THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE
Chapter 4 – Prisoner 62

January 25, 2008

The transport jet carrying Ally, Jesse, Sylar and Bennet sped toward New York. A blizzard raged outside the plane, but the pilot managed to stay above the turbulence as the twins remained unconscious.

Bennet walked out of the cockpit to get himself some coffee. As he headed toward the back of the plane, he could see Sylar casually sitting back in a chair next to Ally's cot playing with a Nintendo DS. He stood in the doorway shaking his head disapprovingly.

"Is she still out?" He asked eying him coolly.

"Um hmm." Sylar nodded not looking up from the game he was playing. "She's stirred a few times, but she hasn't opened her eyes yet."

Bennet cocked his head forebodingly. "You do realize when she wakes up she is going to one pissed off lady."

"Yeah…" Sylar smiled looking up at him. "…but I like my women feisty." He looked up at Bennet. "How much longer until we land?"

He looked down at his watch. "About an hour." Slowly he raised his eyes looking at Sylar. "I'm going to go check on the brother." He walked to another door. Before entering he stopped and glared at Sylar. "Try to stay out of trouble."

"I'll be a perfect little gentleman." He grinned sardonically as Bennet rolled his eyes walking through the door.

Ally softly moved her head from side to side letting out a soft moan as she began to stir. Sylar watched her contemplatively thinking about the night before when she lay next to him. He remembered her smooth skin against his while sleeping in between the moments of heated passion.

The sex was good; perhaps too good. And rather he wished to admit it aloud or not, she had gotten to him as Noah had warned him she might. Not only was she beautiful, but there was a depth to her spirit and a sweetness in her laughter that diluted tough rock chick image she tried to emanate. She was fun and full of life and for the first time in a long time; perhaps ever, he felt care free. She was an innocent who did not know what he was and for only that night he was able to step outside the darkness inside of him; it felt good.

But with the morning light came the truth. And now she hated him; again a reality which brought sadness to him.

He had only once experienced these feelings. Elle Bishop; a woman-child with a sociopathic personality and a sadistic spirit had once been his love. It was an uncomfortable kind of love yet with her silken blonde hair and dancing blue eyes she brought much needed life and sovereignty to his dreary existence.

But in the end he knew there would be no happiness. Their tarnished souls could never be free to love. One night on a sandy beach, he laid her down once more to make love to her; only to take her life.

Back to the present, a tear trickled down his cheek as he watched Ally lying there. Sleep brought an angelic air of innocence about her. Her barely parted lips beckoning to him was more than he could stand; he bent down and gently kissed her.

The soft moist pressure caressing her lips roused Ally back to consciences. Her eyes slowly fluttered open as Sylar's face came into focus.

"Awaken sleeping beauty." She heard him whisper into her ear. "Your prince has come to take you away."

Now fully awake, she tried to raise her foot to kick him, but she painfully learned she was shackled to the cot. He stood just out of reach taunting her with mocking laughter. "You asshole!" She spat venomously as she fruitlessly attempted again to attack. Sylar's goading mirth intensified her rage. She flopped back against the pillows visibly fuming. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you!" Her nose wrinkled in contempt. "I'm not going to be in these restraints forever!"

"And just what do you think you are going to be able to do to me when…and if…you get out of there?" He smiled derisively.

"Just know that I am not a girl you want to fuck with!" She sneered spitefully, her crystal blue eyes narrowing to slits. "I don't like to be jerked around!"

"Well I got news for you, sweetness!" He leered into her face. "You are about to be jerked around…a lot! And by people that make me look like a fucking Eagle Scout! So get used to it, princess! Because if you think my partner and I are assholes, just wait until you meet who we are protecting you from!"

"Protecting me?" She jerked up a shackled hand. "This is what you call protecting me?"

Sylar sat on the edge of the cot folding his hands in front of him. "After spending last night with you, I was clearly under the impression you like it rough." He gave her a slow smile.

"So last night was just a game to you." She blinked sadly looking up at him. "Everything you said about wanting to take my sadness away? That was all part of the plan?"

