Heroes: Continued

by MrSinister616

The story continues in my view from the end of season two

While Peter waits for the cure to be ready, he takes power-suppression pills and slowly comes to communicate with and befriend Adam, who currently resides in the adjacent cell. Adam eventually convinces Peter that The Company will not help him, and the two escaped.

Prolog

"Breakout"

"Wait, what's that alarm?" says Peter.

"Who cares," says Adam, desperate to leave the prison that has held him for so long. "It'll distract them while we escape." He placed his hand on Peter shoulder to reinforce his resolve to flee the facility. Peter focused his mind on the task at hand and the abilities held within him. His hands placed on the wall of the facility began to sink slowly within the stone, pushing their way thought, the two prisoners found their way to freedom. Seconds pass briefly as the alarm continued to echo through the isles before two armed soldiers flew back hard into the hallway wall, cracking bone and rendering the men unconscious. As they laid there the light that shown down upon their unflinching bodies was… pulled away from the bulbs. No circuit wasn't broken nor was the bulbs within the fixture damaged in any way, but never the less the light wasn't there anymore. It escaped.

The hall darkened, the light continued to go out in each fixture gradually after the last one's light was stolen. A shadowed figure walked the hall, bare feet slapping the cold hard floor with each casual step. Not the steps of a fearfully person or the silent step of a person unsure of his surroundings, but of a confident one. The man draped in shadow paused in the spot that was occupied by two men like him only seconds ago, looking down the long illuminated corridor in front of him as a group of the same armed guards that lay on the floor to his side turned the corner. They leveled their weapons at the man in the dark corner making no demands as they rushed toward him. The guards formed up in rows thirty feet from him, the front row on one knee as the second remained on their feet. They gave warning to the man to surrender, but the prisoner said nothing as he took one step forward his eyes glowing red within the darkness. A barrage of bullets shot through the air at the man with the glowing eyes and stopped in the air feet from their target before they dropped to the floor. They didn't bounce or ricochet as they touched the linoleum; they simply fell and rested on the floor. The guard's faces were a mixture of shock, surprise, confusion, and fear. Soon, all their faces matched the fearful expression as the lone man raised his right forearm in a simple gesture with his palm open and took the light from their resting spots all along the corridor, only the man's eyes shinned in the dark. Shouts and curses joined the sound of the alarms as panic filled the group of highly trained soldiers. Sparks of brilliant blue joined with flashes of warm crimson in a chorus of sounds ranging from screams and grunts to more gunfire and orders not followed. Went the light finally returned to the hallway, the prisoner was gone, leaving the armed guards scattered over its once clean floors.

The prisoner felt freedom for every floor he ascended, could feel the warmth of the sun soak in his body through the ground. Cloaked in darkness the man came to an open area, standing opposite the door that would lead him to the floor level, and escape from the underground cage that held him for what seemed an eternity.

"Well, isn't this a sight," said a dismembered voice from within the darkness. He tracked the voice to a girl leaning up against the sidewall. "Prince Charming awake from his slumber to venture off into the world." She shoved off the wall, walking confidently in between the man and his way out, arms folded across her chest. "Well, sorry handsome, you can't leave. Company rules." The man stared, eyes glowing. Not moving or speaking, just standing in place.

"The strong silent type. I like that," said the girl and though the room was dark the prisoner could see her smile. "Come back with me and maybe we could have a little fun before they put you under again." She raised one hand to show off the small sparks discharging from it.

The man tilted his head, nothing more. "O-Kay, you want to do it the hard way that's fine with me." The girl stabbed her hands into the air blasting two bolts of electricity straight at the escaped prisoner, the flashes showing a glee across her lips at the opportunity to use her abilities in such a manner. The Prisoner extended one of his own arms as if to feebly try to protect himself from the fury of the attack, but the bolts never connected with him. Instead, it gathered in a ball in front of his palm. The girl, noticing what had happened, lost the look of enjoyment as she poured more power outward; the man stood unscathed collecting the raw power being produced from the most unlikely source. The girl began to weaken, she tried to sever the link she had made but with no avail. The Prisoner was draining the energy from her, depleting whatever internal batteries that she relied on for power. Slowly, the girl lowered to her knees, unable to find the strength to stand but still forcefully continued to fire streams of lighting. Sweat dropped from her scrunched brows, gritting teeth under the strain she was only able to say "please…stop… beg…u."

The Connection's backfire sent her hands rushing back to the side, man stood in front of her with the sphere of electrical energy hovering over his open hand.

"Impressive," whispered the Prisoner, coldly. "My turn."

A thunder bolt twice the size of the girl's shot from a single hand dead center to her chest, throwing her back with undeniable force. She lay unconscious on the floor clothes burnt and smoking where she was hit, the skin barely damaged, but still alive. The Prisoner went to her side, looking down upon the chard ragdoll at his feet, eyes narrowed before he went past her to the door that led to the outside world.

Volume III: "Villains"

Chapter 1

"Consequence"

Matt Parkman & Peter Patrelli

Odessa General Hospital, Texas.

"BP's dropping, we're losing him!" yelled the nurse tending to the bloody man rushing to the E.R.

"Is the room ready?" said the attending doctor running along side the gurney with the other six people trying to keep the wounded Nathan Patrellie alive. His younger brother, Peter, and detective Matt Parkman tail the group of lifesavers with concern on their faces and blood staining their cloths. They followed until they reached the doors of the operating room where they were halted by the nurses closest to them.

"I'm sorry, you can't come in."

"You don't understand," said Peter. "I'm the only one who can save him." He tried to push his way through the little nurse in his way but she was a scrapper and knew how to throw her weight around when she needed to.

"No. You. Can't!" said the nurse with a shove. "You need to let us do that, okay."

"Peter, she's right. You have to let them help Nathan," said Parkman hold him back. Peter knew he could easily force his way in, one thought could send them flying through the air unable to stop from being with his brother. But he thought better of it; after all, that's what got his brother in this mess. Because Nathan had stepped forth to expose the company and reveal their abilities to the public he had been gruesomely fired upon, possibly lying on his death bed right now. Peter shrugged off Parkman's restraining hands, walking a few steps away to the observation window. Only till the nurse went inside to the room did he turn to Matt.

"I need to get in there Matt," demanded Peter. "My blood is the only thing that can help him."

"For you maybe, but how do you know it will for him?"

"I've got to try something. I can't just let him die there when I could have brought him back. He did the same thing for me."

Matt sighed. "And exactly how do you intend to do that, hmm?" Peter looked around to make sure no one was looking in their direction before he went invisible.

"Wait," whispered Matt into empty air. "Peter you can't do this. What if you mess something up? How are you even going to get your blood in him?'

I'm a hospice nurse, Matt. I know how to use a needle, said Peter projecting his thoughts into the man's head. Matt saw one of the doors to the ER open slightly, enough to let himself in but not enough for one of the nurses or doctors to notice.

This is crazy, said Matt telepathically. That's when he saw one of the needles disappear suddenly from the counter. He waited nervously outside pacing back and forth, keeping his eyes looked on Nathan to stand straight up healed from the sniper's bullet and scaring the doctors half to death.

He waited until he couldn't wait any longer. Peter? Peter, what's happening?

Peter reappeared beside Parkman holding up one arm and the used needle dripping red liquid drops onto the floor. Quickly working over the surprise, Matt waited for Peter to say that it work, that Nathan would be all right.

"Well, did you…?"

"Twice," said Peter. "It's should of happened." The noise of the heart monitor started to beat erratically as Nathan's unconscious body convulsed. The doctors moved quicker to stop the tremors shouting out what they needed to the nurses who tried with speed to match. Matt and Peter were up to the glass hanging on every moment, both fearing that it would be Nathan's last, Peter thinking that he was about to lose his brother, Matt thinking that another person is paying for his own incompetence with their life.

But as sudden as the fit appeared, as hope seemed lost, Nathan's body relaxed and became still. The doctors stopped and looked at each other, then to the monitors that showed a normal heart rhythm. Flabbergasted eyes looked to each other for some explanation, but none was given. They went back to work, not questioning the miracle that they were given.

"What just happened?" said Matt not letting doctors in the room out of his view.

"I guess the blood worked a little," said Peter.

Hiro & Ando

Yamagato Industrie, Japan

"Hiro?" said Ando in his native language. "Are you okay?"

"Adam almost killed everyone in the world be cause of me. Because of what I did to him."

Ando enter the cubical were his friend was sitting. Two different people then what they were since last they occupied the small space. "You cannot blame yourself for what someone else almost did. I you did, the weight of it all would be too much."

"But it's true." said Hiro, his head bowed in defeat. "If I was the hero I was suppose to be I wouldn't have betrayed his trust, I would have saved him, but I failed. I failed to save my father, failed to stop Sylar, failed to save Charlie." Hiro raised himself softly from his chair and turned to leave, unconsciously taken a hold of the infamous sword of "Takezo Kensei", the sword he no longer felt like he deserved to wield anymore. Ando looked upon his friend, seeing despair where there once was hope and a bright optimism. "I'm not worthy of this blade, or my power. I can't be a hero anymore."

Hiro handed the sheathed katana to Ando and walked away, never looking back.

Peter & Matt

Odessa General Hospital, Texas.

"Mr. Patrelli?" said the Doctor that came forth into the waiting room after twelve hours of surgery. Peter sprang from his seat to meet the doctor's eyes. Matt, who was talking to the guard coordinator, went to join him at his side. Both awaited the verdict with eager optimism. "We we're able to repair some of the damage that the bullet had caused, but it is to severe. If we can't get another heart for him, He'll die within days."

"No, don't say that," demanded Peter. "There must be something more you can do. You can't back out now. He's a fighter, he can pull through."

The doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry. He shouldn't have survived this long but something happened to him on that table. We've already but him on the donor list but with the amount of time he has left he'd need another miracle to make it through." The doctor lowered his head, removing his eyes so as to let the knowledge that his brother was going to die, sink in. He so much hated giving bad news like this to loved ones, but it came with the job. "If you have anyone, any family, you would like to contact so that they can say goodbye to him, I'd make the call now."

The doctor quietly left Peter and Matt alone to greave, Matt put a fist to his mouth, trying to conjure up the words to say to comfort Peter. "I'm sorr…"

"He's not done yet," said Peter calmly, determination set in his eyes.

"Peter, I know it's hard to accept but the doctor said that…"

"The doctor said I should contact family, and that's what I plain to do." Peter took out his cell phone and went down the list of contacts to stop at the number for Claire Bennett.

Claire Bennett

Coast Verde, California

Claire sat next to her bed, her legs drawn up to her chest wrapped with her arms. Her chin rested on one of her knees, a single tear streaked down the side of her troubled face. She thought of nothing but what her father had been forced to do to keep them save, the things that the Company will make him do, since earlier this morning when e showed up alive at their door step. It's too much for me, she thought to herself. I shouldn't have to deal with these kinds of problems. I shouldn't have found out that my father is still alive only to lose him again.

Her cell phone in her pocket began to ring, she hardly noticed. She thought even less about answering it, whoever it was, it wasn't as important as what she was facing at the moment. She thought nothing would ever be as important as losing her father twice in one week. It's probably West calling to apologize or something. She half heartedly withdrew her phone to look at the small screen atop it, seeing the name of Peter Patrelli. She rushed to flip the phone open before the rings stopped.

"Peter! Peter, are you there?" Hope hung on a thin strand, if there was anyone that could help her get her father back, it was Peter. Why didn't I think of this sooner?

"Claire! Thank God I reached you, listen…" said Peter's electronic voice coming from the speaker.

Claire cut him off before he could finish. "I'm so happy you called, too. I need your help, the company my father works for. They have him. There blackmailing him. I need your help." Her voice raced a hundred miles a minute, sounding like nothing but a jumble of incoherent words to her uncle on the other end of the transmission.

"Claire, Hold on a sec. Where are you?" said Peter.

After Claire gave him the address of the house her family was staying in Costa Verde, Peter appeared inside her room as if he was there the entire time. Claire dropped her phone to the floor running into her hero's arms. He held her close, making her feel like she always did when he was near, safe, secure. Protected.

"Easy, easy. It's alright, now," said Peter whispering words of comfort as Claire's tears fell onto his shoulder.

Claire looked up at her uncle wiping away the tears. "No it's not. My father, they killed him, the Company. I couldn't stop it."

"Wa… Wait, Claire, slow down," said Peter trying to calm her down enough to pick up on what she was saying. Claire gave Peter the short version of what had happened earlier.

"Please, you're the only one I know who can help get my father back from them."

"I promise I'll do what I can but I need your help on something first. It's Nathan, he's been shot."

"What?"

"Earlier today, he was trying to expose the Company by going public with what we can do, about our abilities. He was shot through the heart before he could though and the doctors saw he has only hour's left, days at the most."

"That's what I was about to do!" exclaimed Claire. "After they killed him, I was going to show the files he had to the press. They brought him back to stop me from doing it"

"Yeah, well the Company took a different approach with Nathan," said Peter. "Anyways, I tried to heal him with some of my blood but it didn't work that well. That's why I need you."

"You want my blood," stated Claire.

"You're blood can do that, right? Can it save his life?"

"Yes," said Claire as her face turned determined and strong. "It's what saved my dad the first time…" she to no one, then addressed Peter. "…And I'll be damned if they'll take my other father away from me too."

Matt Parkman

Odessa General Hospital, Texas.

Matt watched Peter bend the very fabric of space, making him do a double-take. A little warning of where you're heading would've been nice, thought Matt, hoping that Peter would bring the miracle that would save Nathan. He turned to look at the dying man in the hospital bed, he had tried earlier to talk to him while he was unconscious, projecting words from his own mind to Nathan's, but he had never responded to them. He feared that maybe he was far to gone to hear them, but he tried again anyways.

Don't worry, Nathan, Peter's going to get help. Hold on a little bit longer.

The hairs on the back of Matt's neck suddenly began to rise as he got that feeling that everyone can identify in its uniqueness, the sensation of someone watching you. Not just a nurse or a doctor, but something that presented a threat. Matt, being the cop he was, had learned to trust those feelings and listen to them long before he acquired his telepathy. He slowly let his hand creep to his gun holster at his hip as he took in a deep breath, straightening himself. Matt began to reach out with his mind to getting a read on the person watching him, but as he did some kind of interference stopped him, a kind of static white noise that he would hear through his old patrol car's CB radio. He turned, quickly palming his weapon, readying himself to draw if necessary, but as he looked out the room's observation window he saw only darkness. His first thought was a blackout, but he could see glowing lights in the hall that belonged to wall intercoms and the like, as well as their room was still lit. It only meant one thing to Parkman, someone from the Company was coming to make sure that they did their job right or to finish it. He drew his gun in both hands, not wanting to wait for the person to get the upper hand on him, he honed in on the static that he was preserving. He found the source to be at the opposite side of the window, looking a little closer, he saw that the glowing lights coming from the dark hallway were not illuminated buttons but the eyes of the one that he felt watching him. They burned like the red yellow sunlight had been contained within them stirring with a fury of power that he though was once only reserved for the great gaseous giant in the sky. He stood shocked and terrified as the eyes seemed to judge him, but was still able to draw his firearm at the figure at the window.

"Who… Who are you?" called out Matt in the best authoritative voice he could muster, which didn't work to well.

The eyes continued to stare, then left. A few seconds after it had moved out of the frame, the lights in the hall shown again brightly, Matt went to the hall out of impulse to stop the person with the glowing eyes, yelling freeze into the receding darkness traveling down the hall. The eyes turned into view in response to the detective's command. Parkman attempted another read of the person's mind, but this time was different. He got something, like the person had wanted him to hear it, opening a gap in the static just enough to let it through.

You're friend's light is fading. He is not long for this world. Go to him.

"His light is fading"? What does that mean? The eyes turned to leave again. Wait, who are you? What are you doing here?

The lights came on in the hallway revealing nothing but empty space. Nurses came up from behind him checking on the commotion the Parkman had caused, careful not to get to close as they saw the exposed weapon in his hand.

"Detective, what's going on?" said one of the nurses.

Matt continued to look down the once dark hallway that went on for yards, confused as to what just happened. "Good question."

Hiro

Tokyo, Japan

Hiro walked the night feeling despair that he had never experienced before. It was because he let his feelings get the best of him that caused Takezo Kensei, his childhood hero, to try and kill everyone on Earth with that virus. He betrayed a friend's trust and Humanity almost paid for it, how could a hero put the Earth in such danger? How could he? He had endangered millions of lives, and for that, he could no longer go on as a hero. He would live out the rest of his life as an office worker and never again be a hero. He paid no attention to the surrounding buildings passing him, rather keeping his eyes looking down at their feet walking the path he'd walked countless times, not bearing to look up because of his shame. Unaware of the person appearing from the shadows behind him, to which even if Hiro was fully alert, wouldn't have perceived his presence. A hard shot to the back of the head rendered Hiro unconscious, falling forward in a heap, as the man dressed in black attire that hadn't be worn in this country in centuries pulled the limb body into the closest back alley. The shadows of the buildings covered them as they ventured deeper into the alley, only the occasional light from a passing car shined into its depth for the briefest of seconds, till the next car came to pass, revealing no one presently occupying the dead end alley.

Matt, Claire, & Peter

Odessa General Hospital, Texas.

Matt jumped in his chair, going for his gun, as the air opened up a Peter teleported into the hospital room. He had a girl with him, the cheerleader whose live he had saved.

"Easy, Matt, it's just me," said Peter.

"Officer Parkman?" said Claire in a mix of surprise and confusion.

"Actually, It's 'Detective Parkman' now," said Matt with a hint of pride. "Just call me Matt." He turned his attention to Peter. "Where the hell have you been and why'd you bring her here?"

"Because she's like Adam, her blood can heal Nathan," confirmed Peter.

"Who's Adam?" said Claire.

"I'll explain later, right now Nathan needs you." Peter went to the counter drawers retrieving a needle wrapped in plastic. Claire drew up her sleeve readying herself for the transfer of her blood to another while Peter ripped away the covering away.

He aimed for a vein in Claire's arm, and with a small thrust, withdrew as much blood as he could. He then went to his brother's side an injected the life giving blood directly into the bloodstream. After a minute of anxious nail biting, Nathan's eyes slowly opened, and a rush of relief poured over them.

Nathan weakly looked up to his younger brother from the hospital bed. "P…Peter?"

"Its okay, Nathan," said Peter, comforting his older brother. "You're safe."

"I was… At the station. Cameras. Then… pain." Nathan went to put his hand on the spot over his heart were a bullet went through. "How am I not dead?"

"It was her," said Peter, looking back at Claire's amazed faced. Nathan beckoned her close with a wave of his hand, she softly gripped her father's hand as he spoke, "Thank you."

Claire shrugged her shoulders with a sad smile she commonly wore. "You're my dad, I couldn't let you die."

"Well, I haven't been the best example of that lately," said Nathan faintly, looking around at his surroundings, sitting upright in his bed. "I knew their wound be consequences when we went public, but I wasn't expecting it so soon, or like this."

"Do you have any idea who would shoot you?" asked Claire

"Don't worry about that," said Parkman. "We're looking into it."

"Did you get a read on the shooter, either of you?" asked Nathan looking first at Matt then Peter.

"I was too focused on you to get anything," answered Peter.

"All I got was the same static I get when that Haitian guy is around. You can be pretty sure it was someone in the Company though."

"And I think I know who," spoke Peter from the corner of the room next to the monitors. "Claire had mentioned that her foster dad had been blackmailed by the Company to stop her from doing what you were going to do. A man who's been with the company, rounding up people like us, who knows how to get past our abilities."

Claire looked at Peter with disbelieve as she realized what Peter was suggesting. "No, you can't be serious. You can't think that…"

"That your foster dad tried to kill Nathan," finished Peter. "Yes. I do."

Noah Bennett & Bob

Odessa Air Field, Texas.

The man with the horn rimmed glasses walked to the personal liner that waited for him on the private airstrip, reserved for the Company's use, trying to ignore the balding man at his heels.

"We've opened Pandora' box," said Angela's voice through the cell phone's speaker.

"You may be right, Angela, but it had to be done and you know it," said Bob in his normal tone of voice. No one would have known that he had set up an assassination attempt from the sound of him. He slapped the cell phone in his hand closed and caught up to Noah's side

"You let me down Noah," said Bob.

"I did what you wanted, he's down and unable to cause any more problems," said Noah. It left a bitter taste in his mouth as he said it.

"You were supposed to silence him, permanently. He still might make it through."

"The chance is very slim."

Bob put a hand on his arms to stop him walking. "You know that's not what I wanted you to do." Bob's voice lowered as he continued. "Now if you can't honor you're end of the deal then we'll have to reexamine our working arrangement."

Noah looked sternly through is horn-rimmed glasses. "Don't you dare!"

"I don't want to, but if you keep this up, I'll be force to."

"You stay away from my family," said Noah as he reached for the scruff of Bob's jacket. Bob retorted with his own hand on the bare skin of Noah's arm. Noah began to grunt in pain as the molecular make-up of his body's blood became something else more dangerous.

"Remember who you're talking to, Noah," said Bob. Bob's portable phone began to ring again, releasing Noah's arm so as to answer.

"He's here," said the female voice coming from the other end. Bob's blood went cold.

"You listen to me very carefully," said Bob dead serious in the intent of his instructions. "You do what ever you have to do to dispose of him. You understand me?"

"Crystal," said the woman. Bob could picture the grin forming on the woman's face.

Bob turned to the recovering Noah, gripping his forearm as he arose to his feet. "We have to leave, now!"

"It's him, isn't it?" Said Noah as Bob passed him to the plain. "I told you to get rid of him when we first got him. I said the same thing about Sylar and look at what happened. People died because of you, because you were to ignorant to do what you should have done and now more people will die again because of it."

"My people are very capable of handling this particular problem," said Bob faking confidence. "We've become better prepared for this kind of thing since Sylar."

"That was the same thing that was said when we had Sylar, and this one is going to make you eat those very same words, just like him."

Primatech Paper

Odessa, Texas.

A man walks through one of the shipping floors of the factory, his longcoat billowing a little behind him as he steps over the chard bodies lifelessly strewn on the cold cement floor. Smoke rose off the freshly electrocuted guards, mixing with the smoke of their recently fired weapons, the bullets of which lay perfectly unmolested on the concrete ahead, as dead as the bodies themselves.

"Pardon me, gentlemen," said the man as he passed them, indifferently. "Just passing through."

Hiro

Abandoned building, Somewhere.

Hiro woke up to find himself tied to a hardwood chair in the middle of an old, worn out room. Walls faded, showing water spots on the spots that actually had drywall still present. Counters holding various broken objects, steel pipes, and rusted tools, stood at his right and to his rear, standing guard over him. The back of his head was throbbing in pain where he was hit by something, his body stiff from the rope cutting off the circulation of blood.

"Where am I?" said Hiro to himself. A voice came from behind him, though muffled and incoherent, he could tell that it was growing louder. Whoever it was, they were coming closer. Hiro struggled to free himself from his bonds but the ropes were knotted too well.

The owner of the voice came into the room, talking to someone. "…I will contact you soon with instructions." A beep from a wireless phone of some kind came soon after. "You should not waste your energy on trying to get free, my friend. No one can escape from ropes that I tie." Hiro craned his head around to see the man speaking fluent Japanese to him, apparently holding him hostage, but the man stayed behind him.

"You are very lucky to have a sister who cares about you, and is the CEO of a very profitable company. It will be easy for her to retrieve the money I asked for you're save return."

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

"I thought it obvious at this point, you are being ransomed." The man walked to the table at Hiro's side placing the portable phone on top, then turning to face his captive. The man wore an outfit of black, a mask wrapped around his face made his eyes barely visible through the slit, let alone any identifying features or recognizing his voice. But what drew Hiro's attention the most was the two curved blades that were sheathed at the man's side, inserted through a sash belt of cloth at the waist. Hiro knew who it was that had kidnapped him, or more precisely, what had kidnapped him.

"You're ninja!" said Hiro

"You are familiar with the look, I am impressed," said the ninja sarcastically.

Hiro's clasped his eyes shut and concentrated. Vanishing from his holdings, the ropes that once held him fell loosely to the ground. Hiro reappeared feet away from the chair, small smirk on his face.

"Impressed Now?"

Though startled at the sudden teleportation of his prisoner, the ninja wasn't acting like he hadn't seen something amazing and thought impossible before.

"Very," said the ninja. "You just became a most profitable item for some people I know." The ninja pull one of his swords from its scabbard. "They will find you very useful."

Hiro teleported again, coming back with a piece of steel pipe from the table. He gripped the curved end attachment as he would his old sword and took stance against the ninja.

"So, the little man things he can hold his own against a Ninja. You have been reading too many comics; ninja are not so easy to kill."

"Ninjas are dishonorable assassins, murderers, and thieves. Cowards who would rather run to save their own skins, than stand a fight for a purpose greater than themselves, catering to no one but themselves." The strength and confidence that Hiro had possessed in his past adventures returned in an instant as if they had never left him. The honorable spirit of the Samurai looked down upon him, but as soon as it had come to him, it was lost. "You are right though."

"And what would that be?" asked the ninja.

"I have read too many stories." Hiro lowered the pipe in his hands. "Do not come after me again."

He closed his eyes, concentrated, and was gone in the next second.

Primatech Paper (lower levels)

Odessa, Texas.

The alarms were growing annoying to the man with the glowing eyes walking down the large hallway. A mere glance at them put an end to their ear deafening rattle. Free to walk without losing his thoughts to the sound he went to the end of the corridor and through the door. What he saw was not what he had expected, within the middle of a dark nothing was a light that shined down from no apparent source, at a girl lumped forward against the straps that held her from falling forward on a chair. The man with the glowing eyes cautiously stepped forward to the raven-haired woman, a drip in the distance was all that could be heard.

-Drip-

-Drip-

-Drip-

Stepping into the light he readied himself for the high probability that he had walked into a trap, his left hand crackled with sparkling electricity as his right reached out to raise the woman's head. The dripping he had heard echoed in the nothing around them wasn't from anything out there; it was from the blood slowly dripping out of the whole in the girl's forehead.

-Drip-

-Drip-

The eyes of the Indian girl were glazed with death, her mouth was slightly open dew to the fact her muscles no longer worked for her, her face torn and bruised when once it was smooth as silk and heavenly to touch. As he went to close her eyes, they came to meet his, the life returning to them with rage. The strapping's that had once held her confined were no longer present, freeing her hands so as to thrust them at the man she knew, causing him to be thrown back to the floor by the sudden rush of her body at his.

"YOU KILLED ME!" shouted the girl coming back from the dead, her hands inches from clasping around the man's throat, fighting and squirming. Out of the halo of light, the woman could not see the man's face contort to a disgusted fury, sending an electrical jolt up the woman's arms and through her body. All the muscles in her body tensed as she screamed through gritted teeth, throwing her back and dispersing her into vapor. As he righted himself he waited for "the man behind the current" so to speak.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" boomed a thunderous voice. Except in this case the man was a woman.

"I have to tell you," said the voice over his shoulder, close enough to make the man think she was inches away. Spinning around to confront the one behind the attacks, he only found that his surroundings had been replaced in a blink of an eye by a dense jungle on a pitch black night. Things stirred in the foliage as eyes shined in the shadow. "I never thought you would get away from me the first time, let alone get this far, murderer."

