Starring:
Date: September 27, 2009
Summary:
Angela calls some Agents to her office to send them on a different kind of mission. To find out what happened.
"The Tables Have Turned"
Angela's Office
The glow from the desk lamps, one a true desk lamp with a typical green shade, and the other pieced together with many triangles of stained glass, give Angela Petrelli's vast, antique-decorated office a homey glow. All the same, there's a feeling of power here; of importance, of things worldly and valuable. When she calls someone in to discuss something critical, the walls seem to loom inward.
The Founder sits at her prominent desk with both hands folded overtop a plain, mysterious manila folder or two… or not so mysterious. They're personnel files. As usual, she sits straight; poised in a black-trimmed, brown tweed jacket (fashionable, for a woman her age, let the record show). "I have the feeling this will not end well."
Sitting in one of two seats on the other side of that big desk, is Lawrence. True to form, his walls are figuratively closed in, and he almost looks like he wants to turn into a puddle, hands on the arms of his chair and mouth a simple line on his face. "Well, you've said that before…" He begins, casting a glance aside to the other chair before lifting a hand to alternatively scratch at and cradle his jaw. "I'm sure it's not that bad, is it?"
Angela will know that Church only looks like this if he's done something he shouldn't- or thinks he has. "It's just the one thing-"
From one of the chairs in the surviving Founder's office, Peter sits quietly, a very serious expression across his face, even as he looks at the folders. There's a pause in breath as he looks from the folder to his mother's face, and then up at the other man in the office with him. There are so many reasons they could be here. The wedding? No, surely not… the trip to Germany? Church wasn't involved with that. "Is this a feeling or a… feeling?" he finally asks, sitting up a bit. From the lack of eye contact, he may have quite a lot to worry about being in those folders. Like all his visits down to Level Five… or…
Then he looks at Church. What exactly did he do?
The door opens to the office and in walks Kitty, dressed in a black skirt and pair of knee high black leather boots, her dark red blouse is slightly open at the top, but it doesn't reveal x-rated cleavage, just another v neck shirt, black.
Her hair is pulled back into a high ponytail, her doe brown eyes scan the office as she walks in.
Okk.. what is going on..
The sybil blinks but she nods at Church and smiles faintly at Peter, then her gaze goes to the Founder. "You asked to see me." Is all she says in greeting to the woman. She stands in the spot closet to where Peter is sitting.
"For now, just a feeling," Angela answers, sure in the assumption that fuel will be added to the fire soon. One feeling then another. As Kitty enters, she nods her head. "Kitty." The Company director looks from the young psychometer to the men in her office, her expression grim, serious, darkening.
"…Oh, quit your moping. You look like a bunch of scolded puppy dogs. You haven't done anything wrong." She only scowls dismissively and waves a hand, replete with wine red manicure, through the air. "Have a seat, Kitty." She smiles tightly, though not unkindly. There is a chair near the front of the expansive desk for that purpose, and also an elegant couch that looks like it's been around for most of the century. "I'm hoping your unique gift will solve a mystery."
"Wasn't- oh. Well." Okay then. Once Angela makes it clear that she has no idea- or doesn't care- about what happened, Church visibly relaxes and sits straighter in his seat. A glance to Peter almost begs the question of what he thought was going on. He now nods over to Kitty in silent hello, who has hopefully found her seat by now. "Now you've got me curious."
Oh. They haven't done anything wrong? That changes things considerably. Peter stands up as soon as he sees Kitty, willing to offer his seat, until there's another one offered to her. He remains standing for a moment either way, out of politeness. "Is this at all related to the inquiry I made earlier this week?" he finally asks, looking at his mother, thinking back on a certain problem involving a missing boy and a runaway who's staying in his apartment at the moment.
The seat is taken and Kitty crosses her legs. Head tilted to the side as she listens to Angela. Her eyebrows raise and she looks down at the folder on the desk and then back to Angela.
"Nice jacket." She comments before folding her hands in her lap. "And mystery could this be?" her eyes on Angela, Peter's inquiry earns him a look from Kitty and Church AKA Old Man is given a brief glance as well.
