Chapter II: Serendipity is a b****
AN: Hi guys! I'D LIKE TO HAVE YOUR ATTENTION FOR A MOMENT. Sorry for not updating according to schedule, being a grown up suck sometimes. I have something important to tell you. I won't bore you with details mostly because I'm not even sure about them myself. But, the main thing is, I am sure most of you have heard about the EU new law and restriction policies on certain websites with fanfiction and stuff. Since I am from Spain, that means this change would affect me too and I am not sure that I would have access to AO3 or FF after the 4th of July. So, if you like this fic and want to read it to the end, write me your email and I'll send you the rest in case I'm unable to upload it here. Again, I am not sure that's true 100% and part of me really hopes it's not, but just in case you should know that I haven't abandoned this or any other of my stories. Thank you for your time and kudos and comments, I appreciate every single one of them!
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"So what's the case for today, Myka?" – Steve asked as he came behind Claudia.
"Are we going to Niagara falls this time? Oh it has been on my bucket list since forever!"- Claudia gushed.
"You know, it would be nice if we go somewhere like Hawaii for example or the Bhamas, I'm not picky, as long as there's a beach." – Pete started talking and Myka rolled her eyes in annoyance. Her headache was already killing her, the last thing she needed was a group of overexcited kids shouting around for a vacation.
"Settle down, children!" – Artie's heavy voice sounded in the room, effectively silencing all of them.
"Now that I have your attention, I suggest you take a look at your files." – He said grumpy and handed them each an unusually thin yellow folders.
The folder was unusually small and thin one, normally the artifacts in their cases had a lot of history attached to them, but this case didn't seem normal at all.
The first thing the agents saw in the folder was a photograph of an elderly man in his early sixties perhaps. He was well groomed, clean shaved and wore a nice elegant suit, but nothing too expensive either. Myka thought he must have been quite handsome when he was younger.
The other picture in the folder was that of a small metal pin. On the other hand, the pin itself was spectacular, it was a classical 16-point compass rose, and each of the cardinal directions was indicated with a small diamond.
"This is Albert Stroller, although he is American by birth, he fled to the UK in the seventies and hasn't returned since. His great, grandfather James Barnaby Stroller, made a fortune from the stock exchange market before the great depression. I believe that this broach that you're seeing on page two is the target of your visit to the old country." – Artie explained.
"And what should we know about its powers? I mean what should be looking out for?" – Steve hesitated.
"The thing about this particular artifact is that nobody really knows its powers. As I said we only recently discovered its existence." – Artie answered.
"So, basically, we're going in blind?" – Myka thought aloud.
"If I had more information, it would have been in your folders. That's why I'm sending the four of you, together to handle this one." – The man said.
"Does anyone thinks himself incapable of going on this mission under these particular circumstances?" – Artie asked and when nobody said a word, he pretended not to notice Claudia's slightly worried expression, he continued.
"Good. You all have the rest of the day off to prepare. Train, read, research, pack, whatever you want. Your plane leaves tomorrow morning at 8 am. I know I don't have to say this, but… be careful. – He said and moved back to the warehouse to continue with the inventory. The killed agent wasn't something that inspired much confidence in the team, but it was part of the job.
***Myka's POV***
"You should be safe now." – Helena said slowly. The smile on her face reached her eyes, but they were not shining with joy, her eyes were filled with tears. Helena's mind ran a hundred miles per hour, she knew damn well that her plan would work. The barrier would protect them, most importantly the barrier would save her.
"But you are… you're out there…" – I could barely speak. My throat felt like it was closing up and even the simple task of breathing became almost impossible. I could see the blue energy field around the three of us, I could see her smile from afar and even a tear escaping her right eye when she spoke again.
"It had to be initiated from outside the barrier." – Helena spoke softly.
I feel those last five seconds stretch into an eternity of agonizing minutes, hours even… I know what is coming and I can't do anything to help her. I want to move, to shout, to step outside this blasted protection, but my body was paralyzed. The only thing I am capable of doing is holding her gaze and not looking anywhere but her warm brown eyes.
Pete and Artie are relentlessly chattering around me, I listen to everything they say, but I can't hear anything apart from the faintest "Thank you" she mumbles.
"I smell apples." – Helena said in awe and I knew our time had ran out.
"No, no… no…" – My inner voice kept saying and I closed my eyes.
It's too much… the price is too high… I could not just bear witness to the most devastating moment in my life, my sanity would not allow me to.
