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Ayako gave a nod and took the note Eleanor had written. “These seem reasonable enough. I’ll see what I can do about getting things set up as soon as possible. If there’s anything else you need, email me and I’ll get things rolling.”

Taking a new notepad, she scribbled a few things on it before handing it to Eleanor. “Those are the things you’ll need. For now, you’re dismissed.” Without even waiting for her to ask any other questions, Ayako stood up from her desk and grabbed her things before walking out of the room. “I have things to do. See yourself out.”

[closed]

Better Than|| Ayako and Eleanor || V8 W3 || Monday Afternoon

“It’s fringe science and academics- it’s brutal and ugly and everyone, me included, want all of the glory of this.” Eleanor said, pondering the possibility of getting the blood of either, or even both. Peter’s would probably be the more stable, since the kid was literally a walking sponge at this point. Mohinder’s would be great for comparison purposes.

Eleanor nodded, “that’s perfectly fine by me. Now, don’t hurt yourself working too hard out there.” She said, jotting some notes down onto a spare paper, “so these are the best parameters. Once I can get it to work for your average adult, well, it gets easy from there.”

#eleanor #better than #close #closed

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#face

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Ayako couldn’t help but laugh at Eleanor’s comment about Suresh, but it also made her something click in her head. “Now that you mention it, if we could get our hands on Suresh’s blood or Peter Petrelli’s blood, we might be able to isolate what’s in their blood that makes the formula work.” She paused a moment, thinking about their next move. 

“Maybe we should try that before dragging Trevor into this project. Admittedly, he’s not the most trustworthy man, though I don’t think any of us in this business are.” She smiled small, snickering at her own words. “In the meantime, I’ll round up some test subjects for you. Whoever we can get, whether or not they have evo blood.”

Better Than|| Ayako and Eleanor || V8 W3 || Monday Afternoon

“Well, that’s great,” Eleanor beamed, “you sure know how to pick ‘em,” She added, turning back to the computer screen. Hell, now this entire endevour would probably be finished by the end of the month.

Eleanor hummed, looking at the formula, “ehh, why the fuck not?” She said with a shrug, “kids of evos though, yanno, kids that may have an active gene, so we don’t have any Suresh-type monsters fucking up my good reputation.” She said with a smile.

#better than #Eleanor

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Ayako smiled pleasantly at Tracy, shaking her head in response. “No, I think that’s all. I’ll let you get back to your work while I go gather that information on Shelby for the both of you.” She replied, pulling out a piece of paper and scribbling something on it.

She handed it over to Tracy before turning on her heel and starting off. “That’s my number. If you need anything or want an update, just let me know. This is the only assignment I have right now, so I’ve got plenty of free time.” Ayako called over her shoulder.

[closed]

The Heat || Tracy & Ayako || V8 W3 || Wednesday Evening

Tracy nodded. Marshall was on the list, but not high up; his firm was small and not overly experienced. Still, the idea of neutrality was appealing, and Tracy liked hearing that his reputation for cleanliness exceeded further that the channels she mined information from. 

“Thank you, Ayako. I’ll have to take another look at Mr Marshall. He could be exactly what I’m looking for.”

Tracy smiled. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

#the heat #tracy #close #closed

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Information Request || V8 W2 || Micah & Ayako || Tues. Evening

#close #closed #micah #information request

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Ayako didn’t even flinch or crack a smile at Eleanor’s flirting. She’s grown accustom to it by now. It seemed to happen more often than Ayako had anticipated, but since Eleanor actually did her job well, Ayako continued to let it slide. For now.

When she mentioned Mason, Ayako’s lips curled into a wide cheshire grin. “He actually works for us now and I think that I may be able to arrange a meeting between the two of you." She paused, pulling out a notepad and scribbling a few notes. "He's off on assignment now, but I'll contact him."

Setting the pad aside, Ayako glanced up at Eleanor, still smiling. "Good work. Is there anything else you have for me or need? I can round up a few test subjects if you'd like."

Better Than|| Ayako and Eleanor || V8 W3 || Monday Afternoon

“Eh, I’m all good, but let me know if you’re free tonight,” Eleanor said with an exaggerated wink. She was reasonably sure Ayako wouldn’t reciprocate, but hey, any day could be her lucky one. “But on the projects,” Eleanor began, leaning back over her files to pull out a  few select projects she had glossed over.

She held one out to Ayako, with the label scratched, and her own handwriting on the front of the manilla folder. “This one is the Quarry. This Mason guy or whomever, he came the closest to a stable formula- called it Gemini. Don’t know where he is, but if you can get a sit down between the two of us, I think I can stabilize Strain 76.”

