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Kit couldn't help but look back. RJ was flanked by the five infantrymen and led by the Chief into the darkness. Bad Cop met her gaze and frowned sympathetically, falling out of rank to convey his nonverbal condolences. Kit had to be yanked through the front door to a ship that looked a little like a sailing ship with glimmering sails. Bellamy tapped the phone to keep it awake as she piled both herself and Kit into the ship.

"Take us here." Bellamy showed the mini doll driver the note on the phone, then tossed it to Kit, who somehow caught it. The human girl looked for the photo app and found a picture of herself, RJ, and Richard. RJ's grin burned through her mind, locking her into fond memories and present pain until she could feel the taxi stop. Bellamy picked her up and threw her over their shoulder. She looked around and saw she was on a plain looking street bathed in the light of a soft sunset. Before them was a yellow house with a blue roof, the only one of its kind in the cul de sac. The door swung open to reveal a woman in an overall dress and combat boots and a boy wearing a sweater that had sleeves so long, his hands were safely hidden. They both had brown hair, though the boy's held a frame of red and orange. They stared at each other and then at Kit, who dropped her dad's phone in her bag.

"Kit?" The boy's soft voice cut through the awkward silence. "What are you doing here?"

"Dad… dad told me to come here, Vito." Kit could barely get the words out. Her dad was probably halfway to Awntawp by now, she imagined. Her mind's eye could see his potential fear.

"I'll tell Mom you're here." The woman disappeared into the house and returned with an older woman with pink and blue hair. She wore a jacket that matched this color scheme and came out of the house screaming.

"Rex! What have I told you about coming to the house unannounced? You have my number. Tex-!" She paused when she saw that the man she was shouting to wasn't there. "You two. Get in this house. I need to know where RJ is and why he would let you go on your own to an unfamiliar city." As the five headed further into the house, a television started to play an urgent jingle. This jingle and everything that came after gave the woman pause.

"Breaking news today from the lunar spaceport. Rex Dangervest, the villain responsible for the Battle for Syspocalystar and Armommageddon over 20 years ago, has been taken into custody. This capture was orchestrated as part of Chief Starhawk's initiative to ensure that all villains of high notoriety that were unaccounted for prior to the founding of Unitron are brought to justice." The even toned reporting got an eye roll from the woman with the colorful hair. She muted the TV and turned to the two newcomers.

"Kit, I wasn't expecting you today. I'm sorry for yelling." Her eyes wandered to the TV where RJ's tired face was plastered on the screen, shocked that a police photo was already sent to the press. He held the tablet that showed his name and processing number with uncertainty despite the sureness in his eyes. His usual cheeky grin was replaced with a soft frown and a worried brow. Under the photo within the news ticker was a proclamation that this photo was the first time the notorious villain’s face was revealed to the public.

"It's alright, Aunt Lucy." Kit noticed how much older her father looked in that photo. Every line on his face showed itself to her and the look he gave the camera made her feel like someone simply took her father's face and was just pretending to be the carefree man she knew so well. "I wasn't expecting to come over."

"OK. Someone's gotta tell me who Chief Starhawk is and why he took Kit's dad." Bellamy glanced at the TV screen.

"So, Chief Blaise Starhawk is the current chief of Unitron. They're the law out in space. He got the idea in his head to round up every space outlaw from before Unitron's founding and try them for their crimes. Kit's father was the highest on his list." Lucy looked away from the TV. "There is room in the house for both of you. I'm sure Emmet is on his way to meet RJ at Watevra's castle or wherever Starhawk is sending him. Dinner is at 8. Curfew is at 10. Give me your phone so I can put my number in it." Kit fished out RJ's phone and passed it to Lucy.

"This is all I have. Dad was supposed to get me a phone, but…" She looked down as Lucy took the phone. Lucy saw the lockscreen and handed it back.

"Your father has my number on that phone. If you need help, call me or Emmet." Lucy headed for her kitchen.

"Mom, how long is Dad going to be out?" Vito asked, attempting to roll up his sleeves as he followed his mother.

"Uncle RJ's trial is going to be lengthy. It could take months." Lucy shook her head, her tone becoming exasperated. "Can we not talk about this right now? I need to figure out what I'm going to get for dinner. Kit. Kit's friend. Are you okay with fried chicken?" The two nodded. "Good. I'm going to get Club Cluckers. Charmy. You're in charge." She pointed to the young woman and headed out the door. Silence fell on the four younger beings until Vito turned to Kit.

"Why did your dad send you here, Kit?" The question hung heavily as Kit silently attempted to process what was going on.

"Something attacked Dad's raptors. He wasn't sure what, but I overheard him telling your dad something about a portal. Normally, nothing scares him but I've never seen him so scared." Kit looked down at her dad's phone and looked at the lockscreen. The wallpaper was of her and Richard sitting at a table. It was a candid photo, taken during a time when Richard was helping her with her homework when she was still in lower school. With a tap, the phone splashed a pin pad and requested a passcode. She shoved the phone in her bag, only just noticing that Charmy had spoken the whole time.

