Some (More) Thoughts About What Happened To Ashley

[grav_ity]

I had this discussion with someone on my f-list, though of course now I cannot remember who. I should keep better notes. ;)

Anyway, since this starts with an almost immediate spoiler for "The Five", I figure I should lead with a spoiler cut. But only because I don't know most of you well enough yet to lead with a kiss. ;)

*ahem*

So Nikola, vampire genius, has this grand if somewhat vague plan to take over the world. With vampires. Crappy vampires, I'll grant you, but still. I get the impression that Nikola did not spend 60 years on this project. If we allow him until 1950 or so to recover from the war, and then have him go through a decade or so of Increasingly Elaborate Plans, I think the timeline might be a bit closer. Plus I think Nikola is the type to get distracted. By, say...the invention of the microchip. I have no idea.

But really, I think Nikola's "It's so simple, it will make you cry" indicates that he really spent a while doing INSANE THINGS trying to get vampires, and it turned out all he needed was a sharp knife and a special kind of tuning fork. And, you know, the powers of electricity, but whatever. My point is that I think he came up with the basic idea, and then spent a decade or so trying to do it on his own before he thought about going to John (or Helen). And even then, he only went to them because he needed blood.

(Aside: do Nikola and James ever actually speak to one another? EVER? IN THE WHOLE SHOW?)

Where was I?

Oh yes, Ashley.

Let us accept that, locked inside nearly every human being, there is the potential for Abnormality. Nikola's little proto-Vampires might have had other predilections, but let's assume they were overwritten by Nikola's additions. So Ashley is a proto-John (and a proto-Helen, but that is less important at this stage), she just needs to be activated. And the Cabal has a Clever Plan for that.

This means that when Ashley wakes up in Cabal custody, she's already dead. Yes, it sucks, but it's also the truth. Everything Dana did from the time Ashley regains consciousness is a stalling tactic, to give her treatments more time to work. And the very first thing Ashley does when she wakes up? Electrocutes herself.

(For the record, I also don't think that there was anything in that energy drink. I think it did exactly what it was supposed to: stimulated her metabolism. The drugs were already in her system, the damage already done.)

Let me be clear on something: I believe that Ashley is herself until she collapses at the Sanctuary. This is where Dana's plan is so reliant on timing, because she can't let Ashley be home for long enough that Helen finds out there's something wrong with her. "Oh crap" is the last thing Ashley Magnus says, without having to fight it through levels of genetic and mental manipulation.

Oh did, I forget to mention that? Because yes: telepathy. We see that the Super Ashley Gang works on telepathy, both between one another and their orders. Does this remind you of something? It should. Because even though Nikola voices his commands to his minions in the episode, he still had to CALL THEM in the first place. Also, he's not in vamp!face when he says "Sanguine Vampiris", and yet they all react to him. And the minions themselves take out the Cabal dudes without verbal communication.

After Ashley collapses, she's mindless (more or less) and she responds to non-verbal orders and pre-programming. But she just has the teleportation at this point. It's not until after they get the source blood that she gets all those augmented talents which are transferred to the rest of the Gang.

(Aside: I thought it was cool that the effects people made Ashley's zort different from John's. I appreciate that kind of thought and detail. Genetics: only the same if you've been cloned (or grafted onto by an evil corporation that turned you into a superbeing.)

And why, you ask, did I need Nikola in this? "The Cabal hunt me at every turn" he says, and I believe him. I also think he's leaving out the part where sometimes he loses, and has to abandon things (which might also account for why it took him 60 years...), and that the Cabal found some of those things, and used them on Ashley. I think it's interesting that they never talk about the similarities between (at the least) Ashley post-collapse/pre-tank, and Nikola's minions. Because: hello! Nikola is even able to use the weapon that takes them out to ACTUALLY CREATE VAMPIRES. And they kind of touch on it in "Trail of Blood", but not in the way I was expecting.

Which leaves me with two closing thoughts:

1. I believe that it is something either purely Ashley or something she got from Helen that allows her to break through, and that the Cabal ignored or overlooked that aspect of her make-up (because that's what Evil Corporations do). That is where the proto-Helen part comes in handy.
2. WHO THE HECK WAS GIVING THE SUPER ASHLEY GANG THEIR TELEPATHIC ORDERS?

+++

And all of this is, quite naturally, the way I am coping with not thinking about how the Helen/Nikola Showdown of Doom at the Cage Match is going to turn out.

VOTE HELEN, my friends. It's what Nikola would do. ;)

Comments

[shadadukal]

I think Nikola's "It's so simple, it will make you cry" indicates that he really spent a while doing INSANE THINGS trying to get vampires, and it turned out all he needed was a sharp knife and a special kind of tuning fork. And, you know, the powers of electricity, but whatever.

