Exploration

"All right." Lassiter stated as soon as the bags sat on the floor, looking around the suite like a commander that was in the process of situating his base. "We can built up the commando poste in that corner." he decided. "We use the folding screen to cover it from curious hotel staff that comes in uninvited. O´Hara …"

"We can just hang the Do Not Disturb sign out." Juliet mentioned, but only got a snort from Lassiter for that.

"And you think that´s enough?" he asked. "Some Esmeralda always overlooks it on purpose and comes in right when you leave the shower. Never really bought any of these apologies."

"O-kay." Juliet replied, not alone with her confusion about this outpour of her partner. Even Bennet seemed uncertain for a moment.

Shawn threw a look around the place. It was a big suite indeed. The Chandla Plaza´s one and only honeymoon suite. It was impressive and without any doubt a great place to have a party and Shawn still believed it would have been better if he had walked up to the reception with Jules in his arm, playing the happy bride. But now that they were up here, Lassiter and Bennet busily fiddling with the equipment the Company man had brought along, he could think of nothing but to get out of here again. Out to explore the hotel.

"Seems you guys have everything covered in here." he spoke up, already retrieving to the door. "Gus and I will have a look around the hotel, while you build up all this stuff."

"Yeah, you do that." Lassiter agreed, only too glad to get them out of his way for a while. "But remember to keep a low profile, you understand?"

"Lassie." Shawn put on his best insulted face. "Remember who you´re talking to."

"That´s why I said it."

Shawn´s false mask of hurt pride vanished, replaced by a confused frown.

"Just try not to raise any suspicions." Juliet said. "We´ll never be able to get to the hostages when they realize who we are."

"Don´t worry, Jules." Shawn smiled at her reassuringly. "We´ll be as stealth as a … what are these airplanes called, that the military uses? You know the ones that are so stealth-like."

"Stealth fighters?" Gus offered the name.

"Yeah, these. What are they called?"

"They´re called stealth fighters, Shawn."

"Please." Shawn chuckled. "If you don´t know it for sure, then don´t make up names."

Gus rolled his eyes, shaking his head just like Juliet. "Don´t worry, Juliet." he said. "They won´t notice that we´re here. Don´t forget who he´s with on this mission."

"Oh, no." Shawn groaned. "Please, don´t say it."

"The Jackal." Gus spoke it out, sinking down a little in his place, as if the Jackal was a smaller while much more powerful version of him.

He skillfully ignored Shawn´s exasperated groan and moved over to the door on stealthy soles. After he´d checked the perimeter outside, he gave his partner a signal and slipped through the tiny crack, out into the corridor.

Shawn rolled his eyes to meet Juliet´s gaze.

"We´ll be back soon." he told her and opened the door to its full extent, to follow Gus outside.

...

"I could still come with you." Molly insisted. "I could …"

"No." Mohinder was firm but strict about his answer. He would not allow her to come anywhere near those people, who had already killed two of the people close to him.

"But what if they move them away?" Molly kept arguing. "And you wouldn´t know it."

"I have your phone number." Mohinder replied. "And you have mine. If that should happen you can tell us. You can do that from here. No need for you to be there. We don´t know what will happen."

Her arguments faltered after this and all she could do was looking at him, trying not to cry again. Dammit she was too old to cry.

"Promise you´ll be careful." she begged.

He promised and gently stroke her back when she fell into his arms.

"You know if you would share what you can do with Sylar, he could see when they´re moved right there and we would save a lot of time." he mentioned.

He had no idea where that thought had come from all the sudden, but the reaction it caused was unmistakable. Molly immediately skipped back from him, almost as if he´d burned her, staring at him in shock.

"How can you even say that?" she cried. "This is Sylar."

"He wouldn´t hurt you." Mohinder stated, startled. "I´ve seen him do that with other people, he doesn´t even …"

"It´s not about that." Molly shouted and when she spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper. "He´s a murderer. If he would have my ability he could find everyone he wants to find. Every person with an ability. He would start killing again."

For a moment Mohinder was just taken aback.

