Title- In the Shadows
Author- Denise
E-mail – sky_diver119
Season- 4+
Spoilers – Sanctuary for None
Content Level – Older Kids
Content Warning- Mention of canon character death
Summary- As the Sanctuary starts anew, is Will ready to join it?
Disclaimer: Sanctuary is owned by S3M and lots of folks that aren't me. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.
In the Shadows
By
Denise
"This is incredible," Will said, following Magnus down the walkway. A faint breeze brushed his face and he found the growing roar of the waterfall to be a very soothing sound. Fish swam amongst the lilies and cattails and he could see a few birds – or something else that flew – flitting around the high arches of the roof.
"You were expecting tunnels and cement?" she asked, her heels clicking on the stones.
He shrugged. "You gotta admit subterranean brings up certain expectations. Darkness, dirt…"
"Claustrophobia," she fired back. He snorted. "Actually," she continued, "Our little trip to Bolivia helped bring this about." She gestured at the high roof, with glowing ribbons of light emanating from the giant center orb.
He turned to her, alarmed. "You don't have those rocks down here?"
"Safely quarantined from the water supply," she reassured. "They're better than geothermal as a power source. This chamber provides most of our oxygen, naturally filtering the air and regulating the temperature."
She reached the end of the walkway and led Will onto into an opening between the two white buildings, gesturing up as they passed. "These are courtesy of Praxis. That one is the main administrative offices, medical facilities and other support centers. The other is living quarters, plus or minus a few habitats for the more exotic species."
They passed through the opening and it was like Will entered a totally different world. This one was as earthy as the buildings were advanced.
It reminded him of the main street in Liberia, a wide boulevard lined by shops with living quarters above made from a wide variety of building material. Kiosks and booths lined the street selling everything from cloth to jewelry, pots and herbs. All being sold and bought by a milling populace of abnormals.
"This is…"
She shrugged. "When I planned this, I planned for it to hold the inhabitants of the Sanctuary network, at least at first. Unfortunately, or the better term is fortunately, there were many survivors from Praxis. I gave them refuge here. With the sudden influx, we had to get creative."
"I guess cramped is better than nothing," Will said, aware that even as his surroundings appeared rough and tumble, it smelled clean. There was a distinct lack of litter or trash and he had a feeling, unlike Liberia, that sanitation was a top priority.
As he walked, he recognized some of the species while others were totally unknown. A thin haze of smoke wafted across the street and he could smell some sort of meat grilling. Nearby, a pot of spicy smelling stew bubbled over a fire. "It's quaint," he said.
Magnus smiled. "I do find that I prefer it here." She led him off the main street and down a narrow alley to a set of stairs going above. "My private quarters are just up here." She opened the door and led him into a small apartment, this one in a building that looked to be better built. "Tea?" she offered.
"Sure, thanks." She moved towards the kitchenette and Will explored the room. Each wall had windows all of which were open, a gentle breeze shifting the sheer curtains. A large Persian carpet covered the floor and Will thought he recognized some of the knickknacks and collectibles standing on the tables and other pieces of furniture.
"Since we're underground the temperature is fairly uniform," she said from across the room. "And we can program the main light source in the atrium to dim, simulating the effects of night and day. Henry is even working on adding color to the mix. Which may be very interesting. I have to admit, I do miss sunsets."
Will half listened as he continued to explore the small room. It seemed odd that, after the expanse of the Old City Sanctuary that she was happy to live in what would be termed a cramped apartment.
The walls were simple white painted sheet rock trimmed with oak and beyond the kitchenette was a short hallway that Will guessed led back to a bedroom and bathroom.
A collection of photos caught his attention and he stepped towards them. "I wondered where these went," he said, recognizing them from her office.
"So you did notice," she said, walking towards him, carrying a tray with a small tea service. She set the tray down on a short table situated between two upholstered chairs. Will sat down and she poured then handed him a cup.
"Right after you came back from the past, things started to disappear," he said, taking a sip. Yep, no matter how many times he tried it, he still didn't like tea. He set the cup down. "We figured that a hundred years on a mountain changed your tastes or something."
"Or something," she confirmed, sipping her tea. She gestured out the window. "I've been working on this for almost a century."
"Mining in Bolivia," he said, remembering some of what he and Abby had dug up. "The Great South American Mining Corporation. Buckminster Fuller, Tesla, Einstein, although I never did figure out what you were doing in Coober Pedy of all places."
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," she said. "I stockpiled supplies for decades. I didn't dare to start building too soon, lest someone notice."
"So when?"
"A few months before the destruction of Praxis." She set down her cup. "Many of the refugees helped finish things off."
"That's why Declan never found any survivors."
She nodded. "As it turns out, we had a few weeks between Adam's attack and Declan's arrival. I brought them here, along with any technology we could salvage. What we couldn't we destroyed to prevent SCIU from getting their hands on it," she sighed. "We have done a lot in the past year and a half but there is so much still to do."
"At least you don't have to worry about rain," Will joked.
"There is that." She got up, set down her cup and walked towards one of the windows. Will followed. "We're completely autonomous. We depend on the surface for nothing. Food, water, power, it's all self-sustaining." She crossed her arms over her chest and Will saw a contemplative look cross her face.
"A sanctuary, in more ways than one," he said, admiring what she had accomplished, and recognizing the pride in her voice.
She glanced at him and smiled. "You could say that, yes."
"So, when do I start?" he asked.
She took a step back and frowned. "It's not that simple."
