Welcome Back.

Elena opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Her gaze focused on the tiny specks of dust that flew in the air and fell under the sun's rays. They looked like golden sparks, almost imperceptible, but if you look closely, a new world opens up to your eyes.

The woman raised her hand and ran it through the air, as if on water. Real. The air was real, she could feel its slight resistance. Not what it was like in her dream. In her long dream, several thousand years long.

She tried to sit up, but something tugged at her temples. Elena touched her head and unhooked the sensors that were attached to her. Then she turned over on her side and got out of bed.

"Ouch," the woman rubbed her elbow. An attempt to get up quickly was unsuccessful, and her body, weaned from physical activity, collapsed to the floor. "Oh, that's real for sure now," she rubbed her bruised knee and looked around the room.

The setting seemed familiar to her. Elena closed her eyes, her memory, with unprecedented speed, matched the new image with those that were available, and gave the result - a three-story building, the west wing, the second turn to the right, the third door from the left.

The woman got to her feet and with a leisurely step, as if the body was getting used to forgotten movements, went to the door. She grabbed the handle - it felt cold, this kind of metal was first produced by a man in... Elena closed her eyes and shook her head, throwing unnecessary thoughts out of her mind. Too much information, so much that one can lose oneself.

She pulled the handle, opened the door and went out into the corridor. She guessed it right. The interior of the corridor was familiar to her, too. The woman turned in the right direction and walked forward, stepping faster and faster with each step, as if someone was pushing her in the back.

Elena stopped in front of a wide oak door and, without thinking for a second, opened it.

The man was standing at the window and looking at the tall crowns of trees stretching several kilometers into the distance. His thoughts were wandering somewhere else, that he didn't even notice as someone approached his office.

The door flew open with a loud bang, Marcus turned around and saw his guest on the threshold. They have looked at each other in silence for several seconds.

"W-what… but how? I checked you half an hour ago-" Before Marcus finished his sentence, Elena crossed the room and threw herself on his neck. The man froze in surprise, like a statue, until he heard her words,

"I'm back, dad."

Marcus wrapped his arms around his daughter and hugged her, "You remembered...," he closed his eyes, a soft smile formed on his face, "Welcome home, my princess."

The woman froze, and then slowly began to slide down. "Elena!" Marcus picked her up in his arms, carried her to the couch and laid her on a soft surface, "What is it? You feel bad? Does it hurt somewhere?" He nervously felt her pulse.

"It's okay, don't worry. All of a sudden I ran out of energy, and I think I want to sleep again," Elena drawled and yawned widely.

"No need to sleep again. You were already unconscious for more than a week," Marcus put a pillow under the woman's back to make it more comfortable for her to lie, "What did you even think to take such a risk?! I thought I killed you!"

"But you didn't," Elena smiled in response, "I acted on instincts. I didn't want Nick to get hurt. Sorry."

"Silly, it's me who should be sorry," Marcus squeezed her hand in his hands and kissed her fingers, "If something happened to you, I would never forgive myself."

Elena looked at the man's head bowed to her, Marcus was sitting on his knees next to her - so familiar and close. And how could she forget about him?

The woman touched the man's hair with her other hand and began to touch the golden strands. Just as her mother often did when Elena found them alone with her father in the room. Marcus liked to lie in Amelia's lap and enjoy the light touch of her fingers dancing through the man's hair.

Taubert flinched at the long-forgotten touch and froze, afraid to ruin the moment even with his breath. His daughter was so similar to Amelia, not only externally, but also with gestures, movements.

"She cried every night after leaving you," Elena whispered, "Do you hate her?"

Marcus raised his head and looked at his daughter's sad face. He would have preferred to see a smile there, not this look full of pain and anguish. "No, of course, I don't. Although sometimes her actions even now make me flare up so much that I would gladly give your mom a good spanking," the man smiled, but his words caused a backlash. Elena sobbed and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I just now fully realized that all these years you and my mother were not there. I'm so ashamed that I didn't feel melancholy while growing up as if you never existed. I remembered about mom only recently, but I couldn't even remember anything about you. I'm a terrible daughter."

Marcus jumped up from his knees, sat down on the sofa and pulled his daughter to his chest, "God, what are you saying? Everything is all right. It just happened, you have nothing to do with it. Don't cry, otherwise, I don't know what to do. Do you want to sit on the dad's knees? It always worked when you were little."

