[ verbalize ] ❝ 'cause you're working building a mystery, holding on. ❞
Helen turned to face the screens as they unfolded from the ring above her head. 0800 hours - right on schedule. She turned her head as Henry stepped up beside her, holding the tablet in his hand to watch over the technical aspect of the Sanctuary while the conference was in progress. There were less screens now, because there were less Heads of House. Rebuilding the Network was taking more time than she expected.
“Now that everyone is present, we will begin.” Helen looked over all of the screens. Pili, Declan, Terrance, Ravi, Ark-Fong and Onryuji. She nodded to each of them as they nodded back. She glanced at Henry again before taking a deep breath.
“The settlement of Terra hominis electricus reported deaths and injuries from an unknown source and an unknown pathogen.” Pili explained to the rest of the Heads of House. “Dr. Magnus came to assist in the identification of attack and the nature of the deceased. Not long after we evacuated the settlement and the excavation site near Abydos was evacuated for reasons of safety. We had reason to believe that the source was coming from the excavation site. A few of the diggers had come to the settlement the night before.”
“I am still having trouble understanding why you evacuated the site, Magnus.” Dr. Ravi spoke up gently. “It was only a hunch. Normally, you do not act on hunches.”
“It was more than a hunch.” Helen explained, folding her hands in front of her. “I had called in a friend of mine that is an expert on such matters. We went to the site and saw that there was indeed something wrong there. I know it is about to sound insane, but, the ground itself was different from the rest of the area. Pili met him.”
“He was an odd man.” Pili commented, keeping her opinions to herself. Just as she always did.
“Yes. There are reports of that.” Terrance spoke up, his head tilting slightly just as an iguana’s did. His eyes almost seemed to challenge Helen. Trying to make his move in on the Network and show the other Head’s his new found authority. “And why were we not informed of your friendly expert?”
“Oi, mate.” Declan, Head of the UK Sanctuary, took his turn. “Back off. We’ve each got our own circles of information to rely on in order to work privately. Nothing wrong with Magnus having someone we don’t know.”
“Eye witnesses said he had a box that disappeared into thin air.” Terrance challenged Declan. “What do you say about that?”
Declan paused, and none of the others spoke up. Helen sighed, shaking her head.
“Gentleman. That is hardly the issue.” Helen glanced at the screen as Declan turned to speak to a man off to the side on his end. “The issue is now convincing the Egyptian government to shut down the site. There was a species we located below the sand that felt threatened by their presence there. Hence why they let out the pathogen.” Helen knew she didn’t know the exact details, but that was what she gathered from the bits and pieces of information the Doctor disclosed.
“And did this species have a name, by chance?” Terrance asked.
“Silurans.” Helen answered sharply, glaring at Terrance just a tad. Just enough to let him know that she was still in command of the Network. “There is no telling exactly what these beings will do if they continue to feel threatened by the dig. They have got to shut it down immediately or they are looking at a possible outbreak and having to explain why a race of humanoid reptilians are appearing and attacking their citizens.”
“Magnus, I really must protest against this-”
“I understand your concerns, Terrance,” Helen said, “but it was my prerogative and my choice. Either we took care of the problem, as we are expected to do, or we let it get out of hand and the entire Egyptian society falls into a state of upheaval. We have seen what happens when humans and abnormals go to war. I would rather not repeat those mistakes. If you do not mind.”
“I have arranged to meet with the Egyptian government later this week, Dr. Magnus.” Pili took the chance to speak again. “I was hoping you could attend.”
“Of course.”
Declan finally turned back to the screen. “We’re sending the samples of the pathogen to your lab now, Magnus. And the body should be on route in a few hours. Do you think it’s anything like Lazarus?”
“No way.” Henry said, lifting his hand. “Lazarus made the abnormals do some crazy stuff to try and freak us out so we had no idea what the Cabal really wanted. This is more like a kill team went out and basically assassinated a bunch of guys. And it has a kind of direct path. No one else reported injuries, right?”
“None from the area surrounding the settlement.” Ark-Fong confirmed. “Nor the diggers.”
Helen bit her lip for a moment before looking back at the screens. “My friend that I called in to help was injured by the same pathogen. He survived the attack and is resting here in my Sanctuary until he is recovered.”
“He survived?” Ravi was clearly shocked. “The Terra hominis electricus have the skin of an eel and your friend survived?”
“Not to say he isn’t like fine. He’s kinda messed up.” Henry said. “Kinda is an understatement though.”
“He’ll be fine.” Declan said, causing Helen and Henry to look at the screen. He had a certain look on his face as if he knew who they were talking about. “The bloke is more durable than a bunker.”
“A wo shiteru iru?” Onryuji spoke for the first time, moving his sunglasses down for just a brief moment in order to convey the surprise he felt. Even if he was a man of few, but direct, words.
