Rex sat in misery watching the group of scientists before him squabble, not daring to say a single word. All eyes were on Rafael as he recounted exactly what he saw his son doing, putting emphasis on stealing keys and how security in the research lab was now compromised. To his irritation, no one believed him, which led to a whole other half hour of the rest of the scientists trying to get him to calm down.

"Rafael, please, none of this sounds even remotely likely," Violetta tried to assure him. "A man who has never stepped into this building before somehow manipulated all of the cameras while inside the office of someone who doesn't even have the clearance for that?"

"It's the only explanation!" the man insisted.

"I think the stress of the baby is getting to you," Meechum informed him. "Not only that, but working in such a high stakes environment. You're seeing things."

"The only thing I'm seeing is that no one here trusts me enough to believe me! If anything, Violetta would be the one going loco from carrying our son!"

Rex winced as he heard some very angry Spanish words from his mother.

"I personally choose to believe my father," Cesar announced, his arrival prompting the teen's eyes to widen. "Not due to bias, but to the likelihood that we have infiltrators. Mr. Aguilar here wouldn't even be the first."

"Well, if it isn't the nepo baby with his extremely important opinions," Black Knight muttered as she walked through the door alongside him. "Don't you have an invention to crash? Leave these decisions for the higher-ups."

Rex was astounded to see so many people from his past, now sworn enemies, standing together as if the worst they had suffered between themselves was some petty gossip.

"Look at that man and tell me that he's even capable of doing spy work," the woman went on, pointing at Rex. "He's sitting there, cowering. I think I even see a few tears. No one with the skill set trained to destroy such secure research would behave like this."

"The camera isn't the only evidence, despite his efforts to erase it," Rafael spoke up, ignoring her. "Aguilar stole the keys in Kleiss's office. When that man wakes up and finds out that his security was compromised, you'll all believe me!"

Rylander frowned. "Well, there's only one way to find out if you're telling the truth. Find out if the keys really are missing."

"Find out if what is missing?"

Rex stiffened as he watched his long-haired nemesis enter the room, but instead of wearing his usual attire, he was draped in a lab coat and more appropriate work-wear. This Van Kleiss may have been from the past, but he still carried the same sombering aura. Everyone fell into silence for a moment, as if telepathically daring each other to speak.

"I wake up to find everyone fighting like dogs a few rooms over," past! VK stated, raising a brow. "It seems someone misplaced something?"

"Your keys to Violetta's room," Meechum informed him. "Rafael is saying that he caught that man on the floor stealing them from your office."

Past! VK looked at him for a moment, his brow raised. "He seems harmless. Incompetent, even, if that was really his job."

Even all those years ago, the man was as condescending as ever.

"Rafael believes he's putting up a facade after committing thievery," Violetta sighed. "I'm worried for him. His mind is so scattered lately."

Past! VK lifted a pair of keys from his pocket, astounding Rafael immensely. "They never left my office. I don't know what you think you saw."

Rex was now just as shocked as his father was. He had stolen those keys for sure, so how had they appeared right where they belonged? It didn't make sense, unless…

A grin flashed across Van Kleiss's features for a split second.

"I… I think I need to lie down," Rex's father gasped, leaning back to take a seat. "I swear, I saw everything that happened! Why is the evidence against me?"

His wife turned to Meechum. "Do you remember how excess nanite exposure has been known to cause delirium? We tested the effects on rats, and they began to act very strangely."

The man nodded, before turning to his distressed coworker. "Rafael. How long have you been staying overnight to perform experiments? Did you remember to place the proper filters to block excess nanite signaling?"

"I don't even do that anymore," Rafael moaned. "I'm helping Violetta prepare for our new child. It gets very busy!"

Then, he directed his attention towards Rex.

"I don't know who you are," he told the boy. "But I still don't trust you. My senses are intact. Even if I have no proof you did anything, I want you to stay away from me- and my wife!"

The boy nodded silently.

"I can take him away from you easily," Van Kleiss stated. "Allow me to direct him back to my office. I can watch him from there."

Black Knight raised a brow. "Why not just expel him from the building entirely? He's caused enough trouble as it is."

