Author note:
Ch. 6 is now complete!
Also, I *DO NOT OWN* borrowed lines from Sanctuary Season 2 openner, they belong to Mr. Kindler. WATCH THE EPISODE!!!
Ch. 6: Finally Some Answers
A knock on the door woke Charlie from his drowsy half sleep sometime mid-morning. "Just a minute," he answered as he lazily pulled the covers back and got up to answer the door.
"Did I wake you?" Duncan asked when he saw Charlie standing there in a white t-shirt and black boxers.
"Actually I was about to wake up anyways," Charlie answered with a yawn, noticing Duncan was carrying a tray with what he presumed was a coffee pot and two cups.
"May I come in?" Duncan asked tentatively.
"I don't see why not, just let me get dressed first," Charlie replied while he grabbed his clothes for the day before heading to the bathroom on the other side of his guest room.
Duncan looked around the room before setting the tray down on the table in the far right-hand corner of the room near the bookshelf. After setting the tray down, he took a seat in one of the chairs. He wondered how well Charlie would take the answers he would be given today. He seemed to be taking what little information he had already received quite well and that was just the "tip of the iceberg". Charlie's apparent ease digesting this information was undoubtedly due to his time spent working in the FBI's Fringe Division. However, Duncan speculated Charlie's ease would decrease as he gained more extensive knowledge of his situation. Duncan took a deep breath when he saw Charlie come out of the bathroom dressed in a light blue button up blouse and black slacks. 'Here goes nothing.'
Charlie sat down in the chair opposite Duncan, an unsure look on his face. "Coffee?" he asked.
"Yes, you should thank Dr. Zimmerman for that. If it weren't for him, Helen probably would have never let this "awful brown sludge" as she prefers to call it, in this place," Duncan replied with a chuckle.
"Fiercely British I take it?" Charlie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh yes. So, how are you taking all of this? I mean what you've gone through in the past 48 hours even, has to be the biggest shock of your life and that is only the beginning," the older man asked.
"I gathered what I've seen and heard so far is only the beginning. Working for the Fringe Division has helped somewhat, but honestly I don't know what to think. I thought alternate realities were heard to rap my head around. Psychic abilities I can handle alternate realities I'm beginning to handle. Finding out I've been living a lie most of my life, I . . . I don't really know if I can handle," Charlie managed to get out as a shaky hand reached for the coffee cup Duncan had just poured him.
Duncan looked at the man sitting across from him, noticing he had answered the question with eyes mostly downcast. Despite having the appearance of a relatively well groomed man, with shaking hands and a quavering voice, Charlie reminded Duncan of the traumatized youngling he had been so many years ago. "How well did you sleep last night?"
"Surprisingly well, where's Helen?" Charlie said.
"Helen and the others are busy right now. They thought it best that I be the one to check in on you, answer your questions and show you around," Duncan replied, moving his chair closer to Charlie's.
Charlie lifted his head, looked Duncan straight in the eyes and asked, "Do I, um, have any living relatives?"
"Blood relatives, no you don't. You were the only survivor," the older man answered, the reject in his eyes plain to see.
"If I'm some "abnormal", as you call them, why wasn't I raised here?"
"Both James and I wished you were. We practically begged Helen to let you stay here. We knew neither of us could take you in, but Helen had both her daughter Ashley and Henry to take care of, plus this place to run. She didn't have the time or resources and neither did we. That being said, the three of us decided giving you something to delay your metamorphosis and giving you to an adoption agency was the best way to keep you safe and off the Cabal's radar for the time being," Duncan told him.
"So, what exactly am I? I mean why am I so valuable to this Cabal?" Charlie asked, trying to divert the conversation from where it was headed. The former FBI agent knew he was on the verge of remembering the horrific event that had killed all his family, but he wasn't ready to have that memory triggered. Hell, he wasn't sure he was ready for Duncan's answer to the question he just asked!
"Well, you are, what most people would call, a werewolf," Duncan finally replied after a long pause.
