covert affairs chap 3
i return with a little bit more of what was lost in chapter 2. i'm tired, that's all the fanfare you get. still keeping the timeline after for the team, but before anything else. oh right, i keep the twizzler thing going. i know it's epic shameless product placement, but i think it's a cute character thing. pete has his cookies, why shouldn't myka have twizzlers?
It was movie night for the warehouse crew. This week was Artie's pick. Despite pleadings and protestations from Pete and Claudia, he had chosen an esoteric Russian film. Even with subtitles Pete couldn't understand what was happening. He spent what time he wasn't eating milk duds creating new dialogue with Claudia. They cracked themselves up, but Artie chastised repeatedly. "Would you be quiet, I'm trying to hear." Myka periodically pointed out mistranslations in the subtitles. Leena sat quietly in the corner stealing all the popcorn.
"Do we have to watch this, Artie? Can we go?" Pete asked. Claudia kept silent, letting Pete take the brunt of Artie's frustration. She was quite clearly hopeful though, with her beseeching smile and puppy dog eyes.
"Yes, children, you have to watch this. If I had to sit through Evil Dead, you can make it through this."
"Evil Dead is a classic. Who's even heard of this movie?"
Artie sighed. "If Evil Dead is a classic, I may never leave the warehouse again."
"It's not that bad, Pete, if you pay attention." Myka added.
"I'm sorry. I'm not a nerd, I can't read that fast."
"Maybe you should branch out to books that don't have pictures." Pete mock laughed. Myka's phone went off. She stared at the screen pensively for a long time. "I have to go." She ran up to her room.
Pete glared at Artie. "She gets to go."
"Fine, fine. Leave. At least then I can have some peace." Pete and Claudia jumped off the couch and ran up the stairs. Leena moved to sit next to Artie. "Am I their boss or their babysitter?" Leena offered the popcorn bowl with a smile.
Myka stood in her room. The message she'd received was a simple one: a phone number signed Helena. Claudia and Pete walked past her door, Claudia boasting that she would kick Pete's ass in whatever game they were going to play. She locked the door before dialing the number. It rang.
"Hello Myka."
"HG?"
"Of course. Who else would it be?"
Myka sat down on the bed, now strangely calmer. "Hi." HG smiled on her end of the line. "You have a phone?"
"Yes. I took your advice and embraced a little bit of progress."
"I'm glad. You saved me from a really bad Russian movie."
HG could hear the smile in Myka's voice and laughed. "Are you free this evening then?"
"I am now."
"Would you like to go out?"
Myka grew apprehensive. "Uh..."
"Meet me at the theatre. I hear motion pictures make for a fitting date. We can see something not in Russian."
"I don't know, HG. It's kinda late. They might wonder-"
"I'll be waiting." HG replied in a cadence that made Myka's insides melt.
Wells hung up; Myka sat on her bed. She held her phone in her hands, staring at it. She bit her lip and looked around. She wanted to go, but there was something nagging at her. A sense of loyalty, a voice in the back of her mind that said this was wrong-Artie's voice. Wells was the enemy, the villain. That voice shifted into HG's melodic tones and Myka heard her say, "You can trust me, Myka." She smiled. For good or ill, she did trust HG. She'd saved Myka's life, saved Claudia's life, she'd gone out of her way-put herself in danger-to prove to Myka that her motives were pure. HG had risked her life twice just to see her. She had more than earned Myka's trust. And she had definitely won Myka's affection. Myka grabbed a light jacket and went to Pete's room.
He was playing xbox alone now. "Where's Claudia?"
Pete paused the game. "She's no match for my skills, hey hey hey. She said something about school work."
Myka smiled, her 'parental shove' being successful.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You got that text and ran to your room. Everything alright?"
"Yes, Pete. I'm fine."
"You sure? Cuz I got kind of a weird vibe."
"I promise, Pete, I'm fine."
"Okay, okay."
Myka waited to see if he had any more remarks. He didn't. "Anyways. I'm going out for a while, I'll be back in a few hours."
"Be careful."
"I'm just going to town to get some air."
"Okay. Just, be careful please."
"I'll be fine. Goodnight, Pete."
Myka parked in the lot next to the theatre. HG met her out front. The most recent movie they had in the three theatre building was almost a year old, but Myka didn't care. HG had already gotten tickets for it. "I took the liberty."
Myka smiled. "Well, I did pay for the last one." HG held the door open for Myka. Wells handed the tickets to the usher while Myka headed for the snack counter. Twizzlers in hand, they took their seats.
"In 1895 I attended the first public showing of a motion picture. It was the most impressive thing I'd seen outside the warehouse."
