***Author's Note - Fast forwarding a bit in time to the events surrounding the Green Ranger arc during MMPR...
1993: The Eclipse
1993 AD - Universe M54331Z-B1
Gabriel Grey staggered out of the lab he had just been in. He had tried as hard as he could, but in the end he couldn't stop Dr. Beckett from ruining the Quantum Leap Project. Gabriel had seen such potential in the project, let alone in the man with the intellect who created it.
But he threw it all away... Gabriel thought as he tried to look forward, his double vision caused by the explosion disorienting him. Why is it that I wasn't the one gifted like him? I know I'm meant for amazing things... but where is my opportunity!?
As he thought, he felt himself suddenly grabbed by the shoulders. His traumatized mind attempted to focus on the source of the arms that were grabbing him. Shaking his head, he suddenly recognized Agent Richie Mendoza.
"You idiot!" Richie cried out.
"... huh...?" Gabriel managed to ask in confusion.
"Had you not been in there, we could have stopped Beckett!" Richie yelled.
"...what...? No, I... I saw him... I didn't..." Gabriel stammered, trying to make sense of Richie's accusations.
"Don't lie! We know Beckett used you to distract us from seeing what he was really doing!" Accused the agent of GA Rex's forces.
As he heard that, it dawned upon Gabriel what Richie was doing. He was using Gabriel as a scapegoat. There had been no way anyone in Alphabet Soup could had known to stop Dr. Beckett from activating Quantum Leap. The only reason Gabriel had been there was because he was trying to see how the technology worked, to see if he could use some of the ideas to make his own computer system, SYLAR, come online. But, to not look as if he had been caught off-guard, Richie was blaming Gabriel to save his own position.
"...This isn't fair..." Gabriel managed to say, tears welling up in his eyes. "I... I was trying to help Alphabet Soup..."
Richie, continuing on with his lie, scoffed. "The only thing from Alphabet Soup you'll be getting is a dishonorable military discharge and five to ten in prison."
"What!?" Gabriel gasped, suddenly sobering up from his head injury. "You can't do that! I'm just an IT guy!"
"Yeah, one being charged with treason." Richie said as he reached for his gun in his side holster.
"Mendoza!" Special Agent Myers yelled suddenly from the other end of the hall. "You need to get over here now."
"In a minute!" Richie yelled, eyes not leaving Gabriel unwatched.
"No, now! There's a massive Megazord fight going down in the mountain region. The Power Rangers are fighting Goldar, Scorpina, and they're losing. McKnight wants all agents on hand in case the rangers lose. We'll deal with the Beckett fiasco later. This is more pressing," Myers reported.
Sneering, Richie sighed before punching Gabriel in the gut. "Stay here if you know what's good for you..."
Gabriel felt the air flow out of him as the punch hit. He slowly fell to his knees as the tears which were already welling up in his eyes began to flow freely down his cheeks. Looking down at the cold, hard floor he could hear Richie running off to join Myers and the other special agents of Alphabet Soup.
Pulling himself up, Gabriel used the side of the hall window to lean upon to stay steady. Between the explosion Beckett had caused and Richie's devastating gut punch, he was having a very difficult time. To say the least about the rest of what he was going through: obviously losing his job and probably facing jail time for a crime he didn't do.
Sighing heavily, he looked out the window. He couldn't believe he'd lost everything. His parents hadn't approved of his career choice, and he'd wanted so badly for them to accept him eventually after finding out how much he helped the government. And after the recent debacle, he knew he'd never be seen by them as "special".
"Are you okay?" A young woman asked Gabriel.
Turning around, he saw one of the new interns at the facility standing behind him. She was very pretty, and not the type of person who Gabriel felt usually spoke to him. He knew he must've looked a wreck, with scratched lenses on his glasses, disheveled hair, and a tear streaked face. Like most people in his life, he knew she pitied him.
Looking down sadly, he shook his head. "No... I'm not okay... not at all..."
"Is there something I can- Oh, my goodness! What's that!?" She gasped.
Furrowing his brow, Gabriel slowly turned to follow her gaze out the window. He, too, gasped as he saw the spectacle. The sun floating up in the sky was suddenly being eclipsed by the Moon. His mind was racing, trying to figure out what could be causing such a phenomenon. There were no eclipses which were supposed to occur in that time of year, so for one to suddenly happen meant something was altering the Moon's normal rotation. Judging by the fact he didn't see any tsunamis coming upon Angel Grove due to any change in tidal waves and the sheer speed of the upcoming eclipse, he correctly guessed it was a Magical event caused by the Moon's newest occupant, Rita Repulsa. After hearing how the Power Rangers were pinned down by the duo of Goldar and Scorpina, Gabriel felt his stomach in knots. He began to wonder if being court marshalled would be the least of his worries. He began to fear that the evil space aliens were about to conquer the planet.
"Ah!" The intern gasped, falling to her knees.
Gabriel turned to see what was causing the young girl pain. "Are you okay? What's- ah!"
Suddenly, the same pain the girl was feeling began pumping through Gabriel's nervous system. His brain felt as if it was on fire. His vision was suddenly as blurry as it was without glasses. His consciousness then suddenly shifted momentarily to be a sort of out of body experience. Quickly, though, he felt anchored once again. He stood up, still with blurry vision and a headache. He quickly took off his glasses, shocked to find out he was seeing better than he had in years. Unfortunately, the phantom pains of his migraine lingered. It nagged at him, as if he'd had it for many, many years. It was a background pain that he felt was going to be slowly increasing.
"Do you feel that?" The girl asked, looking around. "I... Is it that eclipse?"
