2007-10-09: Cameras and Colds

Starring:

Cass_icon.gif Gene_icon.gif Evelyn_icon.gif

Summary: Killing two birds with one stone, Gene sets up a meeting with Cass and Evelyn the same night that he helps install security equipement for Cass. Evelyn meets with Cass, discussing how her simple cold might be something far more sinister.

Date It Happened: October 9th, 2007

Log Title Cameras and Colds


Enlightenment Books

A couple minutes after he said he would be there, Gene can be seen at the front door, giving a couple of knocks on the door. The young man is wearing pair of jeans and his usual sneakers. Still warm enough to go without a jacket, Gene has on a t-shirt with Anakin doing a choke hold on Queen Amidala at the end of the Revenge of the Sith. Underneath it has on it 'The Dark Side of Domestic Abuse'. While it was an edgy shirt to Gene's moral standards, recent events have caused him lax on some aspects of his rigid personality. However, his oaths remain important so he here is.

R2-D2 is also with Gene, having a tray on top of itself with a large plastic tool box, likely with Gene's tools. It's been strapped on to prevent muggers to take it and run. In attention to that, Gene also has a bookbag that seems loaded with stuff.
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Still with a few things to do, Cass doesn't mind Gene being a little late. At the knock on the door, she unlocks and opens the door for him and R2-D2. "Hey Gene." She waits until he's inside before closing and locking the door again. "Thanks so much for helping me out with this." What with the security scares she's suffered lately, it's good to get the store finished and up to snuff. "Come on in. I've got some coffee, some foods, snacks and stuff. Not sure if you're hungry or not." Moving into the main part of the store, she gestures around. "I'm not exactly sure what I needed to do to prep the place. I figure, I'll just let you do what you need to do and I'll be the tech nurse or something. Or, I can just feed you and keep you awake with caffeine."
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Making his way inside, the young inventor looks around, already trying to figure out places to install stuff. "I might have a little something. My appetite's been hit or miss lately," he says in a faintly distracted tone, already figuring out where to put a camera or two. "If's you got a gentle tea, that would be awesome." Deciding to get right to work, moves to the corner of the room, putting down the backpack. After the droid follows him to the corner, Gene gives the verbal command "Stay".

Almost everything set up, Gene glances around, seeing if there is a stepstool or the like near by. If there is, he'll just take it up and put it there. If not, he'll begin the search. "So, how's life treating you? Haven't really had a chance to talk with you for awhile."
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Already grabbing some food, Cass goes to turn on the boiler for hot water for tea. She's not exactly sure what tea is the most soothing or gentle that she has, but she certainly has enough green tea and chamomile, too. "We'll have tea soon." Watching R2-D2 for the moment while he wheels to the center of the room, she stops and then turns attention to Gene. Not exactly sure what he's doing, she'll just hand over a plate worth of food for him to munch on. It's a sandwich, but it's from the good deli down the street. Plus, there's fruit. Healthy! "Oh, well, you know, the usual. Good and then unexpected." There's a shrug of her shoulders. "How about you?" There's a few things she knows about him now through Elena. She's not even sure that he knows about what she knows yet.
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Getting on the stool he finds, Gene sits it up in the corner. He pulls out the power drill, which seems rather light. Of course, it's only light because Gene modified it like he has most of his equipment. After all, better tools would be the place to start if you are genius inventor, right?

A couple of screws are put into the ceiling given a little bit of space to put in the small webcam, which has wires tangling from it. It's swift enough work, the young man figuring it best not to mess with dry wall. Of course, he doesn't ask Cass what she wants, likely slipping his mind or figuring she's just say 'what you think is best'. Gene begins to work on the wiring, getting the wires to connect to a spool. He gets out a measured amount and then cuts it. He seems to already have a set up planned it would seem. "I'm okay… Been better as I'm sure you know. Thanks for looking at the stuff and figuring out I'm dying." As he reveils that he knows about the 'you know', Gene's tone is gentle. Why would he have malice for a lady that is honestly trying to help out? He could get pissed off at her, but in the end, it would do little other than prove him a jerkface. There is a brief pause Gene just stops working as he stares at the spool in his hands.

