Chapter Text
The gateway had been discovered and the plan was to leave in the morning. Helen watched John walk out of the library. Compulsion had her going after him. She caught up to him, her hand touching his back. “John, wait…” she said softly. Her fingers curled into the leather, hearing the way it groaned. Then, she let go. He turned to her, the soft pleading in his eyes had her moving in close to him. Confronted by her mortality, she couldn’t help but admit how much she missed John and how much she still cared. “Morning is quite a few hours away,” she whispered.
“Don’t start something you can’t handle,” John warned in a dark, velvety voice. Being close to Helen reminded him too much of all that he lost. There were moments where they could share the same space, but they were few and far between. The energy elemental he was enslaved by wouldn’t allow him a moments peace – unless drugs were involved. Chasing the dragon had given him sweet relief from the constant dark thoughts.
“Oh, I can handle you,” Helen promised. She gripped the leather lapel of his jacket, pulling him down for a little kiss. Their lips touched and it was enough to ignite the passion that always simmered between them. “I have strength enough for this,” she assured him when he pulled back, his eyes searching hers.
John took a step back, a modicum amount of common sense returning to him. There was a flash of hurt over his perceived rejection. It was just the opposite. “Promise me something,” he replied, holding her gaze. He wanted nothing more than to spend the night with her, rekindling old passions that they longed for.
“What?” Helen asked, staying where she was. She could see he was tempted to vanish. The EM shield was down. He could be on the other side of the world in an instant until both of their lustful intent cooled. She could see he was trying to be better.
“Do whatever you have to do to live through this,” John answered. This course of action was set. She was committed to going to the gateway. He feared Adam had things set in motion that would end up claiming her life.
Helen reached out to him, her hand cupping his scarred cheek, her thumb caressing the old wound she had inflicted. With a pain filled expression, he leaned into her touch. “Don’t worry, I won’t go gently into that good night,” she replied. When he looked at her, she rewarded him with a small, confident smirk.
John quickly pulled her close making her gasp in surprise, teleporting them to her bedroom. The last glimpse he had of the library doors was Nikola standing there, watching the whole exchange. When his energy dissipated, he gave her a wolfish grin. “How will we pass the time?” he asked wickedly.
“I have a few ideas,” Helen remarked, biting her bottom lip. She rested her hands on his chest, slipping them up under his leather coat. Slowly, she pushed the garment down his arms, until it dropped to the floor with an audible thud. Tonight was an escape for her. She wanted to lose herself in the pleasure they both could share with each other.
“I’m sure you do,” John agreed. His hands didn’t remain idle. He yanked free the belt cinched at her waist, opening her jacket and in turn pulled it down her arms, freeing her from its hold. She was left in a scooped neck black t-shirt, leggings, and her boots. He almost longed for the days of multiple layers to their clothing. It helped to heighten the moment, to prolong the burning. “These modern fashions leave nothing to the imagination,” he commented dryly.
“I do admit I miss you in a good Victorian suit,” Helen responded, agreeing up to a point. She didn’t miss the restrictive layers she had to wear. The sexual revolution had been well overdue in her personal opinion. Moving in close to him, she rested her hands on his sides. She slipped her right hand under the hem of his turtleneck, lightly raking her short nails across the small of his back.
John shuddered, leaning over her, pressing his forehead against hers. Having her hands on him like this was nearly more than he could bear. Perhaps it was he who couldn’t handle what she was starting. If he was better man, then he would put a stop to this. He wasn’t. Angling his head, he captured her lips with a searing kiss. She arched into him, her arms draping over his shoulders. John gripped the back of her thighs, lifting her with ease. He turned towards the bed and set her down. Their lips parted, both of them panting as they stared at one another.
Helen looked at John as he stood between her knees. He gave her a rueful grin as he gripped her left calf, lifting her leg so that he might divest her of one of her boots. The zipper was loud as he drew it down. He pulled it from her foot, dropping it to the floor. She watched with rapt attention as he repeated his actions. He always moved with precision no matter what he did. Helen lifted her shirt, arching her back to pull it up her body. When it came over her head, she cast it away, daring him to continue.
