Special (8/?)
Title: Special (8/?)
Word Count: 6,468
Summary: All over the world, people are waking up with extraordinary abilities. Not knowing how they got them or what to do, they will soon discover that they are not alone. They are all connected. They are all special. Based on NBC’s Heroes. Various Pairings.
Links to previous chapters inside.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Disclaimer: I’m not making any money off of writing this story. It’s entirely fictional and based on the performances given in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and not the actual soldiers. Any ideas or phrases borrowed from the NBC show Heroes belong to the writers of that show, not me. I don’t own anything…so please don’t sue me. I wrote it for your enjoyment so…enjoy!
Bill Guarnere and Joseph Liebgott, Philadelphia, PA
They had pulled up outside of a warehouse that to anyone else would look like a factory for producing and shipping paper products. Obviously Joe knew better.
Parking the car Guarnere got out and nodded at Liebgott to do the same. Joe exited the vehicle and looked at the factory incredulously, “A paper factory? That’s your big front?”
“Just follow me and keep your mouth shut.”
They walked through the main doors and passed the commotion of workers, machines and lifts carrying crates of paper. At the back of the factory there was a thick, white door marked Authorized Personnel Only.
Guarnere pulled a key card out of his wallet and slid it through a card machine on the wall. The mechanic door made a clunking noise, and he pulled the heavy door open and gestured for Joe to go inside.
Joe really wanted to make a snarky comment about their fancy door but he just didn’t have it in him. He was nervous now, more than he had been before.
What if this was all a ruse? What if Guarnere was going to take him down to some weird dungeon to experiment on him or something?
He sighed as the Company man led him down a hallway filled with mundane looking offices. He would just have to trust Webster. It wasn’t like he had never gone into stupid or dangerous situations before…this was just more stupid than normal.
They were headed toward an elevator at the end of the hall when all of a sudden something caught Guarnere’s attention in one of the offices. He veered off to the side and pushed the door open somewhat frantically.
Joe peeked around him and saw a long limbed man with dark red hair sitting behind a desk, looking over open folders with a serene expression. But Joe saw the slight downturn of his lips and sensed the man was worried about something.
Guarnere stared at the man with a strange look on his face..confusion…worry…Joe wasn’t sure. He was a little bit harder to read.
Guarnere walked into the office slowly, “Dick? What’s going on? Why are you here?”
The red head looked up in surprise, “Bill! Hey. Oh don’t worry- everything is fine. But...look I really need to talk to you about...”
The other man trailed off when he noticed that Guarnere wasn’t alone. Joe froze when the light green eyes caught his gaze, suddenly feeling very vulnerable in front of this man. Like he was missing something important…like he was in some sort of danger.
Which was a strange feeling to have considering that the man was giving him a warm little smile and generally seemed to be sincere when he said, “Hi, you must be Joe. I’m Dick Winters-I work with Bill. Um…trust me he’s not so bad.”
Joe shook off the strange feeling and smiled back- his first real smile of the day. “I’ll have to take your word on it.”
Guarnere hadn’t taken his eyes off the other man…Dick…since he had opened the door, “So…nothing’s wrong?”
Dick smiled tightly and shook his head, “Things are fine…but I tried to call you and I couldn’t get a hold of your number.”
The way he was talking was strange but Guarnere seemed to understand whatever he was trying to say and Joe immediately knew that they were trying to communicate something important over his head.
Guarnere looked at the open folder on the desk, “Is that…?”
Dick nodded, “Yeah.”
“Right…don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Guarnere gave Winters another look before roughly grabbing Joe’s shoulder and shoving him out the door, “Move.”
Wasn’t that bad…yeah right.
George Luz and Burton Christenson, Brooklyn, NY
“You realize how this sounds right? You sound like a crazy person.”
George groaned, “Look I know…I told you that you wouldn’t believe me…but doesn’t it make sense? I mean…all the unanswered questions you said you were having? What normal person takes two bullets and walks away?”
Burton put a hand to his head. Luz was finally alert and feeling up to talking about the incident. But Burton wasn’t sure what to make of what he was hearing.
According to Luz, the man had somehow held him up against the wall without touching him and then…ice had come out of his hands?
“And the reason that you were abducted is because you can do…stuff like that?” he asked. He liked the other man enough to humor him for a moment.
“Not exactly. Look I KNOW it sounds crazy, but Eli and I…we’re different. I’d prove it to you if I could but...I just can’t right now. My head is…”
Christenson stood up, “Your head isn’t right. Look you’re on a lot of medication and I’m sure when you’re feeling better you’ll understand that you must have seen things wrong.”
Luz gave him a dark look, “I’m not being influenced by drugs! I…you know what? I knew this was a mistake. I thought I could trust you with this but I guess I can’t.”
Burton sighed, “Look, I’m going to go get something from the vending machine and check on your son, okay? We’ll continue this conversation when I get back.”
Luz didn’t even look at him as he left the room.
He walked out into the hallway and to the nurses’ station, where Eli was being watched by one of the two police officers that Compton had stationed outside of George’s room. They weren’t taking any chances with the man’s safety…he was currently their only surviving victim.
“Hey Eli, I’m heading to the machine- you want to come with me? Get a candy bar or something?”
Eli nodded and hopped off the chair he’d been seated in. Christenson waved the officer off to let him know they were okay and started walking down the hall with the little boy.
“So Eli…”
“I already know what you want to ask me. “
Burton stopped in front of a soda machine and looked down at the child to see him staring up with determined blue eyes, “You do, do you?”
The boy nodded swiftly, “You want to ask me if I’m different somehow. Then you’re going to press E7 and it’s going to get stuck.”
“What?” He looked over to the machine where he had just randomly pressed one of the last buttons to get a bottle of water. He looked at where his finger remained…E7.
The machine churned for a moment and then a light lit up to let him know there was an error. He looked over at Eli, “Okay that was weird.”
Eli shook his head, “Not really. I knew that would happen an hour ago.”
“Eli that’s just a coincidence…wait are you saying…”
“I can see what’s going to happen before it happens.”
He looked down at the child for a moment, “You can like..see the future?”
“Yep.”
“Eli that’s not possible..”
“I can! And my Dad can control machines..if he wanted to- he could fix that soda machine. But he won’t because I don’t think he likes you all that much right now.”
Well that was certainly true. Burton sighed and gave the machine a thump, frowning at the blinking light. He sighed and pulled out another dollar, “I’m going to get you a soda to bump this one out.”
“I know something else that’s going to happen.”
Burton shook his head as he pressed D3 to get Eli a Dr. Pepper. “Like what?”
“Your friend Ron is going to get hurt.”
Burton froze, “What did you say?”
“I said he’s going to get hurt.”
“Eli that’s not funny.”
The child glared, “It’s NEVER funny when someone gets really hurt. And I’m telling you the truth. Something bad is going to happen to him today. You have to warn him. He’s going to call you any second!”
Suddenly his cell phone started to ring and Burton answered it quickly, “Ron?”
There was a pause, “Uh..yeah. Hey….I think I may have a lead over here. Sherry Tanner’s parents were killed by our serial…but she’s alive. And there’s this cop who…well let’s say he’s a little different. What about you? Making any headway with George Luz?”
Burton was frozen, staring at Eli with wide eyes.
“Christenson? You still there?”
“Yeah…I think I’m making headway. Listen-are you okay?”
“What? Yeah I’m fine. Maybe I should be asking you that question. You sound a little strange.”
“Well something a little strange just happened to me. Look Ron…I’m going to call you back in a minute. Don’t go anywhere dangerous. Don’t DO anything dangerous…stay away from sharp things…”
“What the Hell are you talking about?”
