2007-03-07: Perfect Timing

Starring:

Cass_icon.gif Hiro_icon.gif

Date It Happened: March 07, 2007

Summary: Hiro comes by Enlightenment Books as per Cass' request to talk about organization of their organization, plus the dangers of time travel.

Perfect Timing


Enlightenment Books

Evening time at Enlightenment books is always a toss up. Either it's crowded and Cass has to wait until everyone has started to file out before she can start closing up, or it's empty and she can start the process a little earlier. Tonight it's actually leaning toward the latter. Her last customer has finally made her purchase and is stuffing her bag off books into her large purse almost exactly at 8 on the dot. The store owner follows behind the woman in order to lock the door and turn around the sign to say 'closed'.

"Hello!" Hiro Nakamura calls, from down the street. He's jogging along from down the street, trying to catch the bookstore before it closes. "Wait!" Knock knock knock on the glass. "Miss Aldric? It is me, Hiro! You left me a message—"

Just in time, Cass stops locking the door as soon as she sees Hiro's face in the window. Letting her hand off the lock, the woman pulls the door open wider to allow him in. "Oh! Mr. Nakamura! Yes, I did! Thanks for coming so soon! Come in, come in. I was just closing up. Perfect timing. I actually had a couple of things I wanted to talk to you about."

"Perfect timing," Hiro repeats, and giggles a little bit as he sleeps inside. He should hear that from people more often. He's carrying something over his shoulder: A big tube, about five feet long. It's like he's hauling a hockey stick with him, wrapped in cloth. What the heck is it?

Cass laughs and and nods her head. "No pun intending, of course." As soon as Hiro's inside, she closes and locks the door. "Can I get you something to drink? Tea? Coffee? Water? What in the /world/ are you carrying?" She can't help but ask. As soon as she sees that huge tube, the words are leaving her mouth.

Missing Pose D:

"A…sword?" This puzzles Cass a little, but hey, if he wants to carry a sword, he can carry a sword. "Okay. Right, well. Eliana stopped by the store last night after the meeting I couldn't get to and filled me in some things. Like, the plan to save Peter Petrelli and the fact that there's some guy out there who tries to take off people's heads. Good to know." She pauses and tries to make sure what she says next is phrased right. It's obviously something she's been thinking about. "Anyway, what I wanted to say is that what I said before when I met you still stands. I want to help. I understand why you need to go and help your friend, but I'm not a fighter. The last time I got into a fight was in fourth grade when I told Penny Goodman her haircut was stupid and she punched me in the face." Now she takes a deep breath. "So, what I was thinking of is that I could help by being our group's organizer. That way you're more focused on saving people."

Hiro's face lights up. "That sounds great," he says. "But… there is one thing I am worried about," he adds, with a mutter. "I know that in the comic books, heroes always become a big team. A Justice League. The X-Men. The Avengers. But life is not a comic book," he says. "The last time people with abilities because a 'team', they created the Company. Those are the bad men, the ones who kidnap people with abilities." Hiro rubs the back of his head, sort of awkwardly. This is probably something he's been thinking about a lot. "So what we need is someone who can keep everybody in touch, but I do not want us to be an — an army."

"Right. The Company. Eliana mentioned them, too." Cass thinks this one over. "Well, we can avoid that whole thing by not kidnapping people against their will, I guess." Once again, she frowns and lets the wheels turn. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions," she mutters. "Well, an army is a highly structured regiment of people where people can't question orders. I think if you don't want this to be an army, you have to be able to walk a fine line between being a leader and letting everyone have their say in where we're being led." There's no question in Cass' mind about this man being their leader so far. He's the one that seems to know what's going on more than anyone else she's met. "But we still need to be /organized/ and have a way to assimilate all of the information we get into something comprehensive. So far, everything /I/ know at least is really hodge podged."

Hiro nods. "You're right," he admits, although he clearly goes a little wide-eyed when he is faced with, again, the revelation that he somehow became the leader. He's just a computer programmer from Tokyo! Unless heroes come in types like Plant, Poison, and Psychic, he's out of luck. "So you mean you would — you would keep information, and make sure people could get it. Like a BBS."

Cass grins at Hiro and shrugs her shoulders. "Honestly, I'm just talking. It's hard to get me to shut up." Especially when she's nervous about bringing up topics like 'the end of the world' and 'big scary Company'. "Um, yeah. I guess that's what I'm saying. I've been trying to think it over since it came up. Make sure people know what's going on, what we've already found out, set up times to meet or something. I didn't really get a chance to think it completely through." Suddenly, she feels awkward about bring this up. Time to lighten the mood. "I, um, but if we're going to be a big gathering of people, I still think we should come up with a cool name or something."

Hiro shakes his head. "When I first found my ability, I thought I would make up a name, and get a costume, and find others, and we would become the X-Men," he says. "But you do not need a mask to be a hero, and I have a name: Hiro Nakamura. I do not need another one. We cannot be superheroes. Just heroes, like anyone could be." He smiles brightly, though. "But I think your idea is a great one. And I trust you." She's been vouched for, after all. "I will give you the phone numbers of all the people involved that I know — and answer any questions you have."

