Anybody want a case?
„I don´t know, Shawn." Gus said, shaking his head. „I don´t like this. This is weird."
„Yes." Shawn agreed, throwing a glance over at Lassiter and Jules who were talking to the chief in her office.
„I mean, it´s weirder than weird." Gus went on. „It´s as if every time Mary comes here, he tells us about a supernatural gifted killer."
„We don´t know if this guy is superhuman." Shawn recalled.
„But he could be."
Shawn only shrugged. „Sure, he could." he admitted, lack of other arguments.
„We should have left this station while we still could."
„Now it´s too late."
„And that is your fault."
„Why is it my fault?" Shawn cried, now looking at Gus for the first time in their talk.
„You are always too slow." Gus told him. „Especially when it comes to turn away from trouble."
„That´s not true." Shawn cried. But then he halted and thought this through. In the end he could only shrug. „Okay, maybe it´s true." he admitted.
„That´s what I meant."
„But even if we would have left, the case would still be here. It wouldn´t go away by ignoring it."
„But I would feel saver, Shawn."
„That´s ridiculous."
„I didn´t deny that. I only said I would feel saver."
„But why?"
Gus was about to say something to explain himself, but in this moment they both noticed that someone was standing right next to them. The small man had once again sneaked up on them without them noticing. The two of them flinched when they finally saw him. Mary didn´t move a bit, just looked at them.
„I heard Sylar was dead." he said without any transition. „Is that true?"
Shawn´s first reaction was it to look at Gus. When he faced Mary again, he found himself lack of words for a moment. For what reason he didn´t even know. Maybe because Mary had been the one who´d worked Sylar´s case long before they´d even heard of him. And now he had to ask them, what happened to his long year suspect. That kinda sounded unfair.
„Yes, that´s true." Shawn finally said. „You heard about that?"
„I called detective Lassiter and asked him what became of the case, for which he wanted my Sylar-files." Mary told them. „He said that it was done, that Sylar was dead and the case had somehow solved itself. Then he said he had work to do and hung up on me."
„Yeah, that sounds like Lassie."
„What happened?" Mary wanted to know.
Again Shawn needed to look at Gus before he could go on. „Well … that´s kindofa long story." he said, feeling uncomfortable.
„He saved our lives." Juliet´s voice surprisingly spoke up behind them. They all turned around and saw her standing there, a file in her hand. Lasster had left the chief´s office as well and was already back at his desk. „He sacrificed himself." Juliet finished her explanation for Mary.
Shawn searched her gaze and she looked back at him with open eyes. He could see deeply into her through that gaze, just as always. But usually he saw a happy person in those eyes. This time he saw someone that felt a deep pity for something that was long done and that could not be fixed again. And strange enough, he felt that he was catching this regret the longer he looked at her like that. No matter how much this man had freaked him out, it had been a cool thing to hunt a superhuman serial killer. On some strange and probably not very healthy level it had been cool.
„That´s true." he said at last, breaking the silence that had emerged so far. „He did."
„I don´t understand." Mary admitted, his face somehow sad and heartbreakingly confused.
„It was …" Shawn started but before he could say anymore, Lassiter´s voice echoed through the whole station.
„O´Hara! We just got a call. Another body has been found. We´re heading out to the crime scene."
Before Shawn even knew what had happened he found himself dragged along with all the others and out of the station. A minute later he sat in the car with Gus and they followed Lassiter´s Crown Vick along the streets until they stopped before an appartement house. The coroners truck was already parked there and when they entered the appartement, CSI guys were busy taking pictures and all kinds of samples. The dead man lay in the living room, next to an overturned desk and in the middle of lots and lots of papers.
„Seems there was a fight before he died." Lassiter commented the sight. „O´Hara. You question the neighbours."
Juliet nodded and went out again. Shawn could see that Gus envied her about this task. So far he hadn´t seen the worst of the body because the head was covered with some loose papers. But the way these sheets were coloured, Shawn guessed that Gus wouldn´t like to see what was beneath it. And he should be right about that. Lassiter had just demanded to get the papers as evidence in case there should be a clue on them, when the CSI was done with taking pictures of the body and removed the sheets from the victim´s head.
Gus immediately started to gag when he saw what had happened to the man´s skull and turned around to hurry out of the room. Lassiter looked down on the body with an expression that gloomy, Shawn had rarely seen even on him. Jules came back to them and when she noticed the cause of death, she looked very pale. No wonder, it was a gory sight. Shawn felt sick too. Mary´s face was just blank.
„Yes." he nodded with his hands in his pockets. „That is his MO."
„Nobody?" Lassiter asked as if he didn´t know what he meant.
„Yes." Mary affirmed. „He always kills his men with his bare hands."
