NEW YORK CITY
The solar eclipse is taking place.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "Everyone has a certain hero that they look up to when they grow up."
Some bystanders stop walking and notice the eclipse in the sky. Some bystanders stare at the eclipse briefly, while others keep staring.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "There are all kinds of heroes that people admire and look up to."
THE COMPANY
In Angela's office, Angela and the Haitian stand by the window and watch the solar eclipse.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "They could be a fictional character, a parent, a fireman, a police officer. There are all kinds of different heroes."
Angela looks at the Haitian and he nods. He looks back at the eclipse.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "Every hero has their own unique story that they have to tell and each has a different way of how they came to be."
MIDTOWN, NEW YORK
Outside of a fortune teller's store, we see a late-20s woman and a mid-20s man are staring at the eclipse. Both are seen from behind, their faces not seen.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "For some, becoming a hero is the last thing they ever expected or wanted. For others, it's a wish come true. No matter how they got there, every hero has a beginning... an origin."
JENNIFER SHARP - NEW YORK CITY - 3 WEEKS BEFORE THE ECLIPSE
Inside of a fancy-looking fortune teller's store, a beautiful fortune teller, MADAME JENNIFER "JEN" SHARP - 28 years old with curly dark hair and green eyes - is seated at a round table. She has on a black headband and a red dress, while several fortune teller cards are set on the round table. A lovely mid-30s woman, JILL, sits in the chair in front of her.
JILL: "Can you tell me when I'm going to be married?"
Jen grabs a blank card, turns it face-down on the table and closes her eyes. Jen smiles.
JEN: "I take it you think your husband-to-be hasn't picked out the wedding ring."
JILL: "No, Bobby's a good man. It's just he's so afraid of commitment that he..."
Jill suddenly stops and looks ahead at Jen, puzzled. Her eyes are closed and she has her hand on a blank fortune-teller card, still faced down.
JILL: "Husband-to-be? You mean..."
Jen opens her eyes and smirks.
JEN: "Would you like to see your engagement ring now or when Bobby presents it to you?"
JILL: "You can't be serious. That card's blank!"
JEN: "Just humor me. Would you rather be surprised or see it now?"
Jill looks at the card and then at Jen.
JILL: "Fine. Let me see it."
Jen nods. She turns the card over and Jill stares at it, stunned. The once-blank fortune teller card now has an illustration of a lean man with red hair in a black coat over his tuxedo, on one knee and holding an open box with an engagement ring on it. The gold ring has a sparkling diamond on its center. Jill smiles and wipes a tear from her eyes.
JEN: "It's not a bad ring, right?"
JILL: "That's Bobby! It looks just like him! You even got the scar above his left cheek!"
Jill looks at Jen, puzzled.
JILL: "But how... how did you...?"
JEN: "Well, I am the psychic one around here. Go on. Go home and get ready to see your groom-to-be. I can tell you when he'll propose, but I trust you'd like to be surprised?"
JILL: "Of course. I swear, I won't tell him what you showed me. I won't let on that I know. I know how to keep a secret."
JEN: "I know you do. Psychic, remember?"
JILL: (chuckles) "Right. Thank you, Jen! Thank you so much."
JEN: "It's no problem. Have a nice night."
JILL: "I will. Goodbye!"
Jill waves and then she turns around and walks out. Jen looks back at the blank cards left on the table. Jen notices a card and looks puzzled. There is a sudden glow on one tarot card, a black pulsating light...
There is a knock on the door. Jen looks at the fortune-teller card and grabs onto it. Her eyes go white, losing their pupils completely. The back door opens and a 26-year-old man with scruffy black hair and sunglasses walks into the room. This is TAYLOR SHARP, Jen's younger brother. He has on an unzipped black leather jacket over a black shirt, black pants and black boots.
TAYLOR: "Jen?"
Jen doesn't notice her brother. She holds up the card, and the blank front of the card starts to fill in with color. Various colors swerve on the front of the card - black, white, brown, red...
Taylor stands next to his sister and notices her white eyes. She blinks and her pupils return.
TAYLOR: "Jen? Jen, what happened?"
Jen looks at the fortune-teller card and stares at it. Taylor looks at the card and notices it.
JEN: "It's coming."
The previously-blank card now shows an illustration of the skyscrapers of New York. The sky has gone dark and the familiar solar eclipse is in progress.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - 2 HOURS BEFORE THE ECLIPSE
Sandy Connors walks into her living room, limping slightly. There is a knock on the door. Sandy turns and eyes the door. Sandy walks over to the side wall and she touches it for a moment with her left hand. Sandy pauses, and there is another knock on the door. Sandy takes her hand off the wall, and walks to the door. Sandy unlocks the door and opens it. West is standing outside in the hall.
WEST: "Hi there. Are you Sandy Connors?"
SANDY: "Who are you?"
WEST: "My name's West. Can I come in and talk with you for a few moments?"
Sandy nods and steps aside. West walks inside and to the living room. Sandy follows him into the living room, limping, and she sits on her chair.
WEST: "Are you all right?"
SANDY: "Fine. Just fell down the stairs, is all."
WEST: "I see. I came down here a few days ago to ask you a couple of questions, but found your apartment trashed."
SANDY: "I'm sure. Maybe you can cut the crap, kid, and tell me who sent you and what they want from me."
WEST: "Excuse me?"
SANDY: "Oh, come on. Do I really look that dumb to you? Most of the people who come to my apartment are either here to make a delivery, ask for rent, ask me to work for their organization or abduct me. I don't see you holding any packages or rent due papers, so why are you here?"
West SIGHS and sits on her couch.
