dreaming;;;

[makes_you_tick]

This is the City, but you're not where you had been. You're now standing somewhere in between the Buildings 10 and 11, and the City itself seems utterly empty.

There's a lack of light, as well. The odd street lamp blinks on and off in the distance, but it's not something your eyes can count on. As a result, everything is grey and black.

The ticking is louder here. No longer just inside your head, it echoes through the streets. It permeates everything, sending the occasional thought into sharp focus.

Down one road, there's something wet. A close-by lamp blinks on for a moment, and that spot shines red.

[ooc: I may be a little slow, but I'm definitely backtagging this weekend. :3 My favorite curse is here! Feel free to have anyone wander in. This is...mostly a normal dream for Sylar, since pretty much all of them are nightmares. Be aware that it could get awfully gory and dark from here on out.]

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[cuffyoutwice.livejournal.com]

[A fleeting thought, "call for backup," but she ignores it in favor of pulling out her side arm and clicking on the flashlight attached. Move slow, don't get distracted by the blood. Look for the body, hope for a heartbeat...]

Hello? If you're out there and need assistance-- this is Chief Beckett! Can you speak?


[ooc: I couldn't resist, but I'm slowish too so don't worry about taking your time with me especially ^^]

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[makes-you-tick.livejournal.com]

There's no response. As she nears the blood, it's possible to tell that along with the ticking is a dripping noise, perfectly timed. It's making the puddle grow larger, bit by bit, and appears to be coming from above. Looking up, there's a trail of dripping blood down the nearby building- apparently it's all coming from one window.

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[cuffyoutwice.livejournal.com]

She decides to check out the building the blood is dripping from, but Beckett doesn't remember entering or climbing the stairs. She just finds herself in a hallway, long and dark. Toward the end, she's sure she sees a shadow move. Or maybe that's just her imagination.

Regardless, Beckett moves toward it, wishing now that Ryan or Esposito were here to flank her. No, that's wrong. It's Hidaka and Winchester she needs, she knows it. Her back pressed against the adjacent wall, Beckett nudges open the door with the muzzle of her pistol.

"City Police! Make yourself known!"

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[makes-you-tick.livejournal.com]

The door slams open the rest of the way with no one behind it. It opens to a two-bedroom apartment. The walls of the living room are lined with books, and the kitchen is immaculately clean.

"You're early," Sylar's voice calls from the bedroom down the hall. A woman screams in the same room, but is suddenly cut off. "You wanted a killer, didn't you? What are you so afraid of now, Mother?"

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[cuffyoutwice.livejournal.com]

Kate recognizes the male voice, and rushes through the apartment, holstering her gun. She steps into the doorway, hands clearly out and empty; having a gun in her hand won't make her any safer, she knows. But she can't just walk away.

"Gabriel...?"

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[makes-you-tick.livejournal.com]

The bed it bloody, and streaks of arterial blood spray the walls. Sylar hasn't touched the older woman laying on the bed, but it's clear that he's responsible for what's befallen her. Sylar notes the lack of a gun in Kate's hand and smiles a little. "Tell her-" he says, his words far harsher than his expression. "Tell her what you did."

The woman in the bed, who usually had infinite amounts of poise and grace, is now desperate with pain. "He's gone insane. I don't know-"

Her jaw clenches shut suddenly. "She pretended she was my mother for months. She lived with me, pretended to care about me. She said I could be better! But she didn't want me to be any better, did you, Ma?" He makes a sharp gesture with a finger and a cut splits open on her cheek. She lets out a closed-mouth cry. "But hey, you treated me just like your own sons, didn't you? Someone to use and throw away."

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[cuffyoutwice.livejournal.com]

It's instinct that makes her hand twitch toward her belt, but Kate doesn't draw yet. She's not a profiler by any means, but she's been in volatile situations with regular humans and if that's what Gabriel wants to be, she's going to treat him that way.

"I'm sorry. Some people are just-- short sighted." She takes a step forward, forcing herself to remove all hesitation. "I just don't understand what this accomplishes."