Charlie starred at the other man wide eyed for a second as of to say "what!?" before falling off the chair and passing out as a flood of images hit him hard:
He was in the forest again but this time with others who Charlie somehow knew were his family. One of them was looking directly at him. Charlie understood that she must have been his mother. He watched as a paw came up behind his mother. He heard her yelp in pain as the paw struck her in the back of the head. She silently, telepathically gave him a message to run, to get away while he still could. Paralyzed momentarily by fear, young Charlie watched as his mother turned to face her attacker, who happened to be another werewolf and snarled before counter attacking. The two fought each other to a bloody death, killing one another right in front of his eyes!
Charlie bolted awake. He sat up abruptly whilst trying to catch his breath. His heart was still beating rapidly in his chest from the terrible memory that had just resurfaced. "She . . . she died for me," was all he managed to say, his body still in shock, his eyes swelling with tears ready to fall.
Duncan sat down beside the former agent and began to rock him, holding him in a comforting hug as though he were Charlie's father. Hell, right now he wished that James and he had found a way to keep him and raise him! "It's alright, I'm here. It's safe. No one is going to harm you," he told Charlie softly. He was clearly traumatized again. He must be remembering events from the massacre that happened 30 years ago in that forest outside of Brooklyn.
Charlie leaned into Duncan's hug. For the moment he was glad to have something firm to support him as the world he thought he knew came crumbling down even more. Charlie starred at the bottom row of books on the bookshelf, as silent tears began to fall. He was slowly beginning to understand why both Duncan and James kept the true nature and reasoning beyond his adoption from both the agency and his adoptive family. The fact that he was really a young werewolf instead of the young boy he appeared to be would not have gone over very well with either. He was a werewolf. After having the memory of his real mother being killed in front of him, he could no longer deny the truth. The irony in this of course was, he had a hard enough time believe in many of the things he had investigated in his recent work with the FBI's Fringe Division. Still, how would he explain why he couldn't come back to Olivia? Would she even accept him if she knew he wasn't really human? "Where do I go from here? How do I live now that I know what I really am?" Charlie asked.
"Well, why don't I show you around the rest of this place and we'll go from there?" Duncan suggested. Despite being unsure if he was ready or able to stand up, Duncan released Charlie from his hug.
"Since, I'll probably be making this or some other Sanctuary my home, I might well get to know where everything is," Charlie answered with a sigh as he grabbed the chair to help himself up. He walked over to the bed, put on his socks, and slipped on hi shoes.
"Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
As soon as the two left Charlie's guestroom, they ran into Will.
"Finally found you. We've got ever more problems. Ashley broke into a facility in Montreal and stole some computer files," Will informed Duncan with a worried look on his face.
"Wait, Ashley as in Helen's daughter?" Charlie asked, confused about the whole situation.
"Yes, the Cabal has held her captive and has been somehow controlling her for six weeks now. What's even more interesting is what kind of files she stole. We got the facility to hand over the hard copies to the files. Magnus and the others are looking at the files right now in the big lab and wants your input," Will told Duncan.
"Well, I am an FBI agent, or maybe former agent. Perhaps with my connections I might be able to help?" Charlie suggested.
"With Charlie's connections we might not have to get information semi-illegally," Duncan said.
"Alright, this way," Will said as he led them to where the others were.
As Charlie walked into the same big open space he'd seen when he first set foot in the Sanctuary, he noticed that tables had been added to hold what he assumed were the hard copies of the stolen files.
"Hard to believe a 'Jack the Ripper' file got me into this mess," Charlie commented.
"Oh, they gave you my file, did they?" John asked, turning around to face Charlie.
"You're 'Jack the Ripper'!?" Charlie asked, taking a step back.
"Yes, he is. Don't worry, he's sane for now," Helen answered.
"Ok, MI6 takes 6 orphans and performs this DNA scrubbing procedure. Why? I mean what's the end game?" Will asked hands on his hips.
"Perfectly flawless DNA? Is that even possible?" Henry asked after reading part of the files.
"Well they came close. The idea was to strip away any defects in their genetic make-up," Helen explained.