"Sorry, being weirder than usual."

That said, the genius gets back to what he came here for, picking up the stool with his other hand. "You want the camera network to be visible online so you can check it from your apartment? It lets you see everything no matter where you are, but if there is a genius like me causing you trouble, they can hack it and see what you see. For the regular hacker, can do a couple of encryptions to keep them guessing."
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Slipping Gene's plate onto R2-D2s plate, Cass steps back to observe his work. "If you need help with any of that, just tell me." Otherwise she's not going to know what to do. It's probably better he doesn't ask her opinion on this sort of thing. She has no clue. She still operates her store on an old laptop and an old fashioned cash register. Then, as she draws herself up into a chair, she just tries to keep out of the way. There's a bit of a silence when Gene lets Cass know that he knows what she knows. She's not sure what to say. "I didn't really do anything." All she did was look at a brain scan. And she's not sure what to say in this sort of thing. Luckily, the boiler turns off and she goes to make his tea. Bringing over a mug, she holds it out to him. "I'm sorry." Not for anything having to do with the tea or what's going on now. But because of his condition.

"I've already had some problems with hackers. If there's anything I've figured out, it's that nothing is fool proof." There's a bit of a smile, but it's heart felt. "I don't really need to be able to see it anywhere. Just…from my computer would be fine. I guess? If that's workable?"
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"Easy as pie. I'm gunna make a distant remote for you, so you can know when someone's broken into your place. I'll leave it up to you if you want the police notified as well. As for issues with hackers, I should be able to take out most of it. If there is anything /I've/ learned is that if you have better stuff than your oppoent, you can make them your b-word." Yes, he said actually said 'b-word'. The Gene cursing is powerful and mighty. Except not really.

Turning around, the geek finds a woman with tea in front of him. Giving a meek smile in return he clutches it with both hands. Might be warm enough to get away without a jacket, but it's still a bit cool. "…No need to be sorry about the brain thing. I mean, I know you wish it didn't happen to me. Believe me, so do I. I admit I'm not sure really how to take it, but I figure out of all of the people, it's likely best that I got it instead of someone else."

Putting the tea down next to the food, Gene goes up to install the next camera in the next corner. If Cass looks into the back he's got five cameras, likely to place them in ways that all of the store covered. Or at least most of it, if there are a lot of nookies and crankies in it. Perhaps showing the sort of guy he is, it seems like he isn't touching either the food or the drink, focused almost entirely on the job.
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"That sounds fine. I don't think I could make anyone technologically my b-word." Cass notices Gene putting down that tea and not eating the food that she brought him. She's not annoyed so much as she's concerned. He's got to keep up food and drink, especially in his state. "Now that's just crap, Gene." There's a raised eyebrow as she goes to sit back down again. "It's best if no one got it. And we'll figure something out. I mean, we figured out that people can fly, read peoples minds, travel in time…fixing a tumor should be within our realm of possibility now. Even one lodged in a brain." That is otherwise inoperable. She doesn't need the store to be completely air tight, just covered enough that she can troubleshoot. Better than it is now - which is basically just locked. Not to be pushed off so easily, she picks up the plate again. "We're going to be here a little while. At least have a strawberry."
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Only after finishes putting up the second camera does Gene turn back to Cass. It's quick work, but they are light cameras and thus don't take much to keep them in the ceiling. "It would be best if there wasn't a Sylar too, but we have to take the cards that are dealt with. Besides, if I didn't get this now, you wouldn't try and cure this now with Elena. Let's say I die anyway, some good will come from it because the research will be do." Despite his conversation topic, Gene manages a smile. It's really really awkward, but it's there. "Artoo, get over here."

