2007-07-17: Up Against Walls

Starring:

Lachlan_icon.gif Peter_icon.gif Niki_icon.gif Mohinder_icon.gif Cass_icon.gif

Summary: No one is in a good mood. In fact, some moods are downright scary. When Peter delivers a message to Lachlan, he doesn't take it well, and tension mounts as Peter, Lachlan, Niki and Cass try to find the best way to help - or not help - Megan Deatley, who is apparently in Company holding.

Date It Happened: July 17th, 2007

Up Against Walls


Bat Country Labs, Brooklyn, New York

With the sun unforgiving to the eyes today, Peter wore a pair of sunglasses until he got into the building again. Though it would shield everyone from his darkened stare if he left them on, they're perched on the top of his head once he starts down the hallway towards the lab. Jaw set unhappily, he's not even carrying his usual carrier bag, most everything he requires in his pockets or a belt pouch. From the state of his face, one might think he had a rough morning. Though he's usually quite well-shaven these days, he seemed to have skipped that step, leaving behind a layer of dark stubble that's just visible. Not only that, the set of his jaw, the way his brow is lowered… all of it gives hints towards unhappiness. Once inside the lab, he looks around.

It's not normal for Lachlan to arrive anywhere early, but he was sent off with the promise that Cass would be along sometime later. And the reason he never arrives anywhere early is readily apparent: he gets bored very easily. On a counter nearby is a little house built entirely of tongue depressors with little stick people created entirely from broken cotton swabs to compliment it. All this has been done without adhesives. It would be impressive if it weren't so ridiculous. Having finished his little crafts project, the Scotsman has gone back to what he's been trying to do since he and Cass had a blow-up over Jason: call his sister. The neverending fount of feminine advice has not been picking up lately, and it's gotten Lachlan both annoyed and concerned — but mostly concerned. Just as Peter walks in, he lowers his cellphone from his ear while a voicemail message plays for the billionth time. "Bloody hell, Meg," he mutters. Then he spots the other man and blinks once. "… got a bug up yer ass?"

Coincidences are interesting. When he'd woke up this morning, Peter didn't even know the man had a sister, much less one called Megan. The first thing he hears upon entering the room, though, is the girl's name, shortened version. In some ways he's glad to see that the dog trainer is early, in other ways… "Yeah," is all he murmurs at first, removing his pair of designer sunglasses and laying them down on a nearby counter. That's a lot of creative energy on that countertop, though. If he weren't so worried about certain things, like a young woman planning to get on a plane soon, he'd probably be impressed, but… "Unable to get a hold of someone?"

"Uh, yeah." Lachlan first glances at and then tucks away his phone. "M'sister." As always, he likes to keep family business out of his personal life (except when he needs advice from Megan, of course) and so he attempts to shift the topic away. Giving a jerk of the chin toward Peter, he utters, "Wha's up?"

Asking someone to be subtle and lie through their teeth when they aren't actually very good at lying and are having a bad day? Not exactly the best of moves. Peter spends a few moments looking at the other man, and then rubs at his forehead. "Listen. I'm actually glad you're here early…" There's many ways he could go about this, but he doesn't know any other way than to just say it. "I got a message earlier that wanted me to tell you that your sister is okay." A sister he didn't even know he had.

Wow, that's not suspicious at all. Lachlan raises an eyebrow at the mention of being early, but it gradually falls into a rather confused and soon very concerned frown. Of course, this raises all sorts of questions: how does Peter know his sister? And how does Peter, who by all rights should not know his sister, get a message about his sister's wellbeing before he does? And most importantly, where is his sister? All of these questions seem to rise to the surface at the same time and get stuck in his throat; they only come out as a single word: "Wha'?"

Wha? Yeah, that went well. There's a lot of questions that it can sum up, and with his current state of mind… Peter's not sure how he can handle them. Lie, or don't lie? How much should he lie if he does? And what about… What would he want someone to tell him if his brother was in this situation? Or Claire? Or someone who just walked out of his life? Or even a stranger, for that matter. "Can't… tell you how I know, Lach, but— she is okay…" That's still pretty suspicious, isn't it? Finally he reaches up and rubs his face. God. How can he not tell the man where his sister is when he knows? The whole attempting to lie? Tossed out the window. "But I think the Company has her." How does that mean she's okay, though?

That is precisely the question that runs across Lachlan's mind. That, and 'how the hell does Peter know this?' When the Big C is mentioned (no, not that Big C, the one that rhymes with 'ompany'), all confusion very quickly gives way to anger. That's Lachlan: 0 to Beat Your Face in less than three seconds. His hands ball up into tight fists and, though he doesn't make any moves to harm Peter, his stance and expression would indicate that he's just barely teetering on the edge. "How the bloody hell d'ye know tha'?" Because if Peter has an informant in the Company — or worse, is within the Company — there's going to be hurt.

Up in Seville Medical proper, ere are footsteps at the entrance to the basement. You're about to have company (small c, one would hope), boys.

