(another) prologue
Title: Sometimes Salvation
Author: Kleiser
Characters: Mohinder, Gabriel, Chandra, Bennett, Peter, Molly
Summary: Linderman's School for the Specially Gifted was more than it appeared.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2,614
A/N: I wasn't going to, but I am. (Let's see if I can post this this time without screwing up). Beta'd by entropy_maximum
Linderman’s School for the Specially Gifted was more than it appeared.
Gabriel Gray knew this better than anyone did. He’d been there since the beginning, dubbed as Patient Zero from the start. Of course, he wasn’t the only one anymore. It had happened so quickly. In the course of maybe six months, more than three dozen evolved humans were living in the manor-deemed school. Most of them were young and inexperienced, close to Gabriel’s age, and some were adults, who didn’t seem like they belonged. They all came to learn about their powers, to find refuge, wondering why they had these abilities and how to control them. As well as learning how to live as normal a life as possible. It was a safe place for them; they lived almost carefree and so clueless to it all.
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“End of side ‘A’. Please eject tape and flip to side ‘B’ to continue listening.”
Gabriel snapped out of his parroting trance and quickly fumbled with his walkman, hitting the eject button with his thumb and flipping the tape over with nimble fingers, before snapping it shut and hitting play. There was a moment where all he could hear was the spinning of the tape and a ticking as it found its way back to the beginning. It was just enough time for him to adjust his pillow and settle back down against the wooden headboard of his twin-sized bed.
“You are a strong and confident person.” The woman’s voice came on again, irritating his ears with her dull tone and sounding as if even she didn’t believe the words she said.
“I am a strong and confident person,” Gabriel repeated back, mimicking her droning tone.
‘Positive Self Talk II’
His mother had sent it to him in the mail. At first, he had fought with himself about what to do with it. It was tempting to just throw it away and forgot about it, but his natural curiosity got the better of him and, fifteen minutes later, he was lying on his bed repeating the words to himself in a quite mumble as he stared off at his empty, off-white walls of his room.
“You are a special person.” The woman told him.
Gabriel could scoff at that. He already knew he was special, or at least he knew he wasn’t ordinary. He could hardly call himself special, compared to what others had; his own ability wasn’t enough for him, not enough to satisfy him and his need to be more, to do more.
“You can do anything you set your mind to.”
When Gabriel’s mind registered the line, he jerked upright, ripped the headphones off his head, and flung them through the air where they landed at the foot of the bed with a soft thump, disconnected from the walkman and silent. The tape hadn’t made him feel any different about his person, all he felt was relief at not having to hear to the woman’s voice anymore. He hated how it sounded so much like his mother.
Having been so wrapped up in his own emotions, Gabriel didn’t noticed when Dr. Suresh pushed open his door silently and watched him curiously for a couple of moments. “Gabriel, what are you doing?” He asked after having observed the boy’s fit.
The sudden inquiry made him jump and focus all his attention to the man in his doorway, where Dr. Chandra Suresh stood rigidly with, hands tucked inside the pockets of his pristine white lab coat, staring at him with a clinical eye.
“Dr. Suresh, I … didn’t hear you come in,” Gabriel found himself saying as forced his heart to calm down from being started so suddenly. He moved from the bed and offered the older man a small and fake smile.
“Is everything all right in here?” Chandra asked, raising his brows questioningly at Gabriel.
”Yes, fine Sir,” he replied, a bit annoyed. “Was there something you wanted?”
He could feel Chandra’s eyes boring into him, as if he were calculating every twitch of muscle and every intake of breath, turning him over in his mind and taking down notes as if he was some lab rat. It was times like these that Gabriel wished he could just crack the older man’s head open and see what was inside.
“I want you to come meet my son; he’s just arrived from India,” Chandra said finally after a long pause and sounding cheerful, like he was partaking in a particularly interesting experiment.
Gabriel’s whole body seemed to perk up at the prospect, “Really?” He asked, blinking in surprise, already full of questions and curiosity sparkling in his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come and was replaced with a cautious and suspicious stare, “Why me?”
“You are Patient Zero.” Chandra said, as if that was all the explanation needed.
The answer was automatic and simple and Gabriel didn’t need anymore of an excuse than that, because it was the same one always given to him.
“Come along now,” Chandra said and turned away, leading Gabriel silently through the long corridors of the manor. Past closed doors and small clumps of other students who would usually, if not for the Doctor’s presence, poke fun at him. They climbed up the third floor stairway and made their way down one more hall. Finally, Chandra turned in to a room which Gabriel knew should be unoccupied.
