Perhaps it was the unabashed acceptances of the proposals, but you guys are spoiling the life out of me with your posts.
I thank you - for reading and writing.
A/N - you will be quite familiar with parts of this chapter - because it's canon. I borrow it respectfully. If I got any of it wrong,
I apologize and will change those 'facts'.
There have been others who have written this scenario and some written by the best ff writers out there (Oh come on, you know who they are). Thank you for indulging my version of how this might play out.
Introductions
"OK, here's the plan," Pete whispered as he edged closer and closer to the living room. "We listen, and then storm."
"Storm?" Steve asked back in a hush.
"It's the marine way," Pete explained and put his ear up to the door. He heard nothing because Helena had not quite come up with her answer.
"How did you exactly get it in her ass again?" Steve whispered to Claudia because he still couldn't believe it.
"I shot her," Claudia said of the procedure.
"Of course you did," Steve said at the most reasonable answer that made no sense to him.
Pete hushed them because he was waiting to hear voices, so he would know who was in the room. If his vibe was correct about Helena being in danger, she could be in there with anyone. Then he heard Myka's voice.
"Helena?" Myka said because it was the first time she had seen the woman speechless. "You told him you were HG Wells. Why would you say that?"
And as Pete pushed through the door with the rest of the crusaders behind him, Helena announced with conviction; - - -
"Because the bloody truth is I am and always have been HG Wells – the author, the inventor. The HG Wells!"
Claudia immediately looked at Mrs. Frederic. "OK, when I said she was ok, I meant physically okay. That chip in her butt does not give me feedback about her mental health. Just saying."
"Something's wrong," Steve said.
"Ya think? Our boss is channeling her great great grandfather! This is so not going to go over well at the next Board meeting," Claudia said.
"Wow, she's HG Wells?" Eileen asked because of course she believed her.
"What are you ….how did you?" Helena asked the consortium in the doorway.
"Nice hit, Bering," Pete said looking down at the apple size bump on the intruder's head. Myka dropped the metal pan.
"There are still fingerprints on it," Pete said.
"How long … how much?" Helena asked wondering now how many people she just announced that to.
"We all heard it. Why are you saying that to …," Pete asked and his eyebrow rose in Myka's direction. "A little over the top if you're out to impress, don't you think?"
"She's not lying," Steve said surprised.
"Oh oh, think you need a tune up Jinxy," Claudia said to her friend.
"Could you all…?" Myka asked – not that she wasn't happy to see them, but she needed to speak to Helena.
"I'll take care of him," Pete said. He picked Jack up and flung him over his shoulder to carry him to the other room. Helena handed the Tesla over to Pete.
"It's like a stun gun, but very powerful. Use it carefully," she advised.
Pete held onto it and the unconscious visitor. The group moved with him to give the couple some privacy. Except Eileen, who had not stopped staring at Helena since the announcement.
"Ms. Sullivan, are you okay?" Helena asked when the woman didn't take her eyes off her.
"I believe you, Ms. Wells," the assistant said – and meant it with all her heart. She didn't quite understand how it could be, but she simply believed it.
"Thank you, Eileen," Helena said.
Eileen finally realized that they were waiting for her to leave and quickly excused herself.
"That is just utterly….. amazing," the young woman said when she rejoined the group.
"You don't think it's utterly… unbelievable?" Claudia asked skeptically.
"She wasn't lying," Steve said sure of his visceral feedback.
"Dude," Claudia pleaded. "You would not be the first person certain of his skills -that Helena G. Wells manipulated or finagled her way around what you thought you had to get what she wanted, all the time leaving you to believe you haven't been touched."
"Huh?" Steve asked.
"Ms. Donovan finds Ms. Wells' claim doubtful," Irene clarified.
"Doubtful doesn't begin to describe it," Claudia said thinking there must be a reason her boss was acting crazy.
Irene watched the group as they debated the validity of what she already knew to be true. It was not for her to explain. She was busy wondering if Helena broke the rules telling more than one person, did the punishment grow exponentially with each individual?
Jack Gore started to groan and come to. "What the hell?" he asked feeling the rather large bump on his head.
"We got this," Pete said and motioned for Steve to join him as they approached him.
"Who the hell are all of you people?" he asked unsure of just what hit him. He put his hand to his head and figured whatever it was, it was hard.
"We would like to ask you the same question," Pete said.
"Listen pal, you're interfering with a government investigation, so I advise you to give me back my device there and get out of my way," Jack said and put his hand out.
"Not so fast," Pete said pointing the gun at him. Jack sat back in the chair. "We have some questions we'd like you to answer first."
A long silence followed until Jack looked at him with the question mark written on his face.
"What do we want to ask him?" Pete said, turning to the group.
"I'd like to know his name," Eileen offered first.
"OK good one. What's your name?" Pete repeated.
"Agent Jack Gore, Secret Service," Jack said.
"Wow, like the guys who protect the President?" Pete asked fascinated to meet one of them.
"I used to, yes. Now I work …special projects," Jack said. "Could you please hand that over? It's not a toy."
"Not so fast," Pete said.
"Agent Gore, my name is Irene Frederic," the older woman said trying to keep everyone calm.
"We know about you," Jack said. "You're her... One," he added.
"Hey don't call her that," Pete said defensively and then realized he didn't even know that it meant. "Wait, what?"
"It's okay, Mr. Lattimer. I am curious how you know," Irene asked the bruised man.
"We know everything," Jack said. "We've been watching her since she got here. We can't …. You know…"
"Yes, I know," Irene said and they all looked at her. How could she possible understand what this guy was saying when he wasn't even saying it. "Did you intend to prevent it tonight, Agent Gore?"
