Starring:
Date It Happened: March 09, 2007
Summary: Mohinder meets Cass as a favor to her father. The two reveal certain secrets, but keeps other ones close to the vest. What will happen when to rose-colored glasses characters face off? Find out!
Secrets Revealed and Kept
Mohinder's Lab
Mohinder received a call from Dr. Aldric at the hospital facilities.. The man was calling in a favor to the younger Suresh. A very bizarre one that doesn't quite fit in with Mohinder's schedule. Yet, the geneticist caved to the request. It's a way to continue with the trust building and possible stacking up return favors. Unfortunately, due to Mohinder's scheduling, the request must be altered a bit. So when he called Cass Aldric, he asked if she would like to meet him in his lab for lunch. It won't be anything spectacular mind, but he heard she wanted to meet with him. So here it is, Sunday afternoon, a delivered lunch to the lab and he waits.
While before Cass was excited at the prospect of talking to Dr. Suresh, that was before her serious and revealing conversation with her father. However, her father /was/ the one that called in the favor and she does still want to meet with him to get some explanations and to see what this may be all about. She has no problems with making this a working lunch and is actually glad they're meeting in private rather than public - it makes the things she wants to talk about easier. Making sure she has the right address, she heads up to the top floor and knocks on the door to the lab.
Mohinder really should have put away some of his more private research with a guest coming by, but it was just too important. It is at least, coded with no name attached. He's also getting too close to a few formula possibilities to put it aside. At the knock on the door, he looks up from a slide he was inspecting in the microscope. Checking the time, he presumes (correctly) that it's Cass at the door. Getting up from his table, he goes to unlock and answer the door. Jeans, untucked button down shirt, is Cass sure she's got the right address? Smiling pleasantly however, he greets the young woman, "Cassandra Aldric, I presume?"
Not one to make assumptions, Cass takes in the form of Mohinder without skepticism or bewilderment. Who is she to judge? She went to labs dressed in ripped off shorts and indie band t-shirts when she dealt with this sort of thing. He seems friendly enough and the book seller smiles politely at the doctor. "Hi, yes. Cassandra. I mean, Cass. Please call me Cass. Only my dad uses my full name. I'm guessing you're Dr. Suresh?" She's not sure what she was expecting out of this meeting - some serious guy in a suit, really. Now she's nervous because she /wanted/ to be tough and accusing but that's hard to do with someone who looks so…polite. "I like your hair." Yeah. Way to be tough and accusing.
Mohinder opens the door wider, gesturing for Cass to enter the loft. "That would be correct, but you may call me Mohinder. I think I get enough of 'Dr. Suresh' as it is." He looks.. amused by the hair comment, "Thank you, Cass." It's natural and not permed you know. "I hope that you don't mind meeting me here for lunch. When I think that I cannot get any busier, I find more work thrust my way." Which is entirely his fault, of course.
Cass steps inside, trying to regroup. Remember the Company snatching people and testing on them! She's got to get all the information she can to help Hiro and her group. That does it. "Mohinder, then. Nice to meet you. Thanks for meeting with me…I know it's a little weird for my father to call you out of the blue. Especially when you're so busy." Curiously, she looks around the loft converted into a lab with great interest. She does it quickly as to not be completely rude and turns around to face her host again. "I don't mean to be more work for you."
Mohinder shuts the door behind Cass and locking it. Not to trap the woman, not by any means. It's a safety precaution. Not that a locked door can stop a number of people. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Your father said that you were quite eager to meet with me." He gestures for Cass to follow him down the loft stairs, over the explosion mural and to his lab area. "No, it's quite alright. This allows me to take a working break." A smile is given to the woman, "It might also help to clear my mind."
As Cass moves over the explosion mural, her eyes can't help but focus on it. As she walks over it she turns a little to keep it in view and not turn her back to it. "That's…wow. You have a very interesting choice of decoration for a lab, Mohinder." Easels, apocalypse floor paintings. Finally, she snaps out of it and turns to face the doctor again. "Oh, right. Yes. I'd read your father's book and had some questions about it. When I talked to my dad about it he mentioned that he'd met you." She smiles faintly. "Well, as long as I'm not imposing. I'll try to make this as quick as possible so you can get back to work."
