Sins Of The Present

Participants:

kaylee2_icon.gif luther2_icon.gif richard3_icon.gif

Scene Title Sins Of The Present
Synopsis As an argument becomes heated, some of Raytech's execs get a glimpse of a much brighter future… together.
Date October 22, 2018

Security Office - Raytech Industries


Long after the revelatory meeting at RayTech’s main conference room and subsequent follow up discussions with the attendees, Luther lingers on the company campus a few days after the informational meetup took place. Main security has been released for the day, leaving the chief of the department to pore over the recordings of the cameras watching the various points and perimeter.

He’s sent messages to the CEO, Richard Ray and COO Kaylee Ray-Sumter to join him in the lower security room where his office - a single desk with computer peripheral attachments - has currently a laptop added and streaming video. Between Alia and Lou, even the Head of Physical Security knows the basics by now. So, he’s able to work the video security system, seated at the camera monitoring desk with a cup of coffee (standard RayTech black and red logo on a black mug) in one hand and the other on a knob that allows for fast forward and rewind.

There’s more coffee. A pot of it sits, steaming faintly as it fills the room with aromatic scents.

Today is one of Kaylee’s more casual days, which means instead of slacks and heels, it’s dark jeans and a pair of comfortable flats, with her more formal business attire. This means she has not appointments or meetings waiting for her. Mostly, it is catch up work, such as reviewing performance appraisals. The only thing that stands out is the brace that is still around her wrist.

“I hope you have a spare mug somewhere,” Kaylee comments as she steps into the small office. “I could really use a cup.” She looks tired, but then nightmares will do that to you. There is no waiting for him answer as she spots a mug and movers to take advantage.

“Thank you, by the way,” Kaylee saids, glancing his way with a bit of a smile. “Getting those appraisals in. I think your department is the only one to get it all in on time.” She hates having to crack the whip on the other leads. Fresh mug in hand, she moves to take a seat. “I admittedly agrees with everything you’ve said about Bob and Lou.”

Then Kaylee spots the screen and her expression sobers a little, curiosity setting in.

In the days since the conference, Richard Ray’s path has not crossed with Luther’s — perhaps by design, as the last look that he regarded the head of security with was less than pleased. Time gives tempers the chance to cool. At the invitation, he comes down immediately, dressed in his usual work suit; black with a red tie, shoes that look formal at a glance but that actually aren’t. Sometimes he needs to run places, and hell if he’s doing that in dress shoes.

“Kaylee,” he says in neutral tones as he steps in, “Luther.”

The man’s hand on the knob of the security monitors gets his attention immediately, and he arches a single brow, “What do you have for us? Security breach?”

As the executives enter, Luther stands out of courtesy. The request for a mug gets a nod in the direction of the coffee pot, a couple of extra mugs already set aside for use. "Pot's pretty fresh, but we're stretching the grounds a bit here. Trying to save a few cents," he adds by way of advance warning for the quality of the coffee. He lifts his own mug in a toast before taking a quick sip, nodding to the thanks from Kaylee as well.

"Well we could always do with some more eyes and ears attached to warm bodies, but figure between Alia and Warren, they'll come up with somethin' to replace the rest of us and lower your bottom line, eventually." The underlying worry slips in, but Luther covers with a wry turn of his mouth corner.

Richard's inquiry gets Luther to turn back to the monitors, the flat look of the security chief returning. "I went back over the perimeter footage we've got, to see where Samson Gray managed to infiltrate the campus and main building a few days ago." By the looks of it, though, the man doesn't look too pleased by his results. "Largely," he rumbles with an attempt to remain neutral, "the cameras don't catch it. We're just looking at smoke and shadows…"

“Shadows,” Kaylee comments without really thinking about it, hands curled around the mug for the warmth. “He has Richard’s… well… a version of Richard’s ability.” A look of apology is sent her brother’s way. “It would be good to know where that entry was made, cause who knows who all else could get through there.” Though, knowing her luck, Samson slipped in like Sibyl did… via the telepath herself. Not that any of them needed to know that.

Taking a sip of her coffee, there is a slight wrinkle of her nose, but Kaylee doesn’t complain. Caffeine was caffeine; so she’ll take it where she can. “So do you have a plan on how to prevent that kind of breach again?” There is nothing judging in the question. It was simply a question.

