Counting the Stars

Four - The Chase and the Capture

Bones and I jump out of the turbolift, and we're.....not exactly welcomed to the warp core. I am slammed against the wall, and I hear Bones cry out, so I'm not alone, hanging like a poster on the wall of a teenage girl's room. I struggle to open my eyes, and I see a man in dark clothing and a black baseball hat coming near me. I don't know who it is, but it must be the person that is keeping Scotty hostage for the retrieval of me. "Well, that situation sure took an interesting turn, now didn't it?" He inquires me in his gravelly voice. I can't help but shake as he lifts his finger like he's going to cut my head open or something.

I predicted right. I hear a horrible drilling sound as is see blood trickling down into my eyebrows, but i don't feel any pain. Why isn't it working? I hear the man's thoughts as he tries again to slice his finger across my head, trying to split my head open.

"Well, I think there's actually two reasons. One, I'm invincible, unless you hit a microscopic spot on my body. And, two, my friend here, Addalynn, yeah. She's indestructible, too, so don't even think about hurting her."

He whips around just in time to get punched by a girl named Amanda, I think. She said to me once that she was an engineer in the warp core, and that is exactly how I found her. Once Sylar is on the ground, and she seems confident that he'll stay there, she slicks back her curly caramel hair and shoves it into a ponytail holder. "So. Who's next?" She looks at me and Bones. We're currently slumped against the floor, and ironically, I'm helping Bones with his injuries. If you can't get hurt, might as well help people who can.

"A little help?" I ask, and Amanda and Bones rush to help me, since there was a pole on the wall and it went through my stomach. When they get me off, I regenerate the tissue and the 7 layers of skin and it looks like nothing ever happened, but I will probably never get to that point, after something like this. "Thanks. Anyway, that guy on the floor, his name is Sylar. He can shape-shift, figure out how things work by just looking at them, use telekinesis, tell when people are telling lies, and fly, I think."

"And do this." A voice says, and I slip on the metallic floor, trying to go away from the voice, but instead, I walk right into it. Soon enough, I realize that the voice I heard came from Sylar. Well, shit. He grabs my throat and holds a knife to my neck. It's curved, and it has a few holes in it, to make it go faster through the air, I guess. Not important. By now, luckily, my head wound has healed itself, and so has the chest wound from getting stabbed by a pole. Fun day so far, don't you think? It seems a bit too normal to me.

Suddenly, I notice a glimpse of light in the corner of my eye, one that I'm hoping Sylar can't see.

"Taylor?!" I hear a voice call. Spock. Why-- how-- is he coming to save me? I thought he couldn't feel emotion, and wouldn't feel it for other people either. But how did he know I was here? The engineering lights have gone off, and I'm surprised no redshirts have bothered to fix it. That switch being pulled was probably one of the wonderful acts of my friend here, who is currently holding a knife to my neck. The light I saw was probably a flashlight, and, soon after, a body holding it. I was right. The 1st officer of the starship we're currently on sprints around the computer core and rushes to my aid. By that, I mean that he rushed toward me faster than Sylar could anticipate, and punched him hard in the forehead. I back up, not wanting the knife to slit my throat. Even though it couldn't possibly do any damage, it still hurts when something harms me.

"Thanks," I whisper, barely audibly, but he still hears it.

"You are, indeed, welcome," he says as he scans our surroundings, which includes Amanda, Bones, and Scotty. Another figure is the laying body of Sylar, the man who nearly killed the chief engineer. Another person then enters the group. Addalynn. Gods, is it really that easy to beam aboard a ship that is going at full impulse power at warp speed? I guess so. While she beams aboard, Sylar grunts and stands up. None of us notice him at first, which is a bit too late. He looks over at me and glares.

"Is this your little friend, Taylor?" He shrugs in Addalynn's direction. He then takes out his knife. "Not anymore, she isn't." He smirks in this evil way, like a villain. By this point, I've determined, that's that he is: a cold-blooded serial killer. Addalynn is in shock, probably because she just actually beamed aboard the actual starship Enterprise, which is far beyond the technology of most of Earth right now. Sylar looks down at her, and says, "I thought I killed you earlier. This time, it'll be permanent." He then slits her throat, the same way that he has killed a lot of people, believe you me.

I watch in horror as one of my best friends was killed, and I take Sylar's shoulder to pull him back, but his memories come flowing into my brain. His father killing his mother in cold blood, selling Sylar to another family just for the money. Growing up with a father who owns a watchmaking shop, and a mother who collects snow globes. Accidentally killing his mother with a pair of scissors that were thought to kill him, and feeling guilt for his actions. Killing numerous people, dozens, to gain their abilities. Feeling so alone, only knowing that one ability was originally his. Knowing how things work. Being with Elle Bishop, learning how to use a newfound ability, and then eventually being transported to a beach where he kills her in cold blood, feeing betrayed by her after being on the run so long from Noah Bennet (HRG) and the company. Meeting Matt Parkman one day, and feeling that he wanted to change his life, and that he deserved aloneness for all the murders that he had committed. Being stuck in a world in his mind with Peter Petrelli, and trying to break the wall around them with Peter's forgiveness so that they could escape. The carnival, with Samuel Sullivan, after all his memories were erased and the police caught him. Finally, the need for companionship. The need to have a person with him to help him through the rough patches.

That's why he came here, I realize. He wanted companionship. With me. As I think this through, he is standing up and glaring at Scotty, who is also struggling to stand up. "If you hurt him, I sware I will hurt you a million times harder. Neither of us can be killed, but I know your history now. I know where to hit."

He looks at me with an astonished look on his face, one that I am quite used to after the events of today. He wipes his overgrown bangs back over his head, which is kinda cute.

"Yes! You're the one!" He runs over at full speed, drops his knife, and hugs me. No weapons or homicidal intentions, he just hugs me. I wrap my arms around him, just for kicks, and I look at Addalynn, as if to say, "What the hell is going on?!" She just smiles and laughs, and Scotty joins in. Spock, of course, still has a complete look of confusion on his face, not understanding human emotion. I'm so relieved that I don't even roll my eyes.

"Sylar, you gotta let me go now." I push against his ribcage, but he doesn't let go. "Sylar!" I'm screaming now.

"Alright, alright," He says, and I rush to the turbolift side door, where Bones is still slouched like a rag doll.

"Bones? Can you hear me?" I whisper into his ear. He opens his eyes with a start and hits his head against the iron pole behind his back.

"Oh, dammit." He rubs his head and pushes his torso into a sitting position. "My right leg's broken."

"Sylar, get over here and help him with his leg. I know you understand how things work and you can fix his leg for him, right?"

"Wait a minute, we're letting a serial killer heal my leg? Are you out of your mind?!" He raises an eyebrow in concern, but I put my hand on his arm.

"He's better now. You were unconscious, but he just ran, dropped his knife and hugged me. He just wanted me for something and, once you're healed, I'm gonna go with him to see what he wants. Okay?"

"Okay, but I'm a doctor, and I can heal my own leg, thank you very much. Luckily, I have my basic med pack with me."

"Okay, while you do that I'm gonn-" Why am I still doing this? I'm interrupted by Addalynn's thoughts. My name is Rachel and I just want to go home. Why was I sent on this mission?

"Addalynn, you need to tell me what is going on."