This man's track record with the Company is not in his favor, then. Peter knows multiple people within or working for the Company. He dated a young woman who happens to be the daughter of the man in charge. He lived in their walls for months, without trying to actually escape until the botched rescue plan that got the man's dog killed. He even considered working with them at one point until they removed him from his girlfriend's memories. So the answer he gives may not help things at all. "I can't tell you that. But I know she's okay right now, and if they do as they usually do, she'll be released in a few days."

No, no that answer does not help matters in the slightest. There goes Lachlan, right over the edge. In a few strides, he's cleared the distance between himself and Peter and, if the other man doesn't move, he's about to get grabbed by the shirtfront by a very displeased Scotsman and slammed up against the wall. "Tha's no' wha' I asked," Lachlan snarls. "Swear ta God, if yer bloody girlfriend had somethin' ta do with this, I'll kill 'er." Kill her like he'd wanted to do after she'd zapped Elena.

The footsteps at the head of the basement are either unheard or ignored.

This is why he took his sunglasses off and rested them on the counter. The blank area of wall near the door to the labs is suddenly filled with a Petrelli. Not too heavy, it doesn't take much to slam him up there, or even hold him at the taller man's eye level. At least this doesn't make him bleed, but Peter does grunt as the air is knocked out of him. Otherwise, he'd been expecting it. There's a grimace. And what the man says makes him flinch more. "Has nothing to do with Elle. We broke up last month— haven't even heard from her since then." They certainly didn't break up on terms bad enough to want her to be killed, so pinning this on the small electric blonde isn't something he wants.

Those footsteps at the top of the stairs descend, getting closer and closer - high heels, by the sharp sounds. They slow as they near the basement itself, slightly unsure, like someone who's exploring new territory and doesn't know what they're walking into. That's exactly the case. Niki comes into view a moment later, her last footfall bringing her into the … lab? Living room? What is this place? She's all in subdued colours, or lack thereof, today; skinny black jeans, a warm grey tanktop with a few buttons at the top. There's a second where she just stands there at the foot of the stairs, taking in the sight of Lachlan and Peter in their unhappy place— then, suddenly, they'll have a blonde who looks rather angry herself at their side, after she rushes the hell over. She doesn't say anything— just tries to grab the both of their shoulders and shove Lachlan away from the Petrelli.

"Well tha's just bloody convenient, innit?" snaps Lachlan, giving Peter another small shove harder against the wall. "Tell me how ye know 'r I'm gonna— " He doesn't get to finish telling Peter about what he's going to do to get the information out of him, because just then there's a rather strong blonde grabbing his shoulder and shoving him away. Wired and focused on Peter as he is, the Scotsman isn't even aware of her presence until she's right on top of him. He goes staggering back, slamming into a chair as he goes, and this really, really does not help his mood any. Fortunately, it's enough to keep him from charging again — Mama taught him not to hit girls. "Piss off," he bellows at Niki, but he maintains his distance after recovering from the graceless separation.

Can't hit girls, but can threaten to kill them? Peter leans his head back against the wall and closes his eyes after Lachlan is forced to let go of him, but the hand on his shoulder keeps him pinned a little higher on the wall that his legs can handle. He's still dangling. Not very many inches off the floor, but enough. When he opens his eyes again, he looks towards Lachlan first, "I can't," he explains, finally raising his hand to take Niki's wrist, and pushing away enough to get his feet back on the ground. "Thanks— but— it's okay." In fact, when he says that, he means it. He didn't mind being shoved around for some reason. He can often forgive it, when it happens, since he heals so fast, but this is new. "I'd tell you if I could— but it would put someone in more danger than your sister is in. You have to trust me on this."

Niki looks between the two men, blue eyes sharp with questioning. It's like breaking up a kid fight, just, you know, more violent. She's still holding onto Peter with one hand, and when he moves, she remembers and lets her arm drop. The other is held out defensively toward Lachlan — he looks like a lit fuse, right now, and she's not beyond shoving him again. For all her rushing in and separating of the two, she doesn't actually pry with words; she just listens, maybe trying to piece it together, acting as a barrier while they work out whatever it is they're working out in the meantime. Or not working out.

By the look of things, Lachlan really doesn't care about the person in more danger than his sister. Megan > everyone (except Cass). After glowering at Peter with a tight-lipped scowl for a few seconds, the Scotsman starts forward again — but instead of moving in to start brawling again, he's heading right for the door without a word.

"Lach, you can't go after her. You know that doesn't work. They'll let her go." As far as he knows the worse they'll do is erase a piece of her memory. But they could do worse, yes. A lot worse. And Peter would doing the same thing if he was her brother wouldn't he? Which is why he doesn't physically try to chase after the older man. "I don't even know where they have her. Getting yourself captured trying to find her isn't going to help anything."