John ran his hands over the top of her thighs giving them a little squeeze as he leaned over her. He started to laugh when she tugged on his turtleneck, wanting to strip it from his body. She never had much patience when it came to seduction. He let her pull it off him, watching as she tossed it over her head to disappear over the side of the bed. John was soon drawn back to her lips, to the pleasure of her kiss. He swept his tongue into her mouth, dominating her senses, drowning out everything that wasn’t him.
Helen draped her arms over his broad shoulders, fingers digging into the muscles of his back. She braced her heels on the edge of the bed, pushing herself back into the center, dragging him with her, forcing him to kneel on the mattress just to keep their lips from parting. When she had him far enough up, she rolled them, putting herself on top. This time, he was the one looking up at her with hunger in his eyes and his hands on her hips. She made sure he kept watching her as she got off him.
John licked his lips at the sight of Helen standing between his parted knees. She had her hands on his thighs, giving them a generous squeeze in return. He growled for her, knowing it was a sound that fueled her passion. John propped himself up to watch what she was doing. She took a half step back and bent down to grip his ankle. A darkly amused chuckle filled the bedroom. Methodically, she pulled the black shoe off his foot to toss over her shoulder. She gave him a wicked little wink while she pulled off the dress sock as well. His passion for her calmed for a moment while she took off his right shoe. In times gone by their encounters had been marked by pawing and heated kisses that left them gasping for air. This was something else. When she was through, he sat up, sliding off the edge of the bed to stand before her once more.
Helen lifted her right hand, touching the tips of her fingers to his chest, drawing them down slowly. He issued a shuddering sigh mixed moan, settling his hands on her hips once more. The fierce desire they had for the other was still there, lingering beneath the surface, not having been tempered by time. She could take full advantage of exploring his body if only for a moment. It had not changed since the last time they lay together. The benefits of the source blood.
John closed his eyes, licking his bottom lip before biting it. The feel of Helen touching him again had his desire rising to a fever pitch. He wanted her, wanted to be inside her. His body was dying to have her. “Helen…” he moaned her name, pleading with her to touch him more. Giving him what he was craving, she moved in close, pressing her lips to the center of his chest. He brought his hands up, cupping the back of her head, his fingers threaded through the silky strands. John tilted her head back until their eyes were locked together once more and he could see the passion in her blue depths.
Helen draped her arms over his strong shoulders, getting lost in the power of his gaze. He drew his hands down, settling them once more on her hips. She nodded, giving him consent to do what he wanted. John deftly picked her up, laying her down on the bed once more. He pressed a little kiss to her stomach. She got to watch him free the button of her pants, pulling them down her hips, and off her legs, leaving her in nothing but her underwear. He knelt down, taking her right calf in his grip. She whimpered when he placed a little kiss to the inside her knee, working his way up to playfully nip the inside of her thigh. He lavished attention on her. “John…” Helen moaned his name.
John got on the bed, straddling her, taking her hands in his, pinning them above her head. He was giving her the chance to stop this before it went any further. She licked her lips, enticing him to kiss her. Neither of them were interested in exercising much common sense. He released her hands, pulling back from her. She didn’t let him get too far. Helen immediately yanked open his belt and unbuttoned his trousers. He gave her a little wicked chuckle, enjoying her impatience.
Helen pushed John down to the bed, moving astride his thighs. He sat up, his arms going around her waist. With their eyes on one another, she slid her hand down between their bodies, wrapping her fingers around his semi-erect shaft. His lips parted and a soft gasp escaped him. She leaned down, kissing him, plundering his mouth ruthlessly as she stroked him faster, making him hard.
John didn’t remain idle. He cupped her backside, giving her a good squeeze, making her moan into his mouth. Their lips broke apart and their foreheads touched, gasping together. John brought his hands up, his nimble fingers undoing the closure. She took her hand away from him, letting him take the garment from her body. He saw her mostly naked for the first time in over a hundred years. The sight of her took his breath away. Taking her to the bed beneath him, he kissed his was down her body.
