Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[MzHyde]

Fia once didn't think she could turn into a cold callous person at all, felt she was too happy go lucky to metaphorically fall off the wagon and become what the alternate Fia was. Yet here she was proving to everyone she could switch if she let herself, which never truly sunk into her head fully for her to acknowledge it properly. It was only when Kay placed her hand on her shoulder that she knew she needed to calm down, as well as seeing the barbaric photographs on the wall that included Rinaa. She listened to John's reply to her comments, nodding in agreement at the first comment before listening more at the story of Kurt, making the face of 'yeesh' at the brief synopsis of his story. "damn...that sounds....Well, I don't think here's a word for it" she replied to him. Despite the photographs being utterly horrific to look at, she could stop looking at them and what ones were connected to who and by what coloured string. She, like the others could understand why Sykes was the way she was and so against everyone and anyone who remotely did her or Rinaa wrong in any timeline. It brought so much to the surface and filled in those gaps they could never quite get out of Rinaa.

As Zan corrected Kay, making it clear that he heard what she said enough to reply to her, they both listened to what the man had said, hearing the disgust and hatred for those scientists in his tone of voice. The note of him saying Cynthia and Sykes particularly didn't go amiss, making both of them wonder if Cynthia was one of Rinaa's other names or if he was implying about another astras wold, yet neither wanted to actually ask who Cynthia was. Hearing that this happened a hundred years ago as well was a surprise to Kay and Fia, amazed in a disgruntled manner that this had been going on for so long. Not only that if a cure could be found then they'd be happy but from what they recall of Rinaa ever saying they didn't hold much hope for one ever being available. "if they find a cure it'll be a miracle" Fia remarked as she thought it'd be next to impossible to find one, and even if they did, what kind of atrocities would have to happen to make it even work and be viable. Not only that, it'd be too damn late for Rinaa and that just wasn't fair in the slightest in her eyes.

 

[_gallifrog_]

All heads turned towards Zan when he gave his own opinions on the military experiments that had created the Astras wolves and driven them insane. On this one thing it seemed they were all in agreement, this kind of meddling with nature and- as Zan put it- torturing of both wolves and animals was something that should never have happened and was beyond wrong on so many levels. The whole time Zan talked, Jay's face remained inscrutable, even though her mind was racing at a million miles or so. What Zan said, as much as she hated to admit it, had a ring of truth about it and certainly explained why Sykes was so unpredictable and easily triggered, as well as why so fiercely protective of her host body. Rinaa had alluded to the wolf being mad, but had never said anything close to the extent of what Zan was saying now. It made a number of them wonder if she'd know. The bond between the two had been growing stronger, the power balance edging closer and closer to being in Sykes' favour. For Jay most of all it was re-opening the wounds that had been left when Rinaa left. The teenager mightn't have been the kind of daughter she'd wanted to have, but she was her daughter none the less.

While insane mightn't be a medical accurate label, Cliff had to admit it was an effective one. Both she and her wife had been vaguely aware that these experiments had been in the past (it was a cautionary tale of sorts among biologists and geneticists, one of those whispered rumours stories that nobody really knew whether it was true or just a tale of horror invented to scare students into obeying ethical laws), but hearing that it had been a century ago blew their minds slightly. It also prompted a whole host of questions about the age of the entity of Sykes and what exactly it had been doing in the space between claiming and transforming another victim into an Astras wolf. Hearing that Zan's other two colleagues? co-conspirators were looking for a cure was a relief. If they'd been looking for Rinaa or a way to weaponise her, Jay would have had no qualms about hunting them down and killing them slowly and brutally. Rinaa may not be around any physically more, but that didn't mean she wasn't lurking in their thoughts like an unwelcome portent of doom. "A major miracle. They'll need a whole mountain of luck and skill." Cliff agreed, still pouring over the additional data, which went into further detail on the degradation of Rinaa's DNA. It seemed that what the Astras DNA was doing was destroying her helixes one by one. With eight to through before death it allowed the teenager to live, though, as Cliff well knew, it came at the cost of crippling chronic pain.

"Who Cynthia?" Cal asked, her tone positively civil compared to her earlier 'I want to rip your head off and set you on fire and make you pay' tone. As horrifying as the subject matter was, she couldn't help be slightly, morbidly intrigued by it. "The girl in the straightjacket who looks feral." Zan indicated the before and after photos with a wave of his hand. Had he been in a room with different people he might have gone over and pointed it out himself, but he was under no illusions about his current situation. Just because they all agreed on one thing didn't mean all was forgiven and it would be safe for him to walk over there. "She's the only one those bastard scientists ever succeeded in bonding to a wolf. Which was the pack alpha Sykes. She had some kind of gift with wolves, which was why the bonding worked, even if it did create a parasitic, symbiotic system with a hive mind and two bodies. Her current status is unknown, but there's a theory that she's cryogenically frozen somewhere and being cut off from i'ts other half is what's driving the wolf part even more crazy." "How.... how do you know all this?" Elliott asked, as much as he tried to prevent it, his curiosity was audible in his tone. "I've read the files, as much as I can understand of them anyway. One of the only perks of being that high up in government and knowing high level spies is that you can access this stuff." Zan replied with a slight shrug. "Files?" Elliott asked. "Paper ones only. The digital ones were wiped; only a few digital fragments remain. Those blood stained boxes by your feet contain the physical copies related to Sykes and Cynthia." Elliott looked down at his feet, and yes, there was indeed a series of heavy duty plastic file boxes by them, all stained with rusty red patches, and one even had claw marks along the side.

 

[MzHyde]

Having Cliff agree that it'd be a major miracle if they succeeded in creating a cure for this atrocity, Fia felt glad that she was both remembering what Rinaa had told them correctly and understanding everything she was hearing here and now correctly. If this was found in anyone else's apartment and she knew the other people she probably would offered her help in the form of her blood but there was absolutely no way she was going to for these people and she also felt like in the back of her head if she was insane enough to offer help in the form of her phoenix side, there was absolutely no way her parents would allow it to happen, even in this time. Which she was right about when it came to Kay because if she knew Fia was even remotely thinking that sort of situation she would have given her the biggest bollocking she'd ever have been given in her life. At Cal asking who Cynthia was made Fia and Kay both relieved that they weren't the only ones wondering such a thing.

With Zan gesturing from where he was standing at who it was, they both looked at the girl in the straight jacket and sighed at who they were seeing, especially when he confirmed they were linked with Sykes. Hearing that her location was unknown and they only had rumours to go on was a relief to them both, glad that for the time being at least, Rinaa was safe away from these monsters. They looked down as Elliott did after he asked how Zan knew all of this and saw the blood stained box of files on the floor. Neither of them wanted to touch it, and neither could even think about how Elliott and Jay were taking all this news and the pictures of their future kid. Kay couldn't begin to try to imagine what must be going through Jay's mind especially, knowing that Rinaa's departure did hit the woman rather hard. If Kay lost Fia, even at this stage she would be utterly broken and emotionally unstable, not caring what would happen to herself.

