Us Against the World (Renrac & BRS)

[Sampais Wrath]

Niagra, Canada
Hegemony LTD

No one quite understood why it happened. It was still seen as a fairly rare phenomenon. A child born with abilities no normal human should have. There seemed to be no correlation between the whether one or both parents had any type of ability or not for their child to potentially be born with them. They didn't typically manifest at birth, often developing with motor skills. Some however developed with their learning skills. No one could predict if or when a child would begin to explore their abilities, but one thing was for certain, many saw those children as valuable. Most wanted to exploit those abilities. The perfect soldiers, renewable energy, control over others. You name it and there was a way to manipulate it. Those children were often thought of to be protected at all cost. It was what made employment with Hegemony such a godsend for families when their children began to show signs of developing their own abilities. Their pay might be a bit lower, but the protected housing in the employee apartments was far safer than just living in the suburbs and fending for one's self.

In recent years schools for those born with these abilities had begun to open. Most viewed them as a positive as it allowed the students to learn not only their basic education, but also how to harness and control their abilities. The down side? Because of how new they were the tuition was incredibly expensive. Lower income families would struggle to get their child into these schools if they even lived close enough to send them to one. The hurdles these families faced never seemed to get any easier either. Even childcare was difficult to find once the children started to discover their abilities. Those early years were some of the most dangerous ones. Hegemony had been working on things to help, but the rate of innovation simply wasn't fast enough for most. At the very least they'd discovered ways to dampen the abilities of some of the world's worst offenders and prevent them from hurting others while they endured prison sentences.





"What do you mean the babysitter cancelled? It was just a little zap. Lynde didn't mean anything by it... No, no. This isn't good. We both need to get to work." A tall, blonde haired man sighed. Of all days to lose their babysitter. No one could leave a five year old child in an apartment alone all day. She can't even reach the sink without a step stool! Calling off was hardly an option. What would he tell his boss? "I can't come in. The babysitter cancelled and my kid can't stay home alone." Yeah, that would go over well. The worst part was it was too late for either parent to call off. They'd never find a substitute teacher in time for the mother and security could not be compromised on a day like today, not with the big investor meeting he'd been hearing about for weeks. They needed him to prevent attacks on the ridiculously rich people coming to be wooed by the CEO himself in hopes of more funding.

"Jurgen... Maybe your office...? It's just one day and it'll be nap time by the time they get there. She could be alone for a nap." A dark haired woman said as she placed a bowl of cereal in front of a young blonde girl sitting in a chair at the table.

"But what if she wakes up and I'm not there? You've seen what she did to the lamp just last week. I've never seen something get so bright... then so dark so fast Karin. What if she does it again there? We can't afford to pay for damaged equipment. I don't even know how she does it." Jurgen sighed. What in the world were they going to do? There was no good choice here. Their child couldn't be left alone. She was too young and too dangerous not to be supervised and yet they had no one to supervise her. "I... I'll take her with me. I'll have to be the own to watch the cameras and send someone out to deal with problems. I just hope there won't be any." He finally relented. What other choice was there?

Karin sighed as she gathered up the old diaper bag they had been using for Lynde. The young girl was past the point of diapers so now it had more or less been converted into a "keep the child busy bag" with a coloring book, crayons, snacks and other comforts to get her through the day. It wasn't easy to keep a young kid entertained in a boring security office all day and with her abilities starting to come through there was no doubt her getting bored could lead to catastrophe. Jurgen knew that his boss trusted him, but to trust him this much? The man would have to be crazy. Still, the clock was ticking and both parents had to head to work soon.

"Try giving her this when you get there. Maybe it'll keep her focusing her abilities in the right place?" Karin said, tossing a ball to her husband before tossing on her coat. The battery panel was still open with an obvious lack of batteries meant to power the lights on the surface. The goal was clear. If she could figure out she could power the lights herself maybe it would keep her busy and focus all that electricity to one area instead. "Stay safe. I love you." She said, giving her worried husband a kiss before heading to the door. Lynde by this point had just been finishing off her cereal and they couldn't afford much time to stall. Lifting her out of her booster seat the man gathered up the rest of his own gear for the day, mainly his security badge and issued weapons.

"Now sweetie we need to be on our best behavior today alright?" He reminded her while they walked through the halls from the employee apartments to his office. It wasn't big but it would do for what work needed done here. A large oak desk sat in the middle of the room, two monitors on the right side showing security camera feeds with a large window to his back, filing cabinet and fake plants on the wall to the right. Two comfortable looking chairs sat in front of his desk though there were no visitors to sit in them today so for now they would be holding the diaper bag of kid supplies. Settling in at his computer Jurgen clocked in then looked at Lynde, hesitating a bit before handing her the ball. "Mommy wanted you to try a new toy. What do you think?" He asked as he gave the curious little girl the ball lacking the batteries.

Lynde took in and stared at the thing for a minute. It didn't move. It currently didn't light up or make any sound. What use was it? She frowned. This wasn't some fun new toy. The disappointment sparked in her for a minute before the spark itself transferred into the ball, a light near her fingers lighting up and catching her eye. It was that discovery that made her more curious about the toy. She tried again but found that it was harder than she thought to do it. That annoyed her and once again letting that emotion manifest she found the toy cooperating with her desires more and more. That sparked joy in her, and quite a few more sparks. She was beginning to get the toy to light up in different ways now, that electrical charge building up in more than just the ball. Lynde's hair began to stand on end looking like she'd just rubbed a balloon on her head, the sight of which making her father chuckle lightly, taking a picture on his phone. Just after the camera app clicked there was a knock at his door before it opened with hardly a chance to actually acknowledge the knock.

"Mr. Schröder. I need you to do something for me..." The booming voice of the company's CEO Mr. Marquis filled the room as the man strolled in to see the young girl sitting on the floor with the light ball without batteries lighting up and seeming to have a good time with it. "Well, I was ah... not aware it was bring your child to work day." He stated, his eyes darting from the child to her father.

"I... I can explain. We just lost our babysitter and she can't stay home alone. We didn't have any time to make arrangements." He said with a wince, knowing that it seemed far too far fetched to believed.

"And... the lights?" Mr. Marquis responded.

"I... I have no explanation for that. My wife gave it to her." He answered sheepishly.

"Alright... Well... I need you to do something. I need someone to keep an eye on Callahan. Perhaps they can entertain each other?" He stated, opening the door a bit further to reveal a similarly aged young boy. Lynde was curious of the newcomer, putting down her toy and getting up as he approached. She didn't say a thing at first, merely poking him in the nose. In that instant electricity did what it did best, arcing from an area of high concentration to low concentration, in this case from her finger to his nose. There was a flash of light as it happened and in that moment it was like the two had swapped completely. Her hair had tamed back down while one could say his now stood on end.

Watching the display Jurgen sat in shock. All he could do was wish the little boy was ok, especially as Lynde began to giggle.

[renrac]

Niagara, Canada
Hegemony LTD

Hegemony LTD, one of the fastest growing and successful companies in the world. Its reach and influence had touched many industries through out Canada, had gained the attention of the Commonwealth, and benefited from the support of more than a few obscenely wealthy backers. To the public, Hegemony lived up to its name as an overseer and supporter of businesses both small and large throughout the country. In the private sector, this image held true as well. It wasn't until you entered the upper echelons of society that the true face of the company was revealed. Hegemony, at the behest of the Canadian government and several key figures throughout the Commonwealth, had been established directly in response to the growing number of gifted people who were being born throughout the world.   


Selected for this task was one Brigadier Jericho Marquis. At 30 years of age, he was one of the youngest officers of that rank in Canadian history, right after Robert Moncel who had been promoted at the age of 27 near the end of WW2. Marquis was selected for his superb analytical skills, discipline and business sense. After receiving an early retirement his record was then expunged from all government related servers, thus cutting all official ties from the government. With the help of several backers he began to build his contacts and influence, moving within the upper circles of society. It was at a gathering during this time that he encounters the woman that would eventually become his wife and partner in all things, Liliana.


Born into wealth and status Liliana Laurent was a domineering figure to behold. No matter where she went her grace, poise and demeanor demanded the utmost respect and tolerated no indiscretion. It was obvious to all those gathered that no matter where she went, that was were the heart of the event could be found. Tall, young, blonde and beautiful she could easily carry on any number of conversations all at once without fail and held the attention of everyone around her with the grace and easy of a master socialite twice her age. That is until her gaze fell upon Jericho Marquis standing across the room, talking to an elderly gentleman. Excusing herself from those around her, and shooing away the ones who attempted to follow, she approached the pair without a hint of hesitation.


"Tell me your name." she said as she stepped up to him a few moments later, her face calm and eyes piercing.   


Both men looked at her with surprise when she spoke to them suddenly. It was the elderly man who reacted first though, a deep frown crossing his bushy eyebrows. "Young lady, it's quite rude to..." he began but was stopped in his tracks when Liliana raised her manicured hand and held it in front of him. 


"Archibald," she began, her eyes never leaving Jericho's face. "I do believe your wife, Aliza, has been looking for you. She seemed quite... perturbed.. at the fact you decided your drink would make for better company than her."

Archibald's frown softened a little at hearing that and he muttered something under his breath. "Excuse me, I'm needed elsewhere..." he said and hurried off, presumably in search of his wife.


"Now then, your name?" she asked again and lowered her hand to her side, her expression still as neutral as when she first arrived.


"Um... Jericho." he replied, even as he wondered what her deal was.


Liliana blinked slowly and gave a soft, polite sigh of exasperation "Your full name?"

"Oh.. uh.. Jericho Marquis." he was starting to feel like a bug under a magnifying glass, and her eyes were the sun.


"Hmmm... you'll do nicely." after a few moments looking him over she turned without a word and headed back to her group, picking right back up on the conversations she had put on hold.


"Jeez... what's up with her..." he muttered to no one in particular since he'd been left to stand by himself.


Six months later, they were married. Liliana's help proved to be invaluable and another half year after they were married Hegemony had officially opened its doors for business. Add on top of that a few years later their son was born and life was like a whirlwind for the former military officer turned corporate CEO.


______________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Jericho's son had always been.. different. From the moment he was born he had never smiled, never cried. He just watched everything around him in quiet fascination. Liliana had of course taken care of him in the beginning while he had overseen the daily workings of Hegemony, but according to her Callahan's behavior had always remined consistent. Well, at least he never caused anyone any trouble. That is until he was old enough to walk. Then there was no holding back and he was into everything. What was more, no matter who he assigned to look after him once Liliana had returned to attending her side of the business, Callahan always seemed to manage to get whatever it was his little heart desired. At first Jericho had chalked it up to just being cute, at least until he had hired someone who was known to be tough as nails in an attempt to keep his whirlwind of a son in check. That attempt had failed as well. It was because of this that Callahan was with him inside the company building instead of their living quarters.


Jericho watched in mild curiosity as his son and the little blonde girl met. To his knowledge this was the first time Callahan had ever met anyone his own age and he wanted to see how he'd react. What he didn't expect was for a flash of light to go off right in his son's face. "What...?" Totally taken by surprise all he could do was stare as he saw his son's hair stand up on end at the same time as the little girls hair settled back down into place. "Callahan.. are you.." he started to say, but then stopped in his tracks as he saw the look on his son's face as he turned his head up to look at him. He was... smiling.. and.. laughing. This was the first time he'd ever seen his son smile or laugh, and now here he was with his mouth wide open, all his teeth showing as he smiled up at him. Reaching into his pocket he quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Liliana.

When she answered she said, "Jericho, now's not the best time."


"You have to see this." He said simply before turning on the video conference option and set it to utilize the camera on the back of his phone. "Lili.. look at Cal..."


Liliana Marquis was at a tea party with several other people whom she had been trying to convince to sign an agreement with Hegemony for the past month. When her phone rang she almost didn't pick it up, but her husband rarely called her when she was at work so she figured it was important. When the image snapped into view on her phone it took her a moment to register what she was looking at, but once she did.. it was like the world slowed down for her.


From an early age she'd always had the ability to judge certain situations with uncanny precision and clarity. It was like an instinct. She had no control over it, but when it happened she knew it was best to give it the utmost attention. It had happened at the party when she had first seen Jericho. It had happened over the years while they had built their company, and when she was was working to ensure smooth relations with this who supported them in the upper levels of society. And now, for the first time, it was happening yet again as she gazed at the image of her son and the little girl who stood with him.


"Leave him there with her, Jericho. He will be fine. I have to go now." she said simply and broke the connection. Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly, careful not to show any emotion on her face, conscious of those around her. She felt.. shaken. It was rare that her instincts screamed at her so intensely. Whatever the future would bring, she had no doubt that it would be profound. Planting a small smile on her lips she turned back to look at her guests. "My apologies. A small family matter. Shall we continue..?"

Jericho blinked when he heard the tone in his wife's voice. Over the years he'd gotten used to hearing it from time to time. Whatever the situation was, he knew that when he heard her talk like that it was best that he listened. Pursing his lips a bit he put his phone back in his pocket and turned his head to look at his head of security. "I will be leaving my son here with you. Make sure he stays safe and out of trouble. If you need me just contact my office. I expect I will be working late tonight anyway."


_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Callahan didn't know what to make of the girl in front of him with her wild yellow hair. He'd never seen anyone else his age before. Curiosity, as it usually was in his case, got the better of him and he approached her. He stopped when he saw her put down her toy and get up to meet him. He didn't say anything, but then he didn't have to. Before he knew it she had tapped him on the nose and his eyes went wide as he felt, something, quite literally flash through his mind. Whatever it was it felt... good. Exciting. It was like a rush of energy. He didn't even realize it when he started to smile, and when she giggled at him he laughed.


He heard his dad call his name and he turned his head to look up at him. He'd never seen that look on his face before. Usually his dad looked annoyed when he called his name. For some reason he found the look funny and that just made him smile even more. He turned his head back to look at the girl again and he noticed her hair wasn't standing up anymore. He really didn't know what to do, so he imitated a posture he'd seen dad use before and held out his hand to her. "I'm Callahan. Can you do that again? Show me!" 