“Look I have a…reason to believe you’re in danger. So be careful. I’ll call you back.”
He hung up the phone, still starting at Eli.
The little boy smiled and got their drinks from the machine, “Believe me now?”
Burton nodded and Eli handed him the water, “You said you’d get me candy.”
“Right.”
Ronald Speirs, Los Angeles, CA
Ron just stared at his phone for a moment wondering what Christenson was up to before figuring he didn’t want to know and slid it back into his pocket.
He was currently standing in the viewing room watching Lipton pace with two LA Detectives who were none too happy about him interrogating a local cop.
He turned to regard the Senior detective coolly, “Did my partner by any chance happen to swing by?”
Detective Moore just glared, “Yeah he was here while you were interrogating Officer Lipton. But he left, seemed kind of pissed. I know how he feels.”
Speirs looked at him-unimpressed, “Well you need to get over your feelings. Besides, he’s not our guy. I’m going to have another word with him and then he’s free to go.”
The detective nodded and Ron left to go back into the interrogation room.
Lipton didn’t bother turning around when he walked in. So Ron just shut the door behind him and leaned back against it.
“You’re free to go.”
That got the officer’s attention and he looked over his shoulder, lips in a tight frown as if he didn’t trust what Ron was saying.
And Ron, for his part, was kind of afraid that the other man was inside of his head. Still couldn’t believe it. The mere thought that anyone could…hear people’s thoughts. It was ludicrous…science fiction…it was impossible.
Only it clearly wasn’t. Because there wasn’t a soul who knew about his affair except Buck and himself. So how could Lipton know?
Lipton backed away from the wall he’d been staring down and started to slowly approach the door, which Ron was still leaning against.
When Ron didn’t move Lipton raised an eyebrow, “I thought you said I could go.”
Ron crossed his arms across his chest and looked the cop up and down “One more thing.”
The blonde sighed, “Of course.”
“How’d you like to assist the FBI in an ongoing investigation?”
The cop looked at him in shock, “What? Are you serious?”
Ron was exceptionally skilled at interrogation. He could get anyone to talk, but he often wondered if they were telling him the truth. Lipton…maybe he could get inside their heads…maybe he could hear the truth.
“Don’t I look serious?”He asked and leaned forward into the other man’s personal space- and tried not to be distracted by the fact that Lipton smelled good. He didn’t need that right now…or ever.
Lipton looked him in the eyes, “Yeah. I’d…like that very much sir.”
Ron nodded and pushed himself off of the door.
Walking over to the table he pulled out his card and wrote his hotel number on the back, “Good. My cell phone number is on there as well as my hotel number. I’m going to be honest with you…I need all the help I can get with this case. Drop by this hotel in an hour and my partner and I will brief you on the case. I’ll get you clearance in the morning.”
Lipton gaped and accepted the card that was handed to him, “But..why? I thought I was a suspect.”
“Well now you aren’t. In fact..I think you might be the best break I’ve had in this case.”
“I’m sure you’ll explain how…”
“In an hour.”
Lipton nodded, “Fine.”
Ron watched the other man leave, knowing he was making the right decision. Lipton could change everything about this case. In Ron’s mind he already had.
Now all Ron had to do was go back to the hotel and convince Lewis the same thing.
He wasn’t sure if his boyfriend had heard Lipton’s comment about him and Buck…but he’d have to be prepared for the possibility that he had.
He let himself go over the situation in his head as he walked out of the interrogation room, about to go outside and catch a cab back to the hotel.
Lewis had been…off lately. And they had been distant from one another for awhile.
They’d been together for a few years. He’d worked with Lewis’s father since he’d gotten into Organized Crime…the man respected him, liked him. Sometimes Ron felt bad…because Lewis’s relationship with his father wasn’t as good as the one Ron had with him.
Lewis’s influence hadn’t been the only thing to sway Director Nixon to reassign him he was sure. The man was worried that Speirs would get killed on the job.
He was his mentor and it was only a matter of time before Ron got invited to the family dinner. He’d heard the Director talk about his son before, but he hadn’t known what to expect. He knew he was an Agent- more of a research and theory guy than someone who liked to get his hands dirty.
But when they had met Ron had found Lewis to be a sharp, cynical guy who complimented Ron’s intense drive with a relaxed and almost apathetic approach of his own. Things had taken off from there, which he supposed was the plan all along. Stan Nixon was crafty that way.
He cared about Lewis…a lot. But he couldn’t bring himself to say he was in love…because he didn’t think he was.
He’d heard a lot of things about love…from people who were in love. Or claimed to be. And no…he didn’t think about Lewis all the time. He was never struck by the emotion he had for him. He didn’t worry incessantly about him. He could…live without Lewis. That didn’t mean he necessarily wanted to..but he could.
By all accounts…Ron had never been in love with anyone. He hadn’t met that one person yet.
He suspected that some of his feelings on the concept of love were stemmed from his being the product of a divorce. His parents hated each other…had only been married because they had found out his mother was pregnant. Then when they got divorced they had found other people that they hated that they could get married to and divorce them as well. All in all he had grown up through six divorces.
This thing with Buck…it was complicated. Yes he had felt like Lewis was never around, so of course he got lonely. And Buck was a great guy. They were friends. Lewis knew the two of them were occasional drinking buddies but that had obviously turned into something different.
Buck was fun, carefree and seemed stable in all the places where Lewis wasn’t. He knew that Buck had feelings…real feelings for him…but Lipton had been right…Ron didn’t really care.
How fucked up was that?
Joseph Liebgott, Philadelphia, PA
Guarnere had been rather anxious to get rid of him after the man’s brief conversation with Dick Winters. He had led him to the elevator, which took them 5 floors down.
When the elevator doors opened Joe was greeted with concrete walls and gray metal doors. He looked over at Guarnere, “So we’re under ground?”
“Ain’t you smart.”
“Bite me.”
Guarnere walked up to the only room on the far right of the long hallway and knocked on the door.
There was a light call from the room, “Come in.”
Guarnere pushed open the door and motioned for Liebgott to go inside. Joe rolled his eyes but did as he was instructed.
There was a pale, dark haired man, maybe about 35, lounging in a chair and reading a file. Man these guys liked their files…
He looked up when they entered and gave a smirk, “Bill…how was your flight?”
Guarnere shrugged, “It was fine. Look, sir, if you don’t need me…”
He trailed off and hooked a thumb back towards the hallway.
The man, obviously the boss if Guarnere was calling him ‘sir’, just nodded, “Go ahead. But when you’re done talking to Dick- would you tell him I’d like a word with him? It’s about his next assignment.”
Guarnere paused and Liebgott got the feeling that there was something wrong with that statement to him. But the man nodded and walked out, shutting the door behind him.
The seated man looked at Liebgott with interest in his eyes, “Mr. Liebgott why don’t you take a seat? I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”
Bet your ass he had questions. He sat down cautiously in one of the chairs across the man’s desk- as if he were afraid that restraints were going to pop out of it and tie him down like in some Batman cartoon.
The man leaned forward and rested his hands in front of him, “My name’s Herbert Sobel. I’m in charge of the field operations for the Company. As I said I’m sure you have a lot of questions. So now’s the time to ask them.”
Joe nodded, “Okay. So why did you abduct me?”
Sobel paused, “Our main mission here at the Company is to protect and study those with… ‘special’ abilities. As you surely understand by now Mr. Liebgott…you’re not the only one out there. There are many people who have these abilities. Many of these people are dangerous. We have a history of cleaning up some of the…aftermath of those who don’t understand or wish to control their abilities. The things we do here are for the greater good. We can’t protect people if we don’t understand what they are capable of.”
