Disclaimer: I own nothing (unfortunately); all rights to Heroes and its characters are owned by NBC and Tim Kring. I gain no profit from this; it's purely for fun. I only own my OC characters.
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August 1st 2010
(London)
Tourists packed the busy streets, shuffling along at a relaxing pace to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. Even the commotion of a dozen or so police cars couldn't deter the civilians from enjoying this hot, summer day. Many were skeptical that anything serious was about to go down, that or they just weren't too bothered, even when officers began to clear people off the paths. They weren't going to have much luck, as the crowds of people frantically moved about like a flock and separated into smaller groups. One officer in particular was having a troubling time trying to relay the message to a couple.
''Please, we're asking you to calmly evacuate the area.'' He ordered them cautiously.
''What's going on?'' One of them asked.
''Just go back to your homes, or wherever it is you are staying, and remain indoors.''
The responder furrowed his brows and glared at the inexperienced officer. ''Not until you tell us why!''
Shaking his head in frustration, the officer started moving to the next group of people while calling back to the couple. ''Just for safety reasons, please do as I say.''
He wanted to relay the message to the people that this whole evacuation was in response to a terrorist threat, however, they were warned off that as it was feared that tactic might cause more panic and make things harder.
From the look of things, the other officers were having a mixed bag of luck. Some civilians were understanding and did as was told, others were aggravated that they were being told to postpone their day in the sun for something they might not know about, whilst others couldn't understand a single word spoken.
Luckily, the streets weren't as packed as usual for a sunny weekend, clearly some people had already gotten the message from the televised warning earlier. This whole endeavor might have been for naught, as there's no way of knowing for certain if this city would be the target, but that was a bet no one wanted to take.
Eventually, with enough officers and persistent persuasion, people started to leave. Though one individual caught the young officer's eye. A tall person standing with his back turned, looking down the road towards the skyscrapers across from the River Thames. The intimidating ripped; black jacket was more than enough to cause growing uneasiness in the officer, who wasted no time in reaching for his Taser as he approached the figure. ''Didn't you hear me? This place needs to be evacuated!''
There was no response, at least, no verbal one. The figure remained motionless for a small moment, before raising his arm and holding his hand above his head.
Undeterred, the officer took a few small steps closer. ''Look, this isn't a drill. You need to evacuate now…'' He stopped, words caught in his throat and his eyes shot wide open as he saw the figure's palm ignite in black flames. That's when it clicked in the officer's head, and his heart dropped into his stomach. ''Oh shit!'' He reached for his Taser as quickly as possible.
With a devilish grin plastered on his face, the flames washed over Legion's body like a tsunami, but it didn't stop there. The fire was an explosion in every direction, engulfing everyone and everything. The officer crumbled to ash before he could even pull his weapon from his holster. Shards of class from the burning buildings splattered everywhere, and cars burst into flames of their own. Soon the city was nothing but fire, red and black. As all this carnage and destruction was going on, Legion stood calmly in the middle of it all, watching with delight and licking his lips.
''It's been far too long.'' He cackled wildly. Reveling in the aftermath of his widest spread of anarchy since before his imprisonment.
HEROES
Created by Tim Kring
(Emma Coolidge – New York)
Emma sat alone and quietly at her desk, ignoring everything going on around her, despite forgetting to use her earphones as an excuse. Unprofessional, she admitted this, but after what had happened earlier, she had every right to be lost.
What did Carlos mean earlier?
How could she possibly be a Titan? He did try to give some kind of explanation, but it went completely over her head, especially with regarding to her powers apparently being a part of her since before her actual birth. That didn't make any sense. It was impossible…right?
She tapped her fingers against the wooden desk, and small sparks of colour spurted, amusing her for a brief few seconds. The wonder and awe was subsided with fear and doubt. Surely if she had discovered something as incredible as her power, she would have remembered it, even as a child? In this kind of world, anything was possible.
The rhythmic aura flowed into the air above like smoke, unseen by all and unnoticed by Emma herself, slowly shaping into a couple of words…
Chapter Five: Sub-Conscious
Before she could become too lost in her own subconscious, the security guard whom got involved with her skirmish earlier returned, waving his hand to earn her attention. Emma looked up and offered a gentle, tired smile. He looked at her with an examining expression and made a thumb-ups gesture to follow, asking if everything was all right. Touched by the act, she waved her hand dismissingly and offered and assuring grin. More convinced, he trotted along down the hallway.
Alone once again, Emma fixed her gaze back down onto her desk, this time keeping her hands still and planted firmly on the surface.
Suddenly, the doors to her left burst open and a nurse rushed over to her in a frantic pace. The shifting light and shadow grabbed Emma and she saw that the nurse had a troubled look. As soon as she knew that Emma was focused on her, the nurse gestured for her to follow. Clearly an emergency was on hand. Emma wasted no time, rising of her chair and following the nurse through the busy hallway.
Things weren't easy with doctors and nurses still having to tend to the wounded, while workers were also busy repairing the damaged caused by Legion's recent attack.
It didn't take long before Emma saw what all the commotion was about, and her skin crawled when she saw a familiar face standing at the end of the corridor, dripping in blood, as she feared the worst.
However, it was obvious that Gabriel wasn't the one in need of attention, because he still had the strength to help the doctors lift the struggling Mohinder onto the stretcher. ''I didn't know where else to bring him.'' He said to Emma. Even if she didn't read his lips, she could see the desperation and despair written on his face.
Once Mohinder had been lifted, the doctors immediately pushed the wheeled stretcher further down the hallway. Emma grabbed a cloth, dabbed it into a shaking bowl of water and held it against the injured hero's bloody and torn neck. Despite the tremendous loss of blood that was evident from the amount staining his clothes, the wounded wasn't as bad as she dreaded. Though she figured that Gabriel's own blood might be to thank for that.
Speaking of Gabriel, he watched on, leaving Emma and the rest of her team to do their job and hope for the best. He and her shared one last passing glance before she disappeared through the double doors.
Now all he could do was wait.
(Pinehearst Headquarters)
Noah and Lauren immediately stepped out of their car, cursing their luck and cursing the sight of the many emergency vehicles that had bordered off the unfinished building. Almost too afraid to venture forward and hear the horrible news, Noah stopped and scanned the area, hoping to find Peter and Angela alive and breathing. Noticing him, Lauren hurried past and towards an official standing by yellow quarantine tape. ''We're not going to get the answers by standing here.''
''I'm afraid of what me might find.'' Noah replied, catching up to his partner.
Lauren looked around. ''The place doesn't look too beaten up. Isn't that a good sign?''
''Maybe,'' Noah muttered. ''But what's not a good sign is that Peter didn't call back.''
They hurried over to the official, who reacted quickly and held up his hand to halt them. ''You two shouldn't be here.''
Not missing a beat, Noah reached inside his pocket and pulled out his identification badge. ''Actually, we're right where we need to be. We need to know what happened here, now!'' He demanded, almost in a threatening tone.
Realising who he was talking with, and knowing what he was about to tell him, the colour drained from the official's face. ''The…uh…the target got away, and…'' He paused momentarily. ''Angela Petrelli is dead.''
Noah's teeth gritted and his fist clenched. A slow exhale escaped him as he turned away, like he was hoping that the anger boiling up inside him would drift away. He wanted punch his fist into the Earth and break it. First his former partner, now Angela. Both were victims to this seemingly unstoppable madman. While the two of them may not always have been on the best terms, she was still someone he'd know for many years, and was the grandmother to his Claire. This wasn't something he could easily shrug off.
Biting her lip and suppressing her frustration, Lauren asked the following question to the official. ''What about her son, Peter? Is he alive?''
The official nodded. ''He's a bit battered and…'' Yet again, he wasn't sure how to describe the situation. ''He and the others are still breathing at least.''
Caught off guard, Noah turned to him, a crease formed across his brow. ''Others?''
''He was with three teenagers, one of them is Claire Bennet.''
Noah's expression softens and his heart starts to race even faster. ''Claire? Wh- is she okay?''
''She's fine. She's inside with Mr. Petrelli.''
It felt like his feet were cemented into the ground. Noah wasn't sure if he could move, or even if he wanted to move. His eyes wandered to the building, hoping to catch a glimpse of her from a distance, but he was unable to. Sensing his discomfort, Lauren placed her arms and guided Noah away. She turned to the official. ''Just give us a minute.'' She didn't give him time to reply as she was already steering her partner away.
''What is she doing here?'' Noah questioned aloud. ''How did she even get here? I thought she was in Washington?''
Lauren shrugged her shoulders. ''For people like Claire and Peter, a distance like that is just a skip away.''
''This is serious.'' He said to her sternly. ''She was in that building with a tyrannical sociopath. Who knows what he could have done to her?''
Not backing down, Lauren stared him down. ''He didn't do anything, she's alive and safe.''
''I knew I shouldn't have let her get involved with this. I was maybe hoping that Legion and this whole Titans investigation were separate matters, but if that's the case, how has she ended up here? It has to be all connected in someway.''
''And maybe Claire has found something that can help us figure out this connection.'' She told him bluntly. Refusing to avert her glare from his own, she watched as he nervously looked away, breathing heavily. She could tell that he was being eaten up inside. It was rare to see a look of absolute uncertainty behind his horn-rimmed glasses. It didn't take a degreed therapist to know what was truly unsettling him. ''You know you're going to have to talk with her.''
Noah returned his look to her, still looking unsure. ''Since the carnival, we've barely held a conversation over the phone. I've been keeping my distance from her, and she knows it. After everything that's happened between us, and now this…what could I possibly say to her?''
''I don't know, this is way out of my depth.'' she conceded and folded her arms over her chest. ''But what I do know is that Claire needs her family, now more than ever.''
A long, deep sigh followed as Noah took in his colleague's words. The will to protest was gone. He shot her a somewhat amused look, despite the gravity of the situation they found themselves in, he still felt appreciative to have someone supportive and trustworthy by his side. The moment she saw the slight curl of his lips, she knew that he was in. The two didn't say another word as they headed for the building, past the official and through the quarantine tape.
