[southern mexico / new york city, ny] me, i'm a taker -- know what the stakes are

[heroslayer]

Sylar: [sitting here at the table, listening to Candace go on about how she can help him, he can't help but think just how much he wants her ability. he's crippled thanks to whatever her and her employers did or didn't do or whatever, and well, she did offer to help him get back what's rightfully his. so he might be thinking of taking that offer a bit literally -- so what? it's better than letting her proposition him with his own damn face. it'd be so easy, too, even without his telekinesis. rule number one while being around him? never leave anything he can use as a weapon just laying around, and the mug on the table certainly qualifies as that. if he can get close enough, hit her with enough strength, he can at least stun her long enough to find something that'll actually go through her skull, and then he'll have the whole starter pack and be able to get back on with his life]

[unfortunately, though, there are two things wrong with this plan, the first and most obvious being that he's not sure he can hit her hard enough with how weak he feels. what if he tears his stitches? no amount of illusion is going to keep him from bleeding to death. or, worse yet, what if she doesn't stay stunned long enough for him to find a way to pop the hood? what if she doesn't go down at all? he really doesn't want to be left here, when she realizes that he's more trouble than he's worth, or left reliving that night on Kirby Plaza for the rest of his life, or whatever she decides to do, if and when this doesn't go as planned. and secondly and perhaps most terrifying, he can't see how this will play out. with his aptitude, he should be able to play out the whole scenario in his head, see the cause and effect if he tries hard enough, but he can't no matter how long and how hard he sits there staring at her after she shuts up, and if he can't do that, who says he can take her ability in the first place?]

[he's beyond crippled, apparently, and he has a moment of abject horror when he realizes it. he's pretty sure he manages to keep it off his face, though, and well, maybe she actually can help him. if he can just keep her around long enough to get his aptitude and telekinesis back -- they have to come back, right? he needs them to take abilities, and she said she'd help him do just that, so they have to -- then he can take her ability then. he just needs to play his cards right and keep her close until then. it's not the first time he's used someone. it shouldn't be hard to do it again, even as broken as he is. and that in mind he takes a deep breath, canting his head to one side, trying to look suspicious of her motives. that's not terribly difficult, either] And what's in it for you?

Candice: [really is smarter than she looks, and she crosses her arms in front of her chest. She knows he's plotting -- he wouldn't be him if he wasn't -- but she's hoping that if she plays her cards right, they could both get what they wanted, and leave it at that. She shrugs] I love a little mayhem. And there's a few powered individuals that I'd love to see shoved back in their place. A ... certain cheerleader comes to mind. [she baits him with the immortality, just to see if he'll bite]

Sylar [he knows it's bait -- he's not stupid -- but it's very good bait. if he could've gotten his hands on Claire before Kirby Plaza, he wouldn't be in this situation now; if he could take her ability now ... it's like having visions of sugar plum fairies dancing in his head. like Christmas] You know where Claire Bennet is?

Candice: [slightly sadistic smile] Better than that. I can get you close. One little illusion from me, and you'll be looking more like Dear Old Dad then Her Worst Nightmare.

Sylar: [flashes her an disgusted look, his jaw working like he's about to spit out something about how he can get close on his own. he stops himself, though, when it occurs to him that, no, he can't. he's not the man he used to be, and that knowledge is apparently going to keep slipping his mind only to return like a punch to the gut a few seconds later until he gets used to being this weak. he's used to having everything. this is new and disturbing. but at any rate, he grits his teeth finally, looking away] Fine. [it better be as fun as she promised for all he has to deal with right now]

Candice: [the smile widens, and she moves closer] The first thing we have to do, is get you back in working order. You can't take her ability, if yours are being blocked by whatever Primatech did to you. So we need to go to someone who knows more about this thing than we do.

Sylar: [looks up at her again, thinking that if she tries to touch him, all bets might be off on him smashing her head in with that cup] I might know someone.

Candice: [nods] Think he'll be on board with letting you get it up again?