“It is my ability,” says Richard grimly as he regards the monitor for a long moment, “He killed Ezekiel back in the seventies… pried the secrets of it out of his brain. He was using it so I’d know who he was, he knew I’d recognize it in an instant. He took a lot of risks getting in here, though, even for him… it must have been important.”

He lifts a hand a bit to Kaylee at her question to forestall it for just a moment, then looks to Luther with a brow’s slight lift, “You said largely. Did you come up with something, then?”

Reaching over to the knob, Luther rewinds the footage on one of the cameras facing a shadowed alley between buildings. "We didn't find where he came in. But we got a vague idea where he left. Had Lou clean it up some but this is all we got," he replies as he hits play. The footage advances with slower frame rate settings and he pauses it at a point where there's a darkened blurring of the otherwise sharp focus. Luther's finger might have pressed pause a little harshly.

"There. After that… it's too dark to see what direction he went in." He turns to Kaylee and Richard again, eyeing them as he continues, "The ability… it was light sensitive. But I know he's got other powers. Fire manipulation of some sort at the very least. So who knows what other methods he's willing to try to get in here." The next words weigh down further, Luther darkening in expression. "What else does he know about the company? About us? In other words, I have no fucking clue how to prevent this from happening again." His admittance comes out in a growl, but then he presses further, "And how long has been watching or listening? That he just happens to show up at that meeting, and takes that risk? Maybe he got sloppy. Maybe all those people gathered in one space was too rich a target to ignore."

Luther's mouth presses into a line as he looks to the smudge of a form on the camera monitor. "SESA and DHS should know about this."

Teeth catch at her lower lip as she listens, there is a flicker of guilt, but only just… easily missed. “I don’t know,” Kaylee says after a moment of thought, “I didn’t get the impression he was there to hunt. Not this time, at least.” Didn’t mean he wasn’t a real and honest threat to the people gathered.

Eyes narrow at the screen thoughtful. “I think he was, honestly, there to help.” It sounded odd, but there was not reason to doubt her. Kaylee glances between the two men, knowing that it must have sounded crazy. “I mean… he was a complete idiot coming in like that, he should have known that people would react like that.” She had even called him that, something she might regret later.

“I mean, of course, the authorities should know he is showing up in the Safe Zone,” Kaylee is a little concerned about that. Especially, since Sibyl is living at her place. She wasn’t comfortable at the idea of him visiting her home. At. All. “But… No, I don’t think he was hunting.”

“I agree. I don’t know if the SESA agents in attendance reported it, but we certainly should; work up a full report and forward it to the authorities,” Richard agrees with a slight tip of his head toward Luther, “Although I do… agree with Kaylee. I think he was there to actually share some information.”

He grimaces, briefly, noting, “Samson worked for the Company for a long time as Arthur’s personal assassin. The man has more powers than I could even begin to list out— I only know the ones I’ve seen, and the ones I know he’s killed while hunting. I think he’s… given up hunting, though.”

“He helped the Lighthouse kids recently,” he notes with a frown, brow knitting, “Didn’t try and harvest any of their abilities— and he visited Tyler and his sister recently and left them unhurt, when Eve tried to sic him on them. And I saw him at the art auction awhile back. He’s dying. Cancer, probably— couldn’t’ve happened to a better guy. Maybe he’s trying to do some sort of fucking— ‘making amends’ shit for all the murdering he’s done. I don’t know, some bullshit like that.”

Luther turns a hard stare to the pair of Rays, grey eyes flicking from one to the other. “You two…” The thundering rumbles from the man are distant at first. “You’re not seriously trying to justify the intrusion of a serial killer with multiple unknown superpowers as an attempt to help? Help who? Himself? To our brains?” The stare turns incredulous, and he can feel the rise of color to his cheeks. “Maybe he just didn’t see anything he liked,” Luther retorts at Kaylee, “or not an easy picking. More importantly, is why is it you two seem comfortable with the fact that a killer like Samson got in here without so much as a wire trip.”