Inside the building, anywhere there wasn't a police officer combing the area, there was forensics scientists brushing up and collecting evidence from the aftermath of the battle. It was a miracle the construction beams were still standing, and the debris from the first floor walls were scattered out of reach and out of harm's way. To the far end, paramedics hoisted the stretcher with Angela's body into the back of the ambulance. Carefully helping it along, and keeping the deceased covered with a thin, white sheet. Still, even covered, Peter watched on with teary eyes and couldn't get the pale, emotionless face of his mother out of her head.
He sat alone, perched on the remains of a broken, brick wall. The ambulance doors shut and the vehicle rounded the corner of the backstreet, out of sight. There were no sirens, there was no need for them, she was long gone. Peter's head slouched down into his hands. His dry-bloodied fingers scrunched into his hair.
From behind, Claire was now the one watching on with a saddened expression. While she was distressed and pained by what had happened to Angela, she was family after all, she didn't have as much of a connection with her as she did with Peter. To see him so broken, it destroyed her inside.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt a tender hand grab onto her arm. Although she didn't turn around, she knew from the comforting touch that it was Gretchen, and felt some easiness return, even if it was just a little. ''You should go to him.'' Gretchen said weakly.
Finally, Claire turned around. She looked at Gretchen, and took a quick glance at Michael, who was receiving attention from a paramedic. The blonde placed her own hand over Gretchen's. After a moment, she nodded and walked over to Peter, leaving Gretchen to head back to Michael.
Thankfully, he wasn't beaten too badly, but the dark bruises dotted along his chest weren't something to be ignored. The paramedic had just finished bandaging him up along his torso when Gretchen approached. Leaving to give the two a moment, Gretchen couldn't help but feel a little discouraged when Michael didn't look up at her. ''Are you okay?''
He was unresponsive at first, staring off into the distance before he answered. ''How did I get myself involved with all this?''
Gretchen was afraid this might happen. She figured that he'd seen more death over the last few days he's known her than throughout his entire lifetime. She suddenly found the ground beneath her feet more interesting to stare at. Her throat was dry, afraid to speak in case he yelled back at her, although she thought it might be deserved. ''Listen…if you want to leave, I don't blame you. You probably never want to see me again after everything I've put you through.''
At last, he looked at her, though she didn't notice, as she was still too busy averting her gaze to the ground. He saw teardrops start to fall from her eyes.
''I'm so sorry.'' She chocked. She didn't want to cry, she didn't want to make it look like she wanted pity. But it was all starting to become too much for her to contain. She willed herself to hold it all in, at least until Michael was gone forever.
''I'm not leaving.'' He said.
Gretchen looked up, wiping away the tears. ''What?''
''If the picture that Sophie drew is true, and in just over a week she is involved with the end of the world,'' He gestured to Claire. ''Then I'd like to stick around to help prevent it.''
She eyed him with disbelief, afraid that he was playing some cruel joke on her. ''But why?''
His eyes shifted from side to side, and slight grin tugged at his lips. ''Because if it's the end of the world, it does kinda involve me.''
A small chuckle passed Gretchen's lips at the frankness of Michael's answer. Her hand pressed against her lips, stifling herself. A second or two later, her laugh ceased though the smile remained. ''I never did thank you for helping me find Claire.''
''Don't mention it,'' He brushed off, but his tone was genuine and upbeat. Then something pulled at the back of his sub-conscious. The distant look from before had returned. ''Besides, I'd like to give that other Power-Learner a piece of my mind. I have a feeling we'll be bumping into him again.''
Back with Peter, he didn't seem to notice Claire had walked up to him and took a seat right beside him. With a heavy heart, she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. ''I know that there isn't much I can say or do to help, but…you have to know that you did the best you could. You may not think it was good enough, but…''
''You're right.'' He said so suddenly it startled her. ''Even with my abilities back he was still toying with me. I felt powerful again…and at the same time, as helpless as ever.''
Claire's expression is soft. She wanted to assure him everything was going to be okay, however, the trembling of her hand on his shoulder said otherwise. ''We'll find a way to beat him. We always do.''
There was no response from Peter. Instead, he fingers fiddled together, extremely shaken. He gnaws at his bottom lip, trying to suppress a whimper that threatened to escape him. ''You know my mother and Nathan use to look at me like…like they were afraid I was the next to die after dad.'' He trailed off. A thousand memories flooded his mind and disappeared like a passing wave. ''In the end, despite everything I put myself through, I'm the one who makes it to the end.''
Claire's mouth opened, ready to say something else, until a sharp voice laced with relief called out. ''Claire!''
She looked up, bewildered to find Noah standing there, slowly walking towards her until stopping when their eyes met. Claire's eyebrows were raised and she couldn't stop herself from rising to her feet, standing at attention. ''Dad?''
It felt like the ton of debris dispersed around the area were loaded onto Noah's shoulders, causing him to struggle to find the right words. Lauren stayed behind, close but keeping her distance knowing this was something she shouldn't interfere with. However, instead of addressing Claire as she thought he would, Noah's attention turned to Peter, whom had finally lifted his head to see his old friend. Somehow, the former agent found it easier to converse with Peter than his own daughter. ''I'm sorry for what happened. I should have gotten here sooner and helped.''
Peter dejectedly shook his head. ''There's nothing you could have done.''
''Still, you're alive…both of you are alive.'' He quickly corrected, motioning towards Claire.
''We had help.'' Claire said and nodded to the side. Noah followed Claire's indication and looked, surprised to find Gretchen staring back at him waving awkwardly. He offered an appreciative and thankful smile to Gretchen and her wounded companion before returning his glance to Claire. Suddenly, the air seemed to grow very thick and cold for both of them. Now was a contest to see who was the braver of the two and ready to strike up a conversation first.
However, before either of them could speak, Lauren's attention was driven towards a gathering crowd with the emergency workers. ''What's going on?'' She said aloud, getting Noah's attention, oblivious of the disheartened look upon Claire's face.
One of the emergency workers, a forensics scientist turned to face the group. He pointed to another worker holding a phone, showing the flashing news screen to his operatives. ''It's…'' He lingered, like he was still trying to believe the story he had just heard. ''Something's happened in London, there's been some kind of attack.''
''What kind of attack?'' Noah inquired.
''The whole city is on fire. It's burning in black flames.''
Everyone amongst the group held their breath collectively, a mixture of confusion, pain and terror filled their hearts. A darkening look shaded across Peter's face, and his fist clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked loudly. They already knew who was the cause of this terrible act. Legion had made good on his bet to destroy a city if Peter wasn't dead in a certain amount of time. Peter thought he should have felt guilt at this point, thousands, no, millions of people were dead because of him. But at this point, all he could feel was anger.
Sensing something was wrong, Claire glanced at him and caught sight of the raged look in his eyes. ''Peter, don't…'' It was too late. Like a storm, Peter thundered past her, almost knocking her off her feet. Before he could be stop, or anyone had any clue what was happening, Peter rushed towards Michael and clapped his hand across the boy's arm. A light aura surged from Michael and into Peter. Michael cried out in pain upon the harsh and sudden contact. Once Peter had what he wanted, he stepped to the side, closed his eyes and disappeared.
Matt bolted upwards, gasping for breath before immediately grunting with agony when a sharp pain twisted in his side. The pain was amplified by the fact that he was strapped down onto a table, forcing him to stay put despite his struggles. Soon getting over the shock, Matt panted heavily, his head was throbbing madly and his thoughts were a blur. He tried to piece together where he was and what had happened. Licking his dry lips, he inspected his surroundings. It didn't take him long, as other than himself and the table he was strapped onto, nothing else but the dull, grey walls and single metal door stood out.
(Matt Parkman – Location: Unknown)
Starting to come to his senses, Matt slowly lifted his head as high as he could. ''Hello?''
He feared that this was all for nothing. Remarkably though, his call didn't go unanswered for long, as the door opened and a balding man in a smart black suit and tie stepped inside, swiftly closing the door behind him. He approached the table cautiously. ''It's good to finally see you awake. Some of us were afraid you wouldn't make it.''
Matt narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the man. ''What's going on here? Who are you?''
The man held up his hands defensively. ''Relax Agent Parkman, you're safe. To answer your questions, I'm Detective Fuller, and you're back at base. Thanks to your ability, the rest of our taskforce returned alive. A little disoriented but that's to be expected.''
Hearing this, the memories of what happened before he passed out flashed before Matt's eyes. He could remember his voice, or at least something that sounded like his voice, commanding the others to shoot him and Audrey. Instantly, he recalled the image of Audrey holding a gun at him, ready to pull the trigger. His mind buzzed, like he was reliving the memory all over again. ''Audrey…'' He gasped before he could stop himself.
Detective Fuller cleared his throat. ''She's fine for the most part. We're keeping her detained for now.''
Matt shot the detective a look. ''Why?''
Detective Fuller's lips parted and he watched with a conjecturing expression. ''You really don't remember? She shot you.''
Matt gasped and without thinking his actions through properly, tried to sit up to check his wound, but was unable to raise himself higher than a few inches because of the straps, and the sharp pain returned in his waistline area. A grunt passed through his gritted teeth, followed by heavy breathing as he recalled what happened. ''There was a voice…I think it was me, but I wasn't doing it. It was telling them to shoot us.''
''Yes, those who woke up first, including Agent Hanson, claimed to have heard you speak to them in their head. You're a lucky, lucky man. If she'd shot you two inches higher, you'd almost certainly be dead.''
''How did we get back?''
''Agent Hanson sent out a distress call. I'm presuming immediately after she shot you, because when our second team arrived at the scene, she was the only one conscious.''
The story seemed to fit, after all, she was the only one who Matt didn't will into sub-consciousness when the new voice started to command. All this thinking wasn't helping with the pulsating pain surging from his gunshot wound. Still, there was something else that puzzled the mind reader. ''Are you going to get to the part where you tell me why I'm strapped like prisoner?''
With a slow exhale, Detective Fuller answered. ''We did bring you to our medical bay, however as our doctors stitched you up…they also claimed to have heard your voice while you were passed out. Not strong enough to control them, but faint enough to give us enough reason to move you to this part of the facility. The radio signals will stop any mind tricks from happening.''
