Title: Flotsam
Author: Selestina118
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Violence, Implied character deaths
Pairing: Sylar/OC
Description: Epilogue to All My Love
Word Count: 2,116
Prompt: My Sy muse poking me at 10:30 at night a few days ago telling me to write.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gabriel "Sylar" Gray, Bianca Karina, or Heroes. Please don't sue me. :D
Author's Notes: This isn't exactly a part of the August challenge from sylargabriel on livejournal, but my muse felt it necessary to give All My Love an epilogue. I was in a very Gabe mood when I wrote this even though it centers around Sylar. So here it is. Enjoy!
Flotsam
The greasy diner smelled of years old oil used to fry up French fries, but it was closest place for her to go. There was a music hall nearby that she often frequented. She hardly played anymore, just listened; the results were too disturbing for her liking. It always moved her to think of him. Her very own white knight that had been shrouded in darkness for many years now. She remembered her brief time with him as well as anyone could. Bits and pieces of it had faded away with time, but she would always remember how he looked when she first laid eyes on him in person. Sitting there at his desk in his now abandoned shop. Gabriel Gray – her angel, in a sweater vest of all things. She shook her head and counted out the money necessary to pay for her food. It was silly to dwell on the past for the future seemed just as hopeless as it did way back when.
Sora, as she had Gabriel call her, collected her belongings and slid out from the sticky booth briefly catching a glance at a man about her age behind her, sipping coffee. She thought that she had recognized him, but as she turned back for another look the man was gone and replaced by an elderly gentleman. It was nearly ten at night and Sora needed sleep. Too bad she didn't have the power to teleport straight into her bed.
The shortest distance to her apartment was past the docks. If cheap movies and soap operas didn't teach her anything, it was to not go to the docks at night for fear of becoming fish food. Even in her deep sense of tiredness, there was a slight recklessness that she had acquired with the progressiveness of her powers. She was aware of her surroundings and she could fend off a guy or two, so she went for the dangerous path. As she passed the fourth warehouse, she could ever so slightly sense that someone was indeed following her. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pocket knife that she kept on her. It was given to her by a technician that had a slight interest in her at the music hall. She didn't pursue him; however, because her heart still belonged to Gabriel.
Sora kept on walking, waiting for her pursuer to get closer. In the shadow of the adjacent warehouse Sora whipped around to catch the man behind her off guard. Only the chased silver of her knife glinted in the moonlight as it was thrown from her hand. Sora found herself up against the wall of the building before she could even comprehend what was happening. She struggled against invisible touches against her throat and body holding her in place.
"Ungh . . . Let. Me. Go!" she said flailing against the brick of the building.
"No," was all that was said darkly from a man cloaked in the darkness. Ever so slowly he walked towards her. "I want what you have, and you can't stop me." Right then and there Sora recognized the disembodied voice. It was different from years ago – there was an edge to it, but it was the same man.
"Gabriel . . ." she said as she stopped struggling, but began to breathe a bit harder in this stressful situation. The moonlight began to pour over his face, which was wearing a cold expression.
"I'm not Gabriel anymore, Sora. My name is Sylar," he said, the last part whispered.
Sora gave a short bark of a laugh, "You'll always be Gabriel to me, Sylar," she spat out his new name. "You look different. I like the spikes, but you look so tired. This life too much for you?" She didn't know why she was fighting, plunging a knife into him with her words and turning it.
"Heh, hardly," Sylar said as he smirked, and started moving his hand up and down her left arm in a show of mock caring. "I've finally gained all of the powers that I needed. All that is left is your beautiful gift of music. That way I can have music in my life for all eternity." Sylar nuzzled into the crook of her neck, smelling her sweet perfume.
"All eternity? It makes it sound like you are some sort of a god among men?" she said as she moved her head away from his – his closeness disturbing her ever so slightly.
"I am who I am," with a satisfied grin he used his telekinesis to bring the discarded pocket knife into his hand. Ever so slowly, as if contemplating on the creation of a piece of art, Sylar brought the blade up to Sora's cheek and made a thin cut that began to bleed down on her. "Where you lie open," he made a long cut into his wrist that immediately began to sew itself back together, "I don't." Sylar dabbed a few of his fingers in the drying blood of his own cut and smeared it with Sora's. Her cut healed so that she would be left without a scar.
"You know, have you ever heard the saying 'power corrupts'?" she said as she looked into his dark eyes yearning for a hint of the man she once knew.
"And 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'," Sylar cocked his head to the side, a catlike grin spreading across his face. "My powers made me who I am today. I took them from those who did not deserve them. I fixed them. I fixed myself and became more and more special with each passing day. I am the pinnacle of human evolution." With this Sylar stepped back from Sora, outstretched his arms and spun slowly around so that Sora could take in every bit of him. "I am the future."
"Those are very grandiose words for a simple watchmaker," she said flatly. How could this be the same man that she had met all those years ago?
