The mending process [Red]

[Alpha]

The damage despite its severity was not something that he couldn’t recover from. Despite that however, things did not appear to recover completely or so had been noted not long after said recovery had actually taken place. Some time had passed since then, days until any word that Alpha had woken up but since then he had seemingly locked himself within his room making contact with almost no one save for perhaps a few in his strange little family. His place of isolation was his personal quarters, a sliding door that remained closed for the most part.

It had been three days since he had supposedly woken from his comatose state and for the most part tensions were growing. Chris stood outside the door, eyes focused on it half lidded as Aaron did the usual which seemed to be blabbering to themselves, complaining about something that he wasn’t really fully listening to. ”Hey! You even listening to me?” He would hear them snap, coming out of his train of thought as Chris turned towards the sightly shorter male who was looking at him in a slightly annoyed fashion.

”Yeah.” He responded, which didn’t go believed by them as their brows furrowed further. ”Aaron, don’t you have something more important to do like...lamenting over your love life or whatever?” he then pushed, drawing an almost annoyed sigh from them as they trailed off, leaving him alone for a moment as he seemed to think on something. He was vaguely aware of Ellen standing nearby but he didn’t really respond to her, at least until she spoke up.

”So, I wasn’t wrong in thinking this little stunt of Lucius’ was a terrible idea for Alpha to join in, huh?” Her tone sounded almost sympathetic rather than what one would expect.

”Likely, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. Just wait I suppose. let’s just hope we’re not left worse off because of it.” He noted,  hearing something beep in his pocket, quickly withdrawing it and letting his eyes scan over the screen. ”Well it looks like we have a teleport inbound, so i’m going to see who it is. You help keep things in check with Oliver, okay?” She nodded and Chris would walk off,  taking the nearest elevator and making his way to the teleport pad Lucius had been so kind to install. His own person touch of technology that prevented teleporting into the base any other way was mostly to keep Lucius or anyone else from doing their usual surprise visits.

His pace was quick, so he ended up there within a span of minutes. ”Was expecting you to come around eventually.” He noted, appearing to glare at Lucius for a moment before letting them talk. ”I’d ask what you want but I have a feeling we both known the answer to that.”

[Red]

So it seemed Alpha had been taken out by a certain vigilante during the whole thing in Canada. Not only that, several of his lackeys were also either pinned down or hurt. Delta was a prime example. Though he was tough and likely fully recovered now, the guy took 2000 volts to the head. Lucius had a hunch who it was, but if that was the case then said person probably needed another talking to. That would have to wait though. For now Red had to see Travis, make sure he wasn't hurt too badly. Apparently he wasn't talking to anyone or even leaving his bedroom. Lucius guessed that might have been a side effect of what the person he got to 'fix' the issue had done.

He teleported in through the only actual pad that could be done in. As fun as it was to just drop in whenever this was more practical, so he made no big deal about it. It's not like he wanted his allies to be jumped by someone just popping in and slaughtering everyone. When he appeared in the facility, a familiar face met him upon entrance.

Omega.

"Does everyone in your family just glare at all of Travis' allies? You act as if this is my fault. He knew what he signed up for when he went into league with me." Lucius said as he walked right past Chris, he knew where he was going after all.

"And yes, i think me telling you would be quite redundant. Is he in his usual space?" Lucius said, pausing a moment to ask before continuing on his walk through the facility. More glares came his way, making him feel like these people really didn't consider him much of an ally. What did they want then? Hadn't Lucius been working toward exactly what they claimed they wanted?

Eventually he got to the room, spotting Theta and Gamma at the door. Oliver of course had that stern and disapproving look on his face that he always seemed to carry around. As for Theta, well, she looked as robotic as ever. He stepped past them and was headed to knock on the door.

"He doesn't want to be disturbed. You may be our ally but you can't just walk in here like you own the place and mess with our brother's recovery." Gamma said. This made Lucius' hand pause at the door, and he spun on his heel, looking at the man directly in the eye and getting pretty close in on Oliver's face. He was wearing a normal formal suit, so not even his optics were between them.