The stranger's fists clinched in anger at the sound of the voice, his eyes glowed brighter, more fiercely, than before. A roar sounded as a large beast pounced out of the jungle toward the man with the glowing eyes. A blast of lighting turned the threat to billows of fumes and smoke. Two more beasts leaped to face the man only to receive the same punishment. The stranger knew the tricks of his attacker, no of this was real, he just had to force his way out. Focusing his will, he ignored the sounds of the jungle as a static charge built up around him. Reality began to distort around him, the pillar of this fabrication crumbling at his feet. Then in a shattering blow, the man with the glowing eyes returned to his senses, his body, and his mind. Back to the real world finding the woman responsible for pulling him away on the floor in front of him. Recoiling from the stranger's counterattack strands of the albino's white hair streaked across her face as she looked up at him defiance, due to the feedback of the man's defenses.

"I've evolved since we last met," stated the man.

"I'm going to kill you!" retorted the albino through her teeth as she tried to use her abilities again, distorting waves started to radiate outward from her eyes. "It was a man like you killed my sister, making 'them' fear us, causing us pain, and I'm going to kill you for that. Every last one of you!"

The stranger prepared for another attack, but it became clear that her powers were weakening as he saw the waves grow smaller. The man took a step, his hand extended, the woman scrabbled to keep away but her body was too weak. Drawing closer the man went down on one knee beside his enemy, the extended hand glowing a bright white, the albino woman couldn't do much to stop the stranger from placing his hand over her eyes and shining a blinding light over them as she screamed in fear and pain.

Matt & Peter

Odessa General Hospital, Texas.

Peter walked out to the opposite side of the glass followed closely by Matt, watching Claire telling Nathan what she had gone through in recent weeks since they saw each other in New York.

"What is it?" asked Peter. Matt had telepathically told him that they needed to talk outside only moments ago. "Why the secrecy?"

"I need to tell you something," answered Matt. "While you were… away, for an hour…"

"An hour!" exclaimed Peter.

"What, you didn't know? I assumed you were trying to find Claire"

"I teleported straight to her and then back, I didn't know I was gone for an hour," said Peter. Was something wrong with the powers that I got from Hiro.

"Never mind that. The point is while you where gone, someone came here. Someone like us."

"How do you know?" asked Peter. Matt filled him in on the details of encounter. Of the effects of the lights, the stranger's glowing eyes.

"A man with glowing eyes. Do you think he was here for Nathan?" questioned Peter.

"I don't think so," said Matt. "If he was, he would have. That and I got something from his mind."

"I thought you couldn't read his mind."

"I couldn't, but he let me that something. He said that Nathan's light was fading. I think he meant that Nathan was going to die. Why warn me if he was here to kill him"

"Or maybe he didn't see the point in killing a dying man," said Peter turning his head to look at his brother, alive and healthy.

"That's my concern, what if it's leaked out to the press that Nathan is alive with no signs of ever being shot through the heart. It'd be like painting a bulls eye on his forehead, and if glow eyes wasn't here to try and kill him then the Company could come back to finish it."

"But if he does go to the press, he could use it as proof about what we can do. Help us bring the Company down."

"Are you willing to bet his life on them trying to kill him again before he can? I'm not, and we can't rely on Claire forever, what if the next one is instant?"

Peter took him a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh. "What do you suggest we do then?"

Primatech Paper (lower levels)

Odessa, Texas.

The albino woman whimpered as she lay on the cold floor, the surrounding areas of her eyes burned too severely to ever heal, rendering her blind for the rest of her life and her power useless. The man with the glowing eyes still kneeled at her side.

"Unless you want me to take something more vital, you will tell me what I need to know." He brought her up by the scruff of her clothing, close to a searing heat she couldn't identify but could fell it none the less.

"Where. Is. He."

In an unknown location, a woman is taken into a room of elegance and wealth. A place she could only dream of ever seeing. A fire burned at the far wall, the mantel holding a priceless clock in its center, clicking away the seconds of time. In front of the fireplace were to leather chairs, one of which was already occupied by a man.

"Nice to see you have arrived, my dear," said the man. "Please take a seat." He extended his hand to the chair parallel to him.

The woman took it reluctantly. "I sure you have many questions, Nikki, but they will be answered in due time."

To be continued…

Chapter 2

"The Man with the Glowing Eyes"

Mohinder, Elle, & Maya

Mendez Loft, Soho.

"I came as fast as I could," said Bob walking into the high New York loft of his most promising scientist.

Mohinder looked up from the work he was finishing. Calmly and coolly he said, "Sylar's back. He came for us."

Bob looked shocked and concerned. "Are you all right?"

He slammed the papers in his hand down on the table top. "No I'm not alright. He got the only sample of the anti-virus. Which he will probably use to restore his powers and we don't have anymore of Claire's blood, to save Nikki, to save anyone suffering from the Shanti Virus."

"You did what you had to," said Bob, comforting the defeated man before him. "At least you where able to drive him away."

"I didn't do anything… " started Suresh.

"…I did." finished Elle walking in from the other room.

"She was the only one able to drive Sylar away, if I wasn't for her we wouldn't be here right now,"

"Drive him…? You didn't kill him. When he was weakened, powerless, you still could dispose of the threat?!" Said Bob his voice rising as a displeased father angered at his daughter.

"I'm…I'm sorry," stammered Elle. "He was gone, before I…"

"I don't want to hear excuses!"

"Wait," said Mohinder butting in to the argument. "She saves our lives and you scold her for it? You act as if what she accomplished doesn't matter to you." Maya and Molly came from the same room that produced Elle, concerned about the yelling that was occurring.

Bob looked sternly at his daughter, talking as if she wasn't there in front of him. "She had a prime opportunity get rid of a dangerous man and failed. Because of that, we have two deadly people out there that we have to deal with instead of the one."

"Two people? What are you talking about?" Questioned Mohinder.

"You can't mean Z…" began Elle, but was cut off by Bob in a hurry.

"Yes! I do." Elle's look went to a fearful dread; the face of a 10 year old told that the boogieman was real and coming for her.

Bob took in a breath of air, reluctant to tell Mohinder about the additional problem that looms in their foreseeable future. Letting out the large breath he decided that Mohinder needed to know what was happening if he wanted his help. "We have a holding facility here in New York that we use to… detain individuals for a while before their taken away to a more permanent holding area, people who have abilities uncontrollable or those who misuse them for whatever reason. Some time ago we had a break out and though we have recaptured what few individuals that escaped, there's the one who started it that hasn't. He was able to overcome our sedatives and break himself out, going through a lot of people in order to do it. He's been popping up in different places for days and each time he's been able to escape. Operatives, others with abilities, it doesn't matter; they always end up the same. He is very powerful, and I dare say, maybe more dangerous than Sylar." Bob's phone rang as he finished, leaving to answer it, he let the words of what he described sink into the group's psyche. Molly came in close to Mohinder looking for protection and comfort from her hero.

"There's another boogieman?" asked Molly.

Mohinder looked down at her, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to scare her but then again he didn't want to lie to her either, so going down on one knee, he gave her the truth. "Yes Molly, it looks like there is. But don't worry, I won't yet either of them hurt you."

Molly hugged him with all the love in her little heart. "I know you won't."

But Mohinder didn't know how to keep that promise. So far, he hasn't come any closer to ending the threat of Sylar anymore than the Company has. With the Virus destroyed (for the best he'd hoped) there was no way to get past his abilities or to shut them off, not that Sylar would have let him get close enough to inject the virus anyways. Ending his conversation, Bob unenthusiastically turned to the others.

"That individual we were talking about just attacked our facility in Odessa. Hundreds dead, one of the Company's operatives had her eyes burned out. She's never going to see anything again." Mohinder looked up to Bob as he continued. "We have to deal with this man now while we still can. Sylar will probably stay under the radar awhile trying to get his powers back up to par, so that gives use a small window."

"How do we do that?" asked Mohinder. "You don't even know where he is. Molly didn't even know about him so he apparently can't be tracked down"

"We don't need to; I know what he's after. We'll lure him out into the open and get him with his guard down."

"You mean 'murder him', don't you."

Bob sighed. "We've been down this road before, Dr. Suresh. He's too dangerous to let live, it's evident that nothing can keep him contained if we can't. This is why we had the Virus, for situations like this, but since it's gone we'll have to find another way."

Mohinder knew that it was a half truth but couldn't help but feel some guilt. Withdrawing from Molly's hold, save for her hand in his, he stood up and looking at the woman that Sylar had brought with him. "Maybe not."

Maya looked at Mohinder with a nervous smile, eyes darting away from his and back again. "What?"

Sylar

Underground sewers, Manhattan

Sylar has been painting for hours. Ever since his powers returned, ever since he came to his hideaway in the underground belly of Manhattan, stealing the materials, looking for the next step to take. From the beginning, he has been taking what the others never deserved, what they denied and deemed a curse, when in truth, it was a gift. Evolution's next step from the genetic dead ends that overpopulated this little world and he was going use his gift to take from them what they squandered, rising to the top of all of them. After all, it was an evolutionary imperative. But there have been those who have blocked his way, stopping him from evolving further. The fat cop that reads minds, Dr Suresh and his son with there illusions and lies, the little Asian man that almost ended him, then there's Peter Patrelli, the other side of the same coin, the polar opposite of him. They've all played a part in halting his progress; it disgusted him to think about it. But he has learned from his mistakes, if he was to continue, he had determined to rid himself of his problems, deciding to seek the answers to his by looking into the future for them. However, it has not been as enlightening as he had hoped. Random images of events that have to yet to occur stared back at him tauntingly. One painting showed him looking down an alley at a man in black shadow somewhere in the city. Another painting showed a cloaked figure, the face covered in black, unable to ascertain the person's face, surrounded by things in the night. Another showed the back of a tall man in front of a trio of policeman, firing their guns to no affect as they just bounced off him. He was lost in trying to understand their meaning, was he to take their power? If so, how was he to find them? He had decided to try once more to get the answer he wanted, that was an hour ago. Sylar put the finishing touches on his latest masterpiece and stepped back, closing his lids over his white eyes. Opening his eyes again, showing their regular hue, he looked over his resent work for the first time. He pondered the work in front of him and turned his head to the others he had done, and the light inside his head went off.

A sinister grin streaked his lips. "I understand it now. It's so clear." Grapping the canvas off the easel, Sylar brought it under the light if the one hanging bulb in the damp, grungy, room. The painting showed him in front of a group, the only source of light coming from his own glowing radioactive hands, highlighting his features along with the others beside him. To his left was the man from the first painting, still covered in shadow despite the glow, his hands holding two curved swords like the teleporters'. To the right stood the cloaked figure, his light reflecting off the fabric, showing little of the face underneath the cowl. Others stood with them but there wasn't enough light to show them all.

"You have you're friends, Peter, so I'll get some of my own."

Micah & Monica

New Orleans Police Department, Louisiana

"Could you please identify the one who kidnapped you, Miss Dawson."

Monica moved closer to the view window as the shutters parted, showing seven men in a room under 7 numbers. She pointed to the one she remembered vividly, "That one, number 5."

"Are you sure?" as the detective at her side.

"Oh yeah," breathed Monica. "I'm sure."

The man signaled to the officers inside the room to take the men away. "Okay, we'll take him in, finish the paperwork. We have both of your statements, not to mention that this kid has a record already, so he should be going away for a while." The detective closed the blinds, and led Monica down the hall. "You're grandmother should be here in a bit to take you and you're cousin home." He stalled at what he was going to say next. "I know he's having a hard time, losing both parents in the same year, but… We haven't found a body yet so she might still be alive out there. I know it's a long shot it's still possible, he shouldn't give up."

"It's kinda hard not to," answered Monica.

The man reached into his suit's inner pocket and removed a card. "Here, it's the number of a grief councilor should he need one, it's the best I can do for him."

She slowly took the card, keeping it in both of her hands. "Thank you," said Monica looking up at the detective. He gave a nod of acceptance and left her to her thoughts as he went to make sure the man responsible was put away. She looked back down at the card he had given her, making her thoughts draw to Micah. She thought of the pain that he was going through reminding her of the feelings that emerged when she lost her parents in the hurricane. Things she never thought she'd feel, that she never wanted to feel, loss of a loved one, the unfairness of it taking them instead of her. The never ending sadness and struggle to survive, to be the support for what was left of their family, she had though that she would never be happy again as much as she had been before the disaster. Then Micah showed up, showing her that she was gifted, special, showed her that she could be a hero. Happiness began to rise again inside of her as Micah told her stories of others like her, with abilities, and confided to her about his own. They grew close, so when his dad's medal was stolen she wanted to be the hero that Micah saw and return the memory of his father back to him. Some hero I turned out to be, she thought to herself. Not only did she fail to be a hero, it cost Micah his mother. When she looked back up from the card she found herself next to the room where Micah sat waiting, her feet carrying her to the place she needed to be but not to the person she wanted to face at the moment. She readied herself before entering the closed off office, hiding the card in a pocket, hoping that it wouldn't be necessary.

Monica turned the door knob, poking her head inside. "Micah," she said softly. He didn't bother to look up. She went in and sat next to her distraught cousin.

It was a few moments before she got up the courage up to talk to him. "They… They're going to lock up the guy who…," she paused, not wanting to say anything. "I want to say that I'm sorry about what happened. If it wasn't for me, she never would have gone inside that building."

"Its okay, Monica," said Micah looking up from the floor. "She's not dead."

Monica looked at her cousin, fearing that he was in denial about what happened. "How do you know that?"

"I know my mom, she's still alive out there, and I have to find her."

Nikki Sanders

Unknown location

"Where am I?" said a confused Nikki.

"You are among friends, Nikki," said the man sitting next to her in front of the small fire burning in the large mantel fireplace.

"Who are you, why did you save me?"

"My name is Richard Maxwell, I help those… special people, who are in need of help. And you are a very special person indeed."

"Sorry, I'm not special, I'm just a normal woman," said Nikki trying her best to throw the man off as best she could.

"I'm sure Jessica would disagree, if she was still with us," said the man bridging his fingers in front of his face. "But you're mind merged with hers, so we won't be seeing her anytime soon, will we. Now there's Gina, not as dominate, but still able to take control when she needs to get out."

Nikki looked at the blonde hired man staring at her, star struck and afraid. "How do you know about them?" He couldn't, thought Nikki, could he?

"You think you're the only special person in this room?" The man shook his head. "There are more out there than you think. I have helped some of them and I wish to help you as well."

"Why? I'm no one to you,"

"But you're someone to somebody, that's enough, isn't it?"

"Sorry," said Nikki as she rose from the large comfortable chair. "I've had enough handouts that've lead to more trouble than there worth, causing nothing but suffering to me and my family. So whatever you're selling, I'm not interested."

"Even if it meant that you're family, you, would be taken care of for the rest of you're life?'

"Been there before, and it's been a lie every time." She turned to leave.

The man, not getting up to stop her departure, tried another way. "What about peace, both physical and mental. I can help you get control of you're mind again."

"Went for that, too, and it got me a terminal virus and kept me from my son. Not to mention made me a thug again."

"Ah, yes, the Company," said the man. "…Ever present with their promises of the bettering mankind, all the while using us like weapons and making their virus, how would you like to be rid of it, re-attain your abilities again."

Nikki looked the man straight in the eye in brief silence, save for the cold rain that tapped on the other side of the window. "Are you serious?"

The man pulled out a vial of red liquid from his blazer's pocket. "It's right here."

"How did you get that?"

"I'm very resourceful."

"And what will it cost me?"

"Nothing but the chance to help you."

"I already have that waiting for me back home."

"How can you be sure? And how do you know it's not a trick to keep you in there hands?"

"Suresh, he promised me he would get it to me. I trust him."

"Willing to bet your life on that?" Nikki didn't answer the man. "Here...," said Richard pulling out Nikki's cell phone from his other pocket, placing it on the stand next to his chair. "…Call him and see if he's coming for you with the anti-virus."

In an attempt to defy his argument, she aggressively went for the phone and called Mohinder Suresh. She waited on baited breath for the answer from Mohinder as Richard sat calmly by with the ant-virus in hand.

Todd Warren

LA, California

A man sat on the top of a wooden picnic table, hunched over his legs that rest on the long plank commonly used for sitting. He looked out over the surrounding environment of the local park as the people enjoyed they're lives, couples walking together enjoying each other's company, families taking advantage of the beautiful day. Even the animals that inhabited the park seemed to frolic in glee at the good nature of the day. It made his stomach churn in revulsion of all the "happy" that was around him.

"God, I'm board," said the man in an under toned voice. A melody came to his ears, reflecting the mood at the time. The song that every child knows, the song of an ice-cream trunk coming around the corner, the man cringed at the annoying sound.

"Com' on, com' on daddy, lets get some," came from the mouth of a ten year old girl close by with her mother and father at her heals. She tugged at the parents arms, leading to the truck that had stopped at the curb.

"Okay, okay, we'll get some," caved the dad as he smiled at his precious little girl.

The man on the table gave a smile of ill intent. "Good idea, kid," said the man to himself as he trust his body off, landing on the concrete walkway. He followed the family of three as they went for their treats and left the truck behind, the man followed suit. Barely taking a lick of his chocolate cream, the father gave out a little "Ow" in protest to the pain that had struck the back of his hand.

"What is it, dear?" asked his wife.

"Nothing, I think I just got stung by something, that's all," said the father as he shook his hand, thinking the pain would be flung off it. But stayed with him, in fact, it started to get worse. He looked at the spot where he felt the sting and saw no swelling to speak of, no breaking of the skin to suggest a cut or any kind of injury. Yet he felt the pain grow stronger, what was a sting turned to a stabbing. It became enough for the man to wince and grit his teeth at, say to his wife that he should probably see a doctor. Unfortunately, as they moved to the direction of their car, the pain become more intense and started moving up his arm. The man staggered as he gave small yelps, worry came over the little girl's face as her mother began to panic, calling for any doctor close by. The father was clutching his arm when an even more intense pain erupted in his leg on the opposite side of his body. He shouted as it shot into his shins, making him topple over, barely keeping himself upright. The wife was yelling at this point for anyone for help as a crowd of onlookers watched dumbfounded at the man with invisible injuries. One man came forward to try and discern what was happening but could find anyway to help the tortured man. The father was crying out for mercy as his body turned against him, every fiber burned, thousands of white hot needles impaled his flesh without ever being present. The man's little girl cried for her dad to stop as she tugged on his shirt. His screams grew, echoing through the park with all that he felt, giving one last torturous, bloodcurdling howl before going silent. All in the park was stilled in silence for what seemed an eternity, the place that was full of joy and peace only moments ago was as dead as the man on the ground. The wife called out her husband's name in tears, the people around her bowed their heads save for the man that walked by, whistling his own tune with a smile on his face, and an ice cream cone in his hand.

Peter & Nathan Patrelli

Montreal, Canada

Nathan was a little disoriented when he and his brother appeared in the large warehouse in Montreal.

"You okay," asked Peter.

"Yeah, just a little unsettling, that's all," said Nathan.

His brother smiled. "You'll get used to it."

"Where are we?" said Nathan as he looked around at all that had been collected within the storage space.

"This was Adam's stuff." Peter's mind flashed back to the conflict between him and his former friend and how they almost killed off the human race, he turned away from the thought in disgrace. "I don't know what Hiro did with him, but I doubt that he'll be back for a while to use any of it." As he said it he remember the 'disagreement ' he'd had with his friend and made a mental note to apologize to Hiro, if he ever saw him again. "You should be safe here till we get some answers."

"Roomy," said his brother sarcastically.

"I know it's not what you're used to…"

"Its okay, Peter, I have gotten used to a lot of things worse than this before. I'll manage." It was then that he saw his younger brother smirking at him with that corner-slanted smile of his. "What are grinning at?"

"Nothing," said Peter his body gesturing. "It's… You've changed, grown, into the good man I always saw in you."

"And it only took my brother going nuclear and near death, twice, to get there."

"Hey, I'm trying to say I'm proud of you and you're cracking jokes. That's suppose to be me," said Peter returning fire.

Nathan chuckled softly as he put his hand on his brother's shoulder like he had done countless times. "I know. I'm proud of you too."

"Thanks," said Peter as he took hold of Nathan's arm with one of his hands, returning the manly gesture of love that only men share. "Com'on, let's see if we can find something to sleep on in here."

They left each other in search for something, anything resembling a bed, Peter going to the pathway to the left and Nathan the right. Only a few feet into the path his eyes caught on something around the corner, color morphed and shapes swirled.

"Peter? Find anything yet?" called out Nathan. "Peter, are you okay?"

The silent response drove him in alert mode, making him backtrack to the spot where they appeared and travel down the path that his brother had ventured. He came to find Peter standing in front of roll of canvas that had been somehow unraveled, not moving an inch as his eyes stared frozen at the material. Nathan grabbed hold of his shoulder, trying to shake Peter out of his spell, hoping that it wasn't another attack like the ones he's had before, but everything seemed fine, until Nathan saw his brother's eyes glazed over in white. He didn't seem to notice anything at first, but shot to life as he went for graphite stick that rested an arm's reach away, franticly scratching away at the blank space. Nathan was at a loss for what to do. He tried to wake his brother from the trance again, but was paid no mind, as if Peter couldn't hear him at all. At a loss for what was happening he stepped back, seeming to be in no danger at the moment, and let him work awaiting the results of his frenzied work.

Forty five minutes pass as Peter stroked and slashed with a possessed passion of a crazy artist, stopping after his last stroke of the stick, Peter's eyes clasped down and returned to normal, looking at the drawing for the first time. Nathan, who was watching patiently in a chair behind his brother, got up and went to him cautiously.

"Peter?" He turned his head, acknowledging to his name again. "What just happened to you? You eyes were all white and…"

Peter interrupted, "I was painting the future." He looked back down at what he drew.

"So that's how it works."

"Pretty much, yeah."

Nathan looked down at the freshly painted piece of art. "So what's this?"

Peter shook his head at first in confusion, and then it hit him. "This…," he pointed a paint smeared finger at the covered canvas. "…This is the guy Matt was talking about, it has to be."

The scene depicted a man walking to the viewer inside some sort of vacant building, the window behind him portraying a rather nasty storm brewing outside. The man's front side was blanketed in shadow do to the blinding lighting fingering down from the heavens, making it impossible to determine who the man was, but the right hand that sparked with furious lighting similar to the powerful bolts of the electrical storm determined that this was not the man to anger. The eyes that showed over the sunglasses he wore burned brightly with a fire that reflected a fury within him.

"What guy?"

"While you were in the hospital and I was off getting Claire, Matt said that someone had come to your room. He said that the guy's eyes were glowing. This must be him."

"Did Matt recognize him?"

"He said he never got a chance to see his face, he was doing something to the lights that caused them to go out when he was near. When he tried to read him there was some sort of static that was blocking his mind, at first he thought it was the Company sending someone to finish you off, but he let Matt read something from his mind. He said that you're light was fading."

"He meant that I was dying?" asked Nathan.

"I think so," answered Peter. "It makes sense."

Nathan stared intently at the man with a puzzled look on his face. "The Man with the Glowing Eyes. So the next question to answer is whether he's a friend…"

"Or an enemy," finished Peter.

…To be continued.

Chapter 3

"Nothing that could be done"

Noah & Bob

Company facility, Manhattan

Noah Bennett walked through the office threshold, letting the door hit the wall at its side, making it clearly obvious he didn't want to be there at all.

"You know, you could be gentler with the door," said Bob as he turned to face Bennett.

"I'm not here to be nice," confirmed Noah. "What do you want?"

Bob tossed a file on his desktop and sat down. "I have a job for you. You'll know the target from your previous encounter."

Noah went to the file a turned it to him while opening it. His blood went cold as he saw who he was assigned too. "You can't be serious. How'd he even get out?"

"I'm very serious," said Bob, and his face reflected it. "And it doesn't matter how, we need him taken care of."

"How exactly am I going to get close enough?"

"You'll have help." The Haitian walked in softly, behind Noah as he heard his name being called. He brought with him a long gun bag that he held at his side by the grip. He handed it to Noah who undid the zipper, inspecting the rifle within.

"A sniper rifle? You really think that I can eliminate him with a bullet?"

"That's the idea. With the distance between the two of you, we speculate that he won't be able to react in time."

"Speculate?" said Noah.

"You'll have the Haitian with you at all times so IF something does go wrong then he will be able to suppress his abilities when he's close enough and you can do it then. I don't care how just that you do it," clarified Bob on the plan.

"And if he decides to take me out at a distance instead of coming up close and personal?" asked Noah.

"Then you better make sure you get him on the first try," answered Bob.

"How exactly do I find him, by the way?"

"That part of the job I have taken the liberty of making simple for you…"

"You're all heart," interrupted Noah, getting in his punches where and when he could.

"…We've let loose the information of what he's looking for is at this location." Bob slid an address over is desk to Noah's direction. It was an address to a building in the downtown area. "You'll be in the high windows above, adjacent to the building. When he gets the tip, and he will, he should be an easy target for you to take care of."

"What's he looking for?" asked Noah in all honesty.

"You," said Bob with a treacherous smirk on his face.

Noah went wide-eyed at the revelation of the target's purpose. "You sent him after me!? I'm as good as dead!"

"Well, why not, you where the one who got him the first time. He's apparently become fixated on finding you for information, possibly payback too, what better lure than vengeance and hatred to ensnare our problem into the trap. Even gives you some added incentive to doing the job right this time."

Noah's frustration with the man behind the desk was growing to intolerable levels. He had been set up on a mission that he was most likely to fail, Noah knew it. He would've liked to take the rifle in his hand and kill Bob then go home to his family, but he would never get a chance to with the Haitian watching him like a hawk. He had to do it to keep his family alive or the loved ones he had been trying to protect so diligently from the Company would be forfeit. So Noah let out all the burning hatred he had for the balding man in glasses out with a heavy breath.

"So do we understand each other, Noah?" said Bob.

"Yeah," said Noah exhaustingly defeated. "We do."

Nathan Petrelli

Montreal, Canada

Nathan walked up to the newspaper vender he ha been going to for the last four days, his cap and heavy coat close to his body to shield himself from the downpour of cold rain, and to shield himself from the public that thought him dead. He rubbed at the hairy stubble that had grown over his face, still not enough to be considered a beard yet, but close.

He came to the man with the dreary disposition that matched the weather, watching the news on his small TV next to him. "What'll be, Mac'?"

"Just the paper, please," repeated Nathan as he had in the last three days. Reading the paper had been his only source of information since his seclusion by his brother to the storage space the once belonged to the man trying to eradicate the world's populace with a lethal virus. Now he hides from the group that tried to kill him while his brother tracks down the trigger man, waiting for his return, saying that they found Noah Bennett. Matt Parkman, the new friend of his and a mind reading detective, had said that he knew of a special "tracker" that could find anyone, but so far not a peep. So Nathan Patrelli stays under the radar for the right to survive till the next day. As he withdrew his pocket change for the vender, Nathan's attention came to the television broadcasting the weather forecast for the New York region.

"…Well those nice days seem to be coming to a fast end as we are tracking a sudden and severe thunder storm rolling in to the New York area…"

Well, it can't be any worse than this mess, thought Nathan as he drew in his collar closer to his neck, trying to keep the freezing water from getting in.

The weather report finished, the station's anchorwoman went straight into the news headlines, with picture from Nathan's campaign picture sliding up next to the reporter. "…There's no new development in the case of missing congress man Nathan Patrelli from his hospital bed in Odessa Texas after an assassination attempt on his life. As you may recall, Patrelli won the New York election for the senate, then was no where to be found for weeks only to show up in Odessa police station calling an emergency press conference, getting shot through the chest before his announcement by a shooter who has yet to be identified. Police are still investigating."

The vender, whose attention was also on the broadcast turned to see the man in the picture that was at his newspaper stand, but found he was no where to be seen as he stuck his head out checking the empty sidewalks and wet streets. He returned to his seat, scratching his head, if only he had looked up he would have seen the man on the television hovering in mind air

"That was too close," sighed Nathan. He shot up further through the air never looking back.