“Mohinder,” the doctor called out as he walked through the doorway, not bothering to knock as he entered the room.
“I’m here father,” came the polite reply.
Gabriel had been expecting a voice not much unlike Chandra’s, but he was surprised to hear a voice the complete opposite, warm and rich like nothing he’d ever heard before. Even from just a couple of words Gabriel couldn’t help but feel the need to peek around the good doctor and take a gander at what kind of person that foreign voice belonged to. He knew in an instant he could listen to this person talk all day.
“Mohinder, I want you to meet Gabriel Gray. I think you’ll get along just fine.” The older man stepped aside to watch the socially awkward Gabriel step forward and offer a stiff hand. Obviously his subject was uncomfortable in the new and unfamiliar situation but Chandra could see the gears turning in Gabriel’s evolved mind and it made him smile silently.
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” Gabriel said, almost slurring his words together he spoke so fast.
“Please, the pleasure is all mine, Gabriel.” Mohinder could smile like nothing else, so much so that Gabriel was caught off guard by it and almost forgot to shake Mohinder’s hand, who had already taken his..
He quickly to gave it a squeeze and discover how admirable the way their skin perfectly contrasted each other. Mohinder’s dark versus the pallor of his own.
“So, you’re one of them?” Mohinder asked as he pulled his hand away too soon for Gabriel’s liking, forcing him to instead, look upon Mohinder’s face and analyze the handsome features. Immediately he could see how excited the other boy was by the twinkling in his eyes and the large toothy grin that never left Mohinder’s face.
“One of them…?” he murmured back, momentarily confused.
“Yes! I mean, you are evolved right?” Mohinder asked, gesturing with his hands.
“Gabriel has what we call intuitive aptitude, instinctively he’s able to understand complex structures and how they operate by sight and sound alone. It’s rather remarkable and I suppose you could say, he is the key to my research. He was my first patient after all.” Chandra almost sounded like a proud father, it made Gabriel sick to his stomach but he kept his turmoil inside while he blushed embarrassedly and ducked his head trying to hide the red flush that spread along his cheeks.
“W-well, it’s nothing like flying or healing, or, or anything else...really,” He muttered and stumbled over his words embarrassingly. Gabriel hated himself for it.
“Even still! I haven’t any abilities at all; compared to some like me who can barely work a microwave, you are truly someone special,”
Mohinder could sense the undertone of bitterness in Gabriel’s voice. He hoped to give him more confidence with his words but all it did was make Gabriel grip at the hem of his vest and stare silently at the floor. Mohinder wanted to pass it off as shyness, though when an awkward silence passed through the room he no longer expected a response from the tall boy and looked from him to his father, who simply looked at his wrist watch and hummed.
”Nearly two o’clock, I’ve a meeting with Ms. Pratt.” Already he was turning on his heels and escaping from the two. “Gabriel will show you around the home Mohinder, I’ll see you after supper.” He added over his shoulder and he was gone, leaving the two boys alone together. Gabriel was sure he did that on purpose, had timed the whole thing or was lying to them to get them alone together, another ploy of the Doctors’ to study him no doubt.
“Well-“
”I’m sorry, I can’t. I have to go too.” Gabriel blurted out, he didn’t even let Mohinder finish his sentence, cutting him off before he barely even started and fleeing from a situation he didn’t feel like dealing with.
”Now wait just a moment!” Just as he thought, Mohinder gave chase, following Gabriel’s long-legged strides down the hallway.
“You know, it’s extremely rude to just walk out on someone-Hey! Will you just wait?” Mohinder called out, speeding up to follow Gabriel down the stairs two at a time.
Something compelled him to listen; he hesitated at the bottom of the staircase, looking back over his shoulder to see Mohinder coming after him.
“I can’t show you around.” He told Mohinder when he had joined him at the bottom.
“And why not?” Mohinder asked annoyed, standing straighter and crossing his arms over his chest trying to seem bigger then he was. It didn’t seem like Gabriel was very good at lying on the spot, he was taking so long to come up with an answer.
“Uh… I-”
“Mr. Gray! There you are. We’ve been looking all over for you.” It was Noah Bennett, an agent of sorts for the school; he was normal, simply human and a big pain in Gabriel’s side. Mohinder found it impossible to miss how Gabriel stiffened at the sight of the man.
