Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes, just the characters I created.

A/N: This is the sequel to What Started with a Spark. It follows the events immediately after that and Volume Two: Generations. The storyline is completely different from What Started with a Spark. The only thing that is continuous is the OC: Dean's story arc, all of the canon characters pick up from where volume two left them. If you're just beginning this story and are actually reading this author's note, the ensemble only applies to the first segment, while the PeterElleOC applies to the second and third.

Anyway, this story will be divided into three parts. Enjoy! Oh, and major spoilers for the Volume two finale and the rest of season two! As well as some of the confirmed spoilers for season three used in the story, like characters and things like that.

Part One: The Domino Effect

The sound of bullets tearing into flesh immediately sent quick waves of panic through Matt's body. He turned and saw Nathan fall, two bright red bloodstains blossoming across his shirt. Sudden screams filled the conference room of Odessa Police Department as the reporters and public realised what had just happened.

Matt ignored the screams of terror and tried to step towards Nathan. Peter had gone straight to his brother the moment he saw him fall, and was now holding Nathan tightly in his arms, breathing heavily from the sudden shock and fear. It was at that moment, when Nathan was closing his eyes, that Matt looked up and saw the man.

He seemed oddly out of place with the rest of the panicked crowd. He stood near the back of the room, blending in with the reporters and police. He was dressed entirely in black, a look that seemed to make him stand out in the throng of panicked people. A baseball cap was pulled low over his eyes, casting shadows over his face that kept Matt from identifying his face. The very look of the man made fresh bursts of adrenaline pour into Matt's body, making his heart pound loudly in his chest. The deafening noise in the room dulled and all he could hear was the rapid beating in his heart.

The man turned and began to weave his way through the few people in his way. Matt stared after him, his eyes focusing on the one thing that stood out to him above everything else: the handgun equipped with a silencer held loosely in the man's hand. It wasn't just a reporter or someone there to hear Nathan's revelation. This man had shot Nathan, and now he was about to get away unopposed.

Matt stepped away from Peter and his fallen brother and began to run off of the stage and deeper inside the police station. He didn't know how, but he knew the shooter wasn't going to leave through the front entrance. Call it experience, or common sense, or even intuition, Matt knew where he had to go.

He pulled open a door and emerged into a room filled with deserted desks and chairs. Every cop in the station had abandoned their desks in favour of hearing Nathan speak. It was a favourable position for the shooter, there was no-one there to get in his way.

Matt pulled his gun out of its holster and began to jog cautiously through the room, scanning every inch of space as he ran. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the black-capped shooter striding quickly through one of the numerous rooms that were separated by a layer of glass.

The shooter, as if sensing Matt's gaze, turned and looked straight at him.

Matt took a step back as their eyes met. A shiver of fear swept through Matt's body, causing him to momentarily freeze. Even though he was looking straight at the shooter, he still couldn't make out his face. Matt raised his weapon, pointing at the shooter's chest.

Get down!

Matt's legs collapsed underneath him as the shooter raised his own weapon and shot twice. The bullets shattered the screen of glass and flew harmlessly over Matt's head.

Matt sucked in a dizzying breath and staggered to his feet, holding his gun in front of him and pointed towards the shattered window. The shooter had taken advantage of Matt's collapse and had walked out of the room, disappearing into one of the long hallways that wound through the police station.

Matt began to run. He sprinted over the broken glass and towards a door that was only just swinging shut. Reaching out a hand, he grasped the door handle and pulled it open. He emerged into the hallway and looked around.

The shooter was pushing open a side door that led outside the police station. The sound of traffic and sirens could be heard emerging from the streets outside. Matt sprinted down the hall and burst through the door seconds after the shooter.

Matt skidded to a halt on the rough pavement outside the police station and nearly lowered his weapon in surprise. The shooter stood against the wall opposite the exit and was staring at Matt with unblinking eyes. His face was enwreathed by shadows created by the hat and the opposing wall.

"Stay where you are!" Matt ordered as he took a step forward, his weapon held ready and alert. The shooter said nothing, he didn't even give any indication that he heard. There was something familiar about him to Matt, something he knew he should know.

Matt frowned and began to probe into the shooters mind, trying to hear his thoughts.

Matt clutched his head with his free hand as sudden backlash and echoes painfully entered his brain. Matt groaned in pain as image after image flooded into his head. Each image was more disturbing than the last, flashing by so quickly Matt couldn't register them, only the imprint of sadness and death and fire.

The images and indistinct voices stopped abruptly as the shooter jerked suddenly and stepped forward towards Matt angrily, his gun pointed at Matt's head.

Matt squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the inevitable click of the trigger being pulled. He stayed like that for several seconds before opening his eyes and looking up. The shooter was gone, vanished from the alleyway leaving no trace of his passing.

Matt breathed heavily and listened to the rapidly approaching ambulance sirens. He wondered if they would make it in time.

"I'm back!"

Sylar grinned as he examined the can he had telekinetically pulled towards him. He released it and watched it float just outside of his reach. His grin widened as he clenched his fist. The can shuddered for a moment before it was completely crushed by the telekinetic strain.

Sylar leaned back against the wall for a moment, sighing in satisfaction as Mohinder's cure healed the electrical burns he had suffered at the hands of the blonde woman. She was full of life and power, burning bright and hot. He wanted what she had, and he knew he would go as far as he had to go to get it.

He picked himself up and stood at his full height. That woman would fight him. She would struggle and throw everything she had against him in her bid for survival. The very thought of it sent excited chills down his spine. The effort required would be more than worth it in the end.

