A Note From Lara: The summary said it all. I was really mad that the writer's strike interrupted the original plan for Volume Three, and so I'm writing it. I know enough of Kring & Co's plan for the main plotline that I can write it (sort of) true to the plan, because we all should not have been denied what I think would have been an awesome conclusion to S2.

My planned pairings for this fic (although it may change as we go along) are: Paire, Hiro/Ando, and Mayinder (even though that annoyed me in the revised V3, I think it would have been good in the original version, so I'm going to be exploring it). Maybe some of these will change and definitely some will be added to the list, but that's the plan for now.

--

Primatech Paper

Odessa, Texas

It was such a tiny sound. Just a tinkling of breaking glass, nothing more, barely audible. But to Peter Petrelli, the sound meant doomsday.

He careened into the vault, Nathan and Parkman right behind him, and skidded to a halt halfway across the small room. The three men stared down at the shattered vial on the floor. "Is that it?" Nathan asked. "Is that the virus?"

Peter didn't answer. He was too busy staring at the deadly pool in shock. This was all his fault…

--

In the end, it was Nathan who took charge. He always did; it was a role he felt comfortable in.

"Come on, Pete," he said, shaking his brother out of the daze he had sunk into. "The world still needs saving. You're good at that, right?" A hopeless look came into Peter's eyes, but he shrugged and followed Nathan out of the vault. He looked darkly around. The sparking circuit breaker down the hall was a reminder of what Adam had done. What he had done, on Adam's orders.

As they hurried through the hallway, Parkman, ever the pragmatist, asked, "What did Adam tell you about the virus, Peter? Maybe… uh, maybe we can find some way to contain it."

The younger Petrelli frowned, trying to remember what exactly the immortal man had said. "Uh… not much. He mentioned… It's airborne, I think, but it should only spread about a mile or two out before it's concentration fades. After that, it'll continue to spread but the dose wouldn't be virulent to infect anyone."

Nathan nodded decisively. "Alright then. We might be able to stop this thing before it gets out of town. We'll have to quarantine Odessa ."

Parkman shook his head as they raced up the stairs to ground level. "Are you crazy? Do you know how much coordinating that would take? We'd never convince anyone of the problem in time, let alone getting anything done."

The depressive cloud that had hovered behind Peter's eyes lifted as they reached the top of the stairwell. "We'll find a way," he said firmly. "We have to." And with that, he pushed through the door and onto the floor of the main warehouse of Primatech Paper.

The first thing he saw was an unconscious man who had crashed a forklift into a wall. He hurried over to the man and pulled him gently down from his seat. "Nathan, help me!" he yelled. "I don't think he's infected, but I can't be--"

"Oh my god, he's burning up!" Parkman called from across the warehouse. A man lay slumped across a ladder, also unconscious. Nathan left Peter's side to help Parkman lift the man down. Peter hurried to them after staunching the flow of blood from the first man's forehead.

"We've got to stop this from spreading," Peter said. "If we can close off the town, it won't get past city limits."

Nathan nodded. "Okay then. We've got to get to City Hall. We need to let the authorities know what's going on, and fast." He and Parkman headed for the door, but Peter hesitated.

"What about all these people?" he asked.

Parkman shook his head. "I'm sorry Peter, but stopping the spread of the virus is more important than saving these people."

"Oh, so that's how it is, huh? Big picture problems mean that individual lives mean nothing?" Peter said angrily, stepping towards the policeman. Incensed, Parkman also moved towards the smaller man.

"Hey hey!" Nathan said, leaping between his brother and Parkman. "Look, Peter, you stay here and help these people. If you can, try to cut off the highway as well. Parkman and I will go to the police station and try to get people to listen to us."

Peter agreed, and the other men left quickly. He glanced around at the unconscious bodies scattered all across the room. "Crap," he said. Even with Niki Sanders's super-strength, he wouldn't be able to fly them all to the hospital fast enough. Fine then, the highway first. With three quick steps, he was in the air and soaring across the Texas town.

As he touched down on the highway bridge, the only real road out of Odessa, he smiled at memories of the last time he had crossed it. It had been months ago, when he had been racing the clock to save a cheerleader... The smile inverted as images of his niece filled his mind. Did she even know he was alive? Had Nathan bothered to tell her?

