2.
The general watched as she stared in to the cup in front of her, the coffee that had once been hot was now tepid. He could only wonder what was going through her mind.
The waitress came up to the table, offering them a free top up,the general shook his head.
Finally, she looked up.
'you think this Helen Magnus would accept me as her daughter'
'Why wouldn't she. Cat, you are the spitting image of the girl, she has never really got over losing her daughter and has never given up hoping that she was alive'
'They have ways of checking, DNA. Blood tests, I would never pass any rigid scrutiny. She would know I wasn't Ashley Magnus'
'trust me' he said 'she will be so pleased to see you that she will not even think that you aren't Ashley'
She shook her head, she wasn't sure this would work, she knew nothing about this Ashley Magnus, what she liked, what sort of person she was 'I can't do it'
The general reached over and took hold of her wrist 'you can do it, remember I was the one that helped you after you were found in the alley, after you had no memory of how you got there, who you were'
'what is it you want' Cat asked
'Helen Magnus has some information in a file on her computer, the people I work with want that information, files 4XT,their willing to pay us for it'
She hesitated 'I suppose I could use my own memory loss,make her think that I even I don't know who I am'
'Would be a good starting point, make her believe you are the girl, get her trust, do the job'
'it wouldn't be a lie, my past is just as big a mystery'
'Then it will be simple, convince Magnus that you are Ashley' he said
Cat smiled.
He pushes a invite across the table, she picks it up.
'Whats this'
'A science convention, Helen Magnus is one of the key speakers' he said 'This is where we will make our move, but I think we have to be a bit more subtle to start with,give Magnus what she wants,a chance meeting'
A few days later, Helen Magnus had been on a trip out of the country,she had returned earlier than Will and Henry, who had remained behind to assist the Rome sanctuary with the new abnormal arrivals. She had to prepare for the science convention.
Driving the 4x4 through the city streets,she reached the sanctuary main gate. Leaning out she began to punch in the entry code,her eye caught a reflection in the wing mirror of a young woman standing across the street, laughing with some others.
For a few seconds, she became fixed on the figure.
Tall,slender,blonde.
Helen jumped out of the 4x4.
The group of women were still talking but the blonde woman had gone.
She looked around, wondering if she had imagined the whole thing. Returning to her 4x4 she entered through the opened gate.
As it swung shut, Cat stepped out of the doorway and walked away.
As soon as she got inside,Helen went to the monitors set up to keep an eye on the sanctuary's perimeter, scanning through, she watched as the 4x4 pulled up outside,she watched as the women appeared, chatting in a group behind the 4x4 then Helen watched as the woman disappeared.
Rewinding and using the zoom on the camera, she pulled the woman's features up as close as she could, the computer did the rest.
She stood back as the woman's face filled the screen
'can't be' she said standing straight 'Ashley'
