"Aviary, understood. Can you release only one from stasis? Or do you have to release them both?"
"Nissa, we may need all the healing abilities we can get. Is there anyone else up top that can handle potential medical emergencies? I confess I'm still in a bit of a fog from the... the transition."
Nissa says, She thinks he knows healing magic, but isn’t sure. She gets Legato and Charles as well, though not as loudly. “We’re about to wake two tiny men from cryogenic sleep. Assistance may be needed.”
The sound of his daughter's cry shakes the godling from his social duties and runs to meet Nissa.
"Okay. I'm here! I'm ready! My gut is telling me I have two more energy channels in me today. Hopefully that's all we'll need."
Nissa is optimistic. “Okay… I got nuthin’ for life-saving magic. But besides warming them if they’re cold, I can greet them.” She wonders if she should have stopped at ‘warming.’ “Y’know… because I don’t tower over them. So they maybe won’t feel…
“Well, how I felt the first time I woke up like this.”
The Utopians did not send a Healer with you. They didn't expect you'd need one and didn't trust Theo not to break their minds with his godly charm.
"mm. I blew all my vitality boost with you lot earlier today. I'm tapped out. I don't have a first aid kit, though I could wing something if I had one."
The disadvantage of an enhanced olfactory system is that unpleasant smells are all the more overpowering... but Charles have a constitution even hardier than their form would suggest, so they're able to push through the scent without retching.
"We can restrain if needed," they growl, "but we only have a medpatch in the way of medicines."
”Aviary, please provide readings regarding their current physiological status.”
”Nissa, sounds like… your dad has the best chance to aid them outside of mundane medicine. We will ready to end stasis when he joins us. We will worry about their size later - I suspect the magic will wear off after the stasis effect is ended.”
Aviary confirms that their biological status hasn't changed in 687 years. "Hamel D'Avignon is still underweight, undernourished, and substance dependent and Ta-Hashar is still magically unconscious but neither had other medical health issues at the time they went into stasis. Time has essentially stopped within the Nest for seven centuries."
As soon as the stasis field ends, Henri feels a tingle, like those he's been feeling, but closer, a little stronger. He's pretty sure he's sensing another person connected to Aviary, but the signal is weak.
With that Henri can give consent to suspending the stasis field.
The field shuts down and time reactivates in the chamber. Nissa would not have been able to enter it before, but she could now, being an appropriate height.
When the six-inch-tall Hamel sees tiny Nissa his eyes bug out with surprise, but he adjusts quickly. It's not the first time he's seen a fairy, just not where he expected to see one.
"Ça a marché!" Hamel d'Avignon shouts. He smacks the ass of the unconscious Ta-Hashar who he carries over his shoulders and says, "On a réussi!"
"It worked!" comes the translation from Communicator Kate who is standing at the limits of her range for this kind of thing (as far away from the smell as possible). "We did it!"
Ta-Hashar, the Atlantean, remains unconscious.
Hamel feels the stasis-sickness coming at him.
He stumbles forward, gags at the smell of eggs, and swallows whatever he almost spit out. Winces in disgust at the taste of his own vomit.
"Vous êtes ici pour nous sauver, n'est-ce pas?" Hamel asks.
"You're here to rescue us, aren't you?" comes the translation.
Henri leans in to peer at the men. "We are, but a storm comes this way. We need to get you somewhere safe quickly."
He stands to ask, "Aviary, is there a shelter we can utilize to avoid this storm?" Kate the Communicator - will the aircraft be safe in the storm or do we need to depart? Please ask Henri the Pilot. Forgive me for not being more formal.
"I can block up a hole, or a roof, or a wall if there be a need. I'll have to sit and maintain tho- I dunno how scary storms are here. But too many of us for my shelter anyway."
Aviary replies, in Henri's head, "I do not have the energy to maintain temperatures at life-sustaining levels during the extreme cold that accompanies these storms."
"We need to leave NOW or we need to stay here and find a way to keep warm," says the Director through Kate.
Nissa smiles pleasantly. “Yes, this is a rescue. I think we should leave immediately.” Pointing to a big person (most likely her dad), she asks, “Do you mind being carried? I believe this world has cooled considerably over the past 680 years, and we need to leave this place.” Like the Director said: “Now.”
Just to be safe, she suggests, “If you have the ability to stay tiny, please do. I don’t recall the aircraft having any empty seats.”
"You're going to carry us?" Hamel laughs and then steps forward to the edge of the Nest. Nest 000007 is not level to the stair and is a long way down. He looks up. "I left a rope ladder there. Weird."
Looking up he sees Theo and Henri and Charles and Legato. "Oh! One of them will carry us! That makes sense. Wild."
