Previously, ordinary people have been discovering extraordinary abilities. These persons with amazing gifts must learn to account for their actions and learn from their mistakes. Alec Lions has a chance for freedom. Sarah White has a chance for redemption. They each must make a choice and live with the consequences.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR "TROUBLE"

"Humans beings want to do what's right. We know what's right. We understand what's not. But sometimes we give into human nature. Sometimes, we get caught up in what it means to be human. Somehow we come back. We feel guilt, a sense of shame and remorse that makes us want to right the wrong. But what if the damage is done? What if we give into our imperfection and all we are left is guilt? Will we pull through? Can we?" – Mohinder Suresh

The cell had an ominous silence as the two inmates waited for the right time. The right time for escape. Alec could not stay still. His eyes shifted constantly from Tyler to the door and back again. Tyler, on the other hand, was calm. Nonchalant. He had escaped from prison on more than one occasion, and this one wasn't any different.

(Alec and Tyler – U.S Maximum Security Prison)

"What time is it?" Alec asked.

"Don't worry about it."

"Well, is it almost time?"

"Don't worry about it, Lions. You'll know when it's time."

Alec sighed, grunting in annoyance and standing up quickly. Physically he was prepared. No one could touch him when he was going at high speeds, so there was no worry about getting shot by guards. But mentally, he was still conflicted. What would happen if he escaped? He'd still be a wanted criminal, that wouldn't change. But he'd be free. He could find Casey. Still, he didn't know where she was, or how to find her.

He sighed again and slammed his fist against the wall.

"Whoa, calm down there, Lions. Save that energy for the guards."

"I've got enough energy. If I want to punch the wall, I'll punch the wall."

"Suit yourself."

Alec spat on the floor. "How can you be so calm right now?!"

He looked up at his young friend and grinned. "Why do you ask stupid questions?"

"Damn it!" Alec punched the wall again.

Tyler stood up; his voice had a little bit of edge. "You're not having second thoughts are you?"

"Maybe…"

"No, you said you were ready."

"I am."

Tyler suddenly rushed to the door. He strained to hear something. After a brief pause he turned to Alec and smiled. "Well, I guess we'll find out."

"Why?"

"It's time."

(Sarah and Mike – Newark, New Jersey)

The van silently moved across the icy road. Little yellow lines hidden beneath blankets of white slipped passed the tires, creating a blur of white and yellow mixed with the dirty blacktop of the street. They were on the outskirts of Newark, going farther and farther away from Mike's children, but going closer and closer to Sarah's destination. The only problem was that she didn't know where she wanted to go.

Sarah had kept silent for the majority of the ride thus far. There was a lot on her mind and she needed to clear her head. Every thought brought more guilt into her heart. She felt guilty for letting Alec go. She felt guilty for making Mike leave his children. His words pierced her like knives, but they were true. She was selfish.

"So, where are we going again?" She asked in a soft voice.

"I am going to take you to Denmark. Wherever you want to go from there is up to you."

"Right… you're not coming with me."

"I need to go back with my children."

She nodded her head quietly.

He sighed. "I don't even know why I left them in the first place. I should've stayed with them. You can deal with your own problems."

"That hurts my feelings, Mike. It really does."

He looked at her for a split second before turning back to the road ahead. "Sorry, Sarah. I just – I love them."

"I know you do."

"And I barely know you."

"I know."

"But… for some reason, the Good Samaritan in me told me to help you out just this once."

"And I thank you for that."

"I just," he paused. His knuckles became white as he clenched his fists over the steering wheel. He was tense. His body language told her that, so she remained quiet, allowing the man express what he wanted to say. He sighed out of frustration again. "I just wish you could turn yourself in."

"I… I can't do that. I'm too much of a… a coward."

"Oh yeah," he said sarcastically. "You're a coward. I'd like to tell that to those SWAT officers who you beat up back at my house. A coward would've run away from a fight like that in a heart beat."

"That's different," Sarah retaliated. "I have these amazing abilities that don't make me fear fights like that."

"Then why do you run? Why are you a coward?"

"Because I'm afraid of taking responsibility."

Her words shot out of her mouth instantly to his question. It hung in the air. It was the recycled air that they breathed. She nodded her head after saying it, affirming that it was what she wanted to say. Mike kept his eyes on the road, but he heard it. He didn't respond because there was nothing else to add.

Sarah was a coward.

Plain and simple.

