New York, Monday
Monday had lost any hope of quietitude when he'd awoken bleary-eyed - was it possible to get jet-lag from a portal? - and was ambushed by a enthusiastic hug and high-pitched 'Mohinder!' from Molly. She looked a little tired as she stared up at the two adults, saying, "I don't really need to go to school today."
"Yes, you do, young lady, said Matt, hair sticking out, poking at the toaster 'til it sparked.
It took some time to persuade her, and Mohinder had to promise, "I will be here when you get back," repeatedly, before Molly picked up her bag and the three of them walked to her school.
"Who is that?" Mohinder asked, as a woman on the school grounds caught their eyes and nodded.
"Molly's teacher," Matt replied. "You remember her from when Molly started here. I think we made an impression."
"I hesitate to thnk what of. You didn't need to come," protested Mohinder, remembering. He nudged Matt. "You were still wheezing and hobbling about."
"Yeah, and am I glad that's over." Matt watched until Molly was safely indoors. He turned to Mohinder. "So, do you need to practice your lecture."
"I've given it enough times to have it off by heart," Mohinder grinned, as they headed back to the apartment. "But if you'd like to hear it?"
~~~
The room was sparsely populated when the lights went up. A brief pause to ask if there were any questions as Mohinder looked around the room, searching for interest, belief, something. Scepticism which could be argued with, rather than the vague boredom more common in lectures held just before lunch. Even sight of whoever had recommended him for this chance, fruitless as it might be.
Nothing. "Thank you all for coming."
A few minutes later and Mohinder snorted at the now-empty room. "Yes, I'm glad it went well." He tossed the laser clicker in one hand and headed out to the hotel lobby. There was a lecture on small world theory applications in disease transmission he wanted to catch..
Perhaps he was overstating his topic? Mohinder mused. While he did believe the virus was a real threat to the speical individuals, it had only occured twice in some thirty years. That I know of, he automatically corrected. And it's contagion must be limited, or the presense of a sick but healing Molly around a weakened Matt Parkman would have surely shown some signs of it. That and Fandom's concentration of ... unique individuals... without any records of something similar must mean something.
But without something solid, verifiable it seemed like he was treading water, coming up with wilder theories in the hope of attracting attention for the lecture topic. Not that a topic which could only be confirmed by data from himself "These are no longer simply theories. I have seen them with my own eyes." or - through his brief time at the company - unknown sources that were unlikely to speak much for his credibility. Not that he necessarily had much of that left anyway.
Lost in his thoughts Mohinder didn't notice the figure approach until - "Inspirational lecture, Dr Suresh," - and was still running on autopilot when the comments about his sister registered.
"What the hell are you talking about?" He hadn't toted his sister's death out, shilling for funding using a family tragedy - and one he hadn't even known about - to work the pity and sympathy of an audience into interest. Mohinder slammed the man - shorter, middle-aged with thick glasses against the wall.
"We don't need to do this, doctor," The man looked entirely too calm to be pinned against the wall.
Looking at him, Mohinder noticed the picture that they made, a looming threat against a harmless... He dropped his hands, and deliberately bent to pick up his things."Whoever you are, I'm not going to run. Not this time." This time I have a vested interest - and a bolthole.
"Well that's good, because I've been looking for you to offer you a job," was the reply.
"I'm not looking for an offer of employment," Mohinder straightened up. "I already have one."
"I know that," he said. "I also know you need something or you wouldn't be here. Whatever noteriety the Suresh name has is taken as seriously as alien abductions. If you're really interested in saving the world, then you need to listen to me."
"Perhaps." Mohinder, looking a trifle uncertain, stepped back.
The guy smiled, "The least you can do is let me buy you a drink."
Mohinder nodded, shifted his bag onto one shoulder, and said, "All right." The other guy moved off, getting only few metres away before Mohinder called out, "Maybe then you can tell me your name."
~~~
"I can't, Mohinder. Someone has to pick Molly up from school."
"Of course."
"Can you make it later?"
"Not without arising any suspisions. It would be helpful to know what he's thinking, but this is too important to risk when I was beginning to think no one would approach me."
"Good luck."
~~~
"...Sometimes that can mean making sure they understand entirely what they're capable of..." And sometimes we kidnap, test them and wipe their memories for no apparent benefits or purposes other than our own, Mohinder mentally filled in as Bob spoke.