Who carries 6 inch tall Hamel and Ta-Hashar to the ship and how?
"Come along, gentlemen", Theo boomed down at the living action figures. The godling lowered his hands, if they decided to get on, Theo gently covers his other hand over the other: to help shield the passangers while making sure they don't fall.
"Just ask Nissa; you're in good hands", Theo smiled.
”It has been many years, mon ami. There’s a lot we can learn from each other.”
He looks up at the room in general and says, ”Aviary, we will return. I intend to find means to recharge your energy stores.”
Nissa gladly vouches for her Dad, but thinks her rebirth story is a bit much to hear after a seven-century nap.
“He’s very protective. And he has healing magic if your friend is hurt. I noticed you were carrying him in stasis. Did he faint because of the shrinking… spell, I guess? Or was he already unconscious and you made your move to save him along with yourself?”
She gets the feeling the Atlantean failed to appreciate what a true friend Hamel is. She also recalls Hamel had a family.
The poor guy… I wonder if it hit him yet, that he has outlived…
Standing on Theo's hand he puts Ta-Hashar down softly and looks at the godling. He's all smiles and big gestures despite his small size. His voice is a squeak, but the meanings come through Kate.
"Ha! Faint! I hit him over the head with a malfunctioning stasis tube in the workshop and dragged him into the Aviary," says Hamel, pleased with any surprised looks he sees. He continues to speak something that resembles Earth French but not quite. "A storm was coming in and our ride never showed. He wanted to try to make it to Utopia on foot and was going to try it alone. I convinced Aviary to let us in one of the stasis pods instead. Cold can't hurt you if you are suspended in time!"
He taps a finger to his head to demonstrate he's a thinker.
"I saved his life," Hamel continues, "Guess that makes me some kind of hero! Um, say, the sky is still black. You guys must have gotten here quick if the bioscrubbers haven't even started to work yet. I was afraid we'd be stuck in there for months. Which branch of the Services are you with?"
He begins to look around at the Utopians, the age of the vehicle, the lack of uniforms, the wear and tear on the ancient structure.
If they have pennies where he is from, the penny is about to drop.
Ta-Hashar begins to wake, vomits into Theo's hand, wipes his mouth, and stands up looking VERY confused.
"Ehh." Theo groans to himself as he feels the minute pool of sick on his hand he can't wipe off.
”Perhaps you should heal the unconscious man, Theo. He’s likely to be unhappy with Hamel, so let me carry the ‘hero’ as we exit. Hamel, how long will your magic keep you at you current size? As for the bioscrubbers, we both have questions that will have to wait.”
Theo nods to Henri.
Speaking to his hands, Theo bellows "Okay, Gentlemen. If you can, clench."
The godling lets off a channel energy from his hands.
Ta-Hashar shakes off the disorientation left behind once his stasis-sickness and his concussion is magically healed. He stands on the pad of Theo's thumb, looks up at Theo and says, "Oh ... my .... God!" in Atlantean.
Once the astonishment is translated to Theo, the godling smirks to himself and uses ghost sounds to create an awe-inspiring swell of music.
"Greetings, Atlanteans."
"I am Theo Nephus. On my world I am known as The Olympian."
"I am a godling. Half-mortal son of Zeus, King of Olympus."
"And I bid you, Welcome to Utopia."
Henri nods and tries to urge the others toward the entry. "Good job, Theo, let's go. Time for introductions later."
"Oh! Okay!" Theo takes the amazed Atlanteans in hand and make for the entry.
Hamel squeaks, "C'est un Atlantean. Je suis d'Avignon."
Kate doesn't translate because she's explaining the whole Theo being a God thing to the host Utopians.
Everyone piles into vehicles, your party into the one they came in and the Hosts in one of their own. Time to abandon the site until the storm clears.
Aviary says, "I'm having trouble communicating with Hamel. Please tell him he owes me 52,244,000,000 birds. They play Hamel's promise from 687 years before. "Hamel: Tell you what, I'll find you a million birds when I get out of here, for each egg you have to sacrifice to keep us alive."
Aviary plays it again:
"Hamel: Tell you what, I'll find you a million birds when I get out of here, for each egg you have to sacrifice to keep us alive."
"I estimate 52,244 of those eggs would have resulted in living birds. He has promised 52 billion birds to Utopia."
Henri translates, "Hamel is not Atlantean. He is from Avignon."
He looks over at the buildings, not sure how to address Aviary best. "I will make sure Hamel remembers his promise, Aviary. I fully intend to return as I said earlier."
Henri translates, "Hamel is not Atlantean. He is from Avignon."
"Wait!" Theo exclaims. "Avignon? Does he mean Avalon?! Arthur? Merlin? Round Table?!!"
