Claire quietly tiptoed into the house, not knowing if her mother and father were awake. She was in no mood to deal with them, or answer their questions of where she had been.

She wasn't really in the mood to answer them herself.

Sneaking into the kitchen, she was about to turn on a light when the gentle shutting of a door spooked her. Whipping around, her hands ignited in flames, she let out a sigh of relief when she saw Peter staring at her.

"Uncle Peter…it's just you." Claire said with relief.

"Expecting someone else?" Peter asked.

"More like someone." Claire muttered. "Listen…can I ask you something?"

Peter shrugged. "Sure thing, Claire."

Claire lifted herself up to sit on the kitchen counter. "Do you ever feel like your not doing enough?"

Peter scratched his head. "What do you mean?"

"Like, when you have a day off, and you swear that you're going to do something important, then you spend all your time watching Youtube videos?"

"Did I tell you about this funny one I saw about the Juggernaut?" Claire glared at him. "Shutting up now."

"My point is…do you ever feel like you are wasting precious time in your life by not…doing…stuff?"

Peter nodded. "I follow ya, Claire, and I, I have felt that way. And sometimes, it's ok to just take it easy. But that doesn't mean you can lead your life like that. Sometimes, you need to force yourself forward, to move on to something better."

"What if you're scared?" Claire asked.

"Get busy livin', or get busy dyin'." Peter said simply.

"…that's from Shawshank Redemption."

"…does it help?"

Claire nodded. "Yeah…it actually does."

^&^&^&^

"Hey, where's my meat?" Matt shouted, looking at the metal serving tray filled with mushy potatoes. "This some kind of punishment for that blonde chick yesterday?"

DL scoffed as he shut the food slot door "Doctors orders, Parkman. You're on a diet, otherwise we'll have to double the size of your cell."

"Oh, haha." Matt said, rolling his eyes. "I tell the jokes around here, laughing boy."

"Wouldn't know it from the lack of laughter."

Matt gave him a dark smile. "Say that with the power blockers off."

"Oh, trust me, I'd still say it to ya, but I'd get thrown in jail too, after I whooped your ass."

"See that's why I like you, DL…you banter." Matt sat down to enjoy his pathetic meal.

"And that's why I hate you." DL said honestly, leaving Matt to be by himself.

Matt had barely taken the first bite when the lights began to flicker. Glancing up, he watched as one, then two, then all of them gave out, leaving his in total darkness. For a brief moment he thought, perhaps, that the power blockers were done as well, but ruled against it. Those were on 4 separate lines, each one hidden away and independent…if even one went down, the other three would boot up even harder to keep the blockers working.

"I can't exactly eat in the dark!" He shouted.

SKREEEEEEE

Matt turned towards the hideous sound of something cutting along glass.

"Who's there?" he asked, not panicked in the slightest. "DL?" He smiled. "no, wait…is it Azrael?" he chuckled. "Have you come to kill me? Come to play with the big, bad bull?" He chuckled. "I'm a grown man, I am not scared of fairy tales. So, why don't you come out and face me."

SKREEEEEE

"Wait, I know!" Matt laughed, looking about. "This is Gray, ain't it? You come back to get revenge for your little partner?" Matt continued to twist about in the dark. "oh, come on, let's just get this over with. You pop out, I scream like a little girl, you get a few kicks in, warn me not to talk, and I go back to my potatoes." He smiled. "So come on…lets get this over with!"

"Hello Parkman."

All at once, Matt realized that the raw, rough voice that spoke next to his ear was not that of Gabriel Gray.

And the knife at his throat convinced him of that fact.

"Why so humorous?" Azrael said coldly, before he slit Matt's throat.

^&^&^&^

"The reactions have been off the chart, father." Mohinder said excitedly, pacing up and down the hotel room. "Already we have collected nearly half a million dollars in donations." Mohinder grinned, pausing a moment to wave his arms about. "And the guest spots…The Tonight Show, Good Morning America…all of them want to speak to us!"

"And death threats?" Chandra asked coyly. Mohinder's smile fell. "I thought so."

"it doesn't matter though…I can make the threats work for us, father!" Mohinder slammed his fist into the table. "We simply present them as nuts or, even better, freaks that are using their powers to intimidate you, and we net more cash."

Chandra nodded. "Of course." He pulled out a newspaper. "Now, what do we do about this one?"

On the front page of the Los Angles Times, the words, "MASKED MURDERER AT LARGE" were emblazed in big black letters. The article quickly got to the point of the matter, explaining how a masked man, calling himself Azrael, was murdering people right and left.

"We can use him rather easily for our cause. A perfect example of the powered menace run amok."

Chandra shook his head. "My dear boy, have I taught you nothing?"

His son stared at him, confused. "What do you mean? This man is the perfect example…"

"And if he isn't?" Chandra asked. "Eric Doyle…the man this Azrael killed…he had powers. Perhaps this Azrael is like us, though more…hands on then we are?"

Mohinder shook his head. "The things this man does…they aren't human."

"Then he is serving us another way. Every freak he kills is one less in the world. Let him operate until he proves himself to be one of them…then we will kill him." Chandra paused. "Besides…be he freak or not, I would rather not draw attention to ourselves just yet." He turned, opening up his briefcase and pulling out a file. "No…I believe that the best course of action is to watch and wait…and move on to Phase 4."

"Phase 4?"MOhinder questioned. "I wasn't aware there was a Phase 4."