"Let me be abundantly clear.... If you and your siblings don't let me handle my affairs with my fellow Rise leader, and continue to resist being a part of the world both Travis and i agreed to move toward nearly two years ago, then all your kind is to me is something that's standing in my way. So step aside." Lucius said, backing off as Gamma stepped away. Oliver didn't see any reason in arguing with the man. That could come later. Right now, maybe Travis needed to talk to Lucius. The door was knocked on, and then slid open when it wasn't answered in a timely fashion. Lucius then stepped into the room.

"What's going on Alpha? You've been awake for days now, and haven't left the room. I need to know you're of sound mind." Lucius said as he scanned the room.

[Alpha]

”He is.” Chris sad simply, letting the venom seep through without a single word needing to be spoken. Some threats were after all better left unspoken and so he would let Lucius go about his business, letting his connection with the others throughout the compound allow him to keep an eye on Lucius. Oddly enough nothing really went on within the complex without him having some knowledge of what that was, and in turn that allowed Alpha to know things. They would make their way down towards Alpha’s private quarters, passing by Oliver who was less than pleased to see him there but didn’t do anything to actually stop them.

Chris chose to follow them in an almost silent fashion until they stepped beyond the door. Once Lucius opened the door, they would have to step back otherwise they would have been dinged on the head by what looked to be a book flying through the air, rejoining a few other objects floating through the air. ”Huh, a new face, weird. I guess no one ever listens to the do not disturb commands around here.” Alpha noted, turning from a small laptop to Lucius for a moment before returning to what he was doing, pale grey eyes scanning over the bright screen. The room itself was in a messy order, books scattered carelessly across the floor and clothes congregated into a single pile. The male was sitting cross legged on the bed, leaning against a small pile of pillows that appeared to be supporting him.

Despite that he seemed to be taking care of his own hygienic needs well enough. He would seem to scroll through a file before nodding, as if affirming something to himself. He removed a small white earbud from his left ear, allowing Lucius to catch what sounded like some manner of upbeat music spill into the room before stopping.”So how can I help you today….Lucius right? Chris told me about you but…. Not a lot of it is good really.” Just from the way he spoke Lucius could likely tell he was different. His tone didn’t hold that monotone vibe to it, but rather he seemed genuinly curious, almost whimsical even.

[Red]

"......." Lucius made no audible expression toward what he was seeing. He was a mixture of shocked and disturbed, his face mostly blank but you could see a hint of irritation in his look. He was quite angry, not at Alpha though. He was first of all mad at the one who did this, and second of all mad at the one who 'repaired' him. He expected a little more of Travis to be left. As of now, the child he had always called Alpha was now sitting in front of him for real.

But, was this a bad thing? Sure it was shocking and a tad scary, but the past few months Alpha had been a roadblock in many ways. This could be a fresh start. In the end Lucius couldn't make Travis' family trust him, only the Alpha himself could control them. This presented an opportunity to create a more compliant partner, as sick as that sounded. Sure the friend Lucius knew was mostly gone, but so was the parts that he most hated about Travis. This was a blank check, and Red was going to cash it.

"Well, Chris doesn't like me very much..... To be honest i respect him, but i guess the feeling isn't mutual." Lucius said, pulling up a chair in the corner and sitting in it. He rubbed his temples, sighing a moment as he tried to think of how he wanted to approach this. It was quite the sensitive situation indeed.

"So Travis..... You don't remember anything, do you? Your family? What happened to you? Who you are?" Lucius asked. He needed to know from the horse's mouth just how bad this was before he continued. After all, when a Doctor cured someone he first needed to know what it was he was curing.

"......I'm sorry...... I guess this means we're meeting for the first time again, doesn't it? Lucius Alba, pleasure to make your acquaintance." Lucius said, leaning from his chair to shake the male's hand and then leaning back. He had to start at the basics first.

