OOM: June 2012, Geneva, Switzerland

[timelessinventor]

Helena disconnects Joshua's phone (to the faint sounds of Claudia swearing on the other end; she does hope she's not too put out) and weighs her options. She's probably best off tying him to the bed, just to be sure; she wouldn't want him taking off before she gets a chance to explain herself, after all. That decided, she makes short work of doing so (...what in the world is this... stuffed thing? Ah, well, it can just - rest on his chest, then).

When she's done, she settles in on the other side of his bed and waits for him to wake up.

Comments

[damncompass]

Joshua wakes up slowly, wiggling a bit, and realizing that he's tied up. The beer-molecule on his chest falls to the side, as he moves a bit. "Ugh. what the...." Yeah. He's got nothin'.

[timelessinventor]

Oh, good. "Are we awake?" she says, glancing down at him.

[damncompass]

"I dunno about you, but I'm getting there." He tries to sit up, but being tied to the bed really precludes that. "So, uh, what did I do that gets Lara Croft to Tesla me and tie me to my bed?" Because this is starting to feel like the beginning of a really bad internet porn fanfic.

[timelessinventor]

"I'm sorry, who?" What smile was on her face drops away; she's never heard of... whoever that is.

[damncompass]

"Lara Croft? Your... outfit?" Joshua has now confused himself.

[timelessinventor]

At that, Helena nods. "Ah. Myka did say something about an American movie. I'm beginning to suspect the Internet steered me wrong."

[damncompass]

"If the internet had steered you right, I'd be afraid." Joshua sighs. "It's more of a video game than a movie, but that's probably irrelevant at the moment." He pauses, just looking up at her. "So, uh, not-Lara Croft, why do you want a sleepy half-witted physicist?"

[timelessinventor]

Helena doesn't know how a video can also be a game, but that's beside the point; she puts on her best earnest face and says, "I have reason to believe you can help me."

[damncompass]

"Why do you need a physicist?" Joshua blinks a few times, trying to get the rest of the sleepiness out of his brain. "I'm not really that helpful, when it comes down to it. I don't do the teleportation thing anymore."

[timelessinventor]

"But you are researching time travel, are you not?" Helena may not have stayed for the whole conversation, but Claudia was quite clear on that point, as she recalls.

[damncompass]

Joshua just flops backwards onto the bed, not even trying to hold himself up any more. "I... it's not workable. It's just molecular. I don't even know if I could do anything with it."

[timelessinventor]

"But... but there must be a way," Helena says, half to herself. "I've tried everything I can think of, there has to be a way to bring her back..."

[damncompass]

"Who're you trying to bring back?" Joshua is now a bit lost.

[timelessinventor]

"My daughter." The only person she's ever been this compelled to save (the only person she's ever truly let down).

[damncompass]

"Oh." Joshua winces. "What happened to her?" If she's that important, he's not sure if he'd trust his un-tried process on her anyway.

[timelessinventor]

"She..." Helena sighs. "She was killed." But there must be a way to set that right. She knows it in her bones.

[damncompass]

"Shit, I'm sorry." He tries to sit up again, but, well... "Hey, can you untie me? I'm even less help if I'm tied to a bed."

[timelessinventor]

"Oh, all right," she says (at the very least, she thinks it's safe to say he won't run off), and obliges.

[damncompass]

"Ugh. Could at least buy a guy dinner first." He rubs his wrists and sits up.

[timelessinventor]

"Perhaps I will afterward. You never can tell." This is Helena's innocent face!

[damncompass]

"Uh. More on that later." Joshua eyes her for a moment, then shakes his head. "Anyway...."

Before he can say anything else, there's a vibrating coming from his desk across the room, then a fairly loud thunk. His Artifact Detector has rolled off of its little nest on his desk and fallen onto the floor.

"What the hell?" Joshua stands up, and in the process, looks out his window to see five feet of snow. He stops, just as he's about to pick up the ball. "I repeat, what the hell?"

[timelessinventor]

Helena doesn't follow his gaze; that ball on the floor is quite captivating, as it happens (is it pointing at her? No, that's ridiculous; why would it be pointing at her?). "What on earth is that thing?"

[damncompass]

"Artifact detector." He picks it up, and it calms down. "I didn't think it had much range.... but it's snowing cats and dogs out there. That has to be Artifacty." Joshua is sincerely confused.

[timelessinventor]

"Fascinating. Did you make it?" But before she can wait for an answer, she does look out the window, and suddenly she's fighting a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach (no, no, it can't be because... but what if it is?). "Oh my."

[damncompass]

"Sort of, I wish I could take more credit for it...." He trails off as he notices her emotion. "What?"