( the way is long but you can make it easy on me )

[variates]

Date & Time: Starting off in the 1920s, possible future times ahead?
Location: various parts of past/future/super future ukraine
Characters: sarah manning & helena
Summary: clones on a(n unintended) mission
Warnings: rated T for tatiana maslany



[ [ this couldn't be further from sarah's ideal trip. she'd come to the initiative looking for some way to find out more about the cloning rumours alone, but it seemed like whatever luck she had, it was doomed to lead the worst imaginable outcome. maybe that was a slight exaggeration with the slightly unsure, uneasy truce that now existed between her and her twin, but it didn't mean sarah had to jump in joy at the thought of being sent away with only helena for company. but it'd been to go with helena or wait for who knows how long to get another shot at going somewhere and impulsively, she'd taken the more immediate option.

when they arrive, it's... different.

not the most imaginative way she could put it, but that's the only way sarah can really put it. she'd never stepped foot outside of north america as an adult and the last mission she'd been on hadn't involved any kind of temporal displacement.

she straightens, taking in a deep breath and smoothing down her jacket. she's glad for the item because it feels like holding onto a bit of familiarity in an environment that feels completely foreign. the clone turns to look at the blonde to gather her reaction and only blinks when she finds herself being similarly observed.

figuring they're bound to start drawing attention if they don't start moving soon, she jerks her head to one side. ]

We should get moving.

Comments

[sestra]

[If you'd told Helena she'd end up on this trip with Sarah, honestly she'd probably have signed up a lot sooner. But maybe it wouldn't have worked out that way with different timing.]

[There are still plenty of things about the whole situation that raise her hackles, the machines and apparent time travelling included. But she's so desperate for something familiar, that all the high-tech is worth it when she finds herself in familiar territory.]

[It's different, of course, everything is. It's the 1920s, they said, but it's Ukraine, and despite the temporal differences clear as day - it's still home, and she feels at home. She and her twin stand out like a sore thumb in their clothes, but perhaps they'll pass as visitors from Moscow or the like.]

[She glances at Sarah, to see how she's doing. Despite everything, Helena is still, and her nerves are steeled; all they had to do was find some food, yes? She could ask a question, but she's more curious over her sister's body language in reaction.]

[Her twin is calm. But that's something she's noticed about Sarah, the way she so easily adapts to whatever gets thrown at her. Helena used to like to think of herself capable of the same, but too many things have been thrown at her in the last few months, too many things that have shaken her up to the core, and she's not so sure of that anymore.]

[She is sure of herself in her homeland, though. And when Sarah jerks her head, Helena immediately starts moving, the same slinky, subtle unnerving steps as always, despite being fairly at ease in the location. Even the language is familiar music to her ears, and she has to resist the urge to stop and just - talk with people, in her native tongue.]

Do they say what kind of food we are needing?

man i wish i hadn't deleted my original reply THIS ONE ISNT QUITE SO ELOQUENT

[variates]

[ sarah's already on the move, eager to get out of sight before anyone can notice them and start to ask unwanted questions. her quickened is the opposite of helena's as she has no desire to stick around -- or at least, not here in particular. her goal right now is to try and find somewhere secluded to slip into where they can hash out the details of what they're going to do. the mission itself had seemed fairly simple and one that she wouldn't have agreed to if it weren't for the promise of the fact that there could be some kind of necessary information related to the cloning rumours that could come from this.

she knows the situation is different in exsilium and this world. whatever happens here isn't like home at all and neither are the clones, but she thinks that if there's any chance of understanding anything about what's happening here... it could lead into some insight for her own situation back home. ]

They didn't really bother specifying. [ she shrugs. ] Just said that we're meant to collect the same samples.

a+

[sestra]

[Helena's slow in her movements but aware, and she trails after Sarah without issue, even as she continues to full take in their surroundings.]

[Honestly, when she saw the location of this mission, that was pretty much Helena's motivation for attempting it. She doesn't want to stay here, not forever, but it's kind of home, and she wanted that familiarity, however briefly.]

Then we will have choice. [And there's a handful of markets, with variety indeed. The problem becomes how to go about acquiring said samples. Helena definitely doesn't have the currency of the times.]

[She kind of wants to get things to eat for herself, too, for the same homesick reasons. But she notices the way Sarah's sort of looking for a nook and cranny to duck down, starts looking around for the same.]

[She points.] There? [It's sketchy by normal standards tbh, but both clones are probably more comfortable than average with that sort of thing.]

[variates]

[ if it were any other clone on the mission with her, sarah wonders if she'd feel as antsy. too bad it hadn't really been much of an option since cosima was pissed with her and she couldn't really imagine alison enjoying any mission of this sort.

she nods and heads towards the location the ukranian had pointed to, eager to get out of sight. once there, she leans against the wall, burying her face in her hands, and taking a deep breath. it was time to get her game face on. without any means to legally acquire the food samples, they'd have to resort to something else. she brushes her hair out of her face and finally turns to look at helena. ]

I don't suppose you've got any ways to charm these people into giving us what we need.

[ she cracks a wry smile because the thought of helena trying to charm anyone is just plain weird to think about. ]

[sestra]

[Helena follows, slipping down the alley in a practiced way. She keeps her back to the opposite wall, but she stands still with space behind her. She watches with curiosity the way Sarah handles the situation and moves, and though she hears the words being spoken, Helena doesn't reply right away.]

[The first reason being she's thinking. The second is Sarah smiled at her, and it caught her a little off guard. It's not the most open of smiles, but getting a smile from Sarah is rare enough.]

We could steal it. [The offer is entirely serious, and she doesn't even sound amused by it.]

[variates]

And get thrown into some mad Soviet prison?

[ it would be bad enough to get trapped in the past, but to get trapped in one in a soviet nation was far from the top of sarah's to-do list. she'd prefer to not freeze to death somewhere, thanks very much. ]

Even if we did do that, we couldn't manage it without some kind of distraction.

[sestra]

We will only go to prison if we are caught. [And Helena has no intention of being caught.]

[She learned all about those prisons, tbh. Ukraine might have been in a better position than others in the Union, but that doesn't make it any less dangerous a place. If stealing does prove to be their only option, she'll be sure to do it carefully.]

If you do not have a distraction, then we must find another way. Or find means of payment. [A beat.] Or a trade.

[variates]

That's a pretty big if you're willing to risk there.

[ sarah wouldn't be able to distinguish one from the other, to be honest, but all she does know is that they are definitely the kind of place one would want to avoid. not to mention, she's not sure if the initiative could even bring them back if they were to get locked up. ]

One of us could cause a scene.