In their hotel room, Noah glances at Mohinder as he hands him back the 9th Wonders comic book he had given him.
NOAH: "How can there be another eclipse? We've already had two of them in the past few years. It should be impossible for there to be another one so soon."
MOHINDER: "I know how unreal this all seems, Bennet, but everything that has happened in this comic came true. And now we know that in precisely one week, there will be another solar eclipse."
NOAH: "And even more people will likely turn up with their own abilities. Ordinary people are becoming more rare with each eclipse."
Noah glances up as the bedroom door opens. Tracy steps out and looks at Noah and Mohinder. She has broken out into a cold sweat.
TRACY: "What's going on?"
MOHINDER: "We were just talking, that's all. We can continue this conversation later. I need to take a look at..."
Mohinder and Noah stare at Tracy, looking shocked. Tracy eyes them in confusion.
TRACY: "What?"
Tracy looks down at her hands. Her bandages have frozen solid, and water is dripping from her wrists. Blood drips down from Tracy's nose and she takes a step back.
NOAH: "Tracy?"
TRACY: "My hands hurt..."
She takes another step back, dazed. Tracy's eyes roll back into her head and she collapses to the ground.
MOHINDER: "Tracy!"
Mohinder and Noah rush to her side and Mohinder feels Tracy's neck for a pulse. He quickly pulls his right hand away as his fingertips start to freeze. Noah looks at the floor.
NOAH: "This is bad."
Noah stands up and backs away. Mohinder looks at the ground. The icy coating from Tracy's hand has spread down to the carpet and is slowly freezing the floor beneath her. Mohinder stands up and takes a few steps back, away from the ice.
MOHINDER: "We need to help her."
NOAH: "We can't help what we can't touch and she could freeze us both solid like this!"
Mohinder steps back as half of the carpet has turned to ice. Just as it gets to Mohinder's shoes, the icy coating stops spreading. Just as quickly as it spread, the ice quickly melts. Mohinder looks at his fingertips and the icy coating has melted off. Mohinder and Noah look at one another.
MOHINDER: "What the hell did that man do to Tracy?"
REED HOME - AUSTIN, TEXAS
MARION "MARY" REED - mid-50s with black hair - stands in the dining room in front of a large bowl filled with raw eggs. She grabs an egg from a carton next to her and cracks it open. Mary dumps the inside of the egg into the bowl.
Mary continues to cook the eggs in her pan. She hears footsteps coming down the stairs and she smirks. Mary turns around and notices Sarah walking into the kitchen, with her robe tied shut over her nightgown. Sarah sits down at the dining room table at the left side of the room.
MARY: "Good morning, sweetheart. How did you sleep?"
SARAH: "All right."
Sarah glances at her mother and then she notices the plates of food nearby. There are at least ten plates of food - stacked with bacon, eggs, hash browns, pancakes, and other items - set nearby.
MARY: "Oh, good. You look much better than yesterday. Are you going to stay home again?"
Sarah glances at her mother, giving her an odd look. She notices the way her mom is quickly cooking.
SARAH: "Uh, no...No, I'm okay."
MARY: "Well, maybe you should. I mean, you are getting over a rather nasty virus."
SARAH: "What's wrong, Mom?"
MARY: "What do you mean, dear?"
SARAH: "Mom, I know you better than that. You always cook too much when you're stressed out about something. Where's Aunt Susan?"
Mary frowns and she turns back to Sarah.
MARY: "She arrived back in Houston an hour ago. Her husband had a heart attack."
SARAH: "What? When did this happen?"
MARY: "Just this morning. We don't know anything else at this point."
SARAH: "Oh, God...Poor Uncle George."
Mary faintly smiles and nods at Sarah.
MARY: "I'm sure he will be okay, dear. George's always been a survivor, dear."
Mary walks over and scoops out the eggs. She sets them down some strips of bacon on the plate and then sets down three buttermilk pancakes by the eggs.
MARY (CONTINUED): "I doubt he's going to let a thing as bad as a heart attack keep him down for long."
Mary walks over to the table and sets the plate of food down in front of Sarah. She hands her some forks and nods at Sarah.
MARY: "I'll get you a drink. What would you like? Orange juice or milk?"
SARAH: "Milk is fine, thanks."
Mary smiles and nods. Mary walks over to the refrigerator as Sarah gets a forkful of eggs.
SARAH: "So, did you get to see that thing last night?"
Mary pulls the jug of Vitamin D milk from the fridge and she turns to Sarah.
MARY: "What thing, dear?"
SARAH: "I don't know. It was some kind of white light last night. It woke me up."
Mary grins and shakes her head.
MARY: "I didn't see a thing, dear. You sure you didn't dream it?"
SARAH: "It wasn't a dream. There was this white light in the distance. It was so bright that it woke me up."
Mary pours some milk into an empty glass near the plates of food and then she puts the lid on the milk jug.
MARY: "I wouldn't worry about it, dear. I mean, it's not like you saw a U.F.O. or something. It was just a light."
SARAH: "It was more than that, though. It looked like a bubble."
Mary stops at the fridge and sets the milk back inside. Mary looks over her shoulder and CHUCKLES.
MARY: "Now I know you were dreaming."
SARAH: "I think I could dream up something better than a bright white bubble that was shining by the old water tower."
Mary eyes Sarah for a moment. Mary shakes her head.
MARY: "Well, like I said don't worry about it too much."
Mary picks up the glass of milk, walks back to the table and hands the glass of milk to Sarah.
