User:SylarMonroe/Team Pinehearst/Volume One/Chapter One
Chapter One:
“Welcome to Pinehearst”
“Welcome to Pinehearst”
Pinehearst Company, Fort Lee, NJ
“What’s wrong?” Knox had been hanging around Claire all morning, yet she still wouldn’t give an answer.
“Nothing,” Claire replied once again.
“Quit it Claire, I can sense something’s wrong with you. You still stink of fear Claire, fear that isn’t necessary for someone like you.”
“Knox, just shut up, okay? You know what’s wrong, my whole life has been torn away by that bastard Sylar and there’s not a thing I can do. Now I’ve got all these things to worry about now, all these problems like villains running rampant, breaking the law, trying to kill my dad.”
“Senator Sky-boy you mean? Or should I say President Sky-boy?”
“He hasn’t even won the election yet, I don’t see why everyone’s getting so excited about it.”
“Well he stands a good chance, the President hasn’t done anything since he was elected, and with your dad making all these promises or whatever he goes on about, he’s sure to win.”
“You think so, huh?”
“Yeah, people like him, I can tell.”
“And do you like him?”
“No, that guy makes my skin crawl, he’s a shifty one y’know Claire.”
“I do, I’ve had him as a father since the day I was born.”
Washington DC
“And if you elect me as President, things will change, I promise,” Nathan began.
Nathan Petrelli spoke in front of a crowd of at least five-thousand people, each and every one of them having devoted all their trust to him. As the sunlight glinted off his sunglasses which he had placed on his forehead, he felt more alive than he ever had. For despite all the terrible things that had happened, he could now try to put it all right, and with Pinehearst backing him he was almost certain to win.
“Mr. Petrelli! Mr. Petrelli!” called a voice from the crowd.
“Yes? What is it?” he replied.
“What is your opinion on the evolved human situation?”
“As most of you know, when I was born, I was injected with the formula that grants abilities. At certain times of my life I’ve been thankful this happened, yet other times I have loathed my parents for putting me through it. At the time being I’m feeling the latter, because right now, I don’t think any of us do, or can be expected to trust people with abilities. In the past few years we’ve been terrorised by a man named Sylar, and almost been wiped out by a man named Adam Monroe. Now I can’t confirm the status of Sylar, but I can assure you, the Pinehearst Company have been working very closely with me to put a stop to him if ever he should come back. However, the formula may be a dangerous weapon, but we need it to stop people like Sylar. Now I know there have been a lot of stories lately that we’re creating a race of super-people to take on anyone who poses the same threat as Sylar, and I want to confirm these rumours to be true.”
On this note there was much talking amongst the crowd, half delighted at their guess, and half horrified at the prospect of evolved humans running free.
“You’ll kill us all!” shrieked a female reporter.
“Please, if you’d let me explain, with this army of evolved humans and mainstream use of the formula -”
“Mainstream use? Are you insane?”
“Please, let me finish, I can assure you that this is the only way to stop people like Sylar running free.”
The Parkmans' Apartment, NY
Daphne turned the television off, there goes that name again, that foul name that brought back so many horrific memories; Sylar.
“You okay Daphne?” asked Matt as he entered the room with his pet turtle in his arms.
“Yeah, I’m just sick of the sound of Sylar-this, Sylar-that, and that goddamn bast -”
Molly followed Matt into the room, with her earphones in.
“Don’t talk about that in front of her,” Matt muttered.
“What? The b-word or the S-word?”
“Both!”
“She can’t hear me, she’s got those earphones in again.”
“Oh don’t worry, I can hear you, and for the record, I’ve heard all those words plenty of times,” Molly stated with a wry smile.
“Alright then Matt, enough about Mr Gray. That Nathan Petrelli is getting on my nerves as well, he wants to make everyone into an evolved human, is he insane?” Daphne asked.
“You’re the one who joined Pinehearst and rounded everyone up. That was always Arthur’s big plan wasn’t it? Everyone with powers? Though think about it, this could be the one way to finally put a stop to people like Sylar.”
“Matt, haven’t you learnt? Whenever he ‘dies’ he somehow comes back, I’ve been studying him for some time now you know. First they said he was killed at Claire’s homecoming, then they said he was killed by Noah Bennet, then they said Hiro Nakamura stabbed him through the heart, and then there were rumours that Elle Bishop had turned him into dust! That one only lasted one day though, because he’d killed her father by the next afternoon.”
