Dragged In

[Gorim]

Summary: A small girl is kidnapped and is given the power of mind reading and telepathy. But now the other factions have their eye on her, and her older sister, an old friend of Peter, convinces Peter to let Walter find out what happened. However, they may have taken in more than they bargained for.

--

She played outside, blissfully unaware of the van parked at the end of the block, along the curb, watching her every move.
She wasn't special. Her family wasn't connected to any strange happenings. And she herself knew no more about science and math and the darkness in the world then any other average 8 year old. That would change, however.
The ball she was playing with bounced away, down the street towards the van. She ran after it, trying to grab it before it ran into the street.
It continued to bounce, slowing down. Just before it ran into the street, she grabbed it, laughing in triumph.
The van door opened. Two men reached out and grabbed her, wearing bright blue plastic gloves. She had no time to struggle.
One of them took out a syringe while the other wrestled the surprisingly tough child down. Pinning her arms to her sides, the one wielding the syringe forced her to tilt her head, exposing her throat, and the needle sunk in.
--
When she woke up, she was strapped to a chair, wires attached to her head. The room was large, and the walls were made of glass, and the tables around her were full of shiny, sharp metal objects she couldn't name. She struggled desperately, but then a woman walked in, smiling. She was older, older than her big sister, and her mother, but not as old as her grandmother. She had red hair and a nice smile. The girl calmed down slightly.
"Don't worry, Dear," the woman said sweetly. "When we're done, you'll be very special."

[D-Roc]

That was great, Gorim! Is that women Nina by any chance?

[Gorim]

Why, you know what? I bet it was! >D

--

Peter sat in the Student Center at lunchtime, eating a hamburger. Wasn't great. But good, all things considered.
He watched people walk by, tapping out "Help me, I am dying of boredom" in morse code on the table.
No cases. No strange happenings for weeks now. The lab has disinegrated into Walter trying to perfect his homemade root beer and Astrid using it as a kind of study hall for paper work.
So he'd been hanging around the Student Center a bit more often then usual. People swarmed to the huge, glass-walled building, and he'd met a few people here. Not the least of which was an old MIT buddy of his, a gambling diva turned Havard Law Professor.
And there she was now.
Hannah Hakoda was a woman about a year younger than Peter himself of Japanese descent. She was very small, wearing a black turtle neck and black jeans, holding her jacket in the crook of her arm. Her long, glossy black hair was tied up, and her dark eyes locked on Peter, and she made a beeline for him.
"Peter," she said breathlessly, sitting down opposite him. "You and your dad. You investigate... weird stuff, right?"
"Hi, how're you?" Peter asked, though his interest was piqued. Probably shouldn't have, but considering the complete lack of interesting things going on recently, it didn't take much.
"This is serious, Peter!" Hannah said, leaning over. "About a week ago, my little sister, Moira, disappeared. And then," she cut him off before he could say anything sutibly comforting. "She reappeared about three days ago. But something's... different. Something I think you might be able to help with, or at least explain."
"What?" Peter asked curiously.
"I think... she can read minds." Hannah said slowly.
Peter's eyebrows shot up.
"Yeah, Peter, I know how it sounds. But listen!" She snapped. "She'll respond to thoughts. Like, actually answer a question that you were asking yourself in your head. At first, it was like she didn't even know we hadn't said it. And then, yesterday, we were shopping, and she'd just stop and stare at random people like they were murderers." She reached over, grabbing his hand desperately. "Please, Peter." He hated it when girls said that to him. "I'm really scared for her. Would you please just see if you and Walter can help?"
Peter squirmed. He really wanted to help, but he wasn't so sure about letting Walter experiment on a little girl. But then he looked at Hannah, and, seeing the desperation in her eyes, relented.
"Fine. I'll ask Walter, and if he can help, I'll call you."

--

Walter was pondering a formula when Peter walked in.
"Hey, Walter, what do you know about mind reading?" Peter asked. His father looked up, surprised.
"Why do you ask?"
"An old friend of mine thinks her little sister might have become one. Appearently, she disappeared and when she came back, she could hear other peoples thoughts." Peter watched uncomfortably as Walter grew excited and interested.
"Really? Is she coming in? Did she ask if she could come in?" He asked.
"Yeah. Do you-"
"Tell her that her sister will come to no harm!" Walter said excitedly, rushing to gather whatever he needed. "The tests are quite harmless! No harm will come to her!" Peter wondered whether he should feel sick after hearing that.

