One Of Us
Shawn was standing in front of the police station and stared at the burned out car. The parking lot was surrounded by crime scene tape and CSI was busy taking pictures and other evidence. Useless. They knew the victim and they knew who had killed her.
Shawn sighed. He could have stopped this. Somehow. If he´d just had a little more time. He´d been on the phone with Lassiter when the detective had heard the sound of the explosion and had rushed outside, leaving Shawn on the phone to wonder what had happened. Now that he was here, he could see it with his own eyes and it made him want to vomit.
Lassiter´s gaze was not less gloomy. Next to him Bennet, Gus and Peter were standing in a line like soldiers who formed a guard of honour. He almost expected them to salute when the body was transported past them on the stretcher. Of course they didn´t. But they followed the smothered form under the blanket with gloomy eyes nonetheless.
Shawn took some steps to stand by Juliet´s side. She was as shaken as everybody else, maybe even more. She´d been there when it happened after all, had spoken to the officer just a minute before her death. She´d seen the explosion when it had happened. Her own car had been hit by the flying fragments and looked as if she´d driven it through a village behind which a volcano had burst.
Now she stood there and watched the stretcher being brought away, her arms slung around her own waist.
„You all right?" Shawn asked her and she nodded without looking at him. „Sure?" he asked again.
„Yes." she answered and finally looked at him, her eyes as determined as always. „Let´s just bust this son of a bitch."
As if this had been a cue, his cell phone started to ring. He picked it up immediately, knowing who would be on the other end.
„Yang."
„I can´t talk very long." she told him.
„You knew what he planned to do, didn´t you?" he asked her. „How could you let this happen? One of our officers is dead."
„It could have been Juliet, Shawn." Yang told him and his eyes shot to his right, to Juliet, as if he had to make sure she was still there.
„And that is supposte to ease me?" he cried.
„I did everything I could." Yang assured him. „He´ll be pissed when he finds out that he got the wrong detective. So I sure hope that you have a plan by now, Shawnie boy. You´re running out of time."
„Stop calling me that." Shawn cried. „I´m not your Shawnie boy."
„Oh, just accept it." he heard her grinning. „You´ll always be my boy."
„I´m not the play-doll of all you crazy serial killers out there." he cried even louder now. „I mean what is it that makes you guys think …?"
Someone took the phone out of his hand and took over for him.
„Miss Yang. Noah Bennet here." the Company man said in a calm tone. „I´m in charge of the people who will take Nobody into custody. Shawn says you wanna help us, is that right?"
„I´ll help Shawn." Yang stated after a moment of consideration.
Noah nodded. Good enough. „So when I ask you to do something that´ll help us to overpower Nobody, will you do it?" he asked her.
„Depends on." she said. „What am I supposte to do?"
...
It was almost eight p.m. when Yang stood in the kitchen, waiting for Nobody to come home. She wore a blue apron over her pink dress and on the stove there was the pan, its content sizzling and filling the room with a delicious smell. She would have loved to take a big bite herself hadn´t she known that the waffles were poisoned. The only way to take her friend Nobody down without using any violence.
They had promised her that they wouldn´t hurt him, when she managed it to let him eat these waffles so he would sleep. They would take him into custody and make sure he wouldn´t escape anymore but he would live. And she would be allowed to write him letters and maybe even call once in a while. It wasn´t the best life one could have but it was the best for everybody, she knew that. He would be mad with her first, she knew that too. But in time he would understand. At least she hoped so.
She looked at the pan and the plate full of sweet waffles and sighed. She really wished there would have been another way. But there simply was none. What was that that all the men in her life ended up dead or in prison? The only one that had turned out better was Shawn. And if she was honest, she couldn´t exactly take credit for that.
She sighed once again. Something was moving over the worktop and she turned her head. It was a cockroach. Yang took the waffles out of the pan and then used the pan to smash the little crawler. One poor thing less on this world that had to worry about betrayal and a life in prison.
The door went open and she swirled around, putting on her best and sweetest smile. Almost as sweet as those poisoned waffles.