His expression darkens with the CEO’s latter statement. “He can make amends in prison for what he’s done,” growls the security chief. “And did I hear you right, that you called him some kind of Agent?”

There is a snap of anger in the telepath’s blue eyes at the accusations being leveled at her. The mug is carefully set on the desk and pushed away. “You really…” Kaylee starts to snap and then reins herself in taking a deep breath. Letting out that breath slowly, she manages a much calmer start. Her gaze holds steady as she asks a simple question, “Do you forget what I am?” Blonde brows tip down in a furrow. “You really think I sat idly by? He wasn't hunting.”

Leaning forward a little, Kaylee hisses out, blue eyes flash with barely contained anger, “And no, I am not defending him, Mr. Bellamy. I am simply stating what I know from what I saw in his mind, before you flash bombed us all.”

A hand lifts to motion between herself and her brother, with her injured arm. “Both of us have dealt with Samson before, we know damn well how dangerous he is and what he has done.

Then something sinks in and Kaylee looks over to Richard is sudden surprise. “Wait. What? He was Company?”

“No, we are not— “ Richard’s own voice snaps, before he cuts himself off, one hand raising up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He closes his eyes, taking a slow breath before exhaling it, “We are not justifying his presence, Luther, we are providing motive and purpose for his presence. The man is literally a force of nature more than a man at this point, and attempting to engage him in a crowded room before ascertaining his purpose there posed a very real danger of him just killing everyone in the room with a shrug of his shoulders. We’re lucky he’s probably not in good enough physical shape to use Angelina’s ability anymore, or he might have just detonated you.”

His hand drops, and he sweeps a hand to one side, “So if you could stop leaping to conclusions and jumping to attack things verbally or literally, I’d appreciate it. Think for five seconds before doing that, for fuck’s sake…”

A frown as he looks to Kaylee, a curt nod, “Yes. Agent Martin Black was his alias, set up by Arthur. Most of his dossier was faked so the others wouldn’t know…” His gaze cuts back to Luther, “Arthur sent him after Odessa’s parents, that night.”

The tensed lines of Luther's shoulders don't ease as tempers rise. "I didn't need to know his purpose for being there. He's a killer! Motives and purpose don't mean anything… The fact is that he got in and out of the campus and there wasn't a damn thing we could do about it," the security head fires back at the Rays, his frustrated tone grinding through the man.

Their claim to familiarity doesn't help to calm Luther. "So, you know what he's capable of. And that he was a personal Petrelli hitman—" he says tightly as he rounds a counter stare at Richard first, eyes widening as the other man goes on about that night. "Oh, yeah sure, so he's just been killing people and maybe snacking on their grey matter for over three fucking decades, then! Yeah, let's simply assume that he's turned over a new leaf and came out here to help in the fight against this so-called dimensional entity and Adam Monroe who wants to destroy the fucking world."

Luther clips off his rant, but can't stand still at that point, turning and stalking over to his desk, hands planting on its surface, he leans heavily, staring down at the blank plywood desktop as if it could hold any further secrets. Or bear the brunt of his frustration. "What the hell do you think I'm supposed to do with all this? Honestly. What can I do?"

The man exhales a hard snort, head shaking. He looks up finally at the pair. "And who the fuck is Angelina?"

“Back off, Richard, he didn’t really do anything wrong,” Kaylee says in quiet anger. Preferring not to raise her voice in that moment. Something she might have learned from her husband of all people. “How is he supposed to know? His job is, literally, to protect us - even from ourselves - and that doesn’t always allow for stopping and thinking. That can get us killed as well.” She motions at the back of their security chief where he leans on the desk, “He did what he needed too. He did his job and I don’t fault him for it. Yes, lucky for us, Samson’s legs are broken, so he can’t come out of shadow… But Luther’s actions were correct. That bright light would have killed him - you know damn well - if he hadn’t been in the ducts.”

Then Kaylee is turning towards Luther, “And you… “ Kaylee moves to tug his arm and get him to look at her. “You stop moping, just because you didn’t get him. Take what you learned and figure out how to patch up that hole in our security.” She lets out a frustrated beath, the edge in her tone softening some. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, fix it.”