"Beeewooo." The droid comes over and as requested, Gene eats a strawberry. There, now he can get back to work. "I'll finish up the plate when I'm done. Projects half finished drive me crazy. It's like seeing without sk-body hair or something," Gene points out. He was going to say 'skin' but he's trying to keep the oddness as low as possible. After all, Cass deals with a unique group of customers, no sense remindering her of the crowd her store draws in. "I'm all for living here, Cass, I'm just a guy that likes to prepare for things. Even if it's stuff like dying. You can save or kill a person, even after you're dead. Just takes a bit of thought." With that, Gene taps his head with a sincere grin before moving on to the third point. The droid follows along once more.
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AT least Gene takes a strawberry. It's a small step, but it's still a step! "Sure sure, there are cards and futures and stuff. But we're doing amazing things, here, Gene. Evolution as we know it has changed. We're trying to change the future. Something like a tumor should totally be within our scope of treatment. I mean, I just totally have been scanning someone's blood for previously unknown contaminants and viruses. Something we know about? That should be a lot easier. And stop talking like that. You're not going to die. We'll figure something out."

It's not like Cass really cares about weirdness. This is a woman who owns an occult bookstore and in her free time she helps run a lab for people with abilities. Bizarre is something she's just used to now. "I'm not saying, don't prepare, I'm saying….it's not going to happen. You're going to help me rig up a lot more things, Gene. And maybe even teach me how to use Windows."
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The third camera is set up as Cass speaks. Despite the labor in the background, Gene is clearly listening intently. For the young genius, this sort of stuff he can put up in his sleep. "I understand you're determined, Cass. I'm not questioning that. Or science. Or evolution. I'm just saying death is a possibility here and that by dismissing it… I dunno. Hopefully, you'll never be in a situation where someone tells you that you're gunna die in the future unless they do something to stop it. Then you won't have to understand where I'm coming from." Yes, Gene IS that good at saying the worst possible thing. Even if he doesn't know it.

Despite his last comment, he continues on, unaware of the sin. "As for helping you set up stuff, sure. Part of me doesn't want to use my 'gift' because it might make the thingie worst, but after finding out I still have stuff I need to do, I figured to heck with it, you know? And if it does get resolved? Then I'll have more time to build stuff. Like stuff to kill…" Gene turns around to make a cutting mark for his head. "…You know who." Looks like someone got told a bit more about Sylar.
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That's good. Cass isn't even sure what the hell Gene is doing, but she trusts him to put everything together properly. "Of course death is a possibility. It always is. I'm just denying that it will be a possibility we can take." And then, she just blinks at Gene, surprised by his choice of words, startled into a moment of silence. After getting over a bit of shock, she does the next best thing she can do - laugh. Because of all the things that Gene could have said, this is the one that she can actually counter. She doesn't mean to, and it's not even at Gene. It's at his words. "I'm sorry. I'm not actually laughing at you. Or what you're saying. It's just…I die in that future Peter went to, Gene. If things don't change I've got about two years to go." Maybe less now.

"I…I hope teaching me how to use Windows won't make your condition worse." Cass blinks at the very thought. She doesn't want to harm him. Not even to make her store more secure. "I mean, I can get a Mac or something. They're supposed to be easier, aren't they? Plus they have those cute commercials where they try to make you buy them with those two guys." Yes, descriptive, Cass. "If this is going to hurt you, I can deal with the security I have with the store now. I really doubt Sylar's going to walk in here demanding the latest copy of Activating Evolution."
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"Wha-" Gene stumbles for a second as he hears the news from Cass. He almost falls from the stepladder, but a swift hand catches himself. Might not be the strongest in the world, but he's got some speed to him. "Oh… My bad." Well, that's awkward. Deciding just to swiftly move on, he gets down, moving to the fourth place. There are wires danging down all over the place, but he's not done yet. "I dunno if it's gunna hurt me. I figure you guys would know. I mean, if this thing is relatedly to my ability, I thought it was possibly what happened when I overused my abilities. It seems like stuff happens when Elena and Pete do the same thing… I guess since my abiliy was mostly internal, that's where the damage went."