In all his confusion and pain, Matt hadn't even realized his powers weren't working. Perhaps this wasn't helping with his splitting headache, though he couldn't fault them too much for not wanting to take a chance. Yet, Fuller's words caused Matt great concern. ''Hold on? You mean the doctors could hear my voice in their heads while I was out of it?''
''It would appear so.''
''But how's that possible?''
''We're not sure yet.''
Matt showed his frustration by biting his bottom lip and groaning loudly. ''I want to speak with Audrey,'' He said. Before he could get a response, Matt continued sarcastically. ''But I know that you'll refuse and want to keep me here like a prisoner.''
Off guard momentarily, Detective Fuller offered a reassuring, if somewhat ominous grin. ''I promise you, that the moment we get to the bottom of this and feel that you and the rest of my team is safe, you'll be free to go. I am sorry that we've forced you into this predicament.''
Matt scoffed and rolled his eyes. ''Believe it or not, this isn't the first time I've woken up like this.''
''I know it'll be the last.'' Detective Fuller said before leaving the room.
(Tracey Strauss, Abigail & Sophie – West Virginia, Soledad Village)
Abigail sat on the crumpled couch, stroking her fingers through Sophie's hair as her younger sister rested her head on her lap like a pillow. After the incident earlier, she wouldn't let her sibling out of her sight. It had taken at least two hours to calm Sophie down, there was concern that she would have gone into a full-on panic attack if Tracy had not calmed her down. Now, Abigail felt relief, watching Sophie drift peacefully to sleep.
Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Kristin's son. Abigail kept her distance from the older woman, afraid that she might strike out at Sophie in blind rage. Abigail thought that it was ludicrous to put the blame for what happened on Sophie, but Kristin was too overcome with grief to listen to reason. The only reason that they hadn't been kicked out of the village yet was because of Tracey's pleas. It was decided that this matter would be properly dealt with later, after Kristin had a chance to mourn.
The acidic girl was so on edge she almost leapt to her feet when the door opened. She eased when she saw it was only Tracey returning from her talk with Kristin and the other villagers. She smiled at Sophie, hearing the faintest of snores coming from the sleeping teen. ''How long has she been asleep?''
''Not long. Half an hour, maybe.'' Abigail whispered. Tracey smiled weakly. A moment went by before Abigail asked the next question. ''What do you think's going to happen to us?''
''I don't know. We can't stay here.''
''I thought you said we were going to help these people?''
Tracey hesitated. ''I…I don't think they want our help anymore.''
At first, Abigail looked puzzled then insulted and finally angry. ''Do they think it's our fault this happened?''
''In circumstances like this people will act irrationally. She lost her son, her second son only a few hours ago. The people in this village are scared, they're not going to be in the right frame of mind.'' She defended, and then threw a quick glance at Sophie unintentionally.
Abigail caught this look, and started to understand a bit better what Tracey was getting at. The two of them remained silent. Swallowing roughly, Abigail sighed. ''If it'd been Sophie who died…I don't know what I would have done.''
''She's lucky to have you for a sister.''
''Thanks.'' Abigail said sincerely.
Another moment of silence followed. For the first time in weeks, things felt peaceful, despite everything that's just happened and practically being trapped in this village. It was such a peaceful moment in fact, Abigail's eyes started to flutter and feel heavily. She shook her head to stay awake. Hoping to remain alert, she kept the conversation going. ''What are we going to do? Are we just going to leave?''
Tracey shook her head defiantly. ''I'm going to try and talk to Kristin. I'm going to try and convince her to give us more time, another day at least…''
''We don't have much time.'' Abigail interrupted, leaning forward in her seat, causing Sophie to stir slightly. Once she was sure her sibling was still asleep, she continued. ''If our theory is right, and that number on the Claire Bennet picture is the amount of days we have, there's only eight left. We're low on time as it is.''
''I know that.'' She replied firmly. ''What we don't know is how all of this is connected! The Titans, the pictures, everything! We're still flying blind, and if we hope to understand any of this we're going to need every lead we can find. The Ghost is a Titan, and if we can somehow find him and get him to talk, maybe we'll understand more about what we're dealing with.''
''That won't do, I've tried that. Every Titan I've beaten and caught when they've tried to find us takes the suicide route. We can't get answers from them! They don't want us to find the answers.''
''Exactly! Because they're afraid that if someone did find out their plans, it will cripple their whole operation.'' She declared, hoping to convince Abigail, but the younger woman still didn't look swayed. Tracey looked away, her eyes focused on Sophie's sketchbook lying on a table by the couch. A sense of hope filled her. ''Those people that Sophie drew…I know them. They can help us.''
Abigail glanced at the sketchbook, reminded of the multiple pictures Sophie drew and immediately scoffed. ''If those pictures come true, your friends aren't going to be much help.''
''Those might not happen. The future is not set in stone. We can change all of it. Including…'' She froze, her mind flashing to the last of the eight pictures, the one showcasing her own possible death. She cursed herself for trying to act brave and falling apart at the end.
''I want to change them.'' Abigail said swiftly. ''There is no way that I will ever hurt Sophie.''
Seeing the fire in her eyes brought a smile back on Tracey's face. ''Screw destiny.''
A small chuckle passed Abigail's lips as she nodded. ''Screw destiny.''
Their shared laughter was interrupted as the door to their room opened suddenly, and Kristin stepped in, followed by another gentleman. Tracey quickly turned to face the woman. Begrudgingly, Abigail shook Sophie to wake her up. The precog groaned and protested, however, after a few more shakes and inaudible whispers from Abigail she drooped against the back of the couch and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
The red in Kristin's eyes was obvious. The look on her face was fierce, though there was a hint of something else behind her glaring look, Tracey could have confused it for a look of defeat. ''I want to talk with you.'' She finally said and nodded her head back outside the door.
Tracey and Abigail gave each other a look, and Abigail spoke up. ''Can I stay here with my sister? She…''
''I want to talk with both of you.'' Kristin said intensely.
''I don't want Sophie to hear what you have…''
''Then she can stay here. We'll keep the door locked.''
''Like that's going to do anything.'' Abigail growled.
Stopping an argument from breaking out, Tracey held out her hand peacefully, silencing Abigail. Biting her tongue, the acidic girl did as instructed, allowing Tracey to speak with Kristin. ''Look, I am sorry for what happened, but you have to understand that we cannot under any circumstances leave that girl alone for even a second.''
Kristin shot daggers from her eyes at Tracey. ''Then tell me why after both she and my son left, she was the only one to make it back alive.''
A part of Tracey almost wanted Abigail to splash a drop of acid on her, but she knew that this woman was suffering enough as it is. Negotiating with a devastated mother so soon after her child's death wasn't going to be easy, so Tracey would have to find some way to compromise. ''We'll talk,'' She pointed towards the door to the room. ''We stand by that door, no further, so that we can listen to her if anything goes wrong.''
Abigail's jaw dropped. ''No.''
Tracey looked at her apologetically. ''We won't be far and…''
''I don't care!'' Her tone grew livider. ''All it takes is one second.''
''Very well.'' Kristin said, ignoring Abigail's protests.
Now Abigail felt more trapped than ever. She thought about grabbing Sophie and running for a split second, then her gaze turned back to Tracey's one more. She could tell that this was not what the older woman wanted either, but there wasn't many other options for them to take, if any. She turned to Sophie, looking directly in her eyes and making sure that her sibling was fully focused. ''Stay right here, and call if there's any trouble, okay?''
''I will.'' Sophie nodded.
Abigail conjured up a weak smile before getting up from her seat and followed Kristin outside of the room, Tracey not far behind. The man who entered the room with Kristin stayed by the door, waiting for the ladies to exit before slowly shutting it behind them. Abigail wanted to remain close by, despite the threatening looks being given to her by the guard. Letting her frustration over this whole situation get the better of her, Abigail let her mouth run. ''So what's this…?''
An outstretched arm from Tracey silenced her. She clearly was not in the best of moods to have a discussion, especially with a possibly hostile woman who's just lost someone dear to her. Abigail turned away, her eyes locked on the door, as Tracey turned to Kristin. ''I am so sorry for what has happened…''
''His birthday was going to be next week.'' Kristin said faintly.
''I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through…''
''No, you can't.'' Kristin interrupted sharply. ''Because both your children are still alive.''
''They…'' Tracey stopped before she could say anything else. She wanted a more progressive solution to this mess, so she switched the subject from the children to the ghost-like Titan. ''Nothing about what we said before has changed. We're going to help you stop him.''
''I don't want you to stop him. I want you to kill him.'' She spat with so much venom, Tracy and Abigail's hearts stopped for a split-second. ''No matter how long it takes.''
Finally, Abigail interjected. ''Hold on, we're on limited time as it is…''
''I don't care if we have to hunt down that monster for the rest of our mortal lives. He'll burn in hell for what he's done to my children. And you two promised that you would help.''
Tracey's gazed towards the guard standing by the door, sizing him up. Suddenly, the two women were starting to feel more like prisoners than guests, or perhaps worse, reluctant hunters. Remaining as diplomatic as possible, Tracey continued. ''We promised we would get him, and we still intend to, but there's something else that we also have to deal with…''
''It can wait.''
''No, it can't!'' Abigail hissed ignoring the glances she received from Tracey. ''You want to know why we were on the run? More people like the ghost are after us. The longer we stay here, the more dangerous it's going to be for all of us.''
Though not spoken in the tone she wanted, Tracey couldn't argue, as it was the truth. ''This ghost, he's not alone. He's part of a group, a group that is after Sophie. He's probably told the rest of his people that she's here. You could be putting this town in more jeopardy by keeping us locked here. We'll fight them for you. But not like this.''
Suddenly, a quiet voice called out from the other room. ''Abigail!''
Not even giving the guard enough time to turn around, Abigail dashed to the door and practically smashed through it. She was ready to incinerate anything standing within a few yards of her sister. Tracey followed behind quickly, and watched curiously to see Sophie smiling and pointing towards an open window, where a small bird sat on the sill. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, none more so than Abigail.
Kristin turned to the gentleman. ''Close the window.'' He nodded and walked towards the bird.