Sylar's face went sullen. "I'm sorry. But yeah…my only objective was to take you in."

Ally stared wryly at him. "You had every opportunity to take me down after we left the tavern. With your little bag of tricks you could have easily taken me into custody. Why didn't you just detain me then?"

The corners of his lips turned up as he leaned forward. "Because it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun." He moved in closer to her face. "And admit it…it was fun, wasn't it?"

"Yeah…" Ally leaned in closer whispering. "…it was." She rubbed her lips against his. "And so was the guy the night before…and the night before that!" She bit into his lower lip causing him to scream.

"Goddamn it!" He painfully pulled his forearm over the wound as tears came out of his eyes, as he glared at her in rage. "Crazy bitch!" He seethed.

Ally laughed watching him react in pain as she wiped his blood off her lips with her sleeve. "Oh, don't be such a baby!"

"What is going on in here?" Bennet came storming from the adjoining cabin holding his coffee.

Sylar painfully pointed to his lip as it began to heal. "She nearly bit my lip off!" He shouted with a lisp pointing at Ally who shrugged her shoulders incorrigibly.

Bennet pressed his teeth into his tongue to keep from laughing. "You probably deserved it!"

Ally glowered insolently at Bennet. "Where is my brother?"

Bennet tapped on the wall. "Right behind here." He replied. "He's sleeping off the sedative you were both given."

"So if the plan was to keep us knocked out until we reach point B…" She raised her arm shaking the shackle. "…what are these for?"

He narrowed his eyes. "It is for the safety of the airplane crew. You and your brother have potentially dangerous abilities which need to be kept under control."

"I know you probably don't care, but these really hurt." She moved the cuff back and forth. "Can you just let me out until we land?"

Bennet eyed her composedly. "I'm afraid that is not an option."

"Why are you treating me like a prisoner?" She shook her head tearfully. "Do you think I want this thing I'm able to do?"

"Oh cry me a river!" Sylar groaned. "Do you really think tears are going to change our minds?"

"Shut up!" She shouted at him then looked back at Bennet. "What have we ever done to deserve this? We have never hurt anyone and we aren't going to start now!"

Bennet sighed hesitantly. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Ally took a deep breath rolling her eyes irritably. "We are 30,000 feet above the ground. Where in the hell am I going to go?"

Bennet nodded thoughtfully than removed his keys from his pocked.

Sylar's mouth gaped open incredulously. "Oh, you are not buying those waterworks are you?" He shook his head. "You are such a sucker! Do you really think she is going to go with us peacefully?"

Bennet continued to unlock her shackles. "She gave me her word. I believe her."

Ally smirked at Sylar tauntingly.

"Ok; your free." Bennet unlocked the last cuff.

"Thank you." Ally replied rubbing her ankle. She stood up as Sylar came up behind her with his arms folded.

"Oh…you're good!" He sneered wrinkling his nose. "You could win an Oscar for that performance."

"You think so?" She smiled cynically. "Because once I make it big as a rock star, I thought I would go the Madonna route and break into movies."

"There's not enough stale popcorn that would make me waste my money to see it." He walked past her shaking his head.

Ally casually tossed a pillow between his feet causing him to stumble then fall on his face. Bennet broke into hysterical laughter as she bit her lower lip smiling.

Sylar sat up angrily glaring at Bennet as Ally leaned down whispering in his ear. "I told him he would be safe; I made no such promise to you." She gave him a shove as she walked away.

Bennet smiled as he watched her. "I like this girl!" He stepped over Sylar following her to Jesse's cot.

Sylar held up his hand. "A little help?" He snarled.

Bennet turned around staring at him coolly. "No." He replied as Sylar continued to lie there fuming.

When Bennet caught up with Ally, she was sitting on the edge of Jesse's cot stroking his hair. He walked over and released him from his cuffs. "He will most likely be waking up soon. It's best to wait it out rather than trying to wake him."

"I know." She replied looking down at her brother. "I just want to be here when he wakes up." She slowly raised her eyes looking at Bennet. "Out of the two of us, he is the sensitive one."

