2007-11-03: Single Ray Of Hope

Starring:

Cass_icon.gif Erin_icon.gif Peter_icon.gif

Guest Starring:

Mohinder_icon.gif

Summary: One of the virus patients arrives at Bat Country Labs and witnesses a miraculous event. Course he'll probably wish it'd gone to someone else later on, but Peter is cured. And learns of an ability he picked up two years from now.

Date It Happened: November 3rd, 2007

Single Ray of Hope


Bat Country Labs — Seville Medical Center

Though Cass told Peter that the would meet Friday, there have been a few hitches in meeting that day. So, finally, the meeting has been arranged for Monday. Nervous, but hopeful, Cass paces the lab, getting everything ready to check Peter's blood both before and after Erin tries to stop the virus. Most of that is already done, but she has nothing else to do but make sure there's a strong pot of coffee on for everyone. The door is locked, still, but that's just to make sure that prying eyes don't try and step inside without being asked first. After her fight with Mohinder, well, she's a little nervous about making sure Erin's safety and making sure her identity is kept secret.

Various situations tend to come up. Luckily, Peter has not gotten much worse in the last few days. Powers still failing, still feverish and fatigued, still lacking in an appetite, but that's the way things have been for nearly a month now. Stepping into the Medical Center, he approaches the basement, wrapped in a warm coat and a scarf. The gray and black scar cover up the face-mask that he wears over his nose and mouth, just as the gloves on his hands cover the latex gloves he also wears. Less chances he has of spreading this, the better he'll feel. A solid knock on the door preceeds him, unwinding the scarf from around his face, but leaving the mask on. Once he gets the door open, he steps inside, "Morning Cass," he says, voice a little muffled, and also hoarse and tired.

It's probably good that the meeting was delayed. Taking care of that one sample of viruses actually took a lot out of the soap actor, who spent most of the weekend fast asleep. And reading lines, when she could, but mostly sleeping, which was fine with her. After a decent day on set, where she was uncharacteristically anxious about everything, she arrives at the medical center, and makes her way downstairs. Hair pulled back, wearing jeans and a sweater, she approaches the door just as Peter's entering.

Jesus, he's like a virus farm. "You must be the patient," she says dryly, though not without a hint of a smile.

Ears tuned for anyone trying to enter, Cass moves for the door, but doesn't move to take Peter's coat from him. Not just yet. After her conversations with her father and with Mohinder and, obviously with Samantha, she goes for the gloves. For now she'll forgo the surgical mask. She's still pretty certain it's not airborne. Snapping on gloves, now she goes for the task of taking Peter's winter clothing. "Hi Peter." And right behind them is Erin. "Hello Erin." She gives a weak smile, still looking tired. "Come in. Yes, this is the patient. Erin McCarthy, meet Peter Petrelli. Please shut the door behind you and we'll get down to it. How're you feeling, Erin? Are you still tired?"

Shedding his coat and scarf first, Peter glances over the mask at the woman he's been introduced to. A little older than him, but still young enough to be considered young, he seems to be looking at her with that 'Do I know you?' look that she's probably used to as a soap opera star, and various other things star. "Yeah— I'm the patient. That obvious, huh?" he asks, looking down at himself as he gets a little further inside. Under the coat he's wearing plain clothes, mostly black. Erin McCarthy? He continues to look at her oddly, trying to figure out where he recognizes her from. The eyes especially. "Nice to meet you," he finally says after a moment.

Erin isn't really worried about contracting this virus. She can kill it easily enough, and hasn't been sick since all this started for her several months ago. What she is worried about is the effect this might have on her when it's all done. Still, she's willing to do something, even if she'll complain about it the whole time… It makes her feel like her ability isn't so much of a curse. It sure seems like it sometime.

Indeed, the look is familiar, and normally, she'd easily offer up an explanation for her familiarity - yes, you have seen me on TV, or some such introduction. Instead, she just reaches out for Peter's hand to shake it.

Closing the door after she's entered, Erin rolls her sleeves up. "No, not anymore," she tells Cass. "Just — " It looks like she's going to say more, but her expression becomes a scowl. Almost admitting she's nervous does not help her image! "Maybe we should start. Get this over with."

