Chapter 10 Nice to Meet You
Special thanks to BrenRome for helping me with Joel being confronted by Future Patty again.
Joel Cooper and Future Rob Cooper Four Years in the Future
Joel was just shocked to see the state his little brother was in. Rob turned around and went back to what he was doing. Joel slowly approached him and saw he was doing. He was finishing painting a picture on the wall of Brandi holding a baby in her arms with his future self laying dead at her feet. Not only was Brandi was going to have the baby soon but it looked like his future self was going to die. He noticed that Rob used red paint but as he took a closer look he realized that it wasn't paint, it was blood.
Rob's blood.
"Oh my god" Joel said softly.
"It breaks my heart to see him like this" a voice said behind him.
Joel turned around to see a girl in 20s with wavy brown eyes wearing a hospital gown. Where did she come from?
"Who are you" Joel asked.
"I'm Janine. I'm a friend of Rob's" she said.
She walks over to where Rob is. Rob stares at Janine with his milk white eyes.
"You came back" he said softly.
"Of course" Janine smiled sadly at him
Rob reached up to touch her face but his hand goes right through her. Janine is trying to fight the urge to cry. From the look of things they were more than just friends, but he would worry about that later. Joel was about to ask about her but Janine beat him to it.
"Before you ask the answer is no. I'm not a ghost" she answered.
"So how…"
"My room is just below this one. Meet me there" she said, disappearing through the floor.
Joel didn't know what else to do but follow her. He teleported to the room down below. Janine was standing over someone in bed. Joel walked over and saw it was Janine. What?! Joel looked at the woman standing in front of him and the one laying in bed.
"When they started capturing people with abilities, they performed test on us. I keep trying to escape so they performed electro shock therapy on me for two years until I ended up in a coma. Thanks to my ability to astral project myself I'm still here, even though not entire here sort of speak" Janine explained. She looked at Joel at smiled. "I know you're not the Joel from this time, you're from the past. I almost forgot how handsome you looked with short hair."
"How do you know me and my brother" Joel asked.
"Rob painted a picture of me drowning and he saved my life. He said I was the best vision he ever had." Janine smiled at the warm memory of how they met. "Now ask me the real question your afraid to ask."
Joel stared Janine for what felt a lifetime. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the truth but this was his baby brother and he had a right to know what happened to him.
"What-what happened to Rob? How did h-he end up here" Joel asked.
"Nathan happened to him. Peter's brother. Back in your time he's a Senator, here he's President of the United States. It was his idea to round up everyone with abilities, like cattle. Hypocritical bastard. Nathan says people with abilities are dangerous and should be locked away forever, yet he's one of us" Janine said with disgust and hatred.
The senator of New York was like them?!
"Why would he do this to his own kind" Joel asked confused.
"Nathan says he's doing it to protect people but he's doing it for power. Rob was one of the first he captured and experimented on. They pumped him whole of drugs to see how far into the future he could go. But it was too much for him and the visions keep coming. Rob tried cutting and burning himself, just to make it stop but it was no use. Now all he sees is the future and they all end in blood."
Joel never thought he would live to see the day he hated someone more than his bastard father. How dare Nathan Petrelli play god?! At first Joel didn't want anything to do with Peter or his super friends, but after seeing his brother's future and his own, now he had a reason to fight.
Suddenly the door swung open and in entered Future Patty pointing a gun at him. She looked really pissed with a nasty black eye. The Haitian followed while dragging a reluctant Rob.
"Rob!" Joel cried out.
"Not another step" Future Patty warned.
Joel took a step back. He noticed that Janine was no longer standing next to him. Huh? He tried to teleport out.
"Trying to teleport?" Future Patty asked, smirking before Joel realized he couldn't do it anymore, "Not going to work with my friend here. So if I were you I wouldn't do anything stupid or Robbie here is going to have a little accident."
Future Patty made her threat clear by pointing the gun to Rob's chest.
"No! Don't hurt him!" Joel begged.
He looked at her horrified as her smile turned to one of pure disgust. It was like she was hating him more now than she did when they first met. Before Joel could react she slammed him into the wall. She walked up close to him so that way, they were only a few inches apart. Future Patty leaned into his ear to whisper something to him.
"Over 2000 people have died in Costa Verde. My hometown. My family. My friends. All gone. Because of you and Peter." She pulls away like Joel was infected with the Ebola virus and smacks him with the back of her hand. Joel falls to the floor hard. Future Patty stands over him pointing the gun at him.
