memory flood!

[lifelines]

[ will link videos at the top with start/stop times, type out the scene in the middle, and link gifsets in the write-up for those who want visuals but can't see youtube. ]


The Five Victorians +
part 2

A much younger Helen can be seen here, sitting in the middle of a very Victorian-style room. Most notable is her hair color, the fact that it's blonde and every last piece is pinned in place around her head. Next is the long blue outfit and the fact that very little skin is showing at all. Only her hands, face, and the barest glimpse of her neck. She's sitting across a small table from someone else, someone who obviously holds a place of importance. They've been conversing, but that drops off at the sharp rap on the closed door behind the man. He holds up a hand to stop her mid-sentence.

"Excuse me. That'll be the others."

The door opens with a half bow from a servant and as the Prime Minister begins to name the four people walking in, Helen stands, surprise crossing her face.

"Nigel Griffin. Invisible Man."

Helen's head barely nods in Nigel's direction as he passes by to stand behind her. It's clear she knows him very well.

"Doctor James Watson. Detective supreme."

James' gaze is drawn down to the Prime Minister, as though sizing the man up, before he follows Nigel and moves to stand to Helen's right, though slightly behind her.

"Nikola Tesla. Vampire. Genius."

Nikola seems unimpressed, though he follows and ends up at the very back by the wall.

"And Montague John Druitt. Menace to society."

Helen's expression turns from friendly to something much darker. Almost afraid. She knows this man well, too, though not in a necessarily good way. The tallest by far, Druitt makes his way behind Helen as well, though he stands more directly behind her than any of the others, and there he seems to lurk, like a shadow. Or a demon.

"Now... down to business," the Prime Minister says next, as James moves slightly more to Helen's right and she retakes her seat. Her expression has altered again, turning more concerned but far less pleased than previously. "You see, we've known about you and your colleagues for some time and we've given you your head because we thought the day would come when the five of you might prove useful."

Druitt's lips twitch with a slow smile. "Well, I'm flattered."

"That day is here," the Prime Minister continues. "I'm proud to offer you now the opportunity to serve your country."

"I'm Serbian," Nikola pipes up from the backdrop.

"Just ignore him," James offers, as though this is a normal occurrence.

As though to break through all of that, Helen speaks up for the first time. "Why are you here, exactly?"

"You are aware of a gentleman called Adam Worth?"

"You mean the pipsqueak from school?" Nigel asks curiously.

The Prime Minister seems less than impressed. "Once, perhaps. Now, a genius mind warped by rage and mania." Helen's eyes snake towards James and he meets her gaze, communicating easily without even saying a word. Not that the Prime Minister notices. "And, I might add, quite a headache for our secret service bureau."

"Man after my own heart," Druitt drawls from the background.

"And I would dispute the term 'genius,'" Nikola speaks up.

"Yes, we did know Adam years ago," Helen confirms. "But we've not seen him since then. What's he done?"

"Our service agents tell us that Mister Worth has amassed the funds and the technology to enact a great and dangerous crime upon this city."

Not willing to take that as it stands, Helen presses on. "Which is?"

"A rather deadly toxin has been stolen-" Helen glances again at James, though he doesn't make a move towards her this time. "-and a great many Britons may die as a result."

"Well, surely the Crown has a means of stopping him?" Nigel points out, obviously not quite seeing why they've been called there.

"Well, I'm afraid Mister Worth's organization has grown roots deep inside British society and I am sorry to say deep inside my government."

Realization begins hitting them all at the same time.

"You need a group of independent agents," Helen begins.

"With special talents," Nikola picks up.

"Who are acquainted with his past," James continues.

"How certain are you of this threat?" Helen asks of the Prime Minister.

"The stakes could not be higher."

"This comes from the king himself?" Helen presses, unconvinced of any of this.

"His Majesty's orders were quite specific."

"Well, Victoria was wrong about him," Druitt speaks up, almost sounding amused in that low drawl of his. "Old Edward certainly does have a backbone."

At this point, James leans in to pick up a biscuit from the table between Helen and the Prime Minister, a direct and pointed move as he speaks. "Surely, we must have misheard."

"Sounds like we've been hired for a job," Nigel pipes up again.

"Like a theatre troupe!" Druitt adds on, amusement heightening.

"Kill Worth, just because his lordship says so?" Nikola echoes, clearly questioning everything.

