The Fifteenth Floor
Thane dipped his head to Geoffrey and Jessica and then followed his wife and cousin out of the door. Their time spent with the Williams' family was good for all of them, Thane included. It was good to better get to know Geoffrey and his children, to learn how and where Thane fit into their family's structure. And, Thane enjoyed watching Geoffrey interact with his children, he found it enlightening and perhaps inspiring. Geoffrey was a good man and a good father. Thane could do far worse than to learn from his new … father-in-law.
They had all been so welcoming to Thane's family, too. Kolyat called when he arrived back on Kahje, just as he'd said he would, and he talked with great enthusiasm about his time on Earth. He made it quite clear he enjoyed spending time with Angela, Samantha, and Rift, and he looked forward to seeing them again at the wedding. He'd seemed particularly enchanted by Angela.
Perhaps Thane and Jasmine would buy a small piece of land on Earth, a place where they could rest between contracts or simply when they wished to visit her family. Then, Kolyat could visit them there, sometimes, too. It was certainly something to consider.
"Okay," Jasmine said as she headed to the skycar, bag slung over her shoulder. "Where to, Theo?"
"Actually," Theodus said, giving her a side-eyed glance, "it may be better if we return the skycar and take an actual shuttle."
"Mmmm. Okay. That far away, huh?" She arched an eyebrow as she opened the skycar door and tossed her bags on the floorboard in the back. Climbing into the front, she settled behind the navigation system. "Are we talking overseas, or …?"
"No, not overseas." He climbed into the back seat, settling his bags next to him and then holding his hand out for Thane's. "We won't be leaving the UNAS."
Thane handed Theodus his bags and dipped his head, "My thanks."
He sat down in the passenger's seat and pulled the skycar door closed. He had no idea where Theodus may be taking them, but wherever it was, it likely carried importance for his cousin. And so, it carried importance for Thane. He suspected his wife felt the same.
"Okay, so, where are we going?" Her voice took on a familiar impatience, and Thane reached across the seat to rest his hand on her thigh. She looked back at Theodus again, eyes narrowed.
Theodus chuckled and met her gaze. "New York City."
Her eyebrows rose and she tipped her chin downward. "New York?"
"New York." Theodus grinned and settled back in his seat.
She puffed out her cheeks and turned around in her seat. "Alrighty then."
Thane chuckled at his wife's exasperation and watched as she used the car's navigation system to search for the address to the nearest shuttle station.
After staring up at the high-rise office building for a few seconds, Thane glanced at his wife. She likewise studied the structure, curiosity and a mild wariness written across her features. Theodus still hadn't told them where, precisely, they were going or for what purpose. An office building was not what either Thane or his wife anticipated.
Jasmine had spoken about New York on the shuttle ride, her tone conveying no real affection for the state, but neither did she seem particularly disturbed by their destination. Thane had visited New York on one other occasion, a place called Albany on the mainland, on contract. He hadn't spent much time there, and the time he did spend was focused on tracking down and eliminating his target. Theodus had taken them to the aptly-named Long Island, however.
"Okay, Theo, why are we here?" Jasmine asked, shifting her attention to him.
Theodus glanced at her and smiled before approaching the entrance. Without saying a word, he tapped his closed omni-tool against a scanner. The door opened, and he stepped inside, waving at them to follow. Jasmine turned her attention to Thane, a question in her eyes, but he had no answers for her. Instead, he took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles before leading her into the building.
Thane managed a cursory sweep of the lobby, but Theodus didn't pause to give them the chance to take everything in. From what he did see, however, there was a reception desk and seating to the left with a hallway leading further into the building and another branching off to the left beyond the desk. People milled about, coming and going, tending to their business. No one seemed particularly interested in the presence of two drell, much unlike the reception they'd received in Arizona. To the right, more couches and chairs sat in front of a line of closed office doors. Ahead of them, a marble statue of a bare-chested man lifting a spear, and beyond that, sat a bank of elevators—which Theodus appeared to be heading toward. They followed Theodus to the elevators, and watched as he pressed the call button.
"I think I like the idea of surprises a lot more when I'm not on the receiving end," Jasmine muttered.
Thane chuckled and kissed her hand again, "Indeed."
"Your wait is nearly over." Theodus grinned at them both.
The elevator arrived, and they stepped inside only to be joined by four other people before the door slid closed. Jasmine moved further back into the elevator and leaned against the back wall, still holding onto Thane's hand. Theodus smiled at them from over his shoulder and then pressed the button for the fifteenth floor. He stepped aside, giving the other passengers access to the panel, and a moment later, the elevator began to rise.