„You come just in time." she greeted her friend. „I made waffles. Come, sit down. Have a snack."
„You´re like a mother to me." Nobody said and hung his coat on the hook.
„Of course I am." she replied flattered. „You were missing a mother for so many years. It´s about time someone takes care of you. Who knows. Maybe if your mother would have been there for you, loving you, maybe you would be different today. More cheery."
„Maybe." he cocked his head as if he had to think this over. „But I doubt that." he then said.
She looked into his stern eyes for a moment and then they both started to laugh.
„Come on." she said, smiling widely. „Try them. I worked the whole evening on them."
Nobody bowed over the plate to sniff the waffles. „Hmmm." he made. „Smells great."
„Try one." she urged him.
He was in the process of picking one up, but then hesitated.
„Stop." he said. „First …" He raised his hands as if they were wet. „Hands." he said and got up.
Yang gave him a smile. Of course. She watched him how he went over to the sink and started to wash his hands.
„I had one hell of a day since we separated yesterday, I can tell you that." he mentioned.
Yang had to keep herself from biting her fingernails. „And that is something a sweet snack and a coffee can fix." she said with a smile, her voice almost even.
He dried his hands and turned around to her smiling. „Of course it will." he agreed. „But don´t you wanna know what happened?"
„Sure." she claimed, hoping that he couldn´t see how tensed she was. „What was it?"
„It´s about that police car I booby trapped, you remember?"
„Sure. How could I forget that?"
„Well …" he shrugged. „Looks like I got the wrong detective with that."
Yang forced herself to look surprised. „What?" she cried. „How did this happen?"
„Seems someone showed me the wrong car."
There was a brief silence but Yang wouldn´t allow him to look accusingly at her. „Okay." she raised her index finger at him and claimed absolutely convincingly: „That is impossible. I´m sure I showed you the right car. That car was exactly the one she drove when they arrested me."
He looked at her with raised eyebrows that asked her: Oh, really?
She lowered her finger and shrugged. „But well …" she went on, pouting a little. „Sometimes they switch cars to save miles or something. Or this detective borrowed the car from her colleague. What do I know? But I showed you the right car, I´m sure of that."
„All right, all right." he raised both hands as if to calm her down. „I didn´t want to argue about that." he said. „You´re right, there could have been a lot of reasons for this mistake. It doesn´t matter." He threw the towel onto the worktop and smiled again. „At least they got my message, didn´t they?"
She smiled back at him, released that he believed her. „Sure they did. They got your message."
Nobody nodded satisfied at this. „But I´ll have to send them another one." he decided. „This blond detective is still on my list."
„You do that." Yang agreed. „Let them know that you mean it. But first … we´ll eat. I worked the whole evening for these. Now you´ll eat them."
„Ah, yeah." he came over to the table. „The waffles." He sat down, rubbing his hands in anticipation.
She watched him take his knife and fork, biting her lips in excitement. But instead of eating, he halted and looked at her.
„You first." he said.
„Oh, no." she insisted. „I made them just for you. They are the most delicious waffles that there are and they are all for you."
„If they are so delicious I don´t want them just for me." he denied. „You may have one too."
Yang bit her lip again. „All right." she said. „But you first. I made them for you."
For a moment he didn´t seem quiet sure what he wanted to say next but it was obvious that it wasn´t: Okay, thanks Yang. You´re the best.
„Don´t get me wrong." he said at last. „But I´m pretty geeky when it comes about food. And you know what they say. A cook that doesn´t like to lick his own fingers, can´t be a good cook. So I´d like to see you eat one first. If you like it … I believe you that they are good."
He had smiled the whole time and he was smiling still. Yang saw that smile but she also saw something in his eyes that was not smiling. Or did she? She wasn´t sure. Why wouldn´t he just eat them? Was that too much to ask?
She chuckled for him and looked down on the plate. „But I ate so many of them already, my stomach hurts." she told him. „You have no idea how many I already made before you came. I ate at least a dozen, because they are so good. If I eat just one more now, I would vomit. And you don´t want me to vomit all over your plate, do you?"
