Possibilities
Title: Possibilities
Rating: K+
Word Count: 511
Notes: For comment_fic, for this prompt (posted there, but then edited and posted here after I noticed tense errors, which are my absolute least favorite typos to make). Takes place during "The Hard Part".
--
Mohinder is saying something about repentance, but Sylar tunes that out. He's gotten good at using this ability delicately, focusing in on the things he wants to hear and ignoring those he doesn't. Underneath the sound of the good doctor's babbling, he can hear the shrill beep-beep-beep of a phone being dialed. Three digits, the latter two with the same tone.
911. Of course.
It's only been a few days since the doctor's last attempt at manipulating him, but Sylar had nearly forgotten how stubborn Mohinder can be. If he wasn't the most intelligent person Sylar has spoken to in months, he wouldn't have bothered calling him.
Maybe he shouldn't have, if Mohinder is still so desperate for "justice" that he's going to bring the police into this.
If he was thinking clearly, Sylar would have realized that there was more than one way to react here.
He could say, "Why are you bothering to call 911, Mohinder? You don't know where I am, aside from in the city, and I'm not about to tell you. Even if you did know where I was, you'd just be sending police officers to an early grave." At Mohinder's gaping silence, he would add, "It's not that I'm repentant, I just don't understand. I'm not blood thirsty. I shouldn't want to kill needlessly."
And maybe Mohinder would hang up his cell phone, or maybe he wouldn't, but he would know that Sylar was right. And maybe he'd hang up his home phone, hating that fact. And then Sylar would have to find someone else to ask for guidance.
His mother, perhaps.
Or maybe his curiosity would prove too great, and he would ask more, ask why Sylar was so convinced that this will happen. And Sylar would describe the painting that his precognitive abilities presented him, the ones Isaac had left behind, and the conclusion he'd drawn from them. And maybe Mohinder would hang up at the mention of another power stolen, his final words a recrimination accusing Sylar of always killing needlessly. And Sylar would reject the idea outright - natural selection is never needless - and decide that this, too, must be natural selection.
Somehow.
Or maybe Mohinder would puzzle it over, and suggest some alternative interpretation of the painting. And Sylar would think about it, and maybe he'd call it impossible, too optimistic, ignoring the obvious. Or maybe he would accept it, and leave the city, and no explosion would take place, and Isaac would be wrong on more than one account. And maybe Mohinder would hate himself for letting a serial killer live, but he would be comforted by the fact that he'd saved several million lives (including his own) in the process.
Hopefully.
But Sylar isn't thinking clearly - it's why he called Mohinder in the first place, because he needs help, advice, something, and couldn't (still can't) think of anyone else - and so instead of investigating any of those possibilities, he says, "I can hear you dialing 911." Then: "It was a mistake to call."
And he hangs up, cutting off the panicked (worried? not likely) cry of his name.
--
Rating: K+
Word Count: 511
Notes: For comment_fic, for this prompt (posted there, but then edited and posted here after I noticed tense errors, which are my absolute least favorite typos to make). Takes place during "The Hard Part".
--
Mohinder is saying something about repentance, but Sylar tunes that out. He's gotten good at using this ability delicately, focusing in on the things he wants to hear and ignoring those he doesn't. Underneath the sound of the good doctor's babbling, he can hear the shrill beep-beep-beep of a phone being dialed. Three digits, the latter two with the same tone.
911. Of course.
It's only been a few days since the doctor's last attempt at manipulating him, but Sylar had nearly forgotten how stubborn Mohinder can be. If he wasn't the most intelligent person Sylar has spoken to in months, he wouldn't have bothered calling him.
Maybe he shouldn't have, if Mohinder is still so desperate for "justice" that he's going to bring the police into this.
If he was thinking clearly, Sylar would have realized that there was more than one way to react here.
He could say, "Why are you bothering to call 911, Mohinder? You don't know where I am, aside from in the city, and I'm not about to tell you. Even if you did know where I was, you'd just be sending police officers to an early grave." At Mohinder's gaping silence, he would add, "It's not that I'm repentant, I just don't understand. I'm not blood thirsty. I shouldn't want to kill needlessly."
And maybe Mohinder would hang up his cell phone, or maybe he wouldn't, but he would know that Sylar was right. And maybe he'd hang up his home phone, hating that fact. And then Sylar would have to find someone else to ask for guidance.
His mother, perhaps.
Or maybe his curiosity would prove too great, and he would ask more, ask why Sylar was so convinced that this will happen. And Sylar would describe the painting that his precognitive abilities presented him, the ones Isaac had left behind, and the conclusion he'd drawn from them. And maybe Mohinder would hang up at the mention of another power stolen, his final words a recrimination accusing Sylar of always killing needlessly. And Sylar would reject the idea outright - natural selection is never needless - and decide that this, too, must be natural selection.
Somehow.
Or maybe Mohinder would puzzle it over, and suggest some alternative interpretation of the painting. And Sylar would think about it, and maybe he'd call it impossible, too optimistic, ignoring the obvious. Or maybe he would accept it, and leave the city, and no explosion would take place, and Isaac would be wrong on more than one account. And maybe Mohinder would hate himself for letting a serial killer live, but he would be comforted by the fact that he'd saved several million lives (including his own) in the process.
Hopefully.
But Sylar isn't thinking clearly - it's why he called Mohinder in the first place, because he needs help, advice, something, and couldn't (still can't) think of anyone else - and so instead of investigating any of those possibilities, he says, "I can hear you dialing 911." Then: "It was a mistake to call."
And he hangs up, cutting off the panicked (worried? not likely) cry of his name.
--