MARY: "If you want anything else, dear, just let me know. I've got eggs to finish cooking."
Mary smiles and walks back to the stove. Sarah gives her mother a puzzled look and then she sips her glass of milk.
Mohinder sits on a chair by Tracy's bed and stares at her. She stirs and MOANS. Mohinder looks at Tracy as she awakens and groggily opens her eyes.
MOHINDER: "Tracy? How do you feel?"
TRACY: "Dizzy...How long was I out for?"
MOHINDER: "You've been out since last night. It's already noon."
TRACY: "Noon? But..." (pauses) "Noah. Where is he?"
MOHINDER: "He's fine. He's outside in the hall, talking on his cell phone. He's calling in to report what's happened."
TRACY: "Did he see Peter?"
MOHINDER: "Yes."
TRACY: "How is he?"
Mohinder frowns.
MOHINDER: "Not well, I'm afraid. His condition got worse overnight. He's fallen into a coma."
TRACY: "A coma?"
Tracy sits up and flinches.
TRACY: "What did happen?"
MOHINDER: "You passed out last night. While you were unconscious, you nearly froze the room."
Tracy lies down and shuts her eyes. She MOANS and wipes the sweat from her brow.
MOHINDER: "Tracy?"
TRACY: "Hot...So hot."
Tracy turns her head aside and passes out. Mohinder gently shakes Tracy's shoulder. She doesn't awaken.
MOHINDER: "Tracy? Tracy, wake up!"
Tracy opens her eyes and she turns her head to her right to face Mohinder. He stands up and he smiles at her. Mohinder sets his left hand on her shoulder.
MOHINDER: "Thank God. For a second there, you really frightened me."
TRACY: "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to..."
Mohinder suddenly stiffens, his face frozen in a nervous smile.
TRACY: "Mohinder?"
Mohinder just stares at Tracy in shock and shivers. As he breathes out, Tracy can see his breath. Tracy notices Mohinder's hand has frozen as it stays stuck to her shoulder. He is quickly covered from head to toe in an icy coating, with his eyes the last to freeze.
TRACY: "MOHINDER!!"
Mohinder's icy hand slides off of Tracy's shoulder and he falls backwards to the ground, where she hears him shatter into pieces. The icy sheath spreads quickly down the bed, onto the floor and up into the walls. The icy sheath spreads up and freezes the entire room solid. Tracy looks down and notices her feet and hands have frozen in place to the bed.
The icy sheath spreads up her body, up past her waist. Tracy's teeth chatters as the icy sheath moves up quickly and to her neck. She shuts her eyes tight and SCREAMS in agony, just as the icy coating reaches her head. Tracy's SCREAM is cut short as the coating spreads over her face and she is frozen solid.
The ice cracks, dripping blood from the cracks. The ice continues to crack, and suddenly EXPLODES.
Tracy opens her eyes, awakened from her nightmare. She instantly SCREAMS and sits up, startling Mohinder and nearly knocking him off of his chair. Tracy looks at her hands. They're normal. Tracy is breathing hard and feels her body, patting her arms, legs and waist. No ice. Nothing. She looks at Mohinder, wide-eyed with fear.
In the hallway of the hotel's second floor, Noah holds his cell phone to his ear. He stands in front of his room, 225.
NOAH: "I thought you would've asked more about Peter and Tracy. I mean, Peter is in a coma, and you're asking me..."
Noah pauses, listening. He shakes his head, irritated, and clutches his cell phone tightly.
NOAH: "Fine. We were able to get the first issue of the 9th Wonders comic. It showed us nearly everything that had happened to us last night. The explosion, the hospital, Peter's surgery..."
Noah pauses, listening in. Noah lowers his head.
NOAH: "No. There was nothing in the comic book about Claire or the others. It didn't show what happened to them. Since this is the first issue of nine, we need to find out what happens next in the second issue next week."
Noah pauses, listening for several seconds. Noah nods, and listens for a few more seconds.
NOAH: "That's not going to be easy."
Noah pauses, listening to the response. He smirks.
NOAH: "If you say so. I still don't understand how we missed the nine comics that Isaac had painted. He's been dead for all of these years and now..."
Noah stops and listens for a few seconds. Noah heaves a SIGH.
NOAH: "What do you mean, there are more of them? How can that be?"
TRACY'S SCREAMS ring out from within the hotel room. Noah turns around and grabs his room key.
NOAH: "I have to go. Something's wrong."
Noah unlocks the door with his code key with his left hand, and closes his phone with the other.
Noah opens the door and runs into the hotel room. He runs past the living room and to the shut door to the bedroom.
Noah opens the door and rushes in. Mohinder reaches his hand out to Tracy and she quickly leans back, away from him. She's breathing hard and again soaked with sweat.
MOHINDER: "It's all right, Tracy. It's all right."
NOAH: "What's happened?"
MOHINDER: "I think Tracy's had a nightmare."
TRACY: "Don't touch me!!"
MOHINDER: "It's all right, Tracy. I was just checking on you. You passed out and have been out for over an hour. I think your sickness is getting worse."
TRACY: "What's wrong with me? What is happening?"
NOAH: "We don't know yet, but we've got company coming here to check on you. The Company has sent some of their doctors to pick you two up and move you to a lab five miles from here."
MOHINDER: "What about you?"
NOAH: "No. I have to go back to the hospital. Someone needs to keep an eye on Peter."