“He’s from our neck of the woods. Don’t worry about him.” Declan said. “Magnus, stop by London before heading out to Cairo. I’ve got some things for you.”
“Very well.” Helen nodded and looked over the screens as they passed along the messages to the people that were off screen. So far, all but Terrance seemed to accept the explanation. At least there was some trust in the Network for her still. Even if most seemed rocky due to the Big Bertha dangle and the Cabal attacks earlier in the year. “Was there anything else we needed to discuss? We’ll hold another meeting once Pili and I speak with the Egyptian government.”
Ravi, Ark-Fong, Onryuji and Pili shook their heads. Again, Helen nodded and their calls dropped from the screens. She glanced at Henry as Declan and Terrance remained. Lovely.
“Helen.” Terrance leaned forward. “May I remind you the thin ice you are walking on. Most of the Network already is on edge with the choices you’ve made so far this past year. I am on your side. Please, if there is anything I can do to help? Tell me. I support you.”
“Thank you. That will be all, Terrance.”
The call dropped and the screens rotated to focus on Declan’s. Helen glanced at Henry as he looked at the tablet, pulling down menus. “Is there something I can help you with, Declan?”
“No. I think there’s something I can help you with.”
Helen looked up at him. “I’m listening.”
Declan nodded to Henry. “I just sent him a file that I was able to pull out of the archives from the seventies. Sir Watson aided UNIT a few times on a few things and I thought this might sound a bit familiar.”
Henry turned the tablet for Helen to look at. “Oh, lovely, UNIT.” She mumbled as Henry scrolled through the files. “Wait. Henry, go back. Is that what I think it is?”
“UNIT calls them a Silurian.” Declan said. “And, if you look at the attached file to that one? You’ll find something else interesting.”
“Woah, Doc. Isn’t that...?”
Helen frowned at the image of the oh so familiar blue police box. Of course it looked different from how she knew it. Worn and old, but still the exact shape of how the TARDIS looked. She turned her gaze up to Declan’s screen without a word. It wasn’t too surprising to find out that the Doctor had been involved with these Silurians before, or with UNIT, really. There was a tinge of anger that, again, she had been left in the dark about it all.
“He’s fairly well known up here.” Declan said. “In the right circles, of course. UNIT’s got a special code for him from what I hear. We haven’t had good relations with UNIT since the ATMOS incident back in 2009. Good thing this was on record. I bet if you show this to the Egyptian government they’ll back down. The UN might be a bit upset if you don’t consult them.”
“We hardly work within the boundaries of the United Nations.” Helen said, looking back at the tablet. “I’ll refer them to the UN who will refer them to UNIT who will most likely chalk it up as something under our watch. Given they are technically from Earth and not apparently from space.”
“Doc. We’ve got a real alien sleeping in the Sanctuary? I mean, for real?”
“Yes, Henry. He didn’t mention that?”
“I thought he might be joking. I mean, I knew he wasn’t human...”
“Magnus.” Declan said, mainly to stop Henry from going on. “It’s a big deal if this happened again with these Silurians. UNIT is going to be all over this and will be calling him.”
She sighed and looked up at Declan, raising her eyebrows. “Then they’ll have to wait until he’s in the condition to go and talk to them. Not that I think they will bother to. They haven’t even answered us when we call. Torchwood was more reliable than UNIT has been.”
“Good ol’ Torchwood.” Declan mumbled.
“Thank you for the information, Declan.” Helen took the tablet from Henry with an expressionless face. “I’ll be stopping by London before I head to Cairo. I’ll see you towards the end of the week.”
“Take care, Magnus.”
Henry waited until the screen had lifted before turning and following after Helen. “Wait, Doc! What does this all mean? We got lizard people coming up from the ground that want to turn us into a mangled mess of flesh?”
“I’m not entirely sure and I’m not going to press the matter further.” Helen turned back to Henry as she pressed the elevator button. “He is recovering, I’m hardly going to bother him with the politics of the situation. The Sanctuary is meant to be able to handle these sort of incidents so the world remains unaware. We will deal with it accordingly when the time and matter comes. Don’t mention this to him. He doesn’t need to know the inner workings of the Sanctuary Network.”
Henry put his hands in his pockets. “You don’t trust him much, do you, Doc?”
“I trust him, Henry. More than you know.” Helen shook her head. “However, believing in someone who doesn’t trust you is completely different. And, until he trusts me, I’m not going to inform him of the scale of conflict this can create.”
“Which means I shouldn’t tell him either. Gotcha.” Henry filed in after her. “He doesn’t trust you, really? I mean he let you take care of him even though it was pretty bad. And the fact he’s an alien.”
Helen smiled sadly as the elevator doors closed. “Trusting me to take care of him and trusting me with his past is different. It’ll take time, I suppose. Or maybe it’ll never happen. Until then, there are things he won’t know.”
“Right.”
word count: 2,026
type: ficlet for verbalize