“So you abduct people to study them?”
“Yes…while I’m sure I understand your distain…none of these people are harmed. You yourself were uninjured as well. By doing this we are able to discover the basic function of a person’s ability…and that information is something very useful to have should they cross our path once more.”
Joe frowned and nodded, “You keeping tabs on them?”
Sobel sighed and grabbed his file and handed it to Joe, “Only if we think it’s necessary.”
Joe took the offered folder and scanned over the contents. It was all about him. His age, his real parents, his real name. What they suspected he could do. Pictures of him in his cab, outside his apartment…
“What the Hell is this?”
“You expected nothing less. We keep tabs on two different types of people Liebgott. Those we deem to be potentially dangerous…and those we deem to be potentially useful. “
“And which one am I?”
“For now? Useful. I brought you on board because I know that you’re on the run. You don’t understand your ability…you don’t know what to do with it. This is the right place for you.”
He wasn’t so sure. He looked down at the file once more, “So what? I just hunt down people like myself? So that you can study them?”
The man smiled and leaned back in his chair, “We do so much more than that. We help these people. Help them understand what they can do and help them use their abilities for a greater purpose. We can help you. Now I need to know if you’re willing to truly embrace this opportunity. You have a lot of potential.”
Joe knew he didn’t have much of a choice. He highly doubted that he could just walk away from this now. Plus he still had to figure out what these people were really up to. If they were these grand protectors like Sobel claimed, Joe didn’t think that Webster would have come from the future to warn him that they were dangerous. And he still had to find this important person that they were supposedly after…
But something else that Sobel said was true. There was no place for him…not since he had left home for good…since he’d had to run. He hadn’t been able to settle down. School had been the closest he had come to having normalcy in his life. There was no reason not to join this Company…
“Fine.” He finally said, “What is it you want from me?”
Sobel smiled, obviously pleased with his answer. “First…we help you understand your abilities. Then when I feel you’re ready…you get a partner.”
Joe paused, “A partner?”
How was he supposed to do any digging with someone hanging around?
Sobel nodded, “That’s right. All field agents are put into pairs. One of you…and one of us.”
Something clicked in Joe’s head, “Winters..is he Guarnere’s partner?”
Sobel frowned and Liebgott was surprised by the look of irritation on the man’s features, “For now.”
“He’s like me isn’t he? What can he do?”
“If he wants you to know..he’ll tell you. You’ll have plenty of time to get to know Dick on your way to New York. Besides, you don’t need to worry about a partner for right now.”
“New York?”
“Yes…that’s where we have our research facilities. It’s exceptionally equipped to help you learn more about what you can do. You’ll be leaving with Dick on a flight to Manhattan..soon. The items you requested from your apartment will be sent there.”
Joe wasn’t sure what to say. Despite all the misgivings he had about who these people were and what they did…he was anxious to learn more about his ability. His limitations…what he should be trying to learn and do.
“Is there anything else I should know?” he asked Sobel.
The man nodded and stood up from his desk, “No one outside of this Company knows what we really do here. Secrecy is essential to ensure that we can do our jobs effectively. Do you understand?”
Joe just nodded. Sobel continued, “As far as anyone outside this company is concerned, you’re a paper salesman.”
Joe again thought that was a pretty lame cover..but he guessed that was the whole point. No one would expect any sort of secret organization to use a paper company as their front.
But these people weren’t kidding around. They knew what they were doing…and if he was going to play both sides…he was going to have to be very, very careful.
Lewis Nixon, Los Angeles, CA
Lewis stormed into his hotel room and slammed the door behind him. His mind was in a state of confusion. Overwhelmed by the thoughts and possibilities behind what he had heard in that interrogation room.
He let his back hit the nearest wall and slid down to the floor. What did that mean? He was cheating? It was impossible! There was no way for someone to read people’s thoughts!
“It’s every bit as possible as you and I are Lewis.”
Lewis was shaking, he knew. He couldn’t take this much longer, “What do you want! Damn it! Just leave me alone!”
“I want what’s best for the both of us.”
Lewis lifted his head up to look into the mirrored closest across from him, his reflection was also slumped on the floor…but he wasn’t shaking.
“It’s not true.”
Jonathan glowered at him, “The Hell it isn’t. We’re special Lewis…the things we’re capable of. Trust me…that cop…he heard what he said he heard. Ron cheated on you. With your partner.”
Lewis shook his head, “No..he wouldn’t. He knows how much I…”
“How much what? How much you love him? Have you ever heard him tell you the same thing? Tell me you can see it! Tell me you can see the signs that I’d been willing to overlook for you.”
He thought about it…Ron had never really told him that he loved him. The way he had been acting the other day. The mark on his neck that Lewis knew had to be a hickey…a fact he’d been unwilling to accept.
“Why? I know I’ve been a mess lately but..I love him. I did everything for him...”
“That’s right! You worked your ass off to get him transferred.”
“I wanted to keep him safe…I pulled every favor I had.”
“After everything you’ve given him! After everything we did to protect him! After everything we did to avenge him! This is how he treats you?”
“I loved him…”
“He doesn’t love you. He used you…he fooled you. He won’t fool you again.”
Lewis just nodded…and then things began to fade.
He let Jonathan take over.
Dick Winters and Bill Guarnere, Philadelphia, PA
Bill rushed back into his office, where Dick was still sitting at his desk, looking over folders. He didn’t look troubled…but Bill knew him far better than that. He closed the door to his office and locked it.
“What’s going on?”
Dick looked up and waved him over, “Babe’s fine…he’s safe. I tried to call your secure line…but I couldn’t get a hold of you.”
Bill pulled a chair across from his partner, something was definitely wrong with Dick. He had wanted to ask his partner about this new assignment but now… “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Dick didn’t move, “Do you remember what I told you about my family? About joining the Company?”
Bill nodded. Dick had confided in him, after they had been working together for a year…about what had happened to his family.
Bill knew…that Dick was special. Not because he had an ability…but because of who he was. He knew on some level that Dick must have had incredible parents and he had often wondered why the other man never talked about them.
It was because they had been killed. They’d had abilities like Dick. And when he had been 17…they had been murdered. By the time he was 18…the Company had tracked him down and made him an offer. Dick hadn’t had anywhere else to go…
Bill knew that the circumstances of their parent’s demise were somewhat similar…except there was one key difference. Both he and Dick knew exactly who had killed Bill’s parents.
He looked down at the file Dick was reviewing…a file on Claire Winters. “You never told me what she could do.”
Dick stayed silent as he took in the picture of a lovely red head that was attached to the file, “She could fly.”
Bill stared at the downturned and solemn green eyes, not knowing what to do with the obvious pain Dick was experiencing. Whenever Babe and Dick hurt…he hurt too.
Finally Bill said, “I didn’t realize the Company had a file on her.”
“I didn’t realize that either.”
“You don’t think they killed her?”
The worst part was that Bill knew the Company was capable of it. They had no interest in someone who could fly…but Dick’s ability…it was a priceless commodity. If they wanted him all to themselves…they had to eliminate the attachments holding him back.
Dick closed the file and looked Bill in the eye, “There’s something I never told you.”
Bill shifted in his seat. He and Dick…they didn’t keep many secrets anymore. Dick knew so much…he knew all of Bill’s demons…if Dick hadn’t told him something…
“What is it?”
“I used to have a little brother.”
“Used to?”
“He was kidnapped when I was 12. He was only 18 months old. After all this time…I figured he was dead.”
