BIXBY HOME - AUSTIN, TEXAS - WEDNESDAY, 5:40 P.M.

David is seated at the table, with Kristen seated to his right side and his mother seated at his left. Bill, E.S. and Sarah are seated at the right side of the table, with Sarah next to Kristen. Uncle Jerome, Aunt Michelle and Ken are seated at the left of the table, with Jerome next to Mrs. Bixby. Bill opens a pizza box and he notices it has pepperoni on it, but no tomato sauce.

KEN: "What the heck? Why doesn't this pizza have sauce?"

SARAH: "Oh, that one's mine."

Ken gives Sarah a puzzled look as he pushes the box over to her plate.

KEN: "Yours?"

E.S.: "Sarah's allergic to tomatoes. Always has been. She can't eat a tomato or a pizza with tomato sauce or tomato paste without having a severe reaction to it."

KEN: "Wow. That sucks."

SARAH: "Well, it's not so bad. I like eating it like this."

DAVID: "Besides, people have different things they're allergic to. Like E. E's allergic to anchovies."

KEN: "You know, I've known you guys for a while now, and I don't think I've ever heard you call E.S. by his name."

Bill smirks, a bit surprised by this.

BILL: "What?"

E.S. looks at Bill with wide eyes.

E.S.: "Don't do it, Bill."

BILL: "They didn't tell you?"

E.S.: "Bill, please. I'm beggin' you, on my hands and knees here..."

BILL: "You don't know his name is Egon Spengler Morris?"

Ken eyes E.S. in surprise. Even Michelle and Jerome are caught off-guard. E.S. puts his hand over his face.

E.S.: "You love to blab that just to torture me, don't you?"

KEN: "Your name is Egon Spengler Morris?!? Seriously?"

E.S.: "Our parents were really big 80's fans. They loved Harold Ramis movies, okay?"

AUNT MICHELLE: "You know, we've known you for all of these years, and this is the first we've heard of your name."

E.S.: "At least Bill can get away with his full name. His middle name's Murray."

KEN: "Bill Murray Morris?"

BILL: "We're named after our folks' two favorite movies - Ghostbusters and Stripes. Spengler was their favorite Ghostbuster."

David has his hand on his forehead, looking pale. Mrs. Bixby notices and gives him a concerned look. David doesn't notice her and he closes his eyes.

E.S.: "At least you didn't have to change to different schools between ages ten to seventeen when the kids found out your name, and then proceeded to tease and beat the living crap out of you."

Kristen notices David is looking ill. Mrs. Bixby holds her son's hand, but he doesn't notice.

BILL: "Yeah, but kids are like that. They love to tease."

E.S.: "I know. You were usually the one holding me down so they could kick my --"

KRISTEN: (interrupts) "David?"

David's eyes snap open as he hears his name called. Everyone else notices that David is looking pale.

CHARLES: "You okay over there, David?"

David faintly smiles and nods.

DAVID: "Yeah. Why?"

E.S.: "'Cause you look like you're going to hurl, man."

MRS. BIXBY: "Sarah, put up the pizza in the fridge. Kristen, go in the kitchen and put away the cake. I'll take David to bed."

DAVID: "No, no, no. I'm fine. Really."

David looks at his friends and grabs a plate for himself. He smiles at Kristen.

DAVID: "Could you hand me a few slices from the Pepperoni Lovers box, please, Kristen?"

Kristen stares at him for a moment, clearly concerned. He gives her a smile.

DAVID: "It's okay. I swear I'm feeling fine."

Mrs. Bixby isn't buying it. She has her hand on David's shoulder. Kristen looks at the Pizza Hut box and opens it. She picks up a large slice, sets it on David's plate, and he smiles at her. He looks at his friends with a smile.

DAVID: "Go on, guys. Eat up. It's a party, right?"

Everyone at the table looks uneasy. David shakes his head, trying to ignore it. He picks up his pizza slice and takes a large bite out of it.


HOSPITAL - CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - 5:55 P.M.

A male nurse, KEVIN, walks into room 315 and over to a comatose man that lies on a bed. His head is blocked from view by the blue curtain that goes around the bed. Kevin notices that Lucy is standing at the right side of his bed and is checking his monitors.

KEVIN: "How's the patient?"

LUCY: "The same, Kevin. He's been in this coma for eighteen days now and his fever hasn't gone down."

KEVIN: "I'm surprised his heart hasn't given out by now. This guy's lucky to be alive."

LUCY: "Well, we're doing everything we can to keep him alive and that's all that matters."

KEVIN: "I still don't get why they wouldn't give us this guy's name. His family or his friends have to be worried sick about them."

LUCY: "The doctor said not to disclose his name to anyone. Sounds like he's in some kind of government protection program or something. Until we get to disclose his name, he's referred to as Patient E."

KEVIN: "Whatever. Speaking of patients, we've got a new one on the second floor that Dr. Miller wants you to check on."

LUCY: "I'll be right there."

Kevin nods and walks off. Lucy looks at the man in the bed, his head and face still blocked by the curtains. She looks at his heart monitor for a moment, and then she looks back at the patient.


HOTEL - NEW JERSEY - 7 P.M.

In the hotel's main/living room, Sandy is seated on the couch and is watching reporter on the TV screen. The TV screen has the headline BREAKING NEWS on the upper left corner of the screen.

REPORTER: "The President has confirmed the existence of a government program kept secret since 2006. The program, known as Project Phoenix, was recently discovered by an anonymous source who leaked the project to the press, along with photographs and copies of legal documents proving its activites."

West walks the room, placing his cell phone in his pants pocket, and he notices Sandy is staring nervously at the TV screen. West turns and looks at the reporter on the TV screen.

REPORTER (CONT'D): "Since September 2006, at least twenty-seven people that had died had actually faked their deaths and had been kept hidden under the protection of the government. The government had used look-alike John and Jane Does from local morgues to double for the people who had faked their deaths, and they were buried in their place. Why these people faked their deaths is unknown, but at least five of the twenty-seven had been found and murdered within twenty-four hours after the project was leaked to the press."