"I gathered that." He half-smiled. "You're very close, aren't you?"

"We've been taking care of each other since our mom died." She replied sadly. "My dad traveled a lot and our brother was no help, so we only had each other to rely on."

"So you raised yourselves." He nodded slowly.

Ally pulled up Jesse's blanket then stood up glaring distrustfully up at Bennet. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"

"I suppose I have a curious nature." He responded dryly.

She folded her arms across her chest still eying him skeptically. "Two years ago you locked me up and tried to keep me away from my brother." She retorted. "And now you are trying to get on my good side. Why?"

His lips turned up slightly. "Perhaps I am not the bastard you have perceived me to be." He sat down in a chair as Ally's expression seemed to soften. "I know what you must think about me and you have every reason to feel the way you do." He leaned forward folding his hands in front of him. "My motives may not always fall into the human kindness category, but know this; it is my job to keep people like you and your brother safe. Our methods may appear brutal, but overall we have your best interest in mind."

"Ok." She nodded still unsure of her level of trust for him. "Let's say I believe you. Then why did you keep Jesse and me against our will two years ago?"

"When we heard about the night club fire, we had no way of knowing if your abilities were responsible for the fire, or if you were victims of your own gifts. Evaluation was necessary for us to know if you needed to be detained or simply watched." His eyes bore into her gravely.

"And now?" She replied guardedly.

"And now I think you were two scared kids who found out they had abilities and didn't know what to do with them."

"Scared? You have no idea." Ally slowly sat in a chair across from him. "I lost my fiancé that night." Her eyes began to tear up. "My whole world fell apart."

Bennet reached over handing her a box of Kleenex which she took. "I know." He replied gently. "I'm sorry."

She dabbed her eyes. "He was the love of my life." She looked back up at Bennet. "I could have saved him." The tears were now spilling out of her eyes. "Nobody had to die that night! If only we had known…"

Bennet sighed heavily sitting back in his chair. "As difficult as it is for you to see it this way, you must believe me that the way this turned out was for the best."

Ally stopped wiping her eyes and looked up at him in disbelief. "What?" She whispered. "How can you say that?"

"If you had known, you would have drawn attention to your abilities and you would have been taken to a government detention facility where people who know nothing about you would have performed experiments on you. And you would never have been released. It would also have opened up an investigation to determine if there are others like you living in the country."

Ally chewed on the inside of her mouth thoughtfully. "Does our government really hate us that much?"

"Humans always hate what they do not understand." He replied slowly. Before he could continue they heard Jesse began to moan. Ally quickly jumped up and ran to him.

"Jesse!" She sat on the edge of his cot gently dabbing his face with a cool cloth. "Can you hear me?"

His eyes began to slowly quiver open as Ally smiled down at him. He looked at Bennet standing behind her. "You son-of-a-bitch!" His voice came out raspy and dripped with disdain.

"Don't try to talk." Ally gently stroked his hair.

Jesse ignored her as he continued his glowering at Bennet over her shoulder. "Where are they taking us?"

"As soon as I know, so will you." She looked back at Bennet still untrustworthy of his motives. "Right now he is the man with all the answers and he is being very stingy with that information."

He jerked his head around looking up at Ally. "Please don't tell me you are making nice with him."

Ally looked up at Bennet then down at Jesse. "We understand each other."

Bennet headed for the compartment door. "I'll let you two talk. I'm going to make sure my partner stays out of trouble."

Ally's nose wrinkled in contempt. "Just keep him away from me."

"I'll see what I can do." Bennet nodded half smiling.

As Bennet left, Jesse looked up at Ally. His face sunk as he saw Ally's almost dreamy gaze. "Oh Ally, you can't be serious!"

She shrugged uncertainly. "About…?"

Jesse slowly propped himself up. "I know that look! You are falling in love with him, aren't you?"

"Who?" She looked around the cabin. "You mean John Denver? Well he is kind of hot for an older guy, but don't you think he's a little old for me? Besides, he's married."

