Frequency

by Vanessa S. Quest

Long-haul fanfic involving my OCs in the verse. All is not well in Denmark, the familial strife comes to a head- and GAIA has made a major move, only they grabbed the wrong kid? What's going on! Please R & R!

4. Chapter 4

FrequencyChapter 4, by Vanessa S. Quest

With one too many renditions of dreaming about finding his niece bleeding from the head, highly disoriented and unsure of whom she even was, the mental gunfire subsided.

Piss-water coffee and a gourmand breakfast from the hang-over gods visited him even though he was only sleep deprived, not addled with bourbon withdrawal. Still none-too-far away were the thoughts of De out prowling alone while he waited at Jenna's bedside for Phil to drive up from NYC to get to his injured kid, Darren himself sulking that he couldn't be putting the nails in the coffin of the woman who'd so cruelly hurt his own at bare minimum, but even worse, unable to dote on Venus instead.

The realization that he was losing out on time coddling her, particularly with how vulnerable she'd seemed, made him eye his surroundings.

He was in the study, there were sounds of life coming from presumably water-buffaloes moving around downstairs. He wondered how much of that was his own daughter, and how much of that was some unholy combination of Quests and Bannons. Shit, it might have even been Alex and Ian at this point, he was certain they'd get called in; Jonny only had so many points of contact in the area.

Darren let out a low groan, noon or not, he was truly thankful Race had been in NYC last night, as his sluggish consciousness brought him back to the room—and more troublesome, Race's presence.

"Watching me sleep now? That's not creepy at all."

"Oh stow it, I brought up that breakfast platter so Venus wouldn't try the stairs. She's limping… don't take this the wrong way, but she acts like an animal—completely oblivious to her own limitations while everyone else just stares."

"…Wrong way? She'd agree with you. Limping though? Damn." He took up the coffee.

"She made it, it looked… thin, but she made me swear to bring up the whole thing or she'd do it herself. I could make you a fresh pot."

"No, you don't, if I don't drink that, nah, I don't want her to cry any more than she's already been. She's sensitive that way." He saw Race's eyebrow raise but nod accordingly. Apparently he'd also been subjected to a few 'father's day/birthday breakfasts in bed.' "What time is it?"

"A little before noon, Benton's here, he's downstairs keeping an eye on the kids."

"Yeah? How's Jonny?" He said ever more awake, despite the depressingly bad cup of sludge, how it was water-thin on the top and literally sludge at the bottom was a mystery to him, and probably physicists.

"He's shaken up. Darren, what happened last night? I need to know what threats are still in the works."

Darren nodded, "Yeah, I know you do. Jenna's in the hospital, she was off her meds since Claire checked her out— for more than a month, do you know just how fucked up of a thing that is to do to a person with a schizoid personality disorder?! She couldn't tell if I was her dad or her uncle while I was with her waiting for Phil to get there… Fucking 2 hours."

Race didn't let his eyes traverse from Darren's once he had him honed in.

"…De found Claire, she's been arrested, and frankly it's a small miracle De didn't 'also' get arrested just so she could do her in with a shiv, herself." That got the brown eyes to grow, "Claire was arrested for child endangerment, child abuse, and kidnapping. None of which will stick, but it's enough to get Phil an emergency petition for sole custody and keep her in there until at least Monday."

"Why won't it stick?" Race asked, unsure.

Darren shrugged, "Venus can't go to court, I won't risk it. And if they try to make me, I'll spirit her away myself. You still don't get it, do you? She has to stay off the radar."

"…But she was wearing Jonny's watch. You know that records, don't you?"

"…What?" He blinked daftly, "…Are you fucking kidding me?"

Race gave him a souring look, "No, I'm not. Once a distress signal is set, it automatically records audio and in some cases visual, now, if the camera somehow was occluded that wouldn't be of any use, but the audio should be."

Darren smiled unevenly, "That's… the best news I've had since 7 this morning. You said Benton's here—is Venus still asleep?"

"No, she's been up since 8 when Jonny got up and went looking for her. She made your breakfast herself a few minutes ago."

"Who else is here?"

"Two boys, I think Jonny said they're Alex and Ian? A scrawny brunette, and a Chinese kid older than Hadji."

"Yeah, that's Alex and Ian, alright. Has Phil made it here yet?"

"No, was he expected?"

Darren scoffed, "Of course that busy-body'll show up. Alright, let me freshen up," he ran a hand down his scruff and frowned as he felt the dried blood and groaned, "She saw that, didn't she?"

Race nodded glibly, "Blue beard, huh?"

Darren laughed, "Fuck, I need to soundproof this room better, she really wasn't kidding about that." The asking look in Race's eyes was almost tempting, almost, "I'll be downstairs in 20 minutes. Tell her she needs to stop trying to kill me and give me grey hairs."

"Tell her yourself." Race said in an even keel. "Where's Arquette? And what about the rest of the Gaia players?"

Darren's eyes widened before narrowing, "That I don't know. Not here, or I'd think they'd have made a siege and by your accounts, last night was quiet."

There was a loud chirping sound as Darren's cellphone buzzed half-way across the side table. He rolled his eyes and picked it up, looked at the number, then ignored it.

"…You going to answer that?"

"Yeah, when I'm supposed to..." Darren gave Race a dirty look, "Why are you pissed me, Snow?"

Race gave him a tempered look but didn't elaborate. Darren's phone rang again, he answered on the third go.

"What's going down?" Darren kept his eyes on Race while he actively listened to the phone. "…You're fucking serious?! …No, yeah I know you don't have a sense of humor—that's why I—no, it does… wait—what do you mean no one else has… oh FUCK. Fine. FINE, okay—I'm on it." He hung up, pissed.

"Well?"

Darren's face was muted, "…I have to call Phil, Claire's dead."

Race's eyes went wide, "How?"

"…She had a heart attack." He scowled, his own hands coming to his mouth, "…I have to call my brother, he can't just hear about that from anyone."

"A heart attack?"

Darren nodded, "Yeah, except her pupils were blown out, too. This is bad."

"Did they check for atropine?" Race asked in a deathly serious murmur.

"Not yet, but it does sound like someone drank the kool aid after a fucking oops, doesn't it?"