Noah walks across the room and to a chair. He picks up the comic bag, opens it, and pulls out the 9th Wonder comic from it.
NOAH: "Besides, I think there was something we missed."
MOHINDER: "Like what?"
NOAH: "You mean you didn't see it?"
TRACY: "What are you two talking about?"
Mohinder gives Noah a puzzled look. Noah opens the comic and turns to the tenth page. He hands the comic over to Mohinder and he looks at the last panel of the page, where Tracy is talking to Stanley. There is a shadow on the wall, of an unseen man.
MOHINDER: "Who is that?"
Inside a large comic book store, DAVID BIXBY - 26 years old with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a beard - stands at a rack of new comics at the front eastern wall of the store. David is wearing a T-shirt, black pants, and black sneakers. He has just finished placing the last new issues of The Amazing Spider-Man on the new comics rack. The store's portly, bald African-American owner, CHARLES TALBOT, stands next to him.
DAVID: "Man, these things just aren't selling like they used to."
CHARLES: "Welcome to the hard times of the recession, kid."
David picks up an unsold issue of The Incredible Hulk and smirks.
DAVID: "You ever wish you could be like these guys? I mean, I'd love to be like the Hulk. Of course, they don't make any pants out of unstable molecules that would fit normal me and the Hulk."
David looks at Charles, as he stares blankly at David. David shrugs.
DAVID: "What?"
CHARLES: "You don't get out much, do you, Davey?"
DAVID CHUCKLES and sets the comic back on the rack.
DAVID: "No, don't worry about me. My girlfriend and I are just fine, thanks. In fact, she kind of likes my input on comic books. She says it's cute."
CHARLES: "Uh-huh. In a nervous breakdown kind of way. Think you can get back to the register for me?"
DAVID: "Just as soon as I put the last comics up in the new comics rack, sure."
CHARLES: "Okay, I'll watch the register till you're done. But watch the bottom shelves. They're still broken and I don't want any scratched pages this time."
DAVID: "I hear that."
Charles walks off and over to the cash register. The door opens and Charles rolls his eyes as E.S. MORRIS - 25 years old, with wavy brown hair and glasses - enters. E.S. is wearing a jacket over his T-shirt, denim jeans, and sneakers.
CHARLES: "And here comes the other fanboy."
E.S.: "Hmph. Hello to you too, Chuck."
CHARLES: "That's Charles, Goggles."
David smirks as he stacks the new issues of Captain America onto the top shelf of the new comics rack.
E.S.: "Whatever. Where's Richie Rich?"
DAVID: "Right here."
E.S. beams a smile and walks to David. He leans against the wall, folds his arms over his chest and glances at David.
E.S.: "Hey, David. What're you stacking those in for? Let's skip this ghost town and you can buy me a slice of pizza. Or ten."
DAVID: "I'd love to, but I'm busy. Besides, my lunch break isn't for an hour."
E.S.: "It's cool." (shrugs) "I'll just hang out around here till you're on your break."
CHARLES: "You don't have to do that."
E.S.: "Yeah, but I don't mind, Charles."
CHARLES: (flatly) "That's not what I meant."
DAVID: "Well, I'm glad you're here. I'm loading the last new comics and Mr. Talbot said he has a surprise for me at the bottom of the stack."
E.S.: "Like what? Is it good?"
DAVID: "It must be. He just found out about it last night and didn't even see any early buzz about it on the internet. It's that good."
CHARLES: "It's better. Go on and look, kid."
David crouches down to the box of new comics and moves the untaped gift-wrapping away from it. David and E.S. both stare in the box in shock.
CHARLES: "Are you serious?"
E.S.: "No way."
CHARLES: (smiles) "I knew you two fellow basement bunkers would love it. There's only eight more after this one."
E.S. and David stare into the box. David picks up a copy of the 9th Wonders, #1 of 9, mini-series comic out from the box. E.S. and David glance over at Charles with beaming grins.
E.S.: "Oh, please say we can have a look."
CHARLES: "You can at lunch, I promise. But David needs to work and you need to go."
E.S.: "Gimmie one good reason why I should."
CHARLES: "Because your brother Bill came by five minutes ago looking for you. Said he needed to talk with you about what you did to his car."
E.S. stares at Charles blankly. E.S. glances back at David and gives his a quick double-pat on the shoulder.
E.S.: "I'll be back in an hour for lunch."
David smiles and watches E.S. turn around and walk to the door. E.S. opens the door and walks outside. David looks over at Charles.
DAVID: "Bill wasn't here looking for him. And nothing's wrong with his car, either."
Charles beams a wide grin.
CHARLES: "Yeah, but he doesn't know that."
David smiles and resumes stacking the new comics on the rotating comic rack.
In the hallway on the hospital's second floor, Noah walks over to room 333. He steps inside and walks over to Peter's bed. Dawn is keeping an eye on Peter.
NOAH: "I'm sorry. Do I need to come back?"
DAWN: "No, you can come in. I had just changed his IV bag."
Noah walks over and stands by Peter's bed.
DAWN: "Is he a relative of yours?"
NOAH: "He's my daughter's uncle. He's been through a lot this last year."
DAWN: "I'm sure he'll be all right. I've seen patients in worse shape than he is in now make full recoveries."
Noah looks over and nods at the nurse.
NOAH: "Thank you..." (eyes her name tag) "'Dawn.'"
Dawn smiles and nods. There is a brief buzz on the intercom.
INTERCOM: "Paging Nurse Williams. You have an emergency phone call at the front desk."
