![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Fiction: Loyalty part 2
Name: Loyalty Part 2 of 3
Characters: Audrey, Matt, Mohinder
Rating: 18 for language
Warnings: Mentions of violence, adult language, adult situations
Note: A birthday fic for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
perdiccas sequel to Trust
Follows part 1
Matt’s no use to anyone right now. I take him out to a bar and pour a Scotch down him.
“I hate spirits, and we’re on duty.”
“Yeah, and you’ve had a fucking shock,” I say sharply. “So pull yourself together.”
“That’s it? That’s your morale boosting speech?” he asks incredulously. “He could be dead!”
“Well he’s not, is he? That would be stupid. These people went to all the trouble of flying to damn Texas to kidnap him. They could’ve killed him there and then but they didn’t.”
He puts his head in his hands and sighs. “This is my fault.”
“Don’t be such an egomaniac.”
“You’re not seriously going to try and pass this off as a coincidence?” he asks disbelievingly.
“No, no. Maybe when he asking questions he found out something he shouldn’t have,” I suggest, but Matt’s already shaking his head. “Why not?”
“Audrey, I was talking to him until three. There’s no way he had time to do anything like that.”
“Well this makes no damn sense then! Either it’s some kind of coincidence, which we agreed isn’t the case, or he’s been grabbed for some reason connected to this case.” I finish my drink and push it away.
“Mohinder was working with Primatech before the bombing,” Matt says slowly. “But that was in New York. He didn’t have anything to do with any prisoners. He said he hadn’t had anything to do with the escaped prisoners from the Texas branch. But what other connection is that besides Primatech?”
“Okay, I’ll get in touch with the AD and see what he wants us to do. There will an investigation into the kidnapping and we’ll have to coordinate with them.” Christ, I hope they don’t think that Matt’s got anything to do with this. “Matt, I need you to concentrate. Mohinder has been taken for a reason. Can you think what it is?”
“How the fuck would I know?” he asks angrily.
“Do either of his parents work for Primatech, are they more founder?”
“No,” he says slowly. “His dad was a genetics professor and he was murdered by Sylar earlier in the year, and his mother is a... history professor in India.”
Pretty boy must have some self-control to have Sylar under his care and not kill him then. “We’ll have to see what the AD says. If the junior partners are in Texas it might not be worth us being here.”
“They won’t let me help look for him will they?” Matt asks quietly.
“You’ll be lucky if you’re not their damned number one suspect. You don’t have him stashed in your hotel room do you?”
He smiles slightly and shakes his head. “If I did, would I be here?”
“We can still investigate the robberies. Find out the connections between previous victims. It’d be interesting to see if any of the other victims are Primatech employees or founders.”
Matt nods slowly. “Yeah, I checked up on the money and it’s a pittance really. Half the time they don’t even bother with the vaults.”
“They’re in it for the jollies,” I snort.
“And the attention,” he says. “They grabbed Mohinder in the middle of the night. They could’ve easily covered their faces but they didn’t. They wanted it known that they had him.”
I tap the bar with my fingers, narrowly avoiding a pool of spilled beer. Who’s been drinking beer at this time?
“The two younger guys are obviously having fun. It’s the older guy I’m curious about. We don’t know what’s in it for him and we have no idea what he looks like except for the face he’s white, heavy, and balding.”
“God knows there aren’t many of those about,” Matt says dryly. “We better get back.”
“Ring Bennet, if two bruisers fetch up to kidnap him they’ll deserve everything they get.”
Fisher slouches into the incident room and wafts two files at me. “Been looking for you.”
“Well here I am. What’ve you got there?”
“Positive ID on the fingerprint at the bank, what will you give me for it?”
“I won’t let Parkman rip your heart out.” I lean back in my chair. “Usually I’d be the one threatening but he’s having a really bad day.”
“You’re not very experienced at the whole flirting thing, huh?”
“Pft, that was you flirting? No wonder you’re divorced.”
He gapes at me. “How’d you know that?”
“Uh, I’m a detective? Finding shit out is kind of my job. For next time, ask me out for a drink.”
Fisher weighs me up for a couple of seconds. “So, are you and he knocking boots?”
“No, never shit where you live. Rule number one. I spend too much time with him to sleep with him. Look, any other day I’d sit here and trade chit-chat with you but this isn’t any day. If Parkman comes back and finds you waving those files about he’ll do his fucking nut. So piss off okay?”
He hands me the files and tucks his hands in his pockets. “There’s some reason this case is special?”
“You have no idea.”
Mr Hotstuff is a ‘Flint Gordon, Junior’, oh boy, a low IQ and a history of robbery and violence, what a charmer. Where do people come up with these names?
I phone Assistant Director Kimble at headquarters and get put on hold for about twenty minutes, ass. They always have to remind you how much more important they are.
“Hanson, you’ve heard about this Suresh character being abducted?” he asks.
“Yes sir, his assistant told Parkman when he rang up this morning.”
There’s a long pause before he deigns to answer. “Why was Parkman ringing him?”
“We think some previous robbery/murders are connected with the bank robberies. Some of the victims turned out to be founders of Primatech. Suresh was doing a little digging for us,” I explain.
“That’s all? According to the phone records the last number Suresh rang was Parkman’s hotel room.”
Smart ass isn’t telling me how long they were talking for. Wants me to walk right into it, well fuck that. “I wouldn’t like to say sir. I know they’ve known each other a while.”
“Hanson, Suresh has been kidnapped, this is no time to start trying to be discrete.”
“They’re not fucking, if that’s what you mean, sir,” I say sweetly. That shouldn’t have been so much fun.