"Is this why you won´t let him come near you?" he asked. "I thought it´s just … He´s not … I mean …"

"He killed my parents." she recalled and even though her voice was even, the meaning behind it was impossible to overhear. "You didn´t think I could ever forget that."

Mohinder swallowed. Of course not. Of course he hadn´t expected her to forget that. How could he? He hadn´t forgotten either. How could he ever? But still. His case was different from hers, even though her words sounded so familiar.

"I thought so too." he said, wanting her to see that he did understand her. That he´d always understand her. "But … Sylar´s changed." he emphasized nonetheless. "You see, I never thought I could ever forgive this man for what he´s done but … somehow I could. All right?" He chuckled. "Not even I understand how this happened. And if I´d think about this too much, I´d probably go crazy. I don´t expect you to understand that right away but …"

"It´s not that." Molly said with a shaking sigh, her face looking so much more adult and grown up in this moment, than Mohinder had ever expected to see. "I know he means it." she told him. "I believe he does. But that doesn´t mean that this will last. The Boogeyman doesn´t just stop being the Boogeyman. It´s his nature to kill. And one day he´ll feel that urge again and then nothing will be able to stop him. Not even you. And when that happens, I don´t want him to be able to find his victims just by thinking of them." She looked at him with a grim determination in her eyes, that almost scared Mohinder. "I would never give him my ability." she whispered.

"It´s all right." Mohinder finally managed it to speak again. "You don´t have to."

"Please, promise me to be careful when you´re alone with him." she said, her voice quavering with fear. "I´m not convinced that he won´t try to kill you one day."

"Molly."

"Promise not to trust him." she repeated

Mohinder looked down to her and just didn´t know what to say. His parental instincts wanted him to agree with her, to say everything, promise her everything she wanted, only to make her feel all right again, just the way she was supposed to feel. But making that promise was impossible without betraying something else. So he didn´t say anything.

It was Sylar who saved him from having to say anything.

"Mohinder?" he called from the door. "Are you ready?"

"I´m right there." the geneticist answered, smoothing Molly´s hair one last time to let her know that everything would be all right in the end. It just had to be.

"Everything okay?" Sylar asked him when he joined him in the hallway.

Mohinder´s first answer was a lie and they both knew it.

"No." he corrected himself, dropping the false facade. "I don´t see how it could be okay."

"I know." Sylar lay a hand on his shoulder. "Don´t worry. We´ll find out what happened. And we´ll find the people who did it."

A silent agreement was all Mohinder could muster, right now. That and the question:

"You know where to go?"

"I looked it up at google earth." Sylar nodded. "As long as there´s a dark corner, we can get there."

...

Shawn watched how Gus snuck along the wall, feeling a nagging repulse in his guts. Not because of Gus and his Jackal performance but because of the elevator he headed for. The thought to get into it again, made his stomach tighten. Earlier when they´d been all together, the bags punching against their knees and legs, it had been one thing. But now …

"You know, maybe we should take the stairs." he suggested when Gus pushed the button to call the car. His friend, finally forgetting to move sneaky, frowned at him.

"Why that?"

"You know … just …" Shawn shrugged. "To see if we can see something."

"In the staircase?"

"Sure. You think we´ll see any more in there?" he pointed at the steel doors of the elevator and as if it was a mouth that tried to seduce him into jumping in, the doors went open. Shawn had to collect all his willpower to not to jump backwards at the sight and to reduce it to a reluctant half step. "See?" he pointed inside. "That´s just a … small … cabin. Four walls and a ceiling. Nothing interesting we could find in there."

"Shawn."

"It´s not really anything …"

"Shawn. What is all this about? You´ve been uncomfortable in there all along. So far I ignored it but this … What´s the matter? Is anything wrong with you?"

"No." Shawn claimed. "It´s just … that stupid music they´re playing in there. It hurts my taste for good rhythm. I mean honestly."

Gus arched an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"Would you call that music?" Shawn insisted, totally convincing. "I mean for real? It´s just an insult for good taste."