Niki watches Lachlan take off, and slowly, her hand lowers from the air to her side. Concerned for a reason she's not even sure of, since she doesn't fully know what's going on, she looks to Peter, then back to the departing Scotsman. 'They'? 'Captured'? "Lachlan…" Now it's making sense, and so, Niki's tone is notably of the warning variety.

Sadly, Lachlan's not exactly rational at the moment, so any attempts at reason and warning are landing on deaf ears. He pauses only a moment to glare back at Peter and Niki before he's silently out the door. Where's Cass when she's needed?

A second is all Peter really needs. Unfortunately, he's had a bad day, and this power just seems to come a little too quickly right now. His balcony is a recent victim. Luckily this is far more controlled, but almost as strong. The dog trainer will find himself grabbed and pulled back, as if physically held by something, and then pushed against the wall. Everyone's getting pushed against the wall. And the young man doing the holding is many feet away, with a hand in the air. "You helped break me out. Do you really think for an instant that they will let you go if you get captured? What about Cass? If they think we're getting in their way, they will do anything it takes to make sure we don't interfere again." Reading Bob's mind while he handled a gun under his desk made that very clear to him.

When Lachlan is suddenly against the wall, Niki's eyes widen and she instinctively takes a step back - granted, he's nowhere near her, and it's beside Peter that she steps, incidentally, even though he's the one who flung Lachlan. She stares over at him for a fleeting moment, suddenly looking a touch more nervous. "…Lachlan, just…" she cautiously begins. "Stop and think about this for a second." Like he has a choice right now?

All sorts of fun little words stream through Lachlan's brain when he's suddenly halted and slammed up against a wall. None of them are really fit for writing. This isn't something Niki can do, so there's really only one culprit (not that Peter's obvious gesturing wasn't a major clue). "Put me down, ye little bastard!" snarls the Scot as he struggles against the hold. It's kinda futile, really.

The hold stays firm, but it's not trying to crush or do harm. Peter could do a lot more with this, but all he's doing right now is holding onto him, keeping him against the wall. As long as he can maintain consentration. He does cast a glance towards Niki beside him, but he can't even look apologetic, not with the expression starting to tease at the corner of his mouth. Is he almost wanting to smile? It looks… wrong. After a breath, he looks back, "They've let us go." His voice is deeper than normal, almost rasped with effort. "They haven't come after us. And we know about them. All they need is an excuse to erase us— to lock us up— to get us out of their way. I understand that you want to go after your sister, but you can't give them a reason to go after all of us. They will let her go."

Niki glances sidelong at Peter; what she sees furrows her brow, out of concern and something else entirely. He does look wrong. It's Lachlan, however, who she focuses on. "Peter's right. If they have your sister … she might be fine," she says slowly with an optimistic bent at the end, taking a step toward the wall Lachlan is invariably stuck to. "Maybe— there's someone you can talk to. Someone who knows the inside." That doesn't sound much like a 'maybe'.

He's not getting crushed or anything, which is good. Lachlan's more focused on getting free of the hold than anything, so he doesn't much notice Peter's slight change in demeanor. After a little more struggling before deciding it's entirely useless, the Scotsman hangs limply and resorts to poisonous glowers at the other two occupants of the room. "Know exactly who I'm gonna talk ta," he growls, shooting a deliberate glance at Peter. There's major conflict, because he knows he doesn't want to put Cass or any of the others at risk, but leaving Megan in the clutches of the Company isn't a very savory option either.

For an instant, with the look he's getting and the growl, Peter actually gets a mild temptation while he channels this ability to do something more with it. That hint of a smile actually becomes more than a hint— but then he blinks and looks at his hand… and lowers the man back to his feet and lets go completely. Deep breath. "Elle doesn't have to prove she's a 'good girl' to me anymore. I don't recommend her." Before she'd at least try to be nice— even if she electrocuted so many of his friends. But after Elena she'd been on best behavior. Now… she could probably kill him.

And Niki has found herself between the two men again. This time, there's more distance between everyone. As Lachlan is freed from the crazy … whatever Peter was doing, she reaches a hand out, cautious, defensive, just as before. Slow down, Lachlan. Stop. Think, the woman's body language seems to say, even if it's probably a lost cause. "There're more options. Someone else. Someone safer."

"Well, I wasna exactly thinkin' 'bout askin' 'er nice," snipes Lachlan once he's back on the floor. That whole bit with Scary Peter was noticed this time. It was a bit chilling, being held up there, helpless, unable to fight back. That's why the Scotsman's mood has taken a turn for the (much) worst. Nobody likes to be made helpless like that. The fact that he doesn't like Elle and that she's so connected within the Company makes her the most ideal target. They'd not want to lose her, and he'd have no qualms putting a bullet in her brain.

How connected she is also makes her the worst possible person to not ask nicely. Peter backs away a few steps actually, and keeps his hands down, trying to compose himself. Exerting power on someone else isn't something he generally likes either, but it's been a bad day. "If you hurt his daughter, Bob Bishop will not hesitate to kill you, or anyone you care about." Probably Cass and his sister in revenge. "He nearly took a shot at me, because I took her away, and she was in love with me." That may have been the only reason he got out of that office alive.