Ando & Kimiko

Yamagato Industrie, Japan

"You see?" said Ando as he peered out from the corner of a wall, looking down the hall to the cubical of his best friend Hiro, his sister was present with Ando, observing her brother's odd behavior.

"You're right. I have never seen him like this before. It's like… he's lost a part of himself."

"He's lost his faith," answered Ando. "He doesn't want to be a Hero anymore."

Kimiko turned away from the site of her brother, receding back from the corner. Ando followed. "How can I believe this story that you've told me, that my brother can bend space/time, that he help save the world? Now he's depressed because he thinks he has done nothing but failed everyone. I can't believe it."

Ando pleaded to her to believe. "But it's true! Your brother has ventured to places, seen things, and helped a lot of people not to mention the whole world. Your father knew this about him, he believed him."

"My father was growing crazy in his old age," said Kimiko in a spiteful manor

"Don't say that!" returned Ando in a harsher tone. "He died with more honor than you have..." Ando turned away from Kimiko and started walking, stopping at her side before he left. "… it's a shame that only one of children inherited it. If I have to do this myself then I will." Ando continued on as he tried to think of how he was going to do what he said.

"Wait!" called out Kimiko, running up to Ando. She looked at him with a heated anger in her eyes. "You think that since you spent a few months with my father that he means more to you than me? I cared about my father more than you did and I care about my brother as equally as you do. Because I don't believe this story of adventures throughout time and exploding men and death viruses, doesn't mean I won't help him."

Ando saw the determination in Kimiko's eyes; she really wanted to help her brother as much as he did. He nodded his head in acceptance of her help

"What do you have in mind?" asked Kimiko

Ando continued down the hall with her at his side. "I'm not sure, yet, but we better think of something soon. Who knows what waits around the corner?"

A dark figure, silent in his approach, comes up from behind the two lone office workers. Cloths dabbed with chloroform were present in each hand and placed over the mouths of Hiro's best friend and sister. It wasn't long before they were passed out on the floor.

The ninja stood over them with a grin under his cowl, chuckling at the irony of what Ando had said. "You don't know how right you are."

Peter, Matt, & Claire

Peter's Apartment, New York

Peter sat at the worn down kitchen table in his apartment room that he hasn't seen in so long, tired from his long grueling hours at the map in front of him. With saving the world becoming a full time job and constantly on the move to stay alive he's had little time to come back to the city he loves and place he calls home. Sure the paint was starting to peel in places due to leaking water and the neighbors were way too loud at nights with their…, activities, but in the end it was his.

He had offered this place as home base, of sorts, for their search of the man with the horn rimmed glasses, Claire's adopted father, Noah Bennett. She was currently in the other room with her cell phone at her ear, talking with her other foster parent. He had been teleporting her back and forth from her house in California to his apartment, she had wanted to be apart of her dad's "rescue" from the Company. She constantly swore of his innocents, but Peter wasn't so sure of it, but he had decided that she was going to look no matter what so what better place than under his watchful eye.

She sure is a special girl, thought Peter, going through so much to still have the courage and strength to go on. I guess it runs in the family. Not to mention the faith she has in us. When Peter had asked why she wasn't surprised to see him alive the day he teleported into her room, she shrugged her shoulders and gave him a sweet smile. Her only response was "I knew you weren't dead. You're a hero and heroes don't die like that." He wished that what she said would be the truth of the matter.

Matt was living with him now, ever since his falling out with Suresh, who had apparently sided with the Company. He wouldn't, or couldn't, give any information on Bennett's whereabouts or his actions, he did hand over a girl named Molly to him, saying it was too dangerous to stay with him anymore, and gave a warning to him.

"Sylar's back."

Matt didn't bother to get anything more out of him and didn't read his mind out of respect, Peter assumed. Just took Molly with him and brought her here. One problem at a time, first we have to deal with Bennett, then, Sylar comes next. He only hoped that they would get to him before he started killing again. Peter was told that the little girl was special like them, that she could help find Bennett because she could find anybody and with him helping they would find him in no time. Of course that was four days ago. The current speculation was that he had the Haitian with him at all times, blocking their abilities to locate Noah as he often does, whether it was intentional of forced they could only guess. The two trackers had switched off in shifts but it was mostly Peter looking due to Molly's lack of stamina because of her young age. But she still went at it even now she sat in his living room with a spread of maps, trying to get a lock on him.

Peter went for the bottled water within his hand's reach as the front door opened and Detective Matt Parkman walked through with a bag of groceries in each arm. Peter went to grab the one on his right that was about to fall, Matt gave a relieved "Thanks" as they casually walked into the kitchen.

Parkman looked into the living room at Molly. "Any luck yet?"

Peter shook his head. "Nothing. That damn Haitian is getting on my last nerve."

"You're not the only one," said Matt.

Frustration and the dwindling of his patience were starting to show in his attitude. "How long do we keep this up, Matt? Four days out and we're not any closer to finding this guy than we were when we started."

"You got a better idea, I'm all ears."

Silence was Peter's only answer

"It's not like we know where he's going to be or where he'd go, not that it would do us any good. He's too smart to show up in old haunts or anything like that. We have to be patient."

"Yeah you can say that but it's not your brother that was shot." Peter's voice stabbed at Matt. He regretted saying it as it left his lips.

Matt took the comment as it was intended and returned in kind. "No, he's not but he is the guy that was shot on my watch, when I was suppose to be protecting him, so don't think for a second that I don't have a stake in this or don't want this guy anymore than you do." Matt's voice had risen in volume. The two men stared at each other. There exhausted frustrated nature's lashing out toward each other just because there was no one else to release it on. Once depleted, Peter both went to the neutral corners to rest and letting their cooler rational minds prevail.

The fight left a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't want to fight with Matt. The man who has been helping him and his brother so selflessly, not worry about his own well being. Peter half turned his head to Parkman. "Sorry, Matt."

Parkman wiped his mouth off with his hand, feeling the gruff stubble that had grown due to four days of neglect, a habit that had become common when he was thinking or needed to do something in uncomfortable situations. "Yeah, me too." The tone was low but it still held the resentment he felt for attacking back at Peter. "Let's just… take care of this," said Matt motioning toward the groceries that waited to be put away.

Hiro

Top of the Deveaux building

Hiro popped into view atop the building he was told to go from the note that was left on his desk earlier that day. It was the building that his father spent his last moments on before he was murdered by Adam, the monster that he helped to create. He didn't want to be here, vowing never to step foot onto this building but it seems he can't even keep the little promises to himself. If it wasn't for this damn note that said that Ando and Kimiko were in danger he wouldn't be here. If this turns out to be a hoax …

He crunched up the note in one hand calling out to the author. "I'm here! Show yourself!"

A figure came from the deep shadows that were cast by the moonless night of the New York sky. Hiro couldn't make out the person at first, "Who are you? How did you leave this on my desk?" Where's Ando and Kimiko?"

"Straight to the point, I see," said the cryptic voice that was familiar to Hiro. "Your time here in America has made you hasty."

"Who are you?" asked Hiro again in English. "What do you want?"

"What's owed to me," said the man in the shadows. He took a few steps forward allowing the top part of his body to be lit by the city lights but keeping the rest in the shadows, even though the light didn't show the man's face due to the fact it was wrapped in a cloth which only showed his eyes.

"You!" exclaimed Hiro. He knew who this man was even with his face covered. In fact, if it wasn't then he wouldn't have known who it was.

The ninja that had tried to kidnap him to collect on a ransom was laughing from his corner of the rooftop. "You remember me after all."

That's why I couldn't remember his voice; he wasn't talking English last time

"You know I have never had a hostage escape me in all the time I have been doing this. Never! And not only did you do that but you do one better by completely vanishing right in front of my eyes. Very impressive."

"What do you want?"

"I told you, I here to collect what's owed to me," said the Ninja in better English than Hiro's

"I don't have anything of yours."

"But I have something of yours." The Ninja threw a brown business envelop to Hiro's feet. He picked it up and looked inside. It was full of photos of Ando and Kimiko back to back, tied together and gagged looking into the Polaroid camera with fear in their eyes.

"What have you done to them?" demanded Hiro as he dropped the Polaroids and reached for the samurai sword that he had planted when he stopped time as he arrived. It was just a simple sword, not the one he had carried in the past, not the sword of a hero. He didn't deserve that sword anymore.

"Now, now, there's that hastiness that I was talking about," grinned the Ninja only using his eyes. "They are completely fine despite being a little uncomfortable. And not liking each other, I had to gag them because their bickering was driving me mad."

"TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!" said Hiro as he rushed the Ninja in outrage. The Ninja melted back into the shadows barely evading Hiro's cutting swipes in the air.

The Ninja's voice came from behind him in a smug tone. "That will never get you your friend back."

Hiro turned to his adversary enraged, charging again only this time the Ninja didn't run, he withdrew one of the curved swords that was at the left side of his waste, blocking the cut that would of carved a nice thin gap through his skull. He expected Hiro to stop there thinking that he was outmatched, that there was no way to get through to his flesh, but Hiro didn't oblige him. Instead he tried from other sides and other techniques, the sound of metal striking metal rang out like thunder each time the two katanas clashed.

Pushed back by one of Hiro's sword moves, as the Ninja readied himself for the next volley he came to realize the technique and style he was being used against him. Bushido. He uses the teachings of Bushido. That means…

"Samurai Dog!" called out the Ninja. He came at Hiro at full force, faster and stronger in body and in his technique. Hiro was hard pressed to keep him at bay, when he got their swords locked against each other; he was breathing heavy but continued to burn fiercely as he stared the Ninja down. Sweat beaded down from hi s brown, stinging his eyes, his muscles cried out for him to stop threatening to stop if he didn't. He could only pray that his opponent was feeling the same. It was then that the stalemate came to a end when the Ninja freed one hand and in a flash of light withdrew the other sheathed sword and slashed it across Hiro's stomach. Hiro winced in pain as fire erupted from his belly, stumbling back with one hand across his open wound, giving the villain an open window of attack, sending the heel of his foot to Hiro's chin in a nasty crack. Hiro fell back defeated his sword falling out of reach, the Ninja's sword tip at his neck.

"Well well, the Samurai is defeated. At the mercy of my blade. As much as I would love to end you right here…" The Ninja pulled up on the end of the katana the stabbed at the underside of Hiro's chin, drawing blood from the cut. "I know you could get out of this if you wanted to but if you want to see you friend and sister live safe happy lives you are going to pay me my tribune, and maybe I'll make your death a quick and painless."

Hiro looked defiantly into the Ninja's eyes; he was a long way from being defeated. Not by a long shot.

Noah & The Haitian

Downtown Manhattan

Noah looked through the sight scope that had been attached to the riffle in his hands. He was perched on the top floor of a building that had been scheduled for renovation which gave him and his Haitian "Partner" full access to the building without any outside interruptions. It laid barren save for some paint cans plastic tarps and some workman's tools in the corner. A storm rumbled and roared above them, shinning it light down to the lowly mortals, Noah saw it as a blessing. No one's going to be out in this mess, the jumping shadows and blinding lights will confuse him and what little sound that does come from the silencer will be lost in the thunder. I just hope I can get him before he gets me.

The Haitian stood behind him, slapping the cellular phone that was to his ear, closed. "He's here. One of our men spotted him coming up through the alley."

"So he got the message, apparently."

"Yes."

"How's Jennings? Did he get out alive?"

"Barely, he's hospitalized," said the Haitian flatly.

Bennett didn't ask for details. He continued to look through the lens in front of him waiting for is quarry. Sure enough, ten minutes later a man in a long leather coat appeared on the disserted city street looking up at the building in front of him.

"He's here," said Noah to the Haitian. Haitian came closer to the window, careful not to knock the stand the rifle was position on, he saw the man slowly climb the stone steps. The man was hesitant.

"Hurry and take the shot."

"I got it, I got it," said Bennett calmly, focusing the cross-hairs of his sight on the middle of the man's head. Lined up and ready to fire, Bennett hesitated to let out a whisper of an inaudible prayer and pulled back on the trigger, the bullet shot out with the lighting right to the man's head. In a flash the man's head whipped around to face the direction the bullet was heading and watched come within three feet of his face and drop straight to the ground. Never bouncing off the concrete, never changing direction or slowing down, it laid quietly pointed end facing the man. The man never watched the bullet fall, he knew what would happen having seen it a hundred times before. He kept his eyes lock onto the spot where the bullet originated.

"Damn! He's onto us," said Bennett getting up and away from the window leaving the riffle behind. No gun would be useful now. "We have to get out of here."

He walked past the Haitian to the stairs at the far end of the open floor. "We can still do the job," protested the Haitian.

"No we ca…" Bennett turned his head back and stopped in mid sentence. A flash of lighting showed the man that was down on the street moments ago beside the Haitian, Noah eyes widen in shock. Reading Bennett's expression the Haitian turned to find a man drenched in shadow, a red glow coming from behind shaded sunglasses. The Haitian backed away from the Man with the Glowing Eyes in a start of frantic steps, panic and surprise took over his mind for a moment then his instincts went from flight to fight. When the Man with the Glowing Eyes stepped forward, a hard CLU-THUMP of his boot reverberating off the naked walls the Haitian lashed out with his mind first, suppressing the part of the brain that controls the Man with the Glowing Eye's powers, then lashed out with his body sending a strong precise strike that would deflate the Man's air long enough to deliver the death blow. At least that was what would have happened if it had connected, instead the Man with the Glowing Eyes blocked the attack in mind air with a speed that was quicker than the Haitian's and with his right hand half curled, fired a bolt of electricity into the Haitian's upper right torso. It sent the Haitian spinning backwards about fifteen feet away landing in a hard THUD, rendering him unconscious.

The Man with the Glowing Eyes looked down at the Haitian. "Not this time." His tone was low and calm, but was full of power behind it.

Bennett looked from the lifeless doll on the floor to the Man standing over him. The Man with the Glowing Eyes focused on him for a few seconds then turned his attention to the man on the floor. He slowly but steadily walked to the Haitian, the heavy footsteps seemed to be drawn out and go on forever. CLU-THUMP. CLU-THUMP. CLU-THUMP.

Bennett left the Haitian to his fate.

Peter, Matt, & Claire

Peter's Apartment, New York

"Matt! Matt" yelled Molly from the living room. Everyone rushed in at the sound of her screaming voice.

"What is it Molly?" said Matt as he knelled down at her side.

Molly pointed at the wall tack that she pinned on the map. "It's him, the Man with the Horn Rimed Glasses. He's there!"

Peter took a closer look at the thumb tack. "He's in downtown."

"He's here?!" said Claire sound both surprised and curious.

"I'm going to get Nathan and then we'll go after him."

"You said we were going to help him," said Claire.

"If we can," said Peter and teleported out before she could argue any further.

Downtown Manhattan

The Haitian awoke from a brief blackout, trying to raise his body upright ignited pain from his right shoulder area, he stench of chard meat and burnt cloth engulfed his nostrils.

CLU-THUMP.

The Haitian turned his trembling head to the direction of the noise to find the pair of legs that went with it next to him. He tried to get away just as the albino woman had when she had know that she had been defeated, and as he did with the albino, the Man with the Glowing Eyes knelt down next to the Haitian.

"Never. Again." The Man's right hand began to glow white as he drew it to the Haitian's eyes.

Cringing, the Haitian softly begged to the Man "No…NO…"

Peter, Nathan, Matt, & Claire

Downtown Manhattan

In the middle of the abandoned business building's first floors Peter appeared with his brother Nathan and his niece Claire and detective Matt Parkman. A second after the appeared Peter doubled over feeling a wave of nauseating vertigo rushing over him. He began coughing as his stomach danced inside him, uncertain if it wanted to send its remains of lunch back out the way it had come in.

"Peter?" said Nathan as he went to his side along with Clair. Parkman drew out his gun and surveyed there surrounds, standing guard over the others. The floor was wider than it was long from the street, vacant of anything that would make a functional reception area save for the bare crescent shaped desk in the middle on the floor and some waste hill walls with a number of gaps close to it. More than likely the spot where the security turn-around polls were yet to be installed. The ambient light off the city streets shown through the large glass windows giving the group enough to see in but less to full light the sleeping stone building.

"I've never did that many before," he coughed. He tried to right himself. "I'll be alright."

"Take it easy for a few seconds," said Nathan comforting his younger brother, patting his back. "Breath, take it easy and just breath."

Parkman finished his survey of the ground floor; walking over to Nathan to give him his report. "I see a stair well over in that direction…" He pointed his chin over to the opposite side of the room. "That looks like the only way up. We search floor by floor, I'll take point."

Nathan nodded in compliance. "Peter…?

"Yeah," he answered. "I ready." He slowly stood upright. "Let's go."

An explosion of fire erupted at the entrance door showering the group in glass and stone debris. Peter reacted quickly, putting himself between the shards and missiles and Nathan and Parkman while Claire turned her back to it. Both received their share of impaling objects but none of them hit the sweet spot so they continued to stand. Dust misted the area already starting to settle, Nathan looked through squinted eye lids to see his younger brother pull the last piece of sharp glass out of his abdomen while his daughter pulled out a metal rod from her back that had once belonged to the door as a handle bar.

Two figures walked into the now large door frame, both women and both blonde. The one on the left was the taller one with her hair going straight down her face and reaching down behind her back. The other one was short by half a foot and wore her dirty blonde hair back which was curled near the end, they both wore the same matching outfits; black slacks and button down shirts with mid thigh long coats made of a soft fabric.

The dust gave away to show their faces and Nathan's jaw hung. "Meredith?!"

Meredith Gordon returned the bewildered look back at him. "Nathan?!"

"Mom," said Claire recognizing her birth mother when she saw her face. "Is that you?"

"Claire?" returned Meredith.

"Nathan!" said Nikki, the woman beside Meredith.

"Nikki!"

"Nikki?" questioned Claire.

"You!" shouted Parkman leveling his weapon at Nikki.

"What the hell?" said Peter, confused by the current situation. God, I need a damn score card to keep up with everything.

Meredith turned to Nikki. "You know Nathan." Nikki didn't bother to answer as she looked at Meredith. "So much for variety."

Nathan ignored the sarcastic comment and stuck to situation at hand. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're here for someone," said Nikki as she started to walk in, Parkman shouted at her to stop as she did.

"You're under arrest, lady."

Nikki looked at him in tired annoyance. "Don't tell me you're still upset about me throwing you out the window."

"!!!"

Everyone's head snapped to the direction on the propped open stairwell where the bloodcurdling scream originated from. All of their blood went cold as ice.

"What was that?" asked Claire.

"Someone else must have gotten to Bennett first," answered Peter. "We've got to get up their now."

"Hold on," yelled Meredith. "If anyone is going to leave here with Bennett it's going to be us."

"What? You're here for him too?" said Nathan.

"Nathan, we need him," said Nikki. "He's important to us."

"Important to whom?"

"We can't tell you," answered Meredith. "Just let us through and we'll be out of your hair."

"Screw this," said Peter growing impatient with the chatter going on. He walked a few feet before a thick, line of fire six feet high cut him off at the pass.

Meredith held out her arm, fingers spread eagled, and presently on fire though she seemed not to pay any attention. "I told you were leaving with him and that's final." She threw out her other arm and a line of fire shot out of her palm, incasing the group in a ring of fire cutting them off in any attempt of continuing or retreating. They shielded there faces from the bright flames and the burning tongues of red, orange, and yellow.

Nikki yelled out in protest. "Don't do this, Meredith, this isn't right."

"Not now Nikki."

"You're going to kill them. "

"I have it under control. Go ahead and get Bennett." Nikki hesitated at the order she was given but did what she was told, going around the firewall giving the briefest of glances to Nathan before setting out for the stairwell.

The group surrounded by the fire began to cough from the smoke coming off the carpeted floor. Parkman tried to level his weapon at the firestarter but couldn't keep his focus on her. It was then that the fire grew hotter that Peter felt the flames come forth from his own hands. At first he thought that he had caught on fire himself, getting to close to the burning wall in front of him, but he didn't feel any pain. I…I've taken her power. Peter extended his hand like Meredith had and command the fire to vanish, obeying his wished the fire pulled back like a curtain, giving them a way out. As they rushed out of the fire trap, Meredith looked puzzled at Peter's new ability to control the fire she had produced.

"What? How did you…?"

"Peter planted his feet to the ground facing the Firestarter's glare; his hands alight with one of nature's most dangerous weapons. "You guys go and get Bennett, I'll stay here and cover you."

Nathan started to say something but was cut off. "GO!"

Claire pulled at Nathan's arm coaxing him along, which he did eventually, but not before he took one last look in Meredith's direction. She did not return the look.

Noah Bennett raced down the steel stairs toward the bottom floor where they left the front door unlocked, his brown trench coat flapping behind him as he hurried down in a manner that showed he's been in this type of situation before. He didn't let the fear and panic take him over, years of training and life-and-death situations aloud him to keep his head, but he would've been lying if he wasn't scared to hell by what was coming after him. He risked a look up the stairwell to see if he was being fallowed, still moving down the stairs as he did, not see the tall blonde that had come up the stairs and was presently in front of him. Bennett walked into her before he knew she was there. He fell back feeling like he had hit a brick wall, but Nikki caught him by the gruff of his coat before he landed on the steel steps.

Hauling him up, she raised him off the ground, showing Bennett her incredible strength. "Mr. Noah Bennett , I presume."

"Freeze right there," wheezed Parkman training his gun on the back of her head, breathing hard from the run up the numerous steps. I've got to get into better shape, he thought to himself.

"Dad!" called out Claire as she came to Matt's side.

"Claire!" said Noah, overjoyed to see his beautiful girl again, but came to remember the current situation at hand. "Claire, listen to me honey, you have to get your friends and get out of here. All of you…" He turned his glaze to Matt first, calling upon their past partnership in his look, and then to Nikki in a show mercy as to spare her from what might happen. "Right now!"

"Put him down Nikki. Now!" ordered Matt. Nathan came up from behind Parkman looking over the current condition of things.

"What are you talking about?" asked Claire going on as if Matt and Nikki weren't even in the same universe let alone the same room.

"He's coming for me," said Noah looking up the stairwell. He was getting nervous now, wasting too much time talking meant that He could get that much closer. "Please, believe me. We're all in danger."

Nathan called out to Nikki. "Nikki, please. Let him down."

She looked over her shoulder at his eyes and slowly let Bennett down. Being the leader he was Nathan took control. "What's going on, Bennett?"

"There's no time to explain, we have to go."

CLANG-THUMP!

They looked up at the sound of heavy footsteps on metal. "It's Him. We have to get down to the first floor." In response to his demand, a jet of fire blasted through the bottom part of the stairwell sending tremors and invisible thermal vapors up the building's shaft. They looked down to see the first floor's stairs slagged into super heated remains, melted beyond recognition or use and too hot to get even close.

"Well, their goes that idea," said Parkman.

The footsteps above them started again. CLANG-THUMP. CLANG-THUMP.

"There's a fire escape on the side of the building. Get to the next floor down and I'll lead you to it."

They hesitated, trading looks to one another, even Claire. Nathan came up with the solution. "Parkman."

Matt Parkman focused his eye on the Man with the Horn Rimed Glasses, using his ability to read minds to get the truth, even if he had to rip it out of his brain. Oddly enough though, Bennett didn't put up any resistance. Sure he had left some things block out from Matt probing, okay a lot of things, but he wasn't holding anything back about Him.

Parkman came back in an instant from the information transfer. "He's telling the truth, we have to leave!"

Hearing the urgency in Matt's voice was the more convincing than the words he had said, Nathan called for Bennett to come forth. "You're on point, Nikki you're with me, Parkman take the rear and watch our backs."

They followed the orders they were given, Claire went with he adoptive father as he raced down to the entrance to the next floor down, Nathan felt the sting of it but thought it best at the moment, he needed answers. "What's going on here, Nikki…?" Another blast shook the building from down below drowning out the noise coming from above for only a few moments. "And what's with Meredith, the Amazing Zippo Woman, attacking my brother?"

"I'm here for Bennett. Meredith is with a group that wants to stop the Company. " She faltered to go any further at first. "They helped me, and I owe them for everything they've done for me."

"Dammit Nikki, when are you going to stop letting people use you," stated Nathan.

They walked through the doorway that was missing a door, Bennett lead them to the left side. This room was more along than the first floor had been, two by four skeletons outlined where the new walls would be, some even had the dry walls up already. They kicked up dust and plaster as they hurried through the maze. "You don't understand I wouldn't be here if they didn't help me."

"And they wouldn't have helped you if they didn't want to use you for something." Nikki tried to get rid of his words, they weren't like that. Where they?

"Here," cried out Noah as he rounded the dry walled corner to a wide space that stretched out the length of the side wall. Eight foot windows showed the neighboring stone building that was only visible when the lighting striped the sky. "No, oh no, no, no!" Bennett looked at the window that would lead them to the fire escape outside blocked by all types of carpenters tools and construction materials, apparently deeming this free area the perfect place to house their stuff for the nigh right in front of the window. He cursed that the turn of lucky against them. He started to throw and shove the, helped by his daughter, Nikki caught up to them, not stopping as she assessed the situation, going to the heavy workbench that would have been difficult for one grown man to move by himself. She placed a hand underneath the table and flung it out of the way crash back down to the floor in a symphony of metal clashing and tools breaking violently. They were at the finish line but it was too late, Parkman started picking up static in his head.

"Hurry, we're almost…" A brilliant white light stopped Bennett in mid sentence, more accurately the long silhouetted shadow that was cast on the side of the wall facing the street. Bennett turned around wildly, his heart skipping a beat when the thunder rumbled the windows. A man stood in front of the last windows on back side of the building; although the lighting still flickered, the front of his body remained cloaked in shadow. One by one each member of the group saw Bennett's fixed stare and turned to see what had froze him in place, his face contorted in fear. The man wore a longcoat of shinned leather that reflected the light from the storm, his features were undistinguishable but they could tell he was wearing shades over his eyes due to the unknown source of glowing red-yellow light come from behind them. But the most upsetting feature was not the light that seemed to be coming from his eyes, scary as it was nonetheless, it was the tendrils of electricity sprouting out from his fingertips resembling the lighting above their heads. For what seemed like an eternity, no one moved and the group of reluctant heroes barely breathed. Nathan's mind flashed back to the painting Peter had painted. It's him.

It was Matt that finally gained the courage to speak to the man at the end of the building. "It's you, isn't it? You're the one that was at the hospital that night."

Nathan blinked. "You mean the hospital I was in?"

Parkman didn't answer Nathan and didn't take his eyes off of the man in front of him. "What do you want?"

The Man with the Glowing Eyes didn't voice his answer, only raised his electrified hand and pointing at Noah Bennett. The miniature thunderbolts seemed to extend out further as he did this, looking like they longed to have him in their nasty, dangerous, little fingers.

The group seemed to part as they looked back at Bennett, he continued to stare, trying not to look as horrified as he was and doing it half way. "Well you can't have him," said Nikki turning her body to their new adversary defiantly, planting her feet on the carpet as if it was rooted to it. She was the wall in between Bennett and the Man. He lowered his arms slowly and began to walk to her, his coat flowing calmly behind him in his determined confident walk. He came into reach of Nikki's hands before he was stopped by the same said hands, which griped their vice-like hold on his clothing. He never protested or tried to stop her, not even when she tossed him straight back through the window behind him. Glasses shattered falling with the Man out of sight, Nikki looked to Bennett. "That's who you were so worried about?" She shook her head in disappointment.

"What is it with you and throwing people out of windows?" said Matt. Nikki shrugged her shoulders.

