Participants:
| Scene Title | Deep Sixed |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Sarisa and Noriko have a talk. Threats are made and Haitians are brought in. |
| Date | January 5, 2010 |
Sarisa's Office
——
In a way this situation is much like getting called into the Principal's office in high school, except that the temporary office of Sarisa Kershner has all of the personal effects of a broom closet. Faux wood paneling on the walls gives the small room a claustrophobic warmth that is drained away in part by the erratically flickering fluorescent lights overhead. The plain metal desk in the middel of the room is decorated only with a flexible-arm lamp that is turned off, and a pair of chairs sitting on the guest side of the desk are perhaps supposed to be ergonomic, with their curved backs, but just wind up being uncomfortable.
Having waited in here for the last fifteen minutes since being called down Noriko Amagi has been given plenty of time ot consider this Spartan office, and wonder who's idea of asthetics it was to afford a plastic fern to collect dust in the corner of the room. When the office door finally opens, and the voice of an unfamiliar woman serves as a brisk greeting. "Miss Allard it's good to see you were able to make it, I just took a look at your medical chart," the blonde woman stepping into the office looks haggard, dark circles hidden under her eyes but not quite enough concealer, blonde hair tousled and her clothing looking slept in.
As she walks across the floor towards the desk, she's holding a stack of paperwork under one arm, flipping thorugh a medical chart. "It's good to see you've largely made a recovery from the stroke," her blue eyes angle towards Noriko, "we have some top doctors waiting back in the states to get a look at your brain after we're finished here to see if any permanent damage has been done by the healer," by the healer, "and I promise you'll be taken well care of in any treatment you may need."
Noriko turns lightly to regard the woman as she makes her way in and she simpley states, "Miss Amagi, if you will." Her eyes clear as she regards the person who is obviously in charge by her manner. Green eyes just regarding her as she talks. Finally when there is a moment for her to get in an edge-wise she states simpley, "I don't want any doctor's poking around my brain, thank you. Especially not ones that you pick." The smile that she gives Sarisa is something that could quite possibley make a penguin feel cold.
"Regardless, I hope that the reason you brought me here is for more than… social pleasentries. As it looks like you'd be better served spending the time asleep," she adds after a couple of moments being quiet, her hands spread on her legs as she crosses them.
Sarisa gives Noriko a look, one dark brow raised quietly. She sets down the stack of paperwork on the desk, then moves to settle in like a tired College admissions clerk into her seat, rubbing one hand across her brow and then pinching her fingers at the bridge of her nose. "I'm well rested," Sarisa lies thorugh her teeth as she slides some of the folders and documents around, looking for something before pulling out a stapled packed and flipping through it. "If you want to refuse medical attention that's well within your right, and I'm not going to waste my breath arguing with you."
She flips a sheet over, scanning down a few lines. "It looks like your agreement when you signed on consisted of a three-hundred and seventy-five thousand dollar deposit into a bank account to go towards a two bedroom condo of your choice in New York City, as well as admission to Columbia University and whatever particulars Miss Mamagoto wanted?" Blue eyes lift up to Noriko, watching her thoughtfully before setting the packet down and sliding it across the desk along with a pen.
"If you could fill out what you wanted on that large blank area for Miss Mamagoto that would help. No need to sign it," she admits with a roll of one shoulder, and there isn't even a place to sign the document. "Also if you could note that you refused medical assistance," she waves a finger down to a line below the 'other issues' area where she was asked to fill out info for Angel.
Noriko smiles lightly at her and replies, "No, it has nothing to do with refusing at the moment. It has much more in the way of not trusting the Goverment that has locked me away illegally, sanctioned various experiments, and I am quite certain that the dirty laundry-list is quite a bit deeper." She leans forward slightly and looks at the woman, eyes looking over her. Looking down at the sheet, she takes the pen and writes in a flowing almost calligraphic scrip, 'ditto'.
