Out Of Darkness
The patient sat on the stretcher while the old doctor looked him over. He was accepting the treatment willingly enough, but his expression was still that of a simple minded person. His eyes watched the doctor very carefully and almost as if he tried to figure out if that man in the white coat was a friend or a foe. Still Mohinder couldn´t deny that he saw the intelligence in his eyes, no matter how quiet and regressed he seemed.
Sylar hadn´t spoken since they´d brought him back to C.E.R.N. but that didn´t mean that he couldn´t speak. Maybe he was just holding back so they would think him harmless and stop watching him.
Mohinder shook his head to stop himself. That was ridiculous. He´d seen how he´d reacted when they´d found him. Sylar was not pretending. Not this time. Whatever had happened to him had really left him … well … something. Mohinder didn´t even know a word for the killer´s condition.
„How is that possible?" Frank asked next to him. The physicist was looking through the door at the doctor and Sylar just like Mohinder. He shook his head. „He should be dead." was all he knew to say.
„I told you he´s not a normal human." Mohinder replied. „It was probably your ability that helped him survive."
He looked at the treatment that went on in the other room. The doctor wouldn´t find any wound to take care of. At least no wounds that he would be an expert in. Mohinder sighed.
„What a shame that you don´t have psychologists here." he said.
„It´s not a psychologist he needs." Frank replied. „He needs a miracle."
Mohinder nodded in agreement. It was unbelievable. Sometimes he really wondered. How did all these things happen to them all the time? And why? It was as if a greater force was working on them. But thinking something like that was ridiculous of course and that alone made the question itself useless. There were no answers anyway.
The doctor had finished his examination of Sylar and injected the killer with a light sedativa. After a while Sylar was lying down and slept.
...
It was six a.m. when a young man entered the police station. He´d just arrived with a plane and had made his way here on the double. The day before there had been another murder, he had heard that in the news while driving here with a taxi. The driver had told him what a bad time he´d picked to visit Santa Barbara and he had agreed with him. This had been pure politeness of course. He had a reason to be here right now and those murders were that exact reason.
People were scared to go out of their houses at night because of that, the authorities had advised them to lock their doors and windows and to never be on the road alone at night. And all this because of just one man. This had to end. He had to end it.
Now he looked around to find the detectives he´d met a few months ago. Lassiter or O´Hara. The news had mentioned that they would be the ones investigating this case. But he hadn´t even needed the news to know that. Ever since he´d learned that they knew Sylar and what he could do, he knew that they would be the ones investigating everything that had to do with him. They and Shawn Spencer of course. The psychic that wasn´t really a psychic.
The young man headed for the desk sergent to ask for Lassiter or O´Hara. But before he actually reached the young officer, he spotted a familiar face. But it was neither of the two detectives.
„Noah?" he called him.
The older man looked up from the paper he´d just been reading. His face was surprised when he saw this unexpected visitor.
„Peter." he cried and looked around as if he expected some more old friends to be hiding nearby.
„I shouldn´t be surprised to see you here." Peter said, walking over to him.
He decided to dismiss the questions about how the Company man had managed it to get involved in the investigation though. It wasn´t really worth a question anyway.
„All right." he said instead. „Tell me."
„Tell you what?" Noah asked confused.
„What was not in the news." Peter said with rolling eyes. „About Sylar. And about what you plan to stop him."
The question had been meant as a confrontation as well as a demand to be let in on the case. But Noah´s reaction was not quiet what he´d expected. He just looked at him in a way Peter couldn´t define.
„Ah, yeah, right." he mumbled. „You don´t know."
„Don´t know what?" Peter asked but only got another question for an answer.
„Why did you come here?" Noah wanted to know.
„Are you kidding?" Peter cried, now slowly losing his patience. „I saw the news. I made a promise once. That I would help Sylar if I could. I delayed that promise long enough. Too long obviously. And don´t give me your speech again. I know what he did was a crime. A terrible crime. But there has to be a way to help him. To stop him."