"And you don't know where Arquette is?"

-Chapter 4 JQ-

Inside the spacious kitchen, surrounded by a mound of vegetables, several knives, and a thick chopping board, Venus tugged her apron strings to synch them tight around her waist.

Alex leaned into the counter adjacent to her, facing her instead of the pile of produce.

"What else do you need?" He beamed, busying himself to keep in her presence.

"…The curry blocks, a 2-gallon pot and lid, a 1-gallon pot and lid, the rice, and two cans coconut milk."

Alex nodded as he shoved off and made quick work pulling the reagents. "So talk me through it…"

She frowned at him, her knife made a hard sound as it pierced through the bamboo cutting board and the particularly thick potato she'd been chopping.

"…I need more information, first, Alex. You said Arquette was there, she's against Gaia, isn't she?"

Alex nodded, "She is, but her daughter isn't. Her kid's in the snare and she's pretty sure she's too far gone. I don't know if I agree with that though."

Venus's wet eyes drifted toward his then went back to chopping with high speed.

"We don't know how he does it, Venus. You only think we do."

"Torture is a pretty effective method, and he had it pretty developed… plus there's the patterns…" Venus ignored his own conclusion to support her working theory. Her eyes were watering as she took up the first onion.

Alex put a hand over hers to make her pause. "Pattern?"

She wiped at her eyes, annoyed at her own feelings, "…I shouldn't have hit her…" Alex blew out a sigh, "Dad hates me now, I know he has to… And Uncle Phil too…"

Alex put a hand over her wrist. "Venus, you're the only person upset about hitting Jenna. Everyone else knows she's had it coming for a long time."

"No she didn't! She can't help what happened to her! You and I both know it…"

"And does Darren?" Alex asked.

Venus frowned, "…Probably, you know he likes to see how much we can figure out on our own… but there's no way Uncle Phil wouldn't have told him…"

"About Allen, too?" Alex pressed.

Venus took up the knife again, making it clear to Alex she wanted to resume chopping veggies. He released his hold on her wrist. "I think he does, nonna always sung about it in her silly operas, and it's not like dad doesn't speak Italian…"

"…?" The asking look in his eyes conveyed his question more than words.

"…She'd rant about grandpa's illegitimate bastard, about all the affairs, about how he was a pig but she loved him anyway… there's no way dad wouldn't know if he listened to her songs at all, and he did… maybe he hasn't figured out who, but he has to know there is a who." The knife thudded dully as she sliced through a deep chop then was followed by several slicking sounds as she diced the onions with precision.

"What pattern did you find then? Why do you think Allen is the Korvin bastard child?"

"…Because he was in Iran. He took dad's spot when nonna said no, what grandpa saw as his golden chance to make dad man up but instead nonna wouldn't let him, so who else would he want so desperately to be able to carry on his legacy—the illegitimate son who was all his… no ties to nonna's money, or influence—he could prove indirectly what grandpa craved—his own sense of value… until it went to shit in a hand basket, except… well, except he did manage to survive, so the trial by fire… grandpa had to have supported him. Had to have known at least up to a point… and I think when he got out, he decided he had to make it on his own, anyway." Venus swiped at her eyes again. "And he wanted to prove Jenna could be like him too. He has too much of an axe with our family to not have ties. But then he fucked it up, Jenna was too soft, so he tried to harden her and it went south. Real south… and he changed his approach, his time frames too… he's doing this because he wants to prove he's good enough."

"So he's running an international terrorist organization to show he could be good at running an intelligence agency? That doesn't make sense." Alex prodded.

"…Yes it does, he's amoral, without patriotic ties, Gaia has objectives he wants it to have, not what a country wants it to have… and he can steer to his own benefits…and he wants to show his is better than Intelligence One and part of that is recruiting the crème-de-la-crème, so he had to target I-1 operators, but there's no recruitment options there, so he figured combine it with how they were going back when he was a teen—use kids, train them, and by time they're of age…"

"…So he doesn't know about Alpha One?"

Venus frowned, "He knows. He just knows he can't pick us up easily. We're too insular. Plus, he thinks he has to condition agents… we don't fit his parenting style." Venus scowled, "…He thinks torturing kids and molding them works, but we haven't been, and we work better, it proves him wrong and he doesn't like to be wrong."

"…Venus." Alex frowned, "Have you read your dad in yet?"

"…No. There's still too many gaps. Too many unknown players, and now… now he's going to hate me… does hate me…"

"How can you really think that? After all this time with him, it's kinda fucked up that you don't trust him." He crossed his arms and looked down his nose at her with one eye, he was taking one hell of a risk. He faltered when she let the knife clatter, wrapping her arms around herself to start bawling in earnest. Alex pulled her into a fast hug, "…Venus?"

Fast arms coiled around his back as she buried her face into his collar.

"It's… it's okay, don't cry… Venus, you trust me right?" He was incredibly thankful to feel her nod into his grip, "Okay—well if you trust me, will you trust who I trust?" Venus nodded again. "Then trust me, he doesn't hate you. I'll prove it too, but we need to get him read in. This is getting too big for just you to handle piecing together all by your lonesome, even though you've done such a great job…"

"…You think I did a great job?" She pouted into the sleeve of his shirt.

He smiled, "Well, yeah, I'm not stupid." The girl let out an unnatural laugh as she sniffled back her tears. "So please stop crying. I bet Jonny can be a lot of help too, you know? He's smart and pretty creative…plus he can run interference and has a whole different perspective to explore…"

"…Plus we don't know what Jenna was trying to tell him…" Venus offered.

"And this ties in to more than just you, you've been pulling these strings together from only one vantage point. Without more, we're missing too much of the picture. Can we? Can we read him in too?"

Venus nodded, "Okay… we'll… we'll tell them."

Alex smiled, "That's more like it." He tapped the back of her head, lacing his fingers through her corn-silk soft hair. "I'm going to make Darren come in here and help you finish up lunch, okay? That'll give you two time to just talk…"

She frowned but nodded anyway. He pulled back from the hug to look at her, a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Good. Can you take a seat? Your leg looks like it's still really sore."

"No. It's fine. I deserve it." Venus said apathetically.