„No, of course not." he laughed. „That would be nasty." He laughed at her and she joined his laughter, tensed as hell. Eventually he stopped laughing again and looked down on the waffles.
„But you know …" he went on. „There is some more that troubles me. Not the police car, that is in the past."
„Don´t you want to eat before we talk about business again?" she asked, slowly getting nervous.
He just raised a hand to shut her up. Wait, wait, let me finish. So she shut her mouth and listened.
„You see, obstacles like picking the wrong car to blow up …" he said. „Things like that can happen. It happens all the time. Nobody´s perfect."
Yang immediately picked up the pun he´d made and started to laugh. He didn´t seem to care though.
„But there are other things that are not so simple and that don´t just happen." he went on. „And those are things that I can´t just put aside as obstacles either."
„And what is that?" she asked.
„Betrayal."
„Betrayal?"
„Yes." he said. „Betrayal."
Finally he took a piece of the waffles with his fork and held it up. She watched him how he looked at it, every muscle in her body stretched to breaking point. Would he finally eat it? Please, she begged in her mind. Just eat it. Then everything will be all right, I promise. But he only looked past the piece of waffles and into her eyes.
„You know, you were right." he said. „I never had a mother. Someone who cared for me like one. To make me waffles and coffee when I come home. Who knows. Maybe I really would have been another man if I had had one."
She nodded at him, giving him her most sympathetic face and lay a caring hand on his arm. He nodded back at her, his eyes as sad as hers. He faced the waffles again and sighed.
„Unfortunately we will never know that." he stated matter of factly and looked back at her. This time his eyes were not sad anymore but disappointed. „Why did you do it?" he asked.
„Why did I …?"
„I really believed that you were on my side." he talked right over her. „I kinda trusted you and this is a big deal for me."
„Honey, I …"
All the sudden the plate that had been standing on the table was flying through the air and shattered against the wall. Yang jumped up in shock. One gaze into her friend´s eyes and she knew that she would be the next one to fly against this wall. She tried to bolt for the door but she only made two steps before he grabbed her and pushed her into the wall.
„You misunderstand that." she cried, barely able to breath under his grip. „I only wanted to protect you."
„By poisoning me?" he asked. But then he smiled. „Well. Maybe I should even understand this twisted kind of thinking." he said. „My real mother tried to stab me after all. Maybe this is just our way of showing love. What do you think?"
„Yes." she said and smiled at him. „Yes, it is. I mean … we´re all insane, ain´t we? And just for the record, the waffles wouldn´t have killed you. Just put you to sleep. I demanded that they wouldn´t hurt you."
Nobody nodded at her with a kind smile on his lips. She smiled back at him, full of hope that he actually did understand her point of view. That she had only done that to help him. To help everybody.
„You know I really kinda liked you." he told her. „This is really sad. You were a good listener."
„I still could be." she assured him.
He only looked at her with this regretful gaze of his and shook his head. „No." he said. „You can´t."
...
Christine Argatha was on her way to work. It was early in the morning and she was still sleepy. Her coffee maker had given up its ghost and she had to stop on her way to grab a coffee from Starbucks. She parked her car and got out, dropping her keys in the process and bowed down to pick them up. Her eyes fell on a spot on the other side of the parking lot.
It was a small green belt. Since it was still so early in the morning it was dark under the trees but not too dark. Christine could clearly see that something was there. It had human form but it was not moving and it had a posture like a scarecrow. That was the reason why Christine first believed it to be just that. But why should anyone put a scarecrow into a public green belt? Especially one that was so small.
At last her curiosity got the better of her and she crossed the parking lot to have a better look at it. Later on she would regret that she´d done it. What she saw there was something she really hadn´t needed on her empty stomach. She´d never guessed that someone could vomit with nothing but water in the stomach. She learned that one could.
...
Mohinder sat behind the wheel and bit his knuckle. The sight he and Sylar were watching through the windshield was not an easy one to take. They had parked the car at the curbside, a little down the street from the Starbucks where the body had been found this morning. The police was currently in the process of investigating the crime scene. And even though they were too far away to see any details it was enough to know that it was not pretty.