“I am not saying that he turned over a new leaf,” Richard says sharply, cutting a hand through the air dismissively of the idea, “But motive and purpose mean everything! This isn’t back out in the battlefields of the war, Luther, you can’t just snap to attack— there’s a million other things you could’ve done. Evacuated the room, moved to make sure Kaylee and I were safe, but not attack the most dangerous single man on the planet in a crowded fucking…”

Then he trails off, his head turning slowly to regard his sister. “Excuse me,” he says softly, “Just how are you aware that Samson’s legs are broken, sister dear?”

"If you thought that I didn't think about it, that I didn't know what I was doing," growls the security chief as he feels the heat around his shoulders intensify, the air wavering around his fingers. Fist balling at his side, Luther clenches his jaw at Richard's remark about the warfields. Eyes flash with a danger of actual violence, but as he starts to retort through gritted teeth about the listed alternate courses of action, the trailing off and touch from Kaylee slips the mental harness back around his control.

The air around him cools as he sucks in a long breath, focusing on pushing back the rush of energy and restlessness coursing in him. Luther presses a couple fingers to the bridge of his nose. He swallows down roughly, uttering a faint huff in apology that barely makes it through. Nearly missing the question Richard asks to Kaylee, the pause gives him a chance to regroup and push down the rise of his temper. It's interrupted by a sound only he hears, at first.

Soft, cooing laughter and the quiet babbling of an infant child echoes in the room. It's followed by a much lower, deeper timbre of rumbling chuckles as Luther holds his arms out, ready to receive the baby girl crawling towards him and stopping to try and push herself up. A diaper sticks up in the air, wiggling as the baby pushes, then plops back down on pudgy calves. Grey eyes meet, practically the same color. "Come on Jo, you can do it," encourages the man as he smiles at his daughter.

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“Both of you stop right this minute,” Kaylee’s voice finally rises some, feeling the heat from Luther, which is alarming. “This is not what we need right this moment.” There is a glare cast a both.

However, her own temper cools quickly as Richard points out her slip up, though she manages to at least keep her expression neutral, rather then the worry she is feeling. “Just like you have your ways, I have mine.” It wasn’t really an answer, but it would have to do. “He did it almost a month back. Both legs.” Funny… she started wearing her brace about that long ago, after a trip out to Staten.

What was Kaylee Sumter up too?

“What are you two up to?” Kaylee asks with a barely contained chuckle. Baby laughter was always contagious. Standing in the doorway, looking very much like the Vice President she is, the telepath watches her husband and daughter. Leaning out the door, she calls out down the hall, “Dad. You should come see this. Josephine is trying to stand again.” No doubt, when it does happen, it’ll be national news.

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Leaving the door open for Edward to follow, Kaylee is quick to kick off the dark blue heels, taking a moment to rub at the arch of one foot. The arrival of her mother, distracts the little girl from her task. Jo gives a happy squeal, feet kicking out where she sits and arms lifting for her mother. However, instead of picking up her baby girl, Kaylee moves to kneel next to Luther, kissing his temple and softly offering a “Hello, Handsome,” on the way down.

Josephine looks confused, but when Kaylee puts her own hands out and makes a grabby motion, the little girl brightens up and starts crawling towards her parents again.

“You both said that you wanted openness and honesty from me,” says Richard, an edge still upon his voice as he spreads both hands to either side, encompassing them both in the gesture, “And I’ve fucking given you that— and in return I’ve got a head of security that’s punched me once and endangered an entire goddamn room full of people in a single move, and who just seems to be operating on anger twenty-four seven…”

A flick of darkened hazel to Kaylee, “…and a sister and partner who’s keeping secrets from all of us. How the fuck am I supposed to operate like this? A hot-head rushing ahead and a partner who might as well be working on a completely different playbook from the rest of us? I’m trying to save the god-damn world here, not play a game of //Monopoly/, for Christ’s— “

A dark shadow swirls beside the baby, roughly imitating the infant’s form as it rises up from a similar position to its ‘feet’, wisps of shadow bleeding off it — dropping back down, then doing it again, encouraging the child to imitate him.