"Ah…, Nikki!" said Nathan shock in his voice, eyes wide in amazement. Nikki looked back to the window to see the Man with the Glowing Eyes hover a half foot off the floor by what could only be described as raw unbridled heat coming from half way down his shins to the floor, propelling him in the air. Like a rocket engine ready to take off into space but never getting to full power. The Man's coat billowed back from the back draft of the silent thrust that scorched the nice carpet and caused all their olfactory senses discomfort. The Man with the Glowing Eyes landed gently on the floor and resumed his walk to Noah Bennett.

"Okay so you want some more," said Nikki as she walked even faster to the Man. "Fine by me." She was out to bring pain but the Man didn't waver. She came at him with a punch that would have put a hole the size of her fist in a column of concrete, quickly he dodge under the swing and came up to her body, fist balled to deliver a shot right to the sweet spot just under the rib cage right in the middle, which would have knocked the wind out of the lungs of a normal person. He wasn't normal. The punch never connected; instead a blast of clear force rippled through the air from his fist with a strength that would have rivaled Nikki's shot her back, something he would never had been able to pull off on his own. Nikki went soaring back, like the table she had tossed earlier; in fact she crashed onto the very same table. Life is not without its ironies. The Man with the Glowing Eyes stood back up to full height and continued onward, Matt leveled his gun at the Man, hoping that the gun in his hands would be enough.

"Freeze, buddy!" The Man didn't. "Last warning!" Matt took a few steps back to give him a chance. He didn't take it. Detective Parkman pulled the trigger firing one bullet to the Man's leg. It came three feet from striking him and dropped straight to the floor without bouncing. Parkman backed up some more and fired two more shots, aiming at the Man's head. The same thing happened, the two bullets ended up unscathed on the floor pointed towards him. Parkman tried for one more, but He grew annoyed by the constant shooting and Parkman's gun exploded in his hand. The in chamber combustion shot mostly upward from his firearm but was all the same hurting from the burns. The Man with the Glowing Eyes finished him off with a stray bolt of electricity from his left hand, merely rendering him out off the game as the electric tendrils crawled over his body instead of sending him back through the air.

"Parkman!" screamed Nathan. He had been pushing back Claire and Bennett from the Man, both fathers shielding their daughter with their bodies, but at the sight of his friend and unofficial guardsman downed probably dead, enraged him to action. Taking flight and charging the figure in his sight he cleared the distance between them fast enough. His fist out ready to ram Him out of the building and into the sky dropping him off in the upper atmosphere, hoping he could only hover, not fly. Nathan never got that far as another ripple of clear force was unleashed in his direction, throwing off his flight and directing him into the unfinished walls.

"Claire, get out of here!" commanded Noah as a father having concern for his daughter's safety. She was scared, which was saying much from a girl who could heal from anything, but she stood by her dad.

"I'm not leaving you," shot back. The Man with the Glowing Eyes' head snapped from the wreckage that Nathan's rough landing had caused to his target. Lightning shined from multiple sides distorting the shadows across the front his body and face, giving an even more eerie look, but what Claire saw of the Man's face was a disturbed calm.

"Leave my daughter alone, you son of a bitch," yelled Bennett at the devil that had finally came for him. "She has nothing to do with this, it's me you want. Not her." The Man's steps had slowed as he came closer Bennett saw an electrified hand come up in front of them.

"Where?" said The Man with the Glowing Eyes in a low voice.

Noah didn't speak at first; he didn't understand the question till it clicked in his head. "I don't know where."

"LAIR!" The Man's hand flared with his angered yell.

"I. Don't. Know."

Unnoticed by the two men, Claire secretly held a metal crowbar behind her back, the one she took while shifting the pile of tools out of the way of the window. If this was her time she had to act while he was distracted. She only hoped that she could bounce back from what he was going to do to her if this didn't work, but she had to do something to save probably the only father she had left. With all her courage and strength she revealed the crowbar and came down from above with it. He caught it in his hand like it was nothing, like he knew she was going to do it all along. Claire let go of the bar in shock. Taking advantage of his daughter's attack Bennett came at the Man with his own, thrusting his body forward, connecting with Him. Bennett took Him back a few steps before stopping, His free hand going to Bennett's shoulder line dispensing a mild electro shock into his body, making him collapse to the floor in agony but conscious.

He threw the bar away as he flipped Bennett to his back, facing upright, Claire was out of options, and her father's life was in the hands of this… monster.

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" screamed Claire rushing Him, trying to land a good punch, not caring about what might happen anymore. The Man with the Glowing Eyes took hold of the forearm of her swinging arm and brought her close enough to hear his angered words. "Do not VEX me girl" throwing her to the side. He turned back to Bennett who was under his boot print whispering weakly "I don't know, I don't know."

"Then your going to lead me to those who do," said the Man with the Glowing Eyes clasping a hand down on his collar raising Bennett's torso up against his leg. Claire watched as her adopted father and his attacker were incased by a bright surging energy that lit the whole area. If He had been facing her, Claire would have clearly seen the Man's face by the light his body was giving off. He raised a closed hand up to the ceiling as he shot a beam of the same surging energy upward through the higher floors. When he stopped, Claire could she the edges burnt, aglow with embers. The Man with the Glowing Eyes began to rise up into the air with Bennett in tow as rain the started to pour down the burned hole. There was nothing that Claire or any of the others could've done to stop him.

…To be continued.

Chapter 4

"New faces"

James Stone

Northern area, California

Grapping his jean jacket from the coat rack, James placed his had on the doorknob barely twisting it before he heard him.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" said James father. James looked over his shoulder to find his dad hold his favorite brand of beer in the usual hand he always had it in. He swore sometimes that the damn thing was glued to it and he refilled it when it was empty. The shaggy hair and the five o'clock shadow was also a common feature on him as well as the flannel shirt half unbutton from his collar to mid torso, hinting that he had woken from his all day nap to come harass his son.

"I'm going out with Steve. Sorry I woke you." More than sorry, he thought.

"When where you going to tell me?" said his father in a disapproving tone that James heard so many times before.

"You were asleep. I didn't want to wake you up." His past memory of the first time he did wake him the came to mind, remembering the thunderous yelling that his father had done at the end of which was told never to wake him again for something so unimportant, his father scared him so bad that day. He was only a kid, but that was his dad, contradicting himself constantly whenever it suited him best, which was usually when he wanted to yell at James.

"Well that's what I'd expect from an inconsiderate, ungrateful, useless, little person like you. You're generation is so selfish you don't stop and think to consider other people."

"Yeah dad, we're so heartless," said James sarcastically.

"Don't you take that tone with me boy!" yelled his dad. Somewhere inside of James the little boy he once was cowered, cringing in the corner at the sound of that voice. But it wasn't him anymore, he had learned to bury that part of him away deep down inside so as not to show he was still afraid. He had never laid a hand on James but he didn't need to and in a way, it was worse. Never knowing when he might lose it enough to go that far, never getting used to it, never building a resistance to the punches and kicks to the ribs. Even though he was a senor in high school, eighteen and health James never thought once that he could fight him off. Logging had given his father all the strength he needed to level anything and anyone, and the constant presence of booze in his system dampened him from felling pain.

James ignored his father's ranting as he opened the door and walked out, because of fear or announce it wasn't sure. Steve waited for him out front, his curly dark brown hair waving gently in the breeze as he wore a face of question.

James knew what he was asking but didn't other to take the time to elaborate. "Just go," said James tiredly.

James' father opened the door to see his son and friend walk away from the house, yelling a series of curses and spiteful words, but he didn't bother to follow his son and bring him back, it would be too much of an effort for a wasted cause.

"Another bad day for your dad?" said Steve reciting the words his friend has said so many times in defending his father. They walked along the sidewalk blocks away from James house, heading to their favorite spot. "Seriously, how do you put up with that crap? If it was me I would have gotten emancipated from the bum and moved out long ago."

"And leave him just like my mom left us," said James. "Yeah, I don't like the guy but he is my father, I can't leave family. He didn't leave me."

"He's the model father alright," said Steve. He stopped suddenly placing his arm on James making him stop in the middle of the sidewalk with him. "Look, its time you severed your ties, man. You don't owe the guy enough for what he's put you through."

James shook his head. "Few more months and I won't have to worry about deal with him. Ever."

They continued walking down the concrete pathway. "Man you must be made of some world class stuff." Steve put his arm over his best friend's shoulder. "Not only are you a better man than you're BOTH your parents, you can take that crap from him without batting an eye. How do you do it?"

James half shrugged his shoulders in jest to get his friends arms of his shoulders, and half, because he didn't know the answer the question. "I don't let it get to me. I just… shield myself from it is all."

Steve turned around, walking backwards as he faced James. "That's one might "shield" you have then my friend."

Unnoticed by him he was walking off of the sidewalk into the street crossing, unnoticed by both of them was the 4X4 truck coming down the street, its driver currently wiping up the mess of coffee, that spilled over from the last big pot hole he hit, off his new seat covers. Both were not paying attention to were they were going, as the truck came closer and closer to a head on with the much more fragile human Steve. James saw the on coming car and screamed for Steve to get out of the way, but he responded to slowly, turning to watch the truck and then shifting his head back to his friend with a look that said it all, I am going to die.

Without thinking James shot forward with the heightened speed that accompanies an adrenaline rush in moments of excitement or terror, fueling his fight-or-flight instincts. But it wasn't flight that was overtaking him, urging him to take his friend out of harm's way and out of death's cold embrace. No, it was the opposite instinct to fight that took him. Pushing his friend out of the way he planted his feet bracing himself to take the truck head on in a courageously stupid act of bravery. By then his brain processed what would happen next and it wasn't going to be pretty. The last few moments before the truck would hit him James raised his arms against his body as a reflex to guard him as he clamped his eyes shut tight. One was a futile gesture, the other wasn't. He heard the crash of truck hitting, metal crunching and shattering. Funny, he thought, not what I'd thought I'd hear. Or feel? He opened hiseyes wondering if he was alive or dead, he felt alive, but who knows what you feel when you're dead. He saw the houses to his right the trees surrounding moved gently in the breeze, oblivious to everything around them, he looked down at his friend resting his butt on the pavement arms behind him for support as he stares dumbfounded. James eventually turns to see the truck that was in front of him seconds ago. It was still there though not in its original form, the front end was smashed in half way parts and pieces scattered all over, but amazement that took everyone was the thing in between James and the truck. A "wall" of some kind had appeared at the last second, barely visible to the naked eye, the only thing that you saw was what appeared to be vapors moving and shifting where the wall was present, it reminded James of the same vapors of heat that came off the grill, or a large fire, escaping to the sky. It was dug into the ground at his feet in a downward incline that had started a foot away, and the far sides of the truck had peered over the edges of the wall since they had nothing to stop them.

James face matched his friend as he looked at the wreckage, lowering his forearms to his side the wall simmered away, the vapors disbursed to the nothing they had come from, the truck creaked forward a little making James jump back in a start. Freeing him from his frozen state of bewilderment, James went for his downed friend, pulled him up to his feet, and ran away.

Alex Callaway

Northern area, California

She sat at the table by herself in the crowded, noisy, club. His sat on her stool hunched over starling at the drink in front of her untouched, hands buried in her lap. Straight blond hair covered the majority of her face from any on-lookers, which was usually how she wore it. She sat there wondering what she was doing here at this place, it was for the sociable people and she wasn't one of them, she never was. So why did I come? This is a totally ridiculous idea, I'm going crazy. Alexdared to look up at the people around her talking with there friends, enjoying the company of companions who where share their experiences of live with them. She longed for that.

Snide laughter came from behind her; Alex knew who it was instantly.

Most of all she longed for the owner of that voice to tie stones to her feet and go jump in a deep, DEEP, body of water. The Barn was a popular hangout for the under aged crowed as it was always a possibility that she would be here. Holly Perkins, the most popular girl in school, with her two lackeys right behind her at each side. Tara and Mara Felly where sisters and twins and as nasty as they come with a pretty pink bow on top and shinny smiles to make the world think of them no evil.

"Well, well, look what we have here, the little wallflower is out of her shell," said Holly as she came around to face Alex from across the table, leaning forward her arms outstretched supporting her body.

"Call 'Ripley's'," said one of the twins.

"They wouldn't bother with her, even they have standards," responded Holly.

"Go away," said Alex softy, barely audible over the background noise.

"What! She speaks!" Holly stood up and placed a hand over her sternum, mimicking the gesture of someone losing their breath. "And with an insolent tongue to go with it." Another thing that Alex hated about Holly, not only was she an ass wrapped in pretty, she was smart too. The Gods were being cruel when they made her.

The ounce of courage left her, turning her head away as Holly leaned in again. "I'd watch it if I where you, before you give me reason to squash you, bug."

"Where talking about total 'Splat-tage'," said the other twin in her valley girl accent. Holly rolled her eyes at the made up word her stooge used and turned around, talking about the proper usage of the English language under her breath. Alex watched them as they left, her eyes locked onto the back of her head, filled with a fire that has been burning for years. She had come here to experiment and Holly had just volunteered herself. Alex focused her will at Holly until nothing else registered; the inner squabbling between the two girls grew louder as Holly became angrier. Her voice rose to shouts to the point that everyone was soon watching her verbally attacking her friend, who backed away to the spectators surrounding Holly. She barely noticed them as her anger grew, ranting about anything and everything that was making her uncontrollably mad at that moment. Alex's head began to shake as she continued to stare at Holly.

Holly in her fit of madness, decided that the Barn was too much of an eye sore and whipped out a Zippo lighter and went to the closest window as she pushed her way past the confused on lookers. Lighting the curtain a blaze set off a choir of screens and gasps as the bravest tried to put out the fire, but they failed to stop the Source, who had already set a couch on fire and got a hold of some alcohol cleaner, dousing anything see could and holding the flame to the flammable liquid. The fires soon got out of control as the crowd's worries, surprise, and awe turned to fear and panic. The gasps turned to screams, awaking Alex from her trance taking in the chaos that had erupted in the time she was away. Her experiment worked but it was the farthest think from her mind at the moment.

"Oh my God, what did I do?"

Steven Moore

Northern area, California

Minutes before the fire

Steve and James run through the side door breathing heavily. Steve closes the door behind him as James goes to the nearest table and leans on it in exhaustion, his head hidden in the folds of his arms. Steve slides down the iron door his back to the cold soothing metal. If anyone noticed them they did nothing to make it known, they're gasping breath and racing heart beat from the flat run over to the Barn kept them quiet.

Steve was the first to catch his breath and ask the question they were both thinking. "What the hell happened back there?"

James came up from hiding in his arms. "I… (gasp) don't know."

Steve reached for the crossbar on the door to help him to his feet, walking over to his friend. "You didn't know that was going to happened, did you?" He asked the question more like a statement of confirmation.

"No!" said James.

Steve looked into the distance for a few seconds. "If that thing hadn't appeared, you would've died. Saving me."

James looked up to his friend. Steve grinned back at him. "Thanks."

James nodded. "You take the next one." They both chuckled over the thought of a next time.

"You should have seen it, man. The truck was completely totaled."

James stood you, feeling strength returning back to his body. "I just hope the guy doesn't report us."

"And say what? That some invisible wall came out of nowhere and saved the live of some kid who would've been flatten' if it didn't? Come on."

"I guess," said James, unsure of his friend's optimistic certainty.

"Come on, I owe a drink at least," said Steve slapping his friends back. James didn't put up the usual argument.

As the walked to the counter, they notice the crowd forming to there left. "What the hell's going on over there?" said Steve. They where half way when they saw flames shoot up on one of the drapes, then another, then the couch in that area was ablaze. The crowd panicked as Steve craned his head to see who was causing the arson and saw it was the resident "preppy" Holly! She was starting the fires?! Steve couldn't rap his head around it; she had always been a pain in the ass but starting fires?

The crowd grew more hectic as the fires grew reaching to the rafters in seconds, soon the majority of the wall was painted in flames as it stretched out where Holly had poured out cleaner, causing the on lookers to be cut off, some where in groups that were cut off from exits. They choked and coughed as some of the working adults tried to get to them, then when they couldn't started yelling instructions. People brushed past them in a hurry to get out of the every growing death trap of flames, falling wood, and heat. Steve watched as one girl fell into James, catching her he lifted her upright and saw that she was crying, "It's my fault!"

"James we've got to get out of here!' yelled Steve over the noise of the burning barn.

"Those people…" A beam fell from the top rafters. "…We can't leave them!"

"What can we do?!"

Before the answer came, the creaking noise of a beam right over their heads exploded into a sound of breaking wood and came down on top of them. Like before, instinct took over James, raising his arm again to block himself from the falling debris, and as before the nearly invisible shield appeared before him in a form of a disk. The smaller pieces deflected and pounced off the barrier that guarded James but the bigger ones caused his legs to buckle and toss him back to the crying girl's feet. Steve wasn't going to be saved by his friend this time. The falling wood was coming too fast and the shield and its owner were already to far away to give him protection. Steve watched the burning columns come closer and closer to crushing his skull, his eyes grew as the fear took over, and every cell of his body cried out for him to move but the fear had its hold on him, preventing him from moving. His mind screamed as the beams drew closer; Move! Move! Move! MOVE! At that last second, close to his death than the truck had been, his body decided to move for him. Steel coils in his legs contracted, muscles tensed, reading him for what was to come. The coils released and Steve went backwards with a grace and swiftness that would put the greatest gymnast to shame and rival any human feat of agility and speed. He went back, coming so close to the burning wood that he could feel the heat coming off them.

A flip in the air brought his feet back down to land on the second floor railing, legs bowing as they absorbed the impact of the landing.

Steve blinked his eyes and looked down to his body resting on the wood under his feet. "How 'Spider-Man' was that!" Steve yelled triumphantly, shocked and awed at what he had done.

Both the girl and James looked up, amazed at the feat that his friend just accomplished. "Steve!" James came to his feet with the help of the girl at his side. He heard the cries of the few people still trapped inside, unable to escape. "Can you get to those peoples?"

Steve turned his focus to them. "I think I can." I hope I can. "You two get out already."

"I'm not leaving," yelled James.

Steve ignored his friend as he looked around for something to help with the fire. An extinguisher rested on the support beam that had been worked into the railing to his right. He grabbed it and turned back to his friend. "Go!"

James hesitated, turning to the door that they had both come in from to his friend. With a grunted yell he went against his nature and took the girl by his side. Small pieces of blackened wood laid stretched across the path but James didn't stop or slow down. Raising his forearm, he charged forward, as the shield came back to keep him from harm. The wood splintered as he through to the door, the girl right behind him.

Watching his friend get clear, Steve pulled the pin in the fire extinguisher and leaped to the spot where the trapped laid on the floor to escape the smoke, waiting for help. A hump on the wooden floor vibrated through the planks, alerting them to his sudden presence. "Get ready to move!" he ordered to the group. The large metal can in his hand that held the chemicals to stop fire felt light in his hands, as he aimed the can like a gun. The pathway that James had used was blocked by too much debris to get back out, so he had to make his own. Finger closing down on the trigger the chemicals erupted in a controlled blast that choked the fire in front of him.

"Stay close," he yelled and moved forward spraying where the fire would block him, the path turning where it could, sometimes moving the cooling debris that could out of their way. Long seconds later they arrived at the exit, one of the few remaining windows, though not for long when Steve broke through it with the extinguisher, the way to the outside was clear. Steve enter locked his fingers to give the others a boost out of the high window and motioned them one at a time give them a heave up with his new found strength. Thud after thud the group were thrown over till he was the only one left, readying himself was a second too long for the beams gave away again causing the whole floor above to come down. Steve tried to jump clear but was pinned at the floor's edge, immobilized under burning timber, the intense heat zapping the strength out of him, smoking filling his lungs despite his closeness to the floor making him cough repeatedly, his body protesting the substance entering his system wanting only the southing cool oxygen from outside. Its demands unmet, the body retaliated, shut Steve down inside the raging inferno.

Lone Wolf

Northern area, California

Minutes during the fire

The dream began again, like the nights before it was always the same. He was running, through the forests, over the streams, bounding from rock to larger rock. Never tiring, never stopping, the flora rushing past him in a blur as he ran faster and faster, he never knew why, was he running from something or running to something. He had know idea, never remembering the beginning or the ending just the running. But something was different in this dream, the smells were all the same, the pines and the maples, the marking of others distinguishing their territories, the smell of the water from the river near by, the new sent was something that meant only danger to him. The smell of the Burning. It was fresh in the air and growing stronger. Instinct reached from his mind to his bones, wanting him to run from the danger, it was the bigger beast than him, and it would consume him like his kind did to smaller runners. But it wasn't instinct that made him go toward the scent to run to the Burning. A hurried run the smell in the air brought him to the edge of forest and into their territory. The animals with their different furs that walked on their hind legs, they were moving around a great burning like wounded animals, frantic and tired, and making noises that drew attention to their selves. He watched them carefully knowing what they were capable of and how dangerous they were, they used the Burning and could use it to attack him if they saw him.

A sound came from the other way; more of them jump out of their cave, watching and helping their pack. Then there came a greater noise inside the cave and the animals jumped back and made more noise at the Burning. Others came, one tried to go in, he looked on in confusion at way that animal wanted to go to there. He circled around to the back keeping his distance from the growing numbers, it was then that he heard it, a sound inside, another animal was crying out wanting to be free. The others couldn't hear him, couldn't help them get out, but he could. Instinct reached out again trying to stop him but he pressed on, through the small hole into the cave. Moving along the paths, the Burning reached out for him catching on his fur, he couldn't smell in hear as well but he was able to hear the cries. He came to the animal seeing his legs trapped under wood he watched the animal move back but then slowly reach out with one of its paws. He caught his scent and smelled his fear, but not because of him. He went down further the animals paw and put this jaw around its fur lightly, pulling the animal with all he had. The animal itself wasn't strong but he tried as well, but it was no use, the wood wouldn't release him. He needed to move it he needed his arms strong, He needed to be as strong as the black animal was inside his head. He began feel it the strength of that body came through him as his fur changed, darkening, his arms getting longer as did his legs, body too. He was on two legs now but still leaned on his front ones, which were claws, now replaced with fingers, black and thick. His body grew out with more muscle but not as much fur, his snout came closer opening up more as the top and bottom grew out. His eyes went dimmer not seeing as much, smells were harder to smell but in this place it was better. He looked down at the other animal seeing his eye wide, no cries came from him, reaching down with his new powerful arms wrapping around the log it was no longer a problem to move off the trapped animal. Cleared from the wood the animal didn't run, he turned his head, grunting and poking at the animal to get him going but still won't move. The Burning was growing, they didn't have much time, so picking up the animal was the only thing he could do. Resting him over his larger shoulder, the animal squirmed and barked but he had his chance.

He went back through the same path that he entered, moving on his three legs while holding the animal with his other arm. He knocked away the Burning that block his way with a triumphant roar and getting through the small hole by making a bigger one. Out of the cave he ran, getting clear of the Burning and the other animals, getting to save ground, but after a few moments he grew tired breathing heavily. He came to a stop at a clearing. Putting the animal he had down he went to rest in front of a large tree, exhausted and dreary, the blackness came from around him. A sign that the dream was ending is eyes closed falling in to sleep.

Sounds came first as he woke, voices talking softly in the distance, then the swirls of light and color after that. Burry vision came with the slow movement of a long sleep gone, wiping it from his eyes he began to wake up and noticed that he was sitting down. He also started to feel cold, scratching his chest he could feel flesh on flesh, looking down he saw the reason for the sudden case of chills; he wasn't wearing clothes. The knowledge of this brought his brain to full alert covering his nudity with his long arms as fast as he could. He franticly looked around at his settings, noticing the surrounding forest and lands but not recognizing them, but the greater shock came from the voices that he heard, saying that he changed, saved the owner of the voice that was speaking. Then another voice spoke, a girl's voice, talked over them.

"Guys, the gorilla's awake," said the girl with the long blond hair. "And he's turned into a guy."

Northern area, California

Sheriff's County station house

The bell above the wooden door to the station chimed as the man walked in, the secretary looked up from her paperwork to take a look, he was a slim man who looked like he didn't have an ounce of fat anywhere on his body, high cheek bones and a angular jaw line made his face a very attractive one, top that off with the bleach bond hair and the bright blue eyes made him 100%, A-Grade, piece of man. She took a quick look in the picture frame's reflection on her desk, making sure she didn't have anything on her face trying to smooth out the lines on her face. 38 years of living had not been kind to her. Less than satisfied she fixed her hair and addressed the young man getting up to face him eye to eye.

"Can I help you, sir?" A hint of flirting in her voice.

"Yes," he said with a smile, teeth perfectly straight, she swooned in her head. The man pulled a badge out of the inside pocket of his black trench coat showing it to the secretary and quickly put it back. "I need to talk to the chief. We've gotten reports of a strange incident here in town and I'm here to investigate."

"And what agency are you from, exactly?"

"Actually, it's more of a Company."

To be continued…

Chapter 5

"The Monster you made"

Peter Patrelli & Meredith Gordon

Downtown New York

Blast, after fiery blast, shoots past Peter's head, barely missing. He countered with his own barrage of fire which was block by the blonde's own fire powers. It had been the same since the fight started, the ability being the same as the woman's he had absorbed it from, made it a stalemate. Each attack either dodged or absorbed by the other, damaging the landscape more than their opponents, they had already cut off the others escape with their destructive, yet stagnant battle. Peter knew this wasn't going to stop until someone, or both, collapsed from simple exhaustion and the others needed him more, he had to end this fight now. A blast at his feet from his enemy knocked Peter onto his back, dazing his vision briefly with sparkling stars, leaving him vulnerable to attack. Meredith, the Firestarter, showed her superiority over Peter with a triumphant cheer, taking the moment to relish in the fact that the kid might have taken her power but didn't know how to use it, and that lack of knowledge would make him the loser. Peter, his disoriented state clearing, saw the fire woman coming closer to finish the job; it was then that he saw the object that would save his life. Igniting his hand to living flames, Peter took aim and fired a blast of searing heat at Meredith's head, to which she easily avoided whishing past her.

Meredith gave a wide grin to her toppled foe. "You need to work on your aim, kid." An outstretched hand point to Peter's head, her hand igniting as his had.

"Who says I was aiming for you?" responded Peter in kind, his grin growing even bigger than Meredith's

"Wha.." she started as she turned to see were his shot had hit, an charred scorch mark haloed one of the overhead sprinklers causing the fire alarm to sound and the cascade of saved water for fires to come rushing out to drench it. With the water going Meredith's hand, once lit, was extinguished leaving her powerless.

Cries of disbelieve and curses of the knowledge of defeat rattled from her mouth, the only weapons she had left. Peter stood up in a defiant stance. "Aww, you're powers not working in this? Funny…" chunks of rubble at his feet were lifted from the ground by some unseen hand and left to hover beside him. "…Mine do."

"Aw, $#!^" she responded and darted to the opening she had created earlier. Rubble shooting through the air missing her by inches with a sound of shattered rock encouraged her more to speed up the process. He looked up at the sprinklers, if the cops weren't on their way, they will be now. I have to get everyone out of her before they come. Peter ran to the ruined staircase taking a fraction of a second to observe the melted metal before he lifted himself up to a part of the stairwell that was stable and took the rest of the way on foot, going from door to door calling out for his friends. A body thrust itself at Peter from beyond the doorway, with seconds to react to the impact of the two bodies; Peter gained his footing twisting his torso so the unknown person attacking was on the floor with him on top of him. His hand aflame ready to finish off his new adversary, but as his bodily source of light illuminated the man below him seeing the face of the trembling dark-skinned man, and wishing he didn't. The broad area where the Haitian's eyes were located had been severely burned, the skin chard black and smelling of blistered meat left on the grill far to long. His eyes were fused shut; Peter couldn't even see where his eyelids parted, it had all become one melted piece of flesh not that it would have matter for that much heat his eyes would be useless if even existent. The fume were still coming from his burned area as he tried to calm the Haitian as shock set in, body jerking violently as sweat beaded down his face getting tossed away with every movement.