WEST: "I just came here to talk. I know you've been through a lot and that you're a very special person. As I'm sure you can guess, I've got my own special talent. I came here to ask you if you would like to come work for us, where you can be safe."
SANDY: "And just what kind of a place would I be working for?"
Sandy suddenly stops. She looks over at the doorway, a bit nervous.
WEST: "What's wrong?"
SANDY: "They're back. Two coming up the stairs, five more are already in the hall."
West looks at Sandy and notices her bare feet. Her feet, toes, and the floor beneath her have neon blue gridlines faintly glowing around them.
SANDY (CONT'D): "There are three more coming into the building."
WEST: "How do you know that?"
SANDY: "I can feel them."
West looks at Sandy and he stands up.
WEST: "Listen, if you'll trust me, I can get us out of here before they come in."
SANDY: "And which way do you suggest we leave?"
West smiles.
Outside in the hall, six AGENTS, including a seventh wearing a mask, armed with tranquilizer guns crowd in front of Sandy's apartment door. One Agent nods and a masked agent kicks the door open, knocking it off its hinges. The door hits the ground and the agents run inside with their guns aimed forward. The agents split up and look around. They see no one there. The masked agent taps his headset.
MASKED AGENT: "The target's not here."
DISTORTED VOICE (on headset): "Where did she go?"
The masked agent looks around. He notices Agent #2 is standing by the back wall and at the open window. The masked agent shakes his head.
MASKED AGENT: "She got outside."
BRUCE NORTON - DAYTON, OHIO - 1 HOUR BEFORE THE ECLIPSE
The door to apartment room 108 unlocks from the outside and swings open. A mid-40s, lean-muscled Australian man, PAUL, enters the room and Bruce follows him inside. Bruce is wearing a denim jacket over his purple T-shirt, denim jeans, black socks and black shoes. Bruce is carrying a plastic bag filled with clothes in his left hand and a video camera in his right. Bruce takes a few steps into the empty apartment and looks around.
PAUL: "How long d' you want it for?"
BRUCE: "Just the week."
PAUL: "I don't usually lend rooms out for just a week or so. This ain't a hotel."
BRUCE: "I know. I just really need to stay here for a while. I'll be gone before you know it. Honest."
Paul eyes Bruce for a moment, and then he nods.
PAUL: "Just this once. Enjoy your stay here."
BRUCE: "Thank you."
Paul nods and turns around. He exits the apartment and then he closes the door behind him. Bruce crouches down and sets the camera down on the floor. Bruce reaches into his jacket and notices the holstered gun inside.
BRUCE: "It's almost time."
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE ECLIPSE
The Boss sits at his desk, looking at a stack of papers held in his hands. There is a knock on the door.
BOSS: "Enter."
The door opens and Carlton enters the room. The Boss smiles as Carlton walks over and sits on a chair before his desk.
BOSS: "It's nice to see you back. Did you find anything?"
CARLTON: "No, sir. The place was empty when I got there."
BOSS: "How disappointing. And what about Marsh? What did he report from his assignment?"
CARLTON: "Well, from what he says, he had four of those creeps tossed around in a sand tornado. Next thing he knows, he's suddenly back in his cabin in the desert and those guys were long gone."
BOSS: "What? What happened?"
CARLTON: "He doesn't know. He thinks somebody with an ability must have taken him back to his place before he could blink."
BOSS: "Yes, well, considering how many hours away it was for him to walk from his cabin to Usutu's home, I suspect that someone with teleportation must have done it. It's the only way he could've gotten back to his cabin without knowing it."
CARLTON: "Well, don't worry, boss. We're looking into who helped them out."
BOSS: "I assumed as much."
The Boss looks over the files in his hands. He glances up and notices Carlton is still seated before his desk.
BOSS: "Is there something else?"
CARLTON: "If I may speak freely, sir... is there anything more about my son? A location? Anything?"
BOSS: "I'm afraid not. We're using all of our resources to find your son, Carlton. But I'm afraid he's had some help in keeping a low profile and we haven't been able to find any new information yet. As soon as I hear something, you will be the first one to know."
CARLTON: "Thank you, sir."
Carlton stands up and starts to walk to the door.
BOSS: "And Carlton?"
Carlton stops walking. He turns around and looks at the Boss.
BOSS (CONT'D): "Make sure you remain in the warehouse for the rest of the night. You won't be vulnerable that way."
CARLTON: "Vulnerable? From what?"
The Boss gives him a grim look.
AFRICA - 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE ECLIPSE
The masked man sits in the tent with Usutu and Curtis. The masked man has just finished pulling his mask back down over his face, but nothing of his skin, face or anything has been shown. Each of the three men has bottles of water set beside them, though the masked man's bottle is the only one empty.
MASKED MAN: "Thank you for letting me rest, but I'm afraid I have to get going."
USUTU: "The eclipse is less than five minutes from happening. Your powers..."
MASKED MAN: (interrupts) "Don't worry about me. I'm not important. I don't have much left to do."
CURTIS: "At least stay here for a while. We can look after you."
MASKED MAN: "I have family back home waiting for me. They don't even know just how long I've really been gone. They need me right now."
USUTU: "This is not goodbye, you know. When the time comes, we will meet again."
MASKED MAN: "I know. But for now, I have a few parting gifts left to leave before the eclipse takes place."
The masked man stands up and points behind Usutu.
MASKED MAN (CONT'D): "I've left the rest by the wall behind you. Farewell, my friends."
The masked man lowers his head and vanishes, teleported away like Hiro. Curtis and Usutu turn around. Nine paintings have been left standing against the wall.
CURTIS: "There are nine more paintings. Are these the nine he spoke of?"