"Gabriel is dead. He has been for many years," Sylar's eyes narrowed, "In fact – Gabriel has been dead since the day you made him go back to his insignificant life." Sora hung her head. She just couldn't believe what he was saying. She knew when she saw the future that Gabriel would always be alive – the true essence of Gabriel would always be alive. Had she in fact changed history, or fate, by meeting Gabriel on that faithful day?
"I can't believe that. Please put me down," she said trying to stay calm.
"Oh, please. You'll just run away like the rest of them. Although, half of the fun is in the chase." With that Sylar let his telekinetic grip on her fade as she gently slided to the ground. Unexpected to him, she did not run, she just kept her head down as she had earlier.
Sora's mind was racing a mile a minute, trying to figure out what she was going to do next. Try to figure out how she was going to reason with Sylar, filled with delusion and grandeur.
"Tisk, the mouse is frozen in fear, how dissap--" Sylar was cut off as Sora landed a punch on his jaw. Rubbing his jaw, Sylar advanced on Sora. "That was a very stupid thing to do, Sora. I could break you in two with just my mind if I wanted to. You're life hangs on the edge of a sword, if you catch my drift."
"Oh, I catch your drift. You are willing to throw away one of the best things you ever had for the sake of being a god. Gabriel, you are truly dead and you will live from this point on as alone as you ever were. You will have no one beside you. You are a criminal and will be hunted like a dog until you usurp what you see to be your rightful place. They will try to kill you for your tyranny, Sylar. The world will die before you and all who come after you." Sora walked past him to the railing separating the docks from the dark ocean below.
"Those are harsh words. Far harsher than I remember for someone like you. You've changed," he took a step forward closer to her.
"No, Sylar. You have. I've held the hope over the years that this day would not come, but unfortunately, I, myself, was deluded in that notion." Slowly Sora climbed up onto the railing, using the heels of her boots as an anchor of balance. "I see our future can never come to pass. Fine. Do it, Sylar. Kill me. Take my gift and leave me to fall into the ocean, never to be seen or heard from again."
"Okay, Sora, you're just being silly now. Get down." Sylar took a step forward holding his hands out in front of him, eyes widening.
"Fine. You won't take my power. I'll jump anyway, so you never get it. I don't deserve to be objectified like this just for my power." Taking a large breath and closing her eyes, Sora spread out her arms and fell backwards into the cold waters. With that something snapped in Sylar. He ran to the railing searching for any sign of Sora. Maybe she had survived the fall and was clinging to the post keeping the dock afloat? Maybe she didn't even hit the water at all? He had heard a splash though. Definitely a splash – from her or from an abnormally large fish?
Sylar took a step back and disrobed from his long black jacket revealing a black vest and a dark green, striped dress shirt. He also took off his shoes and socks which would only weigh him down. With resolve Sylar jumped from the railing into the water to try to find Sora. For once his powers could be put to somewhat good. He had taken the ability to breathe anywhere from a company agent named Bianca. As soon as Sylar hit the dark water he put into practice another ability that he had taken from a man in Level five of the Company to emit light from his body – acting as sort of a self-propelled beacon. From his fingers and toes a sort of temporary webbing grew to give him a set of flippers.
Sylar swam through the murk of the ocean looking this way and that for any sign of Sora. He knew he shouldn't have used that approach. How did he know that she would fight back? He was only trying to impress her, not get her killed. As he swam deeper, the water became even darker and the pressure was starting to get to him. The pollution was also getting worse. It would be a miracle if Sora survived this kind of a fall.
As Sylar's hope began to fade at finding her alive, he caught a glimpse of a hand. Propelling himself forward he grabbed hold of her and curled her into his body. As fast as he could he brought Sora back to the surface and flew her back onto the dock, laying her gently on her back. He immediately began to check her pulse and breathing. There was none of both. The shock of the situation had set in and all he knew was what he needed to do to try to save her. He began CPR by angling her head and blowing air into her lungs, alternating between that and chest compressions.
Still unresponsive to his actions, Sora lay there lost to the world. Sylar frantically used his telekinesis to cut through her vest and blouse. "Come on, Sora, don't be stupid and leave me." Sylar placed one hand on her side and one over her chest. He proceeded to use his power of electromagnetism to become a human crash cart.
"Come on. Come on. Come on! Come on!!" Sylar yelled with each shock to Sora's body. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Sora coughed up sea water and heaved as she tried to regain her breathing rhythm. Shaking, Sylar took hold of Sora in a tight hug and closed his eyes. "Don't you ever do that again. You hear me?" Sora gave a shaky nod, eyes still a bit glazed over. "I only wanted you to be impressed with my powers. I was never going to kill you," Sylar whispered and closed his eyes, relieved that this ordeal was over with. "It's a sin to kill an angel."
Sora raised her hand and returned the embrace, staring out behind Sylar, still in a bit of shock. "Oh, Sylar . . ."
"No," he whispered into her ear, "it's Gabriel to you."