torchwoodinstitute | (no subject)

(no subject)

Who: Torchwood + Killgrave
When: January 10th
What: The gang meets a different sort of pheromone driven asshole

They'd been engaged for a few weeks now, but Mohinder had not grown tired of it in the slightest. His face actually hurt from the sheer around of grinning he had been doing and luckily, he was well liked enough not to have everyone at work hating his guts for being on the level of a Disney princess with the way he kept humming or sighing and staring off into the distance.

Gabriel had been off on some sort of mission with Jim, which he knew ended up tiring them both out since neither really got on, and as always when he knew that his fiancé could return at any moment and the vortex opening klaxon went off, Mohinder wrapped up what he was doing, removed his gloves, and went to go and hopefully greet Gabriel immediately after his return. He'd done the same twice today already, though the first time had been the return of Mitchell and Henry and the second was a false alarm.

Those false alarms had been happening a lot recently. Jack said that the Rift was acting up, opening vortexes for a split second in multiple realities when one of their agents did so to return home. He said that there was nothing to worry about, that the false alarms couldn't possibly remain open long enough for anyone or thing to come through.

So far, he'd been right.

But as Mohinder came to lean over the railing of the catwalk overlooking the return platform, he couldn't help but frown. He didn't recognize the person that was standing there. Technically, that was very possible. Sometime the manipulators didn't get the time just right. This could be an agent from the past or future. They tended to right themselves out pretty quickly. "Hello?"

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As far as this group was concerned, there was no such thing as ordering too much pizza. Gabriel would be more than willing to eat a full pizza himself (he'd excuse it by saying he'd used more abilities than usual today). Even Henry tended to eat quite a bit, although it was hard to tell where it all went.

Henry stuck around, actually. Although he had little to contribute, he'd started to learn that food generally meant something was going on. And he had gotten wind of something serious among the more active agents. He didn't know what he'd expected to hear, but it wasn't this. The idea of being helpless against commands was terrifying- he could come up with all sorts of scenarios better left alone.

Sasan had put a hand to his mouth, looking as horrified as Henry felt. He'd looked to what almost looked like a permanent frown on Gabriel's face as Mohinder spoke, and it wasn't too terribly difficult to figure out what had happened. Someone had been controlled, and thank goodness they weren't hurt. He wished he could squeeze Jim's hand, just for reassurance. But they weren't drunk and he couldn't pass off such a thing as an accident.

"So that's why Kaylee was running all over the place, earlier," he said, shaking his head slowly. "Is there any way to fight against these pheromones, in that case? Turn off the effects, anything? Or-- are we punting him back to his own reality soon? I mean, we hardly want to keep him around here."

"It could well be a disservice to do so," Mohinder explained, the warmth of his voice and the tone of his not quite British accent leaving him somewhat more reassuring than clinical. He made a fantastic professor, often leading the debriefings because he could keep people interested in what he had to say. But this lecture and the subject material was still terrifying. "Where he is from may be better off without him. In fact, it might be prudent to find more instances of Kilgrave and find a way to neutralise them as quickly as it becomes possible to do so. It should be fairly easy to keep ourselves safe should we need to interact with him. If we use respirators--"

Mitchell interrupted, somehow managing not to splatter red sauce on his fingerless gloves. "So we're treating this like a bloody disease?"

Mohinder always found it strange that the vampire used that term. "Yes. For now, at least. It will take time to find a way to make an antihistamine that will react properly to the pheromone. And we will need to run tests to decide how long of a period it is between affect and dissipation of the effect. Which is why I will be the one delivering Kilgrave his dinner."

"What?! Mohinder, no." Yeah, that was Gabriel. Did Mohinder think he wasn't going to protest that decision? He'd been leaning against the wall, and with this, he uncrosses his arms and marches over to his fiancé. For the benefit of the rest of the room, he did at least lower his voice and speak to the man in a fast near-whisper. "You've done your time with this, Mohinder. You can't just offer yourself up every time something dangerous comes up. Don't you need to run the tests, anyway?"