This wouldn't be a good time to mention how that same Bob Bishop gave her a case of cash and told her to be a good girl after she went crashing into his building, huh? It seems like a good time to throw a vaguely alarmed… offended… bewildered expression over her shoulder when Peter mentions Elle and love in the same sentence. Now isn't the time to question what the hell he was thinking, though. "I can call Dr. Suresh," Niki interjects. Mohinder. Mohinder is nice and safe, at least for this, right? In fact, she's already sliding her cell phone out of her pocket.

By Lachlan's reasoning, if he had Elle hostage, Bob Bishop would have no choice but to turn Megan over. Then again, there's also Cass to think about. If she ever got captured, he'd lose it. See, life was so much simpler when the only person he cared about more than himself was Megan. Before he can fly into the face of this perfectly good reasoning, Niki speaks up with her helpful suggestion, and Lachlan's focus shifts to her and her cell phone. "Ye've got 'is number?" And now Niki gets the Glower of Suspicion.

Offended and bewildered expression? Peter does finally manage to look apologetic, or perhaps more ashamed. His eyes lower and he looks towards the floor. Right up until Mohinder is mentioned. If he'd known Niki knew how to contact the other man, it would have saved a lot of trouble with certain things, but… now it's his turn to stay silent. Maybe he'll explain himself later. But now isn't the time.

Niki obviously has Mohinder's number. She's dialling it. She doesn't explain why she has it. Wouldn't help right now. "Just wait 'til we get some answers," she says, glancing up from pushing the buttons on the phone to keep track of where Lachlan is, incase he bolts. She brings the phone to her ear and waits, her jaw set tensely.

PHONE: The other end answers, "Suresh speaking."

PHONE: Niki says, "Mohinder…" Pause. "Dr. Suresh."

PHONE: Mohinder sounds a little surprised to hear the woman's voice, it's been awhile, "Hello Niki. It's a pleasure to hear from you. How are you doing?"

Answers? Forget the answers. Mohinder's just as good as Elle, with the exception being that he isn't the son of Bob Bishop and he doesn't have the ability to fry Lachlan at a moment's notice. "Where is he?" he demands in a low voice, but then Niki's talking on the phone, and he watches her like a hawk.

PHONE: Niki doesn't sound so pleased, on the other hand. Tense would be the word to use. "I need you to tell me something. It's important." The line grows muffled and distant for a moment as she puts her hand over it, moving it away from her mouth to ask those in the room with her: "Her… name. What is it?"

"Megan Deatley," responds Lachlan without hesitation. "If she's hurt, I swear ta God, I'll kill someone."

From where he is, Peter doesn't say a word anymore, just watching Niki quietly. Whatever comes of this, he really does hope that it's helpful, and that it doesn't get the person who talked to him earlier into trouble. Megan Deatley. That's something the brother should answer.

PHONE: Mohinder is immediately on guard based on the tone in Niki's voice. "I'll tell you what I can." He waits patiently on his end for Niki to relay the information to him.

PHONE: Niki, when she comes back on the line, is saying (notably not to Mohinder): "No one's killing anybody." For the geneticist on the line, her voice is less firm, but just as weighty. "Do you know anyone by the name of Megan Deatley?"

PHONE: Mohinder frowns a little at the talk of killing then falls silent at the mention of Megan's name. Fortunately, working at all hours in a lab gives one excuse to have moments to pause, "Sorry about that Niki.. I have an intern that I'm working with.. No. I can't say that I'm familiar with the name. What seems to be the matter?" Lie Suresh, lie through your teeth and perfect hair.

PHONE: Niki says, "I know it's confidential. Look. If you don't tell me, someone's gonna get hurt. … That's not a threat. Someone who cares about her is /going/ to come after her."

This is not getting anywhere. At all. With a grumble, Lachlan steps forward as though about to take away the phone from Niki. "Lemme talk ta 'im," he growls.

The Bat Country room is not empty. There's a bunch of tongue depressors and cotton swabs set up to look like a house and people, and Peter's standing near the wall, while Niki talks on the phone to someone. Peter remains silent where he stands, though his top is a little ruffled, as if he was recently manhandled. As the other man steps forward, he tenses, but doesn't make a move to stop him.

PHONE: Mohinder listens, and when he speaks again, it's in a firm tone, "Niki.. There's nothing for me to tell you." It goes unspoken that Niki damn well knows he can't say a thing, and he's not confirming or denying a thing.

Niki steps back from Lachlan; just a step, but her grip on the phone tightens. "Not a good idea," she tells him tersley, away from the cell.

PHONE: Mohinder then adds, "What makes you think I know anything about this young woman? Is she missing, have you checked with the police and filed a missing persons?"

