***
Lucy entered another vision, this time in a hospital.
Simmons lay in a bed holding a baby while Steele beamed over her. Flowers and balloons filled the small room.
Steele reached for the child. "He's so beautiful."
Joy filled the room, and Lucy realized this had to be the Seeker. It was hard to reconcile the man who had caused so much pain with this innocent child before her, but in the end, the Seeker had redeemed himself, helping to save Sam and all of them. This child had his whole life ahead of him. It broke her heart to know how much he would suffer at the hands of his sociopathic father. How did they get from this happy family moment to that?
"Now that I've had the baby," said Simmons, "I can start testing again. I'm sure the new serum you made will work."
Steele frowned, then wiped it from his face with a fake smile. "Yeah, it just might."
She slapped his hand lightly, forcing optimism into a moment where Lucy could tell she felt none. "Come on—twenty successes, all attaining useful powers. It'll work. Hmm... I wonder what my powers will be?"
Steele handed the baby back and looked away, an unmistakable look of regret on his face.
***
Lucy blinked and found herself in the foyer of a very nice house. From another room came the sound of breaking dishes and furniture thrown against walls. Steele walked through the front door, then ran to the kitchen, and Lucy floated after him.
The room looked as if a tornado hit, but it was only Simmons, tear-streaked, filled with anger, her body a battering ram intent on destroying everything in her path.
Steele grabbed her, gently pulling her into a hug. "Baby, what's wrong?"
She sobbed into his chest, slamming her small fists against it. "None of it worked. None of the stupid bullshit serums worked."
"It's okay." Steele crushed her to him and ran his hand down her hair, trying to soothe her. "The next formula will be better. You can try again."
She pushed him away. "I've been trying for years. I can't have powers. Admit it, I can't. I know you think so. I've seen it in your eyes."
He looked down, real sadness on his face. "I'm trying my best, Honey. Beleth and I will get it right, eventually."
"No you won't." She stormed out of the room and ran crying through the house.
A small boy crept from behind the corner, a frown on his face.
***
Simmons flapped a folder in Steele's face. "What's this?"
They were at the lab again. It looked the same, but Simmons and Steele looked older, more world-weary, with wrinkles spreading from their eyes
"It's just something I've been working on." He grabbed for the folder.
She pulled it back, holding it out of his reach. Her face reddened in rage. "Just something? You're trying to make a baby. A freaking baby! What, the one I gave you wasn't good enough?"
"No. I love our son." His voice stayed cold, collected, lacking the emotion he'd had in the earlier visions. "I'm experimenting to see if powers can be altered through genetics."
"Do you have to experiment on yourself?" She practically spit the words at him.
He looked past her, as if not seeing her. "You know I always test something before I use it on other people."
"Don't do this." She threw down the folder. "If you love me, you won't do this."
He picked up the folder and kept his voice soft. "I'm doing this because I love you. I'm doing this because it will help me give you powers of your own."
***
In another, much larger and more sophisticated lab, Steele sorted through papers as other doctors worked around him, checking in with him from time to time.
Simmons came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "It's late, Baby. It's time to go home."
Steele didn't look up from his work. "After I pair a few more subjects together."
She stroked his chest and kissed his ear. "It can wait. Please come home with me."
He unwound her arms from his body and moved away from her. "You know the Russians have made tremendous progress in their experiments. This can't wait. There's really a lot of potential in this breeding program. We can weed out the useless powers, strengthen the useful. IPI will have agents capable of handling anything."
Simmons stepped back, her face crestfallen. "Okay, sure. I'll see you later then."
He waved dismissively. "Bye."
***
Next Lucy landed in one of Simmons's memories. She didn't know how Sam kept all the thoughts and past deeds of everyone straight in her mind; Lucy was already reeling from the information overload.
Once again she was in their foyer. Simmons returned home from a night out, dressed for a date, but Steele wasn't there. Beleth sat on the couch in the living room watching a movie and cuddling with a sleeping boy. Simmons paused to watch them, a shy smile on her face.