Gabriel cocked his head to the side, giving her a questioning look. "What do you mean? I don't feel anything but a headache..."
"No... it's like... a force or something... I..." She said, slowly lifting up her hand. As she did, suddenly a chair next to Gabriel flew up and hit the ceiling.
"Huh!?" Gabriel gasped.
The young woman furrowed her brow at that. "I... I did that... That was me?"
"You... are you a subject of Alphabet Soup?" Gabriel asked, wondering if her special abilities are what brought her to Rex's "special" project.
She shook her head. "No... I'm a transfer from Oklahoma... I have no abilities."
"Are you sure? It looks like you do," Gabriel stated, curiosity growing stronger. "What's your name?"
"Lisa." The woman stated, pursing her lips.
"Okay, Lisa..." Gabriel started, suddenly feeling extremely curious to know what Lisa was going through. "See if you can move my fallen glasses up to my face."
"What!?" Lisa asked, outraged at such a suggestion.
The curiosity was nearly consuming Gabriel as he looked at her, a sort of hunger etched on his face. "Yes... just... move it. Let's see..."
"O... okay..." She stated. As quickly as she said it, Gabriel felt the glasses land nimbly on the bridge of his nose.
Gabriel smiled. "That's amazing! I must know, though... how are you doing that!?"
Lisa shrugged. "I... I don't know! I really think that it's that eclipse."
Face suddenly losing the excitement it had, Gabriel looked at her with frustration. "What!? The eclipse!? Why!?"
"I... I don't know?" Lisa answered, confused.
"It's not fair!" Gabriel shouted, his head beginning to pound. "This was supposed to be my opportunity to shine! To be someone special. And what happens!? Fate gives you telekinesis and what does she give to me!? A migraine!? Why!? Why!?"
"Sir, please... I'm sure there's a-" Lisa started.
"No! No, no, no!" Gabriel yelled.
"Listen! I don't even want this! I'm a freak now! I wish this hadn't happened to me!" Lisa screamed.
Gabriel paused, his mind suddenly easing back on the pain. "What? You're not a freak. You're special. How could you not want this!? You... you're broken. How can I fix you?"
"What!? Fix me?" Lisa gasped, taking a step back.
Gabriel nodded slowly. As he looked at her, he could suddenly understand her. He could understand her potential. What made her special. He realized suddenly that was his gift. But then the curiosity swept over him. It wasn't enough just to understand her potential. He wanted to understand how her ability worked. His head slowly began to hurt again, increasing to a pain unfelt before. And with his new gift, he could understand that pain. What it meant. It was his instinct, his new curiosity that came with the ability to understand how things worked. How they fit together. He needed to know more. To know exactly how things worked. How Lisa's ability worked. And with his ability to understand how things worked, he knew what he had to do to satisfy his new hunger for knowledge.
Before Lisa knew what was happening, Gabriel leapt forward. Falling to the floor with her, he found himself straddling her stomach. Without even thinking, he began swinging his fists. He could feel the impact of his bones hit her skull. Flesh pounding on flesh. Blood, mostly not his own, was splattering everywhere. And the only people around were him and his victim.
Suddenly, he stopped. He stared down at the deceased girl lying beneath him. Looking down at his hands, Gabriel shrieked in agony. His hands began to tremble.
"What... what... what have I done!?" He yelled, leaping off of her in horror. "How could I do this!?"
Standing over her body, he felt a panic attack coming on. It felt as if he was trapped in a nightmare he knew he couldn't escape. Once again, he felt as if his life was over. He couldn't think of a way out. He had committed murder.
But it wasn't my fault! He told himself. I... I wasn't in control! It was like an instinct or something!
Staring down at Lisa, he suddenly felt the headache return. Even though she had expired, it was almost as if he could hear the woman's brain pulsing in her head. The new gift the eclipse had given him, to know how things worked, was instinctively telling him what he had to do. Gabriel felt as if he was to throw up when he felt the inclination settle upon him. It was as if he was hungry for the knowledge of how Lisa's telekinesis worked. A part of him wanted to know more badly than any other desire he had ever had in his life. The other part of him thought of himself as a monster for even entertaining what his body wanted him to do.
"I... I must fight this..." Gabriel gasped, hands still shaking.
Isn't this what we wanted, though? He heard himself say in his own mind. Of all things... to be special? We saw her potential... what she could be. We could be like that. That potential could be ours. And then we'd finally be special...
For what felt like a million eternities, Gabriel stood and stared at the body of Lisa, the intern. It hurt him to know that she would no longer laugh. No longer cry. No longer be a light to her family, of which he was sure that she was. He took her from the world far too early.
No reason to let that go to waste... He heard himself urge again. Besides, there's no one around. We have all the Time we need... to finally be special...
"I've lost everything..." Gabe said outloud. "Perhaps this is fate... giving me a chance to finally get everything I deserve..."
And, with his decision made, Gabriel walked forward to see what made Lisa tick...
. . .
Standing while looking out a window of Angel Grove University, the nurse known as Peter Petrelli stared out at the sky. As he did, he could see blasts and sparks going off in the distance past some mountains. He knew a Megazord battle had begun and that once again the Power Rangers were attempting to protect Angel Grove from wicked space aliens.
How do they do it? Day in and day out... they must devote their entire lives to this! They must be some sort of military trained personnel who eat, drink, and sleep crime fighting. Sounds exhausting, yet... I dunno. They're probably getting more fulfilment than I am right now...
