HEROES Rebirth from the Ashes
Chapter twenty-six
Water rising fast
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Angela Petrelli opened her eyes, to complete darkness. The heat was near unbearable but it was slowly dissipating. The elevator hung at an angle, having wedged itself against the walls of the shaft during its fall. She lifted her hands to her face and wiped away tears and sweat. The elevator doors would not open as she slammed her hands against the buttons. She grabbed the rubber edges of the doors and tried to pull the doors apart once more, but they still would not budge; she was trapped! She reviewed her actions over the past hour as she lay helpless in the elevator car. She calculated that the battle must be over by now, high above her on the surface. Nothing would have survived that energy blast. Where any of the others alive? Was she the only one left? It was time she saved herself as no one was coming to her rescue. She refused to die. She needed to save Claire.
Angela adjusted her collar of her blouse in the stifling heat; the materiel stuck to her flesh and made her that much more uncomfortable. With no power to the elevator or the ventilation system, she was roasting in a box. She slid across the floor, in the small chamber to the double doors once more. Her left leg burned with pain. She could move it in careful motions, but she knew it was hurt badly. She had to think through her predicament and formulate a plan of escape. Her mind was her asset. Her intellect was unmatched if she could focus.
Angela leaned her face against the rubber jam that separated the two halves of the elevator doors. A small draft encompassed her face as she stretched out left her leg with gentleness and great care. She was afraid that if she was the only one to survive the explosion she was doomed. She turned her back to the doors and rested against the hot metal frame and adjusted her left leg. She couldn't feel her leg from the knee down, and having run her fingers over the bone just below the joint she felt a bulge. What had happened? She thought through all the evidence that she had. With her age and her experience dealing with the impossible she knew that she should be able to figure out what happened.
She tried to get comfortable but the walls of the elevator still burned with extreme heat and she could not find a cool place to rest her back. Her mind was the asset to the group. Over the years Angela Petrelli had made it her business to be one step ahead of the curve. She had the ability to dream the future, but her dreams only gave her a possible future, not a certain course of events. Her visions could be changed, as long as there was active participation of those involved. Her logical mind was her true asset. She could use the multiple dreams and visions and plot out future events and current manipulations to reach a desired goal. Her goal now was to live and free Claire from that monster Hitler.
She had dreamed of the submarine explosion a few hours before the attack, her head was finally recovering from the drugs that Estelle had pumped into her, and these last few days her dreams had revealed more visions of the future, like before. By reason and logic the explosion she had lived through, that had destroyed the elevator and stuck the car in mid-accent must have been the Submarine as she saw in her vision. Hitler would have no purpose she could think of to destroy his own submarine and the men on it, unless he was relatively certain to kill all of the remaining specials in the blast. With Peter and Sylar unaccounted for, that option seemed slim.
Peter! She thought of Peter her only surviving son and remembered her dream of his explosion in Manhattan just a few years before. It felt like more time had passed! Peter had lost control of his abilities and the power released in a massive explosion that would have killed millions of people in New York, if it hadn't been for Nathan Petrelli and his rejection of her dreams and his act that changed the future. He had grabbed Peter and launched himself into the sky. As he reached the oxygen barrier of the atmosphere he pushed Peter into the stratosphere, allowing Peter to release the energy safe and away from the surface of the earth. If Nathan had not acted as he did (and was horribly disfigured because of it), Peter's resulting super nova would have been the same in her dream from last night. Her original thought before she bolted for the elevator was Submarine explosion was the result of Peter, or maybe Sylar going supernova. If it was one of the boys, he would be drained of power with the possibility of his abilities not returning for hours, days, or maybe months. She remembered it took nearly three months before Peter regained his abilities with the last super-nova. If it was Peter, he would need her. He would need protection and comfort. If it was Sylar he would direction.
Angela Petrelli looked up at the ceiling of the elevator, wasn't there always an escape hatch on these things? It was time this old broad got off her bum and got out of this sweat box. Angela pulled herself to her feet. She thanked the creator that she was taller than most women and could reach the ceiling without putting her injured foot down. She pushed on each panel until she felt one give way and lift slightly. She gathered herself and balanced on her one good leg. "And you thought I was too old!" She mentally said to herself as she jumped with both hands stretched out over her head.
