Participants:
| Scene Title | The People We Help |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Alistair and Megan meet up with Brennan to ask him if he wants to be more active officially. |
| Date | December 6, 2009 |
The Nite Owl is a survivor from ages past - one of those ancient diners with huge plate glass windows, checkerboard linoleum floor, and a neon owl over the entrance that blinks at those entering. Inside, there's an L-shaped main counter, complete with vintage soda fountain and worn steel stools. All of the cooking is done on the ranges ranked against the rear wall. The outer wall is lined with booths upholstered in cracked scarlet vinyl, tables trimmed with polished chrome. Despite its age, it's been lovingly maintained. The air is redolent with the scent of fresh coffee, vanilla, and frying food.
The Nite Owl's quiet right now, which is not unusual. Most people are at church and it's not near the shift change for the various cops and officers in the area. It's proximity to all things Ferry too has made it an ideal location in the past to meet up, talk what have you. Today is no different, except perhaps that it's two ferrymen and a non ferry individual who are going to be meeting up.
It lucked out that there had been a call for him to be in the area regardless, making a house call on a way back from church. No children with him today they're with their mother and grandmother so it's just the tall, scruff jaw'd physician who's sitting in a back table and nursing a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal with some fruit. Leather jacket, jeans, grey sweater beneath and black shoes, he's just random someone in the diner.
Alistair makes his way in shortly after. He walks up to the waitress behind the counter and puts in his order for coffee before sliding into the seat in front of Brennan. "Thanks for coming over. I would've handled this with a phonecall, but communications have been….compromised." He states with a sigh. "How was your trip over?"
The redheaded woman steps into the diner behind Alistair by mere moments and joins the men. "Hey," Meg greets them as she slides in on Alistair's side of the table. "Glad you already ate," she tells Brennan.
"sorry, stomach got a little too insistent that I eat. I've been going slow though" Communications compromised? Brennan lifts up from the seat just a little to offer his hand to Alistair. "Doctor Harve Brennan, pleasure to meet you. Megan, as always. Hope your communications issues aren't that bad. I don't have some satellites or spare telephone lines hanging around in my medical closet"
Alistair shakes the man's hand before retaking his seat. He unbuttons his duster and just leaves it hanging open, pale blue polo and denim jeans keeping the early December chill off of him. "Unfortunately our issues can't be solved with extra equipment. It's alright. Hopefully we'll be back to normal soon." He says, thanking the waitress as she brings over his coffee.
Megan chuckles softly and flips her own cup over while the waitress is filling them. Cuz coffee's easy enough to get in a diner. When the woman leaves, Megan says, "Mostly we just wanted to say thank you, Harve. You've been a huge help. So I thought I'd put you in touch with Alistair here as a show of faith while we talk. The people we help… would be well served by having a doctor on hand. A real doctor, not just me and some EMT types. If you're not interested — and given what happened and how the vaccine thing played out, I'd understand if you said no — that's all you have to say."
The vaccine incident is a sore point, probably always will be a sore point with Brennan. "No thanks needed but i'll take them anyways. Children are children and they should have access to the basics, no matter the cost. I understand that some of your kids can't get that so, i'm willing to toss my hat into that because, well, it's how I feel"
His spoon is picked up, digging into the oatmeal and making sure to get a bit of brown sugar in with the spoonful. "I have my private practice and my hours put in at the Suresh Center" There's the clinic on Staten Island but that's one day a week and frankly, he hasn't gone of late. "How exactly does a doctor fit into the people you help? What would be the run of the mill needs that I would be seeing to? " He's not going to broach cost. If Megan's coming to him, it's with the hope it will be free. It will be free.
Alistair looks to Megan. "You can fill him in. You know more then anyone what the everyday needs are." he says as he sips his coffee. Alis seems to be off in thought, himself.
Glancing at Alistair, Megan sips her coffee cup before answering. "Primarily, you'd be seeing the ones that we deem requiring medications that need prescriptions. Alistair's contacts generally get us basic medical supplies, but vaccines and antibiotics are always at a premium. I'd like to bring you not just the children but any of the adults that may require full medical care as well, if you'd be willing." She pauses and says quietly, "It's… not an easy job, Harve. Not as bad as some of the places you've seen — that a lot of us have seen — but it's still pretty bleak. It's a lot of people under the radar who need to stay that way."
