*Author's note: it is probably wise to let everyone know, at this point, that this story veers from the original Heroes canon, starting after the episode "Shadowboxing" (in case you hadn't already noticed on your own, which seems unlikely)

Five Years Later: Chapter Four

Once Gretchen has finished her breakfast, she and Claire step outside her room and into a hallway, which also resembles that of a hotel. It is lined with numbered doors and has an elevator at the end.

Claire shuts the door behind them and locks it, pocketing the key.

"This is what I call our dorm," she tells Gretchen, as they slowly make their way towards the elevator. "Hiro calls it evolve housing ... but, he's always making up special names for things. We just nod and smile and go along with whatever he says. It makes him feel special."

Claire pushes a button on the elevator and waits, folding her hands behind her back.

"Wait ..." says Gretchen, already confused. "Who is Hiro and what is an evolve?"

"Ah. Well, an evolve is the term the government uses now when referring to one of us with abilities. They used to call us specials, now they call us evolves. Go figure. They're always changing their minds about these things."

"So, the government knows about you?"

"The government knows about evolves," Claire corrects. "They don't know so much about me."

The elevator finally opens, and Claire gestures for Gretchen to enter first, holding the door open.

"Okay ... so, how long has the government known about ... evolves?" Gretchen asks, once the elevator doors have shut.

"This time?" replies Claire, "Not long. But, there's been independent cells working against us off and on all along. My dad ... you met him, right? He worked for one of those cells once. It was called the Company. But, we've never faced an opposition like this before. What we're facing now is on a whole different level."

"And my partner, Detective Adams ..." says Gretchen, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Is he involved in this?"

"Did you just figure that out?" Claire asks, suppressing a chuckle.

"Are you making fun of me now?" replies Gretchen defensively.

Claire bites down hard on her bottom lip, trying her best not to let the laugh out. "I thought you were a forensic scientist."

Gretchen reaches past her, anger distorting her usually serene features, and pushes the red stop button. Claire hangs on to the side-railing as the elevator screeches to a halt.

"Oh, man," Claire sighs, still smiling. "I wish you hadn't done that."

"You have a lot of nerve, you know that?" cries out Gretchen, "I didn't ask for this, you know! The least you could do is ... I don't know! Be nice?"

Claire hides her smile and tries her best to look serious. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I was just teasing you. Lighten up."

"Lighten up?" Gretchen exclaims. "I'm caught in the middle of some kind of ... mutant, x-men war ... and you want me to lighten up?"

Claire sucks in air through her teeth, looking worried. "Ooh ... I wouldn't say that in front of Hiro. He's kind of sensitive about the whole x-man comparison."

Gretchen looks flabbergasted. "Who the hell is this Hiro guy you keep mentioning?"

Suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, a man appears in the elevator with them. He is dressed in a strange costume, an all black one-piece suit that reminds Gretchen of a ninja's apparel and, like most other ninjas, he also appears to be asian. However, taking away from this menacing appearance somewhat, he is also wearing a pair of glasses, which he has to keep pushing back up his nose, as they keep sliding back down.

"Is there a problem, Claire?" he asks sincerely, seemingly unsurprised to see Gretchen standing next to her.

"Gretchen," Claire says, gesturing towards the man, "I'd like you to meet Hiro, our leader. Hiro, this is Gretchen Berg."

Hiro smiles at Gretchen and waves emphatically. "Hello," he greets. His accent is broken, but his english is spot on.

"When the elevator alarm went off, I got worried," he tells Claire, turning his attention away from Gretchen for the moment. "Is everything okay in here?"

"We're fine," she promises, waving off his concern. "Isn't that right, Gretch?"

Gretchen nods slowly, still unused to people popping in and out of thin air as he did. Hiro nods back, taking note of her shocked expression.

"Okey, dokey then," he says, "I'll leave you to things."

He blinks his eyes shut hard, scrunching his face. And, in an instant, he is gone.

"Wow," says Gretchen in awe. "What's his ability?"

"He bends time and space," Claire answers.

"How many of you are there here?" she asks next.

Claire shrugs. "Not a whole lot. We've looked for more, but ... it's become pretty hard these days to find people. After all, the government is looking for them too."

She says this last line with an air of ominousness.

"Why is the government looking for all of you?" Gretchen questions on.

"Because they're afraid of us," Claire says, as if Gretchen should have assumed that on her own.

"What do you think they would do if they ... caught you?" she asks finally, fearing she already knows the answer.

Claire takes a deep breath and exhales it slowly. "I'm not sure I want to know," she replies, suddenly very serious. "Experiments, maybe. Tests. I know it wouldn't be pleasant."

"I'm sorry," says Gretchen quietly in response. "I had no idea."

"No," says Claire, stepping forward. "I'm the one that should be sorry. You were right when you said you didn't ask for this. But, Gretch ... you gotta understand ... When I found out that you had been assigned my case ... I just couldn't wait around to see what would happen. No offense, but ... I was afraid you were in over your head with this."

Gretchen nods in agreement as Claire begins to pace the small area around them.

"I mean, geez!" Claire exclaims, "I never thought in a million years that you would become a cop! I thought the reason you left me was because you were afraid! Why would you ever turn around and decide to face danger like that?"

"I didn't," Gretchen assures her. "I just wanted to study forensics. You remember my fascination with crime scenes, right? I just wanted to be one of the people who solved things. I never intended on facing any ... danger."

Claire stops her pacing and gives Gretchen another apologetic smile. "And now I've thrown you right into the fire. I am so sorry, Gretch. But ... what else could I do? I couldn't let you ..."

Gretchen swallows hard and says, "... die?"

"I was going to say get hurt," Claire corrects, "but ... yeah. I wasn't about to let anything ... happen to you."

Gretchen and Claire exchange long glances for a moment. During the exchange, Gretchen feels her heart start to race, and has to look away, fearing it might just explode at her feet if she stares at Claire any longer.

"Claire, I ..." Gretchen starts to say.

Claire shakes her head, suddenly gripped by some unseen emotion, and says, "Wait, let me go first."

But, before she can say anything more, the elevator suddenly starts to move again, and they both grip the side-railing for balance.

"What's going on?" Gretchen asks.

"Don't know," replies Claire, furrowing her brow, "Someone must have re-started it downstairs."

In a moment, the elevator comes to a stop and opens it's doors. Standing there, waiting for them with her arms crossed, is someone Gretchen remembers all too well. It is Becky, their old sorority sister from college; the invisible girl who had attacked Gretchen and sent her running home with her tail tucked between her legs; the very reason she had left Claire's side 5 years earlier.

Becky smiles at Claire and says, "Baby, what was taking so long? I got worried."

Claire steps out of the elevator, giving Gretchen an uneasy look as she passes, and gives Becky a quick kiss on the lips.

Gretchen stands frozen in her spot, speechless, and a little disgusted.

"Becky, you remember Gretchen," Claire says, pulling Gretchen forcefully from the elevator. "Gretchen ... now, don't go freaking out on me. Becky is a good guy now. She's not going to hurt you."

Gretchen gives Claire a disbelieving nod of the head, and thinks quietly to herself in response: she already has.