Eleanor pulled up the strain’s compound on the computer and pointed out a few spots on the image. “I think I need a catalyst to get this two fellas here to bond, and then to allow this to bond to the Host. There’s a possibility Mason cracked the catalyst. And if he didn’t, he can at least tell me what he fucked up.”

#better than #Eleanor #mobile

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Ayako smiled, nodding small at Tracy. “Any time. Honestly, if there’s anything I can do to help with this, just let me know. I figure the information will be the same for you and Noah and at least there won’t be any miscommunication or false data with more than one person doing it.”

At Tracy’s interest in the name, Ayako smiled a bit wider. "His name is Avery Marshall I've never used his services before, but I've heard good things about him. Plus, he's pretty neutral. A human, so that will work in our favor, I suppose. There is another I've heard of, but from what I understand, his reputation isn't as clean as Mr. Marshall's."

The Heat || Tracy & Ayako || V8 W3 || Wednesday Evening

Tracy nodded. She really did need to look into Ayako’s background further—it would have been helpful to know that she was already information gathering before they’d sat down. It seemed a bit odd that she wouldn’t have mentioned it outright, odder still that she was after more work, but Tracy supposed the other woman was interested in doing everything possible to help defuse the current situation. At least, Tracy hoped that was what was going on. With no particular indication otherwise, she was determined to give Ayako the benefit of the doubt.

She said, “That sounds fine. Thank you.”

She said, “I’ll have to wait for a legal strategy to know exactly what information will be most useful. For now, I think I wide net would serve us best. As for whose services to retain, I have a short list in mind. I’m always interested in suggestions, though. Who did you have in mind?”

#the heat #tracy

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lucy liu // ph. by anne menke

#face

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Ayako considered Tracy’s propositions for a long moment. She had a feeling that the blonde was playing her for information in some way, but at the same time, she couldn’t really prove it. “Well, since I’m already assigned to find information out and tail Senator Shelby, information sounds like my best bet. It’ll be easy enough to add to my list and with his affiliation to the EHRA, it’ll be like killing two birds with one stone.”

She smiled widely at Tracy, hoping that the other woman couldn’t see through to her real reasons for wanting to be in on the information squad. “Then I can report to you and Noah at the same time, give you both the same information. I’m sure you’ll both find everything useful.” It was almost too easy to take on the information task and make it look like just an addition, though technically that’s really what it was. 

“Is there anything specific you want me to find out about this registration for whoever you decide to hire? Or are you just looking for general information at the moment?” Ayako raised an eyebrow next, looking at Tracy curiously. “And have you considered hiring someone to do the legal defense? Or are you doing that yourself? If not, I have someone in mind who I recently heard about. He’s supposed to be very good.”

The Heat || Tracy & Ayako || V8 W3 || Wednesday Evening

Tracy considered Ayako for a moment. While she appreciated the other woman’s eagerness and willingness to apparently do anything, actually having a better idea of who she was and what her history looked like would have been nice. Not so nice that Tracy felt the need to press the situation, however; whatever she couldn’t unravel on her own she could dig up in her files or ask Noah for a look at his. Presumably between the two of them they had a significant amount of information on everyone involved with Fortis.

Tracy decided that the safest and most efficient route would be to offer Ayako her choice of two legal and above board tasks. Her decision might give Tracy some insight, and she could hardly be blackmailed with rudimentary activities. 

She said, “The two most pressing issues for us are information gathering and outreach work. I’m hoping to put together a legal defense. Obviously, that will entail hiring a law firm, but the more data as we can get on the EHRA, the better. If nothing else, it might help mount a negative press campaign against Shelby’s legislation.

“As for outreach, that could necessitate almost anything at this point. The goal is to make resources and information available to anyone seeking help. The expectation is that the EHRA will encourage further discrimination, and we want to ensure that between Fortis and the school we’re able to provide refuge for anyone feeling they need it.”

#the heat #tracy

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Ayako smiled widely at the offer of Peter, but that was pushing her luck a little too far for now. “Confident, aren’t you? Don’t let that cocky attitude destroy you, now...” She mused, raising an eyebrow at him in an almost challenging way. “And although the thought of Peter Petrelli being brought to me might be appealing, I’ll have to hold off on that at the moment. My main focus are these files, for now, though your services may be required for other tasks later on. Hope you’re up for whatever those challenges might be.” She was testing him a bit. Who wouldn’t?

