nothing's gonna change my world [open]

[myfatherstask]

The one good thing about having a week of your life sucked away into the evil soul-eating vortex of Antinora Hospital is that it kind of forces you to get some sleep. Mohinder's been alternately working and napping in his desk chair, getting up to microwave some frozen pizza and collapsing on the bed on his way back and sleeping for hours at a

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[myfatherstask]

Mohinder fidgets. Even now, even when his father is dead and Mohinder knows better, has known better for years, he still can't help but let the little fleeting thought cross his mind--if his powers can manifest at 27, couldn't mine at 30? But no--he doesn't even have the marker. Surely Chandra would have told him if he did.

He really prays he isn't wrong about this. "I--well--it was my father's theory that abilities should manifest during puberty, but that was pure speculation. He never met anyone with an ability, and...I think a good deal of his theories were wrong. I don't know. I've only profiled a few people with the marker so far, and you're one of them."

He rubs his eyes briefly and turns around to face Gabriel, gesturing. "I think we've got three possibilities here. Your ability might not have manifested yet, and it will start showing itself later in life. Or--it might have shown up already, but it could be subtle, something not readily apparent. Or...well, perhaps the gene is recessive in you--you have it, but it hasn't presented itself in the form of a power." Sigh.

"Or I could have made an error. But I'll double-and-triple-check once I get home. I don't think I'm wrong."

This is a lot of information to dump on poor Gabriel all at once, but...well, Mohinder does that.

[howitshouldgo]

Gabriel doesn't move while Mohinder speaks. He has to make sure he gets every little microbe of information. Once the scientist is done, he breathes in, breathes out, then nods.

"I think I would know already, if I had any abilities. I've been looking for something like that all my life." He sounds audibly depressed about that possibility. There's one down. "So- I could have the gene, but not any sort of power? How would it present itself, then? Or- does it just...not." His voice falls completely flat then. It would be so fitting if his special power turned out to be that he didn't have any, wouldn't it?

[myfatherstask]

"It would present itself in your children, or grandchildren, but not in you. It's possible, I suppose. It wasn't an idea my father really accounted for..." No, Mohinder thinks bitterly, it wasn't flashy enough for him.

"I'm afraid I just don't have a large enough sample size yet to determine which possibility is most likely. I'd like to think it's more likely that your powers simply haven't manifested yet. If your gene is recessive--well, then you're an unusual case, and I can certainly use that as well."

He isn't just going to give up. This is real science, damn it, not Chandra's flighty whatever-the-hell-he-did.

[howitshouldgo]

"I see." He's still not looking at Mohinder, instead focusing on the grass in front of him. He still has hope, right? The recessive gene would be unusual. Gabriel clings to this.

But no matter what, the outcome of this is that he still doesn't know one way or another. This makes him sigh.

"Is- would there be any way to tell what my powers would be, if I had any? Or when it might manifest? Is-" And now he looks up, hopeful. "Is there a way to make it show up, if it just hasn't appeared before now?" Clearly, Mohinder should know all these things.

[myfatherstask]

Poor Mohinder looks a bit like a deer caught in the headlights for a second, but quickly pulls it together.

"There's no way to tell, I'm afraid. There's no test for it yet, only for if the gene exists. Given enough time, I'd like to think I could develop a test, but it'll take years."

As for making the abilities show up...well, now Mohinder's got a bit of a glint in his eye.

"I don't know of a way to make the abilities present themselves. Yet."

But that's what experiments are for. Oh, Mohinder, you crazy mad scientist, you.

[howitshouldgo]

Gabriel catches onto that glint. It's the only encouraging thing.

"Yet?" A small smile appears on Gabriel's face. "You think there might be a way, though. We'd just have to find it?"

Yes, 'we'. Gabriel's got the genetic marker- he's fully invested in this now.

[myfatherstask]

"I certainly can't promise anything. Or tell you how much time it might take, if I could. But...I don't think anything's impossible anymore."

He's already running over possible theories in his mind, ways to trigger the gene to show some effect--discarding the hugely unsafe ones out of hand, because Mohinder's a lot of things, but he isn't ruthless. (Not with most people, at any rate.)

"I think there might be a way out there, somewhere."

[howitshouldgo]

His smile grows and his eyes shine. If pressed much farther, he'd probably start crying with relief, and he wishes he didn't know that. He's being too sensitive, but- is there really a 'too sensitive' when it comes to something like this?

"I saw it. Someone with an ability. The fire manipulator." He turns himself so he's facing Mohinder and by now he's grinning. "He had such control over it- it was...there's not a word." He shakes his head. "Perfect. I couldn't believe that the human machine could accomplish so much..."

[myfatherstask]

"...he?"

The only fire manipulator Mohinder knows of is Charlie. He's suddenly all business, eyes lit up just like Gabriel's.

"I don't think I even know him," he says, too excited to be completely on his guard--he's just let slip that there are more of them, but...well, Mohinder doesn't notice these things when he's in Crazy Scientist Mode. "Who is he? What--what's his name?"

[howitshouldgo]

"Ohhh." The one Mohinder knows is a different one. Gabriel almost bubbles over with delight. If there's two people who can control fire, they can compare them, right? It'd be easier to tell in the genes, wouldn't it?

"St John. I think he's Australian...he's the bartender at Dante's. He was able to do so much with it, Mohinder. I wonder if he'd show it to you, too. They're trying to be careful about who they let know about it, but-" He shakes his head. "So that wasn't the one you know?"

[myfatherstask]

"I--no, there is another one. A friend of mine." He backs off just a bit, sheepish--Charlie's been outed to a decent number of people, yes, but that's still no call to tell more people than have already found out by accident.

Need to talk to Charlie...need to make sure she's okay... He pushes that thought out of his mind for now; of course Charlie's okay. He's okay, isn't he? Surely she's fine...she must be.

"St. John...I've never heard of him, but this is fantastic! I'll have to talk to him. It's entirely possible you've saved me about a week's worth of work. What did he show you? What could he do with it?"

[howitshouldgo]

He's leaning forward now, intent on the conversation. It's amazing how his body language changes- he seems almost confident now, and certainly a good deal larger than before.

"He took it from its place on the lighter and held it in his hand. And- I know that doesn't sound like much, but he had to have to keep it from growing, from touching anything....and he did it like it was nothing. Tried to convince me it was."