PHONE: Niki is muffled and distant again as she speaks to someone else, but then she's back — in full force! "I'm really sorry to put you on the spot like this." She does seem sincerely apologetic, but it's hard to catch with all the tension in the air, even over a phone line. "… I just know. Can you look for her? I don't want anyone to get hurt if they don't have to be."

While the others may have been early, Cass is actually running a little late. Down the steps and into the lab, she's talking even before she realizes the mood of the scene. All she knows is that there are people and she was supposed to be here somewhere around twenty minutes ago. "I am so so so sorry," she starts off, quickly pulling her glasses out of her pocket. They're her mainstay in the labs. "I accidentally took an uptown train instead of a downtown—-" Then, however, she notices the silence and the body language. It's not all that hard to pick up on. "What's going on?" She stops dead in her tracks. The poor creative application of tongue depressors and cotton balls go unnoticed for the moment.

"Will ye just gimme the bloody ph— ?" Cue the well-timed arrival of Cass. In the process of attempted to snatch the phone from Niki a second time, Lachlan glances up when his girlfriend arrives, then frowns significantly and takes a step back from the blonde. "They've got Meg," he informs Cass, very obviously extremely disgruntled by the entire matter.

PHONE: Mohinder frowns as he strains to try and hear anything past Niki. Already, he's wondering how this information about Megan leaked. Who spoke? "No one is going to get hurt Niki." Already, he's turning to set out the alert on leaked intel. The clacking of the keys could mean he's looking already for Niki.. so he says, "I don't see anything on a Miss Deatley. I apologize that I cannot be of more assistance."

The arrival of the boss. A little late to stop her boyfriend from going off the handle. Peter looks towards her, and then fills in the rest, "Company has his sister." Whatever happened to this young man today, he looks a little worse for wear. Jaw tense, eyes darkened, and there's even a distinct sight of stubble, as if he forgot to shave. He's usually very good about shaving these days— so that's weird for him.

Niki's gaze shoots over to Cass when the woman enters, but she's not in a position to say hi right this second - so she stays exactly where she is, in roughly the middle of it all, and speaks into the phone. Her eyes don't stray far from Lachlan. My phone, mister.

PHONE: Niki says, "Yeah they are." She sighs. "Are you sure there's… nothing?"

PHONE: Mohinder says, "Niki.. I'm quite sure." Meaning, still not telling you."

"Th-what?" The glasses Cass was pulling out of her pocket are halfway to her face, but she lowers them. Peter looks like hell, Lachlan is panicking and Niki looks hassled. Give her a second to process this. She was expecting mayhem, but in a controlled, hopefully sealed, environment. "They got Megan?" She's heard tell of Lachlan's sister, but this is the first she's known that she had an ability. Or even that she was in Company clutches. "How? And how did you find out? Who is she talking to?" Excuse her, she's a little behind.

PHONE: Niki says, "Hold on a second."

PHONE: Mohinder says, "Alright, Niki."

"Peter." That's the answer to the first question, not the second. Lachlan's a bit distracted right now by Niki's phone conversation and watches her intently.

"Found out early this morning," Peter explains rather stiffly, before he starts to move away more. This is a point of contention and could become one again. The way he says that, though, hints heavily towards not being at all pleased. The tone is raspy, even. It's almost weird coming from him. Even when they went after Carter he wasn't quite this bad.

Niki is silent - listening, not only to Mohinder, but to the others in the room. She doesn't have all the information, either! If one of Cass's questions gets a good answer… something else she can tell the man on the phone, anything to make him talk. No such luck.

PHONE: Niki says, "… Thanks anyway."

… "thanks anyway"? That sounds like the end of a conversation. And nothing got done in this conversation. Lachlan's expression becomes one of bewilderment, but it's quickly pushed aside by anger. "Nah, bullshit. Lemme talk ta 'im." And this time, he's much more insistent when he makes a grab for the phone.

No one is really giving Cass any helpful information. "Well, how'd Peter find out?" Not to talk like Peter's not in the room, she's simply addressing the room for a collective answer. The tone of Peter's voice is enough to indicate something, but she's not even sure what. "So…wait, can /someone/ tell me what is going on? I get that they may have Megan and—-who are you /talking/ to?" Seeing Lachlan make a grab for the phone, she reaches out a hand to stop him and hopefully stop any violence that may occur. "Hey, hold up, she's trying." Lachlan trying to negotiate while angry or when someone he loves is possibly in danger is not something anyone wants to see.

"Does it matter how I know? She's there," Peter actually snaps, not quite meaning to. Not the man's sister, but— ugh. His knuckles whiten. At least he's not knocking anything over without touching it. But still… as it sounds she's exhausted her lead, he's left with quite a problem. Who else could they go to about this? Elle is not an option. Not an option at all. As far as he's concerned she'd be the worst choice ever. His only remaining contact in the Company is someone he can't risk… But then there's one more. He can lie about where he got the info, claim a painting, a vision, a dream, anything… "I can go talk to Mr. Bishop."