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[makes-you-tick.livejournal.com]

"What does any of it accomplish?" he spits back, turning to look at Angela Petrelli with disgust. "All the scheming, the plans. If I kill her now, she won't go back to it. She can stop lying to her real son. She'll have to stay here with me."

He looks back to Kate, and for a moment, the desperation in his eyes betrays him. It's quickly covered up by a smile he obviously doesn't feel. "Fitting punishment, don't you think?"

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[cuffyoutwice.livejournal.com]

She shakes her head, takes another step. This is important, trying to make a difference in a City she can barely protect. Gabriel's such an important part of the force, and part of Beckett is sure that it makes a huge difference to him.

"Nothing, but that's the point. This part isn't up to you." Kate's obviously nervous now, but she holds her ground and leans forward, trying to get him to listen to her. "How you react is the important part."

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[makes-you-tick.livejournal.com]

"It's too late, it's already done," he says, looking back over to Angela. She's still breathing, but just barely.

He sighs. He's trying to look annoyed, but his voice is shaking, albeit very slightly. "Besides, what would you suggest, that I just let it go? So she could do this again to someone else? Give them hope and then rip it away?"

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[cuffyoutwice.livejournal.com]

"No." The word is forceful, but not angry. "It's never too late, especially not here."

She doesn't care if he's annoyed with her, or whether the broken woman on the bed is guilty of everything he says or more. Kate doesn't believe in dealing out justice on a personal level, and she especially doesn't believe it'll help Gabriel.

"You can have a second chance, a third chance. You just have to start by giving the same thing to someone else." It's a risk, and Beckett knows it might backfire in her face. But she faced death and worse weeks ago, and things seemed to fall into a different perspective now.

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[makes-you-tick.livejournal.com]

He seems to contemplate it, but the ticking gets louder. He closes his eyes for a moment and then just slides to the floor, leaning against the bed. "It's already done," he repeats, sounding defeated.

The bed is now empty, although it's still plenty bloody. The red drips down the sheets and slides down his arms. "She didn't come back."

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[cuffyoutwice.livejournal.com]

Kate's in motion right away, moving to crouch down to his level, though she's wary of the bed. By now, having moved through a few scenarios, she's gotten the idea that something is off about all of this.

Beyond everything else, though, she believes in the truth. Whether it's harsh or sweet, the only things that matter are the facts under all of the confusion and emotion. And the truth she sees here is that Gabriel is a man that seems to have lost everything, or never had any of it to begin with.

"My mother was killed when I was 19, and for a year all I did was focus on finding her killer." She sighs and sits right down on her feet, facing him. "It's why I became a cop, and for that year it ate me up, I was obsessed."

Somehow, she hopes sharing the information will mean something, maybe help a little.

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[makes-you-tick.livejournal.com]

He looks up when she speaks. His eyes are unfocused, and it's hard to tell if he's listening intently or even listening at all.

"My father sold me for cash and then killed my mother in front of me when I was five," he eventually replies, his voice dull and resigned. "When I'd kill people, I used the same method...I'd repressed what happened, but I guess a part of me still remembered..."

He looks down, finally seeing the blood on his fingers. "Everyone who's ever been close to me has lied to me, betrayed me..." He looks up at Kate, finally seeing her. "I'm sorry to hear about your mother." His gaze slides back down to the floor again, frowning. "They shouldn't be taken away."

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[cuffyoutwice.livejournal.com]

"There's nothing I can say to make it better, any of it." She chews at her lip for a moment, trying to think of more to say but she wasn't lying. Anything she says will only trivialize his experiences, not help her understand them any better.

She does take a handkerchief out of her pocket, though, and holds it out to him. He won't be able to get rid of all the blood forever, and it'll only transfer, but at least he can try.

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[makes-you-tick.livejournal.com]

He stares at the handkerchief like it's a third arm, but eventually he does take it, trying to use it sparingly on his hands. They just get bloody again, but he still seems touched.

"Thank you," he says quietly. "I don't think I can give it back." It's as soaked as he is, now.