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absolutelynotabsolutelynot A lot had happened recently. Marriage, Motherhood, and a lot of trials had accompanied Helen's life. She'd never forgotten everything that had happened in Cittagazze when she'd worked for the Company, nor the events that had led to the severing of that connection. After all, that place, that world, had been the catalyst to her engagement and subsequent marriage to James and she wouldn't have changed that for the world. She'd never expected to see any of her friends from Cittagazze ever again. She'd been under the impression that the windows were being controlled by someone else, someone she didn't want to deal with. Even with Janus at her side constantly and still being able to see Althea, she'd never imagined she and James might not be the only people who could see their daemons.
And so when Janus told her he could see something that looked suspiciously like a window in the basement of the Sanctuary, right where the old one used to be, she didn't believe him. He was right on the edge of their 25-foot range and it was the middle of the night. The war was over and she and James were still trying to deal with the aftermath of everything that had happened in France. The children were upstairs asleep -- though they weren't exactly children any longer, being around forty years of age -- and James was wandering elsewhere in the Sanctuary.
Helen was alone in the basement. Or so she thought.
She'd never imagined that window would become active again nor that one of her old friends might see her with red hair rather than blonde. It would be a stark change to the innocent woman they'd once known.
( a grand reunion )
lifelinescontinued from here!
Unless someone let you in. Perhaps Henry?
[ there are plenty of ways for him to have gotten in and she's not discounting any of them.
for the moment, she just watches him carefully before she moves to her computer system and turns it on, accessing the security footage to take a look. ]
Dr. Helen Magnus. Pleasure's all mine, Doctor. If you see anything unusual on the security footage, stop me and we'll take a closer look.
Unless someone let you in. Perhaps Henry?
[ there are plenty of ways for him to have gotten in and she's not discounting any of them.
for the moment, she just watches him carefully before she moves to her computer system and turns it on, accessing the security footage to take a look. ]
Dr. Helen Magnus. Pleasure's all mine, Doctor. If you see anything unusual on the security footage, stop me and we'll take a closer look.
lifelinesHelen wasn't even sure how it had happened. Somehow a routine checkup on one of her other Sanctuaries had turned into a hostage situation. And she was the hostage. She remembered being overpowered somehow by someone. And now...? Well, now she was waking up with the distinct feeling that days had passed instead of hours. She was on the floor of a windowless room, likely in some sort of basement, and tied - no, chained - up. Her head hurt, as well. Everything hurt. They'd done something to her.
And she had no hope of making it back unless her Sanctuary head contacted Old City and sent a team in. Hopefully, as it had been days by her senses, someone would come searching. Otherwise, she would have to wait for someone to come get her. And she hated waiting.
And she had no hope of making it back unless her Sanctuary head contacted Old City and sent a team in. Hopefully, as it had been days by her senses, someone would come searching. Otherwise, she would have to wait for someone to come get her. And she hated waiting.
lifelines[ continued from here! ]
[ she notices the past tense but doesn't comment on it. that's a wound she won't touch. ]
Ah.
[ her eyebrows rise in appreciation and she offers a smile in return for his demonstration. impressive. and quite different from what she's used to. ]
Anything you'd like to tell me would greatly enhance our understanding of what my patient is experiencing.
[ she notices the past tense but doesn't comment on it. that's a wound she won't touch. ]
Ah.
[ her eyebrows rise in appreciation and she offers a smile in return for his demonstration. impressive. and quite different from what she's used to. ]
Anything you'd like to tell me would greatly enhance our understanding of what my patient is experiencing.
sourcebloodaughter[ continued from here! ]
[ ashley looked up at the monitor screen, letting her eyes focus on what her mother was pointing out. she wasn't a scientist at all, but she'd spent enough time around her mother and the sanctuary work to understand what was going on. ]
So it might be a clue to unraveling this strain? [ she glanced hopefully to her mother. anything that could help would be more than welcome. ]
[ ashley looked up at the monitor screen, letting her eyes focus on what her mother was pointing out. she wasn't a scientist at all, but she'd spent enough time around her mother and the sanctuary work to understand what was going on. ]
So it might be a clue to unraveling this strain? [ she glanced hopefully to her mother. anything that could help would be more than welcome. ]
sourcebloodaughter[ It had been one fight too many. This time she'd been foolish and she knew it. Helen had gone alone, armed but not prepared. They barely had any information and yet she'd gone without back-up. The other teams had been out but the she still could have someone meet her, she knew that. She'd gone in unprepared once before and had never done so again. And now?