The rest of their clothing had been cast to the floor. Helen was lying under John, savoring having him against her, looming over her. It shouldn’t surprise her that they still fit together in this way. Despite the long years between them, their bodies still remembered what it felt like to be pressed together. Her insides fluttered at the anticipation of having him inside her again. She cupped his face, stroking his cheek
John reached down between them, taking his hard length in hand, positioning himself at her entrance. She gave him a little nod. He slowly entered her; intensely aware they had not done this in a long time. They moaned together and then sighed as if the world finally made sense again. “You let me do all the work,” he whispered against her lips.
“John…” Helen nearly argued but was soon reduced to a few unintelligible moans when he moved, driving into her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, nodding as best she could. At first his pace was slow, deliberate to bring them both as much pleasure as possible. Each thrust was long and drawn out. Helen pushed her head back into the pillow, her eyes closing, little moans filling the bedroom.
John was losing himself in the pleasure of Helen’s body. He drove into her, flexing his hips, finding that right spot that would have her coming undone in his arms. She was gasping and moaning, kissing him sporadically. One thrust had her clutching at him, crying out in pleasure. He made sure to find that spot again and again until he felt her body tensing. John would soon follow her over the edge of pleasure, not having shared an intimate connection with her in quite some time. He drove into her and triggered her orgasm. She cried out against his mouth as her inner muscles clamped down on him. His body came moments later, his shaft pulsing inside her. It took him a few minutes to stop trembling.
Helen’s mind was nearly blank. John fell to her side, bringing her in against his side, her head resting on his chest. She could hear the way his heart beat wildly out of control. “You don’t think we’re finished, do you?” Helen inquired wryly. She moved astride his thighs, her hands taking his. For the next few hours, she didn’t want to think.
“That thought never entered my mind,” John replied wearing a wolfish grin. She placed his hands on her hips, nodding to him, letting him know she was giving herself over to him. He sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her comfortably against him. Angling his head, he waited for her to kiss him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It wasn’t until dawn when their passions finally cooled. Helen was lying under John once more, stretched across the bed, having experienced her latest orgasm of the night. She couldn’t help the broken little laugh as her mind started to go hazy. “We still do that very well,” she said in between gasps for air.
“Sex was never our problem,” John agreed, his face hidden against the side of her neck. She was shaking under him. He started to move, but she tightened her hold on him. “Helen, I don’t want to crush you,” he muttered.
“I want you stay where you are for a moment,” Helen said, her eyes pleading with him when he looked at her.
John compromised by holding himself above her on his forearms while keeping their lower bodies joined together. He wasn’t ready to leave her. “Not to be vulgar about this, but,” he started to say and then leaned down, stealing a little kiss. “We haven’t been very careful these last few hours, and I have come inside you four times…”
“Are you asking if I can still get pregnant?” Helen needed a little clarification.
“We’re not exactly withering on the vine. I’m still pretty virile,” John responded, a little growl colored his words as he flexed his hips drawing a little moan from her. It was a playful moment and by the next second the mood had turned.
“John, I’m dying. A baby isn’t high on my list of concerns right now,” Helen answered him honestly.
“We’ll get you to the city and they’ll cure you,” John reminded her. He doubted that the denizens of Hollow Earth would be so kind, but a few paltry words would be enough to keep her hope alive.
“Perhaps they can do something for you too,” Helen replied, bringing her hand up to trace the scar on his face. She hadn’t lost hope that John could be separated from the energy elemental that he was keeping contained inside him to keep the world from suffering.
“Now that’s wishful thinking,” John responded, meaning it to be a joke. He didn’t want to get his hopes too high that he could be separated from his murderous demon. Rather than continue to dwell on what would and would not happen, John moved onto his back, bringing Helen with him, resting her head on his chest once more. “Get some sleep, we’ll be leaving in a few hours,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
MORNING:
Helen looked up when Nikola walked in, followed closely by John. The former vampire had the shield in his hand, marveling at his work. “It works now?” she asked, glancing over at John. He wore his usual expression of quiet annoyance where Telsa was concerned.
“I’m surprised it does, honestly. I mean the paltry supplies of lanthanide you keep on hand is sad,” Nikola bemoaned.
