Heroes - Rise of the Phoenix
Chapter five- Ain't that a kick in the pants

Gabriel Gray opened his eyes with a groan while every fiber of his body screamed out with pain and alarm. He must have passed out again. His mind was clouded and slow and his mouth was stale and clammy to the taste as he stretched his hands out cautiously across the pavement and lifted himself off the ground, in a foggy haze. How long had he been out? How long since that little girl had..What had she done to him? Who was she? Was that the girl Molly had connected to the other night, or was this a new special that they did not know about? He needed more information before he reported back to Peter and the others. Why did it hurt so much? He wondered as he sat back heavily on the ground and held his head in his hands. His head was spinning and his ears rang with a high pitch squeal, making his head hurt with a thrumming pressure. The sun had risen further into the morning sky and was just peaking over the roof tops into the alleyway. He must have been out for more than 30 minutes. He squinted his eyes against the morning light and scanned the area around him.

The remains of two men scorched the pavement in death just a few feet away from him. The men that had been chasing the little girl, their bodies burned to ash and bones. Their remains were curled into fetal positions, surrounded by blackened red blood that stained the pavement beneath them. Their skulls were twisted on their spines in a silent scream of agony with cold dead hands of bone pressed against their temples from the siring pain that the little girl had projected at them. The walls in all directions looked like water frozen in mid-motion; like the brick buildings had melted under an incredible heat, and then re-solidified as they cooled. The pavement still was hot to the touch and a white mist of heat shimmers lifted into the morning air from its once boiling surface. The remains of the dead men were mostly ash and bones with little flesh remaining, which was covered in heat blisters, boils, and open sores. The flesh still pulsated with heat as new blisters and boils burst, releasing a toxic and putrid smell.

He dug into his pocket for his cell phone, but pulled out a twisted square of melted plastic and glass. He had to get out of here, he had to leave; the police would be here soon. It amazed him that they had not already arrived, or someone had not already found them in such a city as this. It would be best to be far from here when the boys in blue arrived. He considered briefly, calling Noah. Now that Noah was a detective with the New York City police department He should be the one to investigate and find out who the little girl was, and who those men had been. That would be the right thing to do. That would be what he should do. Who was that little girl? He had to discover who she was. What incredible power she had. It made his mouth salivate as deep down in the bowels of his soul a dark passion boiled. The power that young girl had was like a god! As he thought about what he could do with such a power as hers; his breath came in shorter breaths, and his heart rate began to accelerate, forcing his blood pulsing through his veins like a raging bull. He needed to find that little girl. He needed to know how she worked. He needed to understand, replicate, devour, engulf..."NO! NO! NO!" He called out load to himself.

Gabriel clenched his eyes shut to envision HIS Claire. Her smile, her skin, her face, her golden hair touching his cheek. Her breath that tickled the small hairs on his neck when she whispered something in his ear that she did not want her father to hear. His Claire, he liked the sound of those words in his mind. He shifted his thoughts to little Noah with his hand holding his own. His head resting on his chest in sleep; his face shining in joy at Christmas. He was not a monster any more. The inner demons were long since subdued, under control, shackled and imprisoned never to escape again! He would never allow that demon to rage. He shoved the shouts for blood, for infinite power back deep into his soul and struggled to his feet; by holding onto the building wall beside him. He started to feel better once he was standing again and on his feet. He paused as he looked at the man-hole cover near the end of the alleyway. The little girl had been standing near it, and now it was open. The heavy cover had been pulled away from the access hole to the sewers under the city, and he could hear the flowing of the murky waters below. Had she gone down there? She was such a little thing, very dangerous, but so little. She had been so scared when she ran past him. He squatted to his heels to look into the darkness of the sewer access hole. Was she lost? Did she know where she was going? Was she all alone? Was there someone to protect her, to save her?

His mind jumped suddenly at the thought, "What would Peter do?"

The sound of a pebble being ground by the sole of a shoe caught his attention and with lightening reflexes he turned as a booted foot struck him across the side of the face with shocking power. With the momentum of the blow, he was forced against the brick wall beside him and felt his skull bounce of the hard surface with a resounding thump. Pain crumbled him to the ground as he struggled to retain full consciousness. A blurry figure stood over him as he balanced on his hands and knees; and kicked him once more, hard into the lower ribs. Gabriel rolled away from the attacker, his breathing wheezed in siring painful gasps, and the taste of blood coated his mouth. Once more the attacker lunged at him. A fist covered in a black glove smashed against his jaw sending him once more to the hard pavement. Another fist punched him in the center of his back, just below the shoulder blades. A boot swung in a crushed against his ear and he could feel his jaw bone grind under the power of the blow.

