Traipsing through the crowds gathered for the Presidential parade had been much easier than Klaus would've liked to admit. Although Diego had to keep his head down because of the outstanding warrant for his arrest concerning his escape from the Holbrook Sanitarium some days prior. Not to mention his own issues regarding the, uh…supposed tax evasion. But c'me on, what religious leader—"Cult! It's a cult!"—paid taxes? None that were still alive, as far as Klaus was aware. Honestly, Allison was likely the only one out of the three of them that was likely to be okay…then again, there was that whole thing with the protests, so maybe not.

The Hargreeves had been banking on the fact that due to the President's approaching arrival in the infamous plaza, then the majority of the federal agents would be out of the building and out of their way. What they hadn't taken into account was the gill-necked aliens that sat peppered about the street, shadowed by their large rocking trucks and matrix-styled outfits. Diego—the only one besides Five & Theodore to have seen these aliens—had quickly ushered both Klaus and Allison into the federal building with hasty movements and watchful eyes trailing over their mysterious opponents.

Slipping into the elevator alongside Diego, Allison and Ben (who stood in front of the doors like some deranged bellhop), they slowly began to climb the levels. "I hope we find Vanya in time" Allison mused as the elevator whirred through each new level and haunting music played over the speakers.

"Hm" Diego hummed noncommittally, shuffling in place with impatience.

"I'm sure if we talk to Vanny, everything'll sort itself out" Klaus replied mellowly, trying to hide how apprehensive he was about the whole thing. The last time they'd had to go up against their overpowered sister, the moon had burst into a million pieces, the world had burned like a overheated pudding cup in the microwave and the Hargreeves had been splattered across the timeline in Dallas.

And that had been Vanya with her memories intact and a semblance of control. This time around, there was no time traveller in their back pocket nor blue bejewelled nephew to splinter the energy attacks should she decide to strike. In all senses, they were royally screwed and if Klaus had figured it out, then it was highly likely that the other two had as well.

"Whoa! What was that?" Allison wobbled sightly and braced herself against the elevator wall when the light above them suddenly began to flicker dangerously and the walls shook violently by some unseen force. Neither of the boys had an answer for her, and Klaus felt his heart climb up his throat as it became clogged with anxiety.

DING!

No sooner had the elevator doors opened onto their chosen floor, did Allison receive her answer. Wave after wave of powerful pulsating energy quickly suffocated the three, making it hard to move—hard to breathe as they soon found themselves plastered against the walls of the elevator. Peering around the open doors, Klaus was able to catch a glimpse of the multitude of dead bodies laid about like macabre ornaments, blood splattered along the hallways like a toddler had taken to them with a paintbrush and piles of black & blue glittering ash clogged the hallways.

Crawling out of the elevator by the strength of his nails, Klaus was barely able to pull himself out of the rocking box after Allison and Diego who had taken refuge behind one of the few still standing desks. It was only with the help of Allison that Klaus was able to nestle himself in the crook between his sister and the wall as blinding white waves of pure energy rained down on them. "Question, guys—" Klaus mused, trying not to get blown backwards. "Who are we trying to save Vanya from?"

"FBI"

"Aliens!" Both Allison and Diego chorused in annoyance at the question.

"But if they're all sucking ceiling right now, why hasn't she stopped?"

"Vanya's in the room at the end of the hall!" Diego replied, sharing a wide-eyed glance with his siblings as he realised one of them was going have to go down there and deal with her. But if the power they were experiencing was on the outer reaches, then who's to say what it would be like further in? Would they even be able to stand it? Would Vanya really kill them this time?

"How do you propose we get to her?" Allison retorted.

"I haven't figured that one out yet"

"You can count me out" Klaus piped up.

"Klaus!" Allison scolded.

"What?" Klaus replied, slurping from the flask that had been stuffed into his pocket. "You guys should save her. You're great at all the hero shit"

"Oh Klaus!"

"Listen, listen! Vanya would understand 'cause she has realistic expectations of what I am! And what I am is sexy trash!"

"You're big pussy, that's what you are!" Diego fired back.

"Guys, now is not the time" Allison scolded the pair.

"Why?" Klaus whined, "Because I don't wanna die? Who does? And martyrs aren't around to enjoy the victory party 'cause they're dead!"

"So what? You'd leave Theo motherless?"

"She's not even his real mother!"

"Klaus!" Allison barked again, offended on behalf of her sister.

"You're going out there—!" Diego jumped over Allison, moving to wrestle Klaus out into hallway.

"—I'm not! Go away—!" Klaus fought back.

"—I'm going to beat you!"

"And that's my cue!" Allison snarked, rolling her eyes at her brothers' behaviour before she launched herself around the desk's edge much to their horror. Klaus felt his heart leapt up into his throat as he watched in wide-eyed horror as Allison risked herself for her sister; the same sister mind you, that was currently trying to kill them.

"Hey! Allison!"

"No! Allison!" Klaus wailed, but still unable to move from his spot. Guilt spurred him to move but fear kept him rooted in place, the two strong emotions warring within him.

"All right! I'm going!" Diego announced as he kept his eyes locked on the brilliant white room at the end of the room; determination burning bright as Allison came flying back at them.

"No, wait, wait, wait, wait—!"