No, no, now was not the time for reminiscence. Peter focused. If nothing else, Adam had done one good thing at least. He had showed him just how truly powerful he could be if he put his mind to it. A push here and there with his telekinesis, and...

The landslide buried the end of the bridge under twenty feet of shale and boulders. No one was getting out of the town that way any time soon.

--

Peter touched down carefully out of sight outside of the Odessa City Hall. It had taken him longer than he had hoped to get all of the infected to the hospital, and he hoped the delay wouldn't cause them any extra suffering.

He strode into the police station, situated right next to City Hall, and found Nathan waiting there. "It's done," he said. "I blocked off the highway. What's going on?" He gestured to the news crews that were filtering into an adjourning conference room from all directions.

"They wouldn't listen to us. People were dying, all over town, but they didn't understand what was causing all the random car accidents and things," Nathan said. "But Parkman did... something... and now they've got news crews lined up for a press statement."

Peter nodded, trying to smile and failing.

"Hey, what is it? Are you okay?" Nathan asked, concerned.

Peter sighed. "Physically, I'm fine." "But--?" his brother prompted.

"But nothing. But everything. If one single person dies from this virus, it's my fault. If it weren't for me, Adam wouldn't have been able to release it."

Nathan stood up from where he had been perched on the edge of a desk, placing his hands on his little brother's shoulders. "Look, Peter, this is not your fault. Adam manipulated you; he was the one that wanted this to happen. He was good at controlling people, and he twisted you into trusting him. He's the villain here, not you."

The younger Petrelli nodded, but he didn't really look like he believed it. "How about you?" Peter asked. "You don't look so hot."

Nathan smiled, wiping at the sweat beading on his forehead. "Nerves," he said unconvincingly. "I'm used to cameras and things, but this is a bigger deal than your ordinary press conference."

"Yeah," Peter said, attempting to joke. "Telling the world that a virus has been released and unless we contain it 93% of us are going to be dead within a year. Sounds like "fun" doesn't it."

His brother smiled weakly, pale-faced, and together with Parkman they made their way up to the podium that had been hastily erected at the front of the conference room. Nathan began to speak:

"Thank you for coming. Most of you don't know who I am. My name is Nathan Petrelli, and last year I was elected to the United States Congress. I called you here today under the most unfortunate of circumstances." He ran a hand through his hair, looking drained. "Several hours ago, a deadly virus was released here in Odessa, Texas. This disease is incredibly virulent, and I have called for an immediate quarantine on the entire town of Odessa." Audible gasps could be heard from several places in the crowd. "This threat seems nearly insurmountable, but I have faith that with the cooperation of the government and citizens alike, we can conquer... conquer this... this threat..."

Suddenly, it was as if Nathan's legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed to the floor.

--

Bennet Home,

Costa Verde

Claire Bennet's breath caught in absolute shock at the image on the TV screen.

It was just chance. She wouldn't even have seen the broadcast if she hadn't been wrestling with Lyle for the remote. But as the channel flicked back and forth as she tried to wrest the device from her little brother, the words 'Live from Odessa, Texas' across the bottom of the screen caught her attention. "Hey Lyle!" she'd said, "Something's being broadcast from Odessa. Wanna check it out?"

Lyle shrugged. "Sure, whatever."

Claire plopped down on the couch next to him, and turned up the volume. In surprise, she saw Nathan Petrelli's face fill the screen. "Lyle, that's my father!" she said. "That's my bio-dad!"

"I thought your bio-dad was that fat bald guy that came to the house last year."

An obstinate look crossed the cheerleader's face at the memory. "No. That was just some… some guy dad hired to keep me from finding out who my real parents were, remember? Dad told you about what happened in New York."

"No. He really didn't tell mom and me much," Lyle pointed out.

"Well maybe if you paid attention to what he did tell you--!" Claire began, her voice rising.

Sandra Bennet chose that moment to enter the living room. "Kids, behave. We've had enough upheaval in the Bennet household without you two bickering all the time." Claire settled back against the couch, seething, and looked back at the TV screen. What she saw nearly stopped her heart.

"Oh my god," she said. "Peter, you're alive."