„That´s not what I was about to say, Peter." Noah said calmly.
His tone that irritated Peter. It didn´t sound like the Noah he used to know. It was not the usual tone that said: I know better than you what is the right thing to do. This tone sounded somehow … gentle.
„It´s not Sylar." he now told him. „He didn´t kill those people."
Peter frowned and shook his head in confusion. „I thought the brain was missing."
„It was."
„Then …"
„It was still not Sylar." Noah insisted.
„How do you know that?" Peter asked him, now really confused.
Noah looked at him a long time before he finally told him: „Because Sylar´s dead, Peter."
The first reaction that came to Peter was a humorless chuckle. „What are you talking about?" he asked. „Sylar can´t die."
„But he did." Noah insisted. „I saw it with my own eyes."
„But …" Peter shook his head irritated. „The healing …"
„Didn´t protect him from a black hole." Noah talked right over him, his face as blank as always.
„What?" By now Peter was close to believe that Noah tried to perform a bad prank on him.
„It´s a long story." the Company man said. „Many things have happened here since you left. There was an event not too long ago. It would be too complicated to tell you everything in detail but the short version is … that a black hole threatened …" Noah shook his head for a moment. „Maybe the whole world." he finished the sentence. „And Sylar closed it from the inside."
Peter looked ahead, past Noah and shook his head. That was impossible. Everything he knew about Sylar told him that this guy could not be dead. Never. If there was one person in the whole world he had never expected to suddenly be dead, it was Sylar. But now Noah told him that he indeed was dead. And just to hear this news in a way like that … It had happened so long ago already and he hadn´t even known.
Was this really happening? Or was he still on the plane and sleeping in his seat, dreaming that Noah was telling him these impossible things?
„I´m sorry." he heard Noah say next to him.
The Company man looked at him uncertain, as if he tried to ask him, if they were still friends after he´d told him these bad news. Peter needed a moment to realize how grim he must have looked just now. It was true, he was shocked to hear about Sylar´s death. But he was blaming himself more than he could ever blame Noah. He´d only delivered the message. But Peter had been the one who had once made a promise and had never kept it.
Not that he thought he could have done anything different. No one could have done anything different. But that didn´t help that feeling. He´d let Sylar down. Maybe not intentionally but he had. And now he was dead.
Noah´s gaze reminded him on something else though. There had been murders in this city, murders that had been committed the same way like Sylar had always done it. But Sylar was dead according to Noah. Still the Company man was working the case. He must have a good reason for that.
„If it wasn´t Sylar, who else killed those people?" Peter wanted to know.
Noah looked at him for one more minute. When he saw that Peter was indeed serious, that he wanted to close the subject about Sylar, he nodded subtly and then turned around, indicating for Peter to follow him.
„The FBI knows him under the name Nobody." he started to tell him about the case.
Peter was listening closely. What he heard was almost as unbelievable as the news about Sylar´s death. More than unbelievable. It was disturbing. Noah was halfway done with the story, when the voice of head detective Carlton Lassiter echoed through the station.
„Noah." he called him and when he saw Peter standing next to him, he halted for a moment. „What the hell are you doing here?" he asked him.
„I heard the news." Peter repeated. „I came here to help."
Lassiter regarded him with an arced eyebrow for a moment, but then he seemed to dismiss the whole subject. Instead he turned to Noah and told him: „We have a new victim." his face was gloomy when he added: „Nobody sent a new message."
...
Frank Wieland walked along the corridor of the guest house and threw another glance on his wristwatch. It was three p.m. and he hadn´t seen Mohinder since yesterday night. But no matter how exhausting this previous night had been, he somehow had the feeling that the geneticist had barely slept, if he had even slept at all. And could he blame him? Even he had had his problems finding rest after the discovery that the man he´d seen flying into a black hole with his own eyes, was alive and well (okay maybe not well but alive nevertheless).