[WalterBishop]

Wonderful work so far. It's inspired me to work on my own story, which I believe I will most likely make a post about when it's finished later tonight.

[Gorim]

OOC: Awesome! I can't wait to read it!

--

Hannah walked in with Moira at about 10:00 a.m. The little girl peeked from behind her sisters skirt. Her hair was glossy black, same as Hannah's, but shorter, cut in a pageboy style. She wore jeans and a T-Shirt, which said, "I am God, give me candy."
Peter smiled at Moira, who shrunk back a little.
"Hey, I'm Peter. What's your name?" Peter asked kindly, holding out his hand for her to shake.
Moira looked from his smiling face to her outstretched hand, and, hesitantly, shook it. "I'm Moira." She said softly.
"Well, hello Moira," Peter replied. "Welcome to our little corner of Harvard. So, I heard from Hannah that you can do something very interesting."
"Yeah," Moira said, a little more confident. "I can hear people thinking!"
"Really! What do you hear right now? If anything?" Peter asked. He wanted to see exactly what was going on before he let a very excited Walter onto this kid. Walter was still rushing around with Astrid, getting everything ready. He probably hadn't even noticed Moira and Hannah's arrival yet.
Moira's eyes went slightly unfocused. Then she frowned.
"That old guy's weird. He starts thinking about one thing, then goes on to something totally different, then starts thinking about the same thing as though nothing had happened." She leaned in, motioning for Peter to come closer. "I think he might be a little crazy." She whispered, seeming a bit apologetic.
"Yeah, he is, a little." Peter answered briskly, but his interest was seriously piqued. What made this change in the girl? Why could she read minds?
Moira squirmed, and he realized she must have heard that.
"Hey! Wanna see a magic trick?" Peter asked mischieviously. "But you have to promise to try not to read what I'm doing, got it?"
Moira nodded frantically, watching him closely.
He took out a quarter, and held it between his thumb and forefinger. Then he twisted his hands, clenching them into fists in the process.
"Which hand?" He asked, then opened them, finger by finger. Gone.
Moira's look of surprise was so comical that Peter laughed. She grabbed his sleeve and looked in it. "Nothing up my sleeves!" Peter said dramatically. Moira's eyes were as round as dinner plates. Hannah beamed at Peter, and he winked back.
"Ah! You're here! Wonderful!" Walter said, rushing up. "Hello, I'm Walter Bishop. Would you please come over here, dear?" He indicated a chair near the middle of the room.
Emboldened by Peter, she put on her bravest face and walked over to the chair, sitting in it, looking as uncomfortable as one might look in a dentists office.
As Walter went to work put little sensors on her head, she squirmed and winced. The old scientist was a bit hurt (he hadn't even done anything yet), but since it was entirely possible that she had access to the memories of his past exploits, he didn't hold it against her. Much.
Placing the last sensor on her temple, he stepped back.
"This," he pointed to a screen. "Will monitor your brain activity. All you must do is try and focus on one mind to read. Any of us will do." He waved a negligent hand. Moira thought about it, and focused on Peter, since she already knew about her sister, and Walter confused her.
His thoughts were a rush of worry and annoyance, and she also got images. He himself being strapped in this chair, being shocked (this scared her). Then the door opened, but she didn't see who walked in (she was focusing too much on Peter's thoughts), but a rush of new emotions rushed to her.
Kindness. Tenderness. Eagerness. The face of a very pretty lady with blonde hair and green eyes flashed in front of her, and a name popped into her head.
Olivia

