"Claire!?"
Claire turned as the sound of her name reached her ears, laced with desperation and fear. It was her uncle's voice speaking her name and as Claire turned to look at him her eyes widened with fear. Peter's hands were held out in front of him and Claire recognized the strange yellowish glow emanating from them. It was the same glow that had emanated from Ted Sprague's hands as he used his ability of generating radioactive energy.
Suddenly Claire was uncomfortably aware of the weight of the gun at her hip, stowed in her small, black purse. Glancing back at her adoptive father, she could see her own fear reflected in his eyes even behind his familiar, dark-rimmed glasses. So much had changed for her since she had seen her father last but there was no time to tell him about any of it. Breaking into her thoughts came her uncle's voice once more.
"Claire," came her name again, and now her uncle was looking directly into her eyes, "you know what you have to do."
For several long moments Claire simply stared at her uncle, unable to believe what he was saying. There was nothing on Peter's face except strength, courage, and resignation. Claire understood. She knew enough about Peter by now to know that he would rather risk ending his own life than risk losing control of Ted's power and allowing his nightmare vision to become a reality. Slowly, painfully slowly, Claire pulled the gun her uncle had given her out of her purse. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her father turn to look at her but all she could do was stare at the weapon now clutched in her hand.
"Woah, woah, woah," came the crisp, firm voice of Matt Parkman as his hand went to his own gun, still holstered at his hip.
"Parkman calm down," said Mr. Bennett, "this is my daughter, remember?"
"Okay," Matt said, still looking wary but lowering his hand nevertheless, "just be careful, Claire".
"Sweetheart, talk to me, what's going on?" said Mr. Bennett, concern now evident in his voice.
"It's not her idea," came Peter's voice again, "I gave her that gun. She knows why."
Mr. Bennett looked at Peter's glowing hands, then at his daughter and suddenly he understood. Slowly, he nodded.
"Claire," he said quietly, "this is an impossibly difficult decision. I know you can't imagine taking someone else's life but-"
"Dad you don't understand," Claire said, tears now welling in her light blue eyes. "He saved my life. I saved his. He's my uncle."
"What?" said Mr. Bennett, completely taken aback.
Exasperatedly, Claire shook her head.
"Look there's no time for this. You three should leave, now," she said, nodding toward her father, Matt, and Ted.
"She's right," Peter said, "go."
"Come on, then," Mr. Bennett said, nodding swiftly to the other two men. Touching his daughter on the shoulder he turned and began walking across the plaza to their right, Matt and Ted following quickly.
"Go ahead, Claire," Peter said, seeming to brace himself.
Taking a deep breath, Claire looked at Peter once more and made her decision. She took several moments to examine the gun, finally finding the release for the ammunition clip inside. Sliding it out, she examined it quickly; there was only one bullet.
Perfect, she thought grimly. She pushed the clip back into the gun with a satisfying click.
"You're doing the right thing, Claire," came Peter's voice.
"I know," she said softly.
Bracing herself, Claire aimed...and shot the remaining bullet into her own foot.
Peter's face held horror as he looked at his niece.
"Why...why did you do that!?" Peter said desperately.
"So that you couldn't do what you were planning to do yourself," Claire said as her foot healed. "You asked me once if I was the one; if I was supposed to save the world. You made me believe that that's exactly what my destiny is. I'm part of something bigger, remember?"
"But you've just-"
"I can't think of any better way," Claire said, smiling, "to save the world than making sure you stick around, uncle Peter. I believe in you, in your ability. You can control Ted's power, Peter, I know you can. You won't become the bomb, not unless you choose to."
"I would never choose that!" Peter said vehemently.
"Then prove me right. Master this, Peter, like you've mastered my power and all the other powers."
"There's no time, Claire-"
"You have no other choice," Claire said, her voice hard and holding a firm resolve.
For several moments Peter's face held fear and uncertainty but then he stilled, seeming to draw strength from this incredible young woman standing before him; his niece.
Peter closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. He quieted his mind, searching for the calm within himself that allowed him to focus a new ability. As he found that stillness he could feel an energy vibrating through every muscle in his body and knew it was Ted's radioactivity. Focusing his mind, he wrapped his inner calm around that energy, directing it inwardly and making it a part of himself. Opening his eyes he looked back at his hands. They were the same as they had ever been. He grinned, turning his hands over to look at his palms. Focusing his mind once more, he drew on the energy he had felt and his hands were glowing once more. Then, the glow faded as he withdrew his new power. He had done it; he had control.
He looked back at Claire. She was grinning, too. Peter crossed the distance between them in three strides and embraced his niece tightly, fiercely.
"Thank you, Claire," he said into her ear. Pulling away, he looked into her eyes. "I guess I owe you now," he said, smiling.
"I'll put it on your tab," she said wryly. "Come on, let's go. I want to find my dad again and ask him what on earth he's doing with those two..."
Peter and Claire, uncle and niece, stepped out into the sunny November day. They suddenly felt, somehow, as though whatever that day held in store for them, they would be able to face it; after all, they now had each other.