"This loft previously belonged to an artist, Isaac Mendez," Mohinder explains. "It would be a poor tribute to his memory to cover up his work." He nods, as he walks into his lab. Up on the computer monitor at his work station is magnified images of Mara's blood. Not that it's listed as such. He heads to the computer and changes the image over to another study he's performing. Yay for multitasking. "I've got a couple of high priority projects going. One, a subject who is having difficulty controlling a reaction in their body from their ability. Another, whose powers are currently blocked." He moves some slides and tubes to another table, before showing Cass to where lunch is set up. Chinese takeout, how .. probably so not what she had in mind. "Since you read my father's book, I feel safe in explaining what it is I'm doing in here. What questions did you have?"
"Isaac Mendez?" Cass can't help but let that slip, her surprise impossible to disguise. That's the last thing she expected to hear. That name keeps popping up everywhere! She turns around and studies the painting a bit more closely. It doesn't look like a happy future if that's what that mural is supposed to depict. However, she barely gets enough time to study it before Mohinder is starting his talk on what he's been up to. "Block powers, is that possible? I thought that abilities came through their genetic makeup…how can that be stopped? It's like saying your eyes stopped being brown." Apparently, Cass has no problem launching into the science talk. She doesn't mind Chinese take-out. She wasn't expecting fine dining at a laboratory. "Well, mostly, I just wanted to learn more about how these abilities manifest, and how they have an affect on the human body. I'm just trying to understand the whole concept."
Mohinder smiles some as he pulls out a chair for Cass. "Surprised a little? He was famous in the comic book scene, and an artist of some reknown. He had an ability, he could paint the future." He waits until Cass is seated before he sits down. "It is possible. I'm not exactly sure just yet, as to how this subject's abilities are being blocked." He gives a brief laugh at Cass's analysis, "That's true. Which is why I'm studying this, not to mention we want to make sure this subject does /not/ regain his abilities. He's dangerous enough without them." A nod is given, "They manifest differently in everyone. Some abilities show up early in childhood, others may not experience any signs until full maturity. Again, the affect varies with each person and the ability they have."
Cass takes the seat and pulls herself closer to the table and to the food. Of course, she doesn't start to dig in until the good doctor is seated and ready to eat, either. That wouldn't be polite at all. "He…yes. I've had a painting of his in my store for years," she says, making small talk. Then, remembering what Jack and Hiro said about the danger of others knowing about it, she frowns. "I've always thought his artwork was a little…disturbing." Which is true, but she hopes it takes the focus off of what she may have in her possession. "I've heard about that. People with dangerous abilities. My father tried to warn me about them." Now that she's talking science again, she rememebers why she had such an interest in it growing up and why she started to go to med school. "Is there a way to actually tell who may have an ability and who may not even if they have yet to manifest? It seems like there should be some sort of…mutation that could be tracked."
Mohinder blinks, taken slightly aback. "You've had a Mendez in your store? Really? What was it of? I'm curious to know. He painted so much." He starts serving the lunch as he talks. "The future isn't always.. pleasant. He painted what he saw. Your father was right to warn you. Not that a person needs a special power to be a danger to society." It only makes things more disturbing. "My father worked on that, tracking down genetic histories with the human genome project. A lot of the time, it does run in the family. A hereditary trait if you will. But say a clairvoyant has a child, the offspring will not specifically share that ability. The child may have a power of his or her own, such as becoming a telekinetic. It is a mutation in the genetic code, one that taps into the percentage of our brain activity that goes unused. A perfectly normal human can have a child with abilities. It's an anomoly we're trying to unravel."
"I…uh, yeah." Looks like Cass isn't getting out of that one unscathed. "It was of some sort of room with two people in it. A guy and a girl. It wasn't so much unpleasant as just kind of weird. I never knew why Tom bought it." Then, she's plunging right back into the scientific and the portion of the conversation of why she came here. "Hm. That's what I think. Everyone has the potential to be dangerous not just the people with these abilities." Picking up a fork, she starts to eat the freshly dished out food. But she's not really paying attention to what she's eating. "So he succeeded, then? It's possible to…to track these abilities? Who has them and so on? It's a strange idea. I wonder if it's possible to Punnett Square abilities. That's something I wished I could have done in school."
Mohinder's brows raise in curiousity over the painting's description. "Odd. What was the room like.. I'm sorry." He laughs a little and shakes his head, "You're not here to talk about a painting." He digs into his meal, finding his appetite returning. It's been a stressing week. "He did succeed, he found a large number of people and what their abilities were..and some people whom he wasn't sure what they could do. It is quite similar to Punnett Square. Yet, I do have to take into account that the genes mutate, faster in some cases. Take for example, one of the areas I'm working on currently. We'll call him Patient X. X has suddenly lost his abilities. I don't know just yet if it's a mutation in his DNA that is causing it, or if there's a virus specifically targeting the genes that give him his ability. I only just started on it this morning. But given a little time, I can probably see quite clearly what the issue might be."