Peter took his wet t-shirt off to act as a compress over the wound giving the Haitian some sort of comfort to easy the pain. "Who did this?' whispered Peter to the Haitian's ear "Who was it?"

The Haitian's teeth rattled inside his skull as the tremors grew making his rambling words uneasy to decipher. "Man… Dangerous, monster. He left mmmeeeee!" Peter noticed in his voice that the Haitian was in tears though none showed on his face. Or would ever again.

"WHO Haitian?" Peter asked again. "Who!?"

The Haitian seized him by the shoulders to bring him closer. "His eyes… Suns. His… Glowing… Eyes!"

Peter went rigid as the identity of the culprit was revealed to him. If the Haitian could see Peter at that moment he would see a face as pale as the grave.

"NATHAN!" he yelled as he left the Haitian behind. Rushing up the stairs checking every doorway for a sign of his brother and company, something anything that told him that is friends and family didn't whined up like the servant soldier of the Company he had left behind downstairs. It was the fourth door up from the Haitian that he found them, having to a double take when he almost past it, he saw the toppled wall separators and as he got closer the smell of something burning invaded his nostrils again. Coming to the large area to the left he saw the remains of the struggle, and by the look of the bodies on the floor, his side lost to the Man with the Glowing Eyes, I just pray they are alive. He rushed to the first person closest to him, Nikki, and felt for a pulse, as he did she began to stir at his touch.

"Nikki, can you get up?" said Peter.

A muddled reply came from her lips as she tried to shake the shining stars from her vision.

Peter looked around seeing Matt on the floor behind him and in the far corner was a frightened, shaking, Claire her legs drawn up to her body her eyes staring in the distance over her knees. "Go check on Matt real quick." She nodded and rose to her feet wobbling like a drunk on St Patties day, but she eventually got over to the fallen detective while Peter went to his terrified niece. Claire never acknowledged Peter coming up to her, if she even knew he was there at all until a calm strong hand was placed onto her shoulder, calming her mind in the way that only Peter could. Looking over at him she rushed into his arms all of emotion trapped within pouring out as the form of tears.

He held her till she stopped shaking in his grip, the tears running their course. "What happened?" he said looking into her bloodshot eyes.

"This guy… Came and, took my dad," said Clair. "He… We couldn't… Nothing stopped him. Then…" Clair pointed up to the ceiling where the burned out whole resided, the last of the embers fading out.

Peter turned his eyes back to Claire. "Where's Nathan? Did He take him?" Claire pointed to the row of separator walls that were doing their best impression of fallen dominos, Peter stood at the start of the pile looking at them intently. One by one the pseudo-walls flew off to the side revealing Nathan at the bottom. Claire and Peter went to Nathan's side each praying to themselves that he wasn't beyond saving.

A few light taps on the cheek brought him back from unconsciousness. "Peter?" questioned Nathan looking up at his grinning brother "CLAIRE!" he shouted rising straight up at the thought that Claire was danger.

"It's okay," said Claire, at his other side. "I'm right here." she said voice little shaky, despite her attempt to act strong in front of her biological father who had shown such courage when he threw himself at the… at Him.

"Parkman?" he called out. A hurting "Yeah" came from the other side of the area, out of sight. A couple of grunts and complaints later he was with them. "Everybody alright?"

Everyone stayed silent. "What happened, and who made that," said Peter pointing to the burn hole. "Did someone else come with Meredith?"

"No," answered Nikki. "He wasn't with us."

"It was him, Pete," said Nathan. "The man you painted the other day."

"The Man with the Glowing Eyes," said Matt quietly to no one.

"And he took you all out by himself?" said Peter.

"We were nothing to him," said Matt frustratingly. "He was… The power he had. We were out of our league. He countered all of us, bullets, our abilities…" Matt let the sentence drop and gave Peter a shiver up his spine. "It was like fighting Sylar back in the plaza." That got everyone's blood turning cold.

"Well that explains…" started Peter, then went straight and ran back down the way he came with everyone else trailing back behind him. They came to the Haitian laying at the opening to the staircase. Peter had gone to his side using what he could of his medical training to help the Haitian. "I found him like this," continued Peter. "We have to get him to a hospital."

"What?!" protested Matt. "This is the son of a bitch that kidnapped me and took three days of my life away. He messed with my head, making me forget what happened. As far as I concerned, he got off lucky."

"NO! He helped me once and I'm going to return the favor," said Peter.

Wailing sirens sounded in the distance, echoing off the concrete walls. "New York's finest are here, what do we do?" asked Nikki looking to Nathan for the answer.

He thought it over. "We're leaving."

"How exactly? I can't teleport all of you at once."

"You're taking them," Said Nathan motioning to Claire, Matt, and the badly burned Haitian. He grabbed hold of Nikki and brought her close to him looking her dead in her eyes. "She's coming with me."

'I'll me you back at my place," confirmed Peter taking hold of Parkman's arm and Clair's shoulder who inter took hold of the crippled Haitian, a blink in time and they where no longer in the spot they where a second ago.

"I don't get it how are we supposed to get away?" asked Nikki.

With a small grin Nathan took her under the hole in the ceiling. "Hold on tightly."

With a sudden thrust Nathan, along with Nikki, shot straight up into the atmosphere. Nikki almost lost here grip but regained holding even tighter to Nathan. "How…?"

Hiro

Top of the Deveaux building

Hiro clasped his eyes shut and was gone before the ninja could respond fast enough with his blade, reappearing next to his fallen blade and then reappearing with it at the ninja's throat.

The ninja chuckled carefully so as not to nick himself at the end of Hiro's blade. "Where are they, Kage?"

"Kill me, and you'll never see them again." The ninjas turned with Hiro circling around till his back was to the shadows, stepping back got him within arms length. Extending his left arm he pushed through the dark and pulled back. He drew whatever he had out slowly with some effort, giving way to a bulge coming out with his arm. The shadows tried to hold on to their prized but soon gave in to the ninja's demands, its tendrils shrinking thinner and thinner. A human head was revealed as the shadow retreated to the man's neck, a piece of cloth was tied around the back of his head. Though the head was hanging down hiding his face he could only guess that it served as a gag as the Kage had done for him. Taking the other free hand he took a fistful of short black hair pulling up the limp cranium. He held Ando unconscious in inside the darkness. "The other one is in there too, the girl. You're sister." He turned Ando's featureless face toward his. "I can get them out, of course, but first you have to do some things for me. But you could go ahead, give in to your anger and vengeance, slay me here and now. But we must think of what will happened to your funny little friend, in between the light and shadow, what do you think will happen with him. And let us not forget your darling sister forever trapped in the shadow's dark, never to see the light again."

Hiro cursed through gritted teeth and lowered his katana from the Kage's throat.

Todd Warren

LA, California

Turning the key to the outside door of his apartment complex with a newspaper tucked under his armpit and a Coke bottle in his other hand, both of which he "acquired" from others, Warren flipped the light switch to his right; bring them to life in a low hum. Not bothering to close the door he continued down the vacant hall, footsteps muffled by the stained carpet at his feet that was beyond saving, the walls weren't any better, even the light seemed to give off a dirty feeling. It was what he had to do, staying in places like these so as not to draw too much attention to anyone who might be watching him, but it still burned him. He had real power, something that paled in comparison to those norms that believed they had it, he could take anything for himself and no one could stop him. But there were those who knew what he could do. People that had come after him once, he got lucky escaping them and they had been the only threat that he ever truly faced. He welcomed the challenge; it was only a matter of time before he would find a way around the black man's abilities. He played with the thought in his mind about all the wonderful pain he would make him feel when the lights at the bend of the hall began to flicker. Warren played it no mind, the lights where always going out in this dump. But when the one next to it started to do the same thing and the one after that and then all the lights in the hallway flickered and jumped. His heart rate climbed, did they find him already? An explosion came from behind him, it was the light fixture back at the entrance, the one at the far end was next then another a few feet in front of him, randomly lights burst and went out, ones that where left were nothing more than a strobe that confused his eyes, chopping his vision into bits. Could the black man do this, did he have friends with powers too?

"Where are you?!" screamed Warren. "Face me, cowards!" The hairs on the back of his neck stood on their ends. He turned quickly ready to deliver a wave of pain so fierce that however it was would beg for death. All he got to see was a man in shadow tower over him and a hand lift up, it shot Warren up against the wall by some invisible force. His feet dangled as he was raised up closer and closer to the ceiling by the crushing force that held him. He gasped for what little air he could get as an unseen hand closed over his throat. His blurred and the flashing lights did little to help reveal his attacker but he could tell that it wasn't the black man.

He wheezed out what words he could. "Yo u… with, the BLAck (gasp) man?! Come to take (ack) me..?"

The attacker's voice was low and smooth, full of confidence and maleficent intent. This man was a killer, like him. "Black man? Oh, you must mean the Haitian and the Company." The attacker laughed quietly, full of sin. "Please, do me a little credit, I'm much more than what they are. Than all of them, even you." The attacker stepped in closer, arm outstretched his hand cupped, getting closer to his neck. Warren was starting to fade, his powers unable to manifest in his defense. "I've been watching you, painkiller. You're power is appealing to me. Such an interesting ability" The clicking of gears and gyros sounded in the attackers mind. He took his free hand and molded it to a closed fist except for his index finger which was extended out to a point. The attacker aimed for the top of Warren's head and a terrible pain that he had never imagined began to cut at him. It lasted forever as he screamed then in a instant, it stopped, the pain on his head, the pressing force that closed on his neck and held him up, causing Warren to drop to the filth redden carpet sucking air in gulps. Coughing and puking, giving the carpet yet another stain, Warren weakly put a hand to his head, coming back with blood.

The attacker stood over him in dominance. "You and I are a lot alike; you don't abuse your power. You're still broken like the others but I'm willing to over look that for now."

Warren didn't understand. "Who are you!? What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm here to make you an offer. In return for following me you'll know what real power really is."

Warren looked up at the sound of more power. This man was right; Warren had though he was powerful, but he was nothing compared to him. "As for 'Who' I am…" The attacker stepped forward into the flashing light. "My name is Sylar."

Company Headquarters, NewYork

A knock came from behind the door of the office of the Company detector.

"Come in," said Bob reflexively as he looked at the open file in his hands, from the pile scattered over his desk. The door opened as Angela came through, Bob looked up from the file and he knew the news was bad

"We have a situation," said Angela.

Mohinder and Maya

The Loft, New York

"Well?" asked Maya as Mohinder looked through the microscope at samples he had taken from her.

"Fascinating," was Mohinder's only reply.

"What?"

"Your ability, its quiet amazing, you're a living tuning fork." Mohinder looked up at Maya with scientific amazement. "Your body produces this…Frequency, for lack of a better word, so high we can't hear it. It causes the blood vessels and arteries in a living organism to burst, bleeding out internally and externally."

"Why? Why can't I control it? And why wasn't my brother ever affected?"

"I can only theorize that you're brother must have been like you, but in the opposite way." Maya looked confused, he tried to explain it better grapping a scrap of paper and pen. He drew a wavy line on the bottom have of the paper. "This is how sound works; it travels in waves through the air. This frequency can be cancelled out by another frequency of the exact same kind but from the other end of the sound spectrum. I believe that you're brother was that other frequency that negated you're abilities. He might even have been able to do the opposite of what you do."

Maya looked away at the mention of her dead sibling. "Hey," said Mohinder as he brought her face back around to his. "You can't keep blaming yourself, It wasn't you who killed you're brother, it was Sylar."

"But it is my fault. My bother tried to warn me, he knew Sylar was evil and I didn't listen to him." Maya stared distantly into space. "If I had listen, would he still be here?"

Mohinder looked to her in sympathy. "I offend wonder the same thing about my father." Maya turned her head up to him. "Sylar killed him, too."

Maya's eyes glistened with tears as she reached out to stroke Mohinder cheek; her light touch was soothing washing away the hurt if only by a little. She came closer as their eyes locked onto one another's, creeping towards his lips, ending at a tender embrace with his.

The door to the Loft slammed open as Bob charged through in a panicked hurry. Mohinder and Maya broke away in an instant as they heard his loud entrance, feeling like kids that had got caught by their parents.

Bob looked down at them indifferent to their actions. "Back up what you can, we're moving to another location."

Mohinder went at full attention. "What! Why?"

"This place has no longer become safe for you."

Mohinder looked around his lab. "How do you expect me to continue my research without my equipment and my notes and…"

Bob put up his hands to stop Mohinder from going any further. "All that you require will be at the new location. Please hurry!"

Mohinder was puzzled by Bob's attitude, the sound of his voice rang with the tune he was all too familiar with; fear. "What's going on, Bob. What are you so afraid of?"

"The only thing you need to know right now is that if you stay here any longer, the chances of you're death becomes that much higher." Angela Patrelli walked in behind Bob coolly and calmly placing her hands on the metal railing.

"Who are you?" asked Mohinder.

"I work for the Company," said Angela. "You need to take my associates advice, for the individual that is coming will show you no mercy when he has you in his hands."

"Is it Sylar?" asked Maya defiantly, her pulse rising at the chance of avenging her brother's death by taking down that monster.

"Hardly," answered Angela. "This is a whole new type of monster that you have yet to see, and it will be the last thing you ever see."

Mohinder and Maya turned to look at each other; the uncertain worry of the unknown draped their faces.

Company Headquarters, New York

The freight doors at the back of what looked like a paper company to the general public, blew of their hinges as leafs in the wind, the source of bright red erupting forth from the outside being the cause. Scorching the metal cast door to practically melted liquid only to be hardened an instant later, the foundation shook at the power of the blast. The black burned the surrounding areas the frame crumble and dust billowed. Within the cloud, footsteps could be heard over the alarm blaring in the distance accompanied by dragging scraping sound over pavement. Footsteps echoed of the walls as heavily armed men raced to counter the siege that had fallen upon their fortress, cocking their weapons and steadying their nerves. They've heard what happened to the other facilities and it was starting again, but some of them thought that they would be different, that they would be the one to stop him. The others knew better, but would do their duty and die for the chance to slow him down and allow the other to get to safety. The footsteps over rubble continued, and the men were ready. The first thing they saw was the light, red and angry. Oh, my God, it's his eyes! The dust started to thin a little, a silhouette of some came with the eyes, they fired. The first round never made it past the cloud. The guards looked on in fearful wonder, readying themselves for the next wave, but it never came. The guns exploded in their hands, some were burned in their hands, and some even took the backlash in the face. Before they caught up, a clear wave of force took out the guards to their left, tendrils of lighting hit the others a second later. The one lone guard left crawled back over the graveled floor one hand holding the open wound caused by one of the tendrils. He thought they would be the ones to stop them, he knows now how wrong he was. The man came out of the dust, his eyes glowing brighter than ever since there was nothing to cover them, like the sun was in his eyes. He was dragging something with him, daring to take his eyes off his opponent he saw a man with horn-rimmed glasses looking back at him, a line of blood running down from the corner of his lips.

He looked back up to the Man with the Glowing Eyes. Whimpering, he asked, "What… are…you?"

The Man with the Glowing Eyes looked down at him. "I am what you made me." His hand glowed white hot as he lowered it down onto the frightened guards eyes.

Manhattan Depository

New York

A light shines on in the black void, a cone of light turning to focus on the small metal cases embedded through out all but one side of the room, the vault door looking so plain as the metal reflect the glare of the light back at the dark-robed ninja in the center of the rectangular space. Once the look around was finished he went to one side of the vault, he had only a small amount of time to get what he needed before the air would be used up. Unsheathing the katana at his waste in a flash severing the locks from their places, opening each drawer from left to right, the contents of which bore jewels and diamonds in all assortments of shapes and hues. Others were filled to the brim with wads of hundred dollar bills, removing a folded canvas bag, he took it all. The air began to thin as he finished, looking over the empty storage units, satisfied they were empty, the black ninja turned off his light.

Abandoned building, Somewhere

A oriental man sits atop a workbench, meditating patiently, clear his mind of outside influence which allows him to feel the air expand outward from in front of him a second before he hears the boom. Another second later the black ninja appears touting the canvas bag full of riches that he throws at the foot of the workbench.

The oriental man grins at his guest, enjoying how the fates have weaved their threads in his favor. They were not without a sense of humor. "Nice work, Hiro."

The black ninja hesitates before removing the wrappings from his head, revealing the ashamed look of Hiro Nakamura while the Shadow Ninja laughs at him from his post on the bench.

…To be continued.

Chapter 6

" The Unfortunate Circumstances that bring Us Together"

Nathan and Nikki

In the skies above New York

"Alright Nikki, start talking."

Nikki continued to look down at the "ants" down on the streets below. "You…can…fly!"

Nathan could hear the shock and fear in her voice and shook his head. "Focus, Nikki," her head turned to meet his eyes at the response to his voice. "Good, now tell me, who are you working for, who's this 'Fellowship'?"

"I can't tell you that."

"And why is that," asked Nathan. "Did they threaten you? Mika? When are you going to learn that people like that are not there to help you?" Nathan froze a second at the words he was saying, look at me, preaching to the choir about being used.

Nikki turned her head away at the mention of Mika, the thought of her son still thinking she was dead sadden her greatly, but it was for the best. He was better off without her problems. "It's not like that, we just have to take certain… precautions, to protect ourselves."

Nathan looked at her with disbelieve. "Riiight. Have they even told you why they wanted the Company man back there? Have they told you anything about them?"

"They helped me get rid of Jessica, they promised to take care of Mika," she shot back to Nathan. "Both things, I couldn't do by myself. Ever sense she got into my head I've put him in more danger than anything. Now he has a chance for a normal life, better than I could give him."

"How is it better without his mother? When you're here instead of there, with him?" Nikki continued to look away. "Trust me, no matter what you do, it won't be as worse as not be there for him."

She didn't respond to that, letting a single tear roll down her check to be brushed off by the wind. "We're trying to stop the Company, for what they are doing to others like us," said Nikki changing the topic.

Nathan let it go. "So you go after Noah to get information."

Nikki returned to herself by the time she answered. "They have something planned, something big and he hates them, so it was thought that he could help us bring them to down."

"What are they planning to do?"

"We were hoping that he could tell us,"

The two went silent for a few moments; it was Nathan that finally broke it. "Okay, I want to meet them."

"What?"

"This Fellowship, I want to talk to them, if their goals are the same and they're intentions are good we should be pulling are resources, not fighting each other."

"I don't think that's going to work out."

"Is there something about them that you're not telling me, or are they the people you clam them to be?"

Nikki stayed quiet. "Good, when we get to Pete's, you'll give them a call and set it up."

"I don't think this is going to work, " said Nikki softly to herself.

…

Nathan lowered down the side of the multi-storied building, stopping at the only window open on that side; he let Nikki weed her way through the wooden frame. Matt came to her aid, giving a hand to grab hold of to steady herself, once through, Nathan shot up at an angle and rested his feet on the carpet.

Everyone gathered around him, Peter was the first to speak, "What's our next move?"

Nathan looked over at Nikki, "We're going to meet some new people that might be able to help us."

"What new people?" asked Matt. "What's going on?"

The door to Peter's apartment door exploded off its frame in a shower of splinters and tongues of flame, sending the group to the floor and crashing into furniture from the concussion wave. The smoke billowed through the room, causing Nathan to cough, burning his lungs, gasping for clean air. His eyes tearing, but from what he could see was two faint shadows from the newly formed doorway, growing darker as they approached. The dust dispersed enough to let the silhouette be seen for what they were, the first one to walk through was Meredith, her hands ablaze, the second was a man he did not recognize. A man of a high-medium build, hair cropped short and features that would allow him to get lost in a crowd unrecognized, the looks of an average "Joe", but there was nothing average about him. He walked with a confident stride, knowing something that made him certain to take on any threat; his eyes reflected the same look his body gave. It was sublet, not overcompensating, but ever present.

The man followed Meredith in and stood behind her, waiting patiently. "Well, it took you long enough."

"Meredith? What ar…" said Nathan weakly.

"You have something of ours," said Meredith. Nathan turned to Nikki, who had gotten to her knees before anyone else. She was as puzzled by their appearance as he was. "Come along, Nikki."

Nikki complied; trying to stand on unsteady legs, around him Nathan heard the others starting to stir. Matt was calling to the others to see if they could respond, Claire was removing some small wooden shrapnel from her torso and a sliver from her cheek, Peter was nowhere to be seen.

When Nikki got to a stable stance, Meredith turned away to leave, Nathan called out for them to stop as he took in breath of smoke, but they didn't listen. They were almost free of the room when Peter faded in to visibility in front of the opening. It made Meredith take a step back, the man only stopped.

"You heard him, you're not going anywhere." Peter tried to put on a strong front but Nathan knew he was still disoriented from the surprised attack. Never the less, Peter held his ground.

Meredith's hands ignited out of reflex, but in her mind she knew that with her powers, and many more at his disposal, the best she could do was a stalemate. In that moment she turned to the man behind her. "Well?" Nathan noticed the tone of a subordinate addressing to a superior or someone higher up in the "Ranks" than she was, something he had heard all of his adult life. It also brought something else to mind, if Meredith answered to this man, as powerful as she clearly was, how powerful was her partner?

The man didn't acknowledge her, only walking a few steps by her to address Nathan's brother. "Step aside, son," said the man. "You don't want me hurting on you, do you?"

"I'm not the one who's going to be hurting," responded Peter as his hands sparked flames, burning red hot from his palms, the man could feel the heat from the distance in between them.

"Oh, com'on," said the man calmly. He was unflinching towards the instant flames Peter had produced and even less concerned about the damage they could do. "Don't you think you're a little young to be playing with fire?" Responding to the fire in the hall (better late than never), the sprinklers activated, showering the halls and causing alarms to blare for those few who ignored the thunderous, blasting, tremor which rocked their building, and evacuated accordingly.

Peter continued to stare down his opponent, waiting for his move and wanting to wipe the present smirk off his face, giving only an instant of mind power to contemplate why the water system waited so long to turn on? The answer hit Peter like a fist to the stomach; he tried to react in time but was too late to avoid the wave of water come at him from behind dosing him from head to toe, extinguishing the flames at his hands, only able to produce billowing smoke. Peter brushed away the hair that had fallen on to his face, seeing the man in front of him with globs of water streaming across him a foot away from his body, three thick ropes crisscrossing his body merging were they met only to continue on through on their invisible paths. The smirk from the man's face was still there, it had grown into a full grown, mocking smile, Peter made a mental note: he really hated this guy. Off to the side, Claire had recovered from her superficial wounds and tried to help Matt up to his feet; the blast had left him dizzy and unbalanced which only made it difficult to lift the large man with the small body she possessed. They came to halt when they saw the spectacle in front of them, seeing the swirling water around the man, Claire knew who her uncle was facing. A man her adoptive father had told her about once before, a man he had supposedly captured and imprisoned, The Liquid Man.

"Cooled off?" said the man.

Peter looked back at him defiantly. "Just warming up."

The man jerk his head to the side and gave a chuckle, then suddenly threw a arm up toward Peter driving a line of water toward him with the force strong than fire hose, the Liquid Man's face contorted from mocking to stern, he meant to inflict harm upon his adversary. And he would have, if it had connected, but the line of water had stopped right in front of Peter's outstretched hand. His will had gained control over the water, his mimicking abilities had copied the Liquid Man's powers, but the uneasy think was, the Liquid Man was shocked to see this happen. The smirk returned on the man's face.

Does anything startle this man, thought Peter?

As he took the water, he felt a small twinge start from within him, like the adrenaline flowing in his body was building, growing, overloading. His heart began racing, he could hear it as loud as thunder in his ears, going faster and faster. His hands shaking barely able to hold the water in the air as it lost shape, his breathing became rasping, more and more he rushed air in and out, faster and faster. He had felt this before, a year ago when he was learning to control his powers, but it couldn't be happening, not now, not this instant.

"Peter! What are you doing?!" called out Nathan who was leaning up against one of the walls trying to gain his balance and clear his head. Peter looked over to him and followed his brother's stare to his other hand at his side. His left hand began to glow a nuclear shine as he felt the irregular power radiate from within, voices rushed into his head, screaming thoughts from the panicked tenants, worry from the Firestarter, the confidence from the Liquid Man, a combination of dreaded fear from his friends and family; they knew that power, having seen its effects first hand. All at once, it was like pouring the ocean into a closed container, his eyes went white with images of the future, a crater in the middle of Manhattan, originating from the spot were he stood, a blur streaking across the country, four people it the woods together, the Man with the Glowing Eyes standing in front of a charred black wall with a large whole in the thick concrete.

His powers started fluctuating from one to another, he was overloading and if he didn't stop and get control, the vision of destruction he saw originating from here would come to past. Losing control of the water hovering in the air in front of him, the morphing stream fell to the floor, stopping short of impacting; it gained its linear form and returned to its original creator.

Peter, eyes wide with confusion, looking desperately to his friends for help, at a loss for why it was happening. "I…I'm overloading! My power… I can't control."

The Liquid Man shook his head slightly, chuckling. "Silly boy, can't understand how his powers work. Damn sloppy of ya', son. You can't even begin to understand what is happening to you."

Peter looked to him bewilderedly. "How could (hugh) you know anything about my … power?"

"More than you, obliviously," said the Liquid Man. He pulled back his right hand and swirling water was drawn to his fist. "But not to worry, I know how to stop it." A jab into the air shot the water he had collected to his fist into a powerful speeding bullet hitting him square in the chest, throwing him back into the hallway connecting to the wall with a large crack as the back of his head hit. Peter was out cold his lifeless body dropped to the floor, his overload shut down for the moment, crisis averted.

"Peter!" called out Claire while Matt acted. His years of being a cop had taught him to react and not waste breath and time to let the perp turn to take you out as well. He lashed out with his mind, connecting with the Liquid Man's, but he had never done anything like this before but he was damned if he was letting the guy get away with this.

"Matt, NO!" called Nathan from behind him, but Matt's mind raced through past memories filed away in the back of his mind of every feeling of physical pain he could recall the bullets he had taken back at Kurby Plaza, every punch that he had taken, the broken bone he got when he was seven. Every feeling went to the Liquid Man, but his attack slammed into what felt like a brick wall over the Liquid Man's mind, only enough got through to make the man twinge let out a small grunt of pain before he counter with another water bullet that shot him back taking Claire with him, he laid stun on the floor as Claire checked on his welfare.

"Stop!" called out Nathan. "That's enough!"

"Oh?" questioned the Liquid Man.

"We're not your enemy, our goals are the same. We should be working together, not fighting each other."

Claire shot her head around. "What are you talking about? Don't you see what they did?!"

"There was no choice, he had to knock Peter out or he would have blown up the city, and Matt attacked him."

"But," Claire started.

"No!" Nathan finished. "We need them." Claire didn't fight back but continued sending a death stare toward him.

"Well, now," said the Liquid Man intervening into the conversation. "Did I hear correctly that you want to partner up with us?"

Nathan stalked away from wall that was supporting him, a look of stern determination in his eyes. "We're trying to take the Company down, same as you. Your "Fellowship", with us, could stop them once and for all."

"You four?" said the Liquid Man in a questionable fashion. "And how exactly are you going to be of any help? "

"Think about it, a man who can read minds…"

The Liquid Man interrupted. "A poor example of one as I can imagine, a boy who couldn't lead a horse to water let alone get a hold of his powers, a girl who can't die, and a flying man. Yeah, real helpful you lot would be."

"One way to look at it," said Nathan as he reached the couch hunching over it for support. "Another would be that I know my mother better than you, inside information on the members of the Company could prove useful."

