Starring:
Date: March 6, 2010
Summary:
Molly and Cam have been with Kitty all of this time. Micah visits. It doesn't go well.
"The Not-So-Simple Life"
Kitty's Safehouse
"Lunch, kiddies!"
A voice yells as someone enters the warehouse that houses fugitives on the run from the government. While not all the people here are kids.. well most are. So Kitty just decides to come them all kiddies. Because she's the momma. Yep. The seer smiles brightly as she hums and bumps the door to the kitchen open and places a large bag of.. fried chicken down on the table.
"Eat it up!" she says as the kids and a few adults enter the kitchen and begin to dish out the food. The young CEO's hair has finally returned to it's brown color, but her tattoo remains. She puts a hand on her hip as she leans against the doorway and leans her head against it as well.
Dressed in a.. cowgirl outfit? With matching hat, Kitty has got to have been drawing attention to herself right? Not/! Her Ultra Super Secret Black (And not a black person) SUV has been hiding her from view!
A meow can be heard as Tiger nudges his head into the kitchen and looks like he's grumbling at Kitty. "Okay, what.. the outfit is cute! Don't hate." She snaps her fingers at the cat.
—
The time has come.
And passed.
Micah hasn't talked to Molly or Cam for months. He's been coping. And spying. And helping Gabriel look for Zelda. And learning about the Protocols. And stealing vials.
Yes, Micah has been busy, but there are some kinds of busy that are negative. Some kinds of busy are signs, signs of denial. Signs of avoidance.
After some work, he'd managed to track Cam and Molly here. To this place. He straightens his black jacket before raising his hand to knock on the door. He lowers his hand and narrows his eyes before opting to push the doorbell instead. Smart. Genius, even.
Unlike his usual self, he's not smiling; there's too much work to be done, but he thinks he owes it to his friends. They should know he's alive…
—
Though she hasn't exactly been sullen, Molly also hasn't been her normal happy and bubbly self. It's not that she isn't thankful to Kitty for giving her and Cam a place to stay, but she's had a bit of a rough patch and she's not sure of anything any more. It's been weeks since she saw Matt and longer since she saw Mohinder. Her life feels a little in turmoil.
Plus, there are personal issues to contend with. The last time she talked to Micah was months ago and they fought. She's still angry at him, but the anger is also laced with worry and fear. He's not dead, she knows that. But, she refuses to think about him too hard, refuses to find out where he may be because she doesn't think she will like what she finds.
"I think it looks nice, Kitty," Molly tells the brunette with a soft smile. She leans forward to grab a piece of fried chicken. "I don't think there're a lot of cows out here, though."
—
"Unfortunately, you are right Molly dear." The young woman says as she nudges Tiger away with her foot and she looks over to Molly and smiles gently. "How ya holding u-. Hold on." She says and then she's looking at everyone and tilting her head. Nobody knows about the doorbell, unless you're suppose too. With a cautious look, Kitty looks through the peephole and she smiles softly. Throwing open the big warehouse door, she tilts her head down at Micah and crosses her arms. "You know.. to just ditch me and not ever call is so not like a gentleman." Your mother would be so disappointed, she wants to joke.. but the thought of Niki brings a frown to Kitty's face and she opens the door wider to let Micah in. "There's food on the table." She says softly to the boy as she closes the door.
—
Micah shrugs a little, "I didn't ditch you." The tone isn't defensive though. "I've been… busy…" his cheeks flush as he tugs at the sleeves of his jacket. "I just…" he shrugs again as he enters the house. He doesn't say much else. Things have been somewhat difficult lately for him. Quietly he lingers in the entranceway, unsure of himself and so he simply says, "I'm… not hungry." And he's not, in fact, he's nervous.
—
Pulling a chicken leg onto her plate, Molly tilts her head in the direction of the door after the knock. Her answer to Kitty is mostly just a shrug - that's the best sort of answer she can find for herself. However, who she sees in the open doorway is enough to make her pause. A jump of her heart hits against her chest to see Micah standing there. The worry, the anger, the friendship that she feels for the boy rushes through her mind and she pushes herself up into a standing position before she catches herself. She doesn't go running to his side. Instead, she stays there, awkwardly, staring at him. The confusion, hurt and worry is plain on her young face. "Micah," she says softly.
—
Hmm.. Awkward.
Kitty thinks as she grabs a chicken leg and munches on it. Watching from the shadows, a little boy by the name of Sammie comes over and leans against the wall to watch as well. "Do you think they kissed?" Sammie whispers to Kitty. The young woman's eyes bulk as she chokes and pats her chest. "Hahahahaha, uhh no Sammie.. I hope not." Kit looks from side to side and then discreetly leans against the wall not to far but far enough. Sammie follows and eats his chicken, staring straight at them.
