Author's Note and Disclaimer: Alright, thank you guys so much for the reviews. A lot of your questions about the AU are really insightful things that I never think of because... well, this is all in my head and I forget that you're not mind-readers. So someone asked about the exact role of the Company in this 'verse, and my explanation is as follows. The Company is sort of a group of highly-trained hunters (and occasional assassins) of Specials, some of whom are Specials themselves (following in the one of us, one of them pattern). Think of it as Special CIA. And the Academy is the Company's training school for new agents. If you guys have any more questions, feel free to ask away. The AU is confusing, I admit. I promise, though, that it's going to get more transparent as we go along. I just repeat: think X-Men and you'll have at least a vague idea. And I still own nothing, either in Heroes or The Fountainhead. Daria 234 still has the credit for the inspiration.
The Academy
New Jersey
"Miss Bennet, we understand that you did some admirable work for us in Manhattan," Bob Bishop said, without looking up from his paperwork. "Though your partner's report was less than glowing, we had one of our clairvoyants watching you, and in truth his report was somewhat slanted. Thank you for a fine job well-done."
"Thank you for the opportunity," Claire said politely. "It was... educational."
Bishop smiled faintly, still barely paying attention to her. "That was the idea. Is there anything else you'd like to add before I file this one away?"
Claire hesitated, wondering about the wisdom of her next action. If Company management had set a clairvoyant to watching her, then presumably they would already know at least some, if not all, of the details of her exchange with Peter Petrelli. Lying about it would be dangerous. But she'd looked him up in the Company database, and it turned out that although his brother was a known flyer, he had absolutely no file. Therefore, it was reasonable to assume that she could get away with protecting...
Protecting who, though? What exactly did she intend to accomplish by keeping her mouth shut? The fact was, she wasn't really sure. It wasn't herself, that was certain. Her actions (thus far, anyway) were beyond reproach. So was she protecting Peter? A man she had never met before this morning? A man, incidentally, who could be potentially extremely dangerous if left alone to deal with his vast array of abilities.
No, Claire decided. It wasn't Peter she was protecting. She wasn't protecting anyone. She was keeping a secret for the sake of having one. Claire had no secrets; everyone at the Company had known her every move from her earliest age, and most of the general public knew her face, her ability, and above all her family name. Was it really so wrong to just know one thing about one random Special out there that no one else did? Didn't she deserve something just for herself? Something private, that no one else could share?
Trying to put out of her head the thought that she was starting to sound startlingly like Dominique Francon, Claire said, "Well, there was a man... pyrokinetic. He was on Knox's bad side, but I think he's mostly harmless. We should probably send René to him, though. Just to be sure."
Bishop nodded absently. "Yes, yes. Of course. Most wise of you, Miss Bennet. Now, if that's all, I'll have to ask you to leave."
Claire rose to her feet and turned to leave. She was startled to bump into the Haitian man. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "You're already here. That's--" She didn't get another word out before René slipped a hand over her eyes and she dropped to the floor, unconscious...
Peter's Apartment
Manhattan
He pushed open the door and stepped inside his apartment without looking around, bone-weary and still reeling from the events of that morning. He had been dead, for god's sake! Dead, bled-out, no pulse, spirit-left-the-body! And then Claire Bennet- yes, that Claire Bennet- had walked into his life and suddenly he was immortal.
It was an incredible thought, actually. Regens were rare- though not as rare as empaths, he knew- and he had never expected to meet one. And now that he had this power... what now? He didn't know much about regeneration, but he knew the rumors- regens supposedly lived incredibly long, maybe forever. It was a daunting thought. Peter didn't want to think about what forever entailed. Loneliness, losing the people who mattered most to him... It was scary, and he suddenly wished he knew how to shut these powers off, at least for a little while.
Although... did borrowed regeneration work the same as it would for the original bearer? Peter had discovered that occasionally his abilities weren't quite as potent in him as in the benefactor. Maybe that would be the case this time? He certainly hoped so. One thing Peter did not want was eternity.
So preoccupied was he by these thoughts that he did not notice the silent shadow of a man creeping up behind him to place a cool-fingered hand over his eyes...
One Year Later...
The Academy
New Jersey
"And now I give you the valedictorian of the graduating class of 2007, Claire Bennet!" Bob Bishop stepped away from the microphone and returned to his folding chair. They were seated on what was normally the training field, but today had been transformed into a neat little outdoor auditorium.
As Claire stepped onto the podium, she looked out across the small group of new Agents. To an outsider, it would closely resemble a traditional high school graduation, complete with caps and gowns. Until, that is, said outsider looked a little closer and realized that a few of the graduating students were already headed towards middle age. The Academy accepted students of any age. However, it was traditional that they hand-picked the best and brightest teens from around the world, and it was clear that Claire was the creme de la creme of new Agents, though she was by far one of the youngest in the room.
She adjusted the microphone nervously. Agent material she might be; speech-maker she was not.
"Well, we did it," she said, smiling uncomfortably. "Today we achieved what we have trained for five years to become. Today we are Agents. Our time with the Company isn't going to be easy, we knew that from the start. But now we're finally coming into our own as the guardians of humanity, caretakers and protectors of the people. Now, I could go on for awhile about our sacred responsibility to the world, but I think we've had quite enough of those lectures. Let's get out of here and enjoy our last day before we start work!"
It wasn't particularly inspiring or particularly deep and it wasn't witty or charming, but as she descended from behind the lectern, Zach swept her up in a passionate kiss while a handful of caps soared into the air. "Great speech," he whispered against her lips.
"No it wasn't," she insisted.
He laughed, pulling back a little. "Okay, no, it probably wasn't. But I was a little too distracted by the gorgeous girl making it to really pay attention."
Once again, Claire didn't know how to respond to him. She didn't understand why it made her so uncomfortable when Zach complimented her. Everyone said he was perfect for her, so why couldn't she just let herself go and be happy with him? Why did she keep resisting the emotional intimacy he so obviously wanted, and that she knew he deserved? Maybe she was just a cold, heartless bitch. Trying to drive away the discomfort that was becoming increasingly obvious to her, she stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his again. A kiss was an appropriate thank-you to give your boyfriend of almost two years when he complimented you, right?
"What do you say we get out of here and go get some drinks to celebrate?" Zach asked when they broke apart.
Claire nodded and he slung an arm around her waist, guiding her away from the crowd. Just as they reached the colonnaded entrance to the main building of the Academy, a blonde even more petit than she stalked up to them. "Yo! Pom-pom!" Elle Bishop announced. "We got a job to do."
"But... I'm not supposed to be starting until tomorrow," Claire said, surprised.
Elle scowled at her. "How should I know how Daddy's mind works? Besides, you've been going on missions for like a year now anyway. So let's get going!"
Zach grabbed Claire's arm possessively. "What happened to 'One of us, one of them'?" he asked. "Last time I checked, you're both 'one of them'. Shouldn't you be taking Khaled?"
The electrogenecist shrugged. "Yeah, but the guy we're going after is going to take two 'one of thems' to take him down. Just one Special isn't gonna cut it. And it's classified, so how 'bout you mind your own business?"
"Sorry," Claire said, giving Zach an apologetic smile. "Rain check on those drinks. I'll call you once I know where I'm headed, okay?" He looked dejected, but he gave her a half-hearted attempt at a smile. With one last peck on the lips, she hurried after Elle. "So... where exactly are we headed?" she asked.
"New York," Elle said shortly.
"Who is it this time? Brandt? Makos? They've both been causing some ruckus lately."
Elle shook her head. "Nope. We're gonna land the big one. We're going after Sylar."
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