The brain had been removed once again and the woman had been put on a pale like a scarecrow, a sign around her neck that read: Next time come for me yourself.
„This man is much worse than you could have ever been." Mohinder commented the scene.
Sylar turned to him and gasped falsely. „That is so sweet of you to say that." he said.
When Mohinder didn´t give a response, he shook his head and turned back to his business of watching the crime scene. It was annoying. They sat here for hours as it seemed and still there was nothing going on out there nor in here that seemed as if any kind of progress was made. All it caused was that he grew more and more impatient with the silence in this car.
Sylar sighed. It had been his idea to stay out of the frame, he reminded himself. So he had to deal with the not so pleasant side effects of it. Playing stakeout with Mohinder was one of them. He just remembered why he´d never become a cop in real life.
For a moment he smirked about this thought, feeling a little better. The scene in the parking lot really was like a bad reality show. One that provided the viewer with only one point of view and that one point of view was a steady camera. It was not really helpful to learn anything new. But to find the killer, they needed to learn new things. They literally needed a new point of view.
„If I were him, I would want to see that." he mused, talking more to himself than to Mohinder.
„What?" the scientist asked startled.
Instead of repeating what he´d said, Sylar took a decision. „I´ll have a look around." he said and got out of the car before Mohinder even had a chance to protest.
„Where are you going?" he cried, leaning over the passenger seat to look after him.
Sylar bowed down again and looked back inside. „I just told you." he said. „I´ll have a look around."
When the scientist hesitated, unsure whether he should object or not, Sylar gave him a reassuring smile.
„Trust me." he said. „I´ll be back. Try not to be seen in the meantime."
With that he closed the door and walked up the street, heading first for the Starbucks and then for the crowd of rubberneckers that had gathered around the crime scene. On his way he passed a tree and hid behind it for long enough to change his face unnoticed. It wouldn´t be helpful for his observance if Shawn and the others would recognize him after all.
...
Back in the car, Mohinder cursed inwardly over this stubborn and selfserving bastard that Sylar was. He should have known that he would run off at some point, leaving him behind like a stupid cab driver, who was merely good enough to drive him around. God, he hated that. And he hated it even more to know that Sylar was right. They needed to see better what was going on over there than they could see from inside this damn rental Nissan. And since he couldn´t change his face the way Sylar could, he just couldn´t afford to come closer to the crime scene and the investigating detectives. God, how much he hated this.
He tried to watch what Sylar was doing over there, unconsciously biting his knuckle again. Damn, if he could only see better. He should have parked on the other side of the street. Now it was too late for that. If he would move the car away only to park on another spot along this street the police would notice him. He better didn´t do anything.
Someone knocked against his window and made him jump. When he looked up he saw the asking face of Burton Guster, the friend of the fake psychic Shawn Spencer. He stood right next to his window. Mohinder sat back in his seat and cursed in silence. Dammit. How could that happen? They had parked so far away to not to be detected.
Gus knocked again and Mohinder forced himself to smile at him politely. He got out of the car.
„Dr. Suresh. When did you come back?" Gus asked him without transition.
„Ehm, yesterday." Mohinder answered him as honest as he could without giving anything away. God, he could already hear Sylar reproving him for this. „I heard what happened here." he smoothly switched the subject to keep Gus from asking any more questions. „That´s awful."
„Yes, it is." Gus agreed with a heavy sigh. He looked back at the crime scene and shook his head. „It is as if Santa Barbara is haunted by serial killers. I know I should be there and help Shawn collecting clues but …"
He shook his head again and Mohinder didn´t need to know any more to understand that Gus hadn´t even been near that body. And this had probably been the only reason why he´d spotted him in the car. Great. He´d been detected because this man had a weak stomach.
...
Sylar walked along the lines of rubberneckers, circling around the crime scene in an unsuspicious speed. So far everything looked typical and not necessarily special in any way. Nothing that would give him a hint to where to find the man he was looking for.
