Starring:
Date: December 28, 2009
Summary:
A new hand gets a lesson from an old hat.
"B's Are For Bugs And Movies"
AP Headquarters - NY
Every government building, no matter what its purpose, no matter how important must have one room in it. It is as important as the offices, as important as the restrooms. That room? The breakroom.
Currently, Noah is seated there at rough 7:30 PM at night, quietly looking over files as he drinks a cup of coffee. No one speaks to him if they enter, brief greetings only getting mutters back. While some rumors fly as to the cause of Noah's newly increased irritation, no one lacks enough courage (or intelligence) to ask Noah himself.
It's her first day reporting in to the facility and while being acclimated to the scenery, the woman has a few minutes to grab some licorice and a coke. Unlike many of the other employees in the building, courage is something not lacking in this particular specimen. She's brazen and as bold as a cup of three day old coffee.
The last person to receive a grumble is sidestepped at the doorway and Cody enters the room with an unintentional smirk on her face. It's just her normal expression. A few quarters are placed into an antiquated vending machine and a few fist pounds later has a bag of chips dropping to the tray. "This is not what I wanted…" she grumbles, she was so looking forward to black licorice. Nevertheless, the bag is torn open and she begins shoveling the jalapeno crisps into her mouth. Lucky Noah. There's a seat open at the table and she's not shy about taking it. "Hey, how's it goin'?"
There is no response for a short time. Noah glaces up, peering at the woman before him with dry and emotionless stare. She isn't leaving after his first nonverbal volley. Flickering the sagging papers in his hand back to rapt form, he continues to glances over them. "Been better," he replies without a hint of mirth, speaking as he would to a perfect stranger on the bus, a soul he never intended to see again. "Yourself?"
A shrug of her shoulders is the response. "Not exactly sure what I'm doing here, to be honest." Cody replies, "Do they usually pull in pilots?" She cranes her neck to take a look at the names on the files. Her chip hand is wiped on the leg of her jeans and she holds her hand out for a shake. "Name's Cody Baker," she doesn't give a rank, if she even has one. "So you have a good Christmas? I went out to some bridge and tossed pennies onto the ice and drank coffee all day. I was going to see how many cups of coffee it took to melt through to the river… but that would have taken more effort than I was willing to put out. You know?"
"Danko seems to think that having a larger force will increase the chances that we will get the situation here under control. For his sake, I hope he is right…" Of course, that may or may not be the truth. After all, Danko and Noah aren't known for seeing eye-to-eye, despite the almost common goal.
Sighing as if feeling forced, Noah puts down his coffee to return the handshake, the usual chill of his grip warmed by the beverage that was once in his hand. "I've had better Christmas, but I've had worse," he states as he puts the papers away. Cody might be able to see something about new captives on the sheet, though if she gives it more than a glance, she will find the cold gaze of Bennet upon her. "I take it you worked the holiday as well, but then again, most people here had to."
"Just looking around, really. I'm assigned to New York so I was trying to find a job up there." Another swift glance is taken to the sheet and then Cody settles herself in to the remainder of the chips. The bag is brought up to her lips and the entire contents are shoveled in. Apparently, she's not a perfect lady. With a mouth full of crispy goodness, she crunches thoughtfully before tapping the list she didn't get a close look at. She grimaces as she swallows, as though one of the chips just wasn't chewed enough before it went down. "So these people actually dangerous, or was I pulled out of Beirut for a witch hunt?"
While Noah listens as he drinks his coffee, he merely leans back into his chair, hints of a frown dragging at the corners of his lips. Of course, this unpleasantness is accentuated at the end as a brow is arched at the final question. "What exactly do you think you are doing here if you thought this might a 'witch hunt'?"
"I go where I'm ordered, man, I do my job." Is the reply he receives, Cody leans back in her chair and places her hands behind her head, stretching out her upper arms by pulling her elbows back. "I'd just rather do a good job than an easy job." The scritching sound of her nails against her scalp can be heard as she ponders her next bunch of questions. "I'd rather try to neutralize a bomb than pick up a guy listening to the radio, you know? It's like shooting up a mosque in hopes of grabbing a cell member."
"This job is about working with a rather large amount of variables. Some people are dangerous with dangerous abilities. Some people are harmless in personality, but with harmful abilities. Other people are cunning and ruthless, but with harmless abilities. The unpredictable is what makes it difficult… But, I'd rather people do a good job than what they have been doing these days." With that, the man finally gives his name. "Noah Bennet."
The name causes Cody's eyes to widen just slightly before she returns to her standard easy going demeanor. "Bennet, huh? You're the one I've been hearing all the stories about then? Red flags? Flashing lights?" She leans forward in her chair and folds her hands together as her elbows hit the table. "I never would have guessed. I mean, you have the glasses and everything but… I guess I was expecting the Rock or someone that looked like Steven Segal or something. You look pretty normal." Then she leans forward a little more in her chair and purses her lips slightly. "So, since you're the man in the know, are there any names that I should be looking for more than others? If we're going in order of preference, I'll take choices A, then C."
"If it was all A or C, you wouldn't be here," Noah replies with a faint smirk. The sarcasm is noticable in his next statement. "As for my appearance, I'm crushed that I haven't lived up the expectation."
"Eh, if it was all A … Things wouldn't work the way they do. Countries would be trading people instead of nuclear warheads for favors. If it was all C, it'd be exactly the way it is now. B? Well so far as I can tell, as long as the intent isn't there, the problem isn't as big…. or am I completely wrong?" She tilts her head to look back at the vending machine and rises up out of her seat to plunk more quarters into it. This time she gets her licorice, the red flavor, and two snickers bars for the price of one. "Man, I love this stuff," Cody murmurs as she peels away the wrapper and takes a large bite of the candy bar. "Ish like I'm addicked, you know?"
"You'll see." That is all Noah has to say on the matter of Option B. Slowly, he gets up, finishing up his coffee before throwing the paper cup away. The papers are neatly placed under his arm. "Well, enjoy your addiction… I've got to review a couple of reports before they go up to the committee tomorrow. Until next time, Miss Baker. Hope your time as a Hunter is a productive one."