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”She’ll get it soon,” …soon whispers the sibilant shadows that are Richard Cardinal, assuring the pair, “She’s been trying on her own for awhile now.” …now

“You know, Richard,” comes from Edward Ray as he steps in behind Kaylee, unwinding a scarf from his throat and folding it up, “this… doesn’t have to be permanent. I know you don’t want to have this conversation, but it might be easier to hold your niece with hands rather than… “ He furrows his brows, “Whatever it is you are.” Tucking his folded scarf into a jacket pocket, Edward closes the door behind himself. “There’s experts. People you can help…” It may not be the best time for a conversation like that, but Edward’s always been lacking in tact and timing.

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“Otherwise, if you’re not doing anything for Halloween,” Edward says with a crooked smile, “I was thinking of maybe doing a haunted house out of my garage. I could use a ghost.”

Luther rumbles out a short "Hey, Beautiful" as is the call-and-response nature between him and Kaylee now. He turns to peck her quickly on the cheek, then it's back to the baby with hands patting thighs and then palms held out to receive her.

The shadow sweeping up beside the baby gets a smirk as he watches Cardinal helping with visual aids. "Yeah she will," Luther agrees on his daughter not taking long to pick up on standing and walking, "Pretty soon you'll have a dance partner for the next correspondence dinner." A second glance over his shoulder sees him nodding a greeting to Edward as the other man enters. He turns back to the child to mock-whisper, "Who's that? Is that Grandpa?"

The sudden entry of all the people distracts Josephine from the task previously set to mind. The baby stops, stares, and sits back on her calves, stretching out a loose fist to the swirling shadows that make up her uncle.

With her daughter preoccupied with Richard, Kaylee lays a hand on Luther’s shoulder and uses him to steady her as she climbs to her feet. “Were you pay attention to the press conference today?” This question is leveled at her father, her expression showing a touch of amused. As she steps a little away from her husband, she continues,. “According to reports, tonight should be interesting. If they are right.” Stepping towards one of the windows she motions out of it, the sky still blue, though the sun was tipping towards evening. “A reporter asked if I knew about a report going out that the northern lights will be low enough for us to see.”

Tugging the curtain closed a bit against anyone trying to get a snapshot of the VP and her family at home, Kaylee sighs a bit. “Guess people are worried how it might interfere with technology since it’s never been this bad before. Alle— The President,” It was all so surreal still, “wanted me to ask you if you could look into it for us? I don’t think that will be the last reporter to ask questions.” In her mind it was a simple task, a silly one to ask Edward to do. “Be nice to give them something to offer peace of mind that airplanes were not going to start dropping out of the sky.” By her amused tone, Kaylee didn’t really believe that would happen really.

“And what are the odds it’d just kill me…?” …kill me

The shadow coils a tendil of ephemeral nothing to brush a ‘fist’ back against the one offered from the baby, darkness splitting in an exaggerated cartoony ‘smiley face’ back at her, playing with the infant as best he can. “I don’t miss my body that much, anyway…” A touch of a lie from Cardinal that Kaylee can surely detect. The temptation of holding his niece is a strong one. “And the media always panicks over the stupidest things. It’s just lights in the sky…” …in the sky

Edward makes a face in the direction of Richard’s insubstantial mass. “You might need some physical therapy, mostly to relearn motor skills, but as far as I'm aware the odds of your resubstantiation being harmful are… quite low. Consider it?”

Turning then to Kaylee, Edward takes a few steps over and glances toward a clock on the wall and back again. “I spoke with President Rickham before we landed. We've received multiple confirmed reports this morning that it's a mass auroral phenomenon brought on by increased solar activity. What I'm concerned about is that we found some research in Pinehearst tower linking their research on the Looking Glass to some cosmic radiation. Dark matter storms. All of that.”

Pressing one hand to his brow, Edward slants a look over to Luther. “Grandpa,” he reiterates both belatedly and with a whispered tone. “It's… hard to imagine.”

Josephine's burbled laughter at the dark smiley face tells of the child's entertained amusement at her uncle's antics. Her attention turns back to Luther, then the man in the doorway who's still getting used to the title of Grandpa. Grandpa Ray then becomes the target of the child's fleeting attentions, and off she goes crawling past her father and up to Edward.