Bill froze at Dick’s words. A memory quickly surfacing to his mind.
He had been 14 when his parents had come home from work a little later than normal.
He knew what they did. They had been training him to work for the Company since he was 11 years old…it was all they ever talked about. How important their work was...
His father had walked in the door in a fuss and his mother had come home carrying a small baby in her arms.
The Company, they’d told him, had given them a little boy. They thought he might be special…they couldn’t get too attached.
Bill looked back over at Dick, startled. He was 2 years older than his partner, which meant that the year they had gotten Babe was the year that Dick had lost his little brother.
“What are you saying?”
Dick sighed, “Babe told me that he had dreams that he thought were coming true.”
“What? When?”
“This morning…and he told me he had a dream that he was flying.”
“Okay.”
“So your parents made him meet Renee before she escaped…she could dream the future. And if Babe can do what your parents were so sure he could…”
“Then his dream about flying is going to come true.”
Dick nodded, “They never could have introduced Babe to my mother. And she’s the only person on record with the ability to fly. None of the other people that your parents introduced to Babe had that ability.”
“You think that-”
“Bill….Babe’s my little brother. They took him from us. And then they killed my parents.”
Ronald Speirs, Los Angeles, CA
He wasn’t nervous…exactly. He didn’t really get nervous. But as he approached the door to his hotel room he felt concern about how to best have this conversation with Lewis.
The more he thought about it the more obvious it became that Lewis had to have heard Lipton’s comment.
Shutting the door he stepped into his room only to see that it was empty. Confused he walked forward a couple of steps and was about to turn around when a strong arm grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backwards.
Swept off balance, the arm pulled him around and slammed the side of his head into a wall with enough force to send the room into a terrifying spin as he fell to the ground.
His brain felt rattled and the whole left side of his body was stiff. Seeing feet in front of him he swept his leg out but only managed to trip his assailant up slightly.
He reached for his gun but received a kick in the gut for his effort. He coughed, suddenly unable to breathe. The same strong grip pulled him up by the back of his suit and slammed him roughly into the wall.
The force of the impact coupled with the kick he had just received set his lungs on fire as he gasped, struggling to pull in a breath of air.
“What? Were you going to shoot me Ron? Add injury to insult this time?”
Ron stared in shock at Lewis, who was smirking at him with his head tilted to the side. Ron started to speak- ask him what the Hell he was doing but the moment he opened his mouth, Lewis wrapped a hand around his throat, cutting off any reply.
“Why don’t you let me do the talking? Okay?”
Lewis let go his shoulder and tightened his grip on Ron’s throat. Ron coughed once and then closed his mouth and focused on trying to breathe through his nose.
“You know I told him that you weren’t worth his effort. But he never listens to me. So sometimes I just have to take matters into my own hands…”
Who the Hell was he talking about? Buck? This wasn’t Lewis…he had to…be on drugs or something.
“You cheated on him. I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s not like you ever loved him. But we bent over backwards to make you happy. To keep you safe. I did a lot of horrible things for you. Because that was what Lewis wanted. But I don’t care about what he wants anymore. I’m going to worry about what he needs.”
Ron felt his body actually being lifted off the ground by the hand around his throat. He wanted to be shocked about what he was putting together. That this wasn’t Lewis that he was talking to…but someone else. It explained everything about his behavior…
But right now he couldn’t think about what was wrong with Lewis. He couldn’t wonder where this incredible strength the man possessed had come from. Right now…the only thing he needed to think about was how to survive this encounter.
“He needs you out of his life. You’re like this all encompassing parasite. You suck people in and you take everything they have…and in the end you only wind up killing them. But that’s not going to happen this time. Lewis has someone to look after him now. He has me.”
Ron took a deep breath through his nose and pulled his knee up swiftly, connecting with the man’s jaw. He was released and fell to the ground.
He rolled away from his attacker and struggled to his feet despite his blurred vision, dizziness and overall pain. He reached for his gun..
Lewis..or whoever the Hell this was, slugged him in his jaw and Ron was actually knocked off of his feet by the force of the punch and crashed into the table in the corner of the room.
Lewis walked over to him and hauled him off the floor before tossing him into the dresser with enough strength to send the glass of the mirror attached into hundreds of pieces.
He hissed as he felt shards of glass cut into his arm, shoulder and neck.
Lewis then shoved him to the floor and pulled out a non issue hand gun. He pointed it directly at Ron’s head.
“Wait,” Ron croaked. He didn’t have the strength to fight back. He had to make him listen. He had to make him do what he said. “You’re not going to shoot me.”
The man paused, fury screwing up his features, “Shut up.”
Ron wasn’t sure why the man wasn’t pulling the trigger, but he kept talking, “You’re going to put the gun down.”
Lewis began to breathe heavily and shake his head, “No…”
But even as he said it the other man let his arms drop and tossed the gun to the floor. “What are you doing to me?”
Ron coughed and tried to roll off of his bleeding shoulder, “I don’t know who you are…but you’re going to let me talk to Lewis.”
He looked up and saw something change in the man’s demeanor. The fury melted off of his face and his eyes went wide, “Ron?”
Ron sighed and let his head fall back against the floor, his vision still fading. He had made him listen…how had he made him listen?
He closed his eyes, trying to fight the exhaustion. He struggled to get up on his feet.
Lewis rushed forward and helped him to the bed, and Ron tried not the flinch even though he knew it was Lewis. “Ron..Jesus Christ…”
Ron let the pain overwhelm him and it was only a moment before he was unconscious.
Lewis stared at the bruised, battered and bleeding man on the bed before him. He looked around at the destruction in the room.
This wasn’t what he wanted. He turned to the mirror, “You were going to kill him!”
Jonathan’s face was filled with fury, “Yes I was. For you! But I couldn’t…”
Lewis was shaking once more as he turned away from his reflection and checked over Ron’s injuries. “What?”
“There’s something he did. Something he said. I couldn’t control my actions.”
Lewis ignored him as he rolled Ron on his back and tried not to freak out about how much his neck was bleeding.
“But he can’t talk anymore.”
“What? No!”
Before he could control himself he was picking up the gun, “No! You’re not going to make me do this. This is against everything I wanted. I wanted to keep him safe!”
“After he betrays you, you still want to protect him! You’re pathetic. If you’re too weak to end this, I’ll be more than happy to do it for you.”
The gun lifted up to point at Ron’s unconscious figure, “NO!”
Suddenly the door flew open and the blonde officer that he had seen Ron interrogate came rushing in, gun drawn, “LAPD put the gun down now!”
“I can’t…”
“What are you going to do Officer Lipton? Are you going to shoot an FBI Agent?”
The man glared and glanced frantically at Ron, “Are you?”
Lewis shook his head, fighting with Jonathan over control of his body. He lowered the gun slightly, “You have to knock me out.”
“What that Hell is wrong with you?”
“I can’t control him, there’s someone else in my head….”
The officer’s head tilted to the side and his eyes got wide, “You’re right…there’s two of you in there.”
“I can’t control him for much longer. You have to knock me out. Do it. Take the gun and then you have to arrest me.”
“Arrest you for what? This?”
Lewis shook his head, “No…I killed the De Lucca brothers. And I was the one who shot up the bar downtown. I’ll confess to everything you just have to arrest me.”
Lipton paused, eyes still on the slightly raised gun in Lewis’s hand.
Lewis began to shout, “You have to knock me out! Do you want to save him or not!”
That was all it took. Lipton dropped his gun and drew his fist.
Lewis’s head snapped back when Lipton’s fist struck him…and everything went black.
