Toxic

There was an alarm at the plant. The front entrance had been smashed as if Nobody had had a second tank and at least three people were lying on the ground, bleeding. One body had been covered with a blanket. The two men left standing were desperately trying to get something out of their phone, that was astoundingly still working, despite the pitiful condition of the box itself.

All over the place there were people running to get out of the plant, flooding the street and the parking lot in front of the plant. Motors were started and cars drove away as fast as they could. They had initiated an evacuation and that alone was a bad sign. It meant that they had given up the factory. The only cars that didn´t try to get away from the plant, were the three cars that just arrived.

Lassiter stopped right in front of the main entrance and jumped out, wielding his badge as if it were a second gun, his whole entourage following him behind. O´Hara and Bennet, his own personal two Specials and the three guest starring Specials, Suresh, Petrelli and Sylar.

„What happened?" he demanded to know when he reached the gate.

„This guy." the man answered with a trembling voice. „He´s crazy. He just came in here and threw grenades at us. Mr. Tanner there tried to keep him from entering the place and he just …"

Lassiter didn´t need a better description. He only needed to see the sick face of the man before him and the blood on the blanket to get a picture.

„Where did he go?" he demanded to know.

The man of course pointed his shaky finger at the front door that led into the plant. The three Specials didn´t wait any longer and were on their way there. Lassiter looked after them and cursed in silence. No way would he allow them to go in there and handle that all by themselves. He was chief of police – interim but that didn´t matter. He was responsible for this mission and he would not stay behind, dammit.

„Where is the plant manager?" he demanded to know.

„Mr. Tanner there is the plant manager." the man cried and by now he really actually started to cry. „Was." he corrected himself. „I´m just trying to get the people out of there."

„Crap." Lassiter mumbled.

„All right then." Bennet took over. „Can you bring us to the control room then?"

„Our guys already try everything they can to stop it." the man told them.

„Stop what?" Shawn and Gus cried unisono.

The broken man only looked at them with a pale face. „As far as I understood it, this guy somehow damaged two of our safety valves." he told them what he´d heard over the telephone. „I have no idea how he did this. It can´t have been another grenade, if he had thrown one of these there would have been an explosion long ago …"

„What´s going to happen?" Juliet, Shawn and Gus cried all together, now out of patience.

„If the pressure can´t be stopped, there will be an atmospheric release." the man explained to them. „We have highly toxic insecticides in there, the whole city would be …"

„All right that´s it." Lassiter cocked his gun and the small man jumped and hid behind his pole. „Someone bring us to the control room." the detective demanded. „Right now."

...

Inside the facility the three Specials were in the process of tracking the way Nobody had taken through the hallways. It wasn´t hard to find the way. He´d left a clear trace of destruction. Not even the pulsing red light of the alarm could disguise that. After a while they found a man lying on the ground. Peter went down and checked on him. He was dead. And not just him. A few feet further there was another man. His head was turned the wrong way.

„Son of a bitch." Peter exhaled. „We have to find him. Quickly."

A crashing sound and a scream came from ahead and made them halt. But only for a second. As soon as they heard the sounds of an MP getting fired, the three of them ran until they reached the next corner. When they peeked around it they saw an open door a little further down the hallway.

„That´s him." Peter said and started to move. But before he could even pass the corner, Sylar held him back.

„I should go." he said.

„What?"

„It´s my responsibility."

„But I have his ability." Peter argued. „I can´t get hurt. What are you talking about responsibility?"

„How long are we gonna stand here and discuss that?" Mohinder cried and was in the process of passing the two men to head for the door himself. Sylar grabbed his arm.

„You are the only one that can´t go in there." he hissed at him. „Peter is impenetrable. I can heal. You can do neither."

„Wha …? Are you kidding me?" the scientist cried. „Let go of me."

Peter didn´t wait any longer for them to figure out who should go and who shouldn´t and just ran for the door. Mohinder was right. This whole discussion was ridiculous.

„Peter." Sylar cried and cursing he followed him.