Looking between Erin and Peter, Cass notices that look, but she doesn't ease Peter's curiosity just yet. If Erin wants to remain anonymous today, then anonymous she shall remain. At least until Peter's memory gets jogged and he figures it out. "Of course." Already, the woman is moving for the lab portion of the space so that she can take Peter's blood for the before and afters. "Come in. I have coffee and water, which ever either of you would like. Peter, obviously, you should be having the water." Because he's sick. "I'm going to take a sample of Peter's blood to start off so we can do some comparisons. I would, also, like to take a sample of your blood, Erin." So, that maybe she can find something through her blood that she may be able to work a cure over. Gathering up her supplies, she turns back to Peter to take his blood. He knows the drill.

"Yeah, water sounds good," Peter says, though as soon as the woman reaches for his hand, he pulls it away cautiously, looking down at his hand, then back to her, "I really shouldn't shake your hand. Not until— I'm wearing gloves but it's not…" There's legitimate concern on his face and he looks between her and the scientist, and then begins to move away. Without taking her hand. He's not happy about that rudeness, but he doesn't know why she's not worried. He's worried enough for everyone. As he approaches the scientist, he begins to roll up his sleeve, to make the job easier on her. "Are you sure it should be me that you test this on? Nathan and Elena are just as bad as I am, and…" he trails off. "This isn't dangerous, though, is it?" Cause if it's a possibly dangerous "cure"…

Erin sneaks a glance down at her hands after Peter rejects her greeting. She's already shaking… Like she needs coffee to make that worse. Hands go to her pockets, effectively hiding them for the moment, as she follows Cass toward the lab. "Water would actually be great," she says, relief evident in her voice.

There are questions she'd like to ask, like 'where do I fit in with all this mutant stuff' and 'are you related to Nathan Petrelli?' But she files those questions away for later. If she's going to sound nervous, she'd rather not do that right now. Then? Cass asks for a blood sample, and Erin slumps a bit.

So much for that. Grumpy about being dismissed, as well as the fact that Cass is going to see that she's shaking, she glancesaround her shoulder at Peter as she rolls up her own sleeve. "Do I look dangerous to you?"

There are yeses and nos to Erin's questions, but Cass doesn't mind that right now. First, she goes for the glasses of water she already poured and sets the carefully down on the counter right beside Erin and Peter. Then she's going back for her needles and vials. Quickly she takes Peter's blood and puts the vial in the fridge. She'll put it under the microscope when she has a free moment for comparison. When she turns to Erin, she notices the woman shaking and she pauses. "Are you alright?" It's said quietly and with a real edge of concern there. "We don't have to do this if you don't want," she adds. To Peter, she shakes her head. "No, this shouldn't be dangerous. But, you're the one this virus attacks the most violently. Not to mention the fact that you're the one that can help me take care of the others much better if you're better. We'll get a permanent cure that doesn't exhaust someone upon each use much faster if you help me because Mohinder may no longer be with us." It's a logical decision that she's made as well as through her heart. Having changed needles and vials for Erin, she moves to take the other woman's blood, still concerned about the shaking. Her face is much more neutral when she speaks of Mohinder, but her voice has an edge of contempt to it.
Sending WHO request.

Those are all good reasons, but Peter looks worried at the young woman for a moment, "I didn't say you were dangerous, but it might have side effects or something." Most medicines do have side effects, some can even be as bad as: possible death! But. Cass' reasons certainly are acceptable. "What happened to Mohinder?" he asks, as he applies a cotton ball to the blood spot on his inner arm, and wipes it away carefully. It heals up slowly, but it does heal, at the very least.

Erin wraps a hand around her glass, but doesn't drink just yet. When Cass asks if she's all right, she throws the other woman a look that could melt stone… But the expression softens, and Erin rubs her hand across her face. "Yeah, it's like stage fright." Except she hasn't really had stage fright in years. "I have to, Cass. I need to be able to do something good with this, or I won't be okay."

Turning her eyes away as Cass readies to take her blood, Erin chuckles, but the sound isn't particularly humor-filled. "I'm sure you won't have any problems," is said with the same irritated lean that she had before. And yet, Erin has no problem at all with Peter - it's just that this isn't the best circumstance for a meeting. "Who's Mohinder?" is the obvious question. Funny name.