[Alpha]

His expression remained semi-personable as he waited for Lucius to give him a response and yet all he got was what looked to be a shocked expression. Travis cocked his head to the side slightly, waiting for some manner of actual sentence to spill from their lips as they would take a seat. As they actually began to speak, Lucius would take up a chair to make themselves more comfortable. ”Yeah, didn’t sound like he was a fan of yours.” Travis nodded, furrowing his brows as he let his eyes look back to the bright screen before him, then back to Lucius.

There was a certain curiosity to his they looked at him, like someone looking at something they were trying to figure out. That was then when they would ask their questions, mostly about what he remembered and trying to recall anything was difficult enough for him. A low hum issued from his lips as Travis tried to remember anything beyond when he had woken up, yet he didn’t recall anything really. There was Chris sitting over him with that concerned look on his face He continued to attempt to remember something for a few seconds before shaking his head.

”I don’t remember too much really. It’s really odd.” He admitted, scratching the back of his head and letting his eyes drift to the floor. The fact he could remember nothing was...well a thing of contention, but that was just something he could deal with later, if later ever came anyway. That series of questions was followed by Lucius extending their hand in the form of a handshake, something that took a few seconds for him to recognize.

Lucius would then find the chair being forcibly scooted forward, until he was close enough for Travis to shake their hand. ”Pleasure to make your acquaintance as well.” He said shaking the hand firmly, or rather as firmly as he thought a handshake should be. With that done, he would flick his wrist to send the chair softly back to the side of the room that he had been sitting at. Travis reached up into the air with one hand, a book hitting the palm as he would let it fall into his lap.

It was rough, leather bound and mostly written into. ”Huh.” He stood up, setting the book aside as quickly as he grabbed it, bare feet enjoying the feel of the soft carpet, as he produced a few socks as well as a pair of shoes. ”Can we do this talking while walking? Been sitting for a good few hours and its really making me sore.”

[Red]

Lucius took in a big sigh. Nothing? There had to be something, he knew the English language and presumably how to read after all. But no, it seemed everything but the essentials were completely gone. How was the male supposed to run his company? Or go about his usual business? Sure there was the upside to getting a more compliant partner, but Lucius lost a friend and the only person capable of running this side of Rise, at least for a few months. Lucius didn't know what to think of it. He would just have to play along it seemed.

Lucius stood up when Travis suggested they walk and talk. Maybe that would be a good thing. Travis had after all been up here for what was likely days doing nothing but laying down or sitting. Lucius opened the slider door and stepped out, waiting for Travis to follow.

"Of course we can." Lucius said as the two walked out into the facility. It seemed Oliver had left while Lucius was in Alpha's room. Good, Red wasn't exactly excited to catch another glare. Regardless, they would walk and after a few seconds begin to talk again.

"Do you know what you are? Who you are? Have they explained, well, anything?" Lucius asked. It was probably useless asking a similar question yet again but what else was he supposed to talk about right now?

[Alpha]

Alpha appeared visibly relieved by Lucius agreeing to the whole walking and talking thing. He languidly stretched, a few of his joints popped as seemed to enjoy that relief of tension. All it took was a few steps and he was walking into the white hallways of the compound, looking around with mild interest. It was strangely bland, lacking in colors and for the most part, making him wonder mostly what he was thinking as far as interior design was concerned. Maybe he was some manner of boring person before, but that just didn’t sound like something he would accept.

His mind took everything around him in with a matter of a second, gathering every detail and analyzing it for some unimportant reason. Oliver wasn’t around, so that meant he was off doing whatever else he did, which was probably something important.

Lucius would ask more of his questions, likely trying to get a grip on what he knew, and Travis would answer to the best of his abilities. ”I have an idea of what I am. Apparently I left a few notes behind about that, either some kind of artificial superhuman or an ill conceived attempt to create or recreate a perfect race.” He said, seeming to think over the last bit. ”At least that’s what was written suggested anyway.” he then added with a shrug, not really seeming to agree on one or another.

