What lies in shadows [Red]

”Oh come on Chris, now you’re hiding things from me?” Alpha questioned with an almost amused chuckle as he telekinetically adjusted the headset.

”I don’t see why you’re so curious. I’m just getting a life, something I hear you telling Oliver to do, but everything you do is so disingenuous.” Chris responded as Travis continued to type into a keyboard which projected across a screen.

”I just want to know what you’re doing with your time. Is there a…..special someone?” Not that he really needed to ask really, but then again Travis preferred to rather than just doing the stalking method with one of his siblings. Oliver would have not appreciated it really and there would have likely been blood spilt.

”I’d almost say you were jealous if you were anyone else.”

”Yes, I am a very jealous person.” Alpha responded in almost a mockery of his own usual stoic tone, while with a keystroke a few more monitors would light up within a matter of seconds. All of them displayed what appeared to be important research data, Alpha looking over them while walking around the lab to look over each of them. ”So jealous i’m surprised I haven’t just locked you and Oliver up in the compound.” Slight sarcasm but nothing overwhelming.

”I actually don’t think Oliver would mind that, the not having to go out thing anyway.” Chris responded, though all Travis did in response was roll his eyes while a few beakers filled with unknown liquids would fly through the air before his eyes, which began to examine them with mild interest. There was something of importance to him within them, but with a thought they would levitate back to their original position with a near silent glassy clink. Dressed as if he were in his compound, Travis had chosen to dress in all white with a splash of red in the hood being the only real color break.

”That is very true. Well, enjoy your not date. It appears that I have a visitor in my lab.” With that the connection would cut as he turned to face who the person was.

So all of that stuff in New York was finished, as well as that whole situation with the exosuited hero that seemed to work for Travis of all people. A little odd, but that wasn't really what Lucius was here for. He actually didn't know what he was here for precisely, but he had to speak with his allies every now and then, especelly after such a big move. Keeping connected was essential, and honestly Lucius had a few questions, both philosophical and technological. No he didn't need anything made for him or some kind of tech flushed out, he needed to know a few things about Alpha actually. Even after all this time, he didn't quite understand the male and what he was working toward. Sure, evolution was what he said, but how he was planning to achieve that was still unclear. In fact, before Lucius joined up with Alpha he didn't seem to be on any path toward that goal. At least now he had Lucius to push him in that direction every once in awhile, but other then that Alpha didn't seem to know what he was really doing. So, he just teleported into Alpha's lab as he usually did. This seemed to be a thing with these two, though neither ever expressed any kind of annoyance toward it.

"We should talk." Lucius said. He wasn't wearing his gear, instead just a simple suit, and he seemed to have some manner of alcoholic drink in his hand in a square glass. He took a sip and then pulled out a nearby chair, sitting down. Yeah, he didn't quite care he was acting as if he owned the place. But then again it was in Belarus, and he was the current Supreme Chancellor and planned on holding that for a long while and perhaps even passing down to his son. He avoided using the word king or emperor, that would have just rubbed everyone the wrong way. He wanted everyone to have a say in their lives sure, and recognized the need for lesser leaders of the country, but he in the end knew what was best and had to make the decisions if he were to create his utopia. So far, well that seemed to be going well.

Where Alpha stood on all of this Lucius didn't really know, but being one of Lucius' closest allies he had plenty of pull and could get pretty much any political position he wanted. The only problem was Lucius wanted to know what he would do with it or if that was the best thing for him to focus on right now. Perhaps holding power would just satiate him, thus slowing down the evolution they both sought. This of course was only theory, Lucius didn't know what Alpha thought or what he was doing. That's why he wanted to talk, he wanted to know these things.

The unknown person in his lab seemed to be Lucius of all people, granted he should have not been surprised by the male walking in whenever they so pleased. It just tended to happen from time to time, so he got used to it to the point that it just did not register to him really. Instead all he did was turn around with a single brow raising curiously towards the metahuman. In one hand they held some manner of drink and even took himself a seat, a sign that he saw himself as the ruler of this place. Not that he cared if they made themselves comfortable, Alpha was a good host if nothing else. ”We need to talk?” He questioned aloud, more considering the statement than actually parroting Lucius in return. ”About what exactly Lucius?” He asked curiously as a few of the screens would shut down with what appeared to be a flick of the wrist.