The young hot-head just busted the door open and immediately came under fire. He got thrown back into the door violently, too much taken by surprise to even think of resistance. He might have been right about the fact that he wouldn´t be effected by the bullets, but the impact was too much for him anyway. It was as if he got nailed to the door by that steady rain of bullets. Sylar could hear Nobody´s laughter from inside the room.

The killer had reached the door now. He took one more second though to reach out his hand and shove Mohinder back down the hall with his telekinesis.

„Son of a bitch." the geneticist cried angrily before the impact of him hitting the ground pushed the air out of his lungs.

It wouldn´t keep him out for long Sylar knew that, but it had to do for at least ten to twenty seconds. And if things went well, he wouldn´t need much more. He entered the room right after Peter … and had to learn that things wouldn´t go that smooth after all.

...

Lassiter and his team had reached the control room by now. Five men were sitting on their terminals, two of them constantly jumping up and running to another console, checking data or entering some new ones.

„Pressure´s still building." one of them cried. „The valves don´t respond."

„Try again." another one, probably the second manager demanded.

„Nothing. They must be broken or something."

„Does anyone has the damn Code yet?" the second manager cried desperately.

„No."

„Who are you?" one of them had finally spotted the uninvited guests.

„Chief Lassiter, S.B.P.D." Lassiter introduced himself, stepping forward.

„We´re here to stop a catastrophe." Shawn added in the same tone that Lassiter had used and placed himself right next to him.

„Well, you´re just in time." the guy answered and was already on his way back to his place. „But I´m afraid you are at the wrong place. You should go out there and stop that son of a bitch who tries to destroy our factory."

„We already have people out there." Lassiter informed the man. „They are taking care of him. Tell me what´s your status."

„Look around." the man said with a gesture into the room. „That´s our status. We tried everything we could to shut the valves but the pressure just keeps rising."

Lassiter was in the process of shouting some orders, when one of the geeks suddenly cried out.

„Oh, shit."

„What?" his colleague cried back.

„A third valve just failed." the shit-crier explained. „At the primary storage tank."

„Shut it down." the second manager demanded and rushed over to him.

„What, the valve?"

„No, the tank. Do it or we have a whole city under a cloud of pesticides."

The shit-crier did what his supervisor had told him but then he shook his head. „No response." he said.

„That´s impossible." the second manager insisted but the datas on the other man´s screen told him that it was very possible.

„Someone has to be in the primary tank room." the shit-crier guessed. „That´s the only explanation."

„Who would be stupid enough to go there during an emergency like this?"

Lassiter and the others knew the answer to that question.

„Nobody." Shawn spoke it out.

...

Sylar rushed into the room and immediately the gunfire that had been on Peter so far was switched over to him, perforating him like a tea strainer. He had just enough time to see the smoking console and Nobody who stood right next to it with his MP in hand. Now that his fire was on Sylar, Peter was free to attack. And he did. Within three seconds he´d reached Nobody and knocked the weapon out of his hands, pushing him backwards until they hit the uncovered cables that were marked with a big sign that read: high voltage.

Sylar groaned and went down to the ground, bleeding from at least two dozen shot wounds. On the other side of the room, Nobody started to scream when the electricity ran through his body. Sylar leaned against the wall and urged his body to heal from those damn bullets he´d caught. Behind him he heard the clacking sounds of the bullets dropping to the ground one by one. He was halfway through the process when Mohinder rushed in. The gaze he threw him when he saw him sitting there in this pitiful condition, spoke loud and clear: Yeah, sure, you can handle this so much better.

Without saying a word the scientist hurried away, leaving the killer behind to deal with himself. Sylar´s first thought was, that he was going to try to help Peter. But instead of doing this, Mohinder went to the smoking console. The broken cables spit some sparks when he tried to work on it though and he had to skip back. There was surely not much that he could do from that console to stop the factory from going kablowee.

Behind him, Nobody had given up on the screaming in pain business and grabbed Peter´s collar instead. He swirled him around and returned the favour of having to stand the agonizing pain of the high voltage. Now it was Peter who screamed. But Nobody didn´t bother with his attacker as long as Peter had done it. He just punched him in the face with all his fury and then dropped him. Now that Peter was sufficiently out, Nobody dismissed him and dived for his gun instead.

