Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[MzHyde]

It was no surprise that everyone would be highly impressed at Cliff's achievement. It was something unbelievably incredible, something that not many people could lay claim to having achieved and it now made so much more sense, placing those final minute puzzle pieces together to why she was so understanding of the situations that Rinaa found herself in in her timeline. It always made some kind of sense before, just by knowing that Cliff was a highly respected doctor in her field, but now they had found out she had received such an award it made even more sense. It also made the penny drop to why Rinaa respected Cliff so much, seeing that they had similarities in this regard.

"and the fact you're so modest about what you've achieved is one of those things that what makes you so likable and respected Cliff. Seriously, we can all say 'you have every right to brag and be snug about this' but the fact you're not? It's highly admirable" Fia commented, as she got more comfortable by unlooping her arms from Elliott's, and making his arm wrap round her shoulder so she could snuggle her big brother. "she's got a point there, as have you on your points. Yet it's also still a seriously cool thing to find out about you and if you ask me? It couldn't have gone to a better person" Kay added in agreement to Fia's words, really noting how much respect her daughter had for the doctor of their extended family. She also noticed how much Fia was enjoying being with her brother and the way she was now snuggling into him, making her smile warmly.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Cliff's point was certainly valid, John was pretty sure he wasn't the only one who'd initially labelled Cliff as being a bit to nosy about what was going on. But that was before they found out about the system that Cal had been organising to sneak her brother out of prison and that the purple haired woman wasn't just part of it, but also Cal's soon to be wife. Chas was of the same opinion as Fia that the fact that Cliff was being so modest about it just added to why the woman was held in such high regard both as a doctor and a person in general. It had come up in passing that while Cliff was far from the most senior doctor, she was often the one called first when a critical patient came in. It all also been mentioned preciously that Cliff worked off world fairly often, and that when the news came in about Elliott she'd been working on a space station hospital outpost in the next star system and had only arrived back on Attil the same day that John and co first arrived.

"Fia's hit the nail on the head there really" Chas agreed, finding Fia's words not only to be incredibly accurate but very telling of the respect she had for the doctor. "I don't think any of us could put it better really." The doctor nodded, finally managing to get her blush under control, Cliff was excellent at her job, but like all those who were incredible in their field, she considered herself average and what she'd done to be what anybody else would do. Before Cliff could say anything like 'I just did what my body else would do' Cal spoke again. "And it was the people she worked with on that relief effort that nominated her for the award in the first place. They practically had to shove her on to the stage to collect it." That set off Cliff blushing again as she groaned in embarrassment at the memory.

"Hey its not all the bad and besides, it seems like Cal does enough bragging for the both of you." Elliott adding with a teasing edge in his tone, throwing a smirk in Cliff's direction. The doctor grinned broadly in response and leaning towards Elliott in saying in a conspiratorial tone "oh you haven't seen the half of it." Cal's response was to adopt an expression of faux annoyance and throw a cushion at her brother's face, which Jay plucked out of the air without thinking, then put behind her own back. "Don't you two start teaming up on me." She told her wife and her brother, but it was clear she didn't really mean it, that she was just happy that the two of them got on with each other. It would have been incredibly awkward for everybody in the apartment if her wife and brother were always at each others throats. It was Jay who asked if they could see the medal which Cliff happily agreed to, fetching it from the upstairs bedroom while Cal found the newspaper articles about the presentation. Jay smirked very slightly when she saw that Cliff was wearing the same outfit to the court when she had been receiving the medal.

 

[MzHyde]

As Chas said about how Fia had hit the nail on the head with her words about Cliff, the teenager couldn't help but grin that the only real uncle figure in her life agreed with her and did so so publicly. If she was anyone else she probably would have said 'see, I'm not just a pretty face, I can come out with wise words sometimes!' but she wasn't and decided to keep her mouth shut. Though she was certain some of their group probably would have taken her for the exact type of person to say such a remark. Kay certainly was of the type to say that sort of remark about herself in jest and not arrogance so it wouldn't be that far fetched for Fia to say such things. She then chuckled at Cal opening her mouth again to stop Cliff saying anything else, instead seeing the woman blush greatly all over again.

She had to chuckle when Elliott made a teasing jibe at Cal, which only continued when Cliff leaned forward and joined in. As Cal threw the pillow, she was convinced it would hit her in the process if it collided with Elliott, due to her snuggling him, but when Jay grabbed it from the air and put it behind her back, Fia found herself smiling, whilst glad that she actually did that. "I coooould have defended you Cal there, considering I'm in the middle of them both, buuuut it's too fun when I don't and let them tag team. Also, if Jay didn't pluck the cushion from the sir you woulda hit me too so consider me on team Ell and Cliff this time" she teased. Little did they know that this back and forth 'picking sides' was a regular occurance with Fia as she quite frankly, found it all too fun to do.