He didn't want to chance her reneging, so instead of pushing her, he just shrugged, "I'll go get him. Venus, I'm really glad you got out of that, but you gotta stop taking everything on by yourself. I'm your backup, you know that right? I've always got your back, no matter what."

"…I do, that's why I trusted you with Jonny. I knew I could count on you…"

"Yeah, well, we need to get more on page-there, then, because that didn't feel like a trust-fall." Alex relaxed as he saw her teeth peek from her up-curled lips in a thin smile.

"Oh, I trust you, but I don't do falls."

Alex unlatched from his hug completely, already knowing how spoiled he'd been by the long contact, "Yeah? You dive into danger pretty consistently though and that's about the same thing."

Venus crossed her arms and levied a dirty look at him, "Not even remotely."

He gave her an infectiously large smile before he took a step toward the door to the dining room. "Oh, it is."

"Not."

"Is too…" He ducked out before she called back. He bumped into Jonny as the teen tried to make it look like he hadn't been eavesdropping. Alex gave him a friendly grin and spun toward the stairs, he put his finger over his mouth to signal Jonny to keep quiet. "Hey, is Darren down here yet?"

Jonny edged back toward the couch in the living room silently taking in Alex as he amicably smiled at Darren and thumbed to the kitchen door. Darren clapped a hand over Alex's tear-stained shoulder and headed in.

After a long moment, Alex turned to Jonny and in a low whisper asked, "How much did you hear?"

"That part where she laid out how there's been a conspiracy theory in my life for at least 8 years…" He said in casual shell-shock before looking at his dad.

"Well, it gets better, if she said it, she has it drafted somewhere and I bet we could fill in some of those gaps, come on, I know where she'd've stashed something like that."

Jonny looked at his dad and then at Alex before following quickly behind him. He caught sight of Race before ducking into his sister's room behind Alex. He silently watched as Alex dug under her chest of drawer and retrieved a rolled-up draft paper similar in size to schematics Jonny's dad had lying around on occasion.

He helped Alex unroll the paper to look over the interconnecting pieces as drawn in.

His mouth felt dry as he saw the autopsy photos of the several men connected to her first official encounter with Gaia.

"…D… dad?! Race! C'mere!"

Alex looked at the blond teen in alarm, "Hey, wait a sec—why're you calling them in just yet—"

"Because that guy…" Jonny pointed to the man that had been shot while wearing a mucho libre wrestlers mask, "…looks like the much-skinnier version of a man who kidnapped me two years ago and made my life a living hell. DAD! RACE!"

His hand went to his chest, if he was out… did that mean Ali was too? Jonny sat hard on the bed, while watching the door, he saw scraps of paper under the other dresser. Race was there first and let out a low whistle at the schematic laid out before him.

"…What in tarnation is that?"

"A cluster fuck." Alex said flatly. "Maybe two or three." Alex followed Jonny's eyes to see where he was looking and got up to retrieve another file that Venus had squirreled away.

Benton spotted the brunette as he entered the purple bedroom, he made fast steps to Jonny's side upon taking in his posture, the hand clutching his chest and the files sprawled around the bed. His eyes narrowed at the sight of an all-too familiar face.

"…Race… he isn't out… is he?" Jonny asked in mounting panic.

"Who, kiddo?" Race asked him in a cautious voice, Jonny tapped his finger on the image of the boss.

"…The Pig…"

Benton pulled Jonny into a hug, a protective hand curling around his neck. Jonny's dominant left arm curled in parallel to his dad's back, locking on his shoulder to keep himself tightly pinned in the secure hug.

Race's eyes honed on Jonny's, "I'd be notified if that happened, Jonny. That would be a major security risk…" Race's cell phone chirped angrily, he looked at the display, "I have to take this." As Race answered the phone, he let his eyes wander over the carefully charted diagram and interconnecting lines, "Bannon here."

Benton watched in growing concern as Race's expression soured.

"When did that happen? Any leads?" He looked back to Benton, drew out his pistol and confirmed he had a chamber in the round. "…Keep me posted."

The unnatural shiver that ran through Jonny said he had the same bad feeling his dad did.

"…It was about him wasn't it?" Jonny swallowed back, "How long has he been missing?"

"His last sighting was roll-call last night, he'd have a 14 hour head start at most." Race said in a steely calm.

"So he's probably already in the area?" Jonny frowned. Last year he remembered how Race had told him about the decision to put him up at Riker's Island, a deal that had been sealed and sanctioned, that was thrown in Phil Korvin's face personally, as the man had been adamant the man rot in that shit-hole prison in Alabama, but somehow he'd made a pitch to a more sympathetic group and they bypassed what was best for both the victims and the departments responsible for their continued protection.

"…There's more bad news." Race said more to Benton, but to the boys as well, "Claire's dead, and I can't say Phil will be much help to us as soon as he finds that out."

Race looked at the door in time to see Darren, arms crossed, blocking it. "…Well the good news there is his interim replacement is fully read in, or about to be."

"Darren?" Jonny looked at dark brown hair and ice blue eyes from over his dad's shoulder.

"I need to review this."

Alex flipped over a file, "This one too. I'm pretty sure this is what war-drums sound like on paper. Where's Venus?"

"…Downstairs, you mind checking in on her?"

"Not at all, sir." Alex saluted and bowed out quickly, "Where's Ian?"

"…With her now. Race, call Bennett, I want someone we trust with eyes on all of your kids until we know up from down."

Race nodded in appreciation and dialed.

-Chapter 4 JQ-

In the spacious kitchen with black appliances and counters, Darren watched Venus teeter as she shoveled five pounds of freshly chopped carrots, onions, mushrooms, and potatoes into a pot of simmering curry stew.

"Sweetie, park it." The girl shot a frown through him, he walked over to her and pulled her into a hug, coincidentally strong-arming her back toward the chairs, "Seriously."

Taking in her options, she bobbed her head and took a seat, eying him nervously. He didn't like that look, she was feeling insecure, he knew that, but he didn't know how else to assuage her concern.

"…I hurt your leg, didn't I?" He asked after a long minute. "I'm a grade-A fuck up, no wonder Snow was pissed at me. He told me to sleep it off, and instead I went and tweaked you out even more than you already were."

