Zero
Chapter Two
Riley and Scout snaked through the gnarled mess of steel and rubble to what was technically their "home". However, it didn't feel like much of one; at least, not in the traditional sense of the word. It was more like the basement of some skyscraper than had crumbled to the ground. The wreckage of the skyscraper was massive, making it difficult to find their home if one didn't already know the way. It also provided overhead protection. There was no telling what was going to fall on the city any given day. Scout would have liked somewhere more cozy. Cuddling up to rusted water heaters and storage shelves wasn't exactly her idea of home sweet home, but it was better than most people could hope to live in.
"What'd you get for dinner?" Scout asked as she stepped through the twisted metal jungle.
"Gus had a pretty good selection this morning. We've got soup," Riley announced, grinning.
"Soup," Scout repeated, feeling crestfallen. "We have soup all the time."
Riley turned to her, an excited spark in his eye. "With chicken."
Scout's jaw dropped. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten chicken. Suddenly the world seemed just a little brighter.
Riley chuckled, reading her face. "I thought you would appreciate that. We've got a few crumbs of—" he stopped mid-step, pressing a finger to his lips.
Scout froze. When Riley heard something, it was best to follow his example. His supersensitive hearing was infallible. Her fingers instinctively wrapped around her newly acquired shotgun. She hoped the blond man had a few shots left in it.
Riley stood still, merely listening for a moment. Scout counted as the seconds ticked past, wondering who, or what, it was that Riley was hearing. A dealer? A Finder? An ally?
Finally, Riley lowered his finger from his lips. "We were being followed," he spoke slowly and quietly.
She searched his face for explanations. "Was it human?" She asked after a moment.
Riley nodded. "Yes." He grabbed Scout's wrist and pulled her off their usual path. They ducked down under bending steel. Scout followed without a word.
"You seem…frightened," she whispered after a silent moment.
Riley smiled weakly. "If you heard what I just did, you'd be frightened, too," he muttered. "I heard something dark. In its heartbeat. I've never heard one like it before."
Scout nodded. She'd kill it if she had to.
Suddenly, Riley gasped. "The footsteps. I…I can't hear them anymore."
"Maybe it flew away."
"No. I can still hear its heartbeat. But I can't tell how close—"
The metal slab above them snapped, its jagged edges falling straight towards their bodies. "Damnit, Riley! Hold on!" Scout grabbed his arm, teleporting herself and Riley out to the usual pathway.
A man was waiting for them. He was smiling darkly, and his eyes were filled with amusement. This was just another game of cat and mouse to him.
Scout didn't waste time on introductions. She took out her shotgun and fired.
The bullet stopped midair. The dark figure dropped it to the ground with a wag of his finger.
Scout rolled her eyes. "Hell. You're a feisty one, aren't you? Did blondie send you after us? Could have killed him, you know. Guess I'll have to finish the job on you so he gets the hint."
He seemed amused, either by what she said or by the fact she was still mostly covered in grime. "I only work for myself, ginger."
"You're a damned idiot if you work by yourself these days."
"Shut up, Scout!" Riley barked. She ignored him.
"And you're a damned idiot if you don't. As far as I can tell, everyone has been damned at this point. Now, will you beg me for your life as usual or do I have to make you?" He wiggled his finger again. Scout and Riley both fell to their knees.
Riley looked at Scout pointedly. She could get them out of this, but she hadn't yet. "This is just getting interesting," she muttered so quietly she knew only Riley could hear her.
"Scout, is it? Interesting name," He said. "I watched what you did earlier. Trying to be a hero. Not very inspiring, in my opinion. There are no heroes these days. There is no 'good.' So why even try?" The man took a few steps closer. He bent down so he was at eye level with his captives.
Scout willed her limbs to move, but she couldn't even wiggle. He was strong. For a fleeting moment she was worried that her power might not be able to overcome him. She pushed the thought away.
"You're wrong," Scout snarled. She could feel Riley trembling slightly beside her. She wondered what he was hearing in this man's heart now.
"Am I? Well, let's just see how you feel when I take that part of you which makes you a hero away. Usually I kill my victims, but for the sake of poetic justice, I think I'll let you live."
There was no more waiting. It was now or never. She tugged at her power. Tears came to her eyes, and the words of a well-rehearsed speech came to her lips.
"Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me. I'll do anything, please, just let us live…"
The man watched in curiosity for a moment before he felt himself overcome by a strange, foreign feeling: compassion. His body tried to expel it like some kind of parasitic virus. He knew this was not natural. Somehow she was doing this…and he couldn't help but sever his hold over his captives.
Scout felt her limbs loosen, but she didn't let her guard down yet. "Oh, thank you, thank you…" she sobbed, feeling slightly disgusted at herself. It was useful power, but she felt so pathetic every time she used it. "I don't believe I got your name, sir. Please, I would love to know your name!"
His mind fought to hold back, to not succumb to her persuasion. It felt like a ton of weights pushed against his senses, until he could concentrate on nothing else but releasing the information she wanted.
"Sylar."
Scout smiled. "Sylar, is it? Interesting name. Would you please stay still for just one moment while I have a word with my friend? Pretty please?"
Sylar felt his limbs lock. Her power was unusual…it wasn't one he had encountered before. As he stood there, frozen, his desire to tear open her skull and probe her brain for explanations about this strange, complex power grew.
"What the hell do we do now?" Scout asked Riley. She saw no easy road. They could kill him, but something told her that he would not go down easily. He was strong, and it was taking a lot of her strength to restrain him even now. She wasn't sure if she could muster the strength to keep him still if he knew they were going to kill him.
"Seems to me he'd make a pleasant roommate," Riley smirked.
"A moment ago you were trembling because you were scared. Now you want to be friends with him?"
Riley shook his head. "I wasn't scared."
"Oh?"
"Cold."
Scout rolled her eyes. "Sure."
"Do you have any better ideas? We can't very well let him go. He's just going to come after us again."
Scout considered this for a moment. Unhappily, she admitted Riley was right. This man had said something about taking that which made them heroes. Their powers. They couldn't just let him go so he could come after them again.
She frowned. "Fine." She turned and faced Sylar. "Congratulations, Mr. Sylar. You are officially our first P.O.W."
Sylar felt her hold over his actions release, but as he prepared to catch them again, Riley put his index finger against Sylar's temple and said, "Now, this might tickle a little bit."
Sylar fell unconscious to the ground.
Scout whistled. "I hope we didn't just do something incredibly stupid."
Riley grinned at her. "I'm afraid we didn't have many options."
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Noah Bennet didn't remember a time where he was going up an elevator while surrounded by heavily armed guards. There was a first for everything, though it was probably an experience he could do without. His sixty-seven years of life were starting to weigh in on him. Every day he felt a little bit closer to death.
Nathan Petrelli had summoned him to the Wacosta Tower in Washington D.C., one of the last few secure cities in the United States. Noah didn't know why, of all people, Nathan would want to talk to him. The outbreak of abilities was something that Noah had tried to prevent from happening multiple times, and something he had failed at multiple times. If anything, he had only precipitated the problem. Now powers were being sold in vials on the street to anyone who could pay. The world had turned into chaos. Just one of the things he had fought to prevent, but could not find a stable way to do so.
The elevator doors slid open, and Noah stepped into Nathan's office. At the far end of a plush blue carpet sat Nathan at a large mahogany desk. His forehead was in his hand as he examined a mess of papers spread out over his desk.
"It's been a long time, Nathan," Noah said as he started the walk to Nathan's desk. "Since I haven't had the chance yet, congratulations on winning the presidency."
"You mean this job that inexplicable fell into my hands because some people were killed?" Nathan sighed. Everything about him was tired. "Some election."
"I figure you didn't summon me here to talk about politics."
Nathan lifted his eyes from the papers he was scouring. "No, I didn't. Something drastic needs to be done, and it needs to be done now. And I need your help."
Noah sighed. "I'm retired, Nathan. We're holding up just fine in Austin, and I think I've had enough adventures in my life time."
"I figure you'd say that. Which is why I worked very hard to figure out the one thing that I knew would make you help me."
Noah raised an eyebrow. "And what's that, Nathan?"
"It's Claire, Noah." Nathan said, slowly drawing out his words. "I know where she is."
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A/N: Whew! Got through it. This chapter felt like poop, so if it feels like poop when you're reading it, I do apologize. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed/faved/added this story to their alerts! I really means a lot.
Now, if you read this chapter, please take just thirty seconds more and review it! It would mean very much to me. Reviews are my only incentive to keep me going, so if you want me to write more, then you must review!
That's enough for now. See you next chapter! :) Thanks for reading!