It wasn’t like Lucius to just approach him with “we have to talk” unless there was some deeper reasoning behind all of it. Perhaps he had found their partnership to no longer be beneficial, or maybe even he wanted something done about Lucas’ dilemma that only he could do. All of it seemed like a possibility but he could not quite figure out what that something was until Lucius told him. It had been not too long since their grand triumph, and already he had settled a new lab within the country. The resources given to them was immense really, but then again they seemed to be more something told would work within Lucius’ hand. Reclining against one of the counters, he waited for him to answer his question, whatever it was that answer was.

Lucius didn't quite think he ruled Alpha's lab, heck he didn't think he ruled Belarus. Acting in that way would only bring him enemies, and that was something he didn't need more of. No, it was just in Lucius' nature to be direct. Eventually he would have taken a seat anyway, what difference did it make that he took it on his own? Formalities were something even a gentleman had to forgo sometimes. Regardless, the male would turn to him, flicking off the monitors with a glorified clap system it would seem. But then again that could have been the males telekinesis. Lucius didn't quite care however.

"I was just wondering a few things really..... Look, I'll be honest, i don't quite understand what you're doing. You have your hands in everything, and now command more resources then even i could possibly imagine. Yet, you don't know how to use it. You have such a strong mid-game, but none of it is set up to transition into the endgame. I scanned Mister Wrights suit, and i found some things that were unmistakably your creation. But it's not just that. Your actions seem to be random. You do things without considering their outcome. Why help someone with a suit you know will be used against you? Why use the facade that is Travis Masters? You're living two lives, and they counteract each other. If you don't drop one of them, well you'll never go anywhere with your goals. I need to know that you will put one hundred percent of yourself into what needs to be done. I need to know you have a plan, and aren't just making this up as you go along. It's almost like we never agreed to move toward evolution together. I help you here, you help me there. It ends there when it really shouldn't. We need collaboration now more then ever, and i need to see bigger things from this family of yours. It isn't enough that they are better, this is a careful process, and not one thing can go wrong if we are to get through it. So, tell me your plans. Where would you go if you didn't have me as an ally? Where do you expect to go from here? Do you have it figured out, Travis?" Lucius said. Rather long winded, but it's what was on his mind. He didn't see how anything Alpha was doing would lead to fulfilling their goals even partially. He was trying to be a normal person and the progenitor of a new evolution at the same time, and it didn't work.

So they had a question, but the volume of words that he spoke was something Alpha had not quite expected. So many questions really, and all of the questioning his motivations in general. It was an interesting range of questioning really, but then again he never really had anyone ask something like that. ”You scanned the suit?” It was interesting, but then again the suit had not been entirely his own work. ”Well unfortunately I cannot take credit for it’s creation, simply the finished product.” After all, taking credit for the suit itself would have been a crime, too great even for a supposed criminal like himself to perpetrate. The fact they went as far as to think that he thought through was stinging almost. Perhaps Lucius thought little of him, or perhaps maybe that was what his actions suggested.

As for the random actions, well he wasn’t quite sure what was being insinuated there.”The better question is why not put a fail safe into said suit should it be used against you?” Alpha let the question flow through the air, not quite seeing why he found that a problem. Unless of course that was in reference to Colin interrupting one of Lucius’ operations, not that it bothered him too much. It appeared this was something that had been on their mind for a while, but that made him wonder where all of this was coming from. Lucius appeared to have thought heavily about this, enough so to be long winded about it anyway. If anything it appeared that he wanted him to simply cast away his Travis Master’s persona so easily, but what purpose could that have served Lucius? Would it make him a metahuman terrorist much like him?

Further being brought into whatever purpose it was that Lucius and him apparently shared. ”The facade has its uses though I suppose that means you’re suggesting I should drop my facade of Travis Masters.” He said, though it was slightly voiced as a question, Travis slightly curious as to where he was trying to go with this. As for a plan, he has one but it wasn’t one that could be rushed into completion. Trying to rush things go one nowhere and tended to lead a person into ruin rather than getting them what they wanted, though going too slowly also was not a good thing either. ”If I didn’t have you as an ally, I would likely be doing the same as I was doing before. Though that would require fixing a few things first. Infertility can be quite the issue when trying to get a species to populate.” He stated simply with a shrug.

”Do I have it all figured out? No, i’ll admit I don’t have everything figured out but to say I make things up as I go would suggest I don’t know what i’m doing.” Despite the control over his voice, one could say he sounded slightly offended. Granted, he hadn’t quite had his abilities to plan questioned at this level before so it might have had something to do with that. Were it anyone else he might have been able to shrug it off, but...well Lucius was considered the more tactically inclined. Still, the bit about dropping one of the two lives he lived did make some sense, as that would have freed him a lot more time yet that also meant a few other things as well. Still, he had prepared for the possibility of giving up this little public persona he had created not long after he did so.

