pushtheboundaries | IC INBOX; MoM

[Hiro acting like this is bittersweet. on some level, he approves of the clear regret; another is suspicious, whispering that it's a ruse, to not lower his guard for an instant or he'll-what, exactly? Hiro's literally powerless here. to be fair, he's still brilliant, and it isn't as though he overcame such an imbalance before.

he did have help then, though. here, he's alone.

and Callaghan sighs, moving to slip the piece inside his shirt pocket. he does have to reach under the sweatervest to do it, but all the better, now, isn't it?]

Saving you was as much selfish as it was selfless, Hiro. I was already half-convinced nobody'd believe it wasn't my doing in the first place.

[he's subdued, admitting it, but...yet another part of him does not want the boy feeling indebted to him in any way. at least - not for this.]

[ Too late for that. Hiro already feels indebted to a lot of people in the aftermath of that mess; Callaghan is just one out of a crowd. A very important one. He shrugs a little in response to that, helplessly.

You still could have left me there. I - even after Krei got me out of there, I was still ...

[ Trying to kill you, is the actual end to that statement, but he doesn't know how to phrase that without sounding crazy. He was crazy, after all. That's the long and short of it. He takes a deep breath. ]

They pulled out the thing in my head making me act like that.

I could have left you, and any number of people would have assumed I took advantage of circumstances. [he's not sure why he's not simply accepting it- does he want Hiro to go back to being mad at him? there's a hell of a lot of an easier way to do that, all he has to do is tap in to that venom that's always so close. even so, Hiro bringing up 'the thing' has him pause on that route, studying the boy for a few moments before he - slowly - moves to sit back down in his chair]

...Your brother mentioned something was affecting you.

I'd like to know what it was. [and if he has to worry about it happening again, but- he'll leave that, for the moment]

Edited 2015-07-10 21:11 (UTC)

You still saved me.

[ Said firmly - he's not backing down from that particular point. The fact that he's standing here is proof of that. As for the mental influence ... There's still a lot he doesn't know about it. Theories, of course, but he doesn't want to accuse anyone potentially innocent. On the other hand ... it is Crane. And suddenly all his good feelings towards the psychologist have evaporated, given recent events. Callaghan's asking what it was rather than who, at least. Hiro can answer that much.

And Callaghan deserves an answer. ]

Some kind of mental influence. Someone put it there. [ Crane, Crane, probably Crane. ] It felt like a fog in my head. I couldn't get past being angry with you.

Mm.

[if you can't beat 'em - move around them. focus on something else, which, in this case, is something worth investigating. even if he really, really should dismiss the boy...there's a thousand and one reasons to send him on his way, and few to encourage him to stay.]

Any chance of a reoccurrence?

[reason one.]

[ He shakes his head, the color draining a little from his face at the thought of all this happening again. They'd assured them that they'd gotten everything, M'gann had been certain ... ]

Completely gone. [ He pales a little further. ] And - they're watching so - [ Surely, even if this were to happen again, they would stop him. ]

[and now he's terrifying the boy. he doesn't bother trying to fight the shred of satisfaction from that - that, at least, feels justified, because there's at least one other angle needed to be seen]

And if whoever did this tries to do it again? Do you have any idea whom they might be?

[ There's the difficult question. He's sure the influence is gone; he's not sure it came from. ]

Yes.

[ That's all he can say about that. ]

Yes, you know? Yes, you're prepared if they try again? [he leans forward, intent. here, he needs specifics ]

[ Hiro takes a step back. With Callaghan controlling his microbots, having just survived an attack from Hiro ... He doesn't much fancy his odds. ]

I have an idea. And - there's ways for us to check. If it might be happening again.

[the motion has him clench his jaw. that's not the kind of fear he wanted to invoke, damn it...

another exhale - more of a huff, really - and he leans back.]

Then I suppose I'll have to take your word for it.

You can ask my brother. You know he'll be checking up on me.

[ Even if Hiro doesn't trust Cal, then Tadashi surely does. Tadashi would tell Callaghan everything, Hiro's sure of that. He falls silent for a moment, thinking. ]

... I think ... I think the person who did this is Dr. Crane.

[Callaghan tilts his head in acknowledgement of Tadashi's reliability

then abruptly goes rigid, eyes widening. for a few seconds, it's all he can do to stare in utter shock before he manages to recover, a tense mask of forced calm sliding in place over his features]

And why would you think that?

[ Hiro isn't sure how to interpret that. Is it disbelief? Dos Callaghan know Crane already? Are they friends? That would be just his luck. ]

He had me do hypnotherapy a few months ago. I think that might have been around when I started feeling weird. And ... I remember a man during the dive. Someone with glasses.

[his lips press together in a thin, unhappy smile. a thoughtful one, but- still unhappy. he folds his hands in front of him, fingertip to fingertip] There's more people out there than Dr. Crane who wear glasses. As for hypnotherapy - unless he's got an ability neither of us know about, hypnosis isn't nearly as related to mind control as people think. If what you're suggesting has any relation to what happened, it'd need more than one session. A lot more, even with you young as you are.

[ His gaze drifts back downwards. He's only admitted this to a few people, one of which being his brother. It's not something he's especially proud of. ]

I was seeing him. For therapy.

[at that, ice runs down Robert's spine.

he does not let it show, and his voice is remarkably calm when he finally speaks;]

You've changed doctors?

... I'm not seeing him again.

[ He's not sure he ever wants to talk to any psychologists ever again. ]

[well. that's a start. Robert nods, and seems to relax slightly. slightly. his mind is still racing, wondering wondering wondering, what if it's true, what if he's lying again, what if what if

it almost feels wrong, to cling to the calm Crane gave him, the calm he feels he so desperately needs at this point - but he cannot reveal his concern. not here.

not now.

not to Hiro.]

I won't tell you to see someone else, because I've always disliked them, myself. But with your track record of uncovering those responsible [aka thinking he was Alistair, at first] I'd suggest you move very carefully. Dr. Crane's a respected member of the community, and he has a lot of people relying on him.

[and he means all that in every sense it can be taken.]

Edited 2015-07-11 00:40 (UTC)

[ He flinches at that, hurt. Okay, so he's not the world's greatest detective. But he wasn't about to go on a witch-hunt here either. Not now, not like this. At home, he'd been half-mad with grief and buoyed up by doing something for the first time in months. ]

I'm not going to do anything. Not without proof. [ He knows what he has is shoddy conjecture at best. ]

Then you're planning on looking for that proof?

[that sure is one hell of an intense stare Hiro is getting. this is the kind of look he would give a student who had said that they were planning on embarking on a project without having any real idea what that project would entail. if they wanted to do it, he'd always be in support of them - as long as they stopped to think about what, exactly, they were doing]

[ It's a relevant question, in fact. Hiro would rather just let the matter rest, never speak to the guy again ... He's allowed to do that, right? ]

No. I don't want to talk to him again.

Mm. [there's no judging. at least, if there is, Callaghan's hiding it well.] Can't say I blame you. You're probably as shaken as I am. [says the man sitting behind the desk, for all the world as cool as a cucumber.]

... You seem pretty calm to me.

[ Just a statement, no accusations. ]

[cue a humorless smile]

That doesn't mean I'm not still trying to make sense of everything. The fact that someone could do that to you in the first place - whomever they are - is, quite frankly, terrifying. Especially since you're accusing someone I know.

[aaand the smile fades]

...I just can't figure out what he'd gain by that, Hiro. Everyone has a reason behind the things they do, and that...it doesn't make any sense.

Edited 2015-07-11 02:16 (UTC)

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