„Bare? Means there have to be traces. DNA, prints. CSI, you look this body up and down." Lassiter demanded from the forensics. „I want nothing to be overlooked."
„That won´t get you very far, detective." Mary mentioned. „We went down that road more than once. Of course he leaves his prints and DNA. But since we already stated that he has no identity, there is only one thing we can do with these results. We can be sure it was him who killed the victims. But so far that never resulted in his arrest."
„Well, then it will be different this time." Lassiter insisted determined.
„I hope so." was all Mary would respond.
Lassiter looked at the small man for two more seconds and then just dismissed him. „O´Hara, do we already know who this man was?" he asked his partner.
„His name is William Donovan." she told, grateful that she could focus her attention on the notepad in her hand. „He works for the registration office as an archivist. His neighbour found him around five. She said she woke up from a nap because there were some strange noises and she came over to check if something was wrong. The door was not locked so she went in … and found him like that. Other neighbours affirm her statement. They heard the noise too and they say Mr. Donovan had screamed a few times."
„You would scream too if a guy with supernatural powers was beating you to death." Gus said from his place in the door. He was looking back at them with a greyish color in his face.
„Gus, don´t be the boy that cries wild dog all the time." Shawn said, trying to sound indifferent.
„He cried wolf, Shawn." Gus corrected.
„We didn´t affirm that this guy is a Special so far." Shawn went on as if he hadn´t heard the correction.
„You can ignore this fact and pretend that he is not." Gus replied fiercely. „But I intent to prepare myself for that from the beginning."
„A very wise decision, Gus." Mary praised and even Lassiter nodded approvingly. Or at least as if he was considering if he should approve to that.
„Thank you." Gus said and threw Shawn a look.
„I wonder if it is a coincidence that he works for the registration office." Mary mumbled, his eyes back on the body.
„What do you mean?" Lassiter wanted to know.
„Wow wow wow." Shawn cried when he realized what Mary obviously had realized just a second ago. Hoping that he´d been fast enough to claim Mary´s idea as his own vison, he raised a hand to his temple. „I´m getting something." he said. „I see folders and names and casefiles."
Mary nodded in agreement. So far he didn´t attempt to take over and just waited for Shawn to go on.
„I believe it is not a coincidence, Mary." the fake psychic addressed him dramatically. „I feel that there is a connection between our dead caretaker and this dead archivist. I see that they … knew each other. And that Nobody knew them both too. They were supposte to do something for him and they messed it up. That´s why he killed them."
„First the S.B.P.D. and now the registration office." Juliet summarized with a thoughtful glance down to the ground. „Sounds like a pattern."
Lassiter nodded at her. „This guy is looking for something." he spoke it out.
„Or …" Shawn touched his temple once again. „Someone." he added, his voice deep and very dramatic. A push into his shoulder made him stagger and lose his rhythm. Gus had entered the gory room again, just to end this stupid act of his.
Shawn spread his arms. „What?"
...
Nobody stood in the allay, his back leaning against the wall, his eyes up in the sky. He was waiting. Waiting for fate to walk by. Not his fate, god no. But he was on a mission fate had sent him to and that meant whatever he did to accomplish this mission would be directed by fate as well. He wouldn´t choose the sacrifices. Fate would. He would just stand here and wait for someone to pass by and offer him or herself to him. For him it didn´t matter anyway who it would be. They were all nothing but cattle. Domestic livestock. Just good enough to be slaughtered when the masters wanted to eat. Only that he wouldn´t be the one to eat here. No, he wouldn´t go that far.
He knew Sylar had taken the brains of his victims to eat them later on. Why he did this, Nobody didn´t want to judge. He could ask him as soon as he met him in person. But until then he would not question what Sylar had done all these years. He would only imitate it as best as he could.
His hand wandered down to his pocket, where the knife was hidden. Well, it was barely hidden. It was a hunters knife after all and his pockets were not deep enough to really concile it. But he didn´t need to concile it anyway. If anyone had stopped him to ask stupid questions about it, he would have found his victim much faster than expected. But no one had stopped him to ask questions. So he stood here and waited.
The place was a good one. A dark allay, small and hidden. But not too isolated. A pray had to find the way here after all. When he turned his head he could see the main street. Cars were passing by once in a while. With each hour the traffic had gotten thinner. Nobody had watched. Waited. People had passed by but he hadn´t addressed any of them. Had not attacked any of them. Not yet. It had been too early. Too bright. He needed the safety of the darkness to do what he´d come here for. To really do what he had in mind, he needed to be undisturbed at least for a few minutes and if he would have attacked someone at bright daylight, others would have been attracted by the screams. He couldn´t risk that.
