{Chapter: 181 - Secret Research Institute}
Sylar's eyes glinted with hunger. "No… You're different. I saw what you did back there. You took his ability. Drained it like a leech. We're not so different, you and I."
Aiden's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Don't lump me in with you. You tear people apart for power. I… assimilate. There's a difference."
"A philosophical one. Not a practical one," Sylar said, his voice dropping. "Either way, your ability… I want it. And I'm going to take it."
His head tilted slightly, and then—
Pain.
Aiden staggered back a step as a sharp ache pierced his forehead. A thin red line appeared along his skin, blood trickling down slowly—but only for a second.
Then, just as quickly, the wound sealed. The blood stopped. The skin closed.
"Regeneration?" Sylar asked, blinking in surprise. "Interesting. That's going to make things… messy."
"You done?" Aiden asked calmly, brushing a drop of blood from his brow.
Sylar narrowed his eyes.
"Then it's my turn," Aiden whispered.
He didn't move. He didn't need to.
Suddenly, Sylar's body locked up. Muscles seized. Limbs trembled. His feet began to slide forward against his will, scraping across the ground like a puppet being pulled by invisible strings.
"What the hell?" he growled. "Mind control?!"
Aiden's eyes glowed faintly as his telekinesis pressed down on Sylar like a crushing weight.
Sylar snarled, gathering all his strength and launched a nearby trash can with telekinesis, aiming straight for Aiden's head.
But Aiden raised a single hand.
The bin stopped mid-air—frozen—and then reversed course, floating calmly back to where it had come from.
Sylar gritted his teeth and tried again. Nothing moved.
His powers were slipping away.
"Do you feel it?" Aiden asked softly, stepping closer. "That helplessness? That flicker of fear?"
Sylar's face twisted into a snarl.
"I've felt it too. The moment you realize someone else is stronger than you. Smarter. Hungrier."
"Don't act like you're righteous," Sylar hissed through clenched teeth. "You're just like me. You kill. You consume."
"No," Aiden said quietly. "I evolve. You destroy."
Aiden narrowed his eyes, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he stared down the infamous killer standing just a few feet away. The dark alley was quiet, yet thick with tension, the kind of silence that made the hairs on your neck stand on end.
Sylar.
One of the most feared names among the evolved.
He chuckled softly, voice calm yet firm, "Looks like you've run out of tricks, Gabriel. Or should I say... Sylar?" He extended his hand slowly, palm open, a flicker of restrained energy dancing at his fingertips. "Since you're so eager to take my ability, why don't I return the favor?"
There was a strange click. A soft chuff, almost imperceptible, like a dart cutting through the air.
Aiden felt it the moment it struck—the sharp sting at the side of his neck followed by a wave of dizziness that washed over him like a tide. His vision swam, and the alley spun for a moment.
His body instinctively twisted around just enough to glimpse a familiar face, stoic and unflinching in a tailored Company suit.
Noah Bennet.
The Man with Horn-Rimmed Glasses.
Aiden's knees gave out. The world tipped sideways as his body hit the cold pavement, and darkness swallowed his sight. But just before the fall fully took him, he whispered in his mind:
"Anesthetic? Interesting choice, but it won't work for long."
Sylar blinked in surprise at the sudden turn of events, his eyes darting from Aiden's collapsed body to Bennet, who was already pocketing the tranquilizer gun without a word.
For a brief moment, Sylar hesitated. His predator's instincts urged him to finish the job—to slice open Aiden's skull and peer inside the secrets of his brain—but something in Bennet's gaze gave him pause.
The Company agent didn't say a word, only stared at him with quiet authority, as if daring him to try anything.
Sylar clenched his fists, lips twitching in frustration.
Then he turned and vanished into the night.
Bennet didn't pursue. He never did unless he had a plan. And right now, his priority was the unconscious body on the ground.
From the shadows emerged another figure—a tall, imposing man of few words.
René.
The Haitian.