Sylar: [looks somewhere between darkly amused, fond and angry all at once. Mohinder is his favorite toy, but without his abilities, it might not be possible to wind him up and watch him go] Oh, I doubt it.

Candice: [takes a breath as she thinks this over] Do you know someone with abilities who he would help?

Sylar: I could make a list.

Candice: An illusion with one of them would get us in the front door. Once we're in, and have the antidote ... we can have all the fun we want. [sometimes she is capable of sticking to a game plan. sometimes.]

Sylar: I plan on it. [there are probably plenty of fun things he can torture Candace with at Mohinder's apartment. maybe he even has some curare left over from the time he poisoned him, and he can't help but smirk at the thought] When do we leave? [never mind she said his chest had to heal first a few minutes ago -- he wants to go now. the sooner he's fixed, the sooner he can stop wasting time with her]

Candice: I've got a ride on the way. They're about an hour out, all I have to do is give them a call.

Sylar: Thought we were waiting until I was all better. [again, not that he wants to wait, but ... he needs to know why the change of heart]

Candice: We would have been if I was still working for my employer. He wants to keep you impotent. I don't.

Sylar: [tilts his head to one side, studying her. wishes he could hear her heartbeat still and tell if she was bullshitting him, but hey -- he can't. frowns faintly and pops one shoulder in a shrug] Fine by me. The sooner I get back in the game, the better. [if she's lying, he'll just -- well, no, he's going to kill her eventually anyway. never mind]

Candice: [smiles] I'll call now, then.

Sylar: [waves her away to do that. might actually pick at his breakfast while she's on the phone]

Candice: [goes to step outside to make the call. there's better reception there.]

Sylar: [leans across the table gingerly to recover his plate without hurting himself, and once he has it, he gets up entirely, drifting towards the door as quietly as possible to try and listen in on her conversation. as set as he is on killing her eventually, he wants to make sure she's not screwing him over before then]

Candice: .... As soon as you can get here, straight to the airport. Money's not an object. [a beat] Do I look like I care? What the boss said isn't what you should be worried about. What you should be worried about is keeping that mental health that you love so much. Because you know very well how I could take care of that.

Sylar: [huh. surprise, surprise. maybe this'll be fun after all. looks vaguely pleased, not thinking that the conversation could be an illusion to keep him on whatever leash she wants him on, and drifts back to the table to sit down and pick at his eggs]

Candice: [wouldn't he like to know? but eventually she'll wander back in and sit down across from him, crossing her legs in front of her] He'll be here in a hour.

Sylar: Guess I have time to enjoy my breakfast, then.

Candice: Guess so.

Sylar: [hums and takes a pointed bite of his eggs, even if he's not particularly hungry. it's something to do, and he probably should eat, if only to keep what little strength he has left up] So, who's this boss?

Candice: Depends on the day.

Sylar: [rolls his eyes] Right.

Candice: [smirk] Hey. I look out for me. So the person I call boss, is the guy offering the best incentive package.

Sylar: Just don't expect me to start calling you boss.

Candice: I was thinking more like partners.

Sylar: [was thinking more victim and victimizer himself, but ... whatever gets her going in the morning. shrugs] Fine.

Candice: Fantastic. [it's less than vocal approval, but she'll take it]

Sylar: [lapses into silence, contenting himself to pushing his breakfast around on his plate, taking occasional bites, and staring at her, trying to take her apart with a look, the latter of which isn't going all that well for him. eventually gets a bit frustrated with it and pushes his plate away again viciously, frowning] How much longer?

Candice: [glances down at her watch] Not long. Relax.

Sylar: If you were in my position, do you think you could relax?

Candice: [shrugs] Fair enough.

Sylar [hums -- that's what he thought -- and gets up, moving to shuffle restlessly around their home, sweet shack]

Candice: [just watches him, trying to make sure he wasn't getting any ideas. and not long from then, there's the sound of chopper blades over head] And that would be our ride.

Sylar: [he might have been, but the sound of an approaching helicopter is enough to make him shelve them for now. glances up at the ceiling, then over his shoulder at her, his eyebrows raised] And here I was expecting a car.