"Peter may have gotten away, but I'm going to make sure you don't" Future Patty threaten.
"Wait! Please! Listen to me, you have to let me go!" He begged not knowing what else to say, "I can change all this. I don't know what happened to you that made you this way, but if you let me go, I can save you and stop whatever makes you this."
"You idiot!" She exclaimed looking at him like he was the biggest moron on earth, "That's the exact point of why I'm not letting you go!"
"Why" Joel asked.
"When you teleport back" she said bitterly, "you create this nightmare world we're all living in!"
She raised the gun to his face.
"But if I kill you now, I can fix everything."
Joel closed his eyes as she prepared to shoot, but the gunshot never came. Joel looked to see Rob savagely beating the Haitian. While Future Patty's back was turned, Joel teleported out. Patty turned back and saw that Joel was gone. Joel appears behind Patty. He picks up the empty pitcher on the nightstand and smashes it over Patty's head, knocking her unconscious. Future Patty was out cold and the Haitian was laying on the floor bleeding.
"Are you guys all right" Janine asked, reappearing in the room.
"We're okay" Joel assured her.
"You have to go Joel. You're family is in danger" Future Rob stared at his brother with his white eyes.
Joel was confused at first but then he remembered the picture from earlier. Before he teleports out he hugs his brother.
"I'm gonna fix this" he whispered in Rob's ear.
Joel turns to Janine.
"Keep him safe" he told her.
"With my life" Janine said strongly.
Joel smiled at her. He looked forward to meeting her in the near future. Without another word he closed his eyes and teleports out.
Present Day Brandi Summers, Pinehearst
Brandi climbed out of the taxi and stood in front of Pinehearst. She paid the cab driver and quickly marched into the building. She looked at all the people who worked there. What could they possible want with her or Lucy? Suddenly a young man with messy dark hair walks up to her.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes. I want my daughter back" Brandi said, getting down to business.
"I'm sorry" he asked confused.
"You know what I'm talking about. I don't know who you people think you are, but kidnapping is a serious crime and as a cop, I have the power to take you all in" Brandi threaten.
"There's no need for that, Ms Summers" Maury said, walking up to her.
"Are you in charge" Brandi asked.
"One of the people who are, yes. Aaron, don't you have something to do" Maury asked the young man.
Aaron knew when to take the hint and walked away.
"I'm Maury Parkman. How can I help you today" Maury asked politely.
"You can start by giving me back my daughter" Brandi demanded.
"Why don't we take this elsewhere" Maury suggested.
Brandi stepped away from him when he tried to touch her.
"Ms. Summers your daughter is in perfect health, but unless you cooperate with me, she won't be for much longer" Maury warned her.
She wanted to pull her gun out and slap the cuffs on this guy, but something told her not too. Brandi didn't want to put Lucy's life at risk. Brandi followed Maury to his office. They passed a door that read janitor's closet.
Inside were two people laying on the floor, half naked and out of breath from the all the hot closet sex they just had. Carly was resting her head on Flint's bare chest. She knew this thing with Flint wasn't love. The man was good looking but he had a brain the size of a jellybean. Although, it was nice to know he was good at something than other than shooting fire from his hands.
"God, I needed that" Carly purred.
"Happy to be of service, darling" Flint said.
Carly couldn't help but giggle. She kissed Flint softly on the lips.
"So does this mean you're my girlfriend" Flint asked, running his fingers through her hair.
"No. We're just two super villains working at a company for super villains, who occasionally have sex in between trying to take over the world" Carly said.
"As long as there's sex involved, I'm good" Flint said.
"I'm glad we have an understand" Carly smiled.
"You sure are pretty when you smile" Flint said.
Wait! Did Flint give her a compliment and actually meant it? Not sure how to react to this, Carly decides to change the subject.
"We better get dressed before Mason sends someone to hunt us down" Carly announced.
They got up and started to put on their clothes. They made sure that the coast was clear and walked down the hall. Before they could reach the elevator they bumped into Garvis.
"Hey Daniels, I've been looking for you" Garvis said.
"What do you want" Carly snapped.
She never liked the guy.
"Mr. Mason has an assignment for you. You know that reporter we're after…"
"You mean the one where you and Tsun got your asses kicked by a girl and a couple kids" Carly asked innocently.
Flint chuckled at the glare Garvis was giving Carly.
"Anyway. Mr. Mason wants you to take care of it. He wants you to leave in the morning for New Orleans" Garvis said.