While the baby's using Grandpa's leg to stabilize herself enough to pull herself up, Luther pushes to a stand as well. The man falls quiet at the mention of Pinehearst and the Looking Glass, casting a glance towards Kaylee. "I don't know anything about dark matter," he rumbles with a second glance to the shadowy form of Cardinal. "But what I do know - feel - is the energy. It's… big. Whatever's causing it." Lacking in the terminology to describe the sensation, he can only offer a short shrug. "Makes it hard to sleep. Not just because of the lights."

In feeling that restlessness, Luther crosses over to stand beside Kaylee and reaches a hand out for hers. His eyes settle on the young girl at Edward's feet, as a vision of what's hard to imagine is, at the moment, reality.

When she is reached for, Kaylee reaches out a hand to her husband. There is no smile though, her thoughts and expression darken at the mention of Pinehearst and Looking Glass. The latter brings back emotions and memories she’d rather not visit. Her temple leans against, Luther’s shoulder, finding comfort in that extra warmth that the man naturally creates, her other hand curled lightly around his bicep. “Is it something we need to be worrying about?” Kaylee directs the question to her father, while Josephine babbles at him from where she clings to his leg bouncing a bit and reaching a hand up.

”We were planning to take a trip to the beach house for our anniversary and see if you could watch Josephine. She thinks the world of you after all,” Kaylee looks up Luther, her head shifting on his shoulder to do it. They had been planning it for awhile, before she turns serious again “But that can wait till we know more about what is going on with whatev—

The sentence is never finished…

With a blink Kaylee finds herself back in the Security Room, there is a gasps of surprise and she stumbles back. Luckily, her hand finds a desk to lean on. Which means she does see Luther next to her, her hand moving to grip his arm to steady her. Though, for a moment she has no idea where she is and has a brief panic attack over her daught— Wait…

“W-w-what the hell was that? Richard?” Whatever just happened has rattled Kaylee to the core. It was too real.

“— sake…” The last word to Richard’s sentence ends on a far less certain and sharp note than he began, his expression shifting swiftly to one shaken as he looks back to Kaylee and then Luther. “Did— did you both see that? The… you two, and Edward, and… Josephine…”

A slow breath’s drawn in, exhaled, and he straightens up, squaring his shoulders as he tries to get a hold of himself— and then his shoulders slump again as he fails at that, a hand coming to rub against his eyes. “Shit, that— okay, give me— give me a minute here— “

It’s been a long time since he felt his power, and that little taste was a painful reminder.

But it can get more painful. Does, rather.

Edward bends down and picks up Josephine, bracing the child’s weight against his hip with a father’s practiced hand. It occurs to Kaylee that he was around through much of her youth, that he must have held her like this. But it isn't so much the unconditional love of his granddaughter that has his attention, though he does hold out a finger to her that is grasped in her hand firmly. His attention is on the shadow.

“I wouldn't mislead you, Richard.” Edward says with a furrow of his brows, looking down to the swirling darkness at his feet. The guilt in his eyes — the knowing that he'd put him here in this umbral purgatory — is inescapable. “You're my son,” Edward says without hesitation. It may not be biological, but it's always been paternal. “And I love you.”

Only then has it fully passed. Only then is the hurt inescapable.

Mention of the beach house brings back several fond memories amidst other thoughts of comfort, and Luther's cupped hand over Kaylee's squeezes lightly in reassurance. Whatever their plans had been could wait until they learned more about the strange energies and the auroras, and soothed the people's worries. The nation comes first now.

Even so, Luther looks back to Edward and Richard, and in that moment seeing them there, listening to those bonding words spoken, is a tender moment of understanding he won't soon forget.

The feeling of warmth fades along with the vision, leaving only the cold air of the security room at Raytech. Luther finds his arm bearing Kaylee's hand upon it. For moments ticking by, it feels like the touch is right, until that too fades. Then the security chief recoils, stance rimrod straight in comparison to Richard's slump. There's no question of what they've experienced.

The only questions left are, "How… Why…" Which he utters out from a tight throat.

"The fuck…"

The rest is confusion. Luther has no explanation, only that he seeks that escape immediately, with a turn and look away from the pair, back to the screen paused on the shadowed alley and the reminder of what they had been arguing about. Just that now, the fight's left him, and lingering behind is the awkward feeling of feelings he hadn't had a few minutes ago. And the sight of a baby girl. His baby. With Kaylee.