Gene gives a shrug as he takes down the ladder to get the fourth camera up, the final one for inside. "Then again, I don't pretend to understand this stuff really. I'm a machine guy, not a genetics expert. And teaching you windows won't make it worse. That's not when I use my ability."
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When Gene looks like he's about to fall, Cass quickly jumps up and lunges forward to help steady him. Or catch him. Or at least make a softer cushion for him to land on. Any or all of the above. "It's fine. It's not exactly something I broadcast. Or want that many people to know. I'm not the only one supposed to die in the future if we don't change it. But, at least you know now that I'm very serious about changing what's going on." Strangely, Cass doesn't take the situation to be awkward. Or at least, she doesn't seem to mind his gaffe. "I honestly don't know what it's linked to or related to, yet. I'd have to do some more in depth research on it, which I'm certainly planning. If it's related to your ability, then, well, that's a bit of a problem, but it's something we should be able to figure out. At the very worst, if it is something to do with your ability, we may have access to medication that will dampen it. That should relieve the pressure. And while it won't retroactively fix anything, it will stop it from getting worse. We'll figure it out, Gene. Really, we will."
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The young man gets up to final area in the store, working on it for a bit, listening quietly. There is a hestiation as there is the mention of stopping his ability in order to give them more time. Like most serious issues in Gene's life, it is one that he takes without a single word in response other than a simple "Right." Talk of the Dark Future is put on pause as he is utterly silent, just screwing in the final two screws and putting in the wiring.
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"That's the very worst case scenario, Gene." Gene may deal in one word answers, but Cass is a woman of words. Lots of them if she can help it. "And you don't even have to do that if you don't want to." She can't force medication on him. He has to choose if he wants to take it or not. As he starts to screw in the wiring she sighs and then just goes for the mug of tea that she made earlier for him. It's mostly just warm now as opposed to piping hot, but still passable. "Now, here, have some tea."
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Glancing down to the ground, Gene nods as his offical response to the meds. The tea is swiftly consumed by the young man, the warm tea easier to drink in one go. "There… Now I have to hook up the wiring into the network. I would have done wireless stuff, but it gets jammed more easily," he replies, beginning to pool the wire that he's put around in the a way that has it mostly behind bookcases and the like to keep it out of sight. "You'll need to paint the wiring shown in order to help blend it in…. I did a bit of the work at home, so most of this already done." There is a bit of a pause before Gene decides to talk. "From one possibly dead person in the future to another… You ever think about putting together a Bucket List and doing it? Just in case?" Yeah, he's really not getting message Cass is trying to give him.
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Taking the mug back, Cass goes to put it down on the info counter so that it's out of the way. The wiring talk goes kind of over her head, so she just nods in response. "That sounds great." Even if she has no idea what does sound great or not. "That's fine. A little dab of paint is the least of my worries. That won't…ruin the wiring or anything, will it?" How is she to know? Stupid questions. "I've thought about it," she says, sliding into a chair. "And I've made some preparations should it actually happen. But, I don't want to focus on dying. I'd rather just figure out the living thing first." Maybe Gene isn't getting the message, but there's little else she can say to make him get it. Hopefully it will sink in later. When he's not doing extreme wiring jobs or something.
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Gene shakes his head about the wiring. "Shouldn't" is his simple response as he gets out the network box that will tie in all the feeds into one system. He's almost done with the hardwear… He's pretty quick with it, that's for sure, but then again, he's been doing this stuff since he was a child. "I meant the other kinda Bucket List. You know… doing all the stuff you wanted to do before you die. You know, going to France, punching out the guy that always annoyed you, stuff like that. You know, stuff that if you thought you were dying soon, would do quickly… But I guess if you're not planning on any chance of dying, wouldn't be thought up."
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This all is certainly taking much less time than Cass anticipated it taking. Just goes to show how much more of a genius Gene is at this. Or how little Cass knows about wiring up security. Or maybe all of the above. "No, I know. But if I do all that stuff in a year, what's going to happen when I finish my list and still have about twenty years to go?" That brings about a bit of a smirk on her face and she keeps her toes resting on one of the rungs. "I've got a list of things I want to make sure I do before I go, but I'm planning on spreading it all out. Gives me things to look forward to."
