regaining trust is harder than it seems ((Clark, Harry Dresden))

[slayers_desire]

It has been weeks since April's voices were returned to normal, thanks to the efforts of Clark, Ed and Cipher Nine. And while the voices returned to their everyday work, of providing assistance and advice to the Key, it seemed that she wasn't willing to pay attention.

April was scared, truth be told. She was scared in trusting her voices again.

It was J'onn who informed Clark that his wife was refusing to provide advice to the other JLA members. And while no one had suffered yet, it was like the team was missing a big part of their strengths.

Comments

[slayers_desire]

"Maybe I should talk to someone who has this type of experience..." She knows he really wants to help. But he just doesn't know how this feels. It isn't his fault.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"That might help, if you already know someone..." He doesn't think this is something she'd want to ask the whole Nexus about.

[slayers_desire]

It takes a couple of minutes before April thinks of someone appropriate. Someone who lives with his own demons.

"I think I do."

"Could you handle the kids?"

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"I can manage." He gives her another hug. It's hard to accept that he can't help her with this, but he's glad she knows someone who can.

[slayers_desire]

"Thanks." She gives him a kiss, thankful for his support and love.

Then pulls out her PINpoint to dial Harry Dresden's number.

[thepizzalord]

Flying through space used to be awesome every moment, but now it's just routine. Harry pays little attention to the view out the ports, focusing instead on a borrowed tome, looking for inspiration on spells to try against the Collectors. He looks up when the rotary phone on his desk rings, and picks it up, tucking it between his ear and shoulder. "Harry Dresden."

[slayers_desire]

"Hi Harry. It's April here." She moves away from the blank canvas.

"I was wondering if you had a free moment to see me."

[thepizzalord]

"See you?" The way she phrased that was a little odd, but it's more her tone of voice that tips him off. Something ain't right. "Sure, we've got several hours before we exit the relay. Who's coming to see who?"

[slayers_desire]

"If I am able to come see you, it might be more private. Much as I love the kids, they can create some chaos," replied April.

[thepizzalord]

"Hang on a minute." Harry puts his hand over the receiver and speaks towards the ceiling, although April will be able to hear. "Hey, EDI. You care if I bring a guest onboard?"

A smooth female voice responds. "Am I correct in my assumption that your guest will be arriving through less than conventional means?"

"Well, yeah," Harry admits.

"You realize that protocol demands that all arrivals must go through strict decontamination."

"Hell's bells, EDI, she's not gonna bring anything onboard with her. Besides, you know Shepard, if we follow protocol it's a miracle."

[slayers_desire]

April would rather not have to go through decontamination. She manages a small smile at the overheard conversation.

[thepizzalord]

"If you are determined to circumvent protocol, I can do little to stop you," EDI replies.

"But let me guess, you're gonna report this to Shepard, right?"

"That is likely."

"Well just don't sound an intruder alarm or whatever. It'll be fine. I accept full responsibility for anything that happens because of her, okay?"

"As I said, I can do little to stop you."

"Fantastic." Harry removes his hand from the phone and speaks to April again. "All right, got the go-ahead from mother dearest here. I'll send you the coordinates."

[slayers_desire]

"Thank you Harry. I will be right over." Her phone dings with the coordinates, and she quickly grabs her ready-to-go backpack for the journey.

"I'm stepping out to another universe.... love you!" She calls out to Clark.

[thepizzalord]

Clark rarely thinks about how odd that sounds anymore. "Stay safe!" he calls back, sending a little wave of love over the bond, and hoping that she finds what she's looking for.

The SSV Normandy SR-2 is a fairly spacious ship, rebuilt from the ground up to be more luxurious than the first version, which was a purely military vessel. The decks and bulkheads are shining clean, mostly black with silver and white trim, and blue and white lighting. It used to be a very sterile space, absent of any life or clutter.

Harry has done his very best to change that. His lab features a long workbench running through the center, topped with what looks like an old-fashioned chemistry set with beakers and flasks. The workbench itself is a mess at the moment, strewn with random garbage and with a pot of something bubbling away over an electric burner.

Against the wall are hundreds of small storage cabinets, each one marked with a handwritten label on some kind of futuristic tape: Bus tickets. Broken electronics. Newspaper clippings. Thermal clips. And many, many more. Most of it looks like random junk that no one would ever want to hold onto. Another wall holds a bookshelf that's mostly empty at the moment, but he's slowly been accumulating dusty old books, held upright by an improvised bookend, a big glass jar of dirt labeled Earth.

Harry himself is sitting at the workbench on one of the padded leather chairs bolted to the deck, and he waves when she appears. "Welcome to my lair."

[slayers_desire]

"What a very interesting lair it is..." April studies her surroundings carefully. She can see that Harry definitely lives in his own environment. And has made this place his home, as best as he can.

[thepizzalord]

There's a low rumble coming through the floor, a droning sort of sound that never stops, but Harry doesn't act like anything's out of the ordinary. "Sorry for the mess."

[slayers_desire]

"I have seen messier." She frowns at the low rumble for a moment. One of the difficulties of tuning out her own voices is not knowing if she is in immediate danger.

"So, I should explain why I wanted to speak to you."

"A living virus got into my mind, and infected my internal voices. And now, even when it is gone, I still can't trust myself."

[thepizzalord]

"A living virus?" That sounds serious, and he gestures to the chair next to him. Looks like this might be a long talk.

[slayers_desire]

"A creature that was created from human, demon and technology named Adam. He invaded my mind."

[thepizzalord]

"And he altered your clairvoyance somehow? How?"

[slayers_desire]

"My clairvoyance is a living entity itself. And he infected the voices, so that they would deceive me. A life... was taken because of an erred vision."

[thepizzalord]

"Hell's bells. April, I'm sorry." Harry's no stranger to killing, but it really sucks to have someone die who didn't deserve it, especially if it was an accident.

[slayers_desire]

"Clark, and two close friends of mine, went into my mind to battle Adam, the thing that infected me...."

"And they did defeat him..."

"But I am still so scared..."

[thepizzalord]

"If he's gone, what's scarin' you?"

[slayers_desire]

"That I will hurt someone again..."