She felt the escape panel fly open from her push and she grabbed hold of the edge around the hatch. With strength from desperation and incredible determination, she laced her fingers around the edge of the escape hatch and pulled her head and shoulders through the opening. She could fell a soft breeze from high above and could see light near the surface. Her grip was not strong enough, she could feel her hands and arms weakening. If she did not scoot her body through the hatch on this attempt she would fall. She would fall back to the elevator floor with a thump and a scream in pain. Her injured leg would crack against the hard floor. She let out a grunt of anger and furry as she twisted her hips and rolled out on to the top of the elevator car. With pain she lifted her leg out of the opening and rested it, stretched out before her. The effort to lift her body out of the elevator exhausted her. She needed to rest before she thought of a way to reach the surface. Slowly she laid her head down as she could see high above her the morning sky, and then the young face of Molly looking down, before all went black.
X-X-X
Tracy Straus could hear young Noah screaming in a mixture of pain and fear somewhere in the darkness. Dirt, rock and crumbled cement were in every direction, that she could feel. She was trapped under a cement beam and hundreds of pounds of dirt that had rained down on them since the explosion. Over the last hour she had faded in and out of consciousness as she tried to call out to Alfred, but received no response. She called out to young Noah once more, "Noah! Come to Aunt Tracy. Your going to be alright." Noah only cried back "I want Mommy!" and he fell apart into tears and screams once more. Tracy could not get to him and little Noah would not come to her.
Her legs were trapped and she could not liquefy. Something was wrong with her powers. "Noah, Aunt Tracy is right here. Can you hear my voice?" she called out once more into the darkness. Noah screamed out "Mommy!" at the top of his lungs. She could tell that was a scream of fear and pain. Noah was hurt. She couldn't get to him! She needed to get free. She screamed and tried to pull her legs free, but they would not move. She lost it for just a moment and screamed out with all her heart. She pounded the dirt around her, she wiggled and stretched, she cried and pulled, and then fell back exhausted and worried.
She heard no sound, other than running water from pipes that must have broken during the explosion; Noah had stopped crying. Was he still alive? Did he pass out? For more than an hour he had cried and screamed, each sob ripping her heart open as the child was in obvious pain and frightened; but she could do nothing to help him. Tracy broke down and started to cry silently as she tried to think her way out and praying for a miracle. Was everyone dead? Was she the only one alive and Noah was trapped away from her! Her emotions spend she faded into unconsciousness once more. Noah Bennet I need you!
Tracy awoke again with a start. How long had she been out? She wiped her face free of the dirt and tears as she calmed her nerves. She needed to calm for Noah. She propped herself up on her elbows, and called out into the darkness "Noah? Baby! Come to Aunt Tracy." Was Noah asleep, had he fainted from his exertion? Why was he not answering her. She had to try something different. "Noah! Aunt Tracy is playing hide and seek, you need to come and find me." Please she thought; let him find me in the darkness. She turned her head as dirt and cement dust tumbled down in her face and a little body dropped onto her chest, pushing her back into the dirt. "Auntie!" young Noah gasped as Tracy wrapped her arms around him. Young Noah had somehow gotten free and found her. "Good Boy, Noah…Good Boy." She whispered into his ear and patted his back. Her hands quickly looked over the boy in the darkness. If her powers worked, she could transition her eyes and see in the dark. She could feel blood on his face, its crusted stickiness very familiar to her fingers. Her heart skipped a beat as she ran her hands over his small arms, one arm seemed to be bent the wrong way.
She wanted to cry again, but she had to be strong for Noah. She pushed back her emotions. She was the ICE woman. She had to think, she had to find a way out of this, without her powers. She closed her eyes to rest for a moment, to think. She was in the passageway beside sub-basement trolley car station. The roof had caved in on top of her, Noah, and Alfred. It was dark, and she could not see, but she could hear running water, a lot of running water from broken pipes over head. Then her heart began to race, as cold water touched her feet and started to move up her legs, the room was filling up with water.