As he thought that, a stab of guilt hit him hard. He knew he wasn't wasting his time as a nurse. It was a noble profession, going out everyday to save lives. To make a difference that actually mattered. That was the reason he had become a nurse to begin with: not as many student debts as doctors get, but still get to help people in the healthcare environment.
But something inside Peter kept telling him that it wasn't enough. That there was something else out there for him to do. He hadn't yet figured out what that mysterious calling of his may be, but he figured if he kept doing good things that eventually karma would help him find his way.
As he stared off, lost in thought, his eye caught a glimpse of some movement in the sky. Focusing, he was shocked to see an eclipse beginning. The eclipse Rita Repulsa had started so she could cut off the solar power to the Megazord.
For whatever reason he couldn't comprehend, he stared longingly at the eclipse. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Tears of joy fell down from his eyes as he watched the event unfold. He could feel a tingling sensation as it happened, spreading through his entire body. It hurt a bit, but something inside him told him that it would be just fine.
Letting out a sigh of relief as the pain subsided, Peter suddenly heard shouting down the hall. He knew not whether the screams had been going on the entire time he had been watching the eclipse and he was just so caught up in its glory that he didn't hear it, or if they had just started. Either way, he rushed to the scene to see what was happening. What he saw shocked him.
"Mr. Sprague!? Please calm down!" One of the doctors cried out.
"No! I want to know what is happening to me!" The man screamed as he looked down at his body, which was aflame.
"Impossible..." Peter heard himself saying.
"Freeze!" A police officer yelled, rushing onto the scene. "Er... literally, I guess..."
"Officer Parkman! Please do something!" Another doctor cried out, cowering in the corner with Fear.
Peter looked to the officer. He thought about how he looked like he was scared stiff, of which thing he was. Peter knew that he, too, was afraid and was wishing he or anyone there knew what to do to stop the man who looked as if he was about to explode.
"I'm not scared stiff." Officer Parkman suddenly stated, looking at Peter. "I'm sure we'll figure something out..."
What!? Did he just read my mind!? Peter thought, shocked.
"Please, sir! I can't concentrate!" Parkman complained to Peter. "Keep it down! Actually... all of you! Please stop whispering and let me focus."
Peter furrowed his brow as Parkman kept his gun trained on Sprague. Outside of a couple of outbursts, everyone but Sprague was silent. Peter had then come to the conclusion that Parkman was definitely reading people's thoughts.
"Sir? I know you're scared but-" Officer Matt Parkman started.
What made him stop was that, although he was staring at Sprague and saw that his mouth was not moving, he could still hear him think. Right then, Parkman realized that it was true: he could hear people's thoughts, but he knew not why. As the stream of information flew in, Parkman nodded slowly.
"You're... you're right. If you accidentally hurt someone here, your wife would be very disappointed," Parkman stated. "So let's just calm down now, shall we?"
With a look of confusion, Sprague slowly nodded. "I want to, but I don't know how to stop it..."
As he said that, a burst of flames erupted from him. Suddenly his whole body look like an anthropomorphic flame. He wasn't in any pain, but everyone around him was beginning to feel the heat dance off his person. They were all getting worried, and Parkman could hear it.
"Everyone just calm down!" Parkman screamed. "We'll figure this out! He's not doing this on purpose!"
Peter then saw it happen. A burst of flame hit Parkman with enough back draft to send him flying back. As he flew through the air, his gun fell from his hand. Before anyone could react, a doctor reached down, grabbed the gun, and shot Sprague several times. As the last bullet entered the Exploding Man, he fell to his knees. With his last breath, Sprague looked at everyone around him before falling onto his face. He had died, and as he did, so did the flames dancing off him.
"I... I had to... He was going to blow the whole place to the sky..." The doctor stated, as pale as a sheet.
Meanwhile, Peter rushed to help Parkman up. "Hey, buddy... are you- agh!"
Parkman, standing upright by that point, looked at Peter in confusion. "Are... are you okay?"
Peter fell to his knees, grabbing his ears. "Make it stop! Ah! It's all flooding in!"
"What!?" Parkman demanded, confused.
"Their voices! The thoughts! Why is this happening to me!? I can hear them all! Help me!" Peter screamed as blood began to pour down his nose, the thoughts of everyone around him overwhelming him.
. . .
Claire Bennet made her way to the Youth Center. She knew that things were bad and everyone had evacuated, but the fight had gone to the outskirts of the city and probably wouldn't come back any time soon. She had left her backpack in the Youth Center and needed to get it before she went back home. Once she knew the fight had moved out of the city, and after the eclipse had distracted everyone, she had slipped out of the center for evacuations and had made her way to get her things.
As she crept in, she noticed how dark everything looked. Sighing, she shrugged and ventured into the darkness. As she made her way into the Juice Bar portion of the Youth Center, she could see broken plates and glasses everywhere, the remnants of the chaos which had occurred upon everyone hearing about Goldar's attack on the downtown area.
Then, something caused Claire to freeze in her tracks. She heard footsteps coming from down in the matted area. Turning the corner sharply, she saw a man who looked homeless with a pile of bags that had been left behind. He was looking through them all very carefully, taking things he thought looked valuable. As fate would have it, he was rummaging through Claire's bag when she saw him.
"Hey!" The captain of the cheerleading squad yelled out. "That's my bag!"
Shocked and scared, the man did the one thing that came to his mind: he pulled out his gun, pointed, and shot without even looking. Opening his eyes, his sight was filled with the image of a young cheerleader about ten feet away from him on the top of the stairs to the Juice Bar. A hole was in her chest and blood was pouring out from it. A look of terror and shock were etched on her face before she fell back, gasping her last breath.