This might turn into a fight. But this was honestly one of the worst-case scenarios for Gabriel. He knew he couldn't offer to do it, because he might wreck half the place before they took him down. But thinking of Mohinder subjecting himself to being controlled again...damn it. Why couldn't they just kill this guy and be done with it, again?

Mohinder wasn't going to do this. Not with Gabriel and not with his over protective streak. "I'll be in a protective suit. I have no special abilities to speak of. And I was exposed to him the longest. I know what it feels like. No one else here does. I'm the only one that can get a base line."

He wasn't letting anyone bully him, not even the man who had made him cum so hard that morning that he had actually been unable to stop giggling for almost a full three minutes.

"I don't expect anyone to happen, but if something does, I can rather easily rescued. Now calm down."

Gabriel's hands tightened into fists. This was not okay. This was really not okay. "We can get a 'base line' with someone else. He knows you, that's so dangerous. You're just-" He cut himself off, because pointing out that he thought Mohinder was doing this to spare everyone else from having to feel that way....well, it wasn't going to get him anywhere. He knew that from experience. Being stubborn back at Mohinder never worked.

He looked Mohinder in the eyes so the scientist could see how upset Gabriel really was about this. He was terrified. Calming down was what he was already trying to do. "Please, Mohinder. Don't."

Though Mohinder did his best to keep Gabriel from being upset, this was distressing for him too. How could he give into the other man constantly? This was a remarkably dangerous precedent. To do so would give Gabriel a power over his life and career that Mohinder did not believe anyone should ever have. But upsetting the man he loved was also not something he cared to do.

Though there were people here, possibly uncomfortable people, Mohinder decided to say exactly how he felt.

"I plan on doing this because it is wise to do so, important for my work here to do so, and because I would rather have someone I did not love attempt to manipulate me. I will not be in any danger. I'll be inside of a hazmat suit. Jim will be with me, also inside of a hazmat suit to stop Kilgrave or myself if necissary."

Jim looked up from Sasan whom he had not at all be sort of staring at and frowned. "Me?"

"Yes, you were not exposed to Kilgrave and are less dangerous is the hazmats don't work than Mitchell might be. Sorry, Mitchell..."

"You're fine mate, but what do we do if the suits don't work?"

"It'll be like a viral containment zone. Airlocks. There will be a way to separate us from Kilgrave just in case." Mohinder was refusing to look at Gabriel now.

That was fine. Gabriel had gone into something of a 'shut down mode', shoulders slumping as he resumed his position against the wall. He crossed his arms and his eyes shut half-way as he began thinking very hard. He was weighing the pros and cons of just going down there and killing the man right now. He wouldn't do it. Probably. But it was a good way to calm himself down, and keep from breaking every piece of glass in the room simultaneously.

"Uh. I could go, instead of Jim. I haven't been exposed, either." Henry, surprisingly, had spoken up. He'd mostly worked on supernatural-seeming things since he came here, but this seemed close enough to him. And now both of the two identical-looking men seemed very unhappy. Maybe he could help that a little. And even though he hadn't been exposed, he knew the risks and what he was getting into. "...I thought I'd volunteer, at least."

Mohinder would have to do some mending with Gabriel. Later. Right now, they had a man held captive who needed to be fed, but more than that, he had a subject to be studied. "All right, Henry. The air right suits are downstairs. Could someone from engineering check to be sure that the airlocks are tight?"

Jack nodded. He rarely minded someone taking over. He was somewhat emotionally compromised here, though the more time he spent with Kilgrave, the less he was like the Doctor. That boded well for everyone involved.

"I'll bring the cheese with me--" Mohinder was saying as Jack leaned back against the wall Gabriel was leaning on.

"Come with me to the observation room. You'll feel better if you can watch."

Gabriel nodded, his face solemn. Jack was entirely right. At least if he watched what happened, he'd know what was going on. He was really starting to wish he'd worked on the range of his telekinesis recently, instead of the agility.