Not that he was afraid of being caught. He´d never been caught and that would never change. He was just too slick for them. Too smart. Too invincible. But this time it was not just some random killing of some random asshole. This time it was something special. Something very delicate. He was copying a master in the art of killing after all. And he did it for the first time. He wanted to take extra care to not to do anything wrong. This was not just a simple finger exercise either. It was supposte to be a message. Sylar would see what he would do tonight and he would judge how well he´d done it. And so Nobody was actually nervous. For the first time in his life, he was nervous before a killing. And that was confusing. But it was also wonderful in some way.
He´d never felt like that. Usually when he was killing, he did it spontaneously. Because the anger took over or the need for blood was getting too strong again. When he was sick with the world once again and just needed to make someone pay for all the shit that was walking around in it. But this time it was not that simple. This time it was art. He would have to move carefully. He would have to do it in a clean way, not as savage as he usually did it. This time it was special. This time it was for Sylar.
Outside on the street he heard footsteps. Nobody straightened. That was it. He knew it. He could feel it. All his senses were strained on this one goal. The goal he had come here to accomplish. He would be quick, he would be careful and he would be perfect. He would kill the person quickly and then he would open the head with the hunting knife. No more injuries to the body than necessary. Only what was necessary to remove the brain. Just the way Sylar had done it all these years.
Nobody smiled. He took the knife and held it tight. He imagined that Sylar had used a knife just like that to open the skulls of his victims. Hunters used it to cleanly open their pray so it was only reasonable to assume that Sylar had used a knife like that. Yes, Nobody was sure it was that way. And even if not, Sylar would understand that he had to use what he had until he could teach him a better way. Until that day, this hunting knife would do just fine.
The footsteps were very close now. Only a few more steps and it would be there. The pray that would serve him as an oblation. Nobody´s heart sped up. And then the person who would have the honor to be the first message for Sylar, passed the alley. Nobody didn´t hesitate to look who it was and just jumped.
...
The computer beeped and then started. It asked for the code to identify it´s user. Noah Bennet typed it in and then waited until the screen showed him that the computer was ready. He opened his email account. That was the first thing he did in the morning, every day, even before he got himself a breakfast. There were several junk mails of course, but also two mails that he was very happy to see.
The first one was from Lauren. She was in New York, meeting with Angela Petrelli to help with the management of the new Company. After what she was writing it was going good. A promising new start for their former employer and Angela had even mentioned that she would like to see the two of them back on her payroll in the near future. Noah was still reluctant to agree to that offer but he kept it in mind, just in case.
The second email was an even more happy one. It was from his daughter, who was currently traveling through Canada to meet a few young people up there, who had certain special abilities. She and Gretchen had set off last week and they were going to be up there for at least three more weeks. The mountains were beautiful, Claire wrote and she had never seen trees that grew that big.
Noah smiled. He was happy that his little girl was making her way into this world on such strong legs. And that she wasn´t alone on this way. When she´d started to form this community of specials, he´d been uncertain. But now he was really glad that Claire had these people. Her friends. It was a good thing to know that she didn´t necessarily need him anymore to take care of herself. It still hurt a little but it was also a good thing to know.
Damn, sometimes he wondered if every parent had to go through such confusing and ambivalent feelings when the time came around when they had to let their children go. Probably. But that didn´t make it any easier for him to deal with that. He could only try to trust her and be happy that she was happy with the way she lived her life.
His stomach reminded him on the fact that he hadn´t had his breakfast yet and he got up and went into the kitchen. While he made himself a sandwich and a coffee, he switched on the TV for the news. The second most important thing for him in the morning. Keeping track on what was going on in this city he´d actually started to consider his new home. When he´d started to see it that way, he couldn´t remember. But he knew that if he would actually agree to work for the company again, he would do it from Santa Barbara and not in New York. The facility in Durham Street was as good as the one in Manhattan and when Angela wanted to talk to him, there were always phones and screens. But going back to New York was not an option anymore. Not for him. Not really. Why he didn´t know. Maybe it was the nice weather here in California.
The little TV in the corner of his kitchen came to life and there was already a reporter filling the screen. Noah, turned halfway around to poor himself a coffee while he listened to the news, this young woman had to tell.
„ … is the FBI investigating for over ten years now." she just said and Noah listened up, more interested now. An FBI investigation? „This is the third body found within only three days now." the reporter went on. „All of them are considered to be the work of the same culprit. The last victim however was found with her head opened. Her brain, which was obviously removed from the skull was nowhere to be found near the crime scene."
Noah stopped chewing halfway through a bite of toast. Was he hearing what he though he heard?
