Gₒₒd ₒₗd₋Fₐₛₕᵢₒₙₑd ₗₒᵥₑᵣ Bₒy ~ Dᵢᵣₖ Gₑₙₜₗy

If At First You Don't Succeed...

[~ My new years resolution, among trying to actually gain some bloody muscle, is to complete all my unfinished projects. Starting with this, and hopefully continuing to my Camp Camp story. So yeh, I'm back on the Dirk Gently bullshit.~]

Helios didn't like the idea at all. Hell, he hated it even, but he came to realise that once Sicillian put her mind to something, there was no turning back. Once noting this, the ginger decided to stop trying to change her mind. She wanted to do this, and he would respect that. Project Cain was intelligent, in his eyes, she'd weighed up the risks and still wanted to proceed. There was something in that.

Sicillian only wished to be as sure as Helios thought she was. The Assistant was wracked with doubt, mind turning this way and that, changing perspective every hour. Dirk was important to her. That was a fact. She wanted to save him. That was another fact. But at the cost he would never meet her...? Was that really a gambit she was willing to embue?

Lily, on the other hand, didn't really care. She was against the idea of using the time machine, especially given the restraint she'd shown herself when it came to the desire to change things; but something about the haunted, lonely quality of Sicillian's eyes made her unable to say a straight no. And so a compromising solution was formed. Besides, it wasn't like the brunette wasn't going to suffer for it. But hey, should it all go well, she needn't know the consequences. Without knowing Dirk Gently, the entire timeline would be changed, and she would never even meet the distraught Blackwing subject.

The unlikely trio picked their way carefully through the wreckage of the Spring Mansion. After the events of last year, it had fallen into disrepair (not helped by the assault at the climax of the Patrick Sping case destroying a lot of the building itself). Lydia was supposed to return after a few months abroad and take over as Spring's sole heiress, but Farah had warned against. The house was abandoned now.

"I didn't really expect to be back here." Sicillian wasn't quite sure who she was directing this to. Neither Lily nor Helios were present upon her old visits. Maybe it was some naive way of feeling connected to Dirk, or at least the memory of him that remained from their experience here. But all she could think of was the way he bled in the basement after it was all over, a reminder of how terrified she was he might die. And then she remembered the present and the pain hit her all over again like a punch to the gut, infesting the pit in her stomach so it was all she could do not to double over and scream.

Sicillian Presque just kept walking.

"The plug is in the basement?" Lily inquired as the three reached the entrance. The green eyed American simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"As above, so below." Helios quoted quietly. What he said, in his mind, bore no relevance to what was happening unless you counted the reference to below, or the basement. (The Arsonist didn't). He just couldn't bear the somber atmosphere. Thankfully, Sicillian jumped on this as a point of conversation.

"That's from an old Hermetic text, early 9th century?" He didn't question how she knew this, just nodding.

"The Emerald Tablet." He replied, happy to find common ground in the acknowledgement of cryptic philosophical texts from 800AD. It was a niche topic area, but the time with Freidkin in charge at Blackwing left him plenty of time to browse the books occasionally dropped off for his entertainment.

"You two nerds finished?" The surviving Estervez arched an eyebrow, pushing open the door. It groaned on its hinges before finally giving way to the derelict hallway. Helios and Sicillian didn't answer, the latter settling on a glare. They didn't speak again as the Holistic Assistant led them down the stairs, inputing the correct time to the secret clock door, 10:01, and revealing the machine's altar.

Lily stepped up, slotting the device into place and turning the generator crank to warm things up. Sicillian watched this carefully, the woman having practised movements she really shouldn't have. She turned to look at the ginger boy hovering uncertainly behind her. She couldn't quite bring herself to smile at him encouragingly, but he got the gist, settling down on an overturned crate.

"I can't guarantee a perfect run. I hope you know this." Sicillian nodded, a steely gaze interrupting the previous pain in her eyes.

"I just want him safe." Her jaw formed the words slowly, like she was testing them in her mouth. It felt right.

"You really care about this guy, huh?"

"No shit." The brunette gave a dry chuckle, but there was no humour in her voice.

"What was the date you met Dirk Gently? The exact date." The black-haired woman asked, busying herself with the dials of the machine. Project Cain responded almost like clockwork, the day drilled into her with sharp-edged nostalgia.

"August 9th, 1995." She recited with so much as a stumble. There was a few seconds of silence interspersed with whirring and clicks.

"So this is it?" Helios asked, voice suddenly quiet and scared. "I presume I can't come with you."

"I'm sorry, kid." Lily set her face into a sad line. "It's just gotta be me and her." He'd already accepted this, and simply settled for an understanding jerk of the head.

"Good luck. I really hope you can bring him back." He whispered.

"We had a good run. Albeit short." Sicillian tried to muster something more to express her gratitude for the kid, running after her and sticking by, even for a week. She opened her mouth to express it, but the boy interrupted her.

"I know."

"Bring it in." She sighed, opening her arms for a short, but sweet embrace with the Holistic Arsonist. The two broke apart with grim determination, the Assistant making her way over to the machine. "Let's do this."

Lily punched in the final code, placing her hand upon the lever, gesturing the other woman to do the same. She wasn't particularly excited by this, but it was her chance to do something right. She wouldn't remember when it was done, but if she did, the Detective's sister assumed she'd act all noble and pin it on 'Knowing Jonathan would want her to help'. An easy out to make her look good. Even if that is exactly what he'd say. Even if she did actually want to help. She couldn't save her brother, but she could save Sicillian Presque and Dirk Gently.

She offered the brunette a small wink.

"See you on the other side."