He had to fight! Why did it hurt so much? Why was he not healing? Gabriel rolled onto his back as the attacker jumped into the air and came down on his face with a large steal plated boot to crack his jaw. By reflex and instinct he covered his head with one arm and with the other swept his hand out with blind desperation and grabbed the assailant's ankle, with all his strength. With a roar of pain in his head and flashing lights pulsating across his vision, he turned on his back and wrapped his long legs around the body of the assailant. Clenching with all the power of his legs, and his hand still holding the attackers ankle now in an iron grip, he lifted the attacker off the pavement and swung the assailant head first into the brick wall of the building beside him.

The attacker spun in his grip and grabbed Gabriel's belt with both hands, pulling Gabriel off the ground with his own strength. With incredible flexibility the attacker drew a blade and with a thud that shook the wall of the building behind them, the two of them crashed against the melted bricks. Gabriel felt a piercing stab of fire, dig deep through his heart as the blade sunk more than half way into his flesh. With his eyes open wide in wonder he sunk back to the pavement breathing with short gasps of air. Coldness crept over his body as the assailant regained their freedom and with a great jump in the air swung their rear foot about with the force of a small car, and struck the hilt of the knife in his chest with a steel plated Boot, shoving the blade into his heart and the tip piercing its way into his spine. He was not healing, he was not able to move! Was he dying! He shouted to himself in his mind as his body fell to the pavement partially covering the open man-hole.

The attacker calmly knelt down on one knee and looked Gabriel in the face. The attacker's features were disguised with a cloth mask that covered the face, leaving only bright blue eyes to glare into his in his own eyes in the last moments of life. The Sunlight from the late morning made the attackers silhouette radiate with a golden hallow affect. Gabriel could hear police sirens in the distance while the attacker stood once more and placed a hard foot in his gut. He vision blurred as the blood in his veins lost their life giving essence, and his body shut down from the knife in his heart. The attacker was small, the silhouette of the sun revealed the attacker to be female. She grunted a sound of satisfaction as she shoved her foot down into his body with quick force, sending him into the sewers below and the darkness of death.

The last moments of consciousness faded as his eyes closed. The last thing he saw, now etched in mind and heart. The attacker wore a bracelet that had a symbol on it that was familiar but just out of his grasp of the memory.

X-X-X

Tracy Bennet raced up the street to her apartment building as emergency vehicles converged on her building, with the squeal of tires and Emergency Medical personal jumping out of their trucks and gathering their gear. What was going on? She wondered while she raced through the lobby of the apartment building to the elevator and jabbed at the call button on the wall. A Policeman and several emergency medical personnel poured through the front doors and made their way to the service elevator beside the reception desk, pushing a gurney and moving fast. "911 call from the 5th floor!" a tall police officer shouted to the receptionist as the elevator doors opened and the group pushed their gurney and gear into the car before the doors closed.

5th floor! That was her floor! My Children? Molly! Tracy glanced st the elevator doors beside her, they were taking too long! She turned in a blast of speed and raced through the door to the stairs and took two steps at a time as she hurried up the flights between floors. She had to make it in time! She broke out in a sweat as she ran faster and faster. She grabbed hold of the railing beside her and used it to pull herself even faster. Her legs were burning as she passed the third floor placarded. The elevator would have taken too long, she needed to get upstairs. Her heart pounded in her chest as she raced faster and faster, now passing the 4th floor landing. She could have made it in seconds through the buildings water pipes. The pipes even ran the height of the building on the wall beside her in the stairwell painted red; but if the EMTs staff were in her apartment as she re-solidified after pouring through the kitchen faucet? That would not be a good thing; Noah would never let her hear the end of it! With one more bound she made it to her floor and burst through the door into her hallway.