 

[_gallifrog_]

When Zan explained who the girl in the straitjacket was all eyes briefly flicked towards the picture. The transformation was horrifying and very evocative of Rinaa- the amber eyes, mouth full of serrated fangs and pointed canine ears were all features they'd seen in the teenager at one point or another. It could have been a consolation that they hadn't seen the girl turn as feral as this Cynthia had, but it was in fact the opposite for Jay and Elliott. This was the teenager's fate, to turn into an uncontrollable hybrid monster before and it was really sinking in for both of them just how much the teenager had glossed over about just how hard it was going to get for her. She'd done it to spare her younger parents' selves the pain of knowing the truth. Both knew deep down that there was nothing there was nothing they could do to stop this transformation, but both they both wished they could have been there at the end to at least attempt to provide some kind of emotional support for the girl in her final days (the support the teenager had been denied for most of her life) and get it into her stubborn brain that she had been loved by somebody. But somewhere out there (if she wasn't already dead) Rinaa was going through this process with only future Jay at her side. They knew the teenager wouldn't tell Chas she was back for fear he'd spread it to the Hale side of the family (plus there was the fact that alternate Chas had done something that put him on Rinaa's blacklist).

Seeing the visible blood stains on the boxes caused disgust to pass over Cal, Cliff, Elliott and Chas' faces, the latter taking a very slight step back. Hearing that the wolves had risen up and slaughtered everybody in the facility wasn't anywhere near as potent as seeing the evidence. of said slaughter before their eyes. the scientists may have been mad and barbaric torturers, but they were still people who'd died an utterly grisly death. Jay on the other hand crouched down and ran her fingertips along the claw marks which were so deep they had buckled and very nearly ruptured the box. The assassin didn't bother looking for permission from Zan before opening the box. He'd invited them in, so in her mind this made the files fair game. Unlike the outside of the box, the files themselves were clean, having been protected from the blood and flying bits of flesh and and brain tissue. Picking up the first file at hand she flipped through it only to realise it was written in a language she didn't understand. "Translations?" she asked, taking it as a given that there would be Attili translations somewhere. "The other plastic boxes with black tape on them to your right."

"And the other wall?" Cal asked, her tone more normal again. She still didn't trust her birth father, but the bulk of her anger was now directed towards the scientists that had created the monster that had over a hundred years later torn Rinaa's throat out and cut what chance he had of getting a normal life brutally short. "A record of all the officials- it's not just politicians like me, it's all kinds of people of influence- who have been brainwashed like I was or had their mind altered so they could ruthlessly push the anti-magic agenda. Next to them is the details about the brainwashing process and the facilities I suspect it takes place in- as well as some other secret facilities the government don't want people to know about. Next section is those who are either MindWalkers themselves, telepaths or any possess any other kind of memory-related ability that would prevent the brainwashing from being effective. Most of them are dead or took early retirement then have had no trace of them seen again- also dead I'd say. After that it's all just theories, statements, evidence, everything I can get my hands on to prove what i know is true."

 

[MzHyde]

Neither Kay or Fia stopped Jay when she decided to squat down and go through the box of files. If anyone could have the right mind to shift through them all out of their group, they knew it would be her. Both decided to stay out her way, though still close to the group as she opened the box, flipped through the files and then proceeding to ask for translations. Whilst Jay proceeded to grab the box with the Attili translations, they both looked between Cal and Zan as Cal asked about the other wall, both noticing how different and much calmer her tone was now compared to when they all first walked into this apartment. They listened to what Zan had to say about the rest of the findings that were pinned on the wall, as he explained what everything was, they looked over the wall at everything on it, blown away that there was so much. It was incredible to them that there was so much proof of how corrupt this anti magic agenda was.

Neither of them knew what to say on everything, letting the visuals compute in their minds first before they could manage to say something. Eventually Fia spoke up again and like Cal, her tone was alot calmer, but still had the edge of 'don't fuck with us' in it. "and you're going to use this to help Elliott...right?" she commented, despite being worded like a question, it was more of a case of her saying 'there's only one way to answer this and you better pick it'. She was still very much willing to punch the guy if he did wrong by her brother, and although she was controlling herself, there was a tiny part of her deep down that was almost hoping Zan would make a wrong step so she could at least get one hit in, even if she got royally fucked in the process. Kay made sure to keep one hand on Fia as well as one on her stomach from inside her coat pocket. She was concerned that Fia's growing phoenix self would take over and make a big mistake, not wanting her to get any closer to becoming that alternate Fia than she already had shown earlier on.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Cal and Cliff were the ones most gripped by the larger section of the wall, the section that Zan had clearly been working on for years. While John, Chas, Elliott and Jay could all see it was an intricate web of deception, lying to the public on a massive scale, killings and brainwashing anybody who stood in their way, it was the two women who actually knew the people in question, their political parties, their stances and the views they represented. Zan had even gone to the effort of graphing how a person's sympathy to magic users had nose-dived after a suspected incident of brainwashing. There was even a graph tracking his own views and opinions as well as a photo of himself amongst the other politicians and high ranking officials. The link was obvious, as was the fact that Zan was far from the first person to have their mind re-aligned to better suit the needs of the people pulling the strings. Cliff couldn't help but tap the photo of the former person in charge of Attil's healthcare system (who was located among the group of people Zan was theorising was behind it) remarking "well HE'S an utter arsehole, no wonder he's involved in all this shit, by his own free will" too she remarked, to which Cal smirked, remembering the many rants her then girlfriend had made about that particular politician.

Once again all eyes and heads turned towards Zan when Fia asked the question that was on everybody's mind, the room falling silent and a thick tension building up in the air. There was no doubt that all his evidence of how the whole government had unknowingly become a puppet for a small group of magic hating arseholes would ensure victory for Elliott's side in the trial and would be the perfect basis for repealing all laws and stopping all discrimination against magic users. The wall was meticulously laid out, detailing a conspiracy that stretched back for years and years before Elliott or even Zan was born. If Zan said he was not going to use the information to help his son, it would be a fight between John and Jay for which of them would get to him first and beat him in to a bloody pulp (forget a punch to the face, if he refused to use the information they right way, they were just going to take it from him by force and use it themselves).