"Psh, stop that, I'll teach you.. you have to peek out.. like this." Kitty demonstrates, propping her leg up on the wall.
—
And like Molly, Micah is crippled in a way. He stole from the bad guys, teamed up with a bear, and 'rescued' a biochemist from the government, but this, this paralyzes him. His own jaw is tightly set as his palms sweat profusely. He can find his way to people, but then so can Molly. It's been months since that day at Building 26. Months. Months since Micah electrocuted those agents that same day. Months since he'd crashed the car. Absently he touches his face, the wounds have healed (thanks to some fake-doctoring), but the occasional scar from glass shards remains. Finally he manages a single word, "M-" but he hesitates "-olly."
—
No, Sammie, they never kissed. And Molly would give him an embarrassed glare at the very question, but that's beside the point. They're a spectacle right now. The blonde girl knows this and yet she can't do anything about it. The last thing she wants is for this reunion to happen right in front of other people, and yet here they are. It's been too long and a few of their wounds are deeper than scars on their bodies. It's harder to heal wounds of the heart and of the soul. And they've done those to themselves, unlike the physical cuts and bruises they carried for a short time after their ill-fated rescue attempt. It's a long, awkward, horrible silence which she doesn't want to break after their first greeting. However, she does. Tearing her eyes off of Micah, she looks down at the ground with a frown. She knew he wasn't dead, but she didn't know the extent of his injuries. "Cam's upstairs," she tells him, in a defensive tone, assuming that he's here to check on his friend, his adopted brother.
—
"Okay, kiddo. Time to get the heck out of dodge." Kitty says as she watches Micah and Molly for a final time and then she's walking into the kitchen. Pulling Sammie with her. All is good when Kitty yells, "TINA NO! DON'T SWALLOW THE BONE!" A crash and sounds of a girl crying fill the place before Kitty yells out, "Everything's fine, it's a wish bone!" with that, the wish bone is thrown out the door and slides to a stop in between the two kids.
"Now.. tell me which one of the boys told you your boobs would get bigger by doing that? You have to go to Christian Troy, duh." Kit's voice can be heard as she ushers the girl upstairs.
—
"Th-thanks?" it's a question more than a response. Micah twitches. Just a little. He side glances Kitty and the children present. His eyes narrow at the information about Cam. He'd nod, but he's still crippled. Stuck. Stunted. And weary. Very very weary. Ever since Wireless contacted him he hasn't been sleeping well; he's been reliving that moment in the crumbling museum.
He glances at the wish bone, and takes a couple of steps before bending down to pick it up. There's something sadly reminiscent in his gaze as he looks it over.
—
The crash and the yelling by Kitty breaks the spell that Molly was under of being all but frozen in place. Her head whips around at the sudden tumult of noise and action. Finally left to their own devices, the girl looks over at her plate and then back to Micah. She's not sure what to do about it all. "Well, come on," she tells him with a frown. "Don't just stand in the door."
—
Micah nods a little as he trudges towards the table where his friend is seated. He still doesn't really know what to say or how to say it. And so he manages rather awkwardly, "I'm glad you're okay and stuff." He finally sits at the table before he shrugs a little, "Seems like a nice place… and you get… chicken…" He offers another awkward shrug as he places the wishbone on the table.
—
The awkward conversation will most likely continue for as long as the two are seated together. "You too." Though she knew that he was alright by being able to find his general location with a spare thought here and there. "Kitty's nice. She takes care of us." Kind of like Charlotte used to do in Germany, but in a different way. Glancing at the wishbone, she looks back at Micah but doesn't tell him to just throw it away or anything. It's not her place. It would be a strange question for the girl who knows where everyone is to ask him where he's been the past couple of months, so she refrains from it.
—
"Good. Kitty. Yeah. She's great," Micah uncomfortably runs a hand through his hair. He shifts in his seat. He swallows hard as he shrugs his shoulders. "I'm glad you're okay." That's all he can manage. A glance is given to the door. Should he go? No. He's here now. "I.. worried… then…" then he didn't. Then he worried about them all getting caught…
—
"You said that already." Molly is at least more verbal than Micah, though her voice is soft. She doesn't know what to say or tell him. "Did you?" Because he never attempted to contact them, nor tried to find them before today. He left them still in custody, didn't let them know if he was alive or dead. How is she supposed to take that? She pushes the plate she had just put the fried chicken on away from her. She's not hungry any more.
