Chapter 10: Who We Are

Streets of Manhattan- Peter and Lazarus

They ran for a mile through lower Manhattan as they dodged police cars and officers on foot that were chasing after them. Finally they came to a stop behind an Italian restaurant to catch their breath.

"You're a good runner, was difficult to keep up with," Pete gave a short laugh after gasping for air.

"Treadmill. Two hours a day seven days a week," Lazarus smiled.

"Serious? Damn, that's amazing. I used to go jogging in Central Park on my breaks from work, but…lately I've been kinda busy."

Peter looked around and checked to see if anyone appeared to be looking for them.

"I think we might be alright. Best we change our clothes and lay low before we head over to the Company. They have a pretty good idea of what we look like, but it's nothing a baseball hat can't fix," Peter started walking her to his apartment.

"So your ability…how exactly was I able to heal you? I didn't feel anything," Lazarus followed close.

"Well I can touch other people that have abilities and replicate them. The problem is I can only have one at a time. I'm not always sure I know how it works, you know? Sometimes I do it with the intent to have their power, like for a mission or something. Sometimes it happens without me even knowing it. When I was in the hospital, lying there, I kept having this strange dream…it kept repeating itself over and over. Same thing happened to me a couple years ago when I first discovered my ability. This time…in the dream I saw you. I saw my mom and Toby there. You were going to help me and then run out, kinda like you did."

She looked at him strangely, "Really? You dreamt that? So you could almost be whoever you wanted. How were you able to dream about me coming to the hospital though? We've never met before."

"My mom," he answered, "She has the ability to see the future in her dreams. That's how it happened before. I guess I somehow replicated it while I was unconscious."

"Oh…I remember Noah saying something like that, your mom had a dream about me and that's why I'm a free woman now," Lazarus threw up her arms and looked to the sun.

"A free woman?" Peter hesitantly asked, not sure if he wanted to know what she meant.

She smiled at his reaction, "I've…been around some. I started out at Rockland in Orangeburn; then I ended up at Westchester for his behavioral health treatment, but the day before Noah showed up they were ready to transfer me again to the Bronx Center. I swear if you're not crazy…those places can make you go crazy. I had forgotten what it was like to sleep without the sound of constant screaming."

Peter was initially shocked. He was familiar with the places she named as psychiatric treatment centers because working as an EMT, often times they were called out to transport patients there.

"If you don't mind me asking…why were you there? You don't seem…"

"Crazy?" she finished his sentence and laughed. "I did something bad in the past and I don't regret it. They think I'm traumatized from what happened to my parents. We were robbed…and the man killed my parents and shot me. I must be one lucky bitch though 'cause my abilities manifested that night. There was a lot of blood, but the bullet wound healed and I didn't die. All I could think about was revenge. I went after him, I found him, tortured him a little, but I believed he deserved it. I had a lot of anger for what happened to them and to me," Lazarus lowered her head a little. "The cops found me on the street and had me institutionalized. They were clueless bastards; keeping me on enough drugs that could put grizzly down. I guess I could have left anytime I wanted…but honestly there really wasn't a place for me to go. Then helping you…I never thought my ability could actually be used to heal someone else."

Peter listened closely. He wasn't always the one to judge someone on their first impression or how others perceived them. He already knew a little about her from what Claire had told him when she met her at the Company. So far in Lazarus he saw a good person, just confused and probably was traumatized from watching her parents murdered and then surviving because of her regeneration. He could see why she would be a suitable partner for Noah on missions.

"I knew a man once with the same ability. His name was Adam Monroe. He must have been 400 years old or something like that. I almost helped him destroy the world…he tricked me into helping him release this virus, but he told me he wanted to destroy it. Luckily I saw the truth before it was too late. I've made some mistakes and have done some bad things too Lazarus. Power can make people bad, like Adam. He knew he was invincible and he wanted to kill millions in order to become some hero. I don't think you're like that."