But with a nod Zan gave the right answer (also the only answer) and there was a collective relief in the room. "Yes, that's the plan. As soon as I have the final pieces of proof it's being released to the entire planet by whatever means possible. It will completely implode the defence side, rendering them completely useless. they'll be too busy trying to contain and deal with all this" he gestured at the wall again "to be able form a coherent argument in court. The way they were rattled when I told them about the witness protection. That's nothing compared to the shitstorm this information will unleash." "So telling that was a deliberate move to sabotage them?" Elliott asked, Zan once again nodding in response. "Yes, I was supposed to be their star witness puppet after all. And besides both my cover as a spy and my witness protection cover are clearly blown. The calling card on your mother's body proves that without a shadow of a doubt. I fully expect a bullet in the brain one of these days, but if I do die, all this gets released automatically anyway. And if for some reason that fails, I've told Bec to release it all. So it's getting out before this trial is over one way or another"

 

[MzHyde]

Fia and Kay couldn't help but smirk at the way Cliff pointed out one politician in particular and calling them an asshole. They both figured if anyone would recognise anyone on the wall and know any of them it would be Cal and Cliff. With Fia's next question coming out, Kay really hoped that the answer wouldn't set off the rest of the group as well as herself, as in her opinion it would be highly unwise of Zan to piss off a pregnant woman, especially a pregnant phoenix. She could feel the tension build up yet again in the room as well as how much John and Jay were ready to knock the guy out if he gave the wrong answer or one that was right but not satisfactory in their eyes. Luckily for everyone in the room, Zan gave the one answer they were hoping for whilst going into an in depth explanation about how and when it will be going out into the world which made Elliott ask his own follow up question.

To hear that no matter what would happen to him, Zan had all paths sorted for leaking all of this information out was of a relief to Kay and Fia. Fia was thankful that she wouldn't have to join her father and Jay in punching Zan and satisfied with the answers he was giving them all. To hear of the possible situation involving him getting a bullet to the brain didn't even phase Fia, she still didn't trust him or like him in the slightest, so in her eyes it wouldn't be a great loss if or when he did go, but she also knew that was a incredibly callous way to think. A way to think that shouldn't even be in her DNA, yet it was and she couldn't get rid of that thought either. "well I hope it gets out before anyone gets assassinated and through the courts" Fia just said, but her tone making it completely clear that she wasn't hoping for Zan's survival in this, but only thinking about Elliott's survival.

 

[_gallifrog_]

It wasn't particularly surprising to Jay to hear that Zan's cover as a spy and his witness protection identity had both been blown, but it did explain why he'd reacted so aggressively and so swiftly when she pointed the gun right at his forehead. His ex-wife had been killed by a bullet through the head after all and they'd all seen the note left on the body- written in the language of the planet Darrilliux where Zan had been born- and it's translation in Attili, promising to kill Zan in the same way. Jay's gun to the head had been accompanied by her saying she knew who he really was and what he really was and it was a perfectly logical step to assume she was there to kill him and make good on the promise in the calling card. He'd made no secret of the fact he knew who she really was, though Jay suspected it had been Dakkon who told Zan, a way of warning him to keep away as she'd be the one most likely to see his true identity.

Hearing that Zan had multiple failsafes for releasing all this information to the public was a relief to all, especially as it meant that the valuable information that would save Elliott's life and start a whole revolution for the equality of magic users on Attil and other outposts run by the Devra. Jay in particular was delighted by this news as it meant that to them Zan was now a disposable pawn. If they wanted to release the information, all one of them had to do was kill him, something she didn't think any of their group would have a major problem with. "So let me get this straight." Jay replied, standing up and removing the gun from the holster and twirling it between her fingers "if I wanted to I could just shoot you in the head" she stopped twirling the weapon and aimed it at his skull "and all this information would be released to the public." Zan nodded. "Exactly" he replied, in a tone far too casual for a man who was talking about his own death while having a gun pointed at his head. "But shoot in the left temple or centre as opposed to the right, I've got implants in the right temple. Also you'd have to upload the contents of the flashdrive manually as they haven't been properly uploaded or collated. But there's already more than enough there to bring the whole thing crashing down."

 

[MzHyde]

The moment Jay stood up from where she was after Zan admitted to them all that he was utterly disposable, Kay couldn't help but glance at the woman as she twirled her gun after removing it from the holster, to summarise what Zan had previously said. She didn't think Jay would actually go through with just shooting Zan here and now but she wouldn't put it passed Jay to do it either. She knew Jay was more than capable of just doing it and ending it all in this very moment and spot, but she honestly hoped she wouldn't for everyone's sake. In Kay's mind Jay was far more savvy than this, even though it was clear that all their emotions were at one point or another running their actions whilst they had been here. The fact that Zan confirmed Jay's summary, to the point of even giving her more information about what sides to do the assassination showed Kay and Fia that he wasn't afraid of the impending death, whilst also feeling like he didn't think Jay would just do it either. To Kay it was a case of watching him call Jay's bluff.

"manually or not, Jay won't stop until everything is out there. I wouldn't call her bluff too much if I was you" Kay said, finally speaking up once more, but a lot calmer than anyone else in the room. That wasn't to say that her warning wasn't any less valid or stern however, because it most certainly was. They all knew Jay wouldn't hesitate to get some kind attack in on Zan, they all saw it at the beginning before they all noticed who it was she was fighting. If it wasn't for the fact they needed answers straight from his mouth, she was more than convinced that Jay probably would have just ended his life there and then. Fia gave the look that said 'what she said' in addition to her mother's words, knowing all too well that one should never ever call Jay's bluff as she herself had done that mistake in training as it was considered important to know when to call someone's bluff and when not to. A valuable lesson she learned and would never ever forget, not to mention having proved more than useful on the odd times she had snuck out and done her own little hunt or break in.

 

[_gallifrog_]

When Jay whipped out the gun, a silence of understanding fell over the room. Zan was completely disposable, there was already more than enough information to guarantee their victory in the trial. Shoot him now and who'd know? His freelancers? They were working on a completely different angle, one which Zan really wasn't needed for. Dakkon? He and Jay had a past, while Zan spoke about the spook with a mix of fear and respect, Jay spoke about him almost fondly, with less fear and a whole chunk more respect. It didn't take a genius to see which one the lizardkin preferred. Elliott and Cal wouldn't really miss him, nobody could say they'd grown closer to their father over the past few days. Seen him in a completely different light yes, but grown emotionally closer to the man? Hells no. They were just as close to, if not further estranged from their father as they had been the day Elliott arrived. Zan's ex-wife was dead, his birth family hated him and his sister was only a fleeting presence in his life. He would not be particularly missed.

This fact made a dark smirk come over John's face, he was relishing this moment, the knowledge that they could kill Zan and get away with it, it made the darker part of him very happy. Unlike with Fia or Kay, this side of him wasn't particularly surprising, nor was it the first time he'd let that side of him be seen. He was The Hellblazer after all, one of the worst bastards that had ever come crawling out of the mound of putrid filth and tainted souls that was London. He'd slaughtered demons, killed all manner of innocents and was not beyond using his own childhood best mate as bait. He had a reputation for a reason. If Jay was to kill Zan there and then, he really wouldn't object. This was the man who, by his own admission, had ruined Elliott's life and left him traumatised for years afterwards. A bullet through the brain would be a mercy, between Jay's extensive knowledge of torture and John's knowledge of parts of magic you shouldn't mess with they could really fuck this man up.