"He's not a lord," James corrects. "He's a king." Nikola throws a hand up in the air as if he just doesn't have it in him to care as James adds on, "And no. Go to hell... Mister Prime Minister."

"Seconded," Druitt echoes, raising one hand.

"Yeah, do it yourselves, you lazy squids," Nigel agrees.

"Indeed," Helen finishes. "We are not assassins."

The invasion of Normandy cw: talk of WWII and Nazis

Helen and James make their way into the cave. Two German soldiers rush them, but James takes them out with ease, despite his obviously injured leg. It's bandaged, but he walks with an obvious limp, unable to put weight on it. Helen's shoulder-length red hair flies behind her as the two of them make their way into the larger area where the massive fire elemental has been kept. The creature simply appears to be a rolling ball of fire that dwarfs the two of them. On either side of the chamber it resides in are remnants of the weather machine James designed, the only thing holding the elemental back.

"It's incredible," James breathes as they near the creature before he darts off to the left to see to the weather machine. "Aaaahh! The climate settings are all wrong! None of my safety protocols are in place!"

"James," Helen calls across to him, sounding almost apologetic and a touch placating, as though she knows he'll be upset with what she has to say. "There's one part of the legend that's actually true. There's no way to really kill a fire elemental. Kind of why they call them elementals."

James gives her a disbelieving look. "You're telling me this now?"

"It can't leave!" Helen declares, turning back to the elemental. "Is there a way that you can force it down?"

Behind her, James starts working on the machine. "Air pressure change! I can create massive wind sheer!"

"Literally bury it in the earth? Can you make that happen?"

"It's not what it was designed for," James points out as he moves to the other side of the chamber. "Hold on!"

Helen moves towards the closest pipeline, one hand clamped tightly over her hat and the other arm wrapped around the pipe. James finishes firing up the machine and the wind inside the cave begins to blast them. The fire elemental slowly sinks until the flame and light sinks through a crack in the ground below and the cave itself rocks with the force of the wind sheer. Forever concerned with her safety, James calls out to Helen and makes his way over to her. They meet in the middle to watch the elemental fall, arms wrapped tightly around each other as always. The cave begins to rock and pipelines fall from the ceiling. Helen and James turn to run out of the cave as best they can, Helen supporting the still-injured James with an arm around his middle so he can lean on her.

Kiss me and I'll save your life

The scene begins in a conference room, with Helen at the head underneath a projector screen. She's giving a lecture on Abnormal brain patterns when the doors at the back of the room open. For those who know him from the Barge, Nikola Tesla is easily recognizable as he slides into the room. Helen pauses, surprise momentarily registering on her face, before she continues lecturing. Nikola leans close to one of the guards at the back, whispering something as he passes off a piece of paper. The guard moves to the front of the room, leaning close to Helen and passing the paper to her. She takes the paper and opens it. In a very familiar script is written:

You will be killed in less than three minutes. Meet me now.
Tesla
P.S. You look hot.

Startled, Helen's head shoots up, but Nikola has vanished. Most likely he's made his way out of the room. With only his word to go on, she knows she will need to request a temporary recess from her lecture. After doing so, she quickly makes her way out of the room, where she finds Nikola waiting for her with that smug smirk on his face she hasn't seen in decades. Making her way deliberately over to him, she stops directly in front of him and almost too close for comfort. His comfort or hers is difficult to say.

"Helen Magnus," he drawls. "Kiss me and I'll save your life."

Her eyes narrow suspiciously. "And if I don't?"

Nikola huffs lightly. Dramatically. "It's been over sixty years. Just plant one on me already." He points to his mouth, as though to make a point about where.

Deciding that she can play coy about where to kiss him, Helen leans in, aiming for his cheek. Nikola turns his head at the last second, meeting her lips with his rather forcefully. Startled, she lifts her hands immediately to his upper arms. The kiss remains for a few seconds longer than necessary before she manages to push him away.

"Nikola Tesla. You always did know how to get attention."

He reaches for her arm to guide her away, towards a hallway at the back. "And you're still boring as ever when it comes to giving a lecture. But to business. Cabal agents are all over the building. If we don't leave now, things are going to get rather bullet-ridden."

"And why should I believe you?"

As soon as she finishes speaking, several military-esque men converge on the door she exited not minutes prior. The two of them glance over and then start quickly down the other hallway.

Helen takes the lead. "I assume you have a plan other than kissing me?"

"Genius, remember?"

Ashley's final moments cw: death

Ashley teleported into place across the main lab from her mother. Helen turned, surprise written across her face.

