Application: Dr. Mohinder Suresh, "Heroes"

[drmonologue]

((Okayed by the other Heroes muns!))An Indian man walks into the Sorting Room, carrying a small duffel bag, a computer bag, and a briefcase. Unlike many other applicants, he doesn't seem particularly shocked by his presence in this room; rather, he looks around with purpose, giving a satisfied nod as he surveys his surroundings

Comments

[mmm_brainz]

'Skulking', really, was the only word to describe what Sylar was doing. Hard to do much of anything else, really - he'd found himself a bit injured between the last week or so, robots and damned Peter Petrelli. So... skulking. Around the castle. In the library. In the Sorting Room. Painfully boring.

And of all people he was expecting to show up at this school...

He could have probably stood behind Mohinder for a good ten minutes and the guy wouldn't have even noticed. "Fancy finding you in these parts."

[drmonologue]

It wouldn't have mattered where he was -- honestly, it wouldn't matter if it were five years from now. He would have recognized that voice anywhere. His blood ran cold. He stiffened where he sat, going rigidly tense. "Sylar," he whispered.

He didn't look. He didn't really need to, did he? He knew the man was there, and that was all he needed to know. He wondered if he could reach the gun in his briefcase before Sylar could get to him and decided that, no, he couldn't. But maybe if he stalled...

He cleared his throat, "I was fairly sure that you weren't dead," he said in a rather calmer tone of voice.

[mmm_brainz]

There was something sickeningly satisfying in the way Mohinder's heart rate was automatically spiking, and just at the sound of his voice - he didn't even have to do anything besides greet himself.

Sylar didn't speak for a few long seconds after Mohinder had, frowning as a few of his digits subconsciously prodded at the front of his hoodie, where not too long ago there'd been that gaping wound... Criminy. "Ever been in the sewers?" Great places for breeding bacteria. It was a wonder he was still alive right now.

His hand fell from his chest as he started traipsing slowly around the table, his fingers running along the edge. His eyes were focused unblinkingly onto the geneticist, something between amusement and curiosity in his gaze. "What does bring an esteemed professor such as yourself all the way to Scotland, Dr. Suresh? I'm just ever so curious."

[drmonologue]

Mohinder inhaled sharply as Sylar's fingers touched the table, so close, so near to where he sat. He was as still as a rabbit in the headlights except for his eyes, which moved to track the madman as he entered Mohinder's peripheral vision. His lips thinned as he exhaled. "Yes, I saw the blood trail, but by the time I'd climbed down you had disappeared." He lowered his gaze to the table, to Sylar's trailing fingers. "You didn't think I could let it end there, did you?"

He hadn't quite answered Sylar's question. He wasn't sure he was planning on answering. But after a half a second's pause, he added, "I didn't realize you were here." Just so Sylar knew that wasn't why. For some reason, that was important.

[done_hunting]

Sam smiled at the applicant, eyes hungrily seeking out Mohinder's laptop. "Sure I couldn't get you to part with that?" he asked with a self-deprecating laugh. "Mine got kind of...damaged." Fair way to put it; turns out transfiguration practice and laptops don't mix. "Oh, um, I'm Sam." He held out one hand, trying uselessly to push back his emo bangs with the other. "Sam Winchester. Nice to meet you, professor."

[drmonologue]

"It's nice to meet you too," Mohinder said politely, shaking Sam's hand. "My name is Mohinder Suresh. And, no..." He flashed another rueful smile. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I do need to keep it with me. It has some important things on it, and I'm still using it in my research. Assuming I can get it to work here, at least." Suddenly, he appeared to be keenly interested. "Was yours damaged by the magical field?"

[done_hunting]

"Yeah, I hear that." Well, it'd been worth a try! "Mine had tons of research on it: notes, files, websites. It's going to be a pain to try and replace all of that." God, just thinking about it gave Sam a headache. "Um, what's your research in?"

Oh, right, a question. Sam wrinkled his nose and shrugged, laughing ruefully. "Kind of. It got in the way of my trying to turn a teacup back into a turtle. Um, I actually asked one of the professors here for help - she made it so my room let actual technology work. She wasn't too keen on actually touching my computer, though." He grinned. "Seemed to think she'd make something explode. But I'm sure she'd do the same for you. Your room that is. Not the exploding computer."

[drmonologue]

"Specialized genetics," Mohinder explained. "Applied, you might say. Before he died, my father was doing research into people with... certain special abilities. People who he thought -- who I think -- are the next step in human evolution. I'm carrying on his work now." He tipped his head to the side, regarding Sam with genuine curiousity. "And what are you researching?" The boy seemed quite young, but perhaps he was a graduate student. He certainly didn't envy him in his task; of course, if Mohinder lost his work, there wasn't much chance of recompiling it. There was something to be said for not being the only person in the world working on something.

The explanation was enormously helpful. Mohinder looked grateful. "That's very good to know, actually, thank you. It would certainly be difficult if I arrived here only to find that half my material was useless." He grinned. "I'll have to look into that issue."