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If Gene was putting up sensors on the door and windows (which he might do another time), then it would likely take a good while. But for the cameras? That's something that is easy to do, more so for a small store like this one. "You make a new list. The world is too big to do it all," Gene points out before using his pocket remote to summon R2. He begins to test the wires, making sure all of them are carrying currents to the CassCams. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the teen defense contracting inventor doesn't see eye to old with the young woman who owns a book store where Do-It-Yourself Curses has its own section," he points out with a smirk. Suppose it's time for the agree to disagree, though Gene actually does it with good spirits. After all, she is a nice woman to talk to, even if she is a hippie like Peter.
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Who knows how long something takes! Cass certainly has no idea with this stuff. "I guess so," she smiles at the answer. "So, if you can't do everything, why make a list at all? Just go out and do what you want to do." Her own little philosophy of the moment. "Hey, those curses may actually work. I had a customer who wanted to curse a cheating boyfriend to get acne and instead he got chicken pox. Close enough, right?" It'll do for her. "And we don't always have to see eye to eye. If everyone agreed, that'd be really boring." Even if she thinks she's right most of the time.
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"Life's easier for some when have a list to guide 'em." Surprise surprise, Gene's a guy that likes details and structure. "If everyone agreed, there'd be no murder." There is a bit of silence, before Gene shakes his head. Where the heck did that come from? It's the hippie books, he knows it. He just continues to work in silence until Cass says something.
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There's no hippy book Cass has read that involves murder. However, that's not to say there aren't any. "I guess so." While Cass does like organization and lists, she doesn't need them exculsively to function. "Some spontaneity is a good thing! Unless the surprise happens to be a mugger with a gun or something. Then spontaneity is not so much fun." Okay, so that part kind of backfired, but she's trying! Grabbing some fruit for herself, she munches on a strawberry and studies Gene. "I guess that's true. But, then, if there were no arguments life would be pretty boring. Not that I think people should murder each other. I think we should be able to agree to disagree."
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Yes, but hippies encourage saying what you think and feel instead of using self-control and reason to decide your speech. Those odd hippies think that the highest form of thought comes from making out and smoking weed. If there was ever anything that wasn't Gene, that was it. "If you all thought alike, you'd always care for one another because you knew you felt the same way to everyone the same way they felt toward you." Gene glances up toward his work to give an odd little smile. "When you work alone a lot, you get to think this stuff out." Going back to his work, Gene moves to the machine Cass wants it all networked. "But people don't… So they argue, debate, kill, confli-" Gene pauses as he messes with the machine a bit. "What is up with this machine? I've seen broken china with less fragmentation."
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Ah, Cass' hippy days. She remembers them fondly. Not that she's totally given them up. It's just that she's grown a little from those days. "But, if everyone thought alike, what would be the point? You would understand everything about everyone and there'd be no motivation to get to know someone else, to learn their likes, their dislikes, their nuances. It's everyone's differences that makes life interesting. And not just in an after-school special sort of way, either." The smile is returned as she tosses the top of her strawberry in the trash and gets another. "I can imagine. I do that a lot, actually, when the store's all quiet. However, lately, it's all been about serotonin-reuptakers and biological chemistry and white cell counts." Not so much the nature of people's differences. "Fragmentation?" Cass frowns and looks over Gene's shoulder at her computer. "What do you mean? It doesn't look fragmented. The screen's fine."
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Deciding to leave the debate of individuality vs. a world without disagreement, Gene focuses on the machine. "I mean the programs. When you use them a lot and put in new files, the locations get a little scattered. Like pulling pages out of reports and putting them somewhere else in the file folder. You can still usually access the file, but it makes the machine run a lot slower. Let me run my own defrag on this… It's a lot smoother than most on the marker." Gene pulls out his key chain, which has more flash drives and gizmos than actual keys. Putting it in, Gene just goes back to work force mode. It's little wonder why he doesn't get out much.