I get that vibe too.

Aside: do Nikola and James ever actually speak to one another? EVER? IN THE WHOLE SHOW?

Just "You're looking...older." "Ever the gentleman I see."

This means that when Ashley wakes up in Cabal custody, she's already dead.

Yes, of course.

I believe that Ashley is herself until she collapses at the Sanctuary.

YES!

Very interesting thoughts. While I realized Nikola had to call his minions telepathically, I always thought the telepathy of the Cabal supersoldiers came from nowhere and that it was weird. But of course not! I'm not sure about whether or not they're getting their orders telepathically. Couldn't they be wearing communication devices? I like the idea that vamps can communicate telepathically, but not that it works with other things/people...

I thought it was cool that the effects people made Ashley's zort different from John's.

I must rewatch. On DVD this time. Coz they look the same to me.

And all of this is, quite naturally, the way I am coping with not thinking about how the Helen/Nikola Showdown of Doom at the Cage Match is going to turn out.

VOTE HELEN, my friends. It's what Nikola would do. ;)

No, that's cheating, you can't campaign in advance like that! Joking. ;)

But yes, I've thought about it a lot since yesterday and decided to vote for Nikola, despite everything, and I've even written some thoughts as to why. More later. ;)

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

I think John's zort is more purple than Ashley's. :)

Just "You're looking...older." "Ever the gentleman I see."

I knew there had to be something...

Couldn't they be wearing communication devices?

I think someone (possibly Declan?) actually has a line about them being telepathic...

[shadadukal]

James tells him "And yet you refuse to answer any of our communiqués." And then Nikola's answers "My dear James, you're looking... older."

And they don't talk either in the FKaC flashbacks (that I can recall). But James tells the PM to ignore Nikola. So not directly to him, but about him and Nikola is standing right there, so kinda.

Telepathic between them, yes. But not with Dana or whoever is transmitting the orders. At least, I'd find it weird.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

"And yet you refuse to answer any of our communiqués."

I always forget that line, which is ironic because every time I hear it, all I can think is "WHAT COMMUNIQUES?" ;)

The tech who is sending them their orders never voices them either. He just...makes it happen. I have no idea.

[shadadukal]

I imagine Helen and James have been sending him messages for decades and he just ignored them. Helen faked his death (James may have helped) but they must have set up some ways of communicating and then Nikola just went and totally ignored them. And by that I mean didn't reply. I'm sure he paid close attention to what the messages were saying.

The tech who is sending them their orders never voices them either. He just...makes it happen. I have no idea.

That we can see? I'd have to watch again. Maybe we switch locations/scenes before he has the time to say anything. I don't know. I like the idea of vampire telepathy, it's really cool, but if anybody can just tap into that, I don't know...

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

I imagine Helen and James have been sending him messages for decades and he just ignored them.

To be honest, I'm more interested in how John always knows where Nikola is (and vice versa).

Oh, them. They just can't get away from each other.

(Except Nigel, obviously.)

[shadadukal]

John and Nikola accidentally met. And then they set up means of communication and actually talked, for decades, through the 2nd half of the 20th century. Or something. They've got to have a means of getting in contact before Nikola saved his life. Doesn't make sense otherwise.

More and more I'm thinking Nikola kept in contact with Nigel. We know Nigel wasn't in contact with Helen, and she didn't even tell James he had had a daughter (what happened between Nigel and James to cause this?). But I'd like to think Nigel and Nikola kept in contact somehow even through Nikola's 'death'. I just don't like the idea of poor Nigel being all isolated from all of the Five. Also I get the impression Nigel and Nikola were close.

[dhfunk.livejournal.com]

In the first flashback, James says, "Remember the protocols, no mistakes." And Nikola responds, "Relax James, we've done our homework."

[shadadukal]

Thanks! I had completely forgotten that line.

[mad_maudlin]

I don't think it's outright stated, but it's definitely implied that they're telepathic and that was how they were able to kill Clara Griffin while she was invisible. There could still be a qualitative difference between telepathy-among-themselves and telepathy-used-upon-outsiders, though.

[shadadukal]

that was how they were able to kill Clara Griffin while she was invisible.

I thought they just smelled her there...

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Or heard her? Or...saw through her invisibility? I have no idea.

[shadadukal]

Or heard. I like the idea of them relying on some animal senses so to speak. Although it'd be funny if seeing through invisibility was something Nikola could do. James, Helen, and John just not seeing Nigel, and Nikola being able to and not saying anything. He would. But James would probably notice Nikola's hiding something.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Why do you have to say things like that to me when I have to get up at 6AM tomorrow?