“If you needed more, why didn’t you say so?” John asked. “It wouldn’t have been hard for me to get it.” It wasn’t as if he wasn’t already teleporting all around the world. A quick hop to pick up some need material for the vampire shield wouldn’t have been much of an effort.
“Yeah, why didn’t I say…?” Nikola wondered, rubbing at the back of his head.
“Because you like to complain,” Helen stated. “Does the shield work or not?”
“Of course it works. Did you doubt me?” Nikola asked.
Helen made a face.
“That was rude,” Nikola remarked.
“Hand it over,” Helen said, holding out her hand.
Instinctively, Nikola moved it out of reach. “Why do you get to go with Huey, Dewy, and Screwy? They won’t have the lightest inkling of how to appreciate a city of such splendor and architecture,” he whined. Before she could answer, John snatched it out of his hand, daring him to fight back.
John moved in close to Helen, taking her right wrist, fitting the vampire shield in place. “I’m staying with you at the gateway,” he stated in a low voice.
“There’s only one shield,” Helen said, trying to deter any argument from him.
“Yes because Mr. Arrogant assumed he’d be the one to go,” John remarked with a tiny growl to his voice.
“Hey!” Nikola protested.
“The grownups are talking Nikola, do shut up,” John snarled, flicking a glance over his shoulder that promised violence should he be ignored.
“John, I need you here, keeping an eye on Worth,” Helen said, wanting to divert his attention away from the current argument.
John rolled his eyes. “For once in your life, will you do as I tell you?” he asked harshly. The room went deathly quiet, forcing John to take Helen by the arm, teleporting them to another part of the Sanctuary.
“What the hell just happened?!” Kate exclaimed.
“They only get like this after they’ve had sex,” Nikola announced in disgust.
“I’m sorry, what?!” Will and Henry shouted at the same time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The moment they appeared; Helen shoved him as hard as she could. “Damnit! John, this is not a game!” she raged. The last thing she needed from him was an argument.
“It’s not, and I’m not treating it as such,” John responded, his voice low and carefully controlled. “If my history of altruism is just behind that of a scorpion, then Adam bloody Worth is a hundred miles behind me.” He was careful to not a make himself seem threating as he took a step towards her. “This is about the preservation of your life. I refuse to be chained up here, like some guard dog waiting for the order to attack and kill.” He saw the flash of guilt flit through her eyes.
“John, I have to go,” Helen stated, not looking at him. She couldn’t handle the look of devastation in his eyes.
“I’m not saying don’t go,” John clarified. “You are walking into a situation that you will have no control over with information garnered from a psychopath who does not have your wellbeing at heart. I’m talking about Hyde; in case you need the clarification.”
“Because my wellbeing has mattered so much to you over these last few years,” Helen snapped, knowing immediately that she couldn’t call those words back.
“You’re quite happy to use me when it suits you most. Killer. Taxi service. Sex partner. Where was your concern for my wellbeing?” John asked, his voice taking on a hard edge. “Have you even tried to find a way to take this thing out of me? Hmm? No? I’m shocked.”
“John…” Helen said his name harshly and with anguish in her voice. She had thought of little else for months after he re-bonded with the creature. Then, when she made no progress, she made the assumption John was dead. It took Nikola being caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar for her to realize that she had written the man she still loved off. She lowered her head, covering her face with her hands.
“Helen, if you order me back here, Worth with talk and talk and he will dig his fingers into that nerve that will make me do whatever he wants. He’ll whisper words of warning that you’re in danger and I’ll listen. I won’t be able to help it.” John drew closer to her. She still didn’t look at him. “My instincts tell me not to leave your side. This city, those people may not be benevolent and cure you out of the goodness of their hearts.”
“My father is down there…” Helen started to argue.
“You have no way of knowing if he’s a friend or a prisoner,” John interrupted.
“You can’t go with me,” Helen said again. “Nikola only made one shield.”
“With my powers, it won’t matter,” John argued. “These people aren’t going to be very receptive to us either way. In their eyes, we’re as good as vampires – powers and all.”
“We don’t know what defenses they have at the gateway,” Helen was arguing halfheartedly.
“That’s my point, Helen, we don’t know anything about them or how they will react to our intrusion,” John responded quickly.