Candice: [eye roll] Please. We're in the middle of a jungle. The only way to not get lost is to fly.

Sylar: [makes a face at her] My mistake.

Candice: [and with that she'll gather up what she needs and start to gesture him out]

Sylar: [doesn't have anything in the way of personal possessions, though he takes a glance around the room out of force of habit, and then heads for the door]

Candice: [the helicopter pilot is looking less than pleased that they're doing this, but he's more scared of Candice than he is of whoever they work for. So he lets them on without a word and once they're secure, gets them ready for takeoff]

Sylar: [glances over at her once they're settled, then leans his head against the window, staring holes in the pilot though with no real reason] New York. The man I mentioned. He's in New York.

Candice: [nods] Chopper isn't going to get us all the way there, but it'll take us to the airport.

Sylar: Plan on making me invisible for the trip? [because in case she missed the memo? he's wanted for multiple murders by the FBI. and while it's not like he has any identification on him, even beyond that probably being a problem in itself, the TSA probably has a picture of him on file]

Candice: Not necessarily. I was thinking Hawaiian shirts and a beer belly -- at least it would get us through customs.

Sylar: So would making me look like Bennet. [not that that would be much of an improvement from being a fat guy for a couple of hours, but his is the first face that came to mind]

Candice: [shakes her head] Bennet's on the watch list. He's been on the run since Kirby Plaza and the Company is looking for him. Better if we're not someone specific.

Sylar: [looks faintly amused by this. hopes the Company catches Bennet and puts him in a cell for an eterinty. see how he likes it. makes a small, accepting noise and sing-songs in reference to Bennet] Somebody's in trouble.

Candice: [chuckles] That's what happens when you try and hide a powered child from the big men upstairs.

Sylar: Or from me. [because it's only going to get worse for Bennet when he finds Claire]

Candice: That too.

Sylar: [flashes her a brief, wicked smile, then turns into the window, looking out it, trying to avoid thinking about his current condition and content himself in the fact that soon nothing will be able to touch him]

Candice: [keeps quiet, just wanting them to get to the airport and keep things moving. So long as they are, it's harder for them to get caught]

Sylar: [seems to come to the same conclusion after awhile, and eventually, he asks:] How far to the airport?

Pilot: [doesn't even glance back] About twenty miles.

Sylar: [wow, the idiot pilot actually speaks] Not far, then.

Pilot: [he doesn't like you, Sylar. He judges. He is judge-y.] Nope.

Sylar: [not many people like him. he's totally okay with this. not that that stops him from giving the pilot an unpleasant look just because he can]

Candice: [just smirks. This might be more fun than she thought]

Sylar: [glances over at Candace] Does he have an ability, too?

Candice: Nah. He's just jealous.

Sylar: Mm. Too bad. [was going to threaten to come back for him, once he got his abilities in order again]

Candice: Yeah. Such a shame.

Sylar: You have no idea. [glances back to the pilot and wets his lips with his tongue, largely for effect]

Pilot: Watch it. One wrong tip and you're bug food. We've still got twenty miles.

Sylar: Don't worry. I can behave myself until then. [looks away, letting his eyes drift around the helicopter idly -- or, well, it looks idle, anyway. remember that part about it being a bad idea to put him in the same room with anything that could be considered a weapon? he's looking for one to use when they land. the pilot may not have an ability, but he can justify murdering him as him being a liability -- who knows who he'll go talk to? -- and besides. he wants to prove if only to himself that he's still got it, even without his abilities]

Candice: [He's more than welcome to kill the pilot. she never liked him much anyway. and eventually they touch down on the tarmac, and Candice is already putting an illusion to work to mask them until they land in New York.]

