Pale sunlight filtered from the high cavern roof over Will's head. He knew only a small part of the ceiling allowed direct sunlight; the rest of the expansive space was lit through a cunning use of conductive quartz-like crystal. Will didn't fully understand how it all worked. He only cared that he was here at all in Hollow Earth, in the truest Sanctuary Magnus had ever created. Her asylum was only home to a select few; the rest were assimilated into the hundreds of miles of tunnels that comprised the remainder of the Hollow Earth network. This structure had been designed by Magnus to service as her place of business, and its inhabitants were either her closest friends and colleagues, or her patients of highest risk.

This place was home in a way Old City never was. Magnus had carved a niche for herself in the criminal underground, and in the loopholes of the system. She'd made herself an integral part of that world but she had adapted to fit in there. Here, the world had been molded to fit her. She'd used the brightest minds in the past century to craft her new home, and within it she had blossomed.

There were some things Will missed, though. One was doorknobs. Everything here was the height of Hollow Earth technology, including motion-activated doors, and locks keyed to DNA. That is, if anyone ever wanted to lock their door. As of yet, Will hadn't felt the need to, and neither had Henry or the Big Guy. But on those days when he forgot where he was and reached for a handle that wasn't there, it sometimes left him feeling off-balance the whole rest of the day.

Pastimes was another thing he missed. For all the advanced technology the new Sanctuary boasted, televisions were lacking, and while Henry promised he'd get the video library hooked up to the computer network, Will wasn't holding his breath. Books waited in his room, but today he was antsy. He needed to do something else—he just didn't know what. Maybe the Big Guy still had his old soccer ball laying around somewhere…

He found the former manservant in a small niche garden behind the medical bays. The new Sanctuary was rife with the small spots of nature, but this one was rockier than most. Where the others were padded with thick moss, this garden seemed to edge up right onto the cave floor itself. It only took Will a second to realize what Biggie had been up to.

"Oh, no way… That is so cool, man." The lane was narrow, but serviceable, and a battered ten-set of skinny pins stood at the far end. Biggie came around to stand next to him, and together they surveyed his work. "It's a thing of beauty, my friend."

"I know," came the pleased growl. "You get the doc. I'll get Henry."

"Deal."

There were only a few places that Will knew of where Magnus was likely to be. The first was her study, the second the main med lab. And though she had yet to admit it, Will knew she liked to visit the hot springs down in the lower levels. She wasn't in any of those places. He eschewed the dining areas and the libraries, and instead skirted the outer perimeter. From there, it didn't take long to find her.

The space was really its own sub-cavern adjacent to the main area of the Sanctuary. It was nearly silent, the quiet disturbed only by the soothing sounds of the water that poured down the rocky wall in the back. Vines draped from the tunnel roof, blinding Will despite the light that shone as uniformly as it did over the main Sanctuary. He moved to sweep the leafy tendrils aside, but paused when he heard a very un-Magnus voice from deep within.

Will instantly recognized Tesla's voice, though the words spoken lacked its customarily snide tone. The voice that answered was Magnus'. Will carefully edged a single strand of lichen aside to peek into the garden. It was just the two of them standing there. Nikola's arm was wrapped around Magnus' waist, and she'd laid her hand on his chest, as if a moment ago they'd been dancing.

Whatever Tesla said, it made Magnus smile. She beamed, her lips spread wide, eyes sparkling with unrestrained mirth. There were no shields, no walls around her. In this moment, Helen let herself shine through at last, and Nikola greeted her with a kiss.

Taking a silent step backwards, Will let the vines close on the intimate scene. He made his way back to the others without saying a word. When both Biggie and Henry stared at him expectantly, he shook his head. "Just us this time, guys."

Henry seemed disappointed for a split second, before he turned to the fun at hand. But the Big Guy stared at Will for a long moment. Maybe he saw the scene playing out against the back of Will's eyes, where Will knew it would replay again and again. Or maybe the empathetic manservant simply registered the flutter of happiness Will felt. Even though he shouldn't have seen what he saw—he was glad that he did.

The enclave echoed with a solid thwok, and the clatter of wooden pins rolling over stone.

"Yeah! Strike!"