Part 2
Anger coursed through her after she opened her eyes and saw Peter still in front her in completely unfamiliar surroundings. With all the energy she possessed Ellen placed a slap across Peter's face that echoed through the dimly lit hallway.
"You son of a bitch!" she said breathing heavily.
Peter pulled himself back from her slap and faced her, the left side of his face bright red and stinging him. "Now is not the time to insult my mother." He said, hating the fact that he would have to continue to be firm with her if she were ever to learn and accept the truth. It didn't come as natural to him as other things. But for her sake, he was determined to do whatever it took.
He snatched her firmly by the arm again and pulled her closer to him, cupping his hand over her mouth so she would allow him to speak for a change.
"You wanted proof and I'm going to show it to you." He said in a low voice, "But in order to keep us both safe you will do exactly as I say." He paused, waiting for her confirmation of that fact. She nodded.
"Don't make a lot of noise and stay with me…" his eyes softened as he looked at her. She was terrified of him, "..please."
He took his hand away from her mouth she swallowed, not taking her eyes off of him in case he might attack her at any second. "Where have you taken me?"
"We're in Texas, I don't remember the name of the high school."
Ellen looked around her for the first time. They stood in a wide hallway lined with lockers and wooden doors that led to classrooms.
"It's Homecoming Night 2006." He continued.
Ellen looked at him sharply and a smile slowly crossed her face but it wasn't a kind smile. It looked more to Peter like she was losing a bit of her mind. She chuckled and put a hand to her forehead, perhaps to see if it was still in the same place she remembered it to be.
"Autumn of 2006." She muttered. "We've traveled back in time." It wasn't a question, "Of course! Who needs a machine?" she continued, combing her fingers through her hair absentmindedly. "People have their own built in flux capacitors, Great Scott!"
Peter could see her eyes becoming wilder and less focused as she spoke. "Just screw H.G. Wells for heaven's sake!" she stumbled backwards and ran into a set of lockers.
He sighed and looked at the ceiling for a moment to gather his thoughts before taking her hand. He put his hand to her face to bring her back, forcing her to look at him and hushed her. "Listen to me, Ellen." He said softly.
Ellen looked at him, her smile had left revealing how frightened she was. "You can alter time." She said blankly.
Peter blushed a little attempting to keep his expression serious, "I have a friend who can." His rubbed his thumb against her cheek and stare at her as he'd done before. "Are you with me, Ellen?" he said.
Ellen breathed deeply and straightened up as she nodded, shaking her arms and hands out, trying to relax herself.
"In order for us both not to be seen we have to keep this." He held up her hand clasped in his and squeezed tight. "Without me, people will be able to see you."
"Got it." She said, brushing her hair from her face.
Peter studied her for a moment, wondering if this was a good idea after all. "You're not going to like what you will be seeing. You've got to promise me that you won't try and interfere or make any noise. These are past events."
If I don't go insane after this… Peter heard her think.
"Do you promise?"
"I promise."
Peter tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and smiled, "Just stay with me and it'll be okay."
Sure it will.
Ellen gasped before Peter could roll his eyes again. She latched onto Peter, her eyes open wide at something behind him. Peter whirled around, trying to ignore the pace of her heart beat.
A dark figure had stopped at the hallway entrance, hearing Ellen's gasp. She clapped her hand over her mouth and looked at Peter whose eyes were on the figure in the entrance. He stood, scanning the hallway, looking for the source of the noise but saw nothing. Peter and Ellen stood stone still as he began to walk towards them.
The man – Ellen could only assume it was a man – wore a long black coat and baseball cap. His face was hidden in shadow. She squinted at him; he seemed to actually embody shadow. His walk was slow and precise with effortless movement, making no noise that she could hear.
As close as he came to them, his face remained hidden though Ellen couldn't help but recognize the coat. But there were probably thousands of coats like that.
The figure brushed past them, leaving a chill in his wake. Ellen shivered.
Peter got Ellen's attention and with a finger pressed to his lips, signaled that the should follow him as the shadowed man turned sharply down another corridor.
Ellen shook her head violently, looking scared but Peter walked ahead of her and pulled her forward with him, leaving no room for an argument. Her shoes slapped against the floor and the man turned quickly, again searching for the source of the noise but found nothing.
He continued until the three of them could hear young girl's voices near by. As she watched him, Ellen could swear that he was fading in and out of the shadow and the dull light in the hallway. At times she could see him fully, as plain as Peter was next to her and the next moment the edges would become fuzzy and he'd blend into the darkness for just a second.