Her apartment door was opened and neighbors were all at their doors, and standing in the hallway looking toward her apartment with concern on their faces. Children and adults looked on with wonder and concern as she raced through them, dodging as she ran; left and right like a gazelle. One of her neighbors, a small woman that always seemed to be in curlers and a blue bathrobe called out to Tracy as she raced down the hallway, weaving through the human obstacle course, "Is everything alright my dear?" She called out to Tracy, secretly hoping that she and her family would move out soon and her floor would be quiet once more.

The apartment was alive with trauma as she came through the door. Molly was on the floor, her eyes were rolled back into her head and she was flopping about on the floor in a Grand Mall seizure. Her face was red and flushed as she groaned and cried out in pain. Beside her body there were groves dug into the hard wood floor. Her fingertips revealed what had happened by their bloody stubs and missing fingernails. Her arms and hands were flying wildly about as she screamed in agony. The police officer placed his hands on Tracy's shoulders and tried to stop her as she pushed her way past the crew and into her apartment, "You need to stay outside ma'am! Please stay outside!"

"That is my Child!" Tracy shouted into the man's face and with a swift shove brushed his hands away and was at Molly's side.

"I need a shot of benzodiazepine." The lead EMT ordered his assistant as he tried to hold down one of Molly's arm long enough to slip a piece of cardboard into her mouth. She had already bit her tongue and Tracy could see blood in her mouth. The EMT loosened Molly's top button of her new Christmas blouse, now sprinkled with drops of bright red blood. He held her head in gentle hands and looked into her eyes, now white with agony. Her skin was hot to the touch. She was on fire with a fever. She was covered in sweat and one shoe had fallen off, having been thrown across the room with the convulsions of her body; revealing her toes curled back under her feet in pain.

"Are you the mother?" the man asked.

"Yes, she is mine!" Tracy cried out with motherly pain and worry dripping thick in her voice, "Is she going to be okay?"

"We are not sure just yet Ma'am." The man rattled off as he worked over the young teen, "We are going to transport her to First General once we get her stable. You can ride along, or follow afterward if you would like."

"I'm sorry Aunt Tracy!" Hiro said from behind her.

Tracy turned her head and wrapped her arms around the man she knew once as an adult and now loved as a child. "I didn't know what else to do!" He looked at Molly with worry and fear in his eyes. She was his best friend, his whole world. They had been through so much together. He could not fathom his life with her not in it. She was a closer friend than even Ando. Her smile did something to him deep inside that he could not explain, and could not live without.

The EMT administered the dosage of benzodiazepine and Molly slumped down unto the floor as if dead, like a balloon that had just been pierced with a needle. Her breathing was labored, and her eyes stared off blankly into space. Her skin cooled to quickly to ghastly temperature and faded to a ghostly pale white. "Her heart is fluttering. I am loosing her! We can't wait We need to get her to the truck below."

The Policeman at the door cleared the way of the spectators as the medical team gathered their gear to exit quickly, "Make way, we need a path! You there, Ya, You mister...call the elevator NOW!" Tracy could hear him command.

"Let's go people!" the man ordered as they lifted Molly's small body off the floor and strapped her to the gurney. "Let's save this little girl's life! TODAY!" Tracy held onto Molly's limp and cold hand as her heart sunk to her stomach. "Come on Baby! We have been worse than this! Stay with me please!" she heard herself talking to Molly in a detached way that made her feel like she was watching a late night television drama instead this really happening to her little girl that brought so much joy and brightness to her life.

Tracy rushed out the door with the emergency crew, desperately clinging to Molly's hand, as she shouted back to Hiro, "Call Noah, tell him what happened! Hiro...find Peter! Hiro, please I am counting on you!"

X-X-X

Suddenly it was quiet in the apartment; Hiro stood alone staring at the open door. Molly! There was a deep fear in the pit of his stomach that made his spine shiver in fear. He had faced Ancient Samurai warriors. He had faced Sylar in all his glory, Adam with his silver tongue, and his Great Nemesis Daphne Millbrook who could run faster than he could see. He helped to destroy the greatest villain in all of history, but now his feet did not want to move. He needed to act, he needed to save Molly; but his feet were frozen to the floor in fear.

It was time for Hiro to be the Hero! Where to find Peter? He thought as he forced himself past his fear and closed the apartment door before him, and locked it from the inside; then he vanished with a haunting feeling like he was forgetting something!