Because they're just not quite following the law. He's garnered that from his time with Megan. He understands why, may not agree, but he understands. "Staten Island is like Club Med to some of what we've seen" He agree's. "But it's still bad" Harve scrapes his spoon around the empty part of the bowl. "You want to bring them to my practice or do you want me to visit?"
Alistair shrugs. "Whichever is more convenient for you. I do think we should set you up somewhere though… We need to keep plausible deniability. If you're ever asked as to where these people live, you won't have to lie." He sighs nervously, waving over the waitress for a refill. "We need to start thinking defensively now."
Leaving Alistair to answer for the logistics — cuz that's what the man does! — Megan nods slightly to the assertion of defensive thinking. She waits while the waitress comes and refills cups, and only when the woman's gone again does she speak up. "We've already had one safehouse compromised," Megan says softly. "Humanis First killed several of our volunteers along with about a dozen people — including kids — that we were taking out of the area." She looks at Brennan and warns softly, "If word gets out that you're treating Evolved people, you could become a target. It's why we'd want to set you up somewhere away from your own practice."
"Megan, I work at the Suresh Center. I'm surely not treating lab mice there." But it's sound reasoning, especially in light of Humanis First and their interactions lately. He's got children - his own - to think about. "Have doctors bag, will travel. I'll want to talk with Michelle about this. Maybe see if she'd want to do this too once her casts are off" It'd be like, back in MSF, but without the need for a thousand vaccinations for foreign diseases, and likely less guns directed at him. Likely. "I'm starting to suspect your part of the evolved underground railroad"
Alistair raises an eyebrow to Megan, allowing her to answer that for herself. "Anything you can do will be greatly appreciated. By the way, do you know of Dr. Filatov? By reputation or otherwise?" He sips his coffee, as if he can't get enough caffeine.
There's a soft chuckle. "Well, I credited you with picking up on that the second time I showed up at your door with a little on on my hip," Megan replies in a gently teasing tone. "You are, after all, pretty damn observant." She sips her coffee. Glancing at Alistair, she comments softly, "Filatov's clinic out on Staten was doing some of the same kinds of things we're talking about when I was working with Chicago Air out there." Her expression shutters to neutrality when speaking of Chicago Air. "Why?"
"FIlatov" A forefinger rises to scratch at a cheek in thought before scratching his head. "Odds are if he works out of Staten, you might want to be careful, but I've never come across him in the medical community so far. Sounds like Megan here knows more than I do about the Doctor"
Alistair nods and doesn't gloss over any knowledge of Chicago Air (due to OOC ignorance). "He's been helping out with the vaccines and wants payment. An associate wants to bring him in as well, but I just wanted to know of his reputation before we even think about it. I'm a bit out of the loop on that one. I trust our associate but…. I'm not exactly sure if they're thinking with their head or their heart."
Megan hesitates on that one, considering the matter quietly. "His reputation out on Staten was… reasonable. As long as you had money, he'd treat you. Doesn't ask too many questions. It leaves open the idea that he could potentially be bribed or his loyalty bought. However, I've never met the man in person, nor have I spoken with anyone he's treated," she allows. "Frankly, in spite of his pro-Registration sentiments, I'd trust Brennan here more — because doing what we do requires the belief that the system as it stands right now is basically unjust." She glances at the doctor and smiles a little. "I don't know that buying someone's silence is the best idea — because someone else will always have more money than we will."
"You thought to check the state licensing boards?" Brennan offers. "We all have to have our license to practice, if he's a legal practitioner, he'll have to have passed the state boards to practice in this state and any other state. They'll have records too about any suits brought against them" Spoon is deposited in bowl and coffee replaces it in his hand. "I registered because it's the law. It's a law that needs serious overhauling, and some more practical implementation. I can see why some people are reluctant and afraid. But it's imperfect and time will change that. Hopefully. You can always move to Canada" The last is a joke. Maybe a bad joke. "I'm a power negator by the way, if Megan hasn't told you. Come sin handy for her ladies in her birthing class. Come sin handy with my wife when she's in a foul mood and it's starting to rain in the living-room"
Alistair smirks and never got entirely used to people with abilities, seeing as he lives with most flatscans at the moment. "That's interesting." he says with a smirk. "And I'll check him out. I'm not fond of keeping anyone close that needs to be bought off. As I said before, we need to think defensively and stick with plausible deniability. Also…" he says, with a pointed look at Brennan. "If we disappear, you know nothing. And keep it that way. if you don't hear from us, consider it natural and go on about your business." he says, rather ominously.