Henry followed Mohinder from that point. He was afraid, but glad that Mohinder had taken him up on the offer. Sasan gave him a bright smile and a 'good luck' as he left the room. Henry had just nodded, but it felt nice to give him some relief.

"Should I do anything specific while we're in there?" The scientist was clearly in charge of this particular situation, so Henry would defer to him. The young man was still very soft-spoken, but he was also quite dedicated, and he paid attention to his surroundings increasingly well. His past couple of missions had actually gone rather smoothly, surprisingly enough. Henry liked to think it was at least partially due to his help. He wanted to help here, too, even if it just meant watching Mohinder closely.

Mohinder wanted this over with quickly. He needed to speak with Gabriel about this, he needed to be sure that he never speak to him that way again during a potential mission, and he needed to convince Gabriel that he would not rush head first into a mission that would harm him without proper thought and precaution.

But for now...he and Henry, dressed in a suit with its own air supply, were on their way to the carefully set up airlocks leading to Kilgrave's chamber. "You'll stay behind in the final lock," Mohinder said, going over the plan. "Listen to the way he speaks. If there is a command given and I follow it, keep the doors shut. It means that the suits don't work or that I'm still susceptible to him. If that happens, had Jack flood the room with sedatives. When he is unconscious, extract me, taking special care that he has not set any other latent suggestion for me to follow once free."

It was quite the production, but this was his only fail safe.

This guy sounded dangerous, so Henry was glad they had a lot of precautions around him. He nodded at the instructions. "Okay. I'll do that."

Once they reached that final airlock, Henry stopped and basically stood guard there. "See you soon."

When Kilgrave had awakened, cold and sore, he had to realize all over again that he was actually caught. It had never stuck before, not like this. Worse, no one was speaking to him, now. He'd actually enjoyed the talk he'd had with Jack. That was a man he wanted to keep around for a long while. Now, though, he was concerned that he wouldn't get the opportunity. They seemed to be prepared for him, more than anyone he'd ever met.

He heard some clanging around outside his cell, and he immediately went to the door and started banging on it. "Hello? Hello! Can you let me out? Help me! I'm trapped!" He let his voice sound pitiful and haggard. It was truly how he felt.

"I'm aware that you've been trapped," Mohinder called. There were speakers that fed from one room to the other, it was the only way the sound could travel. "Please step back, Mister Kilgrave. I have your meal."

Mohinder didn't really wait for any length of time, he just pushed inward on the door, slowly, aware that Henry was on the other side of the one behind him.

He was safe. His heart was racing but Gabriel was watching him and if anything unsafe happened, he'd be there to be sure he came out of this alive.

"I do hope you like pizza. I've never found any yet that did not!"

It had been worth a try. Kilgrave sighed (rather overdramatically) and sat back down on the cot. His eyebrows rose as he saw Mohinder come in. "I thought you sounded a bit funny over the intercom. A hazmat suit, really? Come on, that's a bit much."

It had been awhile since he had eaten. He figured he could give pizza a try. "I once ate nothing but pizza for half a year," he replied, with a measure of nostalgic fondness. He'd really made himself sick of it, but it had been long enough now. He held his hands out to take the tray from the scientist. "I don't suppose you want to stay for a bit? I've been dreadfully bored. I'm sure you can imagine."

Mohinder felt nothing but relief in those first few moments of Kilgrave spouting off as expected. "I neither wish to stay nor, thankfully, can I imagine what your solitude must be like. I've never committed a crime against another human being in the way you have. However, I would like to speak with you on an experiment regimen. You should know that I am staying here of my own volition and for only a brief period of time. But please, eat. I can give you a moment."

The suit was working and the pheromones had worn off. Mohinder couldn't help but smile. On the video, the smile was likely one that Gabriel knew. It was the smile he had had when he drugged Sylar.