"You called me selfish before. And you're absolutely right. I am selfish. I bring people into my life and let them take the fall for my mistakes. I was running away and I brought Alec into it. Then when he gets captured I look the other way. I'm a fugitive and I brought you into it. I destroy your house and I have the nerve to ask you to leave your kids to help me out." She shook her head. "I don't deserve your help. I don't deserve life."

"Whoa now, that's a little extreme. Everyone deserves life."

Sarah did not respond.

"If you're alive, and you do your best to live a good life, then you deserve it. That's what my father always told me. Just because you have a personality flaw and you made a few mistakes doesn't mean you should go and take your own life."

"A personality flaw?! A few mistakes?! Mike, Alec is in jail because of me! Your house is a pile of wood because of me!"

"Well, everything sounds bad when you say it with that attitude."

She shook her head.

"Look, all I'm trying to do is make you feel better. Just don't, you know… don't commit suicide. Okay? Look, I don't hate you for what you did. I'm angry at you. And I'm sure Alec doesn't hate you either. Nothing is worth what you're thinking right now. Okay? Sarah?"

Sarah buried her tear filled eyes into her hands. Her shoulders shook vigorously. Salty drops of water fell out of her eyes, staining her clothes with sorrow. She cried. The sounds of her sobs drowned out the sound of his words. Mike sat let her be. He drove down the road with his eyes straight ahead. There was nothing more he could do.

The guard tapped the door, telling the two inmates to line up against the wall with their backs facing him, like they did every time he gave them their dinner. Tyler winked at his accomplice as they obediently lined up where they had to.

Alec took a deep breath.

The guard opened the door.

Alec quickly sped away from the wall and rammed him into another.

Tyler shot the cameras. He turned around to see an unconscious guard and Alec standing over him. "Good work, Lions. I guess you were ready after all."

He stepped over the fallen body into the silver hallway of the prison followed closely by Alec. He turned a corner and put another guard unconscious. He glanced right and left, making sure that everything was clear. They crept down the hall past the other cells where other criminals resided, taking out sentries that stood in their way.

Alec looked at each door as they passed by. Inside were criminals who would never get to see daylight again.

He was getting the chance of a lifetime.

Bright rectangular light fixtures hung on the ceiling guiding the two men down the hallway. The corridor soon opened up to the larger section of the prison. There, at the balcony, were four stories full of occupied cells, filled with convicts. Murderers. Terrorists. The worst kind of criminals. Alec leaned on the railing of the upper circle to look at the large structure. He looked down. It went down for miles until the prison cells reached the bottom floor. He glanced down at the other stories. Armed guards and officers stood attention, looking out for anything out of the ordinary.

Two officers noticed him. They began to walk in his direction.

"Alec!" Tyler hissed. "Get your butt over here."

Alec gulped and rushed to his companion. "We got company."

"Well, that's why I have experience at stuff like this." He stopped by a wall of an assortment of switches and knobs. He stroked his mustache as his eyes roamed across each one. "Oh crap," he snapped his fingers. "I forgot the guard's key card. Could you go back-"

"And get it?" Alec finished the sentence.

Tyler turned around.

Alec held the guard's key card between his fingers.

"You're a lot faster than I thought. Good work. Hold them off for a few seconds will ya?"

Alec turned around. The guards were getting closer. "Uh… what? Hold them off?"

Tyler swiped the key card across a black pad, changing the red light to a green one, allowing him access to each button, knob or switch on the board. He deviously rubbed his hands together before pulling the first switch.

The lights shut off.

"Was that on purpose?" Alec asked.

"Oh yeah." Nothing but malicious glee on his tongue.

A loud crack echoed through out the hall as the lights turned back on. Alec turned around. Similar sounds of opening doors resonated throughout the entire prison.

"You just released the other prisoners."

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Distraction. You wanted to know why I never get caught. Well, they're always too busy with the other thousand guys in here to notice that the guy with laser vision started the whole thing." His eyes glowed. He turned to the shocked officers and shot them with his lasers. They fell back into the wall. He gestured with his hand. "Come on."

"Oh crap."

The van stopped in the middle of the road. It idled, engine rumbling, sitting amidst the white of the snow around it. Ten feet away was a police barricade. Several police cruisers were lined up with even more officers behind them, firearms ready. Mike held his breath. His eyes stared at the barrels of the guns. Sarah held her breath. Her eyes stared at the faces of the men that stood in her way of escape.

"Sarah White!" The Lieutenant said over a megaphone. "We know it's you, so make this easy for everyone and step out of the vehicle."

She clenched her fist.

