Chapter 4

Waking up without powers was an extremely rare occurrence for Klaus. He rarely imbibed in the first place, and never enough that the high lasted past the time it took to sleep off whatever substance he used. Whatever relief the drugs provided never outweighed the frustration of being powerless and alone. That's why the lack of powers is what first gave away his circumstances, rather than the dark, cramped compartment of the trunk.

Somehow, someone had gotten the jump on him - in the mansion no less. Honestly, he had no clue who he could piss off so badly that it'd warrant an attack on the Academy and the risk of encountering his siblings. Yeah, he screwed over a bunch of rich guys and occasionally got hits put out on him, but he hadn't done any of that here, too caught up in the family drama.

He struggled to get out of the rope and gag, but it was fruitless. Whoever had grabbed him had definitely known what they were doing. (Maybe a little too well, since they'd known to drug him as well. Beyond his family, there weren't many people out there who knew the connection between drugs and rendering him helpless.)

After a length of waiting and fruitless struggling, finally (finally!), the trunk was opened. He stared into two ridiculous children's masks, and vented his anger and frustration behind the gag. He didn't know who these clowns were, or who hired them, but he wasn't going to make their job easy. They lifted him out of the trunk, and clearly intended to make him walk to where they wanted, but he went boneless instead. He knew from experience that would be more frustrating for them than struggling. And frustrating it was - the now named Hazel and Cha-Cha proceeded to fight over how to get him into their motel room. These two clearly knew each other well. They must have been partners for a long time. All three of them knew that Klaus would wind up in the room regardless, it was just a matter of who was going to put the most effort in. That wound up being Blue Mask, who he was pretty sure was called Hazel. He was thrown over the man's shoulder (and damn he was strong… he might have to start thinking of this one as Mini-Luther), but it was the other one who forced him into a chair where he was quickly secured. They were extremely efficient, and proficient - again emphasizing that they were experts. He wondered who on his list of enemies had managed to afford them even after his extortion act. Honestly he was impressed. And looking forward to getting their employer's name out of them.

"Tell us where Five is," the woman demanded, harshly removing the gag.

"Five?" He demanded, recoiling more from the surprise than the pain. "That's what this is about?"

"Number Five, where is he?" she demanded again, throwing a punch.

She telegraphed her move, and he was able to lean back with the hit, minimizing the damage.

"I don't know where the little bastard is! Is that really what this is about?" It was one thing getting taken and tortured because of things he'd done, but for his stupid brother who had only just barely come back into his life? Fucking ridiculous.

"Hey, she asked you a question," Mini-Luther stated, tossing his own punch.

"I told you already, I don't know! Really, I don't. If I did, I'd probably tell you, just for the fun of it, but the old man didn't say where he was going."

If Ben were here, he'd be ranting angrily at the truth in that statement, but whatever they gave him must have been extraordinarily strong - there was no hint of that brother either, and usually drugs didn't affect him as severely.

Like most interrogators wouldn't, they did not accept that answer. Obviously he had to know where Five was, they lived in the same house, they'd seen the portrait, won't he just spare himself the pain and let them know what they wanted?

It was all variations of stuff he'd heard before, although usually the subject in question was himself, and the information they wanted regarded blackmail, but torture was torture.

Luckily Klaus was into some pretty kinky shit, and had a very active imagination. All he had to do was wait out the drug for his powers to come back. Treating all this like a BDSM scene minus the safe words wasn't too difficult.

Of course, they must have had some fancy designer drugs, because hours and hours passed with no change to his powers. But these psychos seemed to have tracked Five through time (and wasn't that a thought - how on Earth had they managed that?), so they probably had access to some really good stuff. Hopefully they wouldn't think to redose him.

He wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed (it had to be nearly twelve hours now), but after managing to spring a boner to asphyxiation, they backed off, frustrated and defeated.

Klaus couldn't help the laugh that bubbled from his mouth, even as he shook off the dizziness from the lack of air.

"What is so funny, you asshole?" the man questioned, smacking him.