He sighs down the phone. “You’re your own worst enemy, you know that Hanson? Without your mouth and your temper you’d do a hell of a lot better in this agency.”
“As you say sir. We’ve identified one of the bank robbers, looks one of the two who abducted Suresh, we’re trying to check if he was at the holding facility.”
“Parkman is capable of continuing?”
“Parkman’s a professional sir.”
“I’d ask you to keep him in check,” Kimble says dryly. “But I’m relying on him to control you. Any problems and you are both off the robberies. You understand?”
“Yes sir.” Fuckwad. “Who’s dealing with Suresh’s abduction?”
“CIA, it’s out of our hands.”
“The CIA? Jesus Christ! Why?”
Matt’s on the other line growling at Bennet but I see him pause and look at me.
“Hanson, do you think if I knew I would tell you?” he asks sourly. “All I know is there’s an Agent Bristow on the way to co-ordinate with you. I have the Director on the other line. Keep me updated.”
“Yes sir.”
“What’s going on?” Matt asks as soon as I put the phone down. “Who was that?”
“Assistant Director Kimble, apparently the CIA are investigating Mohinder’s kidnap.”
“Great, maybe the NSA and MI5 would like to join in. Let’s get the whole alphabet soup involved,” he says sourly. “Bennet confirms that Flint was at one time in Primatech custody but he doesn’t know if he was an escapee. Flint as we know is a pyrokinetic, and a sadist at that. Audrey, the other one...” Matt flounders for a minute. “Shit, I know him. I’m pretty sure he’s Benjamin Washington, goes by ‘Knox’.”
“Why the hell didn’t you say? For fuck’s sake, Matt!”
“It’s got nothing to do with it,” he insists. “I was his parole officer, that’s all.”
“A fantastic job you did of it!”
“Hey, I did my best!” he snarls, leaping to his feet. “All I ever do is my best and a fat lot of good it does!”
“There’s no fucking excuse for you keeping it from me! I’m your partner!”
He lets out a snorted breath. “I wasn’t a hundred percent sure. When I was sure I told you.”
“Next time you tell me upfront and clear.” I poke him in the chest. “You clear?”
“Yeah, crystal,” he says quietly.
“Kind of a coincidence him having an ability,” I note.
Matt rubs his head. “Mohinder has a theory that people like us... we attract each other.”
“I’ve been telling you that for weeks.”
He barely smiles. “People with a special ability. He spent weeks trying to find us but I walk out the door and I trip over them. He hasn’t worked out how yet.”
“He will.” I pat his arm. “What else did Bennet say?”
Matt sits down on his desk. “He’s sending a list of the founders of Primatech. When I told him about the bank, he suggested our third man was someone with some power to exaggerate emotions, either a projective empath or some kind of telepath. He looked Knox up on some database; apparently, he gets his strength from other people’s fear. The more afraid they are, the stronger he gets.
“That’s creepy.”
“A little bit.” Matt rubs his head. “I’ll check if Bennet’s sent that list.” He moves around the desk as the door opens.
“Yeah?” I ask. The man in the doorway is an older guy in a neat but not fussy suit. Everything about him looks designed not to attract attention. Neat and stylish but not flashy, average height, average features, non-descript hair and face.
Hello Agent CIA.
“Agent Hanson?” he asks crisply. He glances at Matt and his eyebrows rise and then he clamps down. Old school, I kind of like the cool composed thing.
“Who’s asking?”
“Agent Bristow.”
“Yeah, I’m Hanson.” I stand and move forward to offer him my hand. He blinks and then shakes my hand. A little pressure, not too light, not too firm. “This is Detective Parkman, he’s on secondment from the LAPD.”
Matt leans over the desk to offer his hand. A tiny muscle twitches around Bristow’s mouth and he shakes Matt’s hand.
“Detective.”
“Hi,” Matt says sitting back down and starting something printing.
“May we talk in private?” Bristow asks me. I say asks, it’s not really a question.
“Well, Matt’s in the middle of something but maybe we can use one of the other offices.”
“How long have you known that man?” Bristow asks.
That man? What the hell is that about? “Long enough, if you’ve got a problem with people of ability you on the wrong case, giggles.”
The corner of his mouth quirks up for a fraction of a second and then he blinks at me. “I wasn’t aware Detective Parkman had an ability. Is that why he’s been seconded to you?”
“Are you here to coordinate your search for Suresh, or because you want to interrogate me about Parkman? He was interrogated after the bombing. He’s good people.”
Bristow just looks at me for a long moment. “Mohinder Suresh’s safety is extremely important to the interests of the United States.”
“Gee, and I was going to refuse to help otherwise. Look, I’m a busy woman. Do you want us to work together or do you want to make veiled insinuations?”
“Oh I believe I’m quite capable of some multitasking,” he says and twitches his lips in a smile.
“Wow, a joke. Aren’t you just the laugh riot?”
Bristow clasps his hands together on the table. “You’re aware that the last person Suresh spoke to before his abduction was Parkman?”
“Yeah, and I know it was for around five hours,” I say casually. I’ll be fucked before I let him think he’s got one over me.
He watches me for a few seconds, completely still, and then suddenly moves, standing up. “Very well, I should talk to you and Detective Parkman.”
“Doctor Suresh had received a number of threats in the past few weeks,” Bristow says crisply.
“From someone else?” Matt asks.
Bristow looks at him. “Precisely whom do you believe Doctor Suresh was receiving threats from?”
Matt waves a hand. “Sylar.”
“I’m curious that you appear to treat threats against your... friend so lightly.”