USUTU: "I don't know."
Usutu and Curtis walk over and stand in front of the paintings. They eye each painting, one at a time. The first is a painting of Peter Petrelli, lying face down next to Caitlin on the sand in the African desert. The second is of the blonde woman with the black hood, strapped into the electric chair. The third painting is of Mohinder, seated at his desk and eyeing his computer. A list of blurry names are on the screen. The fourth painting is of Angela Petrelli, standing in her office with the Haitian and eyeing the eclipse.
USUTU: "Past. Present. Future."
Curtis eyes on painting, puzzled by it.
CURTIS: "What could that be?"
Usutu eyes the fifth painting, the one Curtis is eyeing. That painting is of a man, covered from head to foot in a white silhouette. The ground beneath him has cracked, and there is glowing red light between the cracks. The background is of tall buildings and skyscrapers, but it is seen as a photo negative version of itself in black and red. There is a dim red glow coming from behind the man, though it looks more like it is coming from around his body like an aurua.
USUTU: "An unfortunate problem."
Usutu and Curtis look away and notice the sixth painting. It is of Sylar, handcuffed and seated in a police station. Two policemen we haven't seen yet, one in normal clothes, stand before Sylar. The plain-clothes cop's mouth is open, questioning Sylar, though Sylar gives him an amused smirk. The seventh painting is of a man, seen from behind and hidden in the shadows. He is seated atop the orange statue in front of Kirby Plaza, with the full moon shining bright in the night sky. The silhouetted man is hunched over and has his right hand covering his face, as if sobbing. The eighth painting shows Peter and Sylar, standing at opposite sides of an enormous, dimly lit room and preparing to face off.
CURTIS: "Time has gone by so fast. It is almost time."
USUTU: "I know. And the rest will be up to them."
Usutu stares at the last, unseen painting. He gives the painting a grim look.
USUTU: "We have to stop it, Curtis. We cannot fail them."
AUSTIN, TEXAS - 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE ECLIPSE
Inside the Lieber Paper Factory, Noah sits at his desk. F.B.I. Agents Hanson and Benson stand nearby. Noah is looking at the files set on his desk.
HANSON: "What've you got there, Bennet?"
NOAH: "Something that might help us out. I just received this fax from Angela Petrelli. There was a confirmed death in Hackensack, New Jersey. A teenager, Laura Lawson, was found dead by her younger brother, Miles. Her head was sliced open."
HANSON: "Sounds like Sylar's handiwork."
NOAH: "Not exactly. Eyewitness reports say that Miss Lawson was last seen with a bearded man old enough to be her father."
BENSON: "But you said he could shapeshift, right? Maybe he took on another disguise."
NOAH: "Sylar's quick, but he doesn't have any current powers I know of that allow him to teleport, fly, or run at super-sonic speeds. The description of the man seen with the Lawson girl matches that of Samson Gray."
HANSON: "Sylar's father?"
NOAH: "He's been on his own killing spree over the last several weeks, leaving a trail behind just like his son. There's no word yet on what Miss Lawson's ability was, so we don't know what Samson has acquired from her."
BENSON: "So what do we do now?"
NOAH: "Angela Petrelli has given us new orders. We're to regroup and meet them in New York."
HANSON: "Where's the first flight out of here?"
MASKED MAN: "You don't need a flight."
Noah looks at the doorway and Hanson and Benson turn around. The masked man stands at the doorway, talking as always in his distorted voice.
MASKED MAN (CONT'D): "Your travel arrangements have already been made."
Noah quickly stands up. There is a sudden bright light, as the white energy bubble washes over the three agents...
When the light disappears, Noah, Hanson and Benson are already standing in the hallway of the Company's top floor. They look around and see the masked man isn't with them.
BENSON: "What just happened?"
Noah turns around and sees the elevator doors slide open. Angela and the Haitian step outside. They walk to Angela's office door, but they stop as they see Noah, Hanson and Benson.
ANGELA: "Noah?"
Noah shakes his head.
NOAH: "Unbelievable."
PETER PETRELLI AND CAITLIN - AFRICAN DESERT - DAY
It is still 10 a.m. and the eclipse hasn't happened. Peter takes a few steps forward and sees no one there. Caitlin walks over to Peter and sets her hand on his shoulder.
CAITLIN: "It's no use looking. He's long gone."
PETER: "Why would he just drop us off here in the middle of nowhere? It doesn't make sense."
Peter takes a step forward and nearly trips. He looks down and notices his foot has hit a cooler. Set next to it is a sack filled with food, such as Ziploc bags stuffed with sandwiches and small bags of different varieties of chips. Caitlin approaches as Peter crouches down to the cooler and he opens the lid. Inside the cooler are several bottled drinks, from Ozarka water bottles to half-liter bottles of Dr. Pepper, Coca-Cola, Sprite, etc. Peter looks up at Caitlin.
CAITLIN: "Well, at least he left us a partin' gift."
Caitlin looks at the sack of food and notices a note taped to it. She picks up the note and looks at it.
CAITLIN: (reads) "Walk north. When you find the marker, stop and wait."
PETER: "A marker? What marker?"
CAITLIN: "Dunno. That's all the note says. What do we do now?"
Peter looks up at the sky, noticing the sun. Peter looks away and looks north.
PETER: "We should do what the note says. I'll pick up the cooler, you carry the food sack."
CAITLIN: "Where do y' think we're going? What's going on?"
PETER: "I don't know, but I intend to find out."
Peter picks up the cooler and gets up to his feet.