--

"What's going on?" Olivia asked, slightly worried about the blank looking child with sensors on her head.
"This young lady possesses the unique ability to tune into the electric waves of other peoples brains." Walter said excitedly. "She can read minds!"
Olivia frowned, and turned to Peter.
"Do you think this might be part of the Pattern?" She asked.
"I'm not sure. Most of the incidents with the Pattern ended with people dead, and, frankly, I'd really like that to not happen this time." Then he realized that Hannah hadn't been introduced.
"Oh, Walter, Olivia, Astrid, this is an old friend of mine. Hannah Hakoda."
"Hello," Walter muttered absently, focusing on the brain waves of Moira. The woman shook hands cheerfully.
While this was going on, Peter frowned. Images that he hadn't summoned kept flashing in front of his eyes. And they were things he didn't know he'd even kept. Primarily about Olivia.
The exact color of her eyes. Her grin. The way the light played on her hair at certain angles.
With a flash of insight, he realized what was going on. And frowned, slightly annoyed.
Moira looked up sharply, and Walter stared at the screen as the rush of things suddenly slowed.
"You pushed me out!" Moira said wonderingly. "How'd you even know I was there?"
"I saw the images you did. I don't know how I pushed you out, though." Peter muttered, confused as she was.
"Very interesting..." Walter muttered, printing out what was on the screen. "Oh, not what Peter did. I suspect he's always had a rather private mind. But that's not the point. The point is that these waves are quite interesting. I'd like to run some more tests. Not anything dangerous, mind. I just want to see how far this can go."
Moira started pulling off the sensors as Peter talked to Hannah.
"You don't have to," he said.
"No, it's okay. I just... I don't know when I'd be able to come in. I wouldn't be able to very often. I've got class..."
"We can watch her, right Peter?" Astrid said, smiling. "If we can watch Walter, we can watch a little girl."
"Yeah..." Peter said slowly. "I guess you're right..."
But he had his doubts.
When he agreed to help Hannah, he didn't know he was signing up for babysitting.

[WalterBishop]

Wonderful writing! I love the dialogue, it sounds very similar to the real show.

My story is coming along pretty well, it's taken a lot longer than I expected because I've never written nonfiction before.(Which the first chapter is for the most part)

I've been writing since I was 6, and every one of my stories has involved some sort of time travel or other fictional plot device in the first few sentences- I never realized how hard it was to try and stay within the limits of reality..!

[Gorim]

OOC: Thank you very much! I live for reviews; I learn from them, so, at the risk of sounding like I'm begging for reviews...
Review plz. XD

--

"Moria, can you tell me who kidnapped you?" Olivia asked, sitting next to the little girl in Walter's lab. A week had passed since Moira had appeared. Olivia had told Broyles about her, and he opened the case as a possible connection to the Pattern. Moira had opened up, and proved to not only be very smart, but also... just a bit hyperactive. Peter and Walter were currently bustling around, getting the next experiment ready, while Astrid hadn't arrived yet. Peter looked discreetly over, listening.
"No... All I remember is that they were wearing blue gloves." Olivia nodded, despite the fact that the fact probably wouldn't help. "But I remember who came in before they did stuff!" Moira said frantically, feeling the disappointment coming from Olivia.
"Really?" Olivia asked, hopeful.
"Yeah. She was kinda old, and her hair was red, and cut like mine." She described, remembering the lady. "She was nice. She didn't really... What?" She blinked at the look of shock on Olivia's face, then turned and saw the same look on Peter's face. Walter hadn't been listening.
"Nina Sharp..." Olivia whispered. "Massive Dynamic did this." Olivia got up and went into the hall to call Broyles, while Walter motioned for Moira to come over.
"Sit here, my dear," he said, getting the computer ready. Moira sat down in the chair, swinging her legs idly. "Today, we shall see if you can access memories the same way you can access thoughts and feelings. You may have to concentrate more. Go ahead and experiment on Peter." Walter said cheerfully. Peter looked shocked, while Moira giggled.
"Walter, that's not a good idea-" He started, but Walter waved him off.
"Let's get started then, shall we?"
Moira squirmed slightly as Walter applied the sensors, then closed her eyes to concentrate on Peter.
At first, she only got thoughts and feelings. Chagrin, worry, and a bit of fear concerning the presence of Massive Dynamic in this.
Then, images flashed up. First, of Olivia. Then Walter. Then Astrid. Different memories, flashes of past feelings, snippets of conversation.
"Bach? That's way too stuffy; what you need is some jazz."
"Her name is Astrid, and this is the hundreth time you've forgotten her name."
Then Olivia...
"He's your father!"
"How about some Bach?"
Flashes of feelings way before Olivia and Astrid, and before he truly knew Walter. Regret, and pain. Lonliness.
"Moira, stop that." And it all stopped.
"Peter!" Walter snapped. "Don't do that!"
"I don't wanna think about that stuff." Peter explained with carefully controlled calm. Moira couldn't feel what he was, but he seemed sad.
"Sorry," she muttered.
Peter shrugged. "No big deal. Now," he grinned wickedly. "Read Walter."
Before Walter could protest, Olivia walked in, looking furious.
"I have authorization to question Nina Sharp, but she's in London. I have to go there, on my own dollar, with no back up, because of a possible bomb threat in MIT."
"I'll go!" Peter volunteered. "I don't do anything besides get used as a control group here anyway."
"Peter-"
"I'll pay my own way. And half of yours." Peter offered. Olivia's eyebrows shot up, intrigued.
"He means it." Moira said with a grin. Olivia thought about it.
"Fine." She relented. Peter grinned.
"But who can she experiment on if you're gone, Peter?" Walter asked, half-joking. Peter glared.
"You."