—
Micah nods a little. He really doesn't know what to say. Sometimes not knowing things is so much easier than knowing them. "I… did. Until…" until he found they were here a month ago. "But — " so much is left out. So much is censored. And finally Micah shakes his head a little, "I don't think you actually want to know." He's been following the bunny trail and he's in wonderland. Kind of.
—
Abruptly, Molly stands up. The last thing she wants to be is 'protected' from information from Micah after all he's put her through. "Fine. You don't have to." While she can sometimes act more grown up than her actual age, she's still a teenager and still prone to tantrums when she feels like they're deserved. "Do whatever you want Micah." With a twirl, she starts for the stairs. "I'm glad to see you're okay."
—
"Fine. I won't then," Micah retorts back. He's so used to be hardened lately, it's become habit. He slides away from the table and shakes his head. "This was a bad idea," he mutters to himself rather than Molly, "on a laundry list of bad ideas." Pursing his lips together he turns for the door, but he stops before he goes to open it. "Molly… just…" He sighs and rolls his eyes at the door. This is going to sound trite in comparison, "…don't get caught, okay? I… you can't. It's not some gather project… the beds and tubes were the start… it's… we'd… people are dying because of people like us." He reaches for the handle of the door.
—
The snap of Micah's voice is enough to make Molly give him a hurt look. While it's one thing for her to be hurt and annoyed at him, it's something completely different for him to react the same way. Such is the way of teenagers who think they're the ones in the right. "The bad idea was to leave us behind," she says softly, angrily. It's something that's eaten at her. Her own march to shutting herself in her room stops at the advice, if it could be called that. "It's not something I'm planning on," she tells him. "I don't know what that means."
—
"Geez Molly. They nearly caught Tracy… me… " Gabriel. Although he conveniently leaves that part out. "I was used as LIVE bait. Live bait to catch my aunt. They shot her. She… " and then, realizing that maybe it's for Tracy's own safety they think she's dead he adds, "…died," even if it is a lie.
He turns from the door to try to face Molly again. "I stole a car… crashed it… got pretty badly hurt… almost got caught in the hospital… " he cringes at the next bit, "…electrocuted several agents … had some woman talk to me in my brain through these things they implanted us with… I convinced the boogeyman to stop working for them… learned what they're really about… rescued a biochemist so they can't control us… stole every formula they have from a truck with the help of this awesome lady and a bear… and I've hacked into a huge computer system…" He runs a hand through his curly hair and shakes his head, "I've done a lot of things, Molly. A LOT of things. But you don't get to say that. I didn't LEAVE you behind. I was held as a freakin' hostage."
—
Micah has been through a lot. Molly is not denying that. They all have. But, it's still a hurt that's been getting to her. "It's been months Micah. You're here and you've been able to get here for months. You left us. Maybe not at first, but you made a decision not to come back for us! So you left us." They had few places to go and now they're bunking with Kitty. She needed to find a place to stay, to help Cam. "I'm sorry you've been through all that, but don't…just…don't….don't come here and say you can't tell us anything because you're…you're protecting us or something. We came with you to help your cousin and now we're not….good enough for you to help."
—
"That's not it! Molly — that's not it at all! Monica is safe…" Not that Micah has seen her either. "And yes, I need you guys safe. The Protocols" yes he just used an 's' "have taken everything from me. I won't let them do that to you." There's no light left in Micah's eyes. He's been on edge for weeks. "I was stupid. I was naive. I know that now. This isn't kid stuff anymore. Being the fantastic four was stupid. I was stupid." So much guilt weighs on the teen. So much remorse. The frown extends to his eyes his shoulders, his hands. He looks defeated. "I made a promise to someone that I would help them; and I'm keeping it."
A moment passes before he's on the defence, "Besides you're like the queen of finding people and you didn't come find me! You could've found me right off, but you didn't. This is a two-way street, Molly."
—
"Just because I can find you doesn't mean I can get to you! Knowing you're in Brooklyn doesn't give me a phone number to call!" Molly shakes her head, unable to speak back for a moment. "I tried. We went to Mrs. Petrelli. She said she could help us. But, she brought us here. I thought you left us. And you did." Maybe being the fantastic four was a bad idea, but this isn't getting them anywhere, either. Her own shoulders are slumped. This isn't helping anyone. They're just hurting each other more and maybe they won't be able to get past this. The idea of losing Micah as a friend is enough to make her eyes gloss over in a fresh sheet of tears. Once again, she shakes her head, trying to clear her eyes. "I don't know what to tell you, Micah."