West looks back at Sandy. She notices West and gives him a puzzled look.

SANDY: "What is it?"

WEST: "We need to check out of the hotel. We're going to New York."


HOTEL - NEW YORK - 7 P.M.

Dawn sits on the couch and looks at the television screen. A BEARDED NEWS REPORTER is on the screen.

BEARDED REPORTER: "The body of Wendy Palmer, twenty-one, was found on the beach early this morning by police captain Jensen Hill."

Julie walks into the room and notices Julie is staring at the screen.

JULIE: "What is it?"

DAWN: "Shh!"

Julie notices the TV screen. It shows a dead woman on a stretcher, covered over by a bloodied sheet, being taken by two ambulance medics to the ambulance.

BEARDED REPORTER: "This is the second murder to have been committed in Hackensack in the last forty-eight hours. Police have no leads as to the identity as to..."

Julie notices the news is really getting to Dawn and she turns off the TV with her remote. Dawn lowers her head and shuts her eyes.

DAWN: "This is driving me crazy! I hate being couped up in here like this, knowing that creep is still out there!"

JULIE: "I know it's frustrating, but it's better to be sitting here in this hotel hiding than lying on a slab in a morgue. We will find this man that's after you. But as long as we're guarding you, nothing is going to happen."

DAWN: "I know you guys are doing everything you can to keep me safe and I am grateful that you're protecting me. I really am. But this has all been just so..."

Dawn turns her head aside and SIGHS.

DAWN: "God, I can't even describe what this feels like."

Julie opens her mouth to answer, but stops as her cell phone rings. She takes it out of her pocket, pushes the talk button, and then holds it to her ear.

JULIE: "Hello?" (pauses) "Yes?" (pauses) "Yeah, she's right here."

Julie pauses for a moment, listening. Her eyes go wide.

JULIE: "What?" (pauses) "All right. We're on our way down."

Julie hangs up her cell phone and notices Dawn's puzzled look.

DAWN: "What?"

JULIE: "The perimeter's been breached. Agent James has ordered us to leave and meet him out front...now!"


Julie and Dawn exit the hotel and walk outside. Julie looks left and then right.

DAWN: "I thought you said they were waiting out front."

JULIE: "I don't like it. I don't see them."

JAMES: "Here!"

Julie and Dawn turn around. AGENT JAMES - mid-30s, blond and lean muscled - stands in front of a black van, wearing a black tuxedo. He waves at the two.

JULIE: "Come on. Let's go."

Dawn walks to the van with Julie and she gets to the back. Julie suddenly stops when she sees a man lying unconscious and bleeding from a gash on his forehead. It's the REAL Agent James.

DAWN: "What?"

Dawn turns around to the false Agent James, but a hooded man appears from the back of the van. He grabs Dawn by the mouth and the neck, and quickly pulls her inside. Julie turns around from the fake James to Dawn, and the fake James hits her on the back of the head with the end of his gun. Julie is knocked out and starts to fall, but fake James catches her. He loads Julie into the van, follows her inside, and shuts the back door.


THE COMPANY, NEW YORK - 7:00 P.M.

Monica is standing on a balance beam, wearing a black tank top, black shorts and black sneakers. Standing nearby are two AGENTS and Monica's supervisor, MRS. BERKHART - mid-40s, African-American and with chin-length black hair. A flat-screen television is bolted to the side wall and Monica eyes the screen.

BERKHART: "Next."

Monica looks at the TV as footage plays on the screen. The TV screen shows a brief clip of a gymnast on a balance beam. The gymnast does a backflip, lands on her feet and then she stands up on. She gets up on her left foot and does a 360-degree spin in place. The gymnast then does a double flip forward. The gymnast's second flip makes her flip off the balance beam and she lands on both feet on the mat. The TV screen suddenly pauses the footage.

BERKHART: "Do it."

Monica nods. She does a backflip, lands and stands up. She gets up on her left foot and does a 360-degree spin in place. Berkhart and the Agents watch as Monica does a flip forward, and then a second flip off of the balance beam. Monica lands on both feet on the mat, and then she looks at Mrs. Berkhart.

MONICA: "How was that?"

BERKHART: "Perfect, as always. We're going to show you some more combat moves now. We need you to be ready to fight back in case anyone decides to attack."

Monica nods. She turns back to the TV screen. The pause button is taken off and the film reel continues to play. It now shows a recording of a martial arts tournament. Monica watches a bald man in a white karate instructor's uniform step onto a training mat. The karate instructor does a high kick, and then he does a triple-punch combo move. The instructor finishes off by leaping up and performing a spinning heel kick. The instructor lands in a fighting stance, and then the TV screen pauses.

BERKHART: "Do it."


Meanwhile, in his room at the Company, Micah is looking at his computer screen. He is logged onto the internet and he notices his Mailbox has changed from 48 new messages to 49. Micah sees the headline of the email reads EARLY 9TH WONDERS SPOILERS FOR SUBSCRIBERS and the email address belongs to superhero38.

MICAH: "Finally."

Micah clicks on the email and he notices it. There are 18 spoilers listed on them. Micah looks over each spoiler, one at a time.

SPOILER #1 reads A MAIN CHARACTER LEARNS OF HIS OR HER POWER, OR POWERS, AFTER CELEBRATING HIS/HER BIRTHDAY.

SPOILER #2 reads HIRO NAKAMURA AND ANDO MASAHASHI FIND THEMSELVES STUCK IN THE PAST AND OUTRUNNING A HUNGRY T-REX.

SPOILER #3 reads CLAIRE BENNET DISCOVERS A MAGICAL SPELL THAT TURNS HER INTO A CUDDILY BUNNY. Micah grimaces after reading this particular spoiler.

MICAH: "I really hope that one's a fake spoiler. That sounds stupid."

SPOILER #4 reads A MAIN CHARACTER LIES IN A COMA UNDER POLICE PROTECTION IN A HOSPITAL, KNOWN ONLY AS "PATIENT E".