[Gorim]

OOC: Couldn't hold it in. Had to update before this went away.

--

Nina Sharp matched Moira's description perfectly. Olivia stood in front of the high-ranking executive of Massive Dynamic in her office at the London Office.
The older woman motioned for Olivia to sit, which she did, grudgingly.
"How may I help you, Agent Dunham? I must say, I'm rather shocked to have you travel all the way here just to see me." Sharp said with a smile.
Olivia cut to the chase. "A few weeks ago, a small girl named Moira Hakoda was kidnapped. She reappeared about a week after her abduction with a... unique difference. When I questioned her about her abductors," Olivia's eyes narrowed at the calm mask of Sharp's. "Her description of one of her abductors matches you to a T, Miss Sharp. Would you care to explain that?"
"I'm shocked," Sharp said with just the right amount of hurt and innocence. "That you would even think that I might have something to do with the abduction of a child. Please, Agent Dunham, think about it. If this child was, as you say, abducted for a week, what kind of state do you think she'd be in afterwards? To base an entire investigation on the word of a young girl who had god knows what done to her for seven days..." She shook her head. "It's not professional."
Olivia's eyes narrowed.
"Are you here alone, Agent Dunham?" Sharp asked curiously. Then she looked behind Olivia, through the glass doors, to where Peter was standing, waiting outside in the prestine hallway. "Ah. I see." Olivia glared.
"No, you don't. Are you telling me you know nothing about this?"
"Yes. That's what I'm saying." Sharp said placidly. "Now, if that's all, please, leave so that I can continue on my work. I'm quite busy."

--

Peter walked next to Olivia down the street, to find a hotel. Peter assumed that the entire trip had been a colossal waste of time and, in his case, money.
"I'm sorry it didn't go well," he muttered.
"Not your fault." She snapped. The corners of Peter's mouth twitched.
"Hey... You wanna go grab a drink?" He jerked his thumb towards a pub. Olivia blinked, looked at the pub, thought about it, then nodded. "Sure.

--

In the end, startling as it was, Olivia could hold her liquor a bit better than Peter. And so, she was the one who managed, with some time, to get them to a hotel, pay, and get upstairs to the room.
"Two queens... That's okay, right?" Olivia asked thickly.
"Probably be four by this point," Peter said, giggling in a very un-Peter like way. Nevertheless, Olivia giggled too.
"Well then," she said, smiling. "Good nigh'!"
"Good nigh'!" Peter said with a grin. Then he leaned down and kissed her.
The kiss didn't last long, and it wasn't a particularly passionate kiss. But, drunk as Olivia was, she couldn't help but feel a little... girlish about it, so to speak.
Peter suddenly broke the kiss, looking horrified.
"S-sorry," he stammered, seeming to have sobered just a bit. "I didn't... I wasn't..."
"Peter," Olivia interrupted, reaching to cup his cheek. "Just shut up. I need to see something."
And then they kissed for real.
Peter stumbled back, opening the door, and they both tumbled in, with Olivia kicking the door closed behind them.

--

OOC: This story takes place whenever you want it too. Just in case you're one of those "They should wait" people. It's whenever. =D

[OliviaIsMyHero]

Wow, this story's really good!
You've got me hooked, can't wait to read more!
Also, I'm really liking the character of Moria. She seems kinda spunky, but timid... And the mind reading thing is awesome.