If the blonde's expression is ay indication, the conversation didn't go well. Niki doesn't protest, this time, when Lachlan makes a grab for the phone. Her hand frozen in place by her ear, she basically lets him take it, Cass's intervention notwithstanding. "Dr. Suresh," she answers her former boss, although, at the time, she's distracted by staring dubiously over at Peter. "He said he'd never heard of Megan Deatley. I'm pretty sure he was lying."

There's actually a stunned silence from Cass when Peter snaps at her. She looks almost like she got physically slapped on the face. Hard. It's enough to let go of Lachlan as she just /stares/ at the younger man. "I wasn't /questioning/ you, Peter. I was just trying to get the lay of the land. And /yes/ it /does/ matter how you know. So I know what I'm talking about when I can call my father to see if we can get this straightened out." Frowning, she shakes her head. "Look, don't call the head of the Company. He probably doesn't even know. This is underling work to him." She freezes when Niki answers. "Oh, of /course/ Mohinder would lie. He was lying through his teeth when I went to talk to him about Hiro before." It seems like way back when.

Once he's got the phone, hung up or not, Lachlan starts fiddling with the buttons. Somehow he manages to hit the right ones that lead to a redial of the last number, and then he puts the cell to his ear.

"I can't tell you," Peter says, settling down enough that he unclenches his fist. Turning away from them, he steps deeper in the room, until he's standing in front of the house Lachlan spent so much bored time on. Staring at it. Focusing on it. "Wasn't going to call him." In fact he'd been pretty much planning to bust into the man's office by himself and risk getting shot in the head now. Everyone thinks they know someone to go to, and the— wait? … He suddenly turns around and stares at Cass. Her… father?

Once he's got the phone, hung up or not, Lachlan starts fiddling with the buttons. Somehow he manages to hit the right ones that lead to a redial of the last number, and then he puts the cell to his ear.

"Listen ye little bastard, I know ye've got m'sister, an' unless ye want a bloody riot on yer hands, I suggest ye hand 'er over." His negotiating skills are off the charts. "An' if she's hurt, ye'd better pray I dunna ever find ye."

Mohinder clears his throat and speaks clearly, and calmly.. trying to use small words into the phone, "I beg your pardon? Is this Mr. Deatley? I have to warn you.. Threats are not taken lightly."

"Yeah? Well when I shove my Goddamn boot down yer bloody throat, I'm no' gonna do it lightly eith— " And then he's cut off when suddenly he finds himself grappling for the phone with Cass. Lachlan isn't real thrilled with this, damn it. He was getting somewhere. Due to the element of surprise and Cass' shocking strength, she manages to wrestle the phone out of his hand.

"/Lachlan/!" This is not turning out well. Not well at all. The moment Lachlan's diatribe of curses start, the bookstore owner reaches out and with all the strength she can manage, attempts to /yank/ it out of his grasp. He is not going to be getting /anywhere/ with this. Threatening to beat up and riot the Company is not going to get anyone anywhere except for under containment. She's almost positive of that. "Threatening him is /getting us nowhere/!" Just as startled by her own strength, she manages half of what she attempted to do, she gets the phone away from Lachlan, however she can't keep a hold of it. Instead, Cass' momentum continues backwards and the phone goes flying out behind her.

"He's been nothing but kind to me." That's what Niki has to say about the man Lachlan is yelling at currently. She watches Lachlan helplessly - okay, okay, not helplessly, but there's been enough childish phone-grabbing already as Cass gets in on it. Niki strolls through the room with a hand gently touching her forehead, as if she has a headache, which she just might actually have. Nearing Peter, she keeps her voice down as she says, "I don't know what your deal is with Mr. Bishop, but do you really want to jeopardize everything trying to get to Lachlan's sister?" She whirls around in time to see Cass fall down, derailed from her line of thought — which wasn't cold-hearted at all, but logical, because there haveto be other ways. "… Cass?"

Mohinder's brows raise at the fracas on the other end of the line. It's tempting to hang up.. he has /work/ to do.. but.. curiosity wins out. He's a horrid liar and he knows it.

The cellphone goes flying— towards the floor— and gets snatched up before it hits the ground. Peter's pointing at it, and it raises up until and flies over until it's in his hand. And then he sighs a little at what Niki says, and doesn't quite answer. There's actually a hint of a sad shrug. What wouldn't he give up everything for? The phone gets taken back over to Cass and physically handed to her, even if he has to put her hands around it. "Here."

Well now there's a dilemma. When Cass falls and the phone falls, Lachlan actually hesitates, trying to decide which one to go after first. Cass, phone, Cass, phone … Cass, Megan, Cass, Megan. Finally Cass wins out and he moves to help her up. "Damn it, Cassie," he mutters, but it's more exasperated than angry.

Well. At least the phone is out the question now. Cass allows Lachlan to help her up, but nothing in this situation is making her very happy. In fact, she doesn't even thank him for the help up. Instead, she takes the phone from Peter gratefully. "Thank you," she murmurs to Peter. Keeping the phone in a tight grip, she steps away from Lachlan and even Peter. Her voice is very serious. "Mohinder? It's Cass. Are you still there?"

