Chapter 26

Bennet had just hung up with Sandra when he got the call from Rebel to fill him in on the new plan. After an hour on the phone with his wife, he was glad to have something to take his mind off how angry she still was. He called her for the stated purpose of finding out if she had heard any more from Claire. Nathan had taken their daughter away, god knows where, because he thought he could protect her, even though it was his fault she was in danger to begin with. His assignment to track down Nathan gave Bennet the perfect excuse to call Sandra. She wanted time apart, space to think about what their marriage had become, but now he had a reason to call that was not related to their separation. He had not been able to stop himself from asking about it though. It was clear that although she was not ready to talk divorce, she still was unwilling to forgive him for the lies. And she did not know where Claire and Nathan were.

On his way up the stairs to Harper's apartment, Bennet passed the Haitian coming down. Even after his old partner had stopped pretending to be mute, he had never been very talkative. Now, he just nodded at Bennet and continued on his way out of the building. Bennet waited until the Haitian had left before knocking loudly on Harper's door. "Harper, are you in there?"

It took a while, but Harper finally came to the door, looking drowsy and out of it. "What happened? What time is it?"

Bennet regarded him disapprovingly. "It's after eleven, and you never showed up for work. So I wanted to ask you what happened."

Harper raised his hand and gingerly touched the side of his head, wincing. Bennet watched as he tried to remember and got the same look everyone did when he realized that he could not. It was a look Bennet had seen many times. Harper dropped his hand. "I'm not really sure."

Bennet nodded. "Were you drinking?" he asked sternly.

Harper thought about that, still confused. There was no point in waiting for a response, so Bennet sighed and said, "Actually, that's probably better. I thought maybe--"

"You thought what?" He seemed eager to hear whatever it was that Bennet was thinking. Anything had to be better than missing half a day of work because of a drunken blackout.

"No, it's just that—Well, Danko was talking about..." Bennet pushed into the apartment. There were a couple empty beer bottles on the floor next to the couch. That was a nice touch. He turned to face Harper. "I probably shouldn't be saying this to you, but I think Danko is getting reckless. After what happened with James Martin, who's still out there with a completely unknown ability... And he went after Sylar alone. Luckily, that worked out, but... I just think he's taking too many chances."

Harper closed the door and came over to where Bennet was standing. "Okay, but what does that have to do with me?"

Bennet shook his head like it was nothing and he should not even bring it up. "He said you were on a mission. Some secret mission that no one else knew about. He was acting really strange about it, and I thought maybe... I thought he was trying to cover up your death." Bennet shook his head again. "But it turns out you were here, sleeping off a... an eventful night." He nudged one of the beer bottles with his shoe. "So I guess he was just covering up for something else."

Harper grew pensive, trying again to remember how this could have happened. "Right," he said uncertainly. "I really don't usually--"

"I know," Bennet said, making his way back to the door. He stopped when he got there. "Oh, but there was a reason I noticed you weren't at work. I wanted to talk to you about Donner. I heard you've been concerned about his behavior recently."

Harper narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. He's just been a little off the last couple days." He sounded wary, as though he was expecting Bennet to tell him to let it go.

Instead, Bennet said, "I agree. I haven't known him long, but I think there is definitely something going on there. I just wanted to warn you about going to Danko with those concerns. Because I've noticed that over those same couple days, the two of them have gotten a little chummy. Just be careful who you talk to; that's all I'm saying."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."

Bennet opened the door to leave. "And I don't see any reason for anyone else to know about this. If they all think you were on a secret mission, I won't say anything. Just get there as soon as you can." With that, he left the apartment.

–

Sylar watched as Harper dragged himself into the command center, looking around like he hoped no one would notice. Their eyes met briefly, but Harper broke the eye contact very quickly and hastened over to his desk. Sylar sent Elle a quick text to let her know it was time.

While Sylar waited for Elle to call him back, he pretended not to be paying attention to Danko walking over to Harper. Danko said something about Harper getting in later than expected and asking if everything went okay. Harper responded by saying that everything was fine and that he did not want to talk about it here. Before anything else could happen, Sylar's phone rang and he got up to take the call in private, asking Elle to "Hold on a second."

When he was mostly out of the room, but not quite, he hissed. "Why are you calling me?"

There was a slight pause, and then Elle said, "Oh, I get it. Because Harper was just here, and blah blah blah. So Harper's there now?"

Sylar was out in a hallway. There were a couple unimportant people milling around, which was what he wanted. He needed to conduct the conversation in such a way that if it got back to Danko, it would support what Sylar was about to tell him. If Danko did not hear about it, no harm done, but if he did, it would only help. "That does sound like an agent who just got here. When did he--"

Realizing that he was not going to continue, Elle started again. "Well, Bennet said things went really well at Harper's, and now it's all on you. So good luck with that."

