As the sky began to turn purple and pink in the dusk, stars lighting up the dark, Helen finally made her way to bed. She took a moment to take in the scenery, let the beauty of the world find its way back into her heart again… just as she always did in moments of chaos. Sometimes she just needed to take the time to breathe, and allow the complexities of the world to wash over her with the chill night breeze.
Back in the command tent Will and Norma were still going over the young abnormal's findings, and one of the local scientists – Ibrahim – had been sent to investigate a possible location for the gang based on the data they'd compiled in the last couple of hours. Magnus desperately wanted to do more tonight but her body was having none of it. After a long day hunting for Giant Sand Rays in the Saharan heat she was shattered, and her academic-self had been lecturing her repeatedly on the prudence of calling it a night. In the desert, after all, fatigue could kill, and kill quickly.
The thought of curling up against Nikola under canvas was oddly comforting too, despite her irritation at his earlier reticence. They hadn't spoken since the video, but maybe it was the nostalgia of sand, and stars, and ancient kings surfacing out here among the dunes which made her so keen? She smiled to herself, mind glutting on a rather dirty train of thought as she swept the tent opening aside. He wasn't there. Even before she turned on the lamp to make sure, she had sensed the absence of his breathing.
A little put out, Helen took off the field pack which been attached to her all day and, leaving it to one side, headed for the only other place he could be.
0
Originally the camp's purpose had been that of a mobile research facility: their aim, to assess climate changes in the Saharan habitat and its effect on the wildlife – particularly any abnormal species. Helen had only intended to visit once or twice, more to satisfy her own curiosity than anything else, and command of the research team had been left in the capable hands of an old colleague's niece. Marwa's aunt, Pili, had been the head of the Cairo Sanctuary before the Hollow Earth crisis, and she had followed in her aunt's footsteps with an excellent career in xenobiological research. Then, a week ago, Marwa had unfortunately found herself inside one of the settlements completely levelled by what they now understood to be a Giant Sand Ray attack.
Magnus couldn't forget her shock at the news, and though she had been lucky enough to be evacuated to a good hospital, she doubted Marwa would recover enough to re-join the team anytime soon – even if she wanted to. So Magnus had sent Will in, who'd cottoned on pretty fast to the building pattern of unusual events, and, inevitably, as the situation worsened and the attacks from Sand Rays increased, she herself had been drawn into the fray.
Giant Sand Rays were typically much trickier to find than the current situation might've led one to believe. In fact, Nikola had come out here with Will for the express purpose of trying some new equipment designed to detect these awkward-to-find abnormals. He'd had mixed success… not that you would have guessed that from the triumphant "Ha!" he'd made right before the Sand Ray had thumped him back to earth earlier that day. She smiled at the memory, glad the slim and ergonomic gizmo he'd invented had survived their jaunt – to be honest the Sanctuary couldn't afford to build another one, and she couldn't put up with the pouting.
With the Sanctuary personnel's tents, and the communal sleeping arrangements for the hired staff behind her, Helen approached the three large tents housing the kitchen, command, and… the lab. It even had a cute little sign proclaiming its purpose at its door, scrawled in three separate languages, and decorated with the globular depictions of cellular life-forms.
From outside she could see the lights were still on and, sure enough, there was only one person home. Everyone else was probably having dinner, but when you'd been up since pre-dawn, it always felt a good deal later than it actually was. Somehow it felt as though everyone else were tucked up in bed: and here they were again – the only two burning the midnight oil.
"There you are," she offered, knowing he would have heard her come in, even if he were too engrossed in assembling his invention to acknowledge the fact.
For once it didn't look like a gun!
Magnus found herself mildly shocked, though one look at him made her think better of saying so out loud. He was frowning determinedly at the circuitry, which meant that even those three words had been enough of a distraction to be a bother.
She smiled cheekily, should she…?
As though sensing her temptation, or perhaps because in her position. being disruptive is precisely what he would've done, he glanced up from his work and gave her attention enough to fend off the obvious questions: "No, it's not ready, and no, it's not a gun… for once."
She ventured closer to the lab table, tipping the now empty wine bottle on its edge as if to test the contents (or lack thereof), with one finger on its top. He watched briefly, before attempting to focus back on the circuitry.
"Jamming device?" she asked, peering over his arm at the obscure piece of kit he was modifying.
He could see her in the corner of his eye, feel the shift she'd caused in the air – God she was so distracting. Giving up, again, he looked up at her from his seat and regaled her with the product of his brilliant mind. "The frequency it emits should affect the mechanism creating the synchronised burst of energy inside the weapons themselves."