[Sampais Wrath]

Never once had Lynde ever intended to shock anyone or anything and that still remained true even after the light faded and Callahan's hair stood on end. Usually her accidental zaps resulted in some gentle scolding, requests from her parents to reign things in and occasionally more exacerbated frustrations. The problem was the little girl had no idea how to reign things in. It was no use trying to tell her to. All she knew was that it happened, not that the material of her clothes could influence how much static she built up or what motions might cause a spark to arc. She had no idea even what was happening or why some things suddenly didn't work after she had touched them. Poor Lynde was a walking ball of electrical destruction at times, especially times when emotions ran high. It was hardly a surprise her babysitter had quit and now her father worried this incident might lose him his job. It seemed he needn't worry about that for now however.

"I... uh... Yes sir. I will keep an eye on him." He stuttered in surprise as not only was the child fine but apparently his mother wanted him to stay there with them? None of this was making any sense to him but who was he to argue. Babysitting two kids couldn't be that bad right? Then again he might need to find more snacks in the employee cafeteria for them to share seeing as he had only expected to be caring for one child today. He looked at the two in utter confusion, especially as Callahan began to introduce himself just like his father. He was certain that the boy was merely imitating the man he spent a good bit of time with. If nothing else it was impressive just how exactly he mirrored the man, his form hardly off and that was mostly due to the difference in size and build.

Lynde on the other hand was completely confused by the motions. She had never seen her parents make such a gesture, and had no idea what to think of it at first. She cocked her head to the side, her eyes full of questioning of the boy in front of her. His words though would smooth over the interaction into a whole new topic as children easily jumped from one to the next. Without thinking to give her own name she jumped to his question instead. "I don't know... I don't know how I did it..." She said at first, very quickly getting lost in thought before her attention was grabbed by her ball once more. "But look what I can do!" Lynde suddenly squealed as she picked up the ball.

Just as she had before she started to touch the areas around the ball, the lights blinking while her fingers were nearby as if electricity was pulsing into them then fading as she moved away. Each light captivated her attention for a second, holding it only long enough to be fully illuminated before moving onto the next one. Finally, she stopped and offered the toy to him. "You try!" Lynde said excitedly, eager to see him do it too. They would both very soon be disappointed that Callahan wouldn't be able to make the ball light up. Most would assume they were different, that Callahan held no special abilities as he would be unable to repeat her actions. Both children would quickly seem upset by the ball not working for him.

"Papa... I think it's broken..." She whined, taking it back and waddling over to her father's desk as she tried to get him to fix the nonfunctional toy. Jorgen sighed, not knowing what to say. The toy had been nonfunctional from the start. It didn't have batteries in it. It was never going to work unless someone had another way to power it or put batteries in. He had been glad she hadn't figured out how to make it make music yet.

"Maybe we take a break from the ball kids. What do you say we all go on a little trip to the cafeteria and find some snacks?" He said, trying to deflect attention away from the ball. Eventually he'd need to explain to her that she was special, but to do so in front of the boss's kid, who for as far as he knew held no abilities, would be insulting to the young boy. That certainly didn't need to happen or to get back to his boss. Thankfully it seemed to at least get her mind off of it. Like a little puppy she was already bouncing around at the thought of snacks.

"Will they have stawberries?" She asked, mispronouncing strawberries like most children. That made her father chuckle.

"Only one way to find out. Callahan? Why don't you join us?" He offered.

[renrac]

Jericho wasn't even looking at his security chief when the man replied to him. He was observing the children closely. He couldn't shake the feeling he was seeing something significant happening here. That, of course, stemmed from what he knew of his wife's hunches. Every discission she had ever helped him make turned out to be just the right one, or at least one that prevented a bad situation from surfacing. It was uncanny, and now it had been directed at his son. She had said, leave him there with her. Not to just leave him. "Very good. See that you do." Turning on his heels he walked out of the office and down the hall.


When Callahan told her to show him the spark again he expected her to do it. He was a bit disappointed when she said she didn't know how. Usually when he asked people to do something they just did it. The one exception was if they were incapable of doing it. He figured that out after awhile with a couple of nannies his father had tried to set up with him. What did catch his attention was when Lynde showed him her ball. Usually, even if they didn't know how to do something, they at least tried. Lynde seemed to bounce away from his request without any hesitation at all and his young mind found that quite interesting, especially since he'd never seen anyone do that before except for his mom and dad.


When Lynde showed him the ball his attention was drawn right to it and he smiled. His smile only grew when he saw the pretty lights that it made. He watched as she made the lights appear one by one until she stopped and offered him the ball. "Ohhh! Thanks!" he told her, happy that she had offered. Nothing happened of course. He frowned a bit as he ran his fingers and hands over the ball. When he saw the open panel where the batteries usually went he tilted his head to the side, wondering what the hole was supposed to be for. "It doesn't work..." he said with a pout and gave it a shake in mild frustration before passing it back to her when she reached for it.


Cal watched the interaction between father and daughter. It was different than what he was used to saying. Mother was always proper and strict. Father tried but obviously didn't know what to do. If he did, why would he keep sending people to take care of him after all. "Oh! Oh! I want ice cream!" he told him as soon he was told he could come along with them.


The cafeteria was quite large, larger than Cal had expected, so once they arrived he immediately took off and started to explore. He didn't crawl around like most kids would, instead he walked briskly between table and chairs. Around the drink machine and the service counter. There were also several places set up to serve various foods but Cal was too short to see up over the edge. Instead he focused on the lady behind the service counter and when she looked at him he said, "I want ice cream. Chocolate!" 


The young woman looked down at him and blinked for a moment before she smiled, "Oh, sure thing!" Leaving her post she headed behind one of the stalls and came back a moment later with a bowel of ice cream and a spoon. "Here you go." she said and handed it to him. Cal's face was starting to ache from all the smiling he was doing since it was new to him but he couldn't help it. He was having fun. "Thanks!" Normally you'd pay for something like that but Callahan was used to getting what he wanted. Looking around he headed towards Lynde and offered her the bowel. "Want some??"

[Sampais Wrath]

Clearly his idea to get their attention away from the ball had worked. The kids were now much more focused on snacks than they were the toy, the pair bouncing around excitedly as they tried to follow the tall man to the cafeteria. Even he had to admit that sometimes kids were pretty easy to fool, granted he didn't realize his work would be cut out for him with watching Callahan. He hadn't heard the rumors around the little boy. He had no idea the troubles other caretakers had had with the boy. He'd be learning very soon however. No one had ever stood up to the little boy.

He had chuckled as Callahan said he wanted ice cream, not expecting the boy to actually go and get it himself, well mostly himself. He looked away for one minute to see what the options were today and in that moment Cal was gone. He looked back and noticed the boy was missing, immediately starting to worry. He'd lost the boss's son already. This wasn't good. What he hadn't expected was for the boy to return with a large bowl of ice cream. How in the world had he gotten that? A boy his size shouldn't be able to reach any of the things required for that.

While her father was confused and trying to process the whole thing Lynde was looking excitedly at her new friend and his prize. "Yes! Yes!" She squealed in excitement. The blonde haired girl had just managed to take the spoon and carve herself a small bit of one of the scoops when her dad finally made sense of what was going on. Ice cream was all well and good, but they couldn't be eating a big bowl like that for a snack. He could only imagine them bouncing off the walls from the amount of sugar. He'd never get them to take a nap, not to mention all the other reasons ice cream was not a suitable snack. Jurgen finally moved in, lifting the bowl away from the two young tykes and looking at them sternly.

"No, no. Lynde you know better. Ice cream is a dessert, not a snack. We can't be having this right now." He said, dumping the contents of the bowl in the trash. "Let's get you two some more appropriate snacks and maybe you can have a little bit of ice cream after dinner." He offered instead as a compromise.

Lynde was already feeling the loss of the sugar laden treat. It started with just a sniffle as he took the bowl to full on tears streaming down her face as the cold treat was wasted. She started sobbing, her hopes of the deliciousness dashed. "But papa!!" She whined between sniffles.

"No buts Lynde. We'll get something healthier to have." Her father countered, not prepared for the tantrum he was about to face. As Lynde mourned the loss of the ice cream her emotional state kicked into overdrive once more. It was minor at first, her sobs being just that, sobs. As she got herslef more worked up however small sparks started to run across her body, most sticking close to her skin and hair, but a few starting to arc off her as things began to heat up and that was only one of the two children. Jurgen had no idea no one had ever told Callahan no before.

[renrac]

Callahan had always been someone who got what they wanted, for the most part. In a lot of ways the young boy just took it for granted since he didn't know any other way. Usually when he wanted something he just told someone and he got it. He had no concept of money or position. He knew that mama and papa were both important people because other people always listened to them too. They were the only ones who had ever told him he couldn't have something and he'd learned quickly to listen to them. Anyone else though, he did whatever he wanted. He'd never even had a reason to think this wasn't how it was supposed to be. Eventually his father had to tell him to listen to his nannies, to ask when he wanted something, and he had done as he was told. That did little to change his situation though, as even when he asked no one had ever told him no yet. Fortunately for everyone involved he was a good natured child despite the fact he never smiled, so he had never requested anything too outrageous and as such never really drew too much attention to the fact. That seemed to change with the last person papa had sent to watch over him.


He never knew his name. He was a gruff elderly man who said little. For the most part he had left Callahan alone. Children get bored easily though, and Callahan was no different, so he started asking for things and as usual he got it. Not long after that the man had left and papa had personally started to watch over him. At fist Callahan was happy. He rarely got a chance to spend time with papa. That quickly changed to frustration when it became obvious that his father was so busy he could afford to give his son little attention despite him being there. It only took a few hours before he found himself walking through the building to the head security officer's office.


Callahan had given the man almost no attention at all, not once he met his daughter, Lynde. They were around the same age, and he'd never met anyone his own age before. He'd felt oddly nervous. A strange feeling for him. He hadn't known what to do. But then she came bouncing over to him and in an instant had shown him something wonderful. He had no clue what it was she had done, but his young mind felt more alive now than it ever had before once she had touched his nose and zapped him. It was like being in a darkened room and throwing open the curtains to let the bright morning sunshine in. Everything was just... brighter, clearer. It was like an awakening. Even the people around him looked more vibrant, almost like there was this halo of light around their heads. It had been papa's light he had noticed first. He hadn't even realized he had been smiling until he saw that light, and it had only made him smile even more once he did. He'd looked at Lynde again after that when he went to ask her to do it again, and her light was so very bright and pure.


When they had entered the cafeteria he had run around almost instantly to look at whomever was there and they all had slightly different looks to them. He had finally found himself at the service counter he had asked the lady there for ice cream, and he almost missed the fact that her light had slight shifted once he had asked. It wouldn't be till much later that the young boy would begin to realize the significance of that shift in light. He was far too intent on his prize, a large bowl of chocolate ice cream. He immediately thought of Lynde, wanting to share it with his new friend, and he had been truly happy by her enthusiasm and excitement. That all ended when her father showed up and lifted the bowl of ice cream out of his small hands.


Callahan blinked and looked down at his now empty hands. It took a moment to register that it was gone, just gone. He looked up at Lynde and he saw as she quickly became more and more upset. His eyes traveled to where she was looking and he saw her father just as he dumped the bowl into the trash. That was mine, the young boy thought to himself. No one had ever just taken anything from him before, not even mama or papa. Glancing up he looked at the man for the first time, really looked at him. The first thing that struck him was how muted his light was. He could barely see it. The second thing he noticed was that his full attention was focused on Lynde. That was another first for him. He'd never been ignored before. He could feel one of the few frowns he'd ever planted on his face up until this point start to form on his brow.


"That was mine!" he said suddenly, his frustration bubbling over as things started to click into place in his head. He felt an odd pressure behind his eyes as he stared at Lynde's father, and his vision swam a bit. Blinking his eyes he shook his head and looked away, unsure of what was happening. The feeling had been unlike anything he'd ever felt. It was like his mind had 'pushed' outwards towards the adult who stood close by. What had been the most confusing was how it felt like running into a wall almost immediately after.


Lifting his head he had intended to look at her father again but his eyes were instead drawn to his new friend. She was crying freely now, tears running down her cheeks. He immediately had the oddest feeling that he couldn't ever articulate at that moment so he brushed it aside. This was easy enough to do because that wasn't the only thing he was feeling, not with how sparks were starting to run across her skin and arc outwards in places. "Oooohhh!! Pretttty!" he said as he lifted his small hand and touched her arm.


He immediately felt the zap again, but by now it was a familiar feeling and he laughed. "Pretty sparks!" he'd learned that word not long ago when one of his nannies had introduced him to sparklers. Callahan felt no pain at all when the charge went up his hand and set his hair to standing on end all over again. He could even feel his hair as it shot up and out, his scalp tingling. "Don't cry!" he told her, his unusual smile once again stamped across his face. Leaning his head forward he shook his head in front of her face to tickle her runny nose with his puffball of hair. He really didn't want her to cry, not when he was suddenly feeling so good again after another jolt. He hadn't forgotten about the ice cream, but he could always get more again easily enough.

[Sampais Wrath]

Something was off here. Jurgen could feel that much. He saw the boy looking at him but the feeling that gave him he couldn't quite explain. There was a force, but not strong enough of one to influence anything. It didn't feel painful, just odd. His thoughts on the whole matter hadn't changed one bit. Ice cream was still not an appropriate snack for children and there were much better alternatives, he just needed to look for them. This was something he did want to bring up to Jerico given it was something he had never experienced before. He made a mental note of that while he tried to figure out how to end his own child's tantrums when she was currently dangerous to even approach.

Callahan thankfully seemed to be stepping in to do that for him. He watched in horror as the boy reached out to the sparking girl. Oh this kid was going to get himself electrocuted. How was he ever going to explain that to his father? Just like back in his office however he'd quickly see Callahan not only get zapped, but he seemed to be enjoying it! What in the world was wrong with that boy? Was he made of rubber or something? He wasn't sure just what to say as he watched.

Once more Callahan was practically unfazed by the sparks that would send any other kid running and crying yet here he was giggling and trying to get her to stop crying. It amazed him. He was definitely going to have to talk to his boss about this later. There was no way this boy was normal. He hadn't shown any outward signs of any abilities, but he was certainly showing a resistance to those that did.

Lynde was still bawling when Cal came up to her and started to attempt to cheer her up. It couldn't be helped that he would get a bit of the runny snot dripping from her nose in his hair as he tried to tickle her with it. At first it wasn't working, but after a moment he seemed to trigger something else. It wasn't a giggle, but it was at least a stop to the tears. The little girl turned just enough to not get anything on her before sneezing with enough force to shake most of her body. By the time she looked back up there was a fairly large snot bubble on her nose, that made her start to giggle. Her father could only shudder. Why did kids have to be so gross?