Mohinder was cocky when he was on top. And that was a fairly accurate double entandre.

So that was how it was going to be, huh? Kilgrave downright shuddered when he heard the term 'experiment regimen', and his friendly nature dropped entirely at seeing the look on Mohinder's face. This was not good. He had to turn it around, and that might take awhile. In the meantime, there would be experiments.

"Suddenly, I'm not terribly hungry anymore," he noted, frowning at the pizza, then up at Mohinder. "I didn't commit any crimes, did I? Really? I never harmed you, I just asked you questions. I can't help what I do, so I've just had to learn to live with it. If I offended you, or scared you, I'm terribly sorry." He did look rather sincere in that, not that it was likely to matter.

"Somehow, I don't believe your sorrow to be all that genuine, Mister Kilgrave." Mohinder stood, not even glancing at the pizza. His focus was on the man himself. "I assure you, nothing I wish to learn from you will bring you pain-- well. That isn't quite true. I would like an additional sample of your blood. I am also in need of spinal fluid, but you will be given a localized anesthetic. The pain will be little more than a pinch. I've discovered that your ability is not a mutation, it is a virus. It was present in the small amount of blood already collected from you but I need a more targeted sample."

Kilgrave's petulance and his insistence that he did not hurt him was revolting.

"You have no idea what it's like to be unable to control your own body, your own mind. You say you did not hurt me? It felt like a violation of everything that I am. It felt like you raped my ability to say no to you. It hurt. It hurt a great deal. I don't want to know what you've done to other people. I want to stop you from hurting anyone else ever again."

Mohinder would probably appreciate the look of deep unhappiness that came over Kilgrave as soon as he heard about spinal fluid. They were going to put a bloody needle in his neck again. Again. He would make Mohinder stick those needles in his eyes, in his throat if he ever got the chance.

Scientists were all the same.

By this point, he'd abandoned the plate next to him and was leaning forward, elbows on his knees and hands running over his face and through his hair. "You don't think I know, do you? What it's like to not have control? I wasn't always like this. I didn't want this in the first place." He glanced back down at the pizza, and miserably looked away. "So don't worry, you'll get your 'revenge.' I can't do anything at all in here, can I?"

"There was a time when I believed it was prudent to seek revenge, that it was my duty. I am capable of forgiveness, however." Mohinder moved the plate aside, and likely to Gabriel's horror, took it's place beside Kilgrave on the cot. "I know what it's like to be near someone thrust into a power he can't readily control and therefore, allows to control him. You don't know any other way to be than the way you are. But it's not impossible to be someone else."

Mohinder wasn't offering Kilgrave friendship, just something he had likely never had. Sympathy.

"I'll find a way to neutralize your pheromones. And then you can work on being a decent human being again. That is revenge enough for me."

Kilgrave really wished he had something sharp. A pen. A knife would be ideal, even a butter knife. Anything to stab open the bag of safe air that Mohinder was breathing. This was not tolerable. And now the man was giving him pity? Sure, he'd been seeking it, but that was before he heard there was going to spinal taps.

But there wasn't anything he could do, and that realization led to the reminder that Jack said he could pump things into the air to take him out. He had to try and be careful here. Take the sympathy. Work with it.

His eyes slid over to look at Mohinder next to him as he continued to lean his head in his hands. "It's been this way since I was ten," he told Mohinder, his voice actually quiet now. "Years of testing before that. I don't really know anything else. It's always been control or be controlled, you know?"

Gabriel's facial expression didn't change from its serious, quiet watchfulness. However, every item in the observation room began to vibrate, clattering against everything else. Gabriel closed his eyes and let out a forceful breath, and the clattering stopped.

"Do you really need the spinal fluid?" Kilgrave asked, sounding fragile and small. "Please tell me you don't."

"Unless you are aware of any better way to do my research, since you seem to be an expert, then yes." Mohinder wasn't going to stay much longer. And he'd let Watson do the extraction. He was far more skilled than Mohinder and it was bound to hurt less.