It was impossible, inconceivable. The last time she had seen him had been from ten thousand feet below him as he exploded like another sun in the sky above New York. But there was no mistaking him, even without his long hair. Those dark eyes she knew all too well almost seemed to stare into her own through the television.

"Mom! Mom!" Claire screamed. "It's him! He's alive!"

"Who is, dear?" Sandra asked, so calmly it almost drove Claire wild.

With a groan of exasperation, Claire jabbed her finger at the screen. "It's him! It's my uncle! Peter Petrelli is alive!"

Sandra cocked her head to one side, apparently trying to dredge up what little her husband had told her about the events of four months ago, and Claire was about to explain when a sudden clamor from the TV caught her attention. She peered back at the screen and the bubble of excitement that had swelled in her chest punctured suddenly.

The camera was clearly jostling about, and people kept rushing in front of the lens, but what Claire could see chilled her right to her very bones. Her bio-dad, Nathan, was lying on the floor of the conference room at the Odessa police station (a room she'd become rather familiar with after homecoming last year), apparently unconscious. Peter knelt beside his big brother, shaking him slightly.

The broadcast cut out abruptly, to show a reporter in another location. Claire didn't pause to listen to what the primped woman had to say, but instead rushed to the computer in what had been her father's office. "I have to find out what's happening!" she murmured to herself.

Quickly, she ran a Google search through, pulled up an online news source, and scanned through the hastily-typed article.

"Oh my god!" Claire whispered as the full weight of the events going on in her hometown crashed over her.

Sandra placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "What is it?" she asked.

"Back in Odessa, there's some kind of… outbreak. A virus that's already infected most of the town. This says that my father just came down with it. The town's quarantined, and…" Claire didn't finish her statement. She didn't want to. Voicing it aloud would make it real. Peter was in Odessa. Trapped in Odessa, along with a deadly virus that might kill even him…

--

Company Offices

Costa Verde

Noah Bennet was pacing. It was a tough bargain Bishop had driven, he had to give the man that much. He came back to work for the Company- under proper "supervision", of course- and Claire dropped her investigation. In return Sandra, Lyle, and Claire would be left alone.

"Whatcha doin' Glasses?"

Bennet pulled off the referenced frames and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He would do whatever it took to protect Claire, but did he really have to do it while working with her? He glanced across the office at the girl in the armchair beside the fireplace.

Twirling her blonde hair around her fingers, Elle sat leaning against one arm of the chair with her legs draped across the other. Seeing his irritated gaze, she winked at him and blew a huge bubble of pink gum.

Noah rolled his eyes. "Elle. I though you were in the doghouse. Why are you assigned as my partner?"

"Daddy thought I'd be the best one to keep you on a short leash," she said, examining her nail beds. Out of the corner of her eye, she shot Bennet an impish smile and bounced a tiny spark across her fingers.

Bennet dropped into the chair behind Bishop's heavy oak desk. "Fabulous," he muttered. "Just bloody fabulous."

--

The Bennet Home

Costa Verde

Claire lay on her bed, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark moon she had stuck to her ceiling and thinking. Sunlight streamed through the windows and her blonde curls, splayed across the covers, reflected the light into her eyes. She blinked.

She was alone in the house. Lyle was spending the afternoon with friends. Sandra was using a payphone to make discreet calls to all her friends in Odessa. And Claire was conflicted.

Six months ago, she would have simply stayed right where she was and worried. She would have stayed safely in Costa Verde, far away from Texas and all the troubles in Odessa. But then, last fall at Homecoming, Peter had come crashing into her life and changed everything. And now, Claire wasn't sure that what she would have done was what she should do.

Her blood could cure people. She had seen with her own eyes that her blood could revive people from the dead, for God's sake! Maybe she could help cure this virus. And… Peter needed her. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she was certain that he needed her help.

The front door creaked, and Claire hurried downstairs, expecting to see her mother. "Mom? Did you talk to anyone in… Odessa…" Her voice trailed away as she saw a tall, dark-haired man standing in the doorway instead of Sandra.

"Sylar."

--

Ooh, ominous! I'm starting out, as it always was, with Claire and Peter. Whatever anyone says, no matter who personal favorite characters are, no one can deny that the show's four main characters are Sylar, Peter, Claire, and Hiro (listed in order of probable importance). I'll be branching out into other storylines in coming chapters.

For now, review!