Terrified, especially at the fact that he had shot what was essentially to him a "kid", he rushed over to the Juice Bar. Spotting Ernie's telephone, he pulled it up and dialed the police.
"911, state your emergency."
"Um... girl... blonde hair... cheerleader. She was shot in the chest at the Youth Center. Send help fast!"
"Okay sir, they are being dispatched. What is your na-?"
Before she could say another word, the homeless man hung up. Hands shaking, he pocketed his gun and ran out of the building, leaving Claire on the floor, lying lifeless in a pool of her own blood.
. . .
2050 AD - The Hall of Legends
Future: Omega Ranger watched from the Hall of Legends in the year 2050 as the Time Force Cameras he was using to chronicle the events of the past prompted him to look at two Japanese individuals in the midst of the evacuation center in Angel Grove. As he did, as was done several times before, the Chrono Workstation translated their speech so that Sam could understand it...
. . .
1993 AD - Universe M54331Z-B1
"Ugh..." The first man said, sitting on a bench next to a very large lady. "She's nearly sitting on my lap, Hiro! I think she's going to crush me!"
The other man, Hiro, turned and smiled at his friend. "Calm down, Ando. You mustn't be rude!"
"I'm sick of that, Hiro!" Ando yelled, jumping off the bench and turning to look at his friend in the midst of all of those who were evacuated. "That's how we got into this mess in the first place!"
Hiro, confused, stood up and put an arm around Ando. "What are you talking about? Why are you so frustrated?"
"Are you serious!? We were not even supposed to be in the United States! This was supposed to be our vacation time!" Ando yelled in frustration.
"No, no. Li had this assignment, but he said he was feeling sick so I volunteered to have us take his place so that he didn't need to travel sick," Hiro stated naively.
"Hiro! How many times do I have to tell you that he was lying! He just didn't want to go on this trip to survey the American branch!" Ando shouted.
Smiling, Hiro shrugged. "Maybe, but if he wasn't I don't think I could live with myself knowing I made a sick man work. It's better that we did things this way. Just in case he was sick."
Almost in tears, Ando sat back down (making sure to sit where Hiro had been so he wouldn't have to sit next to the large lady). "You're hopeless, Hiro. Hopeless! And because of that, we're stuck here in a land where giant Monsters appear and fight giant war machines! It's like the Americans are trying to copy our TV shows, but in real life!"
As Ando spoke, darkness began to creep into the building. Rushing to a window with many other people, Hiro saw the miraculous eclipse begin that Rita had started. Just as had happened with the others who felt the change, Hiro could feel the pain swelling in him. His whole body felt like little pinpricks were stabbing him. His head was dizzy, swimming, but once it passed, he was feeling better.
"Hiro...?" Ando asked. "Are you okay?"
Hiro nodded. "I'll be fine. Just a weird eclipse. I think I stared at it too long and it gave me a headache!"
"C'mon, then. Let's see if we can get out of here," Ando stated.
Hiro nodded. As they began to walk, Hiro noticed a commotion begin in a corner of the room. Many people were shouting and gasping very loudly. Curious, Hiro motioned for Ando to follow him.
"What now, Hiro!?" Ando complained. "I want to leave."
Approaching the group, Hiro and Ando saw what the commotion was all about. A man with shoulder length, scraggly hair had grabbed what looked like toothpaste and had begun smearing it on the wall. It looked like he also had other colored creams, from where Ando was certain he was fine not knowing where the man had gotten them. It looked as if he was painting something. Looking at it, although he was using crude materials, one could see how talented the man was. The image of what appeared to be a girl in a cheerleader uniform could be made out. A second person, a man in black clothes, was behind her. He was reaching out as if to grab her.
Then, suddenly, The Artist spun around and pointed at Hiro. Everyone gasped as he did. The Artist's eyes were bright white. No pupils could be seen. He looked as if he were possessed. Ando began tugging at Hiro's arm at that instant, trying to pull Hiro away.
"You. Hiro Nakamura," The man stated. "Save the cheerleader, save the world."
In broken English, Hiro responded. "I... I do not unduh-stand."
"Save the cheerleader, save the world," The man reiterated.
As he did, a young woman was ushered near him by two guards. "Ma'am, you know him?"
She broke free from them and ran to The Artist. "Isaac! Oh, Honey, what are you doing!? I've been looking everywhere for you!"
Suddenly, his eyes became normal again. Looking around in confusion, he saw the mural he had painted. Looking then down at his hands and clothes, he gasped.
"What's going on here!? The last thing I remember was watching the eclipse, and then all of a sudden... I'm here. Did I paint this!?" Isaac asked, in sincere shock.
As people began to huddle around him and speak to him, Hiro and Ando slipped away. The normally jovial look on Hiro's face was gone. Instead was a look of determination as he began to march out of the place.
"Hiro!? Where are you going!?" Ando cried out.
"The eclipse. It gave him a power," Hiro stated solemnly. "I think it gave me one, too."
"Huh!? What are you talking about!? You sound stupid, Hiro." Ando said, marching behind his friend.
"I couldn't describe it until Mr. Isaac said it, but I now know what it is. The eclipse gave me a power, and Mr. Isaac told me how I'm supposed to use it. I'm supposed to save the cheerleader," Hiro stated matter of factly.
"What. Are. You. Talking about!?" Ando demanded. "That was a crazy man saying crazy man things! You have no powers!"
"I do. I just don't know what they are." Hiro said as he continued to walk to the front door.
"Hiro, it was an eclipse! How does the Moon blocking the Sun have anything to do with giving you powers!?" Ando tried rationalizing to Hiro.