“You’ve put a lot of thought into this argument, haven’t you?” Helen accused.
“When would I have had the time between opium binges, nearly overdosing, being sedated, detoxed, taking you all over the world looking for that keystone, to satisfying your primal urges last night?” John asked, recounting their recent adventures. “It’s not like I’m some sort of genius who is capable of multiple lines of thought… Oh, wait…” He snapped his fingers in a sarcastic manner.
“Alright, you stay with me at the gateway, but if you trigger that detector… So, help me God, John….” Helen warned. She was getting tired of arguing. Which, she was sure, was the point of all of this. The comfortable euphoria from their intimate activities had vanished the moment the sun had come up.
“If I do, then I will leave,” John agreed. Then he said, “One of these days you will have to admit that you don’t have the right solution to every problem.” He moved quickly, teleporting them back to her office, stalling any scathing remark she would have made.
They appeared, making the three mortals jump. “Are we ready to go?” Helen asked, setting aside all that was said between her and John.
“Clothing still intact, I see,” Nikola remarked under his breath.
John didn’t rise to the bait. “While we’re gone, do keep Worth sedated until he can do nothing but drool,” he said, reaching out to grip William by the shoulder.
“So, I get to play nursemaid to that little psycho? Where will you be?” Nikola asked in a huff. John said nothing as he teleported away with Helen and Will. Seconds later, he came back, and then was gone again with Henry and Kate. “I hate him,” he grumbled, heading out of the office and down to the lab to sedate Worth. He’d do that at least for his own sanity.
HOLLOW EARTH GATEWAY:
“Isn’t it time to send him back?!” Will shouted over the roar of the mountain wind.
“John’s staying!” Helen shouted her reply, trying not to look at him. She turned Will around, fishing the keystone out of his pack. The wind was blowing too fast, sending flakes of snow across her vision. Before she could even ask, he was there, crowding around her, shielding her from the harsh elements. She could at least hear herself think again.
Will made his way over, mindful of the watchful glance Druitt had him under. He cleaned away the snow that had been covering the markings, revealing where the keystone was to be placed. They worked quickly, fitting the device into place. The massive wall started to move. Gears ground to a halt moments later. “What?!”
“There’s ice blocking it over here!” Henry shouted.
“John, can you see if there’s an opening?!” Helen called out over the roar of the wind. She had already removed the keystone, putting it in her pocket.
John nodded, switching places with Will. He wedged himself close to the stone, trying to peer into the darkness. “Do you have a torch?!” Helen moved in close, putting a flashlight in his hand. Clicking it on, he held it up. The white light cut through the black revealing the opening. “I can get us in there!” he shouted, pocketing the light. There wasn’t any point in announcing his intentions. John made quick work of teleporting them inside.
Helen had shed her parka when John returned with Kate and Henry. She made sure to keep her distance from the vampire detector. John came up to her side, removing his gloves and unbuttoning his leather jacket. He removed the scarf, shoving it into a pocket, before draping the garment over hers on the nearest boulder. She tried not to see the tension in him. It was the same that resided inside her.
John stalked around the cavern, moving over to the large amber-like cylinders on either side of what he assumed was the detector. There was a gap between the amber and the rock. “I think I found my way in,” he remarked, drawing Helen’s attention to him. “If you don’t have faith in Tesla’s little shield, I could slip you in this way too,” he offered when he saw her quick glance of concern at her wrist.
“You last,” Helen stated. He nodded, moving back. She fiddled with the vampire shield and was about to step up to the detector when Will stopped her with his hand on her shoulder.
“Maybe let us three non-vampires go first,” Will suggested, dropping his hand when he felt the weight of Druitt’s stare on his back. “Then, it might not be so harsh on you,” he added, looking at Magnus.
Helen stepped aside, moving back next to John. They both shared a look, silently agreeing to stay back from the detector unless it had some sort of proximity sensor to it. She watched as Will went through first with no resistance. Kate followed suit with the same result. Henry winced as he walked through, scared that his abnormal nature would set it off. When nothing happened, he visibly relaxed.