DAWN: "That's for me. Excuse me."
Noah nods and watches Dawn walk past him and out of the room. She shuts the door behind her and Noah looks at Peter. His heart beat and pulse are still low.
Down on the first floor, Dawn walks over to Mandy's desk and she hands her the phone.
DAWN: "What is it?"
MANDY: "It's your sister."
Dawn heaves a SIGH and picks up the phone.
DAWN: "What do you want, Jackie?"
In a jail, JACKIE ZANN - 28 years old with shoulder-length blonde hair and a lean, yet fit physique - stands at a pay phone by the back room. Her wrists are handcuffed and her coat and clothes are stained with mud.
JACKIE: "I need you to come bail me out. It's two-hundred this time."
DAWN (on the phone): "You got yourself arrested again?"
JACKIE: "Come on, little sis. You've got to come get me out of here. You don't understand."
Dawn looks upset and grips the phone tighter.
DAWN: "No, you don't understand. I'm sick of you going off from place to place without me knowing about it. I'm sick and tired of having to waste my money bailing your butt out of jail every other week. And I'm tired of..."
JACKIE (on the phone): (interrupts) "Will you just shut up and listen to me for a minute? The only reason I didn't come home last night is because I found her room!"
Dawn looks puzzled.
DAWN: "What do you mean, you found her room? Whose room?"
Jackie smiles as she holds the cell phone closer to her ear.
JACKIE: "I found her, baby. I found where they took Mom."
Mandy looks at Drew in concern. Dawn's hand shakes as she holds the phone against her ear and she blinks out tears.
DAWN: "You found..."
Dawn pauses. She smiles and CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY.
DAWN: (voice breaks) "What jail did you say you were at again, Jacks?"
Back in hospital room 333, Noah sits on a chair by Peter's bed.
NOAH: "I know you can hear me, Peter. You have to. You're stronger than this. I've gotten to know you pretty well over the last few weeks, and you've done so many good things in your life, with or without your powers. I will always be in your debt for saving Claire's life. More than once. And now, with Sylar and the Warehouse, and that masked son of a bitch..."
Noah pauses a moment. He looks at the monitor. Peter's heart beat and pulse have dropped even lower. Noah leans closer to Peter.
NOAH: "Come on, Peter. You can do better than this. You're not a quitter, you're a hero. You're a fighter. And if you don't get better from all of this, you're going to let down everyone you care for. Your mother will lose her son. Your niece will lose her only uncle. The world will be a lot more dangerous if you're not in it...if you can't save it. You need to..."
Noah stops as he looks past the monitor. He looks at the mirror and notices the hospital room door has opened a little.
NOAH: "That was closed."
Noah slowly stands up from his chair. He stops he sees the reflection of a shadowed man in the hall. The shadowed man quickly walks past the doorway and Noah turns around, away from the mirror.
NOAH: "Hey!!"
Noah turns and rushes to the door. He opens the door and looks to his right. The hallway is empty. There's nobody there. Noah turns around and looks at the other side of the hall. Again, Noah sees no one. Noah looks back into the hospital room. He stares at Peter and SIGHS.
In the food court of a mall, back in Austin, E.S. and David sit beside one another at opposite sides of a booth. David notices E.S. glance over his shoulder at the next page.
DAVID: "What did we say about 'personal space', E.?"
E.S.: "You're hogging the comic. I can't see the pages."
DAVID: "Oh, sorry."
David moves the comic more to the center so they can both see it.
DAVID: "I still don't get what you see in her."
E.S.: "I thought you liked Megan."
DAVID: "Not her, Shades. I mean Tracy."
E.S.: "Dude, how can you NOT like Tracy? She's awesome."
DAVID: "She's a total Niki rip-off! And besides, as you can see, her powers are going all funky. She keeps freezing things by accident!"
E.S.: "Yeah, but she's... Wait, funky?"
DAVID: (shrugs) "Well, it's true. She's having trouble with her powers. And who's this Stanley guy in the waiting room? We never thought we'd see a 9th Wonders comic again after Mr. Mendez died, and now we're getting an issue about Peter going to the hospital and a bunch of civilians interacting with them."
E.S.: "Maybe they're new characters. They could be new heroes, or supporting cast members. They could even be new villains."
DAVID: "Maybe. I don't know, though. So far, this feels a lot like a filler issue to me."
E.S.: "Oh, please. It's so not filler."
DAVID: "It is too! There's another explosion...again. Peter's been hurt...again. Like we all know he isn't going to recover by the next issue or so. He's too cool to kill off!"
E.S.: (shrugs) "That's what you said about Nathan. And he's the lamest guy they had."
DAVID: "He was not!"
E.S.: "Uh-huh. With all the times he nearly died and then recovered, he was like Kenny off of 'South Park'. Then they realized it wasn't funny to kill him off and bring him back anymore, so they just kept him dead."
David smirks and turns to the next page.
DAVID: "He'll be back. They always come back."
E.S.: "Uh-huh. I wasn't done with the page, by the way."
David smirks at E.G. and turns the page back.
DAVID: "I know. That's why I turned it."
E.S.: (grins) "For the best bud I've ever had, you're a pretty big jerk, you know that?"
DAVID: "Thanks. But don't count out the dead characters yet. It's a comic book. Anything can happen. Maybe they'll be back in a future issue."
E.S.: "It'd be lame if Nathan did come back, though. They had so many cool deaths in comic books that they ruined by resurrecting them later. I mean, death should mean something."