She frowned at that, "…You're not the family fuck-up."

Darren smirked, "Oh, I'm pretty certain my old man would disagree." His smirk faltered as she started to tear up. "What? What did I do now?"

"…Daddy…"

He didn't like how small she sounded, how frail, he slung his arms around her in a bear hug. "Dad's right here, princess. What is it? You can tell me anything."

She nodded with a sniffle, "…Grandpa was the real family fuck-up… he fucked it up so bad he did a complete do-over just to make sure he could repeat being that much of a fuck-up."

Darren's head turned to the side, "…You mean by having me?" He didn't deny that stung a little, but then again he wasn't sure where she was taking that. "…You don't, do you?"

"…You really don't know?" She scowled, "But nonna sung about it all the time… in her silly operas…"

Darren pulled out a clove cigarette. "You mean about how he was a good-for-naught cheating louse? Yeah, I remember."

"…How about the verse about the illegitimate kid he had with that said red-headed whore?"

As his pupils dilated, Venus realized he hadn't been as active of a listener as she'd assumed. "…Mom knew about them?"

"…Them?" Venus's head tilted, "There was only one, dad."

"Not to be argumentative, princess, but there were two. One just happened to die." Darren sucked down a long drag, held it and blew it toward the ceiling. "My half-sister wrote to Phil and me at mom's funeral. She told us who she was, and that she didn't want anything to do with us but that she thought we deserved to know about her, what with our shadows living over her for her whole childhood."

Venus frowned, "She's not the one nonna knew about then."

"Sweetie, I need you to read me in. Who are you talking about?"

"…How old is your half-sister?"

"She's about three years older than me. She and her mom live in the DC area. That's why mom bought this house… At first, he convinced her that she wasn't his, but then the same redhead showed up still not married and pregnant again… Mom was going to leave dad, but he begged her to come back, that Phil needed a dad, that I'd need a dad… and that he'd never do it again…"

"But she had a boy." Venus frowned, "…And gave him the surname Corbin."

Darren shook his head, "That fucking slut…" He put a hand over his mouth, "Sorry, that language was uncalled for…"

"She used the old world spelling," Venus pushed.

"You're talking about the one that died. I hadn't heard he got the ol' surname, but the one who was my age? Rick?"

"…Richard Allen Corbin." Venus folded her arms, "When did he die?"

Darren measured his daughter, he could tell they were doing a show-and-tell, but he wasn't exactly thrilled here. "When he was 15, at first I thought dad had laid off me since the Iran debacle, but then I heard it through the grape vine that his illegitimate kid died and he was just depressed. He thought I was a wash, Phil was like him, and he lost the other one like him, so I stopped trying to appease him at all. I signed on with Alpha One and did full assignments but I decided I never really needed to be military to do what I needed to do and he just stopped asking me to follow more closely in his footsteps."

Venus lowered her head, "…That's what grandpa thought happened, but that isn't. How did he think he died?"

"He never owned up to him even existing so I don't know." Darren frowned, "I had heard rumors of an illness though."

Venus frowned, "Dad, that was in 76."

"…Yeah, I know the math."

She gave him a withering look as if to contest that, "…That was when you were supposed to be in Iran… when all those American kids died in their revolution."

"I know what happened in 76." He said flatly.

"I don't think you do." Venus said defiantly, "Those 14 spots—"

"13 went, only De came back alive."

"—From Alpha, sure, but Intelligence One sent one over last minute. From DC… dad, I think Allen is your half-brother. Things went south, and he didn't make it back but it wasn't because he died. It was because he couldn't get back."

Darren's jaw dropped. "What?"

"…After he did get out of Iran, he went to England, under the alias Allen Heith. A couple, Theresa and Frederick Heith had gone to Iran, they even had a deceased son named Allen who was a year older than Rick Corbin, but he died of cancer the year before, they were trying to gain closure, but instead they rescued a stranded kid and were trying to start over, he spun some bullshit, they took him in, and then three years later, they died in a house fire and Allen was gone. There's indications he bounced around Europe among other places for a decade or so, doing who-knows-what, but there's also a record of one Rick Cobin in the CIA that matches his age, and then a few years ago, he came back state-side. Guess when."

"Oh I love these games." Darren said sourly. "…Is this about a year before Phil filed for divorce?"

Venus smiled, "Your point."

"You still think what happened to Jenna was Allen?"

Venus nodded, "Uncle Phil and Aunt Claire stuck with the line that she got sick and got lost, but truth is, he took her. He wanted to prove he could do it better, that he could…"

Darren pulled her into a tight hug, "You think he's going after you and Jonny to prove he's more of an asshole than my old man?"

Venus frowned, "…You and I both know motives can be as petty as thinking purple isn't someone else's power color. I don't know why he's really doing it, but jealousy or envy are highly probable, that or proving himself worthy…"

"If he really thinks he's my half-brother, you know what that means, don't you?"

She gave a firm nod, "If he takes me, I have a weapon."

"…A weapon?" His voice went dry.

"…I deny him the one thing he wants more than anything, recognition."

"Oh Jesus, no! No that is the exact opposite of what you do! Did you enjoy getting stabbed that much that you want to repeat it?!"

"…Dad, that's another thing."

"Oh Christ, there's more?" He let out a long breath, "What else is there?"

Now unsure if she should say, she frowned, "The crime-scene photos—the creeps who grabbed me? They weren't in the autopsy photos. They weren't there."

Darren's jaw dropped, "You mean to tell me that there are three of those assholes floating around and you're only getting around to telling me this now?"

She worried her lip. "…It gets better?"

"I seriously doubt it, but please do go on." He crossed his arms.

"…I have my working theory on the case upstairs in my bedroom… and Alex and Jonny are looking through it right now…" she cast her eyes low, refusing to make the contact, "…I know I should've said something before."

"Ya think?" He shot back, livid.

"The piece with Arquette didn't make sense! I had to run the numbers! But now… and with Jenna…"

He clenched his jaws, "Stop talking about her." The flinch made him growl even more, "Damn it, stop worrying about her. She didn't worry about hurting you, so why are you so upset about returning the favor?! I'm glad you're okay, I'm happy you defended yourself, don't you get that?"