John rested his hand on the small of Helen’s back and then stepped back, giving her space. He watched her walk into the scanner. It turned red and he was about to intervene.
“Come on, Nikola,” Helen muttered, feeling John’s need to do something. The scanner turned white, clearing her. She breathed a sigh of relief, walking forward. Looking back to him, she nodded.
John breathed out a careful breath, avoiding getting too close to the scanner. He stood by the amber cylinder and peered through the small opening. Using his powers, he appeared on the other side, but not where he thought he would.
Helen reached out, gripping the front of John’s shirt the moment he appeared in front of her. He was dangerously close to the vampire detector. She hauled him away from it, pulling him close to her. “What did I tell you about getting too close to that?” she scolded him, her hands dropping down to his waist before she thought better of it.
John set his hands on Helen’s shoulders, not bothering to make light of their current stance. “I should have arrived behind you,” he muttered. “There’s some sort of mild interference. I can feel it.” He raked a scathing glare over the detector, already irritated with the circumstances. Nothing was ever simple.
“Lode stone?” Helen asked, immediately switching to problem solving mode. John was known for a certain finesse with his powers. If something threw him off course, even a little, it could mean trouble for them later on.
“The rock face seems normal enough,” John answered. “It might be the detector and whatever frequency it operates at,” he offered, his attention on her again.
Helen patted John’s side, telling him they should move away. As they took those first few steps together, the detector reacted, turning into some sort of shield, preventing them from walking back out. “That’s not good,” Helen muttered, sharing a look with John.
Kate and Henry reacted by climbing up into a little alcove in the wall.
Will moved around both of the Victorians, stretching out his leg, touching the tip of his boot to the barrier. It zapped him, forcing him to hop back.
John scoffed, leaning close to Helen to ask, “I thought you said he was smart?”
Before Helen could issue a reply, the gateway rumbled. John reacted, pinning her up against the wall, shielding her with his body as the mountain was rocked with an earthquake. While she was concealed, she let her hands cutch at the front of his shirt holding him close.
Seconds later, the shaking stopped. John reluctantly pulled back so he could look at Helen’s face. “Are you alright?” he inquired.
“You have me pinned against a rock,” Helen responded.
“It’s not the first hard place I’ve had you,” John replied with a little inuendo. He backed away slightly, giving her a little breathing room.
Helen shook her head, looking around him, seeing Will nearby. “You in one piece?” she asked, staying where she was close to John.
Will coughed, nodding. “Yeah, I’ve got all my fingers and toes, and I can count to ten.”
John rolled his eyes, muttering, “Wonderful.”
“Henry? Kate?” Helen called out, ignoring John’s snide remark. Silence was the only response.
“They were up on that ledge when the shaking started,” Will said, going over, seeing rocks wedged in the space.
“We can’t get to them. We’ll have to move on and trust they’ll make their way towards the city,” Helen said, having joined Will, examining the ledge, seeing if there was a way to get to their friends.
“If they know which way to go,” Will commented, the worry in his tone.
“Do we?” Helen responded.
“Helen, this barrier is getting closer,” John said, having kept his attention on it while the other two voiced their concerns. He backed away, taking her arm in his hand, pulling her with him.
“It’s herding us like cattle,” Will remarked, keeping pace with the Druitt and Magnus.
“That never ends well,” Helen responded.
*~*~*~*~*~*
John walked silently behind Helen, while she and Will went on and on about abnormal life and the connection to the surface. He couldn’t help the small smile that curved his lips as he listened to her talk. She was energized and excited to learn something new. He glanced over his shoulder at the lasers, sneering at them.
“This is a problem,” Helen muttered, seeing the bridge they were coming to had a section missing. John rested his hand on her shoulder, letting her know he was behind her. She didn’t miss the way her body instantly warmed to his touch.
Will stomped his foot on the platform. “Ancient steel, that’s comforting,” he muttered. Risking it, he took a few steps out onto the bridge, not hearing a groan of protest. “The gap isn’t that big. We could jump that easily.” Then his eyes flicked to Druitt. “Some easier than others,” he muttered.
“Do we want to, though?” Helen asked, glancing at both of them. She hadn’t moved and John stayed close to her back. She could feel his tension; waiting for any threat that might present itself.