"When did this project happen?" Charlie asked, trying to gain a more thorough understanding of their situation.
"Over 20 years ago. Helen was called in to evaluate the project after it had been running for a few years," Duncan explained further.
"So, is this project still active?" Charlie asked, wondering to himself if ZFT knew about this and were doing something similar.
"No, I had the project shut down. The orphans than became property of the state and were eventually adopted," Helen stated.
"Well, whatever the Cabal's reasons for having Ashley steal the files, it has to have something to do with the Source Blood, other wise why goad us into stealing it?" Tesla remarked, while pouring himself another glass of wine.
"I agree, but for what cause. Something to do with genetics obviously, but with the field as big as it is, it could be anything," Helen answered.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down people. This 'Source Blood' as you call it, why is it so important? I mean what is it; what does it do?" Charlie asked, not sure he wanted to know the answers.
"We don't have time for long explanations to new comers," John said in frustration, adding even more tension to an already tense room.
"Sorry for John rudeness, but he's right. The Cabal have our daughter and are using her for some special project, one that can't be a good thing. While I can't explain everything about the Source Blood, I will tell you this: its pure ancient vampire blood that activates latent abnormal DNA," Helen told Charlie.
"What!? You, you can't be serious!?" Charlie exclaimed, unsure if he was ready for the world he thought he knew to completely crumble just yet.
"I vant to suck your blood," Nikola mocked after he changed into his vampire form complete with pit black eyes and nails along with sharp teeth.
"Everyone in the room, except Charlie who looked like he had just seen a ghost glared daggers at Nikola. "What!? I was just showing our guest that Helen was in fact serious about the Source Blood being vampire blood," Nikola said after turning human again.
"This is no time for games Nikola! We don't have much time. Whatever the Cabal is planning for these orphans, they are in grave danger. Henry, I'll need you to go though the list and find out where they all are now. We need to get them into protective custody as soon as possible," Helen instructed.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to help," Charlie interjected, knowing he wasn't getting many more answers until this crisis was dealt with.
"He might be able to help me locate the Project Montana orphans faster with his connections," Henry mentioned to his boss.
"Alright than, you can go help Henry," Helen said with a nod as Henry, followed by Charlie, left the lab.
"You know this is kind of a small place to be running security from," Charlie commented on, as he walked into Henry's security lab and sat sown at a computer.
"It doesn't need to be big, especially with the EM shield up," Henry replied.
"What do you need an Electro-magnetic shield for?" Charlie asked.
"To help with outside interference and to prevent people like "Jack the Ripper" from teleporting in this here," Henry answered.
"So, how exactly did Helen and those two ends up getting their hands on vampire blood?" Charlie asked as he was attempting to get into the FBI database.
"Something to do with her father, but I don't know the details. All I know that Druitt can teleport, Tesla can turn into a vampire, and Magnus is as old as she is because of the Source Blood. You having any luck finding these orphans?" Henry explained to Charlie.
"No, I can't even get in the database! For some odd reason, my access codes won't work," Charlie told Henry in frustration as he got out his cell phone and called Olivia.
"Do you have any idea why my access codes aren't working?" Charlie asked, when Olivia answered the phone.
"Charlie!?" Olivia asked in shock.
"You sound surprised to hear from me. Listen, I need to know why my access codes aren't working. This place could use my access to the database to find some orphans who are in danger," Charlie told her matter of factly.
"You're codes probably aren't working because you're supposed to be dead. You called saying that your plans had changed and you were coming back Boston. Once you got here, cyborg shape shifters from an alternate reality killed you, took your form, and then after they got the information they needed out of me, the shape shifter posing as you tried to kill me. If I hadn't shot it in the head first, it probably would have," Olivia told him.
"Okay, look, whoever they killed, it wasn't me. I haven't left the Sanctuary," Charlie informed Olivia.
"Then, who the hell did they kill? Where is this "Sanctuary" you're at anyways? I won't believe you until I see you myself!" Olivia insisted.