"You´re acting ridiculous." Gus entered the elevator, giving Shawn a demanding gaze. "I am not walking down 18 stories just because you don´t like the music." he told him. "Get the hell in here."

Shawn wavered but there was just nothing else he could say, so he obeyed and stepped in. Gus pushed the button for the lobby and the doors closed. In an instant Shawn felt the walls around him even more than before and he had to make himself stand still, so he wouldn´t crouch down like a stupid kid.

Next to him Gus was shaking his head but only until he noticed the sweat on Shawn´s temple. Shawn wanted to smile, to make a ridiculous comment about the music again, anything to distract his friend from what was really on his mind. But all he could hear was that rushing and somehow gurgling sound the elevator made while driving down this tiny and incredibly long shaft. It seemed to increase, to come closer and this time his efforts not to crouch failed.

Gus frowned, said his name but Shawn barely heard him. All he heard was that rushing sound that came closer and closer, until he could hear it washing through his mind.

His hand snapped forward and started to push buttons totally randomly, making them all glow one after the other. Finally – finally the car stopped and the doors opened, giving him free at last. Shawn didn´t wait for Gus to wonder what was going on, he needed to get out. Out of this tightness in there, away from that sound of running water, that was no water at all. But knowing that didn´t help. Not a bit. He supported himself against the wall and tried to steady his breathing.

"Okay, Shawn." Gus appeared beside him. "This is not about the music. What is it?"

His gaze was so demanding and yet so sympathizing, that Shawn had no chance to think of anything else to tell him but the truth.

"Dr. Terrance would call it a … what? Post traumatic reaction?" he wasn´t sure if the term was correct but Gus seemed to understand him anyway. "Has something to do with a small room down in that bunker." Shawn told him vaguely. "A room with very little space … and a whole lot of water."

"Does your psychiatrist know about this?" Gus wanted to know.

"She´s not my psychiatrist, Gus. She´s a therapist, the Company assigned for me, Lassie and Bennet. I only go there to not to be rude."

"So you didn´t tell her?"

"Why should I do that? She can´t change a thing about what happened."

"But she could help you cope with it."

"I doubt that."

"Shawn."

"Don´t worry. I´m fine. I just … really would prefer the stairs. At least for now."

Gus took a deep breath, unable to control his own shaking.

"Okay." he said, giving in at last.

So they took the stairs and even though they didn´t see any more on that way than they would have if they´d ridden the elevator, Shawn felt a whole lot better when they at last reached the ground floor.

Gus peeked out through the door, into the hallway, again halfway back to his Jackal, the infinite secret spy. This time Shawn didn´t roll his eyes. He was grateful for it. At least it would keep Gus from asking about his condition again. If he was lucky, he would never have to talk about it, ever again.

"Coast´s clear." Gus whispered but Shawn´s attention was already drawn to something else. Another door. One that lay totally unobtrusively in the dark of the staircase. But this unobtrusiveness only made it more interesting in Shawn´s mind. He tried the handle but found it locked.

"Isn´t that strange that they keep a door locked in here?"

"Not if they don´t want any lost guest to go through it." Gus replied, absolutely reasonable.

"And why wouldn´t they want this to happen?" Shawn asked. "What do they have to hide?" He looked around again, and then he just knew the answer. "There are no stairs leading down to the cellar. And in the elevators there was no button for a cellar either. But we know that the hostages are in the cellar."

"You mean this door could lead down there?" Gus understood. "You have any idea what the odds are for that door being the one we´re looking for?"

"Just one way to find out." Shawn threw him a poking gaze and his friend understood.

"Watch the door." he demanded and Shawn was only too happy to comply.

He watched Gus reaching into his pocket and getting out a small tool that looked suspiciously like a lock pick. Within seconds it was in the lock, searching its way through the mechanics that held the door close.

"Dude, you can´t tell me you didn´t expect anything like that to happen." Shawn whispered.

"Always be prepared, Shawn." was all Gus would reply. Barely a minute later there was a snapping sound coming from the door. Gus pushed the handle down and it swung open as if it had never been locked.