“Ashley,” Helen called, keeping her large weapon lowered for now as she stepped cautiously forward. “Listen to me. Please. I don’t want to do this. You don’t want to do this.”

Ashley teleported nearer, disappearing and then reappearing in a flash of red. She lifted an arm, talons out, as though to strike, but as soon as Helen raised her weapon, Ashley teleported again. This time, she appeared behind Helen and as Helen turned to face her, Ashley snapped her hand down, slicing three long, bloody red lines into Helen’s skin and causing her mother to fall to the ground with a cry.

“Ashley!” Helen called again, her voice turning desperate as she lay there, as though something in her words might reach her daughter. Maybe she was right. Ashley’s smirk slid off her face and she stood there where she was, almost as though she were actually listening. “Do you remember when you were small? You used to come into my room in the middle of the night. You’d crawl into my arms and you’d say, ‘Mummy, I’m afraid.’”

Ashley’s head tilted and even though her expression didn’t change, she swallowed hard. Almost as though she heard and was fighting the Cabal’s hold on her.

Helen set aside the weapon. “Ashley,” she choked out through her tears. “I’m afraid.”

That seemed to be all Ashley would give her, though, as she moved to strike, lifting an arm and baring her teeth. At least until a new voice called across the lab at her.

“Hey, Blondie!”

Ashley paused, looking up, her snarl fading into a look of surprise. A second later, the rocket launched, exploding in Ashley’s face and knocking her far, far across the lab. Helen cried out, both in surprise and fear, covering her face with her arms. A new girl grabbed Helen's arm and started trying to lead her away. Until one of Ashley’s fellow Cabal experiments stopped them, knocking the other girl away and pushing Helen back to the ground just as Ashley grabbed her arm to stop her.

The other Cabal looked at her and a glare was shared between them before Ashley turned to see her mother, still holding the Cabal girl in place. Ashley’s eyes had gone from their sickening Cabal red to her normal blue, the sign that she was herself. For now.

Surprise, fear, and pain mingled across Helen’s face as she and Ashley watched each other. “Ashley, please,” Helen begged, her voice cracking with the tears already streaming down her cheeks, as though she already knew what the end result would be.

Ashley’s resolve face crumbled, tears beginning to fall. “Mom?” she choked out, her last word to her mother. Managing to pull herself together after another minute, she took a deep breath, turned, and teleported into the EM shield. She and the other Cabal agent were vaporized in a flash of red and a shower of fire.

And Helen was left sitting on the floor of the main lab, head bent over her knees as she sobbed into the still and eerie quiet.

What do you think death is? cw: talk of death, but hey Field of Dreams reference!

Helen and Will are clearly walking through the grounds of the Sanctuary, Helen carrying a large rectangular device that looks like a tablet and both with backpacks slung over their shoulders.

"I know that look," Helen accuses Will, brandishing a finger at him before returning her attention to her tablet. "Just spill it."

"What do you think happens after we die?" Will asks as they stop and squat down so Helen can examine something with her scanner. "You've seen more lives end than anyone else that I know."

Rather than actually answer, she does her usual roundabout history lesson. "Kurt and Albert and I got into this discussion once at a Princeton football game. I think it was 1953. Albert argued that the concept of matter equaling energy and vice versa was far more ubiquitous than any of us could have imagined."

"That would be Kurt Gödel and Albert Einstein," Will realizes, sounding as though he's both surprised at the revelation and surprised that he's surprised. Helen nods in response. "Of course."

She doesn't seem keen on continuing, so he nudges again.

"Look, I'm a guy hammering in stakes here. You wanna have a little mercy?"

Helen glances up at him, almost as though she'd forgotten they were having a conversation. "What do I think death is?" she echoes as they both stand up again. "Did you ever see Field of Dreams?"

"Yeah, I love that movie."

"The cornfield. It's rather like that."

Will nods... and then slowly frowns. "I never understood what happened in the cornfield."

"Nobody did. That was the point."

And she walks off, leaving Will looking a bit lost.

Sanctuary Head of House conference + part 2

The memory starts in the large Sanctuary main lab with several video screens displaying faces previously unknown to the Barge, several of which don't look entirely human, including one with ridges across his skin. There's a man standing next to Helen in the middle of the lab. One of his arms is wrapped in a sling. This man is the one speaking when the memory begins; he and Helen appear to be giving something like an overview or summary of the result of something that recently happened.

