My apologies for Helena's French if I got it wrong (and there's a good chance I did).
You guys are so good to play along - and keeping me busy. Thanks.
Enigma
Helena looked down at the concern written all over Myka's face. She couldn't remember the last time someone wore that expression for her.
"Could you … please …give me the shot, Doctor?" Helena was asking, but Vanessa was already packing up her bag.
"All done, Helena," Vanessa said and smiled as she quietly left the eye locked couple alone.
"Why do you need those shots?" Myka asked, still holding Helena's hand.
"I have ….pernicious anemia," Helena said and Myka tried to break down the Latin derivation to figure it out.
Helena was standing up over Myka now, but looking down at her with intent in her eyes.
"Common symptoms include feeling faint…..," she said bending down. "And becoming breathless…" the Brit whispered as she closed in on Myka's mouth and kissed her passionately.
Myka's mind was on diagnosis, but her lips and body were surrendering to Team Wells. Helena grabbed Myka's jaw gently with both hands as her lips pressed deeper. Myka was experiencing the very symptoms Helena had just listed- light-headed and gasping.
When Helena broke the kiss, and Myka could think again, she went back to her questions.
"Helena, that was …..," she said collecting her thoughts.
"Yes, it was," Helena concurred sitting in the chair next to Myka.
"Tell me ….about your …anemia," Myka said.
"Common among us Brits, I'm afraid," Helena said – almost too dismissively.
"And the shots?" Myka asked.
"Ah, necessary nuisance," Helena said.
"Hmmm," Myka replied tasting the lipstick Helena left on her lips. She wanted it to last all day.
"Do you feel okay though? Anything else we should be doing?" Myka asked unaware she used the plural pronoun. Helena didn't miss it.
"Yes, there is," she said in a serious tone.
Myka's sat up straight in the chair, wanting Helena to share what it was. Helena leaned over to Myka. "More of this," she said as she kissed Myka again gently. Myka had never been fooled so deliciously in her life. Myka laughed at her antics, but not until the kiss was broken.
Helena was – in a word – intoxicating.
There was a loud banging on Helena's door as if the person on the other side of it was quite upset. Helena didn't flinch.
"Ah that would be our young Teckie if I am not mistaken," she said standing up and putting her jacket back on. "Entrez s'il-vous-plaît," Helena said as she went to her desk.
Myka stood there as Helena's correct guess marched over to Helena without noticing her.
"Oh you did it this time, didn't you?" Claudia said full of annoyance. "What …what did you …stay up all night thinking of how to do this?"
Myka figured out Helena must have broken through the security firewall.
"Actually, Ms. Donovan, it took me… no time at all," Helena said smugly.
"Why?" Claudia said collapsing in the chair and throwing her hands up.
"Because if I can do it, anyone ….," Helena was trying to say.
"No, Helena. Not anyone – you are fracking brilliant and you're messing up your own tech staff. Don't you have anything else to keep you busy at night?" the youth asked exasperated.
Helena's eyes darted directly to Myka. "Apparently not," she said pursing her lips and made Myka cough.
"I really …have…I should," Myka said, still taken aback my Helena's boldness.
"Oh hi," Claudia said finally noticing Myka.
"Can you think of something to keep her busy?" Claudia asked out of complete frustration.
Helena took full advantage of the play on words and Myka's blushing. She came around and sat on the corner of her desk, crossing her long legs and folding her arms.
"Yes, Counselor, can you think of …anything….that could possible occupy my …," and Helena put her hands out, but said …."mind?"
"We would really appreciate it," Claudia said, and the chersire like grin on Helena's face was unmistakable. Myka was going to have to get quicker on her feet.
"I'll see if anyone else in the City agencies wants to speak with you," Myka said and waved to Claudia to leave with her.
When Claudia's back was to them, Myka turned to Helena.
"And I will speak to you about this tonight," she said with warning, but it was betrayed by the wrinkle around her eyes and her smile.
"Oh I am looking forward to it," Helena said volleying the comment back at Myka.
Eileen overheard Claudia complaining about Helena's intrusion on the network.
"Why not ask her to use her powers for good, instead of evil? the executive assistant asked and then tried to take back her words. "Not that she's being evil. That's not what I mean…," she tried to explain.
