Iteratio ││Sylar & Noah
Co-written with bagging-and-tagging
Word count: 2066
Both Peter and Angela are NPC's
It was bright and the smell of plastic lingered in the air. The facility was new, as well as the company’s so called ideals. Or so they say. Sylar strolled through the door of the office and casted one last look to Angela as he made his way to where Peter and Noah were seated. He flashed a small smile towards his wannabe friend and just stared coldly at Noah while he sat. Behind him Angela followed suit.
“Speak.” He said to anyone in particular without any preamble.
The room was silent for a minute as Sylar looked to Noah, him to Angela, and her in a final turn to Peter. He cleared his throat. "Okay. We're all here because Sylar's redemption is still in question-" Noah took a deep breath and Peter paused briefly. "So there will be ground rules. Kind of. Obviously the first is that Sylar and Noah are going to be partners... again." He looked between them anxiously, waiting for argument.
Oh Peter. Sylar wanted to snort. Yes he was at a turning point in his life but, he thought Peter was most on the 'I believe in you' side that anyone else. He lowered his eyes. Angela remained in her seat statuesque like but narrowed his eyes at Sylar when he didn’t say anything immediately. After a lengthy couple of seconds though, Sylar shifted in his seat and spoke, Angela's request still ringing loudly in his ears. "I don't want a one sided partnership like before so no, this is not a do-over situation Peter, either Noah treats me like a real partner or I am outta here."
Noah opened his mouth but Peter jumped in first. "Of course," he enunciated firmly and Noah knew that was for him. He could have rolled his eyes. Instead, he refrained. "Everything in this agreement will keep us all equals. Agreed?" Noah leaned forward slightly, looking to Peter instead of Sylar. "He's inexperienced, arrogant, and an 'ex' serial killer. He has to earn it." He looked to Sylar now, eyes hard and not up for negotiation. "Probation."
Sylar just nodded at Peter. Frankly he was kind of looking forward for a reaction from Noah and he of course did not make himself wait.“I am not an ex convict.” Sylar droned having heard Noah’s words. “And I am not doing community service. And last time I checked this inexperienced and arrogant fellow saved your ass. Remember Jessie and Knox?”
“Sylar.” Angela warned from behind him.
“What?” Sylar glared at her, then he directed his glare toward Noah. “If it wasn’t for me you would be six feet underground and sporting a nice hole in your chest.”
"And if it wasn't for your lack of control Jesse would be back in Level 5 instead of dead," noah quipped back tightly.
"Guys," Peter warned.
"No I'm not done," the Company man said, leaning forward more, pointing a finger across to Sylar. "You're not a convict only because Angela's wiped you record clean, thinking you're going to be a model agent-"
"Noah."
"-but even when you were supposed to take orders, you made a mess. I said it before, I'll say it again: you have to prove yourself. You haven't."
"Noah," Peter said irritably.
He settled back. "I'm done."
Peter ran a hand through his hair. "Can we agree on one thing? Please?"
Sylar growled deep in his throat. It wasn’t his fault, not entirely that is; he was driven by the hunger but of course Noah always seemed to always forget that, even when it was him the one who stirred it in the first place. “Jesse was crazy; he would have ended killing someone innocent anyway.”
Sylar gave Peter a snide look. Shut up. He said with just his eyes.
Then he expelled a harsh laugh. “You are the wrong guy to be talking about model agents, Noah. You are nothing but a marionette, letting people influence you for whatever thing they are seeking and you just do it, without even thinking on the consequences your family are left to suffer, because daddy couldn’t be there. Tell me Noah how is Sandra? Found a better ‘model agent’ that could actually stay at home?”
Noah was practically seething. He was well aware of any manipulation he went under, aware of the benefits and negatives. He did, however, shoot up out of his chair at word of his ex-wife. Sylar had ruined their last chance at reconciliation and Noah would be damned if he let the smug prick talk about them. "You son of a bitch!" He growled.
"Noah!" Peter jumped up too, grabbing his arm, trying to metaphorically and likely literally reel him in.
"You don't get to speak a word about her, you bastard," he seethed, hands clenched at his sides, itching to Taser him.
Peter ignored Sylar's earlier look to glare at him now, hoping he could catch on and cut it out. This tension wasn't something they needed, not if Sylar was going to have a decent shot at a future. Peter could only help his best friend so far - the rest he had to do himself. "Calm down. Everyone."
Sylar permitted himself a look of pure smugness take over his features as the bullet was received. Noah never ceased to amuse him, however and he shoot up from his chair, Sylar stood up too; hands at his side, fingers prickling with the promise of a telekinetic assault.
But Peter was quick to act too, putting a lid to the effervescent temper of his friend. Sylar looked down at Peter scolding face.
Angela cut in, still seated and looking mildly unimpressed. She sighed. “Gentlemen, please seat.” Sylar obeyed sulkily. “We are not going anywhere with this sparring session. Noah, Sylar will receive the treatment that any new aspirant does.” Sylar’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth but Angela cut him in again. “And Sylar, I will make sure that Noah doesn’t step on your tail. We are all adults so let’s act accordingly.”
