Let Me Show You Around

Participants:

ben_icon.gif helena_icon.gif teo_icon.gif

Scene Title Let Me Show You Around
Synopsis Helena gives Ben a tour of the dispensary. Teo shows up with a proposal.
Date January 12, 2008

Old Dispensary

On the outside, this sprawling multi-level complex has not seen use in many years, its walls covered in greenery and stone exterior and glass windows showing evidence of disrepair. Surrounded by a chain link fence, a drive leads from the street to a large dock, and around the back one can expect to find more sprawling greenery that eventually leads to a concrete drop off into the Atlantic Ocean.

Passing through the chainlink fence and into the dispensary will reveal that the aged and crumbling outside is a facade. The loading dock is kept clear for the most part of everything save vehicles and supplies, though a section has been quartered off and transformed into an open workshop. The dispensary itself has been transformed into something akin to a makeshift dormitory, complete with common areas, a sizable kitchen and eating area, with various rooms converted into bedrooms for the residence. One room has even been set up as a makeshift clinic, amply stocked with supplies.

The back lawn and garden of the dispensary is surprisingly well tended, green and lush during the right months. Vegetables have been planted in accordance to season closer to the building, though someone has indulgently planted a plots of flowers - notably sunflowers - here and there. Further out, the ground drops a little and makes it to a concrete edge from which opens out into deeper water of the Atlantic.


Helena left a message on Ben's disposable phone, offering to 'show him the new place'. The place to meet up? The Staten Island Ferry. If he messaged her back, then she'd be waiting to take him to the dispensary, an old building nudged up close to the Atlantic ocean.

Ben did text back; now he's walking down to the Ferry, dressed in his civilian attire (no uniform right now) with his hands in his pockets and his breath misting the air in front of him. He's also taken a little tour around the perimeter before actually approaching her. Can't be too careful.

Helena is in her normal, not-being-stealthy togs of t-shirt and cargo pants, long hair braided down her back. She gives Ben an easy smile when he does make an obvious approach, not in the least bothered or surprised by his making a circuit first. "Hey." she greets easily when he does finally approach. "I've got a car." He has not seen her since that night when they found the truck. Not only is she on her own two feet, there's not even a limp.

Ben's pretty quick to check up on things like that. He smiles very faintly. "Abby? Good, good." A glance around. "What kind of car?"

As they walk to the ferry's parking lot, she indicates a very mundane looking Honda Accord. And perhaps amusingly, looks relieved. "Yeah, Abby." She unlocks the cardoor and swings herself into the driver's seat. "It's not too far from here."

Ben opens up the passenger side and settles in, buckling up like a good Boy Scout. "Wait. Are you old enough to drive?" Straightfaced.

Helena's smirks as she too buckles up and turns on the ignition. "You know, one day I'm going to show up at your work with pigtails and a big lollypop and a schoolgirl uniform with knee high socks and I am gonna make you so sorry." And they are on their way!

Ben makes a noise that is not particularly amused; he mostly watches the scenery (such that it is) go by. "Where are we going?"

Helena seems satisfied by this lack of amusement. "To the dispensary." she says. "In a roundabout way." She drives like she's checking for tails, makes a few turns here and there, but eventually she more or less heads for the aforementioned building. Coming up on the chainlink fence, she waits for one of the cameras to take note of the car and the gate is unlocked. She drives through.

"Getting more and more upscale all the time," Ben drawls, observing the fence, the cameras. And he hasn't even been inside. The library is a freakin' mess. "Making bigger and better friends, I suppose?"

"Something like that." Helena says as they drive up to a loading dock-slash-garage. Helena parks the car and walks over to a door, looking up at a camera and waving. There's a buzzer, and the door unlocks. Holding it open, she says, "One of the reasons we joined the Ferrymen is the resources they were able to provide us."

Ben similarly raises his mug toward the camera, though he doesn't wave. "That and the lack of bombs and things, I suppose," he remarks, taking the edge of the door and stepping to one side in one of those 'you go first' gestures.
Helena steps inside, looking over her shoulder once she's a few steps in. She starts to say something, and then stops, thinking the better of it. "We've got an area set up as a sort of clinic." she says. "Well, medical area. Would you like to see it?"

Ben follows after her, nodding and closing the door behind them. "I'd love to. That and that'd be extremely helpful if I'm going to work there."