Sylar Give me a minute. [unbuckles his straps and moves up to the cockpit slowly, milking the obviousness of his injury. it hurts, sure, but not as badly as he's making it seem at the moment]

Pilot: [eye roll, but doesn't move from his seat. he's not helping the crazycakes serial killer, thank you]

Sylar: [doesn't expect him to help him -- just wanted to make himself look harmless, which seems to be working. but at any rate, he doubles over, reaching for a piece of metal piping he saw on the floor earlier and hoping that his apparent injury covers it] ... you know ... you should have been nicer to me.

Pilot: Kindness is earned, jerkoff.

Sylar: [ignores that] You ever read Beauty and the Beast?

Pilot: Seen it.

Sylar: Same difference, I guess. [stands up slowly, keeping the pipe down at his side and out of view] Point is ... bad things happen to people who are rude to strangers. Things like this. [and that said, he swings the pipe at the pilot's head as hard as he can manage]

Candice: [turns as she hears the smack of the pipe hitting the pilot's head, and does some quick damage control. the pilot disappears, the blood is covered, and all that's left is the touristy looking middle aged couple in Hawaiian shirts with too many bags. She's not mourning for the pilot much. poor dude.]

Sylar: [was going to hit him again, just to get all his fury at the situation out -- and probably rip his stitches in the process -- but the pilot's gone too quickly. makes a face at her, dropping the pipe, which, at the moment, looks like a shopping bag, and moves back over to her] If that's your idea of fun ...

Candice: Oh, trust me. I'm not feeling any particular loss on this one. But can you keep a lid on it until we get back into the country? An airport tarmac isn't the place to kill someone.

Sylar: Looks like it is now. [but whatever. he'll keep a handle on himself]

Candice: [eye roll. but she keeps herself focused on the task at hand and gets them into the terminal with their illusion tickets and on the next flight to NY]

Sylar: [what did she honestly expect from him? he's a frightened child who just got pushed around by the wrong asshole. it's only natural he killed him. but at any rate, he follows her into the terminal, trying to avoid looking like it hasn't been a year or so since he was on a plane last and that he's not incredibly interested in what may or may not have changed]

Candice: [she expects him to have a little self control, that's all. And wait to start killing until they got back to the States]

Sylar: [oh, how little she understands him. at least he's acting like a sane person now, though]

Candice: [she's got time to understand him. Right now, she just wants to make sure they don't get caught, especially when he's powerless. when he gets his abilities back, he can do all the damage he wants.]

Sylar: [and he will. but at any rate, after a moment and lowly, just so she doesn't have to adjust their conversation with her illusions] So, Mexico. [didn't know where they were while they were in the shack, but all the signs make it painfully obvious now]

Candice: Yup. Easy to get lost here.

Sylar: I can imagine. [a beat] Which coast? [is trying to work out how long they'll have to be on the plane, impatient as ever. never mind the fact that he'll probably sleep through the entire flight, even if he's not thinking about sleep right now. between the wound and the virus the Company gave him, he's not exactly in peak physical condition]

Candice: [picked up a magazine somewhere along the way and is flipping through it.] Southwest. By the Sierra Madre del Sur.

Sylar: [he has no idea where the Sierra Madre del Sur is, but the directionality helps, at least] At least five hours, then. [or, well, that's how long it took him to get from New York to California when he went to go kill the Walkers]

Candice: About that, yeah.

Sylar: [hums acceptingly -- five hours will give him time to decide who Mohinder would be most sympathetic to -- and reaches up to rub at his eyes idly]

Candice: [nods, before handing the magazine in her hand over to him] Celebrity gossip?

Sylar: Pass. [he takes the magazine anyway, though]

Candice: [smirks and checks her watch] I'm getting a taco. Want anything?

