fic: Nothing Is Taking Me Down, Part 2/? (Heroes)
Title: Nothing Is Taking Me Down, Part 2/?
Author: acinogan
Characters: Sylar, Elle, Luke, more later
Word Count: 1197 this bit
Rating: PG-13 (fer cussin) this part, almost certainly at least R later
Summary: Elle makes a guest appearance on Sylar's latest road trip to collect on a debt. Going more and more AU by the moment.
Spoilers/Warnings: Gen. Volume 4 spoilers, up through "Building 26" this part
Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes characters etc.
A/N: nudged by the prompt from superkappa regarding Damien Rice songs. i actually gleaned this from "I Remember," though.
Prologue | Part 1
"You want me to what?" He looked at her skeptically. How had his own mind come up with that?
"You heard me."
"Oh, I heard you, I just don't believe it. Why would Peter Petrelli need, or want, my help?"
"You don't even know how much of a bullet you dodged by not diving into the deep end of that gene pool. Nathan's the media face in this whole effort to hunt down people like us. And here I thought you were a hypocrite."
"Angela's letting Nathan hunt down her precious Peter? And hasn't anyone figured out that Nathan can fly?" Wow, he had gotten out just in time. The Petrelli family motto: hug with one arm, backstab with the other.
"I guess that's what happens when you try to deny your true nature."
He gave her a pointed look: give it a rest.
"I know; you're surprised. I actually was listening to all that tortured wishy-washy thinking aloud you did while we were--"
"Elle. Stop." She always had to push him a little too far. Even in his own head.
"No. I won't stop. This thing is huge and you need to go help Peter keep it from getting completely out of control."
"What, is that my destiny or something? Now you sound like one of them," he spat out and turned away from her, disgusted with himself for using a conversation with a hallucination of Elle to remind him of his own insecurities.
"One of us, Gabriel." She moved around to plant herself in front of him. "The only difference between you and Peter is that he can only hold on to one power at a time these days. He's been pretty lucky so far with his narrow escapes, and really, so have you." Wait, how did she know about Peter, about Nathan? He hadn't known it, so something his mind created shouldn't know it. He got a heavy feeling, a brick of worry, in his abdomen. "But sooner or later, they're going to figure out how to deal with both of you, and it won't be long before everyone like us is shuffling around a detention center in highly unflattering orange jumpsuits, getting fed power-suppressing goo through tubes up their noses. Your entire all-you-can-eat powers buffet, neutralized and trapped under the government's watchful eye, even if you somehow manage to keep from getting captured yourself."
"Elle...how do you know all of those details, and about Peter's power?" He was starting to think that he hadn't made her up. While she had been only playing on his weaknesses, he could have still believed she was an internal manifestation, but now she was trying to get him to, what, take up a cause? This was what she wanted in return for her life? That didn't even sound like Elle. No, he must have made her up, this version of her that gave a damn about someone other than herself.
"How do you think, asshole?"
"I think I am having a serious hallucination. Or a psychotic break."
"You got the psychotic part right." She worked up a ball of electricity in one hand and looked at it wistfully. "I would shock you so hard right now if I could. Burn that know-it-all expression off of your face." The electricity faded. "It isn't all about you. I don't exist just for you."
"You don't exist at all."
"That's where you're wrong. How do I know all those details? You know the answer to that question, you're just too afraid of the answer to admit that it's true." She might possibly be right. He let her continue; he needed to hear what Elle had to say, even if she was a creation of his mind. "Isn't it one of your worst fears, right after 'Mommy never loved me?' That once someone finally, mercifully finishes you off, you leave the dirt behind to go somewhere even worse? Worse for you, anyway. I admit, I'm not a fan so far. I liked having a body, and a power. Now I'm just a ghost, a fucking talking movie poster. Helpless, powerless. I can't touch anything, anyone; can't do anything about anything. Well, I did do that one thing with the car radio. But mostly, I'm stuck, and I hate it."
"Where are you?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, exactly. Almost here but not really. Around." She shrugged. "I didn't get a tour guide. I don't know if it's limbo, or purgatory, or whatever, but it actually feels pretty hellish most days."