"Clean-up operations are continuing in Mumbai and a lot of the coastal areas hit by the first wave."

"As far as Bertha is concerned," Helen adds on, attention momentarily turned towards the tablet in her hands, "the security protocols we put in place are now running at optimal levels. The magnetic resonance pattern we're coating her in is keeping her in a permanent state of calm. She's happy."

"All tests of the new system showed no flaw or weaknesses," the first man continues.

"Since the death of the macri, there have been no other reports of aberrant behavior among any Abnormals worldwide. We believe Bertha is now fully secure."

The man with the ridges on one of the displays speaks up then, his voice sounding more metallic and almost robotic than human. "I believe there's a more pressing matter that we need to address regarding your continuing role as the head of the global Sanctuary Network."

"Terrence, please," Helen says with mock patience, as though she's trying not to be sarcastic in her frustration with him and failing miserably. "If you're planning another coup, could you do it when I'm not on the call?"

The first man, Declan, speaks up with obvious irritation. "So now you're speaking for everyone? Mate, I'd say you have more to answer for than she does."

"I doubt that," Terrence says. "All we did was dodge a bullet by letting Bertha remain alive."

"Bullet?" Declan huffs out, as though he can't believe he's hearing this ridiculous nonsense. "Why you obnoxious piece of-"

"I am beyond sick of this gamesmanship," Helen interrupts before Declan can finish that thought. "Gregory Magnus founded this organization to help Abnormals. To protect them. To understand them. My father taught me that we have more to learn by protecting life, all life, than by simply destroying it. That's why I kept Bertha alive and that's why we need to discover the power behind the counterwave."

"You did that independently," the Egyptian head of house, Pili, points out. "And you did lie to us about keeping Bertha alive."

Helen says nothing to dispute this and doesn't really look ashamed for her actions, either. If anything, she looks as though she's preparing to have to fight and defend her actions.

"But you also took complete responsibility for your actions. You almost gave your life... to save hers. As you once said... it's what happens after a crisis that matters."

Helen glances at Declan, who returns the look. The corners of his lips are tilted downwards, a sign that he is trying very hard not to smile. Suspicion and realization start slowly sliding across Helen's face as she looks back to Pili.

"There's been a vote. We wish you to remain as head of the global Network. The vote was unanimous."

Looking angrier by the second, Terrence butts in again. "With all due respect, I was not part of that vote."

"It was reserved for heads of house only," Pili continues in her steadfast way that brooks no argument. "Your position as head of the New York Sanctuary has been rescinded."

"Excuse me."

"Also a unanimous decision."

"You fired on an unarmed civilian ship," Declan points out calmly, "with full knowledge there were people on board. You failed to alert international authorities and gave no regard to the danger faced by Sanctuary crews."

Terrence looks murderous. "Very well."

"I trust this puts this issue at rest," Pili says, "as there are far more pressing matters at hand."

"Thank you," Helen responds fervently, feeling as though she's just passed a test. Or better yet, that her entire team has. "Everyone."

"Thank you, Helen," Pili returns as one by one the displays turn off. Terrences remains for a second longer than the others, as though he wants to make Helen aware that he is beyond displeased with her, but then he, too, disappears. Finally, Helen turns to the only person left in the room, her lips pursed for a moment before a bright, wide smile breaks out across her face.

"Cheeky bastard!" she accuses with a laugh as they turn to leave.

Declan chuckles once. "Guess my work here is done."

End Scene with her people

This scene takes place in Helen's office and it looks entirely like the main room of her cabin. Three other people are in the room with her, two men and a young woman. The men seem to be handling a large cart, on top of which sits an Abnormal container. With a large tentacled Abnormal.

"Think maybe it's hungry?" Kate asks.

"Probably," Will agrees. "I'm just glad we're off the menu."

"Take it to its new home," Helen instructs, "and feed it a proper lunch."

Henry nods in acknowledgement and starts wheeling the cart out of the office. "Cheetos it is. Come on, little guy."

"Taco," Will corrects, following behind Henry and the cart. "Her name's Taco."

"The hell kinda name is Taco?" Henry asks, obviously confused. He missed out on the Taco thing earlier, though Kate and Helen smile, knowing exactly what that's about.

"Well, you see there was this dog and it looked like a cross between a chihuahua and Satan," Will explains as he and Henry leave with the cart. Kate turns to Magnus with a huff of a laugh and the ridiculous boys.