"And who the hell are you to judge these people?" Mohinder leaned forward, eyes blazing. "When otherwise they..."
"You yourself have taken that step," interrupted Bob. "You already chose to put a bullet in one man's brain."
"Sylar is irrelevant." Now at least. "He's dead and no longer a threat, what you're talking about is considerably less clean cut." Mohinder picked up a glass and twisted it through his fingers.
"But Molly isn't." Bob said. "Though she's save from the virus, thanks to you, there are many who aren't," He leaned back. "Even more it becomes a risk to the general population. You can't save them all on your own, Dr Suresh. Even those close to you - while you're away from New York Matt Parkman is the only one protecting your custody of Molly.Not that we'd interfere in your domestic arrangements, the company encourages taking work home with you. But we have resources we'd like to use to help you."
"Investigating the virus," Mohinder was looking at the tablecloth, "And those that carry it."
"We have the funds," Bob nodded calmly.
"If you already have the resources," pressed Mohinder, leaning forwards. "Then why the interest in me, why aren't you already studying it?" He watched for a reaction.
"I think you know how important you are, Dr Suresh," Bob said in a measured tone. "We all do our part."
Bob picked up a spoon from the side of his cup of coffee. Fingers pressed gently against the handle as he passed it to Mohinder. The colour of the metal changed before the scientist's eyes, from a clear silver to a dull gold that covered most of the spoon, leaving less than a third of the original metal.
Mohinder held it up before his eyes, focussing on where steel turned to gold. He looked at Bob, "I don't need to be bribed."
Bob smiled, "Of course not, doctor. So can I count you in?"
A moments pause, and Mohinder sighed, giving a wry grin. "How can I refuse?"
~~~
Mohinder slipped his hand back inside his jacket pocket. The changed spoon was still in there, and so was the phone he'd used to leave a message on the voicemail of an unknown cell phone number. He'd been elliptic in his words, despite the remove it kept him from Bennet. "Remember, we don't want any connections between a Dr Suresh and the Becket's in Idaho." "Last time we spoke it was the Wheeler's in Carolina." "That too." But now his conversation with Bob had sparked an idea.
"Matthew, do you know your blood type?"
[This totally went up yesterday, really. Damn migraine meds. A few lines tweaked from 'Four Months Later'. NFI and NFB for distance, OOC AOK]
"Yes, you do, young lady, said Matt, hair sticking out, poking at the toaster 'til it sparked.
It took some time to persuade her, and Mohinder had to promise, "I will be here when you get back," repeatedly, before Molly picked up her bag and the three of them walked to her school.
"Who is that?" Mohinder asked, as a woman on the school grounds caught their eyes and nodded.
"Molly's teacher," Matt replied. "You remember her from when Molly started here. I think we made an impression."
"I hesitate to thnk what of. You didn't need to come," protested Mohinder, remembering. He nudged Matt. "You were still wheezing and hobbling about."
"Yeah, and am I glad that's over." Matt watched until Molly was safely indoors. He turned to Mohinder. "So, do you need to practice your lecture."
"I've given it enough times to have it off by heart," Mohinder grinned, as they headed back to the apartment. "But if you'd like to hear it?"
~~~
The room was sparsely populated when the lights went up. A brief pause to ask if there were any questions as Mohinder looked around the room, searching for interest, belief, something. Scepticism which could be argued with, rather than the vague boredom more common in lectures held just before lunch. Even sight of whoever had recommended him for this chance, fruitless as it might be.
Nothing. "Thank you all for coming."
A few minutes later and Mohinder snorted at the now-empty room. "Yes, I'm glad it went well." He tossed the laser clicker in one hand and headed out to the hotel lobby. There was a lecture on small world theory applications in disease transmission he wanted to catch..
Perhaps he was overstating his topic? Mohinder mused. While he did believe the virus was a real threat to the speical individuals, it had only occured twice in some thirty years. That I know of, he automatically corrected. And it's contagion must be limited, or the presense of a sick but healing Molly around a weakened Matt Parkman would have surely shown some signs of it. That and Fandom's concentration of ... unique individuals... without any records of something similar must mean something.
But without something solid, verifiable it seemed like he was treading water, coming up with wilder theories in the hope of attracting attention for the lecture topic. Not that a topic which could only be confirmed by data from himself "These are no longer simply theories. I have seen them with my own eyes." or - through his brief time at the company - unknown sources that were unlikely to speak much for his credibility. Not that he necessarily had much of that left anyway.