Mohinder is patiently waiting on the other end. This is call #2 on the matter.. As he waits, he's not sitting still.. He's walking through the halls of the medical wing, heading for the outdoors. The noise in the background of the areas he passes through can be heard, "Hello Cass, I am still here. It seems we never talk under the best of circumstances."

This time, Lachlan makes no more attempts to get the phone. Cass is handling the situation now. He trusts Cass. Plus, he doesn't want to knock her down again. Falling Cass is sort of a sobering event, and he can tell she's not happy. Well … neither is he. But at least he's a little more rational now. So he just stands there with his arms crossed, scowling and looking generally displeased.

Once she has the phone, Peter makes his way back over to Niki finally. There's a pause of silence, as part of him hopes that Cass has a better chance, before he finally responds outloud to her. "I couldn't think of anything else to do right now." His only connection to the Company got severed.
Well… the only one he would actually go to.

Childish phone pulling? Perhaps. But it got what she wanted accomplished, for the most part, and now Cass has the phone and can, kind of, be under control. Without bothering to brush herself off, even if it's needed, she just turns around a bit. She can't do this properly if she's looking at Lachlan. "Sorry if we're interrupting your work, but I'm sure you've heard about why we're calling." In complete contrast to Lachlan, she sounds calm, if a bit anxious.

Niki is standing there with a similar disposition as Lachlan; her arms are even crossed by this point as well, although, to be fair, she's not scowling as hard. On Peter's words, she just shakes her head, unconvinced. "I could call someone else…" she says quietly.

"Yes I have and I am sorry that I cannot be of more assistance at this time," Mohinder says as diplomatically as he can into the phone as he heads for the building's exit.

Lachlan doesn't say anything. He just stands. And scowls. Like a big grumpy Scottish statue. Already his brain is working plans. Bad plans. Plans that involve kidnapping.

"Like who?" Peter says with a glance, no longer quite as harsh sounding as he'd been before. Maybe something about what she said actually calmed him down. It's still off, though, colder. Less open than normal. "You have just as much to risk as anyone, Niki. More than some." She has a son. "The person I talked to said she would be okay. She'll probably be released in a day or two." He'd said the same before, but Lachlan wasn't exactly listening.

"No you're not," Cass says just as easily. It doesn't sound sarcastic or even mean. It's just a statement of fact. She believes Niki when she said she believed Mohinder was lying. "Is my father nearby? I'd like to speak to him if he's somewhere in the building."
"Cass.. I am very sorry. I know you don't believe me and I don't blame you.. and yes.. he's back inside. I'm heading on my way out as we're speaking." Which.. would be WHY Mohinder can't talk freely. The morals.. well.. it's becoming easier to forget them, but in situations like this, he dislikes himself. That poor woman has a family who is worried. "Just a moment please, Cass."

"Just— someone," Niki answers, vague as hell, but she slips a hand into her POCKET and tugs a bit of clear plastic out just enough to, maybe, catch Peter's eye; a bit more, and there's a few red and white capsules to be glimpsed inside. "Someone who's helped me before."

More silence on Lachlan's end. Lalala.

The red and white capsules are recognized, but Peter can't help but frown for multiple reasons. One is Cass' father. It's making him think a lot. And then there's the pills. He knows what they are, but he had more. It makes him wonder why she only took the red and white ones, and he had five pills all together. Then again, maybe he needed more because his abilities are a little more complicated than most. Still, he puts his hand over hers and holds onto her. "Be careful with that. We don't know if you need more yet." They might even have to reschedule their plans thanks to this. "Let's not give up on this yet… For all we know she's being released tonight." But— Cassandra Aldric. … Dr. Aldric. Okay, yeah. Now he remembers. How did he never notice this before? (Because he's kinda dumb.)

"Would you mind putting him on the phone?" While she doesn't expect to get anywhere with Mohinder, Cass knows that she can at least get more than just the runaround from her father. Or, at least, she hopes so. Blocking out the conversation behind her so she can focus on background noise and try and gather whatever she can from this singular phone call, she frowns in concentration. "It was your choice," she replies with a scary sort of frankness for someone normally so forgiving. "So, you should be sorry. Now, if you would be so kind, would you please pass the phone?"

There are only two of the pills visible, and maybe that's all she brought; visible, that is, until Peter covers them. Niki pushes them back out of sight. "If she's not a threat…" She rolls a shoulder lightly in a shrug, keeping an eye on the tense conversation Cass has going on.

"Cass. I'm already out of the building, otherwise, I would gladly put him on the phone. Now.. I was serious when I said I could talk. Not here." Once outside, the noises of the corridors are gone, and Mohinder steps away from the building a little further. "Yes. It was my choice, one I made for reasons of my own.." Lowering his voice he says, "I can't talk here. You and Mr. Deatley, meet me in Battery Park.. I would insist that he come alone, but you are an admirably stubborn lady and I know that you will not stand for that. Come alone, or I cannot guarantee everyone's safety."

