Participants:
| Scene Title | Still a Nebulous Concept |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Savannah hoping to do some research for her book, visits the Suresh Center and meets one of it's employee's. |
| Date | September 25, 2010 |
Suresh Center - Lobby
This is the Suresh Center and not everyone who comes through it's doors is in full control of their evolved faculties. It would be a poor organization if they only helped people who had perfect control. Take this young adult. Maybe early to mid 20's, and standing beside someone who could be a friend, or a girlfriend or even a volunteer for the center, standing just outside the front doors, hands relaxing then drawing up into clenched fists at his side.
"Breath James" The willowy blonde pleads to the tow headed guy. "Just breath okay. Maybe they got someone in there who can help, but really, you just gotta breath and concentrate"
"Fucking concentrate" He's angry and snaps quietly at the young woman who visibly flinches but doesn't flee or even back away. His voice carrying to those approaching the building. "You concentrate. Oh wait, no, you're not evolved, you're not" His voice changes it's volume, at one point with a low bass to it that reverberates in her chest and forces the young woman to put her palm there as if it might stop it.
Savannah's not normally the type of person that's found in the Suresh Center. However, it is a good place to go to talk to people, especially when you're an author that writes Evolved characters. So, Savannah's off to work on her book like a dutiful little author. However, as she approaches the doors to the center, she notes the two outside near the doors.
"Is everything alright here?" She offers, helpfully.
Blondie flicks her gaze towards Savannah as she approaches, shaking her head really quickly side to side, warning off or trying to warn off Savannah. All for naught as 'James' turns to face the person who's decided to try and be nice. He doesn't mean to, in truth, his control is just that bad. "Just go away! I don't need any he-" Too late, Savannah can feel the deep bass too, what one can mistake for that, but in actuality, is telekinesis, which before just pushed off of him in near harmless waves. This time, it flows out, unintentionally, and hit Savannah across the chest, sending the woman back no small amount of distance, onto the grass and gardens. "Oh my god, James!"
Thankfully, it's grass and not cement Savannah lands on, though the blonde goes tumbling into the bushes. The leaves are still for a moment or two before there's rustling in them. "Uh, wasn't… expecting that…" She mutters, the wind knocked out of her.
She can't see what's going on, shrubbery blocking her view, but the front doors are opening and there's the hustle of people, James yelling and the blonde calming him down. Footsteps can be heard hustling across the grass and quite suddenly, there's a hand fishing around qith the purpose of grasping Savannah's hand so she can be plucked up from the bushes. "Are you hurt?" A male's voice inquires from beyond the green. "James's ability got the better of him, I'm sorry for that. He's been doing so good lately. He just had a bad day at college today" When she surfaces, Brennan is there, lopsided smile and concern, grip firm.
"I think I'm mostly okay." Savannah replies as she's pulled out of the bushes. She peers over at her arms and inspects herself, mostly just light scratches from the branches as she was thrown in. "Sore, but I'm okay. And it's alright, I understand. Sometimes these things just happen."
"More often than you can imagine. Least it was just James. Now Derek left just before him. Poor guy is a pyro, and his control isn't that much better" Once savannah is upright, he too is looking her over, checking the scratches for his own need. "Doctor Brennan, welcome to the Suresh Center, is this your first time here? If so, please, don't let this put you off,. Absoloute fluke"
"Guess I was actually at the right place at the right time. I'd rather not like to be set on fire." Savannah states, offering him a smile. "Savannah Burton. And yes, it's my first time here… I guess I just need to be careful who I'm talking to next time."
"Maybe, likely not. Maybe try to avoid talking to the ones that look like they're about to implode. But then again, just call for me." The name tickles something in the back of his mind. He raises a palm, one finger up to tell her to wait a moment and reaches over, plucking up a leaf that stuck to her blonde hair. "There we go, now you don't look like you got tossed tossed into a bush. Can I show you somewhere inside, help you with anything?"
"Thanks, that would have been embarrassing to wear that all day." Savannah states, giving a bit of a nod. "I wouldn't mind sitting down somewhere. I'm okay, it just.. knocked the wind out of me and that's not the most comfortable of feelings." She seems thoughtful. "Really, I'm not sure who I should be talking to anyways. I'm an author and I was hoping to get some people to talk to, research for my next book. Normally my agent schedules interviews and stuff, but I thought that there would be some great people to talk to at the center."