"Dude, this is great." Shawn exclaimed, holding out his fist.

"I know." Gus replied, bumping it.

"Let´s get down there."

"Wait, shouldn´t we call Lassie and Jules?"

"Just a quick look, Gus." Shawn insisted and went through the door.

The small hallway behind it gave way to a corner, after only a few steps. Behind it there was nothing but another wall, with two steel doors.

"An elevator." Gus spoke in surprise.

"That´s … weird." Shawn agreed and tried to call the car. The button he pushed glowed red but the doors didn´t open.

"Access denied." Gus read off it and when Shawn bowed down to have a better look, he could make out the words as well.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" he wondered.

Next to him Gus snapped his fingers. "I know what this is." he cried excited. "It´s a thumb print scanner."

"Seriously? Like in these high security government buildings?"

"Exactly." Gus looked at the button with a serious glare. "One thing´s for sure. They don´t want anyone in that elevator, that´s not supposed to be in there."

Shawn was about to comment on this dramatic speech, but a third voice interrupted him.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" the security man asked, making them both flinch and swirl around.

"Erm … yeah." Shawn managed to answer. "Actually you could. We´re looking for the snack bar but we seemed to have kinda lost the way. Is this the vending machine?" he pointed at the elevator.

The security man didn´t answer his question.

Barely a minute later the two of them found themselves in the lobby, facing a grim looking man, in suit and tie. He didn´t wear a name tag like most of the other hotel staff members, so Shawn assumed that they were facing the big boss himself.

"I found these two in the staircase, Mr. Emmerson." the guard reported. "In the back."

Emmerson regarded them with mild but unmistakable interest. "How did they get through the door?" he demanded to know.

Shawn pointed behind himself. "Oh, that door back there? That was wide open. We were wondering about that ourselves. If that was not supposed to be like that, you should improve your security staff."

"The security staff you see here, was trained by the FBI, CIA and ATF." the hotel manager told them.

Shawn skipped back a little, intimidated. "I see."

"Right now we´re hosting over three dozen senators, secretaries and governors from all over the country." Emmerson went on. "You may believe me when I tell you, the security is a top priority at the moment. And this is also the reason why I can´t allow people who are not guests of this hotel, to walk around here as long as they don´t have a good reason to be here."

"How do you want to know we´re not guests?" Shawn dared the manager but failed to fool him.

"I´ve been monitoring all new arrivals these last three days myself." Emmerson told him. "You were not among them."

"We came here last week." Shawn tried it again but Emmerson only smiled.

"No, you didn´t." "How do you wanna know?"

The only answer they got was a meaningful derogative look.

"Wha …" Shawn closed his mouth. "Okay, this … is insulting." he stated. "This is the best cowhide you can buy on the market these days."

"Shawn." Gus spoke up quietly but Shawn would not let this pass.

"It´s from the belly." he insisted.

"I would appreciate it when you would leave quietly." Emmerson said. "Please, don´t make me escort you out."

"It´s all right." Gus said. "We understood. We didn´t mean to make any trouble." He took Shawn´s arm and urged him forward. The eyes of the manager remained on them until they were outside, on the street.

"That was great." Gus cursed as soon as they were out of his sight, walking down the street. "And now?"

Shawn tapped him on the shoulder, making him stop at a small allay that led around the hotel.

"Come on." he said. „We sneak back in through the garage. It´s on the other side, come on."

Gus didn´t say a word, just sighed and followed.

...

In a dark corner, created by a container with a heap of old fruit boxes on top of it, something started to move in the shadow, only a minute after Shawn and Gus had passed it. The subtle movement, first nothing more than a shifting of absent light and darkness, became stronger, somehow more organic and in the end it started to collect the darkness, around the one point in that corner, that had been the darkest of it all from the beginning. It moved, gathered the shadow closer around that spot, forming it, widening its space until it was big enough – and even more important, dark enough – for two people to step out of it.

Sylar let go of Mohinder´s hand and looked around. Not the best place to land but one had to be modest. He only wished it could have been a place less … well, dirty.

