Author's note/disclaimer/warning: I don't own Heroes. Some of the lines in this story (especially in Chapter 1) are taken verbatim from the episodes "A Clear and Present Danger," "Trust and Blood," and "Exposed" in Volume 4: Fugitives. Rated M for sex, language and violence. Please do not read if you are offended by dominant-submissive and sado-masochistic sexual themes.

Chapter 1: Flood

Siobhan and her mother got out of the beat-up station wagon. Their heated argument was briefly disturbed by the fleet of law enforcement vehicles in front of the taxidermist's house. "Taxidermy," her mother muttered. "I never liked that old man." Then, more loudly, "Take a good look, Siobhan. That's your future if you keep up the crap you're pulling at school."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Siobhan said defensively as she walked toward their house.

"Don't play games with me, Siobhan. Bringing explosive devices to school? Five in the past year? You're lucky they're just now figuring out you're the one. You're lucky no one has gotten hurt! And you'll be lucky if you get off with just expulsion!"

Siobhan stopped and glared at her mother. "Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about. It's not me. They can't even find any physical evidence of "explosive devices," she said with contempt, "And they sure as fuck can't prove I am the one doing it."

"You watch your mouth young lady! They know it's you. You're always there when they go off. Just because you've been paying attention in chemistry or however you've been concocting these pranks does not mean you're too smart to go to jail. Too bad you won't be able to use these skills in college, since you're getting expelled just months from graduation!"

"Well, it could be worse. I could be dropping out of high school because I'm knocked up," Siobhan said sarcastically.

Her mother turned bright red and looked like her own head was about to explode. "Get inside," she seethed.

When they walked in the house, they were greeting by the blaring of the television. "I can't believe I left that on," her mother said as she walked into the living room. She stopped suddenly when she saw a male figure sitting in the chair in front of the television. She turned to Siobhan and hissed "Call the police!" before grabbing a poker from in front of the fireplace to use as a weapon. She then jumped in front of the man with the poker raised, only to realize that he was not watching their television voluntarily. He was covered in blood, gagged with duct tape, and bound to the chair in the most grotesque manner. Siobhan's mother was horrified to realize that his hands were nailed to the chair with screwdrivers.

Just then, a tall man dressed in black sauntered out of the kitchen holding what was obviously their mail. "You must be Mary Campbell or current occupant." Her mother took a swing at him, but was shocked when the poker flew out of her hands before she could hit him. With a slight gesture of his hand, he flung both of them into chairs of their own. Quickly Siobhan realized that they were pinned down, unable to move their arms or legs.

"We've been waiting for you," the man said.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" her mother said, hyperventilating in fear.

The stranger in black ripped the duct tape off of the mouth of the guy bound to the chair. "Special Agent Simmons says hello. His people trained him well. He hardly flinched when he lost a finger or two." The intruder then picked up a large coffee cup and gave Siobhan and her mother an appraising look. "The trouble is that he has information I need, and you are going to help me loosen his tongue." He then took a sip of his coffee and smirked.

Spitting blood, Agent Simmons said, "You sick fuck. Are you going to torture me in front of them?"

Sylar smiled at Siobhan, and then turned toward Mary. "No, I'm going to torture them in front of you."

Agent Simmons coughed, "Your father's in custody, you sick piece of crap." The dark man paused contemplatively for a moment before saying, "Another lie. It's time to get started. Where to begin…."

He extended his hand toward Siobhan, who blanched white and sank deeper into her chair. The stranger grinned at her reaction and shifted his hand toward Mary. "Mommy," he said with false affection.

Mary panicked and sputtered, "Why are you doing this? What did we ever do to you?"

The man took another sip of his coffee. "Nothing," he replied. "Wrong place, wrong time. I could have been a flood or a tornado. There's really no difference, actually."

The man turned his attention to Siobhan again. "How about you, Siobhan? Any thoughts?"

I think it sucks that the first hot guy to acknowledge my presence is going to kill me, Siobhan thought, but said nothing. The hot guy continued to stare at her with a murderous smile on his face. Then he said, "I sense some dysfunction in the Campbell household."

"You bastard," Mary spit. "You better leave her alone—" Suddenly the stranger extended his hand toward her, and grabbed the air as if he were grabbing Mary by her throat. And then Mary's voice cut off, like his hand was actually around her throat. The man continued, "But I understand. Single mom, rebellious teenage daughter, and judging from the pitiful child support check I found, I'd say that dad took off quite some time ago."

As the sounds of her mother's choking grew uncomfortably loud, Siobhan murmured "What are you doing to her?"

"What you wished you could have done years ago."

Siobhan spoke louder: "No…stop."

"You're lying."

Am I? Siobhan thought to herself. Am I just going to sit here while he kills my mother?