"Oh yeah, chuckles, you look real happy."

Darren let out a dark laugh, "Don't be a monster-brat," he pet her cheek, "I love you. If anything happened to you I wouldn't know what to do with myself. You're stuck with me, and you're not getting out of that ever." He leaned over to kiss her bangs, "Now as for that leg…"

"It's really no big deal. I twisted it a little last night. I couldn't feel it at the time."

"Yeah, and because I rolled up on you at the ass-crack of dawn thinking it was frostbite and gave you a lymphatic massage. That had to have hurt."

"…It really doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." His voice softened, he looked at her taking in the fragility of a child.

Venus frowned a little her blue eyes locked on his in a pleading look, "…Did you like the coffee?"

He laughed, "You're the sweetest kid I know, yet you are simultaneously the worst coffee-maker I have ever met in my entire god-damned life. I am not discounting non-humans in this list. I am pretty sure Jonny's dog would be better at it than you. Please stop."

"…But you like it when you're hung over…" she goaded weakly.

Darren's laugh deepened, "When I'm hung over, it's ambrosia, when I'm tired, it's literally just torture." He kissed her forehead again, "I love you."

"…I love you too, dad." She squeezed him back into his hug. "Are you really not mad at me?"

"Oh, I didn't say I wasn't mad at ya." He bopped her nose, "We're going to have a long talk about this later, princess. I can't have you compartmentalizing as good as me yet. It's too dangerous. And holy shit, you are going to be so grounded."

-Chapter 4 JQ-

Ian plucked a potato from the curry stew and sucked in air as he swallowed the scalding-hot tot. "Sooo good…"

Venus smiled at the antics, still standing in the corner, arms curving around her waist as she stood sentinel over the kitchen.

"So," he glanced toward her.

"…So." She parroted.

"Claire's dead." He said in deadpan, "I guess she was being too Chatty of a Cathy." He eyed her as her face fell into a contorted grimace.

He slipped the cubed meats into the stew and pushed it in with a wooden spoon.

"How?" She asked darkly.

"I'm going with a cup of tea to die for."

"Do you think it was Arquette or do you think it was Gaia?" She asked pointedly.

Ian shook his head, "Or suicide, that's possible. It's not quite a cyanide capsule and foaming at the mouth, but Claire knew she was fucked."

"…No. She's too narcissistic for that. Who do you really think killed her?" Venus chewed on the tip of her thumb, fuck her leg was throbbing. "…Arquette seems too patient to blow it on an impulse, so it has to have been Gaia, but would Allen pull his support from her? Why? He used her to keep Jenna safe."

"Maybe he's ready to take back his other poppet."

Venus shot a glare at her friend, "What the fuck do you mean?"

He was taken aback by that reaction, they'd spoken about Allen's procured girls, his own fucked up version of 'Charlie's Angels.' "You know Allen keeps pets."

"..." She clenched her jaw, "Pets? Is that what you think they are? That's one hell of an exotic collection of murderers."

"…Then tell me about what it means. You and Alex never read me in, and that's bullshit. I'm in your corner! I've always been."

She slid into the wall, no longer letting the weight bite into her ankle.

"…You don't know what you're asking me to tell you." She looked down.

"Arquette said he had three she knew about. One in Argentina, one in Jenna, and one in her daughter."

Venus frowned, "Well then she's wrong. He has two in Argentina… or had two. Dawn and…" her voice vanished, her mouth dried on her as her voice died in abject realization. "…He uses doubles to protect his real… but then… oh fuck."

Ian approached her, put a hand on her shoulder, he could feel her shaking.

"…But the only reason for that for Rory or me would be…" She slid down the wall to the floor.

"You aren't making sense, tell me." Ian's eyes pierced through his tinted glasses onto Venus's as he squeezed her arm again to try to ground her. "Please, I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

"Ian, why would I need a body double?"

"Easy, to play the shell game," he offered stoically.

"…And what would that prize be?" Venus frowned.

He considered it, "You not getting killed by the KGB. He's been pulling her through Europe to give you cover."

"…And make it so the defect would get killed. But she can only get killed by the right people or it's useless to him."

"And she has to look like you for that to matter, so he couldn't have her on her meds…"

Her arms curled around her chest as she let out a hitched sob. "I ruined her life just by existing, no wonder Aunt Claire hated me."

The shell-shocked look on Ian's face was quickly replaced with resolve as he pulled her into a pinned hug. "No, you didn't bring that on. That was his game." He frowned as he filled in his own gaps as to why he'd do it. "His target has been Darren, that's who he wants to prove himself to…"

Venus gave a weak nod, "…So he's going to attack my sister, and my brother, and me so he has to recognize he can destroy his whole family, again? I'm not sure that makes…"

"He's not trying to kill them. He's trying to make you able to survive because his real family didn't… I mean, his biological—you're his real-real family…" He backpedalled but knew that grenade had just punched a crater through her. "Fuck! I didn't mean to say…"

"He first approached me after I almost died… He's trying to prove a fucking point?! What? That he'd be better than my dad?" Her eyes hardened. That was it, wasn't it? He was trying to rub it in Darren's face that she faltered because she'd been weak because he hadn't made her stronger.

Venus forced herself up, her stomach ached fiercely. "I need air."

Ian looked at her like she had sprouted an extra head. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're not going outside."

The glare she shot through him cut down his argument.

"Don't make me restrain you, please Venus." He took a step to follow her; he was thrilled to see Alex come into the kitchen. "Alex, oh thank god, talk sense into her—she wants to take a fucking walk."

Venus waltzed between them ignoring the throb in her leg and the tightness in her chest, she sloughed her apron off. "I'm going to my room."

Alex laughed nervously, "Uh, you may… want to… give that a minute. Venus, the guy who roughed you up—apparently he's the guy who grabbed Jonny a few years ago, and some other guy who was with him at the time—well, he just got sprung from the joint and was in Riker's."

"Rikers?!" Her eyes went to the size of saucers as she grabbed his shoulder with the force of a snake-bite. "…Dmitry… Is he still in?!"

"I—I don't know, they called Race, I don't know if he'd even know to ask about him."