“What do you mean?” Will asked, keeping his attention on Magnus, seeing Druitt behind her keeping quiet.
“I say we get behind it and follow instead of being forced down a path,” Helen answered. This time, she stepped away from John and he let her go. “Follow me,” she said, going to the edge of the gap, leaping down to catch the bar. She used the momentum from the first swing to make it to the next bar until she was under the cover of the bridge while giving John and Will room to follow after her.
John shrugged. “Come on, William,” he said, following after Helen, climbing down after her. Utilizing his long reach, he swung easily from one bar to the next. He dangled above the great chasm below wearing a small, amused smirk. “Having fun yet?” he asked Helen. She declined to answer, but her eyes told him she was. It delighted him to see her energized. Her mind was engaged and she was focusing on something other than her mortality.
“Why couldn’t I have had a normal job?” Will muttered, being the last to climb down. All those times spent on the playground, swinging on the monkey bars came in handy.
The trio dangled in silence while they listened to the warbling of the lasers as they passed over them. They had just started to breathe a sigh of relief when another tremor hit. Rocks broke off from the ceiling, falling down the gap that had previously taken out the bridge. Thankfully, it was over seconds later.
The moment the barrier moved further away; John felt the interference dissipate. “I can teleport us up to the platform,” he said looking at Helen.
“Are you sure? What about the interference you were feeling?” Helen asked.
“It’s gone now. I believe that barrier was the source,” John replied. “Wrap your legs around me, you know how,” he suggested with a hint of wickedness.
“Not funny,” Helen scolded, but did as he instructed. She didn’t doubt his strength as she used him to grip the bar he was holding onto. Then, she draped her right arm over his shoulder while she wrapped her left around his side, gripping him tightly.
“I’m going to have to let go, alright,” John said. “I’ve got you,” he added, hoping she believed that at least.
“Alright,” Helen acknowledged, pressing her right cheek against his left.
John released of the bar, falling for a millisecond. He used his power, bringing them to the top of the bridge, his feet firmly on the aged metal. Helen clung to him, her legs dropping from around him, standing on tip toe. John wrapped his arms around her, running his hands up and down her back, feeling the evidence of an adrenaline rush. “It’s not the first time we’ve fallen,” he whispered.
Helen nodded quickly. “That got my heart pumping,” she stated, holding onto him for a few more moments. A little laugh of exhilaration escaped her.
John was the first to pull away, taking her hands, feeling the way they trembled as the quick burst of adrenaline faded. Trusting she’d be alright, he went to the gap and called out, “Come on William, get to the first bar and I’ll lift you back up.”
“I’m definitely not doing it that other way,” Will shouted back, swinging his way towards the first bar.
“You think I want you clinging to me like a spider monkey?” John asked, reaching down, offering Will his hand.
“I never want to be that close to you,” Will replied, climbing back up on the platform with Druitt’s help.
Without warning, John grabbed him and reached back for Helen, teleporting them to the other side of the bridge. He satisfied him to see Will cringing, waiting to plunge to his doom.
Helen rested her hand on John’s shoulder, drawing his attention. “Let’s continue on,” she said. When it was only the two of them, she could keep him on track without getting too swept up in his antics – unless they served to achieve her goals. If they had another person with them, in this case, Will, John was compelled to assert his dominance and push the limits of his control.
“Of course,” John said, redirecting his attention back to Helen. She needed him to be in control of himself. Casting one final glance at William, John set off to follow the pulsing lasers wherever they may lead.
“Wishing I with Henry and Kate right about now,” Will muttered, following after Magnus who was willingly catching up to Jack the Ripper.
Silence returned to the little group. The further they walked; the more tense John became. It took all he had not to turn to search every dark crevice for the danger he felt was lurking. At one point he paused, listening for any signs they were being tracked. John took Helen’s hand, tapping in morse code, telling her what he sensed.
Helen gave him a little nod, signaling they should keep moving and not to give the game away. “You’re wearing that face again,” she commented idly. She tightened her hand on his out of an old, familiar habit. He gave her a return squeeze.
“What face?” John asked in a low voice.