SYLAR - DENVER, COLORADO
The eclipse has been in progress for less than half a minute. Sylar tries to open a window as the police pound away on the locked entry door. The door is knocked open and several POLICEMEN charge in, guns drawn and aimed at Sylar.
POLICEMAN #1: "FREEZE!"
POLICEMAN #2: "Put your hands up, now! NOW!!"
Sylar has no choice. Powerless, he raises his arms in surrender. Policeman #2 goes to handcuff him, as POLICEWOMAN #1 enters the kitchen and her eyes widen at what she finds. Policewoman #1 turns away and GAGS at what she saw.
POLICEMAN #1: "What is it?"
Policewoman #1 merely points at the kitchen floor, not able to look. Policeman #1 enters the kitchen with POLICEWOMAN #2 and POLICEMAN #3. They stare at the floor in shock.
POLICEWOMAN #2: "Oh, my..."
On the kitchen floor lies Michael Reese's dead body, with his skull cut open and his head above the forehead is now cut off. Blood lies on the ground.
POLICEMAN #3: "Oh, God. He... he..."
Policeman #3 GAGS, turns away and heads to the trash can. He hunches down and the police officers around him hear him VOMITING.
POLICEMAN #1: "I can't believe it."
Policeman #1 looks around on the ground and then around the room. He sees no murder weapon. Sylar notices Policeman #3 has stopped puking and he COUGHS.
SYLAR: "Would any of you offers care for some Chinese food? There's plenty of it left on the table, if you'd like to help yourselves."
Policeman #3 quickly drops to his knees, lowers his head to the trash can and VOMITS all over again at the mere mention of food. Policeman #1 turns to Sylar, who is handcuffed and held by his arms by Policeman #2 and POLICEMAN #4.
POLICEMAN #1: "You think this is funny? What did you do to him?"
Sylar smirks.
SYLAR: "The cut-open head is pretty much self-explanatory, isn't it?"
Policeman #1 walks to Sylar and grabs him roughly by the collar.
POLICEMAN #1: "Don't give me any crap, kid! Who are you? Where's the murder weapon?"
SYLAR: "Weapon? I didn't use any weapon." (smiles) "That was all me."
POLICEWOMAN #1: "He's got to be kidding."
Policeman #1 lets go of Sylar's collar and steps aside.
POLICEMAN #1: "No. He's just insane. Bring him to the station."
Policemen 2 and 4 escort Sylar to the door.
POLICEMAN #4: "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
AUSTIN, TX. - 10 MINUTES AFTER THE ECLIPSE
E.S. drives his car down the road, with David in the passenger seat. He looks ill, pale and has broken out into a cold sweat. E.S. slows the car down and parks it in front of David's large, two-story house.
E.S.: "Well, here we go, David. You're home in record ti--"
E.S. turns to David and stops talking. He notices that David's shivering.
E.S.: "David? You okay?"
David opens his eyes and looks at E.S. He unbuckles his seatbelt.
DAVID: "Sorry, E. Guess I didn't hear you."
E.S.: "You're sicker than you let on, man. You look like crap, man."
DAVID: "That doesn't mean I'm sick. I always look like crap."
E.S. smirks and David opens the door. David starts COUGHING and he nearly collapses. E.S. takes his seatbelt off, opens the door and quickly exits his car. He rushes around the car over to David and helps him stand up.
E.S.: "Look, man, I know you get tired easily, but even for you, you're looking pretty bad. Let me get you inside."
DAVID: "Don't worry about a thing."
David turns and he looks at the eclipse in progress.
DAVID: "Guess I'm just having one of those days."
David turns and walks over to his house. E.S. watches David walk up the driveway. David's walking slowly, wobbling a bit. He's visibly having trouble walking in a straight line.
DAVID: "I'm all right. Just gonna go inside, lie down, maybe get some Advil..."
David starts COUGHING, HARDER. He stops walking and rubs the sweat from his brow. David looks worse than before, if that's even possible.
DAVID: "Okay... a lot of Advil... I just..."
He starts walking again, walking haphazardly.
DAVID: "Gonna go in... Just..."
David stumbles a bit as he tries to walk, and then he stops. E.S. walks over to David and David's eyes roll back in his head. David fals forward and collapses onto the grass. E.S. runs over to David.
E.S.: "DAVID!!"
E.S. runs over to David and crouches beside him. E.S. rolls David over onto his side and blood trickles down David's nose, mouth and ears.
DESERT - AFRICA - AFTERNOON
Peter and Caitlin walk on the sandy ground. Both Peter and Caitlin have their pant legs rolled up to their knees, Caitlin's jacket has been discarded, and Peter is now shirtless. They continue to walk through the desert, clearly hot and tired. Beads of sweat form on Peter's forehead and he wipes the sweat from his brow.
CAITLIN: "Which way are we goin'?"
PETER: "I don't know. I think we should keep going north. like the note said. I've just got this feeling..."
CAITLIN: "Me too. It's called hunger, darlin'. It's about time we ate."
PETER: "It's not just that. It's something else. I can't explain it."
Caitlin suddenly stops walking.
CAITLIN: "Looks like your hunch was right about headin' north."
Peter stops walking and sets the cooler down. He notices Caitlin is eyeing the ground. He looks down and sees an open umbrella sticking up from the sand. Under the umbrella are two sacks of clothes, a cooler filled with ice and various bottled drinks, and a large sack of food filled with bags of food items, from sandwiches to various chip brands. Peter walks to the umbrella and crouches down. A note is taped to the cooler lid. Peter takes the note off of the lid and stares at it. Caitlin goes beside Peter, she drops onto one knee beside him and sets her hand on his shoulder.
CAITLIN: "What is it?"