"Can you both just stay here for a moment while I get snacks and some napkins?" He asked. Thankfully they were fairly preoccupied with the bubble to care he was stepping away, regardless he would try to make his time away quick. The last thing he needed was for his boss to come through and see the kids alone while he got them food. At the same time they were easily entertaining each other and hardly seemed to be a flight risk at the moment.

Jurgen would be gone a total of five minutes as he rushed through the lines looking for something reasonable to give the kids. Finally, he'd settle for a bowl of grapes and sliced strawberries given Lynde had specifically asked for them. They were big enough not to choke on grapes anymore right? He hoped so. His wife had done most of the meal prep once Lynde was old enough to be off bottles and he'd only had to do those while Karin had been at work. With the two bowls and a handful of napkins to clean up Lynde's now snotty face he made his way back to the table they were sat at.

"Alright. Let's clean you up then head back to the office. You two can eat there with some coloring books." He said, suddenly hoping that bag had more than one or else he would have to figure out something to stretch that between the two of them. Kneeling down he wiped away at a squirming Lynde's face and get her as cleaned up as she was going to get here. "Ok kids. Let's get back and have the snacks alright?" He asked the two of them, Lynde already back to happy cheering as she hopped off her seat.

[renrac]

Callahan jumped when Lynde sneezed suddenly. His head had been lowered, shaking back and froth to tickle her with his hair. He was only startled for a moment, and when he saw the huge bubble that was stuck to her nose he started to laugh as well. Her father was saying something to them but Callahan couldn't care less, he was just glad she wasn't crying anymore. Cal had no personal experience yet with crying, didn't really understand it. He'd never cried himself before. He'd only ever seen it on videos or cartoons and usually when that happened bad things were the cause of it. To his young mind Callahan was worried she wouldn't like him anymore, so when he saw her laughing again he couldn't help but to join in, especially with that big bubble wobbling up and down on her nose.


It didn't take long for the big person, her father, to come back. That was how he tended to think of adults. As big people. The walk back was uneventful and he laughed and smiled as he shared some of his grapes with Lynde and he tried to ask her for some strawberries. Once they were back in the office he looked around, really looked around, for the first time. The office was a bit small but comfortable in its own way. There was even a couch and a few chairs off to the side. On the big person's desk sat a plate with something written on it but Callahan still couldn't really read much yet so he wasn't sure what it said. The big person's name he'd imagine.


Next came the coloring books and it took Callahan all of about 5 minutes to become utterly bored with that. He started to look around again and his eyes settled on her father. He looked the same to Cal, the same muted colors as before. He wondered what it meant. Lynde was completely different, all yellow, white and gold. Bright and vibrant. Turning his head he noticed a mirror, but when he looked at his own reflection all he saw staring back at him was his own face. Apparently he either didn't have colors of his own or he just couldn't see them. Reaching over he tapped Lynde on the shoulder and lifted a finger to his lips in a quiet motion, before motioning again for her to follow him. Standing slowly he saw that her father had his back turned to them as he sat in his chair and talked on his phone to someone.


Opening the door quietly he motioned for her to follow him into the hall. "Let's have some real fun.. and ice cream! We never got our ice cream!" he smiled from ear to ear and hurried off down the hall, his little legs propelling him much faster than what his size would lead others to believe was possible. Callahan had always had a good memory, he picked up things easily. His problem was that he tended to only learn the things that interested him and ignored the rest. Like reading. Boring. He'd been on this floor a few times in the past, and a few others as well. The first stop was the cafeteria again and it only took him a minute to convince some more ice cream out of the big people who were there. This time he had two bowels, and he handed one to Lynde. "Here! This is for you." he smiled brightly and motioned for her to follow. He had one more place he wanted to show her. Probably the most interesting place he'd seen so far on his few visits to his father's company.


They had to take the elevator, but that wasn't a problem. The floor he wanted was used as storage and considered fairly low priority for security, even though Callahan didn't know anything about that. Once they were on the right floor he stepped out of the elevator with Lynde right beside him and he scooped another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. "Iz bis way." he slurred around a mouthful of chocolate goodness. There were a few big people walking around but no one gave them any trouble, at least not after Cal talked to them. One was even nice enough to point out the room he was looking for and open the door for them.


Stepping inside he all but forgot his ice cream as his mouth opened in wonder. It looked like the museum he'd seen in a book once, or at least that was how his young mind registered it. Shelf upon shelf of stuff lined the walls and even the middle of the room. There were more than a few work benches and desks. Books, trinkets, rocks, all manner of things could be found here. A veritable treasure trove.


The last time he was in here was with his father and he hadn't been allowed to touch anything. Not even allowed to wander and explore. That had always nagged at him, but now he was finally here and best of all he could show it off to his new friend. "Come on! Lets see what we can find!" laughing he took off down one of the isles and began to peer at each item one by one. Most of them looked really old, others he couldn't really tell at all. It had only been a few minutes when his eye caught one item in particular, a large piece of crystal, and his eyes opened wide. He could see it.. the lights. It was faint, but as he got closer he knew he wasn't mistaken.


Reaching out he picked it up and it felt warm in his hands. He turned it over a few times, and each time he did the light seemed to get brighter. "Ooooo... pretty..." laughing he spun it faster and faster in his hands until it almost seemed as if the crystal was shining, at least to his vision. Little did he realize that the rock actually WAS shining, and even a normal person would be able to see it now. He stopped spinning it and held it up in front of his face, looking into the crystal and the light closely. He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw something... move.. and then he got a real sense of someone, or something, looking right back at him. With a gasp he jumped back, dropping the crystal. When it hit the hard ground it burst into a bright white light for a moment before the crystal shattered into dust at his feet. Callahan could only stare at the spot in disbelief, but then he jumped and shouted. "NEET!!" 

[Sampais Wrath]

Returning back to her father's office had been fairly uneventful. There was the sharing of snacks and quite the evidence that Lynde really liked her strawberries. They weren't even anything special, just something sweet she enjoyed. She hadn't had much experience in sharing yet so it was clear to see she had a slight struggle with it though Callahan would at least get a few of the lovely ruby red berries in exchange for some of his grapes. Once they had made it back she was more than happy to be set up on the floor with a coloring book and box of crayons. By the time Callahan had said anything she had a blue one in her hand coloring a picture of a dog, many of her strokes going outside the lines.

There was a moment of hesitation from the young girl as her new friend beckoned her out to go have fun. Lynde looked back at her dad, but he was not only busy but he also wasn't saying no. No one was telling her she couldn't go with Callahan so why not? Then he mentioned the ice cream. If anything was going to get her out of the room it was going to be the ice cream. Funny enough she may leave her coloring book but she did not leave her strawberries. Part of her wondered just what they would taste like with the cold, chocolatey goodness.That was going to be a new adventure all on its own. Toddling along after him, clutching her precious treat Lynde eagerly awaited the ice cream.

Hardly anything had changed in the cafeteria since they had just been there, even the same staff once again fulfilling his request and then some. Her face nearly lit up as bright as the light swirling around her head when he presented her with the bowl of her very own. "Danke! It looks so yummy!" She said, thanking her new friend the way she heard her parents do it at home. She had no idea he might not actually understand her when she did so. With a quick dump of her fruit into the ice cream she was already taking a big taste of her newly combined treat and beaming at the delicious results.

"Maybe we should get back before Papa notices we're gone." She said a little worriedly, but when Callahan said he wanted to show her something she couldn't say no. It was too much fun playing with her new friend and she had already seen he was bored in the office. No one wanted to be bored! That settled it. They needed to go keep having fun! It was that decision that had her chasing after him down the halls to the elevators. Lynde had only been on one with her father and mother and they had always insisted one of them always hold her hand as they road. Lynde was fairly sure that was just a rule for all kids in elevators, they had to hold someone's hand while they traveled. Shifting her ice cream to one hand she took hold of his hand and smile though offered little explaination. She simply figured the rule was the same for him and they were obeying it by holding each other's hand.

The guards seemed to be doing their job for the most part. When Lynde would ask something they would tell her she needed to get back to her family and offer to call them for her. When Callahan asked they would be more helpful in directing him where he wanted to go and even unlocking the doors. That puzzled her lightly though Lynde didn't argue and merely tagged along, still shoving ice cream in her mouth. As it began to melt she was also beginning to get it all over her fingers.

The door to the storage area opened and just like Callahan Lynde's mouth was agape with wonder at what she was seeing. She couldn't see on top of a lot of the tables, but she could see some of the things on the lower shelves. There were boxes holding shiny jewelry, staves, crystals and some things looking like mundane objects. Her mind couldn't possibly fathom the connection all these items shared or why they were here. All she knew was they were pretty, shiny and they looked like fun. She had wandered only a few shelves away when a shining light caught her eye. It was Callahan and the crystal.

"Oooo! It so pretty!" She cooed as she watched the light get brighter and brighter until even she had to look away until Callahan dropped it. "Aww it broked." She pouted though thankfully there were no tears this time. Instead she moved on, climbing up onto one of the chairs. Something on a higher shelf had caught her eye and she was determined to get it down. Finally, Lynde had managed to reach the delicate decanter sitting on the high shelf. "Look at dis pretty thing!" She called out to her new friend, holding it like a prize over her head. Pulling it back down and looking at it herself she saw all sorts of pictures drawn on it. Most were to do with water from depictions of wells to geysers. One caught her eye the most, the white fountain in the middle.

"Look! Fou..tain!" She called out in excitement struggling to remember the word she had heard on tv before. As if like magic the decanter activated at the word. Several gallons of water poured forth from the spout, surprising the young girl. "It act like a fountain!" She cried out in excitement, the decanter pouring even more water from the spout just as it did before. By now she was bursting with excitement as she seemed to figure out just how the thing worked. Fountain! Fountain! Fountain!" Lynde began cheering, each time the word was uttered more and more water would pour. It had gotten to the point she was no longer just standing in a puddle, but the floor itself was starting to become filled with water.

Neither of the children had any idea of the water starting to drip down into the rooms below nor the consequences of what they were doing. They were simply having the time of their lives and fountain was quickly becoming Lynde's new favorite word as the water was starting to get deep enough to swim in for the two small children.

Back in her father's office Jergun had just gotten off the phone and looked up to check on the kids, only to nice they were nowhere to be found. Immediately he could feel a hole in the pit of his stomach as panic began to set in. He needed to find them before they could cause too much trouble, but how much trouble could two five year olds cause? He started flipping through security camera feeds searching for the young ones, looking in the more obvious places first. Not in the cafeteria not out in the halls, not even the gardens. Oh that was a terrible sign. He started flipping through more private cameras until something caught his eye. Wait... where did all that water come from in the storage area? Then he noticed Lynde still on her now floating chair. There they were, but how in the world did they get in there. They didn't have the badges necessary to open those doors? Regardless of how they got him he flew out of his seat on his way to the storage room before those two managed to drown themselves.

Of course the elevators were moving at a snail's pace the one time he needed them to be running quickly. It would feel like an eternity before he would finally get to the door, swiping his badge to enter only to find the water had shorted out the door controls. Oh this was not good. This was not good! In both panic and frustration he punched the control panel and for once luck was on his side. The water spilled out of the room in a large wave, spilling the two children out with it on their respective floating object. "Lynde Anita Schröder! Just what do you think you are doing?" His voice boomed in the now soaking wet hall.

Lynde was giggling with joy as she floated on the chair and even moreso when the wave provided a current for them to actually move, sweeping them out into the hall. She was all smiles and excitement as she rode the wave until her chair came to a stop with her father there. It was when she heard the tone of his voice and the use of her full name that all that joy deflated like a balloon. Lynde knew when she was in trouble and she was definitely in trouble as she looked at the angry, worried man like a little deer in headlights.

[renrac]

Sitting at his spacious desk Jericho was engrossed in scanning over several key documents that had come across his desk just this morning when the call came in. Most of his calls were naturally screened, but a few choice people had his direct line. Looking up he saw the caller ID and sighed. "Already? Really.. Callahan.. what am I going to do with you?" he muttered as he put down the folder he was holding. There were of course computer documents, but those were sealed and for security purposes Jericho had always felt hard copies were far superior. Pressing the speaker button he leaned back in his chair and made sure to keep his voice neutral as he asked before his chief of security even had time to speak, "So tell me... what has my son managed to get himself into this time?"


The proceeding conversation was nothing new to him. He'd heard most of this from other people who had looked after Callahan. Or so he thought at first. Frowning slightly mid conversation he began to see differences in the scenario. Specifically the fact that his security head had managed to one up his son. That had never happened before, at least not with anyone other than himself or Liliana. Interesting, he thought to himself but as the conversation progressed it get even more interesting. "Wait.. they did what? and where?" Jericho felt a cold shiver run up his spin when it was explained to him that the kids had managed to flood out one of the storage chambers. For anyone else it would have been easy to dismiss it as a broken water pipe or by setting off the sprinkler system. However, Jericho Marquis wasn't just any man. He was fully aware of the potential items those rooms held. Coupled with the fact that the amount of water that was explained to him would be impossible to be produced from any one pipe and that there had been no alarm from the fire suppression system...


"Keep them there and keep an eye on them. That's your job for now, nothing else matters. I will have someone come down with a change of cloths for everyone and some towels. I need to check a few things and I will get back to you shortly." Reaching out he cut the connection and just sat there for a few moments. It was impossible. But was it? He had to know. It took him less than a minute to access the security footage from the building, and a few more moments after that to access the proper cameras. True to what he had been told, the storage chamber looked like a major flood had swept through it.


Jericho turned on the voice command function of his computer before placing his elbows on the edge of his desk and lacing his fingers together. He rested his chin on top of his fingers, his eyes glued to his computer monitor. "Security footage playback. Sector 10-4B. Time stamp, 20 minutes ago from current server time. Display all camera feeds, multiple split screen." taking a deep breath it let it out slowly as he watched the footage. He had the the time stamp wrong by about 5 minutes but he was patient and finally he saw as the doors swung open and the kids entered the room. What he observed in the next few minutes after their arrival shook him to his core, and would irreparably alter the course of humanities fate and, by and large, the world itself. "My god..." he whispered breathily before saying, "Security lockdown. All footage previous displayed on this terminal within the last 15 minutes. Chairman level access only. Implement."