"She will get the same benefits I get from this, and speaking of those. What you have given me here, does not even begin to compensate for the horrors that I witnessed and was subjected to while being a 'patriot'. Along with that," Noriko leans forward in her seat and says, "There is supposed to be a criminal record wipe for the both of us, Angel and I. And I want my name taken off any and every pool you might have for this kind of recruitment again. You either approach me and ask me, or you do not bother me. You do not kidnap me and tell me that either I die, or I go off to die."
Slapping her pen down with a firm nudge of her hand, Sarisa levels a brow-furrowed stare at Candy. "Do you realize what we could legally do to you for your cooperation with the Pinehearst organization's infiltrations? Do you have any idea how deep of a hole you put yourself in by agreeing to their assignments? The government wanted you executed quietly and privately, and when we had you in that hospital bed, made you this offer we could have done just that. But instead," Sarisa's voice raises, "I went out of my way and put my neck on the line to get you a fair cut, to give you and— " she waves her hand towards one wall, "so many others a fair deal out of their problems and a fresh start on life, and you don't trust me?"
Blue eyes narrow and she gets up from her seat, leaving her pen and grabbing the document with a yank of the stapled paper, slapping it back down on top of the other documents. "I'm not a kidnapper, I'm not a murderer, and just because you can't see the lines between branches of government organization does not mean that they aren't there."
Taking the paperwork, Sarisa bundles it up to her chest and looks down at Noriko with a stern stare. "You'll get what you originally arranged for with your contact officer before you were shipped out and you'll be lucky if you get anything more." She squints, "If you'd even taken a moment to listen to me instead of threatening me, you would have found out I was trying ot offer you exactly what you were going to demand. But now?"
Sarisa turns towards the door, "I don't have time to put myself out there for people who don't appreciate it."
"People who don't appreciate it? You think I don't appreciate it? Why don't you get the fuck down off of your goddamned high horse and realize what the fuck you just put the people you recurited through," Noriko responds, her own anger obvious. "You took people who have been nothing but mistreated by the government you serve, kidnapped half of them, I might add. And then expect them to trust you? And I haven't threatened you at all. Threatening you is reminding you that you have a mentally unbalance hydrokinetic on board a ship in the middle of an ocean, and, if I read the debriefing correctly, a power augmentor. Do you think they would really think much about rogue wave obliterating thier ship? They might think much about it, but I don't think they'd be able to do anything to anyone if everyone is dead. Now /THAT/ is fucking threatening you. You do not fuck around with me right now. It will not take much for me to decide that this ship needs to sink, and if I think this ship needs to sink, you can bet your money that it will sink." She shakes her head a little and jabs a finger at her seat, "Now, fucking sit down and at least attempt to get me to trust you and your people."
"People who don't appreciate it? You think I don't appreciate it? Why don't you get the fuck down off of your goddamned high horse and realize what the fuck you just put the people you recurited through," Noriko responds, her own anger obvious. "You took people who have been nothing but mistreated by the government you serve, kidnapped half of them, I might add. And then expect them to trust you? And I haven't threatened you at all. Threatening you is reminding you that you have a mentally unbalance hydrokinetic on board a ship in the middle of an ocean, and, if I read the debriefing correctly, a power augmentor. Do you think they would really think much about rogue wave obliterating thier ship? They might think much about it, but I don't think they'd be able to do anything to anyone if everyone is dead. Now /THAT/ is fucking threatening you. You do not fuck around with me right now. It will not take much for me to decide that this ship needs to sink, and if I think this ship needs to sink, you can bet your money that it will sink." She shakes her head a little and jabs a finger at her seat, "Now, fucking sit down and at least attempt to get me to trust you and your people. Seeing as how I really don't want to sink a ship or use my ability." Noriko rubs at her nose a little, the stress she's been under evident for a moment as her mask fades and the tightness in her eyes. When she looks back up at Sarisa, the look in her eyes is faintly apolgetic and tired, should be rather clear to the CIA woman that the asian is at the end of her rope and force of will is really all that's been keeping Noriko from breaking down and just curling up and not moving til she croaked.