Cass smiles. "It's okay." But she doesn't expound on what that painting might have in it. Instead, she just listens to Mohinder's continued explanation of both his and his father's work. It's more than just a little fascinating to her. "Genes don't just mutate of their own accord very often. And a virus that targets only people with abilities? That's an interesting thought. This is the man whose abilities you don't want to come back, right? So if you solve the problem, that…might complicate the issues, can't it?"
"No, they don't. However, we're dealing with a new evolutionary branch. The virus itself isn't exactly new. It has been around in some form, targeting the makeup of extraordinary people." Mohinder says as he gets up from his seat to fetch a file folder. When he returns, he passes it to Cass. Inside are scans of some of his research slides he uses in lectures. "As for Patient X, no. I don't want his abilities to come back. I'm not meaning to play God, but this person is a monster, a murderer. Keeping his abilities from returning is limiting his weapons at his disposal. Patient X is unique, in that when he kills another person, he can take their ability. What I hope to achieve here, is to understand how his genes were targeted, what is going on at a cellular level. What caused it, can it be reversed? If I can find this out, then perhaps it can be recreated and used to neutralize the abilities of those that cannot control their gifts. People like Patient X."
"So that means there's a gene that it can specifically target that doesn't exist in us…non-powered people." Cass is thinking this over. Taking the folder from Mohinder, she opens it and studies what she finds inside. Surprisingly, despite the years apart from science and medicine, she understands what she sees. "That's interesting. I'm not saying you're trying to play God. What this Patient got was what he got. It's karma in action. Whether or not he regains his powers is all up to that karma and the energy he puts out." She frowns, staring at the slides that she sees. "But now you /are/ talking like you're trying to play God. Neutralizing people and abilities. It's not your place to decide who is dangerous or not. That's like the plot to sterilize homeless people. You're not the one who decides why they have these powers and you should not be the one who decides who shouldn't have them any more."
Mohinder nods his head, taking a stab at his lunch and eating a bit as Cass looks over the scans and notations in the folder. A light chuckle ensues, "And I suppose I should know about karma." The smile and good humor flees at Cass's rebuke. "This Patient X, with his powers intact, he broke out of a cell, specially designed to hold people with abilities. Even without them, he's a threat. What do we do to him? Simple execution? See to it that he never regains his powers? Lock him in a concrete bunker?" He grimaces and pushes his plate away. "I see your point. The plot to sterilize the homeless disgusts me to my core. I'm not God, nor do I want to be. My example is an exceptional case and hopefully will be the only one of his kind."
Cass gives Mohinder a wry smile. "You should. Shame on you." She's actually being teasing here. "There are many people in this world that I don't think are worth saving, Dr. Suresh." She uses his title here to make a point. He's a /doctor/. "But /I/ am not the one to make those judgments. It's why there's a hippocratic oath. There will /always/ be a case that tries your morals. And it's what you decide to do in those cases that define you. The man you talk of, this Patient X. He's a monster. A murderer. Someone not fit to live. But if we kill him, how does that make us any better than him?" She sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to lecture you. This is just a subject I'm a bit sore on lately."
"No, no, that's quite alright Cass, I appreciate the honest debate and concern. It's a very thin line you tread in science and medicine." Mohinder tries to push aside any sort of guilt or second thoughts that creep into his mind. "It's a case that has no easy answer or outcome. This subject in question.. there's no doubt that he deserves to die for what he's done. However, in a way, death is what he wants. He wants to be taken out. It would bring him some sense of satisfaction in a sick and twisted manner." He straightens back up in his seat and eyes Cass. "I understand what you're saying. I do.. however have to study just /why/ he has lost his abilities and any possible solution. His case is not the only one of such a thing happening. This is the fourth instance and I think the virus is mutating."
"I certainly is. It's why I stopped studying medicine." Cass sighs and picks at the remains of her food. Suddenly, she's not so hungry either. The file lays open in her hand and she studies it instead of the young doctor in front of her. "He wants to corrupt someone else by making them kill him," she states flatly. She's studied psychology, she knows the deal. "I understand what you're saying. You're a doctor, a scientist. This is what you do." The last part tears her eyes away from the folder and focus them right on Mohinder. "Mutating? Mutating how?" That's worrying.