Noah sat at Angela's words, more than a little annoyed but knowing when to pick his battles. Now wasn't time to lung across the table and attack Sylar, as much as he wanted to. The pathetic truth of it was that he couldn't fight against the man being his partner.
It was the best of all options, really; he was someone they could trust to say if anything went wrong and it was an easy way for him - and by extent eventually Angela - to keep an eye on Sylar. So, picking a fight now would be... unfortunate.
"Okay," Peter repeated, back in his chair too, looking tired but still determined.
"What's next?" Noah asked promptly, and slightly impatiently, glancing between Angela and Peter.
The ex serial killer swallowed his pride, at least for the time being. He knew he needed to show how much he had changed for the others to start trusting him, but the task was so much harder to accomplish with Noah Bennet present. The man had a way of drawing only the worst in him, no wonder he had been the one to bring to light his demonic side.
Angela’s shoulders sagged, apparently the men in the room did not were the only ones tired and frustrated with the situation. But of course Angela had a more subdued---controlled way of showing it out. “You both are going to be assigned as first team, meaning you get the cases that need immediate solution; cases that are going to be dealt with the utmost discretion possible.”
“Is not a secret that we—" Angela nodded at her son. "—want to draw the less attention possible to ourselves. After Claire’s jump, all the eyes are upon us. One little mistake—" She glanced at Sylar and then at Noah pointedly. "—and national security will make a feast of us.”
Sylar wanted to roll his eyes but settled for a half smirk. At least he was not the only one being scolded.
“For you duty you would be assigned a company car,” Angela continued on, “As well as all the benefits the company has to offer. Sylar you can quit your job at the shop if you want to, there’s no need for you to keep that up.”
“I would like to keep it just like a hobby.”
Angela lifted an eyebrow. “Suit yourself but none of that during assignments. We need you focused.”
Sylar scoffed. “You don’t have to remind me that. I won’t disappoint you.”
Sylar folding easily to Angela - with an almost childish defiance regarding his former profession - had Noah biting back a smirk. He nodded to what Angela said. Formalities he already expected but nonetheless had to be reiterated again.
The part about their assignments, though, perked his ears up. He hadn't expected that, but of course he should have. His main concern was how Sylar would be in the field. He had been competent before but he was a wildcard now for several reasons. Like the added history between them.
"We'll have to travel?" Noah threw out, guessing.
Peter began to nod and then shifted it into a kind of shake. "Not exactly. Sometimes but would be rare. Neither of you have been in the field for a while-" Officially, Noah wanted to say, but didn't. "-so you'd start in New York state and work your way up to the whole Northeast."
He looked to Sylar as he said it, telling him more than Noah. He knew this whole arrangement would include an adjustment change for Sylar to have to go through. The transition from life behind the Wall to civilized society had been hard enough - for him more than Peter.
"The cases wouldn't be often," he added. Noah made a sound of recognition.
For the most part, watchmaking wasn’t something he was particularly enthusiastic about, he was fond of it, as he was of peach pie, but he didn’t need peach pie to live not he needed wathmaking. But both of them shared something else, besides a matched fondness; both of them were intrinsically linked to the persona he had been, memories of a man who had long ceased to exist. He preferred to keep them close, whatever reasons he may have, than to forget all about them.
Noah’s question picked Sylar’s wandering attention; he had kind of thought that before, reason as to why he asked for a car –something that Angela made pretty clear he wouldn’t have. They were keeping a close eye at him, which suited him just fine. Sylar had evaded them before; he could do it again should the situation get out of control. But he didn’t expect Peter to obliterate any hope he hold onto for exiting New York and travel outstate, at least for a while. Sylar glanced at the empath. This kind of bossy side of Peter had him seeing Angela’s hands all over and he didn’t like it. Oddly enough, it made him recall Angela’s earlier words.
Everyone is this room was doing some kind of sacrifice at the moment. Peter by forgiving him, Angela by trusting her son’s instincts; Noah by trusting both Peter and Angela to do what was right, even if that meant working alongside him. Sylar was putting his grudge against Noah to work with him too but, wasn’t a sacrifice something selfless in its nature? Sylar knew there wasn’t anything altruistic on the reasons as to why he was following company’s orders again. Yes it was a special kind of situation but it made Sylar wonder, would he be willing to make a sacrifice of his own too?
“Is that all?” Sylar asked suddenly feeling an unsettling shiver ran down his spine.
“Yes.” Angela answered curtly. “As far as formalities go, Peter will hand you the signing papers once we finish the last details.” Sylar rose from his seat, wanting nothing else than to return to the solicitude of his shop. “Well, it was nice seeing you all.” He said, voice dripping with sarcasm as he turned to leave.
“Sylar.” Angela called after him. The ex serial killer paused in his stride but didn’t turn around. Angela sighed. “Just remember what we talked.”
Sylar bit back a retort and instead made a noncommittal noise leaving the trio to their own wonderings.