With the request to see the medal out there, Kay and Fia both had to admit they were interested in seeing it also, waiting patiently for Cliff to bring it down from upstairs whilst Cal grabbed the newspaper articles and clippings about it. As they were passed round they all looked at it, with Fia using this as a moment to keep learning Attili as she read some of the article, finding there was just two sentences at the end of a paragraph she couldn't quite make out, and asked Elliott to translate for her.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Cliff saw Jay's smirk and knew exactly what the assassin had spotted. "Yes, that is the same outfit I'm wearing now. I only have two formal ones suitable for such an occasions, I can usually just wear my guard armour to formal events. Though I very nearly decided to not bother with formal wear and show up to the medal ceremony in my work scrubs to make a point." "So why didn't you?" Jay asked raising an eyebrow in interest. During the weeks they'd spent on Attil they'd seen that after a shift Cliff rarely bothered to change out of her work clothes, choosing to saunter around the apartment in her scrubs. "Two words- my mother." The doctors tone was half bashful, half fondly annoyed. "She knows me far TOO well and phoned me up especially to make sure I didn't wear scrubs when getting this" she indicated the medal, which was currently in Chas' hands. "And also roped in cal to make sure I wouldn't just accidentally 'forget'." The doctor's use of airquotes around the word forget was the icing on the cake of this story which made Jay smile in amusement.

The medal came with a custom designed wooden box with felt lining and was deceptively heavy to hold. On the inside of the lid the date of presentation, Cliff's full name and title (both military and medical ranks included) along with the reason for receiving the medal were engraved on a metal plate attached to the inside of the lid. When the medal was flipped over the same text would be visible carved into it's back, the black letters standing out firmly against the pale silvery metal the medal was made of. The medal was strung on a thick ribbon in an pale-icy blue colour, a nod of sorts to Cliff's power. Out of all in the room Elliott and Jay were the ones who handled the medal with the most reverence as both fully understood the significance of such medals and how much of honour it was to be allowed to hold it. Fia wasn't the only one to look at the article which explained briefly about who Cliff was and her path into becoming a military doctor, but focused mainly on her efforts in coordinating the rescue operation including some glowing quotes from those she'd worked with and those who's lives she'd saved. Cal was quoted in a fair few of the articles all the journalists picking up on the pride she had for what her wife had done.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay listened to the story of Cliff confirming what Jay spotted, smirking as she told them that if it weren't for her mother and Cal, she would have turned up in scrubs. Something that Kay could easily have seen happening if it wasn't for some kind intervention. She kept listening and looked at the medal when it was passed round after Chas had looked at it. She noticed how much heavier it was in comparison to how it looked, proving to her that it seemed no expense was spared when it came to making such a piece. It was incredible to look at, the colour of the ribbon even seeming very fitting for someone like Cliff who had the powers she does. She then passed it on and let it go round the room until everyone had seen it for as long as they wanted to.

As for the articles, she may not have not have been able to fully read anything, but she could tell when something was a quote from someone and when it something wasn't. She also noticed how Fia really took her time in reading it, only needing Elliott's help briefly which told her Fia was getting better at remembering what meant what in the Attili alphabet. After Fia was done looking at the medal, she handed it back carefully to Cliff, not wanting to tarnish it in any way or risk dropping it. "that's seriously something Cliff." she commented as she handed it over. "it's definitely clear that as modest as you are about it, you are immensely proud of it. And rightly so" Kay spoke with a smile.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Kay wasn't the only one amused by the idea of Cliff's mother staging an intervention, both Chas and Elliott had to suppress laughter at the story. Having met Cliff's mother they could easily see her as the kind of person who wouldn't give a shit what her daughter wore in her private or while working, but when the eyes of the media were on said daughter, she would want her child to look her best. In the short time they'd known her they'd all gotten the impression Cliff's mother was not to be messed with, especially after hearing she'd managed to rope Jay and Quin into fish gutting without either of them trying to kill the other. John was surprised by the sheer heft of the medal, he knew it was only a ceremonial one and not intended for regular wearing, yet he was still caught off guard by the weight. The metal was an intriguing colour, nothing like any Earth silver in colour or feel and being an unbeliever in the existence of coincidences, he figured that the ribbon choice had been deliberate. Maybe there was some kind of Attilian law stating that medals on ribbons had to be related of the powers of the person that received them.

"It's an incredible thing you did." Elliott agreed honestly. "Always be proud of that medal and what you did to earn it, it takes a special kind of person to do what you did." Jay told the doctor, meaning every word. A part of her was ever so slightly jealous as given the immense black mark in the ledger that her assassin heritage and past was there was no way Jay would ever be able to win such a medal. She watched as Cliff carefully wound back up the ribbon and carefully placed the metal into the box. The box showed no sign of tarnish or wear, but it also lacked a coating of dust that would have built up if the doctor had just left the medal in the back of a cupboard. Clearly the doctor (or Cal) took out the medal to look at on a semi-regular basis.

"Any other medals tucked away we should know about?" Chas asked, his tone a mixture of serious and teasing. Cal shook her head "not really, I've got some stuff from our school sports days and other sports competitions, Cliff has too no doubt." The doctor nodded "but they're back on my home planet and nothing compared to this one." She tapped her fingers against the medal box in her hands. "I think Qui's stuff from school sports days are in a box in the lock-up and the team plas-ball stuff is in Deke's living room, which is far safer than it sounds as he's practically never there." "He totally lives in his office off the lab." Cliff smirked. "Well it not may not be a medal, but I got a mate who had a bunch a pint glasses down the local pub engraved in me honour." John said with a shrug, in comparison to Cliff's heroics, his own story really wasn't much, but it would give a bit of a laugh if somebody asked further questions and he doubted very much that Fia would know the story having a) never been outside of London an b) never given any indication of knowing about his gang up north.