Micah notices spoiler #5 and he looks surprised by it. SPOILER #5 reads out NINE DEAD CHARACTERS FROM 9TH WONDERS RETURN ALIVE. Micah scrolls down from the top of the screen and to the bottom. He goes through all of the spoilers, one at a time. The door behind Micah opens and a woman stands in the doorway. Micah doesn't notice. He looks over the spoilers, one after the other, but none of them list any names of the resurrected characters.

MICAH: "Which characters? Why aren't there any names listed?"

FEMALE VOICE: "Micah?"

Micah turns around. He spots the familiar blonde woman, wearinf a T-shirt and jeans, standing in the doorway. She is staring at Micah, wide-eyed. Micah smiles at her.

MICAH: "Hey, Tracy. I thought you were still out on an assignment."

Tracy doesn't answer. She just stares at him. Micah gives her a puzzled look, while Tracy gives him a wide smile.

TRACY: "You've gotten so big... Is that really you, baby?"

Micah stares at Tracy for a moment, puzzled. She walks over and crouches next to Micah.

MICAH: "What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like th...?"

Micah notices Tracy is staring at him, unable to believe her eyes. She has tears welling up in her eyes. Micah stares at "Tracy" in sudden realization and he stares her in the eyes. Micah has tears in his eyes, as he stares at the familiar woman in front of him... and it's not Tracy Strauss.

MICAH: "Mom?"

NIKI SANDERS, back from the dead, gives Micah a sad smile. A tear runs down her face and her lower lip trembles as she nods in confirmation. Micah gets up, rushes to his mother, and SOBS as he hugs her. Niki returns the hug and rests her head on her son's shoulder.

MICAH: (crying) "Oh, Mom."

NIKI: "It's me, Micah. I'm back."


CINEMARK MOVIE THEATER - NEW YORK - 7:10 P.M.

RONNY REYNOLDS - 17 years old with red hair and hazel eyes - stands behind the concession stand counter, wearing his movie theater clothes. He is filling up a large bucket with Orville Redenbacher popcorn, and then he turns to the portly female CUSTOMER waiting.

RONNY: "Would you like butter on your popcorn, ma'am?"

CUSTOMER: "Yes, please."

Ronny walks over to the butter dispenser and pumps some butter onto the popcorn in the bucket. He walks back to the counter and sets down the popcorn bucket next to the large soda already set on the counter.

RONNY: "Okay, that'll be twelve fifty."

CUSTOMER: "Twelve fifty?!?"

RONNY: "Sorry, ma'am. Prices have gone up a bit lately, and you did order the largest popcorn we have."

The customer grumbles in dismay as she reaches into her purse and pulls out the money. She sets down a ten dollar bill, two dollar bills and two quarters onto the counter.

RONNY: "Thanks. Enjoy your movie."

CUSTOMER: "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

The customer grabs her popcorn bucket and her soda and she storms off to the left side of the theater. Ronny shakes his head, equally annoyed.

RONNY: "Yeah, you're welcome."

Ronny looks around and notices no other customers around. He looks to his left and at the early-20s, blonde woman, LIZ, at the other cash register.

RONNY: "Kind of quiet for a night, don't you think?"

LIZ: "Please. At eleven dollars a ticket in the daytime showings, I'm grateful we've gotten any customers around here lately."

RONNY: "Yeah, I know. Listen, I'm going to go ahead and get my dinner break, okay, Liz?"

LIZ: "Go for it. It's not like we've got a crowd to tend to or anything."

Ronny nods and walks off.


A few minutes later, in a men's room of the theater, Ronny stands at the hand dryer and is drying off his hands. When he's finished, Ronny walks off and opens the door. He exits the men's room, and finds Claire standing in the hall waiting for him.

CLAIRE: "Excuse me."

RONNY: "Yeah, what is it? Are you lost or something?"

CLAIRE: "Not exactly. Are you Ronny Reynolds?"

RONNY: "How'd you know my name?"

CLAIRE: "We just want to talk."

RONNY: "We? Who's we?"

Ronny turns around and notices Geoffrey and Noah are approaching them.

RONNY: "What is this? Who are these guys?"

Geoffrey pulls his police badge from his coat pocket and shows it to Ronny.

GEOFFREY: "It's all right. I'm with the N.Y.P.D. We just need you to come with us and have a talk, that's all."

RONNY: "What, are you arresting me or something?"

GEOFFREY: "It's more like a police protection thing."

RONNY: "Protect me? From what?" (looks at Claire) "What's going on?"

CLAIRE: "Just come with us. We'll explain all of this to you on the way, okay? Please."

Ronny looks at Geoffrey and Noah, and then back at Claire. Ronny nods.


EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL - AUSTIN, TEXAS - 6:12 P.M.

In the hotel's living room, Benson and Hanson are seated at the dining room table. Benson is typing on his laptop, while Hanson has her headset switched on.

HANSON: "Are you sure?"

Hanson pauses for a moment, listening. Benson clicks on a link and is brought to a new web page. An article shows up on the screen.

HANSON: "All right. Call us back when you have something."

Hanson pushes the button on her headset and switches it on. Benson looks over at Hanson.

BENSON: "What was that all about?"

HANSON: "I just got a call from the police department down in . It seems that the number of fatalities isn't as large as we were told."

BENSON: "What do you mean? The department confirmed that twenty-six people had died down there."

Hanson opens her mouth to talk, when the door to the hotel room swings open. Matt steps inside and the number on the main door is revealed as 108. Matt shuts the door behind him as he steps inside, carrying two briefcases in his hands.

MATT: "I've got the reports from Bennet's office. We've got three new faxes that just came in. You're never going to believe what they say."

Benson looks down as his cell phone rings.

BENSON: "Hold that thought, Parkman."

Benson reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out his ringing cell phone. He pushes the talk button and holds it to his ear.

BENSON: "Hello?" (pauses) "Yeah, he just came back."

Benson pauses for a moment. He looks grim.

BENSON: "All right. We're on our way."

Benson hangs up his cell phone.

HANSON: "What's going on?"

BENSON: "Someone tripped the silent alarm down at the paper factory. We've got intruders."


