"And maybe this is why when Pandora opened the box that carried such calamities which inflicted all of mankind, gentle hope emerged too."
- an excerpt of Nikita Gill's poem "Where Hope Comes From"
or in which
the timechild is saved and finds the...
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fourteen: memories and dust
"This brings back memories." Pandora whispered softly to Jack as they entered the abandoned dance hall. "I think I was here before." She admitted taking in the red painted walls framed with ornate white trim, and the classic black and white checkerboard tiled floors. "When I was in the WAFs." She smiled at the memory, remembering the red lipstick stains on champagne flutes, and it was as if she could hear her own laugh coming from the next floor.
"Look at that chandelier," Jack said excitedly, "No neon lights back then, just dashing young soldiers and pretty young ladies. And as they danced, the girls would look into their partners eyes, and say.."Jack grabbed ahold of Andy and Tosh's hands spinning them toward himself, then away, gaining a scolding from Tosh about her laptop, but the action just got giggles from Andy. "I was thinking more along the lines of 'And how long before you'll be heading off to war." He chided at the Asian girl who protectively was holding her bag. Tosh looked to Jack incredulously.
They decended the stairs, Andy skipped ahead, making it all the way to the door to the outside, when she noticed she wasn't being followed by Jack and Tosh anymore, and when she looked all she found was an empty dusty hall.
"Shit."
***
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Cardiff, 1941
Pandora found herself laughing wholeheartedly at whatever had just been said by the lovely young lady she had in front of her, soldiers of every branch danced with their own young ladies, or they spoke in groups surrounding the floor, speaking of the tough times that they were about to experience most heading to the front lines within hours or days. The violet pinned to the breast of the woman's dress let Pandora know everything she needed to know about this particular woman.
Pandora, known as Dora during her time with the WAFs, knew better than to be wooed by the men in Navy and Army green, she had lived through enough fighting to know that a high percentage of them wouldn't come back to their home country at all let alone with a beating heart.
Alcohol burned in Dora's belly as she emptied her second champagne flute of the evening, Annora, stared at her through dewy eyes herself. "How's about a dance? I'm sure the boys wont mind a foxtrot or two." Dora laughed again, placing down the red lipstick stained glass, she ran a hand down her blue blazer, ensuring she didn't appear disheveled in her uniform, before she licked her lips and started toward the floor.
They couldn't dance too closely, couldn't appear to be romantic. There were so many rules for this part of Dora's life, but still they danced, staying out of the way, until someone grabbed Dora's shoulder spinning her around. A small Asian woman looked at Dora expectantly. "Andy what are you doing, where did you get this uniform?" She whispered harshly to the taller blonde who looked the woman up and down expecting to have some memory of who she was.
"Tosh, Toshiko!" Then there was a memory jogged by a voice one of a man who really shouldn't be here. "Jack?" Both women spoke, Annora long been whisked away by the distraction of the female aviator by some soldier hoping for a little action. Dora brightened, her curly hair bouncing as she leapt to embrace the man. "Jack!" She hummed in his ear hugging him tightly. "I haven't seen you since September!"
Tosh stared with a open mouth gawping at the woman who she had just seen not even five minutes ago. Dora turned to Tosh. "I never wouldve expected this, you got yourself a girl have you? Didn't know she was your type." Dora winked meaning no harm, but Jack only looked down at her. "No, no. Toshiko Sato," He brought the attention back onto the girl who still was wide-eyedly staring at the blonde. "Meet.. What is it your going by now?" Dora smacked his chest. Jutting a hand in Tosh's direction. "Dora Fletcher. It's a pleasure Toshiko." They shook hands for a little too long, both unsure of the other. "Jack, what's going on? I thought you were in France?" Dora questioned, Jack gestured outside of the dance hall, Dora nodded, before following him out, Tosh lagging behind.
"It's night!" Tosh exclaimed as they got outside. "Yes, thats usually when dances are, Toshiko are you new to town?" Dora asked softly. "Where is the SUV? Did it get stolen?" Jack shook his head, looking again to his vortex manipulator. "No we did."
"Jack tell me what's going on." Dora said, concern flashed in her eyes as she stared at the two people out of time. "Something happened with the rift time was leaking out they said it was a haunting but it wasn't because the people aren't dead, we've just been sucked through and you weren't." Dora furrowed her eyebrows. "So I'm there alone? And your here twice, I just got a letter from you not even two weeks ago from France."
Jack shook his head. "No time to explain we just need to get back." "I know how." Tosh spoke up. "They already have half the equation to reverse it, they just need the other half which is on my laptop. Which I have here." She patted the bag. Dora looked confused, turning to jack for reassurance. "We just need to find a way to get it to them, then figure out who or what is behind this."
"I'll help, you know I'll help, Jack, whatever you need."
