Chapter 2: Cause your blood's running cold outside the familiar

Vanya entered Klaus' room. She was not the first. Diego, and Officer Patch had done it before with poor results. Klaus was awake, aware of his surroundings and the events he had experienced. He was aware of the date, of the current year, of the events of his childhood and his history in general. He had even been able to specify details of experiences with a high eschatological content that nobody had asked but that, knowing him, had undoubtedly happened.

Still, he kept calling Diego by the name of Dave.

Vanya entered the room. A room with poor light and poor ventilation. His brother had bandages on his wrists and on his torso, routine serum along with another small bag at his side. His look lost in a corner of the room and an expression of deep anguish in his face.

Diego had left minutes before and his expression had been very similar. Despite his insistence, Klaus did not seem to recognize him as his brother. Judging from Klaus's expression, Vanya wondered if his words had finally had any effect.

"Hey"

"Hey" Klaus smile forcibly. His concentration returned to the corner of the room. For a few seconds none said anything else. Vanya grabbed the strap of her backpack again.

"I brought you a sandwich, in case …"

"Do you think he's mad at me? He looked angry, but I don´t know why. Maybe I did something wrong but I don´t remember" Klaus spoke with that soft and incessant tone that made it seem more a conversation with himself than with another.

"Who?" She asked by inertia, although she knew who she was referring to.

"Dave"

Klaus looked at her again as if he had just realized she was there.

"Oh, it's true! You don´t know him. Dave saved me. He brought the police and everything was like in the movies. BUM, BUM and they stormed in! I felt I was the princess of the story, I just missed the kiss .. "He winked at her exaggeratedly. "You should have seen it ..."

"Oh," she said as an answer. She still had trouble adapting to his brother's sudden mood swings. Klaus continued to refer to the rescue but soon his expression darkened again as he recalled recent events.

"I could fix it if I knew. You know? If I knew exactly what I did, I would find a way that he was no longer angry with me and then ... "He stopped. Klaus in silence was never a good sign.

"And how did you meet?" She did not know if she was doing well, but it was the only thing she could think of to avoid his sadness.

"It was in Vietnam!" His eyes lit up at the supposed memory. "Oh, yes I know. It sounds crazy, that war was even before we were born. But listen! Those two crazy people had a briefcase that would have been Emmet Brown's dream ... "

"Who's dream?"

"Emmet Brown! From "Back to the future." Well, whatever, I travel to the past with that thing and that's where I met Dave. We fight together in the A Shau Valley in the Mountain of the Crouching Beast."

"Ah," she said in response. Klaus's story lacked coherence but his enthusiasm in telling it was genuine.

"We split up in one of the raids. I could not find him and ... it was when the briefcase decided to transport me back here. "He sighed in sorrow. "I wanted to go back, bring Dave with me but those idiots caught me again." He paused for a moment to return to the story with almost manic enthusiasm.

"But all that does not matter now! He is here with me. It's all that matters. "He finish smiling as one who feels unexpectedly fortunate. She returned the smile by inertia.

"Well, I'll let you rest a little more. If you need something.."

"Could you tell him I did not want to? He knows me. He knows that I do things without thinking. That whatever I did, I just ...if he could forgive me. Could you? "Klaus spoke to her as if she were his last hope. Despair was barely put at bay in his words. Vanya felt her heart shrink.

"Sure."

The hospital psychiatrist was a bearded man who smelled strongly of tobacco and seemed in a hurry to be in another place.

"Confusional syndrome" He diagnosed it once he could examine Klaus.

"It can be the product of psychological trauma. Occasionally occurs when the mind can not stand a certain fact and that circumstance is replaced by another, more tolerable. Under what circumstances was he found? "The doctor asked after quickly reading the clinical history in his hands.

Diego did not respond immediately so Eudora spoke for him.

"He was tied and conscious when we got was hurt but not seriously ... "

"He was inside a closet," he interrupted, managing to remember. A sudden tremor ran through his body. "Dad used to lock him up in dark places when we were kids ... in mausoleums"

The doctor watched him intensely for a few seconds as if he did not believe what he had just said. Finally he sighed and scribbled some notes on the card.