Caitlin notices what's written on the note.
PETER: (reads) "Please wait here. He is coming to pick you up."
CAITLIN: "Who's 'he?'"
PETER: "I'm not sure."
MAN: "Greetings, Peter."
Caitlin and Peter turn around, startled. A familiar lean shaman stands nearby, leaning on his walking stick.
MAN (CONT'D): "Forgive me for startling you. A mutual friend sent me to pick you up."
CAITLIN: "Who are you?"
The familiar man steps forward to the seated duo. The man is Usutu. He holds his hand down to Peter and Caitlin.
USUTU: "My name is Usutu. Please... come with me."
STANLEY FINGER - NEW YORK - 7 P.M.
The eclipse is in progress. Stanley sits on his bed. His Uncle Walt steps inside and notices Stanley is looking pale, ill.
WALT: "Hey, Stan. How are you feeling?"
STANLEY: "I'm all right, Uncle Walt. What's going on?"
WALT: "Not much. Your Aunt's making us some snacks. We're getting ready to watch that new DVD she rented. Do you want to join us?"
STANLEY: "Yeah, that sounds like fun. I'll be out in a couple of minutes."
WALT: "Great. We'll save you a seat."
Stanley looks at his Uncle Walt. He just stands there, eyeing Stanley. Stanley looks puzzled.
STANLEY: "What is it, Uncle Walt?"
WALT: "Stan... I spoke with your father at the hospital. He told me about what's happening with you."
Stanley looks a bit grim at this.
STANLEY: "I kind of wish he hadn't done it."
WALT: "You don't mean that, son. Your old man's been going through a lot and he's not doing so well. But that doesn't mean that we can't help with what's been going on with you. You know that your aunt and I are always going to be there when you need us. If there's ever anything you need from us, anything you need to tell us, we're here for you. We'll always be there to help."
Stanley gives his uncle a sad smile.
STANLEY: "I'm sorry, Uncle Walt. You can't help me with this one. You don't understand."
WALT: "Try me. Please."
Stanley turns around as he notices his phone ring. Stanley looks down at the number on the phone.
STANLEY: "It's the hospital."
WALT: "Let me get that."
Walt walks over and picks up the phone. He holds it to his ear.
WALT: "Hello?" (pauses) "Yes, this is Mr. Finger."
Walt pauses, listening. Stanley looks at his uncle for a few moments. Walt closes his eyes and lowers his head. He SIGHS. Walt opens his eyes, looking sad.
WALT: (voice shaky) "When?"
Stanley eyes his uncle in sad realization. He turns his head aside and covers his mouth with his hand as he starts to cry.
In New York, the solar eclipse is still in progress. Mohinder is standing at the front doors of The Company. D.W. walks past the familiar orange statue of Kirby Plaza and walks over to the Company building. Two policemen are at either side of D.W.
MOHINDER: "I see you brought some company."
D.W.: "The prison wanted me supervised at all times while we're doing this deal, Doctor. So what do you want me to help you with first?"
MOHINDER: "Well, to be perfectly honest, we're awaiting those orders right now. We can't make a move until tomorrow."
D.W.: "Why the wait? There's no point in putting this off."
MOHINDER: "Actually, there is. Going out at this time would be too risky. Right now, you might say we're a bit more vulnerable."
D.W.: "What do you mean by that?"
Mohinder opens the front door to the Company.
MOHINDER: "Please, step inside. I will explain it to you once we get settled in."
D.W. gives him a puzzled look. She shrugs and steps inside. The two policemen follow her in and walk at either side of her. Mohinder is about to enter, when his cell phone rings. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and eyes the number on the caller ID screen. Mohinder unfolds the phone and puts it to his ear.
MOHINDER: "This is Mohinder?"
WEST (on the phone): "Dr. Suresh, it's me."
MOHINDER: "West. Where are you?"
In a hotel, West is standing in the main room with his cell phone held to his ear. Sandy sits on the couch. The TV is on, but Sandy has her eyes on West.
WEST: "I'm in a hotel in Jersey. I got Miss Connors, like you guys wanted. But some guys were in her hotel room trying to get her. I didn't get a look at any of them, though."
MOHINDER (on the phone): "Have you told Mrs. Petrelli?"
WEST: "Yeah, she knows. She gave me your phone number to tell you what was going on. Where are the others?"
MOHINDER (on the phone): "Noah and the F.B.I. agents are already here. Our masked friend got them here a short while ago. Tracy and Micah are still gathering information for us, and Monica is taking a break from her training until the eclipse is over."
WEST: "Well, be careful down there. If we had any trouble down here..."
Mohinder walks into the Company and shuts the door behind him.
MOHINDER: "I understand, West. I'll call back after a while. Do you have your instructions from Mrs. Petrelli?"
WEST: (on the phone) "Yeah. Stay put till tomorrow. We'll be back at the Company in the morning."
MOHINDER: "I'll see you both tomorrow, then. Goodbye."
Mohinder hangs up his phone and walks to the elevators to join the awaiting D.W. and two officers.
Back in apartment 108, Bruce sits on the floor. The camera is propped up on a small stand, is aimed at him and is recording. Bruce sighs.
BRUCE: "Hello. My name is Bruce Norton. I am 25 years old, I used to live in Dayton, Ohio, and I have been a computer analyst for six years. My parents, Sharon and David, are deceased and I had an older sister named Laura. She passed away, six weeks ago. Three weeks before her death, my sister and I were checked into the Lago Medical Center for treatment of a new, deadly virus that we had caught. Laura used to work there, as their resident top medical doctor and scientist. Now she was the one that needed to get better. We had volunteered to help test out a new drug named Primenorzac to help treat our disease. If it worked, we would be rid of our condition. If it didn't, we would've at least died trying to get better and help the medical staff at the Center with their experiment. Laura was given a test of a possible antidote for the virus. Her heart gave out, two days before her thirty-first birthday."
