask nicely. No, getting their hands on them is only going to be the first step - and the rest he's rather looking forward to.

For a moment, Helen isn't certain that Nikola will give in to her request. She knows it's one she usually strays very far from. Normally, she wants him to stay well away from her, or at least keep physical distance, not that this ever really sticks with them. They've always had a very fluid relationship, one that fluctuates almost daily, and honestly, that's part of what she likes most about it. Nikola challenges her, pushes her, needles her. And yet, on occasion, he's the sweetest person she knows. He has his moments.

Agreeing to her request and taking that seat on the edge of the bed is one of them. She looks at least a little bit more relaxed with him that close - oddly enough - and she moves her hands to fold them across her stomach as she rests against the pillows. At least now she can actually see him. It's nice and his weight on the bed is comforting, giving her a sense that at least something is real. Dear God, she hated this feeling of being lost, attributing it to having lost what felt like days locked up in that Sanctuary.

"No, I suppose not. With luck, I trust Declan and his team will search the place thoroughly and find out as much as possible about it and what they were doing. We'll figure this out."

As though Nikola really needed the reassurance instead of Helen. After all, it wasn't as though she'd almost died or anything.

He notices the way she seems to relax. How can he miss it, when he's sitting so close to her? If this is what she wants, well, he can afford this much. It's better than admitting that he'd been fretting all the while she'd been in the infirmary. He's not sure what his life would be like without her, and he's honestly rather glad that he hasn't had to find out.

Even this is bad enough, but that's another sentiment he doesn't mean to speak. They've been the enough right now as it is, and he's trying to keep her from thinking about her current state besides - something that deliberately bringing it up won't help. So he stays, and nods at her comment.

"With luck, yes. I can't say how much they'll have been expecting someone, though."

With luck, indeed. She's not banking on a whole lot of luck, but she can hope for it where Declan's team is concerned. If anything bad happens to them, she'll take it on as her own fault for letting herself and the Sanctuary fall to such bloody fools in the first place.

"Declan's smart enough to radio for help if he needs it."

She just hopes he wouldn't need it. She also hopes she won't have any more dizzy spells like the one that suddenly overcomes her. Wincing, she reaches a hand up to her head, squeezing her eyes shut and fighting the urge to succumb to unconsciousness. She doesn't need to lose her only ties to the world, not now.

"...I suppose I'm not completely recovered yet."

They'd done more to her than she'd expected.

Tesla's not really counting on a lot of luck either. There's been enough luck involved simply in his happening to be in the right place at the right time that he's not really sure there's room for much more even though he knows that isn't the way luck works. The fact that he occasionally tends to the cynical doesn't help matters any either. He does nod at her comment though. If she says Declan will radio for help, he'll trust her.

"You were in the infirmary for a while," he answers, choosing to ignore the fact that it was, in fact, a lot closer than anyone would have liked.

He'll stay here too, if she finds herself either wanting or needing to sleep. That much is relatively easy and it keeps him out of everyone else's hair besides.

"I know and likely I'll have to be here far longer than I'd like."

It's the farthest she'll go to admitting just how badly injured she was. Or is. She can't exactly tell anymore. Likely the painkillers and anesthesia are keeping the pain to a minimum, which is nice, even if they're making her mind a bit hazy.

"I haven't been awake for very long and I'm already almost mad with restlessness." She wants out, even though she knows she can't handle it. Not yet. She does manage to push herself more upright, which feels better. At least she can sit under her own power now.

"I suppose I should ask when you're planning on leaving."

He won't stay forever and she can't expect him to. Part of her isn't even sure she wants him to. But she does want him to stay at least for a while longer.

That much isn't surprising. He knows how Helen reacts to injury in general, and being bedridden can't be much easier. Still, that fact that she's not actively trying to leave is a comfort, even if she is freely admitting to being restless almost beyond belief (tolerably easy to deal with, given the right tools for the job).

"I, ah, hadn't decided."

He should leave. He's done his part, he'll only get in the way of the Sanctuary staff, and he has other things he'd been meaning to do besides. It's just that he isn't actually sure he can bring him to leave when Helen's so badly off and someone will need to keep her from trying to do things too soon, assume that her own bodily weakness won't be enough.

She's surprised that he isn't itching to leave as soon as he can. Knowing how he is about staying in one place for an extended period of time, Helen was expecting Nikola to want to go back to whatever he was doing before he rescued her as soon as she woke up. To have him still there, accepting her request to stay close to her, protecting and watching over her as she recovered... well, it's different from what she imagined would happen anyway.

And it's a nice enough gesture that she soon finds one of her hands migrating from its place near her lap. She wants to find his closest hand, wrap her fingers around his, and squeeze in reassurance and gratitude, so if he'll let her, that's exactly what she's going to do.

"I would have thought you would want to leave at the first opportunity."

Meme - Nikola Tesla | Helen Magnus ---> the rescue me meme

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject