Fic: Chase the Morning {35/37}
Chapter Two: Mourning
Date: February 14, 8 A.I. [2008]
Location: Old City Sanctuary, Old City, B.C., Canada
There was a somber air among the residents of the Old City Sanctuary as they officially mourned the loss of their one-time leader Helen Magnus. The memorial service was held in the chapel adjoining the Sanctuary, and a camera had been set up that would broadcast the ceremony to the Sanctuary Network and the rest of the Tau’ri Alliance. A picture of Helen had been set on a pedestal, the frame a simple matte black. The photo was one that had been taken a few years before the Invasion, when both she and Ashley were still alive. It was a candid shot, showing Helen sitting near the fireplace in her office, holding a book in her hands as she read from it. The firelight made her hair take on various shades of chocolate brown, intermixed with gold and copper. She looked at peace with the world, entirely unaware of the photograph having ever been taken.
John, Nikola, Henry, and Will sat in the front row of chairs while the Big Guy gave Helen’s eulogy; the rest of the Sanctuary staff were arranged in the chairs around them. Peter, Sasha, and a few other Abnormals from Atlantis and the SGC sat in the back of the room, each privately remembering the amazing woman who had inspired so many over her long and illustrious lifetime.
‘Helen Magnus was more than just the leader of the Sanctuary Network,’ Will said when it came his turn to speak. ‘She was a friend to all she met. It took quite a lot for her to even dislike you, but Heaven help you if you got on her bad side. Magnus was protective to the point of sacrificing herself; I can recount more than one time where she’d nearly worked herself to exhaustion, and yet still found the strength to carry on in search of an elusive answer to the problem she was currently working on. She had more strength than I can ever imagine having, and I don’t know if I’ll ever meet someone with as brilliant a mind and strong a character as she had.
‘She touched many lives, most for the better. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for her, and I’m sure many of the rest of us could say the same thing. Helen Magnus will never be forgotten, and I truly believe that she far exceeded the promise of “Sanctuary for All”, even when the world went to Hell and back. Her legacy allowed us to conquer the Wraith, and for that, I’ll be ever grateful. To Helen Magnus, may her spirit live on in all of us.’
The SGC and Atlantis held memorial services as well, remembering those who had given their lives in the pursuit of freedom from the Wraith. It was a mixed bunch of civilians and soldiers who helped bury the dead, including those who had been found in the Strongholds across the world. Not every grave had a name carved on its marker, but once all the bodies were interred in the ground, there was a generic service held for them all, commending their spirits to whatever higher power the specific person had believed in. The weather was appropriately somber as well; grey clouds created an overcast pall overhead that soon unleashed a light dusting of snow, gilding the freshly turned earth with fine silvery-white powder. The mourners left soon afterwards, returning to their homes as the sky released its cleansing burden on the earth below.
A lone figure stood vigil at a hand-hewn gravestone in the shattered remnants of London, his black leather duster buttoned tight against the chill wind that whistled through the abandoned buildings nearby. John stared down at the rough stone in front of him, blue eyes hooded in grief. It might be considered foolish, coming here alone, but he didn’t care. He could take care of himself if needed. A flash of blue-white light that signaled the appearance of an Asgard transport beam didn’t faze him; he barely looked up when the sound of footsteps crunched over the freshly fallen snow, coming ever nearer to him.
‘I wanted to see for myself,’ Nikola said softly. ‘But I can leave if you want to be alone.’
‘No, stay.’ John replied, surprising even himself. He wasn’t one to share his feelings much, but for the moment, he didn’t care if Nikola saw him grieve. It was quite a change from how he used to be, John reflected, and smiled inwardly. Helen seemed to be able to continue to change him, even from beyond the grave.
Nikola didn’t say anything but merely nodded, joining John in his silent vigil for the woman they had both loved and lost.