"David will kill you if he finds out that I was sitting on your lap," Elena laughed through her tears.

"Ahaha, yes. Your husband is jealous, that's for sure," Marcus grinned, stroking his daughter's hair, "I'm glad that everything worked out for you two. He is a reliable person. True, I'm sure now he really wants to kill me."

"David is wonderful. So are you."

"Hmm, your subjective assessment of my modest person is unlikely to resonate with others," Marcus laughed, "Let me pour you some water," he got up from the sofa and walked over to the work table on which the water bottle was.

"Does it hurt anywhere? Do you want to eat?" he asked again, holding out a glass of water to Elena. His hand froze halfway.

"What is it?" the woman asked, noticing Marcus's surprised and wary gaze.

"Your eyes…"

"What is with my eyes?"

"They are blue...," Taubert noticed that something had changed in his daughter's appearance, but only now he realized this change.

"What do you mean they are blue?" Elena looked around, remembering where her father had a mirror in her office, went up to it and, with the same surprise as Marcus, stared into her reflection, "Why?" she turned to the man, to which he only shrugged.

Elena leaned closer to the mirror, examining the unusual color of the iris. For a moment sparks flashed in her pupils, but she was the only one to have noticed it. Already familiar sensations and a kaleidoscope of pictures swirled in her head.

Elena closed her eyes and turned away from the mirror.

"How are you?"

"It's okay," she smiled, and Marcus had no choice but to take her word for it.

Elena took the glass of water from her father's hands and took a few sips, "Where are we? In Eastern Europe?"

"No, in the USA."

The woman raised her eyebrows in surprise, Marcus understood her reaction and hastened to explain, "This base is an exact copy of the one we had in Europe. It, hmm, what's the best way to put it... Well, it kind of gives me a sense of control over the situation." There were so many things in Taubert's life that did not depend on his will, so he preferred to keep the surrounding space and his daily and weekly rituals under control.

"Waking up at five in the morning, music on Thursdays, and chess on Saturdays?"

"Exactly." The fact that his daughter remembered his habits made Marcus incredibly happy.

"BOSS!" The front door hit the wall, and a man flew into the office, "Elena is gone-"

"Here she is," Taubert replied curtly, and Simon froze two steps from the woman. He and Elena exchanged glances, the man turned sharply and disappeared back through the door even faster than he appeared.

Elena blinked in confusion and looked at her father, "Was that uncle Simon?"

"Do you remember him?" Marcus wondered. Knowing the love of his subordinate for his daughter, Taubert was sure that Simon would shine with joy when he finds out that Elena remembered him. However, she remembers him not only as Simon.

"Dad, you have no idea how much I remember now. And I certainly cannot forget my godfather."

Marcus chuckled and shouted loudly, "Hey godfather, come back. She has already seen you, so you can't run away."

The door opened slowly, and a tall, bald man in dark glasses entered the room.

"Godfather Simon, long time no see," Elena smiled. The last time she saw him was twenty years ago when she was still a child.

Or not twenty years ago ...

The man took off his glasses, turned to the woman and smiled apologetically, "Hi Elena. Yes, for a long time. It has been six years already."

Elena's face froze for a moment. Confusion gave way to surprise, then joy and eventually anger. "Professor Richards?!"

"Ahaha, yes. It's me. I would like to congratulate my beloved student with the successful graduation of the Academy. And yes, as you can see, I'm alive," Simon replied, scratching his bald head. He knew that this meeting would happen sooner or later, but the man hoped to at least mentally prepare for it. It didn't work out.

"How is it at all possible?!" Elena protested, "Do you at least understand what I felt all this time, thinking that you were killed because of me?!"

"That's all him!" Simon jabbed a finger towards Marcus, "It was your father's idea!"

"Oh, it's a high time for dinner! Simon, can you make dinner for Elena?"

"Great idea, boss! On my way already!"

"Well, stand still!" Elena slammed the door in front of the men, "I'll cook you both for dinner myself if you don't explain everything to me right now!"

Simon looked hopefully at his boss, but Marcus's face was filled with a satisfied smile instead of guilt. No, his boss was definitely a masochist. Simon understood this immediately.

Elena looked so much like Amelia in anger. Only the daughter was much more intimidating.