A/N: Wow that was a long chapter…whew.
Word Count: 6,468
Summary: All over the world, people are waking up with extraordinary abilities. Not knowing how they got them or what to do, they will soon discover that they are not alone. They are all connected. They are all special. Based on NBC’s Heroes. Various Pairings.
Links to previous chapters inside.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Disclaimer: I’m not making any money off of writing this story. It’s entirely fictional and based on the performances given in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and not the actual soldiers. Any ideas or phrases borrowed from the NBC show Heroes belong to the writers of that show, not me. I don’t own anything…so please don’t sue me. I wrote it for your enjoyment so…enjoy!
Bill Guarnere and Joseph Liebgott, Philadelphia, PA
They had pulled up outside of a warehouse that to anyone else would look like a factory for producing and shipping paper products. Obviously Joe knew better.
Parking the car Guarnere got out and nodded at Liebgott to do the same. Joe exited the vehicle and looked at the factory incredulously, “A paper factory? That’s your big front?”
“Just follow me and keep your mouth shut.”
They walked through the main doors and passed the commotion of workers, machines and lifts carrying crates of paper. At the back of the factory there was a thick, white door marked Authorized Personnel Only.
Guarnere pulled a key card out of his wallet and slid it through a card machine on the wall. The mechanic door made a clunking noise, and he pulled the heavy door open and gestured for Joe to go inside.
Joe really wanted to make a snarky comment about their fancy door but he just didn’t have it in him. He was nervous now, more than he had been before.
What if this was all a ruse? What if Guarnere was going to take him down to some weird dungeon to experiment on him or something?
He sighed as the Company man led him down a hallway filled with mundane looking offices. He would just have to trust Webster. It wasn’t like he had never gone into stupid or dangerous situations before…this was just more stupid than normal.
They were headed toward an elevator at the end of the hall when all of a sudden something caught Guarnere’s attention in one of the offices. He veered off to the side and pushed the door open somewhat frantically.
Joe peeked around him and saw a long limbed man with dark red hair sitting behind a desk, looking over open folders with a serene expression. But Joe saw the slight downturn of his lips and sensed the man was worried about something.
Guarnere stared at the man with a strange look on his face..confusion…worry…Joe wasn’t sure. He was a little bit harder to read.
Guarnere walked into the office slowly, “Dick? What’s going on? Why are you here?”
The red head looked up in surprise, “Bill! Hey. Oh don’t worry- everything is fine. But...look I really need to talk to you about...”
The other man trailed off when he noticed that Guarnere wasn’t alone. Joe froze when the light green eyes caught his gaze, suddenly feeling very vulnerable in front of this man. Like he was missing something important…like he was in some sort of danger.
Which was a strange feeling to have considering that the man was giving him a warm little smile and generally seemed to be sincere when he said, “Hi, you must be Joe. I’m Dick Winters-I work with Bill. Um…trust me he’s not so bad.”
Joe shook off the strange feeling and smiled back- his first real smile of the day. “I’ll have to take your word on it.”
Guarnere hadn’t taken his eyes off the other man…Dick…since he had opened the door, “So…nothing’s wrong?”
Dick smiled tightly and shook his head, “Things are fine…but I tried to call you and I couldn’t get a hold of your number.”
The way he was talking was strange but Guarnere seemed to understand whatever he was trying to say and Joe immediately knew that they were trying to communicate something important over his head.
Guarnere looked at the open folder on the desk, “Is that…?”
Dick nodded, “Yeah.”
“Right…don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Guarnere gave Winters another look before roughly grabbing Joe’s shoulder and shoving him out the door, “Move.”
Wasn’t that bad…yeah right.
George Luz and Burton Christenson, Brooklyn, NY
“You realize how this sounds right? You sound like a crazy person.”
George groaned, “Look I know…I told you that you wouldn’t believe me…but doesn’t it make sense? I mean…all the unanswered questions you said you were having? What normal person takes two bullets and walks away?”
Burton put a hand to his head. Luz was finally alert and feeling up to talking about the incident. But Burton wasn’t sure what to make of what he was hearing.
According to Luz, the man had somehow held him up against the wall without touching him and then…ice had come out of his hands?
“And the reason that you were abducted is because you can do…stuff like that?” he asked. He liked the other man enough to humor him for a moment.
“Not exactly. Look I KNOW it sounds crazy, but Eli and I…we’re different. I’d prove it to you if I could but...I just can’t right now. My head is…”
Christenson stood up, “Your head isn’t right. Look you’re on a lot of medication and I’m sure when you’re feeling better you’ll understand that you must have seen things wrong.”
Luz gave him a dark look, “I’m not being influenced by drugs! I…you know what? I knew this was a mistake. I thought I could trust you with this but I guess I can’t.”
Burton sighed, “Look, I’m going to go get something from the vending machine and check on your son, okay? We’ll continue this conversation when I get back.”
Luz didn’t even look at him as he left the room.
He walked out into the hallway and to the nurses’ station, where Eli was being watched by one of the two police officers that Compton had stationed outside of George’s room. They weren’t taking any chances with the man’s safety…he was currently their only surviving victim.
“Hey Eli, I’m heading to the machine- you want to come with me? Get a candy bar or something?”
Eli nodded and hopped off the chair he’d been seated in. Christenson waved the officer off to let him know they were okay and started walking down the hall with the little boy.
“So Eli…”
“I already know what you want to ask me. “
Burton stopped in front of a soda machine and looked down at the child to see him staring up with determined blue eyes, “You do, do you?”
The boy nodded swiftly, “You want to ask me if I’m different somehow. Then you’re going to press E7 and it’s going to get stuck.”
“What?” He looked over to the machine where he had just randomly pressed one of the last buttons to get a bottle of water. He looked at where his finger remained…E7.
The machine churned for a moment and then a light lit up to let him know there was an error. He looked over at Eli, “Okay that was weird.”
Eli shook his head, “Not really. I knew that would happen an hour ago.”
“Eli that’s just a coincidence…wait are you saying…”
“I can see what’s going to happen before it happens.”
He looked down at the child for a moment, “You can like..see the future?”
“Yep.”
“Eli that’s not possible..”
“I can! And my Dad can control machines..if he wanted to- he could fix that soda machine. But he won’t because I don’t think he likes you all that much right now.”
Well that was certainly true. Burton sighed and gave the machine a thump, frowning at the blinking light. He sighed and pulled out another dollar, “I’m going to get you a soda to bump this one out.”
“I know something else that’s going to happen.”
Burton shook his head as he pressed D3 to get Eli a Dr. Pepper. “Like what?”
“Your friend Ron is going to get hurt.”
Burton froze, “What did you say?”
“I said he’s going to get hurt.”
“Eli that’s not funny.”
The child glared, “It’s NEVER funny when someone gets really hurt. And I’m telling you the truth. Something bad is going to happen to him today. You have to warn him. He’s going to call you any second!”
Suddenly his cell phone started to ring and Burton answered it quickly, “Ron?”
There was a pause, “Uh..yeah. Hey….I think I may have a lead over here. Sherry Tanner’s parents were killed by our serial…but she’s alive. And there’s this cop who…well let’s say he’s a little different. What about you? Making any headway with George Luz?”
Burton was frozen, staring at Eli with wide eyes.
“Christenson? You still there?”
“Yeah…I think I’m making headway. Listen-are you okay?”
“What? Yeah I’m fine. Maybe I should be asking you that question. You sound a little strange.”
“Well something a little strange just happened to me. Look Ron…I’m going to call you back in a minute. Don’t go anywhere dangerous. Don’t DO anything dangerous…stay away from sharp things…”
“What the Hell are you talking about?”