MEYER HOME - AUSTIN, TEXAS - 6:12 P.M.

MRS. HEATHER MEYER is seated on her couch in her living room. She's holding her cell phone to her ear.

MRS. MEYER: "Well, I'm glad David's enjoying the surprise party. Are you doing the gifts now?" (pauses) "Uh-huh."

Mrs. Meyer hears the doorbell and she turns to the front door.

MRS. MEYER: "Sorry, honey. It's just the doorbell." (pauses) "All right. I'll talk to you later, sweetheart. Goodbye."

Mrs. Meyer hangs up the phone and sets it down on the table. She rises from the couch, walks out of the living room and to the front door. Mrs. Meyer looks out of the peep hole of the door for a moment, and then she unlocks it. Mrs. Meyer opens the door and sees a woman standing outside of her doorway.

MRS. MEYER: "Can I help you?"

Tracy Strauss stands in the doorway and she smiles at Mrs. Meyer.

TRACY: "Hello. Are you Mrs. Meyer?"

MRS. MEYER: "Why yes. Who are you?"

TRACY: "I was sent here to have a talk with you. Can I come in?"


Elsewhere, Hiro and Ando reappear in an enormous basement of a currently-unknown building. They look around the room and find the masked man isn't with them.

HIRO: "Masked man?"

ANDO: "Where did he go?"

Hiro looks around the room.

HIRO: "He's gone... again."

Hiro stops as he notices nine pantings standing up nearby, at the side wall.

HIRO: "Ando... look."

Ando turns and notices the paintings. Hiro and Ando walk over and they notice a note taped to the wall, above the first painting. Hiro picks up the note and looks at it.

ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "What does it say?"

HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "'Past? Present? Or Future?'"

Ando and Hiro look at the nine paintings. Each looks freshly painted.

Painting #1 shows Ando standing behind Hiro. Hiro's eyes are closed and the background behind him is split in half down the middle. There are two different locations, one at either side of Hiro and Ando. At the left side of the painting, it shows the two men in an office and the buildings of Japan behind him. At the right side of the painting, it shows the two in front of hundreds of people that walk across streets of New York.

Painting #2 shows Peter and Sylar in the Beeman Warehouse. Peter is stuck in Sylar's telekinetic hold, hovering above the floor. Sylar is screaming as he's struck by Peter's heat vision. Hiro notices the painting next to it.

HIRO: "Doctor Suresh?"

Painting #3 shows Mohinder Suresh, on his back and unconscious. A tranquilizer dart is stabbed into the side of his neck. Lying next to him is D.W., face-down and unconscious. A tranquilizer dart is lodged in her back.

Painting #4 shows Claire and Noah, in Geoffrey's home. Noah is cooking breakfast for Claire, like we saw earlier.

Ando notices the fifth painting.

ANDO: "Hiro."

Hiro looks at Ando and then at the next painting. Painting #5 shows Ando looking upset and walking away from a concerned-looking Hiro.

HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "What does this mean?"

ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "I look pretty angry. Am I mad at you?"

HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "I hope not. I would never do anything to upset you. You're my best friend...my partner."

Ando looks at Hiro a moment. He nods and smiles.

ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "I knew you'd say that."

Hiro notices the sixth painting. He looks concerned.

HIRO: "Oh, no."

Ando turns and looks at the next painting. Painting #6 shows a captive woman, hidden in the shadows and locked in a large room. Her arms are chained above her head, her head is lowered, and her face isn't seen. The only color shown in the painting are the Caucasian skin of her bare arms and the red of the blood dripping from the various slashes on her back. A discarded bullwhip lies on the floor, dripping with fresh blood.

ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "Who is that woman?"

HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "I don't know. But is this something that already happened, or what will happen?"

ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "I'm not sure. Some of these paintings look like they could be from any category. Past, present, or future."

Hiro and Ando walk over to the last three paintings. Painting #7 shows Future Peter on the streets of New York. Hiro and Ando are following after him, now in different clothes. There is a black bump sticking out on Hiro's back and a diagonal strap around his chest. Ando and Hiro look upset, while Future Peter looks just as upset.

ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "It's the future. We were just there."

HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "I don't think so. Look at our clothes. They're different."

Hiro leans forward to get a closer look at his painted self.

HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "What's that on my back?"

Ando looks at the black bump. The bump is detailed, with carvings and at least one visible Japanese symbol on it.

ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "It looks like a sheath. Maybe it's for a sword."

HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "But if I have a sword, it's missing. Are we looking for it with Future Peter?"

ANDO: (subtitled from Japanese) "Maybe. But something's wrong. We both look pretty upset."

Hiro looks over at painting #8. It shows a woman in a darkened room, her hair flowing in the wind, and sparks of electricity erupt around the room.

Ando and Hiro look over at the last painting. They look stunned at what they see.

HIRO: (subtitled from Japanese) "We have to stop it."

The last painting shows New York, sinking down into the ocean. Cars are floating, people are drowning, and several buildings are being flooded by the rising water.

Suddenly, the door to the room is kicked open. Hiro and Ando turn around and flashlights suddenly shine on their faces.


THE COMPANY - MICAH'S ROOM - 7:14 P.M.

Niki sits at the end of Micah's bed and she smiles at him.

MICAH: "And then I found out that she was actually your sister. She's been looking out for me lately, and so has Monica. Tracy's really nice, Mom. I know you two would..."

Micah suddenly stops. He notices Niki's sad smile.

MICAH: "What?"

NIKI: "I can't get over how big you've gotten. All this time, all of the things I've missed out on... birthdays, holidays..."

Niki stops and she closes her eyes. She's doing her best not to cry. Micah sets his hand on Niki's shoulder.

MICAH: "Mom, it's all right. I'm okay. I'm just glad that you're back. It's like the best surprise ever."

Niki looks at Micah and smiles.

NIKI: "It's not the only surprise, Micah. I have some..."

She stops as the power suddenly goes out. Micah and Niki both look up at the ceiling.

NIKI: "What is it? A blackout?"

Micah's computer suddenly turns on, the only thing left on in the blackout.

NIKI: "What is it?"