Sylar guessed what would come next and hurried to get up. His wounds were healed by now and he reached Mohinder´s side just in time. Nobody had pulled the trigger and if Sylar had been just a little too slow, the good doctor would have been perforated by at least a dozen bullets. But he hadn´t been too slow and now the bullets were frozen solid in the air, just a few inches before him.

Mohinder swirled around and threw a startled glance at Sylar and the bullets. But his surprise lasted only for a second, which was exactly the amount of time he could afford for something like being startled. After that second had passed, he immediately ducked down and dived under the frozen bullets. He reached an unprepared Nobody and rammed his shoulder into his stomach. Once again Nobody´s back hit the high voltage cables, but this time he had no trouble at all to push his attacker back. Of course not. Mohinder might have surprised him with his attack but he had not half of the strength in his body than Nobody had.

The scientist stumbled backwards and Nobody followed, his gun ready to fire. But instead of shooting the geneticist, he fired at Sylar, who was in the process of throwing himself at him, obviously not as surprising as he´d hoped. The killer was thrown to the ground one more time, again bleeding like he´d been slaughtered out of necessity. He coughed, trying not to choke on his own blood. God, that was not his day.

He could see Nobody how he aimed his gun at Mohinder and pulled the trigger. It happened too fast for Sylar to even compute until it was over. The scientist flinched. But there were no bullets coming out of the gun. It was empty. Nobody had fired his last bullets to keep Sylar from interfering. Now he shook the weapon in anger, yelling out his frustration in the process and then just threw it away.

Mohinder, who probably thought that using the moment of distraction would give him an advantage, attacked him again.

„No." Sylar brought out, knowing what would happen next, but his voice was still too thin to be heard. One or two of these damn bullets must have hit his lung.

It was too late anyway. Nobody had already pushed the weaker man back and against the wall. A hose was running up that wall and when Mohinder tried to fight, Nobody just grabbed his arm and pressed it against the hot metal. Sylar could hear the sizzling sound when the heat ate its way through the fabric of Mohinder´s shirt. And then he heard the scream.

„No." Sylar yelled and attempted to reached out his hand but an unexpected pain in his shoulder shot up into his brain, making him cry out in pain himself. Heal, for gods sake, he begged. Heal.

Nobody´s eyes started to glow at the pain he caused. He threw a glance over his shoulder at Sylar and this glowing increased even more. Have a good look his eyes said. And then he turned back to Mohinder and raised his hand to punch him in the stomach. Just the way he´d done it with Sylar on that bridge.

...

„I have access to the surveillance system." Gus cried all the sudden and startled everybody in the room. No one had payed attention to him so he had been able to fiddle with the console pretty much as he´d pleased. Now that the second plant manager saw what he´d done, he jumped up from his place.

„You what?" he cried.

„Dude, how do you know how to do things like that?" Shawn asked amazed.

„I studied computer systems like these after we crushed C.E.R.N." Gus told him. „Just in case, you know."

„Dude, this is really insane." Shawn exclaimed.

„I know." Gus replied and held out his fist for Shawn to bump it.

„Who allowed you to mess with our system?" the second manager cried, obviously not that happy about the liberties Gus had taken. „We´re in the middle of a terrorist attack."

„This man down there is a terrorist right, but not the kind you might expect." Bennet said and stepped in front of the monitor Gus had activated. It showed them Suresh who was just in the process of getting killed by this murderer Nobody.

They saw Nobody preparing to punch his fist through the belly of the scientist. Juliet gasped and Shawn and Gus closed their eyes, not wanting to see something as gory as this. But then Nobody was attacked and let go of the scientist. Peter had thrown himself at the murderer and the two of them started to struggle. Suresh was forgotten and went down to the ground, holding his arm which was obviously in great pain.

„Where is that?" Bennet wanted to know.

„That´s the primary tank room." Gus and the second plant manager answered unisono.

„And this is the console that should control the valves." the manager added on his own. „Dammit. It´s damaged. No wonder we don´t get any access to the system."

„Can you do anything against it?" Lassiter asked.

„From here? No way. Somebody would have to do it from in there."