Hiro shrugged. "I live in a world where a giant blue dog in gold armor tried to crush a city until five people in leotards summoned their giant dinosaurs that came together to make a big metal man. I don't think asking questions at this point is the wisest thing."
"And... and even if you had powers, Hiro, do you remember the Superhero Registration Act!? You'd be hunted down!" Ando said as a last resort. "I think it'd be best if you and me just head on back to our bench. I'll even sit next to the big lady again!"
Right then, Hiro made it to the door. Unfortunately for him, a very big man with very big muscles and a very big gun were blocking the way. Smiling politely, Hiro bowed to the man as a sign of respect.
"Heh-ro. I am Hiro Nakamura. I am on the mission of the to save the cheer-reader," Hiro stated in broken English.
"Say what?" The man replied, confused.
Ando sighed and stepped in. "He is trying to say that he needs to leave here so we can... get back to work."
"No can do. The curfew hasn't been lifted yet. Sorry."
Hiro's face turned into a giant pout. "No sorry! I go now!"
"Don't make me get hostile." The man warned, narrowing his gaze at Hiro and Ando.
"I am a hero named Hiro! It is my destiny!" Hiro yelled, running at the man in hopes his new power was super speed or super strength.
"Hiro, no!" Ando cried out.
Sighing heavily, the man reached out and grabbed the oncoming Hiro by the back of his jacket collar. He then, with his other hand, grabbed Ando and lifted him up off the ground as well.
"Hey! I didn't do anything!" Ando protested, kicking and swinging.
"Punishment by association. I'm gonna handcuff you two to that pole over there until I can get you two downtown to book you for disrupting the peace." The officer stated, carrying the two away while missing completely Claire Bennet as she used the distraction to be able to slip out of the building to find her bag.
"What mean 'book you'!?" Hiro asked Ando in Japanese.
"He's going to arrest us!" Ando replied. "Hiro!? If you have a power, use it now!"
Closing his eyes and scrunching his face, Hiro began to concentrate as hard as he could. As he did, his head began to shake, making his cheeks wobble as he shook. Ando watched, hoping against hope Hiro was right, as Hiro's face grew beet red.
Stopping, Hiro sighed. "Nothing. Ando, I am sorry... I- huh?"
Looking around, Hiro saw what he deemed to be the impossible. Everyone around him was stuck in place, unmoving. Not one iota of anything he could see was moving.
"I... I stopped Time?" Hiro asked himself, confused. "I stopped Time! I did it! Ando, I- Oh, yes, you too. Okay, um..."
Hiro grabbed Ando, wrestling the officer's sausage fingers off of Ando's collar, and put him on his own shoulders. Grunting and wheezing, Hiro carried Ando outside of the building. Figuring himself to be safe when he was about two blocks away, Hiro closed his eyes and concentrated, just as he had done before. As he finished, he opened his eyes to find Ando looking around in shock.
"Yata!" Hiro cried out (which meant something along the lines of "I did it" in Japanese).
"Wh... what!? How did we get here!?" Ando gasped.
"I stopped Time, Ando!" Hiro yelled out in celebration. "I stopped Time and got us both out of there! I'm a Super Hiro!"
Ando's eyes grew wide. "I... I don't believe it! Now what do we do!?"
Getting a solemn look about him once again, Hiro nodded. "We have a mission, Ando. Save the cheerleader, save the world. Let's go, Ando. We have a cheerleader to save."
. . .
Matt Parkman sat at the police station. Next to him was a friend of his named Officer Stone, taking notes of the report.
"... and that's what happened, Jerome. Every last bit of it." Parkman stated, looking at Officer Stone.
Stone sighed. "Matt... you're lucky I'm not a lieutenant or anything. Otherwise I'd probably be forced to take your badge."
Matt rolled his eyes. "What, for telling the truth!?"
"Matt, it sounds insane," Stone tried to tell his friend.
"Insane!? You know what sounds insane!? The fact that right now a group of superheroes called the Power Rangers is fighting a Monster in a giant metal machine. The fact that there's apparently a psycho Witch who lives on the Moon. The fact I just saw a man on fire in front of me who didn't burn! The fact that I can read minds!"
Stone sighed. "Then what am I thinking right now, Matt?"
"I... I dunno," He answered. "It seems to come and go. I can't control it."
"And what about that nurse? The one with the headache?" Stone asked.
Shrugging, Parkman said, "I dunno. It sounded like he could hear the voices, too, but he was rushed off to be treated. I didn't get a chance to question him. I didn't even catch his name."
"Matt? If you want to keep your job, change the story. At least omit the parts where you can read minds. Please... for you own good." Jerome Stone said as he stood up, leaving Matt in the room by himself.
Parkman sighed. He didn't know what to do. He knew that he wasn't ready to lose his job, though. Sneering when he realized what the only thing he could do was to keep his job, he grabbed the paper he had filled out. He scrunched it up and threw it in the receptacle next to him. Grabbing a fresh sheet off of Stone's desk, he began to re-file his report, without the information about his super power.
. . .
"Are you okay now, Petrelli?" The doctor asked, shining a light in Peter's eyes.
Nodding and wiping hair off his brow, Peter smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine."
He doesn't look fine, Peter heard the doctor think. But we're overbooked right now with patients, injured from Goldar's attack. I need all hands on deck regardless of whether or not they're totally fine.
Pursing his lips, but not wanting to cause a Witch hunt for the man who could read minds, Peter shrugged. "Can I get back to work, then?"
The doctor nodded. "Yeah. I need you in the ED."