The Liquid Man was thrown back at the intake of this new information, staying silent for the better part of a minute contemplating his next move. At one point he turn to his head as if he caught the sound of someone behind him, but soon returned his eyes back to Nathan. "Alright, I reckon you deserve a shot." He nodded to Nikki and Meredith to exit out the door that had been made for them. " 'Fer now, get out of here before the cops show, won't be much good to us in jail. We'll contact you later,"

With a dip of his head and a tip of his imaginary hat, the Liquid Man left the apartment.

Nathan continued to stay fixated at the spot they where they exited. "Count on it."

Company Headquarters

Manhattan, New York

The door to Bob's Office shot of its hinges, flying back to the large bookcases that stood behind his desk, flopping down to rest beside it. The Man with the Glowing Eyes threw in Noah Bennett into the office by the collar of his suit and turned to address the two heavily armed men who had turned the corner. Their stomp boots were barely audible over the railing alarm and they blended in well with their heavy black-armored clothing despite the present flood lights in the hallway which He had left lit. Raising their automatic weapons at the threat before them. They fired several rounds a second into the air, landing on carpet at there feet. Two fingers of lighting arched out touching the men, through their metal weapons it surged making the men convulse. They dropped when he withdrew the tendrils smoke fumed off their unmoving bodies.

Noah Bennett looked on unable to do anything to stop it. "You're a monster, you know that?" said Bennett as the Man with the Glowing Eyes walked the few steps back to him.

He looked down at him. "Take's one… to know one." He went to grab Bennett by the scoff of the front of his clothes. "Keep in mind, Noah, that what I am, is because of you."

He hauled Bennett to his feet. "You also said he would be HERE!" The cloth of Noah's clothing start to burn, his nostrils filled with the smoke of fabric alight. The heat was inches from his naked, unprotected skin.

Noah tried to back away but was allowed to. "I said he might be here, if he had lookouts posted he could have gotten out before we arrived."

The Man with the Glowing Eyes' grip tightens, drawing Bennett in closer to his searing fist. "That bodes misfortune for you then, my friend."

Beads of sweat streamed down from his glistening forehead. "I … I can check his ACK… computer," said Bennett in between flicks of heat sting his neck. The Man with the Glowing Eyes simply stared at Bennett for an eternity to him. In a thrust movement that turned Bennett's back toward him, the Man with the Glowing Eyes melted away the connecting bar that he had fused to the makeshift shackles he had put on his forearm. Bennett's arms were freed from behind his back but not of the warped iron attached to them.

The Man with the Glowing Eyes turned Bennett back to his face. "Find me something or you're body will be encased in metal, and I won't be as careful as I was before."

Bennett went to Bob's computer and turned it on. Taking a few moments to start it up, the Man with the Glowing Eyes went back to guard the door, keeping one eye on the hallway for more troops, and another on Bennett. After five minutes of tapping keys, he came to a screen requiring a password for him to gain access. He had know as soon as he had "parted ways" with the Company the first time that they would make sure he would never get access to their business again but in his years of serving the Company he had made sure to find ways around the blocks they had put up. He typed in Bob's password, accepting the word he pulled up the Company's filed listings of all know and documented cases of individuals with abilities.

Bennett called out, beckoning him to his side to take a look at the list. "These are some of the one's we've encountered over the years…" the list of hundreds rushed by the screen. "…Do you recognize anyone?"

He did no give an answer as he watched the list scroll all the way through and recycle again. "So many… So many people whose lives you ruined." He turned away for the list. "How many others have you put through hell," He turned to face Bennett down, "How many have you tortured?!"

"That's not… Some… most, have only been observed."

"So you just decided to put US through it?!" shot back the Man with the Glowing Eyes, which were shinning rage from behind his sunglasses.

"You were too dangerous, too great of a threat…" fought back Bennett, matching his angered tone.

The Man with the Glowing Eyes whipped his hand toward Bennett at the comment he was about to make and a clear blast of pure force rippled through the space in between them, sending Noah to an adjacent bookshelf with a thump, rattling books loose from their resting place, some falling to meat Bennett at floor level. He stood over Bennett, fists clasped to tightly they shook in place. A moment later he went to the computer and down loaded a copy of the list onto a flash drive presently inserted in the designated port. After the flash drive was in his hand he used the other, sparking with electricity, to fry the circuitry of the computer and root out through the entire networked system. Every trace of the Companies files were gone, erased forever, save for the copy in his hand.

Bennett lagged up on his hands and knees, a few books on his back slid off; he hefted a weighed hand to feel the lump at the back of his head. Strong, profound, footsteps came toward him and he was drawn up again by his capture and slammed against the bookcase for a second time, causing another lump. "WHERE IS ROBERT BISHOP!!!

James, Steven, Alex, & Allen

Wooded land, Northern area of California

James pushed aside the thick brush of the forest flora, beyond he saw the other three people he met the other night. The others who had… abilities he had said to himself saying "powers" seems too weird. This isn't like the comic book Steve and I read when we were kids. This is the real "REAL" world, things like this don't happen. But it had, despite everything he's come to know as true, every scientific fact, laws of physics, what the grown ups had said to him when he was a little kid. Every bit of information he had accumulated throughout his life said that this doesn't happen, things like invisible walls and people turning into gorillas, isn't possible.

Steve was the first to him come out of the thick forest foliage. "About time, I was starting to worry that you'd leave me here with two complete strangers."

"You're worried," said the other guy, the Indiana who turned from a gorilla to a human last night. He was leaning up against a tree truck at the far end of the clearing. "I'm the one with three complete strangers, two of which know each other."

"You think we're going to 'take you' or something?" asked James

"I don't know what's going on, I'm just being cautious."

"What is going on?" asked the girl who sat on the ground to James' left, James recognized her as the girl from school that always sat off to the side, Alex was her name. She wasn't against the edge of the clearing but she was close enough to get out if she needed to. She had drawn up her legs to her chest, wrapped by her arms in a defensive posture. She was staring out into space when she ask the question, her eyes turned to them looking for answers with her blue doe eyes, first the Indian, than Steve, then they rested with James. "I mean things like this don't happen, can't happen."

James shook his head. "That's what I thought."

"What I want to know is 'how'?" spoke Steven. "Are we mutants, it this the start of the X-men?" Do we get costumes?"

"What's 'X-men'?" asked the Indian.

"Never mind," answered James, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Look, first things first. We don't talk to anybody about this outside this group, and never in public areas. Agreed?" All three of them nodded slightly in agreement.

"So how do we find out about what's happening to us?" asked Alex to anyone who could answer?

Steve rubbed the back of his head, thinking. "Maybe we should go see a doctor?"

"Yeah, that's great. Why don't we just walk up to them and say 'we're freaks, dissect us please.'"

"I don't mean some random doctor, Big Chief Ass Wipe, I mean someone we can trust."

"The name's Allen, flatfoot!" shot back the Indian moving up from the trunk and taking a few steps forward challenging Steven, who took a few steps forward himself. James came in between them in a hurry, arms spread out at each side to halt their movements. Out of reflex, two semi transparent barriers appeared in front, causing Steve to walk right into his. He let out a 'yelp' and placed a hand on his forehead.

"Dude!" Steve called out.

"Oh, sorry," said James and drew in his arms, sending the barriers back into nothingness. "Look, guys we can't be fighting right now, we have better things to do." He turned to Steve, still grasping at his head with one hand. "Good idea to run tests, but there's no way a doctor won't keep something like this quiet. It's too big."

"So what do we do, then?" said Steve in a raised voice, annoyed with his friend at the moment.

"We stay off the radar and keep our ears to the ground, that's what."

"And who but you in charge, huh?" shouted Allen, his frustration growing.

"Um, guys," said the silent voice of the girl sitting on the ground, one hand raised slightly in the air, not sure where she should or not. "I, umm… I know someone, a doctor; he's a friend of my family. We could, I don't know, go see him?"

The three boys stared at the blonde teenage girl, dumbstruck. "Can we trust him with something like this?"

"I think so, I mean yeah," said Alex. "He a good guy, he's like an uncle to me."

Steve turned to James looking for a reason for him to turn the idea down. "Well?"

"It's a risk," said James.

"So only one of us goes to see him. Ask him for a physical and see what comes up?"

"You can count me out," said Allen.

"I will," announced Alex. "He knows me, he wouldn't do anything to hurt me…."

"And we can back her up, just in case," said Steve, continuing.

"Have you guys even thought about what you might find if you go through with this," said Allen. "What happens after that? What if this is irreversible, what then?"

"We'll know," said James. "We can decide what to do then." He looked strait at Allen. "Are you going to help us?"

After a few moments of staring James down, he lowered his head and sighed, in spite of his attitude toward this whole situation, he wanted to know what was happening as much as they did. "This is such a bad Idea."

To be continued….

Chapter 7

"Breakout- Part One"

'Behold My Mighty Hand'

Alex Calloway

Office of Dr. Wyatt Stron, northern California

A knock came from the examination room's door, cracking open slightly as a voice asked "Alex?" The good Dr Stron was asking to see if the coast was clear for him to come in, though his patient wasn't asked to change he always felt that if he was to get his patients to trust him, he would have to give them their respect and personal space. Alex okayed him to enter, the man opened the door further to let himself in and closed the door behind him. He was a man in his late Forties, a mat of hair already grey with age and a soft mid-section that was present, but not overbearing. The eyes of Dr Stron was those of a person who had cared for everyone of his patients that had come into his practice, the eyes of a kind, generous soul that she had come to know as a friend. Which made what she was doing ring her body with a sting of hurt for not fully trusting this man before him, but the others were playing their situation as safely as possible. She couldn't really blame them for their paranoia, but still, it was her friend.

Dr Stron went to the counter with the manila folder he had brought in and flopped it open. "Well, your tests have come back and I can't see anything initially wrong…" he said while scratching at the scuff of his chin. A habit he had since she had known him, always doing it while he was thinking. "But you are sure there is something wrong with you?"

Alex nodded her head. "But you can't tell me what exactly?"

She shook her head. "It's hard to explain, but there is… something wrong with me. I know it."

Dr Stron turned to his patient, leaning against the counter with his arms across his chest. "What's going on, Alex? This isn't likely you to be vague."

Alex turned her head away to the left, what Dr Stron saw was her dodging his question or thinking up of an explanation while staring at the floor. But she was thinking of the phone in her left pocket.

…

James, Steve, and Allen huddled around an open flip phone in the woods outside the office of Doctor Stron. On the other end, they heard the conversation between the two, listening in, just encase something went wrong, they would be right there to get her out as fast as possible.

The silence that came from the connection made James blood freeze, What's she doing in there?

Allen took hold of the phone and started to shake it. "Is it broken? What a piece of crap."

James took it back forcibly. "No, its fine. They're not talking."

"What do you think she's doing?" asked Steve.

James shook his head unknowingly.

…

Alex turned back to Dr Stron. "Something happened to me a few days ago, something I can't explain."

"And what is that?" asked Dr Stron.

Alex said nothing else, hopped off the cushioned examination table with the film paper rustling as she left. Walking over to the obscured window she twisted the hanging rod allowing the blinds to split a little. The doctor joined her, noticing her stare, he looked out with her trying to find what she was looking so intently at.

…

"Oh no," responded James as he heard what she has said. He looked over to his right at Steve, having the same look of horrid realization of what was happening inside.

"What?" asked Allen, not yet aware of the events that were transpiring around him. "What's going on?"

"She's showing him."

…

It started with one of the ladies out in the waiting room crying out, stammering out the words "What's happening to me?" slowly and quietly at first, then it grew in volume. She franticly looked around the room like a scared little animal in a forest surrounded by predators in the shadows. Her head went left and right, whizzing side to side, holding on to her chair for dear life. Another woman beside gave her the look that was reserved for looking at "crazy people", until the look of worry and fear played across her face, too. She got up calling for someone, anyone, to help her. Another waiting patient, a man in his thirties, stood up from his seat and started looking at the nothing around him. He was jittery beyond rationality, circling in place saying it was not possible. Panic came over him, causing his hands to shake uncontrollably, as he tried to grab hold of his reason and sanity again. Soon the entire room, patients and staff were wild with it, calls for help, questions yelled out as to why this was happening, it all became a symphony of unsettling chaos. The doctor looked back at Alex, whose intent stare into space blocked out all the ambient distractions, from the doctor to the digital yells coming from somewhere in her coat.

Dr Stron placed a firm gripping hand on Alex's shoulder. "Alex, snap out of it. Alex!" She came back to Earth and looked at the man who brought her back. With the connection severed all those affected by… whatever Alex had done to them wore off, they stood in the room with dumbfounded looks of bewilderment etched across their faces. Each looking to the other for some explanation as to why they were all up and about when they last thought themselves somewhere else, Dr Stron went around Alex to the door as she woke up from the spell she had cast. "Stay right here," he said pointing a finger to the spot where she stood on the floor. "Don't you move, don't do anything." He ventured out to check on the people outside, while Alex gained her surroundings, coming to notice the sounds coming from nowhere.

Her mind cleared enough to remember that she left her phone open for the boys to listen in. "Hello," she said after the yelling had ceased for a moment.

"Alex! Tell me you're alright," said the digital voice of James.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she responded.

"Good, 'cause I'm going to kill you," shouted the phone. "You weren't suppose to tell him about your abilities..."

"There was nothing on the tests and I want… need to know why this is happening…" she interrupted. "…I…I couldn't lie to him."

A sigh came forth over the microphone. "You know what you're doing, right?"

"Are you crazy!" came a voice from the background, followed by some static crackling on the other end. "She just exposed us all!"

"Shut up," declared another voice, Steve, most likely. The crackling stopped and James came back on.

"Can you get away, should we come get you?"

"No," confirmed Alex. "I've already told him so there's no point in not going any further."

Another sigh went across the signal waves. "I hope he's everything you said he is."

She put the phone back into her coat pocket as she saw Dr Stron start to walk back to the examination room. He came in, shut the door behind him, placed his back to the door and looked at Alex with an amazed confused look in his eyes at the girl he knew since she was little. "That was you, wasn't it? You did that?" Alex nodded lightly, accepting the blame. Dr Stron raced from the door, "This is unprecedented!" He turned to Alex, hands on her shoulders, with every bit of fatherly love he felt for the scared little girl in from of him, he said "Are you okay?"

That brought a smile to her face, how could she ever have doubted this man? "I'm just a little scared. I don't know why this is happening, or how? That's why I came to you."

"It's good you did." He beamed at her then let go. "So tell me, what did you do?"

Alex was at a loss for the words to describe it "It's like… I don't know, like I feel this intense emotion that goes into others, it's hard to explain."

"Empathic projection," said the doctor softly. Alex tilted her head in unknowing bewilderment. "What, you never read comics?"

She shook her head no. "You're projecting you're emotional state onto someone else. In fact…" Doctor turned looking for something; he headed to the black leather bag at the sidewall next to his hanging coat. He removed something and brought it over. "I've been reading this book by some geneticist from India, he talks about the next step in the evolutionary latter," he rushed through his word with an excited breath. "I thought it was all theoretical, but a good read. I never thought I would see someone with the abilities he talked about."

"Wait, he mentions me in it?"

"You're ability, empathic projection, along with levitation, regeneration, and a host of others."

He handed over the thick book with the blue cover to he hands. "So its genetic?"

"Something to due with the human genome, a dormant gene that's becoming active in certain individuals. Like you."

"Is their anyway to undue it?"

He looked at Alex puzzled. "Why would you want to take it away?"

"That fire at the barn the other night…"

"Yeah."

"That was because of me," she looked away in shame. "I could have killed someone that night because of this…" Alex drew out her arms, signifying the thing in her body that gave her this curse, as she thought of it. "I want it out of me. I have enough problems being a freak as it is."

"You're not a freak, because of it or with out it." He wasn't getting through to her. "At any rate, there's isn't anything that I can do, if this is what he talked about…" Dr Stron pointed to the book. "Then it's apart of your genetic makeup, apart of you that can't be taken out of you like a bad appendix or your tonsils."

"Please, there has to be something you can do?"

"I'm not a geneticist, I'm a MD. The only person that would have any knowledge on this is the author's son; the author was murdered not to long ago. If anyone would know about Suresh's work it would be him."

"What makes you say that?" asked Alex.

"Because he's in the same field. I'll try to find some information on him and see what he can do but I don't want you to get your hopes up, okay? There's no certainty that he even knows about this."

Alex complied. "For now, try to keep your emotional state under control, less you project onto someone else out of reflex."

She stared at the doctor. "Thank you, Dr Stron."

The Man with the Glowing Eyes

Outside Level 5

-The next day-

The call of thunder and the flare of lighting shown in the night air without a single cloud in the crisp cool sky, a lone figure stood on the high hills that overlooked the industrial plant at the outskirts of town. The plant was dead at this time of night, a skeleton crew the only ones on the clock, at least on the surface. But that was a farce, as much as this building was truly a factory, it was a prison, like the one he was in. The mere thought sent another tendril on white-hot plasma into the air leaving the smell of burnt ozone in the air as a bad aftertaste, a boom of deafening thunder followed, announcing his arrival. The Man with the Glowing Eyes wanted those inside to know that their sins have finally come back to them, and he was here to collect. Another tendril greater than the last, another louder boom.

"Behold my mighty hand."

Mohinder Surresh

Company facility designated the Lab, location unknown

"How goes it, Doctor?" asked the voice behind him as he looked through the microscope.

He turned away from the viewfinder at the woman with the time worn face, drawn back brown hair, and the cold eyes. No matter how hard she could've tried there was no hiding them, even with that obviously fake smile she wore. "Mrs. Petrelli." He held to the niceties of society. "Trying to duplicate the cells in Maya that produce this frequency and make it airborne is no small feat. The tests show promise at this stage, but it's still to early to be certain of anything."

"And how soon can you be certain?"

"I'm… not sure," he said in honesty.

"I believe I don't need to remind you of the importance of this "virus" your making. Two very dangerous men are running loose in the world. This virus is the only thing that can stop them."

"I well aware of the situation as well as the situation the Company will undoubtedly take with this virus in your hands."

"What exactly are you implying, Doctor?"

"I mean the Shanti virus, "Strain 138", do you think me naïve enough that you will be responsible enough to use this new virus wisely?"

"We kept those for this very situation, individuals too powerful that they are a danger to everyone."

"And what almost happened with Adam Monroe? Was that considered into your reasoning, that a madman might come along and plan to use it to wipe out the majority of Earth's population?"

"Adam Munroe was an unfortunate turn of events…" Mohinder turned around to see a man descend the stairs at the opposite end of the lab. He walked with the stature of a king and his fine tailored suit of black was worth more than most families back in India had ever thought to obtain in a lifetime.

"Ah, Kyle, so kind of you to join us." Angela began to introduce Mohinder to the new face named Kyle. "Mohinder, this is Kyle Kurgan, the Company's current CEO and founder. Kyle, this is our famed geneticist, Mohinder Surresh."

Kyle extended his hand to which Mohinder took reluctantly. "Founder? I thought that Adam was the Company's creator."

"Co-Founder, as it were. We were partners at the time." He shared a look of remembrance with Angela. "Always two, one of use, one of them,' that's how it started." Angela nodded her head, remembering the golden rule.

"So you're normal?" asked Mohinder.

"As much as you are, son. As for Adam Monroe, rest assured that this virus that you create will never fall in the hands of someone like him again, we've taken certain… precautions this time around."

"If it's anything less than incinerating it, nothing will be save enough."

"Out of the question, it's to important to do that. What happens when the next Sylar or Adam comes around and we couldn't stop him because we didn't have this available to use?"

"And who gets to decide who's the next Villain, you? Who are we to play God with these special individuals lives? Why don't we just round them up a send them to the slaughterhouses like Auschwitz for the simple fact that they may be dangerous when they could very well save this planet."

Kyle was silent for a moment. "If that's what you think, then I have no right to make you continue with your research."

Angela went lack jawed. "You can't be seri…"

"Yes," interrupted Kyle. "He's made his decision. We can't change that." He turned to leave, taking a few steps to the door before he called out. "But he must take in consideration the lives that will be taken before we catch up to the villains we are after. Knowing full well that he had the chance to stop them sooner, but choose not to." He left through the lab doors, the sound of their swinging on their hinges overbearingly in the large laboratory.

Bob Bishop

Observation Room, Level 5

5 Minutes ago

Bob leaned against the shinny gold pool with his two hands, looking out the large windows at the clear night sky full of stars winking at him from light years away.

"Heavy thoughts?" called a male voice from behind him. Bob didn't bother to turn around to greet him.

"I should have done it when I had a chance. Now he coming for us, picking us off one by one." The man behind him stayed silent, not sure what to say to the statement. "How many of us have fallen already, he's simply finishing us off. First Sylar, now Him, the Company's dying."

"You know that's not going to happen." The voice was closer, right behind him. "We've hit a hard time, but we'll pull through, like always. Remember the time the Vortex man almost swallowed up the entire facility when he first got here, remember when Arthur died, when Charles died, we were on the brink then."

"Maybe that was the sign it was all starting to go down hill. Without them, how are we to continue?"

"We have."

"Really," Bob turned to the man with his cropped blond hair and his fierce blue eyes against pale skin. "And what would you call this, you, me, Angela, Kyle, that's it. We're all that's left, and if He gets his way we won't last long. Wake up, Nicholas, these are the end days for us."

"Not if we don't want it to end. Damn it, Robert, think of what you're saying, we can't afford not to continue. Think about what would happen if we weren't around, what would happen to the world if these guys got out, what would happen to Elle if you weren't around." Nicholas put his hands on his friend's shoulder as to reassure him of his duty to the world to be a Hero. A rumble shook at the reinforced glass, lights in the distance flickered the night sky.

"What was that, is that a storm coming in?" asked Nicholas. Bob didn't give an answer.

"Warden!" called out a guard from down the hall that Nicholas had come from. "Warden! Warden!" the guard entered the room breathing heavily but to rushed with adrenaline to be worried about fatigue.

"What is it, soldier?" said Nicholas as he turned; both him and Bob were at attention, they could tell by the alert in the guards voice that something bad was happening.

"We're under attack!"

"WHAT! Who are they, how many of them are there?"

"It's just one. Sir, it's Him!"

Nicholas' eyes narrowed. "Lock this place down. NOW!"

…

Yellow warnings lights strobe with screeching alert sirens, telling everyone within the ear-piercing noise that the Man with the Glowing Eyes was here. His ears began to ache from the horrendous noise, raising a hand toward the nearest speaker a finger of lightning arched into the system, eliminating all the sirens throughout the complex. Much better, He though, as he continued his journey further inside the Factory.

Turning the corner brought him into view of the first wave of resistance; four rent-a-cops came at him with stun guns leveled at his person. Another guard stood behind them with his hand on the unstrapped pistol on his belt, he couldn't have been any younger that he was and the look in his eyes told the story of someone who was never expecting something like this to happen. The guards gave warning that they would fire when He didn't slow his pace in their presence. Another warning did nothing to detour his steady pace so they fired their darts at his chest. They pierced his skin which only annoyed him, the volts of electricity that flowed only empowered him greater. He stood in the middle of the hall as they continued to hold their triggers hoping for an effect. They got one when He sent the energy back to them with the same effect, he couldn't be sure they were Company men or not, so they wouldn't die today. The young man was the only one left, seeing his comrades fallen he un-holstered his sidearm and leveled it to the man walking toward him, unsteadily. Taking slow steps, the Man with the Glowing Eyes continued forward sending the guard back with every step. His back reached the wall and still the Man came, he lowered his gun as he felt the unreal pressure of this man's presence push against him, the guard slid down the corner till He was only feet away. He never took his eyes off the guard until he turned and walked further down the hall.

He was growing tired of the numerous guards and the long maze of corridors that he walked looking for the entrance to the lower levels that Noah had told him about. Pushing aside the latest in a series of double doors, the Man with the Glowing Eyes came to a large floor in the factory, machinery stalking over him, cat walks suspended above him, he was close. Weaving in between the hulking metal, He came to a clear laneway, looking down toward the end he saw another set of doors leading the way out. He was continuing down to the exit when they opened for three well-dressed individuals, blocking his way out the lead was a tall stringy man with his hair spiked up and his buttoned shirt opened at the neck. Though the grey suit was to portray a man on class and finesse, he gave the opposite in how he wore it, but he held the swagger of a confident scrapper. The woman to his right was a blonde beauty personified, a living Venus with long curled locks, sharp blue eyes and a body to die for underneath the black business suit that shaped her body in all the right ways. She, too, wore her undershirt open at the top but for an entirely different reason; He didn't bother to give her a second glance. The last was the shortest of the three, her hair buzzed short and her face razor sharp. Her coat didn't go down as far as his nor was it made of leather, but it did it job of hiding something within its folds, what He suspected were more of the little arrowhead shaped daggers like the one she was twiddling between his fingers with a sinister glee. This one knew she was dangerous, and she loved it.

The four souls stood to stare at one another, as the hazard lights continued to shine in there twirling cycles. The lead was the one to speak first. "This is where you lose, friend. Question is, how?"

The eyes behind his sunglasses burned. "You've come to stop me? Its been done before. Did they tell you what happened to the last three clowns they sent after me?"

The lead man didn't flinch, but the two behind him gave each other a worried glance. "I suggest you think long and hard about who it is you're faced with."

"I have!" stated the lead man and took in a deep breath, calling forth something from within, The Man with the Glowing Eyes readied his body. The Slacker thrust out his head opened his mouth a thick ball of green, vile, gas was expelled at his Him. He twisted aside quickly to let the cloud of poison pass him, catching a slight whiff of it made him reel his face up in disgust. As it past, it splattered with one of the towering factory machines eating away at its metal like corrosive acid. He turned back to the acidic heaver, in time to see four glistening blades sliced the air, quick action and footwork stopped the blades from stapling his feet to the floor.

The girl with the blades grinned. "She's the ultimate marksman, and she never misses," said the Slacker. "Those were warnings, give up and they'll be only that." He was taunting him to make a move with his cocky smile, mocking him because there was no way his powers could be used against him, no way the Man could fight against the digestive gases he produce with his own. He could only dodge and evade their attacks for so long before one of them would connect. But He didn't give the bile Slacker any satisfaction when he chuckled back at him.

"They're finally learning," He continued to laugh.

The Slacker grew angry at His scorning. He readied another shot and fired, this one bigger than the last. The Man with the Glowing Eyes clawed his hand and focused the raw, unadulterated kinetic energy he had absorbed into his body to a point in the center of his hand. The glob of speeding rancid gas came at him, closer and closer with every second. He waited. It cleared the distance in seconds till it was feet away from Him, moments before the cloud of digestion came into contact with his vulnerably exposed skin He shot his arm up and released the stored energy that he had waiting. The pure kinetic energy shot through the air, stabbing the cloud and dispersing it outward. It impaled the cloud, continuing on the clear beam of force struck the wide-eyed Slacker square in the chest flying him back through the door they had entered. The two Company agents left watched as there leader was outdone right in front of them.

"But not fast enough."

The blonde Venus was shocked, but the Bladder only got mad at their leader's fall. In a sharp move of unnatural, superhuman skill she sent a legion of arrowheads toward the Man. Another ripple of force, broader and wider then the last blast, redirected the trajectory of the knifes losing none of their driving force, if anything reinforced by it, but throwing them away from their target to stab metal and concrete. The Marksman, dumbfounded, simply whispered, "I never miss."

