Author's Note: Wow, ok I never thought I'd be writing a Heroes fanfic. Especially after I neutralized all self-confidence with my cheesy "You can't do this" slogan, repeating it over and over in my head till I was forced to do something about it. And here I am. Hopefully, this isn't all for nothing.
Please review! And just so you know, I'm a work in progress, so ANY criticism is welcome! Really! I'm doing this because I need to learn to write better and if this is the only way (aka having strangers telling you you suck) then so be it. By the way, I'm really not this cynical in real life. Ok…shutting up now.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Heroes except Anna.
---
"Oh, no, no, no, no way." The young woman stood up from her chair, emerald eyes blazing. "No way am I getting a new partner."
"Anna," the older man sitting across from her shook his head. "We weren't given any other option."
Anna was furious. She scoffed and began pacing the floor, her blood boiling. "Isabel's been dead, what, two months? And you're already shoving a new partner down my throat?"
The older man sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He began again. "Anna, the Company has decided you're one of our best agents. Because of that and recent situations, we need you back in the field."
The young woman perked at the words 'recent situations'. She made a mental note to ask him about it later. She was still pacing of course, but her anger was slowly abating. They thought she was the best agent? About damned time. It's only taken twenty two years. Anna stopped abruptly and slammed her hands on the wooden desk.
She squinted her eyes and looked hard into the man in front of her. "Are you bullshitting me right now?"
His mouth lifted in a smile. "If I was, you'd be the last to know about it."
Anna kept her gaze firm for a moment longer, before she sighed. "Samuel…I've known you my whole life. What's really happening here?"
The smile left his face in a second. His eyes hardened to a cold blue, almost making her regret ever asking him the question. Almost. They stood there for a moment, both staring into each other's eyes, unblinking. She didn't know what made him change his mind, but Samuel eventually sighed.
"His name is Sylar—,"
Anna's eyes widened. "The murderer?!"
Samuel held up a hand to silence her. "—formerly known as Gabriel Grey. We need an agent who can observe and track his behavior over the course of several weeks." With one hand, he riffled through two large stacks of papers until he found the right one. "Ah, here it is."
He handed the paper to Anna, who only stared at it. "This is a written consent form signed by Angela Petrelli that if Sylar is to become a problem, we may lock him up and throw away the key." He grinned darkly. "Maybe even kill him."
Anna took the paper gingerly, but didn't look at it. "But, sir, don't you think people haven't tried that before? Some say—,"
"I don't care what the others say. That's what we need you for. If you are able to find a weakness or maybe his sweet spot, we'll be the ones hunting him."
The young woman still didn't look convinced. "But won't he just kill me on sight?"
Samuel laughed, startling her. "What would he want with you, my dear? You're not special. You don't have an ability."
For some reason, that stung. She ignored the tiny twinge in her heart and steeled her expression. That's what she always did. Ignore the things that matter most. And when they're finally gone… She swallowed hard and suppressed the urge to cry or yell out in anger. She did neither of those things. Instead, she combed back her fiery red hair and sighed. Here she was again, getting herself into another dangerous situation.
"Alright, I'll do it." Her voice was soft, she hardly even recognized it. Where was the strength that scared away every male employee within a hundred miles? Where was the layer of sarcasm that was plastered on her forehead as a clear Fuck off sign?
Anna didn't see Samuel's expression of joy, or see him get up to open the door. She was too focused on the little voice inside her head that was screaming, 'What are you doing? Get out of here!'
She barely heard the door creak open as Samuel returned with another person. Anna could tell it was a male by the heaviness of foot and the faint scent of cologne. She sniffed and wrinkled her nose. It was the cheap stuff. So maybe it was Samuel.
"Anna, I'd like to introduce you to your new partner, Sylar."
She scoffed. Might as well get this over with. Already her mind was conjuring up the image of her lying sprawled on the floor, brains emptied to the world. Strange how her heart didn't speed up in fear. I guess I've been in worse situations… With a small sigh, she turned around to face her 'partner'.
He looked different than he had in the pictures. It was sort of funny, to see this man standing before her with his slicked back hair and pressed suit when all the pictures had been of him, hands bloody. Anna almost had to stop herself from laughing at the irony. He didn't look fearsome at all.
That is, until she met his gaze. All at once, the room seemed to grow ten degrees colder. His dark eyes never left hers, making her feel like a small bug under the microscope. It was if all her years of hard training had vanished out the window. It made her feel naked and exposed under his ruthless gaze. She didn't like it.
So, instead of cowering down under the desk like her heart told her to, Anna toughened her eyes and lifted her chin. Two could play this game.
She could see the slight mockery appear and disappear in his eyes before it vanished behind the same cold expression. Anna wanted to stick her tongue out. Who was he to judge her?!
You judged him too, remember? When you called him a murderer? She inwardly grimaced. That little voice was beginning to get quite annoying.
"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Sylar." She figured if she could at least act polite, Samuel would stop sending her death glares from across the room.
To her surprise, Sylar smirked; a devilish grin that made her heart skip a beat. "You're lying."
How did he know? She thought, her immediate guilt replaced by curiosity and attitude. So what? So he knows I hate murdering psychopaths?
You're doing it again, Anna's inner voice replied. She rolled her eyes. This really was getting old.
Before she could speak again, Sylar turned to Samuel, almost ignoring her in the process. "This is my partner?"
It didn't sound like a question, more like a bored child tugging on his daddy's jeans because he didn't get the pony he wanted. Anna almost resisted the urge to straighten out her suit. Just because this man thought she was different than him, not "special", didn't give him the right to treat her this way.
Samuel looked nervous. He never looked nervous. "Well, yes." He coughed, clearing his throat. "Sylar, I'd like you to meet Annabelle Barry, one of our most well-trained agents in the field."
He must have only done it because Samuel was breathing down his neck, but still. When that man extended his hand to her, she almost wanted to spit. "Ms. Annabelle." That voice. Even though every cell in her body wanted to kick him in the groin that deep rough voice made her whole body tingle with emotion.
"So you're a lie detector, huh?" Anna asked, yet refused the urge to sneer. No need to push his buttons. The image of her brains on the floor also helped her reign in the outbursts.
The man in the dark suit shrugged his shoulders. "Among other things." She didn't even see him move, but suddenly, the chair from across the room whirled over the carpet and stopped at his side. "Some of which are more beneficial than others." He motioned down at the chair. "Care to sit?"
Anna couldn't help the shocked look appear on her face. Yet she quickly morphed it into a small snicker to hide her uneasiness. She walked a couple of steps towards him, noticing how his eyes trailed slowly down her slender form before meeting her eyes again. Let him look. It's not like he's ever going to get to touch. "You know, when a guy wants to impress me, he usually just brings flowers."
Sylar smirked. "Who said I wanted to impress you? You're not my type."
She cocked an eyebrow. "Smart?"
"Alive."
All of her previous bravery vanished. Anna realized then that they were much too close for comfort, chests almost touching. She scolded herself inwardly for letting her sarcastic remarks dig her into a hole. In this case, her grave. With quiet dignity she stepped back, noticing how Samuel was shaking his head.
With a small 'hmph!' she turned and walked straight to the open door and disappeared around the corner, not so much as glancing behind at the two men left standing there. Sylar smiled slightly and looked at Samuel.
"She's going to be a handful."
The older man chuckled. "You'll never be bored."
---
Author's Note: Well, what'd you think? Not too crappy I hope. Please leave a review, and if you can, offer suggestions on how to improve my writing style. Chapter 2 will be posted soon!