Elle stared out of the car's window, watching the pouring rain pummel the windows and the surrounding street. She was still angry over her father removing her from the assignment. She didn't understand what the problem was. That guy she killed wasn't important, killing him hadn't jeopardized the assignment. He had lied to her and had paid the price. It was as simple as that.
She slumped back in the driver's seat and rested her chin in her hand. The Company would send someone over to clean up the mess she had made. A janitor, probably someone they wanted out of the way for a little while. That was always the way things went in The Company, if you got in the way you could find yourself in the middle of Africa searching for a hermit--or something like that.
Her eyes gleamed as lightning flashed across the sky. A smile broke out on her face as she held out her palm. She watched as blue sparks began to dance erratically across her hand. Barely a handful of people knew what it was like to be able to control lightning. Besides herself, she only knew of two empaths who could wield electricity. One of them was Peter Petrelli, the other... Another flash of lightning streaked through the sky, followed by a boom of thunder.
Elle started her car and began to drive. The windscreen wipers worked furiously tying to clear the screen. Elle's smile faded and was replaced by a look of deep thought. She would drive past that pub quickly, on the off chance that Peter had turned up there since she had killed that guy.
Her face fell in disappointment as she drove past. The pub's doors had been forced open and the lights switched on. But she could only see this black guy, kneeling beside the charred corpse; nothing worth going out into the pouring rain for. She hated rain.
She fell into deep thought again as she continued to drive. Things would get more difficult now. Peter probably knew that he was being searched for. And the cops might even get involved. Not to mention the agent The Company had probably already contacted. She would have to tread carefully now.
Elle was so caught up in her thoughts and trying to peer through the bucketing rain. She failed to notice another car speeding past her own. She failed to see it screech to a halt next to the pub's entrance and she failed to see two figures jump out of the car and rush inside.
Dean nodded to the security guard as he slid his ID card through the Hartsdale office's front doors. He had been contacted again, barely an hour after he had left that rest-stop in Mexico. He had been ordered to stop by Hartsdale office before he went to Ireland. He didn't really mind that. For a moment he thought that Bob had called to tell him that he didn't need to go to Cork and that he could go back to his previous assignment. Dean probably would have carried on to New York and throttled Bob if that had happened.
Dean had driven to Primatech and dropped off his car, before catching a flight to New York. He had been told to get to there as fast as possible and that's what he had done. He was almost looking forward to the long flight to Ireland, just so he could sleep the entire way.
He froze suddenly as a thought struck him. He had no idea what floor Bob was on. It was too early for the receptionist to be in yet. "Hey." Dean said, turning around to face the security guard. "Do you know what floor Bob's on?"
The security guard looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, the boss said that when you showed up I was to send you to the lab."
"Thanks man." Dean said as he turned back around and started towards the elevator. He moved in a light jog, closing the distance towards the elevator quickly. He skidded to a halt and punched in his security clearance.
He grinned as the elevator's doors slid open. He was starting to grow more eager about starting this assignment. He had thought about it on his way here. It must be pretty serious if The Company was willing to pull someone off an assignment as high up as stalking Sylar.
He watched his reflection in the elevator door's as it moved upwards. It had been over a day since he had slept and it showed on his appearance. Bags were clearly visible under his eyes. He had tanned up a bit in Mexico though and that had done something to hide his exhaustion from his features. He was glad for that, it was best if you didn't show the slightest bit of weakness in front of The Company's leaders. They would eventually use it against you.
The elevator slowed to a halt and the double doors opened wide, cutting his reflection in half. He stepped through, walking into The Company's lab. He looked around as he walked, it had been a while since he was last in here but he immediately noticed that there were several new patients.
He stopped suddenly in front of one of the rooms, his stomach churning uncomfortably as he thought he recognised its occupant. The woman inside had rolled over in her sleep, revealing blonde hair and pale skin. He looked at the name on the front of the door, seeking to confirm that his fears were unfounded. His tension eased as he read the name softly to himself. "Niki Sanders." For a moment he had thought it was Elle lying unconscious and restrained in that bed.
He turned away from the room, his heart thumping loudly in his chest after his scare. He carried on through the corridors, heading towards the sitting area. He read some of the other names on the various rooms he passed. Monica Dawson, Molly Walker. He didn't recognise either of them.