"Finally I'm getting in on some action" Carly announced.
"From what I saw you and Mr. Clean here were getting plenty of action earlier" Garvis smirked.
Flint grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. He ignites his hand, the flame just inches away from Garvis' face.
"You were spying on us" Flint demanded.
"You little pervert!" Carly declared.
"Now that I'm not on the field duty anymore I need something to do. That was some show you guys put on" Garvis winked at Carly.
Flint was about to burn his face off but Carly pulled him away.
"Don't" Carly told him.
Flint looked at Carly and could see she was serious. He put out the fire. Garvis had a smile on his face, seeing Gordon whipped but his joy was replaced with pain when Carly's fist connect his stomach. Garvis fell to floor, gasping in pain.
"I have to pack for tomorrow. I'll talk to you later" Carly told Flint.
Before she walked away she kicked Garvis hard in the stomach for good measure, hoping to get her message across to not mess with her. Flint just smiled down at the pitiful sight of the shadow man on the floor.
"Why don't you scare a little old lady with your shadow puppets? Unless she ends up kicking your ass too" Flint joked.
He talked leaving Garvis alone with his thoughts and the little dignity he had left.
Future
Joel teleports back to the warehouse and found himself in the middle of a war zone. People were shooting at each other, throwing bolts of lightens, heavy objects being thrown across the room. Joel looked to see his future self and James were standing in front of a back door firing their guns with a young woman with light brown hair. He quickly runs to them.
"What's going on" Joel asked over the noise.
"What does it look like?! We're under attack! They found us" James said, firing his gun.
"Hi, I'm Angel. We haven't met yet" the young girl introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you. Where's Brandi" Joel demanded.
"She's in the back room! Brandi's in labor" Future Joel explained.
"What?! She's having the baby now" Joel demanded.
Joel raced to the back door. He enters the room where Matt was helping Brandi. Lucy was watching Molly and Daniella, who were sitting in the corner of the room.
"Brandi" Joel declared, running over to her.
"Where's Joel? Where's my husband?!" Brandi screamed.
"He and James are busy at moment" Joel said.
"I need you to hold her hand" Matt told Joel.
Joel quickly took her hand.
"Okay. You need to push" Matt said.
"I can't!" Brandi screamed.
"Yes you can mom. Dad is right here" Lucy said strongly.
Joel looked into her eyes and he felt butterflies in his stomach. He wondered if this was how he would fall in love with this woman. Even though he wasn't the Joel from that time, Brandi needed any Joel to be with her for the birth of her child.
"I'm right here" Joel said.
Brandi nodded and started to push. She screamed in pain.
"It's coming! Okay, one more push! One more" Matt announced.
"One more Brand" Joel said.
Brand pushed with all her might, until she finally heard a baby cry. Matt hold up the baby for Brandi and Joel to see.
"It's a boy" Matt smiled.
Matt wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed him to Brandi.
"He's so beautiful" Brandi announced.
Joel couldn't take his eyes of the baby. He couldn't believe it.
"I have a son" Joel said in disbelief.
Soon James, Angel and Future Joel enter the back room and barricade with anything they could find.
"We have to get out of here" Angel said.
"There's a trap door in case of emergencies" Lucy said.
"Then open it" Joel said. He turned to Brandi. "Can you stand?"
Brandi nodded. Joel helps her up. Future Joel runs over to her.
"I got her" he said. As soon as he saw the baby he stares at his wife in disbelief.
"That's…"
"our son, Robert" Brandi said.
Future Joel kisses his wife on the lips.
"I love you" Future Joel tells her.
"I love you too" Brandi said.
Lucy runs up to her parents and hugs them. Future Joel turns to his younger self.
"You need to go back to your own time" Future Joel said.
"I won't leave you guys" Joel said.
"You will, if you want to live."
"No! I can help you" Joel said.
"You can help by going back to your time. Make sure that this future never happens! Do it for your son, our son" Future Joel declared.
Joel once again stares at little Robert in Brandi's arms. He knew it was time to go home.
"Protect our family" Joel told his future self.
"Always."
Joel looked over at Brandi, making sure he remembered every detail of her face. He closed his eyes and teleported out of there. And as soon as he leaves the door burst open and Patty appears. She shoots Joel in the chest. Before she could finish him off, Angel shoots Patty in the head. Brandi cries as her husband lies at her feet, dead.