 

[MzHyde]

Neither Kay or Fia even thought there could possibly be any other medals laying around, so the thought to ask if there were didn't even cross either of their minds. However it wasn't fully a surprise that it turned out there wasn't anymore other than school medals. Unsurprisingly Fia had absolutely none due to being home schooled, so the idea of doing anything to get even a school trophy or medal was something she was jealous of, making Jay not the only one to get twinges of jealousy. Kay had nothing either due to just keeping to herself as best she could on the days she did actually attend school. She didn't want to go out of her way to earn such a reward as she didn't want anymore attention than she was already getting, even if said atte tion would have positive and not the negative she always got.

At the mention of pint glasses engraved in John's honour, Fia's ears pricked up and her eyebrow rose. "I've never heard of that story before. How did you get pint glasses of all things engraved in your honour?" she asked. "yeah, even I'm curious about this one, I mean, oint glasses seems pretty fitting for you but it's highly random" Kay agreed, turning slightly on the couch so she could look at John properly. She just knew this would be a story she would want to know about, just as it clearly was with Fia.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott and Chas both knew the story John was talking about, neither had actually been there at the time, but had met up with what had been ironically deemed 'John's gang from his other life up north'. The irony being that while up north he did exactly the same things as when he was anywhere else. Somehow John had managed to assemble a rag tag gang with an equivalent person for those he'd usually work with in London- there was an Elliott, a sort of Chas (in that they were a constant companion in his shenanigans) and an Aisha (a cop who kept getting dragged into their magic related shenanigans when shit hit the fan and things went badly wrong, who claimed they didn't want to be there, but secretly kinda enjoyed it when they weren't infuriated out of their mind).

Cal, Cliff and Jay, all sensing a good story all gave various looks of 'do tell us more'. John gave a smirk when his suspicions were confirmed and Fia hadn't heard this particular story before. "Well I first met the mate in question at that pub, or, more precisely, they were on bouncer duty and chucked me out of said pub before deciding they'd rather smoke with the Brit that'd just showed up and pissed everybody in the near vicinity off than go back an' work. Anyway, that pub ended up becomin' me haunt an' base of operations for a while. There was some really messed up shit going on up there- that possessed racist old man quotin' Tennyson bein' one such shinin' example" having mentioned that story to their group recently, he knew it would give Fia an idea of the level of crazy and dangerous shit that was really there, while at the same time making it clear he wasn't exaggerating to improve the story. "So anyway me mate though it'd be hilarious to get a buncha pint glasses customised in me honour, one for all of our little gang, plus the regulars we'd booze with. A right smartarse is that Nat" he smirked, but fondly, similar to the way he'd smirk when talking about Cheryl pissing him off. John paused for a minute, pulled out his phone and found the relevant photo passing it over to Fia. It showed John in a pub smirking and toasting the camera, holding up a pint glass with the words 'John Constantine Bullshit Wizard' clearly engraved on it.

Spoiler: The cup in question

The art style of this particular issue is one I'm not a great fan of, but the customised cup I find particularly hilarious, but changed it to a pint glass as I liked that better

 

[MzHyde]

With the smirk appearing on John's face, Fia just knew he figured he had never told anyone the story before. So in her comfortable position that she refused to budge from, she listened to the story. The moment the racist possessed guy got mentioned, Fia nodded getting the level of craziness he was referring to. With the ack owlesgement shown on her face, she gave the gesture to show he can continue his spiel of what the story was about and how it came about, to which she gladly continued to listen. The moment he finished the story and mentioned it was Nat, Fia diu d herself sniggering whilst remembering that he had brought up Nat before in various stories.

Kay listened with great amusement and found herself liking this Nat character more and more, wondering if she would ever meet them. "that is both equally amusing and actually damn clever" she remarked, a smirk firmly on her lips. "Nat sounds more and more awesome the more you tell stories involving her
dad" Fia commented, amusement in her tone, looking at the photo that John was showing her on his phone, sniggering at the words before turning to Kay, "you got any mum? Stories of things like that?" she then asked. "sadly no. Don't have any medals, trophies, or glasses engraved with my name on. Actually... come to think about it, came close to getting a medal once. Pretty sure Sam remembers the story better than I do though. All I really remember is being covered in various coloured paints and chalk dust and dirt" Kay replied.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John's first reaction upon seeing the engraved glasses for the first time was to start laughing, out of all the ways he could possibly be immortalised, an engraved pint glass was one he'd never even considered. Yet it was also incredibly fitting that even if the rest of the world forgot about him, he'd still live on in a selection of glasses in an out of the way town up north. Both Cal and Cliff smirked at the photo when the phone was passed to them, the choice of words was brilliant the fact that it could be interpreted in more than one way didn't go amiss on them. They could easily imagine that being served in such a pint glass would raise a whole host of questions which was probably the point of the whole thing.