Venus pulled at the collar of her shirt, breathing was getting far too difficult even to fake. "Inhaler… I need my…"

Ian nodded, "Where is it? Your bedroom or your bag?"

She gasped out wisps.

"Fuck! Alex, you check through her bag, I'll go check her room—see if Darren knows where it is." The sight of blue rolling over into whites made Ian sprint up the stairs, "Hey geezer—her inhaler, where is it?!"

Darren looked up from the file in time to see Ian running into the room, pulling at drawers.

He stood, took a hurried step to her vanity desk, and pulled the drawer to reveal her rescue inhaler. "I've got it, what did you little shits do?" He said as he made his rush down the stairs around a harried trio.

Within a minute, Darren was hovering over Venus pushing the inhaler at the teen.

"Hey, hey, you need to take this…" He put it in her hand and helped her raise it to her mouth. Up-turned eyes fluttered without recognition, he put the medical device against her lips, keeping her hand around it. "Come on, take a few puffs. Breathe in deep." As he coached, he pressed the plunger from around her hand three times. The wheezing inhale was a promising sound, well, at least from a compliance angle.

Pulling her into a seated position, he depressed the plunger again, his fingers curled around her wrist to count her pulse. She flopped forward into his shoulder taking in a staggered set of breaths, her eyes blinking to shut. He could feel her pulse slowing, the counter-intuitive positive indication as her breaths slowed but also deepened.

"You need to sit down for a little bit, come on, let's get you off the floor." He said as he picked her up, he highly doubted she'd have her legs under her even if he tried to have her walk it off. "So, what the fuck happened, boys?"

"…Darren, if there was a prison break at Rikers… would you know if Oleski got out? Would they tell you?"

His eyes went wide, "Kid, if Oleski got out there'd be one hell of a breech."

"—The same degree as a terrorist, I'd say." Benton shot from the entryway of the kitchen. He helped Darren pick up Venus and maneuver her back to the living room into a chair in a stagger.

Darren let out a shaky breath, he knew Dmitry was kept in general population but the most secure wing. It was in the realm of possibilities, "So she had that thought and that caused this?"

"…No, she had the thought that Allen was using doppelgangers as a means to kill a double and clear a debt." Ian said in a strangely defiant tone. "And then that asshole wants to keep her all for himself to hurt you."

"Shit." Darren patted Venus's cheek. "Why does she think that?"

In a simmering rage, Ian chimed, "Because apparently there's two poppets in Argentina, not one."

"Arquette only mentioned one." He said firmly.

"She also didn't know about Jenna and thought she was Venus. Oleski hasn't seen her grow up, if he was being fed info… don't you think they could steer it to what they wanted him to see?"

Jonny trudged to the center of the impromptu crew piling around the chair.

"I think I can fill in a few more of those loose connections, including objectives… Darren, do you know the doomsday cult Ezekiel Rage leads?"

Darren's head swiveled toward the added voice.

"…Race and dad were called in on a mission for I-1 when a CIA operative named Rick Cobin showed up murdered on a beach, but I'd wager you can't find an autopsy for him. And Gaia has a nerve gas recipe they were trying to make dad reproduce en masse that was derived off tetrodatoxin. In the right doses, that makes a person look pretty dead without actually being dead."

In silent awe, Benton watched his son break down a hellish scenario. "I'd say Zeke qualifies as a flipped operative, dad, don't you think so too?"

"…I… would say, yes." He swallowed thickly.

"I think Zeke is a brand ambassador of sorts, he's charismatic and can get people through the door, but he's a doomsday cultist, not exactly the brand this Allen creep would go for long-term, but to get numbers?"

Darren lowered his head, "So why did he fake his own death?"

"Because he completed his first objective and he didn't need Rage involved anymore on site, and how better to dispatch him than to have his enemies make the arrest? It would raise Rage's mythos that much further, and then he could be 'resurrected' and be the natural next in line, except he was always in control. Rage is just a zealous figurehead."

"…A first chair." Darren laughed to himself in a jaded chuckle, "Mother fucker."

"Darren, you should see if Oleski is out, and where Rage is. He may still be in play."

Jonny pulled his phone out, Hadji already on the line. "Hadj, did you catch that?"

"Yes, Jonny. I most certainly did. I am performing the search now," There was a pregnant pause before he spoke again, "Dmitry Oleski is still accounted for, but Ezekiel Rage is not. He, too, was at Riker's."

"…Well, at least that cloud has a silver lining." Darren let out, subconsciously he brushed Venus's bangs back.

"Do not be so optimistic, a dozen prisoners escaped in this jail break, of them, it appears they each have become dedicated followers of Ezekiel Rage."

Darren grimaced painfully. "Alright, didn't need that bit of cheer, Jonny, what do you think Allen's objective is in linking up with this Ezekiel guy?"

"He's pretty much a militant arsonist and a religious nutter people flock to. Powerful people with resources, in fact, so if I needed to bankroll something on the down low I'd think that would be a pretty good income generator. The revenue is legit, you have people willing to do some pretty crazy things, and if he has ties to a government—he could probably orchestrate a coup." Jonny touched Venus's shoulder, from what Darren had told him of her, he doubted she was really asleep. "Venus, what would Allen want in Argentina?"

Darren interrupted, "Aurora Alvarez. She married into a prominent political family and her husband very well may be the next president there. He has the popular vote, and presently the confidence in the current leadership there is nose-diving due to some violent riots and economic down-turn. On paper it looks like it's on the up-and-up, but it reeks of CIA subterfuge."

"Why would they want to destabilize Argentina?" Jonny asked softly.

"…Alex, maybe you can ask your dad to look into that angle. Jonny, Rick Cobin was CIA, and they have a tendency to be self-righteous assholes who think they know best by using very short-term fixes for long-term non-issues. Maybe to get a better trade deal at the expense of a stable government, it's hard to say."

-Chapter 4 JQ-

The lunch table was unnaturally quiet for such a large gathering, the sounds of metal on porcelain echoed.

Half-awake, Venus scooped up curry broth on rice eating half-heartedly. While the boys were more engaged in plowing through the calories, only Alex and Ian seemed immune to the tension around them.

"This Rage guy, who is he? We've never had a run-in with him before…" Alex stated casually while piling on even more veggies and meat, now on his second helping.