"I just want to make sure you know you have a choice." That's always important for Cass. Especially since her conversation with the scientist the other evening. "He…we disagreed on some fundamentals." Though she gives a sour look in Peter's direction, her handling of Erin's arm and taking her blood is quite gentle. Done quickly and without much searching for veins, the woman takes what she needs and then places a cotton ball and band-aid over the injection site. Scribbling something on the side of Erin's vial, she puts it into the fridge for later, as well. "Mohinder is someone I was working with on this particular problem. However, he's aligned himself with a group of people whose ethics don't meet my own. While he has good intentions, he has poor judgement. I didn't trust him to know who you were, Erin, especially without talking to you first, and we fought. He may try to find you and contact you. Talk to him if you'd like, but be careful."
<Timer>
There won't be any problem for him. Peter continues to look at the woman with a serious expression and then… something suddenly clicks. He's looking between the two women for a few moments and… opens his mouth as if to say it. Then chooses not to. His mouth clicks shut, teeth knocking together. When he does speak again, it comes hesitantly, and belatented both. "I'm sorry things didn't work out with Mohinder. I'm not a geneticist, but I'll do what I can to make things comfortable for them, and help you out any way I can." If it works. Keep optimistic! Though he can't help but wish it were working for someone else, even now.
"I know. Thanks," she says, finally allowing her tone to soften into something a little more friendly. "Th— OW!"

Despite Cass' care, Erin's used to fake needles and painless injections. Usually, the needle retracts, it doesn't go into skin, and she'd been a little too preoccupied— No matter, though. At least she doesn't jump, and is able to hold still while her blood is drawn. Rubbing her arm after the bandage is applied, she continues her previously-interrupted though. "There seems to be a lot more to this than I thought." Groups of people, different ethics. At least with a name like 'Mohinder,' she's not likely to forget it. "To be honest, I'm glad you didn't tell him. I don't want a whole lot of people to know about me. It's hard enough keeping a secret at work. Way I figure, the more people who know, the more likely someone's going to find out."

She probably won't be talking to him. And to cement that - and possibly kill any public image of grace and stardom she may have with Cass, Erin adds as an aside: "He sounds like an asshole."
"
Well, it was nice to have the softer tone for a moment. It's not that she wasn't expecting a wince or a hiss of pain, but the outcry means Cass is quite focused on Erin to make sure that she didn't hurt the woman too much. She seems alright after the initial pinch, though, so she waits. Once everything is put away, she switches gloves and just leans against a counter for a moment. "There are people who do this sort of thing as a living, not just in their quickly vanishing free time." That would be the people with Mohinder. "Just like any ethics issue, there are people on both sides of the fence, too." There's a shake of her head. "I'm not about to tell anyone about what you can do, Erin. It's not my secret to tell. I can understand Mohinder's frustration. He feels I'm keeping something from him that may be the cure for all this. And to a certain extent, I am, because you might be able to cure everyone. But, he doesn't see how that effects you, either. And while I trust him to make the proper judgement in not trying to use you to cure everyone….the people he works for…I wouldn't trust them with a broken balloon." There's a lopsided smile. "He's not an asshole. Just…sometimes he's too smart for his own good."

"Whatever it is you can do exactly— it's best to keep it to a select group of people, those you trust and those who are close to you," Peter says, moving to find a slightly more comfortable seat while he waits, looking feverish, and a bit lightheaded. "And he can be an asshole, but most of that stems from the people he works with, more than himself." There's a long pause. "So what is it that you do exactly, Erin?" Small talk while he waits for the okay to get doing whatever this is that might cure him. But it's an important question.

Well, she didn't come here to talk about Mohinder or ethics though all this will be filed away for thought later. She's heard a little before this, but not enough to be concerned, and… It still isn't. Maybe she's naive in that regard, but it's like hearing that the moon is dangerous, but you don't really care, because while you can see the moon, you don't live on it. So its danger doesn't really matter until the moon comes crashing into the earth and kills everyone. Right, back on subject.