The Man with the Glowing Eyes regained his steps as the Marksman fumbled for more ammo inside her coat, the whispering chant lingering on his lips. Venus stepped up to bat, holding out her hands as if to embrace a long lost lover once again found. "Come to me," she said softly, silk on the wind. The Man felt warmth from inside himself that he had not felt for so long. He bowed over at the tremendous feeling that flooded his mind and soul. He looked back up and Venus was gone, in her place was a beauty like no other, her long black hair waved in her winds as did her long flowing gown of white, the top pulled down her arms leaving her shoulders bare, her tan colored skin shown in the dessert sun that never had the nerve to burn such a creature. The only thing to bless her neckline was the ancestral necklace she never took off, all her beauty was shadowed to the memorizing eyes of blue gems, those eyes he had lost himself in countless times. "Come to me, my love, come to me and I'll make everything okay," said the woman as she took his head in her giving hands. He believed her, with all of his heart and soul he believed that she could do it, and why not, she had done the same thing before, and every time she had took his worry and sadness, his anguish, and despair. She made him so much more than what he was, who was he to deny that happiness, had he not deserved this. Is this not what he strived for?

"No," he said, shaking his head clearing it from her hands. "I don't deserve this. After all that happened, after I failed you, how could I ever be blessed by you again?'

She took his face in her hands again. "No, no don't think that, I love you, unyieldingly. Unconditionally."

"No, I don't deserve this," he broke free again. "I can't, won't believe this! This isn't real!" The image of the tan skinned girl faded to the image of the blonde Venus.

She quickly stepped back as a yell roared out from behind him, the Marksman came at him with a stabbing thrust with a long dagger. He caught her forearms before the blade could cut into his heart, his head still fuzzy, thanks to the spell Venus put on him, He wrestled for control over the direction the knife would go. He struggled and fought for every inch, as did the crazed agent, reminding him of the previous agent who liked sharp implements, His mind grew with the memories of what these Company bastards had done to him and what they had just attempted to do. It's the second time they used her to get at him. He was infuriated by it, his unbridling rage building clearing his head. His eyes shined like the sun behind his glasses as the Marksman stopped to realize that she was on top of a volcano that was about to erupt. She tried to leave but the Man wasn't going to let her. Her hands burned with the rage he felt inside, roaring his hatred the Marksman cried out in pain, whit hot and agonizing. She called for Venus, she simply looked in horror as the hands of the Man burned her comrade's forearms; she didn't stay long enough to see the Marksman's fate. From within the chasm of his throat a flaming light raised, the volcano erupted point blank in front of the Marksman's body with burning heat. As the Man with the Glowing Eyes let go of his enemy's arms she was shot back into the air by the shear force of blast. Filling the room with bright yellow light the Marksman lay on the cement, unconscious and burned, with the smell of charred meat rancid in the air. Looking around to see no others around that deserve his wrath, he took the power in him a turned in downward, shooting through the concrete and granite floor, he had lost his patience with this place; it was time to end it.

Outside Level 5

A sun shinned out the window of the one of the facilities large storehouses.

"There it is, just like you said it would happen," said Todd Warren on the very same hill the source of that light had stood moments ago. He craned his head back to the shadows. "Shall we go and have some fun?"

From the shadows, the dark clad Sylar came forth with malice on his face. "Lets do that."

To be continued…

Chapter 8

"Breakout- Part Two"

'Gods and Devils'

Bob and Elle

Lower levels, Level 5

"Dad, we have to get out of here!" shouted Elle. "Don't you understand, He's in this building!"

"I'm perfectly aware of that, my dear," said Bob calmly looking over the papers on his desk. "I will feel no shame toward you if you don't wish to stay. After your first encounter with him, no one would blame you."

"Which is why you should be listening to me. There's no chance of us winning this fight. Wait for Surresh's virus, we'll end it then."

"No!" he said slamming the papers down on his desk. "We end this now."

A soft shaking came over the makeshift office turning into a violent quake; the two agents of the Company exited the office in time to see a beam of scorching heat drill its way to the bottom from the heavens above. Rock melted to magma, everything else burned; when the beam stopped a voice could be heard roaring amidst the smoking chaos.

"BISHOP!"

They watched as a shadowed figure walked out he angled tunnel freshly made. The Man with the Glowing Eyes stepped forth on to their level and the lights went out. They saw little from the ambient light around them, Elle made a lantern of blue electric in her hand to show a few feet in every direction, but the Man with the Glowing Eyes was kept in the shadows, obscured, his mouth fluming the last bits of fire from his mouth

Bob was unimpressed by the young man's power. "So, we meet again."

His only response was, "Where?"

"This entire facility is packed with full trained Company agents. You're powerful, but not enough to take them all. I'm offering you one last chance to surrender."

"If the people you've sent are any indication of how capable your 'agents' are, then I have little to worry about." A pause. "Where!"

"You think you're in a position to demand ANYTHING FROM ME!" yelled Bob. "You've killed good men, with families and loved ones. You think you can get away with that and demand answers from me?"

"My sins will catch up with me one day, as you're sins have today."

"So that's what makes you feel justified in your actions?"

"Don't calm to be a good man, Robert Bishop, DON"T YOU DARE!" The Man's eyes blazed. "How many have you taken? How many have been ripped from their homes never to be seen again by the same men and women with their very own families. How many lives have you destroyed while you told yourself it was for the greater good? Preying on those you could not fight back against your strong arm. HOW MANY?!" Bob didn't answer. "Well, it's time for me to fight back, in their honor." A sun was birthed in his right palm, Elle stepped in front of her father, and both hands went alight with electricity.

"Elle, No!"

"Listen to your father, girl, you don't want any of this." The Man took a step forward.

"No!" She began to tremble.

"Do you not remember the last time you crossed me?" He took another step.

"ELLLE, get out of the way." She shook with fear.

"You fight for this man?" He questioned. "Do you know what you're father has done to you? When you where just a child!" Another step.

"Elle, don't' listen!" Her legs where going weak underneath her, but she held her ground.

"The cruel experiments he performed on you, a defenseless little girl." Another step.

"You lie! Why should I believe you?"

"Look at the man you call 'father', look into his eyes and see the truth,"

She turned to her father looking for the truth. "Is it true?" She couldn't explain why but his voice was…honest. "Daddy?!"

Bob looked at her. "It's not true, you have to believe me." She knew it for a lie the second she heard it.

"No," she said weakly stepping away from him. She turned back to Him, "How did you…"

"Bennett told me everything this man has done, if you would call him one. He's been lying to you all your life, is that someone you want to die for?" He glanced at Bob. The Man's voice calmed, "Step away, Elle, don't let his crimes be you're death note."

She was so confused. "Come with me and I'll help you find peace."

She was so angry, at her father for what he did to her, how he lied to her, how he made her fight for him, mad at the Man for telling her. Her mind raced with scenarios, deciding which idea was the right one. The power of electrical energy built around her sparking across her body, my father lied to me, He hurt me, can't trust my own father, I'm so scared of him. She pressed her hands to the side of her head, as all the information raked across her mind. It was too much for her as panic and uncertainty swarmed past her limit to take.

She lashed out. "I'll kill you both!" Fingers of electricity stretched out in all angles. Bob clasped the ground and the floor transfigured into a wall in front of him; the Man with the Glowing Eyes simply absorbed the electrical energy. The power reached out to everything in the facility, the massive amounts of electricity that charged up inside her couldn't be contained anymore. The resulting overload surged through every electrical system in Level 5, overloading electrical systems, rendering it useless. Every system in their range instantly sparked into nothing. The unconscious Elle folded to the cold linoleum floor.

"No!" called out Bob from his makeshift wall. "What have you done!" He placed a hand on the wall, tipped polls rushed out from its surface to impale Him. The sun in his hand blazed across the space in front of him, removing their threat as they crumbled. The backlash sent Bob staggering back, losing his footing on a piece of loose rock. The impalement on the snaking unexposed piping was quick, going all the way through him thanks to gravity.

"You fool," he said coughing blood, the pipe punctured one of his lungs. "Don't you see? When she released that shockwave, she scrambled the security system unlocking every one of those cells upstairs. They're free!"

"You're holding more of those you wrongfully imprisoned?" He stood over the Company man as he lay dying.

"You don't understand, they're criminals. Villains!" Bob slowly turned his head staring at what was left of his damaged daughter. He removed his dusted glasses and looked up at Him

The Man contemplated his words, could it be possible that he did imprison those that deserved it, those who abused what special gifts they had received. That wasn't his concern, not now. "If that's true then you have one more crime to answer for. In this, your final moments, absolve yourself of what you can, answer my question."

The Man with the Glowing Eyes went to Bob and grasped at his collar with both hands. "Where is she?"

"I truly don't know." He stared at Bob intently through the dark glasses as if he was trying to gauge his words for truth, a light flashed behind them and went dim. Even with his last breath, he lied.

"Where!"

Bob's light began to fade.

The Man with the Glowing Eyes came in closer, grapping at his expensive suit. "WHEEERRRRE!"

Knox

Resent prisoner of Level 5

The tall black man moved down the cold corridor with a hurried caution. He didn't question his sudden gift of freedom, but he wasn't going to second-guess it either. Fear filled the air, whatever caused the breakout was spooking everyone who wasn't a prisoner, scratch that, former prisoner. That was okay for him, more fuel for the fire. He inhaled it in like the best drug he had ever had, the high of strength and power was intoxicating. He had waded through a doped up half life for that feeling again and now he was getting it by the gallons. He felt like he could take anything in front of him but he settled for the hard wall to his right. He needed to feel the breaking of something under his fist, it sounded like the numerous skulls he caved in as dust flowed from the impact removing his undamaged hand he continued his lone escape. Screams call from different directions, obviously some of the inmates were having some fun giving some well deserved payback to the guards, he wanted to join them but he had bigger fish in mind. Namely that brother who stopped his powers and the guy with the horn-rimed glasses, being the ones who put him here in the first place. Screams came from up ahead, he turned toward the cries for help, when he turned in to the hall he saw the floor littered with men. The only one who stood was the man in the center of the massacre with his back turned. He couldn't tell whom, but he liked the work he did.

"You did this?" he asked, pretty sure of himself that the man wasn't one of them. "Nice job."

The man didn't talk, simply turned to see him. Knox saw a look of mad glee written on his face, he wasn't sure what to make of him.

"You don't look like a inmate," he looked the man over, black jeans and T-shirt. "Defiantly not a guard, you one of the guys I should thank for the breakout?"

"I'm here for the fun of it."

"Fun?" He drew back from the man, as he did he got a closer look at the bodies on the floor. There were guards, like he first saw, but there were others dressed in the same clothes he was. The man had killed inmates as well as guard. Knox had the feeling he was next on the list.

The man stepped closer, Knox shouted back at him. "Man, do you know who you are dealing with. I'm the strongest one here and you want to fight me? You're fear only gives me strength." He inhaled the power… but there wasn't any fear coming from the man. He inhaled again, nothing.

"Who said I was afraid?" The man smiled wide at his new victim. "So you taken in fear and use it as strength…" Knox backed away; this man was crazy, who was he not to be afraid if not some insane wacko. Something happened there to Know that hadn't happened for a long time, he was scared. "Do you want to know what my power is?"

Knox's shoulder burst into agonizing pain, thunder punched its way down his leg, his heart slowly began to feel the pinch of a thousand needles, and Knox fell to his knees, screaming,

The man stood over him Knox came to understand that the man before him was going to kill him. "I'm the painkiller."

Four hallway lengths down the screams of a victim could be heard by Company troops.

…

Bullets streaked as the teenager around the corner sent his kinetic projections in between the firefight. He was keep them honest and in place till his teammates cleared the road up ahead. Three shot pummeled the adjacent corner catching one of the armed guards in the leg that was standing too close. The swarmed bullets at him in retaliation, he wasn't likely to make the same mistake as the guard had.

A man hurried to the teenager's side, unconcerned by the bullets for the simple magnetic field he put up would repel any stray ricochets.

He stayed down and low as he looked up, yelling over the noise. "Mind giving me a had here?"

The man in the glasses reach out into space with an open hand and thrust it back into him, closing his hand as he did. The guard stopped firing his weapon, swore with hurried breath as they heard him rustling for something on his person, then multiple explosions.

The teenager lowered his hand from around his head. "Thanks."

"Hurry, Blovhard has cleared the vay to the stairs. Ve're free once ve reach the surface." His thick German accent was ever-present but the teenager understood.

"Then let's blow this place."

They race down the corridors for freedom's embrace but we stopped short as they turned to a damaged hall, blackened by the destruction of the lights, some hanging of their hinges, cords dangling and sparking.

To the right they saw the shadow of a man over a body, twitching nerves as it grunted and moaned. "Blovhard?" called the German. The shadow turned, sparks illuminating the man for a few seconds, the slender form was nothing like Blowhard. The Teenager looked over at the twitching body and saw the top of the fat man's head severed from its proper place.

"Oh my God!" cried out the horrified Teenager. "He killed him."

The German didn't bother being afraid, he was the most powerful man in this place, never hesitating, he lashed out with his power, but the man was faster. The gale force of a hurricane slammed into his chest, the funnel swept him up and back against the wall of the hallway, he slid down and slumped down unconscious. The Teenager watched as his fellow inmate was dispatched with another inmate's power, his eyes widen with horror. He had heard a story while he was inside, stories of a boogieman running around taking other's power by taking their heads off. Some said he absorbed the brain through his fingers, other claimed to have heard that he had toothed mouths on his palms that ate the grey matter. Some said that he ate them. The Teenager pulled up one shaking hand in the form of a gun at the man.

"Do…Don't come ….any c…c…closer," stuttered the Teenager.

"Or you'll what?!" said the man forcefully. The Teenager saw the man raise his forearm, and his wrist broke into an angle. The Teenager's hand went limp, he tried the other hand after he stopped screaming, it met the same fate. With no other way to fend off his attacker, he backed away as the man came into the light. Sylar stepped forth slowly savoring the moment.

"Trevor Zeitian. I know you," said Sylar. He looked at Trevor like he was about to enjoy a luscious treat. Clockworks clicked in his head. "Your power…you don't deserve it." A flick of his hand and Trevor was pressed up against the far wall. With one finger pointed at his head he looked up at Trevor, "Don't worry, I'll put it to good use," and brought his finger across Trevor's forehead making him wail in pain, as he did, a line of blood appeared running down his face.

James, Steven, Alex, & Allen

Wooded land, Northern area of California

"So you just went a told him what we can do!" yelled Allen as he sat forward on one of the huge roots. "And what happens when he turns us in to the authorities, huh?"

"He won't do that!" protested Alex in Dr Stron's defense.

"Well that makes me feel better. I have your word on it, that's about as meaningful as spit."

"That's enough!" said James as he broke up the verbal fighting. "Look, there's nothing we can do about it. The fact is, if we want to find out what's happening to use we need help."

Allen crossed his arms as he sat back against the tree, not bothering to look at anyone. "But we have to be careful who we trust," James turned to Alex. "Which means you don't do that again unless we all agree to it, right?" She nodded in compliance.

"That's never going to happen with sourpuss over here holding major trust issues," said Steven on the opposite side of the clearing.

"That's why I'm still here," answered Allen.

"What's that mean?" said Steve. Allen didn't answer.

"Look, I'm sorry about doing that on the fly but I couldn't lie to him, and look…" Alex pulled out the book that the Dr Stron had given her. "We know who could give us answers about what's going on with us. This guy, Surresh's son, he's in the same field as his father, the guy who wrote this. It talks about what were going through, he maybe able to help."

"That's the best thing to happen with this." James looked back at Alex. "How soon will the Doc get in touch with him?"

"It's hard to say. He tried the University in India but they said he went to New York after his father died. It's just a matter of following his trail."

"Well the sooner the bet…" James' sentence was cut shirt when a blast of wind rushed by them, sending the group off their feet and on their backs. The burst of air was sudden and short, but powerful enough to bend the limbs of tress, twigs twirled in the empty space of the wind's wake, falling down back to the ground. Everyone looked at each other asking silently for an explanation.

"What was that!' exclaimed Steven.

A man came out of a blur, standing at the edge of the clearing, he stood tall and lean, and his trench coat flowed ahead of him following the wind's push. His hair was pushed back and white, his skin pale from not enough sun his smile was joyfully arrogant. "That would be me."

James shot back up to his feet first, Allen followed suit, Steven flipped to his feet from his back with grace, Alex went to her knees and stayed there, all of them were looking at the white-haired man.

"Who are the hell are you?" asked Allen.

"Name's Caleb, I'll be taking you in to see the Wizard today."

They looked at each other, trying to rationalize the crazy's words. Allen went to the stranger and clasped his shoulder harder. "We're not going anywhere."

Faster than the eye could see, the stranger went to Allen's forearm and flipped him over his shoulder landing hard on his back again. Steven didn't wait, he went to the air in a superhuman leap that would take his foot and connect it with the white-hair's face. It would have worked had he stayed still, but Caleb had no intention of letting that happen. In a millisecond he was gone, and Steven stomped to the ground.

"Where'd he…" started Steven but was interrupted when the chocking force of his collar sent him back a few feet.

"Wha…" said Allen almost getting to his feet before they were pulled out from under him.

"Allen!" James screamed. They were under attack for only five seconds and all ready one guy has taken down half of them, another person with abilities. "Steven! He's a speedster!"

"Yeah," he grunted. "Isn't that something, what do we do about it?"

A slight shift in the air, James raised his barrier a split second before a bang hit the surface of it. Caleb came to a stop a few feet away. "Damn," he said shaking his left hand. "Good thing I wasn't trying to slug ya'." Caleb stopped shaking to examine his hand, a hit came from behind him as Steven smashed his feet into his spine, send him flying forward into the air of the Gorilla's waiting, cooking pan sized, hand. Wrapping its strong fingers around his throat, which it could easily snap his neck; he slammed his back to the ground. The gorilla closed in on the Caleb's face, giving him a whiff of it's the awful fume of bad breath in an ear-shattering roar.

The others gathered to the gorilla quickly, before it did anything to its prisoner. "Who are you?" demanded James. 'Why'd you attack us?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," said Caleb wheezing for air. A hand reached out for a random stone on the forest floor, bringing it back to the gorilla's hand. A single hit of the stone against its hand would've done nothing to entice it to release him, but the continuous bombardments at the same spot would feel like a much bigger striking force. The gorilla reeled back, its hand waving the air in a manner that only humans practiced. Up on his feet with beyond lightning fast speed, Caleb finished his attack on the gorilla with a blow to the temple that rendered him unconscious. Steven attempted another attack that had him piercing the air with precision grace at his target, however Caleb was quicker. Taking Steven's leg as it came close enough to him, Caleb used the momentum to swing him around in a tornado spin. The moment Caleb let go, Steven rocketed out of the torrent and into a tree truck with an impacting crack.

"Alex, can you get to him?" called out James from the cover of his semi-transparent barrier.

"I can't get a lock on hiAAGGHHH!" The fastest thing on God's green her that James had ever seen took Alex out with a rushing jab to the back of her neck. She rag-dolled to the ground out of the fight. It was up to him to stop Caleb and he had no idea how.

Caleb walked to James in a confident stride. "I understand you're new to this, but this is the part where you realize you've lost."

James stayed behind his barrier as sweat dotted his brow, he could feel the overwhelming bass of his heart in this throat drowning out all other sounds around him. He tried to prepare for the coming attack psyching his mind, telling him to get ready, prepare for the coming onslaught and you might get the jump on him.

Caleb blurred and everything went dark.

The Man with the Glowing Eyes

Remains of Level 5

As the Man with the Glowing Eyes hovered to the bridge of the melted tunnel he had made earlier, he readjusted the hold he had on the limb body of Elle Bishop. A victim to the Company's manipulations as much as he was, he couldn't bring himself to leave her down in what was left of that underground hive of broken catacombs. Her life with her treacherous father was over, his only hope was that she could find some peace now that she was freed from her father's lies. He could feel the strains of his feats taking their toll, physical exhaustion racked his body and the frustration over the Company's deals was too much to bear. Every moment the toyed with him was another that would keep him from his goal. From Her. He stocked down the vacant hall, silent of any and all signs of conflict, not the shouts of orders or the fire of automatic weapons. Only his boot steps echoed down the hall and back at him. It was a good sign that he wouldn't be bother with anything, if what Bob said was true then the guards would have more pressing matter at the moment than him which left him free to replenish his body. Back tracking the path he took entering the facility he found the signs designating the location to the power supply. He had kept a mental note of its whereabouts in case he needed it, though if the shockwave got to it, he might not get as much as He wanted, but maybe enough to get him out. Arriving at the control room He placed Elle on the nearest corner, freeing his arms. He ventured out to the large room of turbines and engines that had once been breathing with unlimited power, singing their hymns for all in the vicinity to her. All he could see was the ghost of the power they had, the wave the Elle sent out had damaged them. Some were smoking with flames off their ruptured surfaces, but the majority had been strong enough to withstand it. Good news for Him. Lined up in a single row of two, the scaffolding from the control office laced between the turbines, allowing an overview look to the sides of the catwalks. The Man with the Glowing Eyes went to the center of the intercepting pathways while removing his sunglasses to be place in the inside pocket of his leather longcoat. The red suns of his eyes set under closing lids and began to concentrate. He felt for the energy turning inside the engines, feeling the power coursing and pulsing waiting to be released. The ones that were fractured and exposed there inner workings were the first to give, send their powering tendrils into His grateful hands. Others followed suit, giving all they have, the electrical current streaming through every fiber of his being, empowers his body, replenishing his strength. The fatigue swept away like a fading dream replaced by raw coursing power, the thermal energy he consumed from the fires held its familiar warmth reminding him of a reliable blanket in the depths of cold winter nights. What was left powering Level 5 stammered as he took the last of its life force; lights flickered and died as the controls through out the facility were drained dry of control. The Man with the Glowing Eyes, satisfied with the results, turned to calm Elle and leave this place behind him. The power transfer had caused some damage of its own as well, shattering the glass of the control room's window along with the wall window's glass, something that he hadn't noticed in the exchange. But something that he did notice was the fact that the misguided, unconscious, blond haired girl he had left in the corner wasn't there anymore. Some of the electrical energy that was absorbed may have strayed away into her causing her to wake. It was probably for the best that see parted from him, she had a lot of issues to deal with and it was best that she did it herself. He knew from experience.

Steps on metal sounded behind Him. His coat unfurled in the air at the speed of is turn to the source, luminous fists coiled ready for any threat. His eyes glowed fiercely the familiar red yellow shine, watching the man who had came out of nowhere with a searing look of unwelcome.

The man kindly walked from the other end of the center catwalk, his hands on either side of the rails, dragging them behind as he paced closer. "My, my, what an interesting ability you have. Very impressive," said the man with a sly grin on his face, clockworks clicking in his head.

"Well, I finally met the man who's been causing so much noise. The mighty Zeus, the man who's set on dethroning the Kronos Company." said Sylar in a sickening pleasurable manner. "I must admit, I'm of mixed feelings about you. Delight at the chaos you've inflicted, but at the same time a little jealous at the all the fun you're having. And let's not talk about all the PR you're hogging up. I don't like being pulled down to number two on the list, you know."

"I'm not in this for the popularity," clarified the Man with the Glowing Eyes, repulsed at how this man viewed his actions. "They have something of mine and I'm here to take it back.

"That's ironic. I'm here for something, too. But I was amazed when I came to realize that you were here. It's like going to dinner and getting a king's feast. I mean look at you. You took on the entire facility by yourself. The power to absorb, re-channel, and manipulate all forms of energy…" Sylar looked over to the dead engines, "a fearsome ability."

"You know of my power?" He was stunned at the man's knowledge of what he could do.

Sylar tapped a slim finger to his temple and smiled. "I see how you work, see how all people work, even those like us. Well, not like you or I, I have to admit. We're the special ones in the world of special people."

"So you are Sylar," said the Man with the Glowing Eyes as the pieces fit together in his mind, Sylar lightly bowed at the announcement. "Your legend as a murdering devourer precedes you. I have no interests in the ravings of madman, leave and let me continue on my journey in peace."

"And pass up this golden opportunity to be greater than what you are," Sylar laughed. "I offer the chance for you to rise to your proper place in the world, as Gods should be. "

"To become everything that they feared I would become. No, we are not entitled to rule because of our abilities, we are simply different and should be able to live our lives in the peace of normalcy bettering the Earth and humanity like everyone else. That is all that I have ever wished for."

"You would deny what I offer you, what you were born to be, to be one of them," Sylar shook his head. "Then you don't deserve the power you have."

"You would try to take my power?" He was becoming angry at this Sylar, a man who presumed he could take what wasn't his so easily.

"To use it properly." Sylar smiled.

He had had enough. Ever since can remember people had calmed his fate never allowing him control over his own destiny. From false Gods to real Gods, they all had there plans for him, but he was his own God now and he had the power to prove it. The same power that presently raged from his body, enraged at yet another person trying to take control of him again. "I am God of Thunder and Lightning!" he roared his defiance for all to hear, above and below. Energy ignited in the air around him, burning ozone. "Suns burn in my hands and raw power hammers from my fists. I have suffered from those you would take what was never theirs for too long and I allow it no longer. Never again!"

Sylar breathed in disappointment. "Oh well, I was going to take it anyway."

The enraged Zeus cried out as he sent a concentrated blast that streaked like a comet toward Sylar. It streamed for a full ten seconds before the beam dissipated. Zeus heaved his air heavily, starring at the aftermath of his outburst, smoldering materials of iron, steel, and concrete flush as white hot as his eyes presently did.

"Such bravado," a voice stated behind him. Zeus revolved around quick enough to see Sylar wave a hand at him, shooting him through the melted whole he had made. The hard landing sent him tumbling for yards until he had lost enough momentum to stop himself. The telekinetic throw had sent him into a small loading area, surrounding him on all side was the facilities walls. Sylar followed through the same whole that had been flash frozen. Jumping, he landed safely on the ground thanks to a telekinetic burst that slowed his descent.

Zeus didn't wait. Climbing to his knees he shot another beam at Sylar, smaller than the first so as to keep track of his enemy. Sylar's arms came together to cross each other and two dumpsters at the opposite ends of the clearing followed suit, shielding the attack. Not as powerful as the first blast the second scorched the metal and burn its contents but did its job of protecting its summoner. Having his own projectiles, Sylar hurled them like missiles. Zeus stood as he tore through them with the kinetic energy he had absorbed from the landing, his face showed no mercy in the shower of metal fragments. From the glowing spheres at the end of extended arms, thin lines of energy too many to count streaked the space between them seeking out there target. A telekinetic burst at his feet sent up dust and dirt, moving him to the side of the beams in a jerk, sliding to a stop on the loose soil. The beams, and in turn Zeus, did not give up that easily, the beams curved to find their target again. Sylar had little time to react before the first of the seekers would hit, he raised his hands as they hit the air in front of them. The beams hit like hammers against his TK field and burned like white-hot coals even as far as he was from them. Too many were coming at him for his legs to keep hold raising him off the ground they launched him through the metal slide rail door to the loading area.

Zeus rushed to the man-sized hole in the thin metal door to find his quarry, but he was nowhere to be seen in the dark. He knew he was walking into an ambush even before he even set foot inside, lighting an orb in front of him gave him a view of the loading area, plenty of potential missiles and projectiles for the killer to send at him, twisting shadows were perfect for hiding, if he was dealing with a regular person. The orb of light went out and the black took over everything

Sylar listened for the footsteps trumpeting in the building, heartbeats hammered in his head as he honed the advanced senses he acquired from a previous victim. The only one he had to work with, the other render useless due to the absence of light and smell of machinery and fuel clogging the air. His sense of hearing wasn't doing to well for him either, the concrete echoing the sounds making it hard to find the source. He less walked, than felt his way from shelving to forklift for cover, silent and alert. He waited behind the cover of a rack of materials, waiting for some clarification on his opponent's whereabouts. Sylar closed his eyes and listened, unfortunately for him, he had only to look behind him to find the eyes of Zeus shining in the dark, watching him a few feet away. It was the charge of energy and the stench of ozone that gave Sylar the warning of attack and time to dodge the rupturing blast that tore through the floor where he once was, the tremor line of energy went on past as Zeus sent one after another. The energy burrowed the concrete, Sylar shot back with his own kinetic projectiles at the glowing eyes. They impacted against screens of red fire in front of raised forearms, enough light to show the long faced features of Zeus twist in furious revolt. Halting the earth quaking attacks Zeus unleashed a clear wave of kinetic force send every manner of crushing weight at him. Without thinking, he parted away the metal with his magnetic repulsion.

