An Accident Waiting to Happen

“The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature.” -- Frankenstein

[helenmxgnus-deactivated20150220]

She listened, quietly and attentively. 

"John —- John and I were friends a very long time ago, and were engaged for quite some time. We had a daughter who —- … ." She felt her chest seize almost painfully and she couldn’t quite bring herself to say the words. "I’d have to look at the files more carefully, but in essence you’re a mix of our genetic material. He —- I think he tried to create Ashley again. But things changed."

Staring at her folded hands, she reached forward and took his hands in her own. 

"For all intents and purposes, you’re —- our son. Not by conventional means of course, but all the same, biologically, you are."

[notadruitt]

Her explanation made sense. There was a relief that washed over him. He'd been frightened when he'd came here-- frightened because he'd thought that perhaps this Helen wouldn't be receptive, or that she wouldn't be very important to him-- that she would remain a name in a book that didn't mean anything. A silly fear to anyone else, but James had not yet learned very much about the nature of relationships. 

But he was learning. And this new information made him smile. His face lit up.

"Then I'm yours. Then I--I belong here? This is where I'm supposed to be?" 

[helenmxgnus-deactivated20150220]

She sat next to him, and returned his shy smile with a warm one of her own. “I run what’s called the Sanctuary Network. We have facilities all over the world, like this one, that offers a safe place for every creature on earth. We protect, study, and contain even the most dangerous ones. So you’re safe here.” 

Helen folded her hands into her lap, still studying him. It was unnerving.

"Can you tell me anything you might remember, James?"

[notadruitt]

Thinking back as hard as he could-- James could, try as he might, only remember those terrifying first thirty minutes of his life. He knew there was more. He knew, from reading the files, that he'd woken up a few times during work. Sometimes when it was dark and he was on the brink of sleep those moments of pain and confusion would flash across his vision. He'd see a face. But the moment he tried thinking about it, it was gone. James shook his head and shrugged. "I remember waking up," he said quietly, "--And being scared, and not knowing what scared was, or who I was or what I was-- or anything. I didn't have words or names for things. I just... felt things." He shook his head. "But... I can't explain it but... the longer I was awake, the more the words came to me. And-- I was in this place, this lab-- and I was alone. So I found the files, found your name and found this other man's name-- John Druitt? --So I came to find you. Because I figure you could probably tell me who I am." 

[helenmxgnus-deactivated20150220]

She studied him with the intensity that someone might study a work of art. She could see it - her genetics, and John’s, blended together in a stunning resemblance to both them, and Ashley. The anger in her chest still burned, mixing with the pain of loss. Helen swallowed it back, and cleared her throat. 

"Ah, Dr. Helen Magnus." She said, reading the confused look on his face. They’d never met. He didn’t know her. "I’m —-." Your mother, had been the term she’d been about to use, but it seemed odd and foreign and hurtful to use. They shared genetic material, but where was the line drawn?

After a moment of silence, she pushed away from her desk and stood, moving to round it. “Why don’t we sit? I can have something to eat or drink brought up, if you’d like. It seems … it seems we have a lot to discuss.”

[notadruitt]

He took a step back as she got up from her seat. James gave her a shy smile and rubbed the back of his neck, looking around again. He wasn't hungry or thirsty, but briefly he worried that it might be some social cue he was missing out on. James sank into the nearest couch and sat on his hands, one knee nervously jiggling up and down (apparently that was something he did).  "--I know your name," he said rather bluntly. "But--" he smiled again, shyly, "That's it." 

[headslapsandcoffee-deactivated2]

notadruitt started following you.

"What did I say?"

[notadruitt]

"I--I don't... know?" 

[helenmxgnus-deactivated20150220]

"Right … ." She murmured, flipping open the file to look at the first set of papers. "Mind if I ask how exactly you … — got … in … here —-." Helen’s words trailed off when she realized the documents she was looking at - much less the familiar handwriting. She’d read hundreds of love notes written in that hand when she was young, not to mention chemistry notes and half-put-together sketches. She felt a chill sweep her spine, as if she expected John Druitt to appear in the room with her. 

