Participants:
Scene Title | 40 Hours Of Normal |
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Synopsis | Magnes has some explaining to do. |
Date | June 3, 2009 |
Primatech Research - Level 2
The call came shortly after his visit with Tracy Strauss. The problem was acknowledged by the Senior Field Agent and to say he was unhappy would be a wild understatement. The instructions were to keep him medicated. His powers have not completely been examined, so he wasn't taking any chances of there being an escape. The list of names that have been given to Len that Varlane contacted have been gone over, and he's spent the night going over the potential damange this could cause this organization.
He thinks he's finally come up with a plan — at least one that will suit his purpose, but he can't possibly believe that he was so wrong about this one. Len rarely makes bad judgement calls. The information given to him by Agent Sawyer and Agent Dahl didn't help the young man's cause one bit. So, he decides he's going to go straight to the horse's mouth.
Acquiring the servies of Agent Dahl, Len's boots clop along the concrete as he moves down to level 2 with Dahl in tow and swipes his card, hearing the door unclick. He secures the card before leading the way inside.
He turns to Minea. "Should be coherent enough to talk, right? Been how many hours? Wake his ass up."
Minea's in a bad mood too. She'd had that feeling that Magnes would fail. Big time. And boy did he ever. It wasn't a delightful knowledge that she and Veronica had to turn him into Len. But the kid had told three people and possibly a fourth knew. Minea nods to the Senior agent. "Been round about long enough, he should be able to come around" It was a room he knew before, not that he'd remember, and Minea walks over to where Magnes is lain prone. Her hand, unkindly on might add. "Up and at em sunshine, no rest for the traitors. Get you ass up Varlane, boss wants to talk with you"
Groaning, groggy, and momentarily grouchy, Magnes begins to stir, "I don't wann—" Quickly his situation sets in, eyes widening, then a sudden wince of pain. "My neck hurts…" Because, well, he hasn't actually slept on a solid surface in about 5 years. "I-I'm not dead. Why aren't I dead? Where's Veronica?"
Len would laugh if he weren't so damned mad. "You're not dead because I don't do business like that. If I did, rest assured you'd be dead already. You've become a liability." The cowboy leans against the wall as he stares down at the lad. "While you were being quizzed about selling us out, do you have any idea what I was attempting to do for you last night?" he asks Magnes.
Minea moves back, snatch up a seat that was brought in, two fo them, for the little chat with Magnes. Arms crossed, ankles crossed, Minea watches, waits, listens.
"And I'm not a traitor, I wasn't gonna quit the Company or even tell Company secrets, I was just gonna try and stop registration so the Company would be the only organization that deals with Evolved. Secretly, that way people like me don't have to be afraid." Magnes explains, hunching slightly against the table. This place seems so familiar! "What did you do last night? And I need my ability back, I can't take not having it, everything is always so heavy, I hate Earth's gravity."
There's a look of skepticism that crosses Len's face as he listens to the young man. "So, why not say that outright when we brought you in. You realize that you've put yourself, those you may be working with, this organization and those you've told in danger, don't you? And yet, last night I was working through channels to secure a Presidential pardon for your ass. Make no mistake, you've not been pardoned as of yet. These things take time, which is why we don't need you running around making waves."
"Thank you." Magnes is polite, even if he's likely in the deepest shit that a shoe ever got stuck in. "But I'm not working with anyone yet, I didn't get that far into the plan. And I didn't tell you because I didn't think you'd approve, you're the government, why would you approve?"
Time to take Magnes to school. "So — you want to stop registration. Do you want to stop the DMV? How about hospital records? How about school records? Why just evolved registration?" Len asks him as he leans against the wall still.
"Because it makes people like me afraid." Magnes quickly answers, his deep frown fully conveying his conviction for the current topic. "It killed those children, it gets my friends hurt when people somehow get a hold of registration information, it makes me and many others feel persecuted. No one makes you register to see, or walk, or breath, it's just how you were born. Registration is dangerous, and wrong." His fingers begin to repeatedly tap the table. "Registration isn't helping anyone, it's just scaring the hell out of us in exchange for making normal people feel safe. But guess what? The real dangerous ones, they're not gonna register, that's what the Company is for. Registration is a load of crap!"