"Ahh well, that" Brennan gestures towards the door, James and his lady friend gone, not even a mark left to indicated where the accident had happened. "I don't know exactly… who you would talk to. I suppose the director and your agent could see when their schedules meet, but, I know how editors can be. Five minutes here, ten there, lots of phone calls and then irate demands for a script followed by down on their knees and begging for the rest of the book. I'm sure that we can find someone. Have you given thought to attending one of the evolved anonymous meetings given here at the center?"
Savannah smiles. "I'm lucky to have a good literary agent, so at least I have less to worry about than most authors." She looks over at Brennan, heading in the door. "Evolved anonymous? I hadn't thought about that. That sounds like a fantastic idea. I mean, would it be okay to do something like that? I don't want to step on any toes or anything."
"Ahh but you're fiction. I think… the … it was a trilogy wasn't it? I think my wife has your books on the floor on her side of the bed." Which doesn't mean he hasn't read her books. He likely will when he gets home, might be caught tomorrow on his time off sneaking in a chapter or two. "It's supposed to be for the evolved and those who are coping with the evolved. I've seen a few family members of those who are evolved attend. You can always inquire with the few who run some of the groups and they can propose you sitting in on a few meetings and listening in." Brennan holds the door open for her to let Savannah in first.
Stepping inside, Savannah nods slowly. "I see… well, certainly, if I'm able to sit in I'd love to do something like that. It seems like a very unobtrusive way to get research done without really having to ask a lot of questions. But yes… The Amplified trilogy, that was me."
"Yup, that's the one. I was a dead man when I didn't pick it up the day the last one came out." A chuckle escapes from Brennan, gesturing for her to follow him up the stairs to the elevated area off to the side with the couches and chairs available for folks to take a seat at while waiting or to relax. He offers his hand out to her, this time to shake properly. "Harve Brennan, negator. Are you evolved or just enjoy writing about them?"
Savannah grins a little before nodding. "I'm sure you were! People still get really intense about having things on the release day." She shakes his hand before she moves to sit down. "No, not me. I've got my own gifts and challenges without having to deal with being Evolved on top of it… so I'm somewhat glad I'm not. I've got a great many friends, though, and I knew about the Evolved before it was publicly revealed, so… I got a lucky break with the timing of my books."
"Great many people knew, before the world as a whole knew." Brennan takes up an armchair kitty corner to her, resting his forearms on his legs and leaning forward with hands clasped. "My wife had been an atmokinetic for years, I didn't know what I could do till much later after that" He shakes his head. "I'm glad though, that it became a public thing. two of my three girls carry the suresh complex and it'll be easier for them, in the future. Growing up with others just like them and not thinking they need to hide it." Brennan sits up then leans back, resting one arm on the arm of the chair, elbow on the other with his forefinger resting against his chin, regarding the other woman. "What's the idea for the next book, or is that still a nebulous concept?"
Savannah laughs. "It's a bit nebulous. I've touched a bit on the ideas of registration in the last one, but these blackouts some people had… I've had a few ideas of things to use based on that. All I know is that it's not the same set of characters but it's the same world." She peers at him curiously. "How old are your girls, out of curiosity? I'd wonder how the third one takes it, with the other two being Evolved as well as her parents… I'm sure growing up like that could be a little strange."
"Nine, for the oldest, five for the youngest pair and a fourth on the way. The youngest ones, the twins, are the the SLC positives. Marlena, it doesn't seem to phase her at all. Maybe it will, when they're older, when they manifest their abilities. Maybe her impending brother will be negative as well. We won't know till he's born. Marlena's different herself, she's deaf so" Brennan shrugs. "We'll have to cross that bridge when it happens, help them all adjust. By then she'll probably be in college and not at home and not have to deal with tempermental teenagers and hormonal swings that bring burgeoning abilities with them. She'll be the lucky one" Brennan grins at that thought. "They'll have it easier though, with a negator for a father"
People pass by, heading for the front desk, Brennan his hand to wave and acknowledge one of the teenagers in the group who goes slinking by and jutting his chin out in a return greeting. "Have you considered the storm, that gripped the eastern seaboard" Brennan offers up. "I bet there could be an interesting story that can be revolved around it. Say.. a set of evolved girls, teenagers, powerful in their own right, and seperated from each other. Force working on either side to either get them re-united again, or keep them apart"
"Well, being deaf means she's special in her own right. Certainly she can't do anything as… grandiose as some Evolved, but usually people adapt to being deaf by strengthening things beyond what most can do… other senses, things like that." Savannah nods. "I can imagine being a negator would make it a lot easier to help with raising Evolved children… and really, helping those working on their abilities. I can see why you'd be a good fit at a place like this." She pauses to consider the ideas. "I had been thinking about having some of the characters be younger, teenagers really. The storm, however, is an interesting concept. Very good plot device, too, if it separates them."