"Oh yes, very much so." Chandra said slyly. "In fact…its already begun."

^&^&^&^

The lights were on in an instant, DL and the rest of the guards blinking. But one patch of darkness remained, in the form of Azrael, making his way down the hall.

"What the…" One guard peeked in Matt's cell, Azrael's dark deed confirmed. "It's Azrael!"

"Shoot him!" Another guard shouted.

The dark figure calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, green object, lobbing it into the air.

"GRENADE!" DL shouted.

The guards did what anyone would do in such a situation, searching out a place to hide. But there were in a sterile white hall, with nothing to shield them, nothing to protect them. Just a long empty hallway, their own bodies, and a grenade falling to the ground.

BOOM

^&^&^&^

Daniel Linderman sighed as he picked up the phone, dialing a familiar number. A few rings later, and he heard…

"Shut up! My dad's on the line!" Tina said over the phone. "Hey dad!"

"Tina…where are you and Madrid at?"

Tina sighed. "We're hanging out with friends, ok?"

Linderman shook his head. "I thought you were staying in tonight…we were going to discuss your future positions with the casino?"

Tina sighed. "I know, dad, I know…but Charlie got these tickets to this killer club…"

Linderman cut her off. "Tina, we've talked about this. You and Madrid can't be running around spending your entire time partying. You have to actually do something, make something out of your lives."

"We are dad." Tina said, her tone petulant. "We are dancing the nights away and partying our asses off!"

Linderman groaned. "Tina…when are you and your sister going to grow up? When are you going to show responsibility?"

"…where is the fun in that?" Tina paused, a racket heard in the background. "I need to go dad, love ya much. Kisses!"

"Tina…Tina…" Linderman stared at the disconnected phone. "Damn it."

^&^&^&^

When the rattling finally left Azrael's ears, the assassin chanced to look up, making sure that the guards were done for.

They were. Their bodies lay in pieces, mutilated beyond recognition.

Save for one.

DL.

"How?" Azrael asked simply as DL raised his gun. He tilted his head. "Are you…like me?"

"I'm nothing like you." DL said sternly. "Now, turn around."

Azrael took a step forward instead. "You are like me, in ways. We both thirst for justice. I just took it the next step."

"You kill people."

"You lock them away forever. A life taken is a life taken." Azrael took another step. "We both have seen the horrors of this world…and we've both seen what happens when one doesn't use their abilities…because you have an ability, don't you?"

DL didn't say a word. He didn't have too…Azrael knew it all.

"And we both sought out ways to use our powers…but only one us is truly making a difference. That's where we are different. Evil isn't the only creature that harms this world. Laziness is another. I can understand cowardice, I can except that. It is natural to be afraid. But to use your powers not help others, to harm them or to only help yourself, that is a sin that must be erased from this existence. It is tidal wave, crashing over all, and you DL, all you do is hold back. Its still there, you just try and contain it. Me…I drain the water away, so it never comes back." Azrael lowered his hands. "And that's why you won't kill me. That's why you'll tell your superiors that we never talked. That's why you'll let me go."

DL held his gun steady.

And finally holstered it.

"Why Parkman? Why now?"

Azrael considered these words. "Because he was evil. Because he harmed others. But most of all…he hurt Audrey." Azrael pulled out a business card and flicked it at DL. "If you ever feel like making a difference, a real difference…look for my signal."

DL just watched as Azrael ran away.

^&^&^&^

"Ando!" Hiro screamed, slamming his fists against his desk. "ANDO!"

Ando hurried into his boss' office, panting. "What…can I do…for you….Mr. Nakamura?"

Hiro sighed. "I am bored…entertain me."

Ando blinked. "Would…you like me to dance, sir?"

Hiro threw a stapler at Ando's head. "Of course not, you moron!" Ando managed to duck in time. "I want you to think of something I can do…something different."

Ando frowned. "In all respect, sir…there is nothing." Hiro raised an eyebrow. "You've done everything in Japan…you own the best clubs, restaurants, theme parks…there is nothing new or exciting for you."

Hiro considered this. "Then we'll just have to go someplace different. America, perhaps."

"We, sir?"

"Of course, Ando…I will need my servant."

"But…what of my family?" Ando asked as Hiro made his way to the door.

Hiro turned, glaring at him. "Do you want them to eat? For me not to throw them in jail? If so, tell them to smile and wave goodbye, because you are going on a trip!"

"…yes sir."

^&^&^&^

Claire nervously looked at the door, steeling her nerves. She didn't know if she should be doing this, but Mr. Morgan Freeman's words played over and over in her head.

Get busy livin'. Or get busy dyin'.

Claire knocked on the door.

After two firm knocks, it swung open, revealing a woman in a red outfit and a shock of red hair.

"…yes?" The woman finally said.

Claire shook. "Uh…uh…"

"Listen, I ain't interested in girlscout cookies, so why don't you…"

"Azrael sent me."

Atalanta nodded. "Artemis, Persephone! Azrael sent us a stray!" The woman motioned for Claire to enter. "Come on, let's get ya inside before someone sees you."

"Who are you?" Claire asked, confused.

"We're protectors of this city…the femme fatales. The killer chicks."

Two women, sisters, entered. Both were dressed as Atalanta was: leather pants, sleeveless shirt, boots, gloves and domino masks…only one wore all of this in black, the other hunter green.

Madrid Linderman shared a look with Tina. "I'm Persephone, and this Artemis…welcome to The Amazons."