Participants:
| Scene Title | I Found Your Dad |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Kaylee makes a call to her brother with a bit of a confession…. |
| Date | March 21, 2018 |
After making sure Sera knew her business trip was going to be drawn out and to cancel her appointments for the next few days.
After calling her family and listening to each of her children tell her about their day, telling them how much she loved them, and that she’ll be home as soon as she could. This was followed by a long conversation with Joseph about what happened — because, why wouldn’t she tell him what she was up too? He had been supportive of this decision, after a few questions.
After all of that, she had one more call to make. A part of her was dreading this call — though Joseph had done a lot to calm her frayed nerves — It was time for Kaylee Ray-Sumter to come clean and tell her brother the truth. To tell him the real reason she came up to the lake. Worry that Richard will be upset at her gnaws at her stomach…. Especially, that she never told him about those voices in the ear piece. Even if she feels she did the right thing.
The old corded phone at the quaint little roadside inn buzzes a little, with line noise, in her ear as she dials it. Her stomach was in knots. While it rings, the telepath turns to sit on the bed, back leaning up against the headboard, so that she can watch the thick flakes fall heavily outside the window. Her head drops back to softly thump against the wall, sighing heavily. “Come on, Richard. Pick up, the damn phone before I lose my nerve.”
It’s an unfamiliar number, which perhaps is why Richard doesn’t pick up the phone right away. When he does, he answers somewhat formally, “This is Richard Ray. What can I do for you?”
It’s snowing in New York; he’s in his office, standing in front of the big windows in his office watching it blanket the green roof with white, hands clasped at the small of his back and a bluetooth earpiece tucked securely there to the side of his head.
On the edge of just hanging up, there is relief as the line is picked up, “Hey Richard. It’s me.” Kaylee. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time?” She asks curiously. “You know… No late meetings with the secretary?” He can hear the edge of laughter in her voice as she teases.
"Sera's not my type," Richard replies dryly to that, "And no, I'm just up in the office, doing some last minute paperwork— where the hell are you calling from? That came up as a New York number, are you up at Jared's place or something…?" His tone curious, but not concerned - she doesn't sound in danger.
There is a chuckle about Sera, but then she goes quiet for a moment. “That is why I am calling. I… “ Kaylee feels a bit sheepish about it, and might sound it too as she talks. “You… remember when we were in Des’ head… And I told you there was an earpiece with a voice in it?” She cringes a bit thinking about it, especially the blood dripping from it after.
"I… think so," Richard admits, his brow furrowing, "Things got a little crazy in there… why? Did you remember something?" He was going down the stairs at the time, which is when he saw the giant Des-eating Odessa head, so maybe he can be forgiven for forgetting that particular part.
He can’t see it, but the corner of her mouth tugs up… cause crazy was putting it mildly. “I put that earpiece in. So did Des. It said different things… but one of the voices…” Here is where she needs to take a deep breath, “It told me that David Cardinal is alive….” She gives that a moment to sink in…. Especially, since she had not told him.
There's dead silence from the other side of the line for a long few moments. "It said… what?" Richard’s tone quiet, dangerously so, "And you didn't tell me?"
“No…I didn’t tell you,” Kaylee admits and even though she knows that tone, she doesn’t let that bother her, she feels justified. “I know what you would have done with that and what would it have done to you if it had been wrong. Hmm?” She sits up a little on the hotel bed and adds, “Or did you forget that crap dad did and how well that went?”
Kaylee sighs softly, “Look… be as pissed at me as you want; but, I love you, big brother, and I was protecting you.”
Another few moments pass, and Richard breathes out a heavy sigh. "Alright, alright," he murmurs, "You're right there, that shit that Edward put me through— so if you're telling me this, I assume you figured something out one way or the other?"
Thank goodness she doesn’t have to argue it more. Settling back again, Kaylee confirms, “I have. I asked Tamara for more than just Kara Price’s whereabouts. She told me to look near Tupper Lake. I grabbed Mr. Bellamy and headed up here this morning.” Had Richard even noticed the janitor’s absence?
“I’m somewhat pleased to say, that the voice was correct,” Kaylee says a little awed and a touch disturbed by that thought. “David Cardinal is alive. He is going by an assumed name and owns an auto repair shop up here.” She lets that sink in before she gets into why she called.
"Tamara…" A short, faint chuckle from Richard, "Why didn't I think of that? I don't like bothering the poor girl, though." Then he listens, silent for a short time as he lets that sink in, watching the snow come down in gentle flakes from the heavens.
"Just… upstate running an auto shop. All this time, and…" A sigh whispers into the receiver, "Okay. What else?"
“Luther and I had a longer conversation about this… We need you up here. You and your… particular set of skills.” Kaylee sounds dead serious about. “By the way, I see why you keep him around, I like him… wasted as a janitor really.”
But even as she says it, she dismisses that quickly enough to continue on the important issue at hand. “We think he is hiding something. He insists that Michelle was never pregnant and wasn’t when he last saw her in 82. A few days after they got married.” She pauses just long enough for that to sink in. She noticed the discrepancy, too.
“However… “ And here Kaylee sounds confused a little. “I am pretty sure he believes it, Richard.”
"You can try to promote him," Richard comments a bit dryly to the mention of Luther's skills, "But he'll fight you. Good luck on convincing him."