Not so much held back now. "Oh boy, my daily dose of Ben Brand sarcasm! I've been missing it." She winds him down a hall into the main part of the house. The infirmary appears to be on the first floor - probably wise, because the place is huge. A couple of beds, a sink, cabinets - some of which have already been stocked with with some of the basics. "If you have a wish list," she says, giving him a moment to take it in, "Write it up and give it to me. I can't promise I can get everything, but we might be able to manage some."

Ben's eyebrows go up, brushing the bottom edge of his knit cap. "Huh. This is… pretty huge." He unzips his coat, heading for the cabinets, opening and closing and scanning the contents. "I'll write something up, yeah. Impressive."

"Needles, gloves, sutures…that stuff's easy. Medicine's hard." Helena admits. "But once we get some of any given kind, Jennifer can duplicate it as much as needed, so it's not too bad."

Ben turns his head, one eyebrow cocking upward again. "Duplicate medication? Has that been tested at all?"

"How do you think we provided medicine to all those hospitals?" Helena replies mildly.

Ben closes the cabinet he was looking into, nodding. "As long as it's reliable."

"Training area's in the basement, we've a couple of common areas, garden's outback - we've got a decent kitchen finally, and plenty of places for people to sleep and shower without feeling entirely like it's a barracks." Helena says a mite proudly. "Conrad found this place…it's pretty amazing."

"Kudos to Conrad," Ben says, sounding impressed once more. "The training area. What sort of training? I know some basic self-defense, but I'd like to know more."

Helena makes a c'mon gesture. "Self-defense." she agrees. "Also firearms, for those that want to learn them. And helping people develop their abilities…we're still kind of sorting that out. But making sure people know how to take care of themselves, that's the important thing. Claude's going to be teaching people too, but back at the library."

"Firearms would also be something I'm interested in," Ben says, perfectly serious.

"It's a real shame Monica can't teach." Helena admits. "That girl can shoot anything. I mean, seriously. She could pick up a bazooka if someone showed her how just once. But she can't really explain to others how it's done. I'm guessing you're looking for a sidearm?" They end up at another doorway and some steps. As she goes down, "You might want to speak to Conrad or Elisabeth. Maybe Alex. But Connie really knows his guns."

Ben shakes his head. "Already got one," he tells her. "It's usually on me. It's all worked out. I knew some guys in Boston that set me up."

Helena oh's. "I know how to fire one." she says, as they come into the huge basement which indeed, seems to be prepped for people to work out and spar and whatnot. Still, the look on her face suggests she feels uncertain about actually needing one.

Ben glances sidelong at her. "Do you keep one with you? I hardly ever used to."

Helena shakes her head. "I haven't needed one. I've depended on my ability when that kind of situation occurs. I've spent the last two years trying to find different ways to make use of it."

"Mmn. It came in handy," Ben remarks. With the grenade. He doesn't say that, though. "What can you do with it?"

Helena can't help but smile a little - it's clear she loves her ability. "Well," she says, "You know how people get bad weather knees or ankles or whatever? I'm kind of like that, but it's all of me. I can forecast about a week or so ahead, barring any unexpected changes that I might make myself. The weather can influence my mood, and vice versa, if I'm not careful. It seems like a simple thing, but that was actually the hardest to get under control."

"Something like thinking about breathing?" Ben suggests, strolling around the room with a thoughtful expression.

"Yeah," Helena says after a moment. "A bit. Or just having to be more objective about what I'm feeling when I'm feeling it. It can be a bit like being a temperature equivalent of a mood ring if I'm not careful. Bad news kind of sucks for everyone - cold snap. Really crappy rain. But there's kind of a trade-off. It's not that the weather's alive or anything like that - I don't live in any kind of wierd hippy 'Earth is alive' projection, but I feel," she searches for the word, "Connected. Like right now," her eyes go a bit distant, "I can feel this cloud front moving along the ocean. It's not very big and it'll probably burn away, but the sea breeze is carrying it along." Her eyes refocus on him. "When it first started happening, I was really upset. I gave Sleepy Hollow one of the worst thunderstorms it had in years."

"Was that literal? Is there a place called Sleepy Hollow?" Ben asks, glancing back over at her with an amused expression.

Ohboy. Here we go. "Yes," she says resignedly. "It's got about ten thousand people and it's spitting distance from Tarrytown. No, I have not seen the Headless Horseman, nor have I ever come upon old men with long beards sleeping under trees."