It stopped at the eighth and eleventh floors to let the other passengers off, but they picked up two more on the thirteenth floor who were headed to the sixteenth. When the elevator finally stopped on the fifteenth floor, Thane immediately noticed how quiet and empty it seemed compared to all of the other floors he'd seen. Theodus stepped off of the elevator and then turned to look back at them expectantly.
Pursing her lips, Jasmine led Thane from the elevator and did a quick scan left and right. She tensed, momentarily, and he realized it was because they'd found themselves in a very small, enclosed space with nothing but a single door in front of them, and the elevator behind them. He tightened his grip, soothing her by caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. She glanced at him, and he smiled.
She still didn't like to talk about what happened to her on Benning, but it'd left its mark on her soul, and it would take time to heal. In the meantime, perhaps her hypervigilance in new situations would help keep her safe. He agreed their current surroundings were less than ideal should they fall under attack or need to quickly escape, but they weren't in a Cerberus facility, nor were they tracking a target. They were with Theodus, and he trusted his cousin to not recklessly lead them into unknown territory, and thus, risk leading them into danger.
Theodus opened his omni-tool, fingers running over the holographic display as he turned his back to them and approached the door. He stood there for a moment, intently focused on the code scrolling over his omni-tool's screen. He tapped a few more keys, and then, the light on the keypad next to the door shifted from red to green. He opened the door and went inside, the area beyond him fairly dark until he did something else on his omni-tool, and sunlight trickled in to brighten the space.
"Please," Theodus said, turning around and finding them still waiting next to the elevator, "come inside."
Thane let go of Jasmine's hand and placed his on the small of her back, instead. He gave her a gentle nudge toward the door, and her face smooth out into a carefully crafted mask of neutrality. He'd grown used to seeing her leave herself open around Thane and Theodus when they weren't on a mission. It saddened him a little to see her retreating inside of herself, but he understood if she felt safest there at the moment. Squaring her shoulders, she followed Theodus inside, and Thane stayed right behind her every step.
Theodus didn't rush off. Instead, he stood aside and watched as they looked around. The layout deviated from the lobby, but the overall feel wasn't too different—aside from the complete lack of other people. A couch and two chairs sat in front of the windows, positioned toward the glass, with a large coffee table centered between the pieces of furniture. Paintings hung on the walls, and a pedestal in the corner held a black and silver piece of abstract art.
Studying Thane and Jasmine intently, Theodus chuckled and waved his hand toward a hall. "I think you'll find this room to be more illuminating."
He walked down the stretch of floor, passing by several closed doors on the right before stopping at one just beyond the small waiting room on the left. Opening the door, he reached inside, and then light flooded out into the dim hallway. He didn't go inside, though. Instead, he stepped back and gestured inward.
Jasmine eyed Theodus before lifting a brow at Thane. Offering her a reassuring smile, Thane led her to the open door. Glancing inside, he found a small office, and familiarity tugged at his mind. He walked into the room, still leading Jasmine by the hand. Taking in the desk and its accouterments first, he then scanned the walls.
"Ah," he said, quickly realizing he stood in the office Theodus used when he took his calls. He turned back to his cousin and smiled.
"What?" Jasmine asked, and then she turned her back to the desk, giving her the same view she would've had when she spoke to Theodus over vidcall. Her eyes widened. "Oh." The word came out barely above a whisper.
Seeming to need a moment to process the revelation, she didn't move or speak for a few seconds. Theodus watched her intently, awaiting her reaction. Obviously, what they thought of the moment carried a lot of weight for him, and understandably so.
"I never would've guessed you were on Earth," she finally said, grinning and turning her attention to Theodus.
Theodus chuckled and stepped into the room. "Welcome to my home, Cousins," he said softly.
Thane smiled and dipped his head low, acknowledging the honor bestowed upon him. And it was, indeed, an honor, especially coming from Theodus. Their time together gave Thane more insight into his cousin, how he felt, what he thought, and how he interacted with the world around him. Thane knew, professional matters aside, allowing anyone into his home was very difficult for Theodus. His past had left him feeling vulnerable and often defenseless around others, regardless of species or location.
"Home?" Jasmine raised her eyebrows. "You live here? Full time? In an office building? On Earth?"
Looking around the room, Theodus laughed and nodded. "I do. Though, this is more of my work area. I own the fifteenth floor." He shrugged self-consciously when she lifted her eyebrows higher. "The area up front I left as offices. I use them as my various staging rooms … this one is the one I first used with Thane, and so, by default, it became the one I used with you, as well."