DAVID: "There's enough death in real life." (glances at E.S.) "Can I turn the page now?"
E.S.: "Yeah, you can. I wonder how it ends."
David turns the page and notices both pages are ads. He turns to the next page, which is the last. They notice the drawing of the eclipse at Kirby Plaza.
E.S.: "Wow. Another eclipse. How original."
DAVID: "Well, let's let it play out. It could be cool. I mean, that's how all of those heroes and villains got their powers."
E.S.: "9th Wonders has too many characters as it is."
DAVID: "But most of them are gone, remember? They vanished in that explosion." (turns to E.S.) "You don't think..."
E.S.: "What?"
DAVID: "You don't think..." (pauses) "...they'd kill off the old heroes and replace them with some new ones?"
E.S.: "Why do you think that?"
David holds up the comic and shows him the last page of the eclipse.
DAVID: "Hello! It's an eclipse! Don't you see something bad is going to happen next? I mean, isn't your spider-sense tingling?!?"
E.S. raises an eyebrow.
E.S.: "Chuck was right. You have been reading too many comic books. Can we eat now? You'll be late for work if you put off eating any longer."
David hands E.S. some money.
DAVID: "Fine. Go on and get the pizza."
E.S.: "Thanks. I'll pay you back."
DAVID: "Yeah, right. I'll put it on your tab."
E.S. smiles and walks off to the food court. E.S. walks to the Villa Pizza in the food court and stands in line. David holds the comic with both hands and stares at the last page.
DAVID: (sighs) "What does this mean?"
In the main hall of the police station, Jackie walks up to Dawn and rubs her unchained wrists.
JACKIE: "Think I can sue these creeps for locking those handcuffs too tight?"
DAWN: "Next time you're back in, Jack, maybe you can file a complaint."
JACKIE: "Okay, I'll let that crack slide. I've had a really rough night."
DAWN: "Fine. Let's just get to the car."
Jackie and Dawn turn and walk towards the main doors.
Dawn opens the door and walks outside. Jackie follows her out and walks with her to the left, walking to the parking lot.
DAWN: "How did you find them?"
JACKIE: "I went out on an assignment and found the house by accident. They're about five hours from here."
DAWN: "An assignment? Damn it, Jackie, you said you were done with all of this."
JACKIE: "I am, I am. As soon as I finish this last job for my boss. You know I can't back out without giving them something in return."
DAWN: "And how do you know it'll stick? This is the third time you said you were giving this up!"
JACKIE: "Can you please yell at me later? Do you want to get her out of there or not?"
DAWN: "And just how are we supposed to get her out of there?"
JACKIE: "Well, I know the head of security there. She can get us in with no problem."
DAWN: "She? Who did..."
Dawn stops walking and looks at Jackie.
DAWN: "Oh, not Daria. Please tell me you did not go over and that you want your ex to get us in there."
Jackie stops walking and she turns around to Dawn.
JACKIE: "Look, Daria is the only one with the code key to get us down there. Do you want Mom out of custody or not?"
DAWN: "It's breaking and entering, and in a security compound of all places. You could go back to jail--" (points at herself) "-- and this time, with company!"
JACKIE: "Hey, you know what Mom did for the both of us. You know what she gave up. Do you really want to leave her in there to rot?"
Dawn stares at Jackie for a moment.
DAWN: "Are you on the level with me?"
JACKIE: "It's me, baby. Come on. Let's go."
Dawn watches Jackie turn and walk off to Dawn's parked red Camry ahead. Dawn shakes her head, unconvinced.
DAWN: "Yeah, it's you, all right."
Dawn follows after her sister to her parked red Camry.
In the sub-basement of the Benson Laboratory, there are several agents standing watch and a few dozen doctors hard at work at computers, monitors, typing on the computers set on separate desks, etc. In the right corner of the room, Tracy sits in an enormous, empty glass tank. She is wearing a blue bikini underneath her hospital gown and she has wireless electrode pads on either side of her head, on each wrist, and on her heart. A monitor stands outside of the tank and reads her pulse and heart rate. The first three feet of the cell have protective padding over it.
Mohinder stands by the tank and he stands on a small ladder bolted nearby. He looks down at Tracy and she glances up at him.
MOHINDER: "Are you all right?"
TRACY: "Nobody's told me about why I'm in this pool tank. Am I going swimming?"
MOHINDER: "No, no. This is in case you start to freeze or drip water uncontrollably again. The floor and walls of the tank has been rigged with sensors and they become heated once the temperature builds up to frigid temperatures. Although you yourself won't be burned, the ice will quickly melt."
TRACY: (rolls her eyes) "Yeah, because we all know how fire-proof skin can be."
MOHINDER: "Nothing's going to happen to you under our watch, Tracy. I promise. We'll find out what's wrong with you and we'll fix it..."
Mohinder stops as he looks at Tracy's legs. Tracy looks down and notices that an icy coating has covered over from her feet up to her knees. The floor of the tank underneath Tracy glows red as the heating mechanism kicks in. The ice on Tracy's legs quickly starts to crack and it quickly, painlessly, melts off. Tracy feels her knees and then looks at Mohinder. He smiles and nods.
MOHINDER: "Trust me. We will find a cure for this."
Tracy nods at Mohinder. Mohinder steps down off the ladder, he turns around and walks off to a nearby desk.
Noah stands outside of the hospital and holds his cell phone to his ear.