“Sylar’s locked up,” I say. “He’s doped up and trussed up like Hannibal fucking Lecter.”
“My understanding is that Gabriel Grey is a particularly dangerous psychopath with a history of antipathy toward Doctor Suresh,” Bristow says coolly.
Matt snorts and shakes his head. “Yeah well, Sylar’s had plenty of chances to hurt Mohinder. He smacks him around a little but that’s just foreplay.”
“No fucking way? Sylar’s got a thing for Suresh?” That’s hilarious, is Mohinder some kind of catnip for specials or what?
“Trust me,” Matt says, tapping the side of his head. “Sylar’s prime interest is not injuring him.”
Bristow’s lips twitch for a moment. “To clarify, you don’t believe that these threats were serious in nature?”
Matt purses his lips. “I think that Sylar is always going to threaten. Mohinder knows him a lot better than I do and he didn’t take the threats seriously.”
Bristow gives a tiny nod. “Gabriel Grey is still securely in custody.”
“Sylar wants to do whatever he wants to do in person,” Matt says. “If he’s still locked up then it’s not him.”
“One of the kidnappers has been positively identified as Benjamin Washington, a former acquaintance of yours,” Bristow notes. “That’s an interesting coincidence.”
Matt shakes his head. “Knox has got no axe to grind that I know of but... maybe I’m wrong.” He looks away as his phone rings. “Unknown number.”
Bristow opens his briefcase and takes out what looks like a tape recorder. He presses a couple of buttons and the tape starts to whir around.
“Hello?” The colour leaches out of his face. “Mohinder, are you alright? Where are you? What do you mean?” Matt asks. “Mohinder, I promise I didn’t...Okay, I’ll wait for that. I won’t let anything happen. Mohinder? Mohinder?” he holds the phone away from his ear. “He’s gone.”
“What did he say?”
“Allow me,” Bristow says, rewinding the tape and then pressing a button.
“Hello?” Matt asks.
“Matt, it’s me.”
“Mohinder, are you alright? Where are you?”
“I don’t know, somewhere in the countryside. All I can see out of the windows are cotton plants. Does that help? I’ve not been hurt,” Mohinder says quietly. “Although the two younger... gentlemen have been quite vocal in wanting to rectify that,” he says dryly. “Apart from not being allowed to leave it’s perfectly charming. They say that they’re ‘looking after’ me for you.”
“What do you mean?” Matt asks. “Mohinder I promise I didn’t...”
“I know, I know,” Mohinder says quickly. “There are three of them, two in their late twenties and early thirties, and one in his early sixties, he’s in charge. He’s says he’s going to get in touch.”
“Okay,” Matt says. “I’ll wait for that. I won’t let anything happen.”
“I have to go.”
“Mohinder? Mohinder?”
Bristow turns off the recorder. “They said that they’re ‘looking after’ Doctor Suresh for you,” he says dryly.
“I... I have no idea what that means,” Matt says blankly. “Audrey, I have nothing to do with this!”
“That remains to be seen,” Bristow says. “Are you sexually involved with Doctor Suresh?”
“No!”
“Not yet,” I add.
“Audrey, don’t help me,” Matt snaps. “I like Mohinder, a lot, but we’re not sleeping together.”
Bristow gives a very small nod. On someone else, I wouldn’t notice it but the man is all about the tiny details, small movements. “Whose choice was that?”
Matt shrugs. “The subject hadn’t arisen. I never asked him out and he didn’t pre-emptively shoot me down.”
Bristow picks up the recorder. “I will download this to my colleagues and we’ll attempt to narrow down the location that Doctor Suresh is being held.” He stands up. “I’m returning to Texas this afternoon and you’ll both accompany me. Although of course if you choose to stay, Agent Hanson, that is your prerogative.”
“Excuse me?” I demand. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
“Audrey...” Matt says quietly.
“I think that I’m the supervising agent investigating the kidnap of a government employee,” he says coolly.
“So he comes freely or what, rendition? You stick him in a jumpsuit and chain him to the airplane seat?”
“Your loyalty to your colleague does you credit, Agent Hanson,” Bristow says quietly. “However you must consider that, by choice or not, Detective Parkman is involved.”
Matt stands up and pushes me back down. “Don’t be an ass Audrey, what’re you going to do, get into a fist fight with him?” He glances at Bristow and then back at me. “He’s probably got a poison dart up his sock.”
The plane is at a private airfield. No security checks and no staff on the plan barring the pilots.
“So this is a spy plane, huh?” I ask as Bristow sits opposite us.
“It’s CIA transport, yes.”
Matt nudges me in the ribs. “If we have to bail out do you think they give us invisible parachutes?”
“Only if you annoy me Detective Parkman,” Bristow says crisply.
“I still don’t see why we couldn’t wait for Bennet to email the Primatech founders to us,” I complain.
“The fewer people involved the better. Beside which my colleague is sending the information.”
Matt twiddles his thumbs. “I should’ve stayed in the centre,” he says quietly. “Nobody was kidnapping Mohinder when I was under lock and key.”
“That is interesting,” Bristow says coolly.
“Piss off,” I say flatly. “This is a big plane, sit somewhere else. You’re not a detective, we are. Let us do our jobs and work out what’s going on here.”
He blinks at me once and a muscle twitches in his cheek as he stands up. “Very well.”
“You hurt his feelings,” Matt says, watching him walk away. “I think he likes you.”
I fling a balled up piece of paper at him and he bats it away. “Making those kinds of stupid jokes is my job.”
