Redemption is a Process CH13
Title: Redemption is a Process
Verse: Heroes
Characters: Sylar-centric, ensemble cast
Pairings: Sylar/Claire, References to Sylar/Mohinder, Sylar/Elle
Rating: Mature, may contain adult situations, language, violence, sex
Plot: Story picks up midway into the idea that Sylar is trying to live the straight and narrow working for the company.
Sylar has been hunting specials. And according to the rules, that's a nono. So he's back in Level 5 to dry out while Noah is wondering what else Sylar hasn't been telling them.
Sylar and Claire
Primatech Facility, Hartsdale New York
Sylar stumbled forward, Claire’s arm wrapped tightly around his waist. She grunted under his weight. “Come on, one foot in front of the other. It was only three hypos, what are you, getting old?” she prodded him.
There had been a tense moment when no one was sure what Sylar would do, in the end, he had rather quickly dispersed the energy sphere and his eyes had faded to their normal golden brown. Once the immediate threat of violence was overcome the team had pulled everything together to get them all out of there before the authorities showed. The clean-up crew was very efficient.
And while they had managed to convince Sylar it was a good idea to get the hell out of there and quickly, they hadn't addressed the issue of him being there in the first place. Sylar was more than likely being cooperative, not because of the drugs currently flooding his system, but because he thought that by coming quietly that all would be forgiven and forgotten. After all, no one had died… this time. She knew how Sylar thought, no blood, no brains, no issue.
Angela had already made it clear that it wouldn’t be the case. Claire glanced behind her where five agents followed at a discreet distance. Their weapons still prepped and ready. This was far from over Claire knew. At least if a battle broke out here, there wouldn’t be civilian causalities. It was small consolation.
But even that thought didn't bother her as much as the thought of what she had witnessed Sylar do. Where the hell had that ability come from? Had he been hunting without their knowledge? It was a frightening thought… because if there was one, there might be more. Not to mention, he had gained another offensive weapon in his arsenal.
One of the conditions of his employment with the company was that he had to log each and every ability that he took. And he was only allowed to take ones in the line of duty. She tried not to think about that part of the arrangement. She knew that there were highly dangerous people with ability out there that needed to be stopped, but the company’s brutal solution to the problem still didn't sit well with her.
They justified it by saying that it saved lives. Sylar could be sent into situations that a person without ability couldn’t survive. He could take down the bad guys with virtually no risk to his own safety. Of course, they didn't question what he did to those bad guys. Horrific as it might be. It was a harsh compromise but Sylar would kill indiscriminately without enforcing some kind of structure. At least with this solution, the innocent could be kept safe from his hunger.
“What you said…” he muttered.
“What about it?” She adjusted her hold. He was heavier than he looked.
He staggered to a halt. The agents tensed, all weapons trained on his chest. “You didn't lie.”
“No, I didn’t lie. I meant it. Now come on, keep moving. If you pass out, I'm leaving your ass on the floor. Come on.”
He shuffled forward again.
Now might be a good time to ask, while he was still fuzzy… “Sylar?”
“Mmm?” he practically purred in that deep tone of his.
“That ability you used… the red energy. Where did you get it?”
He smirked drunkenly and pressed his finger to his lips, “All mine.”
“I know it’s yours but who did you get it from? Was it recent?” She was hoping that maybe, just maybe, it was something that he had “neglected” to disclose when he started at the company. Something that he had been holding in reserve “just in case”. It made sense and it was certainly something he would do. It was also a lot less disturbing than the alternative… that he had been hunting without anyone aware.
He seemed to sober suddenly and lurched more upright, “I'm tired, I just want to crash. Let’s go home.”
Shit, Claire thought, might as well get this over with. “I think Angela wants to talk to you.”
“Yeah well, she can de-brief me when I’m not sswimming in tranqs,” he yawned.
“I don’t think that’s an option.” She looked her over shoulder to where the agents milled. “Let’s just take a couple of minutes and check in.”