”And I know who I am...to an extent. I’m Travis masters, apparently a multibillionaire philanthropist and also apparently I wear a mask sometimes to do….things. Honestly it doesn’t really make much sense what I was doing, but it also doesn’t make sense why some of the files seem to be missing...so I just roll with it.” He said, seeming to shrug once what sounded to be a series of rambling ceased. ”They’ve explained all they could I suppose, or maybe all they cared to. Can’t really tell, they’re minds are pretty protected so I can’t just dog through them.” Well he made it obvious enough that he had a grasp on his power if nothing else.

”So, what can you tell about me that might fill in a few blanks spot?” He asked, looking to Lucius wondering what they could tell.

[Red]

Lucius didn't know why Alpha didn't just take a dip into his mind, or at least try to. In fact Red hadn't felt any mental prodding. Perhaps he was just being conservative with that particular power. Regardless, all Alpha needed to know resided in Lucius' mind, for the most part. So Lucius would just lower the walls on his mind to an extent, blocking the memories of conflict of course, but other then that all memories that involved their partnership would be available to Travis.

"No, i can't begin to fill those in. But you can. Take a look." Lucius said, stopping and pivoting to face Travis in the middle of the hallway. Hopefully that would give Alpha some insight. Of course it wouldn't make him the old Travis, not at all. He was basically just watching another human being on a video. But then again it might show him who he was supposed to be.

[Alpha]

Alpha would have dipped into Lucius’ mind already but he had forgotten for a moment that he could do that. He blinked a couple of times, before actually recalling that he could do something like that. ”You’re right, I can do that.” He said with a nod, sounding as if he had forgotten something not too important. As always the feeling of having his mind extend outwards would happen, these invisible tendrils reaching out to tap into Lucius’ mind, rummage through it like little psionic fingers. Within the span of a second, he would be standing within what looked to be a dark room. Okay, perhaps he wasn’t doing the usual means of digging through thoughts, but then again Alpha enjoyed the idea of doing something different than normal, even if he was still relatively new to this power all things considered.

”This works.” He noted, looking around at the room that surrounded him. Information settled within proper files, and some rooms blocked off by what looked to be walls with tape plastered across them that stated Do not enter. Well it was obvious that Lucius had things he didn’t want known but then again everyone had their problems. With a snap of his fingers, these files would spring forward and produce images, mostly of his interactions with Lucius.

Things he didn’t recall, granted he didn’t remember much these days.

Both of them watching what looked to be three young people fall from pods, Lucas, Ryan and Isalia if the files knew anything. Waking up and finding one had offspring was always weird, and honestly he was still trying to adjust to it. They were born out of the same tubes infront of him, so that did explain why the were barely younger than him. More  images flashed, their take over of that one country, the formation of that group called Rise and so many things. Eventually he soaked up anything that seemed of interest and within seconds was back, standing before Lucius who stepped in his way. A soft smirk played across his lips. Only one thing really came to mind when recalling his past self.

”Wow, I was really boring.” He noted, exasperated notably by the fact. ”but that does make me realize something. I...probably need to go to that Belarus place.” Like that he just began walked, his pace brisk as he tried to remember where the map placed the little teleport pad. The thoughts of those within the complex gave a rough idea of where he was going, but he eventually found the door. ”Oh...this door is voice activated. Hey! I need to...ummm….teleport places so open up so I can do that.”

[Red]

Judging by the way Alpha acted he had forgotten about his ability. That brought the question to Lucius' mind that what if he would continue to have memory lose? That would make him utterly useless. But then again, it could have just been that Travis wasn't used to having them and simply spaced it. Regardless, Alpha dipped into his mind and went through some information, hopefully getting a gist of the past two years or so.

Now he was talking about Belarus for some reason, and walking off to the teleportation pad before Lucius could even react. Why did he want to go their so suddenly? Lucius had no idea. It took a second to catch up, as Lucius refused to run after him, but once Alpha stopped at the pad it closed the distance once again.

"Why on earth do you need to go there now?" Lucius asked. It's not like he cared or anything, it was just rather odd for someone still recovering to want to go halfway across the globe.