Elliott also knew that Jay would have problems will killing Zan in cold blood. It was at times like this, when her eyes went grey and sharklike that he couldn't read her at all. Kay was right in saying you shouldn't bluff with Jay when the assassin was holding a weapon or making a threat. Jay the assassin was the most dangerous person in the room end of. "She really won't. Forget this lot" Elliott gestured at the group who Zan believed to be the leaders of the anti-magic movement on the wall "she's the one you should truly fear. Even if we wanted to, none of us could stop her" "Her reputation preceeds." Zan replied, outwardly still calm and very much holding (maybe slighter paler than he'd been earlier) it together despite the fact that Jay had taken a step closer and was still pointing the gun right at his forehead, aiming for the centre, her hands rock solid around the weapon. Kay would be the only one to be able to seethe evidence that this outwards attitude was a facade due to the angle she was standing at she'd be able to see that the man was digging his nails into his right palm so deeply that they were drawing blood.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia had seen the dark smirk on John's face once before. The first day of realisation that future Kay was taken. That day she saw that first dark smirk in her father's face, she knew that the first downworlder they came across to get answers from was utterly fucked, and that they were. He revelled in doing whatever he could to try and find Kay, and it quite honestly scared the living shit out of Fia that first time. She never let it show but she was terrified just how far John would go, but that fear never once overtook the worry of seeing her father close to giving up when they were struggling to find Kay. Seeing her father utterly destroyed mentally of losing her mother and losing all leads killed her more than anything else. So seeing that very dark smirk now on this John was not in the slightest bit surprising to her, whilst showing her that he really meant his feelings and thoughts about not caring if Zan died right now, especially as it was clear they would easily get away with it.

Her and Kay both let Elliott drive home even more what Kay said to him about not thinking all this would be one big bluff with Jay. That she was not someone to fuck with and think you could win one over with her. Kay watched and observed Zan's body language and tone in his voice, hearing that he was speaking calmly but glancing down at his fist, saw that his tone was all just that...a tone being used. She saw the drips of blood forming between his fingers and knuckles as he dug his nails deep into his skin, a technique she herself did when nervous so recognised it instantly. She didn't say anything about it but did keep it logged into her mind, knowing that if she were of the sort she could let the whole room know that he was quite frankly, shitting himself in this very moment. Jay was getting to him and Kay could see that clear as day from where she stood. If she knew how her bond worked and how Fia was able to contact John that one time before she time travelled she would have let John know they were getting to him without even so much as opening her mouth. "oh you have no idea" Fia commented in response to Zan's last reply to Elliott.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Jay considered the man she was now pointing the gun at, internally she had to admit to herself that she'd been expecting more of a reaction from him given how easily she could just end his life with one shot. She would have been slightly impressed at the fact he was still managing to talk coherently and look like he wasn't utterly bricking himself if she didn't already know that it was standard training spooks went to in order to help them get through being tortured. Sure Zan was a very different spy to the kind she'd been, he was an upwards climber, double agent, the man who could open doors and make contact with powerful people that other agents wouldn't have the means to access, but that didn't mean he wouldn't have undergone the same kind of basic training that she had. While Jay had never accepted the job offer to become as a spook, she had been through their training programme (as had her brother). But in an effort to see if she could really rattle him she stepped right into his personal space and put the gun right against his skin. And there it was, the flash of panic in his eyes, the kind of instinctive fear that couldn't be removed with training. She could also see that the earlier levelness had all been a facade, up close his skin was a pale, almost ghostly white white, it was only the tan that meant from a distance he looked completely normal.

It was then that a phone began ringing. It was Zan's phone which was on the one functional table in the apartment, the one containing various other pieces of tech. Jay couldn't help but go right on the alert at the sound, muscles tensing, eyes becoming laser focused, her grip on the gun didn't waver wondering if the apartment was being monitored live and somebody had seen how she was right up in his face with a weapon. Cliff was the one closest to the phone, and cast a glance at the screen. "It's somebody called 'Bec (PhD)'" she relayed to the rest of the group, picking it up and showing them the screen so as to confirm that she wasn't making it up. "You can decline it" Zan replied "I'll her back later." "Bold of you to assume there will be a later." Jay replied, voice cold. "Who the fuck even is this Bec?" John asked suspiciously. Earlier Zan had said he didn't know the names of the two freelancers he was working with, but now the name Bec had been brought up and he wasn't just going to just let that go. If this was one of the co-conspirators then they'd finally have proof that he'd lied about something and a legitimate reason to punch the man into next millennium. Elliott and Cal couldn't help but wonder if their father had moved on and found somebody else. he'd been divorced for the past twelve years, so it wasn't a completely unreasonable, and as he'd let slip earlier he'd dated men before, so he bisexual at the very least. The name didn't help as Bec was a unisex name and as well as a surname.

"My sister." Zan replied, and for the first time since they'd initially seen him he smiled, up until now they'd either seen expressions that were neutral, stoically unreadable or pissed off and angry at the injustices of the military trials. They'd never seen anything even approaching happiness on his face. The smile in question was a very small one, more of an upwards curl of the corners of his lips than a proper grin, but it portrayed a depth of emotions that Cal, Cliff, John, Elliott and Fia would all recognise as it was the same cocktail as when they spoke about their own siblings- fondness, love, happiness, a slight bit of pride, and a tiny smidge of exasperation.

 

[MzHyde]

Both Fia and Kay were well and truly focused on Zan and Jay, wondering just how far Jay would take this situation and as she got closer and closer to Zan, pressing the barrel of her gun against his forehead, for that moment they both were convinced that Jay was going to actually pull the trigger. It was only when his phone started ringing on the table amongst all the other devices and items did they look away from the confrontation that was in front of them. They did however notice how much more focused Jay had become whilst not wavering in the slightest, instead keeping still and firm in where she stood. The idea of the apartment possibly being bugged in some way did go through Fia's head, as in her eyes it would have been a wise thing as well as a smart thing to do. So when Cliff took a look at the phone and said who it was, she rose an eyebrow having sworn the name Bec had briefly came up in the previous talks only moments ago, which got her wondering the same thing as John did. Was this Bec a colleague in some way and ringing to say they knew what was going on? She didn't know but she could tell from John's face that he was hoping it was an excuse to beat the living crap out of Zan.