It wasn't particularly surprising to John that Fia had heard of Nat before, he did tend to drop her name every so often while telling anecdotes. John would probably never actually say it to the woman's face, but Nat was one of his favourite people- a very different kind of friend from Chas, but a friend none the less. "There is a reason for that, Nat is awesome" John told Fia "but at the same time a pretty acquired taste of a person." Chas and Elliott nodded in agreement, both having met Nat before. They could see why she and John had been drawn to each other, there were strong similarities between the two (both were abrasive and snarky as well as prone to completely ignoring the rules and solving the problem their way) and why they made a good team.

Kay's mention of doing a colour fun run style thing prompted a story from Chas about how his daughter had done a similar event. The night ended up being wiled away with all sorts of stories some related to the previous topics, others utterly not. First Cliff, then Chas and then Cal all had to tap out as the euphoria began to wear away and the tiredness began to take over. John, Elliott and Jay however were feeling no signs of sleep creeping up on them, but out of respect for Chas who was kipping on the couch, moved themselves to the only other free room in the house- the utility room that had formerly been Rinaa's domain.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia just did a half snigger when John told her it was because Nat was awesome. It was such a typical comeback that it wasn't surprising at all, yet it did make her wish to meet this Nat one day if alternate John would ever allow it. She was pretty certain it wasn't entirely normal for someone's kid to want to meet their friends, but she and her family weren't exactly normal. For her it just meant she could know more about her dad and feel closer to him than she already was. Yet she also felt the same way about Kay, despite the turbulent relationship she had with her mother, she still wished to know more about her and who she hung out with when she was younger so she could try and understand her mother better. Yet she also knew Kay didn't have nearly as many friends as John seemed to have and spent a lot of her time just with Sam. She knew from the nods of Chas and Elliott that they both had met Nat and if they agreed she was an awesome person then she truly had to be.

The very idea of Kay doing such a thing was quite frankly utterly unbelievable to Fia, having grown up thinking there was no way Kay would ever do such a thing, and that disbelief was very much planted on her face. "nope, don't believe for a second you could ever agree to do such a thing!" Fia declared, shaking her head (but not so much that she would hit Elliott in the chest or shoulder in the process) Kay found Fia's reaction quite funny, knowing she was taking that assumption for her future self, and this era of her. "oh believe me kiddo, it happened, I wasn't always what you witnessed in your timeline. Didn't want to do it at first but it was actually fun. If I ever see Sam again I'll get her to show you the photos from it prove it. We almost won it too but got beat to the punch at the last second because Sam tripped at the last leg, went face first into a mud puddle. That I'll never forget because her face was priceless." Kay explained, amusement still in her voice remembering it.

She then let Chas speak of his memory of when Trish did a similar thing, and so forth before their group started to call it a night. Kay was surprised she wasn't the first one to call it in, but she called it a night when the other three decided to move to the utility room. Fia stayed up with the last remaining three for around half hour before she called it a night as she was started to dose in and out in the utility room and didn't want to fall asleep in there completely. So she did the safer thing and took herself to bed, saying goodnight to them all, hugging both Elliott and John goodnight and giving Jay a wave of goodnight, then exiting and promptly making it to the room she took up and fell asleep.

 

[_gallifrog_]

While John hadn't heard very many stories from Kay's younger years, the few he had heard involving Sam and her habit of dragging Kay in to do things she didn't want to meant he wasn't particularly surprised at the idea of a colour dye fun run thing lurking in Kay's past. It was a weird reversal of roles, usually it was Fia who knew things about Kay that he didn't and Fia's surprise too him by surprise, though he didn't show it. Fitting the four of them into the utility room was easier than John expected, though that was mainly because of the fact that both Elliott and Fia chose to sit on top of the appliances and work counter meaning there was more than enough space for him and Jay to sprawl their legs out on the floor without touching each other.

None of the three ended up going to sleep in the end all far too awake to bother trying and enjoying the company far too much to leave. A good chunk of their time was spent telling stories from their teenage years- John and Jay comparing experiences from their highly misspent youths. Jay was so comfortable with just John and Elliott in the room that she even told a few stories featuring both her brother and Quin, and it didn't take a genius to see that the three of them (Jay, jack and Quin) had once been quite the close knit gang and a pretty formidable team). Elliott, lacking a misspent youth of the same calibre as his adoptive father and his sort of girlfriend, explaining some of the things he'd done in those weeks and months he'd been away from John's apartment. John knew Elliott had been abroad for a portion of the time, but had no idea just how many countries Elliott had visited in his sort of backpacking gap year. Like John he'd often ended up stumbling across some kind of magical shenanigans and offering his help.

The second day of the trial proceeded in much the same way as the first day, though the start wasn't quite as early. Now that all were aware about the face paint/war paint scar they all took the time to properly mark themselves up before leaving the apartment. Just like the day before they met Dan at the station (the blacksmith having also scarred up at home). During the morning segment the first set of experts were called up to make their statements. They proved to be just as well versed and practiced as the lawyers, their preparation clearly showing in their confident presentations. It was when the second afternoon half of the trial started up that things got interesting as Elliott and Cal's father was the next person to be called.