"You don't? But…you hardly know me Peter," she entered his apartment building and stopped at the stairs. "I've wanted that stuff. I wanted to kill them all for the simplest reasons…for stupid reasons. I am invincible and I can kill. People are already think I'm crazy, and that I can't be helped. Why don't I just own up to it? That is what I am. I have this ability for a reason and I should have fun with it. Use it for justice…for revenge. Peter the world is going to change and we've been given a gift to change with it. This is who we are, we can't run from it….can't deny it….we can only use it to our advantage. There will always be someone out there more powerful than you and if you want to survive you have to take them down before they do."

Lazarus's thoughts were lingering on Natasha and what she was able to do to Sylar. Until then she really thought she was invincible, and still did in some sense because she had a plan to take Natasha down.

He shook his head and led her up to his apartment, "You can't think like that, it will break you down. I've fought villains before and they never find satisfaction in following their desires for destruction and revenge. I understand that we have to change, but that doesn't give us the right to murder." When he opened the door he remembered the mess, "Sorry for the…mess." Peter was almost as shocked as Lazarus when he saw the state his apartment was in.

"What the hell went down here?" She walked in and tried to navigate her way inside to find somewhere to sit.

"Like I said…I've done some bad things and I regret them. I got angry, I got depressed and it consumed me. These abilities give you power, you get more of it, it grows until you can't control yourself anymore and you lose touch with those that care about you."

"We'll that's a simple fix; no one cares about me," She sat down on the kitchen counter.

"You know that's not true. I care about you and Noah cares about you, right?"

"You're wrong. I read Noah's notebook when he was out. He's been taking a lot of notes about me and I was curious. He thought it was a bad idea for me to be his partner on this mission. Also he thinks I'm not being honest with him…which I guess is true. Mainly he says that he doesn't trust me and just talks about all the things he thinks are wrong with me. I'm sure he'd be delighted not to work with me any longer."

He sighed, "Noah is a difficult guy to read. It sounds like he cares about you, maybe more than you want him to. Now I owe you for saving my life. I may have only known you for an hour or so, but I know you saved a strangers life. In my book that makes you a hero," Peter smiled.

She looked around conflicted. "If I'm such a freakin' hero then why do I have the urge to kill?"

"That's your way of fixing things and dealing with problems. Take Virgil for example…was killing him really the right or only decision?"

Lazarus was silent a moment as the scene in front of the hospital replayed in her mind. "I don't know..." she answered in a soft voice looking at the floor. "Honestly…it was instinct. I just did it. Virgil was the guy we were after and I had a chance to take him out so I did it. I guess I could have done something else…."

Her fists tightened and Peter noticed something was wrong with them. At the same time Lazarus could feel raw pain coming from her hands.

"What's wrong with your hand?" he called it to her attention.

Lazarus held up her right hand to examine it as she held back the urge to scream. Her knuckles were exposed down to the bone and her skin was peeling away from the muscles that were degenerating. She hopped off the counter in surprise, causing her to feel a little lightheaded but Peter kept her steady.

"It hurts like hell. What do you think is going on?" She asked him.

"I'm…not sure," Peter watched her hand get worse as it had spread down her arm. "I've never seen anything like this happen before."

"How do I make it stop? Oh my god it's burning…Make it stop!" Lazarus shouted in panic.

There was no real explanation for what was going on. Never had he seen someone with regenerative powers begin to develop wounds on their own. However, Peter was noticing that she was really starting to freak out and she needed to stay calm.

"What's going on with me? What's doing this? Why isn't it healing?" Lazarus looked at her hands trembling in fear. "This has never happened before."

"Let's try calming down. It seems like the more freaked out you get the worse it becomes," Peter put his hands on her shoulders. "Look at me. Look at me. Deep breaths. You're gonna be fine. Now close your eyes and try not to focus on it."

As Lazarus did so her body began to regenerate again.

Peter watched her a moment as he tried to think of the possibilities. He wondered if Lazarus's ability was changing…that maybe not only was she able to regenerate herself, but also degenerate.

When she opened her eyes Lazarus noticed the pain and her wounds were gone. "Peter how do you explain that?"

"Well I'm no geneticist or anything…but I have seen people's abilities where there is a different side to them you know? Lazarus you can regenerate…your body does it without you even thinking about it. A few minutes ago when you started thinking about what happened back at the hospital your body started degenerating. Intense emotions, you know?"