Darren pinched the brim of his nose, these boys ate like they did a stay in a prison. "He's a former I-1 agent, he had a surprise in the field and it blew his cover wide open in the worst of ways. His wife and kid showed up on a stealth mission, it got them killed and disfigured him… though, at the time he was assumed dead, too."

"Huh, disfigured, how so?"

"…He's got burns over 80 percent of his body from the car bomb." Jonny said mutely, "He also hallucinates, which only feeds into his delusions. He thinks Jessie is his dead daughter Carla. They don't look anything alike though."

Race smiled at Jonny, "Yeah, truth be told, Carla looked more like Jonny here."

With a clink of her spoon, Venus's head rose, "Do they sound alike though? A firebomb could easily put out enough light to cause serious damage to the retina." She closed her eyes as she pictured the flash that had wiped out her parents' armor-plated vehicle almost 13 years ago.

Darren's hand reached across the table to grab hers.

"…You said he's an arsonist? Goody, just regular fire, or does he like bombs too?"

Dr. Quest glanced at Darren, he looked like his lunch was a bowl of broken glass. "He uses bombs primarily, though he dabbles in chemical warfare of all sorts. We should be grateful biological weapons aren't more to his liking."

"Those are indiscriminate. That's hardly of any use to a person with a manifesto." Venus leaned back in her chair, "Dad, mind if I head up to my room for a while?"

"That depends, are you going upstairs to sleep, or to sulk?"

"…Yes." She nodded, her eyes narrowed to slits as she shot him the sarcastic response, "I'm really tired, and there's new information to plug in, so after I update the case file I'm going to crash for a while."

"Alright, well, thanks for making lunch. The boys'll clean up, so go on up."

Venus nodded and pushed back from the table.

They waited until she was up the steps before Race asked, "Too close to home? Does she remember that?"

Darren let out a slow breath, "Oh she does, enough at least, on a plus side she stopped blaming herself for it a few years ago."

Benton looked between the two other adults at the table, "Have I missed something?"

Darren's eyebrows shrugged, "Well hell, maybe she'll finally put her hobby to good use."

"…Today's the anniversary of when it happened, it happened on the Day of the Dead… this can't be a coincidence." Jonny offered reverently.

Race put a hand over Jonny's shoulder, "Bennett's with Hadji and Jessie, they're safe. We're here with you and your sister, and you're both safe too."

"And Arquette killed the one person who could've told us more about their objectives—and now we're dead in the water playing catch up." Jonny shoved back in the chair, the wood made an unpleasant scraping noise for the wear.

"You think she did it?" Darren asked, honing in on his instincts.

"I told you I'd trust her to give us information but I wouldn't trust her to fix my drink, didn't I? I think she'd kill me in a heart-beat if it meant spiting Gaia their opportunity, so why would you think she wouldn't kill someone who'd actually turned?" He saw the look of panic sweep over his dad's face and quickly dissipate behind a stoic mask. He blew out an uneven breath.

Alex reached to the center of the table to gather up a glass of milk for himself, "Dr. Quest, one of Venus's hobbies is making incendiary explosive devices and practicing how to diffuse them. There's a strict no glitter in the gee-dee house rule per Darren. Oh it was glorious, pink foilwent everywhere. Phil kept asking Darren if he took up pole-work, and we thought Phil was going to get shot."

"…What?"

"You know, strippers—they wear glitter all the time."

Darren gave Alex the look to wrap it up. "Alex is trying to impress upon you that he is edgy and cool and has seen a whole two rated R movies in his life."

Ian snorted at his friend, "We really try to keep him away from celebrities, he gets star-struck and then acts like a complete spaz, but hey at least he hasn't started to quote your articles."

"…I'd rather he sign those…" Alex mumbled, "…Dad's going to be so jealous. That one about algorithms that can be used as a Turing test has really helped my dad out in the online dating sphere."

Darren slid a hand down his face, "Your dad isn't dating and he isn't online looking to, either."

"I know! That's because of that article!" Alex smiled toothily, "Or at least I think that's why."

Ian stared at Alex, embarrassed for him, "It's because your dad's a nerd—and not the romanticized kind. He works 90-plus hour work weeks, takes a day off once a month at most, and then still barely remembers he's supposed to feed you. He's too busy to date."

Alex frowned at the last gibe. "He remembers to feed me, he just doesn't know when I'll be at the house is all."

Race looked over to Darren, he remembered those days all too well, with renewed interest in what the boy was wearing he could see the earmarks of childhood poverty in the off-brand clothes that were just a little too big and too small, and the realization about why he'd load up on food while there- where it was readily available.

"Well he does!" He reiterated as Ian gave him the 'I'm not convinced' look. He rolled his eyes.

Jonny picked up two of the bowls and headed toward the kitchen as he bussed the used dishes.

-Chapter 4 JQ-

In a cross mood, Jonny leaned back into the living room's couch, practically fusing with the cushion, he eyed his dad and Race, "Dad, why do you think Dr. Arquette is cleaning house now?"

Benton rested his large hand over Jonny's shoulder, "Your guess would be as good as mine."

Jonny frowned, "No it wouldn't be, you knew her, way more than I do, she's getting rid of the people who can answer our questions, who might be willing to if cornered. That can't be coincidental."

Race clucked his tongue, "Are you sure about that?"

The teen turned toward Race, "…What do you mean?"

"You said you thought Jenna was trying to show you something. Do you think she'd still be willing to?" He watched Jonny's face glow with opportunity. "You said Arquette all but wrote her off, but Phil's no fool, and neither was Claire. Jenna might not be mentally well, but she's not stupid."

"So she might know something and Arquette just discounted her entirely… Dad—can we?"

Benton crossed his arms as he considered it, "I don't see what we could do here that would add value, but that might break things open. If you're comfortable with that plan, we can pay a visit."

"Then let's go. I'm done being at their whim, they want to come after us? They need to get in line, plus we need to show Race's friend here how we do things." The gentle smirk his dad shot his way took a weight off his chest. "They need to see how a team operates. Better yet, a Quest Team."

