Ian strode alone through the now silent halls of Avalon, the loss of the few permanent residents more than evident every time he returned. Even with the significant amount of time he had spent living and working in solitude over the years, he had never overcome the minute feel of unease it gave him, long ago having more than enough of being alone. His current surroundings only reminded him of darker days and secrets still left unsaid, even to those closest to him.
The team had all played their roles well, he had taken them out of their comfort zone and they had done so with nary a complaint. While the desired result did come to fruition, the unanticipated cost was far too steep for him not to still feel the constant pangs of guilt. The grievous injury to Rose and the loss of Cormac were simply too great a cost to his conscience and one he blamed himself for with his constant unexplained or veiled absences. As much as did not want to admit it, Ellie was not far from the truth when she accused him of using people as chess pieces, not that he ever considering a single one of them as anything so trivial.
Ian - “Even if the result of my little gambit turns out as anticipated, I've still once again let others get hurt and pay the price in my place. Leading others into mortal danger and without even the courtesy of trusting them with the true reasons for said sacrifice. As much as my constant subterfuge is necessary, it has to at some level feel insulting, especially to Ellie. ”
Once the bait had been taken he had asked them to return to the wild, the sleepers had completed their task and the least he owed them was the chance to get back to their own lives while the next phase went on in the background with Black Cell completely unaware. Haven's overnight change in status to that of a ghost town would turn their attention elsewhere and allow him to turn focus on other targets and persons of interest, others without the benefit of even knowing of his existence. As always there was no one he did not have his eyes on, and some of them had elevated from curiosities to worthy of intervention.
Ian - “I really should make more of an effort to keep in touch, not relying on them coming to me. Except for Cass, he never answers his phone and I'm not training a carrier pigeon to sate his disdain of modern life.”
Nicole had taken on the role of his tether to the real world over the months, no matter how hard he may try to stay in the shadows of his work, having a precocious teenager living with you in need of attention made so all but impossible. Ian could not help but take notice of the distance developed between himself and Ellie since her arrival, she would never admit it openly but he could tell she felt at least partially replaced in his heart and mind, even if nothing was further from the truth. Not a single day went by where he did not feel torn between giving Ellie the space to forge her own new path, or doing anything and everything in his power to show her how integral she was in his life.
Wilhelm - “Ian, there are multiple new intel sources in need of your perusal and the Phoenix Project is now not only complete but has passed the entire array of testing procedures, which one do you want to review first?”
Ian took a moment to consider them both before making a decision that would seem very out of character for even the integrated artificial intelligence that had shared his mind or over a decade.
Ian - “Neither, let Nicole know I will be home for dinner and save the rest for tomorrow. I owe a lot of people a piece of my time that is long overdue.”
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