Following her gaze he finally noticed the procession that stood at ready with their weapons trained on him. “What the fuck is this?”
“Just relax,” Claire soothed.
“Relax?” He pushed away from her and a series of red dots appeared across his torso. He scowled at the men and braced himself in a defensive posture.
“Everyone let’s just take it easy ok.” She grabbed at his arm drawing him close. “Stop it. Acting like an ass isn’t going to do anyone any good. Let’s just go talk to Angela and see what we need to do to get past this. Ok?”
“And if I don’t?”
“Please, I'm asking you to do this for me. For us. Let’s just go talk to her and see what we can work out. I don’t want this to turn into something…” she looked to the armed men positioned around them, “ugly.”
Sylar did not look happy. In fact, he looked as if he wanted to rend the retrieval squad into small rather bloody pieces. A small vicious smile touched his lips. “Just the five of you? Three of you will be scorch marks before any of you can even pull the trigger.”
The men around them tensed.
After a year of marriage, Claire knew her husband well enough to know what would set him off. As long as Sylar felt he wasn’t in control, the situation remained potentially lethal. “Why don’t you guys point those weapons elsewhere? They won't be necessary. I mean it, escort us if you have to, but back off, now!”
The weapons didn’t waver in their aim.
“You heard her. Take a step back.”
Claire had never been so happy to hear Angela’s voice in her life.
“I don’t think we need an escort… do we?” She looked to Sylar who was still scowling, his hands flexing. “Come with me.” Angela reached out and took Sylar by the other arm, motioning to Claire. Between the two of them, they woman-handled him to the elevator.
“I'm not going to let you lock me up,” Sylar growled.
The two women exchanged glances. “I don’t want to lock you up. That’s only a last resort until you stabilize.” Angela patted his arm, “I would like you to agree to treatment though. We need to get you some help with this. Isolation, away from other “specials” will help you feel calmer, light sedation so you can sleep better. You’ll have time to practice that meditation that Simons wanted you to try… see if we can't get that… urge… to ease back to a more manageable level.”
“Urge?” Sylar barked out a laugh.“If I didn’t know you were sincere with that speech I’d think that you were patronizing me. But you wouldn’t do that to me, now would you…”
Angela felt her whole body compress as if she was being squeezed in a giant hand. It didn’t hurt but the implied threat was quite clear. “I won't lock you up as long as we can agree to resolve this.”
Claire leaned into him. “You know I will do whatever you need me to.”
Sylar shook off their hands and leaned back against the wall. “What the hell is all the fuss about anyway. No one got hurt. Let’s just call it good.” He ran his hand through his hair, “I'm fucking tired. I just want to get some sleep.”
Angela sighed, “You went after that woman with the intent to kill her and take her ability. That clearly breaks the rules we established, I want to reach a compromise but you have to take responsibility for your actions. Work with me here.”
“Like I give a flying fuck about your rules.” Sylar pushed away from the wall and looked around. Angela took a step back. She couldn’t allow him to make it out of the building.
“Sylar please,” Claire stepped forward. “You promised to take me to the mountains, remember. Just the two of us for a whole week. No company, no pressures or expectations, just us. I need that. I want that. Do this so I don’t have to worry about you getting hurt.” She offered him her best imploring look. She wasn’t beyond using a little emotional blackmail, after all, he had the advantage of knowing when she was lying. This just evened the playing field.
“Jesus Christ on a crutch… women,” he grumbled, “Nag, nag, nag. Fine, whatever you want Claire, just point me to my cell so I can pass out in peace.”
Claire rolled her eyes but she smiled lightly, “Thank you.” She stood on tip-toe and kissed him softly. She knew the next few weeks wouldn’t be easy for him. In many ways, taking abilities was like a drug addiction though they could never find any explanation for his physical reactions. They just had to deal with whatever chain reaction his ability caused. “I’ll be with you through this.”
She held his hand on the elevator ride down to level five.