Jesse rolled his eyes. "Don't play dumb; you never were very good at it. You know exactly who I am talking about!"

Ally's face crumpled in disgust. "What? Him?" She began to laugh. "Jesse, he is a killer!"

He smiled knowingly. "But you didn't know that last night."

"And now I do." She insisted. "Now he means shit to me!'

He laughed shaking his head disbelievingly. "Quit bullshitting me Al! I know you! I know you better than you know yourself and right now I know that you are lying to me! Now cut the shit and tell me the truth!"

Ally closed her eyes letting off a defeated sigh. "Ok fine! Before I knew what he was, I admit I was starting to think maybe it was time to let go of Brad and let my heart love again." She half-smiled to herself remembering. "For the first time in over two years I felt happy and I even found myself laughing because it felt good to laugh." Her lips formed a thin line as she shrugged. "But then I found out he was only there to capture me and all bets were off. So there is no sense in lamenting about it anymore."

Jesse nodded thoughtfully. "Can you just tell me one thing? How many times have you thought about Brad today?"

Her eyes bolted open staring at him incredulously as Bennet poked his head into the cabin. "I hate to interrupt, but we are going to be landing soon, but first we have some turbulence. It's going to be a bumpy landing."

Ally tensed up as she felt Sylar come up behind her. "But nothing like the ride I gave you last night." He whispered in her ear.

"Piss off!" She sneered venomously as she helped Jesse to a jumper seat. Sylar smiled amused with himself.

Guantanamo Bay Cuba
January 25, 2008

"How is the problem child this morning?" Marine Colonel Andrew Saulk asked aloud hearing the door open not looking up from his paperwork. The lack of response from the guard caused him to look up; his eyes quickly shot open as he saw his condition. "Jesus Marcos!" He stood up running to the bloodied guard helping him to a sofa. "Are you ok?"

"Does this fucking look like I'm ok!" He tore open his shirt displaying the claw marks on his chest. "That freak damn near ripped my heart out of my chest!" Marcos shouted.

Saulk closed his eyes sighing heavily. "He grows worse by the day."

"He is out of control!" He retorted. "I'm sorry Colonel, but until you find a way to get him under power, find someone else to take his meals!"

Saulk nodded thoughtfully. "I understand." He quickly picked up his phone dialing it quickly. "Yeah, Jeanette…" He barked into the receiver. "…call the infirmary and tell them to get somebody over here immediately. And can you send Roger Barrett in here? Thanks!"

He slammed his phone shut.

A moment later he sat in his desk across from Colonel Barrett who browsed over the files in front of him.

Barrett tossed the file back onto his desk with disbelieving laughter. "You interrupted my golf game with General Bines to show me this?"

Saulk leaned forward folding his hands. "I know how you feel about the war on specials Roger, but…"

Barrett impatiently threw up his hands. "Specials…do not exist!"

"And I am telling you they do!" He replied quietly.

Barrett leaned back in his chair. "Prove it!" He challenged him.

The corners of Saulk's mouth turned upward. He quickly stood up and walked to a nearby closet. He reached inside and removed a body armor ensemble which he tossed to him. "Put this on."

Barrett looked at the black suit lying in his lap. "What is this for?"

"You're going to need it." Saulk replied. "Meet me in the lobby in five minutes. We're going on a field trip." He walked through the door slamming it behind him leaving Barrett staring dubiously.

A short time later Barrett walked behind Saulk through the high security doors.

But what met him on the other side he could not have prepared for.

"Who are these people?" He whispered horrified at the rows of people in cement cells in various states of comatose confinement.

"We like to call this the cement city." He chuckled. "What you are seeing are high level risks; people with the ability to emit fire, electricity, mind reading and super strength just to name a few. These are the ones we are able to keep under detention for the safety…"

"Safety?" Barrett shouted incredulously. "Safety for whom? You certainly didn't have these people's safety in mind when you set up this little freak show, did you?" He removed his cell phone from his pocket and began to dial. "I wonder what the President would think of your little side show."