At Darius’ questions, Ayako canted her head to the side, not being able to help the sarcastic snicker that crossed her lips. It was amusing how he thought she would give him a real answer to that question, though she did suppose it was a valid on to ask. “What does it really matter if you’re still getting paid?” She countered, quirking an eyebrow. Why don’t you just get me those files first and then maybe I’ll answer your little tirade of questions.” Ayako didn’t need him getting caught in the process and then spilling the beans to Fortis about what was going on with Continuance. This needed t be delicate and they needed to remain on the down low for a little while longer. Most importantly because she was running the organization now.

Woke Up Whistling // Darius & Ayako // Thursday Morning W3 v8

“Mmmm,” He smirked, humoring his own delight at the prospect of another job to pull off for a brief moment as he took a brief glance through the folders and at the pictures. He never trusted other intel, and always preferred to case the place himself. Nevertheless, he couldn’t deny that a glance at the proverbial ‘cookie jar’ wasn’t intriguing. “Oh I can get it.” He mused, “And I can walk out with anything you want. If you wanted Peter Petrelli himself I could giftwrap him just for you—All with a sparkly bow and a written inscription from Noah Bennet saying ‘come back soon’…” He looked up, gazing at her with sharp and bright eyes. 

“But.” He mused, taking the file with the photos, “I do have some curiosity that perhaps you could satisfy…” He knew she had come to him because he was, gently putting it, the best. He had no end of people that wanted to do business with him. Being the popular kid in town had its pros, and it meant he could do business with whom he liked. “You know.” He chuckled, “My Uncle likes to say the only good question is one that is asked. So. A—.” A wide smirk came on his face, as if he found the name she had given to him amusing in the best sense. “Word is on the street Continuance fell on some hard times, and maybe smack onto its face just a little while ago…How does an organization manage to rise up so quickly and afford an artist like me after something like that?” He tilted his head, “Am I really talking to a representative of Continuance, or someone else? Basking in the name of another little Empire?”

#woke up whistling #darius

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“Absolutely. What that man’s doing is no in anyone’s best interest and we all need the information to stay on our toes.” She flashed a bright smile at him, meaning her words every bit, even if Ayako did want the information more for her own priorities. 

She took a deep breath and glanced down at Micah again. “Anyway, as soon as you can get me that information, that would be great. Then the sooner I can start spying on him and hopefully find something useful to discredit that Senator.” Maybe she was thinking a little too hopeful, but Ayako didn’t care. Him being discredited is what they needed. All of them.

Information Request || V8 W2 || Micah & Ayako || Tues. Evening

#information request #micah

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Lips curling up a little more, Ayako nodded at Tracy’s request and gestured for her to lead the way. “That would be lovely. As for my skill set, well I have a wide range of skills.” Hopefully, this would allow her to get more information and learn about Tracy. If Ayako could figure out how she operated, maybe that would help in getting the blonde on her side. Or just help Ayako to take her out if needed, though from what Ayako understood, Tracy’s abilities were a dime a dozen when paired together.

“I guess the question is, what skill set do you need more of?” Truthfully, Ayako could do anything she tried, though sometimes it took her longer to learn something new. Though that didn’t matter. If Tracy needed someone to do it and Ayako needed the information, then she was to do whatever it was. “Just tell me whatever you want me to do.”

The Heat || Tracy & Ayako || V8 W3 || Wednesday Evening

Still smiling, Tracy withdrew her hand and searched Ayako’s face. Tracy had many ideas, but she was hesitant to start sharing them with a virtual stranger, even one she worked with. Too many betrayals had made her cautious and working with a few properly paranoid individuals had made her warier than perhaps most situation warranted.

Then again, any ally was helpful when it came to dealing with Shelby, and the other woman’s effusions seemed genuine enough; it was hard to fathom anyone working for Fortis who didn’t feel strongly about the recent legislation. And there were plans Tracy could share without fear of repercussions: so much of her job was public record, it didn’t make much difference if one more person was brought into the loop.

Tracy said, “I appreciate that. I have a few projects that could use some extra assistance. Would you follow me to my office? I’m sure we can find something to match your skill set–though I should apologize, I’m not sure what that is, exactly?”

#the heat #tracy

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Ayako flashed her own smile at him, which clearly said she was not in the mood for small talk. “So I’ve heard, but let’s get to business, shall we? You can try the cherry pie later. Maybe they’ll give you a discount for being a first-timer.” Her smile widened into a knowing one, but it was also clearly full of sarcasm. 

“Now--” Ayako pulled out a small file, mostly filled with pictures. “There is a file at Fortis that I want.” Of course she could get it herself, but then it wold look completely suspicious for her to walk out of the building with her passcode being the last used. “It contains some very vital information to my orgnization and I’d like you to retrieve it for me. These--” She slid the folder across the table. “--are pictures of the campus and there is also a list of some passwords that we’ve created for you to get in and out if needed. If you can find a way around them, that would be prefered.”

