Participants:
| Scene Title | Compared To All The Other Times |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Magnes is brought in for additional de-programming and questions. |
| Date | October 13, 2010 |
Compared to all the other times Magnes J. Varlane has been brought into the offices of various law enforcement agencies since he left the field, when he's brought in to the Battery Park City Department of Homeland Security offices and left in an "interview room" on the second floor, outfitted with couches and comfortable chairs rather it's decidedly more humanizing than drab concrete and windowless walls on a basement level.
But Audrey Hanson and Secretary Parkman and step into the room after Magnes has already had some time to get comfortable and potentially help himself to a cup of coffee. Parkman is followed by a smallish woman hugging a leather portfolio. She detains him before he enters the room, opening the folder to point out several items on what is undoubtedly some sort of itinerary, allowing Hanson to enter ahead of her superior.
Magnes is in a plain Green Lantern t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and black sneakers, fidgeting with his fingers as he waits to see just what's about to happen. He tried to call Eileen before he left, but she's time travelling, making that a bit futile, so all he could do is leave Elaine a note saying he'd be back later. "So, what exactly is this?" he asks, trying not to be too confrontational.
Blonde now instead of Brunette, not that Magnes remembers seining her, Audrey eases into the room ahead of Matt when he's pulled back by secretarial type personnel. There's a lift of her shoulders, a gesture with her thumb in Parkman's direction. "He's got the details Mister Varlane, I'm just here with him. Why don't you have a coffee, you seem like the kind who might like something to drink. WOuld you like something to drink?"
After the brief consultation with Miriam, Parkman enters the room and closes the door behind him with a smile before he strides to a couch and sits, lifting a hand to flick his suit jacket open. "Sorry about that," he says with a nod toward Magnes. "Glad you could come in today. We're running on a pretty tight schedule here, as I've just been reminded."
He smiles weakly, then laces his fingers together, leaning his elbows on his knees. "This is a formal thank you for all your previous assistance to the Department. And and an informal apology for spiking The Advocate's ratings."
"I was a cop over a year ago, but you're welcome. And sorry, the Advocate debate got a bit hot. I worked with Tracy Strauss and ended up watching a lot of Glenn Beck for work reasons." Magnes smiles briefly, but a glance to Audrey causes him to straighten up and grab his cup of coffee. His eyes are stuck on her for a while, then pries himself away to stare at Parkman again. "You're Matt Parkman, from the com— from the news. What's going on? Am I in trouble?"
"Not at all, Mister Varlane." Of course the assistance he's given since he wore a badge has either been wiped from his memory or highly classified. "Debate's important," he says with a shrug, then Parkman smiles again and tilts his head, his eyes slightly narrowed as he slips into Magnes's mind with his next words, the expression masked by a slightly conspiratorial, chummy sort of smile. "Still, I didn't mean to scare you or give you the wrong impression. You've worn a badge - you know what it's like on this side of things."
You're done with Messiah. Terrorism is dangerous and not worth the risk. Cut your ties and walk away.
"Huh, that's weird." Magnes says as the stress that's been bearing down on him for weeks is suddenly loosened, and he just quickly nods with a smile. "Yeah, I know what it's like, it really sucks to be a cop. Don't get me wrong, I like cops, I do, I respect them for being able to uphold the law the way they do. I just don't have the mindset to follow the law to the letter, I guess. It's not comic books, you can't just go out and punch a guy, then drop them off at the police station, I think that's the hardest lesson I learned from being a cop."
A glance shared with Parkman from Audrey and an inward mental snort at the last sentence from Magnes. You can't, but Magnes did. Does he still? Likely not, there's not been any sightings of the man dressed all in white. Audrey settles against a wall, arms crossed and watching the twenty something as he and Parkman talk.
"Well, I don't think I'd like it if it was more like comic books," Parkman admits with a slight tilt of his head as he leans back, his real work done. "But we always appreciate information. So even if you can't punch a guy, you can send in a tip, and we can follow-up. There are better ways to be a hero that don't involve taking the law into your own hands."
He adopts a more thoughtful expression, glancing to Audrey for a moment. "You know, I was watching the tape from the show the other day… you seemed to know a lot about how terror cells operate. That from comics, or do you want to share anything. I mean," he says with a shrug. "While you're here."
"I've been exposed to a lot of things in this city, I've never been a terrorist and blown things up, but my life just seems to get crossed with terrorists a lot. It's probably becaues of my ability, but I have people knock on my door sometimes. I punched Emile Danko in the face to save a girl. It's hard to live privately, for someone like me." Magnes takes another sip of his coffee, rather somber and contemplative right now. "Between Shibuya, being on TV so much as a cop, and all of the other times I've had to use my ability in public, there's no real way for me to escape getting asked for help. But I never do anything illegal. I mean if a group asks me to help ship food and medicine to Staten, or save someone who's been kidnapped, and then say that they can't do it without me, what am I supposed to say to them?"
"You ever come across Sylar?" Audrey inquires from her lean against the wall. "When you're out on Staten Island or anywhere else?" She shifts her shoulders a fraction, already knowing part of the answer to the question that she's asked. "You also ever come across any members of a gang named the Loco's? Red helmets with numbers on them, part of a cult"
"I met him once, I didn't know it was him when I did. This was a long time ago, before I had a lot of control over my ability and was a bit more naive. I thought I could help him, so I was looking around. I didn't know what he looked like, really, but then I met him and had no idea who it was. I read him a Galactus comic while explaining how Sylar parallels with the character." Magnes briefly rubs the side of his head, seeming a little embarassed.