Sylar No. [wasn't particularly hungry at breakfast and isn't now, either]

Candice: [nods and goes to get some food. She, on the other hand, is always hungry]

Sylar: [she's not sick -- that probably helps. but at any rate, he finds somewhere nearby to sit down and fidgets with the magazine for a minute or two before giving up on it. settles it in his lap and tilts his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. might end up dozing off before she comes back]

Candice: [if he does, she'll let him sleep -- he's not immortal yet, so he needs that rest -- and won't wake him up until she hears the call for their flight]

Sylar: [yeah, he ends up falling asleep. he stirs when she comes back, half-panicked and only barely awake, but ... he's exhausted still, even if he wasn't conscious for much of the last four months, so he slips back down into sleep before too long. and when they call for their flight and she wakes him up, he jumps, his eyes snapping open abruptly, and stares at her for a moment, something near fear in them for an instant before it fades] ... what? [he wasn't asleep]

Candice: Nothing. [files that information away for another day, before nodding to the gate] We're up.

Sylar: [isn't afraid of her, for the record. is just in a bad place emotionally, between almost dying and being normal now, and all of that is getting to him. he's just better at forcing it down or turning it into anger when he's not only half-awake. that she got to see it in the first place was a fluke, though since she didn't comment, he's not even sure she did see it, if he's even aware he looked like a deer in headlights in the first place. regardless, though, he seems more sure of himself now, and he nods, getting back to his feet slowly] Let's go.

Candice: [she's just trying to collect all the information she can. the more she knows about a person, the more she can effect them mentally. she just nods now, and leads the way to the gate to get them on it]

Sylar [lets her get them on the plane, and once they are] Which ones are ours? [the seats, he means]

Candice: [shrugs and just picks two up in the front. There aren't a lot of people on the flight, so she doesn't think the flight attendants will care]

Sylar: [that's fine by him. mirrors her shrug and sinks into one of the seats slowly, sighing]

Candice: [slides in next to him, leaning back and settling in] I hear the in-flight movie's going to suck.

Sylar: What's it supposed to be? [not that he cares much]

Candice: Some comedy where Chris Rock makes an idiot out of himself. [aka She Doesn't Care: The Sequel]

Sylar: Isn't that every Chris Rock movie? [shifts a bit in his seat, trying to get comfortable]

Candice: Exactly my point.

Sylar: At least we're on the same page. [fastens his seatbelt, even though the signs aren't lit up yet, and glances towards the window then back at her] Wake me up when we get there. [he was going to stay up and plan the best way to get to Mohinder, not even aware that he was as tired as he is until he dozed off earlier, but after that little snooze, he's exhausted, and it's not like Mohinder's a hard target anyway. hell, he could probably just break in, pretend he still had his abilities, and still get him to eat out of his hand if he really wanted]

Candice: [nods and leans back in her seat herself, getting ready to settle in for the flight]

Sylar: [puts the magazine he was still carrying around in the seatback pocket and closes his eyes, shifting a bit more in an effort to find the least painful way of sitting. and when he manages to find something suitable, it's not long before he falls back asleep, his last thought a hope that he'll feel better after getting a few solid hours]

Candice: [doesn't sleep, because she needs to focus on keeping the illusion up, but lets him sleep. Who knows, maybe a plan will come to him in a dream anyway.]

Sylar [comes to when the pilot makes the announcement that they'll be landing soon and without the same dose of fear on his face. rubs the sleep from his eyes, and looks over at her a bit groggily. he feels better than he did when he fell asleep this time, but if he had any doubts as to whether or not he still had his aptitude, they're gone now. he wouldn't feel half-asleep still if he still had it. his brain would've just booted up perfectly, like a computer, rather than clinging to dreams]

Candice: [glances over with a bit of a smirk] Morning, sunshine.

Sylar If you tell me the earth says hello, I reserve the right to unscrew the tray table and beat you to death with it.

Candice: [laughs] Relax. I'm not that corny.

Sylar: Thank God. [drops his hand into his lap and lapses into silence, both trying to put his brain in order and come up with a plan. and after a moment] You seem to be a walking Where Are They Now segment. Hear anything about Mohinder Suresh?

Candice: Playing house in New York with one Matt Parkman and Little Miss Molly Walker.

Sylar [okay, that helps. it means he can't go into this wearing Matt's face, on the off chance that he's already there or comes home while they're there] What about Peter Petrelli?

Candice: MIA. Nobody knows what happened to him. But rumor has it, he's locked up in the Primatech basement for almost destroying New York City.