He listens, then, to what David Cardinal said, what he claimed, what he believes. After a moment, staring out over a snow-kissed Jackson Heights he says quietly, "I have two sets of photographs. One of them shows Michelle pregnant. One of them doesn't. I can track dates on both sets of photographs, and there's literally no way that both sets can both be true…"
Hesitation, before he adds, "…and both be from this string."
“Hence, the reason we wanted to see if you wanted to come up and do a little breaking and entering.” Kaylee offers without even a moment's hesitation. “I mean… I could let Luther do it, but I think you’d do a better job…” considering…
There is a soft sigh on the other end of the phone, “I can’t guarantee any answers, but it is a start in that direction. To finding out something about who you are.” She knows that feeling of not knowing.
There is a small pause, before she asks, “Sooo.. you gonna come up?”
"Oh, I don't know, I thought maybe I'd skip it, who needs to know where they came from anyway…" There's a long pause, then a bark of laughter from Richard, "Of course I'm coming up. Tell me where and I'll be there as soon as possible."
A pause, and he asks in hopeful tones, "Tell me— I mean, tell me what you can? What's he like? Did you talk to him— of course you did— what else did he say?"
“I can show you…” Kaylee offers softly, though something in her tone suggests he might not like it. “I… Edward did something to him. So… It wasn’t a pleasant conversation.” Grimacing Kaylee continues, “Said something about having his ability stripped, after dad rescued him with the help of some metal guy… from a concrete cell… Moab maybe?”
“And then tossing him away like garbage,” Kaylee sighs out. It’s news she takes no pleasure in repeating. The more she learns about her own father…
"I.. wait, ability— metal— "
The next sound is a crash as Richard sweeps the in-box off his desk, papers and pens going flying, an onyx chess piece getting another chip as it hits the floor and rolls slowly in a semi-circle. "THAT MOTHER— FUCKING— SONUVABITCH— !"
The phone is pulled away from her ear as soon as the crashing starts. That is never ever good. She waits til the worst of the ranting is done before Kaylee hesitantly brings the receiver back to her ear again. “Should… I even ask what that was about?” She is pretty sure she doesn’t want to know the answer.
"HE WAS RIGHT— he was right the fuck in front of me," Richard rages, storming back and forth through the office, gesticulating wildly although there's nobody to see it, "It was— the Edward from the future, that murderous piece of shit, the one that killed Izzy! Arthur took my ability, but Ray had one waiting for me, had a guy tied to a chair— bag over his head— an ability that kept Arthur from finding me after Tyler tore it from him and gave it to me."
"He kidnapped my fucking father and he was right in front of me!"
Of course, Kaylee is having to listen to her brother with the handset held away from her ear a little. She doesn’t say anything for a long moment. He can’t see it, but the telepath sits with one hand over her mouth. Then comes a single breathless word, muffled by fingers. “Wow…” When she didn’t think her father could get much worse.
“I—” Kaylee starts, feeling guilt for what her biological father did. “I’m so sorry, Richard.” Yet, she feels like that is personally not enough. The hand over her mouth, slides up to rest against her head, elbow propped on her knees after drawing them up. She could play devil’s advocate, but she doubts he’d want to hear it right now. Her father rarely did anything without reason.
"No, no— don't," says Richard, as if he can tell what his sister's thinking, "Don't feel guilty for this, your father didn't have any hand in this. No more than I had a hand in all the bullshit Ezekiel did…"
There's a heavy thump as he drops to sit in his chair, leaning it back with a heavy sigh, "Motherfucker. Okay. Yeah. I'll come up first thing in the morning."
“I know.. Your right…” Her voice is laced with sadness, when she speaks.”Easier said than done. Whole reason we started Raytech wasn’t it? Guilt?” She thumbs away a hint of moisture from the corner of her eye. The words ‘your father’ affecting her a little, maybe bringing up the worry she feels.
A glance goes to the scene outside her window… The snow piling up on the cars outside. “You might wait a little… It’s snowing pretty bad. Not too long though, cause I am pretty sure Luther is going to get ansty.” Switching the receiver to her other hand, she adds, “Besides… I need you to go to Elmhurst Hospital and get blood drawn. I got your father to agree to a DNA test.” She seems rather proud of that. “He is going to the blood drawn here and I went by that clinic and left instructions for it to be sent there.”
She smiles a little as she comments, “Am I learning well, big brother?”
"I can deal with— " An objection to the mention of snow-related issue, and then there's the comment about the hospital, which cuts him off. Richard pauses, and then allows wryly, "Good call. Alright. I'll stop by the hospital, have the vampires collect my blood, and I'll head up. Soon as I get the nerve to."
Meeting a father who doesn't think he's your father - may not even, technically, be your father - is something to spike the anxiety of even someone like Richard.
“It is beautiful up here,” Kaylee comments lightly, “It is like the war never even touched this place. Maybe all of us should pitch in and get a vacation cabin.” Clearly, the idea amuses her. “Company getaways.. Or family getaways.. I don’t know..”
Kaylee sighs, “Okay… I’ll let you go, you need to get ready to go. You can bunk with Luther when you get here.” He has to share, but she has her room all to herself. Priorities.
“Just drive safe, okay?”