Woke Up Whistling // Darius & Ayako // Thursday Morning W3 v8

The cafe was a modest little establishment, not exactly the place he would have chosen for a meet. But…This was after all, not his operation. The job offer had come through third party, but still he had been intrigued. How does a corporation knocked off its feet suddenly find the means to stand up again? He was old enough to know that Knowledge was a commodity in and of itself, worth to some people as much as gold. 

He flashed a smile at the woman he saw approaching. She was lean, well toned, and had a look on her face as if she meant business. She moved to sit down and he waited until she was on the opposite side of the table. “Cherry pie is supposed to be good here.” He mused nonchalantly, “But I wouldn’t be able to tell you.” He fixed her in his stare, gazing at her from sharp blue eyes, “I haven’t been here before.” 

Of course, he didn’t care one fig for the pie. He had merely been asked to say some rubbish about Cherry Pie in order to identify himself. He’d done as asked, now it was up to her to give the correct answer. 

#darius #woke up whistling

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What advice would you give to young Asian Americans who are thinking about becoming professional actors? I would tell them that it’s a very, very difficult career. But if they really are okay with rejection and perseverance and a long creative journey, then they should absolutely pursue it. To negotiate what’s ahead of them — to understand that it’s not an easy role, but that it’s incredibly rewarding.

#face

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Ayako’s lips curled up at his question, her expression a little devious. “Actually, they do happen quite a bit, though maybe not enough to sleep with one eye open.” Yet. “If you’re worried, maybe staying on campus isn’t the best option. Or you can ask the security guard to take more precautions for you.” 

Maybe she was trying to scare him a little now, but it was for his own good. Truthfully, Ayako didn’t want any more of their kind’s blood spilled in whatever war had been going on before she had taken over and repurposed Continuance. Evos should have stood together in power, not killed each other off one by one.

On Your Way || Russell & Ayako || V8 W3 Tuesday Afternoon

Try as he might to keep a positive expression, what Ayako said about the so called unexpected situations did worry him a lot. Not just for his own safety, but for his son too. Although he already knew there were dangers, and should anything too serious come up, it wasn’t as if he’d put himself or Tom in danger - he’d just get them right out of there. “I see…” Russell spoke slowly and absent-mindedly scratched his chin. “So would you say these things happen a lot? Should I sleep with one eye open?” He asked, still fairly casual. The worst that could come out of this conversation would be just leaving the campus. He could still work there, but live off campus - it wouldn’t be so difficult, if a little inconvenient.

#russel #on your way

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Ayako approached her and held a hand, lips still curled into a smile. “I’m with Fortis too. My name’s Ayako.” She introduced. Tracy probably already knew who she was, but it was still proper to give a name. “I was wondering, considering your position, if you had any ideas to go against the registration act. I want to help, but figured you’d already have a plan or be in charge of that.”

Technically, it was the truth, but the blonde didn’t need to know Ayako’s ulterior motives behind wanting to know. “It’s something that I feel rather strongly about.” That was an understatement. If anything, Ayako wanted to murder Shelby with her ability on national television to get her feelings across, but that would do terrible damage and she knew it.

The Heat || Tracy & Ayako || V8 W3 || Wednesday Evening

She was still thinking over her lunch with Claire when she rounded a corner and was immediately met by a tall, slender woman calling Tracy’s name. Smoothly and without hesitation, she composed her face into the shape of a pleasant smile, a mask made nearly impenetrable from a lifetime of deception and self-preservation.

She recognized the woman from a picture on the dozens of employee dossiers filed away in Tracy’s office, but she couldn’t recall her name or position. Still, there was no reason not to try to begin any new relationship–especially one with a colleague–as convivially as possible.

Adding a little more warmth to her smile, Tracy said, “Yes. How can I help you?”

#tracy #the heat

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The Heat || Tracy & Ayako || V8 W3 || Wednesday Evening

@strausstracy

After hearing the rumors that the infamous Tracy Strauss was back in town, Ayako wanted to meet the woman. She’d heard so much about her, through research and the television. It was almost shocking that Tracy worked with Fortis, even remotely. Even so, if Ayako could convince her to join Continuance, later on, Tracy would be a great benefit to their cause.

But first, they needed to be friends. Or at least very close.

She spotted the woman coming around a corner and heading into the Fortis building, another blonde woman walking the opposite direction as if they’d just parted way. “Tracy Strauss?” Ayako asked, raising an eyebrow once they were both in each other’s line of site. Better to start it off simple, right?

#idek with this title tbh #the heat #tracy #bravenewstarter