Now she was stuck.
Hurt.
She'd left a note of where she'd gone but it was far out, further than she believed they'd be able to get to. The broken bones she could survive but the internal bleeding was the worry. Her head hurt, concussion no doubt, and walking was becoming a struggle. The abnormal that she'd been tracking had disappeared, some time during when Helen had been unconscious.
As for her location? The entrance that she'd used had been brought down - an explosion of some kind - and now she was trying to find another way out, fighting the struggle and trying to ignore the thought that she may not make it home ]
~
( ashley hadn't been worried at first )
Now she was stuck.
Hurt.
She'd left a note of where she'd gone but it was far out, further than she believed they'd be able to get to. The broken bones she could survive but the internal bleeding was the worry. Her head hurt, concussion no doubt, and walking was becoming a struggle. The abnormal that she'd been tracking had disappeared, some time during when Helen had been unconscious.
As for her location? The entrance that she'd used had been brought down - an explosion of some kind - and now she was trying to find another way out, fighting the struggle and trying to ignore the thought that she may not make it home ]
~
( ashley hadn't been worried at first )
sourcebloodaughter[ continued from here! ]
[ her mother's voice, the feel of helen's hands over hers. it all brought back a time long ago, her childhood, when she would have climbed into her mother's arms and told her she was afraid. ashley was terrified. she didn't know what to do now. but the part of her that was still ashley magnus clung to the words her mother was saying. maybe she could hold on. ]
Mom... [ i don't want to be here hold me i don't want them near me they could kill you they want you dead don't be so close i could kill you if they found a way to do it. ] I'm... so... scared.
[ her hand tightened around her mother's, not in an aggressive way, but in a clinging way, as though ashley were using their connection to keep herself grounded. her eyes slid open again, the blue ones of her life instead of the source blood-tainted ones, and focused on her mother. ashley couldn't hide her tears anymore, even if she'd wanted to. she was broken and everything hurt. ]
[ her mother's voice, the feel of helen's hands over hers. it all brought back a time long ago, her childhood, when she would have climbed into her mother's arms and told her she was afraid. ashley was terrified. she didn't know what to do now. but the part of her that was still ashley magnus clung to the words her mother was saying. maybe she could hold on. ]
Mom... [ i don't want to be here hold me i don't want them near me they could kill you they want you dead don't be so close i could kill you if they found a way to do it. ] I'm... so... scared.
[ her hand tightened around her mother's, not in an aggressive way, but in a clinging way, as though ashley were using their connection to keep herself grounded. her eyes slid open again, the blue ones of her life instead of the source blood-tainted ones, and focused on her mother. ashley couldn't hide her tears anymore, even if she'd wanted to. she was broken and everything hurt. ]
sourcebloodaughter[ continued from here! ]
[ ashley grinned again, excited about this recent development. she paused for just a couple of moments, long enough to say- ] Thanks, Mom. [ before she hopped up and darted out of the room. she knew everyone in the sanctuary would notice her excitement and ask, but she wasn't spoiling the surprise as she got ready.
in two hours, she was back in her mother's office, knocking on the doorjamb to see how things were going. ]
[ ashley grinned again, excited about this recent development. she paused for just a couple of moments, long enough to say- ] Thanks, Mom. [ before she hopped up and darted out of the room. she knew everyone in the sanctuary would notice her excitement and ask, but she wasn't spoiling the surprise as she got ready.
in two hours, she was back in her mother's office, knocking on the doorjamb to see how things were going. ]