He hadn't felt a feeling like this in months, not since New York when he hunted for Ted Sprague. Not since Odessa when he hunted for Claire Bennet. He would succeed this time, it was his imperative.

Sylar chuckled to himself as he began to walk out of the alley. The thrill of the hunt consumed him.

It had been a long time since Elle had been congratulated for her efforts, a long time since anyone had really appreciated her for what she had done. She loved the feeling, it didn't matter how small it was or how it came about. She loved that feeling of self-achievement and pride that came with it. So when Mohinder reassured her, she smiled and felt that warm glow again. "…Cool."

She walked down the concrete steps the laboratory, carefully avoiding jagged pieces of broken glass and the numerous bloodstains that were smeared across the floor.

"We have to go!" Mohinder said quickly, immediately jerking Elle away from her thoughts with the open fear and anxiety in his tone. "Sylar took the cure."

"What do you mean he took it?!" Elle exclaimed as she stepped forward and grabbed the metal strongbox that held the syringe and vials. It was empty.

"He took the cure with him when you drove him off!" Mohinder said as he began to search around for his bag. "You have no idea how dangerous he is."

"Oh, I have an idea." Elle replied, folding her arms defiantly across her chest. "And I can handle him. I know I can. And anyway, it will be a while before he comes back. I hit him pretty good."

"You're wrong." Molly piped up, causing Elle to direct her glare towards the little girl. "He's coming, I can feel it. You can't stop the boogieman!"

Elle felt chills run through her body at the solemn certainty and fear in Molly's voice. "My dad will kill me if I don't do everything I can to bring Sylar in." Elle said stubbornly.

"Sylar will kill you if you stay!" Mohinder insisted. "You say you know how dangerous he is. But if you really had an idea, you would not want to stay here and fight him. Do you really think Bob will be disappointed in you if you come with us?"

"You don't know anything about me, or my father!"

"It still doesn't change the facts. You're hurt! Before you caught Sylar by surprise, he'll be expecting you and he'll be a lot more dangerous than he was before. Come with us, Elle!"

Elle tried not to squirm under Mohinder's gaze. She hated to admit any kind of fear or uncertainty, but she knew Mohinder was right about this. She could not fight Sylar when she had her arm in a sling — not if she wanted to survive. "Okay…" She said quietly. "Grab whatever you can. I'm not going to let Sylar take any information from this place. My dad will really kill me if I lead Sylar back to Hartsdale."

Mohinder nodded and stood up, clutching Molly's hand tightly in his. Elle noticed the Honduran woman was staring at the exit Sylar had gone through with something very close to hate in her eyes.

"We have to erase all the data here." Elle said as she turned around and faced the series of computer equipment. They had only been slightly disturbed by Sylar's flight, many of them were still in their upright positions, and a lot more hadn't even be touched. "We can't leave anything here that can be traced back to The Company."

"Erasing everything here will take hours!" Mohinder said. "We don't have time—"

"I can handle it." Elle interrupted. "Just make sure that there aren't any hard copies left around."

"Okay, Elle."

Elle nodded in satisfaction and looked at the computers. She knew how to erase a computer's hard-drive completely, but she had to be extremely careful and delicate. Delicacy had never been one of her strengths. It was a lot easier to just destroy everything beyond repair. It was a lot more entertaining too.

Elle extended her free hand and directed it towards the nearest computer. Electricity sparked into life, dancing across her fingers and forming into a harsh-glowing ball of blue light. Elle held it in her palm for a moment, loving the feeling of power that came with her electricity. It lasted only a second before the ball streamed from her hand, striking the computer in a flurry of sparks.

She heard a small scream behind her as the computer exploded in a flash of orange sparks and electricity. Another small explosion and another round of sparks flared as the electricity shorted out and destroyed the next computer in line. Small flames began to emerge from the shattered computer screens, slowly growing bigger with each passing second.

Elle sent two more balls of electricity streaking over to the other machinery across the lab. The equipment shattered in a shower of sparks and flames. The flames wafted higher, until the fire sprinklers positioned across the roof activated.

Elle groaned as the sprinklers quickly drenched her and the now spluttering flames. "Perfect." She said sarcastically to herself as she turned around and left the sprinklers to put out the fires.

Mohinder stood just inside the laboratory, as dripping wet as she was. Molly and the Honduran woman had managed to get out before the sprinklers activated.

She swiftly walked towards the exit, wanting to get out of the water and outside into the sun as soon as she could. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried not to shiver. "Let's go. My power doesn't work properly when I'm wet. If Sylar finds us now, I'll just make things worse."

"Okay, Elle. Let's get out of here." Mohinder said as he walked out of the laboratory.

Elle started to follow him, but paused as she felt a shiver not caused by the wet or the cold. It was like someone was watching her. She turned around and gazed through the destroyed laboratory. Goosebumps sprung up across her body that were only half caused by her dropping body temperature. She frowned as she thought she saw something move near the back of the lab, through the hallway where Sylar had escaped.

The sound of a beaker tipping over and shattering caused Elle to look away from the spot and towards the source of the noise. She looked at the shattered glass for a moment before turning back to the hallway door.

She stared at the place closely for a moment, before shaking her head. "Elle, you're imagining things." She tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, the feeling like she was being watched, and took another wary glance around the laboratory. Nothing else moved. She shrugged her shoulders and followed Mohinder's wet shoeprints out of the lab, closing the door firmly behind her.