“He has a point,” he says quietly. “You said yourself these guys were trying to get our attention. They went quiet when we were laid up and as soon as we head out to Oklahoma bang they’re back.”
“Yeah,” I agree and he flinches. “Somebody is playing some kind of games. But just because they told Mohinder that they’re ‘looking after him for you’ doesn’t mean it’s true.”
He snorts and shakes his head. “Well that would be worse because then I’d have no reason to think he’s okay.”
“If they were going to kill him they’d have done it already.”
“You don’t know that,” Matt says, shaking his head. “I appreciate the thought though.” He sits back. “Come on.”
“Come on?”
He kicks my ankle. “Ask me the questions, you know you have to.”
“Well if you’re going to take all the fucking fun out of it.” I kick his shin. “Come on, enemies; particularly those with abilities.”
He blows out his cheeks. “Sylar, Campbell, that’s it really. I was a beat cop you know, I dealt with fender benders, lost kids, I don’t have any kind of a nemesis or anything. I’m just a regular cop.”
I rub my forehead. “Forget crime, what about... stalkers, ex-lovers, personal stuff?”
Matt spreads out his hands. “I’m not that guy. People don’t obsess over me.”
“Someone does.”
Bristow walks back over to us, a print out in his hand.
“That the Primatech founders?”
He hands the list to Matt silently. Matt reads, frowns, and goes white.
“Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” I prompt.
Matt hands me the report.
Suzanne Amman
Bob Bishop
Charles Deveaux
Harry Fletcher
Paula Gramble
Daniel Linderman
Carlos Mendez
Kaito Nakamura
Maury Parkman
Angela Petrelli
Arthur Petrelli
Victoria Pratt
“Who the fuck is Maury?” I demand.
“My dad,” Matt says, shrugging. “But I haven’t seen him since I was thirteen.”
“This is a recent photograph,” Bristow says handing over a picture.
Matt shrugs. “Yeah, that’s him. A little less hair and a little more... him I guess.” He pats his stomach. “I’ll blame genetics. He could be the third guy in the bank maybe.”
I take the photograph, mid sixties, heavy built, face like an unhappy bloodhound and...
“Audrey!”
“Jesus! Don’t fucking shout!” I snap. They’re both staring at me. “What? What the hell are you both looking at?”
Bristow looks silently at Matt.
Matt tips up my face and I slap his face away. “Hey grabby! When I want you to manhandle me I’ll tell you.”
“Agent Hanson, you appeared to slip into some sort of disassociated state when you saw the photograph,” Bristow says carefully.
“Audrey, someone’s messed with you,” Parkman says quietly. “Messed with your mind.”
Bristow nods once. “It would appear that Detective Parkman is correct.”
Jesus fucking Christ, I knew it. I knew one of them would start poking about in my head!
Matt rolls his eyes. “Are you going to let me fix it or are you going to sit there and glare?”
I throw myself back against the chair. “If you have to.”
On the way back to the bank I practically crash into this guy; mid sixties, heavy built, face like an unhappy bloodhound and he catches me. Hands light on my forearms and he’s looking into my eyes. Not saying anything but I can hear his voice saying something... something curious but not threatening. Wants to know about Matt, is he happy? What would make him happy?
Matt bolts for the bathroom, nearly crushing Bristow in his rush.
“Might I inquire exactly what caused that response?” Bristow asks, sitting opposite me and dusting off his trousers.
“Maury,” I say coolly. “I saw him and he made me forget.”
Bristow’s lips thin.
“Not like that,” I say quickly. “He didn’t rape me, except I guess from Matt’s POV.”
Bristow glances back to where Matt can be heard throwing up. “Do you need anything?”
Wow, the man actually has a heart. Or he’s looking for a way to drug me. Whichever.
“No, I’m fine.” I push my hair back behind my ear. “Maury wanted to know about Matt, if he’s happy. What would make him happy?”
“You told him that Doctor Suresh would make Detective Parkman happy.”
A statement, not a question.
“Apparently,” I snort. “What the hell kind of person thinks that their kid is going to appreciate that kind of thing?”
Bristow glances down at his hands. “You might be surprised the lengths a parent will go to.”
“Kidnapping someone for them to make out with?” I scoff. “Please, you’ve never done that.”
“Certainly not, but of course I would say that.”
I look him up and down then shake my head. “Nah, you’d kill them off so your baby didn’t get hurt.”
It’s only the faintest, briefest shade of pinkness in his cheeks. “Protecting your children and providing for your children aren’t mutually exclusive.”
“Providing a cute Genetics Professor is a half a dozen steps past normal and into psycho.” Matt trudges out of the bathroom and slumps down next to me.
Bristow glances at his watch. “We will be landing soon. We’ll have to consider what we do next now we have this information.”
“Are you okay?” I ask Matt as Bristow walks away.
“I was going to ask you that.” He rubs his face. “I don’t understand. He walked out when I was thirteen.”
“Twenty-five years of no birthdays or Christmas,” I remark. “One cute professor seems about fair.”
He flinches rather than smiles.
“Matt, he’s going to be okay.”
“Come on Audrey,” he says quietly. “He must be disturbed. Nobody in their right mind would do that!”
We climb down the steps onto another private airfield. Bristow is looking around with what for him is a worried expression.
“What’s wrong?” Matt asks.
“There should be guards.” He stalks across to the hanger and pushes open a door.
A hand grips my arm.
“Just you stay still girl and we’ll all get along,” a voice murmurs.
Girl? Girl? I spin around with my fist raised and everything goes black.