As expected Alpha justified everything or came up with some excuse. Really Lucius wasn't trying to be rude in the slightest, but if he had to offend someone to make sure all went well then he would. Unfortunately Lucius had only touched the tip of the ice berg that was Travis' situation. It was an odd one that didn't seem to be going anywhere, it was a waste. If there was one thing Lucius hated it was waste.

"Yes, i scanned the suit. And i figured there was another creator. You aren't much for mysticism as far as i know." Lucius said, mostly a handwave comment, but Travis could touch back on the subject if he were so inclined.

"As for the fail safe, well, you wouldn't need to put one in there if you hadn't finished it for him in the first place. Either way, it failed to be of use when he disrupted a Rise operation and nearly got himself killed. But this isn't about him. " Lucius continued. He didn't care to talk more about Vanguard. Sure it was a good example to use, but in the end it would only get the conversation off track.

"What I'm suggesting for you to do is not necessarily get rid of the persona. I'm suggesting you stop acting as if you were normal, stop living this double life as superstar Travis Masters and accept what you are. Travis' actions impede Alpha's more then they do help. And let's be honest, if you need money there are about a million ways someone like you could go about getting it. Why act? Why spend so much time curing cancer when you could eradicate it by evolving the world? Isn't that what we're doing this for? The only reason for you to star in movies or for you to continue to run that company of yours is so you can keep impressions up. Maintaining your public identity is costing more then it's worth. What are you even going to use it for? If we need strings pulled, we can get strings pulled. It is totally unnecessary, and is frankly causing you to lose track of our goals. Your family are now in on it too, they are trying to be normal but they don't realize they can't be. They are a part of something greater, and individual wants are less important then that. In the words of my father, it's go time. We just made a major move, and i need to know you're ready for what comes next. Strip away the excess and free yourself. You weren't created to be an actor my friend, you were created to be the next stage of evolution, so do what you were made to do." Lucius said. He hoped Travis understood all of this, he really did. How long did he expect to keep that up? It had to be dropped eventually, now was as good a time as any. Lucius wasn't saying to erase their public identities off the face of the planet, he just wanted to see Alpha devote less time to that part of himself and to stop doing things that were counter productive.

It wasn’t about Colin, but that made Alpha wonder why that was being brought up when so many other things could have been brought up. Such as the potential planetary wide extinction that could have happened, something that tended to go opposite to evolution when there was no planet to evolve on. Not that Alpha was one to bring up irrelevant information, as that would have lead to something that he didn’t want to deal with. Eradicating cancer by evolving the world, that wasn’t quite how cancer worked. When your cells changed, malignant ones could still form, but they were just harder to get rid of due to the whole evolving bit. ”Evolve out cancer? Its genius why have I never thought of that?” He said with obvious sarcasm. ”Because if it were so easy, I suppose I wouldn’t have to worry about it, but unfortunately cancer is not something that just goes away.” While Alpha enjoyed a good meaningful talk, he did not enjoy  people expecting the impossible of him.

Honestly he had been questioning things the moment Lucius said something about mystical components, which made little sense to him. He had suddenly taken to occultism as well? Just thinking about it made him annoyed, but then again Lucius was privy to believe whatever it was he wanted. Still, he didn’t know when he was losing track of his goals, unless this was of course Lucius saying what he was doing rather than knowing. So many people these days tended to tell him what he did, but then again a personality like Lucius tended to veer towards wanting to be right. ”I wasn’t created to be an actor, no. ” He stated simply turning around and making a few keystrokes on a keyboard. ”Granted, I don’t think I was created
to advance humanity’s evolution either. If I were to act like I were created, I imagine that would involve a large amount of merciless slaughter. If I even had a purpose for my creation to begin with. Information on that matter is so scant really. For all I know my creation could have no purpose whatsoever than to see if it could happen.” It was true as far as he knew. Files he had read through suggested he was some manner of weapon, not quite something that he wanted to be.

As far as he could tell, he was made with no purpose beyond what some scientists thought they could gain from him, though something told him he was nothing more than a prototype. A faulty creation meant to be thrown away once better things were made. Regardless, in a sense he could see where Lucius was coming from, his public identity did nothing more than hamper him, so he probably needed to deal with it.  Suddenly ending everything he did before would have brought too much suspicion, making even using it too difficult. People weren’t as stupid as many would believe or rather some people weren’t. He wouldn’t let things be ruined when he could easily drop all pretenses. ”However you’re telling me exactly to get rid of it. Travis Masters is this normal person I can’t afford to be that does nothing but impede my progress it would seem. If something impedes you, isn’t it logical to get rid of it?” Lucius was the logical one, so he should understand how that went.

