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

[hostage]

Good. 'cause if anything happened to him, or somebody he cares about... You're not stupid. You know what people would think.

[pushtheboundaries]

If anything happened to him, or somebody he cared about, I would be the first in line to investigate the source.

I owe him that. And more.

[beat]

Anything else you'd like to ask about, while you're on the line?

[hostage]

Do you care about the school, or are our kids just your insurance policy?

[pushtheboundaries]

Insurance-?! I've never hidden behind anyone!

[wow, you just. legit. offended him.]

If I have a chance of keeping someone from making half as stupid a set of choices as I did, you can damn well bet I'm going to put forth the effort!

[hostage]

[Dryly:]

Inspiring.

[pushtheboundaries]

I'd imagine. [god, he is such a shit public speaker unless it's about science. have another frustrated noise.]

If that kid came on to campus demanding blood, I might not give it to him, but I wouldn't put our kids in danger. If there was some other sort of fallout that'd threaten them, I'd do what I needed to to keep them safe.

Does that make you feel better? They have nothing to do with what's between Hiro and I. Or- anyone else from San Fransokyo.

[hostage]

Does it make me feel better? No, Robert, that doesn't make me feel better. Talk is cheap. I'll believe it when I see it.

But you're not the only killer who's ever worked at Xavier's.

[Not by a long shot.]

[pushtheboundaries]

[and there's a sharp intake of breath that implies that he was not expecting that last comment. the first, maybe, but-



god help him, but he can't make a deadpan comment;]

It should become a mandatory question for admission. One of the faculty can tell when someone's lying, can't she?

[hostage]

[Please.]

There wouldn't even be a school if that was how we did things.

We protect our own. That's the important thing.

[pushtheboundaries]

[...Jesse can't be implying what he thinks he is. he'll move on to the more likely.]

The kids.

As I said, they're safe. As safe as I can keep them, that is, with all the chaos this place holds.

[hostage]

[The kids had better be safe, or else Callaghan is going to be Jesse's science experiment: How well do nanites stand up to hydrofluoric acid?

He won't make a threat over the phone, however. And it's likely unnecessary. Cal gets it.]

As long as you keep that promise, you're not alone, either.

[pushtheboundaries]

[um?]

I'd hope not, it's a big job.

[he's not outright playing dumb, he just- doesn't want to assume something that seems so outlandish]

[hostage]

Yeah.

Don't fuck it up.

[pushtheboundaries]

I've done enough of that. [so very bland.] I think it's time for a change.

[hostage]

[Jesse is skeptical. But time will tell. If Emma Frost gave him the benefit of the doubt, then other people deserve the same.]

I'll be in California a couple days, but call me if you need anything.

[pushtheboundaries]

...all right. Though I'll be taking it easy the next couple of days.

[hostage]

Good plan.