I remembered the first time I saw her projection from the orb, I wanted to touch her, I'm not sure if I wanted to hug her or slap her more, but I was dying to feel her heart beating, even though she had betrayed us I never wished for her to be bronzed again. She may had the wrong approach, but her reasoning wasn't completely illogical, for the most part, the world hadn't changed for the better. But then again, we were not the judge, jury or executioner of the situation. At this moment, we are merely observes.
Nothing much can pass through my mind because the flames of the explosion envelop us, as if they were hugging the protective shield from the destruction that followed all around. Wood from the crates flew in every direction and hundreds of artifacts melted, disfigured and altogether evaporated. No loud noises as one would expect from an explosion, only heat, blazing heat.
"Helena! No! No, no!" – Myka woke up gasping for air, sitting up and trying to remember why I was in my bed and what was happening around me.
"Myka!" – Claudia entered abruptly in my room, running toward my bed and taking my head in her hands, making into her eyes.
"Myka, it was just a nightmare." – She tried to sound as calm as possible, but her eyes betrayed her worry. Thankfully, the rest of the team knew better by now than to go rushing into her room.
"It was just a nightmare." – The redhead repeated and Myka nodded her head slowly in understanding.
It had been a while since she had such bad nightmares, usually she'd wake up during the night with her covers on the floor and her pijamas twisted around her and maybe even a few escaped tears, but this extreme sense of fear and panic was a very rare occurrence. Especially since H.G appeared back in their lives as Emily Lake.
For a few moments Myka didn't say anything and Claudia stood in front of her, waiting patiently for the agent to organize her thoughts and distinguish the real memories from the fake ones still fresh from the latest nightmare.
"You dreamed about her again huh?" – Claudia asked gently. Strangely enough, for her young age, the girl could see how much Myka and H.G cared for one another and it hurt her to see them both in pain.
"Yeah and the explosion at the Warehouse." – Myka's voice was hoarse from all the screaming, but at least her throat wasn't closed anymore and she could breathe again. She remembered what Artie had said about the agent that had died while trying to retrieve the broach and that's why her thoughts must have wandered off to Helena tonight.
"I miss her too." – Claudia's voice sounded almost like a whisper. They didn't talk about H.G, but tonight the girl couldn't stop her mouth from speaking what her mind thought.
"It's late Claud. We should go back to sleep, we have an early flight tomorrow." – Myka acted as if she didn't hear the last statement.
"Myka, do you think… could I…" – Claudia tried again, but she was getting nervous and flustered and her cheeks became a lovely rosy color.
"Okay, kid, hop in. Just, don't hog all the covers like last time alright?" – Myka said and scooted to the left.
Myka was too exhausted to reassure her friend that she was okay now and honestly, maybe she felt better when she wasn't alone at night. There had been no point in going out on meaningless dates, knowing that the only person she was interested in just up and left her again, so movie nights with Claudia had become more and more frequent.
As soon as her head hit the soft pillow, Myka dozed off into a dreamless sleep, but as she closed her eyes, she could swear she caught a whiff of a sandalwood oil. Claudia for her part was snoring lightly beside her and true to her word, she didn't hog all the covers that night, at least not at first.
***20 hours later***
Stepping out of an airplane is a unique experience, different each time, impossible to duplicate and yet it is constantly, imperfectly replicated, with each plane ride, with each blow of the wind.
The team had just landed in Heathrow and had begun making their way outside the airport. London was a magnificent city, Myka always had a soft spot for the old continent, but being in London made her feel a pang of nostalgia and melancholy.
"I don't know about you, but I can't wait to get to our hotel and shower. I hate being cooped up in a plane for so long." – Pete complained.
"Sounds good to me." – Steve agreed and Myka and Claudia nodded along.
It was already passed 9pm when they managed to get checked in and each pair got to their rooms. Of course, Claudia didn't even let anyone try to question the girls choice of bunking together, usually the gender wasn't an issue when they had to share a room, but lately Claudia was the only one that Myka allowed near her.
"Ugh, I can't believe we work in a place of continuous wonders and nobody has invented teleportation yet. The jet lack is killing me." – Claudia whined a little as she jumped on her bed.
"I know right?" – Myka chuckled.
"A cold shower and a good walk always help though." – The older agent said.
"Hmm I am inclined to give it a try."
"Okay then, go take a quick shower while I unpack and then you can find us some chocolate until I jump in for a quick shower as well and we'll go out." – Myka said.
"Are we going to invite the boys?" – Claudia asked curious.