They watched him slip through a doorway and followed. By the time Peter and Ellen had entered the room, the man had disappeared and the pair of them could see the backs of two girls with long blonde hair dressed in cheerleading uniforms.
The girls were standing in front of a doorway opposite the one Ellen and Peter had come through. Their bodies were ridged and one of them spoke.
"Did you hear that?" the one who spoke turned to face the other and Ellen had to cover her mouth again as she saw a teenage Claire look about the room.
A shadow passed over both girls in a long silent moment.
The other cheerleader was grabbed by the shadow from behind. Peter felt Ellen shake as they watched him slam her body against a row of lockers, holding her by the throat and lifting her off the ground as she struggled and kicked against him.
Ellen saw the terror on Claire's face and pulled Peter with her to move closer. Claire lunged at him from behind, wrapping her arms around his throat in an attempt to pull him off of the girl he held but he was too strong. With almost no effort he pushed Claire off of him, slamming her against the opposite wall and returned his focus on the struggling girl that whimpered at him.
She squirmed and yelled until he covered her mouth. Ellen saw his hands and recognized them, knew their touch.
He began to cut along her forehead with what seemed to be an invisible blade, the blood dripped down her face and onto her clothes, her screams weakening as he did so until it was done. He'd silenced her.
A burst of protest escaped Ellen before Peter put his hand to her mouth again. He turned but only saw Claire who was standing again, her body mending itself at an extraordinary rate before their eyes. Her wounds had never existed, only stains of blood remained as any evidence.
The body he held dropped to the floor as he watched Claire but she didn't have to think. Claire ran for it.
As he passed them, Ellen got a glimpse of those brown eyes underneath the baseball cap though they looked as if they were made of stone.
Peter watched him leave then looked at Ellen. Her eyes were on the body of the cheerleader that lay in a bloody heap on the floor. She wiped a tear from her face as she mumbled, "No, no, no, no…" over and over again.
It's not, him. It's not him! Peter heard her tell herself. She's just a girl. Why would he hurt an innocent girl?
Her thoughts were scattered and erratic to Peter. Some made sense while others seemed to be bits of memory as the voices they were in seemed different. She still doubted though.
Ellen was shaking her head, her eyes fixed on the cheerleader still as Peter put his arm around her shoulders and held her, "There is more, I'm afraid."
The locker room was suddenly silent and empty, Claire's screams echoing nearby.
When Peter let her go, Ellen looked around again. They were still at the high school. She and Peter stood at the top of a sort of amphitheater. There was a football game going on close by under the inky black night sky.
They both heard the scream and saw Claire making a mad dash towards them, climbing the stairs of the theater. Ellen gasped in surprise as she saw Peter running after her, helping her back to her feet as she fell.
The shadow walked after them as though he had all the time in the world.
"So weird." the Peter standing next to her muttered under his breath as the past Peter yelled for Claire to keep going.
After a moment of convincing she finally ran, leaving Peter alone to face him. Ellen backed away in sync with past Peter as the shadow slowly approached. He lunged at Peter with fantastic force, pushing them up the steps to the top of the amphitheater.
Ellen released a choked cry as they toppled over the edge.
She and Peter looked to the pavement below and saw the crumpled bodies of both men lying still on the pavement.
That's not him. It cannot be Gabriel. It's a trick!
Peter studied her hard for a moment and decided she needed a little more convincing. He held her fast and they left as the shadow began to move.
The apartment building looked very old. They had appeared in a hallway. It looked to Ellen from the stair case ahead of them that they were three or four floors up.
"No, this isn't right." Peter said to himself and the setting vanished just as she was reorienting herself.
They returned inside an apartment. Ellen glimpsed out a near by window. It was frigid outside but there was no snow on the ground and there were buds on the tree branches. The beginning of spring…wherever they were.
There was the sound of men's voices and Peter tugged on Ellen's hand for her to follow him. They walked into a larger room. The paint on the walls was peeling and the floorboards looked warped and uneven. But Ellen wasn't concerned about the décor.
She saw Gabriel immediately, his hair was a little shorter but it was definitely him. Peter had to stop her from going to him, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her back.
Gabriel looked angry, his eyes were blazing at another man who stood opposite him. Ellen didn't recognize him. He had dark curly hair and deep olive skin. His face was terrified, his eyes were fixed on Gabriel.
"I was becoming extremely bored with you actually." Gabriel was saying. It was his voice but Ellen didn't recognize it. "But I do credit you, Dr. Suresh, for finding me out as it were, before I had to make a sign and hang it around my neck." The voice was ice cold.