”I suppose normalcy isn’t allowed to something that wasn’t even born.” He shrugged. It had been something he had thought of before but it didn’t envelope his thoughts most of the time. Thinking over something like that didn’t change anything, so there was no point in it.

It seemed Alpha had misunderstood what Lucius had said about cancer, which was sort of annoying but then again the conversation wasn't really about cancer. Still, he felt the need to clarify, couldn't have Alpha taking him as a fool.

"Most metahumans as far as i have seen are immune to most mundane forms of cancer. So, making them the dominant race would, in theory, evolve out those forms of cancer. Now I'm not sure about your people, from that little confrontation with Samhain and a conversation with Oliver i gathered you yourself have contracted some manner of terminal sickness." Lucius said. They both ever since that day at the compound knew this was coming, but it was a major problem that had to be addressed.

"If you have it, well everyone related to you could potentially get it. Though, I'm happy to say the very nature of my regeneration should render my children immune. Yes, that seems odd considering the fact cancer is not a wound, but an overgrowth of cells. But our regeneration isn't healing. It merely returns our bodies to the healthiest state they can be in. This however is only good news for the three that have it, what about the others?" Lucius said. If this cancer would become a major problem, well he couldn't see Alpha's people being a part of this evolution of his. After all, lasting only three or four years wasn't all that good, especelly when you were supposed to last indefinitely.

"If your race is doomed to die, well then that flips everything on it's head now doesn't it? Why didn't you tell me? You know, i'm no slouch when it comes to the medical field. Not to mention the fact you created three blood relatives for me, and still said nothing. A little 'Hey, Lucius, these kids could die horribly' would have been nice. But i guess it's in your nature to be secretive, isn't it? Even with someone who is supposed to be your closest ally." Lucius said. Sure he was being a little insulting, but at this point he didn't care. He couldn''t handle how stubborn Alpha was. If he left right now, this conversation would have no impact on Travis' actions.

"And no, you're not normal, so your not allowed normalcy. Not until what you are has become the norm. That's what we are working toward. There are thousands of my kind treated like freaks because of what they are, and they aren't fortunate enough to be worth billions of dollars so they can pretend to be normal. I'm not asking you to get rid of Travis Masters, I'm asking you to stop lying to yourself. I'm asking you to be selfless, and focus on curing whatever it is you have so we can do what needs to be done. Having house parties and business meetings isn't going to help us, not now. You're only wasting time." Lucius said. He hoped Travis wouldn't just continue to be all snarky and nonchalant about this. Lucius was talking to a brick wall, only this brick wall was an asshole.

"And for god's sake, i know you're intelligent, but show some emotion. I never know if your worried or over joyed. You walk around with this static and plain attitude that i can't help but get irritated at. Take a look at yourself Alpha, you don't look like you care about anything. Keeping your emotions in check will not make you any smarter, it will only make you cold and dead inside. I need you to have emotion, because without it we can't make the right decisions. Without it, sure we might win, but it will be systematic. The new world has to be forged in passion, you have to want and believe in it or we'll be worse off then when we started. We aren't the agency, trying to coldly get our endeavors over with while we turn a blind eye to the fact this actually effects people. No, we have to be quite the opposite." Lucius said. It was true what he said about the agency really. They thought they were doing good, but really they were just doing what they did while sticking fingers in their ears to the fact the people they condemned were just that, people. Lucius wouldn't make the same mistake. You had to have your emotions to make human decisions, otherwise you were just making computerized choices. And in the end, what that lead to on a logical level was the extermination of intelligent life.

Mundane cancers were indeed not a problem, but if it were mundane he could have just dealt with it. Super cancers sent out of control due to the rapid rate of cell division was another thing entirely, as that tended to be something that could not be fixed quite as easily and Lucius’ was no different really, save for perhaps the fact that it had a sort of life supporting factor really. So in the end he imaged them becoming nothing more than a giant walking tumor should they actually get cancerous cells within their body. Not that Alpha would wish that upon anyone of course, but the image did flash through his mind for a brief moment. Returning one to their healthiest state however, that made him wonder how that was even possible, unless someone used clandestine terms like magic which he did not even want to consider.