End of part 2
part 3
Characters: Audrey, Matt, Mohinder
Rating: 18 for language
Warnings: Mentions of violence, adult language, adult situations
Note: A birthday fic for
perdiccas sequel to TrustFollows part 1
Matt’s no use to anyone right now. I take him out to a bar and pour a Scotch down him.
“I hate spirits, and we’re on duty.”
“Yeah, and you’ve had a fucking shock,” I say sharply. “So pull yourself together.”
“That’s it? That’s your morale boosting speech?” he asks incredulously. “He could be dead!”
“Well he’s not, is he? That would be stupid. These people went to all the trouble of flying to damn Texas to kidnap him. They could’ve killed him there and then but they didn’t.”
He puts his head in his hands and sighs. “This is my fault.”
“Don’t be such an egomaniac.”
“You’re not seriously going to try and pass this off as a coincidence?” he asks disbelievingly.
“No, no. Maybe when he asking questions he found out something he shouldn’t have,” I suggest, but Matt’s already shaking his head. “Why not?”
“Audrey, I was talking to him until three. There’s no way he had time to do anything like that.”
“Well this makes no damn sense then! Either it’s some kind of coincidence, which we agreed isn’t the case, or he’s been grabbed for some reason connected to this case.” I finish my drink and push it away.
“Mohinder was working with Primatech before the bombing,” Matt says slowly. “But that was in New York. He didn’t have anything to do with any prisoners. He said he hadn’t had anything to do with the escaped prisoners from the Texas branch. But what other connection is that besides Primatech?”
“Okay, I’ll get in touch with the AD and see what he wants us to do. There will an investigation into the kidnapping and we’ll have to coordinate with them.” Christ, I hope they don’t think that Matt’s got anything to do with this. “Matt, I need you to concentrate. Mohinder has been taken for a reason. Can you think what it is?”
“How the fuck would I know?” he asks angrily.
“Do either of his parents work for Primatech, are they more founder?”
“No,” he says slowly. “His dad was a genetics professor and he was murdered by Sylar earlier in the year, and his mother is a... history professor in India.”
Pretty boy must have some self-control to have Sylar under his care and not kill him then. “We’ll have to see what the AD says. If the junior partners are in Texas it might not be worth us being here.”
“They won’t let me help look for him will they?” Matt asks quietly.
“You’ll be lucky if you’re not their damned number one suspect. You don’t have him stashed in your hotel room do you?”
He smiles slightly and shakes his head. “If I did, would I be here?”
“We can still investigate the robberies. Find out the connections between previous victims. It’d be interesting to see if any of the other victims are Primatech employees or founders.”
Matt nods slowly. “Yeah, I checked up on the money and it’s a pittance really. Half the time they don’t even bother with the vaults.”
“They’re in it for the jollies,” I snort.
“And the attention,” he says. “They grabbed Mohinder in the middle of the night. They could’ve easily covered their faces but they didn’t. They wanted it known that they had him.”
I tap the bar with my fingers, narrowly avoiding a pool of spilled beer. Who’s been drinking beer at this time?
“The two younger guys are obviously having fun. It’s the older guy I’m curious about. We don’t know what’s in it for him and we have no idea what he looks like except for the face he’s white, heavy, and balding.”
“God knows there aren’t many of those about,” Matt says dryly. “We better get back.”
“Ring Bennet, if two bruisers fetch up to kidnap him they’ll deserve everything they get.”
Fisher slouches into the incident room and wafts two files at me. “Been looking for you.”
“Well here I am. What’ve you got there?”
“Positive ID on the fingerprint at the bank, what will you give me for it?”
“I won’t let Parkman rip your heart out.” I lean back in my chair. “Usually I’d be the one threatening but he’s having a really bad day.”
“You’re not very experienced at the whole flirting thing, huh?”
“Pft, that was you flirting? No wonder you’re divorced.”
He gapes at me. “How’d you know that?”
“Uh, I’m a detective? Finding shit out is kind of my job. For next time, ask me out for a drink.”
Fisher weighs me up for a couple of seconds. “So, are you and he knocking boots?”
“No, never shit where you live. Rule number one. I spend too much time with him to sleep with him. Look, any other day I’d sit here and trade chit-chat with you but this isn’t any day. If Parkman comes back and finds you waving those files about he’ll do his fucking nut. So piss off okay?”
He hands me the files and tucks his hands in his pockets. “There’s some reason this case is special?”
“You have no idea.”
Mr Hotstuff is a ‘Flint Gordon, Junior’, oh boy, a low IQ and a history of robbery and violence, what a charmer. Where do people come up with these names?
I phone Assistant Director Kimble at headquarters and get put on hold for about twenty minutes, ass. They always have to remind you how much more important they are.
“Hanson, you’ve heard about this Suresh character being abducted?” he asks.
“Yes sir, his assistant told Parkman when he rang up this morning.”
There’s a long pause before he deigns to answer. “Why was Parkman ringing him?”
“We think some previous robbery/murders are connected with the bank robberies. Some of the victims turned out to be founders of Primatech. Suresh was doing a little digging for us,” I explain.
“That’s all? According to the phone records the last number Suresh rang was Parkman’s hotel room.”
Smart ass isn’t telling me how long they were talking for. Wants me to walk right into it, well fuck that. “I wouldn’t like to say sir. I know they’ve known each other a while.”
“Hanson, Suresh has been kidnapped, this is no time to start trying to be discrete.”
“They’re not fucking, if that’s what you mean, sir,” I say sweetly. That shouldn’t have been so much fun.
He sighs down the phone. “You’re your own worst enemy, you know that Hanson? Without your mouth and your temper you’d do a hell of a lot better in this agency.”