“I thought you said you’d stop talking about the S-word,” Molly said.
“Sorry sweetheart, it’s just Daphne’s got some very important work to do about him,” Matt replied apologetically.
“That’s okay.”
“Damn Matt, that turtle is beginning to smell, can’t you get him a cage or something? Turtles do have cages, don’t they?”
“Don’t you remember the cage I got him a few years back, he hated it. Besides he’s my spirit guide, it’s a two-person team, so the other half can’t be locked in a cage.”
“Knox, I’ve been meaning to discuss something with you for a while,” Claire began.
“Discuss what? A pay-rise, ‘cos I couldn’t agree more,” he replied.
“No, it’s about Pinehearst, and its staff.”
“So what, you’re saying I’m not good enough to be on your team now? Is that it?”
“Knox, calm down, it’s nothing to do with that. I’m asking for your help.”
“How exactly do you want me to help?”
“This company is not doing its job properly, and I think we need to tighten things up a bit.”
“Come over here Claire, it’s a little less prone to eavesdroppers.”
Knox glanced up at a balcony ledge over the ground floor plaza, from which a man with dark brown hair watched. He then directed Claire over to a nearly empty corridor, aside from a few physicians pushing a trolley containing vials of the formula.
“Now Claire, I think our primary problem is this goddamn formula being made public. When me and your uncle Flint joined, old man Arthur was going to be selective with who got powers, and people like me and Flint would discipline the world, keep all the problem people in line and do whatever was necessary to achieve our goals. Then your dad got involved, he took over the company and decided everyone deserved abilities, because he believes everyone’s got good in them, because God tells him this all the time. Though I think there’s more to it, I think Peter Petrelli has been telling him things, things that have made him come up with these stupid ideas,” Knox stated.
“As soon as this formula becomes public, we’re gonna have a lot more work on our hands, so we need to be prepared. That means we need to thin the team out a bit, remove those not up to scratch and destroy all those who are a risk,” Claire added.
“Hold on, someone’s coming, I can sense it.”
Daphne sped down the corridor using her ability, and turned to Knox and Claire.
“Have you seen the news today?” Daphne asked, panicked.
“You mean my dad?” Claire asked.
“Yeah, he’s gonna try and give everyone abilities. Please tell me you didn’t know about this Claire.”
“Well what good would it have done? Arthur isn’t going to back us up, he’s dead! And you don’t know my dad, he’s so stubborn, if he gets his mind fixed on doing something he’ll do it, make no mistake about that.”
“Daphne’s got a point Claire, you want to help improve this company, but if you’re gonna do that you’ve got to be straight with us, no more secrets.”
“Well stop blaming me for everything my dad does! I want nothing to do with him!”
Claire angrily stormed off down the corridor, punching a glass pane through on a door.
“Claire! Wait! We’re not blaming you for anything. Damn it Claire you’ve gotta stop acting like a kid! You’re our team leader!” Knox called.
“She’ll get over it,” Daphne said.
“Daphne, get a clean-up crew on that glass over there.”
“I’m busy dealing with the Sylar case, I’ve got to put forward a report to Nathan Petrelli tomorrow -”
“Sylar or no Sylar, do the job now.”
Knox grabbed Daphne’s shoulder, and turner her round to face the pile of broken glass.
“Tidy it up,” Knox said aggressively.
Claire sat alone outside the Pinehearst building, directly beneath the helix statue. It was becoming dark now, and she was glad the long day was finally over. A lowly caretaker stood on the other side of the patch of grass, sweeping up a pile of leaves, but glimpsing Claire several times.
“Can I help you?” Claire called across to him.
“No, I’m fine, just a bit tired. Mind if I sit down next to you?” he asked, scratching wrinkled forehead.
“Sure, I don’t care.”
The caretaker joined her on the bench. He appeared to be sweating from all his hard work and was beginning to smell slightly.
“Looks like all us weak ones are out here,” the caretaker chuckled.
Claire got up and stood directly in front of the caretaker. She lifted her arm and snapped the bone, and it instantaneously healed.
“I’m not weak, not like you,” Claire said, sitting back down.
“But, you’re weak at heart aren’t you, at the time being at least. Something’s troubling you, something evil,” the caretaker said.