Though something told him that Lucius had essentially called them evolutionary dead ends, but that may have been the case for them. Considering that they were created in the ill fated hopes of perfection, well maybe that was what his people were when you got down to it really. Nothing more than an evolutionary dead end created by fools with too much money in their hands. Not that most of them had to deal with the cancerous problem, as it was infinitely easier to prevent before rather than during. perhaps that was why he was licensed to be terminated, because of that small little defect. Rather than try to deal with curing it, they opted to terminate”Unfortunately you don’t strike me as someone I can trust, but that counts towards most people.” Alpha responded simply.

”I trusted someone once, but then I lost my usefulness to them, the unfortunate truth was they found it within their interest to dispose of me.” If Lucius was interested within any backstory, well he would have to ask but otherwise that would have likely remained an offhanded statement. What Lucius had said about about not being normal was true enough, he wasn’t really a person per se so he wasn’t allowed to dally amongst them as if he were one. Some would argue that he didn’t even have a soul, but then again not as if Alpha cared much for an undefinable concept like the soul. If they valued their souls so much they could believe in them all they wanted but he was fine with where he was at. ”The house parties are actually all Zeta.” He mentioned, though it didn’t really seem that important of a thing. The business meetings were really something to keep up company really, and he enjoyed them at times.

Outdoing people at their own games was always something he enjoyed, gave him a manner of simple pleasure in a life that was so devoid of happiness. However, the most interesting thing was that Lucius found him emotionless, though that was a lot of people. Few actually said that to his face however, most of them just thought it. The thought itself was always around, but perhaps they respected him enough not to say it, or maybe they feared him enough not to bring it up. ”You want me to show emotion? Well, that’s an interesting statement.” Alpha muttered ceasing the small amount of typing he was doing and turning to Lucius with a single raised brown. This was an unexpected statement really, but then again he could never really pick through Lucius’ mind like most peoples.

”Who’s to say i’m not already cold and dead inside? That any emotion I show would just be a false facsimile of an emotion that I make through mimicking the genuine article. The better question is why should I show emotion, if I weren’t so dead and cold inside? Giving into passion, it makes no sense. True keeping my emotions in check has not made me any smarter but it does keep me from opening myself to people trying to use them against me.” Likely Lucius would disagree with him, but now he found himself genuinely curious. ”You say we need it to make the right decisions but i’ve seen emotions cloud people’s judgements, force them to make the wrong and even most idiotic of choices. All for the sake of their emotions. Now let me ask you again, why do I need something like emotion? That is a genuine question however.” True enough, he was skeptical about emotions, but then again from all that he knew they did nothing good.

So in the end he could only be skeptical, even if he knew it would likely do some good for a certain someone. The better question was why he hadn’t shut the conversation down now.

The fact Alpha didn't trust him came as no surprise. Trust was something Lucius didn't hold very high. It was essentially just putting hope in someone that could fail or betray you either way, and it was entirely unneeded and could blind you. That, however, didn't mean Lucius didn't trust anyone. Yes, emotions were powerful, uncontrollable, and raw. That did not make them the opposite of logic however.

"Because logic itself has a basis in emotion, they compliment each other. Emotions allow you to take personal feelings and morality into your logic and thus come to a more personalized conclusion. If the world only ran on stone cold logic, well, life itself wouldn't make much sense. For example, if humanity, and this includes us, were exterminated, then every other living thing on the planet would benefit. Logically, we are counter productive. But we aren't going to kill ourselves because we have a will to live, we have emotions, we have wants. So, we ignore the blind and cold logic for what's best for us. And in the end it's better that way. If there was a being who only made logical decisions it would be looked at as quite cruel and unnatural. That is why when i make AI's i implement emotions, because without them you have something only interested in a certain conclusion it has come to without taking human nature and feelings into account. It's what stops a police officer from shooting the hostage dead and taking the robbers to jail. To catch them, it's only logical to get rid of the thing keeping you from doing so. But because of emotion, he doesn't. Logic and empathy are not opposites, they are two sides to the same coin. And that's why you need it." Lucius explained. It seemed this conversation had gone off course, but then again he was enjoying it. He liked talks like these, especelly when it was with someone as intellectual as Alpha. It gave him a challenge so to speak.

"And you are dead inside. You plaster that stupid smile on your face every time you pose for the cameras. But deep inside you, your empty, cold, hurt, gone....... But it doesn't have to be that way. Stop faking it and actually live. Giving into passion or love or even joy doesn't make sense, you're right. But what kind of life are you going to live without those things? A terrible one, that's what. Giving into them is what makes life good. It's a delusion yes, but one put there so you don't go insane. Instinct at time's is better then trying to pull everything apart on a logical level. Fear is there so you know to run without having to waste time considering what will happen if you don't, and by that time it's too late. Love is there so you know which people to protect and hold dear without having to map it all out and think about why you should logically. Emotions are shortcuts to logic, and without them your nothing but an empty vessel. The fact you don't understand comes as no surprise. Your only a little boy, a smart one, but a little boy none the less. Drop the angst, stop being so prideful that you feel the need not to give into basic human instinct, and get a hold on yourself." Lucius said. It seemed now he was being Alpha's therapist, but he didn't mind really. The guy needed to be taught. Sure he had one of the greatest minds in the world, but something so intellectual and vast with such little experience actually living was a crude combination.