"Well, there you have it. I will prescribe these medication to reduce his anxiety. Outside of that, we have to wait. The symptoms should subside in a few days."

"Wait!"

Diego took him by the arm before he could leave the office. He had not liked at all the scant explanation and the little time he had devoted to them.

"What happens if the symptoms dont´t subside?

The doctor focused his eyes on his arm where he was subject and then on Diego. He was not intimidated by the man in spandex and leather.

"If they don´t ..." He yanked free of the grip. "You will have to wait longer. Good Morning."

Eudora seized him before his fury broke loose against the insolent health agent and they all ended up spending the night in a prison cell.

Klaus was released the next morning. "He have to take the medication and should rest." They suggested. He doubted that Klaus would be able to comply with the recommendations, but he nodded anyway.

When leaving the hospital there was an uncomfortable moment. Vanya, who had been with them all the time, stopped when they got to the car. Suddenly she remembered the events she had experienced before finding Klaus and felt that she had to move away again. Let her brothers solve their academy affairs. She did not have a place there. They had already left it clear enough ..

"Not coming?"

The insecurity in Diego's tone had dyes of supplication Please come. I don´t know what to do with this. She was tempted to say no. That he did not deserve her help. That none of them had done anything for her. She did not owe them anything.

"Okay"

She had never been very good at saying what she really thought.

During the trip they remained mostly silent, except for the odd comments that Klaus directed to "Dave" indicating his favorite stores and places. Diego remained silent and soon Klaus gave up trying to make conversation. Vanya's pleading looks towards her brother did nothing to improve the tense atmosphere that had formed.

After a few minutes they stopped at a gas station. Diego got out of the car. Klaus, on the other hand, reported that he was dying of hunger and that he would buy some sweets. Vanya followed him with her eyes. Evade, it was the way his brother used to deal with situations that anguished him, she knew it well. It was the method that both used.

"I warned the others that we are going there. I also informed them of the current ... circumstances. Hopefully we'll arrive in time to help with the apocalypse or whatever ... "

Vanya remained silent. Her attention was fixed on how Diego's hands frantically searched his wallet for the money to pay. Twice he took the change badly and had to apologize to the employee for his clumsiness. Finally when he received the ticket he focused his gaze on her.

"No! No way am I going to pretend I'm him. I will not feed his delirium. This is madness."

They got into the car and kept waiting for Klaus. Vanya struggled internally between speaking or not, but she had made a promise to Klaus, and as absurd as it was, he had relied on her in a moment of weakness. At least she should try.

"They met in Vietnam and fought together in the valley of A Shau. However you look at it, Dave saved him while he was in that closet and rescued his from his tormentors. "

She stopped to arm herself again with courage.

"Klaus loves him."

During the rest of the trip Klaus was increasingly restless, moving from one side to the other in the back seat, resuming the conversation he had been holding before arriving at the gas station. Vanya nodded whenever she could to indicate that she was listening but was having trouble keeping up with his rhythm. His brother jumped from one topic to another for no apparent reason. It was when they were in front of the mansion that the constant monologue stopped abruptly.

Diego turned off the engine, directed a significant look at Vanya and then at Klaus.

"I will not get off the car"

Klaus had crossed his arms. His posture and gesture resembled a small child. Neither of them expected that reaction. Diego turned to face him.

"What's wrong? Why not?"

"This is not a good idea, Dave. I don´t want to be here, we could go elsewhere. I saw a donut shop on the road, maybe we could ... "

"Klaus, it's important that we all be in the meeting We have to avoid the apocalypse. Remember? " Vanya interjected at his brother's snort.

Klaus gave Diego a quick questioning look.

"Oh, he already knows. I had to tell him. He knows it's important .. "

Diego rolled his eyes at the words of his sister.

"Is that ..." He insisted weakly again.

Diego lost his patience. If they wanted to end that once and for all, they had to start by getting off the damn car.

"Come on!"

He opened the back door and forced the other to come down regardless of the protests. Diego could not wait for everything to return to normal to resume his life.

