This Is Ourselves, Under Pressure

Participants:

mohinder_icon.gif nalani_icon.gif rami_icon.gif

Scene Title This Is Ourselves, Under Pressure
Synopsis Mohinder is found, Rami is called, much fighting occurs. Whats to come of this, who knows.
Date February 7, 2009

Queens


Mohinder hasn't been anywhere in a month. Now that he's able to go somewhere, he finds that he cant. Too many things wrong with him. He's got barely any clothes on save for a long and ratty coat and some too big shoes. He walks along, a bit of a limp and stumble to his step as he goes. He comes upon a dumpster and starts rifling it for something useful. He repeats a formula to himself, almost like a mantra as he goes. "Oxypeptide forty seven, three parts nucletide complex 7, oxygen reducer, centrifuge for three minutes…"

Mohinders grace is that the building he's getting something out of a dumpster for belongs to that of some designer who Nalani was visiting. The tall woman, assistant in tow departs from the building. "The colors are well, and the cuts are fine, I want him for the september issue, we'll have to have the shoot done in the caymans, I want a summer look, for his next line" the voice and tone familiar to Mohinder. "Make sure we secure the shoot." Fired off to Stephanie. Fur collard coat, boots, dark glasses, hair loose, not a care for the weather since she travels by car not by foot. Right now, she doesn't recognize Mohinder because she's not one to look down alley's

"…extract the molecular compound from the centrifugal fluid, and blend with a augmented redundant class three delivery fluid, reionized.." he mutters-talks to himself, coming out of the delta of the alleyway. Nothing good in the dumpster. He sweats, he's disoriented. "I once believed my father to be an angel, and if I squinted, I could see his halo.." he says, his accent and voice unmistakable.

Stephanie maneuvers Nalani out of the way of the crazy homeless man, and ordinarily that would work. Except the nameless homeless man DOES have a name and Nalani knows that voice. "Stephanie, stop" shit. It can be forgiven. "Mohinder?" The dark glasses come up with a wince, the light bothering Nalani to peer. "Holy bloody.. Mohinder" He looks like.. he's homeless and she resist the urge to take a step or two back. "Stephanie, get the driver, now" She's not bothering to suppress it.

Mohinder knows that voice. It was the voice that spoke soothing things to him in the dark for those weeks. What drove him to work twenty and twenty two hour days on pain of death. He knows that voice and that visage. The first he's recognized in days, and the first friendly face in many many times that. He squints, holding a hand to his eyes as if blinded. "Nal.." he says in a hushed, hopeful whisper. "Nalani?" he asks, almost expecting to find nothing or the wrong person there, as has happened so often when he smelled her perfume on the wind as he roamed the streets or thought Rami was next to him, with his voice echoing in his head.

The assistant barks into her phone, calling for the town car to be brought around. "Bloody hell. Come on Mohinder. Your.. ill, I need to get you to a hospital" Even she can see and improperly dressed, hypothermia maybe. "It's Nalani" She offers her hand out, taking a step forward. mentally she makes a list of what needs to be canceled now, to get a hold of Rami. "I'll call Rami, he can meet us at the hospital"

Mohinder shakes his head. "No..No hospital..just need to get somewhere warm and..collect myself." he looks up, "Oh Nalani.." he says softly. "It feels like years since I've seen you."

"Mohinder, you need a hospital…" Nalani protests, even as the black town car is pulling up and Stephanie is opening doors for them. "Fine, where do you want to go Mohinder? I can take you to my place, or we can.. go to yours?" She leaves the possibilities to him. "Can I still call Rami?"

Mohinder shakes his head. "I do not want to be alone right now..yes, please call Rami. I have missed..my friend." now that it seems he is saved. He tries to compose himself by straightening his garments and running a hand through his hair. It fails. Mohinder breaks down in tears.

Men don't cry. Men aren't supposed to cry. But Mohinder is crying. "My place then. Mohinder would you stop crying" using her ability on the man, as Stephanie pulls a handkerchief from her purse and offering it to the man. "You should get in the car Mohinder. I'll take you to my place" She helps him, which is more than she does when her own assistants break into tears. Something has obviously happened. The assignment he was on that Rami told her"

Mohinder immediate stops crying. He pulls himself together. "I don't know why I'm crying.." he says softly, "..I think I need to sit in the car. My legs feel kind of weak.." he makes his way to the car, thinking the whole thing was his idea.