It appeared that Lucius was going to lecture him on the value of things such as emotions, granted he did ask for that so Alpha should not be surprised in the least. Perhaps some perspective from someone that actually felt emotion would help things out, but then again perhaps it would be more of talking to the wall that was also an asshole. While one could chalk up survival instinct to emotions and a will to live, one could also argue that it was the same thing that was ingrained within all living things. That was...well survival instinct,  few species would willingly kill themselves off, so it made sense that the human race would not kill itself off either as much as it was likely doing so already. Sure, the hostage example was an interesting one, but in the end it was also against their code, the job really to just kill a hostage.

To say that he was dead inside however, now that was an accurate statement. In the end he got no real enjoyment from life, it all felt like some manner of hollow chore he was deemed to carry out until he died. Nothing was better for something that had been born from a tube of all things, a hollow meaningless existence that would likely end in a similar manner. Still, he would not let that end be the same end that his family faced, it didn’t seem right really and would have put all of this work he did to waste. ”And actually live?” He used out loud, considering everything said to him with a soft hmmm stretched out as the sound reverberated through the air. ”You make it sound so simple, but unfortunately it isn’t that simple.” Which in a sense was true. Even if he wanted to show emotion, they had become so locked away that they were...atrophied for a lack of a better word.

At one time he may have understood emotions, felt them like anyone else but that was a long time ago for him. When he was younger, naive like so many of his siblings were now with their wide eyed dreams of life. In a sense he could tell a lot of them just wanted to be like the humans, with their seemingly carefree lives, more consumed with unimportant things than the crushing weight Alpha dealt with. In a sense he wanted that for them, to avoid perhaps becoming what he had become but that was a dream they would likely never have. ”When you smother something long enough, it’ll decay. I suppose that would be an accurate representation of what has happened to my emotions or what remains of them. I may be a boy as you put it but that doesn’t make me a child. I was never allowed to be one. You could say I was forced to grow up fast aside from the literal context of that.”

He was never really allowed to have a childhood, neither were any of those created by him. They were all forced to grow up and likely to die much like adults rather than the children that they were. This world had no place for things like them, but he knew that long ago. Even if he tried to revive the emotions within him, would that really be anything beyond trying to force a mangled corpse to move? Saying that he had angst was an interesting thing to say, enough to actually cause him to pause before saying anything else, furrowing his brows as he considered the statements intensely. Alpha had never considered himself angsty before, it didn’t seem within his nature, but then again that may have been Lucius’ diagnosis. As for pride, was he suggesting that he was prideful within his inability or lack of want to show his emotions?  That statement alone was an interesting one, but then again he rarely understood Lucius to begin with.

”I’m angsty?” The question was outloud but it didn’t require an answer really. ”Well that’s a new one.” His tone was thoughtful, slightly confused at what was being inferred within that statement. ”Very well, since you seem to know what you’re talking about. Since I am such a boy, you’ll need to explain the proper way to show emotions. So I don’t end up over or under doing it.” This may have sounded sarcastic on anyone else, but Alpha sounded deadpan serious when saying it. It may have been an understanding that he may have come off as such if he said it any other way.

Lucius got a wide smile on his face by the end of Alpha's response. He couldn't help it really. Travis felt like the whole world was against him, he felt sorry for himself didn't he? Like an emo teenager he sat there and told himself that's just the way it was. And then he tells Lucius to show him how emotions work? So he was snarky like one too.

"Hahahahahahahahahaha!" Lucius laughed, genuinely. He found Alpha's statement quite funny really.

"Ok.....ok, there's amusement. What's next? How about a little anger?" Lucius said, his smile gone in an instant and replaced by a rather serious expression, a look of hatred almost. In that instant he pulled out a few high tech ear plugs and put them in, then pulled out his sonic emitter and activated it. He was fully aware what this would do to Alpha, and that's what he was hoping for. He wanted to show the male something, and if the only way to get through the walls the male had put up was to beat him then he would. So as soon as it was activated, he leaned forward and aimed a punch directly at Alpha's mouth, then followed it up with another, and another...... Then tipped the male from his chair. He then attempted to create a construct around Travis' neck and began to constrict it, all while showing a murderous expression. Killer was in his eyes, yet as soon as the sonic emitter ripped itself apart Lucius let Alpha go.