Claire got up and lifted a gun which she pointed at the man’s head.
“Sylar, what the hell do you want from me now?” Claire asked, furious.
“Who?” the caretaker replied.
“Stop playing games with me! I’ll blow your brains out with one click, much faster than your telekinesis, we both know.”
“Please, I swear! I don’t know! I’m the caretaker here, I have a power but I’m not the guy you think I am!”
Claire lowered her gun, if the man was Sylar he’d tried to have killed her by now, he wouldn’t have risked dying.
“So what can you do?” Claire asked, sitting back down.
“I’m slightly telepathic, I understand how people feel by knowing what they’ve been through, clairsentience is the name for it.”
“So you can read all the pain I’m feeling right now?”
“Yes. Every last memory of it.”
“And can you make it go away?”
“No, but I can help you take it away.”
“How?”
“I need to know everything about what happened.”
Daphne sat alone at her apartment that night, flicking through a folder of documents on Sylar. She felt so angry at what he had done to Pinehearst, and how Daphne was helpless to do anything against him. She was looking for a particular document though, containing an analysis of his DNA and personality. She turned to the end of the file yet the document was not there. She’d lost it.
“Damn it, and it’s gone midnight,” Daphne groaned, clearly tired.
Daphne shot out of the room using her ability, arriving at the Pinehearst facility in a matter of seconds.
“Crap,” Claire whispered, standing behind a door, the file of Sylar in her hand.
She then grabbed a nearby knife lying on a table from a captured enemy. She made a large slit across her stomach, causing blood to pour out. Claire gasped in pain, but winced and forced the file on Sylar into the slit which then healed over, concealing the document. She then placed the bloody knife back on the table.
“What’re you doing here?” Daphne shot into the room behind Claire, who spun around, slightly flustered.
“Oh, hey Daphne,” Claire answered.
“Are you okay? It’s not normal to stay at work this late.”
“I had to finish some work, you know.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Well its Nathan work, I need to convince him to stop the formula’s public release.”
“And what’s with that knife?”
“I was just testing my ability.”
“Whatever. But hey, that’s pretty brave, standing up to your daddy. I couldn’t do it, but then again when I lived with my dad I could barely stand up, even with my leg braces.”
“Sometimes I’d like to do more than just stand up to him.”
“Well don’t. We need to figure some things out before we take action. Our fathers are very important, hold on to him.”
“My father is Noah.”
“Sorry, I forgot. I don’t suppose you’ve seen anyone with part of the Sylar file eh?”
“No.”
“Well then, see you tomorrow. D’you want a ride home? It’s not good for you to hang around here, too many old ghosts for you.”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“If you say so.”
Daphne sped out of the office, slightly confused by Claire’s behaviour.
Back at Pinehearst’s front entrance, the caretaker still remained sat down, in exactly the same position. Claire joined him with the knife which she cut open her stomach again with. Retrieving the Sylar document, she passed it to the caretaker, as well as her own necklace, Noah’s gun and Arthur’s fountain pen.
“And all four of these were present at the time of the incident?” the caretaker asked.
“Well, apart from the file, but that’s got a powerful connection to things,” Claire said.
“It definitely does, I can sense it from here.”
“Really? I’ve never been able to take those with mind-reading powers properly.”
“Let me prove it. By touching the pen I can tell that a woman named Angela gave it to him about seven years ago, he held on to it because it was his last connection to her.”
“Alright, you’ve won me over.”
“Now Claire Bennet from Texas, you need to close your eyes and give me your hand.”
Claire did so, and the caretaker held on to her hand, but suddenly she jolted as he began to pull her ability out of her body.
“What the Hell are you doing?” Claire asked angrily.
“Well now I know everything I need to know, I’m going to change my ability to your one.”
He then pushed Claire aside and injected her with a sedative liquid in a syringe. The caretaker was capable of replicating powers one at a time, and now he could heal he knew he was practically unstoppable. He dragged the body of Claire away so that it could be disposed of appropriately.
Pinehearst
Knox was concerned as Claire had not returned any of his calls, and Daphne was avoiding him after he lost his temper with her. The caretaker passed Knox in the corridor, and was stopped by him.
“Tell me man, why’re you so afraid?” Knox asked.
“Well, my job’s on the line, they say the place still looks dirty,” he replied.