Klaus was the asshole? Right. "Well, for one… you spent the last ten hours beating me senseless, and you've learned absolutely nothing." Which was pretty amusing. These guys were definitely well trained in the art of torture - he was just glad they hadn't resorted to yanking teeth yet… those were one permanent thing that wouldn't be repaired by dying (he only ever managed to come back with fatal wounds as nearly-fatal wounds, no other healing to speak of) - and yet Klaus was utterly confounding them. Didn't say much for the standard of their usual victim. The longer this had gone on, the more time it gave Klaus to think, and he was pretty sure Five would still be on the apocalypse eyeball thing. Just because the eye hadn't been purchased yet didn't mean it wouldn't be soon. He wouldn't put it past the little psychopath to stake out the office, just in case (although Luther had never mentioned whether he'd found him at Meritech or not, when he went off on his little search). What he hoped to find without Klaus there to access the records for him, he didn't know. Luckily for Five, Klaus now had a vested interest in returning the favor to these assholes who were torturing him. Ten hours, they had as good as confirmed the time frame for him. It couldn't be much longer before his powers returned, and when they did, he'd rip these two a new one. He could respect their work ethic, but that wouldn't prevent him from making their end rather messy.

After a pathetic attempt at waterboarding (really, they didn't even make an effort to ensure he couldn't breathe), they retreated to regroup. He took that moment to take stock of his situation. While he was bruised in many places, and still sluggishly bleeding from several others, the assassins really hadn't done any permanent damage. No maiming, no missing teeth… he probably wouldn't even have scars, or at least not bad ones. But then, their ultimate goal was information, not permanently disabling him. If they got frustrated enough with him, they might move on to more extreme measures. They also were in a motel which wasn't the best place for that sort of torture and the screams which result from it. Even in a dump like this, people would probably take note of that. Either way, he needed to continue to buy time until the drugs wore off. Nothing they had done had loosened the bonds enough that he could get himself free without assistance, and even if he could, there was no way he'd be able to overpower both of them in his current state.

Thing One and Thing Two returned, and resumed with new vigor, which slowly wore down as Klaus once again turned them into a joke. They had clearly never come up against someone like him before.

Finally, he heard a new voice in the room, one which hadn't been there previously, muttering in Russian. He was surprised the first ghost to return hadn't been Ben, but maybe Ben was just avoiding him right now? Torture never did agree with him… But he still usually stuck around despite it, out of some misplaced nobility or some such tripe. Whatever. Klaus didn't care enough to question it right now. The dead babushka meant the drug was finally weakening. Not enough, considering there was only one ghost in the room with him as opposed to the flood he expected to be following these assassins around, but it was still the sign he'd been waiting for.

He pretended to break down, tears spilling from his eyes as he sobbed and whimpered. He wanted them out of the motel while his strength came back to him. With any luck, he'd be fully back when they returned, and able to show them a thing or two about what a freak he was. The true question was what to give them to get them to leave. He didn't know for certain where his brother was, and he also didn't want them to directly encounter him. If they found Five first, Five would probably manage to kill them (the hoard of dead dogging his steps was honestly quite impressive), and that would steal the opportunity from Klaus. But he also had to give them something they'd buy, so… Ultimately there was only one real answer to give them. He wasn't quite done with Meritech yet, but losing one building wouldn't destroy the whole company. And anyone who spent any length of time with Five had to know of his obsession with that stupid eyeball. Maybe giving them Meritech would throw a wrench in Five's plans, but Klaus didn't really care about that.

They stuffed him in the closet while they were gone, and while a maid let herself in during that time, the stupid woman either didn't hear him behind the gag, or didn't care. The assassins were gone for hours, and in that time, he got information not only from the babushka, Zoya Popova apparently, but also a variety of their other kills (it was more difficult without the ability to ask questions, but the dead loved talking about how they died and who was involved. There wasn't much directing necessary). Hazel and Cha-Cha definitely lived for variety, he'd give them that… Exsanguination through wrist stumps, electric shock through the nipples, drowning in jello? If these guys hadn't spent so much time torturing him, he might try to be their friend. He was sure they had quite a few stories he'd enjoy.

They returned before his telekinesis did, unfortunately, and apparently set a trap for his brother. He wondered if the van they left the message on actually belonged to Five, or if they just assumed that it did out of convenience. It didn't matter too much, but it'd ruin his plans if Five found them too early. But, nearing almost 24 hours since they first had taken him, it couldn't be too much longer.

That's probably why he started taunting them. He knew it wouldn't be too much longer, and these two had clearly never faced the consequences of their actions. And why should they? Time traveling assassins? They never had to worry about being caught, or the aftermath of what they had done. All their ghosts… There were so many different time periods, different countries represented among their victims. And they had clearly never expected to hear some of their names again. Get a job, move on, that's what they were all about.

