Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes, unfortunately. If I did, I'd be a much more proliferous writer, and on the off-chance I still wrote fanfics, they would probably be much better.

A/N: Also, italics is thought, as per the usual, italics with quotations is telepathy and or mind-to-mind speaking (i.e., between Peter and Matt or between other telepaths), and any dialogue with a dash (-) in front of it is translated from Japanese.

HEROES
VOLUME THREE
VILLAINS

Chapter One: "Cause and Effect"

"I know... It was unavoidable... You do know that you've opened Pandora's Box."

---A FEW HOURS EARLIER---
-----Odessa, Texas-----
---Matt Parkman, Nathan Petrelli, Peter Petrelli---

"Good afternoon. Most of you have no idea who I am. My name is Nathan Petrelli, and I was elected to Congress in the state of New York. Seems like a long time ago. I lost my position, I lost my brother, I lost my family. I'm sad to say that I lost my way... But while I was gone, I've had the chance to see the world through newly-humbled eyes, witnessed amazing things, seen ordinary people among us trying their best each day to be heroes. These ordinary people, like you, like me, are capable of extraordinary things. You have no idea how extraordinary. But there are other people; organizations that don't want you to know the truth. I myself kept secrets. But last year, something incredible happened to me, and it changed my life. At first, I was afraid, but I'm not afraid anymore. I'm here to tell you the truth... I have the abili--"

BLAM! BLAM! Two shots rang out. For a brief second, the world froze around Nathan Petrelli. In an instant, searing pain in his torso sped everything back to normal in a hurricane of confusion. There were two... bullets. Someone had shot him. Staggering, he dropped to one knee before falling towards the floor.

It was Peter who caught him as he fell. Peter, the one who'd always been there for him. Peter, the only person he'd always been able to trust completely. Peter, who he'd been willing to let kill half of New York for selfish goals. Peter...

"P...P...Peter..."

It was odd to him how faint his voice sounded. He was even more surprised by all of the flashes he could see. After a second, he realized it was cameras flashing. Members of the various press outlets he'd called together were taking pictures of him dying. Because, he thought with a sureness he'd never known, that's what was happening. He was dying.

Media vultures. So desperate for a story, they can't let a man die in peace.

"Peter..."

His brother's face loomed in his field of vision, obscuring almost everything else. It was funny... with the camera flashes behind him, Pete looked almost angelic.

"I'm right here, Nathan. You're gonna be okay."

Nathan weakly shook his head, barely getting one full head-shake before the pain overwhelmed him.

"Nah, Pete, not... not this time. I'm dying, Pete."

Peter shook his head, not wanting to accept it. Nathan watched tears start to fall from his eyes.

"Pete... you and... you and Parkman get... get outta here. You can still... finish this," he brokenly said in between coughs.

"I'm not leaving you, Nathan. I never have. I never will."

A weak chuckle quickly turned into heavy coughing. Nathan had known what Peter was going to say. He always did.

He started to notice a darkness on the edges of his field of vision, slowly moving to cover everything. He knew it was close, and events started ticking by in his memory. His graduation, Pete's, his law career, his wedding. The night of the explosion. The accident. His dad's death... They flew through his mind in no specific order, and he began coughing heavier, head turning to the side as blood flew out of his mouth with each cough. He took a ragged breath as Peter kissed his forehead, quietly crying.

"I love you, Nathan," he whispered.

I love you too, Pete, he though as the darkness closed over everything, clouding out even the memories. He exhaled, knowing it would be his last.

Peter watched his brother die as he held him, same as it had been with Simone months earlier. His last breath left him, and Peter saw Nathan's eyes start to glaze over, losing all the life that had been visible in them. He closed them and held his brother close to him.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

The cameras clicking and flashing behind him broke him out of his thoughts, and his grief quickly turned into anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?! He's dead, and you're taking PICTURES?!"

The flashing and clicking all around them barely changed, and his anger grew even stronger. He could see cameras all over and, here and there, a video camera. Over all the sounds, he was sure he could hear voices talking about "the assassination of former Congressman-elect Nathan Petrelli."

His face started to get hot as he got angrier, and he felt something familiar rise up inside of him.

"Get. Away. NOW!"

With his yell, his voice dropped to a deeper, almost unnatural level, and an invisible wave of telekinesis burst out from him, knocking everyone back a few feet. Some of the people on the far edge of the crowd slammed into the opposite wall, slumping down unconscious.

There you go, Nathan... The secret is out. It's what you wanted...

Reaching behind him, he grabbed Matt Parkman's ankle, the closest part of him, and scrunched up his face, thinking of Hiro Nakamura. He felt everything shift around them, and when he opened his eyes again, he was in his old New York apartment with Matt and Nathan.

Matt looked around, obviously confused.

"Okay, Petrelli, what the hell was THAT?"

---TOKYO, JAPAN---
---Hiro Nakamura and Ando Masahashi---

-"You buried him alive?"- Ando's face was of complete shock at his friend. He would never have expected this from Hiro. Maybe his future self, but not the man his friend was now.