Standing quickly he punched the intercom button to connect him to his assistant. "Cancel all my meetings and appointments. I am not to be disturbed unless someone is dying? Understood? And send someone to the security heads office to attend to the change of wardrobe of one adult and two small children." not waiting for a reply he hurried out of his office and took off down the hall. It was impossible, but he'd seen it with his own eyes. His son, and the little girl, had both activated very different artifacts within moments of just touching them. Breathing heavily he skidded into a secure elevator that opened automatically upon his approach and slapped the button that would take him to the most secure location within the building, heart of Hegemony, the R&D department.


Once the elevator stopped he darted out and down the hall. He passed several startled technicians but paid them no mind as he his way to to the primary research center. When he arrived several took notice of him but Jericho's focus was on the elderly man he spotted across the vast expanse of the room. Before he even got close he called out to the elderly man. "Doctor Gruber! I need to speak with you."


"Eh?" lifting his head from a monitor the old man eyes the fast approaching CEO. "I'm busy. Can't it.."


"NOW!" Jericho told him and changed directions, heading for the scientists personal office.


"Fine..." the elderly man sighed. "Young people..." he muttered and instructed one of his assistants to take over what he was doing. Entering his office he closed the door and looked at the CEO who was leaning over his computer monitor. "What's this about? You know I hate to be interrupted while I'm working."


"Tell me Doctor. All of the items in storage area 10-4B have already been checked and labeled as inert, correct? They are being kept strictly for future potential study?" Jericho asked, looking up from the monitor.


"Hmm.. yes.. yes, all of the storage rooms on level 10 have all been put through testing. What of it?"


"Then pray tell doctor... can you explain this?" he said and swung the monitor around, showing the security footage once again so that his head of research could see it.


At first the old man just scowled, his thought obviously still on the project he had been doing moments ago, but that all changed very quickly. "What!? That's impossible!!" the elderly man sputtered, his eyes looking like they would fly out of his head at any moment. The inevitable litany of questions soon followed but he was cut off by the chief executive.


"Enough." he frowned at the man. "Now listen to me and listen carefully. The boy you see there is my son, and the girl is the daughter of our security chief. They are hands off. You hear me? Until I say otherwise. Check the records. Make sure no items were misplaced. I want to be 100% sure that there was no mistake made." Leaning back Jericho took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If, and only if, that turns out to be the case we can discuss ways of observation."


With that settled he once again hurried out of R&D and all the way back up to the security heads office. He had things he needed to discuss with Jurgen that couldn't wait.

[Sampais Wrath]

Rounding up the kids had probably been the easiest part of this whole endeavor, explaining what had happened to his boss was easily the hardest. How exactly did one explain to their boss that not only had his son slipped away from him, but that the little boy and the daughter you didn't even have permission to have in your office slipped out, got into a highly secured area fully of priceless artifacts and flooded the place? It made him look entirely incompetent when he couldn't even keep an eye on two kids, let alone the entire building. If there was any saving grace it was that Jerico seemed to immediately understand that Callahan had gotten into trouble, just not the magnitude one would expect.

The call ended about as well as he could have hoped. No one said he was fired, no order to clean out his desk, but his boss was still coming to talk directly with him face to face. He wasn't out of the woods yet from the sound of it. it worried him, but with little he could do about it he simply had to accept it and move on. For now it was getting the kids changed into the clean clothes that were being brought for them and getting them back to somewhere safe. He winced at the look of the room as he looked back one more time. Artifacts from lower shelves were everywhere, strewn about the floor. Only the items that rested on the highest shelves remained untouched. At least some things had reasonably survived.

"Alright kids. Both of you hold my hands. We need to get back to the office. Someone is coming with some dry clothes for you." He said, fighting back the sigh. Well protecting these kids was still his job for the time being and in that time he would do his best. That meant they needed to get cleaned up before they caught a cold. Hitting the elevator button was a bit difficult with one kid's hand in each of his but he made it work and set it on a course back to his own floor. Surprisingly, when they all arrived back at his office the clothes were already sitting on his desk waiting. Jurgen took a look at the two different sets, one was clearly for Callahan given the style so it appeared the other must be for Lynde. It looked a little big for her, but it was better than her currently soaked clothes.

That brought a whole new question to mind. Could Callahan dress himself? Would it really be appropriate for him to help the boy? It was one thing for him to help Lynde, she was his own child, but Callahan wasn't. Finally, he sighed and spoke up. "Callahan? Have your parents made you start getting dressed all by yourself?" He asked in the nicest way he could muster. He knew Lynde was going to need help with buttons and zippers so wouldn't it be reasonable to expect he would too? "Ok. I think I know how we're going to do this. I'm going to take each of you kids to the bathrooms. Each of you get your own stall. I'll help you with the buttons, but I want you both to try to dress yourselves as much as possible. If you need help I'll be right outside the door." He said, laying out the plan. Already he was wishing he had asked for a raise when Jerico had left Callahan with him.

Lynde had no arguments. She didn't even realize he was taking her with him into the empty men's room rather than the lady's. The whole concept of separate bathrooms had not sunken in for her at this age. A bathroom was a bathroom. He set each new outfit on the toilet paper holder in two separate stalls before and designating one to each child. Jurgen stopped to help Lynde with her buttons on her pants before turning her loose to attempt to get dressed while he stopped to check in on Callahan and assist him if needed. Lynde would take her time and still manage to come out with the oversized shirt on backwards. At least it was an easy fix. Once Callahan came out he'd assist with any fixes he needed, one big task finished.

"Ok, back to the office. Callahan, your father is taking a break to come visit us. I bet that will make you happy." Jurgen said in an attempt to interact with the boy. In his mind however he was trying to figure out how in the world these two had managed to gain access down there. He knew they didn't have the keycards necessary and anyone in their right mind wouldn't just let two kids in there unsupervised. Surely Lynde hadn't figured out how to destroy electronic locks already had she? There was a lot he couldn't wrap his mind around with the whole situation. Regardless, he brought them back into the office and sat them both down on the couch. "Ah here... Watch this for a bit ok?" He told them as he fished out a tablet and tried to put some cartoons on. Surely that would hold their attention right? He could only hope so.

Lynde's eyes were quickly captivated by the bright colors and sounds. She started giggling at the nonsense on the screen even if she didn't truly understand what was going on. Someone was getting hit with a pie and that was all she cared about. Her father's plan was at least working on her while he tried to review the footage from the cameras for some answers only to find the feed from that timeframe restricted. Oh boy, that did not seem good.

The tablet seemed to be doing a good job at keeping them occupied for the short time before Jerico would make his appearance. "Come in." Jurgen called out as he heard a knock on the door. While he'd never admit it his anxiety was through the roof as he worried for his job.

[renrac]

On his way back to Jurgen's office, Jericho decided to make a quick stop at one of the many labs used for observation and testing of new items that arrive at Hegemony. A document came across his desk just the other day about an item that was said to reportedly have displayed odd behavior with a couple in Vancouver. The couple's statements had already been documented and filed, but the item in question had yet to be properly evaluated. Walking into the lab he approached a middle aged technician and inquired about the status of the item. Reports were filed regularly but Jericho wanted a fully up to date report before attempting what he had in mind. Nodding his head he dismissed the tech and walked over to the crystal necklace that was being held in a clear containment box for testing and observation. Using his code he opened the box and lifted it out tentatively. He felt nothing. Observed nothing. To him it looked completely normal. "Hmmm..." he then placed the necklace in a small strong box and locked it before carrying it out with him as he continued on his way to the security chief's office.


Once he reached Jurgen's door he knocked and waited for permission to enter before opening it and stepping inside. Everything looked just as it had earlier today. He noticed right away that the children were sitting on the couch, looking at at tablet. The small device must have been streaming some children's entertainment because they both looked completely enraptured by whatever it was they were looking at. Jericho sighed softly and shook his head a little before pulling up a chair in front of Jurgen's desk and having a seat. He leaned back and gazed at his security chief in silence for a few moments. He hid it well, but Jericho was an old hand at reading people, and he knew the man was nervous. Well, he saw no reason to keep him stewing. He understood what happened wasn't entirely his fault, even if letting them slip away in the first place was.


"First, let me start by saying, no, you aren't fired." he told the other man in an even voice, his face quite calm and neutral. "Secondly, your position with Hegemony is actually going to improve, believe it or not, because of this incident." he could tell right off that this confused the man and he held up a hand to stop him before he even had a chance to open his mouth. "Let me explain." lifting the strong box in his hand he showed it to Jurgen for a moment before placing it on his desk and unlocking it. Opening the box he swung it around so that he could see what was inside. "Touch this please, but don't take it out. Tell me if you feel anything."


As expected, there was no reaction from the item. "Hmm... " he turned his head and looked over at the kids. "Callahan." he waited for the boy to look up at him. "Come here son. I want you to see something." he wasn't sure if this would work but he had to at least try. If he was right...


Callahan lifted his head from the cartoons that were playing and his eyes opened wide. He hadn't even realized his father had entered the room. The little boy swallowed hard and felt a shiver of dread. "Yes, papa." he said and hopped off the sofa and walked over to his father slowly.


Jericho watched his son as he came closer. He could only imagine what was going through his son's head, but it was obvious the boy knew he did something wrong. "We will discuss what happened later, understand?" when Callahan nodded his head in silence Jericho pursed his lips slightly and picked up the strong box. He hesitated for a moment, but then showed it to his son. "I'd like you to touch this and tell me if you feel anything." Hegemony had found that certain people could feel things from certain items. It was one of the criteria that they used when selecting lab technicians. Despite that, almost none of the techs had ever been able to cause the items to actually do anything., and the few times they could it was found that anyone could use that item. It wasn't until he'd seen the video with Callahan and Lynde that some of the pieces of the puzzle had started to click together in his mind, because the items they had touched had already been tested. Unless there had been a huge mistake with not one, but two artifacts, then those items should never have responded to the children at all.


Callahan swallowed again and nodded his agreement to the inevitable lecture that he knew would be coming. It wouldn't have been the first he'd gotten. He had a feeling though that this time wouldn't be like all the others. His young eyes tracked the box that his father lifted from the desk and he tilted his head in curiosity, but when the box was turned to face him he smiled. "Oh! Papa! It's like the other one!" he exclaimed and reached out even before his father had finished speaking to touch the necklace.


Jericho watched as his son reached out and touched the supposed artifact. the other one? he couldn't help but smile when he was graced with one of his son's rare smiles again, but then the necklace reacted to his son's touch and both his brows shot up, his eyes darting down to the artifact. Just like the report they had received, the necklace started to emit a soft kaleidoscopic light that was plainly visible. His eyes darted back up to look at his son and he couldn't help but feel both relieved and excited when he saw the small boy was still smiling. 

"That will be all Callahan. Go back and sit with your friend. Watch your... cartoons. We will discuss this as well later." he told his son as he closed and locked the box once more. His son pouted but then nodded and walked back over to the couch. Turning back to Jurgen he gave him an understanding look. "I'm sure you have questions. Please hold them until after I have explained the situation." Leaning back Jericho placed the box on his lap and began.

Over the course of the next ten minutes he explained what Hegemony really was. How it had come to be and why. Some of those facts Jurgen had already known, had to have known, for him to have his position. The vast majority however he had no way of knowing. "So, yes, Hegemony is everything you thought it was and more. The rise of individuals with abilities can't be ignored. A part of that is what you see here." he told him, indicating the strong box. "This item and many others like it are connected somehow to these people. Part of Hegemony's primary goals is to discover that connection, and to gather these artifacts."

He gave Jurgen a few moments to digest this information. He knew a clear understanding wouldn't happen right away, but what he was telling him now covered the basics. "Now, for the reason I am telling you all this." he said and leaned forward in his chair. "I'm sure you've noticed that my son is... different. I don't think I need to tell you that this information is classified. More than that, your own daughter also appears to be.. talented.. in special ways."

Leaning back once more he took a breath and let it out quickly. "What happened today, both earlier and just now, are incredibly important finds for this company. Possibly for the world. Moving forward we can finally bridge the gaps in our knowledge, both of those with abilities and these artifacts. To that effect, I will be promoting you. You will maintain your current title, but your security clearance will be updated. You will have access to highly classified information and locations. Most of which, as of this moment, you don't even know exist. You will receive a sizable pay increase of course." Jericho added, almost as an after thought. For someone like him money was either at the front of his mind, or pushed all the way back, depending on the situation.

Lifting a hand to rub his jaw he thought for a moment. "Her mother will also have to be brought into the company and give clearance. If I'm not mistaken, she's a school teacher, correct?" placing his hand in his lap again he stretched his neck. "Now, we come to the children. They will have to be observed." he looked up at Jurgen. "Rest assured, that will be ALL that is to happen. Perhaps once they are older we can have them do some testing but for now they should spend most of their time here at the company under supervision, both for their own safety and for the safety of those around them."

"There's another reason I'm promoting you. Take a look at this." he said and reached out to swivel Jurgens monitor to face him. "Voice command actuation. Unlock and display file Callahan 056" Once he saw the video begin he swung it back around for Jurgen to look at. "I've noticed a pattern with my son and his attendants. They do whatever he says." he shrugged and continued "At first I attributed it to various things. He was cute. They didn't want to anger the bosses son. You know, the usual. However...." once the video reached a certain point Jurgen saw a grizzled elderly man and Callahan in the same room together. "The man you see here is an old personal friend of mind. Military. Loyal to the core. Hard as nails. You know the type." In the video Jurgen could see how the old man picked up Callahan and was carrying him around, giving him pony rides. "I asked him to look after my son, and his orders were very simple. Don't do ANYTHING my son asked him to do. Nothing." he arched a brow and looked at Jurgen before nodding his head towards the monitor. "Now, does that look to be the case in this surveillance footage?"