"We have the camera. Edison's too."
"Edison was a thieving bastard. Though I suppose Nikola had the last laugh. Edison never knew about the warehouse." She smiled at the surreptitious victory of a friend.
Myka chewed on a Twizzler and watched HG. She was beautiful, that was obvious. She was intelligent, clever, witty. There was no justification for her being here, now. Yet through a series of painful and treacherous events, here she was. The female HG Wells, frozen in time for a hundred years. She was a lurid mystery. And she still made Myka nervous. More aptly, being around HG made her nervous. She had slipped up the last time, let herself get carried away. Luckily it had only been Kelly who'd caught them. But it was a mistake that could not be replicated.
HG was aware of Myka's attention. She pretended to examine the small theatre and watch the ads and previews as they flickered past, but she was attentive to Myka's every anxious twitch. "You're quiet this evening."
"Pete's girlfriend saw me kiss you."
"I assume she hasn't said anything."
"No. She won't. But..." Myka suddenly found it hard to say the words.
"You can't risk anyone else knowing because Artie still think I'm a criminal."
"Yes." Myka replied softly.
"You're not doing anything wrong."
"I know. But Artie doesn't trust you. And I don't want them to find you and rebronze you."
HG smiled broad. "Yet you came."
Myka smirked. "I wanted to see you. We just have to be more careful."
"A clandestine affair then."
"At least until I can convince Artie that you're an asset to the warehouse."
"'The better part of valor is discretion.' Your secret's safe with me." She winked. The lights dimmed in the empty theatre. HG took the opportunity to kiss Myka. She tensed at first, ready to protest. The only way to keep seeing HG was to keep it secret. "We're alone in the dark, Myka." HG whispered. Her simple seduction was successful and Myka relaxed. The theatre door opened and Myka pushed her back. A young girl took a seat in the corner.
HG laughed. "What?" Myka inquired nervously.
"Your lips taste like your candy."
Myka smiled and took a bite of a fresh piece.
The movie ended and they left the theatre. "Films have come a long way since the Lumière brothers."
"You should see one in 3D."
HG raised her eyebrows. "A long way indeed." She began walking, leading Myka away from the parking lot.
"They've made quite a few movies from your books."
"Did they do my work justice?"
"Not really." Myka laughed. "But everyone knows that the movie is never as good as the book."
"Well, are they any good at least?"
"Some of them."
HG though for a moment. "I think it would be terribly awkward to see any of them."
"I think frustrating would probably be more accurate. Film adaptations are notorious for their artistic license with the source material." Myka laughed. "However, in 1938 they adapted The War of the Worlds into a radio broadcast. They convinced the whole country that aliens had really landed in New Jersey and were waging war on humanity. It caused mass hysteria."
HG laughed. "That is rich."
Myka grinned at the sound of her laughter. It was a wonderful sound. "They usually air it on Halloween."
"That's not long from now. Maybe I'll tune in."
They came upon a small park. Through a sward of green cut a brook. The women wandered across the grass toward its bank. HG looked up at the sky. The waning moon barely shown and in the country night the stars littered the blackness with their gentle brilliance. "Now that's something not prone to change."
Myka looked up at the sky for what seemed like the first time. She had been camping many times as a girl, but never had she ever really looked at the sky. But she looked at it now with fresh eyes and marveled. The velvet backdrop shimmered with the quivering light of innumerable silver diamonds. "Wow." She whispered. HG glanced at her and smiled. She turned her gaze back to the heavens. Myka looked at HG and had an inkling. A feeling she dared not yet put words to crept into the deepest recesses of her mind.
"It's comforting knowing that there is a constant in the universe. It makes change much more bearable."
Myka smiled. "It's beautiful. The view here is amazing."
HG looked at Myka with a weighted smile. "It is quite lovely." Myka looked at Wells, not expecting the woman to be smiling at her. She knew that smile, it was the one that made her stomach jump. The flush of her cheeks was lost in the dim light. HG took a small step to be even closer to Myka. She brushed Myka's hand with her soft touch. HG leaned in to kiss her. Myka bit her lip; she stepped back and retreated to a nearby bench. HG followed. "You know I want to, but... I can't risk anyone finding out." She looked at HG next to her with wet eyes. "I don't want to lose you."
HG folder her fingers around Myka's hand. "It's alright, darling. I won't push." She turned a small smile. "Well, maybe a little." Myka laughed. "Let' get you back home before it's too late."
They walked back to Myka's car. "You know how to reach me. If you need anything, just call me."
"Unless you call me first." Myka replied with a grin. HG gave a slight nod. They were quiet. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For understanding."