...

„Mohinder!" Sylar cried and hurried over to the injured man.

„I´m all right." the geneticist assured him and was obviously lying. He held his arm up as if it could burn the rest of him too if he let it come too close, hissing through his gritted teeth. Sylar took his shoulders, intending to help him up. But then he saw in how much pain Mohinder was and decided to better let it be.

On the other side of the room Peter cried out in pain. When they turned to the two opponents, they saw Peter lying on the ground, unconscious once again. Nobody turned around to them, a glimmer in his eyes like a predator that had tasted blood. Sylar knew that gaze. He´d seen it in his own reflection for so many years that he had no choice but to recognize it. When Nobody lunged forward, he reached out his hand and shoved him backwards until he hit the wall. The impact caused the steel to dent.

Nobody spotted a hose in reaching distance and grabbed it, ripping it off the wall as if it were a branch on an old tree. Sylar moved his fingers and ripped it out of his hand again, sending it flying through the room. Nobody yelled in his anger and tried to grab something else. Sylar waved his finger a second time and moved Nobody away from the wall, letting him hover in midair with nothing to grab but the air itself.

„Not so strong anymore, now are we?" he asked him. When Nobody started to struggle against his invisible grip, he just smiled. „Don´t bother." he said. „I kinda have experience with strong guys that try to fight me."

He threw a glance at the geneticist who was still sitting on the ground. A groan from the other side of the room made them both look around. Peter had woken up again and was currently struggling back to his feet.

„This isn´t over, Sylar." Nobody cried. „On some point you have to let me down and then I´ll get you. You and everybody I can get my hands on."

„I don´t think this is gonna happen." the voice of Noah Bennet came out of a loudspeaker all the sudden.

„Noah?" Peter asked, rubbing his head in confusion. He spoke up into the air since he couldn´t spot the loudspeaker.

„We can see you, Peter." Noah told him.

„Hey guys." Shawn´s voice cried cheerily out of the loudspeaker and right after him, Gus was calling out as well. „Great show so far." Shawn praised. „Super on the action part, really. Only the bad guy is a little too cliché I think."

„You know that´s right." Gus agreed. „Kindoffa two dimensional character."

„Right." Shawn chuckled. „Seriously. All that shouting and spitting, when he realised that he lost. That´s so eighties."

„Double right."

„Would you two stop it?" Lassiter hissed in the background but of course that was not enough to make the fake psychic shut his mouth.

Peter exchanged a confused glance with Mohinder, while Shawn and Lassiter argued about how appropriate interruptions like these were in a field operation that potentially threatened the survival of the whole city. But the geneticist had enough to do with his burning arm to even pay attention to any of this. He even seemed grateful for the short break this banter allowed him.

Sylar just smiled and after another minute of banter between Shawn and Lassie, which ended with Lassiter threatening to shoot Shawn, if he wouldn´t shut up any time soon, he just closed his eyes and began to laugh.

„You just laugh." Nobody cried, not a bit amused. „Some of the people I killed have died laughing."

„Oh, not me, believe me." Sylar chuckled.

„You can´t hold me here forever." Nobody repeated. „And as soon as you let me down, I will kill you. All of you."

„Again, I don´t think this is gonna happen." Bennet spoke up again. „Peter. Would you have a look at the valve to your right? That´s the wheel at the hose over there."

Peter turned around and found what the Company man was talking about. „What about it?" he asked.

But instead of Bennet´s voice, they heard Gus´ excited cry, explaining to them: „You need to open it. That´ll release the pressure from the primary tank and …"

„Would you mind, please?" Bennet interrupted him calmly.

There was a small pause. „Oh, yes, of course." Gus replied humbly. „I´m sorry. Please go on."

„He´s right." Bennet went on. „The plant´s second manager told us that this is the only way to keep the tank from exploding." Peter was in the process of grabbing the wheel and turn it, when Bennet hurried to add: „But that means the room you are in will be flooded with the toxic gas."

Peter halted an inch before his hands actually touched the wheel.

„Then what …?" he asked.