His dad ruffled his hair, "Don't get too ahead of yourself. This is dangerous, and we need to be collaborative, but I don't see a reason not to look into that angle. Race, can you arrange for it? Would Phil be more receptive to you asking?"

"Ah hell, even if he isn't, we're showing up. After what he pulled on you, he'll get over it."

"Then, I'll let Darren know what we're planning. I'll be back momentarily." Benton said, remiss to break the contact with Jonny, he was on-edge, he recognized that readily enough, but at least he could focus on something productive.

As he made his way up the stairs, he stopped upon sight of the balcony, holding back to listen to the conversation happening there.

-Chapter 4 JQ-

Sitting on the cold balcony floor, Venus looked out over the fenced in yard struggling to catch her breath as she thought through the implications swirling around her.

Allen, more than a turn-coat, was gunning for her father and using her as ammo. Ezekiel Rage, a religious zealot, was mounting a small army to do who-knows-what. Dr. Arquette, a grieving mother, was on the war-path and burning every bridge she could find. Claire Westcott… was dead, and Jenna and Phil Korvin were grieving that loss, and she still didn't know why Allen would have made that move.

And why was Allen targeting Rory? She could assume why her, but not why he'd go after her estranged half-sister—non-sister, but he'd tied into that line twice before! She shivered as she recalled just what his poppets could do.

Just the memory of her dad beat near unrecognizably, how his ribs had caved so unnaturally from their last run in… and yet, even still, there'd always been that question of why they'd have let him live when it was so clear they could've done worse. Were they going to now? Silently, she cried into her knees, promising herself she'd never let that happen. Whatever the blood-price, she'd pay it… she wouldn't let them kill any more of her family.

"Sweetie, what're you doing out here? Don't tell me you're overheated."

Venus lifted her head to see her dad edging toward her, true to his fatherly form, he had his bomber jacket at the ready, and over her shoulders before she could even realize she was cold for once. Stupid hypothermia.

"…Daddy?"

He sat next to her and leaned his head back to look at the day-time sky.

"I'm not going anywhere, you know that right?" He nudged her with his shoulder fondly, "You can never get rid of me, even if you went and tried."

"I'd never try. I don't want to lose you." She frowned.

He let out a breathy laugh, "Sweetie, we've got to play this careful. These assholes are after you, too. You trust me, right? You trust that I will never let them have you…"

Her frown intensified into a grimace, "They're going to come at us with the kitchen sink. Promise me you won't leave me again. I don't want to make it through only for you to be gone." Darren pulled her into a hug.

"I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're stuck with me until a very ripe old age, I'll do anything for you, princess. You're my world and I mean that. This place is too fucking depressing without you lighting up my day."

Venus smiled softly, "Then let's find a way to light up those mother fuckers…"

He cracked a smile, "Now that's my little problem-solver…"

"…Daddy?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"You promise?" She asked again, curling into his side-armed hug.

"To let you light them up or…?" He took in her serious expression, "I promise I'll do anything to keep you the happiest princess in the world, and if that means slogging around for another 70 some-odd years, so be it." He watched her put on a thin smile, "That's my girl. Now come on inside, you know you're not supposed to refreeze meat that's just thawed."

Venus let out a dark laugh, "So now I'm game?"

"Ah, sweetie, you've always been game to my bullshit." He winked at her playfully as he helped her up to her feet. "It's not your fault what happened to Claire, just like what happened to Viktor and Ana wasn't on you either. People are responsible for their own decisions, and the living get stuck footing those bills sometimes."

"…I just don't know what Allen would hope to gain from it, though. If she already talked there was no benefit in shutting her up after the fact…"

"Yeah, well, your brother is on a competing theory to yours, he thinks it was Dr. Arquette, maybe as an act of vengeance, but I get the feeling there's more to it than that."

"Wolves don't do petty acts of vengeance." She laughed, "But wasps seem vindictive, they'll just fly in and sting you for the sake of it." Venus smirked to herself then froze, "Dad, what is Dr. Arquette a doctor in anyway?"

"Hmm? I dunno, she's a research scientist, but I couldn't say what she studied. I do know it wasn't medical science."

"Because you believe a live woman over a dead one? That Dr. Yuan made the save too quick to not be in on it?"

He nodded, "For starters."

"…But if she'd infiltrated wouldn't she know their ways of getting rid of people, too? Are we giving her too much good credit? We're assuming the enemy of our enemy is our friend, but that doesn't mean it's true. She came at us with a gun, she didn't try to warn us."

Glumly, he looked her over. "Hold that thought."

"What? Why?" She looked at him uneasily.

"…Because we're already running on that assumption." Benton said, stepping around the sliding glass door to be visible to the pair. "We're going to head over to the hospital and see if Jenna is still willing to talk to Jonny. She had something in her pocket she wanted to show him before, and we mean to see what it is now."

"Are you crazy? Jenna's…" she turned to look at her dad as if begging him to jump on board with her and stop them from making sure a bad mistake.

"—I'll call Phil and let him know you're on your way over."

"DAD!" She turned to gawk, "Why would—"

"Venus, I appreciate that your dynamics with Jenna has shaped this reaction, but that's precisely why we can do this and you cannot. Jenna doesn't see Jonny in the same way she sees you, and he'll hardly be alone. We work as a team and we trust each other, and what we can contribute to the team. Jonny feels confident in this, and I support that."

Her jaw dropped, "Well as long as you support it… you're still crazy."

"Arquette left a loose end, and she hasn't left many. They have to go for it." Darren clarified, "Benton, you were listening in the whole time, yeah?"

He noticed the soft blush that elicited, at least he had enough tact to seem bashful for intruding on the intimate moment, "I heard enough…"

"…Then what does Arquette research, anyway? What's her focus?"

His face soured. "…Genetics, you know how Jonny was speaking to when Rick Cobin washed up dead on a beach, what he didn't say was that Ezekiel Rage was using kelp as a means of thought-control by using genetically modified versions that produced a litany of drugs when digested. Namely hallucinogenics."

Venus looked from Dr. Quest to Darren then back again, "…How does Ezekiel Rage feel about nerve agents, too?"

Benton crossed his arms, "That would be well within his wheel-house, unfortunately."

"And what would Argentina mean to him?"

"That I don't know."

TBC in Chapter 5.