When he´d woken up this morning he´d believed, that he´d only dreamt it all. But it hadn´t been a dream. The man in their hospital was really there and he was very much alive. And he was the reason why Frank was now heading for Mohinder´s guest room.
When he reached the door, he listened for a moment. But when he didn´t hear anything he knocked carefully.
„Yes?" the voice of the Indian geneticist called from the other side.
Frank stepped in and found Mohinder sitting on his laptop, looking at the door with big expecting eyes. He might have expected someone else to come in.
„It´s just me." Frank told him and Mohinder seemed quiet relieved about this fact. He sank back into his chair with a sigh.
„What are you doing?" Frank asked with a glance at the computer.
„I´m doing research on amnesia." Mohinder told him.
Frank frowned. Ever since the doctor had told them about his diagnosis, he had been thinking about that as well. He´d heard about cases like that but he´d never known anyone who´d lost all his memories.
„You know there are real doctors who can take care of Sylar´s condition." he mentioned. „We can find an expert for amnesia patients to take over his case."
„That wasn´t the reason." Mohinder shook his head.
Frank needed to throw him several asking glances before he brought himself to explain a little more.
„I was wondering if it is possible to restore only a part of the memory." he said reluctantly.
Frank shook his head in confusion. „Why that?" he asked.
„This man we´re talking about is a murderer." Mohinder recalled. „But he was Gabriel Gray once in his life. Before he learned that he had all these powers he was just a normal watchmaker who´d never hurt a soul his entire life. Someone who even tried to take his own life out of shame because he killed somebody."
Slowly Frank began to understand where the geneticist wanted to go with that.
„And you think you can make him become that person again." he spoke it out. „Wipe out the past to change him back to how he was before."
„This might be a one in a million chance to do that. To restrain the monster that he is without doing any harm to him."
„How do you plan to do that?" Frank wanted to know.
At this question the geneticist sighed and looked at the computer screen rather helpless. „I don´t know." he admitted. „That´s what I try to find out."
„It could take years to do so." Frank mentioned.
„That would be worth it." was all Mohinder would reply.
That was astounding. „So you´re practically ready to dedicate your life to this task to change the whole person that he is into someone else." Frank summarized what he´d just heard.
„Not into someone else." Mohinder argued. „Into his original self. The person he was born as."
„Still it could take years, you know that." Frank repeated to make sure the Indian man had really gotten this part.
„A small sacrifice, compared to the gains this could mean." Mohinder replied stubbornly.
Frank could only chuckle and shake his head. That was surely not what he´d expected.
„Besides the fact that I don´t really believe that something like this is possible …" he told Mohinder. „But this decision is remarkable. Honestly, I really mean that. But why? Why would you do that?"
„Because I have a depth to repay." was the serious answer.
Frank furrowed his brow. „He saved us all when he flew into that black hole but …" he said but Mohinder talked right over him.
„That´s not what I mean." he said. „It´s way more complicated than that."
Frank watched the geneticist closely to find out what he meant with that. But this time he didn´t need to probe. This time Mohinder kept talking all on his own.
„Sylar´s and my story goes back much longer." he told him. „I did things that I shouldn´t have done … or should have done different. I made mistakes that resulted in peoples deaths sometimes. In some way I´m at least halfway responsible for what he became. For the people he killed."
„You can´t be serious with that." Frank exclaimed.
„I´m afraid I am. If I had a chance to do things again I would do many things differently." a little quieter and much more gloomy he added: „Maybe I would kill him before he had a chance to turn off the IV."
Frank raised his brows. „What?" He must have missed a part in Mohinder´s speech. What was he talking about?
„Never mind." Mohinder said, dismissing the subject and confused Frank even more with that. He sat there in silent contemplation for a moment. „Sylar and I are connected no matter how often I turn it." he spoke up at last. By now it was as if he was talking to himself rather than with Frank. „If I want it or not. All these things that have happened … Even the fact that we found him here. Here from all the places in the world. He entered the black hole in Santa Barbara. And he turns up here? Right now? It could have been everywhere. But it happens to be the place where I´m currently working."