Mike saw it. "Sarah," he placed a hand on her hand. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Ram it, Mike."

He shook his head. "No. I can't do that."

"Get out of the vehicle!" The Lieutenant commanded again.

"Ram it!"

"No!"

"Do it!"

"Sarah, think about what you're asking me to do. If we ram it, there are only two ways this can end: we don't make it and we get captured, or, we make it and we run for the rest of our lives. Either way, I lose."

She stared out at the barricade.

"But there's another way."

"I'm not doing it."

"Turn yourself in, Sarah! Stop running."

She clenched her hand into a fist again. Heavily she breathed out of her nose. She needed to make a decision quickly. There were a lot of officers in the blockade that were trigger-happy. She looked at the man's face. Into his eyes. Hers became teary again.

"Okay," she said, relief finally entering into her body. "Fine. I'll turn myself in."

He turned off the engine.

A sigh of relief escaped her lungs. She didn't know what she was relieved from, but she felt good. Sarah wiped her eyes and gave the man a hug. "Thank you, Mike. Thank you for everything you've done for me. Thank you for all the advice, and helping me even though we were strangers."

"You're welcome."

"I'll tell them that I kidnapped you so that you won't be tried as a criminal."

"Are you ready?"

She took one last glance at the barricade of police cars and police officers. She wiped her eyes, took a deep breath and opened the passenger door. "Let's get this over with."

Prisoners fought against guards. Bodies slammed against wall. Bones broke against the floor. The prisoners fought for revenge. For freedom. The guards fought for their life. There seemed to be more criminals, overflowing the prison and attacking anything that moved.

Tyler walked casually down a hall. He watched the chaos around him and laughed. It was too easy. All that was left to do was to escape. But he wanted to get a few kicks and punches in before he left.

He grabbed a nearby guard and threw him against the wall, viciously punching him in the gut before throwing him to the ground and stepping on his head over and over again. Alec watched. He kept his goal in mind. Freedom. He was going to be free. Anything that happened was for freedom.

They made their way across the grounds, finally leaving the disorder and pandemonium behind them. There was a small hallway that led to a dead end, but it was exactly where Tyler wanted to go.

He turned towards his cohort and smiled, eyes burning the powerful red. "Time to turn up the juice." He faced the wall. A large blast of energy exploded from his eyes, punching a large hole in through the concrete. The red haze disappeared, but the smile remained. "And through door number one: freedom."

Alec took a deep breath. He was inches away from it.

"Don't move!"

All eyes turned to an officer aiming his pistol at the escapees.

"Are you talking to me?" Tyler said walking towards the man.

"Don't move! I will put a bullet in your head!"

His eyes began to glow again.

He slowly lowered the gun upon seeing the ominous haze enveloping the inmate's eyes. "Uh… what the – d-don't come any closer. I mean it! I'll-"

A blaze of scarlet energy enveloped his body.

The guard flew back into the wall, breaking his back.

Tyler grinned.

"Come on, Tyler," Alec beckoned. "He's down, let's go."

"Hold on, Lions."

He picked up the man. He smiled at the scared face and peered into the horrified pupils. He let the fear crawl through his body before he burned two holes into his brain.

Alec was still. He couldn't move. Alec looked on in complete horror. The guard's body fell to the ground with a clump. He turned away disgusted. For the first time since he met Tyler, he hated him. He hated him now.

The inmate tapped him on the shoulder. "Now we can go."

Alec shook his head. "No. No, I'm not going with you anymore."

"Okay." His apathy was unbearable.

He pointed at the guard's body. "You just killed that man out of cold blood! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!"

Tyler shrugged. "He had it coming anyway."

"How can you be this way?! You didn't have to kill him!"

"What are you whining about? He was in my way, so I took care of it."

"That man might've had a family!"

"So? It's not your family."

"Freedom is not worth the lives of innocent people. Nothing is worth the lives of innocent people. You deserve to be in here. I deserve to be in here." He took a deep breath. "I've changed my mind. We can't leave."

"I can. If you want to stay that's your business."

"I'm staying. I'm staying for the man that I watched you kill. I'm just as guilty because I didn't do anything to stop you." He glared into the eyes of the inmate in front of him. He bared his teeth and stepped closer. "Murderer."

Tyler shrugged nonchalantly once again. "Suit yourself, Lions. I'm gonna take a night out on the town. Maybe I'll paint it red… like the blood of that guard over there." And with that he was gone.