Bruce SIGHS. He shakes his head.
BRUCE: "The week after Laura died, the scientists told me they'd finally found the problem and had come up with a complete antidote for the virus. I was approached by the new head medical doctor, Dr. Harring. He injected me with a kind of dark blue medicine, almost purple-tinged. He said it was the first component of the antidote. I went in to the emergency room, was being prepped to be tested for treatment and Dr. Harring put me to sleep. When I woke up..."
Bruce pauses a moment. He's trying his best not to cry.
BRUCE: "When I woke up... it was nine hours later. I found myself in another town, my clothes nearly torn off, and half-covered in mud. I managed to walk to a diner and told the people there that I had been attacked and mugged. I was given some money for new clothes and given a soda with no charge by the diner's owner. That's when I saw the news report on the diner's television. It said there had been some kind of explosion at the Lago Medical Center, but there were no burns and no traces of any kind of explosive devices. Dr. Harring and two of the nurses went missing. The rest of the doctors and nurses that were trying to treat me were dead."
Bruce looks down at his lap. He reaches into his pocket and he pulls out a gun.
BRUCE: "This has gone on long enough. I've been doing my best to run away, to find someone... anyone... that could help me get rid of my... problem. But now, because of this eclipse, I think I've found my solution. It will be hours before this eclipse ends. And before I kill myself, you need to know the real story about me. About the Lago Medical Center. About the woman responsible for all of this...the woman that ruined my life."
POLICE STATION - DENVER, COLORADO
Sylar sits in an interrogation room, his hands handcuffed together behind his chair. The two policemen from the painting we saw in Africa stand before Sylar. The first is a plain-clothes cop, JOEY JUSKO. The other is CAPTAIN BRETT WRIGHT. Jusko is questioning Sylar, posed the same way he was in the painting.
JUSKO: "We've got no fingerprints of you on file, no records. We couldn't even find a trace of a history on you. Now let's cut the crap and give us an answer as to why killed that man?"
SYLAR: "I told you before." (smirks) "I was just collecting what was mine."
CAPT. WRIGHT: "We didn't find anything on you when we booked you. Nothing was stolen, there was nothing broken, and there was no sign of a murder weapon. We know you didn't get rid of it, because you couldn't even get yourself out of there."
SYLAR: "I could've left. But I had... an unforseen complication."
JUSKO: "Such as?"
SYLAR: "Let's just say something happened that made it harder for me to escape. But I will be able to get out... fairly soon."
CAPT. WRIGHT: "I doubt that very much, young man. Now why did you kill Mr. Allen? How do you know him?"
SYLAR: "I didn't know him. We never met until today. I learned that he had a problem and he asked me if I could fix it for him." (smiles) "And I did."
Capt. Wright walks over and grabs Sylar by the collar.
CAPT. WRIGHT: "You lousy..."
The door quickly swings open. A blond policewoman, KAREN, steps inside.
KAREN: "Sir! We just got a file sent in to us! You're never going to believe this."
Wright looks at Karen and then at Sylar. Sylar smirks. Wright lets go of Sylar's collar and walks over to Karen. She hands him the file and he holds it in his hand. Wright opens the file and eyes the papers inside. Wright looks at the information inside and then he looks up at Sylar in shock.
JUSKO: "What is it, sir?"
CAPT. WRIGHT: "We've got him. We've arrested Sylar."
Sylar smiles wickedly at Wright.
In his bedroom, David lies on his bed, paler than before and he's broken out in a cold sweat. David's tucked under a blanket and he's shivering. Mrs. Bixby and E.S. stand at either side of his bed and keep watch over David. Mrs. Bixby eyes the thermometer she's holding in her hands and E.S. puts his hand on David's forehead.
E.S.: "He's burning up! What was his temperature?"
MRS. BIXBY: "A hundred and two. I should take him to the hospital."
E.S.: "You can't do that, remember? There's still that traffic jam outside from that car wreck. We can't get him out."
MRS. BIXBY: "Well, I've got to do something. I have to find out what's wrong with my son."
E.S.: "Listen, why don't you go down and get some blankets or something to help him out? I'll stay here and keep an eye on him for you."
MRS. BIXBY: "All right. Thank you, E.S."
E.S. nods and Mrs. Bixby leaves the room. E.S. looks over at David and he shakes his head.
E.S.: "Oh, man... Dave, what's wrong with you?"
David doesn't hear. He just shivers from the cold.
Back in the apartment, Bruce sits a few feet away from the recording camera. He shakes his head.
BRUCE: "And that's it. Now you know the truth. Now you know why I have to do this. This is the only cure that will work. I can't be responsible for hurting anyone else... killing anyone else. If they want their weapon, they were looking for the wrong guy. I'm not their hero. I was a monster."
Bruce aims the gun to his temple.
BRUCE: "But I will die as a man."
The camera continues to record, even as the gunshot to Bruce's head echoes through the room.
THE COMPANY, NEW YORK - 11:55 P.M.
At the Company, Noah walks down the hall and to the elevator doors. Benson and Hanson follow him to the elevator.
BENSON: "Where are you going?"
NOAH: "We're going down. It's almost time."
BENSON: "Time?"
Hanson nods, remembering.
HANSON: "Kirby Plaza. Midnight."
NOAH: "Whatever's down there, we need to be present for. But we need to be careful. We don't know what's waiting for us down there."