Sylar: That's who we use against Suresh, then. [it's a shame that Peter's not dead, but ... it's a convenient lie. he can tell Mohinder that the Company did something to him because of what happened on Kirby Plaza and that it's killing him and that he needs help. not that he knows that what's wrong with him probably will eventually kill him, though -- it just sweetens the story]

Candice: Peter it is. Do you think he'll take the bait?

Sylar: [shrugs] Peter's the hero. That usually means something. [so, yeah. Mohinder will feel for him and help him get better, and then all hell will break loose] Besides. I think he owes Peter. He saved his life from the big, bad boogeyman once. [if you can call Peter almost getting himself killed a rescue]

Candice: Works for me.

Sylar: Good. [a beat] You coming in with me? [asks because he needs to come up with some bullshit story about who she is if she does]

Candice: Yes, but he won't see me. He'll think it's just Peter. [she can make herself invisible, at least to Mohinder's eye.]

Sylar: [dimly amused] And yet you couldn't do that for me.

Candice: [eyebrow raise] You're the one with the symptoms. He actually has to examine you. Examining me won't really get him anywhere.

Sylar: [was talking about when they got on the plane -- she could have made him invisible instead of making him a tourist -- but whatever. makes a face at her for not getting it and turns away from her, glancing out the window as they descend onto the runway]

Candice: [well, on the plane they needed to actually have someone in the seat so that it didn't get sat in. Besides -- she rather enjoyed making him an out-of-shape accountant.]

Sylar: [would tell her what an evil bitch she was if he knew that. as it is, though, he just remains silent until they're safely at the gate. gets up when they're allowed and pushes past her to start heading from the door] We can catch a cab to Suresh's apartment.

Candice: [nods as she follows, and by the time he reaches the line of yellow cars, he's already Peter Petrelli. It'd avoid a messy change later]

Sylar: [catches sight of his own reflection as he grabs them a taxi and can't help but smirk. it's kind of exhillerating to be using Peter's face to do serve his own interests. maybe she was right about this being fun. hums, pleased, and gets in the car thinking about all the terrible things they'll be able to do together. all the terrible things they'll be able to do after he gets his powers back and kills her]

Candice: [slides in next to him and rambles off Mohinder's address, before the cab starts to speed away]

Sylar: [schools his features into a mask of distress, trying to look as much like he thinks Peter would in this situation now so that he doesn't have to get into character when they get there. not that it would be hard, as really, he's just drawing on his own upset over his circumstances, but still. he wants to make a show of it, not wanting to give her more on him that she already has. and when they finally get there, he looks the part in demeanor as well as features. gets out of the taxi, figuring Candice can foot the bill, and moves towards the door to Mohinder's building]

Candice: [she does, and makes her way up after him, keeping close so that she can slip in behind him unnoticed, and not catch too much of Mohinder's attention. They can't have him thinking that something's off, after all]

Sylar: [she could always just make it look like the door closed and then sneak in, rather than being all up in his personal space, couldn't she? but whatever. takes a deep breath and knocks on Mohinder's door]

Mohinder: [and after a few minutes, he comes to the door looking very much like he's seen a ghost. which, well, makes sense, considering that Peter hasn't been seen since the incident at Kirby Plaza] ... my God. Peter?

Sylar: [it takes all of his willpower not to smirk] Yeah, hi ... you, uh, mind if I come in?