“The ‘I want to say I told you so, but she’ll be very cross if I do’ face,” Helen explained, continuing the mock beginnings of an argument.
“When have I ever had such an expression?” John asked, knowing what she was doing.
“After the Prime Minister left,” Helen stated smartly.
“Could it have been when I predicted he’d have us chained and collared to his boot heel? Can’t imagine why I’d make faces after that,” John stated with false derision in his voice. He was using his instincts to pick apart every little sound that reached his ears. Separating the sound of his footsteps, Helen’s and Will’s, he picked up on four other sets.
“It wasn’t all bad…” Helen said, focusing on the message he was tapping out on the back of her hand. ‘Being followed. Keep it up.’
“Not for you, maybe…” John grumbled. “At one point, I had to dig a bullet out of my own back,” he reminded her sourly. Well, attempted. He still had the scars from the knife he used on himself. Admittedly, not the best choice he could have made, but pain made him do crazy things.
“Are you looking for a ‘you’re right and I was wrong’ John?” Helen asked sarcastically. Her own ears had started to pick up the sounds of someone following them.
“No,” John growled.
“You would’ve let Worth get away with killing millions of people?” Helen pulled them to a stop, getting him to look at her. She still held his hand, tapping her response – ‘how many?’
“I would’ve hunted that little runt down for fun. You, Watson, and Tesla got your bribes paid in full. Nigel only had to disappear. I got absolutely nothing.” John made his voice appear angry, but his face was as calm as hers. ‘I count four,’ he tapped to her.
Helen nodded slightly, glancing at Will, who was trying to follow what was happening. “Then, perhaps you should have stayed at the Sanctuary to kill him when commanded,” she said sharply. He didn’t react to what she’d said. He was focusing on her index finger, relaying her actual message. She was telling him to keep walking down the tunnel. They had to get to the city.
“Yes, because that’s all I am to you. An attack dog.” John rolled his eyes, drawing Helen down the tunnel with him, waiting for the creatures that were following them to reveal themselves. He tapped ‘not angry’ to her to lessen the sting of his words. Unwanted, his mind went back to their time together hunting down those in Worth’s organization. His body’s response was a noticeable twitch in his left shoulder.
“What’s wrong with your shoulder?” Will asked, having already been left out of some weird conversation that had taken place. He was trying to understand why they were also holding hands as if this were some Sunday stroll in the park.
“Nothing,” John said darkly.
“Then why are you twitching like a crack addict?” Will pressed on.
John came to a stop at the fork in the tunnel. The laser barrier had detoured to the left. It was this passage that troubled him. “Helen, he is your protégé. Do keep him in line and keep his quiet,” he snarled, keeping his attention on tunnel in front of them.
Helen shook her head. “What’s the matter?” she asked, letting go of him. Their means of silent communication were coming to an end. Even she could feel the rising threat to their lives.
John whispered to her, “This passage troubles me.” The danger he sensed had intensified.
“We have to keep following the lasers,” Helen decided. They were the only viable means of getting to the city they had at the moment.
“I hope you brought your gun,” John whispered, heading into the passage first. He walked carefully, each stride measured and cautious, waiting for an attack to come. The moment he turned his back on a section of the tunnel wall to check on Helen, his senses railed at him that he’d made a mistake. He heard a low hum, and hands grabbed him, pulling him back. There was no time to react as darkness surrounded him.
It all happened so fast, Helen didn’t have time to do more than to shout, “John!” She went to the section of wall, expecting to pass though, but her hands touched solid rock. “Damnit!” she snarled.
“Magnus, we should keep going and get to the city,” Will said reasonably. “Druitt knows where we’re headed, he’ll meet us there.”
“Yes, but there’s no telling what he’ll do between here and there if I’m not with him to manage him,” Helen responded, lightly pounding her fist on the rock face again.
Will made the choice not to comment on her ability to manage Jack the Ripper. “Let’s just get to the city and go from there.”
Helen nodded, knowing Will was right. They headed off, catching up to the laser grid while she silently hoped John could control himself long enough to meet up with them at the city. It was unlikely, but she had to hope his better nature prevailed.
TBC...