Chapter 14.
Verse: Heroes
Characters: Sylar-centric, ensemble cast
Pairings: Sylar/Claire, References to Sylar/Mohinder, Sylar/Elle
Rating: Mature, may contain adult situations, language, violence, sex
Plot: Story picks up midway into the idea that Sylar is trying to live the straight and narrow working for the company.
Sylar has been hunting specials. And according to the rules, that's a nono. So he's back in Level 5 to dry out while Noah is wondering what else Sylar hasn't been telling them.
Sylar and Claire
Primatech Facility, Hartsdale New York
Sylar stumbled forward, Claire’s arm wrapped tightly around his waist. She grunted under his weight. “Come on, one foot in front of the other. It was only three hypos, what are you, getting old?” she prodded him.
There had been a tense moment when no one was sure what Sylar would do, in the end, he had rather quickly dispersed the energy sphere and his eyes had faded to their normal golden brown. Once the immediate threat of violence was overcome the team had pulled everything together to get them all out of there before the authorities showed. The clean-up crew was very efficient.
And while they had managed to convince Sylar it was a good idea to get the hell out of there and quickly, they hadn't addressed the issue of him being there in the first place. Sylar was more than likely being cooperative, not because of the drugs currently flooding his system, but because he thought that by coming quietly that all would be forgiven and forgotten. After all, no one had died… this time. She knew how Sylar thought, no blood, no brains, no issue.
Angela had already made it clear that it wouldn’t be the case. Claire glanced behind her where five agents followed at a discreet distance. Their weapons still prepped and ready. This was far from over Claire knew. At least if a battle broke out here, there wouldn’t be civilian causalities. It was small consolation.
But even that thought didn't bother her as much as the thought of what she had witnessed Sylar do. Where the hell had that ability come from? Had he been hunting without their knowledge? It was a frightening thought… because if there was one, there might be more. Not to mention, he had gained another offensive weapon in his arsenal.
One of the conditions of his employment with the company was that he had to log each and every ability that he took. And he was only allowed to take ones in the line of duty. She tried not to think about that part of the arrangement. She knew that there were highly dangerous people with ability out there that needed to be stopped, but the company’s brutal solution to the problem still didn't sit well with her.
They justified it by saying that it saved lives. Sylar could be sent into situations that a person without ability couldn’t survive. He could take down the bad guys with virtually no risk to his own safety. Of course, they didn't question what he did to those bad guys. Horrific as it might be. It was a harsh compromise but Sylar would kill indiscriminately without enforcing some kind of structure. At least with this solution, the innocent could be kept safe from his hunger.
“What you said…” he muttered.
“What about it?” She adjusted her hold. He was heavier than he looked.
He staggered to a halt. The agents tensed, all weapons trained on his chest. “You didn't lie.”
“No, I didn’t lie. I meant it. Now come on, keep moving. If you pass out, I'm leaving your ass on the floor. Come on.”
He shuffled forward again.
Now might be a good time to ask, while he was still fuzzy… “Sylar?”
“Mmm?” he practically purred in that deep tone of his.
“That ability you used… the red energy. Where did you get it?”
He smirked drunkenly and pressed his finger to his lips, “All mine.”
“I know it’s yours but who did you get it from? Was it recent?” She was hoping that maybe, just maybe, it was something that he had “neglected” to disclose when he started at the company. Something that he had been holding in reserve “just in case”. It made sense and it was certainly something he would do. It was also a lot less disturbing than the alternative… that he had been hunting without anyone aware.
He seemed to sober suddenly and lurched more upright, “I'm tired, I just want to crash. Let’s go home.”
Shit, Claire thought, might as well get this over with. “I think Angela wants to talk to you.”
“Yeah well, she can de-brief me when I’m not sswimming in tranqs,” he yawned.
“I don’t think that’s an option.” She looked her over shoulder to where the agents milled. “Let’s just take a couple of minutes and check in.”