"Sir? Where to?" Hector asked, almost wondering if Lucius wanted to allow Alpha to leave. Red simply waved his hand dismissively and answered.

"Alpha's lab in Belarus i believe." Lucius said, stepping onto the pad with Alpha. He really didn't think he needed to discuss why Alpha wanted to go there. He could simply go and find out.

[Alpha]

What Alpha got rather than an open door was a voice questioning why. This was something that actually highly interested him. Before he could really give the answer, Lucius would give the answer, which saved him the effort of talking. So that was good enough on his part really. He would step onto the pad and within less than a second they were where they needed to be, which was what looked to be some manner of lab. Had a similar appearance to his own facility, with a few colorful additions likely done by someone else. ”The files in my personal computer look like they’ve been messed with, so….i’m checking here. That’s all.’ He said with a shrug, approaching what looked to be a console and rapidly typing into it until he made it past the password screen. ”Huh, that’s kinda weird.” he noted with a shrug, before ignoring the fact there wasn’t any type of actual security present.

Well he found a few things that were missing earlier, nothing overly interesting. ”Huh, nothing of value here either. That is really weird, but….I do have an idea.” He noted under his breath, reading something over with furrowed brows before shutting down the screen. ”That’s for another time though.” he said, nodding to himself as if in agreement with something. He stood still for a good three seconds before...booting the console back up and searching through it once more. This went on for about a minute until he appeared to find something. ”Can’t believe I didn’t find this before.” A small usb drive flew into his hand from across the room as he plugged it in, letting whatever that was download.

”Alright, that will probably take a while so….does this place have anywhere to eat? I found what I want so…that’s one thing down.” He noted, standing up and loudly popping his joints. ”All the food in my personal fridge was this vegan garbage, and yuck. I have no idea how I could eat any of that.” Alpha rolled his eyes, before looking to Lucius.

”I mean, you probably know your way around here better since you’re not suffering any memory loss and stuff.”

[Red]

Lucius watched curiously as the male looked through the computer, found nothing, and then turned it back on to search again. The second time he actually found what he needed apparently, using a flash drive to download it. Lucius kinda wanted to know what it was, but he shook the thought. He didn't really care in the end, it was just a bit of suspicion. Lucius always tended to have that for just about everyone after all. But maybe he would ask once he got the male in one place.

"I was in here once....... But i believe the kitchen is down that hall." Lucius said, pretty exasperated it seemed. He was sure everything in there was probably vegan as well, though Lucas had come here once, so there could have been mac and cheese or something.

Now that Lucius thought on it, he had never seen Alpha eat or heard him say he was going to do so. This really was a new Alpha, apparently.

Once they got to the kitchen Lucius took a seat, not really wanting anything. He was of the tireless workaholics that didn't eat for the longest of times. But now that his powers were gone, his hunger seemed to catch up to him much quicker. Didn't stop him from starving, just made it more painful.

"What did you take off your computer?" Lucius asked abruptly, without turning his head from where it seemed to be fixed on the white wall.

[Alpha]

”This place has everything.” He muttered to himself, mentally wondering what this kitchen would have while actually making his way there. Lucius would follow but his mind was squarely upon food, something that his stomach hungered for. The door would slide open, letting him step through as his eyes scanned over the rather clean like he expected. Well, gotta give myself credit. Alpha walked over to a fridge, digging through it only to find a bunch of whole foods bullshit. Leafy green things as well as a few other things that just made him want to vomit, so he shut the door and spun on his heels.

”Okay it is official, this kitchen is terrible. Makes me want to burn it to the ground.” He noted, before noting that Lucius has asked about what he got from the computer. They were curious about that for some reason, but then again maybe that was just Lucius being himself. He continued to dig through the little white pantries for something, finding nothing that really seemed interesting beyond peanut butter and maybe...well these boxes of macaroni and cheese would suffice, if only they had milk.