"You handled yourself really well," Helen tells her.

Kate's eyebrows shoot upwards. "Holding up the bank? It's nothing I haven't done before."

"Nevertheless, you did a good job."

"You could've taken over any time. But you let me run with it."

"You had it covered," Helen says with complete confidence. "Right down to the empty gun in your waistband. Very clever."

Kate looks pleased at the praise. "Thanks," she says as she turns to leave.

Not quite done with her, Helen calls her back. "There's just one thing that bothers me."

"What's that?"

"All that money. And you didn't even take any."

Caught off guard, Kate stutters, unsure of what the correct response should be.

"Isn't that depressing?" Helen continues, offering a smile.

Kate manages a laugh, realizing the joke. "Terribly."

Helen breathes out a soft laugh in return, as the two of them bond over Kate's past and how much the young woman has grown. As Kate leaves the room now, Helen watches her, pride etched clearly across her face.

Helen meets the vampire queen Afina

The scene starts underground, in a dark corridor, with Helen staring off into the distance with a look of half fear and half surprise on her face. Another woman in a leather dress, and corset, walks purposefully away. When this woman speaks, her voice has an echo to it, deep and powerful. Eventually, Helen trails after her.

"Don't worry," Afina says. "He won't be disturbing us. That old trap was designed for a true vampire, a warrior. Not a schoolboy."

Afina whips around at the end of the corridor to face a wall of symbols that look closer to Sumerian cuneiform than words and begins pressing some of the tiles.

"Why did you do that?" Helen demands, upset about something unseen.

"When I repopulate my species, I plan to do much better than a mixed-blood mongrel."

A section of the wall to their left begins to slowly rise. Afina takes advantage of Helen's distraction to use her vampire speed to turn around. One hand reaches up to press Helen back against the wall. Helen doesn't back down, her face a challenge, not one of fear.

"You, though, will be quite useful," Afina continues, gazing at Helen with something like pride. The sort of pride that a collector would get at finding a rare gem.

"How?" Helen asks, staring Afina down despite her obvious disadvantage. "I'm less vampire than he is."

"Exactly. A blood donor that stays young and fresh forever, but without the bitter aftertaste."

"I hope you choke on it," Helen says with a soft snarl that wipes the smile off Afina's face.

Time Dilation Field in Carentan "I wanted to see the look on your face" + discussing the time dilation field + three weeks before the planet is torn apart + the experiment and what it means for the town

This clip starts inside a bunker, an old Nazi bunker for those who know history. Helen has just taken a large file folder out of a file cabinet and is rifling through it as she brings it back over to another man. Anyone who has seen the conference clip might recognize him as a decades-older version of one of the other men on the displays at the conference. Ravi, head of the Mumbai Sanctuary.

"Some of this handwriting is practically indecipherable," she complains as she stops by the table Ravi is sitting at. Notes are sprawled across the surface, so many papers as to almost be cluttered. Chaotic.

"Combination of poor penmanship and homemade inks," Ravi points out.

"French, German, English." She looks and sounds utterly frustrated. "Was none of this research computerized?"

"At first," Ravi admits. "But then they realized how risky that was. Harddrives weren't built to last a hundred and fifty years."

Helen has to relent at that, though she looks none too pleased about it. "I barely feel like I've made a dent at all."

"You've only been at it a week. Give yourself time." Ravi gets up and crosses around to another file cabinet.

"Time," Helen huffs, as though it's the single-most frustrating thing she has to deal with. "Time dilation."

"Adam Worth and the time nodes."

"This can't have been his doing," Helen says, shaking her head. "He died months ago in Hollow Earth."

"In all my years here, I've explored every square inch of the boundary. There's no device anywhere. Welcome to my world."

Helen watches him for a moment. "Do you never feel like giving up?" she asks honestly. "Just quitting?"

"Every day," Ravi admits.

"What keeps you going?"

"You."

Her look turns surprised.

"I wanted to see the look on your face when I cracked this mother."

Helen huffs out a couple of laughs at his words, genuine and unhindered, in spite of the seriousness of their conversation and situation. "Well, let's get to it then, shall we?" With smiles on their faces, she and Ravi get back to work.

**

When the next clip begins, several days have passed. Helen is still in the same room with Ravi, but they're joined by Will and a young woman, Josie. Helen is working with wires and there is a rudimentary and obviously homemade computer on the table.

"Of course I trust you," Ravi says. "It's just that there are only two functioning motherboards left."