She saw Ashley’s name, and another pain grabbed her already sore heart and twisted, dragging it down into the pit of her stomach. Swallowing thickly, she almost forgot the boy was standing there until she saw the name James - but no, not James Watson. The boy, his name. Other words - Clone. Experiment. Mistakes. 

Her own name, along with the details of her genetic markers and DNA. Identical entirely to half of James. There was a sudden swell of anger she felt, for John having dared even attempted such a task - but then her gaze snapped from the documents to the boy. James. She felt her mouth run dry.

"Hi."

[notadruitt]

He watched her, and really-- it was with the same expression one person might have if they were reading a book. She read the papers and he could see they meant something to her. That was good. They didn't mean anything to him. He only knew his name and the names of the people he'd come from.  James' mouth twitched, hands folded behind his back. When Helen looked up at him, his smile widened. "Hi." He looked around at the room. But the more he looked at it, the more he got caught up on trying to think of names for the everyday objects he saw-- and that didn't help at all. So he turned back to Helen. "Who are you?" 

[helenmxgnus-deactivated20150220]

She looked up at the boy who came through. She didn’t recognize him, and wondered briefly if he were a new intake - but no, she’d looked over the new intake list and there hadn’t been anything fitting his description on it. Her brows furrowed first at him, and then the documents he’d put onto her desk.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Confusion marred her features as she reached for the set of files and pulled them toward her, not immediately looking at them. "Did Will send you up here?"

[notadruitt]

She did look a little bit like him, he supposed. Which was to be expected. At her first question, he could say he honestly didn't know. He didn't know who she was, what this place was-- he hadn't bothered to look into it. The only thing he knew about Helen was her name and hearsay. "Look at the papers," he said quietly, "Please."  At her second question, his head tilted to one side and he frowned. He might have met a Will, sometime. The name didn't sound familiar. "Who's Will?" 

[helenmxgnus-deactivated20150220]

There are several journals opened across her desk, all in the same writing - her father’s. She’s studying a hunch she has about a new intake. Uncontrollable behavior coupled with a dangerous ability to manipulate air currents, the creature had been lying in a medical induced coma until she could figure out a suitable habitat and regime of medication for it. Normally it was something Bigfoot would do - anyone but her. However, Helen needed the distraction. The past few months she’d kept herself practically immersed in work, for no better reason than it kept her thoughts from drifting to far down a dark road brought upon since her daughter’s death. "Come in." She chimed at the knock at her office door, moving to clear her desk. Her mind was beginning to swim at the words, rereading the same paragraphs over again. She’d switch to a task at the computer after she saw to whoever had knocked.

[notadruitt]

The call made James exhale through his mouth, take a deep breath, and exhale again before he opened the door, papers still clutched in his fist. He slipped through the door, eyes wide, bottom lip worried in his teeth. He took another deep breath and approached the desk cautiously.  "Helen Magnus?" another breath, and he pushed the wrinkled set of documents onto her desk. 

[notadruitt]

helenmxgnus

Don't ask, he whispers to himself, how you managed to find your way in here. You're just brilliant-- like the document says. That's all you are until you find her. Just brilliance in sneakers and jean jacket.  Nobody's noticed him. They must assume he belongs here. But he winds his way down, asking this abnormal and that one til he figures out where her office is. Papers clutched in his trembling hands-- he finds it. He doesn't turn the doorknob. He's too scared to and somehow that doesn't feel correct. So he knocks, softly at first-- and then more loudly. 

[doctorofasskicking]

"Why do we have stairs? I hate stairs." (omfg don't mind him. Also, hi xD)

"Because it allows you to get exercise. Come on, it’s not all bad."