"Probably" Nalani murmurs as Stephanie gets Mohinder in, helping him. "You'll feel better with some food and warmth and Rami will come Mohinder" All his idea, right. The constant ache at her temples hasn't lessened, and she looks at him with a bit of a fearful worry. Stephanie's closing the door and with words, the car is heading off towards her apartment. "What happened Mohinder? Rami said that you were on assignment"

Mohinder shakes his head, "The building I was working in exploded. Kept in darkness…forced assignment…"

"Explosion?" She shifts in the seat, seat belts ignored and be damned. "Mohinder, tell me if your hurt? Are you injured?"

Mohinder shakes his head, "Not grievously injured. Hearing should be back to full in about a week. I think I'm over the worst of the concussion. My..mind is still foggy but slowly coming out of it. Remembering more and more about what lead up to it."

Nalani inhales sharply, digging into her purse, producing a bottle of aspirin and a bottle of water. Constant companions this last week and she offers the pills to him, followed by the water after she's unscrewed the cap. "Take these Mohinder. Aspirin, it should help. There's a doctor who lives in the building, i'll call him, lok you over. I insist since you refuse to go to the hospital"

Mohinder nods, "Very well.." he takes the aspirin and follows it with the water. He looks over, "I never thought I would see you again, Nalani.."

"Shhhhh Mohinder. Rest. You need to rest Mohinder. Your safe. You need to close your eyes and rest okay?" She beckons for him to put his head on her shoulder. "Just rest Mohinder. Your safe now"

Mohinder sighs, as if already wrapped in a blanket of warmth and does rest his head against her shoulder.


Nalani's Condominium


Mohinder stayed asleep, Nalani's use of her power was no held back. The man needed sleep. Time passed, a physician came when called by nalani for the second floor down, looking in on Mohinder and examining him, the bill to be sent later. Tucked into a guest room, some of Rami's Pajamas's on him, the heat in the bedroom a little more than the other rooms. Nalani's cut off all her appointments for the rest of the day. A wing back chair has been moved to the bedside and a tray with soup and other easy on the stomach food is bedside. Refreshed when it's cool so that when Mohinder wakes there's fresh food. The editor in chief is in couture drawstring pants and sweater, working bedside on a laptop watching over the sleeping Doctor. Rami's had a message left for him since he didn't answer.

Rami has arrived.

Mohinder has fevered dreams of angels and demons, of Kali bathing him in fire and rebuiling him in ash. Several times he calls out. Sometimes in anger, sometimes in fear. Every once in a while a name is spoke - "Sylar." or "Odessa". His eyes slowly flutter awake several hours later. He blinks slowly, but doesn't stir. "I have died." he says in a whisper, "And I have been granted the keys to heaven."

Rami is not one to take time returning calls. The only reason he didn't answer the call from his sister immediately was because he was in a meeting at the time. His superiors don't tolerate chiming cell phones, even from people who need to be kept in the loop.

So it's only about two hours after the message was left that he marches through the door of Nalani's building and up the elevators. The desk knows him by now, so he's not stopped. Once he gets to her floor, he uses his own key and lets himself in. Once he's a step inwards, he calls out, in Arabic. «Sister, sister, are you here?»

The laptop is put to the side, Nalani easing forward to transfer from the chair to the bedside, a hand to Mohinder's cheek. 'No. Your at my home Mohinder. I left a message with Rami. Relax Mohinder" Nalani coo's to the foreign doctor. "Your safe now, no one will hurt you, relax, do you understand? Do you want something to drink?" She can't hear Rami, back in the bowels of the condo, but the housekeeper does and she shoo's the man to the back, and towards the guest rooms. Everything's dim save for the bedside lamp, restful.

Mohinder takes a deep breath, "Some water, please?" he asks. His voice is soft, but more 'Mohinder' than the disjointed voice before was. He starts to sit up, very slowly. "How long how have I been here, Nalani?" he asks, blinking still.