„It could be because of the LHC." Frank offered an explanation. „Or because of me."
Mohinder looked at him somehow startled.
„Or …" Frank went on, realizing that his argument hadn´t been called for in this line of thoughts. „Maybe he was really looking for you on some level." he admitted the possibility that Mohinder obviously believed to be the reason for all of this. And who knew, he thought to himself. There was no proof that stood against this after all.
„Maybe he knew that you would help him." he said. „Anyway, he is quiet lucky that he found us. Or we found him." he hesitated and then shook his head. „Wow, this is some complicated stuff."
Mohinder chuckled. „You have no idea." he said. „But fact is, I have a depth to repay and this might be my only chance to really do that."
„Well if you really want to make amends for all of that, you should figure out a way to start." Frank said and finally got a chance to deliver the message he´d come for all along. „He´s awake."
...
The conference room had gained a new inhabitant. Shawn had claimed that he had seen in a vision that Peter was in town but of course he had been totally startled when he´d suddenly seen him at the crime scene this morning. No wonder. After seeing what Nobody had pulled off last night, everything might have startled him.
This time the dude had really beaten his own score. Hanging the victim from a building so everybody could see him (and his open head) was already creepy enough. But that banner he´d hung there as well was the bloody and totally freakish icy on the cake. In big red letters that looked like they were written with nothing else but blood, he´d written: Happy Birthday, Sylar.
Man, if that wasn´t sick. Lassiter wasn´t the only one who looked ready to punch the living crap out of the guy, as soon as they found him.
„This guy killed four people in my city." he stated as if that would explain everything. „We have to quit the usual tactics and think about a real plan. One that´ll finally bring this bastard down."
„You think this guy could have an ability?" Peter asked into the silent room. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and his brows as furrowed as Lassiter´s.
„We´re not sure about that." Bennet answered him.
He didn´t look up at Peter though. Something about his posture told Shawn that the Company man was as clueless as he was on how to go on. What a pity, he thought. If there had been anyone he would have expected to come up with a new plan, it would have been that guy. He was the one with the experience in catching people with abilities after all.
„If Nobody had an ability similar to Sylar´s he would have removed the brains of his victims much earlier in his career." the thin voice of Mary Lightly spoke up from the door. He had entered the room as silent as a ghost. Everybody turned around to him startled.
„But he didn´t." Mary just went on. „As far as we know, this was the first time that he ever did something like this."
„Who are you?" Peter asked him confused.
„Mary Lightly. FBI profiler." Mary introduced himself and reached out his limp hand for Peter.
The young orderly from New York looked at him irritated but somehow brought himself to shake that hand. He touched it carefully though as if afraid he would crush it if he used too much pressure and released it after a few seconds. Mary didn´t seem to notice his irritation at all.
„You know about people with abilities?" Peter managed it to ask, after he´d thrown a confused look around.
„I was after Sylar for over three years." Mary told him. „I also know about you. Mr. Peter Petrelli from New York. Capable of copying abilities. Quiet similar to Sylar." He hesitated and rolled his eyes in a way as if to say: Well … „Without the killing stuff." he said out loud.
Peter searched in the faces of his companions for help and finally found it in Shawn and Gus.
„He has that effect on everybody." the fake psychic told him. „Don´t worry."
„Could we come back to the point please?" Lassiter demanded. „How do we catch this sick Sylar imitation that runs loose in my city?"
„And how do we do that without getting killed, since he has superhuman powers?" Gus added.
„We don´t know if he has." Shawn recalled once more.
„But he could have." Gus insisted.
„I´m pretty sure, that he has." Mary agreed, his eyes on the ground. Gus pointed at him, asking Shawn with his eyes: See?
„Maybe I have an idea." Bennet spoke up at last and looked around at them all. „This man is looking for Sylar." he recalled. „Then maybe Sylar should stop him."