Kay looked firmly at Zan, observing his behaviour knowing that from where she was, like with the fist clenching, she could see little tics he was expressing that the others couldn't see. Fia smirked when Jay remarked about how bold it was of Zan to assume that he'd be able to call this Bec back and as John pretty much sneered his question. What neither were expecting Zan to express that all too familiar fond smile when he declared that Bec was the sister they learned he had the other day. The fact that even Kay recognised it as she too had her moments of showing fondness in her face when she spoke of Sam showed Kay that he was telling the truth of who this person calling was. Fia was like Kay in the respect that she recognised it because she had that same look when she spoke of Elliott or to him, that look of love and admiration, so for her she believed him completely on this one thing. "does she know what you're doing when it comes to this trial and Elliott? And if so, how much?" Kay asked, wanting to observe more of his body language. Fia still found the timing highly strange, but she was still on high alert and highly suspicious of the man in front of them, so she put some of it down to her being simply not liking the man.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Kay and Fia weren't the only one thinking that Jay was going to pull the trigger, both John and Chas firmly believed she was just wrong answer away from blowing Zan's brains out over the wall. Cliff was slightly more conflicted, as a regular doctor she'd sworn to heal not to hurt, but as a military doctor she knew all too well that there were cases where you had to hurt to help people heal. By removing Zan from her wife and brother-in-laws' lives entirely, it could remove a whole world of pain from the both of them, as well as allowing them to finally get proper closure. But if they were to kill Zan they mightn't ever find out the full truth of what happened to him as his spook files would be sealed beyond their (or Deke's access). And if Jay did kill him, they'd all be responsible and have to keep the secret for the rest of their lives. Thankfully she was saved from her moral musings by the phone going off.

The smile, even though it was just a hint of an expression was extremely disarming for those in the room, showing another side to Zan that they'd never even let themselves consider; the caring older brother. Elliott and Cal had inferred from their father's words that Zan's sister was his favourite person in the world, but this was the first time they'd seen him express it so openly. It was a testament to how much his sister meant to him, that even with a gun pressed against his skin, he could still manage to smile. Jay removed the gun a minute fraction away from his said, so like Kay, she could study his facial expressions in depth. For the first time since entering the apartment she noticed that the man's eyes were motted Devra gold and turquoise, as the dye slowly was washed away from his irises."Of course she does." Zan replied, almost matter of factly, the mention of Bec having re-instilled some confidence and fight in him, to the point where he very slightly uncurled the hand behind his back, removing his nails from the deep gashes in his right palm. "And to answer the other question, Bec knows far more than you do, almost everything to be exact. But she's been involved with helping me with the collating and connecting of evidence for over five years now. She gives an outsider perspective on the whole thing. This isn't the kind of thing you can keep secret from the only sibling who still gives a shit."

 

[MzHyde]

When Kay asked her question, she was half expecting the answer to be yes but she wasn't expecting fully for Jay to pull back her gun the tiniest bit, or for Zan to add that his sister knows more than he's told them. She knew it shouldn't have been a surprise deep down that that'd be the case, having understood where he was coming from with the remark about certain things you just don't keep from family, especially if they're the only one who gives a toss about you and what you're doing. Yet that didn't mean she had to like the answer she got, and that was precisely the case with her. The fact that he would tell his sister, someone who was on the outside (as far as they knew) knew about this than they did was irritating to say the least. Fia also hated the answer as it made her grit her teeth back together again, as his previous words and face did earlier. "as much as I get the whole 'not keeping certain things from the only one who gives a shit' statement, telling us your sister knows far more than we do is not going to go in your favour right with this lot" Kay replied, unlike Fia, managing to keep her emotions out of her tone of voice just about and just speaking to him with warning but as adult to adult.

She knew that his answer was not going go down well with John and Fia, as well as the others but out of everyone it was those two and Jay who she saw the real craving to best Zan to a bloody pulp in those three the most. She also saw how Fia was really fighting to keep her cool at his answer, knowing it was going to take one more bad answer and Fia won't be able to stop herself from lashing out. Which just made Kay think if it got any worse she would have to pull Fia out of the room as she was not going to let Fia switch and become the alternate version of herself in any shape or form, nor was she prepared to let Fia be in the room if Jay pulled the trigger. She didn't want that on her conscience nor did she want it her kid's. She felt like she was the only one other than Cliff who was having such thoughts, even though she knew as well as Cliff did, that sometimes....just sometimes to hurt someone was the only way to heal. She just hoped that no matter how John felt about wanting to inflict pain onto Zan, he would agree with her that Fia should not be exposed to it for risk of her becoming the alternate version. "If I was you I'd start telling us what Bec knows that we don't and cut the crap whilst you're at it" Fia chimed in, almost sneering once again.

 

[_gallifrog_]

It was logical that Bec would know far more than Cal and Elliott, she'd been in Zan's life for six, almost seven years, during which time Elliott had been living on another planet and couldn't possibly have found out and Cal wasn't even talking to him. But this wasn't a time for logical thought, this was a time where decisions were made very much based on emotions and feelings. It was like a slap across the face followed by a punch in the gut for both of them, and it did show on their faces. Part of Cal knew that if her father had tried to tell her any of this, she wouldn't have believed him at all, she wouldn't even have agreed to hear him out. But the more dominant part wondered why Zan had never even bothered to try and contact her about this. Did he really think that she would be the kind of person to refuse to expose the true, corrupt nature of the Attilian government just because she'd been so badly scorned by him in the past? Did he really think that lowly of her, or was this all some elaborate ploy that he'd come out of the whole thing looking like a martyr? The heroic whistle-blower who'd still managed to release his evidence to the world despite being killed because of said evidence? Was this just another way he was going to reel them in, then show his true, darker colours at the end, leaving them all even more hurt than they'd been beforehand? The only thing stopping her from saying or doing something rash was Cliff. Her wife really was her better half and Cal didn't think she'd ever be able to look the woman she loved in the eye if she'd killed or fatally wounded Zan with her powers.

John was back to wanting to punch the man in the face. He was so bloody infuriating. Up until now the politician had been passive, an almost resigned air about him as he explained the dumpster fire mess of lies, bad decisions and fake identities that was his life. He'd put himself somewhat in their good graces by showing that he wasn't a complete asshole and shared their opinion that the military trials that had created Sykes and the wolf's partner Cynthia, but all that had just been erased by the matter of fact way in which he said 'my sister knows more than you do'. He couldn't have found a worse way to snub his own children and it made John's blood boil. the only thing preventing him throwing himself at the man was the fact that Jay was already there, all scarily silent and armed and would be able to complete the job before he even reached the man. Zan raised an eyebrow every so slight at Kay's comment, making two things become apparently clear, one; that he really didn't care about what happened to him in the course of getting this information out into the world, he was more than willing to die for it and two, the mention of his sister had made him reckless and more willing to talk back. "You're saying that as if there is anything in this universe that I could do that would garner favour with this lot."