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"Oh." Well, Cass learns new things every day! One day, she'll actually understand computers to the point of actually being able to run all these utility programs on her own without needing an explanation of them. Or something like that. "Well. That sounds like a good idea, then." He's the one that actually knows what he's doing about computers. "Thanks for doing all this, Gene. Seriously."
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"No problem… The defrag should be done within-" Gene does another of his 'you have got to be kidding me' freezes before finishing. "An hour." Gene sighs as he finally moves over toward the fruit. Now he has nothing better to do. "…So, how's the secret lab going? Use the machine I made much?"
That's what happens when you don't defrag your hard drive in…well…ever. Since Cass has had the thing. Which has been years. Why bother upgrading a laptop that has worked so well for her in the past? And yay! Gene is actually eating the fruit. Victory! "It's going…well. At least. Pretty well. As well as a secret lab can go." There's a wry smile at that. "And, yes, actually. I have been putting it to good use. I think it'll come in handy in the upcoming months, too. At least now it has a nice home and other medical equipment to keep it company."
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The report of the machine's usefulness brings a smile to the inventor's face. "Sweet… If you need anything else, let me know." That said, he begins to eat more fruit. And he'll continue to eat fruit as Cass speaks. Looks like the little guy was hungry, despite refusing the stuff before.
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Aha! She has entrapped him in the world of fresh fruit and sandwiches. Soon, she'll get him eating healthier. Hopefully. Or something. "Of course. I think so far I'm okay, though who knows what's going to come up next with a secret lab. I'm a little worried about the security there, too, but so far it's pretty high tech and all that. And most of what I have to worry about isn't anything that anyone can steal. Or, if they do steal it, they'd need the code in order to decipher it." And that code isn't something that's easily breakable.
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The techo-genius pauses from the honeydew that he was in the process of consuming, half of it still in his fingers. There is a pause as Cass offers her thoughts. "High tech?" he repeats, clearly not believing the words that Cass says. Still, he doesn't want to see like he's haughty about such things, so he tries to shrug it off in a causal way as he glances toward his meal. "I'm sure it'll do the job."
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There's a bit of a laugh that Cass can't help but let escape. Not because of what Gene says, but because he seems so dismissive of it. "Well, high tech for me." She gives him a grin. "I'm hoping it will. I'd like to say I'm not expecting the people I'm running this place against isn't cut throat competitive, but they kind of are. So they may try something. Which is why I'm sort of of the opinion that nothing is too high tech for them. I'll keep it old school for the most part, now."
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"You don't even know what electronic cookies are," Gene replies with a joking smirk at the mention of what Cass considers high tech. "Then again, I can't even work on the high tech stuff I want to. I need a military grade chopper, but getting one of those is likely impossible. Which sucks," Gene states as he looks out the window. "I wanna make Storm Runner," he states with a pouty face, deciding to attempt to content himself with a piece of cheese. Upon eating it, he decides that it does not feel the same as building an uber machine of death.
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"Do they have chocolate chips?" Cass teases back with her own smirk. Of course she doesn't know what electronic cookies are. Or, maybe she has a vague idea about what that is. "A military grade chopper? What in the world do you need a military grade chopper for? Are you planning on some sort of aerial assault sometime in the near future?" Taking another piece of fruit, she gives Gene a questioning look. "What is a Storm Runner?"
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It's on this note that the main door opens, letting in all the noises of the outside world. Along with one older teen dressed in a plum-colored shirt and blue jeans, for once not carrying her backpack. The first things Evelyn looks at, automatically, are the shelves and shelves of books. Then she gets her attention past the books, to the people in the room. One is instantly recognized; the other's identity is assumed, and the girl smiles with shy uncertainty, hovering just a few steps in from the door.
