Stan's adjunct office: investigating a cold case

[Stan Bowen]

Stan rubbed his chin, running through the possibilities.

"Are we sure she is sufficiently healed to survive a temperature rise? She seems to be subconsciously fighting the temperature rise.."

[Narrator]

"We can confirm that fairly easily," Lingstrom said, bringing the temperature back down. After taking some pictures, and conferring with some others, Lingstrom frowned, "She should be fine. I mean, there is some corrective work we may have to do, but she's in little danger. But her brain is responding to enforce the cryopreservative state. A self-defense mechanism maybe?"

[Stan Bowen]

"Possibly.. We might need some psychic probing to find out what's going on in her mind.."

[Narrator]

"Who should we page? I can bring in one of our staff telepaths, but given her strong reactions to interference, maybe a telepath or telepaths that she knows might serve better."

[Stan Bowen]

Stan thought a moment.

"I'll call up Samantha McManus."

((Time passes))

[Samantha McManus]

"I came as quickly as I could, Stan." Ms. McManus said as she was shown in.

[Stan Bowen]

Stan smiled, giving her a warm welcome back.

"Thanks for coming back, Sam.. We're at a bit of a wall here."

[Samantha McManus]

"I was told she's responding, but perhaps not the way you expected?"

[Stan Bowen]

He nodded.

"She's resisting any induced temperature rise.. Her subconscious is blocking our efforts to begin surgery. Can you go in, see if you can find out what is keeping her power active and ease it up?"

He was running out of options, and he looked it.

[Samantha McManus]

"If I can get enough of a hold. She was pretty far under when we started."

[Stan Bowen]

"We've been able to patch her up for now, and she is showing some increased brain activity. I'd think it is worth a try."

[Samantha McManus]

"I'm more than happy to help any way I can, Stan. She's a friend."

[Stan Bowen]

"Stay in contact with us, if you can.. It will help us to begin treatment.."

[Samantha McManus]

She nodded, reaching out with her mind to try to make contact.

[Natalya Romanov]

Natalya's mind was slow to respond. Sorting through the immediate surface, Sam could find only one intense directive: "Must stay cold." The intensity was such that Natalya must have directed all her will to accomplish the task and then her subconscious had laid hold to the command after her cognitive functions had gone dormant.

Her mind was still semi-working underneath that and Sam could the first layer of Natalya's mental defenses. It was a snow-covered city with a building that looked remarkably like the Kremlin at its center. On some of the street corners, men stood in trench-coats or thick Russian-style overcoats, huddled against the cold. Their movements were sluggish, but they would occasionally meet, something would be exchanged and then they would move apart again.

[Samantha McManus]

Her avatar touched down in the midst of this, the flock spreading out to try to get a feel for the flow of it.

[Natalya Romanov]

It all looked very much like something out of a Cold War spy novel or movie with the distinct exception that there were no normal people for the spies to blend into. The flow of passed items seemed pretty regular. Then the flock noted two men that weren't moving with the others. Both were in trench coats and she could swear that one of them looked very much like Gary Oldman and the other like Sir Alec Guinness. They seemed to be watching the others move and smoking occasionally.

[Samantha McManus]

Slowly, she made her way through the crowd toward that pair.

[Natalya Romanov]

As she approached, they dropped their cigarettes in perfect unison, crushing them out with the toes of their shoes. Hands shoved into coat pockets, they waited until she was within "earshot."

"Not sure why you're here," said Oldman.

"No instructions concerning you," said Guinness.

[Samantha McManus]

"Imagine the lot of you are circling the wagons. I'm here to help."

[Natalya Romanov]

"N gave instructions to lock down the Circus."

"So that's what we've done. Haven't heard from N since."

"So we operate on our last orders."

[Samantha McManus]

"N got made. I'm extraction."

[Natalya Romanov]

They looked at each other and Oldman pulled his hand out of his pocket, revealing a deck of cards. He started rifling through them, keeping the faces where he thought Sam couldn't see. Guinness returned to watching her. After a bit, Oldman nudged Guinness and showed him something. Guinness studied the card and then Sam before nodding. "It appears you're on the list." Oldman flipped the card around in two fingers, the Queen of Spades with a red-feathered crow on it.

****

In the real world, something odd was happening. The two ice constructs had made a reappearance and were sitting coiled up on Natalya's forearms, 'watching' the room.

[Samantha McManus]

"Had a feeling I was still on the books."

"We've got something put together, but it's not going to work unless N plays ball, here."

[Stan Bowen]

Back in the real world, Stan instructed the medical team to keep their distance, as he observed the constructs for movement.

[Natalya Romanov]

"N sets the game. She dislikes being dictated to."

"But N hasn't been communicating. Perhaps we should let Morrigan through. She is on the list."

****
One of the constructs sprouted fangs and the other construct looked at it. After a moment, the other construct's fangs receded.

[Samantha McManus]

"I don't think you want to play that game with me."

[Natalya Romanov]

"We do not play games. This is our job."

"Oh, come off it George. I'm making the decision. She goes through. Right this way, Morrigan." He gestured towards the central building.

Guinness reached up and touched his ear. "Red Crow coming in to see the boss."

[Samantha McManus]

Samantha's avatar shook her head, and walked where indicated.

[Natalya Romanov]

With the two of them beside her, she wasn't accosted as she passed through the outer part of the structure, but as she did so, the air got colder and her two companions seemed to be having trouble moving. Finally, they had to stop and just point the way ahead. "I think you'll find N through there, but I don't know any more than that."

****
In the real world, the two constructs began to look less fluid and more like carved ice sculptures.

[Stan Bowen]

Stan, meanwhile, kept an eye on all the readouts pointing to Natalya's external condition.

"Careful, everyone.. If the ice constructs react, do not respond.. Let it play out.."

[Samantha McManus]

Her guard up, Samantha made her way down the corridor.

[Natalya Romanov]

Ice coated the walls and made slick patches on the floor that Sam could see memories in. The hallways twisted around on her several times, but eventually she ended up in central command. There, encased in a block of ice, was Natalya or rather a representation of her. She was curled up knees-to-chest. It looked like the room might ordinarily be some sort of functioning office, but all the desks where encased in ice now and no one worked at them.

[Samantha McManus]

"...poor dear," she murmured, approaching the block.

[Natalya Romanov]

She could sense the conscious thought slumbering within. The ice wasn't really an impediment to the contact, but it was keeping her from functioning.

[Samantha McManus]

She put her hand on the ice, the flock perching around and atop it.

"You're safe. We found you. We need you to stop fighting us."

[Natalya Romanov]

"Can't. I'll die." There was absolute conviction behind that thought.

[Samantha McManus]

"Stan's here. You remember Stan, aye?"

[Natalya Romanov]

There was a long pause and Sam could sense her struggle to form other thoughts. "Yes... yes... I remember Stan."

[Samantha McManus]

"Stan's been working to save you. He's got you nearly stable, but he'll have to raise the temperature."