2007-07-18: Damages

Starring:

Mohinder_icon.gif Cass_icon.gif Lachlan_icon.gif

Summary:

No, not the cable show. Mohinder attempts to control some damage caused by information leak. Covert operation in Battery Park!

July 18th, 2007:

Damages


Battery Park

Nighttime. Dusk has come and gone and the darkness has come. A seemingly alone figure waits just inside the park. So that he can be seen, Mohinder waits under a streetlamp near a park bench. He remains standing as he waits for the two that he is here to meet. Wearing a light jacket, he's not terribly uncomfortable with the temperature. With veiled impatience, he checks the time on his watch before looking around. Tucked under his arm is a manila folder.

Ah, dusk. The criminal time of day/night. This whole meeting has put her on edge. While it seems like Mohinder is being helpful, he also works for a horrible Company that kidnaps people like Lachlan's sister and put /them/ in situations such as /this/. Unlike Mohinder, she's dressed in more casual attire and more suiting the warmer incoming night. It's not hard to spot the Indian man under the light, but she doesn't approach right away.

It's just one of those nights when Lachlan is just too distracted and too pissed off to really do much effectively as far as his powers are concerned. He can sense some dogs within 150 yards, but trying to pick up on their surroundings fails spectacularly. He's more focused on the failure of his powers to really notice Mohinder himself. He's too busy scanning the darkened area for signs of an ambush. It's been some time since he wasn't able to focus himself properly to communicate with canines, and it's only adding to his agitation.

Mohinder glances towards the entrance of the park. It's not hard to spot the pair as they approach. The geneticist doesn't move from his spot, he waits for Cass and Lachlan to approach. An incline of the head is what he gives for now in way of a greeting. The folder shifts from under one arm to the other, the man on alert for any unpredictable business.

Keeping pace with Lachlan, Cass approaches the waiting scientist. Just as he's looking out for anything strange about to happen, so is Cass. It's a mostly quiet night and not many people venture into a park after the sun has set. That's what makes this place the ideal covert meeting operation. Her eyes shift to Lachlan for a moment before roving about the area. Though not as distracted, she's certainly just as worried. But, then, she doesn't have to worry about trying to control packs of dogs. As they grow nearer, she nods her head in a greeting as well.

As soon as they're near to Mohinder, Lachlan feels his connection sever entirely, just like it did earlier in Central Park with Rochelle and the Rottweilers. Of course, since he hasn't met Rochelle again since that day, he just assumes that his powers have shut off, just as he did during the encounter previously. The Scotsman curses under his breath and squeezes his eyes shut, trying to force it back on.

Sorry Lachlan.. Mohinder has to protect his own ass here, which he'll do. Once the pair is within conversational distance, he speaks, "Thank you for meeting me here. I apologize that I had to lie to Niki over the phone. I hope that you can understand about the situation I put myself in." He doesn't beat around the bush, he gets right down to business here. To Lachlan, he says pointedly, "Your sister is fine." He'll leave out the broken wrist for now. "She has no control over her ability, we have to help her learn to use it before we can let her go."

The curse uttered by Lachlan causes Cass to pause and study him. Quietly, she asks, "What?" Because if there's something going on, this is something she should be kept in the loop about to. No small talk is just fine by Cass. She'd like to get this done and over with as soon as possible and with as few problems as they can manage. Already, she reaches out to take Lachlan's hand. It's a gesture of comfort as well as an attempt to make sure that he doesn't try to just punch the man in the face without warning. No need for escalation here. "Thanks for actually trying to talk to us. But, you don't need to teach her anything. We can take care of her ourselves." And they won't use cells to do it.

"Canna hear anythin'," mutters Lachlan in response. He doesn't mean in the physical sense, either. The rest of the conversation is mostly lost in a wash of inner panic. Without dog voices, he feels extremely alone and lost, even slightly claustrophobic. He's not getting a constant feed of information, and it makes him extremely nervous. Cass' taking his hand might very well be the only thing keeping him from pacing and fidgeting, but it can't keep his head from swinging around in an almost terrified fashion. Goddamn it. Why this? Why now?

"Cass.. I was not aware of her until she was brought in by two Agents." Mohinder says this, keeping his eyes on Lachlan, who is perceived as the greater threat. "She came to our attention, we had to act. You know this is how we operate." He's not sure if Lachlan has an ability.. his hidden back-up is here for another reason entirely.. so the fidgety behavior of Mr. Deatley has the geneticist's attention and curiousity. "I am sure your own father has explained what he can of how we work. I'm not able to pull any strings for an early release."

Can't hear anything. That's impossible. It's not /possible/ to just turn off his powers. She knows that because he told her. Cass tightens her grip on Lachlan and looks /past/ Mohinder. "So how is letting her family take care of her any different from when you didn't know about her before?" She's distracted from the conversation now because the only ways she knows of to take away abilities is through the virus and through those pills that were given to Peter. Something is wrong and she /doesn't/ like it. Not one bit. "Yeah, he might have, but that doesn't make it right. Nor does that mean we're about to just let you keep her. What's in the folder?"

