Mind Games

[dix-des-coeurs.livejournal.com]

Characters: Sylar and Luxord
Content: A planned experiment leads to something...else.
Setting: Unknown
Time: Unknown
Warnings: Some swears, whee!

Luxord didn’t want to botch this up more than it already had been. Not only had it taken his three compatriots long enough to get ahold of this particular subject, but they’d caused him physical injury in the process.

 

Oh well. Damaged goods were better than none, he supposed. This might even make it easier on him.

 

“Good evening,” Luxord extended a greeting to his guest as the man returned to consciousness, the chains on the chair wrapping around him and holding him captive in the seat. “And how are you this fine day?”

 

~

 

Sylar groaned as he awoke – damn did his head ever hurt – then carefully schooled his face into a blank expression, refusing to let something so simple betray the myriad of emotions swirling through him. Fury that he’d been caught so easily. A small bit of amazement that the guy with no heart had dropped a goddamn lake on him, amongst the other things the other heartless creatures had done. Surprise that this new person also lacked a heart. Above it all, smugness – these chains wouldn’t hold him for long. His “cover” and his “acting” be damned. These people – things – wouldn’t know what hit them once he got out of here.

 

“Good, thanks,” he replied coolly. “A lot better before your friend dropped eight tons of water on me,” – that, of course, would be the one aspect of the ordeal that Sylar just couldn’t get over – “but good.” He’d simply bide his time until the opportunity to break out presented itself.

 

~

 

“Ah, yes,” Luxord nodded, “he does seem to be fond of doing that.” Eight tons had to be an exaggeration. Surely Demyx wasn’t dumb enough to drop a lethal amount of water upon potentially valuable subjects, especially with Marluxia and Xaldin there to keep him in check.

 

Surely not.

 

“I was hoping you might help me with something,” Luxord continued simply, that statement the only warning he gave before walking forward and simply passing through the man chained to the chair, reading his life’s memories in one fell swoop.

 

~

 

“Like wh-” Sylar’s words were cut short as a chill fell over him. He watched his entire life flash before his eyes in a matter of seconds. His start – his powers – his victories – his mistakes – that damn cheerleader – everything falling into place like clockwork –

 

And as quickly as it had begun, it had ended. Sylar stared forward with wide eyes as the room snapped back into focus. “What – what the hell?” he demanded.

 

~

 

Like Sylar, Luxord was an actor. Unlike Sylar, he didn’t need to struggle to hide emotions – his face fell easily into a blank and unreadable mask. His prisoner had been false from the beginning. Larxene had seen that he was an actor, but Luxord would give good odds that even she didn’t know the lengths of this man’s skills and powers. Had he not been openly seeking information, he could have passed under the Organization’s radar for months on end.

 

He ignored his target’s outburst. “So, Robert – or rather, Sylar,” he placed special emphasis on the name so his subject would be well aware of who was in charge here, “you’ve had a rather interesting life, haven’t you.”

 

Maybe they were treating him the wrong way. Maybe, instead of experimenting on him, they could use him.

 

“Hold that thought,” he said, suddenly aware that Sylar was speaking. “I’ll be back in no time.” At least, he reflected as he stopped Sylar’s time and stepped through the opening portal of darkness, that’s what it would feel like for Sylar.

Comments

[allinthebrain.livejournal.com]

Sylar’s face twisted into a snarl as the blond said his name. How the hell did he know? Nobody here knew who he really was! And yet this heartless thing had found his name…could he possibly have…?

“Yeah. Interesting,” Sylar spat. “How do you know my name? What the hell did you do?” He hated not being the one in control of the situation. He was vaguely aware of the blond talking over him, and then suddenly he was in a completely different place than he had been before.

Sylar was thrown for yet another loop as he whipped his head around to look at the man. “What the hell is going on here?!”

~

Luxord smirked as he reappeared in the room, time around Sylar still just as he’d left it – stopped. His plan had been approved by the Superior. If his subject was willing – and considering what Luxord had seen in his memories, he would be – then this would add a new player, new rules, an entire new dimension to the game already being played.

He couldn’t wait.

He brought Sylar’s time up to normal speed, just in time to catch the end of his question: “–hell did you do?” He waited for the next shock and furious question to subside before answering. “Calm down. You’re lucky – I don’t intend to harm you. Actually,” Luxord allowed the shadow of a smirk to cross his face, “I came to offer you a deal of sorts.”

He snapped his fingers, and the chains on the chair went limp and fell away, releasing their captive. “I don’t want the chair broken, understand – others do have to use it after you.

“So.” He stopped and stood in front of Sylar, holding firm eye contact that would make lesser beings shy away. “Do you want to hear what I have to say?”

~

Sylar remained seated, still, and impassive as the chains fell away, and he held eye contact with Luxord as though it were nothing. He was not, after all, a lesser being. Far from it. The epitome of human evolution didn’t look away from a threat that didn’t even have the most basic of human components.

“You read my memories, didn’t you.” It was not an accusation, but rather a statement of fact. “You know who I am and what I can do.

“Fine.” A slight smirk crept across his face, matching the expression of the blond in front of him. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and allowed the smirk to grow. “So what’s this deal of yours?”

~

Luxord’s smirk grew to match Sylar’s and he nearly laughed aloud. Perfect. Everything was going exactly according to plan. Absolutely perfect.

So he spoke. The secrets of Paixao – everything anybody could ever want to know, the answer to every question ever asked about the city – came from his lips to Sylar’s ears. The Organization itself, its goals, its functions, its every aspect, was named and explained.

“So you see,” Luxord finished, “our goals work in tandem. Our information could infinitely benefit your goals, and that which you can gather would benefit us in the same way.

“Your thoughts?”

~

Sylar had remained uncharacteristically silent throughout the entire explanation. The immensity of the city, the myriad of people within it…it all made sense. More sense than his belief that an illusionist was behind it, anyway.

“You want me to work with you,” Sylar summarized simply. “I keep doing what I’ve been doing and report back to you, and you tell me what things – what people –” predatory coldness flashed momentarily through his eyes “– would benefit me. Am I right?”

~

The predator’s eyes did not go unnoticed by Luxord. That instinct in this person was what would make this plan immaculate.

“Yes,” he replied just as simply. “Are you in?”

~

What a stupid question. He’d have to be the absolute bottom of the intelligence food chain – he’d have to be Petrelli – to pass up this opportunity.

“Well of course.” The full-fledged smirk had settled on his face by now.

~

“Wonderful.” That had been the answer Luxord had been expecting from him. The ball had been set rolling.

“I’ll find you a place to stay while we finish up the rest of the experiments,” Luxord planned aloud, opening a portal of darkness to a vacant room. “Wouldn’t want you to seem too different from the other subjects, after all.”

[allinthebrain.livejournal.com]

Sylar nodded and stood. “Wait.”

After all he’d said, there had been one thing he’d left out of the explanation. “Tell me your name,” he said simply.

~

Luxord stopped at Sylar’s words. “Hm.” Of all the things to forget. He looked over his shoulder at the newest player in the game. “Call me Luxord.”

He then stepped through the portal.

~

Satisfied, Sylar followed him. Normally he’d not accept the knowledge he had – he’d demand to know who each member was and what powers they harbored before going with one of them. Another lake dropped on his head was about the last thing he wanted.

But for now, he’d be satisfied with what he had. The powers of these heartless creatures – these Nobodies, he’d learned their title – was not centered in their brains and therefore of no use to him. He’d learn what he could when he could, and in the meantime watch, follow journals, and wait.

But that was alright. He was used to that. He’d waited plenty before. When the time was right, he would strike. What- and whoever was in his way would simply fall.

Just like always.