"Jurgen, I had my suspicions, but after today, after seeing what happened in the storage room and with the necklace... I have zero doubts now. My son has abilities. Powers. With a capital P. Much like your own daughter, just in a different way." he paused for a moment before continuing. "And, Up until today, there were exactly two people who could tell Callahan no. Myself, and my wife Liliana. Now, from your own report, there is a third. Yourself. So..." he said and smiled widely, even though there was a bit of a snakes charm in there. "Congratulations on your excellent promotion! You get to watch over the kids while they are here." he chuckled before continuing, "but don't worry, I'm not cruel. I intend to speak with both of our wives and see about setting up a rotation. Unless I'm mistaken your own wife might also have some type of immunity that we seem to share."


Leaning further back in his chair Jericho kept his smile on his face as he laced his fingers together and rested them on top of the box in his lap. "You and your family will be well looked after. All of the resources of Hegemony will be at your disposal, even more so than before, as head of security. If you require it, living quarters will be provided. In fact, there are several floors of the building that are not being utilized yet that can be quickly converted into living spaces. An entire floor will be dedicated to you, your family and the children to use." slowly a frown crossed his brow. "Make no mistake Jurgen. We are the good guys, and there are a lot of bad people out there that wouldn't hesitate to try and get their hands on our children if they knew about them. Their safety is of the highest priority. I authorize you to space no expense, take whatever steps you deem necessary." after a moment the frown lifted from his face and he smiled again before opening his mouth to conclude his speech,


"Any questions...?"

[Sampais Wrath]

As with most children the cartoons were like kryptonite for Callahan and Lynde. They had quickly become focused on the swirling colors and the sounds. Neither one noticed the knocks on the door, nor the new guest as he entered. It wasn't until Callahan was called that either of them snapped out of the near trance. Before that however, the adults were talking.

To say it was a sense of relief washing over Jurgen when he found out he'd be keeping his job was an understatement. He'd been worried since the kids had wandered off that he would be losing it. That relief quickly twisted into confusion. How in the world was any of this grounds for a promotion? Thankfully Jericho was quick to start explaining. The whole ability business really made little sense to him. His daughter being able to generate and seemingly control electricity did not help matters one bit. It only made more confused on the matter. Thankfully his boss seemed keen to explain without him having to ask.

It was hardly a surprise the necklace had no reaction nor did he feel anything when touched. "It feels like a normal necklace to me. Doesn't seem special." He noted. Jurgen knew he hardly had the feelings for high quality jewelry, but at the same time this would surely not be about quality, this was about far more than that. As he suspected it did nothing when Jericho touched it as well, that was when he called his son over. He had only gotten a glimpse of the security footage of the kids in the storage room before darting out to retrieve them, but he had at least gotten to see the boy holding the crystal, his mind had simply barely registered it in the moment. Watching the necklace light up when Callahan touched it brought that memory back to the forefront of his mind. So this boy was similar to his daughter in more than just age.

Jurgen had hardly spoken during the meeting though he continued to hold a respectable silence while Jericho was explaining a good bit about the company. Some of it he knew, other parts he hadn't. A lot of things were changing today, seemingly their whole lives really. Finally, on the topic of his own daughter being special he let out a sigh before speaking up. "In all honesty sir... My wife and I... We don't know what to do about her. She has little control over her abilities. She's chased off her babysitters and continually breaks electronics. I was worried even bringing her here for the day. Moving in? I... I would worry about her causing even more trouble." He admitted. Dealing with Lynde hadn't been an easy task for him and his wife. He didn't want to admit there had been some regrets here and there about having her in the first place, but giving her up was not an option. He could only imagine her fate if someone with bad intentions got ahold of the little tike.

The mention of a pay increase certainly had him raise an eyebrow but not more than when the mention of monitoring the children. For a moment it brought a sense of worry to him. He didn't want to see either of them harmed. The reassurance was most certainly needed. "My wife... Will she still be able to work her current job without a change to her employment? It would be a sizeable shift for her to move from a classroom full of students to just two. He asked, more to know what to tell his wife about the situation than actual concern for her keeping her current employment. With a pay increase and living on site they would reasonably be able to live off his salary, negating her need to work. Convincing Karin of that would be far from easy though.

It was a shock to him to see the grizzled military man giving the small boy a pony ride. There was no way in hell that man was doing it because he wanted to. How in the world had Callahan convinced him to do it then? "I... I didn't have any problems saying no. He pouted but..." Jurgen started, confused by what was happening. Callahan had no influence over him, but none of them had any explaination as to why that was. None of them could explain that, only that he was special in that way. That made his new promotion make more sense, however the terms of it were slightly concerning to him. "Watch the kids? But what about security?" He stuttered as he tried to think of the implications of this. Having things on a rotation would assist him in keeping up with his duties, but it still gave him a worry.

"I... I need time to talk about this with my wife. I cannot make a large decision like this without consulting her. It wouldn't be right." He finally said after a brief pause. It was a valid request though they both knew he had little choice in accepting. This was his family's safety and wellbeing they were talking about, plus a potential future for Lynde he would have otherwise not been able to afford. Still, he couldn't just spring all these changes on Karin. They were supposed to make decisions together! "I will have my decision to you by the end of the week." He reported.

Throughout all of this Lynde hardly looked up nor did she notice the men talking. Everything directly in front of her was too entertaining for her young mind to care what the adults were doing. Perhaps it might be a bit scary how well it kept the kids busy, but it was also useful. As Callahan had gotten up to answer his father Lynde took the shared tablet for herself, only offering to share it again when he returned.

"Papa said you were a Unruhestifter (troublemaker)." Lynde said to him with a giggle as she offered for him to hold one side of the tablet again so they could resume sharing it. "He calls me that sometimes too." Another giggle came from the young girl though she explained little of what the word meant. It would be a mystery for Callahan, but at least one thing was for sure, they were very similar children.

[renrac]

Niagara, Canada
Hegemony TLD
Secure Living Quarters, 12th floor
3 Years Later
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

It had been several years since the arrangement had been made between the Marquis and the Schröders. As promised, an entire floor had been upgraded, secured and modified to accommodate their family. The floor acted both as living space and educational center for their children. Jericho had also been good to his word about the safety and hands off approach taken while observing Callahan and Lynde. Surveillance systems had been installed specifically for this task, leaving only key areas and personal spaces free from observation. Additionally, the parents had taken turns monitoring the young ones, sharing the burden of raising two children, until all of them began to feel more like family than employer and employee. It couldn't be helped, and if Jericho had been asked about it he would have admitted he enjoyed the arrangement. It was quite convenient having more people to discuss certain sensitive matters that normally he'd only been able to share with Liliana.

The children, for their part, never really knew that they were being watched, and it had become plain early on that the two of them had grown very close in a few short years. They were practically inseparable and, according to the analysts assigned to monitoring them, often showed more negative tendencies when apart than when together. That didn't mean the little rascals didn't get into trouble while together, quite the opposite, but when together they were markedly more happy than when apart. Observation only went so far though, and by the time it was their 8th birthdays it was time to try something new.

Standing in the large open space that served as the Schröder's living room, Liliana called the two children over to her. It was her turn with them on this day and she had patiently watched over them as they had jumped from one form of entertainment to the next. "Children. Come here. I have something for you." Liliana rarely lost her refined mannerisms, even while relaxed. To anyone who didn't know her she might appear rather cold towards others. This wasn't the case however, it was just the way she was raised. Leaning forward her emerald colored evening gown rustled as she picked up the metal box that was resting on the small table next to her chair. "I have a gift for you both."

Opening the box she showed its contents to the little ones. "These are for you. One each." Inside were two identical elegantly crafted watches. Liliana had first received the watches nearly a week ago from her husband. He had explained that they were more than watches, that they had highly sophisticated electronics for monitoring and recording the childrens' vitals. They also acted as two way radios. A small bonus for them to play with and enjoy. Unfortunately, they'd also been gaudy ugly little things and Liliana had almost gagged at how terrible they looked. She had immediately told her husband to give them a more fitting design for their station. He'd simple said, 'Yes, dear.' but he had a little smile on his lips and Liliana suspected he knew fully well what her reaction was going to be. She have him a knowing look and a smile of her own before turning to leave. Now, a week later, the gifts were things of beauty and elegance. In hind sight, probably a bit too elegant for children but oh well.

"Here, let me help you put that on dear." she said to Lynde with a small smile. The young girl had really grown on Liliana and she honestly liked her. She still remembered the first time they had met and how she'd almost gotten zapped. Truth be told, she had gotten zapped, but she'd played it off as a near miss. Liliana had used her abilities for years to help her husband and Hegemony grow and no one had been the wiser. She saw no reason for that fact to change now. Once the watches were on both children she gave them one of her regal smiles. "There, don't you both look splendid." Reaching down she touched the button on the side of Callahan's watch and Lynde's watch beeped softly. "Go on dear, press the button. I think you'll like what you find." She knew it was only a matter of time before they ended up running off and, true to form, once they did she just watched them go. "Adorable."

Callahan was overjoyed by the present his mother had given them. She had never been much of a gift giver, but when she did it was always something special. "Lynde! Come on! Let's go to the play room!" he said with a smile. His face didn't hurt anymore these days when he smiled, in fact he smiled more often than not. "These are so cool! I wonder how far their range is?" he said as he hurried down the hall with his closest friend.

The play room, true to its name, had just about everything they could possible want to keep themselves occupied. From coloring books and toys, to balls and electronic gadgets, they had no shortage of things to play with. Despite all that though, they spent more time together than with any toy. "Hey, lets try these out. We could head in opposite directions. What do you think?"

[Sampais Wrath]

It was true what they said about kids growing up. Don't blink or you will miss it. Both Callahan and Lynde were growing rapidly over the next few years and becoming closer in the process. Callahan had gained a very small height advantage over Lynde though it was hardly anything to be concerned about. The two kids were nearly inseparable and each night when it was time to say goodbye until tomorrow it was almost a fight to separate them. They had finally learned that they would see each other again in the morning though occasionally some exceptions were made to allow for sleepovers on weekends or when they had done exceptionally well with some lessons. Those sleepovers had been popular with the kids even if it was a bit more work for the adults.

Today had been a day like any other for the two eight year olds. They had rules not to run unless they were in designated places like the playroom, but Liliana's call had made the two of them forget that rule. First thing on Lynde's mind was that it was possibly lunch time. She didn't realize it was a gift instead. At first she was a bit disappointed to enter the room and see there were no sandwiches or snacks, just some metal box. She tried her best not to hide it as she sat on the floor in front of the woman with her best friend in tow.

"A gift? For us?" Lynde asked curiously at first. This was no special occasion that she could think of which left the little blonde confused. That confusion was quickly lost to the excitement of the present as Liliana presented them with the two identical watches. Perhaps it was smart they were identical as it would prevent either child from arguing over who's looked better or which one they wanted. There was nothing to envy when they were both the same. One could hear the general awe of the two children as they looked over their new presents. The true use of them was far beyond their current minds, but that was for the best. It was still noninvasive and would merely monitor vital signs and their locations should they try to get into trouble, that was something all the parents agreed on, especially in the event someone uninvited got into the building.

With Liliana's help Lynde got her's onto her left wrist and looked down at the shiny watch, her face lighting up in amazement when it beeped. Under her instructions Lynde pressed her button which made Callahan's beep. She hadn't realized she hadn't removed her hand when she voiced her excitement. "This is so cool!" She exclaimed onto to hear her voice through his watch a second later. Her jaw nearly dropped. They could talk through these?!

He wouldn't have to repeat himself to get her to follow him back into the playroom, dashing behind him. Today the toys, games and other entertainment items meant nothing to either of them, not when they had these cool new watches. "I have an idea! Our parents won't let us just roam around and test them but...." She started with a mischevious smile. By now Callahan knew that there was always something interesting to come when that smile made it's appearance. Liliana would most certainly not let them out of the spacious apartment and certainly not on their own, but Lynde saw another way. She pointed toward one of the vents above a bookshelf. "Think you can boost me up?" His friend asked, ready to get into some trouble.

Having already figured out that most things were still out of her reach at her height Lynde had become a master of climbing on things to get what she wanted. Usually it was the cookie jar, but today her sights were set on the vent cover. Perhaps whoever was in charge of building the room was about to get into trouble because once Callahan joined her on the chair Lynde was using his shoulders to climb up on top of the bookshelf. The vent cover? It may as well have been held on with chewing gum with the ease in which she removed it. As soon as the metal was out of the way she reached down to offer a hand to her friend to help pull him up.

"Come on! Let's see if we can get to another floor. I heard there's a garden on the roof! We should try to go there!" She exclaimed as she led the way, crawling through the vents. They barely fit in the vents as they were now, one thing their parents would find solace in once they learned the two had managed to get in them. In the meantime reinforcements would need to be made to keep them out.

"How far do you think we need to go to get out of the apartment?" Lynde called back to Callahan as he crawled behind her. For two kids it would feel like they were crawling forever before she would put too much weight on a grate below her. The weak metal would hardly be able to hold up her weight, the young girl falling through with a surprised shriek. Thankfully, or perhaps embarrassingly Lynde would find herself having been caught in a plant in the hallway outside the apartment. "I think we're out!" She called up to her friend, struggling in the plant to get herself free.

Finally Lynde fumbled out of the plant and onto her feet on the floor. "Do you think you can get down from there?" She asked Callahan as she started to realize just how far she fell. For an adult it was still a fairly decent fall, but for a kid it was a big one. "Maybe I can catch you!" She thought, holding out her arms as if she'd be strong enough to stop the force of gravity.

[renrac]

Callahan stood smiling with Lynde in the playroom. Like her, he had no interest at all in the vast selection of items typically used to pacify an unruly child. Their new watches were infinitely more alluring for the two of them, especially with the two way radio that they came equipped with.


When he saw her naughty smile he couldn't help but return it with a version of his own. In fact, he'd learned the facial expression from Lynde. He watched as she went over to the bookshelf and it only took him about ten seconds to get the gist of her idea. "Ooooh, good idea." he told her as he hurried over to give her a boost.


Once they were both inside the ventilation duct Cal was happy to let her go first since she was obviously so eager. Normally hed be a bit worried about such a dark place but as they traveled there was some light filtering in through various other grates. "I'm not sure. I think we should be close to the elevator at least." he told her even as the grate under her gave out. "Lynde!"


Hurrying forward he looked down through the hole and caught sight of her just as she was rolling out of the plant that had broken her fall. He was about to ask if she was alright but then heard her say they were out and he laughed instead. "Looks like it, yeah!" he told her and started to look for a way down that wouldn't result in him breaking something or hurting Lynde.