NOAH: "It's me. I've got agents keeping an eye on Peter. Someone was in the hall watching us. I couldn't see who it was."
Noah pauses and listens to the reply from the other end of the phone.
NOAH: "Not a chance. It's too risky to move him now. Besides, if the guy was spying in on me or Peter, I want to find out who it is. And we still haven't found that masked man from last night."
Noah pauses. He listens for a few seconds. Noah SIGHS.
NOAH: "I don't know. I don't like the looks of this...or what you've been doing behind closed doors."
Noah pauses. He listens for a few more seconds.
NOAH: "I just hope you know what you're doing."
Noah pauses. He listens for a few moments.
NOAH: "What other sighting?"
Noah pauses. He listens to the other end for a few moments. Noah turns his head aside.
NOAH: "I can't leave Peter now. I just..."
Noah is interrupted by the other person's reply. He listens for a few moments. Noah makes his free left hand into a fist.
NOAH: "Fine. I'll call you when I get to Austin."
He hangs up his cell phone and closes it.
Back in the food court, an extra-large pepperoni pizza is set on their table. E.S. is eating a slice of pizza, while David stares at the comic book sealed in the comic bag. David takes a sip from his large-sized Villa Pizza cup, but keeps his eyes on the comic the whole time. E.S. sips from his own large cup and eyes David, puzzled.
E.S.: "Your eyes are going to burn a whole in that thing the longer you stare at it."
DAVID: "There's just something weird about that comic. Something that seems kind of...off."
E.S.: "What do you mean?"
DAVID: "It's like something is missing. I can't really explain it. It's just a feeling."
E.S.: "I think it's your brain finally trying to function. You're letting this comic get to you. Get over it, man."
David glances up at E.S., looking hurt. E.S. shakes his head.
E.S.: "Sorry, Dave. Bad choice of words. I know the last time you heard those..."
DAVID: "I'd rather not remember that."
E.S.: "That's weird. I wanted to get full on pizza, but I just got full. Must've been when I put my foot in my mouth."
DAVID: (smirks) "Well, you do have huge feet."
E.S.: "That's the wise-ass I know and love. Cheer up, eat your pizza. You have to go to work in ten minutes...pointless as it maybe."
DAVID: "It's not pointless. I told you, I love working. Me and my Mom maybe rich, but I like working at the comic book store." (glumly) "To me, it feels more like home than home."
E.S. gives him a glum look.
E.S.: "Now you're bumming me out. Next time, bring Kristen with you. She's not depressing."
DAVID LAUGHS and picks up his slice of pizza.
DAVID: "All right, all right. I'm eating, Ando."
E.S.: "Ando?"
DAVID: "Yeah. You're my best bud, just like Ando is Hiro's best bud."
E.S.: "I guess...Robin."
DAVID: "Robin?"
E.S.: "Hey, if I'm your sidekick in 9th Wonders, you're my sidekick in DC Comics. Fair is fair in alternate realities."
David glances up and he suddenly stops. E.S. gives him a puzzled look.
E.S.: "What is it?"
DAVID: "You've got to be kidding me."
E.S.: "What?"
E.S. turns around. At a nearby store in the mall, the TVs on display show a stilled image of the white energy bubble, the same one seen in Texas and at the warehouse.
E.S.: "That looks like..."
DAVID: "The same as the drawing on page..."
E.S. and David glance down at the comic book, and then they look at each other. E.S. pushes his glasses back onto his face and CHUCKLES nervously.
E.S.: "I take it back, David. I think we've both been reading too many comic books."
Mohinder looks at a blood sample under the microscope. He increases the magnification and he looks over at Tracy's tank, looking uneasy. Mohinder walks up onto the ladder by her tank and looks down at her.
TRACY: "What do the test results show? Do you know what's wrong?"
MOHINDER: "I'm afraid so. By the looks of things, your blood cells are slowly breaking apart due to an abnormality."
TRACY: "What kind of abnormality? What are you talking about?"
MOHINDER: "I wish I knew. It's some kind of advanced cellular degeneration. I've never seen anything like it. I'm afraid the cells will continue to break apart until..."
Mohinder stops himself. He lowers his head.
TRACY: (flatly) "Until it kills me."
Mohinder glances at Tracy sadly.
MOHINDER: "I'm sorry."
TRACY: "You're sorry?"
MOHINDER: "I'll do everything in my power to find an antidote for this. I just need more time to --"
TRACY: "You need more time? I'm the one whose cells are breaking apart! I need more time! I can't..."
Tracy stops for a moment. She grimaces.
MOHINDER: "Tracy? What is it?"
Tracy holds her sides and GRUNTS in pain. Water drips down from under her gown and starts to flow into the pool. The water spreads out onto the floor as the water pours out of Tracy...and doesn't stop.
MOHINDER: "Tracy! Tracy, concentrate! Hold yourself together!"
TRACY: (moaning) "It hurts..."
MOHINDER: "Tracy, stay with me!"
TRACY: (grunts) "I'm burning up..."
The water starts to freeze. The floor's sensors start to melt the ice, but they get covered completely by the ice as it spreads down through the ground and over the sensors.
MOHINDER: "Tracy!!"
Mohinder notices the thick glass of the water tank starting to crack. More and more small cracks appear, and then they get bigger. The agents stand around the area and one agent pushes a red button on the wall. Heated lamps on the ceiling above Tracy's tank are shut on. The heat melts the ice, slowly but surely. But TRACY MOANS AND SCREAMS as more water pours out of her body from beneath her gown.