"What are you after?" Suresh said.
"EVERYTHING." Gabriel changed his voice to a deep and harsh tone making him sound almost demonic.
Ellen stared in bafflement at him. She could never have pictured him so angry, so full of rage.
"BUT I'LL SETTLE FOR WHAT YOU WANT – THE PEOPLE ON THAT LIST." He raised his hand and jerked it, sending Suresh flying into the wall and crumpling to the floor. He then lifted him up like a doll and slammed him into the ceiling. Blood dripped from Suresh's face and he grunted in pain but Gabriel stopped.
Footsteps were coming closer from outside the door.
Gabriel smiled and placed a finger to his lips to ensure Suresh's silence.
Ellen was leaning against the wall, feeling terribly weak very quickly. The surprise of another Peter entering the room didn't phase her as she gazed, misty eyed at the scene.
She watched Peter look up and see the doctor pinned to the ceiling. Peter's eyes grew wide and scared as Suresh managed to speak.
"Sylar." He grunted at Peter who turned and was pushed against the wall.
Ellen watched, horrified as Gabriel with hardly a blink or any expression on his face pointed a finger at Peter and began to cut into Peter's head as he'd done the cheerleader. The scream shook the room, making her bones quake but it didn't phase Gabriel at all until he saw Peter's skin close up on itself as Claire's had done.
He looked surprised at Peter before Peter yelled and pushed Gabriel into the opposite wall without even touching him. But Gabriel stood up again in front of Peter who vanished.
The Peter she stood next to cursed quietly as his past self moved away from Gabriel. They watched as he turned suddenly, catching a glimpse of them out of the corner of his eye. He stared at Ellen and gaped at his future self. He tried to find words but none came and there was no time.
Peter put his arm around Ellen and pushed her to the ground with him as pieces of glass shot about the room like stray bullets. She looked up in time to see the past Peter's eyes lose their focus and his body collapse to the floor, a piece of blood stained glass lodged in the back of his head. Gabriel stood over the body, smiling…
The scene left.
He was happy Peter was gone. Hurting him, that teenage girl meant nothing to him. Nothing. It felt as though Peter was showing her events that involved Gabriel's twin brother. Though their faces were the same she did not know the man she just saw.
Ellen felt sick. Her head ached, her stomach hurt and her legs felt as though they were made of rubber. All that blood. He had caused all that pain!
The two of them were still standing there dumbstruck when Peter returned with Ellen. They reappeared on the same spot in Claire's living room. The only difference was Ellen. She looked haggard and worn.
Her legs gave way and she fell part of the way to the floor, Peter eased her the rest of the way down.
"Good Lord, Peter. What did you do to her?" Nathan said as he and Claire rushed to them, crouching around Ellen who clutched onto Peter like a life preserver.
So much blood. The screaming. How could he stand the screaming? Ellen's stomach churned at her and she stiffened and sat up.
"I think I'm gonna puke." She stood under her own power and rushed into Claire's bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Both Nathan and Claire stared at Peter as though he'd murdered somebody.
"I only showed her what Sylar is capable of. We were there, Claire. She wasn't. She had never seen anything like that before."
Claire rolled her eyes, "I didn't want you to take her. Didn't I say…?"
"Yes! You said but you also couldn't think of another way to convince her."
Claire didn't respond. Watching Sylar at work would make anyone sick to their stomach. Poor Ellen had probably and actually kissed the man! Claire shuddered at the thought.
"What is Sylar?"
All three turned towards the bathroom door and saw Ellen leaning in the doorway of the bathroom. Claire moved quickly to her and guided her to the couch to sit down.
"I don't know." Peter answered, "It's what Gabriel decided to call himself." He sat on the arm of the couch next to Ellen.
"I don't understand it at all." Ellen moaned as Claire handed her a glass of water.
"I don't know who that man was but it is not the man I know!" she waved the glass around like a mental patient as she spoke.
Claire patted her hand, "You see why we tried to warn you?"
"With the powers you have he'll be after you soon enough." Nathan added.
Peter remained silent and looked at her. Ellen touched two fingers lightly to her forehead and drew an invisible line across it. Exactly where Gabriel had been cut only his wasn't all the way across.
…he already is
"I need to go home." She said.
"I'll get a car to pick you up." Nathan reached for his cell phone.
"No, I'll do it." Peter touched her gently on the shoulder as Claire grabbed her hand. All three disappeared leaving Nathan rolling his eyes muttering what sounded like "hate that" under his breath.