It's definitely one of those issues that causes people to step away from the field. Mohinder cants his head slightly, "That would be the way to phrase it, yes. He's a very sick minded individual. We're at a loss." He meets Cass's gaze and he says resolutely, "I am looking fully into the matter. The first case was years ago, and then two in the past year, and now this fourth case. Let me show you." He gets up from the table to lead Cass to his computer. He calls up images of Molly's red blood cells from when she was ill. Then on a split screen, the healthy red blood cells are pulled up. Showing Cass the images side by side he explains what was going on with the 'sick' cells and the overall effects on the body.
Cass is getting much too involved in this conversation than she would like. It's like she remembers the pull science and medicine had on her three or four years ago in one large push. However, there's something niggling at the back of her mind and it takes her a moment to realize what it is. "We?" she asks curiously. She allows herself to be led over to the computer where she involves herself in looking at the screen. As Mohinder explains the difference between the sick and healthy red blood cells, Cass puts a finger all but touching the screen. It's her way to understand it. "It's like the cells are identifying those as viruses, as alien parts of the body. Like if it were a transplant. Weird. How did this patient recover?"
Mohinder didn't mean to suck Cass in like this. It was inadvertant. He had no idea what her father had in mind. "We, yes, the team of researchers I have to coordinate with. Typically, I like to work alone, but I do have some people I need to share my information with." He lets Cass look over the screen and is very patient in his explanations. "This was taken from my ward," he points to the 'sick' cells. "The same virus that killed my sister, it infected her. I discovered that my blood worked as antibody. It took a transfusion and I was able to save her life. This worked also in another case, and I want to see if the same results will show on this fourth case."
Cass never really knew what her father had in mind, either, it would seem. "So you work with a team of researchers? It sounds like you're the intern at a company or something…needing to share information with them. Is that how you met my father?" This is a subtle dig for information at the moment. She wants to know if she can trust Mohinder because she would like to. But this meeting is coming from her father, who she's not sure she can trust any more. "Your ward?" Now that surprises Cass a bit and she looks at the screen a bit longer, as if she can tell what his ward may look like from her blood cell count. "So /you're/ the cure to the virus? That's pretty trippy."
Mohinder chuckles, "No, although sometimes I'm made to feel like an intern. I share my work with your father's team, as this is information they need to know." He nods in confirmation about the blood. He calls up the magnified images of Sylar's dried blood next. There are of course fibers intwined with it. "The virus somehow originated in my sister, my father was too late in coming up with the antibody." He was born too late. "I was able to save my ward, I was determined to. The same formula worked a third time, but with this fourth? I'm not too sure.." He points to the screen, showing more details to Cass. "This is Patient X, see the small variations with the deterioration?"
Cass can't help the somewhat disappointed look she gives Mohinder when he tells him that he's working with her father. She covers it up as quickly as she possibly can by looking back at the computer screen. "If you can do this sort of work on your own, why do you need to suck up to my father's group?" Anyway, back to more serious and professional matters. "I'm sure she's grateful," she replies of Molly's recovery. "I'm sorry to hear about your sister, though." Leaning in to view the screen again in a closer manner, she bobs her head slightly. "Yeah. I can see it. Is that the virus? If the virus has mutated so as to resist the antibodies in your blood…how do you plan on stopping this second outbreak?"
Mohinder's brows raise at Cass's choice of words. Quietly, he says, "You studied the field, you have an idea as to how much research costs. They were the only ones offering the funding. You've read my father's book, you know what a joke we're considered to be by our peers." Talk of Molly never ceases to put a smile on his face. "She's grateful, as am I. Not for any scientific breakthroughs.. my ward's an amazing child." Turning back to the monitor he continues, "That is the virus, there's a faint mutation appearing in the strain. I have yet to see if the original formula will work or not. The subject.. is difficult to get to." To say the least. "One step at a time Cass, that's how I plan to stop a plague."
Cass pulls her gaze away from the computer screen and looks right at Mohinder, as if trying to decide something right now that could potentially be very dangerous for her and her friends. There's something about his attitude and open nature that she finds somewhat trustworthy. He's not like her father, who hid these things from her all her life. Right from the moment they started talking, he was open with her. Sighing, she steps away from him and from the computer. "I know who you work with, Mohinder," she replies quietly. "I've heard what it is that you do and it disgusts me." Turning away from him, she takes a few steps and looks down at the painting of the explosion still on the floor. "I understand you want to stop a plague and I think that's a noble cause. But I wonder at what the cost is."