Lachlan's too focused inwardly to really pay much attention to the conversation, and Cass is handling it. He tries to concentrate on calming himself down, like he did and has done with George several times. Maybe he just accidentally switched off the channel. That's it. Just breeeeeathe.

"Information on her status. Copies of course. Test results, your basic physical workups." Mohinder says in response to Cass. "Neither of you were ever supposed to know about this. The pair of you, Niki, who else?" Not that he expects to be told. There is also no response to Cass's statement about not letting them keep Megan. "Miss Deatley is in good hands right now. She was perceived as a possible threat with her ability and lack of control. Agents had to act. I'm not saying that I agree with the methods, but I do understand action had to be taken."

"Just the three of us." Best to not let whoever it is that leaked the information to Peter be known. That person could certainly come in handy later on down the road. Already, she holds out her hand to take the folder. It's something she can study and understand. Help her to hopefully help Megan when she ever gets the change to "You almost say that like you believe it," she says of good hands. "I don't consider hands that kidnap you and keep you against your will /good/ ones. More like dictatorial Fidel Castro-like hands." As she had no idea Megan had an ability before this, she can't comment on how safe or dangerous she could have been without help.

Now that he's calmer, Lachlan is able to jump into the conversation. "Yeah, b'cause she's real bloody dangerous, the way she faints righ' off," he growls, glowering at Mohinder. Being his usual helpful self, is the Scotsman.

Mohinder doesn't offer the folder just yet, he's still wondering how the information leaked to Niki. Not to mention Cass is believable enough at the moment. "I do believe that she is in good hands. There is a wonderful medical and scientific staff on hand.. headed by people like your father." And himself, that goes without saying of course. "I see.. fainting when using her ability? Based on initial testing, she has a tremendous potential to control the actions of other people. I would say that could be borderline.. and what is your ability Mr. Deatley?" He picked up on Lachlan's behavior. He can begin to guess the man is as special as his sister.

"My father is an excellent doctor." Cass has no doubt about that. "But his duty to help the injured is completely warped by what it is that you do." It pains her somewhat. To know how what a good person he is and what that goodness is being used for. All the information about the other Deatley is stored away so she can put all the pieces together when she's not trying to keep a watch out. While she /wants/ to panic about the idea of Lachlan being found out for having an ability. She does her best not to. That doesn't help anyone. "His ability is standing here without attacking the people you've got hiding in the bushes." It's a leap, a guess. But, she'll use distraction tactics along with fishing expeditions.

Ability? What ability? "Wha', ye think ever'one's got a bloody ability now?" Lachlan sneers. "Piss off." So there.

Cass's words seem to be a cue.. as out from the shadows a tall, imposing and rather dark man appears. Casually dressed, clearly unarmed and seemingly unbothered with what's going on around him, he lets his presence be known.

"Your father is one of the best doctors I've had the priviledge of working with, Cass." As for Lachlan's brilliant retort, Mohinder looks.. amused. Honestly amused. "I deduced this from your reactions when you approached. The closer you got, the more out of touch you became with your ability. Correct?" Not that it matters much to the geneticist. The folder is then handed over for Cass to peruse. She'll understand the contents. CAT, MRI, bloodwork, standard heavy testing, yet nothing invasive. "No harm will come to your sister. We should be able to let her go soon enough."

The moment that the large imposing man appears in front of them, Cass squeezes onto Lachlan's hand. Tall black man. The moment she sees him, for some reason she remembers something. Something about Elena telling her about a Haitian man who could erase memories. Exactly the sort of person that Cass would bring to a secret meeting she didn't want anyone to know happened when it was finished. Taking the manilla folder from Mohinder, she doesn't browse through it slowly. Instead, she just kind of flips through it to see that there are actually papers inside. "Okay then." Then, hopefully as a surprise to both the tall man and Mohinder, she makes a tugging motion at Lachlan's hand. "Run." It's said quietly, but hopefully is enough of a cue that he'll pick up on it. Whether or not this second party is the man that Elena told her about, she certainly doesn't want to stick around to find half her memory is gone.

For once, Lachlan doesn't argue. Not because he recognizes the big black guy as a threat, but because he's without his abilities. And when Lachlan is without his abilities, he's just a bit more complacent. Lacking his abilities is extremely terrifying, and the Scotsman isn't going to stick around when he has no canine backup. So off he takes after Cass — right behind Cass, actually, consciously staying a few steps directly behind her in case the Big Black Scary Man has a gun and decides to take a few potshots.