"Did you really think I was going to ask either of those questions?" Ben inquires, still looking faintly amused. They're in the basement, in what's going to be the training area.

"If you didn't ask, you'd have made wisecracks." Helena says. "And they would have been so original!" She and Ben are in the basement, which is still in the middle of being converted into a giant training area. "But anyway…weather phenomenon. Most kinds of it, I can do. Mist, thunderclaps - I can make lightning, but it's hard and I can't really control it at all."
"I find your lack of faith disturbing," Ben says absently. "So lightning. Thunderclaps would be useful offensively, right?"

Footfalls reverberate from above, a doggish, retriever-like bounce and cadence that signals Teo's identity about as distinctly as his face and hair long enough to tousle these days. Those other things show after a moment, of course. "Hel? Ben?" He has to stoop to see below the level of the ceiling, peering underneath the edge of plastered concrete even as he begins to descend the stairway. Seeing them, there's a flare of five fingers, a brief wave, a sharp-cornered grin. "Buona sera."

Helena snorts. "Alexander's way more Sith then me. I can't make it from my hands, but I do know of someone who can. I just…you know, get the clouds to charge with positive and negative ions and sort of hope for the best." And then there's an Italian. "Teo." she greets warmly, jogging toward him to give him a hug once he's made the bottom. "I was showing Ben the infirmary."

"I find it lacks medical supplies and beds," Ben says quite dryly, tucking his hands into his pockets and nodding at the basement, which is not the infirmary at all. "Teo. How are you?"

"This is the training area, isn't it?" Teo chimes in at roughly the same time as the other man's wry observation, turns up the corner of his mouth the heartbeat afterward. An arm goes around Helena's lithe shoulders before the other around her head, bundling her hair up into a brief hug while he gives her his torso to reciprocate the same. "Makes sense they'd be close to each other, I guess.

"I'm all right." A phrase that covers a broad enough spectrum of being to pass for truth, at least; he means it when he smiles. "I was wondering if Hel here had a moment to talk about bringing Phoenix's outside contacts into Edward's planning," he says, once he's figured out how to phrase that reasonably politely. He isn't sure if his co-leader would the medic being present for that conversation, though the tacit implication is that he doesn't.

"Infirmary's up the stairs, and we just got down here." She gives the two men a glare. There's a pause, and she studies Ben thoughtfully. Awkward! "Ben was there when we got to those poor people in the truck." she says after a moment. "He's had a dozen opportunities to betray us if he wanted. He's good." Thus, her verdict. "If he chooses to excuse himself to avoid getting in deeper, that's alright, but I'm okay with him staying."

Ben nods, folding his arms across his chest. "As long as you're both okay. In for a penny, in for a pound. Whatever that means." He looks rueful, there.

The Sicilian is instantly contrite, despite the unsmothered embers of a laugh lingering in his eyes when he's subject to Hel's annoyance. "Upstairs. I should've known that," he says. "God knows I'm gonna be in there enough. Beds and equipment should be coming in soon. Allistair should have the address for this place now or soon. Be nice to see that little loading dock in use soon." It's perfect, as far as Teo's concerned, and he's good enough at English to use that word appropriate.

He tucks his hands in his pockets, squaring his shoulders in unconscious physical reflection of their verbal shift to business. "From the look on your face, it seems like you know what that phrase means, amico," he says, his grin going crooked at Ben, before he looks back at Helena. "There's four in particular I trust enough to ask to help, and enough to give me an honest answer and stick to it.

"Flint Deckard, the man who we've put up with the Ferrymen the last few months, who gave us the initial intel on Ethan's cell. Evolved, good shot and demolitions guy, Conrad's old associate, framed for arson-robbery-murder by the Vanguard. Christian Einliter, my Fed. Evolved, former Special Forces, radio specialist, career spook. Minea Dahl, his partner, non-Evolved, ex-military, paper forger. And Edward Dantes, FBI on a hiatus of sorts. Evolved. Owes Hana a favor, also known as his life; he's the boy who tried to collect Volken's head on the TV just the other day."

Helena considers a moment. "Deckard's the one who was feeding info about us to the Vanguard, right?" she queries, expression looking skeptical. "I don't know any of the others. Exactly how would you want us to utilize them?" She's not objecting in principle, but she wants to hear what Teo's got up his sleeve." Absently she notes to Ben, "You realize, with 'in for a penny, in for a pound you get a decoder ring."

