March 2007, Another change of plan

[ellectrical]

Suresh steps out to take a call, and Bob places a case in front of his daughter, turning back to his computer without a word. Elle snaps the case open, revealing a bright, silver steel handgun, clip and rounds set aside, the holster slipped in the corner. She removes the clip first, taking her time in pressing the rounds inside.

"Do you think he's up to it?" she asks, looking up from her work but not stopping. He doesn't glance back.

"Are you?"

Elle doesn't say anything else as she finishes loading the clip and sets it aside, picking up the holster and guessing as she plays with the straps before Suresh returns.

"That was Bennet," he tells her father. Elle hands him the holster without replying, and he takes it without question.

"Does he know we're here?" Bob asks.

"No, he just wanted some information. A location of a boy."

She picks up the handgun, slamming in the clip to make that satisfying snapping sound.

"Maybe we can use this to our advantage," Suresh says hastily, and Elle puts the gun down, moving toward him as he clumsily pulls the straps of his holster over his shoulders.

"How so?" her father asks.

"We feed him a false location," he's speaking to Bob, but his eyes glance warily down at her as she reaches to tug the straps, moving her hands over his shoulder. "We isolate him. We get him away from Claire. We don't have to kill him."

"Do you know what happens when you change your plans midstream?" she snaps up suddenly, slowly fixing one strap and letting her fingers slip over his chest as she does it

"No..." It's more like a question than an answer.

"Neither do I," she continues, taking one of his arms and twirling under it, like they're dancing, before pulling herself up in front of his chest. "Because we don't do it."

His eyes stay on her for a moment, but – "Let me put it this way. We do it my way, or I blow the whistle right now. Tell Bennet everything."

Bob doesn't even turn to face them. "Bennet is dangerous," he calls. "You saw what he did to his mentor in Ukraine."

"Don't you think if push came to shove," Elle simpers, as she finishes with the last strap, "he'd do the same to you?"

There's a brief hesitation, but Suresh answers more certainly this time. "No, I don't."

Elle nearly laughs (how can anyone think like this?). "He's adorable!" She takes Suresh's face in her hands, lingering at his bewildered look. With what sounds like all the honesty of a child asking for a stray puppy: "Can I keep him?"

But she releases him, turning back to the table, and her father finally looks over at them.

"Ok. We do it the doctor's way."

She doesn't stop smiling as she picks up the gun, and hands it to the professor.




[ooc: Most dialogue lifted from Heroes 2x09, "Cautionary Tales."]