Chapter 2
In the two hours that followed the initial raid, the staff of the London Sanctuary were run off their feet. The building was swept from top to bottom in search of more incendiary bombs, the tell tale bright sparks a giveaway within the darkness of the stone building as the power failed, plunging them into complete blackness. Helen was completing a sweep of the storeroom when the distinct odour of burning timber alerted her to another problem. She followed her nose at first, the glow hidden by the stacks of stores packed tightly into the small room. They'd stocked up at the start of the War on essentials, thinking that supplies might, as they eventually did, run low. The stores however provided the fuel to the fire that was now beginning to spread quickly. Linen and fabric sizzled with an almost electric frenzy as Helen finally found the source of the heat now filling the small room.
" Dear Lord" She gasped as the saw the extend of the fire spreading, and knew she would be in for a rough time to contain this one on her own. Ducking back to the kitchen again she filled the two buckets, running as fast as she dared back to the storeroom, pausing only long enough to set one bucket down before launching her payload of water from the other towards the seat of the fire. The brightness dimmed momentarily and she took the opportunity to empty another load of water onto it. Instantly she was on the way back to the kitchen for another run. Two more trips ferrying buckets of water and she thought she had it just about done, stepping forward to empty some water on a particularly hot spot. A sizzle and the instant increase of heat, the smell of burning cotton and polyester shocked her. Her dress! The long skirt hem had caught in one of the embers and was now burning merrily, melting the fine fabric of her stockings in the process. Panic set in, and for an instant she let lose a shrill scream, unable to contain the horror of what was happening. Panic was quickly replaced with logic though as the situation grew dire, she grabbed the last half bucket of water and doused the burning fabric around her legs, wincing as the still hot edges touched her scorched skin. The skirt however was out, now once floor length number she was rather fond of sporting a ragged burnt edge that sat a little below her knees. Horrid, but until this crisis was over a skirt was the least of her problems.
Two more trips to the kitchen – plus a moment to splash some more water over the burns on her legs and the storeroom fire was out, plunging the corridor she was searching back into complete blackness.
" Damn this..." She spat angrily, heading over to the window and yanking the curtains wide. For a moment, she stood there, transfixed by the sight. St Pauls Cathedral stood like an angel among the many fires burning around London. Untouched and unscathed by the first raid, a shining symbol of hope to the people of the great city. Helen took comfort in the fact that the beautiful building was still standing before turning her attention back to the task at hand. She opened all the drapes as she passed them, the light of the city ablaze as good as any normal lighting that'd had installed. At least she could see where she was going now.
" Miss Magnus! Miss Magnus!"
Helen turned to see one of the servants running blindly down the corridor towards her, soot and ash covering every inch of his body.
" Miss Magnus, you must come quickly!" He grabbed the bucket from her hand and dragged her down the corridor, his urgency lending new pace to her already tiring legs.
They ended up in the habitat area, one of the most beautiful but dangerous creatures's habitat was on fire, with the creature trapped inside.
" Helen, thank goodness you're safe" Gregory gave his daughter a quick once over before realising that she was indeed still in one piece, more or less.
" The Sarcamore..." Helen gasped, listening in horror as the large winged creature shrieked in terror.
" We can't go in there..." Gregory started, reading his daughters' intentions as clearly as he read one of her texts.
" We have to do something, the smoke alone will kill it in a matter of minutes!" Helen retorted, surging forward to the habitat's control panel. The screeching intensified, it was terrified, making it all the more dangerous.
" Take cover!" She shouted, standing back as far as she could before yanking the control to open the habitat's main door.
Smoke billowed from the enclosure, the flames reaching new heights as the new oxygen flooded in. The Sarcamore billowed from the habitat, rolling in the hot smoke as it fought for altitude and clean air. Gregory and two servants took the opportunity to douse the fire, sending more smoke into the already thick air. Minutes later they emerged, filthy but victorious. There was no way however the beast was going back into its box.
" I say we lock down this area and deal with it later. Have the other enclosures been checked?" Helen asked, gesturing to the number of locked down rooms around the central core of the building.
" Yes, we couldn't find any more" Gregory replied, taking his daughters advise and heading out of the main lab before sealing the area off with a number of manual doors and heavy barricades. " That should hold it until we can deal with it"
Helen took a moment to catch her breath, leaning forward and resting her hands on her knees as she sucked in great lungfuls of relatively untainted air.
" Helen, are you alright?" Her father hovered anxiously, ignoring the dull droning that was beginning to build in the sky above them again.
" I just need a minute" She replied, her voice scratchy with the soot lining her throat. Her eyes squinted closed as tears struggled to clean the soot from the delicate tissue. They stung like blue murder, but she forced them open again. She waited until her breathing had recovered a little more before standing upright again, putting on her bravest face and facing her father.
" St Pauls is still standing. Score one for the Britians'" She quipped, leading the way back out to the corridor where she had seen the magnificent building amongst the city of fire beforehand.
" Well I'll be, will you look at that" Her father replied, awe struck in his voice. " They may bomb us, but they'll never break us" He said defiantly, his chin raising a little as the words had their full effect.
The droning continued, the air raid siren sounding again through the chaotic streets below them.
This time when the planes passed over the smoke filled skies of London, they weren't dropping fire, they dropped bombs.