"Yeah, sure. You can ask them later." – Myka said while dumping the content of her luggage on the bed.
Since nobody knew how long this particular mission would be, they had packed for at least two weeks and according to the London weather that meant a lot of long sleeves, multifarious amount of socks, dark jeans and at least two pairs of boots. Myka was well organized; she had even sorted her underwear according to its color, so her unpacking was rather fast. Claudia however, was a whole other story. The young woman was much messier and chaotic in her packing. Putting together long sleeved jerseys and short sleeved t-shirts, socks were thrown hastily around her luggage and almost none formed a pair, but as soon as Claudia had finished showering, Myka had proudly finished unpacking her friend's clothes as well.
"The shower is all yours Mykes. God, it feels so good to wash away the airport." – Claudia mused.
"Mhm. Go find us some chocolate now, I can't wait to show you the Themes at night." – Myka added with a smile, put her flip-flops on and walked to the bathroom.
Half an hour later, Myka had just finished putting on a plain navy blue jersey and was ready to put on her shoes and go see where her red haired friend had gone to.
"Myka! You'll never believe what I found! Look, they have white and black "Toblerone", Oreo cookies with blueberry cream, vanilla coke and even double sized peanut buttercups for less than a pound each! I even got us this huge M&M's bag!" – Claudia jumped around excitedly and pointed to each item as she went talking about them.
"Calm down Claud, I think you've had one too many Oreos." – Myka laughed.
It was Friday night and the city of London was buzzing with life, the streets were full with people of every race and stature, dressed in every manner from baggy hip-hop pants to classy boutique dresses. A knock sounded in the room of the girls, but Claudia was busy sorting through all the junk food they'd take with them and left Myka to open it.
"Hey guys, Claudia said you were thinking…" – Steve had started talking, but the image of Claudia trying desperately to fin the huge bag of M&M's into her already full backpack made him start laughing.
"She knows that won't fit in right?" – He asked laughing.
"Oh let her entertain herself, she's on a sugar high from all the Oreos." – The older agent waved with her hand.
"So anyway, she said you two were going for a walk?"
"Yeah, I am always restless after such long plane rides and I love London in autumn."
"Well, I was planning on watching some TV, but I think going for a walk might be a better alternative. I'll go get Pete and we'll meet you guys downstairs in 10 minutes?"
"Great. We'll see you there." – Myka smiled and closed the door when Steve walked back to his room.
"Good news Claud, you can give the boys some of the sweets to carry."
After a moment of careful consideration, the young woman agreed.
"Fine, but if Pete eats my Oreos, I'll kick his butt into the Themes."
"I'll help you." – Myka winked.
Apart from the slightly chilly air, the walk around the streets resulted rather pleasant. It had been a while since Myka had felt this tranquil and she genuinely enjoyed the company of her friends, the sugar high from all the sweets also helped. By the time they decided to head back to the hotel, the only thing left in Claudia's backpack was a half-eaten peanut buttercup and everyone's throats screamed for water.
"God, I think I'm dying." – Claudia flung herself at Steve in an exaggerated matter.
"I told you to stop eating sweets at least seven Toblerone triangles ago." – Steve laughed at her antics.
"Ugh that's not helping. And we still have at least half an hour until we get to our hotel…" – Claudia whined.
"I'd give my left leg for a bottle of water. Why isn't there a vending machine anywhere around here?" – Pete was the next one to join the whining.
"Guys, relax. Look, there's a bar over there. Let's just go in and get some water." – Myka said and pointed at the end of the street.
The three other members of the team rejoiced at that, Pete was seriously considering throwing himself in the river and drinking some water, even though Myka already warned him about the elevated chances of catching diarrhea afterwards.
Step by step, the team approached their salvation, a whiff of sandalwood caught Myka's attention, but she quickly discarded it. And so the four merry friends entered the finest establishment on this side of the river, also known as Eddie's Bar.
Understandable for a Friday night, the bar was full with people, most of them laughing and talking loudly, others playing darts in the left corner, others walking around with drinks. The bar tender was a sympathetic, slightly chubby fellow with a name tag on his shirt that read Eddie, he must also be the owner because he also seemed very invested in making sure every customer got their drinks right away.
"Four glasses of water, please!" – Claudia said with her last remaining forces and Eddie made a very surprised face, but in a matter of seconds, four, tall glasses of water stood in front of them. Not wasting a moment, each of the Warehouse agents gulped down their water and sighed in a contempt relief.