Ben pinches the bridge of his nose between two fingers and sort of ignores that. "I'm afraid I don't have any contacts the rest of you don't know, unfortunately."

There's a slight shake of Teo's head, as if to relieve both himself and his co-leader of that notion. "I wouldn't know yet. I don't even know how the three of us are supposed to be utilized," he points out, with a faint grimace as if to say, he wishes it weren't so. He does. "It's Edward's plan. I'd give their names and relevant skill sets to him and Hana and see what they think.

"The Ferrymen's face-morpher should be in a state to help us out soon too," apparently not right now, but Teo isn't one to discuss anybody's personal business until it's immediately pertinent, "if identity disclosure is a major issue. They all own weapons and can land hits. At minimum, they can offer that."

He's doing it again. Helena turns back to Teo. "I don't see the harm in giving their profiles to Hana and Dr. Ray. But I didn't get a chance to tell you, one of our newest is a woman named Gillian Childs. She's a power augmentor, and the deal is, she stays on with us, and we don't directly attack Sylar through this. If he comes at us he's fair game, but no targeting. For what she's capable of, I was willing to make that deal."

Ben's eyebrows both go up toward the edge of his knit cap. Uhoh. "Sylar? That's a bit of a strange stipulation."

"They have a connection." Helena says quietly. "I'm not sure what. He didn't kill her. He started to, but he didn't. I had the means to get away, but there was nothing that I know of that she could have done."

"We weren't operating under the assumption we were meant to execute him on sight, anyway," Teo says, after a moment. It's as much as he's willing to offer by way of agreement, and as much agreement as he gave Eileen. They tried to fill Sylar with lead for trying to cut up the President-elect. The half dozen other times Sylar tried to kill them or theirs is going to land whichever side up it will independent of what Gillian or Eileen want, if he's careless enough to drag his eyebrows around in daylight, undisguised, across Phoenix's path.

He backtracks topics with a twitch of thought and shrug of one shoulder. "I'm going to give Deckard, Einliter, Dahl and Dantes a brief catch-up and overview of the virus and Volken's plan, who else we're working with, and all that shit when I try to get them on-board. That all right with you? It's nothing HomeSec doesn't already know."

Helena considers a moment. "If we've already released it to HomeSec, then yes, that's fine. Leave out Edward's tactical plans for the moment, okay? I don't want that spreading around too much."

Ben removes his hands from his pockets and laces them behind his head. "…I'd still like to have a plan to remove the steamworks from the equation. You were going to say something in the meeting," he prompts Helena.

The request — order — thing — warrants a nod from Teo before he confirms verbally. "As if I know anything worth telling about Doctor Ray's tactical plans, anyway," he says, that same note of exasperation emerging into his voice, though nothing ostentatious. "You take care of yourselves. I should go find Anne. Bomb talk. Unless there's anything else?" Blue eyes find Helena's face, briefly, even as he casts a hand up in pleasant salutation. "Good to have you around, Fletcher."

Helena points out, "You'd know if you kept up with the Catabase." She lets out a quiet sigh, and shakes her head. "Tell Alex I said hello, is all." She looks back to Ben. "The two mass delivery systems would concievably be through the steam tunnels and the high projectile mortars. Steam systems, and wind. I manage control over both of those things."

Ben nods to Teo. "Thanks. See you around." He frowns, pacing a few steps, hands still up behind his head. Like he's relaxin' to think. "Even if you could control that, where would you contain it?"

Helena considers that. "It would depend on the nature of the virus, but there's a few ways I could handle it. I could move it out to sea and let it die out there. Push it higher so it so it dies in atmosphere. I might be able to generate enough electricity to ionize it, I don't know. But you've given me something to think about. Do you know a lot about that sort of thing?"

Ben shakes his head, lowering his hands. "Not particularly. I'm not sure there's anywhere you could place it that wouldn't have detrimental effects. I suppose it might be a question of /how/ detrimental they are."

"It's designed to destroy ninety percent of the world's population. I'd say it's pretty lethal." Helena replies. "Looks like I've got homework to do. Hunh. I haven't had that in a couple of years."

Ben opens his mouth, then shuts it again. He takes a moment to regroup, thinks again, and finally just says, "I'll look into it. Has anyone studied the virus? Some sort of expert?"