"Well, I meant for the group, but yeah. I guess you're right. Playing X-Men is elementary school." Cass grins. "Or up to college. Or, if you're my friend Nima, every day." The girl does own a comic book store just down the block. "Yeah, I like just being Cass. Give me another name and it's possible I'll forget it." It's funny, but she beams at Hiro when he says that he trusts her. "Thank you. I trust you, too. Which is funny, 'cause I just met you, really." But he was very nice when Jack freaked her out by showing his powers to her. "Um, that'll be good. I think what I'm going to do is devise a system so that any information we find is coded. Like, names, numbers, places. That way if somehow someone gets my files or something they won't know what they have. Well, when I call people to talk to them and find out what they know, how am I going to get them to trust me? The only people I know that are part of our group is you, Jack and Eliana. Everyone else might just think I'm part of this Company or something."

Hiro stops and tries to think for a few seconds. "Um… Good question. I could tell them about you," he says, "To make sure they know. Or you can tell them that… um… When they say 'the sun is shining'," he continues, "You say 'but the ice is slippery'?"

Cass laughs at the keyword. "That could work. Makes me think of those old 40s spy movies. I'll be like Cary Grant in North by Northwest. Except for female. And not dangling off of Mt. Rushmore." However, she tones the amusement in her tone down so she can be serious again. "Though I think just telling them about me should be good. I hope." She thinks for a moment and frowns. "Have there been any breakthroughs about the tornado in Manhattan yet? Or about this biotoxin?"

"I have a plan for finding out about the tornado," Hiro says, "But I am worried about it." He doesn't specify, at least not immediately. "And we still do not know about the biotoxin. Right now, we are working on the Company. There is a friend who is being imprisoned by them. We need to save him."

"A plan, hm? What plan?" Cass noticed that he doesn't specify right away what that plan may be and she definitely would like to know. "Well, I think we're all kind of worried about it." Frowning, she remembers what Eliana said about this rescue mission. "I'm all about helping people who are in danger, but there are people who want to focus on the tornado. I don't think it'd be a bad idea to organize them into finding out what they can about that while those who /can/ go rescue your friend can do that. We can get two things done at once. Is there a plan to go rescue….Peter? That was his name, right?"

"Yes. Peter Petrelli. He is the most powerful of us all," Hiro says. "And a good man. We will need his help, I am sure." Hiro looks out the window, almost nervously. "And about the tornado… I will travel to the future, and try to find out what I can about the tornado. But traveling through time is very dangerous."

The frown remains on Cass' face. It's obvious her desire to help and her common sense are warring with each other here. "Well, like I said, I want to help save your friend…but I'm no fighter. You need someone to research him out of there, I'm your girl. Otherwise….I'm not so sure." Surprisingly, the stuff that makes Hiro nervous doesn't phase Cass as much. "Well, if you want someone to watch your back for /that/ mission, I'm in. The future doesn't scare me."

"The last time I went to the future, I died," Hiro says. "Or, well. I watched myself die. In the future. It can be very dangerous," he admits. "Thank you so much. I am grateful for your help."

Cass blinks. She's not sure what to say to that confession. "You…uh…wow. I'm sorry?" What do you say to someone who watched themselves die? "That's….that's not something that's actually going to happen, though, is it?" Okay, so maybe the future is kind of scary.

"I don't think so," Hiro says. "We stopped the bad future. But that does not mean it will be safe. I am not sure I will go, yet," he adds. "It could be irresponsible."

"Well, that's good, then." Cass is still at a bit of a loss for words for this sort of situation. She's new to the whole time travel thing. "Irresponsible? Howso? If you can find something out about how we can stop this tornado, that doesn't seem irresponsible."

"I tried to change the past once," Hiro says. "But I wound up not changing… anything," he adds. "Traveling through time is dangerous. I do not think people are meant to do it. If there is no other way, I will go, but I want to avoid it."

Cass thinks that explanation over. "I can see that. I think if people weren't meant to be able to do it, then you wouldn't be able to. But you can. Hopefully we just do it right the first time so there's no need to try and change the past."

"Hopefully. Now… I need to go make preparations. Even I do not have all the time in the world," he says, making a slight funny. "Thank you, again. For everything."

Cass nods. "Of course. I'm just trying to make it so I continue breathing in the next couple of years. Thanks for all your help, too. I'd just be clueless if it weren't for you and Jack." She laughs softly at his joke. "Call me if you need any help."

Hiro nods, and holds up his phone. "I will," he says — and then disappears. Gone, like a ghost. Or a hallucination of Cass's.

When Hiro disappears in front of her eyes, Cass blinks. And then blinks again. And then reaches out a hand where the Japanese man once stood, as if making sure it's empty space. "I…don't know if I can get used that," she mutters to herself.

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