Mohinder looks at Cass, meeting her gaze. He doesn't flinch away at the rebuke, he maintains the eye contact. "I think I know what the cost is. Whether or not it will be worth it in the end? That remains to be seen. Again, I appreciate your candor, yet I think your information is a little off. I work here, from my lab. I only see a few patients that your father and I have in common. My approach to helping them is starkly different. I don't hold with unnecessary testing, poking and prodding. Pushing someone to their breaking point in the name of science. I know deep down that sometimes one might want to know the limits of another's powers, yet I can't bring myself to that level."
"There was a moment." Cass turns around suddenly and faces the doctor, meeting his gaze again. This is something she hasn't told anyone and she's not sure why she's telling Mohinder, but she wants to make sure her point gets across. "There was one single moment that made me give up my career in medicine. I was destined for amazing things, Mohinder. Theoretical medicine…I was really interested in that. Trying to find new ways to fix people. I could have gotten an internship just about anywhere I wanted. I was really good at what I did." Standing her ground, she pauses and studies the man in front of her. "I did my med school dissections at the morgue and I researched my cases like a good little student. And then one day one of my professors gave a lecture on limited liability. And how when testing certain drugs, sometimes people die. And that it's for the greater good. That was the moment, right there, that I lost my stomach for it. /How/ can we claim something is good if it leaves a trail of bodies behind it?" She shakes her head. "I want to believe you, Mohinder. You seem so nice. And so willing to help. But you /do/ answer to an organization that willingly takes people against their will and then tests them without their consent. Until you can tell me, honestly, that none of the people you work with have done that, I don't know what to say to you."
"You have my most sincere apologies." Mohinder begins, giving Cass a very sober expression. "My association with this company, is for my own reasons. Perhaps I'm selfish about it.." Or rather, just incredibly naive and foolish. "I'm not ignorant of the darker aspects of the company, far from it. Yes. They do take people without their consent." He holds up a finger for silence if Cass should try to interrupt. "For very good reasons. There are people who have abilities that can cause harm to others, they walk around without realization as to what they're doing. Someone has to inform them of who they are, what they're doing. /Teach/ them to use their abilities responsibly, teach them control. There are also people with abilities that will be disastrous in the wrong hands. For example, Patient X, he takes the abilities of others. There are certain powers we are trying to keep him from getting." Then, in a kindly, gentle tone he asks, "Do you understand what I'm getting at?"
For her part, Cass remains silent while she lets Mohinder speak his piece. After all, he did the same for her and she should return the favor. "And to inform them, that means they should be nabbed off the streets, held against their will and then forced to take part in tests?" The woman crosses her arms in front of her. "I understand what you're trying to say, but you aren't making sense to me. Sylar is a singular case as far as I know. And you can't just use one psychopathic killer as an excuse to kidnap other innocent people." She let slip she knows about Sylar, but this is a heated argument and she doesn't realize that she has yet.
"No, I don't agree with that tactic. Unless it's unavoidable. Say you've got an individual who can generate lethal doses of radiation. What do you do? They panic, they could explode like a nuclear bomb." A note of urgency touches on Mohinder's voice, as if he can make Cass see his point. "Sylar is not the only case for taking a person into.. wait.. how do you know of that name? I never mentioned him to you." His eyes widen, then narrow some as he stares at Cass.
"Fine. I think in extreme cases, it's okay to use force. But this isn't extreme cases." Cass lets out her breath in frustration. The two of them aren't getting anywhere arguing like this. She's not even sure why this is suddenly so important to her. Then, oh crap. She let Sylar's name slip. It hits her now. Her eyes widen in surprise and then narrow in an almost perfect match of Mohinder's reaction. "I…uh…" What can she say that won't give anyone else up? "Um, I don't really have an answer for that." He's been happy so far with her honesty, might as well keep down that road.
Mohinder backs down some, losing the heat in his tone. The man looks apologetic for letting his temper flare some. It's been.. a hellish period of time. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to shout or raise my voice at you. I don't agree with just taking people in. I'm for the more direct and honest approach, if at all possible. Before.." He sold his soul to the devil.. "I did physically locate people, to tell them of what they are. To make sure they knew they weren't alone, to be aware of the dangers they faced. And I see. It's not exactly a well known name." Although, he doesn't seem to be prying too hard.
