The Two Year Mistake:
(Earth 8193#, the Lothrin Estate, the Palisades, New-Alexandria, 1995 A.D.)
Anya stands alone in the Quarantine Lab of the Knight-Gallery staring pensively at the comatose body of young-girl cocooned in a grand metallic lattice of scanners, environmental controls and life-support systems.
“She’s beautiful, who is she?” asks Monica.
“A terrible mistake, one that I’ve spent the past two years trying to fix,” replies Anya grimly.
“Oh my god is that Aunty L?” asks Buffy approaching Anya from behind as she reaches out to wrap her arm around her adoptive mother's doppelganger but stops just short of making contact and pulls back deciding against such a display of affection. She instead redirects her affection to Monica. Monica wraps her arms lovingly around Buffy as they gesture in unison for Anya to explain.
“Dr. Lebenstochter or Aunty L as you call her was an employee of mine. She was one of the few people I hired personally. Three years ago I assigned her to work on a top-secret project studying an unknown exo-biological crystalline sphere my company recovered from the ruins of an ancient temple complex located beneath the ice of Antarctica.”
“You mean the Vitios-Vrillieya?” blurts out Buffy.
“Wait the what? You know what it is?” replies Anya.
“Yeah, of course. It’s what gave Aunty L her powers in our reality. On our Earth, the Nazis found it inside a hidden ancient temple deep beneath the ice of New Swabia. Aunty L was assigned to lead the research team assigned to it but one day there was a… Wait did she become merged with the Vitios-Vrillieya due to a lab accident in this reality too?”
“It was a lab accident, yes.” answers back Anya nodding.
Strange, perhaps that accident is some sort of fixed point, something destined to playout in every reality where she exists.” suggests Monica.
“Did the merging de-age her in your reality as well?” asks Anya.
“Yeah, it not only de-aged her but it also halted her aging entirely. She can also rapidly heal from nearly any injury, she can use her powers to heal others, her body can resurrect itself from most forms of death and she can manipulate the life-force or Vita-Vrillyian Energy of other beings,” explains Buffy.
“So, was it the merger that put her in this coma?” asks Monica.
“No, the coma is my doing. I have kept her buried and asleep down here in this lab, this dungeon but now… now it is time to set things right. You two go up and have breakfast. I need to prepare for our guest's arrival.” replies Anya.
*****
Gwen felt for the briefest of moments like a princess on her way to the ball when she is picked up after breakfast by an extravagantly adorned stretch limo fully stocked with all her favorite food and drinks. The music in the limo somehow contained nothing but all her favorite songs and bands. The ride to the Lothrin Estate, while a longer trip than her normal morning commute, was one of pure relaxation with the cozy bubble of the vehicle’s ritzy interior.
Gwen would have been curious as to how her host has gained such an insight into her likes and taste but she already knows the answer. Funny, the bane of the criminal underworld brings me out in style for a personal meeting at her gothic palace on the hill after watching me by night for over a year. This should be a very interesting chat She thinks with an amused chuckle unable to refrain from smirking as the limo makes its way up the driveway of the Lothrin Estate.
“Ah, Dr. Valentine, thank you for coming. I hope the trip here was to your liking.” proclaims Anya warmly as she opens the car door for her guest and, being a true gentleman, helps her from the car.
“Yes, I suppose I should wonder how you know so much about me but we both already know the answer, don't we Knight-Raven.” muses back Gwen ending her statement with a ‘are you surprised I know?’ grin.
“Oh, god I’m not that obvious am I,” mutters Anya frustratedly, averting her gaze for a moment.
“Well I hate to tell you but Knight-Raven showed up in the city after your mysterious return from the dead. You are the only one in the city with the wealth and resources to fund such a crime-fighting venture. You’re a loner for the most part and your extreme childhood trauma is public knowledge. Your public image is an obvious facade to anyone who is actually observant and possesses even a basic knowledge of psychology and then there is the fact that you have been stalking me ever since my fiance died in a lab accident at your company on a project you personally chose her to oversee. Does that about cover it or do you think I left something out? Thanks for covering the costs of her funeral by the way. Lord knows I couldn’t afford it and it’s not like her family gave two shits about her.”
“Dr. Valen…” starts Anya, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.
“Just Gwen… okay?” interrupts Gwen, pinching the bridge of her nose briefly before repositioning her glasses.
“Gwen… we have a lot to discuss…”
“Look, if this is about guilt. If that’s why you’ve been stalking me ever since she died, paid for that beautiful funeral and brought me out here in such style. It’s really not necessary. Listen, I don’t blame you for the accident. Accidents happen, and she loved working for you. So if all this is just to soothe your conscience, there’s really no need. She was honored you chose her to lead that project.” blurts out Gwen, taking a defensive step back from Anya and folding her arms over her chest cooly.
“The honor was mine, the company was lucky to have her but no this is about more than that. Like I said, we have a lot to discuss but not here. If you would please follow me.” insists Anya gesturing for Gwen to follow her inside.