Mohinder: I -- no. No, please. [steps out of the doorway]

Sylar: [follows Mohinder into the apartment, for now ignoring Candace, and goes through the motions of making small talk with him, just so he doesn't get suspicious. when Mohinder asks him how he's been -- where he's been, what happened -- he looks away, taking a deep shuddering breath, before launcing into a lie about how the Company did something to him and turned him loose, about how they might have Haitined him because he feels like he's missing pieces of the last couple of months, and about how he thinks he's sick. he can't use any of his abilities, after all, and he's just felt feverish and shaky for the last couple of weeks and the doctors can't really find anything wrong with him. and the whole while, Mohinder looks more and more like he knows exactly what's going on, the proverbial lightbulb going on entirely when Sylar gets to the end of his explanation. he gets up when he finishes, moving to gather a syringe from one of his drawers, and tells him he needs to take a blood sample. Sylar ... is not entirely okay with this, as well, the last time Mohinder had a syringe, it was for a spinal tap, but he keeps it off of his face, letting Mohinder take the sample and retreat to the microscope he keeps here for when he brings his work home with him]

Mohinder: [looks up from the blood sample he took after a moment and proceeds to give Sylar the details on what's wrong with him. and he finishes with:] I'm afraid I can't help you, though. Not exactly.

Sylar: [curls his fingers into fists and takes a deep breath] ... what do you mean?

Mohinder: I've been researching this strain, and I'm afraid my blood alone isn't the cure. pauses, then sympathetically] You'd need to mix it with Claire's, and after the events of Kirby Plaza, she and the Bennets seem to have just vanished. I've no idea where she is. [that's a lie, since he's working with Bennet at the moment, but he can't be too sure the Company doesn't have this place bugged, and he doesn't want to betray Bennet. even if it means he can't help "Peter". which makes him feel terrible, but ... ]

Sylar: I ... might know where she is.

Mohinder: [holds up a hand to cut him off, assuming that he was just going to blurt out where the Bennets are hiding, and grabs a piece of paper and a pen off of his desk. leans over it as though this were a high school class room and he's afraid someone's going to cheat off his chem test and writes something down, pressing it into Sylar's palm when he finishes. gives him a meaningful look, hoping he takes the hint, and then] I can't help you.

Sylar: [is itching to see what Mohinder wrote, but ... he'll wait. takes a deep breath and stands up slowly, nodding] Thanks, Mohinder. [and that said, he's just going to make a beeline for the door]

Candice: [bounces up and follows him quietly, getting out the door and sticking close, peering over Sylar's shoulder to see what the note says]

Sylar: [unfolds the note and reads it. and it says what they already knew -- that the Bennets are in hiding from the Company -- but there's also a California address written at the bottom, and he's guessing that's where they are. he'd look happier about knowing where the cheerleader was if he was on his way to take her ability ... or if he thought to get a sample of Mohinder's blood while he was actually in the room, since he apparently needs both. goddamn it]

Candice: [waits until they're a decent way down the hallway before speaking up] We can figure out another way to get the blood. Or Mohinder to go with us.

Sylar: [tries to calm himself down, so he can think through this, and while he manages, it takes him a fairly long time to get there. so much so that they're out on the street again before he stops feeling like he wants to barge back in there and strangle Mohinder] ... if he's working on a cure, he has to have a lab or something somewhere. [there wasn't enough equipment in his apartment for that to have been his workspace] Maybe he's keeping samples there.

Candice: Do you know where that could be?

Sylar: [pointedly] If I did, don't you think I would've been more specific?

Candice: [hands go up] You know him better than I do.

Sylar: [huffs out a sigh, annoyed, but she has a point. tries to think of where Mohinder would keep a lab] It'd have to be somewhere familiar. Somewhere he felt safe. Not on campus or at one of the hospitals.

Candice: [thinks for a minute] ..... That's a short list, at least here in the city.

Sylar: [nods] It'll be somewhere here in the city.

Candice: Anywhere get abandoned lately?

Sylar: Peter's place. Isaac Mendez's loft. My apartment. [tries to think of anywhere else that's been left empty in the last couple of months, but ... other than those three places, he's drawing a blank, and come to think of it, Mendez's loft might be plausible]

Candice: Painter Boy's loft had a lot of room.

Sylar: I was thinking the same thing.

Candice: [nods] Let's catch a cab.