Helena looks at him. "What were you going to say?" she asks, a bit resignedly. But then she shakes her head. "I don't know. The Company allegedly has the virus, and there was this woman, a Dr. Knutson, but she's with the Vanguard now. I don't know who else. Parkman might know, though."

Ben nods. "I just think the more we know about it, the better equipped we'll be to figure out how to neutralize it."
"No, I agree." Helena says affably. "I just thought - " she shrugs. "Nevermind. Would you like to see the garden?"

Ben frowns a little, but he nods after another moment's thought. "Sure. Are you keeping it warmer here, too?"

Helena blinks. "Not beyond myself, at the moment. Which I kind of do just naturally. I'm only too cold or too hot when I want to be." She studies him a moment. "It didn't bother you when I made it rain, but I've seen you get kind of irritated when I manipulate the ambient temperature. Why is that?"

Ben gives her a bit of a funny look, almost amused. "…I really don't care about ambient temperature. Where's the garden?"

Helena's lips quirk in irritation, and she turns. "Come on." She leads him back up the stairs, winds through some common areas, and ends up in a kitchen which brings a happy smile to Helena's face upon passing through. Out the backdoor, and into a grassy area, which in turn has the beginnings of a garden, actually in the ground, and not dirty tubs. "It's not much now. But it'll be kind of impressive I hope, in the spring." Her enthusiasm has dialed back some by the time they reach it. "I'm a decent enough gardener. I might bring Jezzie out here to help me a time or two."

"Jezebel?" Ben inquires, looking out over the space. "It could be nice." He pauses, then says, "Gardening is supposed to be therapeutic."

Helena mmhmms, kneeling down and prodding a touch at the soil with her bare fingers. "She's an agrokinetic." She smile a little absently. "Have you seen the Garden? Capital G, the safehouse. It's gorgeous. Plants everywere." She looks up at him. "Your friend." she says suddenly, looking solemn. "Do you do anything? I mean, that makes you feel close to him, even though he's gone."

Ben blinks; he shakes his head a little. "I haven't found anything yet. Do gardens help you feel close to someone?" There's a little frown. Awkward.

"My mother. She was like Jezzie." Helena replies, rising up to her feet and brushing off her knees. "There's not much else to see, unless you want to nose around the common areas and such. There's Elvis' workshop area, but I don't go near it without her permission. There is also, of course," she makes a vague gesture eastward, "The Atlantic. Can walk to it from here."

Ben nods, hands going into his jacket pockets again. "I feel like I should make an Elvis joke but somehow I don't really have the heart."

"Trust me, she's heard them all before. And no one smart once to get on Elvis' bad side." Helena seems just as willing to leave the awkward behind as she starts trudging easterly.

Ben inclines his head, walking alongside her toward the water. "I imagine I'll find out soon enough," he says, and he sounds a little amused again.

Helena snickers. "Yeah, that's true. Of course, it would leave me completely unsurprised if you two got on like peas in a pod. There's a lot to be admired about her. She's not one for bullshit."

"What's she do?" Ben asks, half-tripping on some exposed concrete but righting himself immediately.

They arrive at the drop off of the concrete, and Helena sits down, her feet dangling over the water. "Adrenalized strength. She gets pumped or angry or whatever, and she becomes really strong. Except her bone density doesn't compensate, which means she can still hurt herself."

Ben remains standing at the edge; there's another hint of amusement, but he keeps his eyes on the water. "Sorry, I meant what does she do like profession. That sort of thing." He clears his throat gently.

Helena casts a sidelong glance up and to the side, mouth curling in something between amusement and disdain. Her tone remains amiable, though. "She's a mechanic. A really good one in fact, she works on bikes, primarily. She works in this garage full of scary crazy bikers. I went there once. It was something else."

Ben makes a faint noise but nods. "Cool," he says. And falls silent. Look, it's the ocean! Right there. And everything. "This is a good place. A good setup."

"Thanks." Helena replies and then keels her head back to look at him. "Shall I get you back to the ferry?"

"I should be heading back," Ben says. "Thanks." He clears his throat a little again.

Helena just pretends not to notice. "You'll continue to get passcodes on your phone." she says. "Don't forget to give me that list of stuff you want from the infirmary, alright?" They make their way back to the garage, and back to the Accord so Ben can get himself back to the city.


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January 12th: And Then He Woke Up
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January 12th: Circling The Powderkeg
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