She looked at him a little confused, "Then why hasn't this happened before?"

"I don't know, maybe it just happened. We should go back to the Company now…maybe they have some answers."

Lazarus nodded and stared at her hands in fear, afraid that it would happen again.

There was a loud knock on the door just as they were about to leave.

"This is police! Open up Mr. Petrelli."

She looked at him and Peter moved away from the door. Someone must have been able to identify him from the hospital.

"Fire escape…go!" he whispered and pointed to the window.

Peter was cursing to himself; he should have known better than to come back to his apartment. Quickly he followed her onto the fire escape and they were back on the run from police as they made their way to the Company.

Bourbon Street, New Orleans- Noah Bennet

People were running past him in fear and panic, screams were just as loud as the cries of pain. He was searching for Natasha and he knew she was out there somewhere. It wasn't until he ran into people not screaming that he realized he was close to her….they were emotionless and some had already fallen dead. Walking over he inspected them: they had blood coming from their eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.

"Well that's interesting," he said backing away.

Natasha wasn't even aware of what she was doing, for she was simply following the orders that Omara gave her. It was simple…kill as many people as you can with your abilities. Nothing else mattered. Their goal was to show the world just how powerful they were.

Noah's hand was on his gun inside his jacket. Luckily he noticed her rushing through a crowd of people, chasing them down like runaway chickens and watching as they fell to the ground from her soul taking touch. The people would stumble back to their feet, feeling something was gone but they couldn't tell what. Their symptoms looked a lot like Sylar's: growing weaker and weaker, dying from the inside out. However, these people weren't of his concern at the moment…he needed to reach Natasha and reverse what she did to Sylar.

As he got closer to Natasha, Noah noticed a familiar blank look on her face. This sort of thing he had seen way back Primatech. Eden. He remembered the distant look her victims always seemed to have after she persuaded them to do things. Noah took out the dart gun slowly…If Natasha had to be persuaded to do these things then there was hope, but he needed to get her out of there.

When he had a clear shot Noah took it, striking her in the back and then she fell forward. Noah picked her up and carried her off to a shop a few streets down. After a few minutes she started coming to.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Natasha rubbed her head in confusion and struggled to get on her feet.

"Natasha, I'm Noah Bennet. Now tell me, what do you remember right before waking up here?"

"What?" She gave him a strange look, but as she started to think about it…she had no idea how she got there. "I don't know…the last thing I remember was being in Harvey with the others. Why? How did I get here? Did you…kidnap me or something?" Her confusion was starting to turn into suspicion.

"Those people…they are up to no good Natasha. Now listen to me carefully….They are killing hundreds of innocent people out there using their abilities. The world is watching right now and they are seeing a bloodbath out there by people that claim to have extraordinary abilities. Do you have any idea what this means? It means my daughter will NEVER have a normal life…you will never have a normal life. All of you will be found out and targeted because of what is happening out there," Noah's fist was shaking in anger.

"What are you talking about? I think you've had way too much drink. My friends wouldn't do something like that. Why do you think they'd want to harm anyone? I don't want to live in fear and I want to be a better person. Virgil promised this for me and that's why I came here. I used to be a bad person and I've accidently….- but that's not who I am anymore. If anything I want to use my abilities to rid the world of evil people. Now goodbye," Natasha headed for the door.

"Your friends tricked you and Virgil lied. I've been on this case for some time now and this was his plan…he wanted the world to know about people with abilities and he wanted them to fear it. There was a woman I used to work with and she had this ability to persuade people to whatever she wanted and they'd do it without even realizing they were until later. Do you have a friend like this?" Noah asked.

"Omara can persuade people to like give us free food and booze. She'd never use it for something bad. But I still don't understand how you got this information...are you some kind of friend of Virgil's?"

He laughed, "Hardly. I work for a company that helps and handles people with abilities. By handle I mean deal with those that use their abilities for selfish purposes that threaten the way we live and secrecy to the world. Omara used her ability on you most likely. I found you on Bourbon Street taking innocent people's souls."