 

[MzHyde]

When Fia went to sleep, she found herself dreaming home. If she was awake she would have put it down to it being her mind telling her she's getting slightly homesick again and she was being a bit worried about how much trouble she was going to be in for being away for so long, depending on how close to going away she could get herself back. Which meant if she remembered being back in time to this place, then she would have to come up with some an incredibly flawless excuse and reason for her absence, as she had a feeling that her parents and Elliott wouldn't have a memory of her being here. If she forgot what she did, then she would still have to come up with something to explain her absence and pray that she wouldn't get the bollocking of the century for disappearing and not telling anyone. She knew that Elliott got away with it when he was younger but she also knew she couldn't get away with it quite the same way.

By the time the next day came, she wasted no time in marking up in support and heading out with everyone to the next day of the trial. As it went on, she found herself getting a lot better at understanding the language as more and more words remained logged in her memory bank. Yet again, it amazed her at how ruthless and determined both sides were being, but the biggest surprise was when Zan went onto the stand. She knew deep down it shouldn't have been as much of a surprise, but it still took her aback a little bit and was curious to what he had to say. She found herself leaning forward in her seat as if it would make her hear better or see his body language better, even though that wouldn't be the case at all, but she did it anyway. Kay was just as intrigued at Zan taking the stand but she didn't lean forward like Fia did, instead remaining sat back, but did cross her legs as best she could and folded her arms across her chest in a 'oh this ought to be good' manner.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Seeing how seriously Fia had been taking trying to understand the trial Elliott (with help from Cal, Cliff and Jay) had compiled a list of all kinds of relevant legal terms (and some far less relevant ones courtesy of Jay who said that Fia might as well know them anyway) with their English translations, Attili spelling and phonetic pronunciation to help her out. As Cal had the neatest handwriting out of them she'd written it. While both Elliott's and Jay's were fairly legible Cal's was extraordinarily neat, something almost calligraphy like about the way she shaped her letters. Cliff on the other hand had the classic doctor handwriting that got less and less legible the more she wrote (hence why she'd always turned in her university and school assignments typed so she couldn't lose marks dues to teachers not being able to read it).

Cal and Elliott had been aware that at some point their father would be called to the stand, it was inevitable as he was the one who had given Elliott the scar and was the one most likely to come out the worst from this trial. Yet neither sibling had been expecting it to be so soon and exchanged glances of 'okay this really is happening now' before turning their focus to Zan. The whole court seemed to be holding their breath as Zan took his position and took the vows (the Attili equivalent of swearing to tell 'the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth') knowing that the stance this man took would have massive effects on the way the trail headed after this. Elliott and Cal's father stood straight, not slumping as if he didn't want to be seen, but not rigid like he was facing a firing squad either- a neutral a posture as one could achieve.

Like with all witnesses the first order of business was to go through the formalities of confirming name, age, date and place of birth, occupation. The lawyer hadn't even finished speaking and already Zan was shaking his head. "The only thing on that list that is right is the occupation- political representative." He answered, tone unwavering. "The other four are wrong. My birth name was not Zan'Pak'Lott, wasn't I born on that date or nor was I born on Attil." There was a stunned silence across the courtroom, even on the defence's side. Judging by the looks of annoyance and shock and in the case of one more junior lawyer 'we're so fucked' they hadn't known any of this critical information. Cal and Elliott turning to each other, jaws slack, neither having any inkling. The lawyer who was interviewing Zan spluttered in disbelief before saying "but.. but your file says..." "I know what my file says" Zan replied, no hint that he was joking or being condescending towards the lawyer "and I also know that part is wrong. But since everybody here has agreed to sign the non-disclosure agreement, I have been allowed to state for the records of this trial that when I was eighteen my family was put into witness protection and relocated to Attil."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia found the notes highly valuable and appreciated greatly that it was Cal who had written them. She could read Elliott's handwriting, but out of him and Cal, she very much preferred to read Cal's handwriting if it was for long learning or long reading in general. It helped greatly when understanding a lot of the legal jargon, and she even appreciated the added notes that Jay thought she should know anyway. The moment Zan started talking, debunking the information that the opposition had was a shock even to Kay and Fia. It was already proving to be the most interesting of all witnesses so far, with Fia glancing over to Cal and Elliott to see if they knew this information.

Yet seeing their reaction Fia summarised that they didn't know either. She turned her focus back onto Zan and the lawyer who was stumbling on his words trying to get Zan to say he was lying about the information being incorrect but failing miserably. 'well this is something highly surprising' Kay thought to herself, not realising that Fia was thinking along similar lines to herself. She like it seemed every one of their group, just assumed that Zan was born on Attil and was native to the country/planet. Neither of them thought for a single moment that he only came to Attil as part of a witness protection type scenario when he was a teenager, and only a year older than Fia was now.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John's eyes nearly popped out of his head when Zan started talking and declared that the most basics things they knew about him were correct. He hadn't high hopes for Zan as a witness, expecting the man to completely deny everything or to be incredibly defensive of his actions, trying to justify them with the laws in place on Attil at the time. What he hadn't expected was for the man to so thoroughly throw a spanner into the works of what would be considered 'his side' in the trial. If the defence side had managed to miss this with all their extensive research, then maybe there had also been something else major they'd over looked. Had it been anybody else John would have been damn impressed and seriously considered that the man was actually on their side, but John still didn't trust Zan one jot, so instead his thoughts and the words he muttered to himself were "just what sort of game are you playing there mate?"