Sylar waited a little longer before speaking because it was supposed to be somewhat of a drawn out story she was telling him. He tried to look as though he was hearing something mildly upsetting. "No, I'm glad you told me." He waited another second. "Okay, I'll see you later." He hung up without waiting for her to respond and walked back into the room.

Danko had moved away from Harper's desk and was now talking to another agent. Sylar walked up to them, interrupting their conversation. "We need to talk about the phone call I just got."

Danko apologized to the other agent and led Sylar into his office. He sat behind the desk and waited for Sylar to speak.

Sylar looked back at the door. "Do you know where Harper was today?"

Considering that Danko thought Sylar had just discovered that Elle was either dead or missing, Sylar had to admire how remarkably calm he was. The other man was not going to give anything away that he did not want Sylar to know. "He had a doctor's appointment. Something with his back."

Sylar shook his head. "I don't know about his back, but he went to my apartment today." Danko made a face to suggest that he found this news troubling. Sylar continued, knowing that expression would become genuine soon. "Elle just called to let me know. I guess when you did not share his concerns about my behavior, he decided to investigate on his own."

Danko expression did indeed become more troubled. "That's not good. Is she okay?"

Sylar found it a little perplexing that Danko was pretending to care if Elle was okay. He had really tried to give the impression that her well being was not important to him, but apparently, Danko was not convinced. "Yeah, she's fine, and that's actually what we need to talk about. The problem isn't that Harper's a little too curious for his own good. The problem for your purposes is that when he found her, he lowered his weapon and told her that he knew someone who could help her. He didn't say it straight out, but what he did say led her to believe that he was talking about Rebel. And that's what I thought you should know."

"Harper and Rebel?" He sounded doubtful, as though he was really having trouble believing that.

Sylar shrugged. "That's what Elle said. Now Rebel doesn't really bother me because I'm one of them." He smirked. "And I can be any one of them I want. I imagine he's a thorn in your side though. So just watch Harper, see if things are on the up and up with him. Maybe she misunderstood." He turned to go out the door.

"Wait," Danko called after him. Sylar turned around and waited. "Do you really think you can trust Elle Bishop?"

It did not sound like Danko was genuinely asking in order to determine how reliable the source was. It sounded more like the lead-in to an Elle bashing session. "God, no." He could tell that Danko was surprised by this response. "Trusting her has gotten me into a lot of trouble over the last couple years. I wouldn't take anything she said at face value. But, on the other hand, if Harper wasn't at the apartment, how did she know he would be late for work? How would she even know who he was to describe him to me? And the real question is what would she gain from telling me that? I'm just relating what she said; you can do what you want with it."

Danko gave a thoughtful nod, and Sylar attempted to leave again, but again, Danko stopped him, this time by blurting out, "Have you ever considered that maybe she made up the rape?"

Sylar turned around. He had considered that possibility as recently as the night before, but he was fairly certain of its authenticity now. Still, Danko was the biggest variable in Elle's plan, and Sylar wanted to hear him out to get the clearest picture he could of what the man was trying to do. "What makes you say that?"

Danko got up from his chair and came around the other side of the desk. "Over the last couple hours, I've been doing my own research on Elle Bishop. Apparently, back at the Company, she had a reputation for using sex to get what she wanted. She was even given assignments, like yours, that utilized her sexuality. I knew Wolski for years, and I don't think he was the kind of guy who would do what she's accusing him of. I think you should consider that it is far more likely that she seduced him and then killed him, inventing this whole rape story to make you feel like you had to protect her. I mean, you said you weren't interested in helping her until that happened. It seems a little convenient."

He did not really think that scenario was more likely than Elle's version; Sylar could tell. Sylar was able to piece together the purpose of denying the rape pretty easily though. If she did not need to be fixed, then Sylar could be done with her, and Danko would not have to worry about her influence over him. Sylar feigned growing pensive. "You think that's more likely because you weren't there, but that does sound like something she would do." He paused. "And I know why you're saying that, and it's a good point, but something else is occurring to me right now. We can use this. I just need a little more time with her and I think I can give you Rebel." That should keep Elle off limits for a couple more days. "And Harper... He now thinks that Donner has a girlfriend who's one of them. I could talk to him, see how sympathetic he really is. Just give me some time to work on this, because I think we have something here."

This time Danko let Sylar leave, but Sylar could feel the other man's eyes watching him as he made his way back to his own desk. Danko did not entirely trust him, which was fine. Considering Sylar's history and the nature of their partnership, it would probably be more creepy if he did. Thinking back on what had just transpired, Sylar thought he had come out ahead, and that was really all he could hope for.

Over the next few hours, Sylar waited for the right moment to approach Harper. He watched as the agent was called into Danko's office and left looking confused. Sylar was not too worried about what Danko might have said in that conference. He knew that Danko was too good at what he did to ask Harper if he was working with Rebel directly.