-"There was no other way. Kensei Takezo-san could regenerate from any injury."-

-"Still... Wow."-

Hiro grabbed the papers out of his printer, moved one of the reports to the top of the stack and neatly stapled them, putting it in a large manila envelope before dropping it into his manager's in-box.

Work helped. It distracted him from his thoughts on what he had done. Who he was becoming. The mistakes he'd made.

His first mistake had been time-traveling by accident in Kirby Plaza. If he hadn't reacted in fear, he could have just teleported. But instead, he had found himself between an army and the man he'd thought to be his childhood hero.

His second mistake had been thinking he could turn a drunkard into a savior. Kensei would have made the route on his own. History showed it.

And then his final mistake... Yaeko.

He had let himself get attached. He'd fallen in love. And what's more, in his attempts to help her fall in love with Kensei, he'd been trying to make her fall in love with the man he'd always idealized Kensei to be. And she fell for him. It truly had been the kiss that fractured time.

He hadn't realized how badly things could go until now. Talking with his father right before his death had helped him figure it out.

-"'We have the power of gods. That does not mean that we can play God.'"- Hiro repeated under his breath, a phrase he had been thinking a lot lately. Some of the last words he'd had with his father...

-"What did you say, Hiro?"-

-"Nothing, Ando-kun. Just... just something my father told me once."-

--- HARTSDALE, NEW YORK ---

--- Elle and Robert Bishop ---

"I can not believe you would risk yourself like that, Elle! Going after Sylar with no back-up? Without telling anyone? What were you thinking?"

Elle shifted uncomfortably, standing in front of her father, holding back a wince when her arm shifted in the sling a little too much.

"I was… I was trying to make you proud of me again, Daddy…."

Bob sighed. He knew Elle had done what she thought was right. He'd watched the video footage, and she had otherwise followed procedure for tagging a hostile and powerful person. He didn't have to be this angry. But he wasn't thinking only about Company practice. If Elle had been killed by Sylar…. That's what he was thinking. He was supposed to be a Company man first, and a father second, but it would never be completely like that. And that was why he'd been angry, in truth. Elle was his only daughter.

"Well," he hesitated, assuming a professional mindset, "the important thing is that you managed to save Doctor Suresh, Molly, and Miss Herrera. They are entirely too valuable to lose. Well done, Elle. As soon as our arm is fully healed, you'll be back on field missions."

He watched the surprise form on Elle's face, and held back a fatherly grin. He couldn't show too much compassion. He had to start treating her as an adult. She wasn't his little girl any longer. She was an adult, and a power member of this organization.

"Now, I have business with Doctor Suresh. You're dismissed. Take the rest of the day off. Get some rest, Elle. You've earned it."

--- Mohinder Suresh and Molly Walker ---

"Mohinder, why can't we go home yet?"

It was not the first time he'd heard Molly ask that question. Far from it. He'd found a way around answering directly, but he was running out of ideas. How to tell her that they weren't safe going back to the apartment? How to tell her that if they did, at any time, Sylar could show up. Her nightmare, her "boogeyman". The man who'd killed her parents.

Mohinder had made a mistake in staying there originally. Looking back, however, there had been no reason to think so. Yes, Sylar knew where he had lived, but they had all thought Sylar to be dead. He had seen no problem with moving back in to his apartment with Molly, and later, Matt. Molly's "other hero". He had come in search of Molly when he had found out the child he'd been expecting wasn't his. That it was the product of his wife's infidelity.

He'd been welcome with open arms by Molly, and Mohinder couldn't find it in his heart to say "no" when she brought up the idea of Matt moving in. He'd been a good secondary father figure for Molly, as well. He took care of her while Mohinder was off in other places, sometimes other countries, giving lectures. Trying to bait the company he now worked for. The company he'd wanted to bring down, with the assistance of Noah.

He still didn't know if he'd made the right choice. "Going native", as Noah had put it. Mohinder could remember the anger on Noah's face when he said he needed some of Claire's blood. Then having to shoot Noah just hours later….

But all that was in the past. As was his apartment. Whether or not they liked it, they were staying with the company for now. Until Mohinder could get another place for their odd little "family". And now, he supposed, he had to tell Molly the same.

He sighed, not wanting to do this. "Molly… we won't be going home. Not back to the apartment, anyway. Now that Sylar knows we live there…. It's not safe."

"But that lady shot him with her lightning, and he fell out of the window!"

He shook his head gently, trying to get her to understand. "There's a chance he still lived, though. He had that 'cure' with him, and they didn't find him there. I know you don't like it, but… I'm afraid we'll have to stay here until the Company finds a new, safer place for us."

The look on her face told him, as if he needed telling, that she was not happy with this. But then again, neither was he. Company agents had been spending the last week packing their belongings, a few hours a day, and bringing them here. He could see that she was about to say something when they both looked up, hearing the doorknob turn.

Bob walked in, and Mohinder knew something had gone wrong. There was an air around Bob, one that spoke volumes of his unhappiness.