"Merlin d'Avalon? Mais, non!" says Hamel. He obviously thinks very little of Merlin of Avalon. "Les meilleurs magiciens sont d'Avignon."
"Merlin d'Avalon? Mais, non!" says Hamel. He obviously thinks very little of Merlin of Avalon. "Les meilleurs magiciens sont d'Avignon."
Henri translates, "It would appear that Avalon and Avignon are not the same region. And he thinks little of Merlin's prowess compared to that of his countrymen. If I understood his tone, anyway - the languages are not quite the same."
Nissa almost sits on Theo’s hand, but it’s pukey. She flutter’s somewhat close.
Kate, Communicators, please don’t translate any questions the Atlantean may have about his newly-discovered, possibly-permanent shrinkage. I know from experience it’s a shock, and his shrunken form doesn’t even have wings, the poor man!
From her tone, it may be apparent she is relaxing the little guy, as opposed to telling him everything. Her name is the first thing she says.
He blushes a little.
Hamel listens to Henri translate into English and then nods, "Oui, c'est ça."
Legato chews bubble gum and simply waits for the folks to chat their way to a solution. However, upon the puke he snaps his finger and cleans it for Theo. What little there was
Theo looks down at his clean hands, then Legato. "Thanks, man."
Nissa sees the vomit magically disappear, so she sits near the blushing Ta-Hashar.
She smiles warmly at the man. But then her facial expression becomes serious.
Hamel is pretending he doesn't understand Atlantean just as much as he pretends he doesn't understand English. "Que s'est-il passé ici? he says, gesturing to the structures which look terribly worn out compared to how they must have looked 687 years ago, despite the preservation efforts of the Utopians and the superior technology of whomever built them.
The ship lifts into the air. You can see gloom in the direction of Utopia and darker gloom coming from the other direction. The ship races into the merely gloomy gloom. Pilot Henri doesn't offer to let Henri drive this time.
Henri is not disappointed that Pilot Henri did not offer. But he studies the more practiced Pilot and his technique as he works.
Henri can feel the presence of the ship. It doesn't speak to him like Aviary does but it feels like the potential is there ... like silence on a telephone line ... a connection, but nothing is there. He also feels something else ...
Henri stops watching Pilot Henri and focuses on this new presence...
Charles follow along silently for the time being, debating what to say. Eventually they decide on clearing up one misunderstanding first.
"We didn't actually expect to find you there," they admit to the two former stasis refugees. "We're not from... anywhere you're likely familiar with, so we're not with any 'Services' as you called them."
"N'êtes-vous pas venu pour nous sauver?" asks Hamel. "Lucky us!"
Hamel climbs up on to Theo's shoulder and lights something that smells kind of funny. It's so small that only Theo, Hamel, and Ta-Hashar can smell it. He looks around the ship.
"Where art thou from?" he asks, "Je connais plusieurs mondes!"
Henri stops watching Pilot Henri and focuses on this new presence...
The part of Henri, deep in his mind, that can still see Aviary is seeing Aviary retreat. Something else is coming from the other direction
Henri replies to Hamel, "Quand on a appris que tu étais peut-être en vie, oui." He adds, "But we knew nothing about the operation until we got there and found notes indicating that you were waiting for transport. And then Aviary told me you were awaiting Rescue."
The speedster looks up, "Aviary is fading, I can hardly hear them. Maybe a matter of range. But something else is getting closer - getting stronger - it's like static on the radio when we were back home. Or the old sat phone before those stopped working. It's coming from that way."
"Well, gentlemen. We are from a world known to it's inhabitants as Earth. Like many other worlds, Atlantis and it's people are legends. But from our reckoning, you two have been in status for nearly 7 centuries. My deep apologizes."
Now in the craft, Nissa thinks it appropriate to reveal the truth.
The names of both little men are heard. And Nissa watches Hamel to see if he understands. Because if I went out of my way to learn a language for the worst man I’ve ever met in my life, a wizard definitely learned for his friend.
“Kate, kindly translate my Atlantean for all to hear.”
<Gentlemen, you have been in stasis for 680 years. We require no payment for rescuing you. But we will ask your assistance in saving this world from the darkness. We may have already figured it out, thanks to a brilliant Builder!> She smiles pleasantly at the Builder who shared the bioscrubber information as Kate translates this far. <And I know that what I have just revealed comes as a shock, but it is truly a miracle you were found at all. To be forever in stasis is like a soulless death!
<Still, I am truly sorry. I appreciate the weight of this… you both had families off-world, and you’ve outlived them.>
She hopes her harsh words are softened by her sensitive tone. She is after all telling the men what they have a right to know.