"What?"

"If you don't make it back, there's one thing I need to tell you…"

"Klaus, I don't have time for this!"

"Please"

"What?"

"You—you look like Antonio Banderas with the long hair. I just thought you should know"

"Thanks man" Diego murmured before launching himself down the hall in an attempt to reach their sister just as Allison had tried and failed to do only moments before.

Curling up into ball in his little corner behind the desk, Klaus slapped his hands over his ears and tried his best to ignore what was going on around him. He loved Vanya—she was his little sister, of course he did—but he was no hero, never really had been. What use was seeing the dead when you were fighting villains? When you were trying to reach your overpowered sister with anxiety issues? What would he even do if he somehow reached her? Give her a hug? Knock her out?

"KLAUS!" Diego bellowed over the roar of power pulsating around them. "I'M NOT GONNA MAKE IT! It's up to you, buddy! You gotta save the world!"

"No, Diego, that's a terrible idea!" Klaus refuted, blinking back tears. He'd never heard his brother sound so defeated before. He only received the unreeling of the firehose in reply. "Okay, Klaus. You can do this! You fought in Vietnam! You survived a family of seven! And you once wore a sarong to a fraternity party and got a shitload of numbers!"

Klaus had never felt more like Jesus than when he pulled himself to his feet following the odd pep talk and tried to walk against the awesome power his sister was emanating. Using the firehouse to pull himself up the hallway one hand at a time with gritted teeth and bleeding ears, until he launched himself the last foot to the door where a white-knuckled grip on the door knob was all that was keeping him from joining his siblings on the floor behind him. A new kid of pain rang through his body now as he tried to haul the door open with little success.

CLICK

The small noise and sudden give beneath his grip was all the warning that Klaus was given before the next white shockwave sent him sailing back down the hall like a long forgotten rag doll tossed aside in favour of the next best toy. Slamming up against the desk, Klaus felt himself pressed up against and intertwined with his siblings' limp bodies and a part of him hoped that they were just unconscious; that that was the only thing wrong with them. "Benny…" Klaus groaned lowly, eyes barely peeling open as he peered up at their ghostly brother unaffected by environment around them. "Help…"

When Klaus next woke, the pulsating waves of power they had been trying so hard to fight were long gone, the bodies of the FBI agents no longer plastered to the walls and Vanya—a little worse for wear—stood over them with concern and guilt warring in her eyes. "Are you okay?" Vanya gasped.

"Vanya!" Allison breathed, pushing herself up onto her elbows as she tried to disentangle herself from her brothers' splayed limbs.

"Physically or emotionally?" Klaus whimpered from the floor.

"You're alive" Diego chuckled in disbelief.

"Did we save the world or what?"

"I think so" Allison sighed, leaning back against the desk as Klaus sat upright. "Building's still here"

"…Kennedy's a few minutes away" Diego glanced down at his watch with excitement gleaming in his eyes as Klaus fingered the blood now drying in his ears. "I can still save him!"

"No, Diego! Wait!" Allison called after her manic brother who had risen to his feet and dashed down the hall like a mad man.

"I still got time to stop Dad before Kennedy makes his final turn"

"No, no! Where are you going?!" Allison pulled back Diego before he could leave through the door and make a vital mistake. If they hadn't been meddling in the timeline before, this would certainly do it now.

"Look, I saw the explosion—I saw the tapes, Allison" Diego reasoned, "The explosion causes doomsday. You're safe now. He doesn't have to die"

"No, no, Diego—!" She protested in vain.

Joining Allison by the large bay window, Vanya and Klaus all watched from the federal building as the President's motorcade rounded the street corner and their idiot brother sprinted down the path and across the green to where a man with an umbrella stood ready and waiting. "Kennedy's turning" Allison noted glumly. "It's happening again"

"Oh, Jackie!" Klaus agreed in much the same tone as he listened to the gunshots rings out, scattering people like the ants they appeared to be from that height. Part of Klaus wondered what the President's ghost would have to say, if he ever met him.

A nearby radio which had miraculously survived Vanya, relayed the infamous bulletin of JFK's assassination—an assassination, they had just watched in realtime. "…KLIF bulletin from Dallas: three shots reportedly were fired at the motorcade of President Kennedy today, near the downtown section. KLIF News is checking out the report. We will have further…"

"So…now what?" Vanya murmured.

"I guess…we should go find Theo and the others" Allison replied, still staring glumly at the street in which JFK was just murdered, the motorcade still left abandoned there with the remaining federal agents and police trying to secure the scene as quickly as possible.

BOOM!

Across the way, hidden amongst a sprawling patch of green, several neighbouring trees were suddenly hefted from their roots and flung away. The only reason Klaus had noticed it (besides the loud noise) was because one of the trees had landed in the middle of the street mere meters from the officers who were swarming the abandoned motorcade.

ROOOOOAR!

Even from this distance, he could catch glimpses of the glittering blue of the loralite rearing above the treetops & buildings, and the few reporters who had remained after the shots had fired, split from the crowd of media instead flittering over to the roaring beast nestled there. Klaus shielded his eyes from the sun bouncing off of the window in front of him as he let out a defeated sigh that was echoed by his sisters. "Who wants to bet that's out little alien?"