„Sylar is dead." Lassiter recalled of his own.
„I know." Bennet replied. „But he doesn´t."
There was a moment of silence following his words. Everybody was letting this point of view sinking in.
„Maybe he doesn´t know how he looks like." Peter broke the silence.
„Of course he doesn´t know." Gus agreed. „How should he? As far as we know they never met."
„And we never published any photos of Sylar during our investigation." Mary added. „There is one of him regarding the death of his mother but that was published under his real name. Gabriel Gray. So no. Nobody should be unaware of Sylar´s face."
Lassiter nodded in agreement. His eyes were sparkling with new energy. „That means we can set a trap." he found. „With a double."
„Something to lure him out." Bennet agreed. „In an area that we can control easily."
„How do we get him to go there?" Lassiter mumbled thoughtfully.
„We could write an announce in the newspaper." Shawn blurred out excited. „In code."
„This is not Red Dragon, Shawn." Gus objected. „Do you have any idea how long that would take until he would find that announce?"
„But we can make an announcement." Juliet supported the idea. „Not in the paper though. Something bigger and more obvious. Something that is pompose enough for Nobody to buy it. Something Sylar would do to let someone know he wants to meet him."
„What would that be?" Lassiter asked, looking at the people who knew Sylar longer than he did.
It was Peter who spoke up first, almost without hesitation.
„I think I have an idea." he announced.
...
The man that once had been Sylar was standing at the window. He was looking out, quiet, not moving as if he was deeply sunken in his own thoughts. Or maybe lost in his own thoughts would fit that image better. No matter how he put it, just the way he stood there in silence made him look somehow unreal to Mohinder.
When the geneticist entered the room, he felt like walking in a dream. He wasn´t sure what kind of a dream it was but it was totally unreal. He was about to talk to Sylar but in some way that wasn´t even true. He was about to talk to this man that had lost his memories and that should, if possible, remember to be another man. The man he´d been before Sylar.
For a moment Mohinder just stared at this man´s back and something inside of him wanted to just turn around and leave before he got himself into something he couldn´t handle. He knew it would be a tricky thing to convince this man that he was Gabriel Gray. Especially since Mohinder knew he would have to be extra careful about what to tell him … and how. Sylar would immediately know when he tried to tell him a lie. He had the ability of detecting lies.
Maybe it had been a bad idea after all to come here and try what he intended to try, Mohinder mused. How was he supposte to tell Sylar all these lies (and it would be lies, no denying about that) without him noticing it? Thinking of this, he found that there was only one way of lying to a lie-detector. By not telling any lies. No real ones at least.
After another moment of hesitating, he finally made himself open his mouth and speak.
„Gabriel?" he addressed the man at the window. It felt strange to use that name.
The doctor had told him that Sylar had spoken to him when he woke up so his mind seemed to be working fine – if one ignored the fact that he couldn´t remember anything. When Sylar now turned around and looked at him, his face was placid. But one look into his eyes told Mohinder, that it was probably true what the doctor had said. Sylar was really just fine, capable of rational thinking and analyzing his situation. What seemed to be exactly what he was doing right now.
Does he know already, Mohinder wondered.
„Do you know who I am?" he asked Sylar carefully.
The other man lowered his gaze for a moment, finally pausing in his study of the scientist´s face.
„Your name is Mohinder." he answered the question as if he recalled something rote memorized. „You found me."
„That´s right." Mohinder affirmed uncertain.
„Are you … a friend of mine?" Sylar asked him.
Now that was the first thing he had to find a way of explaining. Mohinder had the feeling that there were a lot more to come.
„We know each other for a long time now." he said vaguely, hoping that would be enough for the killer.
„Then you know who I am." Sylar asked him hopefully.
So far so good, Mohinder thought. That was the best opening he could have hoped for. Now it was up to him.
„You are Gabriel Gray." he started to tell him. Not a lie. „You are from New York." Also the truth. „You used to work as a watchmaker in Queens."