"What the hell did you hit me with?" he asked Pete because the throbbing had not stopped.
"You can thank Ms. Bering for that," Pete said.
"Myka hit me?" Jack asked.
"How do you know Ms. Bering?" Irene asked suspiciously.
"We're neighbors," he answered.
"Yeah right, you're Secret Service and you're living in Myka's apartment building?" Pete said and Steve confirmed he was telling the truth.
"They sent me here to keep an eye on … things. When we got word that Ms. Bering was of ….interest to Ms. Wells, they got me an apartment in the same building. I tipped the doorman to keep me posted on Ms. Bering's comings and goings. You know I shouldn't be telling you any of this," Jack remembered.
Eileen went to the kitchen and put some ice in a bag and handed it to Jack. "I hope that's okay?" she asked Irene.
"The doorman told you when Myka was coming and going. I want his name," Claudia said.
"Hey, don't blame Tommy Boy. He's a good guy – just looking to make a few extra bucks," Jack said cringing at the pain.
"What is his name?" Eileen asked wide-eyed.
"Thomas, but he goes by Tommy Boy. Why all the interest in my doorman? Listen, you have bigger problems that him," Jack said looking around to see who was the most reasonable in the group. Even to an untrained eye, that was easy. "Look Mrs. Frederic, I asked my boss to come first. To talk to Helena before things got out of hand. The next people won't be so willing to listen," he said.
Back inside, Myka was making sure Helena was okay from the intruder. "I don't understand how my neighbor got here. I mean, it doesn't make any sense."
"Myka, he works for the people in the agency that I used to work for. He came here to convince me that I should not break my contract with them. They planted a listening device in the pen you bought. They overhead me in my attempts to explain things to you tonight," Helena said.
"What is it with pens around here?" Myka asked remember the pen Helena had given her that decoded the video evidence Walter Sykes had against her.
"Myka, I wanted to tell you everything tonight, but I felt I might be putting a burden on you and perhaps even putting you in danger. As you can see, my fears were founded," Helena said.
Myka pulled her to sit on the couch next to her. "Helena, whatever is going on, I want to help you through it."
"Thank you, Myka," Helena said.
"OK now tell me what you keep saying… that part ….about being HG Wells. What is that about?" Myka asked thinking they should start at the beginning.
"Myka, when I was working for the people Jack works for, they put me in a form of suspended animation," Helena started that Myka's breathing got shallow and quickened.
"What did they do to you?" Myka asked ready to make them pay.
"Myka, I asked for it – I begged them to do it, in fact," Helena said.
"What? Why?" Myka asked and Helena could see that there was no short cut that would work.
"Myka, darling, listen to me. I never meant for you to find out this way, but it is time to tell you everything."
"OK," Myka said thinking she was ready to hear about Helena's past.
"Myka, before I joined them, I had a daughter, Christina. She was my pride and joy Myka, and I loved her with all my heart," Helena said getting up and walking to the window. Myka could hear the pain in her voice.
"She went to stay with cousins in Paris one summer when she was ten and while she was there, men broke in expecting the house to be empty. Christina was senselessly murdered that night," Helena said.
"Oh Helena, I am so sorry. I can't imagine…" Myka said feeling Helena's pain. Myka wanted to rush to her, but she could sense Helena was not done.
"I went to work for the people Jack works for in London. They were very, very good to me and allowed me to continue on my work. I have always liked to dabble in inventing things," Helena smiled.
"Did it help to work a little?" Myka asked still thinking about Christina.
"Unfortunately, all I could think about was how to undo the tragedy. I delved into madness Myka, trying to come up with a way to go back and prevent her death," Helena said calmly.
"Of course Helena, that is understandable," Myka said quietly.
"Darling," Helena said taking Myka's hands in hers as she sat down, "I invented a time machine. A real time machine. It allowed me to return to that awful day in the consciousness of the nanny, but no matter how many times I tried, I could not prevent it. I learned the hard way Myka that the ink in which our lives are inscribed is indelible. I could not undo the past. I became obsessed with finding another way, Myka and people got hurt. I finally asked my superiors to bronze me, a process by which I was encased alive, conscious, but immobile," Helena explained.
Myka sat very still trying to absorb all that Helena was relating. If Helena was her age, and she had a child who was ten when she was killed, then this had to be fairly recently that she was imprisoned.
"Helena, even if you asked for this, it must have been awful. How long were you there?" Myka asked and suddenly saw the hesitation in Helena's eyes.
Helena smiled and stared directly into the green pools of the woman she loved. She took a deep breath. It was time.
"Over a hundred years," Helena said.
Helena could see Myka trying to process this. Her brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed as she tried to make sense of what she just heard. Myka was bright – very bright and very good at solving puzzles.
"Helena, did they prevent you from aging in that place?" Myka asked.
"Yes," Helena answered and stood up.
"What year were you born?" Myka asked slowly.
"1866," Helena said and Myka fell back slightly on the couch.
"Oh my God," Myka said softly. "That's why your handwriting was the same in the note as it was in the book, in my father's store."
"Yes," Helena said.
Myka raised her hand to her head and held it there. She kept waiting to wake up from what must be a dream. She pushed against her head, to wake herself up, but it didn't work.
"So…. you're… The….. HG Wells?" she finally asked Helena right out.
"Yes, I am," Helena said and unconsciously – bowed her head when she said it and smiled.
Myka stood up and Helena feared this was where she would laugh - or worse, leave. Myka could not begin to explain it, but she believed the woman standing by the fire place.
Myka walked over to Helena and stopped.
"I have always wanted to meet you," Myka said smiling.
Oh hi, didn't expect to see you here. OK I totally lied. ;-) I was waiting.