Rami follows the sound of voices. His coat is swung off his shoulders and dropped unceremoniously onto a nearby chair. He enters the guest room and stops. He breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god, Mohinder. Are you all right?" He sounds quite genuinely glad to see his friend.

"I can get you water" Nalani reaches for the glass on the tray with the cool water. "Stay in bed Mohinder. You need to stay in bed and rest right now That's the doctor's orders. Warm and relaxe.." Rami's enters and there's stark relief in his younger sisters eyes. "Look Mohinder, Rami's here" She eases Mohinders hand around the glass and helps him sit up so he can drink it. Rami, wait a moment please. He just woke up" Shit. She used it on her brother without thinking. "The doctors been to see him. Concussion, lingering hearing issues, it'll go away. some frost bite and hypothermia. He has a light fever but the Doctor said he'd be fine"

Mohinder takes a deep breath and smiles when he sees Rami, "I'm as good as can be expected.." he says quietly. "So much to tell you that has to wait.."

Rami is unaware that his sister used her ability on him. In fact, if she's ever done it before, he does not know. He can suspect, but an ability like hers is hard to prove. At least until she gets tested. "Nalani. We will take care of him. The people we work for have excellent doctors." But as per her projected instructions, he does not launch into any questioning of where Doctor Suresh has been. Instead, he flicks effortlessly to a common Hindi dialect and asks, «What did you tell her?» It's not an accusation, more a question. If Nalani's put out at not being in on the conversation - well, he'll deal with that later.

"Oh, that's so great to know that you and they will take care of him. When he's wandering the street like some rag tag homeless man, with a thin jacket and ill fitting shoes and digging through alleyways" it comes off a bit more contrite than she meant to, but she frowns, turning to take the water from Mohinder when he's done and put it down. The Hindi dialect means that it's time to talk about something they don't want Nalani to hear so the Arabic woman stands up, ceding her seat to Rami and moving to the window and the blinds that cover the window. Beyond that is a city view, a view of the island not obliterated by Sylar. She's put out. She'll give her brother a piece of her mind after. "He refuses to go to a hospital and I'll not have government people tramping through my place and he's in no shape to be moved Rami"

Mohinder shakes his head and answers in English, "Nothing, my friend..I can't be broken that easily.." he says, a slow smile spreading on his face. He smiles to Nalani as well, not trying to stir. "Thank you." he says very simply and sweetly. He's been gone from her too long, and his attraction and affection for the woman reads on his face like an open book. "I can't go back to them yet, Rami..I apologize. I'm going to need sometime away. I feel..displaced..by them. Our employers, I mean."

"Mohinder. We did everything we could to locate you." Rami steps forward. His jaw grits. Nalani can read him like a book. Frustration. Irritation. The urge to shoot someone. He tilts his head back to look directly at Doctor Suresh. "I wasn't allowed access to information that would have helped me locate you." It may or may not be true. It also may have been a case of a lack of departmental cooperation or he was seen as being too close to the case. Whichever it was, he looks like a dog on a short leash. "But you have my word that we will take care of you."

Mohinder nods quietly, "I know, Rami, and I do not blame you..but I cannot feel that someone above you..someone who knows what I represent could've exerted a more..vigorous effort to find me. Considering who my captors were." he says simply. "For that matter, I thought Matt would've tried harder." he pauses, "I kept expecting.." he trails off. "Childish things, I imagine. The truth is, I am but a pawn."

Rami steps closer to Mohinder's bed. He looks down at his friend and smiles a sad smile. Then in Hindi, he murmurs with a cadence almost like a prayer. «We are all pawns, my friend.» He glances towards his sister, then back to him. «It isn't safe for her for you to be here. She is Evolved. They know that she is. They are watching her. If she is seen as harboring you, it could destroy her career. Or she could be removed to Level Five. I know neither of us want that to happen.»

Nalani's not paying attention. She can hear it, but she's purposefully not processing whatever it is that the other two are saying. Looking out the window, and the blockaded city beyond.