"Sometimes, the more amazing and fascinating things aren't what the meta-humans can do, but what the non meta-humans can do. I apologize if the term offends, we're all human. Just some have far more extraordinary abilities beyond being able to bench press three hundred. She'll be no less loved"
"Teenagers though, I think, would be.. a very popular subject across the board. Older teenager. Adults, teenagers alike would probably pay great interest to the subject. Especially with the context of them being evolved. Are you hoping to make them already manifested or dealing with manifesting?" The plot device comment garners a smile from him, a pointing of his finger in her general direction. "Feel free to steal it. I won't demand writing credits"
"Oh, no, it's quite a good term, really. Since everyone was calling those with abilities Evolved, sort of like it was the next step of human kind, I went with the term amplified in the trilogy mostly because Evolved implies superiority to me, in a way, and that's not exactly the kind of thing I wanted to go with… I wanted to emphasize that these were people who were amplified in some way, enhanced, but still theoretically something that everyone would be capable of doing at some point along the lines. I'm no geneticist, just a wordsmith… and the connotations that come with 'Evolved' can be… difficult, I feel." Savannah says.
"I also try to emphasize the challenges that humankind goes through, both personal and more global. I think you're right on the idea of dealing with manifestation. My characters in the trilogy were in their early-to-mid twenties, for the most part, and so they weren't quite dealing with the same things that say, a group of teenagers might." The author grins. "And as far as credits go… I usually have a whole section in the back where I thank everyone who's helped with research, should they want to be mentioned. I've had quite a few who would rather stay anonymous, despite the fact that I get research from all walks of life, not just people who are Evolved."
"You can't blame them. It's like.. being in the closet with regards to your sexuality. You saw everyone, walking around in male female pairings, they kissed, they held hands, they hit second base in dark corners. Society dictated that you are supposed to be attracted to the opposite sex, that not being attracted to the opposite sex but instead to the same sex was taboo, something to be shuffled away and suppressed. It was unacceptable, it was horrifying to realize that you were not like others. But with time, being gay, lesbian, transgendered or whatever you want to end up calling it, whatever is more politically correct and polite to call that portion of society, portion of humanity, has became more acceptable and less taboo. We see it on television, we read of it in books and see it on the street." There's another wave to someone who goes by before his attention falls back to Savannah.
"But you can still effectively hide, if you desire, being sexually different than the norm, whatever the norm may be. Being evolved, it's much harder to retain that anonymity if you choose it, if you are graced with a not so .. conspicuous ability. Michelle gets upset with me because I left the toilet seat up and she fell in in the middle of the night? That's it, Brooklyn has an inch of snow, traffic is screwed the next morning, god love her fickle french heart. With the new registry, more and more people are discovering that they were born with this different genetic code within them that could manifest into say underwater breathing or being able to hit up paris by running really fast and bending friction to your whims. They have no choice to stay quiet about it, they're brought in and their names plastered across a website." Brennan shrugs his shoulders a fraction. "Anonymity when you are evolved, is nearly non-existant, if you obey the laws"
"Which is why I respect it. I talk to a lot of different Evolved and most of them don't end up thanked other than anonymously in my book. It's some shred of dignity. Don't get me started on Registration, though, or I'll rant to you for hours. I'm fairly well known for my anti-Registration sentiments." Savannah grins a little at that, shifting in her chair.
"I understand the fear for something like that. People are insecure that people won't be able to handle the abilities that manifest. People want there to be something protecting them. They look to the government for that. Which looks good on paper. It sounds good when you can trust the government. But on an individual level, it's an invasion of privacy, a form of discrimination, and one step away from turning the U.S. into Germany under Hitler."
