I own none of the characters from Heroes. Liv is my original character. Don't steal her!
The Choices of a Hero
By: SpiritGuided
Chapter One : In The Beginning
"Okay, I'm leaving. I'll be back in about two weeks. Three tops."
Liv Niequist was gathering last minute items she would need. Somewhere across the room, the introverted lump that passed as her boyfriend mumbled an affirmative response. Live glances over to him. As always, he was busy with his work. Apparently some old German watch thing was so vastly entertaining that he couldn't give a proper goodbye.
"Hm? What was that? You're glad to be rid of me? You've been counting down the seconds until I leave? Oh, tell me it isn't so!"
She meandered over to him, fingers tracing along the wall as she went. Her hands, skilled in the art of gentle touch, began to caress his shoulders. They slowly ascended to his neck, head and ears. It was here that his precious watch was set down and he offered her his undivided attention.
Her touch was light; contact fleeting. His eyes closed in peaceful bliss as he leaned into her movements, begging for more. She whispered a message in his ear, her lips brushing against the sensitive skin.
"I love you, Gabriel."
"I love you, Liv," he breathed.
Gabriel turned back and gave her a light playful kiss. She responded with gentle laughter and a firmer, secure, more grounded kiss. A familiar carnal desire rose up between them and they separated before anything else could happen. There was equal frustration at this lost opportunity.
"I'll be back soon. Try not to miss me too much."
Liv knew Gabriel had only a small circle of cohorts, if he decided to contact anyone at all. When she was absent, he quickly became bored and sometimes depressed.
"I'll try. No guarantees though."
She gave him one last kiss, grabbing her bag before heading out the door.
No sooner had she crossed the threshold when another person bumped into her. After the immediate, mumbled apologies were exchanged and her suitcase righted, Liv looked up to observe the stranger.
He was of Middle Eastern decent, in his later years. The suit and tie told her the man was of high standing, or at least had to dress as if he was on some occasions. He was holding a large book, presumably on evolution given the title. A smile played out on her face. Evolution held a special place in her heart. Natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, adaptation, Darwin; It was all interesting to her. It made perfect sense!
"We share similar interests." Liv gestured to the book.
"Really? Have you read this volume?"
He handed her the book: Activating Evolution by Chandra Suresh. The image of the author was identical to the man standing before her.
"Yes, I loved this book! You wrote it? Oh, it's an honor to meet you Dr. Suresh!"
The man, Dr. Suresh, chuckled and shook her offered hand.
"The pleasure is mine, I assure you. I'm always glad to meet someone who appreciates my work. Speaking of which… You wouldn't happen to be like those mentioned in my book, would you?"
Her smile faded and she began to stammer.
"I… Uh… I don't… Well—"
"That's quite alright. I didn't come here didn't come here for a lovely young lady such as yourself."
"You mean there's someone like that? Here?"
Liv turned and faced the enterance of Gabriel's watch repair shop in disbelief.
"But who?!"
"A young man by the name of…" He glanced down to a sticky note. "Gabriel Gray."
Liv was floored. Gabriel? Her Gabriel? The quiet, quaint, geeky, fade-into-the-wall Gabriel?
"No. You must be mistaken."
"You know him?"
"Of course. He's just inside this shop; probably working on that silly German timepiece if I know him. There's no possible way…"
"One never knows… Then again, this is just a theory. He may in fact be normal… But that doesn't help me much."
Her gut wrenched. Never before would she have suspected Gabriel of evolutionary greatness, but now that the question had been raised… It seemed Liv wasn't the only one keeping secrets…
Gabriel Gray sighed as the door closed with a hollow thud. A sense of emptiness slowly crept in and hung in the air like an illness. The tick of each watch and clock echoed; magnified by Liv's absence. One timepiece however, stood out; not for its mismatched sound, but for its lack of one.
The pocket watch in question had a golden exterior, standard for most. The enigma was within the cold shell. Cogs, coils and springs, all dating back to World War II. Such and exquisite package wrapped in such a bland outer being was a rare find indeed. Not to mention a challenge and a headache.
Still, Gabriel lived for puzzles. This project had consumed nearly seven years of his life. Everyday progress was made. Gabriel had an uncanny ability to see how things worked. Even the most complex systems had simple solutions in his eyes. This watch was no different.
Just as he picked up his tweezers and magnification lenses, a man walked into the shop, presumably for a repair.
"I'll be with you in a moment. I've just got to finish this."
"Take your time." The man's accent was foreign and exotic.
Gabriel's fingers moved nimbly, gracefully with natural skill. Each piece of this moving puzzle was falling into place. Yes! He was almost there! A small pin was pressed into the middle of an old cog. Like magic, the watch began to tick. His project had reached its end.
"You make it seem so easy." This was entirely true.
"That's because it is easy." This wasn't. "Any fool can throw together a watch. It's nothing."
He looked at the customer for the first time. The patron was wearing a watch common to middle class families. Gabriel furrowed his brow in frustration. Something was off here.
"I can fix it."
"It's not broken."
"It's two seconds slow; probably a loose spring. May I?"
The man removed his watch and handed it to Gabriel. In a few short moments, he had taken up a small screwdriver-like instrument and tightened the rebellious spring.
"How much do I owe you?"
"Oh, nothing. Consider it a favor."
This is usually the point where the customer thanks the artisan and departs, yet the man remained steadfast as if waiting for something. A sense of fear wrapped around Gabriel like a damp blanket.
"You weren't here for the watch."
"Please allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Dr. Suresh. I'd like to leave you with some information and a copy of my book on evolution. Look through it and if you find anything that interests you, feel free to call me."
"Wait… What are you tal—"
But Suresh had already placed the book on the counter and left the store.
"Activating Evolution… Liv is into this sort of stuff. Maybe she'd like it as a gift."
Gabriel rifled through the pages. Spontaneous cellular regeneration, levitation, telepathy. What kind of book was this?! That guy can't have been serious. However, his skepticism didn't stop him from reading the book that would soon change his life forever.