There's a soft laugh at Brennan. "Yeah… actually, that's the best thing that could have happened to my birthing class, frankly," Megan replies. "The first day he showed up, I had a telekinetic in labor at the Center," she tells Alistair. "Every implement in the room was hurtling at her husband's head." She shakes her head. "Amusing as hell in hindsight, but damn scary firsthand." She slants a look at Alistair, a difference in the gaze — not nurse but soldier-mindset — the only thing that gives away her worries.
Brennan's hand comes up, waving over the front of the table. "This is not the droid we are looking for" Another attempt at a joke and assertion that yes, he understands and smiles wider at the story of the telekinetic. "Everything sterile fell to the floor. Like a rain of instruments. I've only been asked to attend a few of her patients birthings, most have benign abilities that don't really cause an issue. But there are a few who do" he digs into his pocket for a receipt, scribbling down numbers and website addresses. "You can check here, with his name. They'll tell you whether he's licensed, if he's got a board specialty, if there's any valid suits that have been processed against him. Won't tell you about any that he won and were dropped" Brennan scribbles off his numbers too, just in case before passing it over to Alistair. "I can ask around, see if he's published anything in the trades"
Alistair nods and takes the paper. "Thanks, I'll do that. Is there anything you need, off the top of your head? I can see what I can do…?" He shrugs, standing, waving the waitress over for the check.
Megan smiles and says quietly, "That'd be of help, sure." And other than that, she remains quiet. She merely wanted the men to meet, to get Alistair's thoughts on him and to see what Brennan's reaction to all this might be.
"Kill for a healer to get my wife up sooner" But if wishes were horses. "I think I'm pretty good. But thank you for the offer. If I find there's anything I need, I'll ask. Maybe.. A set of ID's, if you have your hands in those pots" This isn't Africa, where money can buy off an official to look the other way.
"Actually, there is. This Kaylee, she claims she didn't do it, and fair enough, if she didn't. It's still pretty damn co-incidental that she comes asking for vaccines for a second imaginary tent. But those Vaccines it seems, made it to your kids at the cost of others. I'll help, for free, with only this string attached. Nobody in your camp pulls that shit again. I can buy vaccines, I can write it off as charitable, I can registers your kids under other names if they need to come into my clinic, but that needs to not ever happen again. Those were good folks too, who lost out even if it was for children. Everyone's important"
Alistair holds up his hands defensively. "I honestly don't know what happened there but you're right. From now on everything will be on the up-and-up, and I'll look into getting you those ID's. I'll call you during the week to get more info on that." he says as the waitress brings the bill. He pays it, and leaves a decent tip, but nothing overly generous. "Thanks again. I need to head out. More people to actually interface with." he says with a sigh as he runs his hands through his hair.
Megan grimaces slightly, but she nods in agreement with Alistair. She's perfectly all right with this condition. "Later, Alistair." She grins faintly at him. "get out a little more, willya? You look like you live in a cave," she teases.
Brennan looks down at his watch. "I should be heading out too. The girl are wanting to go ice skating" And who's he to turn them down. "You're welcome to come join us, get out of your own cave" he offers to Megan after Alistair has made his way out.
Megan hesitates. "It sounds… like fun," she admits a bit. "If Michelle doesn't mind." Far be it for Megan to make the other woman think something's going on!
"Michelle won't mind" Spoken like a man who's confidant that his wife is not the green eye'd type. "Lets go" Scooping up his car key's from the table. "If you drove, just follow behind me or I can drop you off back here. Only be a few hours really"
"I walked," Megan replies. "You can drop me later." She smiles and gets up from the table to join the good doctor and his daughters for a few hours of entertainment.