The most shocked by the news were Cal and Elliott, having actually lived with Zan for sixteen and twelve years respectively. They hadn't been told any of this and neither knew how to take it, btoh wondering if they were ever going to told, and if so when? Would it have been when both were old enough to fully understand the seriousness of it? Or would they never have been told? Another question spinning around both their heads was if he wasn't born on Attil (or any other world where Devra lived) then what exactly was he? And by extension what were they? Full Devra or only part Devra? It seemed they knew even less about their father than they thought they did. Now that this was out in the air, there was no way either sibling was going to less this pass them by, agreeing that as soon as they court session was over they were going to corner their father, drag him into a room if necessary and find out more.

At the lawyer's second spluttering of disbelief, Jay swore she saw Elliott's father roll his eyes momentarily. The news was just as much of a shock to the assassin as it was to everybody else and to her it meant that Zan was now very much a wildcard in this trial, playing a very dangerous game. the lawyers on Elliott's side were trying to contain their delight, knowing exactly what kind of blow this had dealt the opposition (not that they had known any of this information either). With the lawyer suitably rattled, Zan continued "I'd be more surprised if all your research- the calibre of which is a credit to both sides- had turned up the story of my relocation, as that would mean somebody had done a bodge job all those years ago."

 

[MzHyde]

It was of no surprise to either Fia or Kay that the most surprised ones out of their group would be Elliott and Cal. Both of them instantly thought of the two of them and what they just be thinking right now. Kay particularly could almost sympathise with the two siblings having grown up most of her life not knowing what or who she truly was, thinking she was utterly crazy. Granted it was slightly different, but it was enough for her to be able to put herself in their shoes enough to know that they must be feeling utterly confused about everything they are and they're true family background. Fia felt the ssmr way to a certain extent, but having found out what she was at age 9, she couldn't truly know what it must be like finding this sort of thing out as an adult. Kay just about heard what John muttered under his breath, wondering exactly the same thing, thinking that Zan had to be playing some kind of psychological game here to be so open in admitting that his basic file wasn't even correct.

She took note of how Elliott's team and they were delighted that the prosecution team so to speak was really finding themselves bumbling and struggling to find a way out of this bombshell that Zan just expertly dropped on them all, before continuing on what he had to say. "oh he's playing a good game with that bombshell" Fia muttered in a very hushed tone, actually impressed that he could drop such a shocking piece of information so casually in a lot of ways, whilst remaining perfectly professional and calm. Though despite her many thoughts, she was wondering how her brother (and in a way sister) were going to cope with the news. Yet that didn't stop her keeping a large amount of her focus on the trial and what was to be said next.

 

[_gallifrog_]

When Zan continued speaking Cal and Elliott exchanged glances. While they may only have had one proper conversation with their father once in the past twelve years, both remembered perfectly well how he chose his words with great precision and was a master at making sly, underhand jabs and adding hidden meanings to seemingly ordinary sentences. Both were almost certain that this was his way of secretly insulting the side he was supposed to be on- accusing them of not looking hard and deep enough into every aspect when preparing for the trial. Neither could claim to have extensive knowledge of how exactly witness protection worked, but they presumed if one was to look long and hard enough at his first eighteen years, there would be something that gave away the fact that those eighteen years were in fact fake. Not to mention that, being the government, the defence side would have the clearance to see the real version of Zan's (or whatever his name actually was) files. Yet, despite the negative bias both Elliott and Cal had towards Zan they believed his praise of the prosecution side to be genuine.

John couldn't imagine what it was like for Cal and Elliott to have their view of their whole lives shattered like that. He'd never really had a moment like that in his life, a moment of finding out that who he thought he was wasn't actually who he was. He'd had it the opposite way around plenty of times though- thinking that somebody was one thing, on to discover that in fact they were somebody else (or in the more unusual cases something else). He knew they'd get through it, neither struck him as people defined their life by their race or by their birth names (Cal had taken Cliff's surname when she married and Elliott had created a brand new name for himself) and they'd spent so long away from Zan that they didn't define their lives by who he was anymore. Chas was also of the opinion that the siblings were strong enough to get through this bombshell together. The cabbie suspected that Zan had deliberately chose now to reveal this information in order to rattle the defence team. The real question was why? If Rinaa was right, and it was the same as in her timeline that he was turning sides (or had already turned sides) then this could well be Zan using his position of power to sabotage the defence team from the inside. A dangerous game.

The spluttering lawyer (as John had now dubbed him) finally managed to get himself under control and began to ask the rest of the questions on his list. Then it was the lawyer of the prosecution's turn to answer. Zan didn't drop any more bombshells, answering the questions from both sides properly without any filler or waffle. If he'd been through witness protection, then this was hardly his first time in a witness box Elliott supposed to himself. Zan didn't deny what he'd done, or try to hide behind a wall of excuses about the laws in place at the time. When the lawyers were finished with him, the promised non disclosure documents were passed out, a comprehensive contract preventing anybody from leaking this information to or through any form of media, using telepathy (or any other power for that matter).