It turned out Mini-Luther had a bit more of a soft spot than the woman did, though. He wondered if she knew how many witnesses he had spared. He assumed not, considering it was widely agreed that she was the more ruthless of the duo.

Jan Mueller's story got the exact reaction he was looking for, and he gave himself a mental pat on the back, even as they retreated to the bathroom to argue.

While the feeling had long since left his hands, he didn't need sensation to use telekinesis, and as with the dead, he felt that begin to return as well. It wasn't strong enough to kill his captors yet, but it was enough to loosen the ropes restraining him. Long since trained at the removal of ropes and bindings unaided, all he really needed to do to get loose was make the knots go from perfect to less-than. His first attempt at standing had him sitting back down almost immediately, pins and needles flooding his legs and body. He did his best to quietly shake them out, but he'd been restrained to this chair for almost a full day, and his body figured this was the best time to complain. Entirely unhelpful.

Luckily the assassins were extremely wrapped up in their own conversation, and didn't seem likely to return for the moment. Klaus massaged his aching joints, and gave another attempt at standing, managing a few steps before collapsing to the floor to the side of the left bed. Face to face with the vent, Klaus froze for a moment, listening to see if he'd been heard. A moment later he learned that he was, just not by his captors. The door clicked open, and Klaus looked up to see a cop with a gun. Considering he was on the floor, covered in blood, and still dressed in nothing but a now-stained towel, he was dismissed as a threat pretty swiftly.

"Are you Diego's brother?" she asked softly.

Was that all he was? Diego's brother? Regardless of the indignity, he responded with an affirmative, and watched her attempt to deal with the assassins. He still wasn't well enough to take care of them himself, so he let her do her thing, even though he knew she'd be no match for them. Instead, he turned back to the vent cover, and pulled it off. Just as he'd thought, there was something concealed behind it. He ignored the gunshots and pondered what it could be. Deciding it didn't matter much at the moment, he pushed it and himself through the vent system, even as Hazel and Cha-Cha dealt with the interloper. By the time they finished, he was long gone. Sometimes strategic retreat was the only option. He would find them again when he was ready.

Some of the assassin's ghosts followed him, but he didn't bother with them at the moment. His power over the dead had returned almost in full, and yet neither Frank nor Ben had returned to him yet. He wasn't used to worrying, but in this case he felt at least somewhat justified. If Frank wasn't going to be around for awhile, he usually let Klaus know, or at least borrowed energy from him first.

Klaus sighed and finally deemed himself far enough from the motel. He ducked into an alleyway and leaned against the wall. This briefcase was really fucking annoying. Almost like it had been shaped in the most inconvenient way possible. No wonder Hazel had whined about it so much. He'd just go through it now to see if there was anything worth keeping. If it was only weapons, or something like that, it'd be easier to just ditch it now. He flicked open the clasps, and opened the case.

And-

Then-

He-

Hit-

The-

Ground.

Klaus had just gone through hours of torture, but he suddenly felt even worse. He had only closed his eyes for a moment, but now they were screwed shut. He opened his eyes and - he met the eyes of another young man (god damn was he gorgeous), but he was dressed as a soldier, laying in bed, and Klaus had just been in an abandoned alleyway. What the fuck was going on?

There was a lot of screaming and yelling, some loud machinery in the background, and were those explosions? Where was he? His body didn't feel quite like it belonged to him anymore, and he - just - couldn't -

"You got mud in your ears, boy? Get dressed!" A man who was dressed, sounded, and looked like a drill sergeant yelled at him. He ignored any protest Klaus possibly could've stuttered out. "War's not going to wait for you to get pretty!"

He continued talking after that, but Klaus didn't really hear the words. War? He put on the pants that were thrust towards him, felt a helmet get put on his head, accepted the boots pushed his way, but he almost didn't feel involved in the actions.

He had been in an alleyway in 2019. Now, he was in the middle of some war (which one or where was a whole different set of questions). He had wondered what the briefcase he stole was. Now he knew. It was their fucking time machine. And now he was wherever - whenever - here was, with no idea how to work it or get back. Just fucking great.

One of the other soldiers, the one who he'd first seen when he arrived, helped him finish getting dressed, and handed him a gun. He then tried to usher Klaus out of the tent, and Klaus barely managed to ensure the briefcase was safe, before he was suddenly thrust into the fighting.

