IC INBOX; MoM

[pushtheboundaries]

"You've reached Robert Callaghan, Headmaster to the Heropa Organization for imPort Education. Please leave a message with your name, your phone number, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. As a reminder, my office hours are..."

Comments

[microbrobotics]

[ 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. ]

[pushtheboundaries]

[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?

[microbrobotics]

[ 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. ]

[pushtheboundaries]

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

[microbrobotics]

[ 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.

[pushtheboundaries]

[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.

[microbrobotics]

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.

[pushtheboundaries]

[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?

[microbrobotics]

[ 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.

[pushtheboundaries]

[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.

[microbrobotics]

[ 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.

[pushtheboundaries]

[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?

[microbrobotics]

... I'm not seeing him again.

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

[pushtheboundaries]

[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.]

[microbrobotics]

[ 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. ]

[pushtheboundaries]

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]

[microbrobotics]

[ 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.

[pushtheboundaries]

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.]

[microbrobotics]

... You seem pretty calm to me.

[ Just a statement, no accusations. ]

[pushtheboundaries]

[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.

[microbrobotics]

I'm not - [ He stops rather than try to argue his point. He is kind of accusing Crane, isn't he? Just because he's not making a huge mess in public about it ... He swallows his objections and move on instead. ]

I don't know. I don't know why anyone would want to mess with my head. He - he knew I was still angry with you, so if he did it to me he'd have known what he was doing ...

[pushtheboundaries]

[like fun you're not accusing Crane. Callaghan glances down at his hands, where the microbots have moved to linger. he turns his hand palm-up, a few of the pieces scuttling in to it.]

Is it possible someone else is responsible, and is pushing you towards Crane as a scapegoat?

[of course it's possible. has Hiro thought of it?]

[microbrobotics]

[ Hiro frowns at that. Possible, yes ... He's even considered it. But the possibility seems even less likely than Crane himself. ]

I - I guess it could be. But I have no idea who even would. I don't have any enemies here.

[pushtheboundaries]

It might not be you who has them. I can't think of anyone I have [present company excluded] but neither of us can risk this going any further.

[there's a stretch of silence.]

You're sure that if you start acting...different...they'll notice?

[microbrobotics]

[ One of Callaghan's enemies, huh? That seems a little more plausible, but ... well. Hiro's the one with the most cause to be angry with Cal, and he would never have done this to himself. ]

Yeah. There's ways to tell. M'gann said she got everything, but if they put me in a comm my brother can sense it too. We're going to check periodically.

[ Unspoken is the fact that he wants to know just as much as anyone else. To be 100% sure that there's nothing still lingering in the back of his brain... ]