Grey eyes snap up, realization and connection hitting like a freight train barreling through a station. "The radio…"

Even as Luther recoils, Kaylee backs away from him with a touch of… horror? What was she doing?“It’s like the dreams the Ferry got all over again, but… worse. Sharper.” She had told Luther about them, there is a worn notebook in her desk. “But yeah…” eyes sting a little, vision threatening to blur, “I saw dad.”

The mention of - her daughter? - pulls her attention over to Richard. “Josephine,” she murmurs out the name, repeating it. There was another name she learned of another child she would never carry, to have another thrown at her… A hand presses to Kaylee’s chest and her eyes close for a long moment. “Cruel is what,” Kaylee hisses out after Luther’s exclamation. “I could feel- It was so clear…” she can’t even look at Luther right now, since the strength of those fading feelings still lingers. .

The memories of her father on that horrid machine, superimposed with the healthy man with his granddaughter. Her breath catches and she furiously brushes at tears. “So stupid,” Kaylee grits out at herself for the emotions. Then something catches her attention.

“What did you say?” Kaylee can’t help but ask Luther, even if she heard him, finally looking his direction with a touch of confusion. “You means that… Oh shi-” She looks at Richard with raised brows and widened eyes. “Vice President Kaylee Bellamy… I thought it was some stupid ad for River Styx. Do you think— ?” It can’t be can it?

After everything that Richard’s learned, everything he knows about what Edward did after that fateful night in Kansas, those words strike sharp as knives even over the barrier of fifth-dimensional space. As the two try and figure things out, he draws in a ragged breath and breathes it out— stifling a sob, maybe, if someone listens close.

He probably hopes that the two are too consumed in their own confusion to.

Fingers rub over his eyes to dash tears to the side, and he straightens, swallowing that sorrow down and looking at the two with now-reddened eyes. “I think— it was real, I just, I don’t know how. I…” Then the suggestion from Luther hits him, and those eyes widen. The news story, the heightened solar activity. “Luther. Give me an external camera feed— pointing up, upwards, I need to see the sky— “ Suddenly focused as he moves towards the security monitors, though he doesn’t know how they work. That’s what he has Luther for!

Luther shakes his head, fingers pinching at the bridge of his nose before moving to scrub down his face and beard. There was just so much to process now, and he misses the stifled noise from the other man.

He complies with Richard's request after a glance from the CEO back to the monitors. After a few presses of buttons and a moment for the adjustment of the lens, an exterior camera from the main lobby swings up to point towards the sky, the myriad of dancing lights shimmering in the feed. Luther catches his breath, blinking at the sight of the aurora.

"The hell," he mutters as he straightens and steps back from the screen. The mass auroral phenomenon that was in the vision, displayed here in reality. Luther sends a glance to Kaylee, but the lingering confusion over the strange vision, the depth of the emotions that were present, wash with a tint of discomfort over the security chief.

He turns back to the cameras, staring hard at the aurora like it might turn and speak truths and answers to explain this mess.

Preferring to keep her distance from their security chief, Kaylee doesn’t follow right away when both men move to the cameras. The telepath is just as uncomfortable with the intensity of the emotions she felt. Any attempts to close her eyes is met with the image of that little baby reaching for her father. In a way she was jealous of woman on the other end. That other… her?

Kaylee starts to blow out an annoyed breath when she hears Luther, that draws her in and she moves up behind the men to look over their shoulders. “What- ?” Surprise flits across her face. “That was,” she starts looking at them both, her voice barely above a whisper, “what I was talking to dad about. It’s here, too?” Final question is leveled at her brother, who was far more knowledgeable about those kind of things. “You think what we just witnessed was caused by that?” She pales a bit, moving back again, putting that distance between her and Luther, as she asks a more poignant question, “Is this going to keep happening?” A worried look is cast at Luther.