Sarisa's brows furrow, blue eyes go cold, and she turns to cross her arms and look at Noriko. "I didn't kidnap you," she states flatly, and breathes in a deep breath. "Maybe you are right…" Sarisa tiredly grumbles, hugging those documents to her chest, "maybe you're right about you being mentally unbalanaced and a danger to this ship and it's crew." Sarisa's blue eyes square on Noriko, and she gives a shake of her head, disappointedly.
"Rene," her call isn't that loud of one, just enough to project to the other side of the door. At that, there is a dampening sensation that settles down over Noriko's shoulders, like a blanket smothering out a fire, or sawdust laid down to soak up a spill of water. She suddenly and abruptly can't feel the water in the pipes across the ship, can't feel the humidity in the air, or even the sweat on her brow in anything more than tactile response.
Stepping to the side from the office door as it opens, a tall man in a camel colored suit, skin the complexion of rich chocolate moves in to stand behind Sarisa. He closes the door once he comes inside, looking from Sarisa to Noriko in mute silence.
"I understand that you've been thorugh hell, Miss Al— Amagi." This is the final straw, the last whick of Sarisa's patience playing out, and it's clear if she's pushed one more step back it won't end well. "We are all under a great deal of stress, so I emphasize how important it is that you pull yourself together and keep an open mind, and listen to me." Rene stands there silently the whole time, looming like a ghost at the back of the room.
"I don't want to have to do anything to you that neither of us want to have happen, but if you threaten the sfaety of everyone on this ship again I will not have any choice but to act in the safety of ship and crew." Breathing in deeply, Sarisa watches Noriko quietly for a moment. "Are you willing to listen?"
Noriko's eyes dart over to the Haitian as he steps into the room, and the absence of feeling that accompanies him. Her muscles tense on the chair as she grips into it, her eyes closing as she tries to remain strong in front of this antagonistic woman. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for her. There is quite for a moment, her eyes closing as she struggles but she can't help the whimper that sounds so pathetic when it comes from her frame after the words that were just said. Her body shuddering as that feeling, that absence of power is not in any way connected to a happier time in life. Once, it was connected to just Moab, which had almost scabbed over. Now, it is connected to the hell that was being Rasoul's prisoner. Her limps twitch, as the voice that comes out of her lips is no where near the confidant one that had once spoken, "Please… stop," she breathes out, and really, its quite clear that being negated like this is torture for the hydrokinetic. So many memories both old and new washing over her. The dehydrated feel of Moab, the utter hopelessness of Rasoul, her mind breaking further under the eye of Sarisa.
Dark brows furrow, and Sarisa watches Noriko with an uncertain expression. She looks to Rene, curiously, and the Haitian just shakes his head and looks back to the young asian woman. "I wish I could trust you," Sarisa states quietly, "but after you threatened that, I can't risk lifting his negation and the rest of the ship." The blonde nods to the Haitian, and then takes a step back. "We'll talk later, miss Amagi, when I'm sure the safety of this ship and all the people on board is not at risk. You gave me no choice, the lives of everyone on this vessel comes first."
At that, the Haitian begins to stalk forward, his dark form closing in on the whimpering and weakened Noriko. Long strides and quick pace in the small room brings him right to her side quickly, and his large, dark hand reaches out for her head with gangly reach. His palm presses to Noriko's head, and Sarisa murmurs quietly, "sleep."
It's exactly what the Haitian is going to help her do, with a pulse of psychic static that at first causes dizziness, and then a heartbeat later, unconsciousness.
Somewhere in the black of sleep, Noriko Amagi hears water.
Sloshig waves lapping against concrete shores.
The cry of sea birds on a world swallowed by the waves.
Where everyone is dead.
Etana may have been deceptive in her explanations of this dread future, but the point is made, the more she uses her ability in anger, the closer she comes to losing everything.