"And driver's license shows your race — or all those racists out there. School records have plenty of information about children for pedophiles who can access them. And hospital records are wonderful for those who like to prey on the weak. So there are flaws in the system. EVERY system that starts out has flaws, Varlane. Every one." Len shrugs. "Yes, there have been issues with registration. The answer is not abolishment — it's improvement. Registration is what we use as a resource when we need someone's assistance. We need a healer and don't have one on staff, we can find one with registration. It's not easy. But it /can/ work and eventually — it /will/ work."
"You don't get arrested for walking around without any of those, you have a choice with those forms of registration. What about the people who don't want to be found, the people who want to be normal? You can't say it's for protection, because like I said, bad people aren't lining up to be registered." Magnes' frown is quickly turning to silent anger, his fists clinching. "And none of those papers, at all, say 'You can't be a free citizen without signing this piece of paper, because you might hurt someone'. But it's all over anyway, my plan didn't work out, and now I'm here with you two. Not only did I fail at stopping registration, but I'm losing my job too, so I can't help people at all."
"You don't get arrested for not registering. In fact, we don't arrest period. If someone looks like someone has no control over what they are doing, we bring them in. We help them. Just like we would like to help you." Len pushes off the wall and walks closer to him. "Look, if you aren't going to be happy working here, then I can cut you loose — call back the White House and cancel my request. Without working for me, I have no basis on which to ask for your pardon. But, if I have to cut you loose, then it's not going to go easy for you. This is not a threat. I have to protect those who work for me and with the little amount that you know - it puts us at risk. If you stay, there are going to be strict rules."
"I do wanna work here, but I don't see how you'd trust me now." Magnes rests his head on his arms, just staring off into space with his defeated look. "I'm never gonna make a difference on my own, in any way. My personal life, except a few small good things, is pretty much going to hell right now. I just wanna disappear for a while, stay here and dedicate as much time as possible to training, no job, no cover until my training is done, I just stay here. As much as I wouldn't wanna worry my friends, just let them think I'm dead, but, Xiulan, is there a way you could erase what I've told her? She, well, she said she'd have lots of people killed if she ever thought I was dead. I think she knows dangerous people, so, I wann avoid that."
"How are we to find her Magnes, if we don't knwo her last name" Minea pipes up. "You said she's evolved, whihc means she's likely unregistered. Do you know where we can find her, to see about helping her forget what you said?"
Len holds up his hand. "We're not going to mind-wipe. I am not a fan. /You/ are going to have to fix this. You'll go back and talk to each person you've talked to, and apologize for making up stories. That your trip to Japan was stressful and that you're going to be taking a break and spending some time alone. You will be monitored. If you do this — we'll get back to your training."
"I can do that, even though I hate lying, it's for their own good, so, I'll do it. I know what to say to each of them." Magnes' cheeks then flush, just as he sits up. Something has just occured to him. "I-I, h-have, to meet Tracy Strauss again?" he asks, almost fearfully.
"You stay away from Tracy Strauss. I'm dealing with her directly. Your pardon is going to rest pretty heavily on her involvement. Stay away from her and you can consider that an order. If I catch you around her, all deals are off and I feed you to the wolves." Len turns towards Agent Dahl. "He's got one more chance. Do you want to stay as his handler, or do you want me to pass him off to someone else? Take someone with you today who can make sure he does as he promised."
"I'll take him" She doesn't want to, but she will. "He's got roughly 40 hours left before his ability comes back. Suck it up magnes, for 40 hours you're going to be like everyone else for once. Try and enjoy it, think of it as a new experience" Minea looks to Len, getting up from her chair.
"Yes Sir." Magnes breathes a deep sigh of relief, so apparently he isn't about to willingly break that order. "Is it normal for this to be so depressing?" he asks, because something is clearly bugging him. Maybe it's the throwing his personal life out the window, maybe it's no longer having friends after this. Who knows. "And do I have to go outside like this? With no abilities? People mugging and just, me staying on the ground, walking everywhere?"
Len turns to head out of the room, only long enough to look back. "I wouldn't complain too much about circumstances if I were you. Things could be far worse. I think you know that. Take it as a lesson learned. He's all yours, Agent Dahl." He leaves the Agent to her charge.