"I don't know if I'll be able to help everyone. Guess we'll know after this, huh?" The viruses have been in the periphery of her mind ever since she arrived. It's now, when she starts focusing on them, that her eyes glow bright blue. Blinking, she looks up at Peter and offers him a smile. "With any luck, curing you," she offers, before reaching out to wrap her fingers around his wrist.

While she's not too fatigued, she explains. "This started a couple months ago. I don't know how it works just yet, but I can make people sick, and I can make them better. That's about all I can give you right now." The hint that this isn't all fun and games does creep into her voice at that point. There are so many more of them this time, that at first, the task seems overwhelming. Taking a couple quick breaths, she continues. "Made a couple of my— friends sick— while I was— "

Her eyes narrow, and she grips Peter's wrist tighter. The thought trails off without finish, as the beads of sweat appear again on her forehead. It'd be easy - and smart - to stop now but she has to finish this. Has to.

"And even if you can, it doesn't mean you should." Especially if curing a small vial of blood exhausted Erin that much before. When Erin moves to start on trying to cure Peter already, she wants to tell the woman to wait until she gets some gloves on or until she can actually sit down or start something. But, it's too late for that. She's already started and all Cass can do is wait and see if this works. When she starts to sweat and look tired, the woman quickly moves behind the soap star in case she should fall or faint. "Erin," she warns softly. "Don't push yourself too hard." Because even just slowing the virus would be something. Would give them a few extra days. While her attention mostly focuses on her, her eyes keep flickering over toward Peter to see how he is taking this whole situation, trying to see if he looks better, less fatigued.

As she reaches out for him yet again, Peter opens his mouth to protest, but she'd looked so insulted the first time, he just hopes that physical contact isn't enough to spread it. "That's an amazing ability— the making better part," he says in a wondering voice, blinking and looking at her eyes, which have changed considerably as she starts. His eyes slide down, away, toward the place where her hand is connected to his arm. And then he can see it. His breath catches, a gasp, as he watches the little buggers get hunted down and destroyed one at a time. It's a very strange sight, especially when he can feel them crumpling and dying inside his own body. With no experience in the ability, all he can really do is watch— and his abilities still weakened might be why he does nothing but sees them. "I can see it, Cass," he says with a tone of surprise, his voice losing the hoarseness as it moves more toward a rather facinated sound. Almost makes him sound younger than his nearly twenty-eight years.

Reaching back with her other hand, she finds a stool and drags it toward her so that she can sit, all while continuing to kill the little bastards that are invading Peter's system. As the one hand continues gripping the man's arm, the other clamps around the seat, as if to hold herself upright. "I'm fine," she half-snaps, though it'd be fair to say that her concentration isn't on Cass at the moment.

She digs her nails into Peter's arm.

Why won't you DIE?

They are. Slowly. Already thousands of them are floating benignly in Peter's bloodstream, but there are more, and while she's already bought him many, many days, Erin won't be content with stopping until they're all gone. Her head hurts, her eye feel like they're on fire, and with each passing second, the task is becoming more excruciating.

But she smiles. It's working. She can tell. Peter can tell somehow, and she's not in any condition to ask why at the moment. If she says anything else, she's afraid that she'll pass out.

There's only a few more. Her breaths are wet and raspy, but if she only leaves a handful, none of this will do any good. So why not see it through to the end?

It's a show that only Peter and Erin can watch, leaving Cass to merely see the physical effects of what is going on. Which, honestly isn't much other than Erin getting more and more tired and bit more color returning to Peter's face. Even after being snapped at, the woman doesn't walk away. Instead, when Erin sits down and her breathing gets raspier, she puts her hands for support right on Erin's back just in case. Should she slump, Cass will catch her. And otherwise, she's letting the woman know she has her support. "You're not fine, Erin. It's okay. You can stop." Though this is fascinating, for sure, this is also worrying. The last thing she wants is Erin to kill herself while trying to cure this thing. It would make her just as bad as someone in the Company by allowing her to go through with this.