Brandi ran down hallway trying to avoid the security guards. Not too long ago, she was in Parkman's office, where he was trying to offer her a deal. If she worked for them, they'll let Lucy go but she knew they couldn't be trusted. So she knocked Parkman over the head with a paper weight and got the number to Lucy's room.
As she made her way down the stairs she bumped into Lucy with a teenager boy. She was happy to see she was all right. Sam, the teenager that was with her was helping Lucy to escape. At first she thought it was trick, but Lucy trusted him and that good enough for her. No sooner did they make it to the ground level, Christina showed up.
"Going somewhere" Christina asked.
"Lucy, get behind me" Brandi told her.
"Look, I'm helping this woman and her daughter escape and you're not stopping us" Sam said strongly.
"You're right. I'm not" Christina agreed.
"You're not" Sam confused.
"If you're looking for the secret way out, its a few doors down that way" Christina explained.
Brandi looked at the woman puzzled.
"Why are you doing this? You kidnap my daughter and now you're helping us" Brandi asked.
"I have my reasons. You better get moving. And I'm sorry for taking your daughter" Christina said.
From the sound of her voice she sounded like she meant it.
"What if they caught us" Lucy asked.
"I'll take care of it" Christina said, walking away.
Without another word the trio ran. They reached the door and made their way down the tunnel. Brandi opened the door, the sunlight poured down on them.
"Come on" Brandi said.
"This is as far as I go" Sam said.
"What" Brandi asked.
"I have to stay" Sam said.
"They find out you helped us, they'll kill you" Brandi said.
"Don't worry about me. Just get Lucy far away from here" Sam said.
"Sam, come with us" Lucy begged.
Sam smiled down at the little girl. He pats her head.
"I'll be okay. Now go" he told them.
"Thank you" Brandi told Sam.
Brandi and Lucy run outside and shut the door behind them.
Elle, Claire, Luke and Patty outside Pinehearst
Claire and Luke leading the way with Patty and Elle bringing up the rare.
Elle shocked herself and Patty held on to her.
"It's okay. We're almost there" Patty assured her.
"Thanks" Elle smiled.
This was it. She was finally going to get rid of her powers. She never wanted the damn thing in the first place. They were lucky to get him in one piece. Elle nearly crashed plane but it was a good thing Claire was there to take most of the shocks Elle had to dish out. They were only a few feet from the door when they noticed two things, the first was an middle aged woman and her daughter running out of the backside of the building like the devil was chasing them. The second was a figure falling from the seventh floor window and slamming down to the ground. Everyone quickly ran to see who it is.
"Oh my god! Peter!" Claire declared running to his side.
"Is he all right" the woman asked as they reached them.
"Brandi" Peter declared as soon as he saw the woman.
"How do you know my name" Brandi demanded.
"Why aren't healing" Luke asked Peter, noticing he was bleeding.
"He took my powers" Peter announced.
"Who did" Claire demanded.
Before he could answer Joel appeared out of nowhere. Joel looked to see he was in his own time but then he saw his friend, Peter, laying on the ground bleeding.
"Peter" Joel ran to his side.
"Joel. Help me up" Peter said.
Without another word he put his arm around Peter's waist and helped him to his feet. When Joel's eyes fell on Brandi and he felt his knees start to buckle.
"Brandi" Joel announced shocked.
He didn't expect to meet Brandi so soon.
"Do I know you" Brandi asked.
"Guys, we don't have time for this. We need to get Peter to the car" Claire announced.
She helped Joel with Peter. Luke saw that Elle running into the building.
"Elle!" he cried out, but she was gone. Patty was torn between going in, or staying with her friends.
"What are you doing" Luke asked her
"They took his power away" Patty said moving closer to the door.
"You don't what really happened up there" Luke pointed out.
"I don't care! If they found a way to get rid of powers I want it. I'm sorry" Patty said running into the building.
"Patty!"
"Luke, come on" Claire called to him.
Luke quickly runs to where his friends are. Brandi and Lucy didn't know what to make of this but they knew they couldn't stay here.
"Wait! We're coming with you" Brandi said.
Claire didn't know who these new people were but she didn't care. All she cared about was helping Peter. They all piled into car and drove away.
Preview:
Joel Cooper
Rob Cooper
Brandi Summers
Luke Justice
Patty Coughlin
Azza McLoughlin
James O'Sullivan
Randy Barom
Jay McCormick
Christina Santos
Sam Mason
Greg Mason
Angel Duncan