Sophie looked on disappointedly. ''Oh, don't scare him away.''
He ignored the girl's protest and started to shoo the bird. However, the bird didn't fly away, it didn't even flinch, earning a confused look from Tracey.
Before anyone could blink, the bird darted forward, swiftly enlarging and changing its body until it resembled a large lion and pounced on the unsuspecting victim. He terrified screams were quickly silenced as the beast's jaw tore into his neck. Kristin gasped in horror, her hands cupping her mouth and her knees giving way from the shock of the event. Abigail was too stunned to even move. Tracey reacted defensively, shooting a tornado of ice right into the animal's face, causing it to back off, but the damage was already done as the guard's lifeless body lay in a pool of blood.
Sophie leapt off the couch and tried to make a run for the door, only to be halted as familiar smog appeared in the doorway. Sophie ran in between Abigail and Tracey, both taking a protective stance as their attackers took shape. The lion formed into a hooded humanoid figure with a black cloth wrapped around his mouth. Tracey's eyes quickly spotting the Titan symbol and the word 'Greed' tattooed on his arm.
Meanwhile, the smog drifted slowly towards Kristin. A part of it wrapped around the frail woman's neck, threatening to choke her. Abigail swung her arm and sent a blast of acid at the smog, but it proved as ineffective as she feared, firing past and hitting the wall behind. Too afraid to leave Sophie defenseless, she stayed back and watched as the smog formed into the Ghost. A sinister smile plastered on his lips as his hand kept a tight hold of Kristin's neck, but his eyes never left Abigail. ''Hello again.''
Before either of them could speak to the Titans, Basilisk called out. ''Soul, dispose of the distractions immediately.''
The Ghost, Soul, pouted playfully. ''Oh, can't I tease them a little while longer.''
''No, we have a job to do.'' The other Titan hissed.
Soul rolled his eyes and licked his lips. ''Fine. You never let me have my way.'' He muttered. He elevated his hand, still tightly wrapped around Kristin's neck and lifted her off the ground.
''Don't even think about it.'' Abigail warned him.
''Think about it?'' He chortled darkly. ''I've already done it. Everyone in this town has been under my power for weeks.''
Tracey turned to face him. ''What are you talking about?''
Instead of verbally answering her, Soul pointed a finger towards the still open window. Tracey and Abigail looked out, shock overcoming them as they saw the streets littered with pale, lifeless bodies. The tears in Kristin's eyes began to fall, and she couldn't suppress her weeps of despair any longer. ''Why?'' She whimpered.
''What are you doing to them?'' Tracey questioned.
''It's not what I am doing, it's what I've already done,'' Soul replied. ''I harvest the souls of living creatures. Human or not. It's like a rush every time I claim a new one. Like I said, the souls of everyone in this run down hole are mine to do with as I please.''
''Then why were they still acting normally?''
''I let them keep just enough so that they could keep on living…living in fear of me.''
''What for?''
A monstrous grin formed across his face. ''For fun.'' Without any warning, the life in Kristin's eyes disappeared and her body slumped to the floor.
''You sick bastard.'' Abigail growled.
''Enough of this!'' Basilisk bellowed, clearly running out of patience. ''You grab the girl.''
''With pleasure.'' He said, enjoying the idea too much for anyone's liking.
''Like hell you will.'' Abigail retorted and fired a wave of acid towards Soul.
However, his body turned transparent and the bubbly liquid harmlessly flew away. He reached out, grabbed Abigail's face and slammed her hard into the wall next to them. ''Not this time, sweetheart.''
Ignoring her own opponent, Tracey shot ice towards the arm currently holding Abigail in place. The limb froze instantly within seconds. Unable to tighten his grip on her, Abigail could push him off, sweltering her hands until they were gloved in acid, she grabbed his arm and crushed it, causing thousands of ice shards to scatter around the room.
With Tracey distracted, Basilisk seized his moment. He morphed into a large snake and coiled around the woman's legs, causing her to trip and fall to the ground. His body squeezed harder and harder, crushing her legs. Tracey cried out in pain, but wouldn't go down without a fight. Basilisk felt a cold sensation envelope his reptile-body, as his scales started to freeze the longer he remained in contact with her. He slithered off of her and morphed into a large grizzly bear. He was almost too big to fit in the room. A thundering roar signaled his attack as he charged at Tracey, who was still weakly getting up off the ground.
Tracey was a sitting duck. The bear's giant paws almost crushed her, until a Jetstream of acid cut off the animal's path and caused him to back off. Abigail kept shooting, driving Basilisk further away from Tracey.
BAM! A hard punch to her gut caused her to stop. She looked up to see a one-armed Soul staring down at her, laughing maniacally. He tilted his body to the side, showing off the frozen stump where his arm was before. ''Look at that. You've disarmed me.'' He cackled like a hyena as smog drifted out of his body.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going to happen next, so Abigail quickly turned to a cowering Sophie. ''Run! Run and don't look back!''
''But…''
''Go!'' Abigail's screams drowned out Sophie's protest. The frightened teen didn't need to be asked again, and bolted towards the door, turning the corner and not looking back.
With her sister out of harm's way, Abigail could turn her full attention back towards the ghostly menace. Just as she feared, the smog forming along his body disappeared to reveal a new arm. ''Looks like I've got the upper-hand.'' He laughed wildly and approached Abigail, seemingly towering over her, as she got ready for the next attack.
The buzzing of his phone caused him to stir and awaken from his unintentionally slumber. His arm waved about loosely, trying to find anything to give him some support. His eyes scrunched tightly as he tried to open them, the bright light above almost blinding him, not helped with his glasses amplifying the sun's rays. His head was throbbing at a quicker pace than his heart was beating. ''Ouch.'' He grumbled.
(Hiro Nakamura – Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean)
He failed to reach his phone in time, as it had stopped ringing, although he was thankful as he gave him a moment to appreciate almost complete silence. But for a few seagulls squawking out in the distance and the sound of waves crashing against the vessel he found himself stranded on. Once Hiro felt stable enough to stand on his own two feet, he looked around, only to see nothing but miles upon miles of ocean spreading across the horizon.
As his sense started to return, he was suddenly met with a foul stench that caused him to almost heave over the railing. He clamped his fingers onto his nose, trying to block the terrible smell, and turned around only to be greeted by the sight of a sea of trash bags and waste pilled on top of each other. ''Huh? A garbage boat?'' He mumbled to himself, wondering for a moment how he got himself in this situation.
Then it all came rushing back to him. He remembered chasing after the other teleporter, gradually catching up with him, at least in his own mind he thought he was. Out of nowhere, he found himself overcome by a sharp pain on the bridge of his nose, not helped as he tightened his grip over his nostrils to suppress the horrid smell. Though he didn't see what happened, he figured out pretty quickly that the teleporting thief must have knocked him out. He surveyed his surroundings, hoping to find a trail he could use to follow the thief. However, he came up empty-handed. He figured that the trail would disappear after a while. A disappointed grunt escaped him.
He was brought out of his thoughts as he felt his phone vibrating in his jacket pocket once again. Using his free hand, he retrieved the device and answered. ''Hello?''
Immediately, he heard a sigh of relief from Ando on the other side. ''Finally, I've been trying to call you for hours, where have you been?''
''Hours? I was knocked out for hours?'' Hiro said in shock.
There was a pause from Ando before he replied. ''Knocked out? Hiro, what happened to you?''
''I was chasing a villain. He's a teleporter, like me. He must have knocked me out and escaped.''
''But you're okay?''
''Yes, my friend.''
''Where are you now?'' Ando questioned, slightly at ease knowing that Hiro was still alive and well.
''Uh…'' Hiro stuttered and looked out towards an endless ocean. ''I don't know.''
''What do you mean you don't know? I thought you were following him? And what's wrong with your voice?''
''I was. But I don't know where he was going.'' He pondered for a moment on how best to explain his situation. ''Teleporting left rips in the space-time continuum, and I was able to pass through and follow where he was going, like walking through an open door.'' He thought for a moment what could be wrong with his voice, and then he remembered he was still holding his nose. ''Oh, and my voice is fine. I'm blocking my nose because I'm on a garbage boat in the ocean.''
''The ocean?'' It sounded like Ando wanted to comment further, as a few mumbles were heard that failed to form any coherent sentences. Hiro waited for a moment to see what else Ando wanted to say. Finally, he spoke. ''Hiro, you need to come back to the office now.''
Hiro noted the concern returning in Ando's voice. ''What's wrong?''
''It's the I-Pod. I touched it, and I think I got another message.''
His heart skipped a beat, and he became too intrigued and excited he released his grip over his nose and ignored the smell of the garbage around him. ''What does it say?''
''It says…'' Ando started, then stopped instantly as a loud sound crashed in the background.
Hiro listened intently, wondering what was going on. There seemed to be some kind of commotion going on that was distracting enough to divert Ando's attention away from their conversation. Soon it started to turn into complete and utter chaos, as screams were heard, and now Hiro was starting to panic. ''Ando? What's happening?'' He asked, but got no response.
''Hiro! They…'' Ando shouted on the other side, as another crashing sound followed. There was some kind of struggle, and from the way Ando was grunting and groaning, it sounded like he was right in the middle of it. Hiro had to move the phone away from his ear as it crackled from the screeching static noise. Ando was using his power.
''Ando?'' Hiro called again. This time there was no response…until he heard Ando cry out in pain. ''Ando!''
Unable to wait any longer, Hiro shut off his phone, folded it into his pocket and concentrated on returning to their office in Tokyo. His heard throbbed painfully, causing him to lose focus. It felt like his skull was going to cave in. He still hadn't fully recovered from his knockout blow earlier, not to mention the stench around him wasn't helping with his focus. Using all of his willpower, he concentrated harder than ever before. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, he felt dizzy and thought for a brief second that he would pass out again. He believed that he did pass out as a sense of weightlessness overcame him, before he opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of his and Ando's office building.
His moment of victory was short-lived however as he took a quick glance at the mess from all angles. Desks were overturned or smashed, the windows had been shattered and there was no one in sight. ''Ando!'' He called out, hoping for some kind of response. All he could hear was the rustling of loose paper, scattering from the wind coming through the broken windows. He searched around the room desperately, until a small noise caught his attention. There seemed to be a thud coming from the doorway leading to the stairway.