"Why are you here with me? Why did you wait so long to come come haunt me? You are planning to haunt me, then?"
"Gabriel, revenge is a peach pie best served cold. It wouldn't be any fun if you knew exactly what I have planned for you. And what I will set in motion that much faster if you don't do what I want and go help Peter. Before you find your father."
"Why are you so adamant that I help Peter, and right away?"
"Oh, my little brainiac. Always full of questions." She smiled at him, a cat who ate the canary smile. "You would have never lasted at the Company, and probably not with Arthur, either. But this? This is gonna be amazing."
"What is, Elle? Some warning would be nice."
"Still being alive would also be nice. Oh, well. You can't always get what you want. I'll be back soon to discuss specifics. Go get some sleep; big day tomorrow."
"Wait, just...where do you go, when you leave me?"
"Away."
"Away where?"
"Just away. I go peek in on other people; how else would I know all that stuff?"
"How did you do make the radio do that?"
"Jesus Christ, Gabriel. You're starting to sound like your sidekick. I don't know how, okay? I just did it. Now, time for bed."
"Good night." It sounded ridiculous as he said it, and Elle laughed out loud.
"See if you still think it's good while I'm messing with your dreams."
"You can do that?"
"Guess you'll find out."
She blew him a kiss and was gone. He walked slowly back to the hotel room, wondering if she had been watching him for the past few months without letting him know it. If she had seen him use her power like some people watch television or read a book, staring at the blue streaks in the air between his fingers for hours, watching the pattern that is no pattern, the random tumbleweed sparks. The tiny maelstrom of electrons, barely contained, capable of wreaking beautiful havoc once released, was representative of her and almost nostalgic for him. Other people, normal people, he supposed, had love letters they could hang onto as mementos, reminders. He had this.
He closed the room door behind him and got ready for bed. He was dreading falling asleep. Elle might have some nightmare scenario planned for his REM. He decided to at least lie down and rest, and if he managed to get some sleep around Elle's machinations, all the better. According to her, he would need it.
Author: acinogan
Characters: Sylar, Elle, Luke, more later
Word Count: 1197 this bit
Rating: PG-13 (fer cussin) this part, almost certainly at least R later
Summary: Elle makes a guest appearance on Sylar's latest road trip to collect on a debt. Going more and more AU by the moment.
Spoilers/Warnings: Gen. Volume 4 spoilers, up through "Building 26" this part
Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes characters etc.
A/N: nudged by the prompt from superkappa regarding Damien Rice songs. i actually gleaned this from "I Remember," though.
Prologue | Part 1
"You want me to what?" He looked at her skeptically. How had his own mind come up with that?
"You heard me."
"Oh, I heard you, I just don't believe it. Why would Peter Petrelli need, or want, my help?"
"You don't even know how much of a bullet you dodged by not diving into the deep end of that gene pool. Nathan's the media face in this whole effort to hunt down people like us. And here I thought you were a hypocrite."
"Angela's letting Nathan hunt down her precious Peter? And hasn't anyone figured out that Nathan can fly?" Wow, he had gotten out just in time. The Petrelli family motto: hug with one arm, backstab with the other.
"I guess that's what happens when you try to deny your true nature."
He gave her a pointed look: give it a rest.
"I know; you're surprised. I actually was listening to all that tortured wishy-washy thinking aloud you did while we were--"
"Elle. Stop." She always had to push him a little too far. Even in his own head.
"No. I won't stop. This thing is huge and you need to go help Peter keep it from getting completely out of control."
"What, is that my destiny or something? Now you sound like one of them," he spat out and turned away from her, disgusted with himself for using a conversation with a hallucination of Elle to remind him of his own insecurities.