Saulk nodded smugly. "I thought you would say that." He handed him a document with an embossed Presidential seal at the bottom which Barrett snatched from his hand and read intently.

He slowly raised his eyes to Saulk. "This is the President's pet project?"

Saulk nodded contritely. "I know this all looks like we are the bad guys, but in a moment you are going to see what we are protecting the American people from." He walked quickly as Barrett followed him with curious caution.

He walked him to the back of a facility where a highly guarded cell stood. Saulk flashed his security badge to the guard who nodded with recognition as he watched him type in his code.

Before opening the door, Saulk turned to Barrett; a grim expression upon his face. "Be prepared." He warned him cautiously.

"For what?" Barrett replied unsure of what fate was about to greet him on the other side.

"Anything." He warned him as he opened the door.

He followed Saulk inside allowing his eyes to scan the cell. In the corner was what he perceived to be a man in shackles. "What the hell…" He whispered as bright blue eyes peered up at him from out of the darkness. "Who is this man?"

"We call him prisoner 62, but his name is not important." Saulk replied crossing his arms staring at subject. "He has been in our custody for about a week and Homeland Security's wanted list for several months."

Barrett was still dumbfounded. "You say this man has an ability."

Saulk nodded slowly then walked to the other side of the cell where a high pressure hose laid on the ground. "Stand back." He warned him turning on the hose and aiming it at the prisoner who stood up in his shackles screaming as the water hit him tearing his skin.

"Stop!" Barrett shouted. "What in the hell are you doing?" He punched Saulk and turned off the hose. "Christ Andy! What in the fuck is the matter with you?" He turned and pointed to the prisoner's tattoos. "He's one of ours!"

"He's an animal!" Saulk retorted. "Look!" He shouted in horror as the prisoner emitted a low, spine-chilling growl. Barrett's eyes went wide with horror as the prisoner's fingers disappeared and were replaced by long razor sharp claws that looked like knives. "Get the fuck out!" Saulk shouted grabbing his arm as the prisoner let out a banshee like scream as lightening and fire seemed to release from every pore in his body.

Once safely outside the door the men stood catching their breaths.

"What in the fuck was that!" Barrett demanded pointing back inside the cell.

"That, is your proof you can cash at the bank." Saulk replied somewhat smugly. "Need more substantiation?"

Barrett quickly shook his head. "No, I'm good. But why are you allowing somebody like that to remain alive? Why not exterminate him?"

"That day is coming." Saulk nodded. "But for now there is a do not destroy order on his charts."

"Why?" Barrett dabbed his forehead with a damp cloth then lit up a cigarette; his hands still shaking.

"I don't know for sure, but from what I understand he is being used to lure someone out of hiding."

Barrett nodded taking a long drag. "Any ideas who?"

"No clue." Saulk finished locking the doors then walked ahead passing the guards giving them a copasetic nod. "But it is somebody of high importance."

Before walking through the bay of cells, Barrett threw his cigarette on the ground sighing heavily through a blur of smoke. "Why are there only men in these cells? Don't women have special abilities?"

He draped his arm across his friends shoulder. "Take a few days to process what you have learned today; the girls are a story for another time."

Hearing the men pass from the outside wall, she slowly opened her eyes. She stood up futilely pounding on her cell door screaming for someone to help her.

A woman guard angrily slammed open her cell door. "Shut your twat, Blondie! They can't hear you out there and all you are doing is getting on my last good nerve!"

The young woman laughed scornfully. "Good! Then my plan to make your life hell is working like a charm." She slid back into her bunk glowering disdainfully at the guard. "Hideous Bull Dyke!" The guard stomped over and raised her rubber stick to strike, but the look in the woman's eyes made her abruptly stop. "You do that and you'll be pulling back a stump!"

"Your abilities don't work here, sweetness!" The guard hissed.

"Oh yeah?" The woman gave a taunting sneer. "You really don't know that for sure, do you? Do you really want to test that theory and be wrong?"

The guard slowly put down her stick and backed away. "Go to sleep." She turned out the light and walked out of her cell. "You'll need your rest for what I have in store for your pretty little ass tomorrow." She locked the cell and walked away.