Beep
Herself…
Beep
Her friends…
Beep
Her mind…
Beep
The droning chirp of a heart rate monitor rouses Noriko from her sleep. Blurry vision does not focus all the way, not even once the fog of sleep has entirely pulled back from her. There's an unusual grogginess in her mind, a sensation of swimming in her own body very familiarly afforded by sedatives and opiates, it's not an entirely uncomfortable feeling. Coincidentially, this drug-induced nap is also the first real solid sleep that Noriko has been able to get since returning from Madagascar. But she can feel it, out there, dull but there, the presence of humidity in the air and sweat on her forehead.
"Miss Kershner, she's awake." A nurse turns from the bed Candy lays in, motioning to the blonde talking to a man by the door. Sarisa turns, one brow arched, and nods to the nurse, quickly disengaging from the conversation with the soldier and making her way to Noriko's bedside. Blue eyes narrow, and she rests a hand on the rail of the bed, watching the hydrokinetic carefully.
"Easy," she offers quietly, "you're pretty heavily sedated. I had the doctors take another look at you while you were under," she offers with a sigh, "you were suffering from dehydration and vitamin deficiency, they've got you on a banana-bag IV." She quirks her head to the side, one brow raised. "Aside from groggy, how do you feel?"
Noriko looks at her as she turns her attention to the CIA officer, and if she wasn't so drugged up, she'd most likely try and pull the IVs and everything else right from her arm. She looks at the woman in front of her and says, her voice filled with a dry sarcasm, "Like a hundred fucking bucks." She shakes her head a little while she lays there and says, "Please tell your doctor's to discharge me as soon as you get the chance. There is nothing wrong with me, and I don't need people poking around with me." Her eyes look at her before she says, "You wanted to talk, so talk."
"Playing tough doesn't make you tough," Sarisa notes with a tired sigh, pulling up a stool nearby to sit at the bedside. "You'll stay until that bag drains, and it's four thirty in the morning, so you may as well stay for a few hours and get more rest. If you're going to be any use to anyone you're going to need to take it easy and recouperate. Provided you still wish to participate with this operation…" which wasn't something Sarisa had mentioned at all before.
"I understand Madagascar was hard on you, hard on everyone. I know you were taken through the wringer with everything that's happened, you would be surprised how empathathetic I can be to your cause." Sarisa rests a bare hand down on one of Noriko's, giving it a squeeze. "But you forced my hand back there to protect this ship, and I hope you understand. I am one of the few friends someone like you might have in the government, Miss Amagi. I want to offer you and miss Mamagoto a new lease on life. Clean criminal records, a place to call your own, schooling, a new life."
Blue eyes narrow, and Sarisa takes her hand back slowly. "You don't have to keep fighting for that, not if you don't want to, especially with everything you've had to deal with. You can sign off on what you want for Angel, and then we can send you home with everything you wanted. No strings attached."
Noriko looks at the woman across from her and says, "If I'm here, then I'm here for the long haul. I have friends on this boat that I'm not about to abandon to go back and be all comfortable in New York. And I assure you that I have to keep fighting for that. I've seen what nut-jobs like Humanis First and this… Vanguard, are like." She shakes her head a little and smiles ironically, "A clean life, but for how long? How long until something comes up?"
She brings her head up a little and says, "I can sign off on it, yes." She sighs, and closes her eyes before she says from her bed, "I want to stop fighting, I really do. I can't stop fighting. I was scared to death of my ability when it first manifested. I was a freak. Even moreso than just because my parents were dead and I was adopted." She breathes in and out while she sits there, before saying, "You would be surprised what a place like Moab can do to a scared little girl." A deep breath and then she adds, "In all honestly, I don't really want any reward your government can give me. I'll take it, it makes my life that much more less stressful," an eye cracks open as she adds, "But I will see this through, I will make sure that every last Vanguard goon, grunt, and ring leader dies or is put away in a hole for a very very long time. Never to be released like Danko."
"I think you might be confused, Noriko." Sarisa offers quietly, with remarkably more patience than she did a few hours ago— or however long Noriko was out for. "You say you want to stick through this for the long run, but then when you get stressed you don't seem very concerned about killing all of your friends. I think you're very, very sick…" there's a crease of her brows, "I think you need help, and I honestly don't know if you have the mental faculties remaining after all of your trauma to work in concert with a team and not become a liability to them."