"It wouldn't be wise to allow the prime suspect to just escape us," Rylander told her. "There may not have been a crime that we know of, but I do think something happened, and he's at the center of it. Even if it was all a misunderstanding, he shouldn't leave unless he's cleared of all charges."

Rex quietly got up and followed Van Kleiss to his private office, watching as the door was locked behind him. Past! VK, once asleep at his desk, was nowhere to be seen. Now, the two were left all alone, and one of them suffered rising anxiety at his situation. He hoped he hadn't caused massive ripples in time that altered the course of history.

"What are we doing here?" the teen asked, staring warily at the front door. "I can't help you anymore. I think my dad's smart enough to put two and two together eventually."

"He already has," the older EVO retorted. "But that doesn't mean you're rendered useless. You can still steal files like no one else can, and so long as you're under my supervision, no one will believe you can do any harm."

"I don't know about that. And what happened to the real you? He was here not too long ago!"

"Unconscious, thanks to anaesthesia. I will hopefully have no memory of this event."

"And what about everyone else? You think they're just gonna let this go?"

The man thought for a moment. "I'll have to find a way to wipe their minds. Perhaps I'll use targeted neurotransmitter inhibiting toxins, which will make them unable to create long term memories for a week or two. Everything for the past seven days will become hazy at best, and I could convince them that they celebrated your upcoming baby shower and simply had too much to drink."

The boy stared at him. "Really? I'm not even born yet and you're using me for your own agenda?"

"Hm. I suppose I could simply have you walk out of here and explain your innocence to them by revealing your true nature and how you're from the future, which will cause incalculable long term problems and possibly destroy your life. Does that sound ideal to you?"

Rex looked down at the floor. "No, I guess not."

"Good. You're going to plan the event, while I collect the necessary toxins."

"Life is SO weird right now," the teen sighed, sitting down at the unoccupied desk to grab a pencil and paper. "I'm actually planning my own baby shower. Who does that?!"

"Consider it your own way of being able to spend time with your family," Van Kleiss told him. "As soon as they drink the chemicals we need them to, their hatred for you will disappear, as will their memories of you. I will reintroduce you as my assistant."

The boy paused his brainstorming, then looked back at his enemy. "What's your reason for being here? You still haven't told me."

"The more I complete my tasks, the more I will let you know," his captor told him, sifting through files in a nearby cabinet. He selected one labeled BIOHAZARDS, and clipped it to a loose leaf paper. "The less you understand, the less you can interfere."

"Not fair! I-"

"Take solace in the fact that you're aware I'm giving nanites a new purpose. You're not entirely in the dark, but you're not allowed to know too much."

"Okay, well, your plan sucks," Rex argued. "You can poison my parents' coworkers and even my dad with the drinks, but my mom won't touch alcohol if she's pregnant."

The older EVO stood completely still, then drummed his fingers on the desk.

"True," he agreed. "I'll have to find a different way."

"You can't hurt my mom without hurting me, so don't even try!"

Van Kleiss slowly leaned down and looked his enemy directly in the eye. "And what if your health wasn't my concern? What if your prenatal death didn't affect my plans at all, given the fact that I'm only here for these primitive nanites? My life would be much easier without your interference, you know."

Rex stared at him, shock permeating his system and causing every hair on his body to stand on end. His throat suddenly became extremely dry, and he couldn't bring himself to even blink at the sheer horror of being killed before he was born. It would be a cruel twist of fate to save the entire world just before his own existence was erased. His heartbeat accelerated as he clutched onto the pencil in his hands with a death grip, returning the unwavering gaze from his captor.

The man grinned, just before rising and directing his attention back towards the files.

"I'm not being serious," he said, clearly amused. "But it's not entirely unreasonable. The truth is, Rex, you're more useful to me alive than dead. Unlike me, you can manipulate these systems easily, download code, and program machines with mere touch and intention. If you obey me, I'll allow you to live."

The boy tilted his head. "And if I don't…?"

"If you're feeling adventurous, you can always find out."

"What are you going to do to my mom?"

"The same thing we did to your father. Make her question her own reality, because no one else will believe it."