"Anyway, after that incident, he's just sort of shown up at different points in my life. I know a lot about his ability, I know that the reason he's killed so many people is because of a compulsion his ability causes, but he has more control over it than he used to. I think he talked to me so much because he just thought I'd be too much trouble to kill, and I'm one of the few people not afraid of him." He shrugs, continuing, "But he's dead now, so yeah… but I've never met any gang."
He's lying. The pull of her lips into a flat line and the way her eyes just focus on Magnes when he does so, leaves a really unamused look on Audrey's face and a raise of eyebrows that seem to say she doesn't quite believe him. "Who else isn't afraid of him Mister Varlane, and if we wanted to talk to individuals who know him, who would we seek out?"
Parkman doesn't say anything when he stands or moves around the edge of the couch, but he does pause at the door, nodding again to Magnes before he looks to Hanson with a slight smile. "I'll leave you with Agent Hanson, if that's alright. I'm sure you'll be happy to answer her questions." That, and Miriam is looking more than a little ansty on the other side of the blind-covered windows. With another subtle nod in farewell, Parkman slips out and back into the steady flow of his busy day.
"Later, Parkman." Magnes nods with a slight wave, then focuses on Audrey, his posture suddenly straightening. "Peter Petrelli, Hiro Nakamura, Micah Sanders. I wouldn't count on finding any of the three for questioning."
"Later, Parkman." Magnes nods with a slight wave, then focuses on Audrey, his posture suddenly straightening. "Peter Petrelli, Hiro Nakamura, Micah Sanders. I wouldn't count on finding any of the three for questioning." There's a pause, thinking a little further. "I'm not sure who all exactly knows him, we don't exactly have slumber parties, y'know?"
"I think it's stupid that they call Hiro a fugitive. He's a time traveler, if he were bad enough to destroy Midtown, there's a lot more he could be doing and there would be no one who could really stop him. There's multiple Hiros, you know, from different timelines. Some don't even know eachother." At least that last part is Magnes' assumption, but, back on topic as he sits his cup down. "I'll stick to Sylar." he agrees, not wanting to seem as if he's trying to humanize the man. "The last time I spoke with him was in December of last year."
"Did you see him after Project Apollo? Secretary Parkman assures me that you'll tell me the truth Mister Varlane. You know he's alive, and we know he's alive." She hasn't moved from her spot even when Parkman left, the grey suit she wears creased around the elbows and her badge there for him to see, a matching unsmiling face staring out from it.
"You scare me, you know. You have that same look that my mother had when she tutored me." Magnes admits, since they're being honest and all. "You know about… I mean, well yeah I guess you are the government. Agent… Hanson? I don't want to lie to you, I love my country, I respect you and every other cop out there, except this guy named Felix. I don't want you to think I lied to protect Sylar, I'm just afraid of my friends disappearing or something, it's happened before. But I'll be honest, I've spoken to him since Apollo."
"You're the first person to tell me that I scare them. I'll take that as a compliment. I'm not interested in your other friends. I'm interested in Sylar. That's all. So how about we restart this. When was the last time, that you saw, spoke or contacted Sylar" Her forefinger taps against her arm, the person in front of her at least a modicum more sane than the last time.
"This one night, some time back in May. He slipped into my room, I asked what he wanted and he said he had problems, and that I was one of the few people he'd have to concentrate enough to kill. His ability compulsions were acting up, and he wanted someone to talk to about it, so he could fight the urges to steal abilities. And then he wanted to know what I thought of him now, versus what I thought of him before." Magnes crosses a finger over his chest, but her expression only causes him to straighten again, placing his hands into his lap. "That's the honest truth, and I told him that the government might be looking for him again."
"Do you think he'll come visit you again? Come near you again? What do you think he considers you? For that matter, now that you're being more honest, who is he close to that you know of and would be in contact with him?"
"I think I'm probably the closest thing to what a person like him can consider a friend, mostly by virtue of him not wanting to go through the trouble to murder me. And…" Magnes seems to stop and really think about the last question, rubbing his chin. "Last I heard, he was in Messiah."
.
"where can I find Eileen. You seem to be a guy in the know" She shifts again, but this time pulls away from the wall, still crossing her arms and walking around the room, nearer to his couch that Magnes resides on.
"I barely know Eileen, I certainly wouldn't know where to find her. She's quiet and mysterious and barely talks to anyone. I'm sorry. I don't even know who she really works for." Magnes seems to get more uncomfortable when she comes closer, squeezing his legs together.
Maybe she's got what she wants out of him, maybe she'll just end up rehashing what they got out of him before, either way, when he starts squeezing, she turns, heading for the door. "Thank you for Answering Mister Varlane, I'm sure Secretary Parkman will be with you again or you'll be turned out and free to go. Have a good day"
"Thanks, Agent Hanson." Magnes stands up, walking for the door, but he briefly stops to look at her and say, "You're a beautiful woman." He firmly nods a few times, then just walks through the door. She seems angry and needs a pick-me-up! Compliments are always good.
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