pushtheboundaries | IC INBOX; MoM

[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)

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 ...

[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?]

[ 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.

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?

[ 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... ]

Edited 2015-07-12 16:31 (UTC)

[Callaghan can't help but wonder if this is bigger, though. if Hiro's just a pawn - not necessarily against him, but in something greater both of them are missing.

that's his own wonder, though. as long as the boy keeps himself contained...as long as he has his friends...

Callaghan rubs his face, thumb and forefinger rubbing at his eyes. he doesn't want to do this, but at the same time...]

Then I suppose I should trust you. Come over here.

[ Hiro looks up at him, unsure. Does Callaghan trust him? He supposes if Callaghan wanted to hurt him, or capture him, or - whatever, he would have had ample opportunity by now. Cautiously, he inches his way over to the desk, until he's standing just across from the professor. ]

What is it?

[Callaghan, for his part, has a tired resignation to him. a lingering wariness and tension, but it seems that he's accepted - or at least come to terms - with something. he extends his hand with those microbots in it, arching his brow]

Unless you want me to keep all this. Frankly, I think it's better you take it back before I become reliant on it.

[ Oh. Right. His technokinesis. And his microbots, neither of which he particularly wants in Callaghan's hands. Too late for the latter if he's taken any of them home, he supposes, but he can at least feel out anything in this room. And he's missed his powers now that he's out of the comm. Inside, it hadn't been so bad. Outside ... well, for Hiro, having that white noise to drown out the excess data of the rest of the world has helped him focus. It hasn't been a great week at work without it.

So with a mixture of - relief? Gratitude? Uncertainty? He reaches out for them. ]

No, I need it back. [ A deep breath. ] I didn't come here to get them back, but ...

I know you didn't. That's why I'm returning them.

[he takes Hiro's hand, lightly - a finger's contact would work, but it's the gesture that he wants. he's easy with his grip, not forcing it on Hiro, but it's there if he wants to return such.

all while Callaghan pushes - and that almost hyper-awareness he's forced himself to get used to fades. the world goes silent, almost, and were it not for his other hand that slipped itself in to his right pocket, why, he wouldn't be aware of one of his recent inventions but for the memory of it.

as it is, his fingers have clasped over it, thumb in position to flip a switch if necessary. it's a simple device, one that he tried to make even simpler - reducing pieces and structure and connections as far down as he could make them, until he has a still-workable EMP device which only requires a connection made before auto-firing. the range is small, only a few feet, and it has no way of recharging or being reused...

and even now, he's not sure Hiro won't sense it.

but he'll be damned if he's caught defenseless if this has all been a trick.]

The rest of the microbots are in my room. I thought it best to keep them in storage unless I was actively using them.

[ Under normal conditions, he might have sensed something - the breadth of his senses has only grown since he first received the ability, on both ends of the scale; he has learned to manipulate simpler machines as well as more complex ones. But they're at the limit of his awareness, and they all blend together even on a good day; he wouldn't be able to distinguish Callaghan's device from, say, a snap button or a zipper on his clothing. It all sort of blurs together at that level of simplicity.

And today, specifically ... Everything rushes back into his head at once, a swirling cacophony of sound and awareness and - his mind is still too tender from the dive to take it all in easily. He does tighten his grip on Callaghan's hand, if only because that has suddenly become the only stable source of contact in a world gone crazy for a moment. The other hand comes down hard on the corner of Callaghan's desk as he leans most of his weight against it. Between the two, he only barely manages to keep himself from passing out on the spot.

Stars flicker at the corner of his vision as he gulps in air and waits for the dizziness to pass. Too late, he remembers that he'd neglected to eat anything today. A week in the comm has sort of ruined his appetite. The microbots in Callaghan's hand only twitch, faintly, as his power slowly takes them back over. It's going to take a moment for him to come back to himself.

If this is all a trick ... it sure is elaborate. And one that leaves him utterly at Callaghan's mercy for a solid minute as he struggles to stay conscious. ]

[all told, he probably should have expected something like this. still, the sudden response from the kid has his own hand tightening - hands, rather. when two seconds pass and it's clear that Hiro is more disorientated than dangerous, Callaghan releases his grip on the device and slowly pushes himself up, using his hold on Hiro to try and tug him towards a chair on that side of the desk]

Careful - sit down. Breathe.

[it wasn't as dizzy for him when he took the power - but then, maybe the fire and stress of the situation was dizzying enough that he didn't notice. and the echoing absence, the silence..it's disturbing, but not enough to shake him. not when his focus is on making sure Hiro's not about to pass out.

by the time Hiro becomes more aware, he may be aware of Callaghan having come all the way around to try and urge him down. please don't collapse on him, Hiro, that would be bad.]

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