He rounded a corner and immediately caught sight of Bob. He was speaking to an Indian man. The two were speaking in undertones, careful not to let anyone hear their words. As he approached he managed to hear part of their whispered conversation.
"You can't be serious about this?!" The Indian man was whispering angrily. "It could be a massacre, if the virus--"
Bob cut him off as he finally noticed Dean drawing closer. "Ah, Mr. Matthews." He said loudly. "I've been expecting you."
Dean smiled slightly as he watched Bob try to lie about the snippet of conversation that had obviously been heard.
"Dr. Suresh and I were just talking about our young patient, Molly Walker. She suffers from a terrible virus, we're doing everything we can to neutralise it."
Dean's smile widened in amusement, he didn't know why Bob was even bothering to lie to him. "Right, well I don't think you called me all the way here to talk about a virus."
Bob nodded and gestured at Dr. Suresh. "Dean, this is Dr. Mohinder Suresh, he's a geneticist working with us; the newest member of the family, so to speak."
Dr. Suresh held out his hand and said. 'It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Matthews."
Dean eyed the offered hand before placing his own hands firmly behind his back. "No, just Dean."
Dr. Suresh seemed slightly surprised at Dean's refusal to shake hands, but that look quickly faded as he withdrew his outstretched hand. "I've been hoping to meet other members of The Company." Dr. Suresh said, his tone filled with interest and curiosity. "Especially those with abilities, I should very much like to see what you can do someday."
"All in good time, Doctor." Bob said, preventing Dean from answering. "Now, I need a private word with Mr. Matthews here. Why don't you check on Miss Sanders? We don't want another incident on our hands."
Dr. Suresh nodded and walked past Dean, heading through the corridor, straight towards Niki's room. Dean noticed a rebellious look flicker across Dr. Suresh's face. Dean smiled in amusement; it looked as though it wasn't one big happy family after all.
Bob watched Dr. Suresh's path towards Niki's room, only beginning to speak when he was sure that he wouldn't be heard. "There's a serious problem over in Ireland." Bob said in a quiet voice.
Dean frowned. He could almost feel the urgency radiating from Bob's voice. This was a surprise to him; he had always known Bob to be calm and completely in control, never losing his cool in the most serious of situations. "I know, Elle did something while she was over there; something so in need of attention that you had to pull me away from my assignment. Which, I might add, you already did when you pulled me off hunting down that pyro to follow Sylar."
"Meredith Gordon has been taken care of and Sylar isn't an immediate threat so long as he's powerless--"
"I'm sure Candice would disagree." Dean grinned.
Bob went on as though Dean hadn't spoken. "Elle acted without thinking of the consequences, so now we need you clean up after her."
"What'd she do?"
"She killed a man over there."
Dean snorted. "So? She's killed before. I don't see what the big deal is."
"The big deal?" Bob said angrily. "The big deal is that she incinerated him with her power, all that was left of her victim was a charred corpse. She jeopardized her entire assignment. She may even cause the police to find out about us and what some of us are capable of."
"She barbequed someone?" Dean asked sceptically. "Doesn't surprise me. She's always been shoot first, ask questions later."
"I know, Dean. And that's why I want you there to clean up the mess she made and take care of anyone who's looking for her."
Dean carried on, thinking out loud, completely ignoring Bob. "If Elle did do that; the assignment she was on would have been pretty important to her. You better not have pulled her off; she won't give upon it just because she's been ordered to."
"Are you even listening?" Bob said, raising his voice.
"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry." Dean said quickly. "Just thinking out loud."
"As I said, we need you there to clean up the mess. You know how she thinks; it will be easier for you to track her path. We need it done quickly and expertly, before anyone starts asking potentially dangerous questions."
"Okay." Dean said simply. "I'll be on the first flight to Cork."
"We have a plane waiting to take you straight there." Bob began, a relieved smile beginning to form on his face. "You'll be contacted when you arrive there, hopefully we'll have intel that can point you in the right--"
Bob cut off as a cry of fury echoed from down the corridor. Dean spun around, startled at the sudden, unexpected noise. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as the door to Niki's room was kicked off its hinges. It flew through the air and shattered against the opposing wall.