Waiting for the next attack, Sylar couldn't help but smile, this was turning out to be quite a bit of fun for him. "So, you can see in the dark, can't you?" said Sylar to the Man with the Glowing Eyes. "I can't wait to try that out."

"You won't live along enough to take another life, monster," decreed Zeus. His forearms rose from the side of his body, glowing as they did. The energy from his open palms went into spheres that spun that hovered above them. The size of cue balls they each split into two orbs that turned in the center of his hands. Two turned to three as the raised higher above curled fingers. "Time to die," announced Zeus, flattening his hands and fired the orbs to Sylar. The blasts they produced shattered walls, huge spears of thrust reached out from the impact sending smoke and fire out with pieces of rubble. The sheer concussion of the explosive orbs was enough to cause Sylar to soar out of the smoke and flames, singed but alive.

A rolling recover got him on his feet ready for more. "My turn." His hands began to glow radioactive, another telekinetic thrust rocketed him toward Zeus, a right cross almost connecting. They locked hands in a struggle of strength, neither of them giving the other an inch. "Care to try my brand?"

The radioactivity of Sylar's rays grew stronger, brighter with every second and dangerously hot. But Zeus didn't budge, he simply opened his mouth and the same radioactive energies beamed out of his maw and eyes. Sylar drew back, the clothes on the top of his torso burned to nothingness. Fumes clouded around his head for a moment, he appeared unscathed by the attack.

"You're going to have to do better than that," said Sylar as he charged again his fist even more hazardous than before.

Zeus, true to his namesake, thundered to the sky with an enormous bolt of electricity that engulfed him as it reached up to the heavens booming in ear deafening decibels. Blinding blue-white light overtook everything till the facility was filled with light. The man standing at the end of the prevailing discharge breathed heavily as the sweet came off his brow due to his overexertion, the ground around him was scorched with black needles protruding out from the epicenter. Level 5 was demolished standing on its last leg, remnants of its former self laid strung out everywhere with no sign of his adversary, Sylar.

"I hope that meets your requirements." Zeus went to leave the god-forsaken place and put it behind him on his long trek.

In the last bit of the intact building's upper floors, a battle worn Sylar with tatter shredded clothing looked out the man sized window with a pleasing grin. "Well played."

Outside Level 5

The fat man puffed air out of tortured lungs. His blubbery legs stung in retaliation to all the running they had to do. He ignored them, as much as he could anyway, every step away from Level 5 was worth the aches and pains. There were others with him in his trek to freedom scurrying in all directions like roaches with the lights turned on. Some passed by oblivious to everyone, their only thought, to get out of the area as fast as possible. He was with a group or tried to stay with the group, they had agreed that numbers was better than the fastest escape, should the guards left get their second wind or they sick their agent dogs on them.

"Hurry up, Doyle," hissed the man in front of him, looking back over his shoulder.

"Shut up, Pine, or I'm going to make you walk back down there."

"Both of you shut up," shot back the man in front of the group. "Or do you want them to find us."

"Too late," came a female's voice at the top of the wooded hill. She looked down at them with her head on her hips and her pale white hair over her shoulders. She held herself with authority, she held herself like a Company agent.

Pine expelled a surprised curse from his mouth as he turned his arms to organic metal. A girl that had come with them, that was only know as singer, popped out a series of thin barbed thorns from the back of her forearms. They reminded Doyle of a porcupine's quills, except she could shot hers at anything she wanted, and they were currently trained on the white haired woman.

"Put those away," said the woman unafraid. "I'm not here to take you in."

"Yeah? Why should I?" snarled Stinger. "Agent or not you're work for those bastards and I want some payback."

"I'm not with them," beg the man on the outskirts of the group, stepping back to distance him from the inmates. "Let me go, please. I just want be with my family again."

"Grow a backbone, Canfield," hissed Stinger. "They're not going to let you do anything."

"Oh God, I must be desperate," said the white haired woman under her breath as she pressed on the bridge of her nose. Her head came up and a brilliant flash came from her eyes. The hypnotized onlookers stared blankly into the void as Doyle watched unaffected. Stinger drew back her thorns, Pine's arms reverted to normal and went back to his sides, and there they stood, strait and relaxed. Dolls waiting for their master's orders.

Too preoccupied by his "partners" state of being he barely noticed the white-haired woman come up to him. "Mr. Doyle, or do you prefer the Puppet Master?"

He looked on quizzically. "Mr. Doyle is fine."

"Very well." Their wasn't any sort of warming hint in her voice, nothing suggesting that she want to be his friend, like they had all said before. She sounded strictly business-like. This close to the woman he could make out her features better, her hair wasn't blonde white, but pale white like her skin, albino white. "I didn't think my hypno would work on someone with your abilities."

"So that's what you did."

She looked the group over. "They will stay there till Doomsday or I give them orders."

"And what, pray tell, do you plan to do with them?"

"Settle an old score, I want some payback of my own." The first hint of emotion came from her voice, anger. She wanted someone bad. "You've seen the lightshow coming over the hills from Level 5?"

Doyle shook his head. "That was caused by a man, a man I want dead."

"You want them…" he pointed to the group, "And me, to help you take on that." He pointed back to the direction of Level 5

"And in return, I'll can give you what you want. Your favorite puppet of all." Doyle's eyes sparkled. "Meredith."

"I can make her be totally devoted to you."

Doyle smiled back at the Albino. "When do we start?"

Caleb

Northern California

"Yes, sir," said Caleb to the cell phone at the side of his face. He came around a tan colored van closing the door with a hard slam one at after the other. "I understand, Level 5 is compromised." Silence. "Yes sir, I'm on my way, they weren't too difficult." More silence. "Yes, sir, I report in as soon as I get there." He closed the thin flip phone and put it back in his pocket as he went to the driver's side seat. "Change of plans, folks," he called out as he closed the door and started the van's engine. Once it came to life he looked back at the four sedated teenagers on gurneys attached to the inside of the van's wall, IVs hanging close by dripping their drug into fastened arms. "We're going to the Lab."

To be continued…

Chapter 9

"Friends"

Sylar

Level 5 - Underground

Sylar fastened the last button on his new shirt as he walked down the fractured and damaged hall. It wasn't what he was use to, by any means, but the splatter points of blood did give it a certain style. And it wasn't like the dead guard he took it from was going to complain or anything.

"Looks like you got in a bit of fun," said Todd "Painkiller" Warren leaning back against a large metal panel in the wall with a devil's grin. It looked like the door to a bank vault, the ones they always showed in the movies. "And that shirt, it screams 'you'. "

Sylar looked up at his at his companion. "Thanks," he looked at the large Safe Doors. "Are these the ones?"

Todd handed Sylar a clipboard listing numbers that corresponded with the numbers on the Safe Doors. The only numbers that had names attached to them were the two in front of him. "Are you sure about this? There was a reason that they sent this guys down here. The badest of the bad lie behind these two doors, I'm kind of insulted that they never thought of me for such an honorable title."

Sylar smiles. "You will show them their mistake soon enough." He stepped to the vaults that held no sign of opening mechanisms.

"They dead bolted as soon as the power went out. They wanted to make sure that those two stayed in there forever, so how are we going to get them out?"

Sylar moved his hands with a magnetic hum and the dead bolts could be heard slamming back into place one by one. A pull of his arms and the doors ruptured off from the posts on the wall. Rocks tumbled as from the holes dust being thrown up as a result, Sylar hovered the doors away sending them off to this side when they were clear.

Nothing could be seen inside the holding pens with the loss of power killing the lights, but Sylar could tell they were there, extending his arms out in a welcoming gesture. "My friends. Greet your savor."

Noah Bennett

Underground, location unknown

Noah Bennett awoke to the sounds of boots on metal

The Man with the Glowing Eyes walked in to view of Bennett, not bothering to raise his head in acknowledgement of his prisoner, walking on the grated metalwork in the room of pipes and stonewalls. To the best of his knowledge, "Zeus" as he was calling himself these days, had him in some sewer system's workings, maybe even an old furnace plant underground or in a facility, he couldn't tell. That was the point of course, this kid was good, he thought of everything, keeping him isolated, and disoriented. He even got him in a position that he couldn't escape from, with his arms behind him to the nearest point of breaking without doing so, wrapped around a large sturdy pipe that he had no chance of breaking in his position with his forearms covered in melted metal.

Zeus had kept a single bulb that hung over head on for light, which left him in the shadows, and hidden. Bennett knew his face, knew everything about him, but he suspected it was to keep him from knowing his actions or seeing anything that could be used to benefit him now or in the future.

"It's a shame you weren't given the offer to join," said Bennett. "To come up with the way and where you're holding me, for a civilian to think of this, you could have been a good agent for the Company."

"Save your gratitude, I'm not here to please you," shot back Zeus. He slumped down to the corner on the farside of the wall so that his voice was the only sign he was in the room. "As memory severs, you didn't care to give me that choice. 'Too dangerous to kept loose, even on a collar', that's what you said, right?"

"Seems I was right in that opinion."

"Are you saying that this is my fault?" Bennett saw the eyes of Zeus glow red-hot in the shadows and the bulb strobe in and out. "Don't you dare say that this is my fault?! We were no harm to anyone. We were doing Good with our gifts."

"Yeah, using your abilities on every one of those guards and agents you killed and maimed shows how much 'Good' you've accomplished with your gifts."

"That is what happens when you poke a stick at a wild animal. When you take away the only thing it needs to survive in this world and lock it in a cage for the rest of its life." The lights dimmed and the bulb went back to full light.

"So you think you're justified?"

"In defending myself against those who want to kill me and mine?" Zeus paused then his eyes flashed. "Absolutely."

"And the ones you blinded, what's you're justification on that kind of torture?"

"They live, do they not?" Bennett couldn't argue that fact.

"They were punished for what they didn't and have to live with that sin for the rest of their lives. They are far from innocent, Bennett, just as you are far from innocent. They deserved what they got."

"So what about you, Do you deserve what you fight for?" asked Bennett

Zeus didn't say anything at first. "It is a thought that I have had on mind for a long time. I failed to protect her, to keep her safe. To be the hero that she always saw me as. I have a lot to answer for when this is all over but if I have to move Heaven and Earth and Hell to get her back then so be it. I doubt you would do less for someone you love, if you have the heart for it."

Bennett thought of what he would do for his family and what he has done for his family. For his Claire Bear. "And what if she hates you for what had to be done to accomplish this?"

"Then she will be alive with that hate of me inside her, not dead without it. I can live with that."

Bennett wasn't a Company man as much as he used to be, especially in resent times. But he had believed in its purpose. But hearing the other side, could he really defend their actions? This man's selfless love, was he so unlike him? From what he was told they were very much the same man.

"So what's next?" asked Bennett after his long time of self-conflict yielded no immediate answers.

Bennett could hear the strain of forced defeat in his voice. "There is no next, Level 5, it's a dead end. She's out there but I don't know where. Bob died rather than tell me and I have no way of tracking down a source or a trail or anything that would lead me to her. She's going to die in one of those cells if I don't find her."

Bennett could feel his gut churn in his stomach, what he was thinking of doing was against everything he believed, everything he had strived to work for. "You find her, with as little killing as possible, and you will go away?"

"What?" responded Zeus.

"You find her and go into hiding? Never to be heard from again, somewhere away from everyone and everything else. Somewhere secluded."

Zeus was catching on to what Bennett was implying. "You know something. Some way to find her, don't you?"

"Perhaps."

Bennett could hear Zeus getting up. The bottom half of a man came in to the light, hand out to the side, burning. "I could make you tell me."

"You could, but you don't want to if there's an easier way, do you?" The burning hand went cold and back resting on the side of his leg. "Swear that when you find her you go away and I never hear about you again."

"On her soul, that's all I ever wanted."

"Not one mention of you or your abilities in anyway?"

"And I have you're word that I will not be torturously hounded by you ever again?"

"…Yes." answered Bennett.

The hand of Zeus ignited again in sunfire. "You realized I am risking much on this bargain and that if you plan to deceive me that I will find you again and you will feel the full force of my power."

The hand got closer, Bennett's face turned away from the fuming heat radiating off Zeus' palm. He was a professional, keeping a poker face despite the beads of sweat coming from his skin. He nodded slowly, understanding the terms of their agreement.

The hand went to Bennett's effective makeshift shackle, pausing to heat up the metal slowly to melt the warped iron off of Bennett without hurting him. Bennett stood up as best he could with his stiff legs and sore body, rubbing the flesh that has been incased in iron for days.

"Understand this, nothing has changed between us, Bennett," stated Zeus with certainty. "You deserve to crawl out of here deaf, dumb, and blind on severed limbs for what you have done to me and all those before and after. You better pray that we never meet again."

Bennett straightened out his weakened body. "I think we understand one another."

"Very well. Now tell me, how can you find her?"

"It's not me that's going to find her, someone else. A little girl named Molly."

Nathan, Peter, Matt, & Claire

Storage building

Montreal, Canada

Days later

Four figures rested in their own little corners inside the storage holding, waiting for something they weren't sure how or if would come. Peter Patrelli launched himself off the old oak table top that he was laying on, the uneasiness of the waiting for people whom, as far as he was concerned, were enemies.

Peter couldn't let it settle anymore. "Are you sure about this, Nathan, waiting around for these guys while the Company gets stronger by the minute?"

"Which is why were waiting for them," said Nathan looking out one of the paneled windows in to the raining overcast. "Because everyday their getting stronger." He turned to his brother. "This is getting bigger than us. We need help, and if these guys can give it we can't ignore that."

"I don't like it," said Peter.

"I'm not asking you to," Nathan looked at Matt, then Claire. "Any of you. In fact, until we know more about them I want you all on your guard."

"Wait a minute," said Claire sitting with her knees up to her chest on top of a mirror dresser. "Why bother working with these guys then?"

"They knew things we didn't," answered Nathan. "They knew where Bennett was, they knew about Peter's powers. I want to know what else they know that we didn't. Might be something we can use."

A knock came from the far end of the storage unit, snapping everyone to attention. Nathan turned to the telepath. "Matt?"

Matt Parkman lowered his head and spaced out as if trying to hear something. He looked back at Nathan after a few seconds. "It's your friend, Meredith."

Nathan sighed quietly, he had a feeling they would send her. He went to the small door on the side of the storage unit that allowed for people to come in or out, where the sound of knocking had come from. Opening it, revealed the person that Matt had said would be waiting on the other side. The blonde firestarter named Meredith Gordon. "Hey," she said quietly obviously uncomfortable at this meeting as he was.

"It's been agreed on that you guys are welcomed to meet the Fellowship. But that's all, we will have to see were this goes before we decide on something more… Permanent."

"Fair enough," said Nathan. "So where are we going?"

"Is your brother still here?"

"I'm here," said Peter as he walked up behind Nathan.

"You okay to travel?" asked Meredith.

"Of course. I heal pretty fast."

Meredith smiled. "I don't mean that kind of travel."

…

Peter blinked again into existence, Claire and Matt on either side of him. The four of them plus Meredith stood outside of a looming mansion in the Northern forests of the state of Washington near the Canadian border. The graveled drive circled a large fountain as it went out into the far distance of the surrounding trees. There seemed to be no other living soul anywhere near the expensive building, Peter couldn't help but thing of how convenient the isolation must be.

Meredith pocketed the map and photo she had shown Peter in order for him to 'port here. "They're waiting for us inside." She lead the group to the heavy double doors and opened them, Peter brought up the rear. The inside was as grand as the outside, old Victorian style gave the effect of the building being pulled right out of the time period. Peter joked in his head that with all he had seen it could be possible, anything was possible nowadays. The a-typical weather of the Washington seeped inside through the man-sized windows giving a gloom illumination of the rooms. The sound of a piano could be heard a couple rooms away, where Meredith was leading them. Once through the numerous rooms they stopped at the source of the music, where a man with short blond hair concentrated on the ivory keys that his fingers played on.

"Richard," called Meredith getting the attention of the focused piano man.

He didn't look up, only smiled and spoke out over the piano. "I know. Give me a minute."

The man finished his score and put the cover back over the keys, laying them to rest. "Beethoven's 5th should never go unfinished, would you agree Mr. Patrelli?" The man looked up at Nathan, looking for an answer.

"I'm not much into that, per say."

"Oh, one should always have time to indulge the great works of brilliant composers. It's sometimes the only thing that can keep a man sane, allow the tension of the days worries to wash away." The man at the piano stood from the bench, showing his height and his expensive dark blue business suit. "Where's my manners, Richard Maxwell, at your service."

Richard walked to Nathan and held out a hand in greetings. "I've heard of you, Mr. Maxwell."

"And I, you, Senator."

"Not anymore."

"Hopefully, not for long." Maxwell turned to Peter and the others. "You must be his daughter," he shook Claire's hand. "And the telepath, Detective Parkman."

Matt took his greeting reluctantly. "Yeah, hi."

"And you must be Peter, I've heard great and many things about you." Luckily not in arm's reach, Peter simply nodded at him.

"Welcome to my home, and the home of the Fellowship. Allow me to introduce some of the others, Meredith I believe you are all familiar with…" he turned his head behind him and stared intently at the double doors for a minute. They opened revealingly as three more people came through to the room, all dressed in the neat black attire that seemed to unify them as a team. "As well as Nikki," walking at the front of the group. "You've met our resident Liquid Man, David Moest," the only man of the group at Nikki's right, tipped an invisible hat to the newcomers. Peter restrained himself from delivering a sucker punch to the guy. "Last but not least is Megan Dell." The little Asian girl, who barely looked twenty one, nodded to everyone.

"I'll introduce you to the others, later."

"Thank you for allowing us the visit," said Nathan in full politician mode.

"Think nothing of it." Maxwell held out his arms slightly. "This place is a haven to those like us, you deserve to be here as much as anyone and I hold in time you will call this your home as well."

"Well excuse us if we don't jump to the ban wagon just yet," said Nathan respectfully. "Your people weren't exactly cooperative when we kept running into each other."

"Slight misunderstanding," answered Maxwell. "You, also, must understand that we couldn't truly trust you either. But we each know what the other's goal is and we can begin 'fixing' the problem before it becomes too great for even our combined partnership to stop."

As Maxwell finished, another man came in the room. Taller than Maxwell, he possessed the harden features earned from battle and time. His face furnished a goatee, something the top of his head lacked, wearing dark shades over his eyes. This was a man who didn't look like he has smiled once in the last ten years of his life. His attire was the same color of the other Fellowship members save Maxwell, brandishing a long black duster.

"Ah, Mr Copper," Maxwell turned to the Nathan and the others. "Please excuse me a second." He walked over to the large man and began a conversation of the hushed kind. Maxwell sent him back the way he came when they were finished with their secret talk. "Speaking of problems, it seems to have increased beyond the Company."

"What's happened?" asked Matt.

"It seems the Zeus has attacked Level 5."

"Zeus?" said Claire.

"The one called the Man with the Glowing Eyes, the man that currently holds your adoptive father captive. It's what he's calling himself."

"How do you know about that?" asked Peter folding his arms over his chest.

"I have my sources, but it doesn't matter right at the moment." Maxwell addressed everyone with what he had to say next. "It seems Zeus launched a one-manned attack on Level 5, a hold facility that houses those the Company deems unsafe to continue living in public or those that have refused their offer to join."

"What? How could they get away with something like that?" Nathan was at a loss at what he heard.

"As we all know, the Company is a very capable group that can get away with many things."

Peter saw Nathan's body go rigid, his voice was uneasy. "To think our mother was apart of something like this."

Peter didn't say anything but he felt they same way his brother did.

"We can't dwell on this, right now. In his attack on the company, Zeus let loose some very dangerous individuals, some that actually deserve to be there." Maxwell turned to his people. "We have to round them up and get them back to cells before they scatter and start doing damage."

Nikki and the other Fellowship members acknowledged and went the way of Mr Copper. "Wait a minute, what about us?" said Matt.

"You're not yet ready for a mission like this, you will be better off here with me."

"I'm not sure about your pal here," argued Parkman, "But I'm a cop. I know how to take care of myself."

"You, yes, but what of your companions, are you willing to risk their lives?"

"We were saving the world before we even meet you," shot back Peter. He was really starting to not like this guy.

Claire came up behind her uncle, rallying to the two men. "We all have."

"A boy who can't work his powers, a girl who can't die, and a flying cityslicker," laughed the Liquid Man. "Oh yeah, y'll be might he'pful to us in a fight."

"I could clean your clock, waterboy," Peter's hand ignited ready to back up his threat.

"Enough," shouted Maxwell. He pondered the request and its implications. "You realize that this is simply a capture and clean up. This won't be an attack at the Company facility or the Company in general, and that this is a dangerous situation that you are all agreeing to go in to?"

"Yes," answered everyone save Nathan who had yet to join the others.

Maxwell turned to him, "Your choice my friend."

Nathan wasn't about to let his little brother get in to trouble without him present to bail his butt out of the firestorm he was charging into head first. But what can he do, Peter was the hero of the family.

"I'm in."

"Very well then I'll allow them to tag along," said Maxwell to Moest, who very openly protested his displeasured defeat. "Under the condition that you follow the order of my people." Maxwell focused on Peter. "Please don't try to take any more abilities until we've had time to talk."

Hiro Nakamura

Abandoned Building, Tokyo

Hiro appeared out of nowhere in the clothes of an enemy with a heavy bag in the same pitch black color.

He went over to the corner pile of priceless treasures and bundles of high numbered bills. The crown jewels from England to Africa, jade seals from China, the Hope Diamond and every bit of treasure from the six continents, all stolen by him. He no longer felt like the hero he always thought he was destined to be

Hiro removed his mask. "Shadow! Show yourself!" he yelled into the empty building echoing up the walls.

A light from the cities outside shown in through the windows, moving past the walls like Yurei from stories, moving along to be replaced by the shadows again

From behind Hiro the "Kage", as he called him, presented himself. "My little samurai, you've returned."

Hiro turned to face his nemesis. "Enough of this…" he motioned a hand to the fortune pile as high as a man. "I have done what you asked, now release my friend and sister. Give them back to me!"

"Or you'll do what, little samurai," said the Kage. "You're code of honor is your own prison. But perhaps it is time for the last treasure to be finally returned to the rightfully owner."

"What last treasure?"

Kage walked to the pile, bending down to examine his new wealth. "It's all been a test, little samurai. The enjoyment of watching you suffer as your honor was broken every time you stole and the consumption of jewels, all were to prepare you for what I need to retrieve."

Hiro looked at him confused. "You think I couldn't get all of this myself? You think we have nothing in common." Kage stood up to face Hiro. "We are the same, Ying and Yang, different sides the coin. Are powers are similar, even in how they work."

Hiro caught on to what Kage was saying. "You don't mean…"

"Just as the Blade of Takezo Kensei allowed you to use you powers the way they were meant to be," smiled Kage. "There is something that you must get for me so I can do the same."

"No," whispered Hiro.

"When the artifact of my ancestors is reclaimed, I will truly be untouchable, and you are going to help me reclaim it, my little samurai."

Molly Walker

Elementary School, New York

Molly hated recess, something else that made her hated to everyone else. It wasn't being outside that bothered her, but all the other kids that she didn't care for. She could her them whisper things when they weren't saying it out loud to be mean. She even saw some of the teachers look at her funny. Matt always said not to listen to what they said but it was hard for her and he couldn't always be there to protect her from the normal kids.

Like every day after lunch, Molly went over to the far bench and colored on her paper sheets that were bright and beautiful. At least they were leaving her along today, not asking to play Hide and Seek like last time. That's when they started calling her name, screaming she was a weirdo, it wasn't her fault that she knew where they all were it was what she does. Finding people, it was her gift, and even though Matt said that she shouldn't tell anyone or use it, she couldn't help it sometimes. It was unfair.

"What are you doing all the way over here, little one?" One of the new teachers said walking over from one of the playground areas. "Don't you want to go play with your friends instead of school stuff? I know I did when I was your age."

The teacher came up to the table looking at the drawings see was doing. "They don't like me, none of them do."

"Why do you say that?" asked the teacher.

"Because they said so." Molly looked up at the skinny man in a long sleeved shirt and tan paints the same color as one of her pieces of paper. They reminded her of Matt's suit he always wore to work. She looked at his face and she couldn't help think of her Uncle Pete, 'cept the teacher's hair was brown and long like a girl's. It was pulled back like a girl's, too. "They think I'm weird."

The teacher sat down across from her. "I sure you're not."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because the weird girls have antlers coming out of the top of their heads," the teacher put his hands on his head with fingers spread out. "You don't so I'm pretty sure that doesn't qualify you as weird. Be cool if you did though."

"Nuh uh, it wouldn't," argued wouldn't

"Sure it would, you could run in to those other kids," said the teacher bring his head down a bit to look like he was going to ram somebody. Molly giggled.

The teacher laughed, too, and it made Molly feel better. Like her dad always was able to do when she was sad, he could always make her laugh when. "Do you mind?" said the teacher pointing to one of her pieces of paper and a crayon. She nodded it was ok. "So you have no friends here at all?"

"Nope."

"Well that changes this minute."

"Silly, teachers can't be friends."

"Course they can."

Molly shook her head sideways. "You're weird," she said, the tone of hate absent in voice.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, we weird people have more fun anyways." Molly giggled again.

"Y'know, when they say things like that, it means that you have something they don't have, something they can't understand yet."

"That's what my friend says."

"Oh, so you do have friends,"

"Not here, he's the man who looks after me. He says that I'm special," Molly hesitated.

"See I was right, what did he says make you special?"

"Well…?"

"Well, what?" The teacher continued to scribble on the paper with his single crayon.

"He says that I can't tell anyone that I am. I wish I could tell someone, but Matt says that it would be bad."

The teacher stopped and looked at her eyes shining in the light. "You can tell me. We're friends now right?"

Molly thought it over. "You promise not to tell anyone?" Molly stuck out a single pinky finger. "Pinky swear?"

The teacher locked his massive pinky with hers. "Pinky swear?"

Unhooking their fingers Molly and leaned in close to her new friend. "I can find people."

"Really?" The teacher didn't look at her silly or weird or anything like that. He believed her. "Anywhere?"

"Anywhere," confirmed Molly.

The teacher turned his head side to side. "Can you keep a secret?" Molly shook her head yes. "Pinky swear?" They locked their pinkies together again and swore on their pinkies. The teacher came in close, "I'm special, too."

Molly lit up, cheeks rosy in a smile and eyes sparkling. "Really! What can you do?"

The teacher brought her in close, cupping his hands in front of them. From inside them a light shined and a butterfly made of light fluttered up to rest on Molly's small nose. She giggled for the third time her entire stay at this elementary school at the tingling feeling she felt as it faded away. She was as bright as the butterfly had. "That's so cool! I wish I could do that! Can you do it again! Please! Please! Pllleeeaaasssse!"

The bell rang and a sound of displeasure came across the school yard in unison. "Maybe tomorrow, little one."

The same sound that came from the herd of kids came from Molly's mouth. The teacher helped her collect her stuff, "Here, this is for you." He put the piece of paper he was drawing on top of the pile. On it was the best butterfly she had ever seen being drawn. "Really, for me?"

"Yep."

"Thanks, Mr. Williams," Molly ran to the forming lines at the far end of the school building, backpack bouncing, turning to wave at her new and only best friend in school.

…To be continued.