"We'll see," Angela answers Peter with a whimsical tone to her otherwise serious voice. The fact is, she doesn't know. That's why Kitty is here. She smiles thinly at the young woman. Storytime begins. Gather 'round, children. "A week ago, two of our agents went missing. And I'm not talking about our honeymooners." Mrs. Petrelli pushes the folders ahead slightly, opening the cover of the one that sits on top. Paper-clipped to a document is a slightly blurry photograph of a man, aged 25-30, as refined as he is dangerous in appearance.
"Maxwell Swan. He was on assignment in Indianapolis. He never reported back and he never checked out of his hotel." She folder is moved aside; the second is opened. "And this is Saul Chavez; he's been based out of Southern California and Mexico for the last ten years. Along with his wife, he's also the guardian of Jamie Clancy, a child with a special ability. She's missing as well."
Once both folders are opened, Lawrence chances picking one up from the table- Chavez, in particular. "Two agents and a kid?" An unneeded reiteration from him, as he looks things over with the practiced look he suddenly gives important business. All laughs and smiles until someone rattles the cage. "Did contact slip off gradually, or just stop? And what was Swan out there for? What was his current assignment?" It could possibly be isolated incidents- or not.
"You're needing Kitty's ability to find out what happened to them," Peter says, perhaps stating the obvious as he looks from the pictures to his friend with her unique ability. Not completely unique, but she's definitely better with her ability than he is. Most people are better with what they do than he is. Including the other man sitting next to him. Church's ability is one he avoids trying to use, in fact…
"No leads whatsoever about their whereabouts?" Kitty asks as she grabs the folder to look at it. The young woman peers at the folder on Maxwell Swan and looks at the picture. "You want me to find them." She says simply and looks back up to Angela.
"Is there any other information that you have?" she asks and closes the folder on Max, placing it back on the desk for either of the men to grab if they want. "Only been gone a week.." she says with a look to Peter.
Angela nods slowly, heavily, to those who guess the purpose of Kitty's presence. "Agent Swan was investigating a possible threat in the area, simply gathering information. As far as we know, he hadn't begun before he disappeared. There's no indication he returned to his hotel past seven AM on the 20th. Chavez and his ward were reported to have been home that morning in Tijuana Beach and were gone before Maria — the wife — returned home at noon. Doors and windows were open."
The second folder which Angela puts forth is that of Saul Chavez. It shows a handsome man of about 40, if that. Mexican descent, well-dressed. Also attached to the file is the photograph of a blonde, blue-eyed girl no older than ten or eleven when taken.
Angela's hands refold as her dark eyes watch each person in her office, speaking with measured purpose. "I had our records checked and made a few phone calls myself; it turns out several people — not agents, people with abilities, living as normal lives as they can out there — have been reported missing or have not been seen since last week." She pauses. "I suppose the tables have turned on us." This time, the Company isn't resposible for the gifted among the world disappearing off the streets.
Church doesn't notice his expression growing darker and darker as he absorbs. At the final, finer points that Angela makes, he nearly seems like someone else- but thankfully, he is not actually someone else; he does, however, look totally different than the usual. He goes though each folder a couple of times each, not looking up until he finishes re-reading up on Maxwell's original assignment.
"This must be part of what you were talking about just last week, isn't it?" Lawrence's voice has lost that common tone of hopefulness, and at this point the man is indiscernible from a snapshot of what people think when they hear 'special agent'. It's more than a little unsettling, the quickness that he changes with. Angela knows it to be normal- Peter and Kitty might still be getting used to such a thing. "I guess this is what upset people before, hm?" Oh, to be inside looking out for once.
Like the other man in the room, Peter grows more and more serious as time passes, sitting up more and more as this is explained. Micah had just been the beginning, it seems, and perhaps not even the first one at that, though he's not sure exactly how long ago the boy had vanished. This girl Jamie, one of their own trained Agents… "And it's definitely not us? I know the operation is more than just here in this city. It's not a group of the Company deciding to go rogue, or anything?"
Who else has the capabilities to do this sort of thing? "This… it sounds somewhat like the future I went to a couple years ago. It would have been 2009 then too, actually. But the people weren't rounding up Evolved, they were rounding up Non-Evolved… and it was far more public than… this could be the beginning of something similar to what I saw there."