[totallyluminous]

'Special abilities?' Mel asks coolly, eyes not leaving his Hufflepuff answer. 'What sort of special abilities?'

Now, she has nothing against men of science usually, but when you've been trapped in another century and being told you're going to be experimented on, Mel has to say she's rather suspicious of anything that interferes where it's not always its business.

[drmonologue]

Mohinder was used to being treated skeptically by this point, so he completely misintepreted Mel's coolness. He stifled a sigh and pressed on with the usual explanation. "Things that some would consider super-human, even impossible. Flight. Telekinetics. Regeneration. Advanced genes that allow for extraordinary things." The problem was, he thought tiredly, that if they didn't believe you before the speech, they pretty much never did afterwards. And generally, they thought you were insane.

But of course, he was right, and he knew it, which helped. Excitement flickered in his eyes. "They are real. I've seen them."

[totallyluminous]

Everything Mel can do. She swallows a little, looking nervous.

'I--and what do you do with them after you've found them?' Oh, God, science labs, weird tests, PAINFUL tests...well, if he's here, he's not--wherever he could be. Mixed blessing.

[drmonologue]

Mohinder couldn't help but look a little embarrassed because really, so far, he hadn't done much more than lead them to or away from certain death. And there had been some torture painful tests on one, but that was Sylar and didn't count.

"I... I'm trying to help them. I want to help them." So many people out there who were alone, confused... and so many liable to be hurt. Or to hurt themselves or others. "To learn to use their abilities, or even just to not be afraid of them. Plus, the more I find, the better I get at finding the others."

[damnrap]

((Eeeee! *glomps*))

The sorting room -- heck, that and the whole damn castle -- was a deafening hubbub of voices, so it took a little while before Dale realised that she recognised one of them. Another second and she'd put a face to it, in a moment of horrified realisation.

(He wasn't the last person she wanted to see here, but he came close.)

There was a whole lot of angry Dale Smither, standing very suddenly in front of Mohinder. "What the hell are you doing here, Suresh?" The volume of her own voice made her twitch uncomfortably.

[drmonologue]

Mohinder had pretty much the exact opposite reaction to seeing Dale as she did to seeing him. He couldn't have been more shocked, but he also couldn't have been more delighted.

"Miss Smithers?" He gaped at her, then beamed brilliantly. "My God! You're alive! How-- how is that even possible?" He was pretty certain she had been dead the last time he saw her. The fact that her brain had been removed was fairly indicative. He felt a quick stab of guilt; her death had really been his fault. If only he hadn't led Sylar to her...

Wait, wait. Oh God. She was dead. And Sylar had been stabbed and now he was here. And... Mohinder's eyes widened. "This isn't...?" He had come here by choice, but what if you couldn't get in unless you were dead?

[damnrap]

Wait-- why was he smiling at her? That wasn't the reaction you were meant to have when you'd gotten someone murdered. And Dale had no way of knowing that Mohinder had been duped. For all she knew, he could've been a willing accomplice.

But from that angle, why would he sound pleased that she seemed to be alive? Unless he was acting, of course.

"No," she answered his first question coldly, glaring at him. "I'm not."

But something else had occured to her, and on top of the anger a wave of fear filled her eyes and her throat. If Suresh was here, then...? "Is he here?" she demanded hoarsely. "Did you come alone?"
God, she hoped the answer was the second one.

[drmonologue]

His cheer faded, leaving him to guilt and worry. Of course she wouldn't be nearly so happy to see him. She probably blamed her death on him, and rightfully so. He didn't even consider the possibility that she'd thought he willfully had had her killed -- Mohinder didn't always think things through to completion and he sometimes missed obvious cues like that. But either she'd come back to life or else he was...

He opened his mouth to speak again, to ask the question or to explain himself, perhaps, but was cut off by her question. He blinked, then winced. "I... yes and no, I'm afraid. I did come alone, but I ran into him soon after my arrival." There was no need to ask who he was.

Mohinder swallowed. "I'm so sorry, Miss Smither. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am." And surely this was the place to atone. He closed his eyes and tried to steel himself. "Is this... the afterlife, then?" Maybe this wasn't the place he thought it was at all. Maybe he had died en route.

[charlesofdensen]

[[Dr. Monologue! *howls*]]

"A bit of a complicated answer for the Gryffindor question, don't you think?"

[drmonologue]

"Is it?" Mohinder looked surprised. "It asked for a rationale. I was trying to provide one. Actually, I'd been worried my answer was too short."

[charlesofdensen]

"Well, if anything, that shows how educated you are. Most people don't even bother with rationalizing it."

[drmonologue]

Mohinder gave this comment its due consideration, smiling uncertainly at Ofdenson. "Yes, well, I do consider myself to be fairly educated, I suppose. I have my doctorate in genetics and, as I said, I do teach at university."