X-X-X
Gabriel followed Molly into the metal bunker. His modesty covered by a large green blanket wrapped around the waist. Noah Bennet was sitting up on a cot bolted against the wall, with his hand on his heart. His breathing was rough and his face was flushed. Gabriel lifted the man gently in his arms and carried him out of the bunker and into the sunlight. Molly knelt by him and pressed a cold cloth against his forehead as Gabriel went back into the bunker for young Hiro. He laid the boy down on ground beside Noah Bennet and Molly as he checked the boy for a pulse. They both seemed healthy enough; and the boy had a strong pulse. Apparently they had passed out due to the heat and lack of oxygen in the box room after the explosion. "It was so hot in there, we could hardly breath. Mr. Bennett started to hold his breath as long as he could. We all started getting sleepy." Molly rattled off as they tried to make the pair comfortable. "When I woke up hearing you banging on the wall, they both would not wake up. You save us!"
Gabriel understood. Somewhere deep inside his memory he thought of water! They needed water. He jumped to his bare feet and went back into the safety bunker. After looking around on the floor, where all the supplies fell during the explosion he found a water bottle, two loaded machine guns, and a few magazines of ammunition. Gabriel placed one machine gun on the blanket next to himself; and gave the other to Molly, "Watch, we don't know if we are alone." He smiled as Molly picked up the machine gun and started looking toward the horizon. She hefted the firearm up into ready position and began to walk around the area checking behind the few rocks that survived the blast, for bad guys.
Gabriel held Noah Bennet's head and placed the bottle to his opened his mouth. He gently poured a small amount of water into his lips and say relief on the mans face as the water rolled down his throat. Noah coughed as the water went down the wrong tube and into his lungs: making the body to react naturally to clear the lungs. Noah perked up as he coughed the last of the water out of his lungs. He quickly took in Gabriel's presence and Molly's location instantly. He nodded at Gabriel in gratefulness, "thank you." Gabriel smiled, "Welcome back to the land of the living."
"Don't do that, it gives me the creeps." Noah demanded. "Don't do what? Give you water? Save your life?" Gabriel asked not understanding his point. "Smile," Noah said, "your smile gives me the creeps." Gabriel smiled even bigger and turned to young Hiro, "Alright young man, time to wake up and see the sunshine." Lifting the boy's head he poured water into Hiro's mouth and watched for the same results as from Noah. Hiro swallowed and rolled over on his side in sleep. He was confused..."Well Noah, what do we do now?" Gabriel asked. But Noah was gone.
Gabriel quickly looked all around, where did he go? "We need to find the others and then make a plan of attack." Noah said as he walked out of the safety bunker. "Here put these on," Noah tossed him a pair of workman's coverall, "the blanket is just not working for me." Gabriel caught the tossed clothes and stood. He reached for the corner of the blanket, when Noah placed a hand on his shoulder. "In the bunker please," Noah pointed with his thumb and glared at Gabriel as he walked passed him into the metal box to change. "If you're here, where is Peter?" Noah asked with his back to Gabriel. "The last I remember was Hitler chopping off my head. Then Peter trying to bring me back to life. He was there when I exploded." Gabriel said stepping out into the morning air again dressed now in a set of white coveralls. "I think Peter might be dead."
"Over here!" Molly called suddenly, "Someone is alive down here!"
X-X-X
"Tracy, can you hear me?" A shaky older voice called out from the darkness. "Alfred, follow my voice, I'm trapped and water is filling up the area fast." Tracy called back in desperation and relief. Alfred was alive! "Have you seen young master Noah?" Alfred called back, his voice getting closer. "He's with me. He is finally asleep. I think he has a head wound, and a broken arm." Tracy called out back into the darkness. "The water is rising fast and I can barely keep Noah out of the cold, help me."