Furrowing her brows, Sarisa leans back in her chair and reaches into the pocket of her suit coat, removing a pair of black leather gloves from inside and tugging them on over her hands. "Why exactly do you want to keep on to this operation? Because we're offering you your freedom, right now, with no strings attached. You can go home, and be free of this forever. It's obviously — in your own words — put you through a lot." Sarisa squints, "what does this mission mean to you?"
Noriko looks at Sarisa and smiles as she spreads her hands a little in the hospital bed, "I am… what the world has made of me, at the moment. I am trying to fix that. This mission means to me…" She frowns at that, and tries to think of exactly what the mission may mean to her, before she finally says, "That wasn't me stressed, back there. That was me angry at you, for acting like I should trust you. I don't know you. I can't really think of a better way to explain it to you. I don't know you, and you are a represenative of a government who has given me the shaft for most of my adult life. You don't exactly inspire a lot of trust from me up front, and then you get pissy when I don't trust you. Do you think I would actually do that? That I would sink this ship just because I had a little stink with you?" Noriko shakes her head managing a weak chuckle for now, "No, I wouldn't. I was reminding you that at the moment, you are literally in my element. Water… its the thing that I command. You threatened me and so I responded by giving you a little reminder that I have the ability to, please forgive the pun, deep six all of your plans while we're on the boat. Just a little something for you to think about."
"It gave me a lot to think about," Sarisa notes with one brow raised. "I think you should go home, Noriko. Forget all this happened and just go back to your life. You're extremely damaged from what's happened, and I'm worried that the pressure of whatever comes next might be too much for you. I can't ignore the threats you made, even if you weren't serious about them. I have to consider that at any moment you could hurt your team mates, and endanger this mission — and everyone participating in it."
There's a reluctant look on Sarisa's face, shoulders rising before she breathes out a heavy sigh. "But you never did answer me. Why did you want to continue here? You won't get any additional reward, yur life won't be any easier… what drives you to do it?" Sarisa seems intent on pulling out that answer, as if it matters.
Noriko looks at the woman in front of her as she says, "Why does it matter so much to you? I've told you why it matters that I continue here. I was locked up in a cell with Claire Bennet for weeks. I have people here that I care about, and that I want to make sure don't get into trouble. You say that you are worried about me hurting people, and yet, you sent us in with Gabriel. The man known for taking people's heads off to get their powers." She shakes her head at the absurdity, while sitting there, before a hand comes up to rub at her eyes. "I am damaged, I'll admit that. But right now, lady, this is the best place for me. I am by people who know what its like to go through what I've been through, and are willing to help me… overcome myself." Her eyes look into Sarisa before she finally says, "I could no more hurt any of the people on this ship right now, then I could make water appear out of thin air." She shrugs her shoulders finally and then just closes her eyes, leaning back and letting the CIA woman take it as she will, though, she will probably notice the hurt air around Noriko, that she won't be there to help them in the air.
"Gabriel Gray is a special man, and while he may be dangerous…" Sarisa smiles broadly, "he's a genius at what he does, and I think putting him on that team was a perfect plan. Besides, Miss Bennet couldn't die from what he does, I think it worked out well in the end." Agent Kershner tilts her head to the side, threading a lock of blonde hair behind one ear.
Slowly rising up from her stool, Sarisa offers a smile to Noriko. "We might have something we need you for then, Miss Amagi. If you're willing to cooperate still." Sarisa's blue eyes divert down to the IV. "Stay here and get some rest," she's agreeing to this really easily all of the sudden, "and let me go have a talk with someone I'm going to pair you up with. She's from the Argentinean team, and I think the two of you will get along very well."
Tucking her gloved hands into her pockets, Sarisa arches one dark brow. "In the morning the doctors will give you a clean bill of health, and you'll need to muster for the debriefing. You should have plenty of time."