Another glance is given to Peter, Doesn't that sound similar to Cam's story, about people being after him?
She thinks aloud, in case Peter's telepathy is on.
"Ok, someone is doing the snatching and they don't care who, it's anyone that is Evolved." Kitty's eyebrow furrows and she tilts her head. "How are they finding these people?" Her tone is pointed. "Have we looked into the fact that there might be a traitor on out hands?" her eyebrows raise and she looks at Peter, the future yes. The one where she had a vision of an explosion in Central Park.
The young CEO takes a deep breath and places her hands on her knees. "Where do I start." She states.
While Church's dark descent into agent mode doesn't faze her, both his observations do, and she clasps her hands tighter, her lips becoming a thin line. "Yes," she replies, clipped. She watches Peter, studying him especially, paying a good deal of attention to his insights into a future that could have been. "It's not us. But we'll find out who it is soon enough. If it's a traitor, we won't let them get away with it. Kitty, I want you to go to Mexico and Indiana. See what you can see. The less time you have to spend with air travel, the better; Peter, take her there and help Kitty investigate. I'd send partners with you, but we must make do with what we have."
Church looks up towards Peter as he brings up escapades to do with time travel. Though he listens, Church was never entirely easy with the idea of that- time travelers only make trouble. But, he is brought back to the important things soon enough. "It would have to be someone with this kind of access." He waves the now closed folder before setting it on Angela's desk again. "It's not like the sprouts know where these people are. And it seems too measured for anyone to just be guessing."
"I'll go, of course. We'll be able to get there faster and get back with the information faster if I go," Peter says, immediately standing up, as if he's ready to go right this moment. "I'll need a map to show where they were last known to be, and— if you can I'd like to know who all is missing. I've known a lot of people who are… like us. I want to know if they're included among them. I doubt I'll be able to find them. That ability hasn't wanted to work too well, even with people I know." Like his own brother. So he's not sure how well it will work with people he doesn't know…
"Is there anything else we should know?"
"Ok, done." Kitty says in regards to teaming up with Peter. "When do we leave?" she asks and her tone suggest that she is ready to go now if needed. Her eyes are focused on Angela and she grips the armrest of her chair.
"Whoever is doing this.. must be organized and they know how to keep people like us in captivity." Or she is the news of Evolved people would be all over the news.
"Well, now that you mention it…" Angela stands up as well, pushing steepling hands against the desk's edge. "Molly Walker is among those reported missing." She reorganizes a variety of documents on her desk, sliding them all into a single folder. Max, Saul and Jamie's folders, addresses, and a list of what appears to be other names, numbers and more addresses. "We mustn't jump to conclusions until we know for certain," she says to the others, "That's the only way we'll know how to proceed." Aside, of course, from omens of what's to come — the dreams of Angela, the visions of Kitty, the heralds of yet others. The file is held out to Peter as the matriarch's imperative words fall upon Kitty. "Leave as soon as possible."
As she's about to say more, an electronically recorded, slightly garbled voice sounds from… somewhere up in the ceiling? "You can't frak your way out of a paper bag!" it announces in a distinctly Australian, female voice. Meryl's toy.
"…And for the love of God, someone get that creature out of the ceiling already."
Church casts a quick glance over his shoulder to the younger of the four in the room. Not quite feeling his age, but getting there. Then again, the old wolves have to be the ones keeping the pups' enthusiasm in line. There is silence after the toy sounds off, and Church hangs his head for a moment.
"Is there still a maintenance key in here? I'll get a ladder."
"What we know is that Evolved we know of are being taken…" There's a quiet pause, before Peter asks, "Do you have that tracking thing on any of them? If you can pinpoint a location of some of them, if they're all in the same area, we'll know that it's not a coincidence, that they're being held together." There's been a lot of things he had to face when he was trying to work against the Company, and his friends disappearing had been one of them…
Oh Meryl. Even when she's not here, she makes an impact. He glances up, before going over to Kitty and saying, "We'll go as soon as I get the maps. We'll report back if we find anything. Two of us checking the scene might get more info than one, too."