The body was arranged pretty much like a real scarecrow. Not the most original idea but acceptable. The skull on the other hand had been sawed open by a rookie, he could see that very clearly. He had probably used a knife for it. A hunters knife he guessed but he could be wrong with that. It was a messy work in any case.
Sylar wondered for a moment, what the guy had done with the brain. Since he didn´t really believe that he had the same need for them as he´d had it back then, he really wasn´t sure. But there were only three possibilities, he could think of anyway. He either kept them as souvenirs, threw them away or … but that last possibility was too disgusting to even think of it.
He stopped for a moment, when he spotted Shawn standing at the side of the crime scene. He looked tensed and there was no smile on the usually so lighthearted face. His eyes were taking in the scene, searching for clues. Sylar watched him for a while, wondering what the fake psychic would do if he knew how close he was. For him he was still dead after all. An interesting thought. As if he were a ghost, walking the earth.
As if he´d heard him, Shawn suddenly turned around and looked in his direction. For a moment Sylar believed he would see him, but Shawn´s eyes were searching the general direction, probably still searching for clues. But then the fake psychic noticed the intense stare and looked directly into Sylar´s eyes. The killer in disguise couldn´t help the smirk that appeared on his face, but he suppressed it.
„Spencer." he heard the voice of detective Lassiter and Shawn turned around.
Sylar used the moment to hurry away and out of Shawn´s field of vision. When the fake psychic looked back at this irritating rubbernecker again, he was gone.
Sylar walked further around the crime scene and chuckled. He would never know. Or maybe one day he would tell him. If opportunity gave. He threw an unplanned look over the parking lot to where Mohinder had parked the car. What he saw there made him stop in his tracks once again.
Please tell me that this is a joke.
Sylar sighed. He should have known that he would mess it up. The man just had no experience with stakeouts like that. Shaking his head, Sylar took his cell phone out.
...
On the other side of the parking lot, a few feet down the street, Mohinder´s cell phone started to ring and interrupted the chat he had with Gus. He took it out and looked at the caller ID, even though he already knew who was calling him.
„That´s my cousin Jay." he told Gus. „Excuse me for a second."
„Oh, of course." Gus said.
Mohinder walked a few steps before answering the call. „Jay?" he said loud enough for Gus to hear it.
„You are great as a spy." he heard a voice that was not Sylar´s but was Sylar´s nonetheless. Just the tone he spoke in was unmistakable. „Are you always detected that easily?" the shapeshifter asked him.
„He knocked on my window." Mohinder replied defensively. „What was I supposte to do? Drive away?"
„What did you tell him?" Sylar demanded to know.
„Nothing. I told him I was here to see my family after what I heard in the news."
„You think he bought it?"
„Don´t worry." the scientist told him grimly.
„Unfortunately I have to." was Sylar´s response and what came next, left the scientist even more baffled with an open mouth. „You slipped, Mohinder." he said. „You´re inside the frame now."
„What?" Mohinder cried.
„I told you, I need to stay outside the frame to really do something." Sylar repeated. „You´re inside now."
„What are you talking about? I´m nowhere inside." Mohinder cried and made Gus look around at him confused.
„Yes, you are." Sylar insisted on his point of view. „I´m sorry, but I can´t risk that you drag me into this along with you."
„What do you mean with that?"
„I need to do this on my own terms." Sylar stated. „Don´t tell them that I´m here. Maybe then I can still do something."
„You are aware of the fact that you are not a secret agent." Mohinder asked, just in case Sylar had forgotten this tiny fact of reality.
„I´m on a mission nevertheless." the killer insisted.
„You will not go alone." Mohinder warned him. „You asked me to come so I could help you. If you go alone now, then this means that you lied again."
„I didn´t lie. I´ll stay in contact, I promise. But I need to go and do that alone." When he spoke again, Mohinder could hear that he was smiling. „Trust me." he said. „I know what I´m doing."
„Wait." Mohinder cried. „Sylar. Wait."
But Sylar had already hung up on him. For a moment the geneticist just stood there and clenched his jaw. When he didn´t know anything better to do to let his frustration out, he did what everybody would do. He hit his fist on the roof of his car.
„Dammit!"
