Episode:Building 26

Building 26
Season:	Three
Episode number:	316
First aired:	February 16, 2009
Written by:	Rob Fresco
Directed by:	Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
Previous episode:	Trust and Blood
Next episode:	Cold Wars
Heroes Interactive transcript

Summary

• Nathan's plans are justified to the President.
• Sylar and Luke Campbell continue their trip towards Sylar's father.
• Claire receives a mysterious tip from "Rebel", urging her to save Alex from Noah.
• Tracy briefly escapes her cell, and kills a Building 26 employee.
• Hiro and Ando travel to India to fulfill one of Matt's drawings.

Synopsis

Noah and his family are at home, eating waffles, where Lyle asks him about his new job as a "consultant". Simultaneously, Claire receives urgent text messages from "Rebel". After Sandra comments that neither Noah nor Claire have said anything about her college tour trip, Claire abruptly leaves the table and Noah follows. They argue, and Claire states that she can't act like nothing has happened or keep lying to her mother. Noah tells her that she has to play ball or else they will come for her and nothing will stop them. He then tells Claire he has enrolled her in Costa Verde Community College. As he leaves her room, she receives another text message from Rebel, telling her to warn "Alex" at Sam's Comics.

Danko is in the control center of Building 26, discussing surveillance efforts and the status of their operation. He stares at a wall of photographs of evolved humans, while telling his men that Claire is "on probation" -- for now. Nathan comes in and states that the evolved humans are still human, and now they're scared and thus even harder to capture. He announces that due to this, and the difficulty of holding their one and only prisoner, he's requested double funding from The President. There is palpable tension between the two men.

Elsewhere, Sylar and Luke are in the car heading west to find Samson Gray. After some attempts at small talk by Luke, Sylar asks how far they have to go. Luke lies, causing Sylar to stop the car and demand Luke tell him where exactly his father is. He states that his father lives in Minnesota in a cabin. Sylar knows that he's lying and Luke attempts to laugh it off. Then he says he has an ex-wife and they had a kid who was born with a bone-disease -- another lie. Sylar grabs him by the throat and states that he knows he's lying because he cuts off people's heads and rips their ability from their brains, causing Luke to call Sylar a serial killer. Sylar denies it at first, before agreeing. He then asks Luke why he shouldn't just kill right him on the spot, to which Luke replies, "You'll never find your father if you do." As they drive off, a camera on the overpass takes a still photo of Sylar. Immediately, an analyst loads his assignment tracker profile and determines his location.

Claire finds Alex in Sam's Comics, just as "Rebel" said she would. When she delivers her warning message, an incredulous Alex mocks her, saying that Victor put her up to this for revenge and she'll have to do a better job to convince him. Claire seizes a box cutter from the counter and cuts open her hand -- the deep gash heals before his very eyes, and Alex stares at her in wonder. The door opens and Claire sees her father come in. She and Alex beat a hasty retreat through the shop before Alex walks into plain sight. Noah claims he's from the county records office and wants to talk about some parking tickets outside, when Claire calls her father as a diversion. While Bennet is distracted, Alex smashes him over the head with a rack of comics and he and Claire run out. Noah recovers and calls in a team while the two teens speed off in Alex's car.

Ando shows Annapurna his power.

In New Delhi, India, Hiro and Ando seek their destiny as shown by Matt's drawing -- to stop a wedding. While Hiro leaves to find out when the wedding starts, Ando looks up from the picture and spots a familiar-looking woman. He goes after her, and she reveals her name is Annapurna and that she is the bride. Ando discovers she's sad, and tells her to call off the wedding. She gasps, saying she was waiting for a sign from God before making her decision. Ando, using his power, creates a shower of red sparks from his hands. Just as Anna is thanking Ando for being the sign, Hiro returns. He hears Annapurna say that the wedding is off, but he is crestfallen -- Ando has stolen the show.

Back in Building 26, Danko and Nathan meet Abby Collins. She informs them that their operation is worrying the president's handlers, and Homeland Security are now overseeing their team. Danko resents the intrusion of yet another politician, while Nathan suggests a tour. Believing her to be a representative of the president, he states his funding request is to be spent on a new reinforced prison for their highly dangerous inmates. She responds mockingly, calling evolved humans "magic". She states that time traveling and mind reading are fiction. Nathan asks who she works for, and she replies she's his new boss.

Sylar and Luke stop outside a diner. Sylar grows irritated by Luke's attempts at small talk and tells him that if Luke continues trying to be his friend, he'll kill him. Luke asks him if he likes birds. Caught off-guard by this non sequitur, Sylar responds curtly. Luke explains Samson Gray loved them, and that he wondered if it's genetic. Luke talks about going birding with Sylar's father, and the mention of a little red wagon makes Sylar recall that his father took him on similar trips when he was very young. Luke reminds Sylar that his father sold him for money. Sylar ponders what sort of a father would do that, and why his father would tell Luke such a thing. Luke posits that he must have reminded the old man of him.

Meanwhile, Abby finds Tracy Strauss shackled to a chair in a room full of powerful heaters. Abby recognizes Tracy from a stint as a lobbyist for a defense company, and tells Nathan she's not an enemy. She tells Nathan she'll be filing a complaint against him at the Justice department- for humans rights violations, such as torture.

Hiro believes bread can be an effective weapon.

Claire tells Alex she was sent to warn him that the agents were coming for him. She guesses he is on a list and asks if he has a power. He replies that he can breathe underwater, and he's glad he met someone else who has a power because he felt like a freak. Claire orders him not to use his cell phone or credit cards, then she spots a car making its second pass. They run behind a bush for cover before a team of agents swarm around the car.

Anna, Hiro and Ando are sitting at Annapurna's restaurant and she tells them her fiancé is a powerful and dangerous man. She leaves for a moment, and Ando notices Hiro is angry at him. Hiro believes he needed to stop the wedding; it was his chance to regain his powers. Ando said he found a way to save her, and that Hiro is just jealous of being his sidekick. The discussion is cut short when Ando interrupts an argument in the kitchen between Anna and Deepak, who had walked in a few minutes before. An enraged Deepak knocks Ando over the head with a pan and carries him off.

Sylar and Luke are eating in a diner when Luke uses his powers on another customer's drink, causing it to erupt. Sylar tells him to stop and says that powers should not be used for fun, only if there is an objective. He also advises Luke to keep a clear head, because emotions make you sloppy, and that it's important to always know what you want. Sylar reveals that he used to be motivated by acquiring abilities, but now all he wants is to meet his father and find out if he has any answers.

Luke gives Sylar his father's address and Sylar states there's nothing to keep him from killing Luke now. As two members of a security team casually walk into the diner, one from the back door and one from the front, Sylar and Luke try to escape. However, a plainclothes agent points a gun at Sylar's head. Luke causes a diversion by acting like Sylar's hostage, desperately saying that he wants to go home and see his mother. Luke succeeds in distracting the plainclothes agent, and Sylar uses telekinesis to disarm the agents and break a window, then pulls Luke outside. Sylar then escapes in the car, leaving Luke behind to be captured by the agents.

Tracy freezes a man in front of everyone.

Anna states that she must marry Deepak or else Ando will die. During the wedding Hiro stops the ceremony and knocks her fiancé down and threatens him with a cake knife. Deepak calls the wedding off. Hiro recognizes that this was the moment captured in the painting and yells "yatta!".

Claire and Noah are discussing what she was doing today, and Noah says if he can't control her then she will be in danger, and Claire tells him she can't be controlled.

Abby tells Nathan that his operation will be shut down and Nathan explains why it shouldn't be. Tracy, who pulled free of her chains by way of a mysteriously loose bracket, has escaped, and the two of them go to check it out. Tracy has a hostage but before he can escape, she freezes him, and he shatters against the wall. Abby looks on in shock as Tracy is sedated and recaptured; Abby then tells Nathan he will have all the funding he needs.

Claire and Sandra are in the kitchen together, when Sandra asks her if she and her father had any fun on their trip together. Claire says that her father was too busy capturing innocent people and that he isn't a consultant, but instead working with a group to capture people with abilities. Sandra asks if she's talking about the Company but she says that this is something much worse, and that they're taking anyone with an ability, not just the bad ones. Noah suddenly arrives home and asks what is going on. Sandra asks Claire to go upstairs and tells Noah she knows what he has been doing. Noah says she has no idea how difficult it is for him, and that if he does not help them, Claire will be taken away.

Tracy is shackled to the chair again and Nathan states she won't escape ever again. Tracy accuses him of loosening her chain and unlocking the door so she would escape. She vows to succeed next time.

Danko's team has captured Luke and is preparing to move out when their vehicle is attacked from within. Sylar emerges from the back of the van, dressed as one of the team, having killed them all. He recovers a laptop and rescues the drugged Luke.

In India, Ando tells Hiro he was right, but Hiro objects he was wrong, and now he can be a hero without his powers. Anna remembers that their names were familiar because a fax from "Rebel" came in for them. It says that they should "Save Matt Parkman". Hiro sees it as a message from "destiny".

Sylar grabs a laptop, and Luke for good measure.

Noah goes to Claire's room and tells her that Sandra has asked him to move out until he becomes a better person, father and husband, and stops telling lies. They reconcile. When Noah leaves, Claire opens her closet door where Alex is hiding and hands him a sleeping bag.

Luke thanks Sylar for rescuing him but Sylar says he came back for the laptop, not for Luke. Luke says he could have left him behind nonetheless, but Sylar just turns on the radio. The song "Psycho Killer" comes on and Luke smiles.

Nathan talks to Danko about the death of Mark Leggett, revealing that he knows Danko let Tracy escape deliberately. Danko says he did it to protect the agency.

Noah is in a Costa Verde motel bar drinking whiskey when his vision begins to blur. As he passes out, Matt Parkman, Peter Petrelli, and Mohinder Suresh get up from their tables where they were waiting and carry him away.

Memorable Quotes

"Wow. So you're like a serial killer."

"I'm not a serial killer."

"But you've got a pattern. You go after specific victims. You collect mementos."

"Okay, technically, I'm a serial killer. Now that we've established that, give me one good reason why I shouldn't tear open your head right here."

- Luke Campbell, Sylar

"If there is one thing I've learned it's that when destiny calls, you answer the phone!"

- Hiro

"Luke. You really got to stop trying to be my friend, or I'm gonna kill you."

- Sylar

"So, what, you always use your powers for a reason?"

"Usually. Sometimes I disappoint myself."

- Luke Campbell, Sylar

"Are you Alex?"

"You're a girl."

- Claire, Alex Woolsly

"I know you're lying"

"Well, I did learn from the master"

- Noah, Claire

"Do you have any idea what happens, if they think I can't control you anymore."

"That's the thing, Dad. You can't."

- Noah, Claire

"This woman is Tracy Strauss and you have her shackled to a chair!"

"That's why we need better funding."

- Abby Collins, Nathan

Character Appearances

Claire Sandra Noah Lyle Mr. Muggles Danko Nathan Luke

Sylar Central commander Alex Woolsly Hiro Ando Annapurna Abby Collins Tracy

Shaila Deepak ZZ Top guy DHS agent (I) DHS agent (II) DHS agent (III) DHS agent (IV) SWAT agent

Hindu priest Annapurna's grandfather Mark Leggett Trina Matt Peter Mohinder

Trivia

• The songs "Psycho Killer" by the Talking Heads and "Born To Be Wild" by Steppenwolf are played on Sylar's car radio.

See Also

• For other uses of Building 26, see Building 26 (disambig).
• For images from Building 26, see images from Building 26.
• Watch the episode on Hulu.

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Building 26

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