Finally, once most of the other agents in the office had taken off for the night, Sylar got his chance to talk to Harper. Having shown up so late, Harper was staying late to make up for it. Sylar pulled the chair over from the desk next to his and sat down across from Harper. He gave a furtive glance around, even though he knew they were momentarily alone in the room, and leaned in closer. "I think we should talk."

Harper also looked around, as though he was worried about his own safety. It occurred to Sylar that this must have been a very disorienting day for Harper. He held up his hands to show that he was not a threat. "Listen, Kent, Danko told me that you think I've been a little off the last few days. I just want you to know that I'm not..." Sylar shook his head like he was trying to find the right words. "I'm not the one who's acting strange. It's Danko. He's been... obsessed and paranoid. Ever since he killed Sylar, he's just been different, and he's been leaning on me a lot, and..." Sylar paused to try to give the impression that he did not want to say this next part. "I think he's losing it, man."

Harper took this in, looking uncertain. "He was asking me a lot of questions today about... This morning, Bennet said something like that too. But I mean, I know that Bennet never liked him. And he's got that daughter that makes him... Why are you telling me this?"

Sylar sat back. Really, Elle's plan was working better than he thought it would. "I'm in a difficult position here, but he, uh, he's expressed some concerns that you're asking too many questions. And he has this theory that you lied to him about why you were late today." Sylar leaned in again and whispered, "I know there was no mission." Then he went back to speaking at a normal volume. "His current obsession is Rebel, and--"

"He was asking about Rebel," Harper interrupted.

Sylar nodded like that did not surprise him. "Yeah, he's... He's obsessed with him, and I kind of understand it, but..." He sighed. "But with you missing work like this, I think he might be convincing himself that you're somehow connected to this Rebel... organization. And I want you to know that I don't believe that at all. I know you wouldn't do that. My advice for you is to just steer clear of Danko for a couple days. Let this die down."

Harper was too lost in his thoughts to even look at Sylar. "What if--"

Sylar got up from his seat. "No, listen, everything is going to be fine. I'm sure this is temporary. Danko's going to be normal again. I wouldn't even be telling you this except for the thing with Rebel. I think it was Sylar who did this to him. No one really knows what went down that night, but I think he just got in Danko's head somehow. Once he deals with whatever that was, everything will be fine again. Really, there's nothing to worry about; he just needs time to cope with whatever ghosts Sylar left behind."

Harper nodded absently. "Right, Sylar." He looked up at his fellow agent. "Hey, Steve, thanks for letting me know."

Sylar pushed the chair back over to the desk where it belonged. "Well, I wouldn't want to see anyone get hurt while this is going on. And obviously, I don't have to tell you that it's better if we keep this between ourselves for now. If this gets out, with Petrelli disappearing, it could cause the people at the top to shut down the whole operation." '

Sylar waited for Harper's assent, and then he left the building. His work was done for the day.

–

Other than going to Harper's apartment that morning, Bennet had spent most of his day in Anacostia. He even did a little canvassing, showing Elle's picture to a couple business owners in the area, just to keep up the appearance that he was trying to find her. He still dedicated the majority of his time to tracking down Nathan, though. Between trying repeatedly to get a hold of Angela, all to no avail, he called Nathan's Senate office, his ex-wife, and his children's school. No one had heard from him since the day Danko pushed him out of the window at Building 26. Then, still trying to reach Angela, he called in a few favors from old Company associates. None of them were able to help. There was one person who would be able to find Nathan easily, but Bennet knew that Matt Parkman would never tell him where to find Molly Walker.

After a long day of getting nowhere, Bennet was ready to go home. As he climbed into his car, he got a phone call from Harper. "I'm sorry to bother you after hours, but I didn't know who else to call."

"That's fine," Bennet said. He was actually happy to be kept in the loop with what Elle and Sylar were doing. "What's going on?"

Harper took a deep breath. "I just had a really strange conversation with Donner. He said—he said Danko's losing it because of what happened with Sylar. Or that that's when it started. He thinks it's all going to blow over, but..." There was a long pause. "I'll be honest, I've always thought you were unable to be objective because of your daughter and the fact that you worked for those people. But I also respect your perspective because of that. I mean, you've done this for a long time, and you knew Sylar a little, and I'm just wondering what you think about this."

Bennet appreciated Harper's candidness. He imagined that there were probably a number of Building 26 agents who felt the same way, and yet Danko was the only one who ever said it to his face. "About Sylar? Or Danko? I will say that if there was any one of them who could have thrown me off my game it would have been Sylar. He was, uh, unique. And I've seen the change in Danko, but I don't know if I would go so far as to say that he's losing it. He and I have never really seen eye to eye on these things, so..."