"'Liv, I really don't think it's a good idea that you come barging in here. We're in the middle of a crisis here and I don't what you in any more danger than you already are. As far as the shape shifters killing me and taking my "body", I'm assuming their victim has to be human right? Well, there's no easy way to put this, but I'm not completely human, which makes me think even if this shape shifter dude tried to kill me, he wouldn't have been able to. Look, like I said, we've got a crisis here and I've gotta go," the former agent told his ex-partner while hanging up the phone.
"We gotta find Magnus and move fast! 4 of the 6 orphans went missing already," Henry stated as he got up to go find his boss with Charlie following shortly afterwards.
In one of the hallways, both ran into Helen. "Did you find what we needed?"
"Yes, but 4 of them went missing the past couple of days and I bet the window's closing on the other 2, one in Essex, UK and the other in Vancouver, BC" Henry informed his boss.
"We've also may have other problems to deal with. Apparently someone cloned me and then had some machine-human hybrid shape shifter kill this clone to get to my former partner, so when I called her to ask why my access codes weren't working, she claimed she was coming here to me for herself," Charlie told Helen.
"Oh dear, it looks like the Cabal already know how to scrub DNA, so they can superimpose their own DNA code," Helen concluded.
"You think the Cabal are the ones who clones me?" Charlie asked her.
"Yes, I'm presuming they took your blood while you were captured, which means they would have your DNA to work with," Helen started.
"And they probably thought ZFT would notice my absence, so they performed the scrubbing procedure on my clone," Charlie finished for her. "So, how do I deal with Olivia when she gets here?"
"Hopefully, this bloody mess will be solved by then. Henry, get John. We need to move quickly," Helen instructed as Henry went off to find John.
~Several Hours Later~
Henry, Duncan and Charlie where waiting in the big lab, when Magnus, Will, John, and Tesla came teleporting back rather quickly from there "castle storming" as Henry had called it.
"Well, that was fast," Henry, replied, at the team's quick return.
"It didn't go well," Tesla retorted.
"She was waiting for us," Helen told them.
"And it wasn't any Ashley you'd know," Will added.
"They've used the Source Blood to change her," Tesla observed out loud. "The only prodigy of two Source Blood altered abnormals, smart move."
"We have to hurry! They'll be more just like her very soon!" Helen stated as she stomped out of the room towards where the Cabal's operative, Kate Freelander was being held.
"That's not good," Charlie muttered, mostly to himself.
"No, it's not. They've used the Source Blood, to turn Ashley and soon the other orphans into super vampires," Tesla told him.
"So, you times ten!? How the hell are we supposed to stop them!?" Charlie asked as Magnus came storming back into the lab with a not so happy look on her face.
"I should have known that's what they wanted. The whole Sanctuary Network under their control," Helen informed everyone else, shaking her head. "We need to find a way to neutralize her powers without harming her," Helen stated, looking at both Tesla and Henry.
"I'll get right on it," Nikola said as he left with Henry for the weapons lab.
As soon as Henry and Nikola left the room, Magnus received video from Tokyo informing them that Ashley and the mutants had successfully attacked. Upon hearing this news, Helen then held a videoconference with the acting head of the UK Sanctuary in London and thought their best course of action was to head there to finish the weapon and help with the defense there. "It will probably be best if you stay here with Charlie, in case his partner does show up," Helen told Duncan.
"Oh, she'll show up, I'm just glad she hasn't come knocking on the door yet," Charlie told them. Charlie and Duncan watched as John teleported the rest to the UK Sanctuary, leaving then to figure out just how to deal with Olivia once she got here.
"Apparently, you spoke too soon. I'll go get some water," Duncan replied as he heard the doorbell.
Charlie barely had time to react, as Olivia just about tackled him upon opening the front door. "Nice to see you too. Can I breathe now, or are you trying to suffocate me to death," Charlie greeted his former partner.
"Oh, sorry. I see you are your old self," Olivia said as she backed away.
"Sort of. Listen because of the crisis I mentioned earlier there's not much here. The boss wanted many of the inhabitants to be taken away to safe locations off site. The only reason I'm here is because I knew you'd show up eventually. Now, I need you to promise me, that everything and I mean everything that gets said here, stays here, no exceptions," Charlie told Olivia.
