Van Kleiss is Not a Nice Awakened (and He is Fun to Write)
It was only a matter of time before Van Kleiss made his first move. They had known it would happen the moment he Awoke. Eventually he would work to secure the equipment he needed.
What they didn't know was that he could bypass Caesar's security system. Oh, it wasn't easy, but he knew what he was doing. All it took was patience, and Van Kleiss had more than enough of that. He needed the appropriate equipment, and he knew exactly whom would have it. All he needed was the blueprints. There was no reason to reinvent the wheel.
The only miscalculation he made in his plan was that he had forgotten Caesar would sometimes forget himself and work through the night. Tonight was one such night. Caesar had the lights turned low so that he wouldn't disturb the Holiday household next door. He watched Caesar working away on some silly project of his, completely absorbed in his work.
So it wasn't quite how Van Kleiss had planned their little 'reunion' to go--no, that was supposed to happen later--but he supposed this would do. After all, this gave him an opportunity to see exactly how the man said he had 'changed'. Caesar had only hinted that he wasn't as he used to be, but Van Kleiss wanted to see this for himself.
The knife that he had brought into existence only a moment before slipped into Caesar's back just as easily as he expected. It was disappointing, really. Equally disappointing was the fact he couldn't goad the man as he heard blood gurgle from Caesar's lips; that would defeat the purpose of attacking him from behind so he couldn't see who had killed him, wouldn't it? No, no, that simply wouldn't do. He needed anonymity while he was still weak and the annoying younger Salazar brother was still capable of defeating him. Rex was now an Angelii, after all.
He twisted the knife harshly before pulling it free, stepping back as Caesar fell forward onto his work bench and slid off, leaving a trail of blood against the equipment. Caesar fell onto his back and remained there, eyes half-lidded and vacant. Van Kleiss kept to the shadows, watching for the rising and falling of Caesar's chest. It remained still, and he allowed himself a bit of a satisfied smirk.
Oh, they would suspect him, especially Rex, but they would have no proof. Caesar would not be able to identify his attacker when he revived. And oh, it had felt good to kill the son of those meddling fools that had prevented his rise to power.
Van Kleiss Unmade the knife, and it was a moment more before the blood vanished off his hand. All he would have to do was fix his alterations to the security system before he left and there would be no records of what he had done. Plausible deniability. He had even found a way to leave his home without them knowing, and therefore he'd have an alibi. It was too simple, really.
He watched the blood pool. Caesar's heart wasn't likely beating anymore, but gravity still did some of the dirty work. If only he could see the look on Rex's face when he discovered his brother's corpse.
Hearing Rex scream threats over the network would simply have to do.
Van Kleiss walked over to the consoles and Made himself a pair of gloves; one that even fit over his mechanical hand. He didn't want to leave fingerprints, after all. Ah, he was beginning to truly enjoy all the benefits that Bending afforded him. It was simply a preview to the powers he would have had if he had succeeded in his goal the first time.
The console was passcoded. No, it had been passcoded, because all it took was a strong command from Van Kleiss to change that. A few minutes work revealed that the console didn't have what he was looking for, and so he moved onto the next one. By the fourth console, he was muttering under his breath. Surely the man hadn't been that cautious. His plans had to exist somewhere else than beside his head!
As he worked on the fifth console, Caesar's eyes snapped open. Caesar had just a moment before he died to not want to die, and so he hadn't. It had taken a while to will his blood back into himself, drawing it slowly from the floor and up his flak vest and shirt. He healed what he could, but it still wasn't much--the major internal was fixed, but nothing much else. Just enough to keep himself from dying.
He rolled silently onto his hands and knees, standing shakily. Caesar watched Van Kleiss working on the consoles emotionlessly. So he had finally decided to attack.
But as Caesar said, Van Kleiss wasn't the only one with powers anymore. Caesar simply raised his arm, his hand glowing green. Then he gave just as much warning that Van Kleiss had given him and let the energy loose, striking the man's back.
The only difference was that Caesar wasn't aiming to kill, as was obvious by how Van Kleiss fell forward with a cry of pain. He watched calmly as Van Kleiss whirled around, and grew calmer still as Van Kleiss's eyes widened. There was nothing to fear from him.
A thought activated the alarms throughout the lab and the house adjacent, yet silence loomed. Caesar's lips thinned, and another thought fixed that. Suddenly, flashing lights and sirens were everywhere, identifying Caesar's lab as the source of the disturbance.
Van Kleiss's head turned this way and that as he looked around the lab in shock, "How?! This cannot be!"
"I suggest that you leave, Van Kleiss," Caesar's voice was even despite the taste of blood in his mouth, spreading his fingers wider apart as his hand glowed green again. "Rex can teleport."
As if Van Kleiss needed that reminder. He fled. Caesar watched him leave, following him with his gaze. He let his arm drop, the glow dissipating as the front door to his lab slammed shut.
"Caesar!" Rex shouted from behind him, and Caesar blinked as he turned to look at him. "Oh my God, Caesar--you're bleeding!"
Oh, that was right. Caesar looked down to his chest, bringing up a hand to curiously touch the half-healed wound. He blinked as he pulled his hand away, staring at the blood on his fingers.