At the police station, Sylar sits in the interrogation room. He is alone and looks to his right at the window. He stares out of the window at the night sky. Captain Wright stands in front of Sylar's cell and he smirks.
WRIGHT: "What're you doing? Counting stars?"
Sylar ignores him. He just stares outside of the window. Wright shakes his head.
WRIGHT: "You might as well give up everything you've got, son. You've got nothing left now but time. For all the things you've done, you're going to be locked in here for a long, long time."
Sylar shakes his head, his eyes staring at the sky.
SYLAR: "I don't think so."
CAPT. WRIGHT: "What makes you so sure?"
Sylar looks at the night sky. Sylar looks to Captain Wright and smiles.
SYLAR: "Because the eclipse is almost over."
Captain Wright shakes his head and walks to Sylar.
WRIGHT: "What's that got to do with anything?"
Sylar keeps silent. Captain Wright punches Sylar across the jaw. He COUGHS, hurt from the punch.
CAPT. WRIGHT: "Answer me!"
Sylar looks at the Captain. He tries another punch, but his fist freezes and stops inches in front of his face. Sylar smiles.
SYLAR: "Everything."
Within the hall, police officers pass by. Everyone stops as they hear CAPTAIN WRIGHT'S SCREAMS of fear and pain from the interrogation room. Jusko and a few policemen rush down the hall and to the locked door.
JUSKO: "Get this door unlocked, now!!"
As if in answer, the door unlocks from the inside and the door swings open. Captain Wright's dead body drops down from the next room, his throat and skull both slit open.
JUSKO: "Oh, God!"
POLICEMAN #1: "Move in!!"
POLICEMAN #2: "Let's get him!!"
Jusko and the policemen rush into the room, guns aimed. Several more officers run to the doorway as they hear gunshots. They hear the POLICEMEN SCREAMING in fear and agony. The policemen in the hall get to the doorway, but suddenly stop, frozen in place. Through the doorway, JUSKO SCREAMS as he is suddenly thrown across the room and is pinned out of sight to the wall by telekinesis. Sylar steps out into the doorway, his hands bloody and his shirt stained from fresh blood. He smiles at the frozen officers who came to help.
SYLAR: "I'll be with you folks in a moment."
Sylar nods and the door slams shut. The door locks from the inside. The officers are still frozen, unable to move. They stare in fear as they hear JUSKO SCREAMING in agony.
In Kirby Plaza, Noah stands by the familiar orange statue on its elevated pool. He waits, his hands in his pockets. Angela, the Haitian, Benson and Hanson stand nearby, waiting with him. Noah looks at his wrist watch and looks at the time.
NOAH: "Three... two... one..."
It's midnight. Noah smirks.
NOAH: "That's it. The solar eclipse is over."
BENSON: "Now what?"
As if in answer, they hear a splash coming from the pool where the orange statue is. Noah notices two bodies bobbing in the water.
BENSON: "Oh, my..."
Noah rushes over and sees one of the people in the water is getting out and Noah helps the other, shorter person get out. Noah pulls a familiar blonde girl out of the water and she COUGHS. Noah smiles at the sight of Claire.
NOAH: "Claire."
The other person, Matt, gets out of the pool and he COUGHS. Matt looks around for a moment and then he notices Noah with Claire. Claire smiles at her dad.
CLAIRE: "Dad..."
The two hug. Matt smiles. Matt turns and looks over at Angela, the Haitian and the others.
MATT: "We're back in New York."
Claire's eyes go wide. She ends the hug and looks at Noah.
CLAIRE: "Dad? Did you see Hiro and Ando?"
Matt looks around for a moment. He shakes his head.
MATT: "They're not here, Claire. He didn't see him."
CLAIRE: "How do you know?"
MATT: "I can hear your dad's thoughts. My telepathy is back."
Matt looks over and notices Hanson.
MATT: "Audrey?"
HANSON: "It's been a long time, Parkman."
Matt looks at Benson. His smile fades. Benson gives Matt a puzzled look. Matt concentrates, narrows his eyes... nothing. He shakes his head. Benson looks at Hanson and he steps back next to the Haitian.
BENSON: "Why the hell is he staring at me?"
There is a faint splash from within the water. Matt, Claire and Noah turn around and Matt is the first to spot a sketchpad floating in the water, along with art supplies. Matt reaches in and picks them out of the pool water.
MATT: "The sketches."
NOAH: "What did you draw?"
MATT: "Come inside. I'll show you myself."
Back at David's home, E.S. walks into David's room. Mrs. Bixby is seated by her son's bed and she is staring at him.
E.S.: "I just spoke back with Kristen. She felt bad about not being able to drive down because of that traffic jam, but..."
He stops. He notices the soft smile on Mrs. Bixby's face.
E.S.: "What?"
MRS. BIXBY: "His fever's going away. David's looking much better than before."
E.S.: "That's great! Do you want me to stick around a bit longer?"
MRS. BIXBY: "No, that's all right. Your house isn't too far from here. Go on home. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know how David is."
E.S.: "All right. I'll see you later, then. Good night."
MRS. BIXBY: "Good night."
E.S. turns and walks out of the room. Mrs. Bixby eyes her son and notices he's still pale and sweaty. He doesn't look as well as his mother just described. She gently holds his hand.
MRS. BIXBY: (soothing) "It's okay, son. It's okay."
Back in the apartment, the door unlocks from the outside and Paul enters the room. It has been a few seconds since the eclipse has ended.
PAUL: "I just got a phone call. They said..."
He freezes as he sees Bruce's lifeless body on the ground. Blood oozes from his wounded head and the gun is lying by his open hand. Paul takes a step back, horrified.
