Day 32: Cafeteria, Breakfast

[darwinism]

Sylar's gears were still turning as the nurse and a burly orderly escorted him down long halls and through a strange, sunlit room. He'd been forced to drop his pen when the orderly had seen it, and since then, he'd realized that this place had better security than he'd originally anticipated, as well as a large population of patients. It looked like he'd have to bide his time for now, pretending to be this 'Zachary Blaine' and trying to figure out how the hell he'd gotten here.

His mind went over and over the events in Mohinder's lab, tracing every second that led up to his unconsciousness. According to the computer logs and the decked-out loft, Mohinder was working for the Company now, so had that woman with the electricity been an operative? Was this all a Company front? Even so, it didn't make sense for them to drop him off somewhere without any close supervision. They knew how dangerous he was. How special he was.

But right now, his abilities had been nullified and he was left only with the option of playing along. It was a very good thing that it was something he excelled at, even with his sudden loss of the cure clouding his thoughts and telling him to do something drastic.

Still, it was fun to take ahold of strings and let someone think they were pulling him when in fact he was the puppetmaster. Who knew? Maybe he could find a new toy now that his last one had worn out.

Sylar took his syrup-covered waffle to a table and tried to keep track of both the security and the people flooding in. Soon, he'd find an opening, a weak link he could exploit. It was only a matter of time.

Comments

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

"No... just one, but I've made lots of friends," Miku replied absently, her attentions turning to Sousuke. Where was he? Why hadn't she seen him come in yet? It was beginning to worry her. "Even if I prefer it wasn't anyone, I'd rather not worry my friends here."

It wasn't to say she didn't have her own preference for travel, but that was neither here nor there. When she had the Camera again, then she could take care of herself. Maybe some of the ghosts would help her. She flickered her eyes back up to him and returned his slightly confused look. "Yes?"

[thehellismycar.livejournal.com]

"You ever find yourself in trouble, you come to me first."

For a friendly offer, even Dean could admit it wasn't that friendly. His words were swiftly spoken and he appeared to be spitting the sentence from his mouth more than anything else, like he feared the nature of his demand would change or his will to simply grant it would fade.

Perhaps it was too abrupt to be genuine. For what it was worth, he'd replaced his previous glare with a hardened, pleading kind of look. He was no good at gaining trust from others when in this temperament, and he knew it, but it still frustrated him when they chose to refuse his help. He was being deliberately obstinate because lately his patience just wasn't enough to carry him through those heart-to-heart discussions, so it was the only thing he could think of to intimidate people into listening when he had something to say.

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

Miku smiled at him, bright and warming, relieved that it wasn't something off the wall. Well, no more off the wall than what was the norm now. Besides, his words sounded earnest if his tone wasn't quite. Miku had enough faith in people still, to remember that fact. "If you don't mind being second, Sagara-san usually knows what happens to me first."

She was even beginning to get used to that too.

[thehellismycar.livejournal.com]

"Who?" he inquired almost immediately, but a short breath prior to the response created a sensible break in proceedings.

Although Dean wouldn't confess as much, her answer was basically the closest to faultless as it was gonna get. His body visibly relaxed, features no longer blank or resolute but revealing a general interest in the girl he was addressing. He hastily stole a bite of the meal in front of him, sights darting straight back up to maintain a level of eye contact with Miku. He was keen to sustain reasonable poise during their first meeting. Wasn't inclined to have her faith in him be shot to pieces, after all.

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

"He calls himself my bodyguard. But..." she looked down and felt the strange prickle in her chest. "It was a little weird, before, but he promised to protect me." And she still couldn't see him. Her chest squeezed painfully.

Had she woken before the rest of them? Maybe the bird... the virgin-bird really had. Miku kept her face cheerful, turning the conversation away from herself. "What about you? Where... when are you from?" Sometimes, that question just seemed more steady. Miku was beginning to wonder if everyone was from the far-flung future or the distant past.

[thehellismycar.livejournal.com]

"Well, that's what bodyguards do," he responded matter-of-factly. He didn't really pick up a trace of uncertainty in her reply, though he did notice her unusual choice in words, and it piqued his curiosity. "... 'A little weird'?" he echoed, raising both eyebrows.

She was trying to keep her end of the conversation; he'd give her that. A small smile twitched on his lips.

"Beginning o' the twenty-first century." He started sawing his bacon, halting to pop a strawberry into his mouth. Though he didn't exactly yearn for the conversation's current topic to drift toward rifts in time, he played along; the change in subject wasn't quite capable of removing his pleasantly bored expression. Once he'd finished making a show of chewing and swallowing the unexpectedly delicious fruit, he spoke again. "You?"

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

"Showa sixty-three," Miku answered immediately. "I mean, 1988," she looked at him in awe. So many people from the future, where she would likely be an old lady, unless there was some kind of miracle and she ran away with Ritsuka and Alfons to somewhere safe.

"But Sagara-san... I mean it when I say it was a little weird. He just offered himself up a few days ago." Miku touched the tines of her plastic fork to her lower lip, thinking. "I don't regret agreeing, though. He's a good person." A lot of people here were. She was lucky, really, that he hadn't done much more than embarrass the two of them. There were evil people here too, and sometimes Miku knew she forgot that. She had hope for everyone, after all. More than enough to share, even enough hope to fill thirty Lusts.