Alfred reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flashlight, "Always be prepared." He chuckled to himself as he made his way over several cement beams. He stepped over the last beam and saw Tracy in an opening between cement, dirt, and water. She was trapped near the pole they had attempted to slide down. Her legs were pinned under a large cement beam. Tracy was propped up on her elbows with a resting Noah on her chest. Water was filling the area quickly, and had already reached her stomach. She was bloody and covered in mud, but otherwise in good spirits. She flashed a brilliant smile.
"I thought you might have cashed in your last meal card and left me." Tracy said as Alfred lowered himself into the hole beside her. He sunk into the mud and water up to his knees. "No, ma'am I am sorry for the delay." Alfred tried to make light of the emergency "it appears that my head is not as hard as Master Peter always thought it was." He gently picked up Noah and laid him down on a flat cement surface up out of the hole, after he swept it clear of dust and dirt with his hands. "Something is wrong. My abilities are gone. I can't change. I'm stuck and the water is filling this place fast. Help me!" Tracy's voice was calm but there was a hint of panic that he could detect.
"Young Noah turned off your powers." Alfred said as he got down on he knees in the water and mud to check the cement beam that trapped Tracy. "When ever he is mad or hurt, he will turn all energy and powers off. He can do it when he is angry or just for fun too." He rambled on as he examined the situation, "In fact just the other day he was sitting in front on the old wireless radio in the ballroom and was amusing himself by turning it off and then back on. It was amazing to watch." Alfred turned the light back on Tracy. "I will need to go get help, the beam is too heavy for me to move. I can't get you out." Suddenly the weight of the cement shifted under the movement of water and mud, dropping over an inch lower onto Tracy's legs. Tracy screamed in agony as her legs snapped with a load crack.
Young Noah woke up with a start, crying in fear and pain. He rolled over and tried to sit up but forgot about his broken arm and put his weight on it. The pain shot through his little body, and he wailed out. Alfred jumped to Noah and swept him up in his arms. Tracy lost her hold on her elbows and slipped below the mud and water as Alfred dropped his flashlight and key chain into the mud.
Tracy pushed back to the surface, her face only inches above the water line now, she took a few quick breaths and then gasped, "Save Noah!" and slipped again back into the waters and the flashlight under the water went dark, once again leaving them all in pitch darkness. Alfred moved fast before he could loose Tracy's position and reached into the waters with his free hand. Where did she go?
X-X-X
Gabriel Grey strained to hold the rope as Noah Bennett slowing lowered himself down into the elevator shaft. If his memory was correct, the Sub-basement was about 100 feet below the mansion, and since the elevator was about 20 feet from the surface, he new there was at least an 80 foot drop to the bottom of the shaft. He had to be careful, and not put his weight on the car, or he could shift the elevator and it would plummet to the bottom of the shaft. Noah lowered himself and gently placed his feet on the Elevator car ceiling beside Angela Petrelli. "Careful hold me here." He called back up. He swung the light of his flashlight along the walls surrounding him and the still figure laying near the gears of the elevator roof. She was unconscious and on the floor inside the car was a machine gun. She looked unhurt except for a badly broken leg just below the knee. "Alright Gabriel, I am down, now hold my weight."
Noah Bennet shifted his hold on the rope and placed his package of flour, water, and plastic wrap on the elevator floor next to Angela's broken leg. He was thankful the she was wearing a skirt right then and he lifted her leg and looked at the bone pushing against the skin. The leg was red and inflamed. Angela moaned: she was waking up, He had to move fast. He grabbed her leg with both hands, and yanked hard on the leg. He felt and saw the bone slip back into to place, as Angela screamed out in wild pain. Her arms banged against the elevator ceiling, and she tried to kick him away with her one free leg. Tears streamed down her face, as Noah worked fast. He stretched out the plastic wrap under her leg and using the water and flour made a thick paste. "Thank you" Angela gasped through the pain. "Thank me later, I'm not done yet." Noah warned her.
Using his hands he covered her broken leg with the thick paste, making it about an inch thick. Then he wrapped the entire box of plastic wrap around the leg and the paste. "That should dry and hold until we can get you to a doctor." Noah said tapping the hardening paste with his finger. "It looks like it is drying fast" Angela agreed, "any water left to drink?"