—
"I didn't leave you," Micah whispers now before shaking his head. He can feel the futility of this conversation, it's going in circles. He'd cry, but he's got no tears left. All he can do is blink. Frown. Angst. He takes a silent step back as he shoves his hands into his pockets. "Fine. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't the hero I should've been, the hero people needed. I'm sorry I dragged both of you into this. I'm sorry I ki-killed those agents. I'm sorry I was responsible for killing my parents. I'm sorry I wasn't watching out for information on the Protocols before they died. I'm sorry I pawned hope to the masses when it's nothing more than a wish. I'm sorry for wanting to protect you. I'm sorry for not wanting them to steal both of your childhoods. I'm sorry I've become so singularly obsessed with fighting these people. I'm sorry I got used as live bait, ended up in the hospital, and learned the truth. Oh and I'm sorry I live with Mister Gray. I'm sorry. I'M SORRY." He turns back to face the door. "I'm toxic for people, Molly. Cam and I were caught the first time because of me. Tracy was nearly caught" oh wait, he said she died "and killed because of me. I couldn't even save Monica and got us all caught in the process. Besides which, mom and dad never would've been there for the Beta Protocol test if it hadn't been for me… I just can't be responsible for you two being used as weapons. That is something I couldn't bounce back from."
—
"Micah.." Molly just lets him talk, let's him rant. Her voice is quiet. "Stop it." Even if he's apologizing a lot, saying he's sorry, she knows he doesn't mean it, that he's angry at her. "I'm not going to be used as a weapon." Even if she was captured, it's not like she has an ability that could be useful in any physical sort of way. "Please, Micah." She doesn't want him to be hurt either.
—
His name is met with furrowed eyebrows. His name. Micah stares at the door silently for a few moments. "Any of us could be used as weapons — you to find everyone else. They're looking for a way to control us." Slowly, he reaches for the doorknob. "I need to stop them. I need justice. And… they're already using people. I … wait…" he turns around to face her. "I'm looking for a woman named Lilian. She can shatter glass…" his cheeks flush, his own teenage hormonal anger boiling to the surface, "if I can figure out her lastname… and maybe find a picture… could you find her?"
—
"Getting yourself killed isn't justice." Molly knew Niki, trusted her. She doesn't want to use her in order to hurt Micah, but she's not sure if Niki would approve of what happened to her son. "Why do you want to find her?" Before she wouldn't ask that question, would only think of helping Micah, but he's changed since they've parted. He's gotten harder. Slowly, she steps forward, closer to him so they can talk without raising their voices. Not that that may stop them. His answer will determine her own.
—
"She's… a friend or something of a guy I rescued with the animal lady," Micah answers like that explains everything. "I… I think she might be important to all of this." He swallows. "And I think… I hop-wish that by getting her out they might be… crippled." He swallows. It's not a lie. And he wants to know, but he won't lie to Molly about it. "And they may have used her to kill my parents."
"I'm not going to get myself killed. I'm okay. I'm… safe. They can't find me… they can't track me… I delete my tracks everywhere… every camera… I have allies; I'm not all alone." He frowns.
And yet she's not a part of those friends and allies.
—
And yet she's not a part of those friends and allies. Molly frowns, but doesn't say it outloud. Instead, she looks down at the ground and says, quietly. "If you promise you won't hurt her, I'll find her." Because she may have been used to kill his parents. And that's a very emotional thing. But, it may not have been her fault. If what he's saying is true, that they're using people, then he may not mean to, but something may happen to her.
What he's saying doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to her, but the main gist is something she understands. He really has left them behind, and that cuts her very deep. The pain is evident, though he probably doesn't know why. She's not sure what else to say to him.
—
"I don't think it's her fault. And I don't think this guy would let me if I wanted to." Micah sighs again before turning towards the door. "Th-thank you." He raises a hand to his forehead before rubbing at his tired eyes. Everything about him displays a measure of weariness.
He frowns, Molly's body language and expressions crush him just a little. "I am sorry, Molly. I am. I should've been in touch sooner, I just… couldn't. They killed mom and dad… I almost… tried to get revenge in the hospital, but then I didn't… I… am sorry…" finally he turns back to the door and grasps the doorknob.
—
"I know." Despite everything else, Molly knows that he's sorry for what has happened. She's been through the pain of losing her parents and being terrified for everyone she knew. Revenge isn't the way. And while she certainly doesn't trust Gabriel - who is the only person she knows he's with now - he hasn't killed Micah yet. "I'm sorry, too." Because some of it is her own fault and she knows it. "Just…be careful."
—
"I…" Micah says as he runs a hand through his hair. "I'll be in touch. I promise. I won't let you think that anything bad has happened when it hasn't." His cheeks flush again as he turns back to the door. "I… should go now. I am sorry, Molly. I'll be better. I'll find a way." Somehow. That said, he turns the doorknob and steps outside.