"I'm going to try the plant too! Watch out!" he knew from jumping off things in the playroom that if he thought about it too much he'd never be able to get himself to do it, so he just grabbed on to the edge of the hole and aimed as best he could before dropping down with a tiny little yipe of both excitement and fear.


Fortunately his aim had been pretty good and he landed right on the plant. It still hurt a bit, but for the most part he was fine once he finally tumbled out of its leaves and onto the floor at her feet. Laying on the ground he smiled up at her and laughed. "That was fun! I should ask papa for some of these in the playroom!"


Standing up with some help from his friend he patted himself a few times to see if anything hurt but, barring a few scratches, he was fine. "Um.. where are we.." he mumbled and looked around for the first time. It didn't take him long to recognize the hall that they were in. "Oh, we're close to the elevator like you said! It should be around this corner." he told her and started to lead the way until his foot caught something and he looked down to see the vent cover laying on the floor at his feet. "Better hide this." Picking it up he stuffed it behind the now mostly mangled plant so that it was out of sight. "There. Ok, let's go!"


Taking her hand he hurried with Lynde around the corner and down the hall towards the elevator. He used to have trouble with reaching the button but since he'd grown some in the last several years he could press it without any assistance. Reaching up as far as he could he slapped the button and turned his head to smile at Lynde triumphantly.


It only took a few seconds for the doors to open. He started to step inside when he saw that the elevator was already occupied. He'd never seen this person before, but he looked like one of papa's work friends since he was in a suit and he looked pretty old. "Hello! Could you please take us up to the roof please!" he asked with a bright smile.


The elderly man, for his part, looked surprised at seeing the children who had suddenly appeared in front of him but that faded quickly once Callahan had spoken to him. "The roof? I don't see why not. I'm on my way there myself anyway. Hop on in." he said with a smile. The man kept on smiling as the kids entered the elevator and the doors closed behind them.


Neither of the children paid him any mind after that. If they had they might have noticed the odd look the well dressed man was giving them. Once they had arrived Callahan looked up at the man and smiled. "Thanks old man! Please don't tell my dad about this, ok?" That was something Cal had learned to add after almost every request he made of people these days. It worked surprisingly well, too.


"Lets head to the Park, Lynde!" taking her hand once more he lead her out of the elevator and through a pair of nearby glass doors. The air outside was quite crisp and cold, the wind a bit heavy despite being broken up by the large number of trees that had been planted all across the roof to act as a miniature simulated park. There was even grass, bushes and a small pond that occasionally held fish.


Neither of the children looked back once they were through the glass doors. It was probably just as well, or they might have seen something they couldn't explain. Standing on the other side of the glass, the old man watched them for as long as he could before the vanished into the underbrush of the park. His eyes were thoughtful, his lips twisted in concentration. He had felt something, not once, but twice, from the kids. He couldn't tell which of the two he'd felt it, or perhaps it was both, but there was no mistaking that feeling of power. He'd have to find out more, he thought as he turned on his heels to continue on his way to the meeting that had already begun further inside the building, a slow smile creeping across his lips.

[Sampais Wrath]

Lynde was giggling as he landed in the plant. It was probably for the better of both of them that he did considering landing in her arms could very well hurt them both. Neither of them were all that concerned about it, the poor plant on the other hand had seen much better days than it had today. No doubt that would be exhibit A when their parents were trying to figure out how they got out of the play room without Liliana noticing them.

With Callahan ok the two were back on their mission once more. To the rooftop! That of course meant they needed to get into the elevator. She hadn't considered that elevators required access codes, something they had at best heard their parents talk about and normally would have prevented their progress, if it wasn't for the gentleman riding in the elevator that was. Lynde allowed Callahan to do the talking. They had learned well over the last few years that if he was the one to make the request to strangers then it often was met with success. Somehow she was told no much more often and even then neither seemed to win out against their or each other's parents. She couldn't quite wrap her brain around that just yet. Regardless things were going well for them and before long the elevator doors would open to reveal the open air rooftop.

They rarely got to come up here and the few times they had it had been for short, highly supervised time. Neither of the kids understood it. They didn't know why they needed to be watched so close or their existences practically hidden from the world. All they knew was it was fun when they finally got outside and got to play in the park area. Even if they didn't have others to play with them they still always had each other.

As they got into the park she was already eager to test their new watches. "Ok! You stay here and I'll start running across the park. I bet we'll find the limit easy that way!" She exclaimed, hardly giving Callahan any time to argue if he even would. Lynde had already taken off, dashing across the soft grass. She wasn't sure how she did it though at times she felt like she was moving so much faster if she tried to think about the electricity. Putting that thought to the test, mostly because she wasn't able to within the confines of the playroom, Lynde tried to stretch her legs and laughed as she could feel the wind in her hair. Of course she got a bit carried away in doing that and quickly ended up halfway across the park from her companion.

"Cal? Can you hear me?" She asked as she pressed down the button on the watch. "Ok! I'm going to try going a bit further!' Lynde would respond when he answered that he could. Repeating her thoughts again to squeeze just a bit more speed out it was hardly even a minute before she had crossed the entire park. This time she didn't radio back right away. Something had caught her attention and taken her mind off the testing at hand. "Oooh! Cal! There's something over here! Come look!" She nearly yelled into the watch before moving closer to the large glass walled room.

Inside the glass room it looked like another of the conference rooms, this one simply built to allow the occupants to enjoy the nice weather while still hosting their meeting. Most of the people inside she didn't recognize until she finally noticed their fathers. Jurgen was clearly was meant to look like he was for show as a big part of security. Both her and the actual attendees had no idea he was actually invited on equal ground as them. It was only as Callahan arrived that she said something.

"Look! Our dad's are in there!" She pointed out to Callahan as he made it to the windows. "I wonder if they can see us? Oh! I have an idea!" She suddenly exclaimed, her mind running a mile a minute. Instead of explaining her idea Lynde went with the next best thing, showing it. She pressed her face to the glass, pulling down the corners of her mouth with her fingers to turn it into some rediculous monster like frown while crossing her eyes. "Try it!" She urged him to join her.

After a couple of face changes some of the guests started to notice their little onlookers. Several were confused by the sudden appearance of children and a couple chuckled as they started paying more attention to the two kids than the presentation Jericho was currently in the middle of. Jurgen took notice of change in their guests and started to suspiciously look around. Something wasn't right. It was then he saw the two familiar, silly looking faces plastered against the glass. How in the world did they even manage to get up here?! How did they sneak away from Liliana?!

"I am sorry to interrupt but... we have some uninvited guests. I'll take them down to security for someone to handle..." He said  though Jericho would know by now what he meant. He'd be escorting them back to the play room and figuring out how they got there in the first place. As the tall man stepped out he looked at the two kids now pulling their faces from the glass. "How did you two even get up here? It's not safe for you on your own." He said kneeling down to check them over and make sure they were ok. "Ok we need to get you back to the play room. Come on. Liliana probably has some lunch ready for you and is worried sick." He claimed in an attempt to convince them to come with him.

Jurgen took Lynde's hand knowing that if he led one away the other would follow quite easily. With his other hand he pulled out his phone and brought up Lilana's contact and pressed the call button. As soon as she answered he could barely contain his chuckle. "Missing something?'

[renrac]

Callahan had always liked the open air park that was located on the top floor of their building. In many ways it was the only real taste of freedom him or Lynde had gotten over the last few years. He really never gave it much thought that her and her family had moved into the building. He was far too excited at the time just knowing the fact that his best, his only, friend would always be close by. In the proceeding years it had crossed his young mind, especially the times they had asked to go outside and were never allowed. Instead, they would be brought here, and it had become a special place for the two of them.


Callahan nodded when Lynde told him to stay put so that they could test their new watches. He was just as excited as she was, and it showed. "Ok, I'll be here!" he called after her even as she vanished around some trees and he lost sight of her quickly. They both knew the layout of the park very well however, and he wasn't worried about loosing track of her if worse came to worse and it turned out the range on their watches wasn't all that far. He needn't have worried though, they would soon find that signal traveled far and the reception was perfect.


Looking around the park where he stood he checked off in his mind all the little places they had discovered over the years. Over that way was the first tree they had tried to climb. He still had painful memories of falling out of it. He hadn't really been hurt all that badly, but it held a special place in his mind because of the way Lynde had taken care of him until their parents had arrived. It had also been special because his mother had given him one of her rare huge once she had determined he was alright. The scolding afterward hadn't been quite as fun.


Still lost in thought he heard his watch beep and he pressed the button, Lynde's voice coming through through loud and clear a moment later. "I hear you!" He knew the moment she said she'd check further she'd have been off like a shot. That was always something he had liked about her, her boundless energy. It was almost contagious, and every time they were together he felt excited to see what new things they could get into together.


Pressing the button again when it beeped Callahan could clearly hear the excitement in her voice. "I'm on my way." he could only assume she took a straight line through the trees. If that was the case she'd eventually make it to the far side and the observation lounge that was located there. It would take him more time to try and follow through the trees, so he turned down a nearby open path and took off running. With nothing to block his path he could cover more ground quickly, but even then it still took him a few minutes to reach her.


Panting heavily he came out exited the other side of the trees and spotted Lynde almost immediately. Just as he'd thought she was near the observation lounge, almost right up to the big glass windows. After another few short moments of jogging he reached her side. "How did you get here so fast?" he asked her once he'd caught his breath. She'd always been fast, but it seemed to him she had been a lot faster than usual today, and she wasn't even breathing heavily at all.


Those thoughts were brushed aside a moment later when she told him to look in through the windows. Just as she'd said, he could see their dads, along with several other well dressed people. He even saw the man that had helped them go up the elevator. He must have just arrived himself because he was pulling a chair out to take a seat at the table.


When Lynde encouraged him to press his face to the glass he didn't hesitate in the least. With a soft laugh he pulled the corners of his mouth upwards and he crossed his eyes. He'd seen a book once in his mothers study on plays. Thinking it had been a story book he had tried to read it but it had been far beyond him and most of the pictures had been awful, with the exception of one. There had been two masks, one with a happy face and one with a sad face. He imagined they both looked a lot like that picture right then at that moment.


Inside the observation lounge Jericho was busy explaining the newest finds that Hegemony had been able to discover over the last six months. Normally he'd have Liliana with him during one of these meetings with the company backers but it as her day with the children, and honestly he felt he could handle it just fine. Besides, he knew his wife enjoyed her time with the children, even if she had a hard time showing it. It always warmed his heart each time he caught one of her little smiles at the antics that the kids liked to pull. He saw no reason to drag her here to one of these boring meetings when she could be enjoying herself with the children.


How ironic those thoughts were a few minutes later when he turned in his chair and saw Lynde and Callahan with their faces pressed up against the outside of the window making ridiculous faces at everyone present. Fortunately, he didn't need to do anything since he saw Jurgen was already taking care of it. "Thank you Jurgen. Please see to it that they are properly escorted." Turning back to the meeting he and apologized for the interruption before continuing.


Callahan saw Jurgen heading their way and immediately knew they had been busted. "Uh oh. Here he comes." was all he managed to get out before Lynde's dad pushed the door open and immediately started to look them over after kneeling down. When it came to their parents Cal had learned pretty quickly that no matter what he said to them, unless it was the truth or an apology, it was better to keep quiet when they were in trouble. "Sorry." he said, instantly following along next to Lynde as Jurgen took her hand and lead them away.


Liliana was quite comfortable in her recliner, an old book held in her hand that she had already read several times before over the years. All was right in the world at that moment, even the kids weren't making a fuss and she really appreciated the peace and quiet. That is until her phone rang a few moments later. Putting down her book she picked it up and checked the caller ID before answering it. "Hello?"


Liliana blinked slowly at the question. "Whatever do you mean, Jurgen? I..." she said, trailing off. "Hold that thought." she said and stood quickly. It took less than a minute to make her way to the playroom. When she found that it was empty she could feel her face flush red with embarrassment. Taking a calming breath she lifted the phone to her ear again. "I assume you have discovered two slippery little la bête (beast). I am most curious to discover how they managed to sneak past me. Please return them. I'm sure their tale will be most entertaining..." she said calmly, but these days she rarely used French unless she was upset about something.

[Sampais Wrath]

Jurgen could only chuckle as he heard Liliana slip into french. The kids were in trouble, but he planned to let them think they weren't until they'd inevitably slip up and tell them how they got out of the playroom without anyone noticing. He knew the same would happen for how they had managed to operate the elevator without the codes to do so. Kids really could not keep secrets and these two would be the same once he got them talking about their day. In the meantime he needed to get them back out of public view and back to the apartment.

Things were fairly quiet between them all as Jurgen escorted the children back to the apartment. He was glad to see the relief on Liliana's face when he brought them in. "Found these two little ones making faces on the glass of the rooftop meeting room. Unfortunately they were spotted by at least a few of our guests, but no display of abilities so I don't foresee too many issues. They just looked like normal kids." He explained, sitting the two down on the couch. "Kids? How did you slip out? Liliana was very worried about you." He asked, kneeling in front of them.

"I... I'm sorry. We just wanted to test ranges..." Lynde whimpered. "We were having fun up there. I like playing outside." She spoke softly, a slight smile appearing on her face. Seeing that little smile even her father couldn't stay too mad. He shook his head though a slight smile was growing on his face as well.

"You two know you can't go up there without one of us. Someone could get hurt. How did you two even get the elevator to work? I have a hard time believing you walked up all those stairs." He asked them, this time looking to Callahan to see if the boy would tell him anything. He knew whether Callahan would didn't matter if his mother was there or not. Both the kids knew the consequences of lying by now, even if it couldn't be proven as a lie just yet.

Before the kids got much of a chance to answer the front door opened. "Liliana? Are you still here? Can you help me with these bags?" A feminine voice called. Karin stepped into the room, struggling with an armload of grocery bags. "Oh? Jurgen? You're back already?" She asked as her husband moved over to take some of the bags before she dropped them.

"Look Mama! Liliana got us presents!" Lynde eagerly said, completely changing the subject off of them being in trouble to show her mother something she was excited about.

"Oh look how nice! You both look so dashing in them. Have you been enjoying playing with them?" Karin asked almost innocently as she didn't realize the trouble they had gotten into.

"Uh huh! Lots!" Lynde practically cheered, a bright smile plastered across her face.