"And that, that was the murderous rage that is always pulsing through me, wanting to let loose. Do you have any idea how difficult that is to deal with? Do you have any idea how hard it is not to kill people in an instant? With all my power and the temptation to do it, i could. But i don't, not anymore. It's easy to repress your emotions when you have none, you have a luxury, but you throw the baby away with the bath water. I hope that put a little fear in you, maybe a sense of betrayal? Maybe some newfound hatred? Good, you just lived more then you have in months, because it is that simple." Lucius said, taking a moment to let his words hit the air before he sighed heavily and returned to his chair. How Alpha would react, well he didn't know. But Lucius' point still stood.

The male laughing at him was an unexpected thing really, but then again no one really expects someone to laugh at them unless what they had said earlier was a joke. What he had said wasn’t a joke really, unless it appeared that way to Lucius, then it was likely a very funny one considering how heartily they were laughing. Thier next statement suggested amusement, but the anger portion was one he was not expected the follow up to really. That was what kept him from being able to react next really, but then again that may have just been his fault for being so lax. It all took place within a matter of seconds as Lucius produced a few earplugs and then activated a rather annoying device which unleashed loud sound that felt more like knives within his ears. Within a matter of seconds he could feel his eardrums burst, but that was not the worst part of it really.

Something clamped around his throat, cutting off the airways and reducing him to well...a suffocating man. Considering the pain now flowing through his perforated eardrums, concentrating enough with his telekinesis to do anything was not possible, leaving him to a possible death. Betrayal had always been expected by Lucius really, it happening now would have not been any different than any other time, The murderous look within his eyes, well that was the thing that made this all seem a little too serious. The seconds that this went on felt longer for him, but then again he was the one dying. This crushing feeling around his windpipe felt strangely familiar, a sensation he had felt once before. It was strange how those that you consider friends or family tended to attempt to asphyxiate you. Except this time there was no telekinesis to save him from the choking fear, no pun intended. Even with his above average strength, he knew trying to claw away the construct would do no good but it appeared the hands did not get the message.

Then at the end of those few seconds the pressure let up, and he was allowed to fall to the ground with a thump as he fingers felt over what would likely be a bruise. He was left there for a moment, silently in shock while all he heard was ringing. Expecting him to be able to hear after radically damaging his hearing, well that may have not been well thought out but then again things were as they were. Honestly, he had no idea what to feel at this point, and if feeling was something he cared to do. When he opened his mouth, all that came out was a pained cough as he sucked in a deep gulp of air that more than anything hurt. It hurt to breathe, but then again his throat had been damaged to some extent.

That was when he realized he was sweating, or may have broken a small sweat. As the shock faded, well there was anger, something that pierced the ringing within his head for a moment. It was an almost alien sensation, though he had felt it once before. That brought back images really, of blood and a lot of it. Concentration came back, but that may have not been the best thing really. His telekinesis seemed to move with an almost vicious quickness, likely too quick for Lucius to react to as the force latched onto their arm with likely enough strength to crush bone. With a motion of the hand, the arm would come off with a sickening ripping sound as flesh, tendons and bones gave way.

The blood splashed sickeningly across the floor and some even across his face as Alpha drew to his feet with the arm now in hand. His expression was an almost unreadable one, though one could see a glint of murder within his eyes. ”I remember being choked like that once before, though losing an arm was the least they had done to them, but I doubt right now you’re interested in my relationship with my parents.” Alpha said with a voice that sounded slightly strained likely from the damaged throat. With a motion he would throw the limb at Lucius feet, should they want to reattach it. ”However, should the urge to educate me in that fashion ever cross your mind again. Reconsider, because next time it will not be the arm.” His tone held the anger that Lucius likely so wanted, but the arm ripping may have been something else.

Lucius had expected this really, even with someone as stoic as Alpha you couldn't poke at someone the way he did without them lashing out. Then there was the whole strangling them part, so that was bound to cause a little anger. He wasn't expecting his arm to be attacked though, he was expecting his head to be. That's why he coated his upper body in a field of energy that he knew would cause the telekinetic a small issue or at least keep his head from being brutally ripped off. Despite this, his arm is what was attacked, and it had no such defense. It took a second or two, longer then with most people, but eventually it came off. Lucius yelled in pain and dropped to his knees, and then Alpha seemed to toss it in front of him as if he were a dog. Looks like he managed to get a little anger out of him, that was good.