Mohinder responds to Rami, sadly. «She's evolved?» he says, rubbing between his eyes, the tension already building again, «Well then. I cannot endanger her anymore that she already is. But Rami? I know she's your sister..but I have feelings for her.» he says, «I don't know what to do about that. Or if they're returned. I would seek your blessing..» he says, speaking in just as hushed a tone. The worry over Nalani sharpening his focus again.

«My dear friend. If you did not have my blessing, I would never have introduced you to her,» Rami manages a smile, though worry and anger simmers behind misty green eyes. «You must come back with me. For her sake. Question our superiors. Do not run. It would only end poorly for you.»

Mohinder shakes his head, "«I'm not trying to run..I just need some time. A leave of absence. Do you know what I've been through? A vacation is long overdue. I did it, Rami. I cured the virus.» he says simply. The last four words should hit home like a sledgehammer.

"You…cured…?" It shocks Rami enough that he forgets to speak Hindi. It takes a moment for him to find the foreign words again. «I will…see what I can do. But you know they are eager to debrief you. Keep me informed of where you are and I will do my best to make sure they leave you alone for a time.»

Mohinder nods, and drops the Hindi entirely. "I will be..at my apartment, I guess. Waiting. Alone, again. Captive for yet another captor. At least this one provides the semblance of free will."

That catches Nalani's attention, the drop from Hindi to English. She looks over her shoulder at the pair, stiffening when the reclinging man states that he'll be at his apartment. Incredible. Are both men idiots. "What did he cure? For that matter, who is Odessa and why was he talking about The man responsible for a portion of the island gone?" Nalani looks between the two men, expectantly. "He wasn't on assignment was he Rami" She's annoyed, angry, no endearments used for her brother. ""Tell me akhy. What did I invite into my home"

«All will is will controlled when in the service of a greater good,» so says Rami to himself to allow him to sleep at night. When Nalani breaks in, his expression hardens. "Why do you ask questions you know you cannot know the answer to?" He steps towards her with a commanding stride. "You invited a dutiful man who…" and then he stops himself. "Nalani, do not use your ability on me." Oh he's angry. He may not be moving towards her any longer, but the tightly coiled nature of his posture and the cold set of his eyes betrays him. "You will not. Understand?"

"I invited a man into my home Rami. I have taken care of him for these last hours. He is AFRAID to go to the hospital. And you are both speaking in other languages, instead of asking me to leave the room. He spoke while he slept, in fever. And you both … " Nalani's nostrils flare and she rubs at her temples. "Do what you have to. Help Mohinder" It's out of her mouth before she can stop it. The pain in her head growing a little more worse. "Go keep your secrets. Sometimes, I tire of them" She turns then, walking around Rami and heading for the door. Not a glance for Mohinder. 'My head hurts. You make my head hurt Rami with your requests"

Mohinder blinks. "Nalani." he says quietly. "I'll tell you the truth. That much, I owe you." he looks to Rami, "and I do." it's not a question or asking for permission. It's a statement. "When one has gone through what I have gone through, and accomplished what I have, it gives one a certain amount of advantage." he looks to Rami, "I'll go with you, Rami. Let's get this over with." he goes to move the covers off him.

"If you are going to disclose confidential information to Nalani…" Rami sighs deeply and presses his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "…I cannot be here to hear it." Plausible deniability. And then to Mohinder, «They will simply erase her memory. And we will be fortunate if that is all that they do.» He returns his attention to his sister. "And I tire of your need to control." The words are cold, quite unlike the loving and casual affection that Mohinder has witnessed before.

"Well we all know how I get that control" Nalani fires back, not quite the same measure of cold in her voice. Unlike her brother she's not a bad guy. Though her fingers mimic his on the bridge of her nose, mirroring how alike they are in some respects. "Do whatever you need to. You always do. There's clothes in the drawer for you Mohinder. Go do your job Rami. Call me when you deign to find time for dinner" She leaves then, back to rubbing her temples.


Message left on Rami's phone: Akhy… Mohinder is at my place. He refuses to go to a hospital. A doctor the floor down came and saw him. He's… he says he was forced on an assignment, kept in the dark and the building he was working in exploded. He's resting, he's been resting for a bit, but he wishes to speak with you. You need to come Akhy.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtrEN-YKLBM


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February 7th: Green
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February 7th: Confessions And Fragile Ground
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