The Ascension

The 'Ascension' is the name given to the transformation of Sarah Cunnington into Fran Grenouille, and has been mentioned by many characters, mainly Fran herself (retrospectively) ("Power"). The Circle refer to the Ascension as 'the Fundamental Crisis' ("Circle")

## Allusions

In late April 2023, Fran mentioned to Cameron Campbell that the failed assassination attempt on Amber Harvey had to happen in order to ensure her Ascension ("Power"). She later said something similar to Arvin Costlemach, regarding The Circle and Claudia Horne ("Circle").

In December 2022, Brent Hall was warned by Rick Parry that the Ascension would occur just weeks after his time in Black Dolphin prison ("Voyna", "The Blood-Dimmed Tide").

During questioning in June 2023, Will Bradley, who had been in the Void for a month, mentioned that the Ascension was almost upon them. ("Children")

## June 23rd - 26th, 2023

While incarcerated in HMP Bronzefield, Sarah - who had made an enemy of PO Harry Hendricks - awoke shortly before midnight on June 23rd to find herself being pinned down in her cell by a number of inmates, including Andrea Badelt. Hendricks ordered Brontë 'Fergie' Ferguson to slice open Sarah's right cheek, from her mouth to her ear, with a shiv, thereby giving her the scar that Fran bears. Before she was able to suffer the same on the other side, Sarah - who had become immune to the effects of prohiberazin - was able to Jump out of the prison and into Ethan Taylor's flat. However, knowing that there would be terrible legal consequences if she were found to have escaped custody, Hafiz had Jack Harringer take Sarah back to her cell and raise the alarm, ensuring that she received appropriate medical assistance. 24 hours later, Jack - who had discovered that Carlos Sánchez was in fact his and Sarah's son Noah Cunnington, thought to have died at birth but who had in fact been abducted by The Circle and taken back in time - came to tell Sarah the news. After Jack received a series of missed calls from Carlos, and concluding that he needed their help, Jack and Sarah Jumped to 2008, where he was currently living with his girlfriend Esther Wilson, only to find Carlos shot dead and Brent Hall holding a gun. ("Destiny")

Sarah immediately attempted to kill Hall in grief-stricken revenge, but Hall escaped thanks to Aleksander Volkov. Having torn open her stitches, Sarah Jumped back to the year 2022, where she had Andy Burnett tend to her wounds. After spending a week in 2022 recovering, Sarah then returned to the 25th June 2023, where she set upon meting out her own justice concerning a number of people at Bronzefield, including Maryam Razavi's uncle, Kasia Jankowski, Badelt, Hendricks and Fergie. She then tracked down Hall, who had been taken captive by Elijah Phelps, but the team beat her to it, taking Hall into a form of protective custody. With Jack's help, she returned to the London Hub on June 26th to face Hall, intending on killing him, but things were complicated by the arrival of Jacob Dorody, who had been sent by Fran to help Sarah. Dorody was wielding Joyeuse but after an encounter with members of the Field Team, Sarah acquired the sword and went after Hall. During this showdown, however, Jack revealed - via Zoey Hallett - that Hall had not murdered Carlos, but that in fact it had been Fran. Distraught at the knowledge that her own future self would murder her son, she lashed out with Joyeuse, unintentionlally killing Zoey. Consequently, Enora Gallou ordered the arrest of Sarah, but she accepted Dorody's offer and the two of them Jumped into the future. Later that afternoon, Fran mentioned to Miranda Davenport that she had killed Carlos in order to nudge Sarah along to this point, indicating that she was now ready to 'Ascend'. ("Ascension")