Halloween

"That´s the best idea you ever had, Mo." Sylar was happy. "Do you have any idea how long I haven´t been in a bar?"

"How often do I have to tell you? Don´t call me Mo."

"It´s Halloween. Everybody has different names tonight."

"And what´s your name?"

Sylar held the cloth of his cape before his face, covering all of it but the eyes. "The watch-er." he said and chuckled his eyebrows.

"Great." Mohinder rolled his eyes and walked over to the bar. "But don´t forget that we´re here for a reason. The Secretary of defense will be here tonight. Incognito. And we have to catch him off guard. If he is drunk, he´ll tell us the security code of the rocket base and when we have that we´ll have all the power we need to take over the world."

"If he´s incognito, how can you know that he´s here in the first place?"

"I … sort of dated his secretary for a few weeks."

"And she just told you?"

"I secretly dropped some truth serum in her wine the other night."

"You are unbelievable."

"Thanks."

"Other guys drop GHB in their chicks drink and you …"

"Let´s just order some drinks." Mohinder tried to get back to the point. "When the Secretary comes along, we need to look casual."

"What? Your girlfriend is coming here today?"

"Not that secretary. I´m talking about him. The Secretary of defense. James Heller." Mohinder raised his arm and ordered two beer.

"I must say this whole secretary thing is really confusing." Sylar commented.

"Just have a drink and try to look as if you have fun."

"You can talk, Mo. As if I need to pretend."

"Don´t call me that."

"Then what shell I call you?"

"If you need another name for me, then call me after my costume."

"What? What is your costume? The half-ugly guy?"

"You have no sense for literature. That´s Dr. Jekyll and his alter ego Mr. Hyde."

"Absolutely right." a third voice spoke up behind them. A man with grey hair stood there, looking at Mohinder´s costume approvingly. He was wearing a dark coat and a black cylinder. "I´m glad to see that some of the younger folks still know the old stories." he said.

"Of course." Mohinder replied eagerly and to Sylar he signalled with his eyes to be friendly. Very friendly. "Would you like to join us?" he invited the older man. "We just got ourselves a drink."

"I´d say thank you." the older man said. "The name is Buster by the way."

"Hi, I´m S …" Sylar started but stopped himself just in time. "I´m the watch-er." her repeated his gesture from before. "And that´s Jekyll."

The older man laughed and made a bow. "Jack the Ripper. At your service."

"Dammit." Sylar breathed. "There are costumes for that? How didn´t I know?"

"Because there can only be one Jack." secretary Heller laughed and ordered himself a beer.

Mohinder mouthed to Sylar to keep up the small talk until the politician would be drunk enough to be questioned without problems. Of course that was no problem for the nifty serial killer.

For a while the three of them would just sit at the bar and drink and talk and having fun with each other. Even Mohinder laughed at some of the jokes Heller came up with. Maybe it was because of the alcohol.

Sylar raised his hand for the barkeeper again. When the man was there he had almost forgotten what he´d wanted from him. Heller was laughing at his forgetfulness.

"Maybe you wanted another beer." he suggested.

Sylar snapped his fingers. "Right." he slurred. "That´s it." he hesitated. "But do I take a wheat beer now or should I try an ale? I mean for a change, you see."

Heller nodded understandingly. Mohinder on the other end was not so patient. "You can´t order something that way." he lectured him, slurring as well.

"Why not? I was just thinking if …"

"Yes, I mean …" Mohinder changed the tone of his voice a little imitating Sylar´s order: "Do I take wheat beer or an ale? Damn, what am I supposed to order? This guy doesn´t have the whole night to stand here until you decide. You have to make a clear statement."

"So what? I at least gave him two possibilities to concentrate on. I said, listen friend, right now I´m not sure if I want a wheat beer or ale. So now he knows: Aha. No pils. That´s a start isn´t it?"

Next to them Heller started to roar of laughter. Sylar threw Mohinder a gaze but the scientist was not amused. "Just bring him a wheat beer." he ordered the bar keeper.

"And an ale for him." Sylar added.

The bar keeper nodded and fetched the wanted. When the beer arrived Sylar looked at the wheat beer and on the spur of the moment he decided that he wanted the ale after all. Heller laughed and padded Mohinder´s back.

"You guys are great." he slurred at him. "I hadn´t had so much fun in a long time."

"I´m so sorry." Mohinder said quietly, his head hanging on his chest.

"Why do you apologize?" Heller asked him.

"I´m not talking to you. I´m talking to my liver." the scientist slurred. "I think I made a big mistake tonight." As if to affirm that he eructated.

"Don´t worry about that, friend." Heller padded his back again. "More space outside than inside, huh. Besides. If your liver thinks she´s too good for a few beer you should tell her to go home."

"Right." Sylar agreed and faced Mohinder´s belly. "Go home, pussy."

Mohinder pushed him away. "Stop that nonsense." he demanded. "I´m not feeling well."

"How do you feel, Jekyll?"

In this moment, Mohinder frowned deeply as if he was thinking about the most complex mathematical problem of the world. "I think I have a problem." he said.

"What problem?"

"You just called me Jek´l."

"Yes."

"But I´m pretty sure that´s not my real name."

"You said I should call you that." Sylar recalled. "You remember your real name?"

But even before Mohinder had a chance to shake his head, Heller cried out so loud that the scientist´s ears started to ring: "I know what we do! I just say a few names back to back and the name you react to … that is yours."

"What do you say?" Sylar asked the forgetful scientist. "Maybe if you´d just drink some water for a change, you could wash the alcohol out of your system and then … you might get sober again. Or at least a little less …"

"Now I already forgot your first sentence." Mohinder slurred desperate, and Heller was again roaring with laughter.

"Doesn´t matter." Sylar said. "Today it´s only going from one sentence to the next anyway. More connection would be too much to ask. Honestly. No, honestly." he lay his chin in his palm. "One sentence after the first one and when then a third one comes along, it´s already a lost course." he did some philosophy.

Next to him Mohinder´s eyes had fallen shut and the doctor was soundfully asleep.

"I guess your friend is out for tonight." Heller said.

"Damn, yeah." Sylar found. "That´s not good. He wanted to do something."

"And what did he want to do?"

Sylar hesitated. "I´m not sure. Hook up with a secretary or something."

Heller chuckled. "Well, that´s not going to happen anymore." he said.

"No." Sylar agreed and wound the arm of the half unconscious Mohinder around his shoulder. "I better get him home."

"You can barely walk straight yourself, friend." Heller pointed out.

"That´s not a problem." Sylar replied. "I can fly."

Heller laughed again. "Many guys believe that in this state." he said but waved after Sylar, when he left. "Have a nice flight."