”Nothing really, just a few things about my capabilities I couldn’t find on my laptop. I have so little time to actually relearn all this stuff.” He said, tapping his foot against the floor a couple of times. ”This will not do, does this city have anywhere that sells food?” He would then ask, looking to Lucius curiously. ”I really hope people in Belarus like actual food and not strange mush made out of unfathomable things.” He then noted more to himself.

[Red]

Lucius actually found a chuckle escaping his lips when Alpha made his comment about mush. In all honesty the old cuisine of Belarusian peasants was not to far from that, but nowadays you could get some excellent authentic food influenced by dishes of both the low folk and the nobility. Though you wouldn't call Lucius a foodie, he definitely enjoyed what the restaurants were serving in the country.

"Though i am curious as to the specifics of those, um, capabilities, we can talk it over at lunch." Lucius said, pretty much just ignoring the ramblings of 'does this country have food?' in favor of just getting up to go eat.

He made his way to the teleportation pad once again, stepping onto it and waiting for Alpha. In the mean time he made a few swipes on his watch, directing Hector to make the necessary arrangements with security and the restaurant in question. After about a minute of waiting, they would both be teleported to a moving sleek black SUV that was just pulling up to the establishment.

"Make sure you don't touch anything." Lucius said to Alpha as he stepped out, presumably with Alpha in toe. Instantly people on the streets and those heading into the building recognized Lucius, some snapping pictures and some simply waving or whispering among themselves. Besides a few greetings in return, the Prime Minister payed them no mind.

Once inside, the pair were met with an group of well dressed men, all asking if they could do anything for them. Lucius didn't exactly like this kind of treatment, but he humored them anyway, asking for the best Bourbon they had along with the better suited VIP table. After that, security made it's presence known, lead by Hector, body and all. They flanked the two men and lead them to their table, taking up posts at the entrance to the VIP lounge.

Already, there was a selection of foods across the table they were meant to sit at, along with many bottles of fine alcohol. Lucius would take his seat, snatching a little something from one of the many platters as he did. The waiter then poured him his drink, and out came more food. From exotic rice dishes and potato pancakes to what looked like sliced beef and some odd looking soup, they seemed to have it all. But placed in front of the two, along with an empty plate to fill to their liking, was some rich and expensive sausage and a double shot of vodka, which was meant to be drank beforehand.

Lucius knocked his back, and with a knife and fork cut into his hearty but madly expensive food. Fine cuisine in Belarus wasn't like in say France. It was bold and exotic, but not too fancy.

"There, plenty of food. I'm sure you can find something you like here." Lucius said as he eat sparingly.

[Alpha]

Travis didn’t really react to the chuckle in response to his talking about mush people called food, though his own concerns were legitimate within his own mind. ”We might be able to.” He said in response to talking about things over lunch, not quite sure if the him before getting his brains blown out would appreciate going about telling other people things. Granted that guy was essentially dead, but  it was just a thought that flashed through his mind more than anything else.

Through a teleporting pad they would venture elsewhere, though where that was he was left to guess about. Something was said about not touching things, though that only made him want to touch things. people’s faces, dogs and various other things one could touch without accruing potentially fatal injury. A few people appeared to recognize Lucius, thinking things, some of them weird and snapping their pictures. All he did was smile and wave at the people, because apparently manners were not something that he had forgotten.

Stepping through a door into a building, they were asked if they would want anything. Lucius ordered some of the strange burning liquid that muddled someones senses, and he went with chocolate milk because that shit tasted good. Sure, he may have given some mind control enforcement so they did not say no, but then again he wasn’t going to be denied sweet dairy. From there they were taken to a lounge for important people, and then there was food, something that didn’t look like mush. It wasn’t that stuff he saw on the internet, but it did smell really good.

Alpha seemed to favor anything with meat, ripping into said food with much gusto. ”yeah, this is a lot better than all that whole food garbage.” He said, pausing in the whole food devouring. ”You seem pretty popular with the people though. Guess being Prime Minister makes you some kind of celebrity.” An observation more than anything, but that was more out of lack of knowledge than anything else.

[Sponsored content]