MICAH: "My computer. It just switched itself on."

Micah and Niki walk over and they eye the computer. There are several headsets set next to the computer.

NIKI: "Where did these headsets come from?"

Micah looks at the computer. There's a message typed on it.

MICAH: "Oh, no."

The message on the screen reads:
NIKI - PUT ON A HEADSET, GIVE THE REST TO NOAH AND CO.
MICAH - STAY PUT, CLAIRE AND RONNY WILL JOIN YOU SHORTLY.

NIKI: "What is going on?"

MICAH: "Wait, look!"

As if in answer, a new message appears on the screen:
THEY'RE ALREADY INSIDE. BE CAREFUL - STAY ALIVE!!

Micah looks over and notices Niki is eyeing the screen sternly.


THE COMPANY - 7:15 P.M.

In Angela's office, Peter is still unconscious on the ground and Caitlin is on her knees before him. Caitlin gently shakes Peter by his shoulder to wake him. He doesn't.

CAITLIN: "Peter? Peter, please. Wake up, darlin'."

She shakes Peter again, but Peter doesn't awaken. The door swings open and Caitlin looks up to see Noah enter the room.

NOAH: "Angela?"

CAITLIN: "Mr. Bennet?"

Noah walks around the desk and notices that Caitlin is by the unconscious Peter.

NOAH: "Caitlin? What happened to Peter?"

CAITLIN: "I don't know. That masked fella touched him, and then he just dropped to the ground. I can't wake 'im up."

Noah feels Peter's neck for a pulse.

NOAH: "He's all right. He's just asleep. We'd better get him out of here."

Noah hears a distant SCREAM and then gunfire goes off. Two THUDS echo from down the hall. Noah glances over the desk for a moment and notices the doorway is now wide open.

NOAH: "Stay down. Don't move and don't make a sound. Understand?"

Caitlin nods nervously. Noah draws his gun from his holster and slowly gets up.


Noah exits the room and enters the hallway. Niki walks into the hall, holding two headsets in each hand, and she follows Noah.

NOAH: "Tracy, I need you to cover me."

NIKI: "Wrong sister, Bennet. My son can fill you in later on the details."

NOAH: "Niki?!?"

NIKI: "It's been a long time. We've got intruders in the building. The masked man gave me these."

Niki hands two headsets over to Noah.

NIKI: "Here. Now we can keep in touch."

Geoffrey walks over and joins Noah and Niki.

GEOFFREY: "Where are Claire and Ronny?"

NOAH: "They're going to stay with Micah. We need to keep moving."

NIKI: "And this is?"

NOAH: "A new friend. We've got some help on this floor, Sanders. You stick with me, we can take these guys down."

NIKI: "You guys go ahead. There's someone I need to get."

NOAH: "You shouldn't be alone."

Niki smiles.

NIKI: "Relax. I've got some help, too. I'll meet up with you later."

Noah smirks at Niki for a moment.

NOAH: "Welcome back, Nicole."

Niki nods and she walks to the left side of the hall. Noah walks off to the right and to another hallway.

GEOFFREY: "Are you going to fill me in on what just happened?"

NOAH: "Later."

He hands out a headset to Geoffrey.

NOAH: "I need you to put this headset on and go back to Angela's office."

Geoffrey stops walking and he eyes Noah.

GEOFFREY: "What? Why?"

Noah stops walking and turns to Geoffrey.

NOAH: "I need you to help Peter and Angela Petrelli. There's something I've got to do."

Geoffrey eyes Noah for a moment. He nods and puts on the headset. Noah walks off down the hallway. Geoffrey watches him leave, and then he turns around to go back to the office.


In another hallway, Monica walks out of the training room and into the hallway. She hears gunshots ring out from behind and she spins around. Two agents are repeatedly shot by unseen assailants and they drop dead to the ground. Monica turns around and is met by a masked AGENT with a tranquilizer gun in his hands.

MASKED AGENT: "Freeze!!"

Monica takes a step forward and the agent shoots at her. She dodges it effortlessly and charges at the agent. She kicks the gun out of his hand and he throws a punch at her, but Monica blocks it. Monica does a high kick, and then she does a triple-punch combo move that knocks the masked agent back. Monica finishes the agent off by leaping up and performing a spinning heel kick. The masked agent hits the ground, unconscious, and Monica lands on her feet in a fighting stance.

INVISIBLE MAN: "Where'd you see that? In a movie or something?"

Monica turns around and finds a tranquilizer pistol held in the transparent hand of the invisible man. He has just pulled the trigger and the tranquilizer dart hits Monica in the throat. Monica pulls out the dart and stumbles back, off-balance. Monica collapses to the ground.

INVISIBLE MAN: "Don't worry, lady. You're not the one I'm after."


Micah waits in his room and eyes his laptop. Micah's screenname is MICAH1203, while the screen name he's chatting with is MASKEDMAN. He types a message and then hits ENTER.

The message reads:
MICAH1203 - WHAT IS IT?

Micah pauses, watching the screen. A reply appears:
MASKEDMAN - BAD GUYS. DO NOT LEAVE THE ROOM.

Micah starts to type again, but stops when he sees the next reply:
MASKEDMAN - IT'S CLAIRE. OPEN UP. NOW.

There is a double knock on Micah's door.

CLAIRE (in the hall): "Micah, it's Claire. Open up."

Micah rushes to the doorway and he unlocks it. Micah opens the door and Claire and Ronny both enter the room. Micah shuts the door and locks it behind them.

RONNY: "What's going on?"

MICAH: "The power's been shut off. I've been keeping in touch with the others on these headsets."

CLAIRE: "Here. Let me have one of those."

MICAH: "Help yourself."

Claire puts on a headset and switches it on.

CLAIRE: "Dad, we made it in. We're with Micah now."

NOAH: "That's good news. Stay with him and don't let Micah out of your site. He's the other one they're after."

CLAIRE: "Who are these guys, Dad?"

NOAH: "I don't know that yet. But I don't think that they --"

The headset suddenly goes to static.

CLAIRE: "Dad? Dad, what is it?"