He raced over to the doorway, hoping to find someone or something that would help. Then a particular sheet of paper on the ground caught his attention, it appeared blank but for a few works written in pen on it. He picked it up and read it aloud.
''Go back and follow them.''
There was something oddly familiar about the handwriting, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He considered the words, believing it might be referring to Ando's possible attackers. The way things looked now, he wasn't going to be able to find them. But if he went back in time just a few minutes, he'd be able to catch the attackers off guard and help. He threw the paper to the side and closed his eyes.
Once he opened them, and a small echo passed through his eardrums, he found himself back at the doorway, and though the office room was empty, everything seemed to be in order. With a wide, hopeful smile, he planned his next move. Running towards the opposite side of the office, he hid behind a cupboard. Luckily for him, he was out of sight a moment before someone burst through the door. ''Come on, pick up!'' He heard Ando's panicked voice and turned to peer around, trying to remain as obscured as possible as he watched his friend from a far.
Ando was pacing about frantically, phone over his ear, as he seemed to be waiting for Hiro's response. After a few moments, he looked ready to throw his phone onto the floor as there was no answer. Hiro seemed to have gone back to the moment he woke up and missed the first call, though from the way Ando was reacting, there must have been quite a few missed calls while he was out cold on the other side of the world.
Ando placed his hands on his hips and sighed heavily. Before long, another person walked in. ''Still no answer?'' Kimiko asked.
Ando shook his head. ''No. I hope that he's okay.''
''I hope so too. Hiro always use to walk off in a huff when things didn't go his way when we were little.''
Hiro creased his brows. ''I did not.'' He whispered quietly.
''He did.'' Ando agreed. ''But this is different. Instead of walking off, he can teleport anywhere in the world. And I can't do anything until he gets back.''
''Give him time. Things have just been really stressful, but it'll work out.''
''But what if they don't?'' Ando said sadly. ''Everything was already bad, and now with the Titans, this Demon Man, and these messages about the world being in danger, this have gotten worse. What if they don't get better?''
''They will.'' She said as hopeful as possible, even if there was a sense of doubt in her voice as she approached Ando. She placed her hand over his cheek, comforting him.
Ando smiled warmly at her. ''I wish I could have yours and Hiro's optimism.'' His smile dropped, as something else seemed to plague his mind. ''Maybe I shouldn't call him.''
''Why?'' Kimiko questioned, and Hiro silently asked as well.
''I feel like I bring him down. He's always got this sense of hope about him. He never gives up, no matter how bad things seem. And I feel like I make things worse. I'm just the deadweight dragging him along. Even though I have powers, not once have I ever felt like half the superhero he is.''
Hiro could feel his heart sink with every word his friend spoke. A part of him felt guilty for how Ando was feeling. He'd always say that him and Ando were heroes and partners, but although his friend would agree with him, a part of him did always wonder if he meant it. He'd always feel that he was doing the wrong things along their journey, but to hear Ando confess it was really how he felt about himself more than Hiro, it left the time-traveller with a heavy heart.
''Ando,'' Kimiko's voice brought Hiro out of his thoughts, and he turned to watch their conversation continue. ''Hiro is the dreamer, and that's a good thing. You're the realist, and that's also a good thing. You two are a team because you're different. If you were both the same, neither of you would get far. You rely on each other because of your differences. You may not be the same kind of superhero my brother is, but that doesn't make you any less of one.''
The room was no so quiet, Hiro could even hear Ando's heavy breathing. A small grin tugged at his lips as he saw a sense of hope return to Ando, followed by a smile. Ando cleared his throat and held up his phone. ''I'm going to try and call him again.''
Kimiko nodded and planted a soft kiss on his lips, which Ando happily returned. With nothing more to be said, she turned and left the room as Ando placed the phone to his ear and waited for Hiro's answer.
Now it was time for Hiro to get serious, he knew that any moment now something was about to go down. At least he now knew his sister was out of harm's way when the event transpired. As he watched Ando start the conversation with his past self, something else came to mind. How would events change if he were to suddenly intervene now? He would risk severely altering the timeline if he got involved and would potentially cause a paradox with his other self-attempting to come back. Then he thought about the message he found. It couldn't have been a coincidence to tell him to go back, but what did it mean by follow?
Suddenly, Hiro was dragged once again out of his thoughts by a flash of red. He turned and found Ando holding the prophetic I-Pod. Red electrical surges coursed through his arm and the device, switching it on. Hiro wondered why Ando was even holding that in the first place if he wasn't going to get involved in this anymore. But he didn't have too much time to think as he listened.
''It's the I-Pod. I touched it, and I think I got another message.'' Ando said, staring at the screen on the device with a confused expression. ''It says…''
That's when a distant scuffle was heard, coming from the door leading to the stairway. Hiro watched as his friend turned his attention to the open doorway. Ando took a few cautious steps towards the noise. Before long, screams were suddenly heard and Ando backed off in a panic. Hiro almost leapt into action to help his comrade, but chose to remain hidden for a little while longer. Just as the screams and sounds of chaos coming from outside were becoming deafening, a blond-haired man with half of his nose missing stepped into the room followed by other scary-looking individuals.
''Hiro! They…'' Ando shouted on the phone, but didn't get very far as the man at the front raised his arm towards Ando. The room went cold as Ando, and Hiro from a distance, could see the familiar Titan tattoo on his arm, and the word 'Pride' above it.
Reacting defensively, Ando lifted his other arm and fired a blast of red energy towards the Titan. The force of the blast was so great, it caused the windows to crack and break, and desks were blown off the ground with relative ease. Even some of the Titans backed off, except for the lead, as the blast shot into the palm of his pale hand. Hiro watched on in shock, as the blast from Ando seemed to have no effect, in fact, it looked as if the Titan general was enjoying it as the red waves danced around his fingers before disappearing completely.
Ando watched helplessly as the Titan smiled at him, before firing back a blast of his own, this one coloured in white and hit the man right in the chest. He cried out in pain and flew across the room, the I-Pod glided from his grip and landed elsewhere, while he crashed onto one of the desk, breaking it in two.
At first, Hiro feared the worst, and was about to go back in time again to help. But he stopped once he saw that Ando was still moving, if only slightly.
''He's now too weak to retaliate.'' Titan said calmly. ''Take him, I need him alive.''
A few of the other Titans walked towards Ando, as the lead Titan turned and walked back out the way he came.
Hiro's body and his heart almost won over his mind. He was inches from revealing himself to save his friend and blow his cover. His heart was racing at an increasing pace as he watched the minions haul up the unconscious Ando and carry him away. The only thing that was keeping Hiro from trying to save his friend was the fact that the Titan said he needed Ando alive. Then it was starting to become clear to Hiro what the message was implying. With his mind now set, he waited for Ando to be carried out of the room, saw the Titan General give one last look around, as if trying to find any stragglers, before departing as well.
There was a few seconds of uneasy silence. Hiro stayed hidden for a moment, at least until he was saw the Titans weren't just standing around the corner waiting to pounce. Though he came to the conclusion that he could use his time-freeze ability to keep tracking without the risk of getting caught.
He finally emerged from his hiding spot, and hurried over towards the door. But he stopped dead in his tracks when he remembered something important. He turned and scanned the area where Ando was hit with the Titan's blast. Thankfully, it didn't take him long to find the I-Pod buried amongst the broken debris of an office desk, and somehow still intact. He carefully picked up the device and immediately the screen lit up and revealed the text that Ando tried to tell him about.
''Go back and follow them.''
This confirmed Hiro's theory that he made the right choice in not jumping out and going for the attack. Thus risking not only his life but Ando's as well. Someone somewhere was clearly trying to help, but that was a mystery that needed to be solved another day, right now, Hiro had to hurry if he was going to keep track of the Titans and Ando. Keeping the device close, he turned heel ready to follow, until something else came to mind. If he hadn't had so many years of experience with time travelling, he would have forgotten one little detail that would have seriously ruptured the space-time continuum.
Whilst rushing towards the door, he grabbed a random piece of paper and wrote the I-Pod's message onto it. Just as he made it to the door, he heard a familiar sound behind him, and when he peered around the corner he saw his past-self teleporting to this timeline, calling out Ando's name. Hiro cursed himself for taking so long to connect the dots and write the message, now he didn't have a chance to leave the message out for his other self to find. As quietly as possible, he tossed the paper into the room behind, but in doing so he banged his elbow against the frame of the door. He suppressed his urge to yelp, and heard the other Hiro dash over.
For a second, he feared the worst. Until he heard the other Hiro stop running when he noticed the paper flapping about on the floor. Just like before, the other Hiro picked up the message, and after reading it, teleported away to continue the cycle.
A slight grin tugged on Hiro's lips, but this moment of triumphant couldn't last, as he knew his mission had only just begun. Keeping a tight grip on the I-Pod beneath his coat, he ran towards the staircase. ''I'm coming, partner!''
Matt could no longer tell the difference between minutes and hours. To say that he was uncomfortable, confused and downright terrified would be an understatement. He struggled against the restraints, unwilling to wait around to be dissected like some lab experiment. He gritted his teeth, hissing in pain as it felt like the restraints were slicing through his wrists. The pain became too much for him after a few more attempts and he stopped, breathing heavily and left wondering what to do next.
He'd hoped that the talk of him being unable to use his powers was just a scare tactic, but he discovered fairly quickly it was no exaggeration. There was a low humming emitting from all around the room, causing his vision to go blurry, and he could barely hear his own thoughts let alone listen in on the ones of the guards that were obviously standing outside.
''Come on Hiro, buddy,'' He mumbled hopefully. ''If you're going to come out of nowhere and help, now would be an excellent time.''
He was so desperate he could almost hear the time-traveller's voice. His headaches were finally getting the best of him.
Suddenly, the lights in the room shut off, leaving Matt in the dark. Before he could catch his breath, the emergency lights switched on, illuminating the room in a crimson flash and an alarm blasted from in the room and outside. Matt twisted his head to the left and right, hoping to catch sight of what was going on. Whatever was happening it didn't involve him, as he could hear the guards conversing with each other outside the door.