[doctorofasskicking]

  "Well I’m sure you’ll learn in no time. Maybe I should you giving dancing lessons. Perhaps that would help."

[notadruitt]

"I think I’d be a very bad dancer. I might hurt someone." 

[doctorofasskicking]

"Why do we have stairs? I hate stairs." (omfg don't mind him. Also, hi xD)

"Because it allows you to get exercise. Come on, it’s not all bad."

[notadruitt]

"I haven't developed the coordination for them yet. I always trip." 

[iblamethenubbins]

A faithful representation of 7 seasons of the show.

[james-side1]

James /had/ been looking for the library. With all his superintelligence, he was still somehow the most forgetful life form on earth. Because he'd completely forgotten where the library was and he'd meant to return his book and get another one. He wandered into one room, only to find a person in there and immediately back out. He caught himself on the doorframe just long enough to ask: "Do you know where the library is?"

Looking up, James noticed the young man near the door frame and wondered over. 

"I do know where the library is. I can take you there if you’d like. It isn’t far. Have we met before?"

[james-side1]

  Leading the young man out of the room and down the corridor albeit slowly due to an upgrade to James’ exoskeleton, James showed no surprise to the name he heard even though he was rather intrigued.

"It’s quite alright. This place can seem like quite the maze at times."

Holding out his hand as he walked; he went to shake James’ hand.

"I’m James Watson. Doctor James Watson. So you are related to John Druitt?"

[notadruitt]

He followed the older man out, a little more enthusiastically than was intended-- judging by the bounce in his step. However James hadn't the faintest idea why the other man was holding out his hand and wondered if it was considered rude to ask. He had the feeling it was something social he hadn't learned yet.

"Yeah--- I mean, kind of. I never met him but he apparently makes up half my genetic coding." 

He shrugged. "I was going to try and find him, but Helen was ultimately a lot easier to find... so I ended up here." 

[james-side1]

James /had/ been looking for the library. With all his superintelligence, he was still somehow the most forgetful life form on earth. Because he'd completely forgotten where the library was and he'd meant to return his book and get another one. He wandered into one room, only to find a person in there and immediately back out. He caught himself on the doorframe just long enough to ask: "Do you know where the library is?"

Looking up, James noticed the young man near the door frame and wondered over. 

"I do know where the library is. I can take you there if you’d like. It isn’t far. Have we met before?"

[notadruitt]

"Good. Sorry-- I mean, I've been there before. I just forgot how to get there, exactly." 

He gives the older man a smile and shrugs, holding his book to his chest. "James. Druitt," a pause, and then-- "Or Magnus. Haven't really figured out how that works. You are---?" 

[doctorofasskicking]

Once a whore, always a whore.

"If you’re trying to insult me, you’re doing a rather terrible job."

[notadruitt]

  "Why would someone want to make you feel sad? Or bad about yourself?" 

[doctorofasskicking]

"Because…sometimes people are ignorant and don’t understand, and that leads to fear, and that means they feel they have to be mean."

[notadruitt]

"Why can't they just ask for an explanation? Then they don't have to be scared and say horrible things." 

[doctorofasskicking]

Once a whore, always a whore.

"If you’re trying to insult me, you’re doing a rather terrible job."

[notadruitt]

  "Do you feel poorly about yourself now?" 

[doctorofasskicking]

"Not necessarily. I simply…feel a bit sad, that’s all."

[notadruitt]

"Why would someone want to make you feel sad? Or bad about yourself?" 

[doctorofasskicking]

Once a whore, always a whore.

"If you’re trying to insult me, you’re doing a rather terrible job."

[doctorofasskicking]

  "It…it’s a term that small minded people use to make women feel poorly about themselves. It…is not something you need to learn."

[notadruitt]

"Do you feel poorly about yourself now?" 

[doctorofasskicking]

Once a whore, always a whore.

"If you’re trying to insult me, you’re doing a rather terrible job."

[notadruitt]

"--I don't know what that word means."