X-X-X

The Man settled the little girl down onto a bed of rags and old newspaper, deep under the city in the sewers that ran beneath the buildings, apartments, shops and streets high above. A single utility light provided a meager glow across the small space he had found at the far end of a service tunnel. The yellowish glow made the little girl's skin have a washed out and sickly color to it as she slept away in her forced coma like state. She was so beautiful when she slept, so peaceful, so much like her mother. Her golden hair spilled out over the rags and bed coverings like a princess waiting for her prince charming to come and save her. One kiss of true love would make all the pain and sorrow vanish and they would all live happily ever after.

His heart was wrecked with worry. It had been hours since they had been separated from Esmeralda at the park. She was just a little girl. He had to find her, and quick. Digging into his pocket the Man pulled out a small flashlight and examined the floor of the sewer tunnel for anything he could use to make the child more comfortable. The side tunnel was dry and no bugs or rats, thank the Lord of heaven, no rats! Near the entrance he found another blanket that looked warm and thick. He scurried back to his charge and covered her small body and tucked her in tight.

He had to find Esmeralda; she was loose in the city, with her powers anything could happen. She could be killed, hurt, captured, anything! His watched showed he had little more than 3 hours before the medication began to ware off and Bethany would awake. He had to find her sister and secure more drugs, before that time ran out. He pulled out a large piece of chalk from his pocket and scrawled on the tunnel wall so that Bethany could see if she woke up early, "Be right back - stay here!" and then on his hands and knees made his way back out of the tunnel. How could he leave her? How could he trust she would remain asleep until he returned? He had no choice he told himself. He had to risk her safety and the lives of everyone in New York City, to save Esmeralda's life.

At the end of the tunnel he pushed closed a heavy rolling door. The wheels of the door long since rusting solid and no longer turned. No one would think to enter the tunnel, with the door closed and chained, he thought to himself as his clicked a small pad lock through the links of a long chain, securing the door closed, and locked. Suddenly his watch started beeping and vibrating on his wrist. The screen lit up and a small blue blip blinked a few times at the far edge of the screen and then stopped. She was close! For his tracking receiver to pick up her signal she had to be within 3 miles and underground as well. With eager resolve he trudged off into the flowing waters and twisting muck in search of his little girl.

He had to find her before they did!

He had to find Esmeralda before she killed someone.

X-X-X

Peter sat behind his desk with his fingers steeped together in thought and attention as the Private detective took a seat across from him. He had used the detective agency many times over the last hundred years or so and trusted the men they sent out. They were always clean cut, dressed nicely and all business. The man settled into a soft chair in front of Peter's desk and smiled an open and welcoming grin that should have set the tone of the room at ease. Peter's face did not move. His eyes bore into the man's soul. He did not like what he had found out. The man had done his job; he would be paid and paid generously. But Peter was not in a good mood. "Is there any more?" he asked as he tapped the manila folder in the center of his desk.

The detective shook his head slowly from side to side, "No sir, I have included all my findings in my report."

Peter stood to his feet and leaned against the windowsill. "She is a true mystery. All her records, birth certificate, social security number forged, her true identity we do not know just yet. They are all fabricated. It was a very professional job Mr. Petrelli," The detective spoke with a little admiration in his voice. "Whoever created this new identity for her went to great lengths, sparing no expense. And they did a great job. It was difficult but not impossible to follow the bread crumbs. They were good, just not better than us. At this point we do not know who she really is, we can only tell you who she is not. The orphanage records we traced her too in Phoenix, Arizona, shows she was was abandoned on their stoop at six years old. No record of her parents, or siblings. She left the orphanage at 15 years old. She ran away and they had not heard from her since, until I showed up asking questions."

"It appears she graduated from a small high school in up state New York State under the identity she has now, I noted the school's name and contact information in my report. And she recently graduated from Texas university. She paid her way through college, all cash by living with a nice family there working as a nanny. I spoke with the family and they only have glowing reports on her character and honesty. They said she never had visitors, calls, or family to speak of."

Peter was silent and made no effort to move or reply as the detective sat there politely. The large clock on the wall ticked away the moments of time lost in thought. He adjusted his tie and jacket as he waited. He had been warned about this Mr. Petreli, he was a old and very valuable client. He had been threatened with a painful death if he upset the man.