"You honor us, Cousin," Thane said, reaching out and resting a hand on Theodus' shoulder.
Jasmine hummed and took a moment to look over the room again, moving away from them to trail her fingers over the free edge of Theodus' desk. She didn't pick up or move anything on the desk, simply looked over everything present. Then, she moved to examine the paintings on the walls more closely. After a moment, she said, "I've seen you in another room before, too."
Shocked, it was Thane's turn to lift his brow. "Indeed?" In all his time working with Theodus, Thane never saw him outside of that office until the day he stepped into their apartment on the Citadel.
"My living room, yes." Theodus grinned at Thane and then turned to wink at Jasmine. "I think we've made your husband jealous. He's never seen anything beyond this room."
She snickered and made her way back to Thane's side, looping her arm around his. "Now I really feel special."
"You should," Theodus said, all humor fading from his face and voice. "You are the only one I have ever allowed to see anything beyond a staging room."
Silence sat between them. Thane wasn't sure what to make of the revelation. He'd known Theodus had warmed to Jasmine from the beginning, long before they'd met in person, but he didn't realize he'd treated her so differently from all other clients. From Thane, himself.
"Why me?" she asked, voice tentative. "Not that I'm complaining, but we'd only spoken a handful of times by then?"
Theodus seemed to ponder the question for a moment before saying. "It was early morning, and I hadn't had enough espresso yet to feel like moving. I was stressed out over a client's wellbeing, and—beyond the fact that I knew you wouldn't remember many of the details anyway—I felt like I could trust you." He lifted a hand and turned his palm out toward Jasmine. "You engaged with me as a person and not just a professional resource, and you'd expressed genuine concern for my safety. And, I suppose, in a way … it allowed me to open myself to Thane without actually doing so." He shrugged and smirked, tone far more flippant when he added, "Take your pick."
The final part of his confession made Thane's heart ache. His cousin must've felt isolated and afraid for so very long. Even if Thane had acted friendlier in his dealings with Theodus, he still likely wouldn't have disclosed their kinship any sooner. Try as he might, Thane couldn't understand how Haset and Ishita could treat their own child with so much cruelty. Thane, admittedly, was not a good father to Kolyat when his son was younger, but he'd never have treated Kolyat as if he were something repulsive to be detested and shunned. Thane's failings were his own, not Kolyat's, and Theodus was just as innocent in it all.
Jasmine snorted. "I'm thinking it's an 'all of the above' sort of situation."
"As am I," Thane said, tipping his head a little as he observed the antsy, emotional retreat of his cousin.
"Speaking of espresso …." Theodus turned away from them and left the office, wandering off out of sight.
Unease settled heavily between Thane's shoulder blades, preventing him from falling asleep despite his best efforts. Jasmine appeared to be sleeping soundly, however, her face serene, the hint of a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. He wondered what she dreamed about, and he was grateful it seemed to be something pleasant. She'd had far too many nightmares and sleepless nights since Karin's murder and they began their attacks on Cerberus facilities, the horrors they saw there haunting her dreams.
Deciding to get up so he didn't risk waking her with his own restlessness, Thane eased out of the bed and then pulled the blanket back up around her torso. She stirred a little and sighed, but settled back into a deep sleep easily enough. Leaving the bedroom Theodus gave them for the duration of their stay, he made his way toward the kitchen, thinking perhaps a cup of tea might ease him enough for sleep. A light coming from the living room drew his attention, however, and so he detoured.
Theodus sat in a highly-cushioned chair, facing the wall of windows. A glass of water sat on the table next to him, sparkling beneath the lamp. The window visor was up, the lights of the city and the reflection of the sea filling the view. It would've made Thane even more tense, seeing his cousin make such an easy target of himself, if he didn't know the windows were tinted in such a way to prevent outsiders from seeing inside. It wouldn't hinder someone with a thermal scope, but then again, neither would having the visor closed. Theodus stared out of the window, seemingly lost in thought.
"I suspect you won't be joining us," Thane said, skipping a beat when Theodus jumped, whipping around to stare at Thane with fear flashing over his face, "when we leave Earth, Cousin."
"No," Theodus said, relaxing again, and he gave Thane a wry smile, "not this time. I have been away too long."
Thane moved further into the room, and Theodus shifted around to track his movements. He took a seat in the empty chair angled toward his cousin. It disappointed him to have his suspicions confirmed, but he understood.
"I will continue to help as I can with your missions from here, for now. Should you find you need me in person, please do let me know, but I believe Mateo and Avalina have it covered without me." He smiled and stood, the fabric of his dark blue, silk pajamas whispering as he moved closer to the window and tucked his hands behind his back. "I'll deny having ever even thought those words, of course."