The man in black turned his face toward the guy he had tortured earlier and raised his voice. "Agent Simmons, Mary's losing her patience. Isn't it your job to protect her from monsters like me?"

Siobhan pleaded, "He's not going to talk. Let her go."

He looked at her again intently but did not release his grip on Mary. "Are you saying that because you care, Siobhan? Or is that just a preconditioned response because Mommy drew the short straw?"

"What do you know about me?"

The man smirked again and sipped his coffee. "Mom's a drone and dad abandoned you. I know that rage, Siobhan. And I know that deep down you'd like nothing more than to see her blood all over the living room floor."

He looked toward her mother again. Mary turned blue and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"Stop!" Siobhan screamed, and the coffee cup exploded in the intruder's hand.

The force of the explosion knocked the man backward but not off his feet. Siobhan was alarmed to realize that she and her mother were still immobilized, although her mother could obviously breathe now. As the stranger straightened himself and turned in her direction, Siobhan saw that the bloody cuts on his face and hand were disappearing on their own. "Holy shit," she whispered.

The stranger said calmly, "Well, well, it's a small world. You and I really need to have a talk." Siobhan suddenly realized she could move again, but still cowered in the chair. He walked over and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her forcefully to her feet. "Come over here," he said, leading her to the dining room table. He took a vase and set it on the table, and then stepped away. "Show me."

Siobhan looked at him closely for the first time. He was at least six feet tall, somewhat angular in appearance, with black-brown hair and eyes much like her own. He's fucking hot, she thought to herself. She looked at the vase and then back at him. "It doesn't always work. I don't know if I can do it."

"Try," he instructed.

She sighed and looked back at the vase. "We should stand back." After they moved a few steps away, she concentrated on the vase, imagining it breaking into a thousand pieces. And then it happened.

Siobhan looked back at him for approval. "That's very impressive," he said. "Does it work on living things?"

"Do you mean…like…humans?" The expression of concern returned to her face. The man's subsequent expression told her that was exactly what he meant. "I've never tried that," she stammered.

He looked contemplative and then said somewhat urgently, "You know, I heard you at the door. You lied about causing the explosions at school."

"Why do you care?" Siobhan asked incredulously.

"Because if you living a half a block down from my father is a coincidence, then God's improved his sense of humor."

"You're wrong." Siobhan said, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm nobody. I have no friends. Everyone thinks I'm a freak. My life sucks."

"Siobhan, stop talking to him," Mary hissed from across the room.

Siobhan looked at her mother, and then back at him. "She hates me, you know."

"No, I don't!"

The man glared at Mary and said, "I don't even need an ability to know that's a lie."

Mary exclaimed in a whiny voice, "I love my daughter! I just want her to be happy."

"Well, she's not," the stranger snapped. He turned his attention back to Siobhan and grabbed her by both shoulders. He leaned in closely and stared into her eyes. They were like mirror reflections of her own. He then said rapidly, "I know what you're feeling. You rather be anyone than who you are. Now I want you to tell me about your power and everything you know about the man living down the street."

From the corner of her eye, Siobhan saw Agent Simmons rise from his chair and lunge toward his gun, which had been placed on top of the television. Siobhan pushed the man in black out of the way just as Agent Simmons aimed his gun toward him. Siobhan screamed "Stop!" and it happened again. The gun exploded in Agent Simmons' hand, and then he exploded.

Flesh, bone, and blood splattered across the living room, covering the walls, the furniture, and Mary. Some even hit Siobhan and her new friend, although Mary got the worst of it. Mary vomited as Siobhan froze in shock.

When Mary finally stopped puking, she looked at Siobhan malevolently and screamed, "You killed him." By this time, Siobhan was shaking uncontrollably. "He…he was going to…"

"He was going to save us!" Mary bellowed. Her face then crumpled in disgust. "What are you?"

Still trembling, Siobhan looked at the man who had put these events in motion, then back toward her mother, and then back again. Then she did what her instincts were screaming for her to do: run away. She pushed past him and ran out the door. She didn't stop running until she thought she herself would explode.

*****

Siobhan didn't know exactly how long she had been wandering the streets when the station wagon pulled up beside her. It must have been a couple hours because it was now dark. The man she had met earlier had the windows down, and called to her in a cheerful voice, "I don't think that you are going to get very far on foot." Siobhan stopped and looked at him for a moment before she opened up the passenger door and got in. "Nice ride," she said dryly. "This looks just like my mom's piece of shit."

The man pulled away from the curb and grinned. "Let's just say that your mother thought that giving up her car was better than the alternative." He focused on the road, and then added, "Didn't anyone ever warn you about accepting rides from strangers?"

Siobhan felt a twinge of fear before resigning herself to whatever fate had thrown into her path, whether it was a flood, tornado, or something else. "Well, you already know my name. What's yours?"

"Sylar," he said, with a smirk.