“As you say sir. We’ve identified one of the bank robbers, looks one of the two who abducted Suresh, we’re trying to check if he was at the holding facility.”
“Parkman is capable of continuing?”
“Parkman’s a professional sir.”
“I’d ask you to keep him in check,” Kimble says dryly. “But I’m relying on him to control you. Any problems and you are both off the robberies. You understand?”
“Yes sir.” Fuckwad. “Who’s dealing with Suresh’s abduction?”
“CIA, it’s out of our hands.”
“The CIA? Jesus Christ! Why?”
Matt’s on the other line growling at Bennet but I see him pause and look at me.
“Hanson, do you think if I knew I would tell you?” he asks sourly. “All I know is there’s an Agent Bristow on the way to co-ordinate with you. I have the Director on the other line. Keep me updated.”
“Yes sir.”
“What’s going on?” Matt asks as soon as I put the phone down. “Who was that?”
“Assistant Director Kimble, apparently the CIA are investigating Mohinder’s kidnap.”
“Great, maybe the NSA and MI5 would like to join in. Let’s get the whole alphabet soup involved,” he says sourly. “Bennet confirms that Flint was at one time in Primatech custody but he doesn’t know if he was an escapee. Flint as we know is a pyrokinetic, and a sadist at that. Audrey, the other one...” Matt flounders for a minute. “Shit, I know him. I’m pretty sure he’s Benjamin Washington, goes by ‘Knox’.”
“Why the hell didn’t you say? For fuck’s sake, Matt!”
“It’s got nothing to do with it,” he insists. “I was his parole officer, that’s all.”
“A fantastic job you did of it!”
“Hey, I did my best!” he snarls, leaping to his feet. “All I ever do is my best and a fat lot of good it does!”
“There’s no fucking excuse for you keeping it from me! I’m your partner!”
He lets out a snorted breath. “I wasn’t a hundred percent sure. When I was sure I told you.”
“Next time you tell me upfront and clear.” I poke him in the chest. “You clear?”
“Yeah, crystal,” he says quietly.
“Kind of a coincidence him having an ability,” I note.
Matt rubs his head. “Mohinder has a theory that people like us... we attract each other.”
“I’ve been telling you that for weeks.”
He barely smiles. “People with a special ability. He spent weeks trying to find us but I walk out the door and I trip over them. He hasn’t worked out how yet.”
“He will.” I pat his arm. “What else did Bennet say?”
Matt sits down on his desk. “He’s sending a list of the founders of Primatech. When I told him about the bank, he suggested our third man was someone with some power to exaggerate emotions, either a projective empath or some kind of telepath. He looked Knox up on some database; apparently, he gets his strength from other people’s fear. The more afraid they are, the stronger he gets.
“That’s creepy.”
“A little bit.” Matt rubs his head. “I’ll check if Bennet’s sent that list.” He moves around the desk as the door opens.
“Yeah?” I ask. The man in the doorway is an older guy in a neat but not fussy suit. Everything about him looks designed not to attract attention. Neat and stylish but not flashy, average height, average features, non-descript hair and face.
Hello Agent CIA.
“Agent Hanson?” he asks crisply. He glances at Matt and his eyebrows rise and then he clamps down. Old school, I kind of like the cool composed thing.
“Who’s asking?”
“Agent Bristow.”
“Yeah, I’m Hanson.” I stand and move forward to offer him my hand. He blinks and then shakes my hand. A little pressure, not too light, not too firm. “This is Detective Parkman, he’s on secondment from the LAPD.”
Matt leans over the desk to offer his hand. A tiny muscle twitches around Bristow’s mouth and he shakes Matt’s hand.
“Detective.”
“Hi,” Matt says sitting back down and starting something printing.
“May we talk in private?” Bristow asks me. I say asks, it’s not really a question.
“Well, Matt’s in the middle of something but maybe we can use one of the other offices.”
“How long have you known that man?” Bristow asks.
That man? What the hell is that about? “Long enough, if you’ve got a problem with people of ability you on the wrong case, giggles.”
The corner of his mouth quirks up for a fraction of a second and then he blinks at me. “I wasn’t aware Detective Parkman had an ability. Is that why he’s been seconded to you?”
“Are you here to coordinate your search for Suresh, or because you want to interrogate me about Parkman? He was interrogated after the bombing. He’s good people.”
Bristow just looks at me for a long moment. “Mohinder Suresh’s safety is extremely important to the interests of the United States.”
“Gee, and I was going to refuse to help otherwise. Look, I’m a busy woman. Do you want us to work together or do you want to make veiled insinuations?”
“Oh I believe I’m quite capable of some multitasking,” he says and twitches his lips in a smile.
“Wow, a joke. Aren’t you just the laugh riot?”
Bristow clasps his hands together on the table. “You’re aware that the last person Suresh spoke to before his abduction was Parkman?”
“Yeah, and I know it was for around five hours,” I say casually. I’ll be fucked before I let him think he’s got one over me.
He watches me for a few seconds, completely still, and then suddenly moves, standing up. “Very well, I should talk to you and Detective Parkman.”
“Doctor Suresh had received a number of threats in the past few weeks,” Bristow says crisply.
“From someone else?” Matt asks.
Bristow looks at him. “Precisely whom do you believe Doctor Suresh was receiving threats from?”
Matt waves a hand. “Sylar.”
“I’m curious that you appear to treat threats against your... friend so lightly.”
“Sylar’s locked up,” I say. “He’s doped up and trussed up like Hannibal fucking Lecter.”
“My understanding is that Gabriel Grey is a particularly dangerous psychopath with a history of antipathy toward Doctor Suresh,” Bristow says coolly.