"Hello, Doctor Suresh." He nodded his head towards Mohinder, and then smiled towards Molly. "And hello, Molly. How are you doing today?"

"I want to go home."

Bob's smile faded. He'd probably been expecting a slightly warmer greeting. "I'm afraid that's not quite possible at the moment. But we are definitely looking for a new home for you, Detective Parkman, and Doctor Suresh. So, Miss Walker." He crouched down now, attempting to get eye to eye with Molly. "Would you mind if I stole Mohinder for a few minutes? I need to talk with him about something. If you get worried, all you have to do is call him. Or, even better, you can always find him."

Without giving much of a reply, Molly said yes, knowing Mohinder would have to talk to Bob anyway, whether she wanted it to be now or not. The two of them walked out of the room, promising to be back in a few minutes.

"Doctor, I'm afraid I have some bad news. Nicole Sanders is dead."

Mohinder's jaw started to drop, the words hitting him harder than a physical blow. Niki had been his partner for a short time, and had become infected with an antibody-resistant version of the Shanti virus while they were working together to stop an attempt on Bob's life. He'd figured out how to cure her, and had told her as much. She had been counting on him….

"Mohinder, don't assume the worst. This was not your fault. She died in a fire. She died trying to save one of her family members. You should remember her… Monica Dawson?"

An image of Monica flashed quickly in Mohinder's mind. Adaptive muscle memory. Whatever she saw done, she could do, within normal physical limits.

"But… how?"

As they walked into Bob's now-empty office, Bob offered Mohinder a seat, which he numbly took. Niki dead…. Saving Monica.

"Long story short, Monica was caught by a gang who had stolen some of Micah's possessions. She broke into the house that was their headquarters and was knocked unconscious. Micah left and ran to find Niki for help. The two of them tracked down Monica in a building the gang was setting on fire, and Niki ran in to save her. Monica got out, but Niki…."

"Burned to death," Mohinder finished for him.

"Exactly. So, even if you had gone to New Orleans with the cure, it would have been too late. Don't beat yourself up, Doctor."

Mohinder nodded, not entirely sure Bob was right about the certainty of Niki's death. "Are we done here? I'd like to get back to Molly."

Bob sighed, standing up. "Unfortunately not. I believe you remember Nathan Petrelli? He helped in taking down Maury."

"Yes, I remember him. Why do you ask?"

Bob walked past Mohinder and over to a somewhat large TV, turning it on. He pressed play on the VCR, and Mohinder paid attention, watching Nathan give a speech. He quickly began to realize that Nathan was intending to reveal the Company, and people with abilities.

He was about to make a comment about how bad that could be, and ask what Bob had planned when he heard the gunshots. Two of them. He saw Nathan Petrelli fall and watched him die, followed by his brother Peter's outburst, and as they disappeared, the camera panned over to a reporter, wondering what had happened, repeating that something unnatural had happened. That three men had disappeared.

"The secret is out, Mohinder. This is just one of easily twenty news reports. As of now, this company is stepping up activity. You have a new mission: Find Peter Petrelli and bring him in."

--- COSTA VERDE, CALIFORNIA ---

--- Claire Bennet ---

KNOCK KNOCK.

Hearing the knock at the door, Claire went downstairs to answer it. She was the only one home. Her mother had taken Lyle with her to the store, to help carry the groceries and whatever she decided to buy for Mr. Muggles. Her feet hit the hardwood floor at the bottom of the stairs when she began to recognize the shape of the silhouette on the other side of the door (I think I remember the front door of the house being similar to the windows of their old home. If not, oh well, it's my fic).

West.

She ran the rest of the short way to the door, pulling it open and throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back, and she invited him in to the house.

"I didn't know if you'd come back," she hesitantly said, breaking the silence that was beginning to form.

After a few seconds, he replied.

"Neither did I."

She sat down on the couch, inviting him to do the same. He did, and for a few minutes, they just sat there in silence.

"I wa–"

"I'm not—"

They began to speak at the same time, and then stopped. He motioned for her to go first, and she refused. He took a deep breath, having thought about what he wanted to say next.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry. I… I was only thinking about myself, and the fact that I liked having my little secret. I'm sorry for what I said about your dad, too."

She waited to see if he was done, and then decided to just say what she needed to.

"West… I'm not going to reveal the company anymore."

He raised an eyebrow, surprised. "What made you change your mind?"

"My dad."

--- EARLIER ---

--- ODESSA, TEXAS ---

--- ??? ---

He walked out of the room, pandemonium erupting behind him.

His mission was done. Nathan Petrelli was dead, or would be soon. He'd done what he came here to do.

He took his cell phone out as he calmly exited the building, authorities rushing past him to get inside, to find the shooter. To find him. They were oblivious. Flipping his phone open, he dialed a number he'd memorized by now, listening to it ring as he walked out of earshot of the people that were around.

"I've been expecting you to call."

"I know. It's done. I'm sorry, Angela. It had to be done."

"I know... It was unavoidable... You do know that you've opened Pandora's Box."

He nodded, despite the fact that she couldn't see him. "It would seem so…."