Follows Goals and Procrastination.
Thankfully she was able to clear her mind of the more difficult family questions before she got to a secluded section of the park, powered up, and recited the incantation that brought her back to her Wonder. Today she was “dropped off” just at the entrance to her quarters, which saved her a little bit of travel time. Ekstrom was singularly focused on the task at hand as soon as she arrived, though, so after setting Lulu up inside the room, she quickly reloaded the wagon with her tools and made her way to the Secondary Grid.
It looked a lot better now than when she first found it. Which is definitely should, she thought with a smirk. She’d spent who knows how many hours cleaning it up. Dusting was the first, and arguably the biggest task, then came the sweeping and getting rid of the debris, piling it all into a corner to keep it organized. She still had to figure out how to dispose of it; it wasn’t like she could bring it back to DC and toss it into the dumpsters back home. While it didn’t look like alien debris, she had a feeling it could raise red flags, so it was better to play it safe and keep it all here.
Besides, she had a feeling there was some kind of waste disposal method in this place. It was just a matter of finding it once she got this all up and running again.
Once all the cleaning up was done she could see what actually needed attention, and she got right to work on the repairs. The electrical panels were first and foremost, then came the other aspects of the room that looked to her like they had been deliberately destroyed. Now, months later, whatever had been fully repaired were now in their proper places. There was just one electrical panel left, and it sat just nearby where it would get slotted in once fully fixed. All the work had ultimately boiled down to this, and she’d been so close to finishing it on her last visit.
Ekstrom made her way over and settled down, taking a second to recall what all had been done the last time. As she did that, Boo decided to make her presence known by popping in a foot or so ahead of her. Ekstrom gave her a smile, giggling at the way she twirled in place and watched her for a moment before starting to float around. It was a familiar space for both of them, though Boo was more a resident of her Wonder compared to her.
“Just one more,” the Squire said to her little glowing companion, and she reached over to give her a little tickle before again turning her focus to the panel. Once she identified where she left off, she jumped right in.
– [ ] –
It was maybe a few hours at most when she finally finished, and she stood back to look at the completed panel with a wide, satisfied smile. It looked…well, about as good as she imagined it could given the circumstances. While it wasn’t pristine, she knew it would be functional once put in its place. She went over it one more time before finally, and very carefully, moving it into place.
The metal contacts on either side of it would complete the circuit around the room, and with any luck…
Click.
The quiet hum of running power suddenly filled the room, though beyond that it was hard to tell that anything happened at all. For a moment it felt a bit…anticlimactic. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but for sure it was more than just that. Still, the fact that there was a hum at all meant that she succeeded to some degree, and with a quiet sigh she forced herself to simply accept it for what it was.
Stepping back, she was about to head back to start cleaning up her tools when she spotted it–a flicker of pale blue light from the panel she’d just completed. It was the central panel on the far wall from the door. Based on its size and placement alone she thought it might be the main panel for the entire room, and so saved it for last so she could work on it slowly, and more meticulously, than all the others.
“Guess I was right,” she said nearly under her breath as she watched the main panel come to life. Once it was fully lit she watched as beams of light streamed out to the adjacent surfaces, and the panels beside it finally lit up. She followed the beams, moving to and from the panel in lines along the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling. They reminded her of the data lines she’d become so familiar with since her very first visit. It felt like a full-circle moment, she thought, her eyes wide as she quickly turned her lights off, stepped back, and watched.
One by one the panels lit up, releasing beams of light once fully charged, she suspected, and soon powering the panel beside it. It wasn’t long before they were all on. Light began pooling under the platform in the center of the room, gradually growing both in size and in brightness, to the point that she had to narrow her eyes. The humming grew louder and, to her slight surprise, the room got warmer. Soon the light engulfed the room, spilling into the floor and walls and ceiling. It got so intense that she eventually had to close her eyes, and almost as soon as she did she felt the energy suddenly disperse. The humming went back to normal, and the room seemed like it was starting to cool down.
When she opened her eyes, she found that the Secondary Grid looked…alive.
More than that, though, her wonder felt suddenly more alive now than it had just moments earlier. It felt…good…like a part of her that had been gone for the longest time had finally returned. The Squire couldn’t help but smile as she closed her eyes and sank into that feeling for just a moment.
When she opened them again she saw her shield suddenly floating just in front of her. She’d seen this only once before, but the circumstances at that time had been very different. To see it again confused, and maybe slightly concerned, her. She’d never sensed any Chaos here on her Wonder, nor ever felt like she was in any kind of danger while she was here.
So maybe being in danger wasn’t the deciding factor when it came to this.
Reaching out, Ekstrom took her shield in hand and felt a power surge through her as she was, as before, enveloped by a bright blue light. While the light was warm and comforting before given her situation at the time, now it felt cool and refreshing, an encouragement and reassurance of a sort. It also somehow felt like a gesture of gratitude for her continued efforts to not only protect, but also to restore her wonder.
When the light faded away she welcomed the sight of her shield’s new form, and after slipping it in place on her arm she briefly glanced at her new uniform. There was more to it now, but she figured she could take a proper look at it all once she was back in her quarters.
She started packing up at that point, setting her shield in the wagon so she could move a bit more freely. Her tools followed soon after, and once she was fully loaded up she tossed the weighted blanket on top to ensure everything stayed put while she headed back to her room.
At the door she turned and gave the room one more look. All of the light was more subtle now, but she could feel the energy coming from inside the space. It gave her confidence, knowing that the power to her wonder was finally restored. At the very least, lit hallways and doors that would open so she could actually walk around without using the Circuit.
“Finally,” she said with a smile, then turned and started the short trip back to her quarters.
Unfortunately, along the way she would find that the power wasn't quite fully restored. But that...would be a problem for another day.
1397 (gdocs)
Backdated to 12/1/24.
Backdated to 12/1/24.