Niki stepped through the doorway. The remains of her restraints were hanging from her body, torn as if they were made from paper. Niki looked up and down the corridor. When her eyes focused on Bob, a malicious grin formed on her face. She began to walk slowly towards them, her intentions clearly written across her featues.
Dean watched as Dr. Suresh ran out through the broken doorway, a taser held tightly in his hand. Dean looked on in amazement as Niki half-turned and tore the taser out of Dr. Suresh's hand. Without missing a step she squeezed her fist, shattering the taser into tiny pieces.
Dean stepped in front of Bob, placing his body between this incredibly strong woman and her target.
Niki's eyes narrowed. She lengthened her stride, advancing towards them. Dean knew that she would willingly tear him apart to get to Bob.
He raised his hand, flexing his fingers in anticipation.
Dean heard Bob's voice shout, trying to warn him. "Don't kill her, Dean!"
Bob's warning barely registered with him. He was staring into Niki's eyes, seeing past the anger and hate. Dean saw the helpless and desperate woman inside. And that was what held him back.
Blue electricity flashed, erupting from Dean's palm in a rush of sparks and energy. The ball collided with Niki's chest, blowing her back. She hit the ground and slid across the polished floor, finally coming to a stop just short of the entrance to her room.
Dean breathed out heavily, the blue sparks of electricity fading from his hand. He lowered his arm slowly. His eyes were focused on Niki's unmoving body.
Dr. Suresh fell to his knees beside Niki, his fingers pressing lightly on her neck, checking for signs of a pulse. "She's alive." He exclaimed, removing his fingers from her neck. "We'll need to run tests, there's no telling what damage that bolt could have done."
Dean walked forward. He stepped over Niki's unconscious body, unfazed by what he had done. "I'll find her." He said, turning back to look at Bob. He ignored the angry and amazed looks directed at him. He had long grown used to that. People feared what they didn't understand. It was a fact of life.
Mohinder Suresh sat beside Niki's bed; trying to focus his thoughts long enough to read her chart. But no matter how hard he concentrated, his mind always drifted back to Dean and his display of power. Mohinder had seen many different things since he had picked up where his father left off, but he still had trouble believing in them.
Mohinder just couldn't wrap his head around it. How could a person shoot electricity? Then again, how could someone tear through a full set of restraints? He would have loved to study Dean, but Bob had said that he was needed elsewhere.
"How's she doing?" Bob asked as he walked into the room.
"Fine." Mohinder answered, shrugging his shoulders. "She'll be fine. There's no damage to her body, none at all."
Bob nodded in satisfaction. "That will be Dean; he wasn't trying to kill her."
"So, he can manipulate electricity?" Mohinder asked, seeking confirmation for the fact, even though the answer was already clear in his mind.
"At the moment, yes." Bob answered, sitting down in an unoccupied seat.
"What do you mean 'at the moment'?" Mohinder inquired curiously.
"Dean is an empath." Bob answered after a moment of hesitation. "Unlike Peter Petrelli though, Dean's ability is restricted. For example, he can only acquire other's abilities by touch."
"So that's why he doesn't shake hands?" Mohinder asked. "He doesn't want to risk gaining a new power?"
"Yes and no…" Bob said. He looked up at the ceiling as he tried to think of the right words. "You see…Dean can only handle one power at a time. If he absorbs another…he loses his previous one."
Mohinder nodded. "So, if he absorbs a new one, can he instantly control it?"
Bob shook his head. "No. In fact, he begins with even less control then his benefactor originally did. That's one of the reasons why when we do figure out how to eliminate abilities with the virus, he'll be one of the first people we use it on."
"And the other reasons?" Mohinder asked.
Bob smiled. "He flaunts his power and he kills without a second thought. He's too dangerous to be trusted. You saw what he did to Niki. Imagine if he used more of his power. Niki would be electrocuted beyond recognition."
Bob looked at the surprised look on Mohinder's face and continued. "He and one of our other agents – the girl who he obtained his electric manipulation from – are both like that. They both kill and feel no remorse or sympathy. It makes them good agents, but also incredibly dangerous, and untrustworthy. It has been unanimously agreed that both of them will be cut from The Company and given the virus."
"If they're as dangerous as you say they are." Mohinder said. "If they find out what you plan for them, they'll kill you."
"Then they can't find out." Bob said calmly.