''Do we know what's happening?''
''Sabotage. The power's been cut, we've gone to emergency red.'' Matt recognized the voice as Detective Fuller.
''Oh Christ,'' There was a pause, making Matt momentarily more uncomfortable than he already was. ''What do we do about Parkman?''
Another pause followed. Now Matt was panicking. He tried to hear what they were saying, but things were quiet from the two outside. The alarm sounding off didn't help matters either. Just then, a familiar feeling swept over him, and he could hear the voice of Fuller, but like it was being spoken inside his mind.
''Sedate him now.''
One the one hand, Matt was ecstatic to discover that his powers were working once again, but he didn't have much time to celebrate if he wanted to get out of here.
Fuller and the doctor with him burst through the door, a needle in the doctor's grip ready to be used. Promptly, Matt went to work. 'Let me go. Let me go now. You are going to let me walk out of here!'
The two individuals slowed down, a frustrated look crossed over the detective's face briefly before it relaxed into a blank slate. The doctor set aside the needle on the counter nearby as he and Fuller worked to remove the restraints on Matt without any hassle, oblivious to anything that was happening outside of the room. It took a moment for Matt to get the feeling back in his legs again as he hoisted himself off the edge of the bed. He couldn't afford to wait around though.
A plan came to him. ''You!'' He gestured to the doctor. ''I need your clothes.''
As the doctor removed his garb without resistance, Matt turned to Fuller. ''Okay, where is Agent Hanson being kept?''
Hesitation. For a split-second, he feared that the detective had escaped his control, until Fuller responded in murmur. ''Cellblock 1183!''
''Where is that exactly?''
''I…I'm not classified to say.''
Matt groaned. In the distance, he could hear the chaos of people rushing around outside. ''I don't have time for this.'' He concentrated on Fuller, peeling his mind wide-open until he found what he was looking for. It felt like he was soaring through the corridors until he found the room he was looking for, now knowing exactly where it was.
''Here you are.'' The doctor said, handing his uniform over to Matt.
Without wasting a beat, Matt took it then glanced over at the needle. ''Would that be safe to use on you two?''
The doctor slowly nodded.
Luckily for Matt, no one else had come into the room to check what was happening whilst he was changing and as he left the room. He hoped that with everyone in the base trying to find the source of the sabotage attempt, no one would pay him any attention or recognize him. Keeping his head down, and using the doctor's mouthpiece to partially shield his face, he hurried along the corridors towards his destination.
There was two moments during his journey that left him breathless. Once when two guards shoved past him as they sprinted in the other direction. He couldn't suppress the groan that escaped his lips, feeling the pain from his gunshot wound. They didn't turn around, focusing too much on the task at hand, allowing Matt to slip past everyone without too much trouble. The second time was when he rounded the final corner, only to see the cellblock he was looking for being guarded by two fully equipped guards with guns at the ready. Before Matt could retreat, he was spotted by one of them. ''What are you doing here?''
He hadn't been recognized yet, but Matt couldn't risk standing around any longer, as the booming alarm was shut off. It was now or never. 'Leave now. Go help the others.'
Without any distractions or the alarm muffling out the sound, the guards were quick to lower their weapons and dash past Matt to help their comrades. Matt feared that his heart would explode, but he marched onwards.
He reached the door and banged against the small window, hoping to break it as well as get Audrey's attention. But he could already tell that wasn't going to work. Inside the cell, Audrey turned to Matt, taking a moment to recognize him. ''Parkman? What-?''
''I didn't do this. But I am getting you out of here!'' He reached for the door handle and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge an inch. He pulled and pushed using all of his strength, but it wasn't working. ''I can't open-'' Just then, the emergency lights switched off and the normal lights returned. They were out of time. Matt thought about hurrying to find the guards, theorizing that one of them might have a key…
CLANK!
He jumped back at the sudden sound coming from inside the cell, followed by something loud crashing to the floor. Audrey shoved the heavy door open, kicking away the broken handle by her feet. ''Let's go. I know the way out.'' She barked, grabbing Matt's arm and pulling him in her direction.
He followed her, trying to keep up, but it was obvious that he still was physically one hundred percent yet. His legs were weary, and he feared that his wound might have opened up again. After a few twists and turns, Audrey led them towards the elevator that they used when she introduced Matt to this operation. ''It's here! Come on.'' She ordered and the two hurried for the door.
Once inside, Audrey pressed the button. Before the doors could close, Matt heard a voice from behind. 'Don't let them reach the surface. Take the shot.'
Without turning around, Matt grabbed Audrey and shoved her to the side. ''Look out!''
His call was shrouded out by the sounds of gunshots fired at them. Sparks spit against the elevator doorframe and skidded inside, just missing the two partners. Matt feared they would be hit soon enough, until the doors finally closed and the elevator was on the move upwards, too late to be stopped by the guards.
They kept cover for a bit longer than necessary, wanting to make sure they were safe for now. Finally feeling the storm had subsided, Audrey leaned against the wall of the elevator, breathing heavily. ''There will be a vehicle once we reach topside. We take it, and drive in any direction as fast and as far as we can. Until there's no fuel left.''
''Sounds like a plan.'' Matt agreed.
After a sharp exhale, he hissed as a searing pain erupted on his side. He placed his hand over it, to try and stop the throbbing discomfort. Audrey looked down and noticed a trickle of blood seep between his fingers. ''Your wound has opened up again.''
Without nothing else to use, she glanced over her attire, a plain grey shirt and trousers. She ripped the sleeve off and tied it around his stomach, trying to cover his wound. Hoping to calm the situation, Matt quietly laughed. ''Oh good, for a second I thought I'd been shot for the second time today.''
He immediately regretted those words, when he felt Audrey freeze as she tended to his wound. They exchanged a look of uncertainty as she finished securing the makeshift bandage. ''I don't know what happened.'' She muttered. Her voice filled with regret.
''It wasn't your fault.'' He reassured her.
''But it was my hand. I didn't want to…but,'' She stopped mid-sentence, trying to find the exact words needed to describe what she felt at the time. Her right hand flinched slightly, as if imagining the gun still in her hand. ''I could hear your voice telling me to do it…and I did.''
Matt nodded and stared off distantly. ''I don't know how it happened. But it's happened, and it's behind us. For now, let's just get out of here and figure out what to do next from there.''
She didn't meet his eyes for a while, until finally when the determination and grit returned and she nodded affirmatively.
Sophie sprinted out of the front doors of the house, freezing upon seeing the lifeless bodies of the village inhabitants on the streets. She didn't know which way to run, or if she should run. Her sister was still inside, as was Tracey, possibly about to die and she couldn't do anything to stop it. The commotion of the battle could be heard from outside. She couldn't see what was happening, nor did she really want to, but her curiosity got the better of her.
Pacing around the house, whilst keeping her distance, she found the open window from which the animal shape shifter had first entered. It wasn't until she was a few feet away before she saw anything. She jumped back as the body of her sister was flung out of the window, fractals of glass gliding through the air with her. Abigail landed on the ground in a heap, heavily bruised and bleeding.
Without any regard for her own safety, Sophie rushed over to help her sister up. She grabbed Abigail's arm, but the moment she did, the older sibling groaned in agony, as it felt like her bone would pop from the slightest contact. Sophie let go, afraid she was doing more harm than good. Using her other arm, Abigail hoisted herself up until she was on her knees and stared with wide-eyes at Sophie. ''What are you still doing here? Run!''
''But you're going to be hurt.'' Sophie sobbed on the verge of tears.
''I'll be fine.''
A loud thud was heard behind them. They turned to see Soul casually sitting on the windowsill, his legs dangling outside. ''No, she's not going to be fine. She's going to be dead.''
Sick and tired of his taunts, Abigail raised her hand and fired another blast of acid at her opponent. Soul dematerialized into a cloud of fog, as the acid harmlessly shot through him, landing on the sill and melting through it. The fog slowly shifted back into human form, head first and gradually down his body, as he glided towards them like a vicious spirit. A confident smirk sent shivers down Abigail's spine.
The young woman did her best to stand and fight, but she needed her sister's help just to stay up straight.
Soul scoffed. ''I've heard about you two. You've been on the run from us for a bit now. You've apparently taken down quite a few of our members. I have to say I'm very disappointed with what I've seen.''
Before Abigail could reply, she noticed the wall of the house behind Soul change. A cracking sound echoed around them, as the walls turned a shade of blue and ice swept over it. Just as Soul turned around, the wall of the house exploded, icicles shot in every direction and Basilisk was sent flying. The Titan general crashed to the ground, a crater left in his wake as he rose to his feet, panting like a mad dog. He glared into the house, hoping to find Tracey and continue their brawl, but she was nowhere to be seen.
A cackle came from Soul. ''Having trouble, old man?''
Suddenly, he felt a cold sensation around his feet. He looked down to find the ground beneath him was covered in a sheet of ice. He only had a small amount of time to react, as two frozen hands emerged from the ice, wrapped around Soul's ankles and froze them in place. A throbbing numbness shot up his legs, causing him to buckle over, and his feet were snapped clean off. He landed on his back, too bemused to comprehend what happened at first, until he lifted his legs and saw his feet still cemented in the ground.
The sheet of ice rushed along the ground like a wave before stopping and transforming upwards into a human-shape, slowly becoming Tracey. Once she was back to normal, she stared down the Titans, her breath visible because of the cold.
Despite the situation he found himself in, Soul couldn't stop another laugh. ''Oh, I like her.'' He rolled his body over and stamped his legs on the ground, two new feet materializing from thin air.
A feeling of dejection swept over Tracey like a tsunami, she was going nowhere in this fight. She turned back around to see Abigail still struggling to stand. ''You need to run!'' She demanded.
''No…'' Abigail said weakly.
''I'm not giving you a choice…''
''If we run then you'll die,'' She shouted, causing Tracey to stop. ''I'm not letting anyone else die to just to give us another five-minute head start. We promised that we would take the Ghost in and find out what the Titans are after, and we're going to do just that. Screw destiny!''
