Participants:
| Scene Title | Fists Of Determination |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Helena tracks down Claude, hoping to convince him to help her. |
| Date | September 25th, 2008 |
Deveaux Building — Rooftop
Helena has been to the Deveaux building before. Of course, the first time she was teleported, while the second involved transportation a little more mundane. Throw in Peter telling her about how Claude trained him, and the fact that 'Sergei' ended up giving a man with such a name a ride out of Level 5, and Helena has a pretty good guess — or at least a strong hope — of where she might find him. She's been on the roof since dawn, and for lack of anything better to do, a way to keep warm, and perhaps as a gesture that, should Claude see it (for all she knows, he's been there all along) could be interpreted as an overture, she fills the little water bins from which the pigeons drink with healthy, clean, rain. How does she do this? Simple; a hand is extended vaguely in the direction of each one, a small cloud slightly bigger than her palm forming underneath. And then she makes the wee little cloud rain.
Claude has not been there all day. He has, however, paid the roof several visits since Helena decided to camp out up there. He can only be thankful for how fast the Haitian pills lost their effect on him after he stopped taking them, otherwise he might not have been so inconspicuous. Which it is otherwise kind of hard to be if you're standing directly next to someone. A scruffy and very much discontent looking Claude appears with a glamourless flicker into visibility only a few steps from Helena, with one word uttered through gritted teeth. "Interesting."
Helena lets out a little yelp with a hop-jump that ends up with her banging her shoulder against the cage frame. "Christ," she says, pressing her hands to her heart. The little cloud promptly dissipated. Swallowing, she takes in the man. "You're Claude." Not a question. "Peter told me about you."
Claude doesn't bother looking at Helena at first, having already looked her over earlier. No visible weapons, makes tiny little clouds— doesn't seem like much of a threat. No, it's the pigeon coops that get a proper inspection now, and he scratches off some chipped paint with a decidedly displeased frown. It could've been worse, he supposes. Then, when Helena speaks again, he straightens and looks at her. "Peter?" He gives an unfriendly smile, and a breath that, with a little more effort, may have been a chuckle. "Who're you, then? His new girlfriend?"
Helena looks him right in the eye. "Yeah." she says. "He and Sylar have disappeared. The guy who gave you a ride out of Level 5? He was one of my people. Well, we're part of the same group anyway. PARIAH." She lets her fingers brush against the screen of the pigeon coop. "I was hoping I might find you here."
Claude quirks a brow at the confirmation. Mockery all ruined! "Hm." The news of Sylar does little to change the man's expression, and with a start he turns back to hastily inspect the rest of the coop. "So what do you want from me, then?"
"Help." the girl says plainly. "I can do what I can for the group by working with the Ferrymen, but from an Evolved perspective, you know more about the Company than anyone I've got access to. And you're another set of eyes, who seldom few can really watch. "I want whatever you're willing to share about the Company, I want you to look for Peter, and if what you did for him is any kind of example as to what your training produces, I want to know if there's anything you can do for me." She takes a breath. "And yeah, I know I'm asking a lot and maybe more then you're willing to give even if you opted to find out more about me, but any one of those things would still be a win as far as I'm concerned." Helena's expression takes on a fierce, intent look.
Claude 's own expressions hardens. He hasn't exactly had an easy two years, and he doesn't exactly seem amiable to anything that's been said so far. "I don't share." He finally decides, turning to face Helena again. When he speaks again, his tone borders on hostile. "I've had enough of companies, groups and organizations— I work alone, and that's that. I'm surprised your dear Peter didn't tell you that."
"Did I ask you to join a company, group, or organization?" retorts Helena, undaunted in the face of the scruffy man's ire. "You don't play well with others. I get that. I don't know if you're interested in sticking it to the company that kept you locked up for however long, but if you're willing to impart what you know about them, well, someone else is putting their neck on the line, not you. Peter's not here, Claire Bennet's been in the custody of her grandmother, and my access to Noah Bennet is limited at best."
That last name brings back memories that Claude isn't sure are welcome, yet manages to clip some of that hostility. "Wait— Bennet's still alive and… working against the Company?"
"His organization is called The Ferrymen." Helena says, watching him closely now that she has his attention in a less hostile position. "Their main goal is getting Evolved out of the country, but they work sometimes with PARIAH. He's been on the Company's Enemy list for years, now."
Claude blinks, then simply laughs and takes a few steps back to look toward the ruined skyline. "I haven't exactly been up-to-date with anything lately, but this takes the bloody cake! Ferrymen. I knew it stood for something, but I hadn't…" He looks back to Helena with renewed interest. Then again… "I've been out of it for two years, and half a dozen before that. Whatever information I've got on the Company is likely to be outdated."
"There's something very.." she tries to put a finger on the right word, "Old School about the Company. Maybe things like passcodes have changed, but I'm willing to bet a lot of their operational protocols haven't. And even if they have, knowing what they used to do is a key to understanding what they do now. If you want a meeting with Bennet, I'm willing to bet I can go-between it for you. If you don't, that's fine too. I'm not asking you to join PARIAH, and I don't have the authority to ask you to join the Ferrymen. I just want your help. For me. And for Peter."
Claude's mind is not entirely made up yet, and it shows in his expression. "I'm not joining anything." This, again, comes out quite forceful. He soon continues in a slightly lighter tone, watching Helena closely, "But alright. I'll see what I can do for you and your merry band. Where and when?"
Helena gets a slightly exasperated expression, but it firms into something resolved and maybe a little hopeful. "I'd like a crash course in what you know about Company operations, first. If we can manage that without throttling each other, then I'd like to know what you can do for us about utilizing our abilities better. So start with me, see if we can deal with each other's crap, and then we can try making friends with the rest of the class. If you want to meet up with Bennet, I'll get in touch with him to set something up, or not at your preference, regardless. Does that work for you?"
"He might have finally seen that big, unmistakable beam of light and left the Company, but Bennet's mistakes still far outrank his good decisions. Last I saw of him, he shot me with a taser dart. I'm not jumping to see him." Claude paces or a few steps, eyes narrowing. "I've got a bunch of information stowed away under a false name. I'm not entirely sure it's still there, but I can find out and fetch it."
"Fair enough." Helena says. "We can meet again, where you want and when you want, when you've got the information…but it's also your own experience I want to know about." Ohboy, is she offering to be Claude's padawan?
Claude cracks an amused grin, head angling back slightly. "You mean outside the Company? Like the bit of training I gave Peter? Why would you want to know about that?"
"Anyone who doesn't want to understand the limits — or lack thereof? — of their own abilities isn't very smart." she says frankly. "We're like ants to the Company. But you know how to work with abilities. You know how to make people think about them the right way, and use them the right way. Or at least with a significantly higher potential." The corner of her mouth quirks as she looks at him. "Sylar's still out there. And at least one other Level 5 who's easily as dangerous. And with Matt Parkman working for Homeland Security, I don't even know how to protect my own mind. But I bet you do."
Claude and compliments? It's beginning to prove a good combination for winning him over, it seems. "I've had to." He pauses, scratching at his chin absently, "Let's say I gather up some things and we meet again for a lesson in how to keep your head attached to your neck," He points to the aforementioned head and neck as a way of illustration, "tomorrow, same time, same rooftop." That's not a question.
"I'll be here." Helena says, hands curling into fists. Fists of determination!
Claude nods. "Excellent." He turns, though before he's even fully facing the other way, he's already blinked out of view, leaving his faint footsteps as the only sign of his departure.
 September 24th: Dodging the Bullet |
Previously in this storyline… Next in this storyline… |
 September 25th: Messages and Farewells |