Natasha froze, "What? No…you're lying, you're drunk or something 'cause you aren't making any sense! Why would I even…oh my god, that's a horrible thing to accuse! I'm leaving…" She headed outside the shop.

Noah quickly followed after her, knowing what lied just outside would come as a shock to her.

Once leaving the shop Natasha didn't seem to notice anything…until she turned the corner and saw thick black smoke reaching toward the sky. She took off into a run to see what was going on. What appeared there was a shock…it was a sinking feeling…it was like getting shot. Bodies…covered the street, the sidewalk, in their cars. Nat walked over to one of them and touched their cheek; she closed her eyes, but it was already too late. She turned to Noah who was standing close by.

"They're all dead. Did I do this?" Her voice shook and tears came down her cheeks.

Noah nodded, "Your abilities seem to effect those with abilities differently. These people died not long after you took their soul, but you took my friend's soul and he's still alive."

Natasha stepped away from the body, "You're friend is still alive? How is that possible?"

"It must have something to do with genetic mutation, but yes…barely, which is why I came to find you. It's important you help him…we are going to have a war on our hands and it's important that we have someone like Sylar."

"Sylar? SYLAR is still alive? Why should I help him? He's a murderer! He tried to kill me and I wanted to put an end to his killing spree," She folded her arms across her chest.

"He was. He said you came to him for help, but that Virgil had a hand in how you perceived him. Virgil got to Sylar in Los Angeles. He's not a killer anymore. Sylar has a wife and a newborn son. I wouldn't work with killer Natasha; you just have to trust me on this. We need to hurry before it's too late. Trust me Natasha, just come with me and see for yourself."

Noah took out his phone and called Sylar back at the hotel. He let it rang till it went to voicemail. Then they tried calling the hotel room phone, but no response either.

"Damn it!" Noah cursed and started running toward the hotel.

Natasha stood there thinking on it. She couldn't trust this man at all, but he knew Sylar and where he was. Looking around her the streets were empty, so she followed Noah hoping to hear what Sylar had to say about what happened in Los Angeles.

"What did Virgil do to Sylar?" Natasha yelled as she tried to catch up.

"Virgil wanted Sylar to join his team, but when he refused he used him to convince you to join him. I know there is evilness still inside Sylar, but he has something to live for now, something to keep him grounded."

"Oh," Natasha had no idea he had a son. She was starting to realize that Virgil wasn't the man she thought he was, nor were his friends. It felt horrible being betrayed and taken advantage of like that in order to cause so much destruction and death. Now she only hoped Sylar was still alive so she could make it right again.

When they entered the hotel room the television was on and Sylar was lying on the couch with his back towards it.

"Sylar?" Natasha called to him but he didn't move.

Noah went over to him and checked his pulse, "He's still alive."

Natasha knelt next to the couch and touched him. "I've never seen someone go this long without a soul…He could have brain damage or nerve damage. I don't know," she told Noah.

Sylar opened his eyes and saw her, "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I shouldn't…"

"Shouldn't have what?" Natasha asked.

"It wasn't me that tried to kill you. Virgil did something to me. He knew I was coming there to help you. He had to..."

"Shhh I understand the truth now, I know it wasn't your fault," Natasha cut in.

When she removed her hand Sylar appeared to be healthier.

"Thanks," he said to her.

"I'm just shocked you weren't dead already. I've never seen anyone live that long….and you've recovered nicely," she stood back up.

"I can heal, that must have something to do with it. How is it out there Bennet?" Sylar sat up and looked at the television but his eyes were still tired.

Noah shook his head, "our lives are forever changed. There is no covering up what Virgil's people did and continue to do. We need to start worrying about ourselves now. Everyone is in New York heading to safety, but Kate and your son are not safe where they are."

Sylar agreed as the news report showed other cities bursting out in riots from people with abilities taking to the streets. He got on his phone and called her.

"Sylar? Please tell me you're okay?" Kate answered after the first ring.

"Yes. Honey I'm safe and cured," he gave a half smile. "But Kate I need you and Caleb to fly to New York. The others will be there…but it is safe and that's more important right now than what happened in the past."

There was some silence after her initial joy of hearing that he was alright. What he didn't know was that she had been crying and was completely stressed out in fear that he was already dead.