"But I was in the geriatric wing ton-"
"I need you in the ED. A lot of people there are hurt badly by the Monster attack. Hurry, please."
Turning and rushing out the door, Peter made his way quickly down three flights of stairs until he was at the Emergency Department. Getting depressed by the sheer amount of people there, he began to look for the attending physician to be able to see where he was needed. Before he could, though, several paramedics rushed in with Claire Bennet on the gurney. Peter could see the gunshot wound on her chest. He was surprised she wasn't already counted among the deceased.
"We need help here!" The first paramedic yelled out. "When we got there she was flatlined, but then she gasped for breath when we were putting her in a body bag. She's been going from flatline to living more times than a yo-yo goes up and down!"
Peter rushed over to the girl and began checking for vitals. As he grabbed her wrist and looked at her face, he suddenly felt lightheaded. He didn't think of himself as a particularly squeamish person, so he attributed it to seeing a pediatric patient for the first time in such a harsh situation.
"Pulse is weak... no really strong... wait, what is going on here!?" Peter asked, looking at the paramedics in confusion.
The rest of Claire's stay there was a flash. The bullet was taken from her chest, her vitals were stabilized, and she seemed to be nearly completely recovered in less than an hour's time. Needless to say, everyone was calling it a miracle. Some local news reporter had even gotten wind of it (probably through some shady doctor calling in to get a paycheck under the table) and had done a story about it, calling Claire the "Miracle Girl".
"What do you think, Peter? Do you believe in miracles?" An orderly asked him as they were washing their hands in the washroom next to the trauma bay Claire was in.
I sure do... especially after what I just saw... Peter heard the woman think.
Smirking, Peter nodded. "I think I do. I really think I do."
. . .
Agent Noah Bennet, alongside his partner simply known as The Haitian, burst in through the doors of the hospital. They had been on call at the main center for Alphabet Soup, but as soon the news about Claire's condition had been made known to him the two were excused and rushed to the hospital.
"How!?" Noah cried out as they walked. "How could this have happened!? McKnight made sure to round up everyone who were out of their houses! How did she end up here at the hospital!?"
The Haitian smiled. "It could be worse... she could be dead, Noah."
"Oh, please don't say that. That is the last thing I want to hear right now!" Noah said, exasperated, as they tried to find a directory to get to the room they knew Claire had been set up in.
As they did, they passed Hiro and Ando who were looking around as well. Ando sighed as they walked.
"Are you sure about this?" Ando asked.
Hiro nodded. "Mr. Isaac said that to save the world we needed to save the cheerleader. We are already falling behind, Ando! The news said someone already shot her today! We have to be here to make sure no one else gets to her!"
Meanwhile, another person had gotten wind of Claire and her extraordinary recovery. It was none other than Gabriel Grey. And he had already made his way to the wing in which Claire was sleeping.
Perfect. Gabriel thought. This is absolutely perfect. The cheerleader must've been affected by the eclipse just like me. Just like Linda... Lisa... whatever her name was. And just like with her, I'm going to find this girl and take her ability from her. I'm going to be invincible!
As Gabriel thought that, he knew not that the one place he believed he could plan things out and not be heard was actually no longer safe. He knew not that in that very same wing, Peter Petrelli was getting some papers ready for the next shift. And that Peter had heard everything Gabriel had thought.
Someone is here to hurt that cheerleader girl!? Peter thought in shock. And that's how this all happened...? It's because of that eclipse? It gave me this power to read minds, like that cop? Maybe that's what happened to Mr. Sprague, too... Maybe we all had some sort of dormant gene that was activated by the eclipse? I... I don't know... But I do know one thing. I have to stop whoever said that from getting to Claire Bennet!
Making his way quickly, but quietly, out of his room Peter found himself in the hall. It was fairly deserted, with not many people in the hospital in that part where they were recovering. Many more people were in the hospital that day being treated for their injuries. That actually worked in Peter's favor, since he could zero in on Gabriel's thoughts. Everytime he did, though, he felt cold. As if every thought coming from Gabriel was pure evil.
Room 2203... 2203... Ah. Found you... Gabriel was heard thinking in Peter's mind.
"No... no..." Peter muttered as he began to run toward the room.
He was about fifteen rooms away when he had started to chase after the mysterious assailant. Then only ten... five... with each room he passed, it was as if Peter could hear a clock ticking quickly in the background. Every moment he wasn't in Claire's room was a moment Gabriel could be doing horrible things to the girl.
"Stop!" Peter yelled, bursting in through the door. "What in the...!?"
Peter stared, slack jawed, at the scene. At one end of the room was Gabriel in a hooded sweater (hood up) and jeans. He had his right hand outstretched, pointing his index finger and middle finger simultaneously at the other side of the room. At that side of the room was Claire, floating in the air above her bed, struggling and unable to utter a sound.
Gabriel furrowed his brow and cocked his head to the side. "You came rushing in here... as if you knew... how...?"
Peter began to read Gabriel's thoughts. As he did, he couldn't exactly hear any discernible words. More like Gabriel's mind working. He could feel Gabriel's mind emanating from him and reaching out to him. He could "see" in his own mind what Gabriel was seeing: how Peter worked. He could "see" his own mind with the ability to read thoughts. There was also something else there, something both Gabriel and Peter could not understand.
"What... what are you!?" Gabriel shouted in shock.
"...help... me..." Claire managed to gasp from Gabriel's telepathic vice grip on her throat.
"Stay away from her!" Peter yelled, grabbing a scalpel near him before rushing forward to stab Gabriel.