Cass is now starting to feel a little trapped. Mohinder locked the door when she entered and she's not sure what the Company's policy is on people without powers who might know too much. Even though she manages to calm herself down a bit, she can't help but take another step backwards from the doctor. "No. It's not," she replies. Of course, she has no idea what this murder actually looks like, she only knows him by reputation, persay. "It's fine. Discussions can get heated when you're talking about other people's lives." It's a bit of a jab, but she can't help herself. "I think you had it right before you got mixed up in all this. If this was 'before' I would have been glad to help you in your research. I'd have been happy to do it."
"You're quite right. Normally I'm very good at holding in my temper.. It's just this past week, has been more stressful than I'd like." Indeed, Mohinder does look worn around the edges. He gives the woman a rueful smile, "I would have appreciated that.. but I doubt you would have had the financial resources I sorely needed to make this a reality." That, and he needed an 'in' for the plan. "Disagreements aside, I'm quite glad your father put me in touch with you. You still seem to have a sharp mind and eye for this. I know I could use someone with a strong opinion and backbone to help right a few of the methods. I'm a lone voice on the matter."
"I'll take your word on that one," Cass replies for Mohinder's temper. As this is her first meeting with him, she can just assume it's the subject matter that's raised his ire. A thought occurs to her. One that she's not sure she can actually deal with, but one she wants to leave the door open to should the opportunity arise. "I don't know if I agree with who you've aligned yourself with, but I do think that people need to be guided and helped." She returns Mohinder's wry smile with a smirk. "Funny, I was starting to think that you were cursing my father out in your head." She sighs and thinks something over, as if steeling herself for saying something. "I'm definitely in the interest of changing the Company's methods in how they treat people." She's not sure what Mohinder will say to that. If anything, but she feels drained just saying it.
Mohinder straightens up and begins clearing out the computer screen, resuming the initial ones he had up for his work. A tired smile is flashed towards Cass, "I don't even know if I agree with it half the time myself. Sometimes.. you do have to do things you aren't proud of to achieve your goals." He folds his arms across his chest and backs away from the worktable a step. "No, I don't curse your father. I think he's a very intelligent, nice and caring man. I have a lot of respect for him." He seems to study Cass intently for several moments before tearing off a sheet of paper and writing on it. "I would like to hear your ideas." Clearly, not at this time, as he writes down his personal cell number on the paper then hands it to Cass.
"I'm not sure if I agree with that," Cass responds to Mohinder evenly. Even though she backed away from him during their conversation, she moves forward to take the number from him. "I do still have some questions, too," she replies, looking the number over before folding it up and stuffing it into her pocket. "He's…well, he's my dad." For better or for worse. Right now she's not sure she agrees with him or what he does, but he's still family. Sighing, she moves over and takes the pad of paper and writes her own number down for him. "Here, this is my number, too." Ripping the sheet off, she holds it out to him. "I'm not sure what you mean by my ideas, but if you're serious about changing how the Company operates, I'm in."
Mohinder smiles again, it's brief, then it's gone. He takes Cass's number in exchange for his. "We'll talk more in depth later. I don't know if your father will want you involved or not. I can't speak for him. Talk it over with him, but I do appreciate any suggestions you may have. Now that lunch has gotten to be quite glacial.." He then makes a face at the idea of eating cold Chinese takeout. "I think we might be done." His tone reflects that look of distaste.
Moving for her jacket and her bag, Cass frowns, not sure if she likes what she's gotten herself into. However, it's too late to take it back. "My father told me he hoped that my studies would lead me in this direction the other night." She can't quite keep the distaste out of her voice, but she does try. "My biggest suggestion is to not kidnap people against their will. Other than that, it's probably more minor points." There's a sigh and then she affords a weak smile in Mohinder's direction. "I think we are." A pause. "For now."
"That would be mine as well. I highly disagree with it, and the methods employed." Mohinder walks Cass to the door, which he unlocks to let her out. "I look forward to more disagreements with you in the future," he says, teasing the woman slightly.
"Well then. Looks like you've got your work cut out for you." Cass tosses her bag over her shoulder and pulls her page boy cap out of pocket. Pulling it on, she heads out the door. "I'm sure they will be many and fierce. Nice to meet you, Mohinder. Be careful." Walking with the Company is like trusting vipers not to bite you.
"It was nice to meet you as well, Cass. You be careful as well." Once Cass is out the door, Mohinder shuts it, firmly locking it, then resting his forehead against the frosted glass. He will just have a moment of feeling in over his head now.