For the moment, Peter is overly distracted by the show that he sees, it's only when he looks up at her with an amazed look on his face— that is getting a much healthy tone— does he catch the exhaustion. He felt her fingernails dig in, and but under the facinating sensations of both seeing and feeling the little buggers die and float along harmlessly in his bloodstream, the pain is minimal. "Maybe— maybe you should stop. Erin listen, I've overtaxed myself before and— you don't have to keep doing this." He'd like to make it easier for her, but he's not sure how. This isn't an ability he knows well, and if he tries to use it, he could end up making someone else sick, rather than helping anything. As he realizes that, he does the next best thing he can think of… He shifts his hand to rest on top of her own and tries to constrate on something else. The green in his eyes increases, and he starts trying to give her physical strength, keep her body working properly, lighten the blow if it's already too late. He kept Cass alive through surgery once the same way…

Just when she's at her breaking point and tempted to let go… It gets easier.

She chances a look toward Cass, and even though it's impossible to actually see Erin's eyes through the glow, she's offering a half-smile. "…Couple more seconds…" is all she manages to get out, and that's all it takes. As the last of the viruses in Peter's body die, she releases his arm, and the light in her eyes becomes a metallic shine before going out completely. The whites are bloody, her eyelids are red, and while Peter's alleviated the dangerous approach to killing herself, she still starts falling backward. Thankfully, Cass is there. Erin's response to all this? "Ow."

Breathing like she's just run a marathon, and looking like it, too, it's not going to be too long before the woman loses her battle with consciousness. She catches that green in Peter's eyes, though— "What— " is all she manages out of the question 'What are you doing,' but she coughs, and… a lot like her eyes, it isn't pretty. When she pulls her arm away, it's speckled red.

While Peter talks, Cass nods. It's a gesture that Erin can't see, but it's what she's agreeing with. "Stop it, Erin, you're going to hurt yourself." And, then, the woman falls backwards toward her and she shifts her grip so that she can ease her toward the floor in a slower motion. It's hard to do when she's already seated in a stool, but it's better then her suddenly putting all her weight on Cass and they both topple backwards. The coughing and blood around the eyes and her arm quickly makes the woman fret. Distracted, worried and already not the strongest person in the room, she starts to slip and fall. Trying to cushion Erin so that the other woman falls on her instead of the hard floor, she gasps. "Peter, quick, get a towel." She points to the drawer where she keeps them even though she knows that he knows where almost everything is here. "Erin? Stay with me, okay?" What was she thinking, letting the woman do this? Maybe she really is just as bad as the rest of them.

The good thing about the fact that she just let go of him would be that Peter's really close when she starts to go down. With better color to his skin already, he reaches out and grabs onto her wrist. It's not the most pleasant catch, but at least he manages to take some of her weight off of Cass when they go down to the floor. "I got it, it's okay," he says, letting her go once she's settled on the floor, and moving away to get the towel that he was asked for. "It's gone, Cass," he adds, looking back at her as he grabs the towel. "I know you're going to want to do a blood test again, and I'd insist on it anyway, but— I think it's gone." But can they really ask her to do this again? Maybe he can help next time and lighten the load— but he's afraid of making it worse. He hands the towel to the other woman. "Erin?"

Cass didn't 'let' Erin do anything. This was her choice. She knew it was going to exhaust her, and she had a feeling it was going to be as bad as it is when she loses control. She didn't expect to be coughing blood, and that is a shock, and the gasp that accompanies the feeling only causes another round of hacking. And it hurts. As Cass cushions her fall and Peter grabs her wrist, Erin whimpers.

Now that it's done, she can be an absolute baby about all this. Truthfully, she's kind of scared here, and so the fear isn't entirely acted, especially when she takes the towel and a red stain spreads across it where she holds it. That can't be good. There's a moment where she tries to hold onto her composure - what's left of it, anyway - but within moments, her body language turns to panic, even if she's quiet except for that slight whine.

Maybe Cass didn't 'let' Erin heal Peter, but she still asked her to do it and that led them all to this point. Did she just trade Peter's health in for someone else's? There will be time for blood tests and checks and double checks later. For right now she'll worry about the soap opera actress. "I'll get some water." Grabbing Erin's glass from before, she refills it and brings it back. "Can you drink this? Slowly." With the woman starting to panic and coughing up blood, she tries to remain calm. "It's okay, Erin, you'll be okay. You did it." Because Peter can heal her now. And not worry about exhausting himself because of the virus. Or at least she hopes so. Looking up at Peter, the distress is clear in her eyes, but also a bit of curiosity. Because he said that his powers weren't working well before. And if that was the case, he shouldn't have absorbed Erin's ability today. Had he met her earlier? Or did he have an ability she didn't know about? All questions for when this has calmed down.