Tracy falls to all fours and the water quickly fills the tank, rushing over her crouched body. Tracy lifts her head up and GASPS for air. She GASPS again as her body turns into a water form, and she falls forward. Tracy's body hits the floor of the tank, and her water body EXPLODES.
MOHINDER: "NOOOO!!!"
Mohinder notices Tracy's gown, her bikini, and her electrodes floating in the water. He just stares at the water, stunned.
The agents rush forward to help Mohinder, but they suddenly stop. Mohinder looks at them. Every agent is frozen in place.
A bald agent is stopped mid-run to the tank, another is holding onto the gun he was about to draw from his pistol...Another is stopped halfway out of the open men's room door.
MOHINDER: "Hiro?"
Mohinder looks around the room. He looks back at the tank. The masked man from the Beeman Warehouse is hovering above the water tank.
MOHINDER: "You...You did this!"
MASKED MAN: (voice distorted, disguised) "No. I did not cause this. I am here to help."
MOHINDER: "You cannot help now. Tracy's already dead."
MASKED MAN: (voice disguised) "Consider this a magic trick." The masked man reaches down and dips his hands into the water tank. He grabs the gown with one hand and grabs onto something invisible in the other.
MASKED MAN (voice disguised): "I'm going to make your friend re-appear."
The masked man wraps the gown down and it is worn again over the normal body of Tracy as he pulls her out of the water. Mohinder stares at the masked man, startled.
MOHINDER: "Oh, my God..."
The masked man flies across the room, with Tracy's wet body in his arms. He sets her down on the ground and gently holds her right hand. Mohinder looks down at his legs, as they won't budge.
MASKED MAN (voice disguised): "You don't trust me yet, so I need to keep you back. I can't let you interfere."
MOHINDER: "With what?"
The masked man stares at Tracy for a moment and wipes a lock of hair away from her eyes. The masked man looks up at Mohinder.
MASKED MAN: (voice disguised) "Her cure."
Tracy's eyes fly wide open and she GASPS in air. Time around her has started again, with the agents rushing to the tank. Mohinder stares at Tracy in shock, as TRACY COUGHS out water. The rushing agents turn around and notice Tracy on the ground. Mohinder gets down off the stairs and he runs over to her. TRACY COUGHS and looks around the room, startled. Tracy stands up and Mohinder stands in front of Tracy.
TRACY: (panting) "What the hell just happened?"
Mohinder doesn't answer. He just stares.
A short time later, Noah is standing in an airport by the pay phones, holding his cell phone to his ear.
NOAH: "Slow down, Doctor. Go back to the beginning."
MOHINDER (on the phone): "I said that Tracy is all right. That masked man we met at the Warehouse froze time, flew over Tracy's tank and pulled her out. He cured her of her degeneration."
NOAH: "Why? How did he do all of those things?"
Mohinder, holding his cell phone at his ear, smiles and turns around to Tracy. She's sitting on a chair, wearing a T-shirt, jeans and sneakers. Tracy is drying her hair with a towel.
MOHINDER: "I honestly don't know. But whatever he did, it seems to be a permanent cure. I think we've found another person with empathic mimicry, just like Peter. It would explain how he was able to hold all of those powers and cure Tracy."
NOAH (on the phone): "You think this guy somehow copied the powers of other individuals?"
Mohinder pauses for a second.
NOAH (on the phone): "Mohinder?"
MOHINDER: "I'm sorry, Noah, I just...Do you think it was Peter?"
Noah looks confused.
NOAH: "Peter? How could it be? He's in the hospital."
MOHINDER (on the phone): "He is now, yes. But what if it was Peter from a different point in time, some time in the future?"
NOAH: "You mean he could acquire time-travel and go back now to meet us?"
MOHINDER: "It's a possibility. Hiro and Peter have both come back from the future into our present time before. It's not entirely out of the question."
NOAH (on the phone): "I don't buy it. If it was Peter, he wouldn't be wearing a mask. He knew we could trust him, so there'd be no reason not to show his face."
MOHINDER: "I suppose not. I mean, he did say I didn't trust him yet. He could be someone we know, or someone we will know in the future. But whoever this man is, it wouldn't be too hard for him to find someone with abilities like people we've met in the past. Some powers are more common than others for those with abilities. Invisibility, teleportation, flight...They're all the most common abilities I've come across on my recent list of names."
At the airport, Noah turns his head aside in realization.
NOAH: "Did you say invisibility is a more common ability?"
MOHINDER (on the phone): "Quite so. I've found three other cases in the past two weeks with those who could..."
Noah looks on in realization.
NOAH: (interrupts) "He was invisible."
MOHINDER (on the phone): "What? Bennet, what's wrong?"
NOAH: "I need to make a call. I think Peter's in danger."
Noah hangs up the phone.
THE COMPANY - NEW YORK CITY
In a large office, located underground, Angela Petrelli holds a cell phone to her ear.
ANGELA: "I'm afraid I don't know more than you do at this point. Peter's slipped into a coma, and we don't know where the others are. Claire, Hiro, Matt...all of them."
Angela listens to the person on the other end speaking. She pauses a few moments, listening.
ANGELA: "It's not that simple. I haven't had any dreams since the explosion. I'm just as in the dark during all of this as you are."
Angela pauses. She listens for a few moments. Angela shakes her head.