“Well make sure you keep it that way. Oh, and if you see a blond girl about this high,” Knox indicated Claire’s height, “tell her Benjamin wants to speak to her.”
“I will, I’ll make sure of it.”
As the caretaker walked off, Knox watched him, sensing a strong stench of fear when he described Claire to him. The little old man knew more than he was saying, and Knox knew this. The caretaker spoke into a mobile, being especially quiet so nobody would overhear what he had to say.
“Yes, the Bennet girl won’t be getting out any time soon. Yes, I have learnt all the security data for the building, and I’ve been given an interesting file on Gabriel Gray. Yes, he could help us destroy these bastards once and for all. I’m going to take the rest of the files today.”
Daphne stood out the front of Pinehearst, where Claire had been the night before. She looked stressed as she stared at the fountain, remembering when she first stood where she was all those years ago, before things got this complicated. Knox joined her from behind, looking solemn and disappointed.
“Hey,” Knox said.
“Knox, don’t be too mad at me, but I’ve lost an important document on Sylar, part of that file Claire gave me,” Daphne said nervously.
“Well I’ve managed to lose Claire, so try and beat that.”
“Have you noticed she’s been acting really...strange recently.”
“Well think Daphne, things have changed, and that’s what’s made her change. I know she’s sad but she needs to pull herself together, I mean, she’s not bothered coming in today.”
“She was here late last night, but acting really strange. She kept creeping around.”
“Do you have clearance to the security footage?”
“No, and I take it you don’t.”
“No, of course not. Only high-ranking team members are allowed to deal with the big boys’ stuff.”
“Well great, neither of us have access.”
“The tape has been destroyed,” the Haitian said, “I have already checked.”
“Well what now? We’re chasing someone we don’t even know,” Knox said.
“We will use our resources, and watch and wait for our man.”
“I always thought he was mute,” Daphne quipped.
Deep beneath Pinehearst...
Claire awoke and found herself tied to a chair. Her surroundings were dark and visibility in the area was poor. Wherever she was it didn’t feel right.
“That sick bas -” someone clasped a hand over Claire’s mouth.
“Hello there little pretty, you come to see your big bro Fletch? Huh? Of course you have,” began a large built man.
As Fletch turned to face Claire, his overbearing grin revealed his gold teeth at the back of his mouth. Despite his appearance, he was only around 25 years old, this was due to his dirtied look from poor hygiene.
“What’s brought you down here?” Fletch asked, stroking Claire’s long blond hair.
Claire realised that she had been put in Pinehearst’s underground cells. They were poorly maintained and had formed into a complex labyrinth of tunnels housing several prisoners, some of which were not so easily contained. Fletch was one of them, and he had been on Pinehearst’s radar since late 2007 when he had killed a bus full of tourists in Las Vegas which he was travelling through at the time.
“You remember what I can do, don’t you honey?” Fletch asked as he placed his head on her shoulder.
He finally pulled his hand away from her mouth and licked it.
“Your lips taste nice today, well that’s if it is day! I can’t tell down here in this dark and lonely cell!” Fletch exclaimed manically.
“Let me go Fletch, right now!” Claire snapped.
“But then there wouldn’t be any fun for me? Little Miss Selfish!”
Claire sat quietly in her chair.
“Wanna see a show? I love shows, and you can join in my little Claire!” Fletch grinned.
He stood up to his full height and towered over Claire, and from his finger he produced a thin red beam of light.
“Look how pretty it is, just like you!” he said, pointing the beam directly at her face.
It burnt her cheek and left a black scar there which cracked the surrounding skin. It immediately healed but Claire grimaced as he winked at her.
“This is going to be so much fun!” Fletch said, shooting another red laser, this one slightly thicker, around the cell which bounced off walls and came back to shoot Claire in the back.
Knox, Daphne and the Haitian walked down the corridor and passed the caretaker who was mopping the corridor.
“Oh, watch your step you lot, I’ve just mopped along here, the whole floor’s wet,” he said.
“Slipping over is the least of our worries,” said Knox as he barged past, accidentally making the old man scrape his arm on the wall.
“Ow, son of a gun.”
“You okay man?”
“Yeah, jus’ fine don’t worry about me.”
He hid the graze on his arm as it healed up. The group continued walking until they reached the surveillance room.
“Should we warn everyone?” Daphne asked.