There's no reply. There's more static.

CLAIRE: "I've lost him!"

Micah goes over to the computer and he notices a new reply appear on the screen:
MASKEDMAN - NOAH IS DOWN, BUT SAFE - AN OLD FRIEND HAS HIM.

CLAIRE: "Who's with him? What's going on?"


In an empty office, Noah lies on the ground, unconscious and with a tranquilizer dart in his throat. Several agents are looking around the room, armed with guns and tranquilizer pistols.

CLAIRE (on headset): "Dad? Dad, answer me!" (pauses) "Dad!!"

A man in a trench coat crouches next to Noah, keeping hold of his left shoulder. The man switches the headset off, but the agents don't notice.

AGENT #1: "Where did he go?"

AGENT #2: "Keep looking! Bennet's in here somewhere!"

The agents walk by, as the man grabs Noah by his collar and drags him to an exit door. The man looks down at Noah and reveals his face for the first time - Claude Rains, the Invisible Man. Claude drags Noah out of the room and the agents look around, unaware of their exit.


Back in his room, Micah looks at the screen and sees a new reply pop up on the screen:
MASKEDMAN - I'VE SENT SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER YOU. TRUST ME, YOU'LL BE SAFE.

CLAIRE: "Who is this guy?"

RONNY: "Who's he going to send?"

Micah turns to the doorway, and he notices a man walk right through the door like a ghost. Micah stares in shock and Claire and Ronny turn to see the man standing before the locked door.

RONNY: "How did he get in here? Who is that guy?"

Micah smiles, trying not to cry.

MICAH: "Dad?"

D.L. Hawkins stands in front of the locked door, wearing a tank top, jeans and boots. He smiles at his son and nods.

D.L.: "Hi, Micah. Did you miss me?"

Micah smiles, runs over and he hugs his dad. D.L. hugs his son back.

D.L.: "Nik, it's me. I'm with Micah."

CLAIRE: "Niki?"

MICAH: "Oh, Dad..."

D.L.: "Don't worry, son. I'm back." (smiles) "And this time, I'm not going anywhere."


LIEBER PAPER FACTORY - 6:30 P.M.

In the basement, Matt, Benson and Hanson are walking down a long hallway. A bald, mid-30s man in a black business suit, AGENT HARRING, is walking alongside them.

HANSON: "What do we have here?"

HARRING: "We found some spies snooping around the premises. They had smuggled in a bunch of paintings with them into the sub-basement storage room."

BENSON: "Paintings?"

HARRING: "Yes, sir. Nine of them. We have them in custody now."

Matt stops walking. He narrows his eyes, listening. Hanson notices and she stops walking. Harring and Benson stop as Hanson turns around to Matt.

HANSON: "Parkman?"

HARRING: "Sir, this way, please."

Matt's eyes widen. He looks up.

MATT: "These aren't spies."

HANSON: "What? Who are they?"

Matt ignores her. He walks by and to the door to the second room on the right.

HANSON: "Parkman?"

HARRING: "How did you know where they were? Sir, what's going on?"

Matt opens the door. He sees two Agents are standing guard in an interrogation room. Hiro and Ando are seated on separate chairs and their wrists are handcuffed. Hiro and Ando are eyeing the guards.

ANDO: "Don't we even get a phone call?"

HIRO: "You don't understand! We're on a very important mission!"

MATT: "Hiro?"

Hiro and Matt look over at the doorway and they smile as they see Matt.

HIRO: "Matt Parkman!"

Matt gives them a puzzled look.

MATT: "They're okay. They're with me. Unlock their handcuffs."

The agents nod as Matt enters the room, and the agents proceed to unlock Hiro and Ando's handcuffs with their keys. Hanson, Benson and Agent Harring step into the room, while Matt stands before the table. He looks at Hiro and Ando.

MATT: "Now, what's this about you guys finding nine paintings?"


Minutes later, in a large storage room, Hiro and Ando lead Matt, Hanson and Benson across the room. They stop at the nine paintings that have been placed against the wall.

ANDO: "This is where the policemen moved the paintings to."

HANSON: "Who gave you these?"

HIRO: "The masked man. We were taken into the future by the masked man. We met Peter Petrelli there. He was trying to show us these paintings."

BENSON: "The future?"

ANDO: "Yes. He had thousands of paintings, hung on the walls of this huge room."

HIRO: "It looked like a giant comic book."

Benson rolls his eyes.

BENSON: "Of course it did."

Matt looks at Hiro for a moment.

MATT: "He's telling the truth. They met Micah Sanders there, too."

ANDO: "How did you...?"

Hiro smiles happily in realization.

HIRO: "Your power! It's back!"

Benson notices the painting of Peter and Sylar in the Beeman Warehouse.

BENSON: "Is that Petrelli?"

HIRO: "Yes! And this is him, too!"

Hiro points at the painting of Hiro and Ando with Future Peter.

HIRO (CONT'D): "That was what he looked like, five years from now. Only we haven't done this yet. I don't have a sheath for my sword yet."

MATT: "Sword? What sword?"

ANDO: "We don't know. It hasn't happened yet."

BENSON: "And that?"

Hiro and Ando turn to the painting Benson is pointing at. It's of an angry Ando walking away from Hiro.

HIRO: "No. Ando and I are very good friends. We're trying to keep this event, whatever it is, from happening."

Hiro turns to the ninth painting and eyes it grimly.

HIRO (CONT'D): "And this is the one we must stop."

Benson, Hanson and Matt eye the painting and stare in shock. Even Benson is unnerved by it.

HANSON: "Is that New York?"

ANDO: "When we were in the future, we were in the water, floating over where New York was. It was gone when we got there."

HIRO: "But now we can save New York, and our pupils we need to train. Future Micah gave us the names."

MATT: "What names?"

Hiro holds up the envelope in his hands.

HIRO: "We don't know them yet, but everything about them is in here. Their names, their addresses... maybe even their powers."

MATT: "Come with me. We need to take a closer look at these people we need to find."