"It'll be okay," Peter also assures, sitting down on the floor nearby and putting the towel under her head, to give her a pillow and offer support. "You did really well…" But from the sound of his voice, and the glance he's worried about her state. Which is why, once again, he tries to focus on her, tries to find what's broken and fix it— but the illness may be gone, but other factors are interferring— he can't even sense the imbalance, much less fix it. Not right now. "We should get her to a bed," he says to Cass. "I think I can carry her now," he adds, referencing his physical strength slowly returning. His hands aren't shaking— he doesn't look feverish. And he's sweating. Which considering how long he had a fever, that's a good sign.

This was probably a bad idea. In fact, even though she's convinced that she Did the Right Thing, Erin's kind of currently cursing the fact that she did anything at all. She's supposed to work tomorrow, but her vision is kind of getting all… funny. Closing in on the edges like shadows. Work is the farthest thing from her mind.

After attempting to drink with at least a little success, Erin decides that she'll be much more comfortable lying on the floor - and so that's what she does. She'd very much like to tell them to have Taine tell Caleb where she's at and what happened, but while her lips move, she can't make sound come out. And there's a coppery taste in her mouth that she can't spit out, either. Well. Caleb, at least, is in the ICE contacts on her phone.

Everyone's telling her it's going to be okay. So she figures she ought to do something, and nods.

"Okay." Yes, getting Erin to a bed so that she can lie down on a place more comfortable than the floor is a good move. Allowing Peter to pick her up, she stands and observes him. He certainly wants to make sure that he's actually cured. She doesn't have the benefits of Peter or Erin's vision of knowing what the virus is doing. What she wants to do is quickly take Peter's blood so she can immediately go to check and make sure that virus is truly gone. Plus, she's worried about Erin. She goes to make sure there are sheets on a cot and a pillow fluffed up for the soap star. If there was ever an argument for finding an actual cure and not using Erin to do it, this is it. She can't put the woman through this again. It hasn't slowed her down or even given her extra time, but it has done one very important thing - it has given her help. Important help.

Help that might be able to at least sense the virus in people— or his own things. Could help stop the spread of the infection, help him clean up his apartment before he re-infects himself. That sort of thing. But for the moment Peter finally takes off the mask, so she can see him better (less he breathes of that the better too), takes the glass of water and leaves it on the floor as he picks up the woman and carries her to the cot. "Thank you. Returning a favor you didn't even know you owed," he says as he settles her down. "I met you once," he says softly, looking over toward Cass as he does. Answering a question he didn't know she had. "Know it's going to sound crazy, but it was two years from now. You were in an accident. A lot of people were killed. I only had time to heal one person before I had to leave— and I chose you at random. I must have picked up your ability then and didn't realize it."

It's hard to think through the fog. She just wants to sleep… Finding no reason to do otherwise, Erin thinks it might be about time to let herself drift.

There are a lot of things she'd like to say. She wants to go home, she should be in a hospital - no, scratch that. If people want to know what happened to her, she'd… Well, she'd rather them not know. She wants to ask Peter if he's okay, wants to reach out and make sure she's killed all the viruses, but there's no energy left.

And she doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. It's entirely possible that she's already dreaming, and Peter's actually saying something that makes sense, but her mind is translating this as 'I TRAVELED TO THE FUTURE! AND I MET YOU THERE! AND ACCIDENT IN THE FUTURE! AND I PICKED UP YOUR ABILITY!' Which is all very, very funny and silly, and to that end, Erin smiles. She'll have to parse all that later. For now, that darkness on the edge of her vision is closing in now, and she's going to take a long nap. Sorry, Nathan, she won't be voting for you, After all.

