I awoke to find myself chained to a chair…my head lolling. I assumed that the muggles had given me some sort of potion...or whatever passed as a potion in their world.
A light shined in my face, and I blinked as if blinded.
"Not accustomed to light, are you?" a sinister voice sneered. "You dirty animal." He snapped.
I muttered a curse with the man's name in it.
"What was that, wolf?" he slapped me across the face.
"I'm not an animal." I said in a firm voice. "I'm human."
The man laughed. "You tear humans apart and devour them. Where's the humanity in that, girl?" He sneered.
I didn't respond.
He shook his head in amazement.
"What do you want from me?" I demanded.
"What are you?" the man demanded.
"What kind of question is that?" I snapped. "You know very well what I am."
He nodded. "A shape shifter. You can transform into any animal you please. Danko filled me in on the details. He saw you transform into a wolf and kill all those people before he and the others interfered."
I raised my eyebrows in shock. This guy really was clueless. Did he even have any idea what he was dealing with?
"I think you have the wrong girl." I said coldly. "I'm not what you think I am."
"I think not," said a different voice.
A man in a business suit walked into the room. He was wearing horn-rimmed glasses.
"Who are you?" I demanded. "And where am I? This man didn't even bother to tell me. He just started interrogating me from the get-go."
He didn't reply at first. That was when I began to note both men's accents. They weren't British, not anywhere close. Their voices sounded distinctly American. That must mean…
He smiled at me. "You assumed correctly, you're not where you thought you were. Our exact location is Building 26 in Washington D.C." He smiled again.
"Welcome to America, Miss Mercer."
"How do you know me?" I asked suspiciously.
"Oh, we know all about you, Miss Mercer." H.R.G. said in quiet voice. "You've killed more people than myself and Danko combined." He paused. "But then of course, there's Sylar."
I frowned. "Who's Sylar?"
"Trust me, you don't want to know." He paused. "Are you done interrogating her?"
The man sneered. "For now."
H.R.G. nodded. "Follow me."
***
I was led down a high-maintenance corridor, H.R.G. not saying a word to me as various government officials stared at us as we passed. I could hear their whispers with my enhanced senses.
"But…this one's just a kid…she can hardly be any harm."
"You never know with Specials, she could be dangerous."
"…wonder what she did. Did Bennett say what her power is?"
"…Shape shifter…"
"Shape Shifter? Like that James Martin Danko caught?"
"Nah, this one's different…can transform herself into a wolf. Maybe any type of animal. Don't know yet…"
"Where are you taking me?" I demanded.
H.R.G. didn't respond. To pass the time I glanced inside each room we passed. Through the windows, I could see various poor souls trapped inside with nothing to do but deal with their imprisonment.
I saw a blond middle-aged woman chained to a chair struggling in her bonds.
Another woman, probably in her mid-twenties was in the next room. She was screaming…or laughing. I couldn't tell which, but she was obviously mad. That's when I noticed something odd. Lightening was exploding out of her body in her rage. Lightening! These people were incarcerating witches and wizards! It was their own modern day witch hunt! What I would like to know is how they became aware of our world.
When H.R.G. led me into the room that was our destination I felt all color drain out of my face. Alek was barely unrecognizable from the blood that coated his face. His body was bruised and swollen, and fresh lacerations covered him from head to toe. I could tell this despite him being chained to the wall. There was something wrapped around his face…I couldn't quite make it out.
I felt myself draw back with revulsion. It was a muzzle...made especially to fit a human.
"What have you done to him!" I wailed, running to his side.
"Mr. Mercer was most uncooperative once we told him what we meant to do with both of you. He murdered several of our best agents in his madness. We had no choice to restrain him properly. Isn't that right, Alek?"
As H.R.G. slowly walked toward us, I could sense a change in Alek. When his eyes met the eyes of the man with the horn-rimmed glasses, there was murder in his stare.
That's when a thought struck me. "Where are the others?" I demanded of him.
"I'm sure I don't know who you mean." H.R.G. said calmly.
"You know perfectly well who I mean." I replied in anger. "There were at least five other men with us when you captured us. Where are they?"
H.R.G. grimaced in anger. "They got away. You and your brother are the only ones we caught."
"What do you want with us?" I asked desperately.
"Your cooperation." And I felt the sting of the stunners the muggles use go into my back again. All went black.