In the dining room, David is seated at the dining room table. His friends and family are gathered around him. One gift in particular stands out - it is the new issue of 9th Wonders!, sealed in a comic book bag. David has several opened gifts set in his bags - CDs, DVDs, etc. David is in the middle of unwrapping a gift and he looks at the DVD inside. It is a boxed set of "The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Fifth Season".

DAVID: "Very funny. Thanks a lot, E. I love it."

E.S.: "See, buddy? Now you've got the entire series on DVD."

David sets the DVD back in his bag and Bill hands David a large, familiar book.

BILL: "Here, Dave. I didn't know if you had this or not, so I didn't wrap it. I figured you'd get a kick out of it."

David looks at the cover of the book.

DAVID: "Activating Evolution by Chandra... Suresh? Did I pronounce that right?"

BILL: "Yeah, you did. I got this because this book's got all kinds of sections about stuff you would find in comic books, from levitation to teleportation and cellular regeneration."

David eyes the book, visibly curious. He smiles.

DAVID: "Thanks, Bill. I didn't even know they had a book like this."

Kristen hands David her gift bag.

KRISTEN: "Here. Open mine next."

David takes Kristen's bag and pulls out the item from inside of it. It is a sealed comic book bag and inside it is The Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, Annual #21. The cover is signed by Stan Lee. David stares at it, stunned, and he looks at Kristen.

DAVID: "You... How did you... This is..."

E.S.: "I think that's Dave-ese for 'thank you for the awesome gift, Kristen.'"

David smiles and leans to Kristen. He kisses her.

BILL: "Nope, little brother. I think that is."

David ends the kiss and smiles at Kristen. He hugs her.

DAVID: "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

KRISTEN: "It was my pleasure."

MEGAN: "Is that all the gifts?"

DAVID: "Yeah, I think so."

AUNT MICHELLE: "Hang on. I've still got one left."

Uncle Jerome hands David a shoebox. David opens the lid and looks inside. There are several cut-out newspaper comics stored inside, all of The Amazing Spider-Man. David smiles and looks at his aunt and uncle.

DAVID: "Wow! Thank you so much!"

AUNT MICHELLE: "It's no problem. We've got three weeks worth of comics cut out of the paper just for you."

KEN: "That's kind of a cheap-o gift."

DAVID: "No way! I don't get these in my newspaper comics. I can't wait to read them."

David picks up a Spider-Man comic strip from the shoebox and his thumb presses down on an illustration of Spider-Man. David closes his eyes and he shudders. David drops the comic back in the shoebox, looking tired, and Kristen gives him a puzzled look.

KRISTEN: "You okay?"

David opens his eyes and he looks at Kristen.

DAVID: "Yeah, I'm fine... Guess I'm just more worn out than I thought."

MRS. BIXBY: "Come on. I'll get you a slice of cake and then you can lie down for a while, okay?"

David nods. He's breaking out into a cold sweat.

DAVID: "Yeah... Yeah, I guess."

Mrs. Bixby helps her son up from his chair and they walk off into the kitchen. Kristen gives David a look of concern and Ken looks at the guests, puzzled.

KEN: "What just happened here?"

E.S.: "David's got Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He gets tired pretty easily and he's got a lot of health problems. Severe headaches, sore throat... stuff like that. That's why he only works a few hours for a few days a week at the comic book store."

CHARLES: "I guess he's not as recovered as he thought."

Kristen stands up and looks at the guests.

KRISTEN: "I'll be right back. I'm going to check up on him."

Kristen walks off and out of the room.


Kristen opens the door and walks inside.

KRISTEN: "David? Is everything...?"

She stops talking as she spots David lying on his bed, asleep. E.S. stands by David's bed and Mrs. Bixby is seated beside him. Both eye David in concern. Kristen rushes over and joins him.

KRISTEN: "What happened?"

MRS. BIXBY: "He told me he just felt very tired and he laid down on his bed to relax. A few seconds later, he just went right to sleep."

Kristen sits on the bed next to David. She gently sets her hand on David's shoulder.

KRISTEN: "David? David, wake up."

She gently shakes David's shoulder. He doesn't awaken. Kristen looks up at Mrs. Bixby and both look worried.


LIEBER PAPER FACTORY - 6:40 P.M.

Inside an empty office, Matt opens a door and walks in. Hiro, Ando, Hanson and Benson follow him in and they stand at a long table. Matt opens the envelope that Hiro had, reaches his hand in and grabs the contents inside. He pulls the items out, emptying the envelope. Matt sets down several pages of paper stapled together, with several paper clips visibly clipped into certain pages.

MATT: "Let's see what our masked friend left for us this time."

Matt looks at the first page. There's a photograph of Kristen held on the front page by a paper clip, with a few more photos set behind it.

ANDO: "That's one of the ladies from the painting we saw in Africa."

Matt eyes the notes on Kristen's page. Benson narrows his eyes as he notices Kristen's photograph.

MATT: "It says here that her name is Kristen Meyer. According to the masked man's notes, she's supposed to be one of the most important people we're protecting."

ANDO: "Does it say what her powers are?"

Matt eyes the notes for a few seconds. He shakes his head.

MATT: "It doesn't say. Either she doesn't have any powers, or we're not supposed to know what they are yet."

BENSON: "That seems rather stupid, don't you think?"

MATT: "According to this file, I'm supposed to be the one looking after her."

ANDO: "You're her mentor?"

MATT: "Well, yeah. At least, I will be."

HIRO: "What about me? Which pupil do Ando and I get?"

ANDO: "Well, maybe we don't share. We might get separate people to protect."

Matt turns to the next page. He looks at the photos of David clipped to the next page. Hanson and Benson look a bit surprised as they see his photo.

MATT: "The next guy is David Bixby."

HANSON: "Wait a minute. I know that guy. Benson and I saw him at a comic book store back in Austin."

ANDO: "You did?"

MATT: "According to the notes, he's Hiro's pupil... but that's all it says. There's nothing else. No phone number, no address, no mention of his powers."

HIRO: "Well, we know where he works. We can go over there and find him." (looks at Hanson) "What was the name of the comic book store?"