Suddenly smiling, Gabriel shook his head and lifted up his left hand. "I don't think so."
Peter suddenly felt himself being flung off his feet. He then could feel himself slam into the wall next to him, still in midair. He realized Gabriel was telekinetic, using his mind to be able to literally push Peter around.
Smirking, Gabriel said, "I'll be more than happy to take your powers after I'm done with Miracle Girl over here..."
"Let her go!" Peter screamed.
As he did, he suddenly felt his voice grow more powerful. It flew out of him and hit Gabriel.
"Yes... I think I will..." Gabriel said as he began to lower Claire.
"Huh? How did I-?" Peter asked in shock.
Then, as if to physically shake the thought out of him, Gabriel shook his head and lifted Claire back up. "You... you can use your telepathic powers to control people!? Oh, how I wish I could use that, but I can't have you around right now. You're too dangerous."
Peter then watched as Gabriel used his power on the scalpel he had dropped. As it was lifted up in the air, Peter screamed and yelled. He tried to control Gabriel like he had before, but he couldn't seem to tap that part of his abilities again. Looking around, seeing Gabriel smiling wickedly and Claire floating in the air, groaning for help, Peter tried to break free from Gabriel's grip. But, before he could move again, the scalpel flew and lodged itself right in between Peter's eyes. A trail of blood dripped down from the contact point where the blade was sticking out of his forehead. Peter floated against the wall, lifeless, a glassy stare where he once had a look of determination. Claire tried to yell and scream but couldn't, tears streaming down her face for the fate of her would be hero.
A few moments earlier, down the hall, Noah stopped as he heard Peter's shouts of anger. "... Do you...?"
"Hurry!" The Haitian yelled, running down the hall in the lead and pulling his gun out.
Noah, grabbing his gun as well, began to run down the hallway as fast as he could. His stomach was in knots. Knowing someone had shot his princess earlier that day, and then hearing someone shouting for help in the same wing his daughter was at was not very confidence boosting for him.
As he thougth those things, The Haitian kicked open the door. Making it there just a moment later, both Noah and The Haitian gasped as they saw Peter Petrelli's corpse on the ground in front of the door. Further on into the room stood Gabriel Grey, moving his hand slowly from left to right. As he moved his hand, The Haitian and Noah could see a line of blood appearing on Claire's forehead. Gabriel was using his telekinesis to saw through Claire's skull.
"No!" Noah screamed, unloading his gun into Gabriel.
As he did so, Gabriel put up a hand and stopped the bullets, midair, with a wicked smile on his face. Dropping his gun, The Haitian pulled out a knife and began to charge forward toward Gabriel. As he got closer to Gabriel, both Claire and the bullets which had been suspended in midair suddenly fell from the air and hard onto the floor.
Free of Gabriel's grip, Claire yelled. "Daddy! Help!"
Breaking free of his stupor of having seen a mortal man stop bullets midair, Noah began to run toward Claire. "I'm coming, Claire-Bear!"
"You!" Gabriel cried out as The Haitian made his way to him.
Gabriel put out his hands to stop The Haitian from stabbing his. He put both of his hands on the wrist of the hand holding the blade. Gabriel felt himself pushed up against the wall behind him as The Haitian tried to outmuscle him. Gabriel's mind was in a panic.
"No! This isn't fair!" Gabriel screamed. "You! It's you. I had my powers and now... nothing! You took them from me!"
"What is he talking about!?" Noah yelled as he bent over Claire.
"I do not know, Noah, I- oof!" The Haitian cried out as Gabriel kicked him in between the legs.
Gabriel sneered as The Haitian staggered back. Clenching his fist, he swung it. For the first time in his life, Gabriel Grey punched a man in the face. The Haitian went flying back, dropping his knife and falling atop Peter Petrelli's corpse. He was knocked out cold.
Smiling devilishly, Gabriel turned to Noah as he tried to help Claire stand. Due to The Haitian being knocked out, he could feel his powers come back to him. He lifted up his right hand and swatted Noah away, sending him flying to the wall adjacent to the door into the room.
"Claire! No!" Noah cried out.
"Daddy!" Claire screamed as she felt herself once again get ripped up off the floor.
"And now, Miracle Girl..." Gabriel said, lifting up his left hand. "I'm going to finish opening up your head."
"... please... don't do this..." Claire implored.
"Oh, but I must," Gabriel stated. "You are going to make me the most special person ever..."
"What do you want from us!?" Noah demanded, crying as he couldn't break free. "Who are you!?"
Gabriel was about to answer by saying his name. Then he stopped for a moment. He wanted to be special, something he never felt he was in his life. The name Gabriel Grey had so many negative connotations for him. He was ready to be someone new. Something new. His mind then landed on the one thing he was proud of in his life: the computer program he had made to help Alphabet Soup.
"... Sylar... My name is Sylar."
"Stop this! Let her go! Just take me!" Noah begged.
"You? You're not special. She is." Sylar stated, turning to look at Claire. "And I'll let you live long enough to see just how special she is."
"... please... let me go..." Claire begged as Sylar caused Noah to be unable to speak.
"Oh, I will. As soon as I'm d-" Sylar began.
Suddenly, everyone in the room had stopped cold in their tracks. Walking slowly into the room, Hiro looked around. Finally having found Claire's room, he had heard the commotion from outside and had thought it safer to freeze Time first, ask questions later. Walking in, he saw Sylar about to finish opening up Claire's head. He saw The Haitian knocked out on the ground, and under him the deceased Peter Petrelli.
"So much horror..." Hiro said sadly, shaking his head. "Thus is the life of a hero..."
