Participants:
| Scene Title | Like A Siren Song |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Audrey picks the brain of her partner - Cooper - about whether to tell Jane what rabbit hole they're standing on the rim of. |
| Date | January 17, 2010 |
"Day-o… Daaaay-ooh." It's not heard until someone passes a certain door in the Homesec offices. "Daylight come and I want to go hoooome." Inside that office, one Agent Thomas Cooper is hunched over his desk, pen in hand tapping against the files on his desk. The familiar pink box is on his desk, and partially empty, bit of powdered sugar fleck his deck, smudged in spots where he attempted to wipe it away.
He's not the best singer, but at least he's not tone def. When he tries to deepen his voice or toss it above his range, the note waver and crack. "Day. Oh." The song doesn't go any further when, he suddenly realizes he's singing outloud.. a little too loud. Oops.
Lips press together and Cooper's pale green eyes flit to the door. An agent stands outside of the door and just stares at him. Thomas gives him a lopsided smirk and a wave. "Hey, Burt." The agent arches a single bushy brow and slowly starts walking again.
"Oookay. Obviously not a music fan." Thomas murmurs, looking back at the paperwork on his desk, pen going back to tapping, head bopping a bit to the music in his head. Okay… it's not important work, it's a word search he's messing with.
Burt's replaced soon enough with the form of his partner in her button down blouse in blue, navy pencil skirt that promises a jacket that matches hanging up somewhere else. Heels too and blonde hair freshly retouched.
Audrey kicks the door closed behind her with a lift of a heel, a resounding thud that might be about all the warning that he gets as Adurey beelines for the pink box and confiscates a powdered donut then proceeds to claim a chair in his office.
Short manicured nails rip at the carb laden food, popping a bit into her mouth where it's furiously chewed swallowed harshly, rinse and repeat as Audrey eats and stares at Cooper. Not a word leaving her mouth.
Cooper says, "Daaaaa — " Slam! The musical number is cut short as Cooper about jumps out of his seat, pen drops to his desk top and he half turns. His hand goes flat to his chest, fingers curling a bit, "Damn Hanson." Cheeks puff out a bit as he lets out a breath. "Give a man a heart attack."
Eyes flick past her to the door and then to her again curiously. Thumb tucking under his tie, Cooper without a thought brushes his hand down the length of it, before leaning back in his chair. "Okay… considering the viciousness in the death of that donut, I'm going to guess someone royally pissed you off."
The staring is making him nervous tho', it's like his ex use to stare at him when he did something wrong and didn't know what he did. Did he miss a birthday? Brows furrow as he tries to think. A date? Ha… yeah right. Eyes narrow slightly for a moment, before brow light and he asks pleasantly, "Soooo… what's up?""
More death to the donut. She's just neatly dividing it up bit by bit and consuming it, between bites her tongue sweeping across her top front teeth to make sure no small little bit of sweet has decided to take up residence in her well cared for incisors. IF his guess is right, she doesn't deign to nod a confirmation or bark out a denial. Just finishes off the donut before she shifts forward, feet planted at awkward angles and liberates another donut. But it's there. the pull down brows and lines that curl around then and her nose, the scowl that while it seems permanent with her, is even deeper.
Another donut is dying at her hands.
It's subtle… or maybe not so. When she doesn't say anything, Cooper really starts to look worried, so the sole of one foot presses against the tight weave of the carpet and he ever so slowly…. Pushes his chair back and away from the pissed off agent. He does it while looking rather innocent about it.
Hands folding in his lap — maybe he's protecting delicate bits? He'd like to keep those bits. They are fun bits — Cooper can only just watch her execute another donut to her frustrations. "Ooookay." He starts after a moment, thumbs tapping together. "I — am not sure what to say here that won't get me punched."
After a few moments, the stair backs up a little more, wheels giving a soft squeak.
"Why would the the assistant director of national intelligence at the NSA call me up personally to threaten my job and my freedom Cooper, over simple footage of a man being physically taken and drugged from the Suresh Center while he was being interviewed by the Department of Evolved Affairs?"
She lays the question out between bites of the donut, her voice devoid of any anger that is quite clearly on her face. "Why would individuals who supposedly flashed DHS credentials at the front desk of the Suresh Center, not actually have any record in the database of a warrant for the arrest or the detainment of Aric Gibbs, much less any homeland file on Aric Gibbs"
Oh good, it wasn't something he did. Cooper visibly relaxes, a soft sigh escaping him. A hand brushes across his forehead, brows furrowing again as he turns more serious. "So… What you are telling me is… the government is possibly covering up something from it's own employees and doesn't want you looking too closely?"
He pauses and narrows his eyes.
"Though it does beg the question, what are they covering up?" Cooper focuses on Audrey, giving her a bit of a curious look.