He needed to try to find Frank or Ben, and he needed to figure out when and where he was, but for now, survival came first. He shot his gun at whoever they were pointed at (and for once Dead Old Dad's lessons came in handy) with all the other soldiers, and overall just acted as though he fit in and was supposed to be there. Acted like he hadn't just been tortured for more than half a day. That second part was harder than the first.

He didn't know how long it had been when they were finally relieved from their positions, but his fingers were stiff and cramped around the gun, and he felt slightly deafened from the combination of yelling and gunshots. There were an astounding number of ghosts on the battlefield, and he'd had some difficulty determining living enemies from dead ones, but considering he didn't have the time or energy for creating a barrier right now, he mainly just aimed for those without an obvious wound. He'd obviously done well enough, because he was surrounded by the soldiers' camaraderie and received several pats on the back.

They were shuffled towards what seemed to be a mess tent, and Klaus accepted his rations in a daze. He was so fucking tired. He ate what was given to him, and he was sure it would have tasted disgusting if he weren't so hungry. One of the others who was also finished led him to a different tent, and he barely managed to sit on the bed he was pushed towards before he fell unconscious. Everything else could wait until he woke up.

Morning was a revelation, and not the good kind. He sort of expected the previous evening to be some twisted dream, but instead he woke up surrounded by other soldiers. The sleep and food had done him well, and he woke up thinking much more clearly. He had already known his kidnappers were time travelers, and their victims had only made that more clear. The most recent one, nipples guy, had been the most cognizant due to the fact that his death was so recent, and also the most helpful. They were sent messages through some mysterious system, and just did whatever the message said. It made sense that they would keep their time machine close at hand. He never would have figured it for a briefcase, but considering the whole suits thing, their Commission obviously had an aesthetic they were going for. It was convenient that Klaus had stolen their briefcase because it meant they were stuck in one place, but inconvenient because now he was stuck somewhere completely different. He had no idea how the briefcase worked. Opening it again would just be a gamble. He needed more information or a second opinion.

Klaus checked to make sure the briefcase was safely tucked away underneath one of the bunks and then left the tent. There were only a few others moving around the camp, appearing to be picking up after the battle last night. The fighting he had been thrust into was an assault on the camp, he remembered. It was quiet now, so his side must have been successful. He was greeted cheerfully with smiles and nods. Since no one seemed to be expecting anything from him at the moment, he indicated that he was going to go off and relieve himself (not totally a lie… his bladder was nearly aching), and was warned they would be packing up and moving on soon.

Klaus made his way away from the camp until he was sure he had some measure of privacy and learned from the dead along the way that apparently they were fighting the Vietcong…Vietnam War, then. Luckily he had arrived among American soldiers instead of the Vietnamese. First he relieved himself as he'd said, and then he reached for his ghostly companions.

He tried Ben first, because he cared less about how rude it would be to disturb him from whatever he was doing. Also Ben was usually easier to grab for whatever reason. Regardless, his efforts seemed fruitless, and he did recognize that it was before his brother had even been born. Maybe his powers couldn't transcend time. He would try Frank too, just to be sure.

Klaus closed his eyes, and reached out for the familiar presence of his friend. For a while there was nothing, but then - it didn't feel quite right, but it had to be Frank. Unconsciously stretching out his "Hello" arm, he clenched his hand into a fist, then opened his eyes.

Frank looked the same as he ever did, and Klaus sighed with relief, right up until he began screaming and clawing just like all the other long dead. He instinctively pushed the member of the insane dead away from him, but not as far as he normally would. He stared into the eyes of the first person who had ever cared about him, and then suddenly it hit him.

This was Frank before he'd ever met him. Klaus hadn't met him yet. The first time Klaus saw Frank, he was just a kid, and Frank was already sane. But Klaus was in the past now. All along, it had been him who restored Frank's sanity. This right here was the moment Frank began to care for him. Stretching out with the power Frank had encouraged him to train (of course, it made sense now), Klaus pushed his own energy into Frank's spirit, working to reverse what time and death had done to his mind.

It took several long moments, but he knew it had worked when Frank fell silent.

"Frank," Klaus smiled. "I'm Klaus. And one day, very far in the future, you're going to make me into the man I am today."

"Klaus," Frank tested the word.

"When you meet me, my name will still be Number Four. I had a really terrible father. You're the one that helped me see that, helped me reach my full potential, my full power over the dead."

"Tell me more," Frank suggested, looking interested.