Alone in the darkness, the young woman placed her hands on her protruding belly and began to cry softly.

Kirby Plaza, New York City
January 25, 2008

"What the hell is this place?" Jesse quipped staring at the large orange structure in front of the plaza. "Is this where you keep the bodies?"

"There have been a few bodies floating around as I recall." Bennet cracked looking at Sylar who was fixated on Ally as she stared dreamily at the structure and cement risers on the plaza.

"What's the deal with your sister?" He asked Jesse pointing to Ally.

Jesse narrowed his eyes disdainfully at him then looked at Ally laughing inside. "Well, on the left side of her brain, she is probably plotting how she is going to cut off your dick and stuff it into your ass so you can prove to all that you really can go fuck yourself…" Sylar's face dropped slowly as Bennet shook inwardly biting the inside of his cheeks in order to restrain laughter. "…but the right side of her brain is dreaming of what kinds of airborne slides she can do off that structure and lining up the velocity to do a grind off that crane."

Sylar rolled his eyes around in clueless snarl. "Huh?"

Bennet stepped forward smiling knowingly. "From 1998 to 2001, Allison "Nollie-girl" Collins was the top sidewalk surfing champion of Orange County, California."

Ally broke out of her trance. "You didn't leave any stones unturned, did you?" She snarled folding her arms looking up at Bennet.

"Why did you quit?" Sylar asked curiously.

Jesse stepped forward laughing. "Because when she was seventeen she finally grew a set of tatas and achieved mega-babedom."

Ally shrugged smiling contritely. "One day the boys were trying to compete with me, the next day they were trying to score with me. It just wasn't as much fun anymore." She closed her eyes grinding her teeth together. "And that is all the free information you are going to get out of us until we see a lawyer!" She turned to Jesse smacking his shoulder. "And you quit volunteering my personal business! I don't want these assholes knowing anything."

"Too late." Bennett smiled composedly. "We already know more about you than you even know. And a lawyer will not be necessary because you are about to learn this meeting will not be as adversarial as you have led yourselves to believe."

"Really!" Ally shouted. "You track us down in the most obscure place on earth…Alaska…the last frontier; you try to kidnap my brother; you send your partner to copulate and kidnap me…you bring us against our will clear all the way across the country and you wonder why we are pissed off?"

Sylar thoughtfully scratched his head. "Well when you put it that way it does sound a little insensitive, doesn't it?"

Ally rolled her eyes and turned to Sylar. "I hope you pass a stone the size of a golf ball through your dick!"

"Ok, that's enough!" Bennet shouted over them, then turned to Ally and Jesse. "Look, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we will be done and you can have your lives back."

Ally looked up at him taken aback. "What are you saying? You're going to let us go?"

"That all depends on your willingness to work with us." Bennet replied calmly.

Jesse closed his eyes laughing expectantly. "I knew that shoe was about to drop." He looked at Ally. "What do you say we zap these guys dicks off and get out of here."

Ally shook her head dejectedly looking at Sylar. "I already tried it with that one." She smiled down at his crotch. "It grows back."

Jesse started to speak until he saw Sylar's smirk. "I'm sure this is something I really don't want to know about, so I'm going to pretend I never heard that."

Ally insolently folded her arms glaring at Bennet. "Ok…here's the thing…you unlocked the cuffs and allowed us to ride over here with a little dignity. And we are grateful." She leaned in narrowing her eyes. "But if you even so much as try to mess with us, all bets are off and you will have a hell of a fight on your hands!" She turned to look at Sylar. "Your boy here may be super-charged, but as far as I can see you're not, so don't fuck with us; got it?"

He smiled slowly. "Well I guess this means we had better be on our best behavior; isn't that right, partner?"

"Oh, absolutely." Sylar smirked at Ally who wrinkled her nose disdainfully.

"Uh huh." Jesse glared skeptically. "I trust you about as far as I can throw Jabba the Hut." He leaned into Sylar. "And if you ever come near my sister again I will…"

"Do you think you scare me, boy?" He scoffed as Jesse came at him swinging.