HG shrugged. "It's only temporary. I'll be back at the warehouse soon and you won't have to be so worrisome." She took Myka's hand in hers. Raising it to her mouth, HG kissed it. "Sweet dreams, Myka."
It was movie night for the warehouse crew. This week was Artie's pick. Despite pleadings and protestations from Pete and Claudia, he had chosen an esoteric Russian film. Even with subtitles Pete couldn't understand what was happening. He spent what time he wasn't eating milk duds creating new dialogue with Claudia. They cracked themselves up, but Artie chastised repeatedly. "Would you be quiet, I'm trying to hear." Myka periodically pointed out mistranslations in the subtitles. Leena sat quietly in the corner stealing all the popcorn.
"Do we have to watch this, Artie? Can we go?" Pete asked. Claudia kept silent, letting Pete take the brunt of Artie's frustration. She was quite clearly hopeful though, with her beseeching smile and puppy dog eyes.
"Yes, children, you have to watch this. If I had to sit through Evil Dead, you can make it through this."
"Evil Dead is a classic. Who's even heard of this movie?"
Artie sighed. "If Evil Dead is a classic, I may never leave the warehouse again."
"It's not that bad, Pete, if you pay attention." Myka added.
"I'm sorry. I'm not a nerd, I can't read that fast."
"Maybe you should branch out to books that don't have pictures." Pete mock laughed. Myka's phone went off. She stared at the screen pensively for a long time. "I have to go." She ran up to her room.
Pete glared at Artie. "She gets to go."
"Fine, fine. Leave. At least then I can have some peace." Pete and Claudia jumped off the couch and ran up the stairs. Leena moved to sit next to Artie. "Am I their boss or their babysitter?" Leena offered the popcorn bowl with a smile.
Myka stood in her room. The message she'd received was a simple one: a phone number signed Helena. Claudia and Pete walked past her door, Claudia boasting that she would kick Pete's ass in whatever game they were going to play. She locked the door before dialing the number. It rang.
"Hello Myka."
"HG?"
"Of course. Who else would it be?"
Myka sat down on the bed, now strangely calmer. "Hi." HG smiled on her end of the line. "You have a phone?"
"Yes. I took your advice and embraced a little bit of progress."
"I'm glad. You saved me from a really bad Russian movie."
HG could hear the smile in Myka's voice and laughed. "Are you free this evening then?"
"I am now."
"Would you like to go out?"
Myka grew apprehensive. "Uh..."
"Meet me at the theatre. I hear motion pictures make for a fitting date. We can see something not in Russian."
"I don't know, HG. It's kinda late. They might wonder-"
"I'll be waiting." HG replied in a cadence that made Myka's insides melt.
Wells hung up; Myka sat on her bed. She held her phone in her hands, staring at it. She bit her lip and looked around. She wanted to go, but there was something nagging at her. A sense of loyalty, a voice in the back of her mind that said this was wrong-Artie's voice. Wells was the enemy, the villain. That voice shifted into HG's melodic tones and Myka heard her say, "You can trust me, Myka." She smiled. For good or ill, she did trust HG. She'd saved Myka's life, saved Claudia's life, she'd gone out of her way-put herself in danger-to prove to Myka that her motives were pure. HG had risked her life twice just to see her. She had more than earned Myka's trust. And she had definitely won Myka's affection. Myka grabbed a light jacket and went to Pete's room.
He was playing xbox alone now. "Where's Claudia?"
Pete paused the game. "She's no match for my skills, hey hey hey. She said something about school work."
Myka smiled, her 'parental shove' being successful.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You got that text and ran to your room. Everything alright?"
"Yes, Pete. I'm fine."
"You sure? Cuz I got kind of a weird vibe."
"I promise, Pete, I'm fine."
"Okay, okay."
Myka waited to see if he had any more remarks. He didn't. "Anyways. I'm going out for a while, I'll be back in a few hours."
"Be careful."
"I'm just going to town to get some air."
"Okay. Just, be careful please."
"I'll be fine. Goodnight, Pete."
Myka parked in the lot next to the theatre. HG met her out front. The most recent movie they had in the three theatre building was almost a year old, but Myka didn't care. HG had already gotten tickets for it. "I took the liberty."
Myka smiled. "Well, I did pay for the last one." HG held the door open for Myka. Wells handed the tickets to the usher while Myka headed for the snack counter. Twizzlers in hand, they took their seats.
"In 1895 I attended the first public showing of a motion picture. It was the most impressive thing I'd seen outside the warehouse."
"We have the camera. Edison's too."
"Edison was a thieving bastard. Though I suppose Nikola had the last laugh. Edison never knew about the warehouse." She smiled at the surreptitious victory of a friend.