"I can't give any guarantees," Helen admits.

"But it is a chance to communicate with the outside world," Will points out.

"And on a frequency we know will be monitored."

"But previous transmissions have never been answered," Josie says with confusion.

"That's because of the time differential," Helen explains patiently. "When a signal broadcast from inside the dome is received on the outside, it's incredibly condensed."

"We're talking hundredths of a nanosecond," Will adds on. "It would barely register on the most sensitive equipment."

"Which is why I'm stretching out the signal, slowing it down. Even a simple message like 'We are alive, time dilation field' will take up to two weeks to transmit."

"And we're gonna need uninterrupted power."

"I've dedicated one of the solar panels," Ravi speaks up.

"All set then," Helen says with a tone that very much says Here we go. She presses a couple of the old keys down on the computer and the transmission begins.

**

More time has passed. Helen is hard at work at the table again, her head bent over what she's writing and calculating. Her look is not good. When Will meanders over, passing by the still-transmitting computer on another table, she seems oblivious to his arrival. Either that or she's ignoring him. Will seems to know that she's in a foul mood and he takes his time poking the bear, as though to figure out just how to start with her so that she doesn't snap right off.

"Ravi's asking that the solar panels be rerouted back to the battery stores."

"Uh-huh," she says, not even bothering to respond properly or even look up from her work.

He takes his time before speaking up again. "You know it's been three weeks since our SOS call."

"Yes, I know," she says shortly, her tone sharp.

"If the outside hasn't responded by now-"

She finally looks up, though not at him, and her tone is sharp when she retorts. "I'm fully aware of the situation, thank you."

Will seems to know that there's more to it than just this. After another pause, he makes his way over to her. "Is there something I can help you with?"

This seems to be more than she can really bear, the tipping point that finally makes her carefully-controlled calm snap. "Yeah, I could really use a computer. Or a proper pen and paper. God, even a bloody slide rule!"

Will seems unphased by her outburst, though she realizes how it must seem and she takes a breath, glancing back at her papers. "I'm sorry, Will."

He doesn't respond verbally. Instead, he shifts closer to her and places a hand against her shoulder in comfort. Taking the gesture for what it is, she returns it, pressing a hand to his back in gratitude. It only lasts a minute, but it's enough for both of them.

"These energy readings from the boundary?" he finally speaks again, sitting down on another chair.

Helen nods. "Over a century's worth. D'you know that when this time dilation field first came into existence, it was the size of a city block?"

"And now it's over twelve kilometers in diameter."

"And every few decades, the pressure builds, like before an earthquake."

"And when it breaks apart, the dome grows. We know this."

"But what we didn't know was that it was happening exponentially. The energy readings from the past twenty years are climbing steadily, beyond anything we've ever measured."

"So the dome's getting ready for another growth spurt."

"A massive one."

Will's eyebrows shoot up. "Define massive."

"Half the eastern coast of France. And if it keeps growing at this rate, in a hundred and twenty years, the time dilation field will blanket the entire earth."

Realization seems to hit Will then. "A hundred and twenty years... for us. Here? But out there-"

"Three weeks," Helen interrupts emphatically, "before the planet is torn apart."

**

Even more time seems to have passed, most notably because the sky seems to be slowly turning pinkish. Almost like before a sunset. Helen and Will are walking along a path through trees, like an old unused roadway. Helen is carrying a small device and a couple of papers. Will carries a larger device in one hand.

"By the way, Will. Happy New Year."

"Somehow I don't feel like celebrating. See that sky?"

"Sunset's beginning."

"Forty-five days until nightfall. The solar panels will go dead. We'll lose power to the lab."

"Which is why we're testing this node now. Here we are." They stop along the road as Helen gestures towards a spot. "At the center of the original disturbance."

Will steps forward a little to place the device he has in his hand on the ground before stepping back and letting Helen do the honor of turning it on.

"You know, without the cirrellium-" he starts.

"I agree. And if time weren't forcing my hand, I'd wait. What choice do we have?" Will doesn't stop her. "Say a prayer," is all she offers next before she kneels down and turns the device on.

Something seems to happen as she backs up. The world goes slowly and then quickly. Time seems out of control. Wind rushes past them, stirring up leaves and hair and everything around. For a few seconds, it's like being in the middle of a tornado of time.

"Turn it off!" Will yells after a while.

Helen immediately does so, responding with a very emphatic, "Bloody hell!"