„Remember the tests we made?" Bennet asked him and Peter turned around to the camera. He needed a moment to catch up with Noah´s idea but then he understood. His gaze searched the floating Nobody and a smile appeared on his face.

„Sure." he said. „I remember."

„Then I suggest you get the hell out of there." Bennet said.

„But you heard what he said." Peter recalled. „As soon as he lets him down, he´ll smash the door."

„No, he won´t." Sylar answered before Noah or anyone else could give a response. „Because I won´t let him down."

Peter and Mohinder stared at the killer in surprise. So did Nobody. So did everyone who was watching this.

„Are you sure about this?" Peter asked.

Sylar just smiled at him. „Leave the room, Peter." was all he said and faced Nobody again, who looked down to him with a dark gaze. „I hold him."

Peter exchanged a glance with Mohinder. The geneticist seemed as uncomfortable with that idea as he was. But Sylar was right. This was the only way to do this. And the safest way for that matter. Sylar would survive this no matter how unpleasant it would be. And it was his decision.

„All right." he then said and padded Sylar´s shoulder.

The killer nodded at him and at Mohinder and then he faced Nobody again, who´d started to rage like the madman that he was, desperately trying to get free and out of this invisible grip. Unsuccessfully. All his strength was useless against something that he couldn´t grab. Sylar knew that. As soon as Peter and Mohinder were out of the room and the door safely closed behind them, he went over to the valve and started to turn the wheel.

„So it´s once again only you and me." he said. „How ironic, huh?"

„Don´t do that." Nobody cried. „You don´t have to listen to them. We can still rule the world. Together. We´re one of a kind, Sylar. These insects out there should fear our wrath."

Sylar threw a sharp glance up at Nobody. „We´re not of the same kind." he let him know. „And if you don´t want me to kill you right away, you better not talk like that about my friends."

„You tell him, dude." Shawn cheered over the loudspeaker and made them both look around startled.

„They´re not your friends." Nobody replied as if this was the most stupid thing he´d ever heard. „They´re simply using you. Why do you think they just left you in here with me?"

Sylar didn´t give a response anymore. He just kept turning the wheel. A sizzling sound came out of the valve and after a few more turns, the air it released became white. Gas started to fill the room. Sylar skipped back from the hose to not to get the full blast all at once. He had to stay conscious until Nobody was out after all.

„You think you´re one of them?" Nobody asked him now. „You´re not. They will never accept you. They use you to get me but as soon as you turn your back on them, they´ll stab you. For them you´re nothing but a monster. A thing that needs to be exterminated. Think about it. If we stick together they can´t do anything. Nothing could ever stop us."

„You are pathetic." Sylar replied when the other one finally stopped talking for a moment. „Now that you´ve lost you beg for my help."

„I´m just telling you what will happen as soon as this is over." Nobody insisted. „They will lock you up just like me. You´re none of them, Sylar. Don´t be their puppy. Don´t jump through their hoops."

„I´m not jumping for them. I do this because I want this. You are insane."

„But so are you. I only did all this because you did it before me."

„No."

„You were my teacher." Nobody insisted. „You made me."

„No." Sylar shouted. „You made yourself into what you are. I had nothing to do with this."

„You can´t just deny your responsibility." Nobody said and his voice was almost gentle as if he spoke to a stubborn kid.

„I don´t." Sylar replied. „I´m here, aint I? I´m taking care of you, so you won´t do any of this ever again."

„Then do it. Take care of me. But don´t do it the way they want it. Do it the way you were born for. Your way. Kill me. You know you want it. That is the way this is supposte to end and you know that. Come on. Do it. My head is right here."

Sylar looked up at this madman and was confused. More than confused. His head was spinning and his heart was racing. Not so much because of the heated argument he had allowed this man to drag him into. And it wasn´t the gas either. This man was helpless right now, totally at his mercy. All he needed to do was reaching out his hand and take what he had. A power that he surely didn´t deserve. It would be so easy.

Nobody saw the change in his face and smiled. He nodded and even waved his hands in an inviting manner.

„Impenetrable skin. Superstrength." he started to itemize. „All powers of a god. That´s what you always wanted, right? Powers. They are all yours. I´ll be forever a part of you. Just take it."