“Look I have a…reason to believe you’re in danger. So be careful. I’ll call you back.”
He hung up the phone, still starting at Eli.
The little boy smiled and got their drinks from the machine, “Believe me now?”
Burton nodded and Eli handed him the water, “You said you’d get me candy.”
“Right.”
Ronald Speirs, Los Angeles, CA
Ron just stared at his phone for a moment wondering what Christenson was up to before figuring he didn’t want to know and slid it back into his pocket.
He was currently standing in the viewing room watching Lipton pace with two LA Detectives who were none too happy about him interrogating a local cop.
He turned to regard the Senior detective coolly, “Did my partner by any chance happen to swing by?”
Detective Moore just glared, “Yeah he was here while you were interrogating Officer Lipton. But he left, seemed kind of pissed. I know how he feels.”
Speirs looked at him-unimpressed, “Well you need to get over your feelings. Besides, he’s not our guy. I’m going to have another word with him and then he’s free to go.”
The detective nodded and Ron left to go back into the interrogation room.
Lipton didn’t bother turning around when he walked in. So Ron just shut the door behind him and leaned back against it.
“You’re free to go.”
That got the officer’s attention and he looked over his shoulder, lips in a tight frown as if he didn’t trust what Ron was saying.
And Ron, for his part, was kind of afraid that the other man was inside of his head. Still couldn’t believe it. The mere thought that anyone could…hear people’s thoughts. It was ludicrous…science fiction…it was impossible.
Only it clearly wasn’t. Because there wasn’t a soul who knew about his affair except Buck and himself. So how could Lipton know?
Lipton backed away from the wall he’d been staring down and started to slowly approach the door, which Ron was still leaning against.
When Ron didn’t move Lipton raised an eyebrow, “I thought you said I could go.”
Ron crossed his arms across his chest and looked the cop up and down “One more thing.”
The blonde sighed, “Of course.”
“How’d you like to assist the FBI in an ongoing investigation?”
The cop looked at him in shock, “What? Are you serious?”
Ron was exceptionally skilled at interrogation. He could get anyone to talk, but he often wondered if they were telling him the truth. Lipton…maybe he could get inside their heads…maybe he could hear the truth.
“Don’t I look serious?”He asked and leaned forward into the other man’s personal space- and tried not to be distracted by the fact that Lipton smelled good. He didn’t need that right now…or ever.
Lipton looked him in the eyes, “Yeah. I’d…like that very much sir.”
Ron nodded and pushed himself off of the door.
Walking over to the table he pulled out his card and wrote his hotel number on the back, “Good. My cell phone number is on there as well as my hotel number. I’m going to be honest with you…I need all the help I can get with this case. Drop by this hotel in an hour and my partner and I will brief you on the case. I’ll get you clearance in the morning.”
Lipton gaped and accepted the card that was handed to him, “But..why? I thought I was a suspect.”
“Well now you aren’t. In fact..I think you might be the best break I’ve had in this case.”
“I’m sure you’ll explain how…”
“In an hour.”
Lipton nodded, “Fine.”
Ron watched the other man leave, knowing he was making the right decision. Lipton could change everything about this case. In Ron’s mind he already had.
Now all Ron had to do was go back to the hotel and convince Lewis the same thing.
He wasn’t sure if his boyfriend had heard Lipton’s comment about him and Buck…but he’d have to be prepared for the possibility that he had.
He let himself go over the situation in his head as he walked out of the interrogation room, about to go outside and catch a cab back to the hotel.
Lewis had been…off lately. And they had been distant from one another for awhile.
They’d been together for a few years. He’d worked with Lewis’s father since he’d gotten into Organized Crime…the man respected him, liked him. Sometimes Ron felt bad…because Lewis’s relationship with his father wasn’t as good as the one Ron had with him.
Lewis’s influence hadn’t been the only thing to sway Director Nixon to reassign him he was sure. The man was worried that Speirs would get killed on the job.
He was his mentor and it was only a matter of time before Ron got invited to the family dinner. He’d heard the Director talk about his son before, but he hadn’t known what to expect. He knew he was an Agent- more of a research and theory guy than someone who liked to get his hands dirty.
But when they had met Ron had found Lewis to be a sharp, cynical guy who complimented Ron’s intense drive with a relaxed and almost apathetic approach of his own. Things had taken off from there, which he supposed was the plan all along. Stan Nixon was crafty that way.
He cared about Lewis…a lot. But he couldn’t bring himself to say he was in love…because he didn’t think he was.
He’d heard a lot of things about love…from people who were in love. Or claimed to be. And no…he didn’t think about Lewis all the time. He was never struck by the emotion he had for him. He didn’t worry incessantly about him. He could…live without Lewis. That didn’t mean he necessarily wanted to..but he could.
By all accounts…Ron had never been in love with anyone. He hadn’t met that one person yet.
He suspected that some of his feelings on the concept of love were stemmed from his being the product of a divorce. His parents hated each other…had only been married because they had found out his mother was pregnant. Then when they got divorced they had found other people that they hated that they could get married to and divorce them as well. All in all he had grown up through six divorces.
This thing with Buck…it was complicated. Yes he had felt like Lewis was never around, so of course he got lonely. And Buck was a great guy. They were friends. Lewis knew the two of them were occasional drinking buddies but that had obviously turned into something different.
Buck was fun, carefree and seemed stable in all the places where Lewis wasn’t. He knew that Buck had feelings…real feelings for him…but Lipton had been right…Ron didn’t really care.
How fucked up was that?
Joseph Liebgott, Philadelphia, PA
Guarnere had been rather anxious to get rid of him after the man’s brief conversation with Dick Winters. He had led him to the elevator, which took them 5 floors down.
When the elevator doors opened Joe was greeted with concrete walls and gray metal doors. He looked over at Guarnere, “So we’re under ground?”
“Ain’t you smart.”
“Bite me.”
Guarnere walked up to the only room on the far right of the long hallway and knocked on the door.
There was a light call from the room, “Come in.”
Guarnere pushed open the door and motioned for Liebgott to go inside. Joe rolled his eyes but did as he was instructed.
There was a pale, dark haired man, maybe about 35, lounging in a chair and reading a file. Man these guys liked their files…
He looked up when they entered and gave a smirk, “Bill…how was your flight?”
Guarnere shrugged, “It was fine. Look, sir, if you don’t need me…”
He trailed off and hooked a thumb back towards the hallway.
The man, obviously the boss if Guarnere was calling him ‘sir’, just nodded, “Go ahead. But when you’re done talking to Dick- would you tell him I’d like a word with him? It’s about his next assignment.”
Guarnere paused and Liebgott got the feeling that there was something wrong with that statement to him. But the man nodded and walked out, shutting the door behind him.
The seated man looked at Liebgott with interest in his eyes, “Mr. Liebgott why don’t you take a seat? I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”
Bet your ass he had questions. He sat down cautiously in one of the chairs across the man’s desk- as if he were afraid that restraints were going to pop out of it and tie him down like in some Batman cartoon.
The man leaned forward and rested his hands in front of him, “My name’s Herbert Sobel. I’m in charge of the field operations for the Company. As I said I’m sure you have a lot of questions. So now’s the time to ask them.”
Joe nodded, “Okay. So why did you abduct me?”
Sobel paused, “Our main mission here at the Company is to protect and study those with… ‘special’ abilities. As you surely understand by now Mr. Liebgott…you’re not the only one out there. There are many people who have these abilities. Many of these people are dangerous. We have a history of cleaning up some of the…aftermath of those who don’t understand or wish to control their abilities. The things we do here are for the greater good. We can’t protect people if we don’t understand what they are capable of.”