Matt snorts and shakes his head. “Yeah well, Sylar’s had plenty of chances to hurt Mohinder. He smacks him around a little but that’s just foreplay.”
“No fucking way? Sylar’s got a thing for Suresh?” That’s hilarious, is Mohinder some kind of catnip for specials or what?
“Trust me,” Matt says, tapping the side of his head. “Sylar’s prime interest is not injuring him.”
Bristow’s lips twitch for a moment. “To clarify, you don’t believe that these threats were serious in nature?”
Matt purses his lips. “I think that Sylar is always going to threaten. Mohinder knows him a lot better than I do and he didn’t take the threats seriously.”
Bristow gives a tiny nod. “Gabriel Grey is still securely in custody.”
“Sylar wants to do whatever he wants to do in person,” Matt says. “If he’s still locked up then it’s not him.”
“One of the kidnappers has been positively identified as Benjamin Washington, a former acquaintance of yours,” Bristow notes. “That’s an interesting coincidence.”
Matt shakes his head. “Knox has got no axe to grind that I know of but... maybe I’m wrong.” He looks away as his phone rings. “Unknown number.”
Bristow opens his briefcase and takes out what looks like a tape recorder. He presses a couple of buttons and the tape starts to whir around.
“Hello?” The colour leaches out of his face. “Mohinder, are you alright? Where are you? What do you mean?” Matt asks. “Mohinder, I promise I didn’t...Okay, I’ll wait for that. I won’t let anything happen. Mohinder? Mohinder?” he holds the phone away from his ear. “He’s gone.”
“What did he say?”
“Allow me,” Bristow says, rewinding the tape and then pressing a button.
“Hello?” Matt asks.
“Matt, it’s me.”
“Mohinder, are you alright? Where are you?”
“I don’t know, somewhere in the countryside. All I can see out of the windows are cotton plants. Does that help? I’ve not been hurt,” Mohinder says quietly. “Although the two younger... gentlemen have been quite vocal in wanting to rectify that,” he says dryly. “Apart from not being allowed to leave it’s perfectly charming. They say that they’re ‘looking after’ me for you.”
“What do you mean?” Matt asks. “Mohinder I promise I didn’t...”
“I know, I know,” Mohinder says quickly. “There are three of them, two in their late twenties and early thirties, and one in his early sixties, he’s in charge. He’s says he’s going to get in touch.”
“Okay,” Matt says. “I’ll wait for that. I won’t let anything happen.”
“I have to go.”
“Mohinder? Mohinder?”
Bristow turns off the recorder. “They said that they’re ‘looking after’ Doctor Suresh for you,” he says dryly.
“I... I have no idea what that means,” Matt says blankly. “Audrey, I have nothing to do with this!”
“That remains to be seen,” Bristow says. “Are you sexually involved with Doctor Suresh?”
“No!”
“Not yet,” I add.
“Audrey, don’t help me,” Matt snaps. “I like Mohinder, a lot, but we’re not sleeping together.”
Bristow gives a very small nod. On someone else, I wouldn’t notice it but the man is all about the tiny details, small movements. “Whose choice was that?”
Matt shrugs. “The subject hadn’t arisen. I never asked him out and he didn’t pre-emptively shoot me down.”
Bristow picks up the recorder. “I will download this to my colleagues and we’ll attempt to narrow down the location that Doctor Suresh is being held.” He stands up. “I’m returning to Texas this afternoon and you’ll both accompany me. Although of course if you choose to stay, Agent Hanson, that is your prerogative.”
“Excuse me?” I demand. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
“Audrey...” Matt says quietly.
“I think that I’m the supervising agent investigating the kidnap of a government employee,” he says coolly.
“So he comes freely or what, rendition? You stick him in a jumpsuit and chain him to the airplane seat?”
“Your loyalty to your colleague does you credit, Agent Hanson,” Bristow says quietly. “However you must consider that, by choice or not, Detective Parkman is involved.”
Matt stands up and pushes me back down. “Don’t be an ass Audrey, what’re you going to do, get into a fist fight with him?” He glances at Bristow and then back at me. “He’s probably got a poison dart up his sock.”
The plane is at a private airfield. No security checks and no staff on the plan barring the pilots.
“So this is a spy plane, huh?” I ask as Bristow sits opposite us.
“It’s CIA transport, yes.”
Matt nudges me in the ribs. “If we have to bail out do you think they give us invisible parachutes?”
“Only if you annoy me Detective Parkman,” Bristow says crisply.
“I still don’t see why we couldn’t wait for Bennet to email the Primatech founders to us,” I complain.
“The fewer people involved the better. Beside which my colleague is sending the information.”
Matt twiddles his thumbs. “I should’ve stayed in the centre,” he says quietly. “Nobody was kidnapping Mohinder when I was under lock and key.”
“That is interesting,” Bristow says coolly.
“Piss off,” I say flatly. “This is a big plane, sit somewhere else. You’re not a detective, we are. Let us do our jobs and work out what’s going on here.”
He blinks at me once and a muscle twitches in his cheek as he stands up. “Very well.”
“You hurt his feelings,” Matt says, watching him walk away. “I think he likes you.”
I fling a balled up piece of paper at him and he bats it away. “Making those kinds of stupid jokes is my job.”
“He has a point,” he says quietly. “You said yourself these guys were trying to get our attention. They went quiet when we were laid up and as soon as we head out to Oklahoma bang they’re back.”
“Yeah,” I agree and he flinches. “Somebody is playing some kind of games. But just because they told Mohinder that they’re ‘looking after him for you’ doesn’t mean it’s true.”