“Don’t you know you due down in the Lab?” He waggled his finger at Gabriel before he noticed Mohinder standing to the side, “and I assume you must be Chandra’s boy? Welcome to the school.”
Mohinder took the hand he was offered and gave it a small shake, “Yes, thank you…”
”I can’t go right now. I’m supposed to show Mohinder around.” Gabriel butted in. “Dr. Suresh told me to.” He hoped it was a sufficient enough excuse to get him out of going to the lab, but knowing Bennett, he doubted it.
”Well, now you’re needed in the Lab.” Mr. Bennett was the only person he knew who could glare and smile at the same time. “It’ll only take a few minutes. You can show him around afterwards.”
Mohinder could feel the tension rising in the air; there were practically sparks flying between the two.
“It’s alright Gabriel, some other time.”
He almost regretted saying those words because as soon as they left his mouth Gabriel shot him a look of betrayal. It didn’t seem fair that Gabriel should use him as an excuse to avoid something when he clearly had not wanted to spend any time with him previously.
“Fine…See you around.” Gabriel sounded resigned, seeing the trip to the lab was an inevitable one.
“It was nice meeting you Mohinder.” Bennett flashed him another smile and led Gabriel away.
Mohinder watched them go before deciding to go back to his room and finish unpacking except, the world seemed to have other plans for him. As soon as he turned around he almost crashed into a little girl coming off the stairs dressed in a pale pink nightgown.
”Whoa! Hey watch it!” She huffed teetering on her heels and almost fell backwards, if Mohinder hadn’t reached out to steady her, she would have.
“I’m sorry.” He sighed, “I wasn’t watching where I was going. Are you-”
“You were chasing the Boogeyman.” She said abruptly.
“I’m sorry? The Boogeyman?” Mohinder had no idea who or what she was talking about.
“That tall boy, with the caterpillar eyebrows. He’s the Boogeyman.” She said, pointing down the hall to where Gabriel had disappeared with Bennett.
“Hey! You’re Mohinder aren’t you? I’m Molly; the Doctor said you were coming to help cure me.” She sounded excited and upset at the same time.
Mohinder squatted down to be at eye level with her and smiled, “Yes, I’m here to help…Why do you call Gabriel the Boogeyman?” It was an awful strange nickname, he thought.
His answer though, was a surprised squeak from Molly, who was suddenly swept into a pair of thin arms by a boy who had appeared out of seemingly nowhere.
“Gotcha!” the boy said loudly as he swung Molly around once, her hair flying in his face. The new boy grinned and Molly slapped him on the chest.
“Cheater! You used invisibility; you can’t use your powers Peter!” She didn’t seem to be too angry though as she was still grinning, Peter just kept grinning and curiously glanced towards Mohinder who had stood again.
“Hey, never seen you before.” Peter stated with a blink.
“Naturally, I only just arrived today. My name’s Mohinder Suresh.”
“Mohinder?…Oh right, right! I remember the doctor thinking something about you showing up anytime now.” His tone was quite matter-of-fact.
“He was chasing the Boogeyman Peter!” Molly piped up before Mohinder got a chance to question Peter about how exactly he knew his father’s thoughts.
“Sylar?” Peter scrunched his face up in questioning distaste.
“Sylar?” Mohinder was a little baffled.
“Uh- Gabriel, Gray, the Boogeyman, I’m Peter Petrelli by the way.”
“Nice to meet you Peter. You wouldn’t happen to be able to show me around here, would you? My last guide sort of …” Mohinder trailed off slowly, looking down the corridor where Gabriel had gone.
“Heh, sure why not?” He said with a lopsided smile. “Just let me get Molly here back to her room and I’ll meet you down in the kitchen.”
“But I don’t like Mr. Thompson…” Molly complained more to herself than anyone listening.
Mohinder smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Awesome! All right, so…yeah. See you in a few I guess,” Peter grinned and back paced up the stairs before turning around.
“Bye Mohinder!” Molly waved over Peter’s shoulder.
Mohinder smiled at her and waved back before finding himself alone in an empty hallway..
He took a deep breath and let is out slowly as he looked around for a second or two, taking in his surroundings before picking a way to go and hoping it would lead him down to the kitchen on the first floor. He would unpack later, he thought, along with what a strange first day in America he was having. Just living in a huge house full of genetically evolved humans was only the start of it. Already his own father had abandoned him, he had met the Boogeyman, an overly suspicious man in horned rim glasses, a little girl on the escape and a guy who was a little too eager but didn’t seem all that bad. Well, he supposed, it get worse.