"Ok…back off!" Bennet shouted as Sylar laughed caustically at Jesse. Bennet grabbed his arm. "From this moment on you are going to be the perfect gentleman and quit goading these two! Understood?"

"Understood master." Sylar forged disgrace, but laughed to himself as Bennet eyed him coldly.

"Smart man!" Bennet replied then turned to the twins. "Well, there are people inside who are looking forward to meeting you, so what do you say we not keep them waiting any longer." He held out his hand urging them forward.

They looked at each other then at Bennet and Sylar suspiciously. "How do we know we aren't walking into a trap?" Ally whispered harshly.

Bennet nodded composedly. "If we wanted to incarcerate you, you wouldn't be here. We don't bother with traps."

Jesse stood folding his arms hesitantly. "Say something to convince me you are telling the truth."

Bennet thought for a moment chewing the side of his mouth. "I have an eighteen year old daughter and a seventeen year old son. There was a time when I lied to my family about what I once did, but that time is past. My keeping secrets almost tore apart my family, but on the day I got them back again, I swore that I would never do anything to betray them again. I do not want to have to tell them that I lied again." He held out his hand to Jesse. "I give you my word as a gentleman that no harm will come to you."

Jesse baulked for a moment before reaching out taking his hand. "Fair enough. Then we have a deal?"

"Deal." He replied coolly as he headed inside followed by Jesse.

Ally turned to follow them, but was blocked by Sylar. "Alone at last." He grinned wiggling his eyebrows.

"Out of my way!" She hissed elbowing him in the ribcage, then groaning with frustration as he continued to obstruct her path. "Look! You got what you wanted from me! Why must you follow me around making my life hell?"

Sylar's face softened some. "Ally, if it helps at all, it wasn't just business to me. If things were different…" He stopped talking as he felt the harshness of her hand across his face.

"If things were different?" She almost screamed. "How could things be different? You told me you were a killer! You almost bragged about it! And to think for a moment I was beginning to feel…" She closed her eyes blinking back tears. "I guess this is what I get for betraying his memory."

"Whose memory?" He whispered tenderly taking her arm.

She angrily jerked her arm away from him. "Don't. You. Dare!" She spat venomously at him. "You do not get to ask about him! You are not even fit to discuss him."

"Ally…" He tried to reason with her.

Ally continued; every word dripping with contempt. "I had somebody special once! And then he died and I that was the day I died inside!" She began to cry. "My whole world fell apart because of that night and because of being on the run from people like you! I have lost my ability to feel…to love! I became a reckless tramp…but do you think it is because I enjoy sex that much? No, it is because I am so desperate for the security he gave me when I was in his arms! Every man…every night I searched his eyes for him. But I never found it." She looked up at him scornfully. "That is until last night." She shook her head as Sylar lowered his eyes. "You know, sometimes I'm a bitch and I am not above doing whatever I have to do to get where I want to be in life. I may be a lot of things, but the one thing I am not is a liar! I am twenty-four years old and I have never told a lie in my life! And as many men as I have slept with, I have never used any of them!" She took a deep breath trying to catch her composure. "Maybe I'm naïve, but I never thought I would allow a man to hurt me this way." She placed her hands on her hips staring at the ground. "I guess it is what I deserve." She looked up into his eyes. "But no matter what my sins…no woman should ever have to lower herself to scratch the underbelly of a snake. Because that is exactly what you are!"

She turned on her heel and brushed past him nearly knocking him over in her wake. Sylar stared at the ground thoughtfully then raised his eyes watching her walk inside the building. A malevolent grin spread across his face.

"Oh, you are a fun one, Allison Collins." He whispered aloud to himself. "And here I thought this assignment was going to be boring." He slowly sauntered inside meeting her at the elevator.

"Slimy serpent!" She sneered at him.

"Intolerable bitch!" He grinned slowly as they entered the elevator.

As the door closed they began savagely kissing while tearing off each others clothes.

To be continued…