"Well, knowing you're alive might be a bit hard to keep a secret," Olivia told him honestly.
"Well, you're going to have to. It's probably better that way. Some of the stuff I'm about to tell you, I think will be hard for even Dr. Bishop to rap his head around," Charlie said as he showed Olivia to the foyer and took a seat on one of the couches.
"What could possibly be hard for Walter to rap his head around?" Olivia asked, slightly amused.
"That you're sitting in a sanctuary for many of the world's myths and legends. Things such as werewolves, Big Foot, mermaids, etc. To boot, these myths and legends weren't man-made," Charlie answered.
Olivia just starred at her former partner. "What!? Are you serious?"
"Yes, Liv, I am. A part of me still wishes it wasn't, but I'm remembered too much, for that part to stick around much longer. Remember, I was telling you how the shape shifter, couldn't have killed me?" Charlie asked her. Damn, he wished Duncan were here with the water right now. He could use a glass.
"Yeah," Olivia replied tentatively.
"Well, that's because I'm what most people would call a werewolf. My captures, they weren't ZFT. They were something far worse that no intelligence organization is ready to handle. My captures knew I wasn't human even when I didn't at time. Ok well, I knew, I just buried that piece of information with a painful memory," Charlie answered with his head down, staring at the floor.
"Wow, I would have never thought you'd be the one to come up with something that might throw Walter for a loop," Olivia responded after a long pause.
"Neither did I. Neither did I. Look, this isn't easy for me. Here I am thrown into the middle of the biggest rude awakening of my life and now the only people could possibly help me though this, are under attack by some ruthless organization worse than ZFT. I want to help, anything to get my mind off what I'm going through. But in the end, I can't do much just because I don't have enough experience with this kind of thing. Neither of us do even with all those crazy Pattern cases," He told her, tears now on the verge of falling.
Olivia just sat there with Charlie, not really knowing what to say. It wasn't easy for her either. After thinking Charlie was dead for weeks and then finding out he was alive, and also something that wasn't really supposed to exist in many people's minds! Not only that, but she had to keep this a secret, lest Walter start thinking she really was going crazy! She knew Charlie wouldn't joke about something like this, but how was she supposed to respond to this?
At this point, Duncan returned carrying a tray with three glasses and a water pitcher. He quietly, sat the tray down on the table in front of them and poured both Charlie and Olivia a glass. "I imagine this conversation isn't easy for either of you. If this were all too much too fast, for both of you, I would understand. It isn't easy being thrown into this world; one that requires you suspend your disbelief of many things society has taught you. It's not always easy keeping it a secret either. There have been times where I've wanted to be able to tell someone outside the network about what I do for a living, but can't because 1. They will think I'm either crazy, brainwashed or getting spammed and 2. The outside world just isn't ready for this, that's why the Sanctuary Network exists," Duncan said in an attempt to comfort and reassure both Charlie and Olivia.
"So, how do you deal with it all?" Charlie asked the older man with tear stained eyes after taking a drink.
"I accept it for what it is," Duncan replied, pouring himself a glass of water.
"Look, I know I just got here, and I wish I could stay later, but I just got a call from Peter about a case in Seattle," Olivia told the two men as she got up to leave, putting a hand on Charlie's shoulder.
"Good luck. I hope it's not as crazy as what's going on here. I'll walk you to the front door," Charlie replied as he grabbed her hand to help himself up. At the door, Charlie gave Olivia a hug goodbye. "Thanks for coming. It means a lot to me considering we may never see each other again."
"Thanks for letting me in and it was good to see that you aren't really dead. Oh, and my lips are sealed," Olivia said to her former partner, zipping her lips as walked out the door.
Charlie took a deep breath as he watched Olivia leave, possibly for the last time. Duncan's last words stuck in his head, "I accept it for what it is." It was now Charlie's time to "accept it for what it is," and although at the moment he was struggling, he knew with time and the help of these people, he would come to accept where his life was headed, whether he liked it or not.