[Gorim]

"Mr. Bishop! I've come for Moira!" Hannah called, opening the door and walking into chaos.
"No! You don't come near me, Mr. Bishop, NO!"
"Oh, honestly! Asprin, help!" Walter practically chased Moira across the room, Astrid shaking, trying not to laugh.
"No! You're not doing ANYTHING to me without Peter's supervision!" Moira snapped, positioning herself so the piano was between them, ready to run in either direction at a moments notice.
Walter looked peeved. "I'm not going to do anything harmful! You know that!" He snapped.
"I try not to listen to your thoughts, they're confusing!" Moira snapped. Walter stomped his foot in irritation.
"Just get in the chair!"
"Uh, Mr. Bishop?" Hannah said, racing over. "Actually, it's time for her to go home. And I got a call from Peter; I'm supposed to take you home too." Walter looked at her like he had absolutely no idea who she was, even though she'd been coming regularly for several weeks. "I'm Hannah? Peter's friend?"
"Oh, yes! Right! Of course!" He said, calmer. "Now?"
"Yeah. We'll drop you off first, okay?" Hannah asked pleasantly. Walter nodded and gathered his things.
"How'd it go?" Hannah asked Astrid.
"Well, it was going okay... until Moira read some of Walter's memories. Saw some of the experiments he did. Now she's not going to let Walter do anything unless Peter's here. You said he called you?"
"Oh, yeah. He said it was a bust, and that he and Olivia would be back early tomorrow morning. They're taking the one in an hour."
"Great. Moira's a doll, but she and Walter together..." Astrid sighed. Hannah laughed.
"I understand. You go home, okay?"

--

Hannah drove towards Walter and Peter's hotel, with Walter sitting in the passenger's seat and Moira in the back, much to her chagrin.
"But I always sit in the front!" She wailed.
"First come, first serve." Walter said, sitting in the front. Moira stuck her tongue out at him, sitting in the back sulkily.
Now she tugged on Hannah's long hair.
"Sissy, can we go to McDonalds?" She asked. "I want McNuggets!"
"Sure, right after we drop off Mr. Bishop." Hannah said, stopping at a stop light. Moira smirked evilly at Walter, who ignored her.
"Excuse me, my dear?" He said, looking at Hannah. "But may I ask? How do you know my son?"
Hannah looked over at him, a little surprised. Then looked at the steering wheel, her hair falling in front of her face like a sheet.
"We were both in MIT. And we both had some issues, I guess. We met at a drinking party when I was 19 and he was 20. We both gambled too. We ended up going out." She looked up, laughing. "When he left, I was really angry at him. No warning or anything. I honestly didn't forgive him until I saw him about a month ago." She laughed at the memory. "He looked horrified! He wouldn't stop apologizing. The thing is, he dumped me over voice mail, then left within the hour. Anyway, that's that." She said, focusing on the road.
Moira heard only one part, and it shocked her.
"You DRANK?" She asked, stunned.
"Uh huh. I don't recommend it. It might seem like a good idea at the time, but you'll regret it in the morning." Hannah said casually. Moira looked a bit sick.
They pulled into the hotel parking lot.
"Okay, Mr. Bishop. Do you need some help getting to the room?" Hannah asked cheerfully.
"No, I think I can get there. I'm unusually focused today." He replied, getting out. "Thank you very much for driving me here, Hannah. And for telling me that story."
"You're very welcome. Good night, Walter."
"Good night, my dear."

---

On the way to the airport, Peter and Olivia had been totally silent, carefully avoiding each other's eyes. Peter considered holding her hand, but the fact that anything had happened between them seemed so unreal, it was like it would vanish like smoke with one false move.
They went through the gate in silence. Sat in their seats, which were right next to each other, in silence.
Finally, Olivia broke the silence.
"I can't believe that happened! I can't believe we LET it happen!" She whispered.
"Seven times!" Peter agreed softly. Olivia winced.
"Well, it was a London-only thing! A moment of weakness. Not gonna happen in Boston." She said, as if trying to convince herself.
"Yeah, I mean, we were in a romantic place, drunk." Peter added. "It was only too obvious that something would happen! We just... will let it go. And pretend nothing ever... happened..." He seemed a bit sad when he said that. Olivia did too, when she nodded, but she was a bit better at hiding it.
Peter suddenly sat up, looking at Olivia.
"You know..." he said slowly. "We're still over intercontinental waters." Olivia stared at him, then said, "Hmmm. Maybe I'll see you in the bathroom. Let's say, five minutes?"