Kate didn't like being around the others, but they risked becoming a target because of what happened at the pier. She knew this well.

"Alright, we'll fly to New York. You promise to meet us there?"

"Of course Babe. Be careful alright?" Sylar's words were full of concern.

"You know I will. See you soon. Love you."

"Love you too." Sylar closed the phone, "She's going and expects me to meet her there. Let's go. This city is a lost cause."

Noah nodded, "Yeah…" he was thinking about Claire and what she said to him last on the phone. Noah was eager to have a talk with her once they got back to New York.

"Can I come with you guys?" Natasha asked. "I don't want to go back…and I've got no money to get home," she sighed in disappointment of herself.

"Was already in the plan," Noah grinned. "Let's pack up and go."

The Dungeon bar- Marek, James, and Mercedes

Marek and the others were enjoying themselves at the bar. New Orleans was a ghost town now that everyone who was smart enough got out and those that weren't laid dead on the streets.

"Omara…have you seen Natasha? She isn't showing." James answered returning from the door where he was waiting for her arrival.

"I don't know. She could be anywhere…persuasion only lasts for so long you know," she shrugged.

James pounded his fist on the table, and grabbed Omara by the neck, "What do you mean only for so long? Are you saying Natasha is out there somewhere? Perhaps running off to them? Telling them where we live and everything we can do? Or…maybe she's out there helping Sylar get back on his feet again. Virgil will have your eyes for this, you know?"

Omara gasped for breath and tried to kick him, and then she used her ability to make him let her go. She coughed and caught her breath before taking another drink, "She's just a girl. No one is going to listen to her so relax James. Besides…it's done. They already know where we live. Virgil is going to be too proud of what we've done to be worrying about some girl."

James laughed, "You better hope so darling."

Mercedes gave a heavy sigh and rested her hand on James's shoulder to calm him down, "What about Mary and Kim?"

"They're down by the levees last I heard," Marek replied before his phone started to ring. "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Marek?" a woman on the other end asked.

"Yes it is. Who is this?" he suspiciously asked.

"I'm calling from a morgue in New York, we have an unidentified body and you are the last person he called before his death." She tried to sound sincere, but it came across as strictly business.

"Virgil?" Marek's mouth went dry.

"Alright. I'm sorry about your loss sir. Are you his immediate family? The authorities would like to speak with them."

Virgil had no family but then…Marek felt like a brother to Virgil and that was enough.

"Yes…Virgil was my brother. What happened to him?" His tone got very deep.

"He was murdered in front of a hospital. The police have more information and you should contact them, they'll want to speak with you. The cause of death was a spinal injury at the base of his skull, death was instant. I'll be shipping him to New Orleans for you if that is where you wish for him to be buried."

"Uh, yeah. I'll give them a call…thank you." Marek ended the call and looked at the others. "Virgil is dead. It was murder. I'm going to see what they have in their report. Come on guys…we're going to New York. James, get Mary and Kim home."

Marek stood up and finished the rest of his beer. He knew there was a chance Virgil wouldn't make it back…but he was still taken by surprise, as were the others.

As they were leaving the bar, Marek and Mercedes were greeted by a large group of about twenty people. They ranged from teens to a man with grey hair.

"Who are you?" Marek looked at them all as they looked on in curiosity at him and Mercedes.

"Are you the ones in charge here? We saw what you guys did out there. We…want to help. See I have a power too," the young boy closed his eyes for just a moment then opened them, "You can communicate with computers…phones….anything like that with your mind."

He gave him a strange look, "You can sense what abilities a person has. That's handy. What about you?" he pointed to another man.

"Me? Uh…I can be invisible. See?" suddenly the man's arm disappeared.

Mercedes looked over at Marek, "Let's take them with us. You know we'll need strength in numbers when we go to New York."

He nodded, "come with us...it was my brother's wish to for the world to know who we are. He died at the hands of one of us and I vow today to not let him down and to avenge his and Isabel's death."

As they walked, Marek was starting to realize that a strong team was forming. All of them had these extraordinary abilities that were meant for battle…meant for war. This was what they needed.