ANGELA: "No, he has not. Tracy is still under Mohinder's care at the laboratory, and Noah remains at the hospital. He saw someone else there spying in the hall. Noah doesn't know if he was spying on him...or Peter."
Angela pauses and she listens to the person's reply. She smirks.
ANGELA: "I will call you as soon as I know. And just know...it's good to hear your voice again."
Angela pauses for a moment. She nods.
ANGELA: "I will. Goodbye."
Angela hangs up her cell phone. She sets it down on a table. Angela nervously glances down and at the floor. Beside the table lies a bald, middle-aged man. The man's face is seen, but he's lying dead in a pool of his own blood and has several gunshot injuries. Angela lifts her head up and a man's glove-covered hand is set down on her shoulder.
Tears form in Angela's eyes as she shudders.
ANGELA: (whispers) "What did you do?"
Dr. Lieber stands in Peter's room, watching his monitors. The door swings open and several Agents from the Company burst inside.
DR. LIEBER: "What is going on here?"
Agent #1 holds up his badge to show the doctor.
AGENT #1: "We're here to pick up this patient and we need to move him to another location. Mr. Petrelli's life is in danger."
A man's shadow is visibile on the wall in the hallway. The shadow itself then turns invisible. The invisible man walks off down the hall.
INVISIBLE MAN: "A minor problem."
The front door opens and Sarah walks inside, wearing a waitress uniform. She shuts the door behind her and hangs up her coat on a coat rack. Sarah glances at the clock on the wall, and sees that it is 7:15 p.m. Mary walks down the stairs and smiles as her daughter notices her. Mary is holding her cell phone to her ear.
MARY: "Yes, she's right here. She just stepped in."
SARAH: "Who is it?"
MARY: "Hold on a moment, please."
Mary covers the speaking end of the phone with her hand as she hands it over to Sarah.
MARY: "It's your cousin."
SARAH: "Thanks, Mom."
Sarah takes the cell phone and holds it to her ear.
SARAH: "Hello?"
Sarah pauses and smiles.
SARAH: "Yes, I just got in from work."
Sarah pauses for a moment. She looks puzzled.
SARAH: "See what?"
Sarah walks into the living room and sits on a reclineable chair. She picks up the remote control on the arm of the chair, pushes the power button and switches the TV on. She sees a reporter on the screen.
SARAH: "Yeah, I'm looking at the news now."
The screen switches from the reporter to a stilled photograph of the energy bubble. Sarah looks at the screen, stunned. She pauses, listening to the other end of the phone.
SARAH: "No...But I've seen it before. Last night."
Sarah doesn't notice her mother standing in the doorway. Mary looks at the energy bubble image on the screen and then at Sarah.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "There are rare times when people will see something truly incredible. It could be something they have never seen before. It could be something too fantastic to believe without evidence."
At her house, Kristen is sitting at the end of her bed and watching her widescreen TV. She sees the image of the energy bubble on the screen.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Unidentified Flying Objects...Everyone claims to have seen something truly incredible and yet have no proof that the things they saw were real."
Hiro, Matt, Claire and Ando walk on the sandy ground of the desert, heading west. Matt's head wound has been bandaged. They are all soaked with sweat from the heat. Hiro and Matt are carrying the cooler, while Ando takes a sip from his bottle of Ozarka. Matt stops walking and looks ahead at a nearby sand dune.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "These sightings are rare and seem too absurd, too fantastic to actually exist."
Usutu is standing at the top of the dune, watching over the heroes. He turns his head to the west, and then he looks back at Matt. Usutu turns around and walks off.
Hiro looks over at the sand dune to see what Matt sees. Usutu is gone.
MATT: "We keep heading west."
HIRO: "How much farther?"
Matt looks at Hiro and shrugs.
MATT: "I'm not sure. Just trust me."
In a Residence Inn hotel room, Jackie and Dawn are seated on their separate beds and are watching TV. It shows the news reporter talking about the energy bubble.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "But what if these fantastic sightings were true? Even though they do not know what it is, how it got there, those that saw it know in their hearts that they saw something real...something special."
Peter Petrelli is on a gurney and is being loaded by Agents into the back of an ambulance. Dr. Lieber stands nearby and watches the Agents set Peter inside.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "Sometimes, we need to act out of instinct to support our claims, even if we do not have more to go on than simple faith."
In a large apartment, David is seated on the couch, taking a swig from his bottle of Coca-Cola. He is watching the energy bubble image on the widescreen TV ahead.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "But sometimes, we have all the proof we need to back up our claims, regardless of how we got it."
E.S. walks over and sits on the couch, next to David. E.S. is holding his cell phone to his ear. The 9th Wonders comic is tucked under his arm. He sits back on the couch -- this is his apartment.
E.S.: "We saw the bubble before the news report too, Sarah."
He pulls the comic out from under his arm with his free hand and he looks at the cover.
E.S. (CONT'D): "There's something we really need to show you."
Back at the hospital in New York, Mandy sits at her desk and hangs up her phone. Mandy starts to write on her notepad.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "And sometimes, we are unaware of the incredible and dangerous things right in front of us."
She stops writing and looks up. Mandy looks in concern at the man standing in front of her.
MANDY: "Oh, my ..." (pauses) "Sir, do you need a doctor? How can I help you?"
A familiar man in a dirty coat stands in front of Mandy, holding onto an oxygen tank. It is Samson Gray.
SAMSON: "I sure hope so, young lady. Could you tell me where I could find a miss Dawn Williams?"
Samson flashes a friendly smile.