„A watchmaker." Sylar repeated surprised.
Mohinder halted, watching Sylar´s reaction carefully. The killer seemed to think this information over for a moment. Then he chuckled and shook his head.
„That would explain, why it kind of drives me crazy that this thing runs two minutes fast." he said and looked up at something behind Mohinder.
The geneticist turned around and spotted the clock that hung over the door. For a moment he was just startled.
„Yes …" he finally brought out. „You always had a gift to hear that."
When he faced Sylar again, his face was neutral. Waiting. Mohinder was not sure how he should go on. But go on he must.
„What do you remember?" he asked him.
„I already told the doctor." Sylar said. „It´s like a black hole."
Mohinder gasped in silence at this, but fortunately Sylar didn´t seem to notice. He just went on talking.
„Every time I try to remember I get thrown back into the dark." he explained his first statement.
The geneticist relaxed. So that´s what he meant. For a moment he´d thought …
„As if a part of me doesn´t want to remember." Sylar kept telling him and looked at him helplessly. „Is that possible?" he asked.
„When a traumatic event happens, the human mind might be too afraid to remember it." Mohinder immediately explained, grateful that he´d read so much about amnesia over the last hours. „Things like that happen."
„Traumatic?" Sylar repeated. In this moment he seemed very lost to Mohinder. „What happened to me?" he asked him, stepping a little closer in his search for an answer.
„I don´t know." Mohinder said and that was the truth. He really didn´t know what had happened to him. „But right now it is more important that you remember yourself." he stated and that was also the truth. „Everything else can come later. Or maybe never, that depends on your mind. For some people who experienced an amnesia like yours, it was even better not to remember what had caused it."
Sylar lowered his gaze for a moment, thinking this over. „Are you a doctor?" he then asked.
„I´m a geneticist." Mohinder answered with a half nod.
„You think you can help me?" Sylar asked, sounding very desperate.
Once again Mohinder felt that he might be getting himself into something that was too big for him. But he´d started it and now there was no going back anymore.
„I´ll do my best to help you remember Gabriel Gray." he said, carefully choosing his words.
Sylar looked at him with these lost eyes of his, that were so different from anything Mohinder was used to see from this killer.
„Last night I had a dream." he told Mohinder. „There were people. So many of them. They were in the dark, I couldn´t see their faces. They were shouting at me but I couldn´t understand them. I was afraid. I felt that they were not friendly. That they hated me."
Mohinder gulped. And yet another thing he needed to be careful about. No matter what, he mustn´t let the memory of Sylar´s murders break through. He mustn´t even allow him to suspect anything in this regard.
„Don´t worry." he said therefore. „Confusing dreams are absolutely normal in your condition. It´ll go away."
He raised his hand and padded Sylar´s shoulder in a reassuring way, totally unselfconsciously. Sylar on the other hand was very aware of the gesture. He looked down on himself, at the spot where Mohinder´s hand had touched his arm just a moment ago. There was a thoughtful frown on his forehead.
„What is it?" Mohinder asked, feeling nervous. Had he made a mistake after all?
„That felt … familiar." Sylar told him, looking at him with this asking face of his.
Mohinder looked back at him startled. That was something he hadn´t expected.
„Yeah, that … is possible." he managed to bring out.
„How did we meet?" Sylar asked him all the sudden. „Would you tell me? I´d like to remember."
Again Mohinder felt the urge to just turn around and run before it was too late. But of course he didn´t. He couldn´t. Doing that would ruin every chance he had to make this man Gabriel Gray again.
„That´s a long story." he said therefore. „Maybe it´s better we start with something simple."
„Like?"
„I´ll tell you some things about your life and we just see and hope that you remember."
Sylar seemed disappointed but he nodded nevertheless. „Okay." he said modestly.
Mohinder nodded too, inwardly exhaling with relief. That would be a hard piece of work. But he´d started it and he would go through with it. He just had to. When he led the way over to the table so they could sit down, Sylar followed in silence.