 

[MzHyde]

Fia and Kay continued to find what Zan had to say as highly intriguing. As the trial and questioning went on it was Cleer to the both of them that Zan knew exactly what he was saying and how he was saying everything, making sure not to give the lawyers a single inch of a gap to second guess or question his credibility. Both of them thought it was highly genius and dangerous that it was now that Zan was choosing to disclose all of this information, Fia desperate to know what his game actually was. Fia could also grasp enough Attili to know that Zan wasn't dropping anything else that would be of a shock to Elliott and Cal, meaning they only needed to focus on asking him when they could what the initial and single bombshell was all about.

As the trial went on, Kay was for once taking more note of how long it was going on for, whilst every now and then looking at Elliott and Cal for their reactions to anything that Zan spoke of, whilst also looking at the trial itself. She also found herself curious to seeing every now and then what John's reactions would be, until the trial was coming to an end. It wasn't surprising in the least that a waver was made that no information that Zan disclosed was to leave this very room, Kay finding it would have been more surprising if it was allowed to leave the room and be shared all around to anyone and everyone. "well.... That was something" Kay remarked when it was perfectly safe to speak again.

 

[_gallifrog_]

By the end of that section of the trial John had absolutely no idea what to make of Zan. As sceptical and cynical as he was as pretty much everything and everyone, he didn't believe the man had been lying when he said he'd been put in witness protection. John couldn't for the life of him figure out whose side the man was on, but he clearly wasn't as devoted to the defence side as he had initially expected him to be. The fact that he hadn't even tried to deny what he did that fateful day was a mark in favour, though nobody, least of all Elliott and Cal knew how to take it. Signing a non disclosure agreement was something their group had been prepared for by Cliff, so they all knew what to write and where. The pages were hefty, and Jay was the only one to read through the full thing- skim reading and pointing out the most important points. What she said corroborated what Zan had said earlier that due to the high profile and personal nature of the case the people in charge of the witness protection programme had agreed to grant Zan permission to tell the truth despite the fact the threat was still active. The punishments for leaking to the information to the media of any planet were hefty, whoever had compiled this NDA was not fucking around.

Another expert was called after Zan, but what they had to say was overshadowed by what they'd just learned about Zan. Both Cal and Elliott found their focus being dragged away from the trial and towards their father who they could just see from their angle. The man was sitting slightly separate from the rest of the defence group though whether that was by choice or because he was now an outcast from the main group was unclear. Zan's focus remained resolutely on the trial, if he ever did look over to the prosecution's side then nobody out of John, Chas, Elliott, Cal, Cliff, Jay, Dan, Fia or Kay saw him do so. As soon as an end was called to the second half of the trial and talking was allowed to resume, Elliott and Cal got right out of their seats, intent on cornering their father before he left the building. "Wait for us in the tunnels, but if we don't show after 10 minutes, you can head back." Cal told her wife at the same time as Elliott told Jay and John something similar. As much as Jay and John wanted to follow and hear everything, they knew it was something the siblings had to do alone.

"Bloody blazin' bollocks, I was expecting a lotta things, but not anythin' like that." John declared, slumping back into the seat properly for the first time since Zan had started speaking. "I don't think any of us could have seen it coming." Jay agreed. "Good thing the defence went first or it would have been our side looking like absolute idiots." Chas added, to which there was a round of nodding. "We got so fucking lucky there that the defence went first examinin' him, there's no other way of puttin' it." "But it does explain why Zan's hair is closer to an auburn brown than a Devra brown." "I'd always just put it down to some weird genetic quirk." Cliff replied with a slight shrug. "You DO get Devra with really pale blonde hair due to a version of albino-ism, so it's not completely inconceivable that you'd get that colour of hair through genetics."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay and Fia knew that Elliott and Cal cornering Zan alone was the right thing to do, and if anyone protested it, both of them would helped the siblings to make anyone agree to the decision. Luckily though, that didn't need to be done and they could just let the tension in their shoulders relax now that it was perfectly okay to do so, after the NDA was signed and so forth. "complete understatement on every point if you ask me" Fia remarked, a remark that Kay had to agree with by nodding. "it's definitely an understatement but one that luckily went in our favour and for that we can be nothing but extremely thankful for." Kay added.

Both her and Fia kept thinking back on the trial and what was said during Zan's questioning and the person after him. It was hard to almost make themselves truly remember what was said by the second witness as their minds just kept flagging back to Zan and what he said. "what I do hope though right now is that Cal and Elliott get the answers they're hoping for and they actually succeed in cornering him" she then added. Fia hoped that would be the case also, hoping that whatever they get out of Zan, it won't be bringing up even more questions than they already had about their father and they're past or who they truly were.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"I still don't trust him one jot" John declared, knowing that he was being a stubborn ass and that if Cal and Elliott believed they could get the truth out of him then he should probably change his views on the man somewhat. But he hadn't, it would take more than today's bombshell to make John change his mind. "I don't trust him either" Jay agreed. Upon hearing that she agreed with him John's face took on the expression of 'well if she agrees with me, there's definitely something going on'. "He's playing his own angle with all this and the fact we don't know WHAT that angle is is worrying. He's not as much on the opposition's side as everybody thought, but he's not showing any blatant show of support for this side either. And with this NDA I can't just ask Dakkon, who'd have clearance to check out his real files and see what other secrets might lurking." Signing the non-disclosure papers was just like taking an oath for jay, she would not break it, not for anyone or anything.