Somehow he thought the man would be much older, due to the age of the account with the office. Must be a family account he thought to himself.

"Shall I see myself out, Mr. Peterlli?" the detective asked as he gathered his things and made a step toward the door.

"Yes, yes Detective. Thank you. I apologize for being so distant...please inform the Main Office that I would like to retain your services until further notice." Peter spoke over his shoulder as he continued to stare out the window. "I would like you to follow her. I need to know everything about her."

"You got it! I will contact the office on my way out. She should be still at the clinic, if not I will pick up her trail there." The detective stated as he made his way out the door and past the Administrative Assistants desk outside of Peter's office that stood empty. This was a twist, a mystery. He needed to know more, who was she?

"Who are you?" Peter asked of himself as he filed the folder the detective provided in his cabinet drawer under M for Melody.

"Peter!" Hiro shouted as he suddenly appeared. "You have to come quickly! Molly is in trouble!"

X-X-X

Noah Bennet and Claire strolled out of the elevator deep in conversation, "Next time you go exploring and looking for me, call first and never go out alone. Whoever this attacker was they are dangerous. What if you have not regenerated? What if you had died out there? Tracy and your Grandmother would kill me."

Claire laughed, "Not to mention what Gabriel would do."

Noah shrugged his shoulders, "I can handle him."

Claire dug into her pocket and took out her house key and slid the key into the lock. "It was definitely a trained operative. whomever it was hit me hard, and faster than I could react. I felt like there were three people pounding on me, and it was only one."

"I will need to discuss with Peter the fact that you did not healing right away." Noah continued the conversation, in hushed tones as Claire turned the lock and pushed the apartment door open. "If there is another special out there, I wonder why Molly did not feel them?"

"I thought I was going to die!" Claire whispered as she stepped through the door and set her bag of groceries on the table, "I can't stay; Gabriel called earlier this morning and left a message. I have been trying to reach him all morning, and he is not answering or returning my calls."

Noah stopped Claire and with fatherly love of a relieved heart, he drew her into his embrace and buried her into his arms and hug. She reached her small arms around his waist and squeezed tight, as Noah rest his chin on the top of her golden hair. "Did I tell you how much I love you? Next time call for backup. I couldn't think of what I would do if I lost you."

"I can," Claire pulled herself away from their shared moment of tenderness, "and I would not want to be them when you do what I know you will do to them." Noah grunted with just a hint of a growl, as they turned to the apartment.

It was a mess. Furniture was pushed aside from the middle of the mail room floor. Noah knelt down and dabbed his index finger into a fresh drop of blood, one of dozens that covered the hardwood floor. Six long grooves all parallel, dug through the surface of the wood floor and blood stained finger nails scattered about told him what had happened.

"Claire, back out into the hallway please..." Noah whispered as he drew his gun. "Keep an eye open for visitors."

Suddenly Hiro appeared in the doorway of the apartment between Claire and Noah, "Noah! I found You. I have been looking for you all over."

"Come with me quickly. Molly is hurt, she is at the hospital, and she needs you. Please come now!" Hiro blurted out on a jumble of hurried words.

Noah and Claire rushed to the door as Noah tossed Claire his car keys, "I will find Gabriel and call you." Claire hurried to the elevator and jabbed at the call button, "now GO! I'll find you later." Claire ordered as she stepped into the elevator car and the doors closed.

"Alright Hiro, take me to Molly. Is Tracy there already?" Noah asked as he rested his hand on Hiro's shoulder. "yes! Peter too!" and they vanished.

X-X-X

Noah Junior, now nick named NJ opened his eyes and stretched his small arms wide in a lazy yawn. He had been playing hide and seek but the others had not found him yet. He found the perfect hiding place at the back of Molly's closet and with the warmth and excitement of the morning had fallen deep asleep. He was hungry, and wanted some juice. He was tired of this game. Hiro and Molly did not play it right, they were taking too long.

Arching his back and opening his mouth wide in another giant yawn, NJ walked out of Molly's bedroom and into the kitchen area of the apartment. Where was mommy? Where was Molly? Where was Hiro? He was thirsty, he wanted some juice.

