Almost Two Years Ago

Alicia stood in the middle of her apartment. The man on the phone said he would be there in an hour, but that was almost two hours ago.

She paced back and forth trying to keep her excitement down. She wanted to know what this man who claimed to be a doctor could possibly mean by saying she was a new link in the evolutionary chain. She didn't even believe in evolution, but she knew that something strange was going on with her body.

Just a month before, she had come around a man who she knew could read minds. She didn't know how she knew that: she just did. It was like she could see into his heart. Like she could see what was there on his insides. His soul was illuminated for her to see and so was his gift. Somehow she knew that he wasn't a bad man. It was like his soul was lighter and she was happy to see his light.

Then she started to be able to see more peoples' talents. Mostly she could only see the amazing things that they could do, but a few of them (like that first man), she could see if their souls were dark or light. She didn't know what made the difference, she just knew that some were good and some weren't.

Each of them held a special talent; even if she couldn't see if they were good or evil she could always see their power. The good needed to keep their powers, but she had the urge to take the bad one's powers away.

There was a knock on the door, it broke into her thoughts like a rude intruder. Alicia walked to the door slowly, a heavy weight building on her shoulders.

"Calm down, Alicia, you're just nervous to find out what's happening to you."

She opened the door a crack and a man stood on the threshold. He was tall and lean with brown hair and dark brown eyes. He smiled at her, a strange awkward smile, like he didn't use it often.

"Hi, are you, Alicia Grant?"

"Yes! You must be Dr. Suresh, please come in."

The young man walked in slowly. The strange smile staying on his lips. "Thank you for seeing me. You don't know how many people won't even answer my phone calls."

"I'm sure. It is pretty weird." Alicia led him into the small living room of her home, the anxious feeling still flooding her veins. "So how does this work? I can't really show you what I do… It's more of something I see."

"That's alright. I don't have to have a demonstration." A darker, gravely note came into the doctor's voice; it made Alicia turn to look at him. Her vision changed as she watched. Like looking through the wrong end of a telescope her sight narrowed to his insides. A silvery shadow lingered in him. She knew instantly that this was his soul.

"What? Do you see something now?" his voice was so far away it was like he was talking from another room.

A shadow spread throughout his whole body; a blackness darker than anything she had seen.

Alicia gasped and the room came back into view. The man standing in front of her smiled a half grin. His eyes became dark, menacing.

"You… you're evil." Alicia whispered.

"You can see that? Hmm? I'm going to like this one." He stepped closer to her and raised his hand; Alicia flew onto the wall, her body pinned. He pointed his index finger at her, and she felt wild pain slicing through her forehead. She screamed.

Without thinking, her own hand raised. She reached out and touched the very tip of his finger. Something like a bolt of electricity passed between them. The doctor stumbled backward and Alicia slid down to the floor.

"What was that?" he asked, getting his footing back and moving toward her again. "I'm going to like that," excitement filled his voice.

Alicia didn't know what she had done, but she knew that it could stop him. She jumped up, leaping towards him. Her hands collided with his body first, the same electricity surging through her. She could see his soul, but now she could also feel it.

He thrashed about, trying to get out from under her, but she wouldn't be removed. This new sensation of feeling, was painful but exhilarating. She touched on every wispy, fold of his soul.

"What are you doing to me?" his voice burst forth. It was not the same gravely, almost soothing voice of before, but a deep base, monster like voice, poured from his throat. She watched and felt the new voice come from somewhere in the middle of the filmy, folds.

She reached into the folds with her mind. It was like trying to find something at the bottom of a wade pool filled with silk. Every time, she thought she had found the source, it turned out to be something else; a false power.

Finally she saw it, the source of the voice. It was a disgusting lump that lay close to his heart. The darkness in here, was even darker than in the rest of his body, if that was possible. She could see something akin to tentacles coming from the thing, its evil spreading through out his being.

It had to be removed. It must be taken away from him. Her mind's hands moved into that place and took hold of the thing. She felt its power flow like waves through him. The man under her, cried out in pain as she touched it.

The fingers of her invisible hands gripped around it and pulled hard. She twisted it and the fabric of it began to tear. He screamed with each thread that broke.

Finally, Alicia smiled to herself and ripped it from him. She had it, it was gone. Rolling off of him, she heard him cough and gasp for breath.

She still held it in her mind's hands, the smile still on her face. Then out of nowhere the thing began to grow and wriggle in her mind. It was trying to latch onto her. It was spreading through her mind, grabbing onto anything it could.

Alicia's real eyes became clear and she could see the room and the doctor laying beside her. The evil was spreading through her fast. She could feel it settling into what it wanted as its new home.

"No!" Alicia yelled, jumping to her feet. Not knowing what she was doing, she placed her hands onto the wall of the apartment and pushed with her entire mind. The thing screamed out, floundering around, trying to stay inside of her.

She pushed harder, forcing it to leave. It scratched and clawed to stay but with one last push, it was gone.

Alicia turned to look at the man laying on her rug. He was still struggling to breathe, but he was smiling.

"How did you do that? You saved me," he said. His smile widened, and Alicia could see it was not the dark fake smile of before, but a true and genuine smile.

"I don't know. There was just evil in you."

He started to stand but his body crumpled back to the floor.

"Let me help you," Alicia ran to him, helping him to her couch. His arm still around her neck, he looked at her with pure admiration.

"Thank you. You don't know what…what I would have had to do if it had stayed in me. So many more might have died."

Alicia didn't speak but just nodded her head. Somehow she understood. Even in the small amount of time that it had been in her, she had felt its desire for flesh and power.

Alicia sat down beside the man and sighed deeply. Her own body felt very weak.

He smiled again at her; his teeth showing, he looked like he might burst with joy. She ran her pink nails through her hair, feeling self-conscious.

"I think all of your powers are gone. I wasn't able to take just the one."

He laughed and leaned his head back. He looked like a weight was just taken off of him. "I don't want them…not anymore."

"What now?" Alicia asked, watching a beautiful light dance through his essence.

"Now we take you to the real, Dr. Serech. He'll want to meet you." His brown eyes, that seemed less dark and more like chocolate, stared at her with awe. "Your power is truly a gift."

"I should have known you weren't, Dr. Serech. Who are you really?"

He didn't answer at first; he looked confused as if he wasn't sure. He looked down at his watch. Alicia followed his gaze, the timepiece said, "Sylar."

"I think my name is Gabriel…Gray. It used to be. I suppose it is again."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Gabe." Alicia put out her hand for him to shake. He took it and gave it a little jiggle, then for a long moment he held onto to it very lightly.