Sylar: [flags one down and gets in, rattling off the address, still able to remember it even after all this time]

Candice: [slides in again and keeps an eye on the meter]

Sylar: [makes plans to reintroduce Mohinder to the ceiling again, if and when this all pans out, for not just giving him want he wanted. and that more or less consumes his attentions until they get to the loft. gets out of the cab, once again leaving Candice to pay, and heads up to the building, trying to figure out how the hell they're supposed to get inside. if he had his telekinesis, he'd just pick the lock, but ... ]

Candice: [pays the bill, makes her way up, and then rolls her eyes when she sees him] Didn't you learn to do anything the old fashioned way?

Sylar: I never would've thought about breaking the law before I realized how much fun murder is. [so ... no]

Candice: [smirks before reaching up into her hair to pull out the pins and goes to pick the lock]

Sylar: [leans back against the wall and goes to fold his arms over his chest only to stop short. that probably wouldn't have been the best idea, and it's a good thing he realized that before he actually did it. sighs, making a face, and stuffs his hands in his pockets instead] I'd ask you to teach me how to do that, but when I get my powers back, it won't matter.

Candice: [shrugs as she opens the door] Might come in handy if you get stuck with the Haitian.

Sylar: Too late now. [since she's got the door open and all]

Candice: [sighs. a lot. and just follows him inside.]

Sylar: [next time they have to break and enter, he'll have her teach him -- for now he's just going to start looking around, grateful that this actually seems to be Mohinder's lab and blissfully unaware that there are cameras throughout the entire place] This is it.

Candice: Alright. Where do you think he would keep the blood samples?

Sylar: Refrigerator? [and as it turns out, there's one in the kitchen still, which he heads for. unfortunately, however, it seems as though there's just an odd smattering of food in there, probably left over from all the nights Mohinder has spent working here and needed to order out. he's betting there's another one somewhere in the lab, though, and so he starts poking around, looking for it]

Candice: [follows to help, but gets sidetracked by his paperwork instead, going through Suresh's notes.]

Sylar: [will probably start going through the rest of Mohinder's crap in a minute or two -- right now, he has a one track mind for finding the refrigerator, and since it's not exactly hidden, it doesn't take him long. cracks it open and pulls a test tube off of one of the racks inside, holding it up to the light] Mohinder Suresh. Predictable as always.

Candice: [glances over, before looking back at the paperwork] We're gonna need a way to keep that fresh.

Sylar: Any ideas? [moves back into the kitchen even as he asks, figuring he might find something useful or something inspiring]

Candice: Cooler and ice packs?

Sylar: We'd have to check it at baggage. [assuming they're taking a plane to California, at any rate, since most coolers aren't that small, and he doesn't much like the idea of leaving one half of his cure in the hands of the airport staff] Unless you can convince security it's a carry-on.

Candice: [hands open with a shrug] It is what I do.

Sylar: [shrugs, too, and starts poking around for a cooler. finds a relatively small one -- or, well, small for a cooler at any rate -- and holds it up. should have figured Mohinder had something to transport samples in]

Candice: That works. I'll find the ice.

Sylar: [sets the cooler down on the counter and meanders away from it, still carrying Mohinder's blood around. will put it down when she's found the ice and filled the cooler. for now, he's paranoid it'll get broken if he sets it down, so he's going to take it with him as he moves to start rooting through Mohinder's desk drawers]

Candice: [tracks down the ice in a different refrigerator, before going and pouring it into the cooler]

Sylar: [finds a gun in one of the drawers and stands there for a moment, staring at it, tempted to take it with him. he needs some sort of defense without his powers, and Candice could probably get it past the metal detectors, right?]

Candice: [she'd figure it out. Make it look like something else, or make them air marshalls. or something]

Sylar: [takes the gun without bothering to ask her and comes back over to her, putting the blood vial in the cooler carefully before tucking the gun away in the waist of his jeans. and yeah, he realizes how stupid that probably is, but it's not like Mohinder left a holster laying around, too]

Candice: [closes the cooler, and nods] Alright. Let's get out of here.

Sylar: [grabs the cooler and heads for the door, mutely]

Candice: [and then there's another cab, another trip to the airport, and this time they're air marshals because Sylar had to grab the stupid gun]