"How long have you got then?" Zan asked in response to Fia's question, crossing his arms across his chest, his bloody hand concealed tight against his body, the complete change of direction taking John by surprise "the fuck are you talking about?" he snarled at the politician who shrugged and decided to speak his mind for once instead of taking it all passively like he had earlier. "Well if you want me to get you up to speed and tell you the same amount of information that Bec knows in the same amount of detail that she knows it in, I am going to have to summarise at least SIX YEARS worth of the stuff, which is going to take quite a while. And I only have this place for the next" he glanced at his watch "three hours ten minutes or so, then it's the freelancer's turn in this place. And they'll be using this lot" he gestured at the high end computer set up "to finish decrypting the data stolen earlier, there's only the highest level encrypted documents left, which are the ones I know contain the final pieces of evidence to make this all watertight. So the sooner that happens, the better." Zan had just enough knowledge of the people in the room to know that they could not refute any part of this particular argument of his. The sooner the information was released to the public, the better and the sooner the information was released, the sooner he became completely obsolete (the politician didn't really like that fact, but he knew everybody else in the room did).

 

[MzHyde]

Neither Fia or Kay could refute that it was only logical Zan's sister knew more than they did right at this stage, but what did annoy the two was the way he worded it all, making his kids sound so obsolete and like they meant nothing to him. He would put his own sister above his own kids, and in front of them! Fia couldn't imagine anything worse than to hear a parent speak in such a way and imply such a thing. No matter how much someone loved their siblings or was close to them, the idea of basically saying 'only my sibling gives a shit' could only be interpretated to the kids as 'my sibling matters, you dont'. Fia knew if either John or Kay ever said such things or implied them to her she would be absolutely devastated and broken. So she could only imagine how Elliott and Cal must be feeling and thinking right now. She also didn't particularly like how he spoke to Kay, but found restraint in herself to not go on the defence for her mother, and instead said what she did, thinking her demand was the better thing to say. The way he spoke to her and crossed his arms, she got the impression he wasn't taking her seriously in the slightest because of her age, but she didn't care and just let John snarl at him in response instead.

Kay listened to what Zan had to say for himself about why he asked how long they had if he was to explain everything he explained to his sister, to them. The very idea that he was keeping years worth of information from them was infuriating to Fia and Kay, both taking it as he wasn't trusting his kids or their group enough to give them any of the important information they clearly needed. Yet at the same time they knew they couldn't refute or deny the last bit of what he said, knowing that yes, the sooner they knew everything they needed to, the better. "Ell, Cal, what do you want to do?" Kay asked them, deciding that at this point in time they should have some say in this and how much of the hidden information they wanted to know. Fia was tempted to suggest they just hear as much as they could in the time they had left, but hearing her mother offer the decision to Elliott and Cal, she knew it was the right call.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The 'I'm not taking this crap lying down any more' attitude that Zan was showing made Jay really wish she had shot him earlier, somewhere non-lethal just to shut him up and make it clear that she wasn't going to mess around here, not with everything that was at stake. But as much as she hated to admit it, the man made a very valid point, there was a whole mine of information that needed to be explained, Zan had only given the most basic summary of the contents of the main wall and if they were understanding him right there was at least nine years of information in total (it had been twelve years since Elliott was 'exiled' and three of those Zan had spent being reprogrammed). The look of 'I hate the fact hat I cannot deny you are right about this one thing' was very clear in her eyes as she glared unblinkingly at the man in front of her.

Cal and Elliott turned to look at one another when the decision was placed on them. On one hand, neither wanted to spend the next three hours with their father, patience was already running low and the self control of the more violent elements in the room was thinning alarmingly. Zan had a habit of rubbing people up the wrong way, especially when he was talking back and not answering their questions in a passive, defeated way. Both had been hurt by his words at various points since finding out he was the spook, and there was only so much they could take before one or teh other of them lost it spectacularly. On the other hand they needed this information to ensure their victory and they needed to be able to back it up and string it together in a coherent, watertight way that couldn't be picked apart by anybody on the defence's side. If there really was as much information as Zan was insinuating then they needed to get started as soon as possible. The two nodded at each other (relieved to see that their sibling was thinking along the same lines as they were) before turning back to their group. "There's no question about it, we need this information and we need to understand it well enough to be able to argue for it should it come to that." "And if there really is that much of it, then we have no choice but to get started as soon as possible, which means" Cal directed the next part (along with a frustrated) disapproving glare at her her father "that you're stuck with us until we know everything."

No matter what decision had been made John, Cliff, Chas and Jay would have stood by the siblings, regardless of whether they agreed with it or not, this was the time for being a united front and following the sibling's lead on everything. "Well that's that settled then" Jay replied, slowly lowering the gun, making sure the weapon stayed in contact with Zan's skin for as long as possible, ensuring he wouldn't forget this encounter in a hurry "educate us on this stuff." She gestured at the main wall, taking some steps back to rejoin the rest of the group. She so badly wanted to call it 'shit', but since it was information that would save Elliott's life and secure a successful outcome to the trial, it really couldn't be classified as shit. Zan lifted a hand as if to run it through his hair, but decided against the gesture, settled back against the wall and began to talk.

It would soon become apparent that the man hadn't been kidding about the sheer volume of information that had been unearthed over the past nine years. (It also became clear pretty quickly that would have been physically impossible for him, in the time between them finding out that he was the spook and the time that they found out his sister was called Bec, to bring them up to her level of knowledge.) The whole plot was far more nuanced and far reaching than any of them had initially thought. At first Zan's explanation had been on the disorganised side as he tried to figure out what that best way to string things together was, and matters weren't helped by the questions being asked by the non-natives of Attil who weren't fully aware of the intricacies of government on Attil. But as the time passed he found his stride and settled into the explanation, proving to be a very good explainer. He didn't exactly relax, but he was nowhere near as tense as he'd been earlier and the rougher, defensive edges of him wore away somewhat. There was no denying he'd been thorough and John would have groaned at how much his mind was being melted at the sheer volume of information they were being fed, but he didn't want to give Zan the satisfaction of knowing he'd been right with his earlier comments on how long it would take to get them up to Bec's level. Another thing that would quickly become clear was that Zan knew the location of every single file in the room and the location of key pieces of information within said documents. About an hour into his talk the little calico cat became bored and decided that the ideal place to sit and survey her domain was on Zan's shoulder. There was something comical about the image of Zan with the cat on his shoulder explaining the darkest secrets of the Attilian government.

 

[MzHyde]

Like the others in the room, Fia would stand by whatever decision Elliott and Cal would come to. She could tell that it was considered a really tough decision to make between the two of them, but she knew in her heart and head that Elliott and Cal would make the right decision for them. So when Cal and Elliott both agreed and settled for wanting to know as much as they possibly could and well enough to truly help his cause, she nodded subtly before hearing Jay settle the decision and make Zan start talking. She and Kay both listened as Zan started talking, both asking the odd question for full understanding, just as Chas and John would have done also. If they were to be of any help or support then they wanted to be fully capable of understanding everything that was being said.

