Around Every Corner

[Khan Noonian Singh]

"Excellent." Noonian said with a warm smile. "I know it is difficult to adjust to a new reality and even more difficult when there's a counterpart that everyone compares you to. I see a lot of the Selene that I knew before when I still ran Bloodstone, but I want you to know that I am not that man any longer and I was wrong to use people like that." he closed his eyes. "Your version of me probably more than deserved what you did to him. I'm not asking you to consider anything other than a professional relationship with me, but if you ever do need to just... vent. There is little you can do that can hurt me. Although you did kill a version of me, so I imagine you could really hurt me."

"Of course she could, she's the Black Widow." James said with a rather proud tone of voice.

"Of course, she is... because she was made to be a survivor and because men like me drove her to that." Noonian said and stroked his young daughter's hair. "I'm trying to do right by this one. Raise her as you should have been raised. I met her future counterpart... it seems I'm successful in that regard. At least in one version of the future."

[Liara]

“You’re not my father.” Selene said looking into Noonian’s eyes. “I don’t see him in you. He never had what you’re doing with her or here in him. He would have seen it as weakness and he would have wiped it out. He didn’t tolerate failure or like to be disappointed and if he was he punished for it.”

[Khan Noonian Singh]

"I'm glad you feel that way." Noonian said as he looked at her and put his hand on her's. "I was starting to rebuild a relationship with my Selene before she was killed. We weren't as close as you were with say, James or Clint, but we were getting there. An attempt at that I would truly like to make with you. If you want that. If you don't I will respect it. This is all very overwhelming this... Ryder clan that we are a part of here, they are helpful, supportive and caring almost to a fault. Entirely unlike anything you've ever really encountered I'm sure. My advice, just go with it. Keep your guard up but you won't be far from allies in a fight." he sipped his coffee and smirked. "Even if all you have as a weapon is a coffee cup."

"Or a baby." James chimed in with a chuckle. "No one wants to be around an child without a diaper."

"That was dirty pool young man... but effective." Noonian said with a look.

[Liara]

"I do like you." Selene said with a wink at James. "Noonian...right now I'm still adjusting to being here. I'm not...I killed my father so lets just take it one day at a time."

[Khan Noonian Singh]

"Agreed." Noonian nodded his head and smiled. "You realize that everyone at this table is genetically augmented?" he chuckled lightly as he glanced at James, "Even you my cloned adopted grandson."

"Well I'm not at quite your levels... I wish had your super flexible joints... Mac can do the splits, I... just end up splitting my pants." James said with a sheepish smile. "And then I can't get up."

"Oh I am sure with more training and practice you can do it... although don't try to emulate Jeanne Claude Van Damme... " Noonian chuckled. "He was one of us after all."

"Who?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Nevermind... action martial artist actor from the 20th Century." Noonian saw the confusion. "The Bloodsport guy."

"Ohhhhhh right him... yeah... okay I get it now. Yeah... " James nodded his head.

"Clint has a love of old... bad movies. Especially action and martial arts. Mainly so he can point and laugh at them. Selene liked nit picking spy movies." Noonian chuckled. "Same with my wife and I with any medical dramas. Some get it right some... it's laughable. Terra Alpha is an interesting world, there is so much old Earth culture here. But you'll see everything from Andorians to Zabrakians here."

[Liara]

"Speaking of medical topics...did Clint mention have me checked out?" Selene inquired as she looked into her coffee cup.

[Khan Noonian Singh]

"Briefly." Noonian replied. "I would like to at least scan you, ensure there aren't any ticking biomedical time bombs in you. Or any old injuries you've been hiding that are festering in there from your trip. I can already tell you were injured recently." he cocked his head slightly. "Let me guess, Clint did the patch up... sigh... he's good at field medicine but he's not a doctor. I AM." without another word he had a tricorder sensor in his hand and tapped his glasses which gave him a HUD to the sensor. "Hmm... still a little minor tearing of a lateral muscle. And three deactivated comm chip implants that were never removed."

"Three? Wow... " James chuckled.

"It's common in agents like Selene, James, after a mission they run out of power and depending on how long it is before their return, they simply forget about them. The implants do nothing otherwise, but they do make good breeding grounds for later infections or if they move can block blood flow." Noonian said as he pulled out a padd and set up a small disk on the table. "This is one of the pieces of tech that Clint should have been testing." he cleared his throat. "You may feel a slight muscle tingle when I beam them out." he said and instantly the three chips were on the disk. "Fascinating, these are quite old. Tell me Selene, did Lucius keep in you stasis between some missions? This chip is a 2283 model."

[Liara]

“My father did among other things.” Selene said bitterly. “Lucius only took over after I killed him. It was part of our deal. I put him in power and he helped me kill my father.”

[Khan Noonian Singh]

"Ah Lucius... " Noonian shook his head. "Not too dissimilar to the version I knew. Well, I can promise you we won't treat you as someone we put into a box when we don't need you. You managed to stumble into a very decent organization." he looked at his readings and smiled. "Barring anything hidden on a genetic level, it seems you are perfectly healthy, just have that wound checked out soon. I do not see any other tracking chips, besides these relics." he picked up the disk and studied another of them. "Probably from putting you into stasis in a hurry after a mission."

[Liara]

"He was probably disappointed with the outcome of a mission but not enough to employ his harsher methods." Selene said as she sipped her coffee. "I would be fine with you taking care of the injure and whatever else as long as you tell me what you're doing. Clint seems to trust you and so does James."