“So you abduct people to study them?”
“Yes…while I’m sure I understand your distain…none of these people are harmed. You yourself were uninjured as well. By doing this we are able to discover the basic function of a person’s ability…and that information is something very useful to have should they cross our path once more.”
Joe frowned and nodded, “You keeping tabs on them?”
Sobel sighed and grabbed his file and handed it to Joe, “Only if we think it’s necessary.”
Joe took the offered folder and scanned over the contents. It was all about him. His age, his real parents, his real name. What they suspected he could do. Pictures of him in his cab, outside his apartment…
“What the Hell is this?”
“You expected nothing less. We keep tabs on two different types of people Liebgott. Those we deem to be potentially dangerous…and those we deem to be potentially useful. “
“And which one am I?”
“For now? Useful. I brought you on board because I know that you’re on the run. You don’t understand your ability…you don’t know what to do with it. This is the right place for you.”
He wasn’t so sure. He looked down at the file once more, “So what? I just hunt down people like myself? So that you can study them?”
The man smiled and leaned back in his chair, “We do so much more than that. We help these people. Help them understand what they can do and help them use their abilities for a greater purpose. We can help you. Now I need to know if you’re willing to truly embrace this opportunity. You have a lot of potential.”
Joe knew he didn’t have much of a choice. He highly doubted that he could just walk away from this now. Plus he still had to figure out what these people were really up to. If they were these grand protectors like Sobel claimed, Joe didn’t think that Webster would have come from the future to warn him that they were dangerous. And he still had to find this important person that they were supposedly after…
But something else that Sobel said was true. There was no place for him…not since he had left home for good…since he’d had to run. He hadn’t been able to settle down. School had been the closest he had come to having normalcy in his life. There was no reason not to join this Company…
“Fine.” He finally said, “What is it you want from me?”
Sobel smiled, obviously pleased with his answer. “First…we help you understand your abilities. Then when I feel you’re ready…you get a partner.”
Joe paused, “A partner?”
How was he supposed to do any digging with someone hanging around?
Sobel nodded, “That’s right. All field agents are put into pairs. One of you…and one of us.”
Something clicked in Joe’s head, “Winters..is he Guarnere’s partner?”
Sobel frowned and Liebgott was surprised by the look of irritation on the man’s features, “For now.”
“He’s like me isn’t he? What can he do?”
“If he wants you to know..he’ll tell you. You’ll have plenty of time to get to know Dick on your way to New York. Besides, you don’t need to worry about a partner for right now.”
“New York?”
“Yes…that’s where we have our research facilities. It’s exceptionally equipped to help you learn more about what you can do. You’ll be leaving with Dick on a flight to Manhattan..soon. The items you requested from your apartment will be sent there.”
Joe wasn’t sure what to say. Despite all the misgivings he had about who these people were and what they did…he was anxious to learn more about his ability. His limitations…what he should be trying to learn and do.
“Is there anything else I should know?” he asked Sobel.
The man nodded and stood up from his desk, “No one outside of this Company knows what we really do here. Secrecy is essential to ensure that we can do our jobs effectively. Do you understand?”
Joe just nodded. Sobel continued, “As far as anyone outside this company is concerned, you’re a paper salesman.”
Joe again thought that was a pretty lame cover..but he guessed that was the whole point. No one would expect any sort of secret organization to use a paper company as their front.
But these people weren’t kidding around. They knew what they were doing…and if he was going to play both sides…he was going to have to be very, very careful.
Lewis Nixon, Los Angeles, CA
Lewis stormed into his hotel room and slammed the door behind him. His mind was in a state of confusion. Overwhelmed by the thoughts and possibilities behind what he had heard in that interrogation room.
He let his back hit the nearest wall and slid down to the floor. What did that mean? He was cheating? It was impossible! There was no way for someone to read people’s thoughts!
“It’s every bit as possible as you and I are Lewis.”
Lewis was shaking, he knew. He couldn’t take this much longer, “What do you want! Damn it! Just leave me alone!”
“I want what’s best for the both of us.”
Lewis lifted his head up to look into the mirrored closest across from him, his reflection was also slumped on the floor…but he wasn’t shaking.
“It’s not true.”
Jonathan glowered at him, “The Hell it isn’t. We’re special Lewis…the things we’re capable of. Trust me…that cop…he heard what he said he heard. Ron cheated on you. With your partner.”
Lewis shook his head, “No..he wouldn’t. He knows how much I…”
“How much what? How much you love him? Have you ever heard him tell you the same thing? Tell me you can see it! Tell me you can see the signs that I’d been willing to overlook for you.”
He thought about it…Ron had never really told him that he loved him. The way he had been acting the other day. The mark on his neck that Lewis knew had to be a hickey…a fact he’d been unwilling to accept.
“Why? I know I’ve been a mess lately but..I love him. I did everything for him...”
“That’s right! You worked your ass off to get him transferred.”
“I wanted to keep him safe…I pulled every favor I had.”
“After everything you’ve given him! After everything we did to protect him! After everything we did to avenge him! This is how he treats you?”
“I loved him…”
“He doesn’t love you. He used you…he fooled you. He won’t fool you again.”
Lewis just nodded…and then things began to fade.
He let Jonathan take over.
Dick Winters and Bill Guarnere, Philadelphia, PA
Bill rushed back into his office, where Dick was still sitting at his desk, looking over folders. He didn’t look troubled…but Bill knew him far better than that. He closed the door to his office and locked it.
“What’s going on?”
Dick looked up and waved him over, “Babe’s fine…he’s safe. I tried to call your secure line…but I couldn’t get a hold of you.”
Bill pulled a chair across from his partner, something was definitely wrong with Dick. He had wanted to ask his partner about this new assignment but now… “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Dick didn’t move, “Do you remember what I told you about my family? About joining the Company?”
Bill nodded. Dick had confided in him, after they had been working together for a year…about what had happened to his family.
Bill knew…that Dick was special. Not because he had an ability…but because of who he was. He knew on some level that Dick must have had incredible parents and he had often wondered why the other man never talked about them.
It was because they had been killed. They’d had abilities like Dick. And when he had been 17…they had been murdered. By the time he was 18…the Company had tracked him down and made him an offer. Dick hadn’t had anywhere else to go…
Bill knew that the circumstances of their parent’s demise were somewhat similar…except there was one key difference. Both he and Dick knew exactly who had killed Bill’s parents.
He looked down at the file Dick was reviewing…a file on Claire Winters. “You never told me what she could do.”
Dick stayed silent as he took in the picture of a lovely red head that was attached to the file, “She could fly.”
Bill stared at the downturned and solemn green eyes, not knowing what to do with the obvious pain Dick was experiencing. Whenever Babe and Dick hurt…he hurt too.
Finally Bill said, “I didn’t realize the Company had a file on her.”
“I didn’t realize that either.”
“You don’t think they killed her?”
The worst part was that Bill knew the Company was capable of it. They had no interest in someone who could fly…but Dick’s ability…it was a priceless commodity. If they wanted him all to themselves…they had to eliminate the attachments holding him back.
Dick closed the file and looked Bill in the eye, “There’s something I never told you.”
Bill shifted in his seat. He and Dick…they didn’t keep many secrets anymore. Dick knew so much…he knew all of Bill’s demons…if Dick hadn’t told him something…
“What is it?”
“I used to have a little brother.”
“Used to?”
“He was kidnapped when I was 12. He was only 18 months old. After all this time…I figured he was dead.”