Ah. Well, that certainly is the answer to a question Cass was thinking. Maybe Peter read her mind, but she's not at all sure about that yet. Right now, she's only worried about getting Erin to a bed. She's pretty sure she knows what accident Peter is talking about in the future and, well, this is certainly interesting. Whatever Erin may think of it, or if she'll even know what he was talking about when she wakes up, the woman certainly has some ideas about it. And, luckily for Erin, she is actually in a hospital. Just the basement of one. When the woman loses consciousness, she moves to check her vitals and roll her to a rescue position, especially since she was having problems with coughing up blood. She turns to Peter. "You can tell when someone has the virus or not?" She's not about to let him try what Erin just did with anyone else. She's not even sure she wants to let Erin do this again after seeing what it does to her. "We still need to find a cure."

As she loses consciousness, Peter leans over her, pressing his lips against her forehead, and stays there a moment. It's a simple gesture, but one that he feels he must do. "Thank you," he adds, reaching up to brush her hair out of the way, before turning to look at Cass. "I can try. Not sure how well it'll work, but sensing them is all I was able to do earlier." It might be the only thing he can manage at this point, and about the most useful thing this side of curing a disease— which— if that's any indication, he probably isn't ready for. "We should do another blood test. Maybe— maybe you'll find something in the dead virus cells. And I'll have to call Nathan and Elena and…" Tell them he's not going to be back in the quarantine house. Not tonight.

Making sure that Erin is alright, or at least comfortable on the bed while passed out, Cass nods. "Yeah. We should." All these things that she needs to get to. "No, I don't want you to do this. Just…sensing them may be enough. You'll be able to help tell if something is working or not." And hopefully, just hopefully, they'll be able to figure something out from the cured virus cells that will lead them to a break through. Slowly, she walks toward the lab to ready another needle and vial set, slipping on gloves just in case. "You can stay at my apartment if you need a place to stay, Peter." Since they both have the same ideas about whether he should go back there or not. "Or you can stay here. I'll be staying with Erin tonight, anyway." Just in case she wakes up.

Running a hand along his forehead, Peter's amazed to feel less heat and more sweat. A month of fever almost, and it's finally broken. Amazing. "Yeah— I'll stay here tonight. I'm still weak, and I even if I'm healed, I used a couple abilities. And I might be able to help Erin along once I get some rest. Since I failed the first time." It's unfortunate, but at least there's that. Moving over, he finds a place to sit, holding out his arm for the second time, and hoping that something in this will crack the case. If it comes down to it, it'll probably take a lot more than a threat of a coma to keep him from healing Elena and Nathan and Evelyn the same way he just got healed. But he doesn't say that. No need to give them warning to get out the tranq darts.

A chance that Cass is not about to let Peter take. Since Peter already knows the drill, she's quick and manages to get the blood extracted fairly quickly. Though she labels it, she also takes a small amount to put onto a slide and slips it into a microscope tray before putting the vial into the fridge again. While she may need the centrifuge, she wants to check it to see if she can tell anything immediately. Eyes checking the lenses, she focuses the magnification and starts to move the tray around in order to check them all. It's a process. She's tired, though, and she has to step back for a moment to rub her eyes and refocus those. She takes the moment to glance over at the young man. "Peter, whatever Erin did, you can't risk it. I don't think she should ever risk it again, either. I need you to help me fix this, especially if I've lost Mohinder. If you're in a coma, you help nobody." It's a soft admonishment, but she doesn't wait too long before turning her eyes back to the microscope. This is what's important, too.

"Since when did you get telepathy," Peter murmurs, the hole in his arm healing almost instantly this time, that much is clear. Whatever was slowing down his abilities has slackened. For the moment. He doesn't stop her from doing her science stuff, but he does walk over to wash his hands off, slip on a pair of gloves as well, grab an anti-bacterial wipe and then move to where his coat was set down. Searching through the pockets, he pulls out a phone, which he begins to wipe off carefully. No need to chance this. His clothes coat should probably be washed before he wears it again. "I won't do it recklessly— not unless there's no other options and time is running out."

It's a good thing Peter is being careful. Cass would remind him of it if she wasn't looking through the microscope right now. For the preliminary diagnosis, she can't find the now easily (in her mind) identifiable virus from looking at results for so long. Turning around, she gives Peter a laugh that holds only a little humor. "I don't need telepathy to read you, Peter." Not only is he her friend, he's kind of an easy mark. "The minute it could be suggested you may be able to do something like Erin could do, of course you were thinking about using it to cure them no matter the cost." It's what he does. "I know you won't. I'm just…" She can't help but remember what Erin just went through. She sighs. "We're running out of time and solutions. My father told me to think out of the box, but I can't even find the edges to think outside of it." Closing her eyes, she rubs the lids with one hand. "I think the key pin is this Burstein. Figuring out how he got the second part of the disease."