Lost in his thoughts Mohinder didn't notice the figure approach until - "Inspirational lecture, Dr Suresh," - and was still running on autopilot when the comments about his sister registered.
"What the hell are you talking about?" He hadn't toted his sister's death out, shilling for funding using a family tragedy - and one he hadn't even known about - to work the pity and sympathy of an audience into interest. Mohinder slammed the man - shorter, middle-aged with thick glasses against the wall.
"We don't need to do this, doctor," The man looked entirely too calm to be pinned against the wall.
Looking at him, Mohinder noticed the picture that they made, a looming threat against a harmless... He dropped his hands, and deliberately bent to pick up his things."Whoever you are, I'm not going to run. Not this time." This time I have a vested interest - and a bolthole.
"Well that's good, because I've been looking for you to offer you a job," was the reply.
"I'm not looking for an offer of employment," Mohinder straightened up. "I already have one."
"I know that," he said. "I also know you need something or you wouldn't be here. Whatever noteriety the Suresh name has is taken as seriously as alien abductions. If you're really interested in saving the world, then you need to listen to me."
"Perhaps." Mohinder, looking a trifle uncertain, stepped back.
The guy smiled, "The least you can do is let me buy you a drink."
Mohinder nodded, shifted his bag onto one shoulder, and said, "All right." The other guy moved off, getting only few metres away before Mohinder called out, "Maybe then you can tell me your name."
~~~
"I can't, Mohinder. Someone has to pick Molly up from school."
"Of course."
"Can you make it later?"
"Not without arising any suspisions. It would be helpful to know what he's thinking, but this is too important to risk when I was beginning to think no one would approach me."
"Good luck."
~~~
"...Sometimes that can mean making sure they understand entirely what they're capable of..." And sometimes we kidnap, test them and wipe their memories for no apparent benefits or purposes other than our own, Mohinder mentally filled in as Bob spoke.
"And who the hell are you to judge these people?" Mohinder leaned forward, eyes blazing. "When otherwise they..."
"You yourself have taken that step," interrupted Bob. "You already chose to put a bullet in one man's brain."
"Sylar is irrelevant." Now at least. "He's dead and no longer a threat, what you're talking about is considerably less clean cut." Mohinder picked up a glass and twisted it through his fingers.
"But Molly isn't." Bob said. "Though she's save from the virus, thanks to you, there are many who aren't," He leaned back. "Even more it becomes a risk to the general population. You can't save them all on your own, Dr Suresh. Even those close to you - while you're away from New York Matt Parkman is the only one protecting your custody of Molly.Not that we'd interfere in your domestic arrangements, the company encourages taking work home with you. But we have resources we'd like to use to help you."
"Investigating the virus," Mohinder was looking at the tablecloth, "And those that carry it."
"We have the funds," Bob nodded calmly.
"If you already have the resources," pressed Mohinder, leaning forwards. "Then why the interest in me, why aren't you already studying it?" He watched for a reaction.
"I think you know how important you are, Dr Suresh," Bob said in a measured tone. "We all do our part."
Bob picked up a spoon from the side of his cup of coffee. Fingers pressed gently against the handle as he passed it to Mohinder. The colour of the metal changed before the scientist's eyes, from a clear silver to a dull gold that covered most of the spoon, leaving less than a third of the original metal.
Mohinder held it up before his eyes, focussing on where steel turned to gold. He looked at Bob, "I don't need to be bribed."
Bob smiled, "Of course not, doctor. So can I count you in?"
A moments pause, and Mohinder sighed, giving a wry grin. "How can I refuse?"
~~~
Mohinder slipped his hand back inside his jacket pocket. The changed spoon was still in there, and so was the phone he'd used to leave a message on the voicemail of an unknown cell phone number. He'd been elliptic in his words, despite the remove it kept him from Bennet. "Remember, we don't want any connections between a Dr Suresh and the Becket's in Idaho." "Last time we spoke it was the Wheeler's in Carolina." "That too." But now his conversation with Bob had sparked an idea.
"Matthew, do you know your blood type?"
[This totally went up yesterday, really. Damn migraine meds. A few lines tweaked from 'Four Months Later'. NFI and NFB for distance, OOC AOK]