Bill froze at Dick’s words. A memory quickly surfacing to his mind.
He had been 14 when his parents had come home from work a little later than normal.
He knew what they did. They had been training him to work for the Company since he was 11 years old…it was all they ever talked about. How important their work was...
His father had walked in the door in a fuss and his mother had come home carrying a small baby in her arms.
The Company, they’d told him, had given them a little boy. They thought he might be special…they couldn’t get too attached.
Bill looked back over at Dick, startled. He was 2 years older than his partner, which meant that the year they had gotten Babe was the year that Dick had lost his little brother.
“What are you saying?”
Dick sighed, “Babe told me that he had dreams that he thought were coming true.”
“What? When?”
“This morning…and he told me he had a dream that he was flying.”
“Okay.”
“So your parents made him meet Renee before she escaped…she could dream the future. And if Babe can do what your parents were so sure he could…”
“Then his dream about flying is going to come true.”
Dick nodded, “They never could have introduced Babe to my mother. And she’s the only person on record with the ability to fly. None of the other people that your parents introduced to Babe had that ability.”
“You think that-”
“Bill….Babe’s my little brother. They took him from us. And then they killed my parents.”
Ronald Speirs, Los Angeles, CA
He wasn’t nervous…exactly. He didn’t really get nervous. But as he approached the door to his hotel room he felt concern about how to best have this conversation with Lewis.
The more he thought about it the more obvious it became that Lewis had to have heard Lipton’s comment.
Shutting the door he stepped into his room only to see that it was empty. Confused he walked forward a couple of steps and was about to turn around when a strong arm grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backwards.
Swept off balance, the arm pulled him around and slammed the side of his head into a wall with enough force to send the room into a terrifying spin as he fell to the ground.
His brain felt rattled and the whole left side of his body was stiff. Seeing feet in front of him he swept his leg out but only managed to trip his assailant up slightly.
He reached for his gun but received a kick in the gut for his effort. He coughed, suddenly unable to breathe. The same strong grip pulled him up by the back of his suit and slammed him roughly into the wall.
The force of the impact coupled with the kick he had just received set his lungs on fire as he gasped, struggling to pull in a breath of air.
“What? Were you going to shoot me Ron? Add injury to insult this time?”
Ron stared in shock at Lewis, who was smirking at him with his head tilted to the side. Ron started to speak- ask him what the Hell he was doing but the moment he opened his mouth, Lewis wrapped a hand around his throat, cutting off any reply.
“Why don’t you let me do the talking? Okay?”
Lewis let go his shoulder and tightened his grip on Ron’s throat. Ron coughed once and then closed his mouth and focused on trying to breathe through his nose.
“You know I told him that you weren’t worth his effort. But he never listens to me. So sometimes I just have to take matters into my own hands…”
Who the Hell was he talking about? Buck? This wasn’t Lewis…he had to…be on drugs or something.
“You cheated on him. I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s not like you ever loved him. But we bent over backwards to make you happy. To keep you safe. I did a lot of horrible things for you. Because that was what Lewis wanted. But I don’t care about what he wants anymore. I’m going to worry about what he needs.”
Ron felt his body actually being lifted off the ground by the hand around his throat. He wanted to be shocked about what he was putting together. That this wasn’t Lewis that he was talking to…but someone else. It explained everything about his behavior…
But right now he couldn’t think about what was wrong with Lewis. He couldn’t wonder where this incredible strength the man possessed had come from. Right now…the only thing he needed to think about was how to survive this encounter.
“He needs you out of his life. You’re like this all encompassing parasite. You suck people in and you take everything they have…and in the end you only wind up killing them. But that’s not going to happen this time. Lewis has someone to look after him now. He has me.”
Ron took a deep breath through his nose and pulled his knee up swiftly, connecting with the man’s jaw. He was released and fell to the ground.
He rolled away from his attacker and struggled to his feet despite his blurred vision, dizziness and overall pain. He reached for his gun..
Lewis..or whoever the Hell this was, slugged him in his jaw and Ron was actually knocked off of his feet by the force of the punch and crashed into the table in the corner of the room.
Lewis walked over to him and hauled him off the floor before tossing him into the dresser with enough strength to send the glass of the mirror attached into hundreds of pieces.
He hissed as he felt shards of glass cut into his arm, shoulder and neck.
Lewis then shoved him to the floor and pulled out a non issue hand gun. He pointed it directly at Ron’s head.
“Wait,” Ron croaked. He didn’t have the strength to fight back. He had to make him listen. He had to make him do what he said. “You’re not going to shoot me.”
The man paused, fury screwing up his features, “Shut up.”
Ron wasn’t sure why the man wasn’t pulling the trigger, but he kept talking, “You’re going to put the gun down.”
Lewis began to breathe heavily and shake his head, “No…”
But even as he said it the other man let his arms drop and tossed the gun to the floor. “What are you doing to me?”
Ron coughed and tried to roll off of his bleeding shoulder, “I don’t know who you are…but you’re going to let me talk to Lewis.”
He looked up and saw something change in the man’s demeanor. The fury melted off of his face and his eyes went wide, “Ron?”
Ron sighed and let his head fall back against the floor, his vision still fading. He had made him listen…how had he made him listen?
He closed his eyes, trying to fight the exhaustion. He struggled to get up on his feet.
Lewis rushed forward and helped him to the bed, and Ron tried not the flinch even though he knew it was Lewis. “Ron..Jesus Christ…”
Ron let the pain overwhelm him and it was only a moment before he was unconscious.
Lewis stared at the bruised, battered and bleeding man on the bed before him. He looked around at the destruction in the room.
This wasn’t what he wanted. He turned to the mirror, “You were going to kill him!”
Jonathan’s face was filled with fury, “Yes I was. For you! But I couldn’t…”
Lewis was shaking once more as he turned away from his reflection and checked over Ron’s injuries. “What?”
“There’s something he did. Something he said. I couldn’t control my actions.”
Lewis ignored him as he rolled Ron on his back and tried not to freak out about how much his neck was bleeding.
“But he can’t talk anymore.”
“What? No!”
Before he could control himself he was picking up the gun, “No! You’re not going to make me do this. This is against everything I wanted. I wanted to keep him safe!”
“After he betrays you, you still want to protect him! You’re pathetic. If you’re too weak to end this, I’ll be more than happy to do it for you.”
The gun lifted up to point at Ron’s unconscious figure, “NO!”
Suddenly the door flew open and the blonde officer that he had seen Ron interrogate came rushing in, gun drawn, “LAPD put the gun down now!”
“I can’t…”
“What are you going to do Officer Lipton? Are you going to shoot an FBI Agent?”
The man glared and glanced frantically at Ron, “Are you?”
Lewis shook his head, fighting with Jonathan over control of his body. He lowered the gun slightly, “You have to knock me out.”
“What that Hell is wrong with you?”
“I can’t control him, there’s someone else in my head….”
The officer’s head tilted to the side and his eyes got wide, “You’re right…there’s two of you in there.”
“I can’t control him for much longer. You have to knock me out. Do it. Take the gun and then you have to arrest me.”
“Arrest you for what? This?”
Lewis shook his head, “No…I killed the De Lucca brothers. And I was the one who shot up the bar downtown. I’ll confess to everything you just have to arrest me.”
Lipton paused, eyes still on the slightly raised gun in Lewis’s hand.
Lewis began to shout, “You have to knock me out! Do you want to save him or not!”
That was all it took. Lipton dropped his gun and drew his fist.
Lewis’s head snapped back when Lipton’s fist struck him…and everything went black.
A/N: Wow that was a long chapter…whew.