“No, we would cause far too much disruption,” the Haitian stated.
They looked at the security cameras, observing what was going on.
Carla Klaus' Office
Every office had looked the same, and this one was no different. The documents on the table would be of use though, and once Primatech found out more about Pinehearst’s plans and what they intended to do, things would start to change, and for the better. As he rummaged through the drawers for any other details, the caretaker was greeted by a tall red-haired woman with a particularly angry expression.
“Who on Earth let you in?” Carla Klaus asked as he slammed the door behind her.
“Don’t mind me, I’m sorry but I’m just a bit lost you see,” the caretaker replied.
“Well I do mind, and I don’t accept apologies.”
She fired three bullets into the old man as he fell to the ground in a pool of blood.
“Little rat,” she quipped angrily, grabbing the documents and putting them back in her drawers.
“I wasn’t asking you for a chance, I was offering you one,” the caretaker said, his wounds healing instantaneously as he retrieved his own gun.
“I don’t take -”
The sound of the bullet rang out through the office.
“Chances,” the caretaker finished for Carla as he left her lifeless body.
Taking the documents once again, he exited the room, weary of anyone who might be aware of him.
Knox paced up and down the room, and glanced at the times on the security cameras. The one in Carla Klaus’ office was frozen on 14:53:47. He angrily looked at it, and upon trying to move the camera he was informed that the camera was out of service.
“Daphne, this camera’s been frozen for the past few minutes, I’ll bet something’s going on down in old Carla Klaus’ office,” Knox said.
The Haitian was fiddling with a security camera, but found it too was frozen for the underground cells.
“They have frozen the downstairs camera too,” the Haitian said.
“I can’t believe we can’t afford a security guard in here,” Daphne said.
“Oh, but I think we can.”
The Haitian looked upwards where the body of a security guard was nailed into the ceiling, still holding his gun.
“This man clearly has stealth,” Knox said.
The guard’s eyes sprung open, and looked down at Knox. He yelled in pain.
“Quiet now,” Knox said, snapping the poor man’s neck.
Daphne stood aghast, and slightly in fear of Knox’s act.
“I’ve scared you haven’t I?” he asked Daphne.
“You could say that,” she replied, shaken.
Fletch continued to play around with Claire.
“What’s your favourite colour Claire?” Fletch asked.
“Red,” she answered sarcastically.
“That’s brilliant because my lasers are as red as that old cheerleader outfit you used to have. I found your MySpace page.”
“Pervert.”
He shot another laser at her, burning the side of her chest. As she flinched in pain for a second, she felt a tear; the thick rope which confined her to the chair was being burnt away by the laser.
“Don’t be so rude missy,” Fletch replied.
“Ha, but she’s right Fletch you sick s-o-b!” called a voice from behind a glass pane.
“Roach? Have you been watching us having fun all this time?” Fletch asked, slightly annoyed.
“Course I have, but if she wants to have some fun she can come play with me!” Roach called.
Claire glimpsed him behind the thick pane of glass. He had a darker complexion and short cropped hair as well as a torn shirt.
“How’s she gonna have fun with you bug-boy? Ha-ha, don’t tell me, one of those damn bugs of yours is gonna be holding a wedding ring made of pure gold? Ha!” Fletch called.
Claire managed to snap the rope, and sneaked up behind him. She took another step.
“You’re in trouble now Fletch,” Roach cooed.
“Why?” he replied.
He turned around to face Claire. He looked nervous.
“Why Claire, what’re you doing up so early?” he asked.
Claire slammed her fist into his face, and Fletch dropped to the ground unconscious.
“Wow, you’re one feisty girl missy!” Roach called to her, laughing manically at her.
“You don’t know just how feisty,” Claire said back through gritted teeth.
The caretaker returned to mopping the floor outside Carla’s office; the door was closed.
“Can’t be long now, can’t be long until I change everything and become the hero,” he said.
He walked on a bit, dragging the mop with him. He looked up at the security camera and stared.
“Why’s he mopping the floor?” asked the Haitian.
“Huh?” Knox asked.
“When we walked past, he told us the floor was wet. He said it was wet all along this floor, so why is he mopping on this floor?”
“Yeah, zoom in on him.”
Daphne zoomed the camera in on the caretaker, showing his arm in clear detail. The wound inflicted on him when Knox went past was gone, and the skin was completely clear then.