"They managed to slip out and make their way to the roof to play with them too." Jurgen informed Karin after returning from dropping the bags in the kitchen.

"Is this true kids?" She asked them sternly.

Lynde looked up at her pouting a bit. "I... yes Mama..." She admitted.

"I think you two need to help Jurgen put away the groceries and work on your homework then. No games until you finish the chapter in your math books." She told them once again more sternly, much to the kids dismay. She couldn't help but chuckle hearing them groan. "Liliana, you look like you could use some time to relax. Would you like to come out with me and get out of the building for a bit? I know a great place to spend the evening." Karin offered.

[renrac]

Once Liliana had hung up her call with Jurgen she just looked at the blank screen of her phone for a few heartbeats, checking her reflection on the glassed over surface. The only outward sign of her distress was a small quiver in her hand that held the device. She took a calming breath and turned back towards the main room. It wouldn't take them long to arrive she knew, and she would wait to hear the details before she allowed her fears to take hold.



Once they arrived Liliana couldn't help but to look relieved at the sight of the two little ones in tow along with Jurgen. Walking up to them, her evening gown billowing around his legs, she knelt down to check them over in silence while Jurgen conveyed what he had already learned. They had been seen, but without any fireworks. Well, at least that was something. Once her inspection was done she stood and Jurgen took her place in front of them.


"Jurgen is right. You both know better." she said, crossing her arms over her arms under her chest. Her gaze slid to her son and she could tell right away that he knew he was in trouble, despite the fact she hadn't really said anything yet. "You heard him Callahan." she paused for a moment, but it was plain that he was trying to think how best to answer so she continued, "Let me guess. There was someone in the elevator and you asked them to take you up to the roof, correct?" Liliana could only sigh softly when her son nodded his affirmation. "We've talked about this Callahan. You shouldn't convince people that way."


"We are in here Karin." She called out when she heard her name being called. She looked at Cal. "We'll talk about this more later. Come along now." Turning, each of the children's hands in one of her own, she headed over with Jurgen to help with the groceries.


Lilian watched as Karin expertly handled the situation once she had been brought up to speed. She had to admit to herself she envied that a little. If it was a social event, a party, or a business transaction she'd have no trouble at all. She really had no idea before having Callahan just how much effort and thought was required raising a child. It really was a relief that Karin was there to help.


"What? Oh.. um." she said, blinking once as she was pulled from her thoughts. She could feel herself smiling a little as the idea sank in. It would be a good opportunity to both relax and get to knew one another better. "That sounds lovely."


It was then that the door opened again and the last member of their extended family arrive. Jericho had wrapped up the meeting as quickly as he could, plus a few additional apologies for the unexpected interruption. He wasn't happy about what happened, but if he was honest with himself, his relief that there had been no displays of power far outweighed his anger at the interruption.


"Hello ladies." he glanced around them but didn't see the kids since they had gone into the kitchen with Jurgen. "Has everything been taken care of here?" he asked, closing the door and locking it behind him.


"The children are with Jurgen putting away an impressive amount of groceries. That should keep them busy for a few minutes at least." Liliana told her husband with a smile. "Karin was nice enough to invite me out tonight for some relaxation." Lifting her hand she caressed his cheek. "Be a dear and help Jurgen walk the little ones while we are gone, please?"


Jericho knew he was being played right away and he chuckled, covering her hand on his cheek with his own before lowering it and holding her hand. "Of course. We can watch a movie after they are done with their homework or something. That should keep them busy."


Most of the rest of the evening went by uneventful. Karin and Liliana headed out for their evening together, and Jericho and Jurgen made sure the kids did their homework. As a reward for completing everything Jericho put in a call and had his aid pick up a bunch of pizzas for them to enjoy while they watched their move. He decided to select a kids spy movie that was currently streaming and he sat down next to Jurgen on the couch while the kids huddled together on the floor to watch the flick.


"You know, Jurgen..." Jericho started after finishing off his first piece of pizza. "I've been meaning to ask if you wanted to join me sometime. I have a hobby I picked up years ago and I thought it might be good to hang out sometimes." Looking over at the other man he smiled a bit. "Don't ask what it is. I'll keep that as a surprise, but what do you say? Interested?"


Once the movie was over Jericho clapped his hands a bit. "Bed time. Go and get ready and brush your teeth."


"Aww dad, can't we watch another one?" Cal asked in his cutest voice, while Lynde did the same with her own father.


In the end he agreed to let them watch another movie, but five minutes into it they were fast asleep leaning against each other in front of the screen. Jericho looked over at Jurgen and nodded his head towards the kids. "Looks like they are out." Standing he walked around the coffee table and gently picked up Callahan. "You guys have that bunkbed right? Maybe we should put them together on the bottom bunk. I'd be worried one of them would fall out while they sleep."

[Sampais Wrath]

With Liliana agreeing to come out with her for the night Karin smiled lightly. "You kids be good for your fathers. We'll be back later." She called out to them, waving goodbye to both the children and their fathers. Jurgen would know well where she was going and she would indeed be back later tonight, long after the kids had fallen asleep. This place was her way of relaxing after a long day and having had to stay away during her pregnancy had been hard on them both. No one liked to be around a grumpy pregnant woman.

"This place is amazing. It's called Willowick Tavern. They've got some great drinks too. Come on, let's try some." She explained as they stepped out of the Uber, Karin having the sense that it would be a bad idea to drive given what they would be doing. As they entered the place was a fairly lively, albeit a bit dimly lit bar. On one side of the room was exactly what one would expect from a bar, liquor bottles of all kinds behind the bar and bartenders mixing drinks and handing out beers. A few tables dotted around the room while a good number of dart boards and pool tables decorated the far side.

She led Liliana up to the counter. "Guten Abend Stephanie. Can I get my usual for my friend and I here?" She asked one of the bartenders and in minutes they had a couple glasses of an amber liquid that most would recognize as beer, just what kind could be up for debate. Karin took a large drink of her's before setting down the glass and looking at Liliana. "Go on. Try it. I promise I won't be offended if you don't like it." She urged her.

It was difficult for Karin not to laugh at Liliana's reaction to the drink. This was no cocktail and certainly very little sweet about it. If anything one might call it bitter. "It's beer silly. Don't tell me you've never had one." She finally laughed a bit. "Maybe we start you with something a little more like what you're used to. Stephanie? Maybe a Cherry Bomb might be a bit more her speed." She decided. As the drink was served up she looked toward Liliana. "Now just be careful with these. You don't taste as much alcohol so it's easy to overdo it." Karin cautioned.

As they managed to ease Liliana onto some drinks she drug her out to the few game options, grabbing a few darts off the board. "Have you ever played darts before?" Karin asked, offering the three darts to her new friend. With just the two of them there was little need to play to win, but it would be nice just to enjoy some games and a few drinks. Hell, by the time she'd gotten Liliana on a drink she could enjoy she'd already finished her second beer. Things were only just getting started.



Movies were always a good tool to keep kids busy and tonight would prove to be no exception. Popcorn, pizza and a few soft drinks were brought in for movie night and within minutes the whole rooftop adventure was forgotten by the kids. Even the fact their mothers were out for the night didn't phase them whatsoever. Jurgen had toyed with the idea of having them put on pajamas first before deciding against the idea, imagining grease and pizza sauce all over their clothes. May as well let it get on the dirty clothes rather than something clean. It was however interesting, and mildly terrifying, to see them practically become zombies to the tv once the movie started.

As he had predicted they were making a mess of themselves as sauce dripped from some of the pieces. He could already see laundry being his job tomorrow for this. Overall the night was going quite well, the kids nearly neutralized with the power of tv. Jericho's offer had him just a bit suspicious. "I suppose so, but what is with all the secrecy?" He responded. As the movie credits rolled it was time for the age old argument, bedtime.

"Please papa! Just one more and then we will go to bed." Lynde whined along with Callahan. While the kids would get what they wanted it would seem that was not a long lasting victory and they both would be nodding off shortly into the movie and only a few minutes later fell asleep leaning against each other.

Jurgen couldn't help but chuckle to himself as Jericho nudged him to look at the two kids, dead to the world. He had known they wouldn't last long, but this was a surprise for him. "Yeah I don't think I want to explain to the wives why one of the kids has a broken arm after they left them alone with us." He said quietly as he scooped Lynde into his arms while Jericho did the same for Callahan so neither one of them would fall over and be startled awake.

Leading the way to Lynde's room he held the young girl in one arm and pulled the blankets back on one side to tuck her in while Jericho was able to do it with the other. This way the kids would just be kicking each other in their sleep rather than waking up face to face with each other. "I'll keep an eye on them for the rest of the night. How much more trouble can they cause when they're asleep?" He offered.

It was nearly 2 am when Lynde awoke wanting a drink of water. It seemed her kicking in an attempt to get out of the bed roused her friend as well. That was when she realized he was there in her bed. "Hey! Sleepover! I call top bunk!" She tried to yell and whisper at the same time as Callahan was still clearing the sleep from his eyes.

"No fair! I want top bunk!" Callahan retorted back.

"No way! It's my bed!" She protested.

"Exactly! You can have the top bunk any time you want. I don't have a bunk bed in my room. Next time you can take the top." He reasoned.

Lynde crossed her arms and pouted lightly. "Fine, but you owe me."

Triumphantly Callahan made his way out of the bottom bunk and climbed up the ladder to curl up in the higher bed. Things looked a lot further off the ground than they really were up there. Anyone their size with a fear of heights would quickly find it a bit frightening up on the top and as they'd soon learn that would also include Callahan. When he came back down she looked at him in confusion.

"I thought you wanted to be up there." She asked him.

"Well uh... I felt bad leaving you down here alone. There could be monsters under the bed and someone needs to protect you..." He bluffed.

Lynde could only giggle at the response. Both of them were old enough to know there weren't monsters under the bed but she opted not to say anything. Instead, she scooted over and patted the spot beside her. "Guess you better stay down here then."

[renrac]

Liliana stood by while she waited for Karin to take her to where ever it was she wanted to go. She'd never admit it, or show it, but as soon as she'd agreed she began to feel a bit apprehensive. They had spent plenty of time together over the years, and Liliana had grown quite fond of Karin and he no nonsense way of doing things. It was quite refreshing from the usual sniping and whisperers she normally had to deal with on a daily basis. In all that time though, this was the first they had really gone out together for fun and relaxation.

Stepping out of the Uber Liliana took in her surroundings briefly before following Karin towards the building's entrance. Liliana had made some small talk on the way over there and tried to gain some preemptive knowledge of where it was they were going before they arrived but Karin was pretty tight lipped about their destination. Now, walking into the club Liliana could feel some of her anxiety drift away. This wasn't so bad. Not anything like the places she normally socialized at, definitely more lively, but it had a good atmosphere about the place.


Standing at the bar she arched a delicate brow at the sight of the liquor. "Alright, I'll try it." she said as she lifted the glass and breathed in its aroma. She wasn't familiar with the scent so she just buckled down and took a liberal swallow.. and almost choked on it. Eyes wide, she lifted the back of her left hand to lightly cover her mouth for a moment to make sure she didn't loose any of the rather bitter beverage. "What.." cough "What is... this..?" she finally managed to get out before setting the glass back on the bar top. She shook her head lightly when her friend asked if she'd ever had one before. The cherry bomb turned out to be much better and she obviously sighed in relief as she took a drink. "This ones quite good." She said as she polished off half the glass.


By the time they reached the dart board she was feeling much more relaxed, if slightly buzzed. "Nope. Never tried it." she said, picking up one of the darts to examine. It was right about at that time that one of the men nearby walked up to her and started to try and strike up a conversation. It took a second for her to realize that they guy was hitting on her. She shouldn't have been surprised considering she was still wearing her evening gown since she hadn't bothered to chance before they left. He was rather cute but she wasn't nearly drunk enough to even consider flirting back with a complete stranger. It was just about then that she saw someone that looked familiar walk up to address the younger man.


"Excuse me. The lady is spoken for." he said to the young guy. He was tall and obviously fit despite the way his tieless suit jacket hide nearly everything from view. It only took one look at him to have the guy bowing out with an apology.


"Markus? What are you doing here?" She blurted out, honestly surprised to she her personal guard.


"My job." lifting his wrist he showed her his watch and tapped it. "Imagine my hurt feeling when I saw you had left the building without informing me."


"Oh. Uh.. right." she said a bit sheepishly. It was obvious that they knew each other fairly well since Liliana was rarely ever informal with anyone outside of their extended family, at least as far as Karin had ever seen. "Sorry about that.. anyway! Karin, I'd like you to meet Markus, my personal bodyguard. Markus, this is my friend, Karin."


Markus looked at Karin for a moment, one eyebrow raised in question. The expression only lasted a moment before he smiled lightly. "It's nice to meet you." he said and glanced at Liliana. "It's good to know Liliana actually has some friends."


Liliana pursed her lips a bit and swatted his arm. "Rude. I have friend." she said lifting her chin a slightly. "Just.. none of them are as nice a Karin, that's all." she lifted her glass and downed the rest. "So be nice to her. Or else."


Markus was obviously trying really hard not to laugh or smile, probably both. Crossing his hands in front of him he straightened his back and cleared his throat a little. "Yes, ma'am."
____________________________________________________


Callahan smiled brightly when Lynde told him he could sleep on the bottom with her. It was embarrassing and he didn't want to admit he was scared of heights. "I'll be right there." he turned to climb back down but before he had even started he saw a teddy bear laying on its back at the top corner of the bed. Reaching for it he called down to her in a loud whisper. "Found something!"


Leaning back over the edge he handed the plushy to Lynde. "I found him up here all by himself. He looked kind of lonely."


She giggled a little "Silly, he likes to sleep up there." she said as she took the plushy and hugged it tightly. "But he can sleep with us tonight."

Reaching the bottom Callahan crawled into bed next to her and laid down with the bear between them. Yawning widely he stretched and settled down, getting comfy. "Night, Lyn." he said and closed his eyes.

"Night, Cal. Night, Bar." she said and moments later they were all fast asleep once again.

The next morning proved to be rather interesting. They both woke up bright and early, brushed their teeth together, after finding a spare brush for him to use, got dressed and head into the kitchen for breakfast. They found both of their mothers there already. Karin was as energetic as ever, something Cal had gotten used to seeing. His own mom didn't look nearly as chipper. She was nursing a cup of coffee, her eyes closed and her chin propped up in the palm of one of her hands.