"Don't worry, we get it. Spill….," Claudia instructed.
"Well, I was reading about Kryptos," Eileen said and Claudia looked at her quizzically. "I'm drawing a blank here."
"It's the encrypted sculpture by American artist Jim Sanborn on the grounds of the CIA in Virginia. It contains four messages, only three of which have been solved, with the fourth remaining one of the most famous unsolved codes in the world. The sculpture continues to provide a….. diversion…. for cryptanalysts, both amateur and professional, who are attempting to decrypt the final section," Eileen spouted much to the surprise of her fellow staff members.
"Wow! OK then, worth a shot?" Claudia asked Myka.
"An impossible cryptic enigma wrapped in a riddle that no one can solve? Sure – worth a shot. I'll go get some word puzzles for her for after lunch," Myka laughed.
Twenty minutes later, as Myka resumed her paperwork; Claudia went back into Helena's office. She waited until her boss was off the phone, negotiating her latest coup with a pharmaceutical company to purchase Wells Corp's new blood pressure device which read vitals more accurately. They had resisted at first, told Helena that had to shop around, but eventually came back – because Helena's word was good – there was no better made device out there. There was no challenge in it, Helena thought. Just a matter of time for them to come to their senses.
"Oh boss, I was wondering…," Claudia said coming back into Helena's office.
"Does Ms. Sullivan know that guests are to be introduced and prevented from barging in?" Helena asked.
"Yeah, sure she does. Now I was wondering if you want to take a look at this optical scanner for the lab," Claudia was saying quickly as she bent over the desk and allowed a file to fall on Helena's desk on purpose.
Helena looked down at the picture of the CIA panel with the series of letters.
"Oh sorry, boss," Claudia said slowly pushing the picture back into the folder, making sure Helena saw it. "Driving me crazy."
"What is that?" Helena said, taking the bait.
"Oh this?" Claudia said, taking it out. "Nothing."
"Ms. Donovan, that was obviously something," Helena said. Claudia acted like she was caught and guiltily showed her boss the picture and explained what it was.
"They can't solve this?" Helena asked.
"Nope," Claudia said.
Helena looked over the picture and description. "You do know the name Kryptos comes from the Greek word for "hidden"?" she asked as Claudia watched her eyes gloss over with interest.
"You don't say?" Claudia said back.
"And the theme of the sculpture is intelligence gathering," Helena said slowly as all cylinders of her high IQ kicked in.
"No! I didn't realize that. Oh well, I'll just be taking back my picture," Claudia said slowly pulling the picture away ….and reeling her boss in with it the whole time.
"Leave it!" Helena said and realized her hash tone. "I mean, if you want I'll take a look at it. Perhaps I could help."
"Oh I don't want to bother you," Claudia said, icing the cake she just put out for her boss.
"No bother," Helena said already preoccupied with the first row of letters. She took back the picture and bit her lower lip, sitting down to crack the CIA code.
"Oh yeah, she's gonna be busy for quite some time," Claudia said as she left. She gave Eileen a high five.
"Yes Ms. Wells?" Eileen said when her boss called her on the phone. "Yes, Ms. Wells," Eileen said hanging up the phone.
Claudia looked at her. "She does not want to be disturbed."
"Yes! You are a fracking genius," Claudia said hugging the unsuspecting staff member.
It didn't take a genius to know that when Helena said she didn't want anyone to disturbed her, she didn't mean Myka.
Helena did look at the file her IT Director inadvertently spilled on her desk, but her mind was on other things. She wanted to tell Myka more tonight at dinner, but what would she tell her? Maybe if she worked her way backwards, it would help Myka to understand.
Helena felt strongly that Myka could be her 'one'.
As part of her release, the agency explained to Helena the conditions they had. They were very firm about the rules of disclosure with Helena, explaining that if she violated that contract, they could revoke everything.
"We'll swoop in on your ass so fast Ms. Wells, you won't know what hit you," the agent in charge told her. "We can't have you out there telling people about the Warehouse, understand?"
Helena told them she understood and agreed to their condition.
She was about to go back on her word.
I know, I know ...back to Myka and HG. :-)