Participants:
| Scene Title | He's A Good Kid |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Seems that Len has a little soft spot for the kid. He tries to make sure he's taken care of. |
| Date | August 29, 2009 |
The relationship between Len Denton and Elisabeth Harrison is one of need. As far as beliefs go, they are opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to dishing out law enforcement, but they also are wise enough to understand that to be truly effective they will have to rely on each other now and then regardless of where they stand on issues of the evolved. The interesting part is that for this particular need that he has, he couldn't think of one other person he would trust to handle it more appropriately and more effectively than Harrison, mostly because of those beliefs she holds dear.
Magnes is nearby with an agent handy. It'll be several hours before Magnes wakens. Len thought of going straight to the NYPD and handing him off, but felt that perhaps it might be best to do this where fewer questions will be asked. So, as they have met several times before, Len Denton awaits for her sitting on a bench in Central Park. He has a gadget with earphones plugged into his ears, though he keeps his eyes alert for her approach.
The call was… unexpected at best. He might be interested to realize that their views on law enforcement are coming more into line with one another than he would believe. Elisabeth took the call, and she agreed to meet him. When she shows up, she's dressed for work — which is to be expected in the middle of the day in the middle of the week. She approaches him on the path, and says, "Afternoon. What can I do for you today, Agent Denton?"
His mama would be proud as the Cowboy stands up at her approach, plucking the earbuds from his ears, as a few strains of country music pipes through. "This gadget is very interesting. I have like a million songs in this little thing." He takes a moment to figure out how to turn it off before shoving it deep into his jean pocket then motions for her to sit. He had it all thought out what he would say to make it sounds more.. human, but in all honestly, he's not entirely happy with the way this all went down.
If you bottom line it, it was his mistake from the start. Sometimes potential doesn't always live up to the billing. Varlane had all the potential, but the Company wasn't really to risk exposure for all the potential in the world. "I've got Magnes Varlane with me. I need your help with him." He finally says.
Elisabeth moves to sit down, and then her brows come together. "Why?" she asks warily. She already knew the kid was one of his, and that sounds somewhat ominous. "What's he done?"
Len feels he can be as honest with her as he possibly can. "I admit I may have overreached when recruiting him to work with us. It seems that our expectation of his adapting was far less than we had hoped. We're having to cut him loose." For lack of a better phrase. "Honestly, he's too good a kid to be doing what we do. He has a concience and I think his moral fiber would compromise what we're trying to do." Only in his line of work would a conscience and having morals be grounds for dismissal. "Look, I liked the kid, but I don't think he's cut out to do what we do." His voice takes on a slight hint of disdain. "When he wakes up, he's not going to remember working for me. He'll remember training at the academy, and is still enrolled. We've also arranged for him to continue to see a mental health specialist at our expense. I just didn't feel right, washing him and pushing him out the door without someone looking out for him."
As he speaks, he looks forward. What he's had to do, is something he's hoped he's never had to do, so that smug, amused expression he normally carries isn't there now. "Can you make sure he's taken care of?"
There's a faint snicker from Elisabeth when he says Magnes is too good a kid, with a conscience. "Christ," she murmurs wearily. The rest of the information, though, sharpens her blue eyes on the tall man. "You know, Denton…. " She looks out over the park, leaving that hanging a long moment, and then finally shakes her head. "I wish anything you just said surprised me at all…. I wish I could look at you with great big anime eyes and be shocked that you mindwiped his ass for being too good a person… or that there is such a thing." She looks back at him. "I'll make sure he gets home safe. And I'll even keep my mouth shut to him about working for you. But… I can't make the same promises for anyone else, Denton — and there are people he's close to who know what he's been up to. What the heck do you want me to do about that?"
He finally turns to look at her and nods. "To be honest, I have no real answers for you there. The fact is, I took him in when the government was ready to throw his ass in jail for the rest of his life for destroying part of Tokyo and that shit ended up on YouTube. I got him a Presidential pardon in exchange for working for us. He's got a chance to start fresh." Len slouches a little against the bench, as for once he actually looks a little tired. The incident at Columbia did not go as he'd hoped, this thing with Magnes, and he has two agents who've gone rogue on him in the last month.
That being said, there has been a few good things. At least Tanner has been taken into custody, regardless of the cost. Colby Martinez will not be spending her life in jail and perhaps Magnes Varlane will find a place in this world where he truly belongs. "I'm hoping that this academy thing will pan out for him. It'll at least give him purpose."
Elisabeth tilts her head and she says quietly, "That was good of you…. though I assume the motives were not in any way altruistic." She smiles faintly, not really amused so much as … rueful. "And I guess we owe you a huge debt of gratitude for bringing in Harvard's killer. Thank you." She hesitates and says to him, "For what this is worth to you… there's a place for what your team does, Denton. The only argument I've ever had with your job is actually nothing to do with you — it's the fact that they should still get trials after you take them in. Trying to change it from the inside isn't a job I envy you." She heaves a sigh and looks back out at the park. "How the hell did this world get so damn fucked up?" There's a shake of her head. "I think he'll make a good cop. He'll sure try like hell, assuming your telepath didn't mess him up too bad." She looks at Denton and says quietly, "Someone's going to tell him he worked for you… and they're going to put their own spin on everything. Do you want me to attempt to do a little spin control for you?" She's willing, if only because in truth … she still thinks Denton might really be one of the good guys, just caught in a tough place.
"What we do, Detective Harrison, changes every day. It's hard to keep up with what the hell is going on. We have too many raging bulls and not enough riders to try and bring them down, and everybody else waving the goddamn red flag." Len pauses speaking as a couple walk by hand in hand. When they disappear past their view, he shrugs. "I wish 14 people hadn't died yesterday. I wish that we hadn't release unknown doses of radiation into the air in the middle of a damn college campus. It was what we had to do, but shit."
"You don't owe me anything, Detective. You tell the kid what you want to do. He already sees conspiracies where they aren't. I would hope the fact that I tried to take care of him at least would warrant some nice words in my direction. I won't ask you to do it, but I'd appreciate it if you did." A small puff of air escapes the man's lips as he exhales. "Shit." His mama isn't around, so it's okay.
There's a bit of a nod, and Elisabeth says quietly, "I know I don't owe you anything, Denton. Especially considering you jerks took potshots at me and Dahl." Forgive and forget? Not exactly. Just… she's been doing a lot of soul-searching in the past month. "I'll see what I can do with Varlane." If only because he's a kid with his life ahead of him. "I'm assuming his pardon still stands in spite of his being released from service?" she asks. Cuz …. otherwise he ain't gonna be a cop.
'They' got him into the Academy, so there's no reason to pull him out now. "Everything still stands. He's clear to finish up there. If you have someone who can keep an eye on him, so he doesn't get himself killed, that would be nice." Len stands, and turns around to look down at Harrison. "He's a good kid." If he hadn't already said that. Maybe one of these days he'll grow out of comic books and video games and make something of himself. I'll be rooting for him." Len offers a smile, even if it is a rather weary one. He motions towards the sidewalk with a tilt of his head. Time for the hand off.
Elisabeth nods slightly. "I'll set him up with someone to watch him," she tells Len quietly. Magnes will outgrow it… someday. "Take care, Denton. And hey? I'm sorry the takedown of Tanner got so ugly." She shoves herself up off the bench and follows him to collect Magnes's prone form — it requires a little finessing to get the kid from their vehicle into hers and all.