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Gene just shakes his head with a chuckle. "No, it's something that tracks what you do and sends it to someone else. Like let's say I wanted to spy on you. I'd install a cookie on your computer, and it would let me know what you've been doing on your machine. Through the cookie, I could easily find out… Evelyn's here," Gene announces, a small smile forming on his face. "Hey, Cass I asked Evelyn to come over since Pete said you needed to talk with her." Does he say that he came in first to check the place out to make sure it was safe? No, because that only makes him seem paranoid and possibly creepy. "Evelyn, this is Cass," Gene states as he moves toward the other teen, doing the appropriate gestures as he mentions one to another. "Cass, Evelyn." The talk for the Storm Runner is put off, figuring there are more pressing matters at hand than Gene's current secret dream project.
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When the door opens, Cass automatically looks up. They're not even open, but she still has to bite back the chipper 'Welcome to Enlightenment' greeting that she gives whenever anyone walks into the store. Instead, she's about to say that they're closed, however, Gene steps in to introduce them. "Oh!" Evelyn. This is Evelyn. That's…good to know. Stepping forward, she puts out a hand to shake. "That's great. I did, actually." Instead of stepping backward, she moves forward back to the front door to make sure it's locked. What they're going to talk about is not something she wants people to walk in on. "It's nice to meet you." What she'd like to do is launch right into medical talk, but she'll ease up on that for right now. "And, uh, we'll have to make sure that doesn't happen to my computer, right, Gene? Is there a way to make sure that doesn't happen?" She'll get that question out there, first.
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The offered hand is shaken; Evelyn's skin is slightly warm to the touch. Up close, it's also apparent there are faint shadows under her eyes, perhaps from fatigue — or illness. "Hi," she greets in return, with a somewhat stronger smile. The teen moves aside as Cass goes for the door, slightly closer to Gene, glancing to him at the woman's question. She doesn't say anything more for the moment, just listens, shifting her weight a bit in lieu of any other way to fidget.
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Waiting for the two to introduce once another, Gene just glances toward the pair, though his attention shifts over toward the older woman. "Of course, Cass. If you want me to, I can easily work on your computer. Giving it some security is easy since I've already designed stuff to keep my research safe. Why just last… week… I…" Gene leads off as he looks over toward Evelyn, clearly able to tell some 'before' and 'after' with her. "Evelyn, you okay?"
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Already on the lookout for those tell-tale signs that both Nathan and Peter exhibited, Cass quickly picks up on the temperature and the shadows under her eyes. Hm. Well, she already knew that Evelyn had the virus, so this shouldn't come as any great surprise. "Hi. I know this is really weird. I'm sorry about that. I don't even know everything that you know. I'm sure you have some questions and I'd be happy to answer them. And then, if you wouldn't mind, I have a few for you." And she'd also like another blood sample, but that's for much later in the conversation. Back to Gene, she gives him a warm smile. "That would be great, Gene. I'd love to have some security to make sure my files and research are safe." That would be a great weight off of her mind.
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Violet eyes flick to Gene, and the girl shakes her head. Carefully. "Yeah, I'm okay." Just uneasy. And sick, but refusing to really give in to that. It's just a cold or something… right? Evelyn returns her attention to Cass, smile crooked. "It didn't really sound like… you knew much of anything, so you should probably go ahead. Not that I know much of anything," the teen concludes with a bit of a shrug and a fairly apologetic smile.
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The young inventor doesn't say anything to Evelyn's claim, though the look he gives makes it clear that he doesn't buy it for a second. Out of respect for the young woman, he lets the matter drop. Figuring that Cass and Evelyn have a bit to talk about, he lets Miss Aldric's words go with just a "Consider it done." And with that, he moves toward the computer, just waiting for the defrag to get done so he can start working on the security stuff.
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"Well, I didn't know you, so it's hard to actually know much about that." Cass doesn't seem to bristle much at the claim that she doesn't seem to know much, instead she's relieved she gets to ask her questions. "Okay. Well, let me give a little background first. I'm friends with Peter, who gave me a sample of your blood that he took. I tested it because we had a theory about your—" she gives a glance at Gene. Though she knows the two know each other from before, she doesn't know what he knows and doesn't wan to give anything away from it. "Well, about it. And he wanted to check it out. What I found was what we think is a virus. So, I wanted to ask you if you've been experiencing any symptoms. Fever? Feeling tired? Cold?"
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Evelyn glances between Cass and Gene at her pause, but doesn't try to fill in the blanks. She just lets Cass talk. "Um, yeah. Fever, headache — although the asprin's working now, for once." The girl rubs at her nose, mostly because she's thinking about it. "Was sneezing yesterday; not so much today. And… not sure I'm more tired than usual." She looks back to Cass, brows slightly raised. Does that help?