Whatever happened, they seem to take it as a failure, but when they return to the town, everything is in chaos. They go immediately to find Ravi in the streets, to see what happened.

"Your experiment, my God!"

"What happened?" Helen demands.

"People disappeared!" Ravi replies, fear edging into his voice.

"What do you mean?" Will asks.

"Everything went very fast, then slow, and then they were gone."

"Just vanished?" Helen questions, trying to understand.

"I saw one of them with my own eyes. Andric. He was refitting one of the solar panels and fell, but vanished before he hit the ground!"

"Magnus, what have we done?" Will asks softly. "More people were vaporized because our experiment failed."

Something clicks in Helen's mind. "What if it didn't fail? What if, for a few seconds, we managed to diffuse the time dilation field?"

"Well, then why did those people disappear?"

"Because when Carentan resets itself to real world time... they don't exist."

"In your time, they haven't been born yet," Ravi breathes.

Struggling to work this one out, Will presses his hands to his face for a few seconds. "Okay, okay, so if we get the cirrellium, stabilize the node, make it work properly-"

"Then everything in this dome that was created after its inception - equipment, animals, people - will cease to exist," Helen adds on.

"The only people who will survive the reset," Ravi continues.

"The three of us," Will finishes and none of them look happy at this revelation.

You bet your arse

The scene begins on a rooftop in London, though it's not exactly modern London. Helen and James make their way across the rooftop, although most notably is that this James has his full beard and Helen has dark hair, rather than blonde. She also has her arm tucked around his, as was proper for that particular time period. Eventually, they stop to have a discussion, remaining arm-in-arm.

"Spring-Heeled Jack," James says slowly. "The Sanctuary's newest resident."

"I wish I could've told you earlier," Helen says softly.

"All that matters is that the streets of London are safe again."

"As they should be," Helen agrees, watching the city with the eyes of someone who hasn't been here in quite some time.

James glances at her, his free hand moving up to cover hers. "Do you miss it?"

"London? Oh, it's still very much there where I come from," she assures him.

"I was thinking more this era," James quietly corrects. "Right on the cusp of the 20th century."

"Honestly?" Helen questions. James turns his head towards her with interest and then laughs at her look. She doesn't need to say anything.

"Ah, I can hardly blame you. Must seem like the Dark Ages compared to where you're from."

"When I left, things were far from rosy, believe me," she points out softly. "Even if we have managed to set my timeline right, which would be a bloody miracle-"

James turns his head back away, looking like someone's just sworn an oath in his ear to make them bleed.

"-I still left a hell of a mess to clean up in my present."

James sighs. "The swearing is acceptable in the future?"

"If the moment fits, you bet your arse," Helen offers, making James actually laugh. It's the only laugh and the only real smile either one of them have had cause to show since she arrived back here in this time and she treasures it.

Deleted scene with Henry

This scene begins with Henry talking into a camera as Helen walks into the lab. He looks normal, but she was obviously injured recently, judging by the gash across her right cheek, the bruises on her left and across her forehead, and the way she walks a little tenderly. She's holding something in her hands when she makes her way in.

"Henry?" she interrupts quietly.

"Hey, Doc!" Henry says with surprise, quickly turning off the camera. "You're back! So, what did you bring me? A big, feathered serpent and whaaat happened to you?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," she says evasively, glancing around. "Should I ask?"

"Yeah, was supposed to be a surprise, but I'm having a power issue. Need more per square inch than is available on the market. Or off."

"Well, then," she says dramatically, reaching into the carrying case she brought with her and pulling out what looks like a shiny gray-ish black rock. "Try this."

Henry looks at her like she's crazy.

"Might wanna stand back," she cautions.

This doesn't seem to help his cautious nature, though he does what she says without question. She places the rock next to a couple of things on the desk behind him and everything flies off it. The electromagnetic field between the objects and the rock had an incredible reaction.

"Whoa!" Henry cries out. "Wow!"

Helen holds out the rock to him. He takes it reverently from her.

"And without heat or toxic discharge." Something suddenly occurs to him and he holds the rock away from him suspiciously. "What kinda radiation is this thing putting out?"

"Perfectly safe, I assure you. Just, um... don't get it wet."

This means nothing to Henry, but obviously amuses Helen as she makes her way back out of the lab.

"Come to Papa," Henry breathes as the scene fades.

Supportive family is supportive

Helen encouraging Will through his stressful day and Will supporting a dying Helen