So Klaus did. He told him all about growing up in the Academy, his horrible siblings, learning to control his powers and return corporeality to the dead he chose, and to push away the ones he didn't like. He had to give the abridged version, since he didn't know how long he had, but it was a relief to talk to his friend again. He finally reached the part about the two maniacs breaking into his house and kidnapping and torturing him just because his brother returned and was trying to stop the apocalypse (okay, so he ranted a lot during this part, but who could blame him? He had a right to be agitated with his captors), and his current situation, stuck in the past with no certain way to get home.

Frank had listened thoughtfully during the whole story, and Klaus expressed how glad he was that the man was here with him for this.

"It seems that you're a failure, Number Four," Frank finally spoke.

"What?" Klaus was shocked. Frank had never sounded that… mean. Not towards him, anyways. He'd always been snide towards his relatives, but never Klaus.

"If there was one thing I would have tried to instill in someone learning under me, it's that caring is a weakness. But look at you - falling over yourself for me. You're a major disappointment. I don't know who I become in the future, but I should have found someone more worthy than you."

"Why are you saying these things? This isn't like you at all! You did teach me those lessons, I learned what you wanted! I already told you, you made me who I am!" Klaus had to restrain himself from yelling.

"You're weak. Just another weakling who should've been offed when someone had the chance. More people ought to take out the trash, like I did." Frank smiled his ghastly grin, and Klaus remembered the occasions where Frank discussed murdering his disappointment of a wife and their children.

But no - Klaus wasn't weak! He hadn't been weak in years! Frank was the one who had taught him to be strong! Almost everything he had done, he'd done for Frank. He'd shaped his whole life around the man.

"The only worth in other people is what you can get out of them. You might have power over the dead, but you're still just a scared little boy, clinging to scraps. No wonder my older self seemed so fond of you. You're practically a buffet, ripe for the taking. Leaking that power everywhere...it wouldn't be difficult to get hooked. A man could feed off you for years without making a dent."

Feed off him…?

Everything suddenly turned to ice inside him.

He couldn't breathe.

He hadn't noticed the absence until this Frank had pointed it out. For as far back as he could remember, there seemed to be a weight that went along with his powers. He always thought that's just how things were. When his powers were suppressed, the sensation went away. But so did Frank. All this time, all these years, and he'd never questioned it. But right now, in this moment? He felt something latch onto him, a weight applied, and suddenly he felt drained.

He knew without having to think about it that it was Frank, demonstrating what he was. What he had always been. He'd dealt with enough of them leeching off billionaire CEOs to have the answer without having to reach for it. Frank was a malignant spirit, and Klaus had welcomed him, offered himself up. He had let the disgusting parasite teach him, raise him, shape who he became, all while it was feeding off of him. He'd only ever been a meal to the man. Never a student, never a surrogate child, never anything approaching family. Dinner.

He'd given so much to Frank over the years, ever since he'd grown better in touch with his powers. When they began their forays into corporeality, he'd willingly funneled so much of his power into Frank, supposedly testing his limits. When Frank decided he needed to be elsewhere, "taking care of business," Klaus had always fed him with power first, to ensure he wouldn't weaken. He'd never even thought to question where it was he was going, what he was doing.

He reached out with his power again, gripped the very fabric of Frank's soul with his mind, then paused. He wanted to rip the other man apart for what he'd done, but. He hadn't been lying when he said Frank forged the man he'd become. If he destroyed Frank now, before he ever had a chance to reach him as a child, who would Klaus have become? Would he have ever learned control? Would he be a sycophant like Ben? Without Frank he never would have become as strong as he currently was. He was sure of that. He didn't know what all he had lost because the other had been feeding off him, but he was also sure that the longer the man was gone, the more he would recover what was taken. No, he couldn't destroy Frank yet. (It had absolutely nothing to do with him still caring for the other, regardless of what he had just learned. No siree.)

Whatever denial he was in, Frank didn't have the same limitations. The man let out a loud burst of laughter. "I was right then. You won't hurt me, because you still care. Useless."

Klaus closed his eyes so he didn't have to look at Frank, then used his power again, pushing Frank as far away from him as he could, and ensuring he wouldn't be able to find his way back while Klaus was still in this time period.

With that done, Klaus rejoined the other soldiers, and set about helping tear down the camp. (And if the intense labor kept him from thinking during the duration, well. He was just doing his part.) He would have to revisit the briefcase later, once they were out of an active war zone.