"Of course," Thane said with a chuckle, studying Theodus' reflection in the glass.
"Thane … I want you to know," Theodus said, turning back to face Thane, urgency and heartache filling his voice, "having spent this time with you over the last few months, getting to know you as family and …." He trailed off as Thane stood.
Stepping forward, Thane pulled him into an embrace. Theodus let out a strangled sound and wrapped his arms tightly around Thane, hands splayed out against the scales of his back. Thane held Theodus close until he felt his cousin begin to pull away. Leaning back, Thane rested his hands on Theodus' shoulders, confused by the tears in his eyes.
"I am so pleased to have you in my life, Theodus." Thane gripped Theodus a little tighter, hoping to somehow convey all that he felt through the touch. "It saddens me that it was so difficult for you to tell me who you were, but I also understand why it wasn't easier." He paused and tipped his head. "Now that I do know, however, it is my every intention to ensure you and I remain close. You are always welcome with us, wherever we go, should you decide you wish to be there. And, if it pleases you, Jasmine and I will come visit you here as often as we can."
"I would very much like that." Theodus nodded and brushed his tears away, letting out a soft, self-deprecating laugh. "In fact, it was my intention in bringing you here to show you both, should you ever need it, you will find safety and refuge in my home. I have a list of locations, properties that I own, in various places to give you as well in case you have need. Most of them aren't as spectacular as this," Theodus said, waving his hand around the area of the fifteenth floor he used as his living space, "but they will give you a place to hide, to stay warm, and safe. Or, even if you simply want to save credits … what I have is yours, Cousin."
"Ah." Thane smiled and patted Theodus' shoulder. "That's quite generous of you. My thanks."
Smiling, Theodus dipped his head and then wiped his face again. The tears stopped as swiftly as they arrived, but the wetness had yet to dry on his scales. "It's my pleasure."
"And if you're ever in trouble …" Jasmine's soft voice seemed to come from all corners of the expansive room.
Theodus stepped to the side and turned, revealing Thane's wife leaning against the door frame. She wore Thane's linen shirt and a loose pair of shorts. Her hair hung around her face and shoulders, freed from her usual ponytail. Sleep still filled her eyes, but she appeared alert enough to be saddened by their conversation.
Theodus dipped his head. "The two of you will be the first to know."
A tear slipped down Jasmine's face, but before Thane could move to offer her comfort, she crossed the floor and threw her arms around Theodus. She pressed her cheek to Theodus', and it brought a warmth to Thane's chest. Theodus chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight enough to lift her feet from the floor for a moment. He kissed her cheek as he sat her back down.
"There's no need for that," he said, brushing away her tears, as if he hadn't just shed a few himself.
She snorted and stepped back when he pulled his hand away from her face. Moving into Thane's side, she leaned into him when he held his arm out. "I'm going to miss you," she said to Theodus.
"Then," he said, tilting his head, "I expect you to call me, and often."
She smiled and nodded. "Promise."
Jasmine closed her omni-tool and looked up at Thane sitting across from her at Theodus' dining table. "Bossman wants us to go to New Canton instead of back to the Iliad. It's, uh, a human colony in the Terminus. He's sending me specific coordinates. He said he should be able to meet us there the day after tomorrow, but he's sending me a keycode so we can get in without him if we need to."
"Why New Canton?" Theodus asked, sipping from his espresso.
"Mmm, we're looking into the idea of finding a location for everyone to gather at for mission planning that's more discreet than the Citadel. I'm guessing it has something to do with that, though he didn't say for sure." She shrugged and ate a spoonful of yogurt. "And, no, I didn't ask …." Maybe she should've, but truthfully, it wouldn't have mattered—Isaac wanted her to go to New Canton, so she'd go to New Canton. The only thing that would've dissuaded her was if Thane protested for some reason.
"The Terminus Systems is certainly ideal for our needs." Thane waved a hand before resting his forearms on the table, hands clasped. "It's outside of the Council's and the Alliance's jurisdictions—under the rule of no specific government of concern. It'll allow us discretion, in those regards, however it may make us targets for pirates or other gangs."
Scrapping her teeth over her lip, she nodded. "It might. We should still go see what he's got, at least."
"Agreed." Thane dipped his head. "And after: I was contacted by a previous client. They've offered me another contract, and they have agreed to my condition of working with my 'new partner', should you still wish to join me as we discussed."
Resting her chin in her free hand, she stole a couple of seconds to just soak it all in, and then said, "Always."