In a vacant room in the Company, Geoffrey is carrying Peter in his arms and he lies him down on a bed. Caitlin walks over and stands near Peter.

GEOFFREY: "What happened to him?"

CAITLIN: "I'm not sure. He just went to sleep and he wouldn't wake up."

The sounds of gunfire echo from the hallway and Geoffrey and Caitlin turn around to the door.

CAITLIN: "Who's in here? What do they want?"

GEOFFREY: "I don't know. Noah said to keep an eye on you guys until..."

Geoffrey suddenly stops as he turns back to Peter. Caitlin looks at the bed and her eyes widen with shock. The bed is empty.

CAITLIN: "Peter!!"

Neither of them notice the masked man standing across the room, with Peter held in his arms. Peter's eyes flutter in his sleep, looking a bit pale. The masked man lowers his head and he vanishes with Peter, teleporting away.


Fading into view from the white flash of light is a view of the skyscrapers of New York City. The view of the city soars up, above the buildings, as if we were seeing it through the eyes of a flying man. It suddenly fades away...


NEW YORK - THURSDAY, SUNRISE

In New York City, Peter lies asleep on the rooftop of a 15-story building. He is wearing an unbuttoned white coat, red T-shirt, denim jeans, socks and shoes. He stirs, awakens from his flying dream, and he opens his eyes. Peter lifts his head up, and the sounds of traffic below catch his attention. The sun rises behind him. Peter stands up and stands still. He looks around, stunned.

PETER: "Where'd...?"

Peter looks left, and then right. Peter doesn't see that the masked man is standing right behind him, just several feet away.

MASKED MAN: "It's deja vu, isn't it?"

Peter turns around and looks at the masked man.

PETER: "I dreamed this. How did we get here?"

MASKED MAN: "I brought you here. I've seen you at this place before, you know. It's been a long time for you."

PETER: "How did you know that?"

MASKED MAN: "I've been watching you, Peter, all of you, for some time."

PETER: "Who are you? Why did you bring me here?"

MASKED MAN: "It's only fitting that I bring you back here, Peter. In a way, this is where it all truly happened for you. It's your first time."

PETER: "Since you grabbed my hand... I felt strange inside...different. But it felt familiar, too. Now that feeling, it...it's gone. I feel normal now."

MASKED MAN: "You should, Peter. Your original ability has returned to you. I've restored your empathic mimicry. It's permanent this time. No one can take it away from you. Not Louis, not even Sylar. If Arthur Petrelli was here alive today, not even he could take it away from you."

PETER: "My abili..."

Peter stops himself and looks away, stunned. He turns back to the masked man, his shock turning into confusion.

PETER: "But you... I can't..."

MASKED MAN: (interrupts) "No. You cannot copy my ability, Peter. You can't copy any of my powers. That's why I brought you here. You're back at square one, Peter. You're back at the beginning. You're going to have to learn everything all over again...But this time, it's final. You're special, Peter, and not because of your power. I consider you a friend. I'm honored to know you. That's why I wanted to repay you, with this gift."

PETER: "By restoring my ability?"

MASKED MAN: "No, not that. That's just the icing on the cake. No, you're going to like this surprise. I gave you Caitlin back. I gave you your power back, permanently. And because of that, you already have your mother's power too. You just saw this place in your dream. Now, I have one more wish to grant you...and this one is of my choosing. It's time, Peter. It's time for your first lesson."

PETER: "With what?"

MASKED MAN: "Look into your heart, Peter. Listen to it. You know what to do. It really is deja vu, all over again, and in the best way possible. Trust me, Peter. Just spread your wings. It's time to fly."

Peter gives him a puzzled look. Peter turns around and looks at the edge of the rooftop. Peter turns around to the masked man. He has already left, teleported away. Peter looks around, and sees he's alone.

PETER: (nods, whispers) "I trust you."

Peter turns around and stands near the edge of the roof.

Peter still stands near the edge of the roof of the tall building. He looks around slowly, from right to left.

MOHINDER (narrates): "Some say that those of us who live in the past are doomed to repeat it."

Peter turns his head slowly from left to right, looking at the city.

Peter takes another step forward, his foot right on the edge.

MOHINDER (narrates): "If we had the chance to do something all over again, would we change it? Should we change it?"

Peter slowly lifts his head up and looks at the sky.

Peter closes his eyes. He slowly moves his arms up and spreads them out.

MOHINDER (narrates): "There are times when we all do things that we have done before. The outcome of those events can change time and again. Sometimes, the end result is different."

Peter takes in a deep breath, his open white coat flowing in the wind.

Peter leans forward and, IN SLOW MOTION, he falls right over the edge. His open coat flaps in the wind as he falls off the rooftop, and he falls farther...farther...

Peter falls in slow motion, his eyes still closed. He falls down story after story, never moves, keeps his calm...

MOHINDER (narrates): "Sometimes, it is up to us to change it, to make a better ending. But ofttimes, the ending is not ours to choose. It is left into the hands of fate what happens next to us. Sometimes the end result is the same."

Still in slow motion, a Caucasian hand reaches down from above and reaches down for Peter.

MOHINDER (narrates): "And sometimes, fate -- can truly surprise us."

Still in slow motion, the man's hand grabs onto Peter's left wrist -- and the slow-motion STOPS as time comes back to regular speed. Peter's eyes snap open and he lifts his head up as he holds onto the arm of the man holding him. Peter freezes at the sight of his rescuer, and he just stares up at the unseen face of the man who has just caught him. Peter stares, trembling... He can't believe his eyes.

Staring down at Peter, holding him by the wrist, is a familiar man in a business suit -- Nathan Petrelli. Nathan smiles calmly at his little brother as he floats in mid-air.

NATHAN: "Don't be scared, Peter. I'll never let you drop again."

Peter just stares at Nathan, overwhelmed. He stares up at his brother as tears roll down his cheeks.

PETER: (whispers) "Nathan?"

Nathan smiles. He nods at Peter.

NATHAN: "I'm back, Pete. I'm back."

Peter just stares up in disbelief at his brother and tears run down his face.