Alec stood in front of the gaping hole. Alone. He turned away, frightened and scared because he didn't know what else to do. The cries of the rioting prisoners being put into submission came into the hallway. It crept into his ears. It was disturbing to hear their pain. He looked down at the dead body. He shook his head in a grievance for the man before speeding back to his cell. He closed the door, hoping no one would come inside.

There, he sat in the corner, rocking back and forth, waiting for the pain and death to end.

Sarah took her steps with caution. Her fingers were cold. Her palms were sweaty. Her leg shivered and her lips were dry. The cold air that blew with the white breeze of the snow breathed on her face. She took long slow breaths. Each one slower than the first.

She strained to look past the bright lights that were directed at her, at the faces of the officers that aimed their weapons at her. She wanted to look at them because she hated anonymity. Sarah hated not knowing, and at that moment, she didn't know why she was walking towards them.

Sarah knew that her decision to turn herself in was right. It was the correct choice. But even the knowledge of doing the right thing didn't fill her with happiness or joy. It filled her with fear. She still wanted to run. Her heart still wanted freedom.

She lifted her arms. "I'm turning myself in!"

"Come closer. No sudden movements."

She took a step closer.

Mike followed beside her.

"I can't do this," she whispered to him.

"Yes, you can."

"I can't turn myself in, Mike. I'm scared."

"You can do it, Sarah. I believe in you." He grabbed her shoulder to reaffirm his last statement.

A gun shot.

Mike fell.

Sarah stood still. Shocked. Unable to move.

His body squirmed. His voice cracked.

She kneeled down and cradled his body. "Mike! Oh my God! Mike!"

The Lieutenant's voice shot across the wind. "Don't move, damn it!"

Her vision became blurry with mourning. Her eyes became wet with tears.

"You still have a choice, Sarah," he whispered. "Make the right one."

He managed to smile before his let out his last breath. The smile remained, but Mike was gone. His eyes were still open. A blank stare. There was no more life. No more humanity in his soul. He was dead.

Sarah remained still. She was in shock. Her eyes dried. Her body was cold. She didn't know what to do except hold onto his body and look into his blank eyes.

"We're sending in two men to escort you, Sarah. Don't make any sudden movements."

Finally the tears fell. She held onto his body, gently rocking back and forth, tears falling like raindrops on a rainy day. They ran down her cheek, falling upon the man's face, creating a puddle of sadness. Of grief. Of pain. Of anger.

"Put your hands up," an officer said.

She lowered her head and raised her arms. Handcuffs went around her wrists and the two escorts brought her to the barricade. She kept her head down until she heard a rifle click. Someone had reloaded their weapon. She looked up. She searched for the person who had reloaded their weapon.

Sarah stopped walking. "Who did that? Who reloaded?"

An officer took a step forward. "Me."

"You killed him. You killed him, didn't you?!"

"He was going to pull out a weapon."

"He was trying to calm me down, you idiot!" She lifted her arms and broke the metallic restraints around her wrists. Pushing the escorts away from her, she lunged at the officer who had shot Mike. She grabbed him by the throat and squeezed. Increasing her density. Increasing her strength.

Bullets fired from all directions.

Quickly she decreased the density. The bullets passed through her but pierced the officer from head to toe. She looked at him jerk back and forth as the silver projectiles broke the skin. His suit was stained with blood by the time the other officers stopped firing.

"Shoot her!" someone commanded.

Sarah was mad. She was enraged. Mike was innocent. All he wanted to do was guide her down the right path. He wanted to help her see that running away from her fears was wrong. But now he was dead. He was a good person. A loving father. A caring friend. An innocent person. And he was dead.

Life wasn't fair.

She deserved the bullet.

But he was the one who got shot.

And now she was mad.

Sarah grabbed the nearest body and flung it at a car.

She pummeled faces with incredible strength. Breaking bones. Crushing skulls. She yelled and screamed. Wept and cried. Anything to try and relief the excruciating pain that she felt. Her grief fueled her anger. Her anger fueled her rage and she fought every single police officer there.

An officer came in to attack but she punched him into somebody else. Sarah spun around, punching another officer in the head. They tried to gang up on her and attack at the same time, but she fought with ferocity. No one stood a chance against her.

Officers died that day. If they weren't killed by her fury, they were brutally injured.

Sarah fell upon her hands and knees and cried after the brutality was over. The pain she felt was guilt. An overwhelming sense of remorse over her failure to Mike. Her hot tears broke through the snow. Stung the air. Her hot tears. They wouldn't stop falling.

Continued…

Thanks for reading and please review!