Episode 10- 2028
They were all scattered about the home of Claire and Gabriel Gray. It was almost everyone who was a Petrelli or a Gray. The Petrelli's included Nathan, Tracy, Simon, Peter, Emma, Angela, and Scott. The Gray's included Gabriel, Claire, Noah, Sandra, and Nathan. Angela, Sandra, and Nathan were playing hide-and-seek. Scott sat on the ground and cried. The others hadn't let him play because he was only five.
Noah sat on the couch beside his mother. On his other side sat a blonde woman who looked to be around his age, eighteen. Noah held his mother's knee. On the other side of Claire sat Nathan, who was crying. His son Monty had just killed Ando Masahashi and Kimiko Nakamura. Before that, he had killed Nathan's ex-wife, Heidi, but this was different. That had been an accident, but Monty had done this on purpose.
Claire smiled at Noah, tears running down her face. Noah looked to his other side. "Come on, Amanda. Let's go and let them talk it out."
Noah grabbed Amanda Chandler's hand and led her outside. It didn't make sense that it was so warm and sunny, when something so dreadfully terrible had just happened. It was so terrible that no one even said anything at the end of the funeral. Everyone just went home. Noah looked at Amanda out of the corner of his eye. She was crying heavier than before. He squeezed her hand. "What's wrong, Mandy?"
"I'm just so sorry about your uncle. It seems impossible that anyone related to you could be a murderer," stated Amanda. She looked down at the silver engagement ring on her ring finger and fiddled with it.
Noah pulled Amanda into a hug. "It's possible. Anything's possible, honey."
Inside, Claire hugged her father. Tracy was drying tears from under her eyes while standing beside the fire. Nathan looked at Claire. "Where's Simon?"
"Upstairs sleeping," answered Claire. "It's been just as hard on him, Dad."
"I know. It's been hard on all of us. Poor Hiro. He lost his best friend and his sister at one time," said Nathan. "It seems like everyone's been dying continuously. Noah, Ma, Heidi, Ando, Kimiko, who's next?"
"No one's next. We have to catch Monty," said Claire courageously.
Nathan looked worriedly at Claire. "Claire, we can't catch him. He'll just kill us all. I know he will. No one can stop him. Now or ever. And we can't tell the police, because they'll be killed too."
"Dad, don't talk like Monty's a monster. I know the cute, innocent, little kid version of Monty is still in there somewhere. We can get that Monty back."
"Claire, Monty is a monster, and I don't think he's going to ever change. We have to deal with that."
Tracy walked over to the couch and sat down on Nathan's other side, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Nathan, honey, we have to find a way to stop Monty, or he'll just keep killing innocent people. There has to be something to stop him."
"There's nothing!" yelled Nathan, pushing himself to his feet. "Leave it."
Nathan crashed through the window, flying outside into the open air.
Tracy looked at Claire. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. It's Monty's," corrected Claire.
Noah and Amanda sat with their backs against a huge tree in the Grays' front yard. Matty Parkman pulled up in a blue car. He got out and looked down at Noah. "Simon's here, right?"
Noah looked up at Matty and nodded. Matty nodded too. He waved. "Hey, Amanda."
Amanda smiled. "Hey, Matty."
Matty ran up to the porch and entered the house. He ignored the little kids who played on the stairs, walking right upstairs. He knocked on Simon's door softly. Simon didn't answer, as he was still asleep. Matty turned the doorknob and opened the door slowly. He stepped into Simon's bedroom and laid down beside Simon.
Simon opened his eyes. He slowly smiled. Matty laughed. "Good morning, cutie."
"It's not morning already, is it?" asked Simon drowsily. He looked at the digital clock on his bedside table. He saw that it was still afternoon and sat up. "I've been sleeping for two hours."
"Good. You need sleep," commented Matty.
Simon stretched. "I don't need sleep. I need to fly."
"Let's go then," said Matty.
Simon smiled and stood up. He pulled on a shirt, socks, and a pair of tennis shoes. Matty smiled. Simon walked across the room and wrapped his arms around Matty. "Hold onto me too."
"I'd love to," said Matty. He wrapped his arms around Simon, and they held each other close.
Simon and Matty walked out to the balcony. Simon kicked off slowly. The two young adults hovered for a moment, then went up faster and faster. Simon moved sideways so that they were high above the fields. Matty smiled at Simon, and Simon smiled back. Nothing was said. Time no longer had meaning.
Noah nudged Amanda's shoulder as she fell asleep. He laughed at her. She smiled. "Sorry. This is just so peaceful. It's hard to believe anything bad is happening."
A blast of red energy suddenly hit Noah out of nowhere. He fell backwards, unconscious. Monty Petrelli appeared in front of Amanda. He grabbed her by the throat and pinned her against the tree. Monty smiled as his hand and Amanda's face became veiny.
Nathan suddenly dropped out of the sky and pulled Monty off. Monty turned on his father, grabbing him by the throat and turning him veiny instead. Nathan looked at his son. "Monty, drop me."
Amanda hit Monty from behind. He dropped Nathan and turned around, once again grabbing Amanda. This time, the veins split open, and Amanda bled out all over the lawn. Monty smiled, touched his father's face once more, and flew away.
Noah woke up in the yard an hour later. Nathan, Claire, Gabriel, Simon, and Matty stood in front of him. Noah looked on the ground and saw the bloody body of a blonde woman. He rushed to her side, flipping her over to look at her face. He yelled when he saw that it was Amanda. He held her in his arms. Noah looked up at his mother with sad eyes. Claire leaned down beside Noah and hugged him.
"I'm so sorry, Noah," said Claire.
Noah cried. "She--she didn't do anything to him! She doesn't even have powers!"
"I know. I know," agreed Claire. She too started crying, hardly being able to stand seeing her son like this.
[Review!]