"I agree," Peter says, continuing to clean off his phone carefully, not speaking on the fact that he's at times an open book. She's right. She knew him well enough to know that he'd come back from the future because of all the people here that he cared about, because how many people counted on him to come back. "I know we're running out of time. If you can get me any information about where he lived, maybe I can find out what he's been doing recently— see if there's any connection between us and him." And he's not just talking about searching through his belongings, either— though that's part of it. "I'm clean, right?"

"You're clean," Cass nods, answering the last question first. It's really the most important one of the moment. "My father gave me a list of all those people who slipped through the cracks. I went to talk to them all and they were all confused, but uninfected." Which is why Burstein is still the missing link to all this. "We need to find out what all those people didn't do that Burstein did." Maybe rifling through his stuff will provide answers. But, she's not sure. "He had a wife," she says gently. Someone to talk to, perhaps, but making it less likely to be able to just go through his things. "Maybe she would know."

"I can go and talk to his wife," Peter says with a nod, finishing wiping off his phone, on all sides, and dropping the wipe into the biological waste bin. "I'm going to call Nathan and Elena. Let them know. Then if it's okay, I'd like to sit with Erin for a while— maybe a sample of the virus too, so I can practice sensing it a few times." And hopefully not mess up and give it to anyone at the same time— that would suck.

That would suck would be an understatement, Peter. Speaking of phone, Cass should check hers as it still goes a little off the reservation down in the basement. "Alright. But…don't mention Erin's name." It's not that she doesn't trust Nathan and Elena, but she also just wants to make sure that the woman has her identity kept secret for as long as possible. "Not yet. Not until Erin says it's okay. Because I know Nathan will flip out if he knew." Finally, her mouth twitches upward in a kind of smile before she pulls off her gloves and places them where Peter just deposited the anti-bacterial wipe. "I'm going to put this sample through more tests." But, first, she's going to check her own messages.

"I don't have to mention the person who did it," Peter says, looking rather anxious. "I have to tell them something. They can't just…" He trails off, but it's pretty obvious he doesn't like the idea of not telling them, especially since… "I already mentioned why I was coming here— Not any details, but— Cass." There's a hint of bouncing on his toes.

There's a shake of her head. "No, I didn't mean tell them you're not cured, I just meant to keep her name out of it." Because she wants to keep the name completely out of this for now. "I didn't expect you to totally lie." Especially over something like this. Picking up her own phone, she notices she has a new message, though she didn't even hear the phone ring. Stupid service. Glancing up at Peter, she then nods her head. "Or even lie at all. Only to keep identities as secret as we can keep them."

"He wouldn't even know her anyway," Peter says with a hint of confusion, before he starts to move toward the door. The reception on his phone is TERRIBLE down here. If he goes out into the hallway it'll be better. "I won't mention names. Random woman who you met through the bookstore and helping out people like us should suffice." Yeah. He couldn't possibly know who this Erin McCarty is, right? Right. Only reason he recognized he was from the explosion in the future.

Well, not so right. Nathan certainly will know the name Erin McCarthy and that's what Cass is trying to avoid. "Um, well, right." She'll just leave it at that for now. Maybe later, once they find a more sustainable cure, she'll explain soap opera connections to him. But, she's not sure he would be able to keep the secret if he knew Nathan's soap opera heroine just cured his sickness. "It should," she nods and watches him move toward the hallway before punching in numbers to listen to her voice mail.

"Cass, it's Mohinder. I apologize for confronting you as I did. I haven't been quite myself with this research. You've found a way to slow things down, and that's great. I don't need to know the identity of this person. I got overly exuberant at the prospect. Again, you have my apologies. I'll come by your lab later if I find anything else on my end."

While the scientist listens to her voice mail, Peter slips out into the hallway, already checking for reception so he can dial a number.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License