Previously –
In the reception room the girl with the glowing tattoos was hunched over Jeeves. Aura, Donna called her and she looked as though she was fishing inside him with a line of light. Suddenly several demonic snake-like creatures were pulled free from the body. Donna gestured and they exploded into dust. Aura smiled and pulled out a dark glowing red glyph… “Is there a reason this man is possessed or can I dispose of this psychic lure as well?”
Mary, unable to speak, merely nodded as Donna disposed of Jeeves’ curse as well.
Now –
When she could bring herself to speak, Mary thanked Aura profusely for her double-healing of Edward, and expressed a deep interest in the form of magic that she used. Akira also asked “How did you do that?” Akira had heard of mystical healing but other than Mary’s harp had never seen any mystical healing in action; and he’d never witnessed anyone healing in such a spectacular manner.
Jeeves’ colour was already returning, but that was the least of it. Had the affliction which he’d suffered under for so long truly been lifted? One nod of Akira’s mystical senses confirmed it; impressive.
Aura smiled. For a second she seemed to listen though nobody was speaking, her head slightly tilted as she answered Akira’s unspoken statement. “Yes it is, isn’t it.” She turned back to Mary, “Its’ a gift, not a skill or a technique. It’s not really a power as you know it. I’m not a meta-human and I don’t know magic yet, somehow I have always been able to create threads of light. My Gran’mama, bless her soul, used to say that these were intertwined with and powered by my aura. I can manipulate these threads in any way I can conceive. I don’t really heal – I can’t mend bones or remove cancer or anything useful like that but I can pierce or remove things that shouldn’t be, such as the old man’s mystical attackers or his curse…”
Donna came over and put her hand on her shoulder. “Hence why we call her Aura!”
Aura smiled again and looked back at Akira. Her eyes momentarily filled with light; “You’re exhausted!”
Akira’s lack of sleep was catching up with him, together with the stress and exertion of their ‘field trip’ he desperately needed to lie down and get some sleep.
He nodded and took his leave with a “Sorry everyone I need some shuteye. Catch you later…”
Having then made sure that Edward was now truly well (and demon-free) herself, Mary turned her attention to Donna and the rest of the rescuees, wondering what they wanted to make of their lives now that they are free.
Donna seemed for one so young remarkably confident and competent (and no doubt she would inherit comfortably from her grandfather) – but the Balance would no doubt be more than willing to offer any needed assistance in their resettlement, wherever that would be…
But that would be a discussion for later. For now it would be better if they were left to relax and get some sleep down in the rec room with sleeping bags and some snacks.
Even with Edward healed Mary still has a strong interest in identifying and locating the fae-woman who’d cursed him – the Unseelie ambassador whoever she was? There would be a reckoning someday, she promised.
As the others started to leave the reception room; with Sam helping Adam load the Raft onto the trailer for dragging back through to the hangar, she wondered what had happened to their ghost in residence. Since their return there had been no sign of the good doctor. Was he permanently gone, or just whilst his granddaughter was here? Time would tell.
She wandered to young Mary’s room and saw the note on the door. She read it quickly. Young Mary had apparently gone to Newcastle in search of relatives; her aunt to be precise. There was an address.
Mary’s first instinct was to follow, but – thinking about Abyss and the advisability of travelling in the Abyss-resisting flyer – realised she would need to talk with Adam. Had he fully recovered from all that hit him on the expedition? Would he be available to take Mary north?
She headed to the hangar where Adam and Mikey were busy dismantling the gun array from the Raft. Sam admitted he would need some sleep first and needed an hour at least to make the Raft fully flight-compliant after that. Midday? Mary nodded and headed back to her container, catching up with a bright-eyed and exuberant Edward on the way.
After pulling the trailer back to the hangar, Sam gathered up all of the portable weapons and remaining grenades and took them down to lock in the armoury. However before he locked all the weapons away he decided that at least one freeze ray should always be in the Raft, at least until Abyss was taken care of he thought. He should also arrange for Adam to store the Raft weaponry once detached there as well. Waste not, want not…
Back in the residential section of the base, Akira had one more thing to do before bed; now that everyone had left, he crept back into the white room looking for the spirit of Doctor Avery. He looked around the room. Nothing, the room was empty. He turned to leave and out of the corner of his eye saw the spirit fade in.
Akira sat down cross legged and astrally projected himself so he could speak with the dead doctor. Wow, what a power boost, his aura felt stronger, more powerful. Something had changed in him, but what? The faceless ghost nodded.
The energy in him was boosted somehow but… He realised that the Doctor had rewarded him (them?) somehow, in some way, as a thank you. He felt more powerful. No need to ask, he was obviously satisfied by their outcome. He tried to explain what had happened then realised there was no need; strangely the ghost already had a grasp of the broad outline of their most recent adventure.
It was clear however that Doctor Arcane wasn’t ready for Donna to know about his existence as a ghost, just yet. Projecting himself back into his body, he nodded his thanks and headed off to bed.
Midday and Donna and her Amazons were still in the land of Nod. Mary yawned as she headed to the hangar expecting Adam to be still asleep. Instead she found him smiling and wandering round. From the corner of the room came a wolfish growl… What the..?
Adam smiled. “Ah, have you meet Hercules yet, Mikey’s pet guard dog..?” as he spoke a large creature stepped out of the shadow and sniffed. It was a metallic dog, the size of a wolfhound; a quadruped robot programmed to act and sound like a dog. It wandered over and gently licked her hand. “Ah, Mikey programmed him to recognise friends by DNA; you’re now in his Friend not Foe database. Now stay…” The robotic dog nodded and gently barked consent and retreated back into the shadows.
“Ok so Newcastle? You got an address?”
Still slightly shocked, Mary nodded and got in the back of the Raft. As they took off she started to wonder what she would say and how she’d support young Mary if she finally found her dada? She stretched out her legs and found Sam’s note telling her that the freeze ray was in the rear storage compartment. Good to know.
Superhero Adventures, UK Style 