Without a sound, he walked up to Aiden's limp form, effortlessly lifting him over his shoulder. Together, they moved swiftly to the waiting black van parked at the mouth of the alley. The doors slammed shut, and the vehicle rolled away, blending into the city traffic like a phantom.
---
Inside the van, the air was cold and sterile. Fluorescent lights overhead buzzed faintly. Aiden lay on a padded stretcher, his body still, eyes closed—but behind his lids, consciousness had already returned.
The tranquilizer was potent, but his regenerative ability adapted quickly. The initial drowsiness was gone in less than thirty seconds.
"Well played, Bennet," Aiden thought, keeping his breathing steady to maintain the illusion. "You gave me a perfect excuse to get into your little fortress. And as for Sylar... I'll deal with him later."
He remained motionless as the van rumbled down the road. The destination was obvious. Only one place they'd take someone like him.
The Company's Research Institute.
A facility built for interrogation, analysis, and—let's be honest—containment.
---
The cold metal of the operating table felt like ice against Aiden's back. Bright surgical lights glared down at him as a small team of technicians bustled around the room preparing equipment.
Noah Bennet stood just behind the glass, arms crossed, watching everything with his usual unreadable expression. He wasn't a sadist. He didn't enjoy hurting people like Sylar did. But he believed in what he did. Order. Control. Safety—for his family, above all else.
"Make sure you record everything," Bennet said, his voice coming through the intercom. "Blood sample, tissue analysis, EEG. I want to know how his ability works—how fast it adapts."
Just as one of the assistants reached for a scalpel, Aiden's eyes snapped open.
"I appreciate the hospitality," he said casually, "but you could've just asked for a tour of my abilities."
Startled, the lab technicians froze. Aiden sat up slowly, his voice calm and laced with amused sarcasm. "This is how you treat someone who saved your precious Molly?"
Bennet's face didn't flinch. "Don't flatter yourself. We're not here to hurt you. Just a few tests, then you're free to go."
"Right," Aiden said, raising a brow. "I'm guessing the tests come with a side of memory erasure, courtesy of your silent friend over there?"
His gaze turned toward the corner where René stood silently, his presence like a shadow. The Haitian said nothing, but Aiden could feel the suppression—his powers, just slightly dimmed at the edges. It was subtle, like a fog dulling the sharpness of his mind.
This guy's ability... Aiden mused. It's stronger than I thought. Even my regenerative ability didn't instantly shake it off.
"You know too much," Bennet said finally. "That makes you dangerous. René—"
"You really think you can contain me?" Aiden interrupted, his voice low but charged with heat.
Without warning, flames erupted from his body. The restraints holding him down sizzled and melted, twisting and snapping under the pressure. A wave of heat blasted outward, sending papers fluttering and lab equipment clattering to the floor.
The lab descended into chaos.
From the observation window, Bennet's eyes widened. "This... this isn't possible," he whispered.
René staggered back a step, the strain of trying to suppress Aiden's powers beginning to show on his face. Sweat formed on his brow as he focused harder.
But Aiden just smiled.
"I guess your nullifier isn't quite up to the task," he said calmly, rising from the scorched table. His feet hovered slightly above the floor as he floated upward, flames wreathing his body like a burning crown.
Bennet reacted quickly, pulling out a compact tranquilizer gun and taking aim.
But Aiden was faster.
With a flick of his hand, a stream of fire surged forward like a lance. The dart gun exploded in Bennet's grip, sending him stumbling backward with a shout, his hand scorched and smoking.
"Let that be a warning," Aiden said coldly, hovering just beyond the scorched circle he had made. "I'm not your lab rat. I'm not Sylar. I don't need to cut people open to evolve. But I will burn down everything that tries to cage me."
Silence fell across the lab. The flickering flames cast long, writhing shadows against the walls.
For the first time, Bennet looked shaken. Not because he feared Aiden would kill him—Bennet had stared down monsters before—but because he realized something far more dangerous.
They underestimated him.
This wasn't just another evolved human.
This was someone who was learning, adapting, and calculating every move.
Someone who was becoming a threat even Sylar would fear.