*opens Word and starts a new file*

[shadadukal]

*rubs hands in glee*

It's fair, you've enabled twice already. ;)

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

*sighs*

[vickysg1.livejournal.com]

I really think Ashley broke through thanks to the proto-Helen part. I believe that part of Helen's gift/curse is fast healing, so that would explain Ashley being herself again at the end. If she had inherited the teleportation from her father, she must have inherited the longevity from her mother. But both stayed hidden until the Cabal swooped in.

You're probably right in saying that the Cabal has probably used some of Nikola's work. It would make sense, as I don't think they were clever enough to do that on their own. They would need help from someone who studied the Source Blood, and since they only got their hands on it at the end of s1...

do Nikola and James ever actually speak to one another? EVER? IN THE WHOLE SHOW?
Didn't they say a few words to each other when they were in Bhalasaam? Or during the flashbacks in For King and Country? I have to say I have trouble remembering...

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

They would need help from someone who studied the Source Blood, and since they only got their hands on it at the end of s1...

I'm going to have to rewatch "Warriors" just to get the plot points about Gregory Magnus. *sighs*

[shadadukal]

I really wish Gregory's story (so far) were in another episode than this one.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

I KNOW! That's why I keep putting it off, even though I REALLY SHOULD watch it. *sighs*

[shadadukal]

I've watched it twice and closed my eyes for the parts with the insects. Why do they put that kind of things in a family friendly show? I'm a grown up and it terrifies me. As a kid, I'd have had nightmares for weeks!

And then there's Will looking really ridiculous. So next rewatch of this ep calls for fast-forward. :P

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I've forgotten everything about the episode except for Will's tremendously awful muscle suit and the way that Henry hugged him at the end, because it kind of came out of nowhere, and I didn't realize we were that far along yet.

[shadadukal]

Now the hug I've forgotten. Probably coz I was too traumatized by the ep by then. :P

[vickysg1.livejournal.com]

I hope that in s3.5 we'll get more! And that we'll saw him again! He's still so mysterious.

And I never did understand why he didn't come back when the Cabal was destroyed. Surely, he must have heard of it, even if he was hiding.

[shadadukal]

Coz he was in Hollow Earth probably. And couldn't leave.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

There is a lot about Gregory that doesn't make sense. Like...how he's alive. And how he knew about Hollow Earth in enough time to give Helen those presents up to two decades before she took the blood.

(There might be a fic there, actually, how the reason Gregory was so upset about the Source Blood was because it meant his daughter had effectively barred herself from Hollow Earth, and if he'd just TOLD HER ABOUT IT, things might have happened differently? I don't know.)

But yeah, he's probably been stuck in Hollow Earth for a while, though even then I'm not sure how he got there.

NO SENSE, I tell you. NONE AT ALL.

[shadadukal]

There might be a fic there, actually, how the reason Gregory was so upset about the Source Blood was because it meant his daughter had effectively barred herself from Hollow Earth

Very interesting thought!

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Gregory Magnus: I make stuff up because I can. :)

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Um, there was a fic sooner than I thought.

http://grav-ity.livejournal.com/1253967.html

[geonncannon.livejournal.com]

not thinking about how the Helen/Nikola Showdown of Doom at the Cage Match is going to turn out.

Naturally they'll grapple for a while until they both get tired and then, sweaty and exhausted, they'll fall into each other's arms and have wild angry!sex. At which point Helen will take advantage of his distraction to win, and Tesla will whine about cheating. But he'll be smiling while he whines.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you're probably right. I have been most decidedly Not Writing That Fic all week. :)

[shadadukal]

But why not? This fic belongs in the comment thread of the final, just saying. ;)

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Because I am not very good at crack fic? Every time I try it turns into "Chasing the Dragon" or "The Platypus Test". Or the one about Ponies.

*mopes until I get Cats*

:D

[shadadukal]

Maybe you could be. This is the first one I wrote. But I get what you mean. I end it a little bit abruptly because the characters were going in a direction that was not crack at all. And I might have continued if it weren't for the fact that I was writing it solely to fill the crack prompt.

I'd send you Cats, but the final version will probably be a little bit better.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

I've now spent the whole day imagining a REALLY PISSED OFF Nikola!cat trying to communicate with Henry, and it's TERRIBLY FUNNY. I can wait until Saturday as needed, particularly as you're going to get there several hours before I do. :)

[shadadukal]

Well, that's not all there is to it. Because there's also Helen and John and Will and Kate.

In that case, the time difference would work to your advantage. I gotta say it's nice to be talking to someone online after waking up. At the same time, I'm jealous you still have sleep ahead of you. :P