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"A virus that could powers go wonky? That seems a little odd… But then again, I guess a little odd's the normal these days," Gene points out without looking toward Cass or Evelyn, keeping his attention toward the computer screen. Seems like Peter told him about what happened. Or at least he was paying attention when Peter told Evelyn what he knew.
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Nodding and taking all that information for later, it fits with what others have said about it. "Okay." Not much to give again right off the bat, but she's working up to it. It does indeed help! It just confirms more of what she was thinking. "So, basically you feel like you have the flu?" Maybe it is the flu! They're still not totally sure on all of this. To Gene, she shakes her head. "We're not actually sure that it affects powers yet. That may be something else entirely. Right now, though, there are people getting sick and it seems like you may be a part of them. I was hoping, if you wouldn't mind, if I could take another sample of blood so I can test to see if anything has progressed or gone away. Also, we're not sure how this is contracted it or how it's contagious…so it might be best for you to not wander much. I have a place where you could stay if you'd like. It's at a hospital in Brooklyn."
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"Pretty much," Evelyn agrees. "And it could be something that's going around the school," she adds hopefully. She shakes her head as Cass continues. "No, I don't mind." Except about the hospital part; at that, the girl wrinkles her nose. "I'd really rather not… and I shouldn't miss classes. I haven't been that sick in years."
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"Safety is our first concern, Evelyn… If you're worried about missing class, I can get your assignments from you and bring them to you. That's the easy thing…" Gene sighs as he brings up something that Cass likely didn't consider. "Explaining it to your folks… After all, we don't want to explain this all to the Tash parents, but we don't want her to become a missing person." As much fun as getting charged with kidnapping would be.
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Because being charged for kidnapping is super fun. Nodding along with Gene's assessment, Cass looks between the two. "What you're feeling may just be what's going around, but there's no doubt that you have what others also have in your blood stream. And since we don't know how contagious it is, it would be best if you were to not come in contact with many other people, otherwise you'd infect them as well. And from there, all of New York could get sick." As for explaining to the parents, well, that's a totally different set of problems. "If you want, we can talk to your parents, find a legitimate reason for you to have to be away from home for a couple of nights until we figure out what is causing this. But, just by walking around and going to class you could be getting other people sick."
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Evelyn looks at Cass for a long moment, her expression bordering on stubborn. She really doesn't like the idea. She really doesn't want to. And she turns away from Cass — but not to walk outside; rather, pacing further into the clear areas of the store, hands half-shoved in jean pockets, black hair fluttering around her ears from more than the act of walking. But the breath of air remains localized, an expression of tension and anxiety. Ultimately, Evelyn stops with her back to Cass, staring at some of the books without really seeing them.
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The conversational topic is not exactly one that he likes to deal with. The idea of being sick himself, mysterious viruses spreading across New York, and meeting Evelyn parents all seem nice and scary. He doesn't say anything for the time betting, letting the two ladies continue their conversation.
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Unfortunately, there isn't really much conversation happening at the moment. Allowing the silence to linger for a little while as Evelyn paces, Cass just remains where she's standing. "I don't have what I need to take your blood here," she starts out, a totally different topic from quarantine. "But I do have it at the labs in Brooklyn. At least come and see the space and we can talk about it there? Peter's there. It's not going to be just you." It would be hard not to see the anxiety in the girl's face, as well as the displaced air that seems to follow her around as she walks. "And it's not going to be forever."
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Evelyn glances towards Gene, the motion of her head apparent even from Cass' perspective. But he's not volunteering any remark — and she's not even sure what she'd say. After a brief moment, the teen looks back over her shoulder at Cass. "…All right," she agrees, tone muted. As she speaks, the air settles; if anything, it becomes too still, but there's no threat in any of it — neither the air nor the demeanor of the girl herself.

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