PAUL: "Oh, God... Oh, G..."
He stops himself and scrambles for the doorway. Paul slams the door shut the door behind him. He doesn't see Bruce's eyes pop open, going wide with pain and horror.
In his apartment, Paul gets to his cell phone and dials 9-1-1. He holds the phone to his ear.
PAUL: "I need an ambulance down to the Jensen Apartment Complex. There's been a suicide in one of my apartments and --"
Paul stops as he hears BRUCE SCREAMING in pain and horror. Paul looks puzzled and steps back.
PAUL: "What in..."
There is a DISTORTED, AGONZIED CRY, and then an ECHOING SCREAM of anger. Paul steps back, afraid. The sound of an EXPLOSION booms out into the hall and the ground shakes, knocking Paul off-balance.
Paul opens the door to apartment 108 and he rushes inside. The entire room has been destroyed, as if a bomb went off in there, but there are no burns, no heat or scorches of any kind. The back wall has been completely broken apart. Bruce's previously-dead body is absent from the room. All that remains intact in the room is the recording video camera.
PAUL: "What the...?"
Paul steps forward and looks at the hole in the wall. He hears a click and looks down at the camera. It has just stopped recording.
Within the Company, Noah sits at his office desk. He notices the nine pencil sketches that Matt drew. Mohinder, Claire, Matt, Angela, Hanson, Benson and the Haitian are all standing around the desk and they eye the drawings.
NOAH: "You made all of these?"
MATT: "Yeah. I drew these after we had arrived in Africa. There were nine other paintings that we saw. Including a bunch of people we had to help. Usutu said they were our pupils."
Angela looks uneasy. Noah eyes Matt, puzzled.
NOAH: "Pupils?"
CLAIRE: "He said we had to find them and save them. I think they have an ability, too."
NOAH: "What else did you see?"
Angela takes a step back and heads for the door. The others don't notice.
CLAIRE: "We saw the footprints of an invisible man. I think he was at a farm."
MOHINDER: "Like the invisible man that was spying on Peter."
CLAIRE: "We saw you, too, Dad. You were with the F.B.I. agents. You were staring at a room filled with people in body bags."
Benson and Hanson look stunned at this.
BENSON: "You saw that?"
NOAH: "What else?"
MATT: "Well, there was the eclipse. And we saw Sylar standing over a farmer he had killed. Oh, and we saw Hiro and Ando inside of a comic book store."
CLAIRE: "But I want to know where they are now."
Mohinder looks around. He notices Angela's absence.
MATT: "I don't know. When we saw them last, they were still in Africa. Maybe they didn't get teleported back with us."
MOHINDER: "Where's Angela?"
Everyone looks around the room. Angela has long-since left.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "It is amazing how much a single day can change the entire course of someone's life."
Angela steps into her office and she closes the door behind her. She walks over and sees an envelope set on her desk. Angela walks over and picks up the envelope. On the front of the envelope, ANGELA is typed on it in bold letters.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "It can be the day where a woman gives birth to her child. When a man discovers he has gotten his dream job. When someone we love suddenly passes away."
Angela opens the envelope and she pulls out the item inside.
It is a new 9th Wonders! limited edition comic book, issue #3 of 9. The drawing on the cover is blocked by a post-it note. The words I'VE LEFT YOU SOME PARTING GIFTS are typed on the note. Angela looks up and at the couch.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "And no matter what happens to us, we are never quite the same by what we have experienced. By that one change that has just taken place."
The door to the office swings open. Noah enters the room, with the Haitian, Claire and the others following him in.
NOAH: "Angela? What is it?"
Angela walks over to her couch. Noah and the others look and see what has been left on the couch. There are nine paintings in all - four are set on the couch, while the other five are on the floor and propped up in front of the couch. While the other eight are covered by sheets, the first painting is uncovered and Angela looks at what has been painted on the canvas.
ANGELA: "Peter."
Angela and the others all look at the first painting on the couch. It is of Peter and Caitlin in the desert, meeting Usutu.
MOHINDER (NARRATES): "And we have no idea just how much this one day will alter our entire future."
NEW YORK CITY - NIGHT - FIVE YEARS LATER
Hiro and Ando drop down from the night sky and fall into the ocean with a splash. They sink underwater for a few seconds, stunned by the impact. Ando and Hiro recover, swim up and breaks the water's surface. They gasp in air as they keep their heads above water and they look around.
ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "What happened?"
HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "I don't know. Where are Claire and Parkman?"
Ando and Hiro quickly look around. Ando eyes Hiro in realization.
ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "You don't think... Could they be still underwater?"
HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "I don't think so. I didn't see them drop into the water with us. Did you see them?"
Ando thinks a moment. He shakes his head.
ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "I just saw you. Where are we?"
HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "Wherever we are, it's a long swim back to shore."
Ando turns and looks in the distance. He notices a city ahead.
ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "Hiro! There's a city over that way! You can teleport us there!"
Hiro looks to his right and he just stares. Ando gives Hiro a puzzled look.
ANDO: "Hiro?"
HIRO: (whispers, subtitled from Japanese) "It can't be..."
Ando looks to the right and his eyes widen with shock. They are both staring at the George Washington Bridge. It has collapsed into the ocean. The end of the bridge that was connected to New York is now underwater and is seen far in the distance from Ando and Hiro.
ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "Is that...?"
HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "The George Washington Bridge."
ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "But it can't be. Where's New York?"
Hiro looks down and at the ocean. He looks up at Ando and gives him a frightened look.
HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "I think we're floating over it."
Ando gives Hiro a look of fearful realization and they both look down at the ocean.