Walking up to Sylar, he frowned. "And you must be the villain. My mortal enemy! A boogeyman... But it ends here, boogeyman!"
Turning around, he grabbed the knife The Haitian had dropped. He then turned around and pointed the knife in Sylar's direction. Taking a deep breath, he walked forward to stab him. A mere inch away from his throat, Hiro sighed and stopped.
"This is no good," Hiro stated. "I can't just stab you when you're defensless!"
"Who says I'm defenseless?" Sylar asked, turning and looking at Hiro.
"Hiro!?" Ando asked, peaking into the room.
Oh no! Hiro thought. I guess I don't have total control over my powers yet! I wasted my chance!
Lifting Hiro up, Sylar looked at him straight in the eyes. "I don't know who you are or where you came from, little man, but I'm going to fin- ah!"
A loud gunshot was heard. Dropping both Hiro and Claire due to lack of focus, Sylar looked down to see a gunshot wound in his shoulder. A second gunshot was fired then, landing the bullet straight into Sylar's gut. Looking up, Sylar saw Ando with The Haitian's gun. The barrel was still smoking.
"No one hurts my friend." Ando said as he shot a third time, hitting Sylar again in the stomach.
Mind reeling, Sylar turned and jumped out the window. Flying through the air, barely conscious, Sylar used his telekinesis to float himself into the back of a truck in the parking lot a few hundred feet away. As he landed safely in the bed of the truck, Sylar slid himself under a tarp to keep himself safe.
My time is yet to come... Sylar thought. This is only the first of my rise to the top!
Hiro, Claire, and Ando rushed to the window. They all had one thing in mind: seeing Sylar's body on the concrete below. They all let out disappointed groans when they didn't see him, though deep down inside they each knew that they hadn't yet bested him.
"Thank you..." Claire said, tears coming down her face. "You saved me..."
"Save the cheerleader, save the world!" Ando stated, fully accepting the statement for the first time.
"Excuse me?" Claire asked.
"Mr. Isaac told us to save you! And we did it! Yata!" Hiro said proudly, throwing his arms up in the air.
Limping forward, Noah made his way to Claire and grabbed her in his arms. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, Claire-Bear. Please forgive me!"
"You were, Dad! You were!" Claire insisted, tears dropping onto her father's blazer.
"Noah?" The Haitian asked, getting up and rubbing his head. "Did we get him?"
Noah looked to Claire. She looked down sadly and shook her head. Noah then turned to his long time friend and gave him a dark look.
"No, we didn't. But we will..."
As he spoke, Claire left her father's embrace and made her way to Peter. Noah tried to stop her, but The Haitian shook his head as if to suggest Claire needed to say goodbye to her would be hero while making his way to stand next to Noah. Kneeling by Peter's side, Claire began to sob.
"I... I remember you!" Claire said in between heavy sobs. "You were the nurse who first came to me when I got here! You were there during my surgery! I'm so sorry this happened to you! You... you just were trying to help me!"
As she sobbed, the final stages of the process which had been occurring for the past few minutes was completing itself. Claire and everyone else in the room gasped as the scalpel plopped out of Peter's head, leaving a small gash in between his eyes. Then, right before their eyes, the wound vanished. As it did, Peter let out a gasp for air.
"What...!?" Claire gasped, jumping to her feet and rushing back to her father.
As she did, Noah and The Haitian gave each other knowing looks. They, too, were shocked at what they were seeing. A man had miraculously come back from the dead, right before their very eyes. They knew that Alphabet Soup would be very interested in knowing about that.
"Alphabet Soup?" Peter asked, inadvertently reading their thoughts. "What is that? What do they want with me?"
Noah's eyes grew wide, looking to The Haitian in shock. They then looked back to Peter, worried about what was happening.
"You... you're okay!" Peter said suddenly, looking at Claire. "I'm so glad! I was worried..."
Claire smiled. "Thanks to you. If you hadn't stalled him, who knows what he would've done to me... But... how are you alive!?"
"I don't know... I'm very, very confused." Peter stated, looking up at those before him.
"Hiro..." Ando said in Japanese. "He's a Zombie!"
Hiro nodded slowly. "Perhaps. We need to look further into this. We can't let him eat the cheerleader's brain if he is. Mr. Isaac said we needed to save the cheerleader."
"And we did that!" Ando stated.
"This time. What about the next? And the next? Who knows how many times her life will be in danger," Hiro said. "Ando? You can go if you must, but as for me? I will stay by her side and keep her safe."
Ando stood and thought for a moment before smiling and putting his hand on Hiro's shoulder. "You're my best friend, Hiro Nakamura. Wherever you go, so will I."
As all of that occurred, Matt Parkman suddenly made his way into the room with another police officer. "Freeze! Everyone! Drop the gun!"
Ando, suddenly realizing he was still holding the gun, dropped it and threw his arms into the air. "I'm innocent man!"
"I will stop Time to get us out of here!" Hiro shouted.
He tried to concentrate, but found he could not. His thoughts were muddled every time he attempted to stop Time. Flustered, not knowing The Haitian was inadvertently blocking his powers, Hiro shrugged.
"I think I'm broken..." Hiro stated sadly.
"We had reports of gunshots and- you." Parkman said, laying eyes on Peter. "What's going on here!?"
"That's what I'd like to know..." Noah said as he looked to his partner.
"Okay, you've all got some talking to do. Who's gonna start?" Parkman demanded, keeping his gun trained on Ando.
Furrowing his brow, Hiro Nakamura was the first to step forward. "My name is... Hiro Nakamura. I come from Japan. And I am a superhero."