"Hey guys! Since we are here, we might as well have some fun right?" – Steve asked suggestively looking around. A nice impromptu night out was a rare opportunity and before they could start their investigation tomorrow, they could have some fun tonight.
"All right, but nobody gets to complain about being hungover tomorrow ok?" – Said Myka, motioning to Eddie to come back for another order and the rest of the team cheered.
A beer turned into two and after a game of darts, Steve decided to try his luck with a very attractive young man that had been smiling at him for the better part of their night.
"Okay guys, I think it's time we call it a night." – Myka said and took out her purse, ready to close their tab and get back to the hotel.
"Come on Mykes, one more and we're going." – Pete tried.
"It's already midnight Pete, we weren't even supposed to go out tonight. Besides, you have been drinking soda all night anyway."
"It's not about the drinks, it's about finally getting you out of your shell. You have been acting strange lately, stranger than usual. Tonight is the first night you are actually having fun." – Pete said.
"You know what? I am having fun… okay one more drink and we're out." – Myka finally agreed, as much as she hated to admit it, Pete was right.
"Ash, stay down, the next round is on me." – A strong male voice sounded right next to Myka and not a moment later a tall, handsome black man bumped into the curly agent.
"Oh, I am terribly sorry Miss." – The stranger said and looked at Myka with an apologetic smile.
"I should have been looking where I was going." – He continued ever so charmingly.
"That's okay, it is pretty crowded in here anyway." – Myka tried to sound nonchalant, but she actually liked his pronounced British accent.
"Ever since Eddie decided to try out these cocktails, people have been coming nonstop to the bar. At first I thought he wanted to poison us with all these strange concoctions, but he got better with time." – The man explained.
"So you come here often?" – Myka knew it was a cliché, but her curiosity got the best of her.
"Yes, my colleagues and I live nearby and Eddie is like a family already." – He laughed again and Myka mimicked him.
"I completely forgot to introduce myself. I'm Michael, but my friends call me Mickey." – The man said and extended his hand to Myka.
"Myka, nice to meet you Mickey." – She smiled back and thought how his name reminded her of Mickey Mouse. Good, now there was no way she'd forget it.
"Mickey, did you go to the other side of London for one round of bloody drinks?" – A female voice sounded behind him and a pair of arms encircled Mickey from behind and he quickly maneuvered her next to him, putting his hand to rest comfortably on the woman's waist.
The voice alone sent shivers down Myka's spine, but the moment she saw the pale hands of the woman behind him, Myka's only thought was a plea towards an unknown entity: please don't let this be true.
Alas, it was. And the face that she saw behind Mickey made Myka's gut to clench violently. The brown eyes, the black hair… the smile… in front of her stood the woman that plagued both her dreams and nightmares. Helena George Wells was standing less than two feet away from her and she couldn't even say a word.
"Myka?!" – Helena's surprised voice accentuated even more her wide eyes, bewilderment seeping through her dazed gaze.
"Helena?" – Myka whispered, barely audibly.
"Helena?" – Mickey repeated lost.
This was one of those moments that stretched into infinity, and the tension between all three of them only grew bigger and bigger as their silence flooded the air.
"Lady Cuckoo?" – Pete said from behind, but nobody except Myka heard him. Pete was staring at Helena with his eyes wide and mouth open, the last thing he expected tonight was to see H.G dressed in a classy two piece navy suit with a red satin shirt, sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a collar slightly cocked up. The brit looked mesmerizing in that outfit and not many people could pull off that well this particular color combination.
"Peter." – H.G briefly acknowledged his presence.
Mickey turned to Helena, eyeing her suspiciously and she only nodded her head before the man regained his senses and decided that Stacie must be playing another con of her own and that "Helena" character must be her undercover story. It was one hell of a coincidence, but she was a free grafter after all.
"Ah I see you know my colleague." – Mickey said with another smile on his face and Myka managed to nod.
"Yes, we are… acquainted." – Myka agreed with a fake smile on her face and to everyone around them it looked like the curly haired woman was unaffected by the meeting, except to Helena who could see the infinite questions in the other woman's eyes.
"I'm gonna need something stronger." – Myka murmured, but Helena was too focused on her not to hear it.
"Eddie, give me some tequila shots, please." – Helena spoke gently and the bartender nodded, serving the drinks without a question about who'd pay for them, he put a lemon slice on top of each.
Myka hadn't touched the tequila yet and her head felt like it was going to explode, it was rather ironic that she was the one even suggested going on this damned walk and walking into this damned bar.
TBC…