Will frowned. "Aah, I thought that's why you brought me here, which is a nice change from running me down with your car by the way."
"Of course. Will…I planned this for decades. And I thought I had everything under control. I came back to my timeline and I started putting the pieces into place and…I discovered that, in all my plotting and planning I neglected to consider the cost those around me would have to pay. The difficulties I created for the other Sanctuary heads. Henry and Erica. You losing your job and…" She trailed off, sadness crossing her face.
"The big guy," Will said softly.
She nodded slowly. "I not only asked you to do things, I demanded it. I put you, all of you, in grave danger and…I can't ask that of you again."
"Look, Magnus—"
"Will, for all those months, when you asked me what was wrong, when you tried to find out, I put you off. I promised you that I'd tell you everything when the time was right." She gestured towards the open window. "The time is right. If it wasn't for you, this would not exist. You may not have known about it but…without your support I would not have been able to do this."
"Magnus—"
She held up her hand to silence him. "I treated you abominably, several times as memory serves. All I can do is beg your forgiveness. Sometimes I think I was almost mad in my obsession to finish this."
"Almost? Ok, honestly, you did swan dive off the deep end a few times." She smiled. "But Magnus, no one made me stay. Just like no one made me follow your crazy orders."
"Things are different now. We are in the shadows. To the rest of the world, this place does not exist, and no one can ever know that it does. We don't have governmental cooperation any more. There will be no more expedited visas or hastily generated passports. In fact, there may not be passports at all. We won't have the local authorities calling us up and handing the abnormal over. The goal will be to retrieve any abnormal before the authorities even get there. We will not be above the law, we will be outside that law."
"I always wanted to be an outlaw," he said. "Do ya think I can pull off a black hat, ma'am?" he mocked an exaggerated western accent as he pretended to tip a hat.
"I think you should never use that accent again," she said. "Will, they revealed their end game this time. If there is ever to be a peaceful co-existence between humans and abnormals it likely will not be in your lifetime. It may not even be in my lifetime. Villanova and Lotus massacred thousands, and they did it with the blessing of the UN. This will not become another Warsaw Ghetto. Keeping this Sanctuary secret is of the paramount importance. Our only hope for survival comes from the surface never knowing that we're here."
"Surely they're going to notice that the abnormals all disappeared," Will said.
"They'll think that they ran. And, in some cases, they'll be right. Not everyone came down. And those that didn't are on their own. We can no longer protect them on the surface."
"That's aah…"
"Cold blooded," she said. "Cruel. Heartless."
"Kinda."
"It's not a decision I reached lightly. In fact, it was a decision that was voted upon by the inhabitants here. This is our last stand, Will. If Villanova and Lotus or SCIU even think this place exists, they will not stop until they find it and destroy it. You remember Bhalasaan? Nearly every vampire massacred out of fear."
"Not unwarranted fear," he retorted.
"No, it wasn't. And I can't say that the world is not a better place without them, however it was still a massacre, the virtual extinction of a sentient race. History—"
"Will repeat itself," he said.
She nodded. "SCIU knows you. They'll be following you. If you come down, you'll need to stay down. You can live here, work here but we cannot risk daily trips to the surface."
"Yeah," Will said, the gravity of the situation starting to set in. Could he do it? Could he leave everything? He glanced out the window, idly watching as abnormals went about their daily routine. They seemed happy enough. They seemed content and healthy. Could he join them? Could he live here?
"You should think it over," she said. She stepped away and opened the drawer on a credenza, returning and holding her hand out. "And you should have this." She held out his baseball.
He took it with a smile. "I thought this went up with the Sanctuary." He tossed it a couple of times.
"It almost did, but Chuck helped me gather a few things before he came down. Will, I asked too much of you last time. As you said, you only have one set of days. I want you to be sure that you wish to spend them here."
"What about Abby?" he asked.
"She's welcome," Helen said. "But I'm afraid she must follow the same guidelines." He nodded. "I can leave your code on the portal active for a week," she said. "If I do not see you by then, I wish you and Abby all the happiness."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Are you SURE?" Will asked, turning to look at Abby as they walked through the tunnels.
"Will, if I have to answer that question one more time, I think I will shoot you," she said. She looked around, cringing a bit at the dank tunnel. "Unless, of course, this is some weird practical joke or you're an ax murderer and you tricked me down here to kill me or feed me to…what was that thing Gavin and I tried to catch in the sewers?"
"A steno, and no, there's not one down here, at least not running loose." He reached the terminal and stopped.
"Is that it?" she asked.
"Yeah." He paused, taking a deep breath as he stared at the scanner. This was it. The point of no return.
"Will. We talked. I'm fine with this. I know what I'm getting into, at least most of it."
"I know."
"So…." She gave him a shove. "Do it."
Will stepped in front of the scanner and the familiar green beam swept out to scan his eye. Just like before, a door rumbled open. "Do you want me to carry you over the threshold or…."
Abby kissed him on the cheek. "I want you to show me this fantastic place and let me see if it lives up to your description." She pushed past him and led the way through the door and into the tunnels. Will boosted his duffle and followed her. He heard the door slide shut behind him, a symbolic and literal closing of a door. The past was inaccessible now, all they had was what was in front of them. The unknown, the fantastical, the scary, the incredible.
He stepped into the open and saw Abby standing still, paralyzed with amazement. "So, was I right?" he asked, standing beside her. She reached out and he took her hand, their fingers tangling.
"You were more than right," she said, turning to him with an expression of joy on her face. "This is incredible."
"It's home."
~Fin~