A/N: I was watching 3x14 "A Clear and Present Danger," when I wondered what would have happened if Sylar had been captured in Samson Gray's house. Obviously Danko's little thugs failed horribly at actually taking Sylar, but it's fun to think about. This was supposed to be one-shot, but it just took off on me.

Disclaimer: Heroes is not mine, if it was there would be more sex and violence.

***

The Devil You Know...

She spied around the bulkhead, waiting for the guard to pass by. When she saw that he was engaged in talking to his mate, she scurried across the aisle to pull the black hood from the head of the closest captive to her.

The black cloth revealed the pale features of the last person she expected – or wanted - to see: Sylar. Claire was so shocked that she fell backward, and sat awkwardly in the aisle staring at his face. She had told her grandmother he was behind these disappearances and yet here he was in front of her, as captive as the rest. She wondered briefly how they had managed to catch him, and whether they realized they had a tiger by the tail. Then she shook that thought off, there was a more important issue at hand.

What was she going to do now? Sylar certainly had the power to get everyone off this plane, if he chose to do so. There was also the possibility he would regard the unconscious specials as a fabulous buffet. Claire took a deep breath and straightened to remove the drip from Sylar's nose. He required no time to recover, he just opened his deep eyes and quickly took in the situation.

"Well, this is a surprise. Hello, cheerleader." He smiled genially and Claire tightened her jaw.

"Shut up, you monster, just hurry up and get us out of here," Claire hissed, and stepped over to release the next prisoner. Sylar's finger twitched slightly and her body froze in place, then she felt herself being pushed back down onto the floor in front of him on her knees. "What are you doing? The guards will come back!"

Sylar made no move, content for the moment to remain strapped to the chair and not feeling an overwhelming sense of concern over the return of the guard.

"First, let's chat. We so rarely get any alone time."

Claire all but snarled at him, and he couldn't help but smile. She was so much fun to taunt, her reactions were just priceless. He was a bit curious, so he pulled the hoods from all the rest of the prisoners. Peter, Mohinder, Hiro, and so many others unconscious and strapped to chairs.

The guards jumped when they saw what was going on, but before they could raise the alarm, Sylar snapped their necks with an idle gesture. Finally, he broke the restraints on his arms and feet and stood. He returned his lambent gaze to Claire.

"Shall we talk for a moment about Primatech? Stabbing me in the back of the head with a blade of glass and then leaving me to burn?" He tutted at her, and Claire vainly pulled at her invisible bonds.

"You killed Meredith and tried to kill my Dad. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!"

"I told you that you were like me, such killer instinct." He looked around at the cargo plane full of specials and smiled voraciously at her.

"This is quite the smorgasborg you've laid out for me Claire. Who shall I eat first?"

"Don't hurt them! Just break us out of here!"

"Why do all you Petrellis think I'm a dog to be sicced on your enemies?" He squatted down abruptly to run a hand through her golden hair, leaning to whisper in her ear.

"Even dogs need treats Claire. If I do it, if I get everyone out of here, what's my...treat?" She clenched her teeth, and closed her eyes briefly. After all their previous run-ins she was getting a good idea of how he thought, and to continue the metaphor, she knew she had to throw him a bone.

"Fine. We'll talk about it after we get out of here."

They both knew she was stalling, but he smiled briefly and decided to go along with her. He closed his eyes and concentrated, and she felt a huge shudder wrack the plane as it dove toward the ground. Simultaneously, all of the drug drips flew away from unconscious faces as their shackles were broken. Shouts broke out all around her as the unwilling passengers began to waken. The plane rattled violently again as it struck the ground, drawing still more cries.

All the while, his dark eyes held hers, and she felt transfixed as though she were hypnotized by a cobra. He only looked away when the plane touched down, gesturing at the wall and peeling a giant gash as if by a can opener, revealing the night outside.

"Shall we?" Sylar asked mockingly and pulled her up to link her arm with his, as if they were out on a Sunday stroll in Central Park. Dragging her along, he darted quickly towards the hole, and Claire only had time to look desperately behind her. Peter had awoken and pushed through the crowd of escaping prisoners to scream her name, his voice joining with her father's who also appeared in the opening. She didn't have time to wonder how Bennet had gotten there as they disappeared behind her.

Claire swallowed a tide of fear as the night surrounded them. She had made her bed, now she must lie in it. Besides, she couldn't kill the monster unless she knew where he was. He would give her the opportunity, all she had to do was wait.