"One of us, Gabriel." She moved around to plant herself in front of him. "The only difference between you and Peter is that he can only hold on to one power at a time these days. He's been pretty lucky so far with his narrow escapes, and really, so have you." Wait, how did she know about Peter, about Nathan? He hadn't known it, so something his mind created shouldn't know it. He got a heavy feeling, a brick of worry, in his abdomen. "But sooner or later, they're going to figure out how to deal with both of you, and it won't be long before everyone like us is shuffling around a detention center in highly unflattering orange jumpsuits, getting fed power-suppressing goo through tubes up their noses. Your entire all-you-can-eat powers buffet, neutralized and trapped under the government's watchful eye, even if you somehow manage to keep from getting captured yourself."
"Elle...how do you know all of those details, and about Peter's power?" He was starting to think that he hadn't made her up. While she had been only playing on his weaknesses, he could have still believed she was an internal manifestation, but now she was trying to get him to, what, take up a cause? This was what she wanted in return for her life? That didn't even sound like Elle. No, he must have made her up, this version of her that gave a damn about someone other than herself.
"How do you think, asshole?"
"I think I am having a serious hallucination. Or a psychotic break."
"You got the psychotic part right." She worked up a ball of electricity in one hand and looked at it wistfully. "I would shock you so hard right now if I could. Burn that know-it-all expression off of your face." The electricity faded. "It isn't all about you. I don't exist just for you."
"You don't exist at all."
"That's where you're wrong. How do I know all those details? You know the answer to that question, you're just too afraid of the answer to admit that it's true." She might possibly be right. He let her continue; he needed to hear what Elle had to say, even if she was a creation of his mind. "Isn't it one of your worst fears, right after 'Mommy never loved me?' That once someone finally, mercifully finishes you off, you leave the dirt behind to go somewhere even worse? Worse for you, anyway. I admit, I'm not a fan so far. I liked having a body, and a power. Now I'm just a ghost, a fucking talking movie poster. Helpless, powerless. I can't touch anything, anyone; can't do anything about anything. Well, I did do that one thing with the car radio. But mostly, I'm stuck, and I hate it."
"Where are you?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, exactly. Almost here but not really. Around." She shrugged. "I didn't get a tour guide. I don't know if it's limbo, or purgatory, or whatever, but it actually feels pretty hellish most days."
"Why are you here with me? Why did you wait so long to come come haunt me? You are planning to haunt me, then?"
"Gabriel, revenge is a peach pie best served cold. It wouldn't be any fun if you knew exactly what I have planned for you. And what I will set in motion that much faster if you don't do what I want and go help Peter. Before you find your father."
"Why are you so adamant that I help Peter, and right away?"
"Oh, my little brainiac. Always full of questions." She smiled at him, a cat who ate the canary smile. "You would have never lasted at the Company, and probably not with Arthur, either. But this? This is gonna be amazing."
"What is, Elle? Some warning would be nice."
"Still being alive would also be nice. Oh, well. You can't always get what you want. I'll be back soon to discuss specifics. Go get some sleep; big day tomorrow."
"Wait, just...where do you go, when you leave me?"
"Away."
"Away where?"
"Just away. I go peek in on other people; how else would I know all that stuff?"
"How did you do make the radio do that?"
"Jesus Christ, Gabriel. You're starting to sound like your sidekick. I don't know how, okay? I just did it. Now, time for bed."
"Good night." It sounded ridiculous as he said it, and Elle laughed out loud.
"See if you still think it's good while I'm messing with your dreams."
"You can do that?"
"Guess you'll find out."
She blew him a kiss and was gone. He walked slowly back to the hotel room, wondering if she had been watching him for the past few months without letting him know it. If she had seen him use her power like some people watch television or read a book, staring at the blue streaks in the air between his fingers for hours, watching the pattern that is no pattern, the random tumbleweed sparks. The tiny maelstrom of electrons, barely contained, capable of wreaking beautiful havoc once released, was representative of her and almost nostalgic for him. Other people, normal people, he supposed, had love letters they could hang onto as mementos, reminders. He had this.
He closed the room door behind him and got ready for bed. He was dreading falling asleep. Elle might have some nightmare scenario planned for his REM. He decided to at least lie down and rest, and if he managed to get some sleep around Elle's machinations, all the better. According to her, he would need it.