Myka chewed on a Twizzler and watched HG. She was beautiful, that was obvious. She was intelligent, clever, witty. There was no justification for her being here, now. Yet through a series of painful and treacherous events, here she was. The female HG Wells, frozen in time for a hundred years. She was a lurid mystery. And she still made Myka nervous. More aptly, being around HG made her nervous. She had slipped up the last time, let herself get carried away. Luckily it had only been Kelly who'd caught them. But it was a mistake that could not be replicated.
HG was aware of Myka's attention. She pretended to examine the small theatre and watch the ads and previews as they flickered past, but she was attentive to Myka's every anxious twitch. "You're quiet this evening."
"Pete's girlfriend saw me kiss you."
"I assume she hasn't said anything."
"No. She won't. But..." Myka suddenly found it hard to say the words.
"You can't risk anyone else knowing because Artie still think I'm a criminal."
"Yes." Myka replied softly.
"You're not doing anything wrong."
"I know. But Artie doesn't trust you. And I don't want them to find you and rebronze you."
HG smiled broad. "Yet you came."
Myka smirked. "I wanted to see you. We just have to be more careful."
"A clandestine affair then."
"At least until I can convince Artie that you're an asset to the warehouse."
"'The better part of valor is discretion.' Your secret's safe with me." She winked. The lights dimmed in the empty theatre. HG took the opportunity to kiss Myka. She tensed at first, ready to protest. The only way to keep seeing HG was to keep it secret. "We're alone in the dark, Myka." HG whispered. Her simple seduction was successful and Myka relaxed. The theatre door opened and Myka pushed her back. A young girl took a seat in the corner.
HG laughed. "What?" Myka inquired nervously.
"Your lips taste like your candy."
Myka smiled and took a bite of a fresh piece.
The movie ended and they left the theatre. "Films have come a long way since the Lumière brothers."
"You should see one in 3D."
HG raised her eyebrows. "A long way indeed." She began walking, leading Myka away from the parking lot.
"They've made quite a few movies from your books."
"Did they do my work justice?"
"Not really." Myka laughed. "But everyone knows that the movie is never as good as the book."
"Well, are they any good at least?"
"Some of them."
HG though for a moment. "I think it would be terribly awkward to see any of them."
"I think frustrating would probably be more accurate. Film adaptations are notorious for their artistic license with the source material." Myka laughed. "However, in 1938 they adapted The War of the Worlds into a radio broadcast. They convinced the whole country that aliens had really landed in New Jersey and were waging war on humanity. It caused mass hysteria."
HG laughed. "That is rich."
Myka grinned at the sound of her laughter. It was a wonderful sound. "They usually air it on Halloween."
"That's not long from now. Maybe I'll tune in."
They came upon a small park. Through a sward of green cut a brook. The women wandered across the grass toward its bank. HG looked up at the sky. The waning moon barely shown and in the country night the stars littered the blackness with their gentle brilliance. "Now that's something not prone to change."
Myka looked up at the sky for what seemed like the first time. She had been camping many times as a girl, but never had she ever really looked at the sky. But she looked at it now with fresh eyes and marveled. The velvet backdrop shimmered with the quivering light of innumerable silver diamonds. "Wow." She whispered. HG glanced at her and smiled. She turned her gaze back to the heavens. Myka looked at HG and had an inkling. A feeling she dared not yet put words to crept into the deepest recesses of her mind.
"It's comforting knowing that there is a constant in the universe. It makes change much more bearable."
Myka smiled. "It's beautiful. The view here is amazing."
HG looked at Myka with a weighted smile. "It is quite lovely." Myka looked at Wells, not expecting the woman to be smiling at her. She knew that smile, it was the one that made her stomach jump. The flush of her cheeks was lost in the dim light. HG took a small step to be even closer to Myka. She brushed Myka's hand with her soft touch. HG leaned in to kiss her. Myka bit her lip; she stepped back and retreated to a nearby bench. HG followed. "You know I want to, but... I can't risk anyone finding out." She looked at HG next to her with wet eyes. "I don't want to lose you."
HG folder her fingers around Myka's hand. "It's alright, darling. I won't push." She turned a small smile. "Well, maybe a little." Myka laughed. "Let' get you back home before it's too late."
They walked back to Myka's car. "You know how to reach me. If you need anything, just call me."
"Unless you call me first." Myka replied with a grin. HG gave a slight nod. They were quiet. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For understanding."
HG shrugged. "It's only temporary. I'll be back at the warehouse soon and you won't have to be so worrisome." She took Myka's hand in hers. Raising it to her mouth, HG kissed it. "Sweet dreams, Myka."