Mohinder keeps his attention on Cass and Lachlan, watching the pair. Dammit. He knew none of this was going to be easy. Real and thoroughly trained Agents should have been sent to deal with this.. but no. He wanted to handle this on his own because Cass is rational and he likes her, and respects her father. So when both man and woman start to back up, Mohinder withdraws a gun that was hidden from within the flap of his jacket and takes aim on Lachlan. "I am sorry, but I cannot let either of you walk away. Not without tending to a little damage control first." The gun in his hand is a little oddly shaped for a normal weapon, and when he takes aim and pulls the trigger.. the *fft* sound.. and the dart arcing towards its target are the telltale signs of a tranquilizer round. No sooner than one shot is popped off, than Mohinder is loading a second dart.

Lachlan barely has time to register that there's some sort of gun pointed at him before the dart sticks right in his chest. He instinctively claws at it and manages to swipe it out, but it's too late. The fast-acting dosage leaves him only enough time to stagger before his limbs stop responding as the drug kicks in. His knees go rubbery and he wobbles, then slumps over. There's a vague attempt to rise again, but it's nothing much: a simple slight, sluggish reflex before his eyes roll up into his head and he drops off.

Getting away clean is what Cass is aiming for, though it may be too much to hope. These are Company agents. Who knows what they may be able to do. The telltale sound of the tranquilizer gun is gives them a warning, but not enough time to react. As Lachlan is behind her, he gets the dart and his staggering and slumping pull her down with him, as she still tried to keep a firm grip on his hand as they were running. Therefore, the second dart goes sailing over her head as she collapses along with the Scot. There's no way she can carry or drag Lachlan out of here, it's impossible. She's not strong enough. But, she's not about to leave him behind, either. Scrambling back up and positioning herself protectively in front of her boyfriend, she glares at Mohinder. "You lying bastard. I knew it."

Mohinder does his best to keep his expression neutral and impassive in regards to his actions. This is an unfortunate aspect of his job, and the duty he put on himself following Niki and subsequent phonecalls to him. "What did I lie about? I won't be taking either of you in. Not tonight. He'll awaken in a few hours. The tranquilizer is a blend of barbituates, a controlled dosage, based on a guess of his weight and height. I looked at surveillance photos from your bookstore." In case you were wondering. "Cass.. I don't want to do this.. I know your father will not be pleased, but this is necessary. Your memories must be altered for your own protection. The pair of you could be hurt or killed if you do something foolish, like try to find his sister."

This is where the Haitian steps forward, silent, imposing, and ready to alter the memory and knowledge of Megan's kidnapping by the Company.

"You are the living embodiment of the good intentions parable." Cass' glare at Mohinder doesn't let up. It only moodily flickers over to the Haitian to judge his distance. "You can't /control/ people or their actions. Just keep toeing your line. First it's erasing our memories, then it's taking people in, soon it'll be forcing everyone the Company considers dangerous to take your pills. You're not going to know how far gone you are until the day you give up Molly because you think it's for her protection." Maybe she's cutting a little deep, but she's angry and has no other way to express this anger. She's tense and just watching the Haitian approach, wanting to run, but unwilling to leave Lachlan.

Then, when she deems him closest, she pulls out the syringe her father gave her oh so long ago for what /he/ deemed was best for her protection and attempts to forcibly stick and dose the imposing man with curare. She'll be damned if she lets him take their memories without a fight.

Mohinder's eyes do narrow when Cass brings up Molly, definitely a low blow. When he speaks, his words are filled with fierce conviction, "I will /never/ give her up. I would die first." Never, ever, mess with a life bond of this magnitude. As the geneticist was paying more attention to Cass, he's the one to act. The woman's bold move still takes him by surprise, but not enough so that he fails to act. Gun forgotten, he attempts to stop her by physically restraining.

Unfortunately for Cass, in her attempt to inject the Haitian with curare and possibly saving them from a mind wiping, it leaves her open for the tackling by Mohinder. Never having been the strongest in their group of anti-heroes, it's possible for the scientist to restrain the bookstore owner, even if she thrashes and shouts in an attempt to get him to release her. "/Let/ /me/ /go/, Mohinder." Though the shot never makes it to the Haitian, she keeps a very firm grip on it and now attempts to inject it into a new target - Mohinder. She may not be able to save their memories, but she's certainly going to make it difficult for them.

Mohinder isn't exactly strong either, so it's probably an even scuffle between the pair. He focuses on trying to restrain Cass, without hurting her, or getting injected. The ensuing scuffle serves its purpose anyhow. The Haitian is given ample opportunity now to modify Lachlan's memory of his sister being kidnapped. "Cass! Stop!" Mohinder can't exactly waste breath in arguing the point.. as he gets it. And a dose of his own medicine. So to speak. "Stop.. your father.. he.." He what? There's realization kicking in about what has taken place. The effects of the drug.. what drug was that? He knows this effect, he just can't think quickly enough. It will come to him eventually. Unable to fight the drug's effects, Mohinder's struggle with Cass ceases and he collapses. More or less on the woman.

As the Haitian doesn't need to remove more than a day's worth of memories, he works quickly on Lachlan before turning to Cass…

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