"Kit. Are you listening?" Kit shook her head. "You really are part of the family, huh. I was trying to say that it's super weird that your dad was so high on Chief Starhawk's checklist. The Unikingdom government has been protecting him for decades because he's a war hero. Get this: I remember they approached former President Business when this whole thing started, but they just backed away like he didn't do anything. A lot of people just think he bought them off." This knowledge was imparted with a conspiratorial whisper.

"Oh come on, Char. Don't fill our cousin's head with that nonsense." Vito rolled his eyes.

"Think about it: what has President Business done for Syspocalypstar since he was given a second chance? Absolutely nothing. He mostly stays in the background and makes money. If anybody is not repentant and deserving of a trial, it's him. At least Uncle RJ has been working to do something with the second chance he was given."

"Uncle RJ still did terrible things that he's never apologized for. I love our uncle, but Unitron going after him first makes a lot more sense." Vito spoke carefully, but he could see Kit's face turn dark.

"How long had Unitron been looking for Dad?" Kit spoke softly.

"Since the beginning. He was a big part of the chief's first speech-" Vito quickly interrupted his sister.

"And why he was hired for the position, they say. He said that, in order to start from scratch with Unitron, he needed to fix past mistakes."

"And Dad was a past mistake." Kit's words hung heavy in the air.

"To Unitron and most of Syspocalypstar, yes." Vito glanced to Kit with some sympathy, but Kit looked away. "I know it's hard to hear, but he still ended the world. That was something he was capable of and he probably still is capable of."

"I know he can be really strong and gets really angry sometimes, but that's not what he's like." Kit leaned against the kitchen doorframe for a second before moving deeper into the living room.

"Let's stop talkin' about this." Bellamy's words filled Kit with relief. "Do ya get the martial arts channel out here? 'Basics with Chopper" is on soon. I think." They reached for the remote for the muted TV, but it was gone from the spot where Lucy had left it.

"We don't have intergalactic satellite. Mom says it's too expensive." Charmy shrugged. "It's just the news right now and I know what they absolutely will be talking about right now." A soft burst of static made the three look over to the TV.

"... Bring you to Awntawp Correctional Center, where we will hear from Chief Blaise Starhawk about the recent events of the evening." The TV transitioned from a photo of a stark and stern set of gray buildings on a dusty planet to a podium with the man from the spaceport who took RJ away. Instead of wearing a spacesuit, he wore a full suit that reminded Kit of the suit her father wore during fancy Unikingdom parties. His helmet was also off and she saw that everything about him was angles and harshness, save for a small swirl of dusty blonde hair in the center of his forehead. His hair was neat and short, his face clean shaven. His expression was stern, the lines on his face relaying that he never entertained the idea of smiling a day in his life. Somehow, however, his eyes glinted with pride and joy.

"Thank you for tuning in tonight. Today marks a great day in the history of Unitron. One of our most wanted criminals, the man who orchestrated the destruction of our world over 20 years ago, is finally having his day in court. This moment has been a true test of everything our organization can do in order to hunt a criminal, which does include a lack of cooperation from the planet harboring said criminal. This should also be an embarrassing day for Meraki. The royal family of the Unikingdom has been letting Rex Dangervest run rampant in their kingdom for decades. The people of said kingdom have already expressed concern that we have captured someone they seem to call a her-" the TV was turned off as quickly as it was turned on.

"It's like this jerk has never cracked open a history book." The three standing turned to a double decker couch, where Kit was sitting on the bottom couch with the remote in one hand and gripping her bag strap with the other, knuckles white.

"Why would Meraki call your dad a hero? I know you guys are from there and Charmy keeps saying he was a war hero, but we don't really learn Merakian history at school." Vito sat next to his cousin, hoping that discussing her father in a positive light would calm things down.

"My dad helped save the planet a few times. He never asked for anything in return, just did it because he felt he needed to. I'm still coming to terms with him wanting to destroy everything at some point in his life, but he loves the Unikingdom. I couldn't see living anywhere else and neither could he." Kit watched the other two teens head over and sit on the top couch. "I don't want to turn on the TV again in case that… jerk is still talking nonsense about Dad, but is there a movie we can watch or something?"

"Not until after dinner." Lucy's voice cut through the hallway. "Can either of my children help me bring our food to the table? I bought a lot just in case your father comes back." Charmy hopped down from the top couch and helped her mother get the kitchen table ready for dinner.

"Come on. Maybe some food in you will calm your nerves." Bellamy jumped from their perch and led Kit to the kitchen. They looked at the large bucket and laughed heartily. "Is that bucket for me? What are the rest of ya gonna eat?"

"Bellamy! We're probably all sharing. So you're going to have to not eat the whole bucket this time." Kit chuckled as she sat between Bellamy and Vito.

Things largely settled down after the five started to eat. Conversation was light and pleasant, focusing mostly on talking about school and plans for summer vacation now that the four teenagers were let out for the summer.

After conversation had died down and dinner had been finished, Lucy took Bellamy and Kit to a spare bedroom, where their suitcases were waiting despite no one remembering anyone bringing them up. It was a basically decorated room that only really could fit the small bed and air mattress that were provided. Soon enough, sleep fell over the house and the small house was still.

#⌈the ashes of disaster drift to you⌋ ⋆❈⋆ ⌈days of oblivion⌋#⌈the newspaper isn't antiquated⌋ ⋆❈⋆ ⌈writings⌋

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