"Molly, toss down another water bottle please?" Noah called up through the shaft. Molly dropped a water bottle down to Noah a few moments later. "Here you go." Noah turned to catch the bottle, but hanging from the rope made it difficult to maneuver and the bottle bounced off his shoulder and hit the elevator with a thud. The Elevator shifted and groaned from the impact. Suddenly the brakes lost their grip and the elevator dropped a foot, and stopped.
Angela's eyes opened wide as she grabbed Noah around the waist and no longer cared about the water bottle, "No more romance. Let's get on with the rescue." Noah grunted from the sudden change in weight. He could hear Gabriel for calling for Molly to help with the rope high above. Slowly hand over hand with Angela holding on around his waist; Noah pulled them back up the rope. As Noah and Angela reached the surface, he held on to the edge as Gabriel helped Angela out of the hole. Noah heard a crack, and looked back down the hole just as the elevator brakes released and the elevator dropped in a free fall down the shaft.
Noah reached out and pulled Molly back from the edge of the elevator shaft as a gush of air blasted out of the shaft and almost pulled her into the deep hole. He held her tight as she clung to him for a quick moment and then pushed herself away to arms length, she was okay. They made eye contact as they both thought the same thing. "Tie the rope off Gabriel. I need to get down there fast. If Tracy and any of the others made it below that elevator could have killed them." Noah tugged at the rope around his waste to make sure it was secure, and jumped into the hole. The rope uncurled fast as Gabriel rushed to tie off the other end around a boulder a few feet away. Molly called out "hurry, Gabriel, hurry!" as the rope unwound faster and faster as Noah descended. Gabriel made the last knot tight just as the rope went taunt and he sat back with a gasp of breath.
Noah concentrated on the shaft below, as he fell fast. His flashlight cut into the darkness only by a few feet ahead of him, as he dropped. This was risky, but he had to get to the bottom quickly. Somewhere below was Tracy, and Alfred if they were alive. Was little Noah with them? "Please God let them be okay!" Mentally he counted off his decent. When he calculated he was only ten feet from the bottom, he twisted around in mid air and pushed his feet against the shaft wall. Slowing his free fall while hopping along the wall until he jerked to a halt, as the rope reached its limit; and with a rough pull he swung against the wall with his feet. "I am really getting too old for this…"
He looked below him and stepped down onto the mangled, remains of the elevator car, He untied the rope from his waste and dropped down into the remains of the car and crawled through the open elevators doors and into what remained of the Rail-car subbasement station. The room was caved in and dark. The cement floor was buckled and broken. The Ceiling was caved in and water had filled the lower sections and lapped at his feet. He swung his flash light around in the room, "Tracy are you down here? Can you hear me?"
X-X-X
Alfred was desperate. He couldn't find Tracy. She had been just a moment out of his sight and now she was gone. The water was rising fast. Soon the room would fill and all would be lost. He needed help but he couldn't leave her to drown. Finally he felt something, a wisp of hair! He grabbed the hair and pulled Tracy back to the surface. She spat out a mouthful of murky water and gasped for air. "I lost you for a moment." Alfred said in a calm voice as he tried to cradle her neck in his open arm. The water was rising fast. Soon it would be over his waste and he would not be able to lift her face over the edge of the water. He could feel the cold fingers of death close in. "Tracy are your down here? Can you hear me?" a voice called out from the darkness. "In here please!" Alfred yelled. His fear unmasked through the tremble of his voice.
There was the sound of crawling and pushing through rock and dirk as a light pierced the darkness and a shadowy figure slid down into the water. "Alfred it is good to see your alive, what is going...TRACY!" Noah gasped as he dropped into the water and wrapped his arms around her and lifted her face out of the cold encroaching death. Tracy opened her eyes in her weakness. She was loosing her grip on consciousnesses. "Noah!" She whispered and closed her eyes is pain.
