Being Different

Hello and Goodbye...Again?

A/N: Katrina...the Bot...Tell me truthfully...MOMMY DEAREST???  Damien soon finds out more...

Damien POV

I knocked quietly on the door of my father's room, hoping that he was well enough to see me. He had quite an experience when Dante, Mara and Ilya had their arms around him. He was screaming, kicking and crying out what I could only assume was all the pain and sorrow he had endured in his entire life.

Dante explained what had happened as I was going over certain notes with Zack and was not present at the ordeal at his request. I was eternally grateful for what they had done for us. Lord Prion and Mother Gaia were exceptionally helpful in piecing together certain events that had led to my father's self-exile from Future Earth at the time, and why he chose the renegade's path of aiding those who needed to leave.

I finally understood how amazing and special my father truly was, and that he never regretted helping anyone who needed help. Bron had a lot on his plate with the new arrivals, and I was glad to see Alonso helping him. Those two were clearly inseparable from the first moment they met and it warmed my heart to see them together.

Today was the day when the empty shell, that was once Ekaterina, my Mother would be put to eternal sleep. I had hesitated in notifying my father and it clearly had disturbed him deeply, but he insisted on being informed and present during the process, which was why I was standing outside his door.

As I lifted my hand to knock, the door brusquely opened and a very tired-looking Bryant greeted me. He waved me in, and I came into the huge suite, immediately spying the piles of physical files which were strewn all over the coffee table. The laptop was open and I questioned Bry with my gaze, as my father finally stepped out of the bathroom.

He had just taken a shower, and was busily drying himself when he came back into the living room of the suite. Bry threw me a look of disdain and shrugged, and I understood that my father had been rifling through all the information regarding Marcus, his family, their projects and missions together, trying to understand why the man went rogue.

"Hi da..." I made a feeble attempt to catch his attention, but he hadn't really noticed me standing there until he spoke up.

"Bry, have you seen Damien? He was supposed to come look for me..." He said, his back completely turned away from me.

"Dad, I'm here..." I answered.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't notice you there. I'll get ready in a jiffy. Have a seat. Have you had breakfast already?" He patted my shoulder.

"Just a little. I couldn't really eat," I stated the fact that I had very little appetite, knowing what was about to occur.

"Yeah, I know. I'll probably just have a coffee before we go to Zack's lab," He whispered softly, suddenly frozen to the spot, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"Dad...dad...we'd better get a move on..." It was difficult pressing the man. I had suggested that he not attend the process, but he was adamant and I didn't wish to cause waves so I allowed it.

"Hmmm? Oh yeah..." He shook himself awake, and went into the bedroom to dress.

"I thought he was feeling better?" I suddenly enquired of Bry.

"I thought so, too...When he came out of the healing, he seemed better, but when we got back to the room, he retreated into himself with hardly a word to me all night. I pushed him into getting into bed for some much-needed sleep, but when I turned around he wasn't there.

Then I heard all kinds of rummaging around in the living room, and when I stepped out here, the place was a mess. He had pulled out all his files from his desk, and other cassettes and cartridges, floppy disks and was going through every single one on his computer like a mad man with a mission.