November 2, 2011 Odessa, Texas
In the parking lot outside the abandoned Primatech paper building, Hana Gittleman stood alone smoking a cigarette and shifting to try and stay warm in the cold Texas air. She didn't have to go outside to smoke, since she and Noah Bennet were the only two people who were ever in the building regulary, but there were children isnide right now. Powered children. Children that Noah was doing his best to hide and protect, but children nonetheless and they didn't their lungs exposed to the crap she was putting in hers. Had been puting in hers for several years now.
She'd always looked down on smokers during her time in the Mossad, but the habit had helped her keep her calm ever since a man named Sylar went nuclear and turned the whole world upside down. That among other things.
"Are you aware that your sword polish has a distinctive odor?" she said to the man suddenly standing behind her.
"Maybe that's why I almost got caught on my last mission," Hiro Nakamura said. He walked up to Hana's side, and she turned to face him.
"Hana, I think I've found the key"
Hana sighed. "Hiro"
Hiro raised his hands. "Please Hana, no lectures. I've already caused small changes. This mission won't fix everything right away, I'll still have some work to do, but we already know that my hiding that tape of Sylar talking to Doctor Suresh so that his son would find it when he came to New York"
"Time is not clay Hiro," Hana cut in, keeping her tone level. "I don't want to hurt your feelings old friend, but you couldn't save Charlie, what makes you think you can stop the explosion, undo the past five years"
"I was able to go back and grab D.L., and Molly, and Candace; kept them safe. They're alive because I took them from the moment before the explosion"
"I'm surprised D.L. didn't try to kill you for not saving his son. I can only imagine what he'd do if he knew where his wife is now"
"He understood the importance of what was happenening. And if I fail, we'll need his powers. All of theirs, to save our kind"
Hana sighed. "You know Noah won't want to tell you where they are. He's given up so much to keep them safe," she said, looking back at the Primatech building, with only one lighted window showing that anything was still alive inside. There was a long pause; some uncomfortable shifitng.
Hiro finally broke the silence. "Hana, I just wanted to"
"Don't," Hana said, puting a finger to Hiro's lips. "Hiro, what we had wasn't love. It wasn't even lust. It was an escape from the reality around us. We both needed some way to feel alive again so we could keep fighting. I don't regret it. I know you don't either. But let's not pretend it was anything more than two lonely people seeking a brief moment of comfort." Hiro smiled.
"Actually, I was coming to say goodbye. If I succeed, when I return to the present, we may never have met. I'll miss our friendship." Hana laughed.
"But I won't Hiro, because I won't know that we'd never met, never going to meet, never going to have-" Hana grimaced, then she sharply exhaled and shook her head. "I won't remember anything if the timeline changes"
Hiro chuckled. "Get me a copy of Spaceballs The Movie," he said. Hana tilted her head.
"Why does that sound familiar?" she said.
"Nevermind. I should go. I have a subway to catch, and I'm already five years late"
"Hiro, before you go, one last thing. There is something else you should do while you're in the past. I want you to convince me, the younger me, to trust Noah when he contacts me to ask for help taking out the satellite they used to track our people when had these," she said, pulling back the collar of her shirt to reveal the two small scars where once there had been a small tattoo. "If I hadn't assumed it was a trap, more of us might not have gone-" she paused. A tear welled up in her eye. "My grandmother was a survivor Hiro"
Hiro already knew this. The two of them had talked about their pasts more than once since they'd met after the disaster in New York City the day after the '06 election, but he knew she needed to say this.
"There was this poet was was in the camps with her. She once said, 'to say that it can never happen again is the first step to the death camps.' It's happening again Hiro, but this time the people who would've died fighting it the last time are going along. If there is the slimmest hope that we can save even a few, we have to take it. Stop this fanatsy that you can change everything Hiro. The best we can hope for is to save a few more lives, here and there. We have to help people now"
"Don't worry Hana. I can help people. I can come right back to the moment I left after I've told Peter Petrelli to save Claire"
"Claire?" Hana said, looking briefly confused. "Oh, of course! She had a power, she could heal, and Sylar killed her. But, why can't you just save her yourself? No, wait, never mind. I don't want to have another conversation about time travel. It gives me headaches"
Hiro couldn't help but laugh. "I know how you feel"
There was another long pause. This one was broken by Hana giving Hiro a hug.
"Make sure you come back Hiro. People look up to you. You give them hope"
"I will, no matter what. Bracha vehazlaha(1), Hana Gittleman"
"O daiji ni(2) Hiro Nakamura"
Hiro closed his eyes, lowered his chin, and was gone. Hana sighed, noticed that her cigarette has burnt out, and cursed herself for not having another one on her.
1: Bracha vehazlaha is Hebrew for "Blessing and Much Success"
2: o daiji ni is Japanese for "Take care of yourself."