"A man who supposedly had an ability switch. I got footage from outside the suresh Center, but I had to give it back, couldn't make copies. They stuck him in some sort of vehicle mounted coffin case in a van by biohazard suited individuals. The vehicle had no plates and I don't know whether it's worth pursuing further. I mean, I don't know how to go further. I just got handslapped and threatened by the NSA"
"Coffins and Biohazard suits?" That makes Cooper huh softly. "I don't remember Homeland having anything like that." It's one of those things you'd remember. "So someone is using our badge as a cover to pick up evolved people?" In metal coffins. "Sounds kinda sci-fi… don't it? Next thing you know we'll have robots roaming the streets and Arnold going back in time…" He trails off and gives a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Never mind, wrong time for jokes." Cooper leans forward and scoots the chair back to the desk. "Part of me wants to know what's going on, obviously… but…" he really hates saying but "…it would be a hell of a risk. Can't afford to lose your job when Sylar and daddy are still out there."
Fingers move to scratch at Cooper's cheek thoughtfully, that shadow of facial hair making it itch, "Anyway that we can do it on the downlow?"
"It's not my case. I was doing this as a favor to a friend in the DoEA. Jane Pak. A favor that is likely going to have my phone tapped and watched for a few weeks to make sure I did drop it" The last of the donut is killed, consumed and left to degrade in her stomach and be processed into energy and fat.
"What do you think we should do? Does our boss even know that someone used DHS credentials to kidnap someone. I mean, Martial law in effect or not, there's usually a paper trail"
"Yeeeah… I don't know." Cooper frowns, really frowns. Head dropping a bit in thought. Oh hey, look there is powder on his tie. He brushes at the striped silk fabric, thumb brushing at a particularly stubborn smudge of white. "That is a tricky one. Do we know if there have been similar disappearances? Using the credentials of DHS in particular?"
He glances at his computer screen curiously, but he doesn't reach for the keyboard. "Old missing person's reports? Eye witness accounts?" He sighs softly, "I wouldn't even really know where to start and like you said… they may be watching you."
"That Cooper is an interesting thing. But if we find anything who the hell would we take it to?" Audrey's torn. What to do? On one hand, it's related to a DoEA case that one of her very few only real friends was assigned to. But on the other hand, there was that second call.
"SOmeone else though, is interested. Someone else knows what I was looking into and is sympathetic. I got a second call not long after with far less threats and more … sympathy"
That's got his interest, Cooper leans back into his seat the smudge on the tie forgotten for the time being. "Someone else? This is sounding like a hell of a rabbit hole you're perched on Audrey." That worries him a little. But then they have been around each other long enough he's allowed.
His head tilts to one side a bit, studying her, "They identify themselves? More importantly, what did they say?"
'Anonymous, didn't leave a name and I couldn't even get a trace or last number called" Audrey shakes her head. "Only that two seperate parties both looking at the same thing have noticed me. Do I tell Pak about this? That her rabbit disappeared down a very big rabbit hole adn I don't know whether there's cake to eat or a walrus on the other end?"
Eyes focus on a point on the wall beyond her, as Cooper considers the question. Pale eyes return and he gives a simple, "Yes." Sitting straight he adds, "Yes, you should. Worse that happens is they slap her wrist too." He gives a bit of a shrug. "Can't hurt.
"Honestly, Hanson. The politics are so thick anymore, you can't make a step without stepping shit." It's the truth. "Let Pak decide if she wants to pursue this thing." His fingers curl and he taps the side of her leg with a knuckle to make sures she's paying attention, giving her lopsided smirk. "I'll back you up, it's what I do. Just watch your step and don't sink so deep we can't get out."
Audrey is paying attention. Mostly. He's right, and she was staring off at the wall while listening and thinking. So she looks his way when he taps her knee, lazily swiping her hand at his his retreating arm. "You mean, where I get suspended for another two months and you're left to hunt for the Gray's on your own while I enjoy walking my dogs?" Part joke, part sarcasm. "I'll tell Pak. There was some other stuff I dug up for her for her case. But I think you're right, see if there's any other missing persons cases where people supposedly were absconded with under DHS purview" Audrey stands, smoothing out her skirt, wiping away some white sugar
"Exactly." Cooper comments firmly. "Life is dull without you ravaging my donuts and smacking me around." He flashes her a toothy smile, both hands resting over his chest, one on top of the other as he declares, "I can't live without you, Agent Hanson." He's of course, joking in the delivery.
But truth be told, it was boring without her around to brow beat him. Turning more serious, he turns back to his deck, plucking up his pen and pulling the word search book back towards him, "Keep me informed. You know how to find me. God knows we live in the same damn building."
"And my dogs like to pee on your tires" This is quipped as Audrey's heading out the door since Cooper's pretty much dismissed her and she needs to physically go hunt down where Jane is so that she can do as Cooper advised and deliver the information in person instead of stowing it away.
"Yeah. I knew you missed me." Cooper calls after, joyfully, watching her leave. Yet, when he turns back to his puzzle books, the smile slide away into thoughtfulness, worry creasing his forehead.
Fucking rabbit holes. Like a siren's song.