Kay also noticed how Zan wasn't exactly relaxing but was settling into a slightly more casual manner and not so defensive in his stance. There was a time when she had to lean against a wall or the table but on the whole she managed to remain standing the entire time, which surprised her deep down but didn't make a big deal out of it at all. When the calico cat woke up, came over and wrapped itself round Zan's shoulder, Fia couldn't help but let the tiniest smirk appear at the corner of her lips seeing that it didn't matter where they were, cats were exactly the same. But it did make her miss Cliff's dogs and her own little one so she made a point to try and not look at the cat as she listened to Zan and glancing at the wall of evidence whenever it was gestured to. As the hours went on, she was finding her mind was beginning to almost hurt with the amount of information it was processing and gfeeling she was getting close to not being able to listen to much more. Kay was getting to a similar state as the next three hours went on, finding herself getting tired and lethargic.

 

[_gallifrog_]

What quickly became woefully apparent to John was that he was not at all equipped to absorb this much information all in one go. It was too much, too complex and so, so much bigger than he'd initially thought. At first he'd asked all manner of questions, not ashamed to need to dig deeper into the information, pulling at threads to see if he could find fault or flaw in it. But there was none, none that he could find and none that the others could find. Cal, Cliff, Jay and Elliott's questions were far more specific than those of the Earth group, all had the relevant background on how things forked and in the case of Cal and Cliff many of their points were matching up what they'd seen (or fed by the media) as members of the general public with what Zan had unearthed in his years of investigation. The man was thorough beyond belief and the meticulous work he'd put into making this expose clearly showed. There were moments where all of them had to hold back the fact that they were genuinely impressed by his work as none wanted to give the impression that they actually liked Zan and were slightly in awe of what he'd managed to unearth and string together. Although the picture was intricate, the evidence chain that Zan had assembled was irrefutable and stood up to the combined scrutiny of their group.

Elliott couldn't help but let a smirk out when the cat decided that Zan's shoulder was the ideal place to be. If forced to make a choice about it, he'd probably say he was more of a cat than a dog person and there had been numerous times where he'd compared Jay to a cat, acting aloof, not giving a shit about anybody unless they fed her, vanished for long periods of time without explanation and would give a killer 'how dare you touch me you unworthy mortal' look if you tried to get too comfortable with her. This cat was the only one in the room firmly on Zan's side and he had a gut feeling that if jay had shot him this little cat would have tried to claw the assassin's eyes out. Judging by the lack of flinching when the cat jumped on Zan, the cat taking this perch was all a fairly normal occurrence in his birth father's life.

When the three hours were up there was a mass slumping of relief from everybody in the room. It had been a mammoth session of cramming, one not helped by the fact that the only chairs in the place were covered in file boxes and nobody was willing to sit down less it be perceived as a sign of weakness. Though over the course of the three hours there had been a change of atmosphere in the room, the hostility from earlier having bled away and been replaced by a more serious atmosphere. Even Zan was feeling the strain of the three hours, slumping and running his left hand up over his face and through his hair. John did the same unable to stop his words from slipping out "Christ that was heavy." He groaned."How much more of there is that?" Zan did a mental calculation, eyebrows scrunching together as his eyes flicked between the various parts of the room. "That was maybe a quarter of the total information? So quite a lot regardless of whether you want six years worth or all nine years." The shrug and the very slight edge to his tone was almost apologetic in nature. Before the man could say anything else John spoke again "don't say 'I told you so'." "Wasn't going to." The man replied.

 

[MzHyde]

When Fia started the whole 'you need to start talking and not leave anything out' spiel three hours ago, she knew whatever Zan was keeping from them was heavy, but she didn't think it'd be that heavy and intense. She found herself sighing as she tried digest everything, yet all she could digest from it was that it was solid information that really would help Elliott out and all magic users on Attil. Over the three hours she had some point taken her hair completely down from the ponytail it was previously in, the tie round her wrist which she started playing with as her mind went through everything. When John spoke up, she instinctively nodded in agreement at the first remark, before listening to how much of what they were told was the six years worth. Hearing it was only a quarter of it, she let a low silent exhale of air. She did note the almost apologetic tone in Zan's voice, but it didn't mean she trusted him suddenly as she still didn't trust the guy in the slightest. In fact she probably would put more trust in the cat on his shoulder more than she would on him, as she could definitely trust that the cat wouldn't hesitate to claw at her if her earlier hissing was anything to go by. She was however half expecting a 'I told you so' spiel to come from his mouth, so when John told him not to say it, only to hear Zan confirm he wasn't going to, she was surprised, though didn't show it on her face.

Kay was glad also that Zan wasn't going to start spouting off all the 'I told you so' spiel as the last thing they all needed was all of that. She was aware that soon enough the other 'tenants'would be coming back and occupying this apartment, which judging by the size of it, she figured they'd have to leave when that happens. She was also exhausted from the large amount of information being heard "I guess the only other question I got is this: are you going to stop leaving your kids and us in the dark and keep us updated when you get the final pieces of evidence? Or are we going to have to find out the bombshells in court?" she asked Zan. Her tone like before was a lot calmer than the others had been throughout the night, but there wasn't an ounce of trust in it toward him either. She was just trying to be a unbiased person, even though deep down she was just as biased and on the side of Elliott was everybody else in their group. She just wanted to be the calm mature one, as she knew how important it was to be completely in check with her emotions whilst pregnant. Yet also in her tone was the hint of exhaustion, which was also showing in her body language at this stage.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John raised a sceptical eyebrow when Zan said that he wasn't intending to say 'I told you so'. There was still some malice behind the gesture, but nothing compared to the levels of anger from earlier. The lessened levels weren't because he'd warmed to the man in the past couple of hours (he most certainly hadn't), it was because having so much information thrown him at once was frying his brain, overloading to the point that he was fully expecting there to be cartoon style puffs of smoke coming out of them. There was no doubt that the information was going to be incredibly useful, it was going to completely destroy the anti-magic section of the Attilian government. John had been very surprised to learn that there was actually a part of the Attilian government advocating for greater equality for magic users and he'd actually dared to hope a little until he found out that they were the minority and were never able to get anything to pass as the majority were either anti-magic or like Zan were being controlled by the anti-magic section. Zan couldn't run the risk of anybody finding out that he'd been reprogrammed, which was why he'd continued being the anti-magic poster boy of his particular party. He also talked about politicians and filthy rich political backers with the same level of loathing that John did when talking about British politicians. Had it been anybody else, the two men probably could have bonded over their mutual hatred of politicians and the political system. But it was Zan, so that John swore to himself was never going to happen.