Believing his duty here finished, he stood up to go, waiting for Jack to unlock the door for him.

Jack, however, was a split second behind on that. He was too busy speaking to Gabriel in low, hushed tones. "What's got you upset? That he's comparing Kilgrave to you or that he's in there and you aren't?"

Every ounce of Gabriel's concentration went back to what was happening on the monitor, once he opened his eyes again. So Jack's question did not initially get an answer, but instead a quiet reply of, "Let him out, please." Of course Jack was on it, but that didn't stop Gabriel from being concerned.

Once that was taken care of, and it was obvious that Mohinder was out of harm's way, Gabriel finally looked at Jack. "Everything he's trying, I did to Mohinder. I did worse. Mohinder's right to compare us. And he's better off handling the whole thing. But-" He looked back at the monitor, where Kilgrave had rolled up into a ball and faced the wall on the bed. Pouting, no doubt. His last attempt to command hadn't worked at all. "I see that man and I want to rip him apart. He's making Mohinder do this again." He's everything I hate about myself. Gabriel couldn't quite voice that part, that acknowledgement of Sylar. But he felt it in his core.

"if you rip him apart, you'll lose him," Jack said, not bothering to clarify the pronouns this time because Gabriel would know. "I have heard him refer to Sylar as a different man entirely. I'm not saying that's healthy and I don't know everything you two have been through, but he loves you enough to want to help people that may be like Sylar. He believes that they have a second chance in them, like you did. He's a better man that I'm ever going to be and probably you will too."

Jack gave strange pep talks.

"He's being decontaminated with Henry. You should go and meet him when he's done. And I'd apologize if I were you."

Jack's pep talks may be strange, but it was exactly what Gabriel needed to hear. He bit his lip as he thought over what Jack was saying. And he nodded as Jack called Mohinder a better man than either of them. It was an easy thing to see.

He took in a heavy breath, as if waking up or breathing fresh air after far too long. He nodded again. "I think I will." His mouth pulled back into a line- not quite a smile, but far closer than it had been for a long while. "Thanks, Jack."

It wasn't long before he'd found where they were being decontaminated and parked himself outside the doors. If there'd been a flower shop on the way, he'd probably be holding flowers. As it was, he was going over what he'd say when he saw him. He was fidgeting, folding his arms behind his back before leaning against the wall before rolling his shoulders. This was new territory for him.

Mohinder helped Henry peel off his suit, after having been drenched in liquid and powder based chemicals to sufficiently keep them from carrying out anything undesirable. He chatted with him briefly about Kilgrave and thanked him for being the control. He even asked if he felt any desire to do what Kilgrave asked.

Something told him that Gabriel would be just outside though and for once, that made him hesitate.

He didn't want to fight. He didn't.

And he was so afraid that this would turn into a fight. With a sigh, he asked Henry for help on the door of the last airlock and pushed through, shaking out his hair as they stepped through the door into the much cooler hallway.

His eyes landed on, averted from, and returned to Gabriel. "Thank you again," he told Henry before he approached his fiancé and waited for him to turn to anger.

Henry had answered Mohinder's questions, feeling far more relaxed (even if he didn't look any different). He hadn't felt any push towards doing anything Kilgrave said, so it looked like the suits worked. Henry did wonder, though, why Mohinder seemed to be taking his time getting out of here. It wasn't like the decontamination room was a lot of fun.

The answer made itself clear when he saw the man in the hallway. Henry nodded at Mohinder and quickly made himself scarce.

Gabriel, by that point, had gone back to leaning against the wall. He pushed himself off of it as Mohinder approached. "You were really good in there," he admitted, staring down at the ring on Mohinder's hand and sliding up to look Mohinder in the eye. Gabriel's own eyes were just as piercing as usual, but they didn't fit with the rest of his uncomfortable expression. "I'm sorry I tried to push it. I was scared." He seemed slightly surprised that he managed to just come out and say it.