There were hard knocks on the door and the voices of Peter and Mohinder shouting for him not to.

„Don´t listen to him." Peter shouted.

„Don´t do it." Mohinder supported the urging call.

„Gabriel!"

„Sylar!"

„Don´t listen to them!" Nobody shouted to drown them out and Sylar´s attention was back on him. „They don´t understand this. This is between us."

„No, it´s not." Noah Bennet spoke out of the loudspeaker. „Sylar. Remember your promise."

„Right." Shawn´s voice cried supportive. Only that this time his voice sounded shrill and not a bit helpful or amusing anymore. All his words he said to remind Sylar that Nobody was a liar that only tried to manipulate him, went into Sylar´s ears as painfully as hot nails. He surely only wanted to help but in this moment his voice was excruciating. At last Sylar couldn´t stand it anymore and reached out a hand, crushing the loudspeaker.

He took a breath, grateful that this disturbance was over. His perception was clouded by now. The gas was filling the room and made him dizzy. It became harder to breath with every second that went by. But even with the loudspeaker gone he could still hear the hits against the door and the muffled voices of his friends outside. His friends, it echoed in his head. But were they his friends? What Nobody had said was echoing in his mind as well, stronger now. Painfully.

They are not your friends. For them you´re nothing but a monster. A thing that needs to be exterminated.

But no. That wasn´t true. They were his friends. If he only could understand their words. It was as if the distance had gotten farther. Was that possible?

„They´ll never understand you." Nobody told him and his voice was as clear and close to him as always. „They´ll never see anything but a monster in you." he spoke into him, repeating those merciless thoughts once again. „So show them. Prove that they are right. Be the monster they want to see in you. Take my powers and be invincible." Nobody coughed and for a moment his confidence flickered. „Hurry, before the gas gets too strong." he urged.

Sylar stared up at him and he could hear the blood rush in his ears. There he was. Helpless and at his mercy and practically begging for him to raise his finger and kill him. Take his powers. It was so easy. He was right, no one would be able to stop him. Not if he had what this man had.

And it was true. He was a monster, just the way people always saw him. Who was he kidding by thinking that this could ever change. If Mohinder would be able to believe that, he wouldn´t have tried to restore only half of his memories. He´d tried to keep the monster asleep. But he´d failed. The monster had woken up again and now he was here. Back to his old self. Sylar. The monster.

„Come on!" Nobody shouted, losing his patience. „Do it. Kill me."

Sylar raised his hand and Nobody´s eyes started to glow in excitement when he saw this. He nodded at him, encouraging him to do it, to go for it. To take everything that he had in his brain. He even lowered his head for him to make it easier. He looked like a man that was waiting to be knighted by his king.

There were still the knocks on the door and the muffled sounds from outside. They were still trying to stop him. Still trying to stop the monster. He could hear their voices like he heard a white noise somewhere in the background. Nobody on the other hand was close. He was right here with him and he was eager to let him kill him. The man that had murdered in his name, the way he had murdered all these years, just to please him. And now he begged him to kill him, so he could be a part of him. Forever.

„You know what?" Sylar spoke up and had to cough when his throat was burning under the toxic gas. Nobody looked at him expectedly and Sylar smiled. „I don´t think that I want to have anything to do with what is in that head of yours." he said.

Nobody´s smile was gone in an instant and he stared at him with new rage and fury. So quickly they forget the loyalty to their king, Sylar thought and had to laugh.

When he saw that Sylar laughed about him, Nobody got furious again, if that was possible even more than he´d been before. He struggled, kicked and hit out, trying to get free at last but none of this would help. His rage only made the gas flood his lungs even faster and soon he was coughing as if he was suffering from a chain smoker´s lung.

Sylar watched him get weaker and weaker, coughing against the gas himself and just a moment before Nobody had to give in to the poisonous gas, Sylar was at the end of his strength himself. His head swirled like a spintop and then his vision blackened. He dropped to the ground and so did Nobody.

The killer without a name tried to stand up and walk to the door. But his system was overpowered by now as well. Only two steps before he actually reached the door, he broke down and didn´t move anymore.