Chapter Fourteen
Helena stepped into the Warehouse holding her daughter, with the regent, caretaker, agents and bodyguards behind her, feeling her fears begin to pound again at the back of her mind.
Artie approached with not even a glance at the girl glued to her side and glared at the inventor wordlessly. It wasn't until Mr. Kosan and Mrs. Fredrick gave him direct orders to back off that he moved away from HG and returned to his seat.
There was a moment of relief when Claudia wrapped the inventor in a brief and awkward but heartfelt hug and the young redhead whispered, "Grumpy-bear's gone to the dark-side, but we'll bring him back, no worries."
"That would be nice," HG responded. "But for now I am more concerned with finding Myka."
"As we all are, agent Wells," Mrs. Fredrick assured the room, shooting Artie her own glare.
Adwin Kosan waited until they were all settled, restated his orders and expectations, and then left everything in Mrs. Fredrick's capable hands.
The caretaker scanned the room, making sure that she had everyone's attention before asking the agents to review all of the facts they'd collected so far.
They took turns recalling their own perspectives to the case and Artie added everything to the growing picture on his board. The dates of the first disappearances coincided, as Helena had suggested, with the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, beginning with one of the young soldiers who had been on the expedition to build the fort in Egypt. They all agreed that it was likely that he had been the one to find the artefact and take it home with him.
They took a quick picture of the cartouche on the underside of the scarab before shoving the still struggling object back in the neutralising bag. HG clutched her daughter to her tighter than ever, terrified that the entity, which had given her child a body again, would find a way to take it back. She'd discovered once or twice before that artefacts sometimes held a grudge.
Claudia identified Amun-Re's name in combination with Tutankhamun's, proving that Myka had been on the right track.
"So, what about HG's time-machine?" Pete asked as they began to exhaust all other avenues of their investigation.
Helena opened her mouth to speak but stopped when the girl in her lap turned around to stare at her in awe. "Mummy, did you really build a time-machine?"
The inventor couldn't help the smug smile that tugged at her mouth. "Yes love."
"Like in uncle Charlie's book?" Christina enquired further.
Here Helena's smile slipped a little. She had been dreading the moment she would have to explain their situation in more detail; particularly the 'when' and what had happened to all of their friends and family. She had already decided that she would stretch the truth a little with the details of the girl's entrapment by the artefact. No eight-year-old needed to know such dark tales.
"Not entirely like the one in Charles' book; it only transports the conscious mind, not the physical body." She turned to the others in the room. "Myka had a theory that, when I used the machine to return to Paris, the artefact sensed my desire and tried to entice me in, but because only my mind was present, it malfunctioned, creating a physical... copy of that which I most desired and trapping itself in place." She focussed her energy on being just slightly obscure, hoping that her intense stares were enough to warn the others that she didn't want to go into too much detail. "The moment we were together again," she gestured to her daughter, "It felt as if the artefact was relieved to finally be rid of us."
"You both turned out to be the key to opening a gateway," Artie piped up from where he stood. "I wonder if we could recreate that event from this side?"
HG glared at the director. "I have tolerated your willingness to use me as a guinea-pig at every opportunity, but never Christina. Do you understand me Artie?" She concluded with menace.
He didn't bat an eyelid at the threat but nodded in response. "Fine," he grumbled. "Anyone have a better idea?"
"The artefact appears to have returned to its former functionality, which would mean that anyone attempting to get close to it is in danger of being lost to its powers. I highly doubt that either of our Miss. Wellses would still have control over it," Mrs. Fredrick added her opinion and thus calming HG's need to escape with her child.
"So was it just the time-machine that whammied the beetle-god?" Pete asked from his position at the back of the room. He was feeling rather useless at the moment; puzzle solving wasn't his forte. "Can't we pimp it and put them together again?" He asked desperately.
Claudia shifted in her seat. "Dude! Could we send someone's consciousness across a dimension instead of just time?" Her expression was excited as she gazed at the inventor.