“My God.” A sharp indraw of breath as Richard sees that sky cast in auroral shades, twisting lazily like helical rainbow serpents in the sky above New York City. “I’ve seen this before— Kaylee, so have you. In the memories that Charles left in my head, locked away until we looked for them, it’s…”

He gestures towards the screen, his expression openly worried now, “It’s an Overlay event. But it’s a natural one, they were talking about solar activity…” Hazel eyes sweep back to the screen, “God. It might. I don’t know how long this is going to last…”

Luther studies the aurora in the screen, but the exchange between the Rays turns his attention, particularly the mutually worried glances and expressions. “What are you saying?” he asks Richard, brows furrowing as he looks between him and Kaylee. “Is this what happened in Alaska?” Noting the natural geographical location of an aurora most people think about, he sounds as confused as ever. “And what happened in Kansas…”

And it certainly doesn’t explain what they just saw. Thought they saw. What they knew and felt.

“Look, maybe… maybe there’s someone behind this.” It’s always easier to find something or someone to fault. Something solid, rather than an unknown, unquantifiable factor. Luther shakes his head again and rumbles with an unsettled sound. Scrubbing at his jaw, he exhales roughly as he blinks hard once in an attempt to push the fresh impression of the baby girl from his thoughts. But a look at Kaylee, a glance towards Richard, brings back the reminders of a light kiss, a shadowed brother.

The security chief fidgets. “Should get in touch with others and see if… if they felt this too.” Because, like an earthquake, the visions are groundshaking.

It takes a moment of thought, but then Kaylee is nodding in agreement with Richard. “You’re right. I was more focused on Charles and…” there is a sudden and jarring stop in her sentence as already her body reacts to the thought of Adam; color draining from her face. When she finally manages to continue her thought, her voice has a bit of a strain to it, “But now that I think of it I remember that. So a similar event occured the night you and others crossed from one timeline to another.” There is a touch of fascination to that, the length of explanation is obviously for Luther.

“You don’t think someone out there has…” Kaylee shakes her head suddenly, leaning to look at the screen and the shimmer of lights. “I guess we will know if doppelgangers start showing up.”

The suggestion of their security chief has Kaylee straightening to look at him. Of course, the linger of the vision sends a twist of guilt through her. “That is actually a good idea. Talk to Eve,” she suggests to him. “If anyone has insight. It’s her.” Taking a breath and looking away from him, she adds, “For now, I’m going to go home. I’m sure Joseph is working on dinner. It’s his night for it.” She doesn’t look at either of them, but she inclines her head, before moving to the door.

At the door, Kaylee pauses with her hand on the doorknob. “As to earlier conversation, Richard.” She does look at her brother now, “I know about Samson, because like you I have my contacts, so I hear things.” Not the complete truth, but he won’t know that. “I’ll see about finding out what he wanted.” She looks at them both, “We can’t change the past, what happened happened. So let’s move forward. We’re stronger together, than at each other’s throats.” There is a bit of a smile. “Then again, families fight… but they also forgive.” Both get a glance, before she moves to leave for home.

“I’ve delayed too long… I need to get to Kansas City,” Richard says softly under his breath, staring still at the feed and the undulating colours in the sky, “Luther, try and— see if these visions are widespread, find out how far the aurora effect reaches. I’ve got some preparations to do, some calls to make myself…”

A hand rubs over his face, and he drops back a step to make room for his sister as she heads for the door. A look to her, uncertain— to Luther— still unsteady from the vision and the conflicting emotions it’s brought up. A family that isn’t one here, a father’s love, the heat of the argument just before all warring within his head.

“We’ll… talk later,” he says with a little shake of his head, “We need to— trust each other, and right now, I don’t think we do. We have to work on that. I…” Words fail him, and he shakes his head again, heading to the door himself.

They’ll have to work this out another time.

“If you’re headed to KC,” Luther starts, but pauses mid thought and shakes his head. “Nevermind. I’ll get on it.” He sends Kaylee a concerned look, but she’s on her way out so the man doesn’t press. Instead, he merely nods, filing the thought away. As Richard said, they’d work it out another time.

As the pair shuffle out, Luther turns back to the dark screen where the camera remains pointed towards the aurora in the sky. A renewed sense of restlessness itches between his shoulders and the man sighs roughly. A beat later, he presses the button to turn off the screen, and moves to grab his coat.


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