"I don't like that man," he stated simply before his knees gave away.
The last thing he heard was Rex screaming his name.
What they didn't know was that he could bypass Caesar's security system. Oh, it wasn't easy, but he knew what he was doing. All it took was patience, and Van Kleiss had more than enough of that. He needed the appropriate equipment, and he knew exactly whom would have it. All he needed was the blueprints. There was no reason to reinvent the wheel.
The only miscalculation he made in his plan was that he had forgotten Caesar would sometimes forget himself and work through the night. Tonight was one such night. Caesar had the lights turned low so that he wouldn't disturb the Holiday household next door. He watched Caesar working away on some silly project of his, completely absorbed in his work.
So it wasn't quite how Van Kleiss had planned their little 'reunion' to go--no, that was supposed to happen later--but he supposed this would do. After all, this gave him an opportunity to see exactly how the man said he had 'changed'. Caesar had only hinted that he wasn't as he used to be, but Van Kleiss wanted to see this for himself.
The knife that he had brought into existence only a moment before slipped into Caesar's back just as easily as he expected. It was disappointing, really. Equally disappointing was the fact he couldn't goad the man as he heard blood gurgle from Caesar's lips; that would defeat the purpose of attacking him from behind so he couldn't see who had killed him, wouldn't it? No, no, that simply wouldn't do. He needed anonymity while he was still weak and the annoying younger Salazar brother was still capable of defeating him. Rex was now an Angelii, after all.
He twisted the knife harshly before pulling it free, stepping back as Caesar fell forward onto his work bench and slid off, leaving a trail of blood against the equipment. Caesar fell onto his back and remained there, eyes half-lidded and vacant. Van Kleiss kept to the shadows, watching for the rising and falling of Caesar's chest. It remained still, and he allowed himself a bit of a satisfied smirk.
Oh, they would suspect him, especially Rex, but they would have no proof. Caesar would not be able to identify his attacker when he revived. And oh, it had felt good to kill the son of those meddling fools that had prevented his rise to power.
Van Kleiss Unmade the knife, and it was a moment more before the blood vanished off his hand. All he would have to do was fix his alterations to the security system before he left and there would be no records of what he had done. Plausible deniability. He had even found a way to leave his home without them knowing, and therefore he'd have an alibi. It was too simple, really.
He watched the blood pool. Caesar's heart wasn't likely beating anymore, but gravity still did some of the dirty work. If only he could see the look on Rex's face when he discovered his brother's corpse.
Hearing Rex scream threats over the network would simply have to do.
Van Kleiss walked over to the consoles and Made himself a pair of gloves; one that even fit over his mechanical hand. He didn't want to leave fingerprints, after all. Ah, he was beginning to truly enjoy all the benefits that Bending afforded him. It was simply a preview to the powers he would have had if he had succeeded in his goal the first time.
The console was passcoded. No, it had been passcoded, because all it took was a strong command from Van Kleiss to change that. A few minutes work revealed that the console didn't have what he was looking for, and so he moved onto the next one. By the fourth console, he was muttering under his breath. Surely the man hadn't been that cautious. His plans had to exist somewhere else than beside his head!
As he worked on the fifth console, Caesar's eyes snapped open. Caesar had just a moment before he died to not want to die, and so he hadn't. It had taken a while to will his blood back into himself, drawing it slowly from the floor and up his flak vest and shirt. He healed what he could, but it still wasn't much--the major internal was fixed, but nothing much else. Just enough to keep himself from dying.
He rolled silently onto his hands and knees, standing shakily. Caesar watched Van Kleiss working on the consoles emotionlessly. So he had finally decided to attack.
But as Caesar said, Van Kleiss wasn't the only one with powers anymore. Caesar simply raised his arm, his hand glowing green. Then he gave just as much warning that Van Kleiss had given him and let the energy loose, striking the man's back.
The only difference was that Caesar wasn't aiming to kill, as was obvious by how Van Kleiss fell forward with a cry of pain. He watched calmly as Van Kleiss whirled around, and grew calmer still as Van Kleiss's eyes widened. There was nothing to fear from him.
A thought activated the alarms throughout the lab and the house adjacent, yet silence loomed. Caesar's lips thinned, and another thought fixed that. Suddenly, flashing lights and sirens were everywhere, identifying Caesar's lab as the source of the disturbance.
Van Kleiss's head turned this way and that as he looked around the lab in shock, "How?! This cannot be!"
"I suggest that you leave, Van Kleiss," Caesar's voice was even despite the taste of blood in his mouth, spreading his fingers wider apart as his hand glowed green again. "Rex can teleport."
As if Van Kleiss needed that reminder. He fled. Caesar watched him leave, following him with his gaze. He let his arm drop, the glow dissipating as the front door to his lab slammed shut.
"Caesar!" Rex shouted from behind him, and Caesar blinked as he turned to look at him. "Oh my God, Caesar--you're bleeding!"
Oh, that was right. Caesar looked down to his chest, bringing up a hand to curiously touch the half-healed wound. He blinked as he pulled his hand away, staring at the blood on his fingers.
"I don't like that man," he stated simply before his knees gave away.
The last thing he heard was Rex screaming his name.