"She is trapped! The roof fell in on us! Her feet are trapped." Alfred informed as he pointed into the water behind them. Noah transferred Tracy's head to Alfred and dove under the water. The passageway went dark as the flashlight submerged under the water. It seemed like an eternity but Noah did not surface. Suddenly Tracy screamed out in pain. Her hands and arms flailed about in the water. Her agony filled the passageway with wails of sudden pain. Alfred lost his hold on her just as Noah resurfaced. Tracy sunk under the water in a gurgling scream.
Noah grabbed her and brought her back to the edge. The water was only inches away from her mouth. She was fading fast under the pain. Tracy opened her eyes as she whispered something to Noah that he could not hear. "The beam is to heavy, I can't lift it." He placed his ear near her mouth, "I can't hear you..."
"I love you!"
Noah's mind exploded in alertness. He was not going to just let her die. He had dreams. They had spoken about plans in the future. "Alfred hold her!" He watched as Alfred took over and then he spun around and grabbed the cement beam. His feet sunk into the muck as he strained against the incredible weight. He had to save her! "Please God help me!" He cried out as he groaned against the beam. He had only moments before it was too late.
His heart hurt from the sorrow that he could not lift the beam. It had to be more than a thousand pounds. He did not have time to call down help from the surface. His back began to shake as his knees buckled. He steadied himself once more just as a splash beside him covered his face in water. "Detective Becket, lift on the count of three!" a thundering voice called out beside him. The arm that brushed against him shook with power as a new pair of hands grabbed at the beam. "Alfred get ready to pull, we will only get one chance at this! One!" Noah looked to his left and saw the powerful jaw of Hans set with determination. "Two!" beside them was that detective from the front door of the mansion. He needed to focus. He dug his feet into the mud. He could feel Tracy's legs just below him. He braced himself for the greatest physical push of his body he had every demanded. "Three!" Hans called out as they lifted together. Noah strained with all he had. The dirt along the walls began to cave in, as the beam shifted and moved. "Noah! Grab her now!" Hans ordered.
X-X-X
Gabriel and Molly waited beside the elevator shaft eagerly hoping for good news. Was anyone still alive? Gabriel had a growing dread deep in his heart. He had caused this. He had caused so much pain. So much death and destruction. The guilt was swelling in his soul. He needed to do something. He needed to know. Was Claire safe? Was she in danger? Where was she? Things had happened so quickly after opening the bunker that he had failed to ask simple questions. Molly placed a hand on his wrist to bring him back to his senses. The rope jerked twice and she could see a glimpse of a light far below. "Someone is at the end of the rope. That is the signal to pull them up."
Angela sat patiently beside them, "Gabriel pull them up."
A dreary young Hiro walked up to the edge rubbing sleep out of his eyes, "Molly are you alright? I think I fell asleep." Molly jumped up from her place beside the shaft and grabbed his hands in joy. She then kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Hiro! Your awake!"
"Hiro, at the bottom of the shaft is Noah, I need you to.." Angela directed.
"I'm on it!" Hiro said as he looked down into the shaft and vanished.
Moments later he appeared a few feet away, beside him was Noah with Tracy in his arms. Then once more he vanished and reappeared with Alfred and young Noah. The boy dropped out of Alfred's grasp as Hiro vanished for a third time. "Grandma!" he shouted and stumbled into Angela's arms, with a smile. Immediately Tracy shimmered and like a water balloon bursting under pressure, she exploded into water and out of Noah's arms.
Hiro appeared at last with with Hans and Detective Sam Becket.
Sam Becket ran his hands over his body to check that no parts were missing. Just as the wet ground in front of him lifted and swelled out of the dirt. The very water on the ground pulled itself out of the dirt and into the form of a young female. The body took shape and shimmered as it solidified into a blond woman, the woman that they had just saved. She was standing on her feet. Her legs now completely healed. She smiled at him and Hans as she threw her arms around Noah Bennet neck, and kissed him on the lips.
"I am going to need a strong drink!" he muttered to himself as the little girl he heard the boy Hiro call Molly, looked at him with glowing blue eyes.
***IF YOU ENJOY THE STORY SO FAR – PLEASE WRITE A REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK***