Disclaimer: don't own Twilight or Heroes. Still.

Timeline: pre-Genesis in Heroes and during the first book of the Twilight Saga, except with Elle as the new girl in Forks instead of Bella. This story is completely unrelated to the R series, hence the lack of a single-word title beginning with R. Also, in this one I've de-aged Elle to 16 since the plot involves her pretending to be a high school student, and the idea of a grownup doing that strikes me as slightly creepy. Besides, it's not like her age is very important - she just needs to be old enough to do her job as an agent of Primatech, and I can see Bob sending a 16-year-old into the field.

Pairing(s): all canon apart from Edward/Elle.

Warnings: none.

Chapter 1: Assignment

Elle Bishop hated mornings, because each and every one began with her waking up insanely early for yet another training session. She wouldn't mind so much if her training was all to do with honing her ability, which she actually enjoyed using - some would say she enjoyed it too much - but there were other things a Company girl was expected to do. This morning it was running laps in the facility's gym. She completed her usual twenty circuits, only for her trainer to bark out, "Now give me another ten."

Gritting her teeth, she forced her body back into motion. She had learned a long time ago that protesting her grueling training regimen did no good; besides, she was perfectly aware why she was being punished with extra laps. Two weeks ago she'd gone on her first assignment, and she had royally screwed it up. Everything had been fine while she was merely investigating the subject - in fact she'd done very well at getting close to him and gaining his trust - but when it came time to bring him in... Elle pumped her legs faster, letting the rhythm of her strides drown out the memory. If it hadn't been for Bennet she would have died that night; instead she had to live with everyone knowing what a failure her first mission had been. She slowed to a walk and headed for the doors.

"Hey, that wasn't ten laps! It wasn't even one! Get back here, Bishop!" Elle kept going. "I said, get back here."

Against her will, Elle felt her feet freeze. She rejoined her trainer, fighting her body's involuntary movements every step of the way.

"Where the hell did you think you were going?"

"What's the point of me training anymore, Eden?" Elle countered. "We both know I'm benched for the next decade!"

Eden shrugged. "A decade doesn't last forever. Anyway, my orders are to keep training you just in case the guys upstairs change their minds. Now, start running."

Elle sighed; she was used to following orders, but she hated Eden compelling her to do so.

Primatech's executive offices

While she argued with Eden over the usefulness of continuing her training, Elle's name had just come up in a meeting of the Company's top brass. "Absolutely not," Bob Bishop said heatedly. "My daughter isn't ready for this kind of assignment! Don't you remember what happened last time, Charles?"

Charles Deveaux coughed and shifted to sit straighter in his wheelchair. "I remember," he began hoarsely; he paused to clear his throat before continuing. "I remember that her undercover work was exceptional, and we need an undercover agent to integrate into these suspects' lives, make sure of exactly what we're dealing with before we send in a bag and tag team. Your daughter's perfect for the role of high school student."

"Charles is right," agreed Angela Petrelli. "Who better to play that part than a sixteen-year-old girl who should actually be in high school? Give her a chance, Bob. This has the potential to turn into a long-term deal - whoever we put on it might be unavailable for weeks before getting any results. Why should we send one of our better agents when we can use Elle? We don't need her for anything important."

Bob started to argue, but Daniel Linderman cut across him. "Excellent point. Arthur, what do you think?"

Everyone turned to hear what he would say; as the most powerful man in the room, it was tacitly acknowledged that Arthur Petrelli's word would be the final one on the matter. "Send the girl in, but have Parkman prepare her first. And send someone more experienced to supervise her - Thompson, maybe."

###

The next morning when Elle entered the gym, her father, Bennet, and Maury Parkman were waiting for her instead of Eden. "What's up? Surprise party?"

Bob frowned at her joke. "No, Elle, we have a new assignment for you."

"You do? But...I thought..."

"Your primary function this time will be undercover work. You're going to get close to our subjects - just not as close as last time."

"So no action then." So much for getting off the hook quickly; undercover work was barely better than being benched.

Bennet stepped forward. "It'll be harder than you think. We have no idea what these people can do - they could be very dangerous, or they could be able to get inside your head. You're going to have to spend lots of time around them in a completely different setting than what you're used to, and even your thoughts might not be safe."

Elle stared in disbelief. True, for all intents and purposes the Company already told her what to think, but not literally. "How am I supposed to control what I think about?"

"Maury's here to help you with that."

"Just relax; this won't hurt a bit unless you fight it." The overweight telepath took Elle's face between his hands, using eye contact to penetrate her mind more easily. Once inside, he set up an advanced compartmentalization system in Elle's brain - while switched off she would be unable to say anything that would blow her cover or compromise Company security, and no telepath would be able to hear it in her thoughts. He also tuned her mind to respond to a keyword that would allow her to speak freely so she could report to Thompson.

"Don't worry, Elle," Bennet soothed her, "this is just a temporary measure. Someday you'll have the self-control to do this without Maury's help. Until then, just think of it as a strictly-enforced gag order."

Bob said sharply, "She can handle it, Noah. If Elle's ever going to make a good agent she'll have to get used to the way things are done around here. Elle, go pack your bags; your flight leaves this afternoon."

"You got it, Daddy."

"Oh, and Elle? Remember that you will have to comply with a high school dress code."

Elle scowled. This could put a cramp in her style.

SeaTac Airport

Thompson was waiting for her when she disembarked. "This here is your new best friend." He handed her a pastel purple umbrella. "I know how you hate to get wet."

Elle cast an apprehensive glance at the sky, or rather the solid gray cloud mass filling the sky. "Is it like this all the time here?"

"Pretty much - one of the rainiest towns in the country. Now, the town where you'll be matriculating is a little short on real estate, so you're going to have to commute to school. That's not a problem, is it?" He paused just long enough for Elle to give the barest shake of her head. "If anyone asks about your living situation-"

"-I'll tell them it's because you just took a job as manager at the Primatech warehouse in Port Angeles."

"Good girl." Thompson escorted Elle to their waiting Primatech van, assuring her that he'd already rented something less conspicuous for her to drive to school, and drove to a small apartment building in Port Angeles.

"Aren't there rooms we could use at the 'warehouse'? It's not like they really need all that space for manufacturing paper."

"The apartment's for appearances, in case you ever have to bring friends home."

Friends? I actually have to make friends with the student body?

Thompson guessed Elle's thoughts from her incredulous and slightly disgusted expression. "You're there to blend in," he reminded her. "It would look odd if you don't associate with anyone except your targets. It also goes without saying that you aren't allowed to zap anybody." Watching the blonde from the corner of his eye, he could swear she honestly looked disappointed. She crossed her arms, leaned on her door, and refused to speak for the remainder of the drive.

Her sulkiness lifted slightly when they reached their apartment; she couldn't help being pleased about staying somewhere that wasn't a facility. "I don't have to bunk with you, do I?"

"No, this room is all yours. Like it?"

Elle sat on the mattress's edge, bouncing experimentally, and declared it acceptable.

"Good. I want you to get a good night's sleep - have to be sharp for your first day tomorrow."

###

Despite driving slowly along the wet roads, Elle would have missed her destination if not for the sign designating it as Forks High School. She turned her forest-camouflage-green Subaru into the parking lot, picked a space, and sat gazing dubiously at the cluster of maroon brick buildings. So this was an American high school, was it? It looked more like a collection of residential houses - not at all what she'd expected. Then again, I've never actually seen one of these places before. Maybe they're all like this.

She flipped up the hood of her raincoat and dashed for the administration building. "Hi-" she checked the secretary's nameplate "-Mrs. Cope. I'm-"

"Elle Bishop, yes, we've been expecting you. I've got your schedule right here, and a map of the school. Get all your teachers to sign this slip and bring it back to me at the end of the day, all right?" She handed the papers to Elle, who decided right then that school was more trouble than it was worth. "You have a good first day, sweetie."

Elle's fingers twitched, itching to zap the motherly smile off Mrs. Cope's soft, slightly pudgy face. She suppressed the urge and gave a smile of her own instead. "Oh I'm sure I will." She sashayed off to first period English, drawing curious glances due partially to her new-girl-ness, but mostly because of her knee-length raincoat's vivid lavender shade, her unwillingness to lower the hood although it was barely drizzling, and her diligent avoidance of every single puddle.

In class she was ambushed by a gangly, black-haired, oily-skinned boy who introduced himself as Eric Yorkie and promptly began offering advice on everything from navigating Forks High to what not to take in the lunch line. Elle found his enthusiasm irritating but realized his overly helpful tendencies could be useful. "Sure, Eric, I'd be glad to let you show me around sometime," she purred, making him gulp. Note to self: find female friends ASAP. I do not want to have to use the seduction act on this guy!

The class itself seemed easy; Elle had at some point borrowed everything on the reading list from the Hartsdale facility's library to keep occupied between training sessions and playing with Level Five inmates. She didn't have the same advantage in Spanish, trigonometry, government, or biology, but that didn't worry her as she saw little point in those classes anyway. Come to think of it, there wasn't much point in studying English either - who cared what a bunch of old dead guys had written centuries ago? She wouldn't have read that crap if she'd had anything better to do. Gym at least would be a breeze, thanks to her workouts with Eden. Maybe they'd get to play dodgeball. Elle would relish the chance to bounce a few balls off her overly talkative fifth period seatmate's head.

The curly-haired girl hadn't shut up once since they'd been partnered in Spanish - they were doing pronunciation exercises, so she didn't have to - and now they were walking to the cafeteria with her still chattering away in Elle's ear. Boredom and frustration had caused Elle to tune her out. Hours had passed, and there was no sign of her targets anywhere.

It was there, clenching her hands against the charge she felt tingling in her fingertips, that she first saw them. Chalky pale, obviously as bored as Elle herself, and inhumanly beautiful, they drew her attention at once. "Who are they?" she blurted, not caring that she'd just interrupted someone.

The chatterbox - Jessica, Elle suddenly recalled - followed her gaze. "Oh, them. That's Edward, Emmett, and Alice Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife."

Elle's ears pricked when she heard their surnames. The Cullens, huh? It's about damn time they showed up! She scrambled for something to say that would get Jessica to reveal more about them. "They're very...nice-looking." Ugh, lame!

"Yes!" Jessica agreed with a giggle. "They're all together though - Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they live together. Is that even legal?"

"They're not actually related, Jess," the tall, shy girl sitting on her left reminded her. For Elle's benefit she added, "Rosalie and Jasper are Mrs. Cullen's niece and nephew - she's raised them since they were eight or something - and the other three are all adopted."

"Hmm... Which is which?"

"The blondes are Jasper and Rosalie, the other girl is Alice, the one who looks like a body-builder is Emmett, and the one with the reddish-brown hair is Edward."

Elle nodded absently, still staring at the Cullens. The other kids at her table thought that she, like everyone else seeing them for the first time, was mesmerized by their devastating beauty, while in reality she was plotting how to get to them. If four of the five were paired off, then her best shot would be to try befriending the group's odd man out. Thank goodness he was more appealing than Eric What's-his-face. Edward Cullen. I'm going to have fun with this.

Ok, I wanted to start this 'cause the hardest part of any new story is writing chapter 1, but Resilience is still my first priority. Next chapter of this, whenever I get to it, will be Edward's POV of Elle's first day.

To explain further about what Maury did to Elle's mind, I got the idea from a book that I doubt anyone's heard of: Necroscope, the Lost Years part II: Resurgence. Unlike what happened to Harry K in said book, Elle is perfectly aware of everything going on around her, mostly in control of her own actions, and free to think whatever she wants, except anything dangerous that she thinks will be censored when Edward hears it. This is necessary, or he would know she's a Company agent by the end of chapter 2 and the story would be REALLY short.