He snorts and shakes his head. “Well that would be worse because then I’d have no reason to think he’s okay.”
“If they were going to kill him they’d have done it already.”
“You don’t know that,” Matt says, shaking his head. “I appreciate the thought though.” He sits back. “Come on.”
“Come on?”
He kicks my ankle. “Ask me the questions, you know you have to.”
“Well if you’re going to take all the fucking fun out of it.” I kick his shin. “Come on, enemies; particularly those with abilities.”
He blows out his cheeks. “Sylar, Campbell, that’s it really. I was a beat cop you know, I dealt with fender benders, lost kids, I don’t have any kind of a nemesis or anything. I’m just a regular cop.”
I rub my forehead. “Forget crime, what about... stalkers, ex-lovers, personal stuff?”
Matt spreads out his hands. “I’m not that guy. People don’t obsess over me.”
“Someone does.”
Bristow walks back over to us, a print out in his hand.
“That the Primatech founders?”
He hands the list to Matt silently. Matt reads, frowns, and goes white.
“Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” I prompt.
Matt hands me the report.
Suzanne Amman
Bob Bishop
Charles Deveaux
Harry Fletcher
Paula Gramble
Daniel Linderman
Carlos Mendez
Kaito Nakamura
Maury Parkman
Angela Petrelli
Arthur Petrelli
Victoria Pratt
“Who the fuck is Maury?” I demand.
“My dad,” Matt says, shrugging. “But I haven’t seen him since I was thirteen.”
“This is a recent photograph,” Bristow says handing over a picture.
Matt shrugs. “Yeah, that’s him. A little less hair and a little more... him I guess.” He pats his stomach. “I’ll blame genetics. He could be the third guy in the bank maybe.”
I take the photograph, mid sixties, heavy built, face like an unhappy bloodhound and...
“Audrey!”
“Jesus! Don’t fucking shout!” I snap. They’re both staring at me. “What? What the hell are you both looking at?”
Bristow looks silently at Matt.
Matt tips up my face and I slap his face away. “Hey grabby! When I want you to manhandle me I’ll tell you.”
“Agent Hanson, you appeared to slip into some sort of disassociated state when you saw the photograph,” Bristow says carefully.
“Audrey, someone’s messed with you,” Parkman says quietly. “Messed with your mind.”
Bristow nods once. “It would appear that Detective Parkman is correct.”
Jesus fucking Christ, I knew it. I knew one of them would start poking about in my head!
Matt rolls his eyes. “Are you going to let me fix it or are you going to sit there and glare?”
I throw myself back against the chair. “If you have to.”
On the way back to the bank I practically crash into this guy; mid sixties, heavy built, face like an unhappy bloodhound and he catches me. Hands light on my forearms and he’s looking into my eyes. Not saying anything but I can hear his voice saying something... something curious but not threatening. Wants to know about Matt, is he happy? What would make him happy?
Matt bolts for the bathroom, nearly crushing Bristow in his rush.
“Might I inquire exactly what caused that response?” Bristow asks, sitting opposite me and dusting off his trousers.
“Maury,” I say coolly. “I saw him and he made me forget.”
Bristow’s lips thin.
“Not like that,” I say quickly. “He didn’t rape me, except I guess from Matt’s POV.”
Bristow glances back to where Matt can be heard throwing up. “Do you need anything?”
Wow, the man actually has a heart. Or he’s looking for a way to drug me. Whichever.
“No, I’m fine.” I push my hair back behind my ear. “Maury wanted to know about Matt, if he’s happy. What would make him happy?”
“You told him that Doctor Suresh would make Detective Parkman happy.”
A statement, not a question.
“Apparently,” I snort. “What the hell kind of person thinks that their kid is going to appreciate that kind of thing?”
Bristow glances down at his hands. “You might be surprised the lengths a parent will go to.”
“Kidnapping someone for them to make out with?” I scoff. “Please, you’ve never done that.”
“Certainly not, but of course I would say that.”
I look him up and down then shake my head. “Nah, you’d kill them off so your baby didn’t get hurt.”
It’s only the faintest, briefest shade of pinkness in his cheeks. “Protecting your children and providing for your children aren’t mutually exclusive.”
“Providing a cute Genetics Professor is a half a dozen steps past normal and into psycho.” Matt trudges out of the bathroom and slumps down next to me.
Bristow glances at his watch. “We will be landing soon. We’ll have to consider what we do next now we have this information.”
“Are you okay?” I ask Matt as Bristow walks away.
“I was going to ask you that.” He rubs his face. “I don’t understand. He walked out when I was thirteen.”
“Twenty-five years of no birthdays or Christmas,” I remark. “One cute professor seems about fair.”
He flinches rather than smiles.
“Matt, he’s going to be okay.”
“Come on Audrey,” he says quietly. “He must be disturbed. Nobody in their right mind would do that!”
We climb down the steps onto another private airfield. Bristow is looking around with what for him is a worried expression.
“What’s wrong?” Matt asks.
“There should be guards.” He stalks across to the hanger and pushes open a door.
A hand grips my arm.
“Just you stay still girl and we’ll all get along,” a voice murmurs.
Girl? Girl? I spin around with my fist raised and everything goes black.
End of part 2
part 3
no subject
I laughed so hard i think I cracked a rib. Lol. XD
AND AGAIN WITH THE CLIFFHANGER!
no subject
no subject
no subject
I've not written Jack Bristow much, I have images of him going back to Langley and pulling Weiss's file and trying to work out how he and Matt are connected.