Helena's brows pulled together as she considered this proposal. "Perhaps if we were able to accurately plot the destination signature and find a way to manipulate the temporal mechanism on the machine to travel on a less linear path..." She trailed off as her mind began to map out the possibilities. "We might need a larger power source," she warned the room after a quiet moment.
"I think that can be arranged," the caretaker responded with an indulgent smile.
"What?! You're going to let her tamper with that thing?" Artie spluttered before even taking the time to think it through. "Sure, fine. Let her destroy the entire grid! We'll just deal with the fallout from that when it arrives shall we?"
Mrs. Fredrick sent a sardonic look his way, mocking his earlier enquiry, "Do you have a better idea Agent. Nielsen?"
The entire team stifled their grins as they each moved to get started on prepping for Claudia's idea. Pete and Steve left for the warehouse floor to begin unpacking the time-machine, Claudia began inspecting the power systems to see where she could boost the power, while HG stood for several moments contemplating the safety of her daughter before reluctantly calling Leena to request her baby-sitting services.
Though Artie was staying in the office, HG didn't trust his ability to keep an eye on the adventurous young girl. She loathed the idea of leaving Christina, even for a minute, and for the first two hours worked in the corner of the office with one eye on her daughter. When it came time for her to put her ideas into action, she hesitated.
Leena had the girl entertained with a series of books that she'd clearly picked up on her way through Univille; there had never been any children's encyclopaedias or puzzle compilations in the library of the B&B as far as Helena had been aware. Leena was patiently discussing the pictures with the young Victorian, beginning the girl's modern education without seeming that she was doing so.
Occasionally HG felt her daughter's gaze on her and knew that Christina was logging a multitude of questions to pepper her with later. It couldn't have escaped her attention that the dates were so advanced. What in the world must she be thinking?
The inventor rolled up her blue-prints and approached the table where Leena and Christina were giggling over something or other then knelt down next to her daughter's chair.
"Hello love," HG greeted the young girl with a tender smile. "Are you enjoying yourself with Leena?"
"Yes, Mummy. Lots of things have changed in the world," she said matter-of-factly. She took in the concerned expression on her mother's face and smiled knowingly. "It's ok, I will learn everything there is to know about the future and we will be right as rain."
Helena's expression grew more gentle. "Darling, you are just full of surprises," she said fondly, placing a kiss on Christina's forehead.
Leena had been watching the ex-Warehouse agent since her arrival and was keeping a close eye on the woman's aura. It fluctuated from anger to fear then guilt, and back again. The one constant was the love that flowed from her towards the newly reanimated Victorian girl who was, not surprisingly, in her element with the weird and wonderful. It was easy to see too the uncertainty and constant concern that sparked from the inventor. Conflict was a way of life for her.
"HG, is there somewhere you need to be right now?" Leena asked kindly, reminding the writer of the time-sensitive issue on their hands.
Helena hesitated and looked blankly at the bed and breakfast owner for several seconds, panicking when she realised that she couldn't move. "I can't..." she whispered desperately, her arms winding unconsciously around her daughter. 'I can't leave her,' a voice inside her screamed.
Leena took a moment to distract the young girl before taking the inventor's arms and pulling her to one side. "HG... Helena?"
HG wound her arms around herself, her body beginning to shake with the conflict. "I can't do it, Leena," her voice trembled with the struggle she felt. "I can't leave her... I'm sorry Myka," she whispered sorrowfully into the ether.
Leena put both her hands on HG's shoulders and tried to channel as much calm into the distressed woman as possible. "HG, just take a moment for yourself," she suggested. "Breathe."
Helena closed her eyes and did as she was told, fighting back the tears that were sieging towards the barrier she'd constructed against her struggling emotions. "I do not know what to do... If I... If I take my eyes off her... She will... Something will happen." Her voice cracked and the damn broke. Her tears fell hot against her cheeks and she turned away from the table to hide her distress from innocent eyes. "I cannot lose her again, Leena," she finally forced out.
"HG, I know that it has to be hard to give up control when that very action has backfired on you before, but she's a young girl who's going to grow into a young woman and you have got to start somewhere in letting her have some space." Leena knew that being logical was her best bet with the hyper practical Victorian but almost buckled in her conviction when she saw the raven-haired inventor began to crack.