Following her gaze he finally noticed the procession that stood at ready with their weapons trained on him. “What the fuck is this?”
“Just relax,” Claire soothed.
“Relax?” He pushed away from her and a series of red dots appeared across his torso. He scowled at the men and braced himself in a defensive posture.
“Everyone let’s just take it easy ok.” She grabbed at his arm drawing him close. “Stop it. Acting like an ass isn’t going to do anyone any good. Let’s just go talk to Angela and see what we need to do to get past this. Ok?”
“And if I don’t?”
“Please, I'm asking you to do this for me. For us. Let’s just go talk to her and see what we can work out. I don’t want this to turn into something…” she looked to the armed men positioned around them, “ugly.”
Sylar did not look happy. In fact, he looked as if he wanted to rend the retrieval squad into small rather bloody pieces. A small vicious smile touched his lips. “Just the five of you? Three of you will be scorch marks before any of you can even pull the trigger.”
The men around them tensed.
After a year of marriage, Claire knew her husband well enough to know what would set him off. As long as Sylar felt he wasn’t in control, the situation remained potentially lethal. “Why don’t you guys point those weapons elsewhere? They won't be necessary. I mean it, escort us if you have to, but back off, now!”
The weapons didn’t waver in their aim.
“You heard her. Take a step back.”
Claire had never been so happy to hear Angela’s voice in her life.
“I don’t think we need an escort… do we?” She looked to Sylar who was still scowling, his hands flexing. “Come with me.” Angela reached out and took Sylar by the other arm, motioning to Claire. Between the two of them, they woman-handled him to the elevator.
“I'm not going to let you lock me up,” Sylar growled.
The two women exchanged glances. “I don’t want to lock you up. That’s only a last resort until you stabilize.” Angela patted his arm, “I would like you to agree to treatment though. We need to get you some help with this. Isolation, away from other “specials” will help you feel calmer, light sedation so you can sleep better. You’ll have time to practice that meditation that Simons wanted you to try… see if we can't get that… urge… to ease back to a more manageable level.”
“Urge?” Sylar barked out a laugh.“If I didn’t know you were sincere with that speech I’d think that you were patronizing me. But you wouldn’t do that to me, now would you…”
Angela felt her whole body compress as if she was being squeezed in a giant hand. It didn’t hurt but the implied threat was quite clear. “I won't lock you up as long as we can agree to resolve this.”
Claire leaned into him. “You know I will do whatever you need me to.”
Sylar shook off their hands and leaned back against the wall. “What the hell is all the fuss about anyway. No one got hurt. Let’s just call it good.” He ran his hand through his hair, “I'm fucking tired. I just want to get some sleep.”
Angela sighed, “You went after that woman with the intent to kill her and take her ability. That clearly breaks the rules we established, I want to reach a compromise but you have to take responsibility for your actions. Work with me here.”
“Like I give a flying fuck about your rules.” Sylar pushed away from the wall and looked around. Angela took a step back. She couldn’t allow him to make it out of the building.
“Sylar please,” Claire stepped forward. “You promised to take me to the mountains, remember. Just the two of us for a whole week. No company, no pressures or expectations, just us. I need that. I want that. Do this so I don’t have to worry about you getting hurt.” She offered him her best imploring look. She wasn’t beyond using a little emotional blackmail, after all, he had the advantage of knowing when she was lying. This just evened the playing field.
“Jesus Christ on a crutch… women,” he grumbled, “Nag, nag, nag. Fine, whatever you want Claire, just point me to my cell so I can pass out in peace.”
Claire rolled her eyes but she smiled lightly, “Thank you.” She stood on tip-toe and kissed him softly. She knew the next few weeks wouldn’t be easy for him. In many ways, taking abilities was like a drug addiction though they could never find any explanation for his physical reactions. They just had to deal with whatever chain reaction his ability caused. “I’ll be with you through this.”
She held his hand on the elevator ride down to level five.
Chapter 14.