"Morning mommy!" he called out right next to her and he saw her wince and groan before lowering her face to cover her eyes in the hand she had been using a moment ago to keep her head up.

"Morning, sweetheart. Mommy's got a headache sweety so please don't yell."

"Sure thing!" he said loudly and darted to one of the chairs and jumped into it, sitting next to Lynde.

"Karin, sorry, could you watch them. I think I need some air." she said and poured out of her chair, coffee held in both hands, as she headed for the balcony.

"What's up with mommy?" Cal asked, looking at Karin.

"Your mother had a long night. She'll be ok in a bit." with a smile she placed pancakes down on the table in front of them along with juice, strawberries and butter. "Eat up while it's hot!"

"Your mom makes the best pancakes!" he told Lynde as he started to get them ready to be inhaled. "Say, after breakfast lets go to the playroom and make a fort out of the toys! Remember the castle in the movie? Lets make that!"

[Sampais Wrath]

Poor Markus was subjected to the torment of keeping both the ladies out of trouble, something easier said than done. Karin had no issues with repeatedly feeding her friend more alcohol as they were enjoying their night. At some point she had forgotten just how much they had, after all, who wanted the fun to be tainted by such things as limits? Markus was trying to keep them to a reasonable limit but with two ladies to keep track of and only one of him it was far easier said than done.

As the fun and games continued so did another game of darts, one that Markus had told them was not a good idea with Liliana and soon Karin stumbling. How much coordination could they have when they couldn't even walk a straight line? He would soon learn the answer to that when Liliana had attempted to throw her first dart. Another drunk had bumped into the lady, causing her to stumble and throw the dart, hitting poor Markus in the ass while he tried to corral Karin away from the bar. It was at that point he decided it was time for them all to go home.

"Ok ladies! Fun's over. I think both of your husbands you like to see you home before it gets too late don't you think?" He asked in an attempt to use reason to make the ladies come with him quietly. The bartender cleared his throat to catch the bodyguard's attention. "Oh right... Their tab... How much could they have spent?" He sighed. Markus would be shocked to see they somehow had consumed nearly $200 worth of alcohol. How much were those drinks? For that matter had they even drank them all? Neither question had much of an answer he could make. With a sigh he produced his company credit card. Thank goodness for that card because there was no way either of the ladies were in the right headspace to pay their bill.

It was a bit of work to corral both the ladies into his car to take them back home. At least once back to the Hedgemony building they knew well where to go. It only took a little bit of prompting to get them to head their separate ways to their respective homes. Karin easily tripped right into bed with her husband and kissing at his neck in an attempt to convince him to join her in some extra fun. Although he'd certainly enjoy it Karin was hardly in the state of mind to truly enjoy it and just as he had expected by the time he got his shirt off she was already passed out, their chance for fun already over.



This was hardly the first sleepover the kids have had and it wouldn't be the last, as such they had a nice system set up. Jericho had gathered some clothing for Callahan last night to change into when they woke up and a few other necessities. The kids took turns using the bathroom to get dressed, Lynde in a black lightly pleated skort and galaxy patterned shirt with matching stockings and black shoes. She still hadn't gotten her hair all brushed out but the call for breakfast had been made. Suddenly brushing her hair was one of he last things on her mind.

The two kids had quickly flung themselves into the chairs at the kitchen table. Lynde noticed Liliana looking quite a bit worse for wear and exhausted. "You don't look to good Lili." Lynde commented but before long Liliana was gone to nurse her hangover. Shrugging their shoulders the kids started on the pancakes, nearly inhaling their food in mere moments. While Lynde was preoccupied with her food Karin took the opportunity to tame the rat's nest that was her hair. Before they finished she'd gotten the girl's hair brushed out and braided into twin braids and a bow matching her shirt resting on her head.

"We'll build the bestest castle!" She cheered before downing the orange juice. "Come on! Let's go!" She yelled, dashing out of her seat towards the play room. There they had a large amount of tools to use, but just how would they best use them. "Maybe we use these chairs? The backs would be good to hold stuff up." She theorized while pulling a chair out to the middle of the room while looking around for other things. The bookshelf seemed good to hold up another end as if it were a tower.

"I think we are going to need more blankets. Let's get the ones from my bed!" Lynde decided, running back to her room with purpose to drag the blankets away. As she pulled her blanket off her bed she spotted the bear. "Cal? What about guards? Bar could be a good guard!" She guessed while dragging the blankets and the plush bear back to the play room with her. The parents hardly cared about the moving of the blankets. That was easy enough to fix and they were keeping out of trouble with it as far as they could tell.

Draping the blanket over a few of the chairs and the bookshelf they had a basic fort but it still left something to be desired for the two of them. "Cal? What do you think we should add? It needs more!" She asked him. Nothing in the room seemed to look too useful to better build their walls.

[renrac]

It took Callahan and Lynde little time rearranging the furniture. The large bookshelf as Lynde had suggested made for a great tower, it also held up most of the weight of the various sheets they had taken from both her bed and also her parents room. There wasn't a single pillow or plushy left unaccounted for either. Running around like a whirlwind they had appropriated almost everything usable from several rooms. For obvious reasons they avoided the living room, since they didn't want to disturb their parents who tended to put a stop to many of their fun activities over the years.

At one point early on Cal had seen his dad talking to Jurgen and for some reason his father's friend seem to have a concerned look on his face. Cal didn't give it much thought though as the two men soon after had left the house after telling their mom's they would see them later. With a shrug he had headed back to the playroom and got to work
_____________________________________________________

Jericho smiled crookedly at his friend as they stood in the living room. "Come on. It'll be fun. Trust me. You'll love it."

Jurgen frowned and gave his boss turned friend a  sideways look of suspicion. "If you say so. I still don't know why you won't tell me what we are going to be doing."

Jericho chuckled, "It's a surprise." he said and clapped him on the back with a smile. "Come on. Let's get going while it's still early. Got a long day later on and I want us to get an early start." he told his friend before heading out to the patio to see Liliana. He had been surprised when she had come home completely wasted, but Markus had been with her along with Karin so he hadn't been too concerned.

"Hi. Still feeling a bit tender?" he asked Lili softly as he gently gave her a hug from behind where she stood at the railing. She only grunted rather unladylike in response and he kept himself from chuckling for fear of reprisal. "I'm taking Jurgen to the roof to try out what we talked about before. Keep an eye and an ear out if you like. It should be entertaining."

"Just go easy on him. You don't want to give him a heart attack." she said, glancing at him with one eye.

"He'll be fine." he gave her another gentle hug. "Gotta go. See you later." Turning he left to gather up Jurgen and they headed to the roof.
_____________________________________________________

About an hour later, when they were close to finishing their fort, that Callahan also had an idea of setting up a smaller fort on the other side of the room that they could man up with some of her plushies. That side of the room was one big wide window made of reinforced glass. Cal had never been crazy about that, not liking heights all that much, so he had his back to the window while he was setting the secondary fort.


"AAHHhhhhhh......!! >.<'' !!"


Cal blinked when he heard the muffled sound. He hadn't even been sure he had heard it it was so quick. He had thought he'd seen a shadow pass by. Turning to look out the window he didn't see anything. Maybe it was a bird. With a shrug he turned back around and went back to building the fort.

"HHHhhhooooo....!! ;D !!


This time Cal swore he heard something and he whipped around, but still he didn't see anything on the other side of the window. Not that anything could be out there besides birds anyway, they were twelve stories up and this side of the building was overlooking a cliff face that traveled down the side of the small mountain that Hegemony was built on.
_____________________________________________________
(Moments earlier on the roof)

"Jericho, when you told me to put this on you never said it was a wing suit!"

"If I had told you would you have put it on?" Jericho, wearing awing suit of his own, asked Jurgen with a raised eyebrow.

"NO!" Jurgen replied, wide eyed.

"Exactly." Jericho said with a smile. "Don't worry. The line for the parachute is right here. I've even set it to auto deploy once you reach a certain altitude."

"What!? Why would you need to.. oh, no... no no no... uh uh.." Jurgen backed up slowly from Jericho with his hands up.

"Uh. You might want to stop and turn around Jurgen." Jericho told him, tilting his head to the side and looking past him.

"Huh?" Jurgen stopped, his instincts kicking in telling him not to move. Turning slowly he saw that he had backed himself up to the edge of the roof. "Why isn't there any railing here!?" he asked, panic in his voice and robbing him or some rational thought.

"I had it removed." Jericho said behind him. "Happy trails!" he said and before Jurgen could react he placed his foot on the other mans rear and gave him a healthy shove. "This is Sparta!!" Jericho grinned as Jurgen opened his arms wide and cried out as he fell forward over the edge. "I always wanted to say that." He said and followed along after his screaming friend moments later with a joyful cry of his own.

[Sampais Wrath]

One could be amazed by how quickly the kids were moving and gathering items and transforming the entire playroom into a children's castle of blankets and sheets. The playroom was a whirlwind of activity. They flew back and forth, stripping every surface for any large piece of fabric from its resting place. Lynde had only just finished hooking one of those newly acquired blankets on the top of another new tower of their castle when she heard a yell outside the windows but as she looked back the window the source of the sound was gone. She shrugged it off. There were other, more important things to be addressed.

"Hmm... We need something to strengthen our walls. We need to build them strong so no one can get in without our say so!" She declared. The big question however was what to use. She looked around. Books would be ok but they only stacked so well if you laid them down. Even if they used every book in here they wouldn't build a tall wall and getting more would be a pain. They'd already used almost every cushion to build their palace. This was going to be tricky, then she got an idea.

"Toilet paper! We can stack it just like the bricks outside! There's tons of it in the bathrooms around the building. We can even make it a game!" She cheered at her realization of a potential new game. "We'll be like those spies last night! We'll go and get it without anyone even knowing we were there! My dad hasn't even gotten the vent fixed yet!" She cheered her idea. Without even stopping to see Callahan's thoughts on the idea she was already off. First rolls were easily pilfered from her own home. Every roll from the bathrooms in the apartment were easily removed and carted back to the play room where she started to demonstrate the idea, stacking them in a brick pattern build a short portion of wall in front of the side structure they had built.

"See! It works! Let's get more from the rest of the bathrooms. Whoever gets the most wins!" She cried out in excitement. Once he agreed this time she was off like a bat out of hell, climbing up the bookshelf once more to their escape vent. Lynde didn't share his fear of heights and easily scaled the furniture like a monkey, lifting herself into the vent before turning to help Cal up as well. With her friend soon right behind her she took off in the vents, this time making she to not put much weight on any of the grates so she wouldn't fall through. They would cover much more ground without being spotted this way... just like a spy.



Jurgen had been suspicious of this activity he was supposedly going to be participating in as well as his friend's insistence on keeping it a secret. It seemed off. Just why wouldn't he tell him what they were doing? Why did Liliana tell Jericho not to give him a heart attack? What was so wrong about this mystery activity? For the moment he'd play along with his friend's game, letting him have his little secrets while they took the elevator up to the roof. There was a small building similar to a shed on the far side he'd never really bothered to open, great security... Jericho seemed to make a b line for that shed and with keys in hand unlocked the door.

"Oook?" He said both in confusion and suspicious of the outfit that was quickly shoved into his hands. It didn't necessarily surprise him that his boss had his size of something. He was the boss and surely could look into the sizing that he had submitted for his uniforms who knew how long ago now. "So I just put this on over my clothes?" He questioned, giving his boss a skeptical look. Under Jericho's guidance he did just that and started to slip into the tight fitting outfit. Only as he got it zipped up did he notice the wings on the suit and the questioned his boss about it. That only lead to him plummeting off the building screaming.

In seconds he was flailing helplessly while screaming. He'd heard plenty of times in the past in various media to just stretch your arms out and glide but his instincts were saying flap so flap he did and it made no difference. He continued to fall with no direction, the wind ripping past him and carrying his screams away. He felt like his life was flashing before his eyes, meeting Karen, their first date, their wedding and honeymoon, even the birth of their daughter, all of it leading up to this moment as he plummeted toward the earth. The building being up on this cliff it made for a long fall, perfect for Jericho, hell for Jurgen.

He'd long forgotten about the parachute until it finally deployed on it's own thanks to Jericho's safety measures. The moment it caught the air and started the much softer, slower descent nearly knocked the wind out of him. The only problem? Now he was still in the air, falling much more slowly and had nowhere to look that didn't remind him that he was still easily several hundred feet in the air and if something messed with his parachute he'd once again plummet. That wasn't comforting.

"Jericho!! I'm going to kill you for this!" He yelled up at his boss the way only he, and maybe the rest of their odd family, could. Anyone else doing it would be a threat.

"Come on! It's fun! Look at the view! Isn't it beautiful!" Jericho responded.

"I could have looked at it out the window of my office!" He yelled back.

"But you wouldn't be getting this fresh air! Besides! Doesn't that adrenaline feel good!"

"I thought I was going to die! I might still die!"

"You're not going to die! Your body just thinks that! That's the fun!"

Jurgen opted not to respond to that. He was fairly sure that his boss was crazy for wanting to jump off a building. Most people who did that were looking to end things for real, not just trick their body into thinking they did. As they floated lower and lower he came to realize something. He had no idea how to land.

"Uhh Jericho!? How do I land this thing? It looks like I'm heading for a tree!" He yelled.

"That's good! It'll break your fall." Jericho responded.

"What?! That's going to hurt!" He yelled back, fear in his voice, but it was took late. All he could do was brace himself for impact with the tree. Thankfully the leaves were soft and the upper branches broke easily rather than hitting him like a brick wall. It was still a tall old oak tree so it wasn't a painless process. No doubt he'd have a few bruises at the end of the day. Finally, he came to a stop, stuck halfway up the tree. He struggled and tugged but the lines to his parachute were well tangled in the branches. "Did I really just survive all that to die in a tree?!" He said to himself full of worry.

"If anyone can hear me please help!!" He yelled out. Jurgen knew the area was not frequented often and the likelihood of a stranger being out here was low, but surely Jericho would land somewhere around here? He had to right? It hadn't occurred to him that there was a built in radio in his suit. "Mr. Cluckers would never do this to me..." He sighed as he thought about the chickens on the virtual farm he managed in his own spare time.