"Not the first time I've heard that. I Know a lawyer who, I swear to god, would paint swastika's all over petrelli if she could. She thinks I'm the kind of person who sticks his head in the mud and ignores what she produces for me to regard. I don't like registration. Does that mean I will refuse to register? No. unfortunately, it became law and I have to obey the law. But what I can do, is work with others, to change it from the inside, through peaceful means, through working with the law and with the government to get to the point where it's not mandatory, where it's voluntary. I like the idea of a place like the Suresh Center here, where if you have an ability, or a family member has an ability, that you can go to get more information, where you can learn to be a more responsible citizen with regards to your extraordinary ability. But to access the government funded support, you do have to register. Which is understandable. At least to me"
There's another shrug of his shoulders, dropping his hand away from his chin to the arm of the chair tapping his forefinger on the cushion. "It's an imperfect system, but nothing was ever perfect coming out of the gate. People yelled that the original act was discriminatory, I was present and part of the announcement when Secretary Praeger announced that it would be across the board. Obviously it wasn't only because the original act was discriminatory. Maybe within the next two years, if the rate of evolved related acts of terrorism ease up, if the acts of obviously racist hatred towards their fellow man and I'm referring to Humanis First, scales back, maybe too the act will scale back"
"Oh, I certainly agree. I'm registered because I have to be. It would be dangerous for anyone not to be at this point." Savannah nods. "I'm not opposed to the Center. There are people who benefit greatly from government assistance. Same way you have to sign up for things such as unemployment, food stamps… it makes sense, it's just forcing people to do it is… a little militaristic." Savannah sighs heavily. "I just see the personal point of view for the individual people. I've met people who've lost jobs, family, homes, all from people trying to fight on one side or another. They're making it into sides."
"But the militaristic tone of things, I believe, is not in response to the evolved individuals as a whole but to the groups who are evoking this response, who are actively and terroristically attacking. It's escalation pure and simple. Frontline was created as a response to the domestic terrorism that was and is occurring on American soil. They tried it here in New York before on a much smaller and less militaristic scale with Scout. Scout showed that they couldn't quite live up to the task, but were pretty close. There was a genuine need for something more than what the NYPD could offer. I think I preferred it when it was just scout but they are gone and now we have Spalding and his crew. That might be another interesting twist on a story. Should probably see if your agent can't get you in to talk to some of them"
"It's sticky, really, not easy. Not in the least. I don't think it ever will be easy. If it was all easy, if the answers just fell into our laps, I'd be scared. I've seen some of the underbelly and I didn't much like it. If you want, I can give you the name of that Lawyer. She's the daughter of the mayoral candidate who was murdered the night of the elections. She could certainly give your some colorful opinions and ideas for your book."
"Agreed." Savannah states, giving a bit of a laugh. "It's not the individuals, but the groups that cause the real problems." She does nod. "I'd love her name. She sounds like she'd be able to give me an interesting perspective. All sorts of people have perspectives that I'd like. It's harder to get people who are more anti-Evolved, though. They tend to be more hostile when it comes to even just sitting down and interviewing for ideas."
"That, I can't help you with. I haven't run across many of those, but I'm sure, if you keep your ear to the streets, you might find someone who will. " Brennan shifts to one side, pulling out his wallet so he can dig out a pair of business cards. Both offered to Savannah, and a pen. "Because Michelle will kill me and it will rain in Brooklyn if I don't bring home your signature"
Savannah grins. "Well, we wouldn't want to upset your wife." She leans in, signing one of the business cards before sliding that and the pen back over to him. The other card is picked up and tucked carefully away in her purse. "I'll keep an ear out. My agent's pretty good at hunting down people. Might be able to get me a phone interview or something with someone."
"Good luck to you on that. I hope you manage to find someone. Catherine Chesterfield. She's over at the Village Renaissance in Greenwich. Don't tell her I sent you, she and I don't see eye to eye. Can't stand the woman actually. Doctor Chesterfield. Through her, you might actually get more than you think" He tucks away the signed business card. "You have any more question, please, call. Come on in. If I have time, I can certainly sit down and talk. Cafeteria food here is actually half decent. Maybe introduce you to Michelle. She'd be giddy to meet you"
"I'll definitely drop by and see her… and I'll drop by here again as well. It's always nice to meet someone who's a fan and I'd love to bug her about her own experiences." Savannah smiles. "I'll be in touch, Doctor Brennan."