“He has an ability,” Daphne said, turning to the others.
“Hold on, it is Pinehearst’s protocol to not employ evolved humans in such lowly positions. A caretaker is a very revealing job, you can learn a lot about a place with a job like that,” Knox said.
The frozen screen of the underground cells came back into life. The image was fuzzy at first, but within a few seconds Claire Bennet’s face was clear on the screen.
“Claire? What happened?” Daphne asked.
“It’s that caretaker. He can replicate abilities like Peter, and he has mine. He knocked me out and left me down here,” Claire said angrily.
“Well don’t worry, we’ve got him on camera,” Knox said.
“No Knox, he’s gone, vanished into the air itself,” the Haitian said.
“He’s been blocking the cameras, he has a security chip which he places on them, freezes the image, my dad dealt with them a lot in the last years of Primatech,” Claire said.
“Well I’m not sure Primatech has had its last years yet,” Knox said. “He’s a mole, and we’ve gotta find him.”
“Knox, we must keep this quiet, if he knows we are on to him he will escape yet again,” the Haitian ordered.
The caretaker strolled down another endless corridor, his mop and bucket gone. He was holding several files now, having raided nearly every office in the section of the building. As he stepped forward, Daphne stopped him with her hand.
“Going somewhere?” she asked.
“Yes actually, I’m quitting,” he replied, retrieving his gun from his pocket.
“You’re on camera, you’ll be shot as soon as you leave the room.”
“I’ll play dead and two minutes later I’ll get up and walk away; I’ve dealt with people like you lot before and I know what you’re doing.”
“It isn’t like that, Senator Petrelli has his own plans, we’re trying to stop it!”
“Well you’re doing a good job of that aren’t you!”
Daphne ran behind him but he managed to turn to her in time. She felt the cold metal of the gun on the back of her neck.
“One move, that’s all it takes. I may be old but I know how to deal with a silly little speedster y’know.”
Knox and the Haitian appeared in the doorway.
“Get him Knox, he’s a danger to everything we’re doing,” Daphne said.
“If we kill this man, then we will have no evidence to back up our claims,” the Haitian stated.
“I think I’ll have a play with your power now,” the caretaker said, absorbing her ability.
“Shoot him!” Knox yelled.
The caretaker sped off, before turning back, evading the bullets fired and knocking the three agents to the ground. He pointed his weapon at the three of them.
“When you’re scared you do stupid things, y’know! You do whatever you need to do, and you get so damn -”
The bullet shot the caretaker to the ground mid-sentence as Claire stood behind in the doorway.
“Careless?” she said, finishing his sentence.
“Claire, this was the wrong move,” the Haitian said.
“You’re telling me you’d rather be dead?”
“You do not understand what you’ve done to your reputation!”
“But she saved us!” Daphne said, hugging Claire.
The Haitian stood in the corner shaking his head, before walking off.
“He’ll come round,” Knox said, “the Haitian thinks too much.”
“I still can’t believe he’s not mute,” Daphne said, watching him curiously.
“What now?” Claire asked.
“I’ll get a clean-up crew here, but I’ll bet he’s screwed the cameras over, so we’re gonna look like killers in cold blood,” Knox said.
“My dad will sort things out,” Claire replied, “he always does.”
“I guess Senator Sky-boy has his uses sometimes,” Knox said.
Nathan’s Office, Pinehearst
“Claire, you don’t have the tiniest bit of evidence against this man, everyone thinks you murdered staff,” Nathan began.
“Can’t you tell them what really happened?” Claire asked, worried.
“And think how I’ll look, an evolved human getting the job of a caretaker, an evolved human working for Primatech! We’re breaking rules quicker than we can make them.”
“So what do I do now everyone’s giving me the frosty treatment.”
“Do what I do, ignore it. Continue as normal, resume the status quo.”
“You’re just like my other dad, the whole status quo thing.”
“Great minds think alike.”
“He wouldn’t think alike in every aspect.”
“If you’re going to start about the formula then I don’t want to hear it, I’ve had to read through fifty-seven death threats from people, including a politician in Seattle. The plan goes ahead.”
“That’s not very status quo.”
“Things never are, because if they were life would be very boring. Now go home Claire, forget about today. You have my forgiveness.”
“I didn’t ask for it.”