„This newest development in the case seems to point into another direction, than the police had investigated so far." the reporter went on. „To a case, also very well known to the FBI. A few years ago a murderer that called himself Sylar used to kill his victims and remove their brains in the exact same way as the recent victim …"
Noah sat before the TV while the reporter went on telling the audience about the former case of the murderer that had called himself Sylar, but he barely heard what she said. All he could think of was: That´s impossible.
...
Carlton Lassiter, head detective of the S.B.P.D. was not a cheery person in general but today he was even less cheery than usually. Today he was frustrated and seriously livid. This latest victim that had been found in the early hours of the morning, made the case they were working on not just more complicated, it also made his insides take somersaults. He knew it was impossible that this victim was killed by Sylar and even Lightly had agreed on that. But the fact that the top of the head had been removed … Carlton hated this. Whoever this guy was, he was crazier than they all had expected, so much was for sure.
„Carlton." someone called him through the station.
The detective looked up from his file and into the concerned face of Noah Bennet who hurried over to his desk.
„Noah. What …?" Lassiter asked but if he was honest this question was totally useless. Of course he knew what the Company man was doing here. It had been all over the news, for god´s sake.
„I´ve seen the news." Noah told him. „What is all this about?"
Lassiter was in the process to answer but Bennet was faster.
„Her head was open and the brain removed?" he asked him. „Is that true? Please tell me that´s just exaggerating of the press."
Carlton sighed. „I was about to call you myself." he admitted.
„This is simply impossible, Carlton." Noah told him as if he didn´t know that himself. The detective got up and gestured for the Company man to follow him.
„Come with me." he said quietly. „There are some things we need to talk about."
The two of them walked a few steps until they had left the bullpen behind. Then Noah couldn´t hold onto himself any longer. He just needed to know.
„What is it, Carlton?" he asked.
„It´s a man the FBI calls Nobody." the detective answered. „It seems that he´s looking for someone and yes, he just killed a women in Sylar-style. We believe it´s either a coincidence or a copycat killing."
„You can´t be serious with that." Noah snapped in disbelieve. „Coincidence? Copycat? How much time passed by since you saw the last real victim of Sylar´s killing spree?"
„How much time passed by since we all saw him die, Noah?" Lassiter shot back.
The Company man didn´t answer, just looked at him. Carlton had spoken quietly but his words had been clear. He wouldn´t discuss impossible things. He had never done that with Spencer and he would not do it with Noah. He knew Sylar was dead and he would not argue about a truth that was as simple as that.
„I need a DNA sample of this woman." Noah demanded after a while. Lassiter opened his mouth to object but Noah was again faster than he. „She is on none of our lists, I already checked that." he told him. „But that doesn´t mean that she´s not a special."
„How do you know who she is?" Lassiter demanded to know.
„I have my sources to find out names if I want to." Noah replied. „I checked the old lists of the Company as well as the list Suresh put together. Her name is on none of them."
„Then why do you want a sample of her?"
„To test if she is a Special after all. One that was never registered."
„You make it sound as if there was an official registration office for these people."
„The Company was this registration office, Carlton. It has been for many many years. But even we couldn´t keep track on everyone. Many slipped through the mashes. I know. I helped to let some slip through. Maybe someone helped this woman too. Or maybe she just got lucky to never draw attention. In any case, we need to know."
„What do you expect to find out about that?" Carlton wanted to know. „You saw him die just like we all did."
There was no need for him to explain who he was talking about. They both knew it.
„Maybe there is another explanation for that anyway." Noah admitted to Lassiter´s point of view. „The open head is something we cannot afford to ignore, Carlton. We at least need to test if she had an ability."
„How?"
„I´ll ask Suresh for his help."
Lassiter needed a moment to realize the mistake in this idea. „Where is he?" he asked Noah and was already afraid of the answer.
„Last time I knew, he was in Switzerland." Noah told him.
Carlton couldn´t help but groaned in exasperation. Why did this talk start to remind him on one of the many ridiculous banters he had had with the fake psychic over the years? Discussing impossible ideas that no one else but an adult with the mind of a five year old would come up with.
But this was not Spencer he was talking to. It was Noah. And Noah was not suggesting things lightly. At least so far he had never done that.
„How is he supposte to help us, if he´s in Europe?" Carlton asked to give the Company man at least a chance to convince him.
„If we had a lab that could do the work for us under the radar." Noah immediately said. „I only need Suresh´s expertise to tell us what the results say. This is something he can do easily over the phone."
Lassiter thought this over. This at least sounded like something that could be realized.
„I think I have someone who can do that for us." he told Noah.
The Company man seemed relieved at this information. „Who?" he asked him.
Carlton threw a checking glance around. „Not here." he said and led Noah back to the bullpen. He needed to tell O´Hara to hold the fort for a while … and that he would be back after he checked on a lead.