Tracey wasn't sure how to feel. On the one hand, she admired the young woman's resolve and determination, on the other though, she was fighting a losing battle. Abigail was going to be more of a hindrance in her state than help. But she didn't have time to argue, as Soul and Basilisk began to circle her, like she was their prey. She kept her arms raised, cool air emitting from her hands, ready for the next attack.
''You're quite talented.'' Basilisk commented. ''It's not often we find ourselves challenged like this.''
''Believe me, I'm just getting started.'' She bluffed.
Soul leered. ''Either way, you're outnumbered.''
''But not outclassed.''
Soul turned to Basilisk. ''I really like her.''
''We've wasted enough time.'' Basilisk condemned before rushing at Tracey. His body leaned forward as he ran, before turning into a leopard, sprinting at her with lightning pace. Tracey managed to roll out of the way in time just as the animal pounced, but this left her wide open as Soul now ran at her, and grabbed a handful of Tracey's hair before slamming her into the ground.
For a moment, Tracey feared that she was going to faint as she felt her head crash into the ground. Soul continued to hold her in place, despite her best attempts to push him off. She coiled her first into a ball of ice and aimed it for his open stomach. But he evaporated into a cloud of fog, causing her fist to go right through him. Now out of his grip, Tracey tried to get back onto her feet, too late to notice Soul back together with his fists clenched together before slamming them down onto her. BAM!
Another blow to her head, and her vision started to glow blurry. She could feel her head going warm, and what she could guess was blood start to flow behind her ears. She thought Soul would have another go at her, but she was perplexed to see him move away, that is until another shadow was cast over her, swallowing her up. Looking up, she gasped to see a giant brown bear standing on its back legs ready to crush her. She moved out of the way, just before the bear's arms slammed into the ground.
Tracey turned back just in time to see a spiral of acid connect with the bear's shoulder, surely leaving a painful scar. The bear howled in pain before turning back into Basilisk's human form. With a ferocious look in his eye, he scowled in Abigail's direction. She was back up, though shaking and looking like she would tip over at the slightest contact.
''Get the girl!'' Basilisk instructed his partner.
''With pleasure.'' Soul licked his lips and marched towards Abigail and Sophie.
''No.'' Tracey cried out as she got back up.
Basilisk returned his focus towards her, turning into a giant cobra and slithering towards her. The serpent lifted itself up and threatened to strike at Tracey if she took another step closer. Her eyes darted back and forth between the snake staring her down, and Soul in the background approaching the wounded Abigail and frightened Sophie. She knew that she couldn't waste anymore time. She shot a blast of ice for the cobra's head, but unfortunately missed. This gave Basilisk the perfect chance to attack.
Its long body encircled around Tracey and a close by tree before coiling tightly and crushing her against the bark of the tree. She couldn't even scream. It felt like her bones were being turned into dust. Basilisk constricted its body harder and harder, it was a wonder what would break in two first, the tree or Tracey's body.
Abigail wanted to rush over to help her, but she had other problems, as Soul approached her whilst whistling like it was another day at the office. ''Take one more step and I'll kill you.'' She screamed.
''I'll believe that when I see it.'' He taunted. Abigail charged forward to punch him in the face. Her fist went through his cheek like she was punching a cloud. He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, dragging her closer to him, leaving her wide-open for him to throw a punch of his own. BAM! BAM! Over and over again, his fist struck her clean in the face as her body flailed around. ''You thought that you could kill a ghost?'' He bellowed as he unleashed a flurry of strikes on the defenseless and powerless woman.
Tracey wasn't fairing much better, on the verge of passing out as the serpent's face watched the colour drain from her face. But she wasn't down yet. Using what little power she had left, she froze her whole body, causing everything around her to become unimaginable cold. Basilisk tried to keep hold of her, thinking he could outlast her, but the cold was too much for him. He uncoiled and returned back to human form. Her body slumped to the ground, sprawled against the now icy tree trunk.
She could see only death and rage in Basilisk's eyes as he prowled. ''Fine, I'll finish you in one, quick strike.''
With her eyes feeling as heavy as iron, she watched as he turned into a large Rhino, circling one last time before facing her and stomping his foot into the ground, ready to charge.
BAM! Soul was interrupted from his barrage of punches when he felt something or someone hit him in the side. It didn't hurt too much, but it grabbed his attention. He forgot Abigail and turned to see Sophie staring him down, crying her eyes out but looking hungry for blood. ''Leave my sister alone.''
Soul grinned and shrugged his shoulders. ''Okay.'' He said simply enough, but not before one last punch. BAM! Abigail's collar was ripped as he lost his grip on her and she tumbled to the ground, out of the fight. The Titan towered over Sophie, who know was looking more afraid than ever before after her brief flash of bravery. Satisfied with watching her terrified expression, Soul placed his hand over Sophie's face. At first, his hand was flat with the palm facing her, before his fingers bent and met at the tips and he pulled back, like he was pulling something.
Tracey watched on, as it looked like he really was pulling something. Sophie's eyes were pure white, much like when she was drawing a picture and her mouth was agape as something transparent flowed out like visible breath. It was a heart-stopping moment for Tracey. She was literally watching Sophie's soul get ripped out from her body, with Abigail unconscious on the ground, unable to protect her sister. She was disgusted by Soul's face; it was like the Titan was getting pleasure from hauling the life out of the woman's body.
A loud grunt coming from Basilisk shifted Tracey's attention back to him, who had finally started his charge at her. She wasn't sure what she could do. All she cared about right now was getting out of the way and helping Sophie, but her legs wouldn't work with her brain. The Rhino was right on her when Tracey reacted with the first idea that came to her. She shifted to the side just as he was about to crush her, but held out her hand, brushing the horn as it just missed her. A large, deep cut scarred her hand now, but it might have been worth it as the Rhino's horn froze completely before colliding with the tree, and breaking off the animal's face.
Before she could see the affect of her counter-attack, she heard it. She heard Basilisk's cry of pain, screeching in anguish. After a roll and tumble she lifted herself up to see him, back as a human, kneeled on the ground and holding his face, blood dripping between the gaps of his fingers.
There wasn't time to celebrate this passing triumph. She looked over towards Sophie, and watched as Soul continued the drain the life out of her, oblivious to what has happened with his Titan companion. His delight and enjoyment at draining her life were drowning out Basilisk's continued cries. Tracey could only muster the energy to fire one small blast of ice, but that was all she needed. It contacted with Soul's hand, the one in front of Sophie, and to her surprise it proved effective.
Soul yelled and backed away from Sophie, causing her comatose body to slump to the ground next to Abigail's.
The two surprised and injured Titans returned next to each other, Basilisk still covered his bleeding face while Soul seemed to have some trouble returning his icy hand back to normal. ''Did you get her?'' Basilisk questioned.
''Yeah. I got her.''
''Very well, there's no point being here any longer.''
He didn't even give Soul any time to respond before quickly turning into an eagle and flying off into the sky and out of sight. The other Titan looked like he wanted to continue, but knew better than to piss off his partner anymore than he already was, so he vanished into a thick fog, leaving Tracey alone, with just the sound of her heavy breathing and groans.
Relieved that the fight was finally over, she tried to get up, at first having to rely on crawling before using the frozen Rhino horn next to her as a makeshift walking stick. As quickly as she could, she hurried over to the girls, fearing the worst. She could stop the tears forming in her eyes as she looked down upon Abigail, absolutely battered and broken, just barely alive. Whereas Sophie, she wasn't so sure. Her eyes were still pale. She still seemed to be breathing, but after what's just happened, she wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
''I'm sorry,'' Tracey whispered to Abigail, wondering if she could hear her, or if she'd even wake up from her injuries. ''I'm so sorry.''
Claire looked out into the distance, hoping that maybe she would see Peter coming back. But she knew it was a lost cause, Peter was long gone, and he wouldn't be returning until he found Legion and had the murderer's head on a pike. She folded her arms and stared at the ground. Despite her best intentions, she had come into this situation severely overestimating her chances, and it had gotten someone else in her family killed.
''Claire.'' A familiar voice brought her out of her trance. She slowly turned to see Noah, standing close by but at a slight distance away, as if afraid to invade her space. ''Are you sure you're okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?''
''I'm fine.'' She replied simply enough and almost turned away, but couldn't bring herself to do it. She swallowed hard before saying, ''Maybe I was wrong.''
Noah stared at her. ''About what?'' Though he already knew the answer, he wanted to hear her say it.
''Thinking that everyone was ready to learn about us. Thinking that we were ready for whatever came our way. All that's happened ever since I've revealed my ability is death and destruction.''
''That's not true…''
''Yes it is!'' She snapped, cutting him off and continuing. ''I can heal from almost everything. All the while, there are people who don't have that advantage getting hurt or seeing their loved ones die. They're right! It's unfair and wrong! What have I done since I jumped? Been sheltered in a college saying how things are going to get better without doing anything about it. No wonder people hate me, they have every right to hate me.''
''Claire, that's enough!'' Noah stepped forward, his tone firm and strong.
However, Claire didn't back down. ''No, it's not! Look at you, you didn't…don't agree with the decision I made at all, and yet that hasn't stopped you from helping people afterwards. You could have had no part in it, but instead you wanted to keep going and help people in a world you wanted no part in. A world that I thought I wanted.'' She finally stopped, taking a moment to catch her breath and stop her voice from breaking. Now she turned away from Noah, afraid to look him in the eye as a single tear rolled over her cheek. ''I wish I was more like you.''
Noah let out a silent gasp after hearing those last few words. Unable to hear anymore, he took a few steps closer to her. ''It's funny. Because I wish I was more like you.''
Immediately, Claire turned around to face him. ''Why?''
Despite the pained look in his daughter's face, and the tears that threatened to fall, he couldn't help but smile at her. ''How can I not? I've known a lot of strong people in my life, and you're by far the strongest person I've ever met. Despite everything that we've been through, that's…happened to you, you've always come through and wanted to do the right thing. You want to change the world for the better, and that's an admirable thing. We might not always agree, but that's just human nature, isn't it?''
''But how do I know if…even if I'm doing things to help others, if things will turn out for better or worse in the end?''