"I know," HG croaked, surprising the aura-reading brunette. "Oh lord, I know." She tore herself away from Leena and sat back at the desk she'd been working at, pretending to search the contents for something important. "It is all I ever wanted for her. I spent years thinking that if I had my time again, I would spend it making her happy and helping her to become a remarkable person in her own right." Her voice was low as she spoke, aware of two sets of eyes on her back. "Now I have her back and all I can feel is a selfish desire to keep her all to myself."
Leena leant over the table, ostensibly to help the inventor's fruitless search, and began in a slow even tone to explain the situation as she saw it. "A series of tragic and curious events has brought you both to this place and time. I know that you've realised this already, but she is the real deal, the same child that you raised all those years ago." She paused for a moment, waiting for a response and only continued when she saw Helena nod. "I know that you're not a pious woman by any means and I don't know if you believe in fate, but for whatever reason, you and Christina have been brought forth in time and are being given a second chance at creating a life together, in a world that, while not perfect, is more prepared to offer our fairer sex a chance to thrive and succeed. If you stifle her now HG, you run the risk of dampening that potential. I know that's something you would never want for her."
Helena struggled to regain control of her fears, but the image that Leena painted was enough to help get her started. She sat up straight and took an offered tissue to wipe her eyes and blow her nose. Before she could find the courage to turn and face the room though, she felt a presence on her right and twisted slightly to find two concerned eyes gazing soulfully at her. Christina said nothing at first but simply climbed on her mother's lap and held onto her tightly. Leena let them be and several minutes passed before either of the time-travellers moved.
"I am sorry my darling; I don't mean to be so melancholy all the time." She dabbed her eyes again and forced a toothy smile. "I know you would much rather we were making up adventures or planning one of our infamous outings."
Christina lifted her head to gaze at her mother and used her own sleeve to wipe an errant tear from the elder Wells' face. "Something terrible happened, didn't it Mummy? That is why you are sad." Helena barely mustered a small nod, but it was enough for the young girl to continue. "You used to tell me sometimes that bad things happen for a reason and if we are very fortunate, something good might be waiting for us as a result. I think we are in a good place now Mummy," Christina concluded, bringing a tearful burst of laughter from her mother, who pulled her into another tight hug.
"Oh my dear girl. Whatever would I do without you?"
"You are strong. You would survive."
"Survival is not the same as living." HG thought about her own words for a moment, realising that, other than a few stolen moments with Myka, she had not really 'lived' since the day she'd heard of her daughter's death. That sort of empty existence was not what she wanted for her child. She brought her daughter's face closer so she could pepper kisses along her cheeks and forehead. "This is a new start, Christina. There are many things for us both to learn. Are you ready for this new world?" She asked, though inwardly acknowledging that she was likely going to be the one with the most issues. Leena was right though; she had to start somewhere.
"Will you allow me to learn more about the Warehouse?" The young Victorian asked enthusiastically. She had always been curious about the place that so often grabbed her mother's attention and wanted to be a part of that world. Just being inside its walls, she felt a spark of energy fill her.
Helena's eyes narrowed at the idea, but she gave it fair thought. "In time love, I will tell you all you need to know about the Warehouse," she promised, putting extra emphasis into the 'need to know' part of the statement. "But for now, I must see to an important task," she added, reluctance still in her voice, but mainly a renewed sense of optimism.
"I want to help rescue Myka," Christina declared with determination.
Helena stood and reached once more for her blue-prints. "You can help by waiting here," she informed the adventurous youngster, making a mental note to build some internal defence against her daughter's pouts. "Artie does not allow children onto the main floor of the Warehouse, and we would not want to give him any more reason to be a grouch now, would we?"
"No, Mother," the eight-year-old said dutifully behind a slight eye-roll.
"That's my girl." Helena bent down to embrace her daughter once more before leaving her for the first time since their reunion.
Hope Helena's struggle seems plausible enough and her interaction with Christina; I rewrote it a few times. As always, let me know!