She. Peter is a little concerned about this, but he doesn't know for sure, and he can hardly jump to conclusions about this sort of things. If he hadn't recently broken up with Elle, and done something to her that makes it difficult to stand face to face with her, she would've been the first person he'd go to. Because Mr. Bishop wouldn't do quite as much to punish her. "Even if she's not a threat, you might need her for more of those…" And since he can't hear what's going on at the other end of the phone, all he can do is pull his hands back and continue touching her arm. The longer he has some kind of physical contact, the more some of the tension seems to lesson and he starts to look more normal.
Yeah, that's right Mohinder. Nobody can withstand the guilt-tripping of Cass Aldric. You bettah recognize.

Also, Lachlan is still silent and scowly.

Well, now, that shocks Cass into silence for a moment and she's not even sure how to handle it. "Uh…thanks?" That's for the compliment about her stubbornness. She thinks it was a compliment…he called it admirable. "How's tomorrow afternoon sound?" Not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, she doesn't insult him again. "Or is this more of an evening, wear all black and give each other code names like Red Fox and Black Dog thing? I mean, I'm fine with either; I'm just trying to navigate the scope of the land."

It was very much a compliment. Mohinder found Cass to be very likeable upon first meeting. Despite the differences of opinion. "More of an evening thing, I should say. You know that I'm not in a position to speak too freely. Again, please come alone.. I meant it about safety. Just yourself and Mr. Deatley. I'll tell your father to call you immediately, I have to be getting back inside." There is no telling who is watching and when around Primatech.

Niki has no reply; she's quiet, listening to the one-sided conversation. She does, at one point, look over at the nearby Peter with some concern; gauging how he's doing. He did look more than a little out of sorts.

Out of sorts, still, from ruffled shirt to stubble, but at least Peter doesn't look quite so… cold and angry. Or creepy. It's starting to get better. A little. "Thinking it might not be a good idea to do this tonight. Sorry this had to happen… I know you had to find a babysitter and everything…" His voice is less raspy, and more his normal voice, with only hints of tension.

Tomorrow afternoon? Lachlan perks up. It sounds like Cass has made progress, and the scowl slips away into something just slightly more hopeful. Just slightly.

"I'm sure." That's finally said with something more like a wry tone. Cass finally uses a tad bit of warmth in her voice. "Don't worry about talking my dad. I'll call him soon." Most of what she wanted to accomplish, she managed with Mohinder, surprisingly enough. "And thank you." Not waiting for his reply, she hangs up the phone and holds it out to Niki. "Sorry. About that." Just as concerned about Peter, she watches him for a moment before saying to Lachlan, "We've got a date tomorrow night, you and I." Plus an Indian chaperone, but that's kind of the point.

"Don't worry about it. Monica was home," Niki tells Peter in a good-natured, if distracted, murmur that's out of place given the context - but, hence, murmur. She reaches out and takes the phone from Cass. "Meeting with— Dr. Suresh?" is her simple question with a raise of her eyebrows.

Telling Peter not to worry about something might well be impossible. So— he worries about something else instead. Looking towards Lachlan and Cass, he seems to be rather— worried. But he doesn't think Mohinder's as bad as some of them. Normally— he would ask to go along, wouldn't he? Follow invisible, or something? Instead, they might think it odd when all he says is, "Be careful."

Well, Lachlan looks rather relieved at that, even if it's minute. "He bringin' Meg?" he grunts roughly. That part's important.
Looking between Peter, Niki and Lachlan, Cass isn't sure if she should reveal that Mohinder's about to break policy in order to meet her and Lachlan. "I don't know if it's going to be him," she says with uncertainty. That part is mostly true. "And I don't know if anyone's bringing Megan. All I know is it's tomorrow night. And we have to go alone." Now that Lee brought up the whole idea of cliches in life, this is another glaring one. Ready to combat with a Peter 'Must Go Along', she's already thinking up reasons why he shouldn't. When…he doesn't offer. She knows Peter well enough that she /does/ find it odd. Once again, she gives the man a curious look.

"Fine." Lachlan has no problem with that. Of course, he'd go alone anyway, with or without Cass. Not that he's trusting of the Company; he's just trusting of his abilities and his connections with dogs. Anything goes wrong, he can mob with a small pack of them. Plus, they're great lookouts in case of ambush. Glancing at the others he adds, "We done here?"

"Yeah… we'll plan for another time," Peter says, letting his hands drop into his own pockets. He can't help but touch his phone briefly. At this rate, he may not quite be in the right frame of mind anyway. Then again his telekinesis is working really well right now… so there is that. That isn't what he needed to use. "I'll call you," he says to Niki. With that, he'll be the first to leave. Maybe he shouldn't be alone tonight, but if anyone tries to follow him out to the hallway he disappears. Sneaky kid.

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