''I don't know, Claire. And I don't think anyone in this world, special or not, has the answer to that. Sometimes we're right, sometimes we're wrong. I do know that I was right in believing in you.''
A sigh came from Claire. ''I find it hard to believe in myself sometimes.''
''Yet you still keep fighting.'' At last, Claire looked him in the eyes, and now Noah was the one starting to feel teary. ''I'm sorry for not being here, Claire. I thought that…maybe after what I said before, after all the things I've done, that you'd be better off moving into the new world without me dragging you down.''
Despite his best attempts to remain collected and strong for her, Claire could read him like a book and tell he was not trying to break down. Without a word, Claire rushed over to hug Noah tightly. He returned the embrace, planting a soft kiss on her head. ''Don't you ever think that,'' She said hoarsely in-between tears. ''I always want you to be part of my world.''
Even after everything that's happen, in that one moment, Noah felt all his sorrow and all the tension flow out of his body, giving him and Claire this one, happy peaceful moment together.
(Peter Petrelli – London)
Peter's foot almost sunk into the ashes and rubble of what once was the city of London. He stared out into the horizon, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. There was almost nothing left. The ground had melted into puddles of liquid, the trees were nowhere to be seen, and the buildings were charred and broken, some looking like they would topple over any second now. He looked around, hoping and praying that he would find any sign of life remaining, but it was a hopeless cause.
He dropped to the ground, resting among the ruins of a deteriorated city fallen victim to a sadistic monster.
One that Peter didn't know how to defeat.
(Location Unknown)
''I swear, when I see that woman again, I will tear out her heart with my very claws.'' Basilisk roared, pacing up and down the dark, steel corridor. His scarred face was hidden behind a black scarf, with only his venomous eyes visible.
Soul chuckled, seemingly enjoying the show Basilisk was putting on for him. ''Hey, you're the one who wanted to retreat. If we stayed a little longer…''
''There was no point. We got what we wanted.''
''Hmm, yes we did.'' Soul smiled menacingly, holding out his hand, and within the palm of it was a tiny humanoid figure made of fog. The figure in his palm scampered around, as if trying to find a route to escape from, only to be stopped by Soul's fingers imprisoning her like bars. The figure looked up towards Soul, revealing the terrified transparent face of Sophie. ''You're going to help us look into the future, little one.''
Basilisk looked at the spirit curiously. ''Why is hers different from the others?''
''Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get all of her…''
''What?'' He hissed. ''You said…''
''Relax. This is more than enough for us to use.''
''But her physical being is still alive?''
Soul shrugged his shoulders. ''More or less. It doesn't matter, she can't do anything without this.'' He gestured to the figure in his hand, the motion causing her to stumble.
''It doesn't matter. We can't afford any loss ends!'' Basilisk shouted with increasing fury as he marched towards Soul.
''Again, who was the one who ordered us to retreat?''
''Only because you had said…''
Before the argued could become more heated than it already was, another voice spoke up. ''Gentleman. Is there any need for this?''
Soul and Basilisk turned to see another one of their members casually walk towards them, the blond-haired man with part of his nose missing, the Titan general of 'Pride.' He approached them with a confident swagger, contrasting greatly with Basilisk's tense manner. The shape-shifter leaned in towards the third Titan, looking ready to bit his throat out. ''There might not have been a need for this, Malthus. If you had come with us to help with the capture of the precog, instead of wasting time kidnapping energetics…''
''As much as I love hearing you admit you would need my help, I must remind you, I need these energetics if I'm to keep my body going. Otherwise this is just the start.'' He tapped the mangled tip of his deformed nose.
Another giggle came from Soul. ''Look at that, now you two have a match.''
''Watch your tone!'' Basilisk barked, bearing razor-sharp teeth.
As the Titans bickered amongst themselves, they failed to notice someone else standing close by. Hidden around the corner, Hiro gradually leaned his head closer, hoping to hear what they had to say whilst staying out of harms way, ready to use his power if need be. Luckily, with how loud they were, Hiro didn't have to stand too close to listen in on their conversation.
''What did you do with your new order?'' Soul asked Malthus.
''Being kept in one of the laboratories for now.'' His head nodded to the left, thankfully giving Hiro the start he needed if he was going to find his friend. ''So don't even think about causing any mischief while I feed.''
In a mocking manner, Soul held up his hands. ''Say no more. I won't judge if you play with your food.''
Basilisk turned to head down the other end of the corridor. ''You do that. I will let the others know that we have the precog. Our plans shall begin very soon.'' As he turned to leave, Hiro got the feeling that the other Titans didn't have much else to say, so there was no point in sticking around any longer. Closing his eyes, he froze time in its place, and waited a moment in hopes that none of the Titans would react. He was relieved to see the three remain still as statues. He headed down the corridor to his left, keeping a vigilant watch for Ando.
Despite time being still, Hiro felt like the seconds were ticking away and he couldn't stay around for much longer. All he had to do was find Ando and teleport out of here. It was easy enough to get here, even if he didn't know where here was.
All Malthus had to do was rely on a Titan teleporter of his own to bring him to this apparent underground bunker. Luckily, Hiro's encounter with his purse-snatching foe from before gave him the idea to follow them through the rips in space-time, and he found himself here, stopping time whenever he feared he would be caught and stayed hidden until things were okay for him to move on.
Hiro rounded one corner, only to be met with a seemingly never-ending hallway with nothing. He turned back, snuck around down another corridor, only to find the same thing as before…nothing. Panic began to consume him. At first, he feared that Ando might be in another building all together.
Hope returned when he noticed a few Titans appearing more frequently as he carefully moved around them so not to bring them out of their time freeze. This had to be taken as a sign that he was getting closer. Finally, he noticed something different, a row of windows along a wall, leading towards double automatic-doors. He peered in through the windows and spotted a row of tables with unconscious bodies lying on top of them. This had to be the place Malthus was talking about.
Taking his sword, he jabbed it through the gape of the doors, pushing them open to squeeze through. He couldn't afford to unfreeze time for anything. All it would take is one sneak attack, and then both he and Ando would be captured with no hope of escape or rescue.
In the room, he took a moment to comprehend what he found inside the room. No guards or doctors were in sight, but about a dozen bodies asleep on tables, hooked up to machines and computers on the wall. Their heart rates were measured, blood types examined, even weight and height studied. This seemed to be a facility used to gather as much information about these patients as possible.
Though he knew they couldn't hear him, even if he hadn't paused time, Hiro spoke. ''Don't worry. I will free you all. But first…'' He looked over and spotted Ando on one of the tables, unconscious like the others. ''I will need help.''
He hurried towards Ando, disheartened to see his friend in such a state, with IV tubes sticking out of his arms and him being strapped to the table. After a quick look around to make sure that no discreet guards were present or if any cameras were filming them, he took this opportunity to unfreeze time briefly. ''Ando.'' He whispered in his friend's ear, quietly shaking the table. ''Ando!'' He called a bit louder.
After a few more tense seconds of calling and waiting for a response, a grunt came from Ando, and his glazed eyes opened slightly. ''H-Hiro?'' He questioned, a bit louder than Hiro would have wanted.
''Sssh! Do not worry, my friend. I am here to rescue you.''
''Rescue?'' Ando mumbled, still dazed and unaware of the danger he was currently in. ''Where are we now?''
''I don't know. But we have to move quickly before the kidnappers come back. I will free you. Then I will stop time so that we can free the others, then I will teleport us back home. But you have to be quiet.'' He instructed, noticing that Ando was quickly becoming more conscious and thus rattling the table he was on, compromising their position.
Now fully awake, Ando could see the current state he was in, hooked up and tied down like some kind of lab experiment. ''What are they planning to do?''
Hiro went to work on the restraints, trying to untangle them. ''I don't know exactly. I think he needs people with energy powers to keep his body working. The other one said something about food.''
Ando turned sharply to Hiro, his eyes wide with fear. ''Food? They're going to eat us like cannibals.''
''Sssh!'' Hiro silenced him. ''No…I think absorb your energy. Your power.''
''Oh. Now that I think about it, I felt weird when he hit me with his blast.''
''It doesn't matter right now. Once we get everyone free, we will think of a new plan to fight back. I just need one more…'' Hiro's hand brushed against Ando's chest as he removed the last restraint, before he had time to react, a surge of white and red energy flowed from Ando's body and shot up Hiro's arm.
The two of them were consumed in light. Hiro wanted to scream as it felt like his whole body was on fire and his vision went blank. Ando was in a similar state, all of his nerves felt fried and he couldn't see anything else but a bright light.
There was a moment of silence. Everything was illuminating and unclear, Hiro and Ando couldn't make out where they were or what had happened.
Hiro groaned and coughed, his throat somehow unimaginable dry and his whole body numb. He thought that's why he couldn't feel himself rub his sore head, until he felt something preventing his arm from moving. He felt trapped. He was blind and now unable to move for some reason. Then his vision began to return, and he saw the familiar computer screen and medical equipment around him. He hadn't left the experiment room. There was the fear that he had been rendered unconscious and captured along with Ando, until a figure came into view, standing up next to his table…his figure, his body. Hiro was somehow restrained on the table and standing beside it.
''Eh.'' That was the only response he could muster. It caught the attention of the other Hiro, who turned to look at the trapped body and almost have a mini-freak out.
''Am I dead?'' The other Hiro responded. It was his voice, but something was different about the expression on his face and the way he moved, it reminded him of…
''Ando?'' Hiro asked.
''Hiro?'' Ando in Hiro's body responded. ''You're…me?''
''What?'' Hiro looked down, seeing the lower half of his body in Ando's clothes from just a few moments ago. He couldn't see his own face, his own current one, but he had a very good idea at what just happened. ''We swapped bodies?''
''How did that happen?'' Ando asked.
''I don't know. We have to switch back.''
Ando nodded and placed his hands over Hiro, hoping that lightning would strike twice. But nothing happened. There was no black out, no energy surge, not even a little bolt of static electricity. ''What do we do?''
Before Hiro could even comprehend a response, something caught his attention. From one of the windows looking towards the corridor outside, he could see Malthus marching round along with a few other Titan members, heading for the room. ''Great Scott.''
To Be Continued…