Harper did not wait for him to complete that thought. "But what about Donner? You said you noticed that he was different too. He tried to explain it that he was spending so much time taking care of Danko's... issues. Does that even make sense? This has been such a strange day. I don't know what's going on. You seem to understand--"

"I'm going to stop you right there." If Bennet understood his part correctly, his job was to nudge Harper, to be subtle about it. And while he thought it was good that Harper was coming to him with these concerns, he also knew that he should not push too hard here. "I can't tell you what to think about Danko or Donner. I wasn't even there today. All I'll say is that if you're suspicious of them, I think that's probably a good choice. And I think Sylar could mess up anyone, even from beyond the grave. I'm in the car right now. If you want to bounce some ideas off me or talk about what happened, I could swing by your place. But I'm not going to draw the conclusions because it's no secret that I don't like Danko."

"No, I understand." Harper seemed really pleased by this offer. "But I would really like to talk about it. Would you mind?"

Bennet assured him once again that it was fine and hung a U-turn to get to Harper's place.

–

Before entering his apartment building, Sylar called ahead to make sure that the coast was clear upstairs. Getting the okay, he headed up, expecting there to be some lingering fallout from Harper's visit that needed to be dealt with, but everything seemed fine. He went into the kitchen to find Elle, cooking, of all things. It was just pasta and canned sauce, but it was still surprising. "Did you exaggerate about the door?" he asked in a tone that suggested he thought he already knew the answer.

"No." She stirred the sauce. "I got it fixed. Had to pay through the nose to get it done so quickly, but it seemed important, in case you brought your boss home again." She turned away from the stove. "That's going to be like ten minutes. How was your day?"

This was so domestic that a little apprehension crept into Sylar's chest, but he pushed it down. It was just that this whole relationship was moving really fast. It was good to have things defined, but he would miss those days when he could avoid thinking about what anything meant. "Productive. I think we've laid a pretty good foundation. So far everything is going to plan, but I don't know what Danko's going to do."

Elle shrugged. "Something crazy." Her phone started to ring, and she went over to answer it. "Bennet," she said before opening the phone. "Hey, what's up? Did you find Nathan?" There was a short pause during which Elle's eyes grew very wide. "That's great!... Yeah, absolutely... It doesn't matter; he'll tell you."

After that, she listened for a while, and Sylar figured that there had to be more to the story than just finding Nathan, She seemed way too excited. "Yep, sounds like you got it... Okay, let me know how that goes." She hung up. "No Nathan, but Harper called him. He wants to talk through what happened today and get Bennet's input on what's going on with Danko. This is going better than I could have hoped."

Sylar wished he could share Elle's optimism. "Is that really something we can trust him with?"

"Yes!" Elle went back to stirring the sauce. "Bennet is the most professional person I have ever worked with. And he knows how to pull off deceit."

That was the part that worried Sylar, but she seemed confident about Bennet. It was interesting to see her in her element again. This was what she was trained for, and she seemed to be really enjoying herself. She was more confident than he had seen her since the rape, and a desire to encourage that was all it took for Sylar to accept her faith in Bennet's professionalism. "Okay, so what's the plan for tomorrow?"

–

It was a little late when Bennet got back to the apartment he was staying in. He still did not think of it as home. He had a home, with a family in it. It occurred to him that he should call Lyle. It was not so late in California, and they had not spoken much lately.

A half hour into his conversation with his son, his call waiting beeped. It was Angela finally returning his calls. He felt so guilty when he told Lyle that he needed to take this. As he switched over to the other line, he promised himself that he would find a way to make this up to Lyle, and to Sandra. He did not waste time by greeting Angela. "I need to find Nathan."

Angela's polished voice came from the other end. "Nathan's here with me, Noah, along with Claire. Don't worry, she's fine."

After everything he had gone through that day, this seemed remarkably easy. "They're in New York?"

"Arizona," she said matter of factly. "We needed to visit some ghosts. Peter's here too. And for right now, you can't keep her safe the way we can."

Bennet heard Claire in the background asking to talk to him. Angela handed over the phone before Bennet could tell her that he was actually looking for Nathan just for Nathan's sake. Still, he was not going to complain about being able to speak to his daughter. "Hi, Claire Bear. Angela's right. I'm working at fixing everything, but until I do, you should stay with Peter."

They talked for a couple minutes, and then Angela took back the phone. "So, you see, she's perfectly fine."

He generally got along with Angela just fine, but having Claire enveloped by Petrellis made Angela seem a bit grating."That's good, but actually I wanted to speak to Nathan. We're getting ready to move, and we need him."

–

–

Author's Note: I had no idea that Coyote Sands was in Arizona. So if you didn't either, that'll make me feel better. I really thought it was in one of the Dakotas.