He walked up to the refrigerator and pulled a chair over to the door. He was a big boy! He would get his own juice. He climbed up onto the chair and then onto the counter. He knew where the cups where, as he pulled open a cupboard door and grabbed a spider-man cup. He wanted his Superman cup, but he could not find it. He climbed back to the floor and pushed the chair over to the refrigerator door and bumped up against its side as he came to a stop. He climbed up into the chair and was no able to reach the door handle. With a great pull the door swung open and a container of grape juice fell to the floor and burst open.

Quickly he jumped to the floor and picked up the juice container in his two small hands and carefully poured himself a cup of juice, spilling more on the floor than what made it in the cup. He looked at the floor and saw the grape juice puddle stretching across the tiles, "Mommy!" he called out. He needed help to clean up his mess. He was going to get in so much trouble! He lifted his cup to his mouth to take a drink, "why was the front door open?" he thought. Was Mommy out there?

He peered around the door jamb into the hallway as he heard a door close, where was everyone? He looked toward the elevator. He loved elevators; the feeling in his stomach as it rushed up and down excited him. The doors were closing! Maybe they were leaving without him! "Mommy!" he shouted as he rushed across the hallway and into the elevator just before the doors closed.

X-X-X

"We are sorry to summon you so urgently, but we know how much Mrs. Petrelli demands her privacy" The Maitre d' spoke through clenched lips as Alfred and he hurried through the busy small restaurant toward the rear of the store. "She was explicit in her instructions. If there ever was a time she did not answer our calls we were to contact you Sir, and no one else; before we opened the door."

"Thank you, my friend." Alfred nodded his head in understanding as the man beside him unlocked a door that revealed a hidden stairwell to the apartments above the restaurant. Nineteen Century natural Gas lights lit the way as they ascended the stairs. Alfred reached the top of the stairs first and with a start of worry, rushed to Angela's side.

Angela Petreli lay face down on the floor. She was covered in many colors of chalk and paint. Her face was smeared and smudged. Her hair hung across her face drenched in sweat. The room was filled with picture after picture mounted on easels and too the walls. Angela's hand was curled around a thick piece of black chalk as she slowly scratched at the solid wood floor. Covering the floor was mural surround her picturing two large blue eyes, set in a sea of blackness. Reaching out of the darkness was a pale white hand, its fingers reaching from the darkness to grab at an unknown object. Around the wrist of the hand was bracelet that reflected in a animated moon light. A symbol was on the jewelry that he was personally very familiar with.

Alfred pried the chalk out of Angela's fingers and gathered her into his arms, lifting her off the floor and steered her toward a couch near the window. "Please bring me some smelling salts, and cup of strong tea." Alfred ordered, dismissing the Maitre d' back down the stairs as he settled her on to the couch.

Suddenly Angela grabbed his jacket with eyes looking into a reality he could not see, "She is coming! We are all doomed. New York is on fire! All is lost, the Phoenix is rising!"

X-X-X

Gabriel screamed as a hot burning fire dug through his chest. It felt like someone was pulling his heart out of his chest through a straw. His mouth opened and he could hear his own screams and shouts of pain, but could not move to prevent the pain. His arms and legs were numb and felt heavy and held down by a great weight. His back was arched against a cement floor, while his legs remained in the sewer waters and moved freely with the current of the moving waste. His eyes opened and suddenly his lungs worked as the incredible pain stopped. With a lung he sat up as his arms and body once more came alive. His screams of pain and agony echoed through the sewer tunnels as his hand clamped upon his chest where the knife used to be.

He looked around in the darkness; as a small girl stepped out of the darkness and stood beside him holding the large knife in her trembling hands. His blood dripping from its blade and staining the concrete. She was covered in grim and mud. Her once blond hair was now caked with sewer waste and mud. Her face was scratched and bloody. Her blue eyes were wide with fear and wonder. Her clothes were soaking wet, from the sewer waste. Had she drug him out of the waters all by herself?

She reached out to him with a small white hand and touched his chest where the knife used to be. Her mouth opened and her spoke in a small trembling voice, "My name is Esmeralda what is yours?" as she focused her attention on his healed wound.

Gabriel, looked at the little girl and then back at his chest, He was healed. The wound was closed up and he was no longer dead. "I am Gabriel."

She pushed the knife at him with both hands, touching the tip of the blade at the exact spot she had removed it...and whispered, "Are you an angel?"

~ Heroes - Rise of the Phoenix ~

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