"And now?" Mohinder asked. "Where to?"

Instead of giving an answer he didn´t have, Sylar took his cell phone out and dialed Shawn´s number.

...

Shawn didn´t flinch when his cell phone started to ring but Gus did. He frantically looked around, probably afraid that the security guards of the hotel would spot them while they tried to sneak back in. Shawn took his cell out and checked the caller ID.

"It´s Sylar." he found and was in the process of answering when Gus´ hand snapped forward.

"It´s who?" he hissed.

"Sylar."

"You have Sylar in your memory?" Gus looked at the display in disbelieve and there it was. Sylar. "Oh my god." he cried. "Are you insane?"

The phone kept ringing. "Well, he calls occasionally." Shawn hissed impatiently. "What am I supposed to do? Wonder who calls me, every time it rings?"

"That´s not what I meant." Gus argued. "He´s a murderer, Shawn."

"Not anymore."

Shawn tried to answer but Gus forced his arm down, once again.

"How do you want to know?" he whispered. "He might have killed someone ten minutes ago. How would you possibly know?"

"Well, if he had killed someone ten minutes ago, he would not call me right now, would he?"

"Shawn."

...

Sylar shook his head and took the cell phone down, disconnecting the line.

"He doesn´t answer."

Next to him Mohinder frowned.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered, listening to some distant sounds, somewhere at the end of the allay. Voices, Sylar realized. Two of them. Someone was arguing right around the corner. Was it possible …?

Of course it was.

...

"Great." Shawn looked down on his now silent cell phone. "Now I need to call him back to know what he wanted."

"No, you won´t." Gus demanded but this time Shawn avoided to be grabbed again.

"Of course, I will." he stated. "He´ll probably want to know where we are, to meet up with us."

"What?"

"Didn´t I mention this? He and Suresh are joining us on this mission."

"They what?" Gus was almost shrieking now. "Shawn."

Shawn pushed a button on his phone and held it to his ear, listening.

"You even have him in speed dial?" Gus cried in shock.

Shawn had the first tone in his ear that told him it was ringing on the other end … and froze when the sound of a clear and very close cell phone came from right behind them. He glanced over to his friend and Gus was frozen solid, barely daring to move his head in order to look at him, not to mention from turning around.

The ringing echoed one more time in that dark allay, that seemed so creepily silent all the sudden, and then it stopped. Just like this. Shawn looked at his display and saw that the line had been disconnected.

There were footsteps behind them. Shawn glanced at a sweating and shivering Gus beside him and slowly the two of them turned around, meeting Sylar´s dark eyes, hovering over them. Not even Shawn could stop his natural reaction to this sight. When Gus jumped, he jumped and when Gus started to scream, he joined him.

Next to Sylar, Mohinder flinched at the sudden noise, cursing under his breath.

"My god, calm down, you two." he hissed at them.

"I slap you, Shawn." Gus cried, his heart still thudding like a forge hammer.

"What? What did I do? I didn´t tell him to sneak up on us."

"But you told him where to find us."

"Technically it was the GPS-girl who told them." Shawn argued. "They already knew where we would go."

"You could have told me that they would come." Gus managed it to get himself under control again, smiling a polite smile at the man that was not a killer out of the two of them. "I´m sorry." he apologized to Mohinder. "But I don´t appreciate it when people sneak up on me. Especially people who are known to kill other people." with that he glanced at Sylar.

"Dude."

"It´s a fact, Shawn."

Sylar was still smiling, chuckling quietly. "I´m sorry, Gus." he spoke at last. "You´re right. I´ll try not to do it again."

The words, even though meant to sooth, had the exact opposite effect on Gus, making him freeze face to face with this killer. The fact that Sylar didn´t even blink or seemed to intent to break that spell, didn´t help either.

Shawn frowned, looking back and forth between them, not quiet sure which one of them irritated him more. And then Suresh bumped his elbow into Sylar´s arm and everything just stopped.

"Stop this already." he demanded and Sylar lowered his gaze, still smiling widely.

Gus started to breath again.