"Ah," she looked at him mid-thought, "so, downside being…"
"We can't use stunners in range. I know, I know," he defended pre-emptively, "it's not an ideal solution, but it's not like I've got a lot to work with."
He gestured at the lab, the contents of which were predominately out of his purview and more in the realm of the biological sciences. All he'd had to go on was whatever he'd brought out here to test, and she had specifically limited that to prevent him being out here into the winter months, absorbed in whatever wonderful experiments he envisioned.
Prudently biting the words 'a poor workman blames his tools', which never failed to spring to mind on these occasions, Helen merely smiled. Nikola, however, was unappreciative of her rather obvious amusement at his predicament and shot her a moody look, before continuing in his battle against their seemingly-forever-rationed resources. Literally, no matter how many times he managed to update their equipment, or materials for that matter, the Sanctuary never seemed to have the things he needed, when he needed them. Especially in the field – really, would it have killed them to bring just a little more than a screwdriver kit, and a soldering iron! He suspected that Helen had just given up trying – which completely explained why the tech labs had consisted of such an antique rummage sale whilst Henry had been in post at the Old Sanctuary and there'd been no one to fly the flag for progress, as opposed to make-do-and-mend.
"I know," she finally offered, a note of softness in her voice making him glance back at her.
Catching his liquid eyes the world slowed, as though they were both suspended in time, an sudden thought dashing across his expression. It tempered that egotistical brow of his, until the corners of his mouth were grimacing slightly with something he wanted to say, but didn't.
"Helen…"
She knew what was playing on his mind, cracking its way out of his skull: the guilt of knowing there was another of his prototypes flooding the black market, aimed by her enemies to murder indiscriminately, to destroy everything she stood for. Perhaps too, there was some knowledge as yet unrevealed, another card hidden up his sleeve which he felt ashamed of – of how that weapon might have gotten here, of what its original purpose had been. It didn't matter though, she could detect all she needed to know. The waiver in his voice, the vulnerability in his posture told her he knew precisely where he wanted to stand – and it wasn't alone, but with her. And just so long as that was true, Helen felt as though she could forgive him almost anything.
For a couple who spoke so much, they said so very little in words. He didn't even finish the sentence. A subdued avoidance of her gaze, the little step she made to put them closer: when he looked back, wondering how he was going to phrase this, he realised he didn't need to. She already knew he was sorry, and that sorry just wasn't enough to express what he meant. The long hush, the quiet look, seemed to melt away every word that went unsaid. A mutual understanding, resting on that kind of telepathy only two old souls who'd known each other this long could achieve… and it still left Nikola itching.
Pressing his lips together, however, a pleasant and somewhat unexpected thought completely transformed his demeanour, "There was a message earlier, by the way," he broached, regaining his composure.
Reaching for a tablet he handed it to her with a nonchalance which only belied his excitement at being the one to give her whatever good news awaited.
"…thought you might appreciate seeing it for yourself."
Eying that cockiness suspiciously she nevertheless accepted the device. Expecting it to be something work related she was a little confused as to why Nikola clearly cared so much… and then she saw the picture on the screen. Helen's face practically lit from the inside, a small smile, so proud and heartfelt it radiated from her.
It was a picture from the team, back at the Sanctuary, and it seemed their infant daughter had yet another admirer. This time she was getting cuddles in the warm, hairy arms of the juvenile Sasquatch who'd made New Sanctuary their home last year, and for a moment it were as though her Old Friend was there again, giving his care and love to another of her children.
Memories of the Big Guy and Ashley hit her like a truck, and though it ached just a little, she was almost glad to feel that pang. Just to remember them again: as though they were right here, in spirit, keeping watch over them all.
When Helen glanced back, eyes wide with gratitude, Nikola was grinning roguishly and yet beneath that, the warmth, the tenderness her reaction had filled him with was obvious.
Before She was born Helen had never seen such an expression on his face, something so unabashed, so unguarded. It was beautiful, and made her ache for her daughter in a way she couldn't have anticipated. She just couldn't get over it – how in-awe he was of Sofija, how proud. Nikola Tesla, floored by a gurgling baby.
Not Magnus, not even his scientific achievements could ever replicate that love… and every time she was reminded of that, Helen knew it had all been worth it.
Author's Note:
A little fluffy really, this one. :) But hey, what's fanfic without a little fluff? More action in upcoming chapters – and more Teslen!