There was nodding at Kay's words, everybody in their group having been thinking something along those lines. "They'll succeed." Cliff replied, absolute certainty in her voice. It was a toss up between her and Dan for who knew Cal the best. "Cal can be damn stubborn when she wants to be, and from what I can tell, her brother has that same streak. Neither of them are going to just let this kind of bombshell go, believe me." "Can't blame either of them for that, I'd be doing the same thing if it was me." "When they left they had that look on their faces that said they were going to drag him into the nearest private room and not let him go until they get answers. Which, if I'm to be brutally honest is long overdue. They need to hear the full story, whatever the full story actually is, so that they can either move on, or repair the damage."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay wasn't in the slightest bit surprised that John still didn't trust Zan. She couldn't say that really any of them really trusted him. Yet she also was of the opinion that they didn't need to trust him, they just needed to trust that he knew what he was doing and it wouldn't throw Elliott completely under the bus metaphorically speaking. "we don't need to trust him... Just that it doesn't screw Elliott over" she remarked after Jay expressed her own opinion of distrust of the man. She also felt glad that everyone was nodding in agreement at her other words about hoping that the siblings would get what they needed out of Zan. She turned to Cliff who spoke up after her words, knowing that if anyone would know if Cal and Elliott would succeed it would be her and Dan, even over John.

She couldn't say she wouldn't be doing any different if she was in either of their shoes, from what she knew of Elliott he was definitely stubborn enough to get answers. "agreed. I know if I had the opportunity to do such a thing, I would be doing exactly what they are. I know on some scale what it must have felt like when they heard that bombshell. What thoughts would have been going round their heads. I've been there." she replied to Cliff. "so I guess all we can do now is head to the tunnels and wait for them there and if they don't come back do as they asked and head back and wait there. I won't be surprised if it'll take longer than that ten minutes they gave. But whatever the answers come out of it, we be there to help them through the answers if and when we can be" Fia spoke up.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Cliff nodded, having previously guessed that both Kay and Fia would be the ones in their group to have some idea of what Cal and Elliott were going through, having had their own experiences in finding out about the truth about the bloodline- Kay as an adult and Fia as a child. She agreed with Fia's statement that everybody should be there to help the two siblings through what they'd just learned. For Cal, Cliff knew the responsibility pf being there and helping her through would be mainly falling on her and Dan. With Elliott she suspected he'd gravitate more towards Elliott and John than he would Fia and Kay for the simple fact that he'd known them longer and had been through far more with them.

"I agree, on all points the two of you have made." Cliff told the two, resisting the urge to run her hands through her hair. Looking up revealed that they were the only ones left in the court room, everybody else having cleared out as soon as possible. Cliff privately suspected the legal team would have cabin fever by the end of the week if they insisted on eating lunch in the court as opposed to going out to a restaurant. "It'll definitely take more than ten minutes." Chas agreed as he got up. "I don't think you can condense your whole life down into ten minutes, when explaining it to people who want to know if everything they've ever been told about your life is a lie." As suspected, neither Cal nor Elliott showed after the proposed ten minutes, so the group returned to the surface and began to walk back to the train station. The train ride back lacked excited, euphoric, jubilant atmosphere of the day before, while the day had been another good one for their side, the progress made was firmly overshadowed by what Cal and Elliott could be learning about themselves. No matter how hard he tried, John couldn't stop the questions from swirling around in his head- questions he'd ask if he was in such a situation, and the questions he believed Elliott would ask. Once again Dan headed back to the forge, telling Cliff to let him know when the siblings got back.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay and Fia nodded as Cliff agreed with everything they said, whilst Kay got taken aback inside again at how mature and how much older Fia came across with her own opinion and suggestion. It amazed her that despite Fia's upbringing, clearly her and John brought up a very intelligent young woman, and one they could both be incredibly proud of. Kay knew there was no way that meeting was going to be done in ten minutes, so when they all waited and found neither Cal or Elliott returning, it was no surprise that they had to return to the train station without them. On the train, Kay could tell that John was having many thoughts running round his head, she too had her own thoughts, putting herself in their position, remembering when she found out what she was and why she had such an upbringing.

"they'll be okay John..." she quietly spoke to him, resisting the urge to hold his hand in a comforting manner, unsure how he'd take it. So instead she placed her hand on his arm, gave it a single reassuring squeeze and let go. "having a chance to clear the air and get answers will do them the world of good. Trust me on this one thing" she added. It may hurt initially whatever they get told and may even make them completely ustered for a while, but she knew getting answers will be of great benefit to them. With their stop soon coming up and Dan heading back to the forge for the time being, she gladly and quietly walked back to the apartment with the rest of the group.

She knew Elliott would no doubt gravitate to John and Chas when he got back, but she would gladly be there for him to give her own prospective or advice if he should need it, as she knew he knew that if anyone could understand his position it would be her and in some ways Fia. Yet she also knew that she wouldn't overstep and encroach on him, but let him come to her instead. Fia spent the whole journey back just worried about both Elliott and Cal, the very bombshell and situation reminding her of how she felt when John and Kay told her at age 9 what she was and why her bed caught fire with her in it. That talk with her parents being one of the most awkward and mind-blowing conversations she had ever had with them.