Allison, Luther and Five waited in the dining room. The three focused their attention on them as they entered. Klaus clung to Diego's jacket and Vanya's a few steps behind. Both visibly uncomfortable to be there.

"Klaus" Allison greeted "Are you okay? "She asked with an almost maternal concern and made to move closer to them.

Diego stared at her, still reproaching her attitude by refusing to look for him. Allison stepped back instantly.

"Oh! I'm fine! Thanks for asking, he is Dave by the way. We met in Vietnam, a long story ... "Klaus replied suddenly, confusing Allison's gaze towards Diego.

"Where is Diego? I thought we all had to be in this apocalyptic meeting .. "

Diego sighed at the delirious situation of having his brother asking for him while hanging on his arm. Although everyone was aware of the confusion of Klaus, that did not prevent the atmosphere of the place is rarefied. Allison looked down, Luther opened his mouth and could not contain the surprise. Before Klaus could notice, Five intervened.

"He is out." And before anyone could add something more. "It's not important now. We must focus. Klaus, did you have any progress with dad? "

Klaus quickly shook his head hiding behind Diego. That attitude was strange in him. Diego did not overlook it, but he could not tell what it was due to. Five narrowed his eyes, staring at his elusive brother.

"Hazel and Cha-Cha interrogated you and you gave them information about me," Five concluded mordantly. Diego could not help but be surprised at his sharpness. So that's why he did not want to enter ...

Klaus did not answer, but again clutched the fabric of the jacket intensely. For a second he seemed to want to grow smaller. Five hit the table with one of his hands startling Allison who was closer.

"That's why they burned the lab before I could get there! The only clue we had! The only hope of stopping this!"

"I don´t want to be here Dave. Please, let's go. "Diego heard Klaus' whisper in his ear and for a second he did not recognize his brother. That pleading and weak creature was nothing like the carefree and disrespectful Klaus of all time. What the hell had they done with him?

"Useless." Five hissed. His anger and frustration as a force emanating from his body. "Dad was always right. You're just a good for nothing. "

Klaus cringed more and more behind him. Diego felt a tremor running through his brother's body and that was enough for him.

"HEY! He didn´t do it on purpose! Those crazy people tortured him! They could have killed him if we did not find him before! "

Five snorted, a look of skepticism in his eyes and a sardonic smile on his lips.

"Maybe, it would have been the best."

Diego could only hold the air. As soon as the words were said he had rushed at his brother but he had disappeared before he could reach him.

"He's gone crazy! Completely crazy!" He screamed out of himself. Allison and Luther trying to contain him to keep it from Five.

"I'll go talk to him" Allison said as soon as she could see that Luther held him in an oppressive hug.

"Well! That´s have been wonderful!" Klaus exclaimed with feigned nonchalance but hugged himself without being able to take his eyes off the ground.

There was something devastating in his gesture and that made Diego calm down. Luther left him at that moment to approach with insecure steps to him. Diego was about to go against him thinking he was going to hurt Klaus but Vanya stopped him. Wait!

"A good leader takes care of his group. I let this happen to you. I was not a good number one. Sorry"

Diego could not help but roll his eyes at the apology of his brother. He always found a way to do other's problems, self-referential. Still, it seemed to have an effect. Klaus chuckled, something in his posture relaxing a little.

"Well, at least I'm not the only one who is not good at something"

The three left the mansion a few minutes after entering. Diego was still unable to calm down completely after the episode with Five. Certainly Allison had been right. After the time travel his missing brother had lost his mind.

He did not want to know anything about apocalypse or how to avoid it. Five would take care, and if not ... well, everything would go to hell if that had to be. He was fed up.

Diego was going down the stairs when he noticed something. Klaus and Vanya were still following him. His brothers had never supported him in his plans. No matter how hard he tried, he had never been the leader. But this time, Klaus and Vanya followed him, wherever he was going ..

A warm feeling invaded him suddenly. He turned around to face them. Both had the same expression of anguish.

In that instant, Diego felt he had to do something for them.

"Well, what do you want to do before the end?"

To be continue...