"What were ya gonna say then?" he asked. "Something along the lines of, unless you want to grill my co-conspirators then it's best you leave this place and get ready for the next day of the trial" the politician replied, leaving out the part about the fact he was damn well thinking it, but certain he'd get his head ripped off if he pulled that kind of smug move anywhere outside of his mind. the exhaustion of the room hadn't escaped anybody's attention, least of all Zan's. The only people not looking totally wrecked were Jay (unsurprisingly, she'd rather die than show any signs of weakness in front of Zan), Cal and Elliott (as they didn't need the same amount of sleep as the earthlings). At Kay's question he nodded. "Yeah I'll be keeping you updated, I've have no intention of pulling another stunt like that in court." There was something in his voice, an edge of either sadness of guilt as he spoke, that suggested he was sorry for dumping such a bombshell on his kids like that. "And besides, if they do put me in the witness box again, you'll know they're getting desperate." Cal pulled out her phone "Is your number still the same as when me and Qui were younger." The politician shook his head "I've a different one" he replied before reciting the number. Cal and Elliott gave theirs, Cal not bothering to give her address knowing that Zan knew it already having sent them files. Zan did give them his actual address though he added that these days he wasn't there much.

 

[MzHyde]

The fact that it was only Cal, Jay and Elliott that weren't looking absolutely wrecked was of no surprise to Fia and Kay. They knew all too well how well they could focus and cope with very little sleep, which was something that both of them were ever so slightly jealous of. Kay used to be able to cope with lack of sleep once upon a time, but that was purely down to either she had to get coursework done and couldn't afford to be exhausted, or she was too terrified to sleep incase the demons caught up to her and either took her to Hell for The First or just straight up killed her because they were kill hungry. Fia just loved her sleep like a lot of teenagers did, only liking being up all night if it was for something fun that just kept her gripped, and not because something was so complex and mind blowing it was frying her brain. Not to mention she, like everyone else minus Kay had been playing an intense game of roof ball before all of this. So it wasn't just mental exhaustion that was getting to her, it was physical exhaustion as well. Yet that wasn't going to stop her from attending the next day of trial either, not if she could help it anyway.

With Zan answering John's question first with what he was actually going to say, she found it to be the most valid point to make as she had no intention to question his co-conspirators personally, as she was too filled up with information to be able to handle any more. At the answer to Kay's question, she was glad that he had learned something from this situation and agreed to share everything else he learns with them and not leave them in the dark any longer. With the numbers exchanged between Cal, Elliott and Zan, she covered her mouth as she let out a little short yawn before shoving her hands back in her jacket pockets. "with all that said and done, we ready to go?" Kay asked her group, feeling more than ready to leave this cramped apartment and head back to Cal and Cliff's. Fia nodded her answer to Kay, "I am if everyone else is" she replied, seeing just how tired Kay truly was, making her wonder if she would even make it to the trial, as she was having her doubts, but she wasn't going to say anything to Kay in front of Zan, not wanting to make Kay come across as their weakest member just because of her current situation.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"I am" John nodded vigorously, for the first time in a while he was actually feeling tired enough to sleep. He wasn't sure whether he was being bored to death by the sheer volume of information given to them in such a short space of time or if it was because of the intense game of roofball from earlier or he would have crashed out anyway, regardless of whether they'd found out Zan's true job or not. Either way he was going to take the opportunity to bloody pass out, he didn't want to spend any more time thinking about Zan than he already had. He was at the stage where even a couch covered with files and cat hair was looking like an attractive place to kip. Of course he wasn't going to give that as his reason, it really was nobody's fucking business. "This place is bloody claustrophobic with so fuckin' many of us in it." "Well it is only meant for two, three people at the very max. It's also military accommodation and they're not exactly known for providing spacious, luxurious rooms." Cal and Cliff gave nods and smirks of agreement, knowing Jay's words to be all too true. Zan also gave a very slight of agreement at the quip.

Nobody else had any qualms about going. As interesting as it could potentially be to talk to the people who were trying to find a cure for Rinaa and those others victims who were bitten by Sykes, there were things that needed to be discussed and sleep that they were all desperately feeling the need for. They all filed out of the apartment and out into the corridor. Zan was the last to leave, grabbing the leather jacket from the couch as well as a motorcycle helmet on the way out. The cat took a lift out of the room on Zan's shoulder then graceful jumped off and headed down the corridor, not giving them a backwards a glance. "She'll be fine, and for the record she's not actually my cat, it sort of belongs to the whole building" was the explanation Zan gave, seeing the question on Cliff's face. The doctor had only grown up knowing the wildcats on the island, so the behaviours of a domesticated cat were something she didn't have much experience with. "Since when did you ride a motorbike?" Cal couldn't help but ask, nose scrunching up slightly in confusion, having not noticed that the shoes her birth father was wearing were actually motorbike boots. "Since I was fifteen... sixteen?" Zan replied with a shrug. "So illegally then?" "Isn't that the only way anybody ever learns?" Zan retaliated with a raised eyebrow (head slightly titled, a look that she knew all to well from her childhood) accompanied by and expression that said 'yes, I do know that you were sneaking out of my house and riding motorbikes illegally as a teenager'

 

[MzHyde]

Kay was glad that everyone was agreeing to leaving and heading back. She really didn't know how much longer she could possibly stay awake for and she most definitely didn't fancy fainting from exhaustion in front of Zan of all people. It would be bad enough if her body decided to make her keel over in front of their group, but to keel over in front of Zan would be downright mortifying in her eyes because she didn't truly know him. She was also glad that Cal and Cliff's apartment wasn't that far away from this place as she really didn't feel like walking for who knows how long just to get to the bed her and John took up. Agreeing that the place was very claustrophobic with so many of them inside of it, she waited for everyone to be ready and with them all, walked outside, sighing with relief at the fresh air that hit her. She also rose an eyebrow when the cat left with them all and decided to go do whatever it was she wanted to, but nodded at understanding toward the explanation that Zan have them all about how the cat was just there and didn't really belong to anyone in particular. It honestly reminded her of certain cats back on Earth, how some place just the 'resident cat' who seemed to know everyone in a particular area but didn't belong to any of them.

She couldn't help but eavesdrop on the question Cal asked him about his attire, only now really realising he was kitted out in motorcycle gear. The answer Cal got, told Kay that he knew what Cal got up to when she was a kid, which as much as she hated to admit it, told her that him and future John were very much alike on that stance. Fia having also heard the answer couldn't help but smirk, holding back her whole 'my dad was the same' statement, as she really didn't want to talk to him anymore and just wanted to head back to her temporary home of Cal and Cliff's apartment. She also didn't want him knowing anything about her outside of that she could have a seriously sharp tongue and not to be messed with. Instead she kept a close eye on Kay as discreetly as possible, convinced her mother would drop any minute if they didn't hurry back to the apartment.