"It feels good doesn't it? To get me back for what i just did. That heat in your head, the release you felt when you took my arm off. It was satisfying wasn't it?" Lucius said as he grabbed his arm. It was a very odd thing to do, but it had to be done or he would be healing for at least a day. He brought it back up to the socket, and in about twenty seconds the skin and some tissue were formed, reattaching the limb. Of course, it wasn't fully reattached, not in the slightest. It was mostly just put in place to allow it to heal, and was quite useless at the moment.

Lucius felt anger within himself. Sure he always felt that way, but at the moment it was about to boil over. Alpha must have felt like he achieved something, but in reality the only positive thing that came out of that was something Lucius did, and that was cause some emotion in that empty shell before him.

"Now you're living as a normal person does. Your threatening me, your angry, and maybe you have a little pride because you took the arm of someone as powerful as me. That's good, little school boy, you're learning." Lucius said with a smirk and sarcasm deep in his voice. He didn't have most of his gadgets on him, and was not really here to fight, but he was angry. He wanted so badly to hurt Travis right now it made him sick. So, with a flick of his wrist, constructed chains were sent out. Their sheer number made it seem more like a wall of solidified energy coming at Alpha. Lucius knew he would likely put up a barrier, and that's why he chose this attack. The chains would follow him, and continue to mercilessly batter at the shield until it came down. They would not disperse until that happened, they would just follow Alpha and continue to wack away at him.

Considering the state Alpha was in currently and the relentlessness of the attack, well he probably wouldn't be able to focus on anything else and that gave Lucius time to heal as he crossed his arms, allowing him to hold his harmed limb in place while he regenerated. No, he wasn't here to fight. But to continue to prove his point and to get through to the male he had to fight him. That and he didn't much enjoy getting an arm ripped off.

It appeared that reattaching the limb was an easy enough task, or at least forcing it to bond with the spot where it had been brutally ripped from at any rate. Still, something told Alpha that he had managed to piss Lucius off, but at the moment that was not what mattered. There was a certain carnal pleasure in ripping the arm off, something that had been felt before but he couldn't allow himself to overly enjoy something like that.It would have lead to him becoming a little overconfident and that only meant he would make a fool of himself when his abilities did not quite match up. That didn't keep him from feeling annoyance at being called a school boy, unless that was the reaction that Lucius wanted from him. He couldn't allow himself to be goaded into something rash, considering that Lucius was still the more powerful of the two of them.

Any attempt to take him in an open confrontation would have led to him being the loser, and the likely result of that was not something he wanted to think about. That was when a large number of chains had been sent out at him, a large amount likely meant to overwhelm his defenses, and so he did the only thing that he could do really. That thing was defend, creating a psionic barrier before him that the chains collided with, producing a loud clunking sound as he found himself being pushed back a few feet by the sheer force of it. The force behind them was impressive as they battered away, likely hoping to break down his defense and kill him with a single strike. This was not an idea situation really, but then again he had to make due with how things were.

Using a bit of his telekinetic prowess, he propelled himself backwards as the shield itself would continue to try and defend him against the attacks being thrown his way. The strain was beginning to be felt, and with his divided attention he could barely keep this field up with the relentless attack. Something had to be done, but doing anything other than defending would have been a mistake most fatal on his part, and that was not a feeling that he enjoyed. Slowly his defenses would wear down as he realized that this room was not one that he could actually fight in, not against someone like Lucius at any rate. Whether he had greater damage potential was a non factor as the metahuman could likely go at this far longer than he could hope to. This was hopeless, and something told him a fruitless endeavor as the cracks would begin to form within his defense.

Within a matter of seconds he could feel the strain and then that was when the first attack struck. Even with an attempt to shield himself, it was both a little too late and a little too ineffective at this point. Bones would shatter under the sheer force of the attack as he could feel the flesh itself burn. He could feel his left arm go limp, a small pained growl rippling from his throat as the other attack came down and shattered a few more ribs. pain made concentrating impossible now, as he felt his lungs burning from the effects of the energy. With all that he could muster up, Alpha created a pulse that managed to push the chains back before slamming into the nearest table and sent it toppling over with him.

A sharp pain stabbed through his chest or side as he tasted iron within his mouth. Something had been punctured and breathing became difficult, meaning likely that it was a lung. It appeared that he may have been in the dying territory, which was not exactly a good thing. All Alpha could do really was slump onto the floor as he could feel his life leaving him. It wasn't exactly the most ideal ending, but then again it was how it was.